Forse Franklin Roosevelt non disse mai del dittatore nicaraguense Anastasio Somoza “sarà un figlio di puttana, ma è il nostro figlio di puttana”, ma probabilmente lo pensò; e anche tanti altri presidenti devono aver pensato qualcosa di simile di miriadi di dittatori brutali. Ma se il governo americano ha costretto gli americani ad appoggiare dittature…

At Progressive Review (“Two Types of Terrorism,” Dec. 7), Sam Smith breaks terrorism down into two types: “That which uses guns and bombs and that which uses words to terrify the public into going along with whatever those in power want.” But the two aren’t unrelated, as the respective domestic reactions to the Paris bombings…

What do Barack Obama and Donald Trump have in common? Among other things, they have — or pretend to have — no clue why some Muslims hate us. Trump says (I almost typed believes, but I’m not sure anyone, including Trump, knows what he believes) Muslims should be barred from the United States until “until…

While Franklin Roosevelt may not have said that Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza “may be a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch,” he probably thought it — just as other presidents have had similar thoughts about myriad brutal rulers. So if the U.S. government has forced the American people to support useful dictators, why is…

In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Kenya, CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta asked Barack Obama, “Why can’t we take out these bastards?” Acosta echoes many Americans who are hungry for revenge, and favor further military intervention in the Middle East. Ironically, those wishing to exact revenge with…

Donald Trump’s indictment of the Bush II administration for failing to prevent the 9/11 attacks presents an opportunity for more of a bird’s eye view of American foreign policy in the Middle East, a policy that has killed many hundreds of thousands, maimed countless more, and laid waste to entire societies. As Peter Beinart reminds…

C4SS Feed 44 presents Dylan Delikta‘s “Assist the Refugees, Abolish the Borders” read by Katrina Haffner and edited by Nick Ford. We cannot let the tyranny of borders continue. It is apparent, especially with the current mass migration of Syrian refugees without shelter or safety in Europe or elsewhere, that borders are inhumane and need…

The Middle East is in great turmoil. It is plagued with war fought by factions of varied political, ethnic and religious tendencies. Some are fighting for liberation, some for nationalism, and others for religious fundamentalism. Whilst the carnage continues, two things have become certain: First, these wars are the result of decades (arguably centuries) of…

Actor Adrien Grenier of the TV series Entourage has been caught up in quite a storm over a tweet he sent out on the recent anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It was an animation of the World Trade Center and below it read, “R.I.P. the 2,996 Americans who died in 9/11. R.I.P. the 1,455,590 Iraqis…

Every year, we’re subjected to another round of mawkish, smarmy 9/11 memorial ceremonies whose main purpose is to maintain loyalty to the very national security state whose aggression brought the terror attacks of September 11 on us in the first place. It’s all part of an endless cycle, repeated over and over, dating back to…

The Financial Times recently reported that Nobel Peace Prize recipient Barack Obama has conducted ten times more drone strikes than his predecessor George W. Bush. As far as we can tell, that number is somewhere in the ballpark of 500 strikes and spans a wide array of countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia…

This column was inspired by one of Rupert Murdoch’s tweets on September 6: “Big military brings peace through strength.” A cliched tweet by Murdoch isn’t what most people would consider a news hook. But it’s just the latest expression — caveman syntax perhaps included — of an insidious idea that anyone born in the United…

Uri Avnery discusses Bibi. Uri Avnery discusses Israel’s aborted strike on Iran. Lucy Steigerwald discusses the inevitability of a war president. Simon Jenkins discusses the drumbeat for sending troops back to Iraq. Laurence M. Vance discusses Reagan Republicans. Laurence M. Vance discusses Christianity, libertarianism, and the War on Drugs. Butler Shaffer discusses why you shouldn’t…

It’s hardly news that Charles and David Koch are longtime supporters of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). For example, Institute for Humane Studies “Koch fellows” are heavily represented in staff jobs at ALEC, and frequently go on to head the task forces that draft model legislation. The Kochs stated some time ago their preference…

Medea Benjamin discusses 10 steps to wean the U.S. off militarism. Ron Jacobs discusses the footprint of the U.S. military in Africa. Sam Husseini discusses U.S. government violence from Hiroshima to Iraq. Uri Avnery discusses the divide and conquer strategy of Netanyahu. George Selgin discusses how the Federal Reserve is joining the War on Drugs….

Di recente, la Casa Bianca ha annunciato che Obama ha approvato un piano per mandare 450 nuovi soldati in Iraq per combattere Isis. Queste “truppe” non sono truppe operative. Al contrario, avranno un ruolo di consiglieri per assistere le forze armate irachene. Se credete a questa storia vuol dire che avete un minestrone al posto…

King John of England, who 800 years ago this week was forced at Runnymede to affix his Great Seal to Magna Carta — which at least in theory subordinated his power to law — might have envied President Obama. Sure, Obama also pays lip service to idea that the executive is subject to law. But…

The White House recently announced that Obama has approved a plan to send 450 new troops into Iraq to fight ISIS. These “troops” aren’t ground troops, but instead are going in an adviser role to assist the Iraqi military. Now, everyone who believes that please, go stand on your head. It’s been four years since…

Dan Sanchez discusses how U/S. intervention helps Islamic fundamentalist groups in the Middle East. Barbara Myers discusses the unknown whistleblower. Michael Horton discusses the Saudi state’s Yemen strategy of divide and destroy. Laurence M. Vance discusses free trade. Sheldon Richman discusses letting the clock run out on the NSA. Alex Kane discusses the booming business…

J. Patrice McSherry discusses Operation Condor. Laurence M. Vance discusses the question of why conservatives don’t follow their own constitution. Kelly Vlahos discusses the march of the imperial senators. Ivan Eland discusses hard truths about Iraq. Andrew Levine discusses how America broke the Middle East. Jonathan Cook discusses Israel’s government of zealots. John Grant discusses…