Jeremy Bowen’s interview with Gaza aid chief was shameful – and he knows it
There was yet more shameful reporting by BBC News at Ten last night, with international editor Jeremy Bowen the chief culprit this time. He prefaced an interview with Philippe Lazzarini, head of United Nations refugee agency UNRWA, with an utterly unwarranted disclaimer – as though he was talking to a terrorist, not a leading human … Continue reading "Jeremy Bowen’s2025-05-20 | Uncategorized
Surprising Developments in the Iran Nuclear Negotiations
In the past several days, there have been surprising developments in the negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s civilian nuclear program. U.S. President Donald Trump has frequently, but not always, defined the goal of the negotiations as being limited to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. He repeated that definition as recently as … Continue reading "Surprising Developments2025-05-19 | Uncategorized
Can Trump Slip the Grip of the Neocons?
During the 1988 campaign, George W. Bush came to the Courthouse in Maryville, TN to speak at a rally for his Dad. As we were leaving, I told my friend and later Chief of Staff, Bob Griffitts, “Bob, he is better than his Dad.” When he ran for President in 2000, then Governor Bush went … Continue reading "Can Trump2025-05-19 | Uncategorized
America’s Weaponization of Space Continues Whilst NASA Sees Budget Cuts
If flagship NASA missions like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Mars Sample Return mission are being cancelled at the same time that defense spending amounts the majority of last year’s increase in global government space investment, that’s a clear signal how the elected officials in Washington view the Final Frontier. At a … Continue reading "America’s Weaponization2025-05-16 | Uncategorized
The Deep State’s Favorite Columnist Just Turned on Bibi
Thomas Friedman’s message to President Trump, published in The New York Times, cuts sharper than most of the foggy, ideologically neutered op-eds that clutter that paper. It is, quite simply, one of the most brutally honest assessments of America’s relationship with Israel in years – from Thomas Friedman, of all people: an institutionalist and a … Continue reading "The Deep2025-05-14 | Uncategorized
What Will Trump Find in the Middle East This Week?
President Trump’s return to the Middle East this week, the first since his first-term 2017 visit, will take place amidst great turmoil. It is a region that bears little resemblance to the Middle East of 2017 and it appears, at least from media reporting this past week, that the Trump Administration has some understanding of … Continue reading "What Will2025-05-13 | Uncategorized
US priorities shift: Israel no longer first
ALBAWABA — Columnist Uriel Daskal makes the harshly critical claim that U.S. President Donald Trump has made a major shift in American foreign policy by essentially ignoring Israel in favor of short-term economic interests and strategic agreements, including with the Houthis and possibly Iran, in an opinion piece published by the Hebrew daily Maariv...2025-05-10 | NEWS, Main Headlines, Conflict with Israel
We Were So Close: Life After Conscience and the Abraham Accords
“We were so close,” Cassandra Dixon wrote, from Malta -where she had hoped to board Conscience, the aptly named Freedom Flotilla ship which two weaponized drones bombed on May 2, 2025, almost certainly launched by Israel. Cassandra had traveled to Malta after spending six weeks in Masafer Yatta, the West Bank region where, for two … Continue reading "We Were2025-05-09 | Uncategorized
The Myth of Conquest: Why Gaza Will Never Be Subdued by Israel
To conquer a place is to fundamentally subdue its population. This must be clearly differentiated from ‘occupation’, a specific legal term that governs the relationship between a foreign “occupying power” and the occupied nation under international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention. When Israeli forces were ultimately compelled to redeploy from the Gaza Strip in … Continue reading "The Myth2025-05-01 | Uncategorized
The Marketplace of Ideas Works Only If We Leave the Doors Open
In 1958, Soviet intellectuals Alexander Yakovlev and Oleg Kalugin arrived at Columbia University as Fulbright scholars for a year of graduate studies. They weren’t defectors. They were loyal Party apparatchiks, sent to study how America’s “propaganda machine” worked so they could better defend socialism back home. Instead, they encountered something far more dangerous to totalitarianism … Continue reading "The Marketplace2025-05-01 | Uncategorized
The Path to Peace: Europeanization Then Normalization
Reprinted with permission from The Realist Review. Much has been made of Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky’s tête-à-tête in Saint Peter’s Basilica over the weekend. If nothing else, the optics were stunning: The US and Ukrainian president looked to be patching things up – perhaps the spirit of Pope Francis awakened the better angels of … Continue reading "The Path2025-04-30 | Uncategorized
Iran and the United States: Nuclear Argy Bargy
“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” ~ Voltaire, Enlightenment author and philosopher (1694-177 Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the United States and Israel have been zealous in their efforts to disempower it. Israel has used its powerful hasbara (propaganda) machine to peddle absurdities about Tehran as a nuclear threat … Continue reading "Iran2025-04-30 | Uncategorized
50 Years On: US Elites Learned Nothing From the Vietnam Defeat
April 30, 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of the final, definitive defeat of the U.S. military crusade in Vietnam. The images of U.S. helicopters desperately flying American diplomats and Washington’s high-level South Vietnamese collaborators from the roof of the U.S. embassy in Saigon effectively captured not only the chaotic environment, but also the extent of … Continue reading "50 Years2025-04-29 | Uncategorized
IAEA Director General Grossi Discusses Global Non-proliferation, Nuclear Safety Issues with Senior US Officials in Washington DC
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi met high-level officials from the U.S. administration to discuss important current issues related to non-proliferation and nuclear safety worldwide, during a visit to Washington DC where he also spoke to the heads of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank about the financing of nuclear energy projects.2025-04-24 | News Story
NATO Membership for Ukraine Was Always Russia’s Red Line
This week, the Kremlin said it was finally satisfied with Washington’s position on future NATO membership for Kiev. “We have heard from Washington at various levels that NATO membership for Ukraine has been ruled out,” Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained. “And of course this is something that brings us satisfaction and coincides with our position … Continue reading "NATO Membership2025-04-23 | Uncategorized
New Poll: Americans Reject Deporting Foreigners for ‘Wrongthink’ on Middle East
An important new public opinion survey taken by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has revealed very little American support for the deportation of legal foreign guests in the United States for expressing support for Palestine in its current conflict with Israel. Responding to FIRE’s quarterly National Speech Index survey conducted by the … Continue reading "New Poll:2025-04-21 | Uncategorized
The Stones Still Cry Out: Holy Week’s Political Reckoning
Holy Week is no mere ritual rehearsal for Christians; it’s a political dynamite keg, detonating the myth of human order built on blood. Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, and resurrection expose the scaffolding of power – then and now – as a rickety structure held together by scapegoats and silenced victims. As we navigate our fractured polis … Continue reading "The Stones2025-04-18 | Uncategorized
The Cross and the Pieta: The Passion of Palestine
Reprinted with permission from The Kucinich Report. Michelangelo’s Pieta, the larger-than-life sculpture of the crucified Christ held tenderly in Mother Mary’s lap, has attracted visitors to Rome since it was installed in the old St. Peter’s Basilica more than 500 years ago. Contemplation of the Pieta gifts one with the powerful presence of sacrifice and … Continue reading "The Cross2025-04-18 | Uncategorized
Tariffs and the Constitution
“No doctrine involving more pernicious consequences was ever invented by the wit of man than that any of [the Constitution’s] provisions can be suspended during any of the great exigencies of government.” ~ Ex Parte Milligan, Supreme Court of the United States, 1866 President Donald Trump has recently imposed a national sales tax on nearly … Continue reading "Tariffs and2025-04-11 | Uncategorized
‘Let All Hell Break Loose’: The Gaza Ceasefire and How We All Got Played
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza in late January 2025 was paraded by Western media as a diplomatic breakthrough that might finally curb the bloodshed – a potential turning point for peace in the region. But within weeks, the grim reality became undeniable: this was never about peace. It was a strategic pause – … Continue reading "‘Let All2025-04-10 | Uncategorized
Liberation or Obliteration?
President Trump was elected in part because he promised to reduce prices and not drag the country into foreign wars. Sadly, President Trump has adopted a tariff policy that will raise prices and abandoned his “America First” foreign policy in favor of a return to Bush-era neoconservatism. Despite criticizing President Biden for bombing Yemen, President … Continue reading "Liberation or2025-04-08 | Uncategorized
America’s New Lost Cause
Reprinted with permission from The Realist Review. They say that “History is written by the victors.” Fortunately, we know that that is not always true. History is written by those who can assert the most appealing narrative. Those who offer the most charismatic and beguiling story – even those defeated in battle – can emerge, … Continue reading "America’s New2025-04-07 | Uncategorized
NATO, More Militarism No Defense Against US Expansionists
Reprinted from Yves Engler’s website. If you believe Donald Trump might invade you should be calling for Canada to withdraw from NATO. The alliance won’t defend Canada, has enabled US interference and gobbles up resources. During a recent meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, US President Donald Trump questioned the border and Canadian sovereignty. … Continue reading "NATO, More2025-04-03 | Uncategorized
Who Gives Two Hoots About the Houthis!
Last week we noted that the ascension to NATO of the Balkan Five (Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania) and the Baltic Three (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) amounts to some kind of bad joke. Their combined active military forces total just 66,000 servicemen, which is exactly equal to the combined 66,000 man police forces of … Continue reading "Who Gives2025-04-01 | Uncategorized
Arab Failures: The Unspoken Complicity in Israel’s Genocide
Explaining Arab political failure to challenge Israel through traditional analysis – such as disunity, general weakness, and a failure to prioritize Palestine – does not capture the full picture. The idea that Israel is brutalizing Palestinians simply because the Arabs are too weak to challenge the Benjamin Netanyahu government – or any government – implies … Continue reading "Arab Failures:2025-03-31 | Uncategorized
From JFK to Donald Trump: How the USA Became Wedded to Zionist Israel
There are many contrasts between the 35th president, John F. Kennedy, and the 45th and 47th president, Donald J. Trump. One extreme example is regarding U.S. policy toward Israel. JFK and Israel/Palestine Unknown to many people today, JFK supported Palestinian rights and sought a sustainable peace in the region. In 1960, when JFK was campaigning … Continue reading "From JFK2025-03-28 | Uncategorized
What is Isotope Hydrology?
Protecting water resources is an important goal for all countries, especially as we see the impacts of climate change becoming more and more pronounced. “Isotope hydrology is a really useful tool for countries to help do this because it gives us a fingerprint of the water molecule,” explains Jodie Miller, head of the Isotope Hydrology Section at the IAEA.2025-03-25 | News Story
Turn Off That (Government) Radio!
On March 14, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order reducing “statutory functions of unnecessary governmental entities to what is required by law.” Among other institutions, the order targets the United States Agency for Global Media and the broadcast media it operates and funds: Voice of America, Radio and Television Martí, Radio Free Europe/Radio … Continue reading "Turn Off2025-03-25 | Uncategorized
Why ‘Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace’ Advocates Cling to Genocide Denial
Israel’s renewed assault on Gaza comes several months after both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued reports concluding without equivocation that Israel was engaged in genocide. But very few members of Congress dare to acknowledge that reality, while their silence and denials scream out complicity. In a New York Times interview last weekend, the … Continue reading "Why ‘Pro-Israel,2025-03-20 | Uncategorized
American Spring? Uphold Freedom of Speech on American Campuses
Reprinted with permission from The Kucinich Report. Throughout my political career, I have steadfastly defended the First Amendment, particularly the right to free speech. In 2002, I delivered a speech entitled A Prayer for America, where I challenged the rationale of the PATRIOT Act and questioned actions that infringed upon the constitutional guarantees of freedom … Continue reading "American Spring?2025-03-19 | Uncategorized
Surveillance in Africa threatens privacy and data protection rights
Address surveillance and bolster personal data and privacy protections through adopting robust legal and regulatory frameworks and repealing restrictive digital laws and policies. Promote and enhance transparency and accountability through the establishment of independent surveillance oversight boards. Strictly regulate the use of surveillance technologies by law enforcement and intelligence agencies to ensure accountability. Collaborate with other countries to develop harmonised privacy standards within2025-03-19 |
President Trump: Stop Bombing Yemen and Exit the Middle East!
Over the weekend President Trump ordered a massive military operation against the small country of Yemen. Was Yemen in the process of attacking the United States? No. Did the President in that case go to Congress and seek a declaration of war against the country? No. The fact is, Yemen hadn’t even threatened the United … Continue reading "President Trump:2025-03-18 | Uncategorized
The Genesis of Sectarian Violence in Syria
Reprinted with permission from The Kucinich Report. While many in Washington claim to defend Christianity and Western values, their policies have led to the systematic annihilation of some of the world’s oldest Christian communities. The same politicians who posture as defenders of faith have not just turned a blind eye to the suffering of Christians … Continue reading "The Genesis2025-03-17 | Uncategorized
Negotiating a Lasting Peace in Ukraine
Reprinted from CommonDreams. There should be little doubt about how a lasting peace can be established in Ukraine. In April 2022, Russia and Ukraine were on the verge of signing a peace agreement in Istanbul, with the Turkish Government acting as mediator. The U.S. and U.K. talked Ukraine out of signing the agreement, and hundreds … Continue reading "Negotiating a2025-03-12 | Uncategorized
Was October 7 Avoidable?
After the Hamas-led offensive of October 7, 2023, it was portrayed as “Israel’s 9/11,” which came out of the blue. Yet, this assumption is not supported by verified facts, including ignored intelligence, abandoned hostages and neglected Israeli communities around Gaza. A day after October 7, Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremmer said that the “massive attacks by … Continue reading "Was October2025-03-10 | Uncategorized
China’s 6th Gen Warplanes Set To Outgun USAF
It was December 26th, 2024 – Chairman Mao’s Birthday – when a pair of unmarked, unidentified warplane screamed across the skies above Chengdu, a city that hosts the factory of the Chengdu Aerospace Corporation that is known to be currently working on a new fighter jet. Tentatively being called the J-36 and J-XX, (no official … Continue reading "China’s 6th2025-03-07 | Uncategorized
Zelensky Told Trump That Putin Cannot Be Trusted. But Who Killed Minsk 2?
On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky got the meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that he had been hoping for. It was an opportunity to sign their agreement on minerals and, more importantly, to improve relations and heal their recent fight. Instead, another fight erupted (you can see the whole discussion below). Much has … Continue reading "Zelensky Told2025-03-06 | Uncategorized
Is Trump Right About Zelensky’s 4% Popularity?
U.S. President Donald Trump says that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is “very low in Ukrainian Polls.” So low, in fact, that his approval rating is only 4%. Trump is wrong. But he may not be as wrong as mainstream media commentators have accused him of being. And the number he cited may be closer to … Continue reading "Is Trump2025-03-04 | Uncategorized
The Geopolitics of Peace
Reprinted from Consortium News. This is an edited transcript of Professor Jeffrey Sachs’ speech in the European Parliament at an event titled “The Geopolitics of Peace,” hosted by former U.N. Assistant Secretary General and current BSW MEP Michael von der Schulenburg, on Feb. 19, 2025. The transcript has been edited for clarity and annotated. Introduction … Continue reading "The Geopolitics2025-03-03 | Uncategorized
Manifest Destiny in the Histories of the US and Israel
For Palestine and Palestinians, 14 May 1948 was a fateful day in its 4,000-year history. It was also historically pivotal for the United States. Paraphrasing British author, George Orwell, it is essential to rediscover the past in order to gain control of the present and save the future. Eleven minutes after David Ben-Gurion, head of … Continue reading "Manifest Destiny2025-02-28 | Uncategorized
Netanyahu Views the Hostages as His Excuse To Restart the Slaughter
Israel sustained the West’s support for its slaughter in Gaza for 15 months only through an intensive campaign of lies. It invented particularly heinous Hamas war crimes, such baby beheadings and mass rape, for which no evidence has ever been produced. Conversely, it played down its own, even graver war crimes in response to Hamas’ … Continue reading "Netanyahu Views2025-02-27 | Uncategorized
Trump’s Mineral Deal and Pillaging Ukraine
Normally, it is the country that defeated you in war, and not the country that defended you, that pillages you after the war. Unfortunately for Ukraine, its biggest military defender is set to pillage its resources as the two countries have now signed a minerals agreement after Trump warned that a refusal to sign would … Continue reading "Trump’s Mineral2025-02-26 | Uncategorized
President Trump Wants To Cut the Pentagon Budget in Half. How?
Reprinted with permission from The Kucinich Report. It is Presidents’ Day, and President Donald Trump has made a bold statement regarding military spending – one that no other president in modern history has made. He claims he could cut the Pentagon budget by about 50%. President Trump has suggested a major cut in defense spending, … Continue reading "President Trump2025-02-25 | Uncategorized
Torjuntavoitto: The Finnish Strategy That Could Save Ukraine
After three years of stagnation, this past week saw clear steps towards peace in Ukraine. Trump and Putin spoke on the phone, and US and Russian negotiators met face to face in Saudi Arabia for the first time in years. Trump said explicitly that he was “okay” with Russia’s demand that Ukraine be denied membership … Continue reading "Torjuntavoitto: The2025-02-25 | Uncategorized
Canada-U.S. Cross-Border Surveillance Negotiations Raise Constitutional and Human Rights Whirlwind under U.S. CLOUD Act
Introduction to Canada-U.S. CLOUD Act agreement Canadian and U.S. constitutional law diverge on digital surveillance CLOUD Act agreement risks subordinating Canadian constitution to U.S. law U.S. fails to protect human rights domestically and internationally No recourse or remedy if people’s rights violated by U.S. police surveillance Canadian government should reject CLOUD Act agreement to uphold Canada’s constitutional and human rights Acknowledgements2025-02-24 | Transparency and Accountability, canada-us border, CLOUD Act
Should We Celebrate the Demise of USAID and NED?
The opening month of the second Donald Trump Presidency has produced a number of consensus-shattering executive actions that have upended the normal functioning in Washington. One of the most surprising is Trump’s attempt to eliminate the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and defund the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). For decades, USAID and … Continue reading "Should We2025-02-24 | Uncategorized
Gaza Has Changed the Discourse on Popular Resistance, But Are We Truly Listening?
Palestinians and Israelis agree that the Gaza resistance was the main reason behind Israel’s forced decision to accept a ceasefire and begin its gradual withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The oddity is that Palestinians – dying, resisting, but remaining steadfast in Gaza – usually stand at the polar opposite of everything the Israeli government and … Continue reading "Gaza Has2025-02-21 | Uncategorized
Greenlandic Grievances With Denmark and Trump’s Annexation Plan
One of my favorite places on Earth, Greenland, has suddenly become the center of worldwide attention as US President Donald Trump reiterated his 2019 proposal that the US should do whatever it takes to acquire Greenland from Denmark. Trump’s interest stems from Greenland’s strategic location between the US and Russia, its large untapped deposits of … Continue reading "Greenlandic Grievances2025-02-20 | Uncategorized