‘…Buried in a recent New York Times article about Iraq’s liberation of Tikrit from ISIS is this startling fact: The Iraqi militias battling ISIS took no prisoners of war. That was despite a fierce series of battles taking place in a dense urban area, resulting in hundreds, if not thousands, of casualties.To take zero prisoners during a major military operation probably means only one thing: Iranian-backed militias executed every single ISIS fighter they found under any and all circumstances. One spokesperson for the Badr brigade copped to as much. He said, “To be honest, everywhere we captured them we killed them because they were the enemy.”Another battalion commander said his troops caught three Afghan men, an Algerian man, and an Afghan woman, during the fight. And, as he noted, “After we were done with them, we killed them.”…’
via Defeating ISIS through atrocities is destined to fail: Why a war without mercy is bad for Iraq and Iran..
Tag: Endless War
America’s Middle East Imperial Meltdown
I think one of the biggest mistakes people make in analyzing US foreign policy is assuming they actually know what they are doing – they in the Pentagon, they in the CIA, they in the White House, and so on. If anything has been proved since September 11, 2001 is that they are fucking clueless. Usually ‘policy’ from Washington is just a new reaction to something that happened to another reaction in the Middle and Near East that went not according to plan.
Of course, the imperialists have their goals and plans, but this does not mean they really have a clue how to be successful.
/jd
from the Editors of Against the Current,April 23, 2015
‘…In short, the fading Obama presidency has been drawn–and has dragged the country–into quagmires from which it had promised to escape. The Obama legacy will include the militarization of the U.S. border and urban police forces (greatly assisted by Israeli expertise in these methods), institutionalized legitimacy of drone warfare and assassinations, massive security oversight of the population, and permanent states of war, much of them half-hidden, from Pakistan to North Africa. The presidency that was supposed to clean up the mess that George W. Bush made has mostly served to confirm what the left has known but is sometimes tempted to forget: there is hardly any situation so appalling, so destructive, so catastrophic in human and political terms that “our own” imperialist government can’t find a way to make it worse…’
via Middle East Imperial Meltdown | Solidarity.
Video » Noam Chomsky explains why America is always on top
Noam Chomsky discusses American White Supremacy, US imperialism and why North America and Europe are always on the top of a map, and not at the bottom…. [2 mins]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGHpWST7l9I
Cuba not a Terrorist State anymore, but Venezuela is a now a threat?
It seems that in Obama’s last moments as a ‘lame duck’ president he is doing things which should have been done decades ago.
But, is it wrong to also criticise him for NOTdoing these things during his first 6 years as president??
‘…And after a careful review of Cuba’s record, which was informed by the intelligence community as well as insurance – excuse me – assurances provided by the Cuban Government, the Secretary of State concluded that Cuba met the conditions for rescinding its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism and forwarded that recommendation – the Secretary of State forwarded that recommendation to the President last week and recommended he submit to Congress the statutorily required report and certification. Today, this afternoon, the President submitted to Congress that required report and certification indicating the Administration’s intent to rescind Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism….’
via Background Briefing on the Report Required To Rescind Cuba's State Sponsor of Terrorism Status.
But, Obama reassured the Military-Industrial Complex and endless war establishment by declaring Venezuela a national security threat to the United States of America. #wtf
‘…US President Barack Obama has issued an executive order declaring Venezuela a national security threat, and placed sanctions on seven officials….’
via Al Jazeera English
video from Venezuela’s TeleSur english language TV channel
Bonzo Goes To Washington (we begin bombing in 5 minutes)
re: this song…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Minutes_(Bonzo_Goes_to_Washington_song)
https://youtu.be/h3CUHnUsk8M?t=10s
Killer Robots = Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS)
Yes, we have reached the evolutionary level of humanity’s history where civilization will be measured by how we control our killer robots. And again, the role of Mini-Me is played by the UK for the USA — imagine the outrage if Nobel Peace Prize winner President Obama openly opposed this proposal? And, there should be a special war crime tribunal for the Pentagon freaks who come up with newspeak acronyms like this!…
‘…The UK is opposing an international ban on so-called “killer robots” at a United Nations conference that is this week examining future developments of what are officially termed Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (Laws).
[….] The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, an alliance of human rights groups and concerned scientists, is calling for an international prohibition on fully autonomous weapons.
Last week Human Rights Watch released a report urging the creation of a new protocol specifically aimed at outlawing Laws….’
via UK opposes international ban on developing 'killer robots' | Politics | The Guardian.
The world of threats to the US is an illusion, by Stephen Kinzer
Stephen Kinzer writes:
‘…When Americans look out at the world, we see a swarm of threats. China seems resurgent and ambitious. Russia is aggressive. Iran menaces our allies. Middle East nations we once relied on are collapsing in flames. Latin American leaders sound steadily more anti-Yankee. Terror groups capture territory and commit horrific atrocities. We fight Ebola with one hand while fending off Central American children with the other.
In fact, this world of threats is an illusion. The United States has no potent enemies. We are not only safe, but safer than any big power has been in all of modern history.
Geography is our greatest protector. Wide oceans separate us from potential aggressors. Our vast homeland is rich and productive. No other power on earth is blessed with this security.
[….] I recently asked a United States Navy officer what threats he believed the United States might confront in the future. To my astonishment, he answered, “Venezuela.” The South American country is in political crisis and careening toward bankruptcy. Its combat navy counts six frigates and two submarines, none of them seaworthy. Yet last month President Obama designated Venezuela an “extraordinary threat to US national security.” The search for enemies can lead to odd places….’
via The world of threats to the US is an illusion – Opinion – The Boston Globe.
CIA Director says US war has been going on for a thousand years.
Who do they think they are at war with, exactly??
Director of Central Intelligence John Brennan:
‘It’s a long war, unfortunately. But it’s been a war that has been in existence for millennia…’
via Politics, Power, and Preventive Action » CIA Director: We’re Winning the War on Terror, But It Will Never End.
Obama sells Hellfire to Egypt to bring Hell to Yemen.
‘WASHINGTON — An Egyptian procurement of 356 AGM-114K/R3 Hellfire II missiles has been cleared by the State Department, the first new procurement since the White House lifted a freeze on weapon sales to that nation.
The sale also comes as Egypt takes part in anti-militant operations in Yemen, which the US is indirectly aiding with logistical support…’
via Egypt Hellfire Buy OK'd Amidst Yemen Strikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byIsaZ5WYyM
US War on Terror: Two Million Dead?
Physicians for Social Responsibility, winner of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize has published an extensive report attempting to calculate the deaths during the US War on Terror…
‘Authored by IPPNW-Germany, the report is a comprehensive account of the vast human toll of the “Wars on Terror” conducted in the name of the American people since September 11, 2001.’
read the .pdf: http://www.psr.org/assets/pdfs/body-count.pdf
Executive Summary:
‘…The purpose of this investigation is to provide as realistic an estimate as possible of the total body count in the three main war zones Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan during 12 years of ‘war on terrorism’. An extensive review has been made of the major studies and data published on the numbers of victims in these countries. This paper draws on additional information such as reports and statistics on military offensives and examines their completeness and plausibility. It applies interpolation to calculate the figures for those periods for which no information is available. Even now, 13 years after this war began, there has still been no equivalent study.
This investigation comes to the conclusion that the war has, directly or indirectly, killed around 1 million people in Iraq, 220,000 in Afghanistan and 80,000 in Pakistan, i.e. a total of around 1.3 million. Not included in this figure are further war zones such as Yemen. The figure is approximately 10 times greater than that of which the public, experts and decision makers are aware of and propagated by the media and major NGOs. And this is only a conservative estimate. The total number of deaths in the three countries named above could also be in excess of 2 million, whereas a figure below 1 million is extremely unlikely…’
Fortune.com explains how Wall Street is making a killing off ISIL and Yemen
‘…“The drone builders are going to have a field day,” says Dov Zakheim, who served as Pentagon Comptroller during the George W. Bush administration. That could mean a tidy profit for privately held General Atomics, maker of the Predator drone, the granddaddy in the category and still widely in use, as well as the second-generation Reaper, designed to carry 3,000 pounds worth of bombs. And to help survey vast expanses of desert, the military will rely on the Global Hawk, made by Northrop Grumman NOC 0.49% to hover at altitudes as high as 50,000 feet for up to four days at a time. Those vehicles will likely be making use of the Gorgon Stare. This sensor, developed by privately held Sierra Nevada, is capable of scoping a 4-kilometer diameter by filming with nine cameras.
[….] “The most obvious cases are what I would call the boots, beans, and bullets trade,” says Ronald Epstein, a Bank of America analyst, pointing to “the guys with shorter backlogs.” That is, shipbuilders can’t expect much work from this conflict, but those supplying the ordnance American forces are already churning through should see new orders. Gunzinger notes that “small diameter bombs could be a huge winner, since aircraft can carry more of them in a single sortie—and they have very accurate seekers, so they can strike targets with less potential for collateral damage.” Tally up another advantage for Raytheon’s product line, among others.
American military operations targeting ISIS have cost some $600 million since mid-June, with the U.S. now spending more than $7.5 million a day on the conflict by the Pentagon’s own accounting. Zakheim estimates that this figure could conceivably double as the operations intensify and the theater widens to Syria, with a significant chunk of the expenditures going to munitions.
The total price tag for the open-ended conflict, expected to be measured in years rather than months, is anybody’s guess. In the immediate term, however, the White House is pressing Congress to approve $500 million to fund the training and equipping of pro-Western rebel groups in Syria….’
via The war on ISIS already has a winner: The defense industry – Fortune.
Video: How W Bush’s War in Iraq created ISIL
‘Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was a graduate of the US Prison system in Iraq’
Channel 4 News 30 Mar 2015
Learn how the 2003 invasion of Iraq, by the US and its allies, led to sectarian violence, terror and sowed the seeds of the Islamic State. Our International Editor, Lindsey Hilsum, recounts her experiences of Iraq during the first months of conflict and explains how ISIS has grown from the remnants of a defeated Al-Qaeda group and gained a stronghold in the heart of Iraq and Syria.
American exceptionalism means not having to remember
Tanya H. Lee writes:
This unquestioned belief that "America" – that is, white settlers – "had a mission" from God to spread democracy and new technologies sits at the heart of the problem. The issue before us is whether we want an educated populace that has a nuanced understanding of our history during the colonial period or a citizenry that is not equipped to think about history, because one very narrow interpretation of it is accepted without thought or criticism.
Michael Yellow Bird of the Arikara and Hidatsa Nation, a professor of sociology and director of indigenous tribal studies at North Dakota State University, said, "In my estimation, most American students receive what has been called an authoritarian education that celebrates a master narrative of this nation and really focuses on what appears to be its greatest accomplishment, the idea of American exceptionalism, the idea that America has done all these great things and sort of occupies a special place on the planet among all countries."…’
via The Native American Genocide and the Teaching of US History.
Historic Nuclear Deal with Iran has Prevented a New War in the Middle East
Former Ambassador Seyed Hossen Mousavian on Democracy Now….
‘I think there’s no difference between Israel and North Korea because North Korea has a few number of nuclear bombs. Israel has about 400 nuclear bombs. Therefore, they both are the same. They have nuclear bombs. There is a big difference between Iran and Israel. They really belong to two different wars on nonproliferation. Iran is member of the Nonproliferation Treaty and Israel has never been ready to accept it. There is no evidence in Iranian nuclear program. Iran does not have nuclear bomb. Israel has about 400 nuclear bombs. During last 10 years, Iran has given more than 7000 mandate inspections to International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA. This is completely unprecedented during the history of IAEA, no other country in the world has given access to IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, like Iran during the last decade. Israel, during last 50, 60 years, has not given even one inspection to the IAEA. Therefore, I believe the war and international community, they should judge who is wrong, who is right. Iran does not have nuclear bomb. Iran has accepted every level of inspection, transparency. Iran has accepted to have completely open nuclear program, and Israel does have a nuclear bomb and the country which does have nuclear bomb is blaming Iran, which does not have nuclear bomb.’
via Former Iranian Ambassador: Historic Nuclear Dear has Prevented a New War in the Middle East | Democracy Now!.
Guatemalans deliberately infected with STDs sue Johns Hopkins University
Do not forget that the Military-Industrial Complex also includes Academia…
Nearly 800 plaintiffs have launched a billion-dollar lawsuit against Johns Hopkins University over its alleged role in the deliberate infection of hundreds of vulnerable Guatemalans with sexually transmitted diseases, including syphilis and gonorrhoea, during a medical experiment programme in the 1940s and 1950s.
[….]
During the experiments the following occurred:
• Prostitutes were infected with venereal disease and then provided for sex to subjects for intentional transmission of the disease;
• Subjects were inoculated by injection of syphilis spirochaetes into the spinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord, under the skin, and on mucous membranes;
• An emulsion containing syphilis or gonorrhoea was spread under the foreskin of the penis in male subjects;
• The penis of male subjects was scraped and scarified and then coated with the emulsion containing syphilis or gonorrhea;
• A woman from the psychiatric hospital was injected with syphilis, developed skin lesions and wasting, and then had gonorrhoeal pus from a male subject injected into both of her eyes and;
• Children were subjected to blood studies to check for the presence of venereal disease.
via Guatemalans deliberately infected with STDs sue Johns Hopkins University for $1bn | US news | The Guardian.
the ‘solution’ is part of the problem
Trevor Timm writes:
‘…If Obama is an anti-war president, he’s the worst anti-war president in history. In the last six years, the Obama administration has bombed seven countries in the Middle East alone and armed countless more with tens of billions in dollars in weapons. But that’s apparently not enough for Republicans. As the Isis war continues to expand and Yemen descends into civil war, everyone is still demanding more: If only we bombed the region a little bit harder, then they’ll submit.
[….] But as the Council on Foreign Relations’ Douglas Dillon Fellow Micah Zenko tweeted recently, “If 30 years of US as military hegemon in the Middle East resulted in the region today, why would more suddenly stabilize things?” No one seems to be willing to face the stark fact that US involvement is as much the cause of the instability as it is the alleged solution….’
via If this is what an anti-war presidency looks like to you, you're detached from reality | Trevor Timm | Comment is free | The Guardian.
Peace with Iran — CodePink
Newsweek: Nerve Gas Hit US Troops in Iraq in 1991
Sigh…, I feel old. Old enough to remember the first claims by US veterans complaining about ‘Gulf War syndrome‘ in the early nineties. I also remember that is was the American Left who took up the issue first, and I remember conservative and liberal politicians giving lip service to the issue later and the media attacking it as a ‘conspiracy theory’.
And here we are today, 2015, and it looks confirmed. At last.
Of course, we are left to only imagine the impact of these chemicals on the native Iraqis. They are not even part of the equation.
Much of the following has been known before – the news story here is that Newsweek is publishing it.
‘During and immediately after the first Gulf War, more than 200,000 of 700,000 U.S. troops sent to Iraq and Kuwait in January 1991 were exposed to nerve gas and other chemical agents. Though aware of this, the Department of Defense and CIA launched a campaign of lies and concocted a cover-up that continues today.
A quarter of a century later, the troops nearest the explosions are dying of brain cancer at two to three times the rate of those who were farther away. Others have lung cancer or debilitating chronic diseases, and pain….’
via U.S. Nerve Gas Hit Our Own Troops in Iraq.
USA TSA: ‘Signs You Might Be a Terrorist’
‘…These are just a few of the suspicious signs that the Transportation Security Administration directs its officers to look out for — and score — in airport travelers, according to a confidential TSA document obtained exclusively by The Intercept….’
via Exclusive: TSA’s Secret Behavior Checklist to Spot Terrorists – The Intercept.
America’s corrupt wars — Private Contractors and who gets the money
2013.03.19 CNN.com ‘…both American and foreign companies have profited from the conflict — with the top 10 contractors securing business worth at least $72bn between them.
None has benefited more than KBR, once known as Kellogg Brown and Root. The controversial former subsidiary of Halliburton, which was once run by Dick Cheney, vice-president to George W. Bush, was awarded at least $39.5bn in federal contracts related to the Iraq war over the past decade.
Two Kuwaiti companies — Agility Logistics and the state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation — are the second and third-biggest winners, securing contracts worth $7.2bn and $6.3bn respectively.
The US hired more private companies in Iraq than in any previous war, and at times there were more contractors than military personnel on the ground….’
via Contractors reap $138B from Iraq war – CNN.com.
Treason by any other name — the Israeli edition
…But there is a real scandal here, and that’s Israel using stolen intelligence as part of a deliberate campaign of messing around with American partisan politics. That’s why the White House is angry: "It is one thing for the U.S. and Israel to spy on each other. It is another thing for Israel to steal U.S. secrets and play them back to U.S. legislators to undermine U.S. diplomacy," a senior US official told Entous.
If Entous’ reporting is correct, the Israeli government used the leaked information to help Republicans build support for new sanctions among Democrats, which would be necessary to overcome Obama’s veto. Israel was using stolen information to help Mitch McConnell and John Boehner foment a Democratic rebellion against the president….’
via Israel stole classified US information and used it to help congressional Republicans – Vox.
Hamdi Aburahma Photos – After Netanyahu was reelected, Palestinians fight back (non-violently)
After Netanyahu was reelected, Palestinians continue the resistance against the Israeli occupation
Palestine, West Bank, 20.3.15,
A group of Palestinian activists joined Bil’in their non violent weekly demonstration carrying posters with messages against the new Israeli government. The Palestinians courageously stood up for the rights of the Palestinian people against the new Zionist government elected earlier this week. They will continue their struggle against the occupation and some of the protesters referred to the elected government as fascist.
As usual, the Israeli army used unnecessary violence against the protesters by using rubber bullets and tear gas.
via Hamdi Aburahma – After Netanyahu was reelected, Palestinians….
Peace with Iran could mean less profits
‘…The possibility of an Iran nuclear deal depressing weapons sales was raised by Myles Walton, an analyst from Germany’s Deutsche Bank, during a Lockheed earnings call this past January 27th. Walton asked Marillyn Hewson, the chief executive of Lockheed Martin, if an Iran agreement could “impede what you see as progress in foreign military sales.” Financial industry analysts such as Walton use earnings calls as an opportunity to ask publicly-traded corporations like Lockheed about issues that might harm profitability.
Hewson replied that “that really isn’t coming up,” but stressed that “volatility all around the region” should continue to bring in new business. According to Hewson, “A lot of volatility, a lot of instability, a lot of things that are happening” in both the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region means both are “growth areas” for Lockheed Martin…’
via Big Bank’s Analyst Worries That Iran Deal Could Depress Weapons Sales – The Intercept.
The American middle class since 2000, the wars come first
‘…A new analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Stateline blog, shows that the percentage of middle-class households — defined as those earning between 67 and 200 percent of a state’s median income — dropped in every U.S. state between 2000 and 2013. Median income also fell in most states during that period.
[….] The decline of the American middle class is unsurprising by now. The middle class has seen its wages change little since the turn of the millennium, while high-earning individuals keep making more and more each year. And middle-class wages are a long way from catching up to the rising costs of child care, tuition, and hospital visits…’
via The Middle Class Has Gotten Smaller In Every State Since 2000.
2,320 US Airstrikes and $2 Billion later — The Empire eats its own tail.
Both Jeb and Hillary support this new new war in Iraq.
March 19, 2015 — The Pentagon has issued a statement regarding it’s ongoing air war against ISIS today, reporting 2,320 airstrikes, and claiming the direct costs of the attacks so far were $1.83 billion.
The statement attempts to focus on big “successes” in the attack, including 73 tanks destroyed, many of them US-made M1A1 tanks, and 282 Humvees, all of them US-made.
via 2,320 US Airstrikes, $2 Billion, And Not Much to Show for It — News from Antiwar.com.