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Government Positions Available: Liars Only Please by Philip Palij, OurFuture.org | September 29, 2012
I was intrigued by the following interview snippet with a co-founder of Reaganomics in the 1980's Dr. Paul Craig Roberts: Q: You see the basic problems of the US economy in moving production to China. If you were invited to serve as an adviser to the president, what would be your plan for taking America out of the crisis? A: I will never again be permitted to serve as an adviser to the president of the US. Since the Clinton presidency, the only permitted advisers are those who lie for the government. I will not do that. read more »Boykinism: Even Dumb Ideas Have Consequences by Andrew Bacevich, tomdispatch.com | September 25, 2012
First came the hullaballoo over the “Mosque at Ground Zero.” Then there was Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida, grabbing headlines as he promoted “International Burn-a-Koran Day.” Most recently, we have an American posting a slanderous anti-Muslim video on the Internet with all the ensuing turmoil. Throughout, the official U.S. position has remained fixed: the United States government condemns Islamophobia. Americans respect Islam as a religion of peace. Incidents suggesting otherwise are the work of a tiny minority -- whackos, hatemongers, and publicity-seekers. Among Muslims from Benghazi to Islamabad, the argument has proven to be a tough sell. And not without reason: although it might be comforting to dismiss anti-Islamic outbursts in the U.S. as the work of a few fanatics, the picture is actually far more complicated. Those complications in turn help explain why religion, once considered a foreign policy asset, has in recent years become a net liability. read more »Americans Sour on Endless War by Lawrence S. Wittner, consortiumnews.com | September 25, 2012
In the midst of a nationwide election campaign in which many politicians trumpet their support for the buildup and deployment of U.S. military power around the world, the American public’s disagreement with such measures is quite remarkable. Indeed, many signs point to the fact that most Americans want to avoid new wars, reduce military spending, and support international cooperation. The latest evidence along these lines is a nationwide opinion survey just released as a report (“Foreign Policy in the New Millennium”) by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Conducted in late May and early June 2012, the survey resulted in some striking findings. One is that most Americans are quite disillusioned with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade. Asked about these conflicts, 67 percent of respondents said they had not been worth fighting. Indeed, 69 percent said that, despite the war in Afghanistan, the United States was no safer from terrorism. read more »Obama Against the World by Tom Engelhardt, tomdispatch.com | September 24, 2012
By now, Obama and his savvy campaign staff should really be home free, having run political circles around their Republican opponent as he was running circles around himself. There's only one problem: the world. These days it’s threatening to be a bizarrely uncooperative place for a president who wants to rest on his Osama-killing foreign-policy laurels. So send Mitt to the Cayman Islands, stick Paul Ryan in a Swiss bank account, and focus your attention instead on Obama versus the world. For the next 43 days, that's the real contest. In such a potentially tumultuous situation, the president and his people are committed to a perilous high-wire act without a net. It involves bringing to bear all the power and savvy left to the last superpower on Earth to prevent some part of the world from spinning embarrassingly out of control, lest the president’s opponent be handed a delectable “October surprise.” read more »Pentagon Spending: Politics and Profit Trump National Security by Stephen Miles, OurFuture.org | September 21, 2012
By: Stephen Miles and William Hartung(Crossposted at The Huffington Post and Win Without War) read more »This Is Why The Military Community Has So Little Credibility On The Budget by Stan Collender, OurFuture.org | September 19, 2012
Originally posted at Capital Gains and Games. Take a look at this story by Jeremy Herb from The Hill yesterday and be prepared to stifle a huge scream. read more »Mitt Versus The Middle East by Gershom Gorenberg, prospect.org | September 19, 2012
Take a breath and think carefully. Was Mitt Romney's candid-camera comment on how he'd handle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict really as awful as it sounds at first? Actually, yes. In fact, it's even worse, especially if you are listening to it in Israel, or the Palestinian territories, or anywhere else in the Middle East. The man who would be president of the United States has said that he would throw the entire region under the bus. read more »How Obama Stole The GOP's Issue by Steve Kornacki, salon.com | September 17, 2012
The glee from Democrats, frustration from Republicans, and amazement from commentators has been easy to detect as the extent of President Obama’s advantage on foreign policy and national security has become clear. There is obvious volatility to the unfolding events in the Middle East, and the possibility exists that developments in the coming days might somehow prompt voters to reconsider Obama’s leadership. But for now, Mitt Romney is gaining no traction from his effort to portray the unrest as an indictment of American policy under Obama –and may actually be hurting himself. The spectacle of a Republican White House nominee straining – and failing – to score political points on national security is understandably jarring to anyone who’s watched U.S. politics for the last decade. read more »Can the Chicago Teachers’ Strike Fix Democratic Education Reform? by Richard D.Kahlenberg, tnr.com | September 17, 2012
In 1960, when Albert Shanker and other members of New York City’s teachers union sought collective bargaining rights, they set a strike date for Monday November 7, the day prior to the presidential election between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The timing would provide maximum leverage, they reasoned, because the Democratic mayor, Robert Wagner, would not want to come down hard on striking teachers the day before the election. This strategy was vindicated when teachers won an agreement that led to bargaining rights after just a single day on strike. The same logic surely crossed the mind of the shrewd president of the Chicago Teachers Union, Karen Lewis, who knew that calling a strike this week would be highly disruptive to President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. But if the strike has been bad for Democratic presidential politics, it may ultimately be good for Democratic education policy, which for too long has aped right-wing rhetoric in the name of education reform. read more »Why Do Libya and Egypt Hate America? by Sherif Mansour , thedailybeast.com | September 13, 2012
Tuesday’s dramatic attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that left four American diplomats dead was a big surprise to many, but not to me. Coming on the heels of the anniversary of 9/11 and continued public outcries in Egypt and Libya over an “insulting” U.S.-produced movie about the Prophet Muhammad led many in the Arab world to brace themselves for escalating violence as well as the inevitable rehashing of the “Why do they hate us?” debate. I am also sure that almost no one will focus on why the masses in Egypt and Libya, two countries of the Arab Spring that have recently gained greater freedoms, continue to have negative views toward America. The question then is, why do these societies continue to hate the U.S., even when so many on the streets share our values and are becoming freer and more empowered as a result? I am afraid the answer is still the same. read more »
The Latest
Congress To Investigate CIA For Possible Violations Of National Sec. Act, commondreams.org | October 29, 2009
WASHINGTON - October 28 - Members of Congress have begun an investigation into allegations that the CIA intentionally violated the National Security Act of 1947 by misleading them about its intelligence activities and programs on several occasions, including the agency’s use of torture and the destruction of interrogation videotapes.
U.S. may be invited to become part of Southeast Asia, tajikistannews.net | October 25, 2009
"Southeast Asian countries want to form a bloc similar to the United States. In fact the group wants to include the U.S. in the bloc.
The initiative has come from Japan which is urging leaders of Southeast Asian nations to establish an east asian community which would include the United States as a member..."
Ritter Warns Against “Politically Motivated Hype” on Iran Nuke Program, democracynow.org | September 30, 2009
Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter joins us to discuss what he calls “politically motivated hype” over Iran’s nuclear program. The Obama administration has warned of sanctions unless Iran allows inspections of a newly disclosed nuclear site. Iran insists the site has been used for peaceful purposes. The row comes just after Iran’s...
U.S. Ramps Up Withdrawal From Iraq, USA Today | August 31, 2009
The U.S. military is packing up to leave Iraq in what has been deemed the largest movement of manpower and equipment in modern military history — shipping out more than 1.5 million pieces of equipment from tanks to antennas along with a force the size of a small city. The massive operation already underway a year ahead of the Aug. 31, 2010 deadline to remove all U.S. more »
Senate Rejects Additional F-22 Fqunding, CNN | July 22, 2009
The Senate voted block expansion of one of the country's most controversial and expensive defense programs, the F-22 fighter jet program. The vote gave the White House and Pentagon a key victory over congressional supporters of the F-22, many of whom represent states and districts where jobs are tied to the production of the jet. more »
Deaths of U.S. Troops Exceed 5,000 In Wars, USA Today | July 21, 2009
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reached two solemn milestones Monday: July has become the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and the combined death toll surpassed 5,000. Four Americans were killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Robert Carr said. That brings the number of U.S. servicemembers killed so far this month to at least 30. more »
U.S. Report On Terrorism Detainees Delayed 6 Months, Reuters | July 21, 2009
A key report ordered by U.S. President Barack Obama as part of his effort to close the internationally condemned Guantanamo prison will be delayed six months, but officials insisted they were still on track to shut it down by January. more »
U.S. Would Funnel More Money Into Diplomacy, USA Today | July 20, 2009
The State Department is poised to realize significantly larger percentage budget increases than the Pentagon — a reflection, officials say, of a bipartisan consensus that civilians should play a greater role in U.S. foreign policy. more »
GAO Finds Security Lapses At Federal Buildings, The Washington Post | July 9, 2009
It cost $150 and took about four minutes for government investigators, working in a sting operation, to make small bombs from materials they carried into high-security federal buildings that house major agencies with national security or law enforcement responsibilities. more »
Cyberattacks Hit U.S. and South Korean Web Sites, The New York Times | July 8, 2009
Cyberattacks that have crippled the Web sites of several major American and South Korean government agencies since the July 4th holiday weekend appear to have been launched by a hostile group or government, South Korea’s main government spy agency said. more »
