Washington has an advanced relationship with Kuwait, the small Persian Gulf country out of which the U.S. pushed invading Iraqi forces in the 1991 Gulf War. U.S. troops are stationed in Kuwait on a more or less permanent basis, Kuwait receives considerable military...
Is John Kerry Wrong About Israeli Apartheid?
In the aftermath of reports claiming John Kerry said Israel will become an apartheid state without a two-state solution, the Secretary of State is being portrayed as far outside the mainstream and his language is being condemned as erroneous in the extreme. To...
How Far Is Too Far, Rand Paul?
The key to Rand Paul's tenure as a Senator and to his latent 2016 presidential campaign has been to maintain the libertarian base that helped propel his father's presidential bids while remaining somewhat within the mainstream Republican Party. That can be a difficult...
Ron Paul: The Authoritarian Nation-State
This week Charles Goyette talks with Ron Paul on their weekly podcast about the increasing authoritarianism of the nation-state. From mandating people’s decisions about medical treatment and insurance, to the clandestine gathering of private phone calls, and its...
Obama: We Will Go To War For Other Nations’ Petty Territorial Disputes
President Obama, who is in Japan today, has announced that the U.S. defense treaty with Japan applies to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Japan and China are in dispute over who has sovereignty over the largely uninhabited island chain in the East China Sea, but Obama's...
Maliki: One of the Wrongest Horses the US Ever Backed
In yet another definitive piece for the New Yorker titled What We Left Behind, Dexter Filkins writes about Iraq today, especially Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who the United States helped install. Many Americans blame Iraqis for killing their fellow citizens simply...
US, Israel Respond Hypocritically to Fatah-Hamas Political Agreement
After seven years of formal separation, the Palestinian parties of Fatah and Hamas have agreed to come together and form a unity government. Since the U.S. and Israel consider Hamas a terrorist group instead of a political party, they both vehemently oppose the...
Yes, Obama’s Asia Trip Is About Containing China
Over at The Diplomat, Shannon Tiezzi worries that Obama’s trip to Asia this week "will increase perceptions in Beijing that the U.S. seeks to contain China’s rise." It's difficult to counter that perception because it happens to be correct. Obama is visiting Japan,...
In Support of Dictatorship, US to Send Egypt Military Helicopters
The Washington Post reports that the U.S. has decided to "partially resume military aid to Egypt": The United States has decided to resume delivery of Apache helicopters to Egypt, the Pentagon announced late Tuesday, backtracking on a decision officials made last...
Court: US Can’t Keep Secret Laws Governing When It Can Assassinate Citizens
"...it would be good to know under what circumstances the White House thinks it can kill Americans without a trial." If Rip Van Winkle awoke just yesterday, he might be dumbfounded at the above sentence. To Americans in the Obama-era, it is an all too relatable...