Author: Daniel McAdams

It might come as a surprise to many Americans that their government does not classify al-Qaeda in Syria as a terrorist organization. The reason it refuses to make the determination would shock them even more.

The Syrian franchise of the organization involved in the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington has long gone by the name Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front), and was sent into Syria by the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Baghdadi went on to launch the rival breakaway group ISIS, while Nusra maintained its status as al-Qaeda’s boots on the ground in the war against the Syrian government.

Continue reading “Why Washington Took al-Qaeda in Syria Off the Terrorist List”

The latest “Russiagate” breathless revelation is that President Trump revealed secret information to the Russians in the Oval office. The Washington Post cites unnamed “former and current” intelligence sources for the leaked information. The leakers were obviously not in the room, but National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster who was in the room and refuted the claims was buried in the eighth paragraph. What’s behind frenzy? Differences in policy? Do the Democrats and their new neocon allies oppose Trump’s plans for military escalation in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere? Or is it really about power? We pick it apart in today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

The Baltic countries, and some of their Scandinavian neighbors, are mortally terrified of Russia. Or so they would have us believe. They clamored to join NATO as soon as the Soviet Union collapsed and are currently among the most shrill anti-Russian voices outside of Hillary campaign hangers-on and their newfound neocon allies. Just this week, the Lithuanian president begged Washington to permanently station troops on its soil to “not only deter but to defend” against the great Russian “threat” across their border.

But, as Ted Carpenter writes in the National Interest, these very same countries who scream the loudest about the Russian threat are strangely reluctant to devote any of their own resources to defending themselves against said threat. One would think that if a country faced an “existential threat” from their neighbor, Russia, (as Polish foreign minister Witold Waszczykowski claimed recently), that country would be motivated to do something to address that threat in any way possible. But in fact the opposite is the case. Instead of devoting resources to blunting the Russian spear they claim is in their face, these same countries show no interest at all in spending for their own defense.

Continue reading “NATO’s Biggest Challenge – Make ‘Frightened’ Europe Pay Up!”

The Turks are not at all happy about President Trump’s plan to provide heavy weapons to the Kurds fighting as US proxies against ISIS in Syria. The Turks bombed some 20 Kurdish fighters in Syria just weeks ago but with US advanced weapons in Kurdish hands, future such missions may be risky. Would the Kurds use American weapons to attack the Turks? And why does President Trump believe that digging up President Obama’s already-failed strategy for eastern Syria will work this time? We take a look in today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

While everyone is talking about President Trump firing James Comey, Director of the FBI, what we should be talking about is whether we should even have an FBI. Look at the track record of this organization – putting Americans in jail for opposing war, spying on Americans for being in peace groups, incinerating Americans at Waco, manufacturing terrorist plots and taking credit for thwarting them, and so on – and ask whether the FBI has been a benefit to our liberty and safety or not. Forget about Comey – it’s the whole system that needs to be fired!

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) published an op-ed in the New York Times yesterday taking Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to task for Tillerson’s recent comment that our national security goals overseas may on some occasions preclude the export of our human rights values. In McCain’s view, it is our duty always and everywhere to export American values and help “liberate” oppressed masses overseas. But what about McCain’s own record? How are the people doing in those countries “liberated” by the policies he has endorsed? Is the average Iraqi, or Libyan, or Syrian better off now, after US military intervention to “promote our values”? Most likely McCain’s article is meant to scuttle tomorrow’s meeting between Tillerson and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Will McCain succeed? We discuss in today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.