Author: Daniel McAdams

What does today’s bombing in Brussels have to do with ISIS in Iraq? Both feed the usual calls for military escalation in response to a problem created by military escalation in the first place. If ISIS is in Iraq as a result of the ill-fated 2003 US military action in Iraq, how can more military action in Iraq solve the problem? Likewise, if Europe’s slavish adherence to the Washington-led interventionist foreign policy line has resulted in blowback attacks, how does signing on to more of what the Beltway neocons have to offer going to remedy the problem? Perhaps, strangely enough, we can learn from what President Reagan did in a similar situation…

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

President Obama’s trip to Cuba is making history: it has been nearly a century since an American president set foot on Cuban soil. But if the trip is to lead to a real normalization in relations, both governments need to back off and let people-to-people diplomacy take over. Today’s Liberty Report on the good news and bad news of Obama’s Cuban visit:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

Anyone wondering just how bad is US foreign policy need only turn to the daily press briefing by the US State Department for an answer. And let me tell you, the answer is it’s really, really bad. Yesterday’s briefing was at the same time one for the record books and par for the course, as State Department Spokesman Admiral John Kirby tried to explain Washington’s uber-incoherent Syria policy.

First, AP diplomatic reporter Matt Lee – an excellent journalist – asked Kirby to explain Washington’s opposition to a Kurdish group in Syria announcing the creation of an autonomous Kurdish area inside Syria. After all, observed Lee, Washington does not believe Assad has the legitimacy to govern Syria so the Kurds are not encouraged to put themselves under the control of the current government in Damascus.

State Department Spokesman Kirby agreed.

But Washington opposes the creation of any autonomous areas inside Syria, so they cannot self-govern.

Continue reading “Syrians Free to Choose Future…As Long As Washington Likes Their Choice”

Yesterday’s surprising announcement by Syrian Kurds that they consider themselves in an autonomous region is either a bold move to solidify their self-determination before the fog of war clears, or perhaps it is John Kerry’s “Plan B” to break up Syria if the US cannot overthrow Assad. Or perhaps it is a reaction to US insistence that the Kurds do not deserve a place at the Geneva table where a political solution to the war in Syria is being discussed. Whatever the case, it adds a hugely significant variable to the already complicated situation. For example, how long before Turkish president Erdogan pounces on “autonomous” Kurdish Syria? We try to connect the dots in today’s Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

Yesterday’s surprise announcement that Russia was beginning a military withdrawal from Syria caught Washington off guard, as usual. With a political process beginning in Geneva and ISIS and Nusra severely degraded, Russian president Putin announced that Russian military goals have been for the most part achieved. Meanwhile, the US House passed a resolution yesterday accusing Syrian president Assad and Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and infrastructure. The quagmire that Obama promised was awaiting Russia in Syria did not transpire. Why did Washington get it so wrong? And can the US finally leave Syria alone already? Watch today’s Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

Suggesting that hawk politicians are out of touch with the American people, a new non-partisan poll conducted by the University of Maryland showed that Americans would on average like to see the military budget decrease by $12 billion. Democrats and independents wanted even deeper cuts, but not even Republican voters wanted to see more money spent on the military. Could this by why the neocon-favored uberhawk Marco Rubio is going down in flames in the presidential primary? What is the lesson for other politicians? Finally a good news story today in the Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.