Category: News

After repeated references to the “Libya scenario” for North Korea – a point not lost on Pyongyang considering that the US destroyed Libya and killed its leader – the North Korean government finally struck back verbally, calling US Vice President Mike Pence a “dummy” for again warning that North Korea could end up like Libya. That was enough for President Trump to cancel next month’s historic summit meeting. Does following the neocons make Trump look tough…or weak? Tune in to today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

On May 10, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia informed the UN Security Council and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Saudi Air Defenses intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles launched from inside Yemeni territory targeting densely populated civilian areas in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. No one was killed, but an earlier attack, on March 26, 2018, killed one Egyptian worker in Riyadh and an April 28 attack killed a Saudi man.

Unlike the unnumbered victims of the Saudis’ own ongoing bombardment of Yemen, these two precious, irreplaceable lives are easy to document and count. Death tolls have become notoriously difficult to count accurately in Yemen. Three years of U.S.-supported blockades and bombardments have plunged the country into immiseration and chaos.

In their May 10th request, the Saudis asked the UN to implement “all relevant Security Council resolutions in order to prevent the smuggling of additional weapons to the Houthis, and to hold violators of the arms embargo accountable.” The letter accuses Iran of furnishing the Houthi militias with stockpiles of ballistic missiles, UAVs, and sea mines. The Saudis’ letter omits mention of massive U.S. weapons exports to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Continue reading “Kathy Kelly on Scourging Yemen”

As the US names its 18th military commander in the 17 year long war on Afghanistan, is there any reason to believe that victory is in sight? The latest reports by the Pentagon to Congress show that no progress has been made and another recent report by the Special Inspector General found that the Afghan army is losing soldiers at an alarming rate. Washington’s proxies in Afghanistan don’t want to fight. So why not just end the war? Tune in to today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

For Immediate Release
May 22, 2018

Media Contact:
Emily Latimer, (202) 604-2330

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) spoke on the floor today urging support for her amendment in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that upholds Congress’s constitutional power to declare war. The congresswoman’s amendment strikes the language of Section 1225 of the FY2019 NDAA that authorizes the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to develop and implement a strategy to counter the “destabilizing activities of Iran” and only afterwards inform Congress. The amendment will be on the House floor for a vote tomorrow, May 23.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said:

“Make no mistake – the authorization in Section 1225 of the underlying bill authorizes our U.S. military to go to war with Iran, which is one of the main reasons why I voted against this bill in committee. This provision authorizes the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to ‘develop and implement a strategy with foreign partners to counter the destabilizing activities of Iran.’

Continue reading “Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Urges Congress To Oppose Authorization for War Against Iran”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech to the neoconservative Heritage Foundation in which he made 12 US demands of the Iranian government. The demands were in places laughably inaccurate – demanding Iran close a heavy water reactor that has been dismantled for years – that one wonders whether it was just incompetence or whether they simply don’t care. The US is backing itself into a corner over Iran, risking losing its European allies and further emboldening Russia and China. What’s next? Tune in to today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

On April 22, the Saudi-led coalition used American-made bombs in an airstrike on a Yemeni wedding that killed at least 33 people, including the bride. This comes not long after Senators condemned the Trump administration’s recent arms deals to Saudi Arabia for over $2 billion in artillery and maintenance.

The Senate came close to stopping these military handouts last month, but the tripartisan bill failed by a 55-44 margin after Secretary of Defense Mattis implored the Senate to reject the bill because ending US arms sales "could increase civilian casualties, jeopardize cooperation with our partners on counterterrorism, and reduce our influence with the Saudis – all of which would further exacerbate the situation and humanitarian crisis."

It’s hard to see how ending support for a regime that has killed over 10,000 people since 2015 could "increase civilian casualties." And what good is our cooperation doing to combat terrorism if Saudi Arabia blockades have left three out of four Yemenis (more than 20 million people) in need of humanitarian assistance? The UN Human Rights Council says Yemeni civilians have been victim to “unrelenting violations of international humanitarian law."

Continue reading “Any Resistance Worth Its Name Must Fight Trump’s Militarism”