Category: News

It was a bad week for two former puppets of the American Empire.

In Ukraine, former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili was chased out of his apartment onto the roof where he threatened to jump. Police arrested him, but Saakashvili’s supporters surrounded the police van, smashed the front window, and pulled Saakashvili from the vehicle. Immediately afterwards, Saakashvili led a march on parliament in Kiev where he encouraged his supporters to topple the current Ukrainian leadership. Eventually, though, Saakashvili was re-arrested on Friday and now faces the prospect of having no passport and no support from the entity that brought him to power – the United States.

Saakashvili was America’s choice to run the country of Georgia following the dubious Rose Revolution in 2003. Having been educated in the U.S., Saakashvili was a favorite of the neoconservative war machine, in part because of his disdain for Russia. In 2008, Saakashvili initiated a conflict with Russia over the issue of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Georgian military, despite support from the US, was quickly defeated by Russia, and Saakashvili and his US counterparts suffered an embarrassing loss, as Abkhazia and South Ossetia became independent states.

Continue reading “Bad Week for 2 US Puppets”

On December 7, 2017 I moderated an event at the NPC in which Gilbert Doctorow addressed the wider, Russia-related issues in his new book, Does America Have a Future? Gil is an American historian of Russia, whose academic and business credentials simply won’t quit. Gil asked me not only to moderate but also to chime in at will. I found it difficult to avoid abusing the privilege; it all made for a lively Q&A.

Are they really going to audit the Pentagon? That’s what the new Comptroller has promised. Will they find the estimated $6 trillion the Pentagon itself admits is missing? Don’t hold your breath! More likely it will be another example of the government covering up government malfeasance. Our view on what will likely come from it in today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.

Since the beginning of the nuclear age and the dropping of the first atomic bombs, humankind has struggled with the reality of being able to destroy the planet on the one hand and the abolition of these weapons on the other. This year’s Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear (ICAN) acknowledges these realities and celebrates the efforts to achieve the latter. The Nobel Peace Prize with its award criteria specifies: the promotion of fraternity between nations; the advancement of disarmament and arms control and the holding and promotion of peace congresses.

From the beginning of the nuclear age in 1945 to the founding of the United Nations, 71 years ago, with its very first resolution – advocating for the importance of nuclear disarmament and a nuclear weapon-free world – nuclear abolition has been the necessary goal for our survival. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) exemplifies these ideals and brings hope to our world.

Continue reading “The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons: Saving Humanity From Itself”

The rumors of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s demise may finally not be greatly exaggerated.

A marked man, it was only about a month ago the media speculated on how soon United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley would replace Tillerson. Two weeks ago a trial balloon floated up with Mike Pompeo’s name in trail. But a burst of nearly-identical stories over the last few days, spearheaded by the New York Times, signals the end for Tillerson and names Pompeo, currently Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, as his successor. What lies ahead?

The unique interplay between the Civil Service (non-diplomats largely stationed in Washington DC) and the Foreign Service (who have primary responsibility in Washington and who staff the embassies and consulates abroad) complicates Secretary of State transitions. Engaging both sides, with their different vested interests, can be tough. And unlike the military, where chains of command and internal procedures are written on checklists, State is a hybrid, half foreign and half domestic, with a structure that either conforms to a new Secretary or is conformed by a new Secretary. State is a vertically-oriented bureaucracy, with layers below the boss’ office waiting for bits of policy to fall so as to inform them of what their own opinions are. One academic referred to this as “neckless government,” a head and a body in need of an active connection.

Continue reading “Peter Van Buren on the State Department: Meet the New Boss, Same/Worse as the Old Boss?”

Now that some of the dust has settled on President Trump’s yesterday announcement that the US would move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, what might we expect? How does Iran fare? Will the Saudis and Jordanians feel the pinch? Will the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner emerge as a major Middle East peacemaker after much work behind the scenes on behalf of Israel? We do our best to sort out conflicting interests and outcomes of this major turn of events in today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:

Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.