We have passed the 17 year mark on the Afghan war and the Taliban control more territory than they have at any time since the launch. So for trillions of dollars, thousands of deaths, and 17 years of US government effort, “victory” is no closer than at day one. Does President Trump want out? Perhaps. But his neocon advisors have other ideas. On today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:
Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.
Dear Antiwar.com Readers,
Every day readers send Antiwar.com fan mail and we are grateful for it. Thank you.
You know we appreciate it. Invariably, someone will ask "how do you do what you do?"
Usually I rattle off: With a shoestring budget, a core of loyal readers, and a small group of people who have made it their mission to end the violence that is endemic to U.S. foreign policy.
But that isn’t the full story.
I don’t take this daunting mission on alone.
Our News Editor, Jason Ditz, never sleeps. How could he? With USG intervention causing horrors for the people of Iraq, Somalia, Niger, Libya, the Philippines, Syria, Mali, and Yemen? With the militarization of the police state? Endless violations of our civil liberties? It would be too much for any mere mortal,but Jason isn’t a mere mortal. Our News Editor condenses and summarizes over 100 articles a day so we are never at a loss to explain the violence US foreign policy has caused all over the globe.
Our founder, Eric Garris, starts his work day at 6am and doesn’t stop until the page goes live at 9pm PT. He has done this every day for over 22 years — until the doctors said, NO MORE! Eric is finally taking part of Saturdays off (with constant nagging from me.)
When I tell him to slow down, He says, There are no days off from empire.
For the last 17 years the USG has been destroying, destabilizing, and occupying Afghanistan.
If you weren’t aware, our Editorial Director, Scott Horton, can tell you all about it. Scott spends days reading stacks of books, speaking to journalists, academics, and activists, and recording history in real time. It’s a thankless mission but one he does with grace.
Finally, our Editor-at-Large, Justin Raimondo, treats his cancer as he does the neoconservatives. Without pause or apprehension.
Why do we do it? Why would anyone do this? Behind many, many death counts are numerous stories. Many are stories of living breathing human beings just like you and me. They are people with hopes, dreams, and families who treasured them. Many of them were never a threat to the health or safety of any US citizen anywhere.
As for me, I have no tolerance for brutality. Give us the support we need to help Eric, Scott, Jason, and Justin sift through the best of the bad news.
Donate .
Peace,
Angela
Originally appeared on The American Conservative.
Vali Nasr predicts that the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaigns against North Korea and Iran won’t succeed:
What North Korea is looking for is a step-by-step diplomatic process in which the United States offers concessions ranging from a declaration of peace on the Korean Peninsula to the lifting of economic sanctions. Instead, Trump’s national-security team is demanding full denuclearization before offering anything up in return. That looks to be what Washington has in mind for Iran as well.
Faced with this reality, Pyongyang or Tehran could see a benefit in resisting Washington’s pressure strategy.
The main flaw in the Trump administration’s approach to both states is that it pairs maximalist demands that the other side will never accept with “maximum pressure” tactics that depend on broad international support that doesn’t exist. Our government demands things that are politically impossible for any self-respecting government to agree to, and then sets out to punish the other side when it refuses to meet Washington’s absurd expectations.
The International Court of Justice, a UN body tasked with settling disputes, has ruled that parts of new US sanctions on Iran are illegal. Specifically, sanctions on humanitarian items, food, and spare parts for civil aviation. Washington has condemned the unanimous ruling and vows to ignore it. On today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:
Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.
The electronic version of my book is now available on Barnes and Noble, Apple Books (no link, but it’s there on the app), Kobo, Smashwords and very soon will be on Google Play books as well.
The paperback and Kindle versions and all these above are the very latest version of the text with some typos fixed and things. So all of you who’ve already read it, buy it again!
Thanks very much to Mike Dworski and Grant Smith.
Frustrated by the Saudi refusal to increase oil production by two million barrels per day, President Trump said at a rally yesterday that absent US military protection the Saudi government would not last two weeks. He said the Saudis should “pay up” if they want to remain in charge. Why are oil prices going up? Who’s to blame? The best answer comes from a surprising source. Tune in to today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:
Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.
