Northern Mali stands poised to provide the working definition of a quagmire.
Mali, France, and Chickens
read more
War & Peace
We Don’t Need a Secretary of Militarism
Right-wingers seem to view thoughtfulness as a character flaw.
Nuclear Weapons Are Not Only a Threat to Our Survival, But to Democracy Itself
Understanding the implications of nuclear weapons may be too much for us mere mortals.
The Pentagon as a Global NRA
In the U.S., the National Rifle Association (NRA), an ultra-powerful lobbying group closely allied with weapons-making companies, has a strong grip on Congress — it gives 288 members of that body its top “A-rating” — and is in a combative relationship with the White House. Abroad, it’s so much simpler and less contested. Beyond U.S. borders, the reality is: the Pentagon, with the White House in tow, is the functional equivalent of the NRA, and like that organization, it has been working tirelessly in recent years in close alliance with major weapons-makers to ensure that there are ever less controls on the ever more powerful weaponry it wants to see sold abroad.
Is Hagel’s Appointment of Any Actual Use to the Anti-War Left?
But standing up to AIPAC, the defense industry (and members of Congress accountable to them) and the still-powerful neocons makes the Hagel appointment a good move for Obama.
“So Many People Died”: The American System of Suffering, 1965-2014
For all the dissimilarities, botched analogies, and tortured comparisons, there has been one connecting thread between the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan that, in recent years at least, Americans have seldom found of the slightest interest: misery for local nationals. Civilian suffering is, in fact, the defining characteristic of modern war in general, even if only rarely discussed in the halls of power or the mainstream media.
Don’t Call China’s Liaoning a “Starter” Aircraft Carrier
China understands that aircraft carriers are no longer flagship crafts.
Major Test for Israel Lobby As Obama Leans to Hagel for Pentagon
With President Barack Obama reportedly primed to nominate former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to head the Pentagon early next week, the powerful Israel lobby, led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), faces a major dilemma.
A Focal Points Roundtable: Is the Taliban Losing?
A panel of experts looks at the U.S. and NATO end game in Afghanistan.
Mali: After the Intervention
The international community must implement stabilization measures alongside political solutions, military intervention, and humanitarian aid.