War & Peace Archives - Page 238 of 729 - Foreign Policy In Focus

Spying on the North

by John Feffer | Jun 5, 2012

It started out as a routine briefing at a conference in Florida on U.S. special operations. One of the panelists, Army Brigadier General Neil Tolley, was talking about the importance of human intelligence in North Korea. A reporter, David Axe, dutifully wrote down Tolley’s comments and published his article in late May in The Diplomat, a foreign policy publication based in Tokyo. The article, quoting Tolley, claimed that U.S. Special Forces were already gathering human intelligence in North Korea.

The Other Case for Intervention in Syria

by Russ Wellen | Jun 5, 2012

The potential for a major escalation of the Syrian crisis exists due to an overlooked source.

Counterterrorism Calculus in Yemen Shortchanging Political Solutions

by Paul Mutter | Jun 4, 2012

The White House neither confirms nor denies the air war in Yemen.

The Crisis in Syria Calls Out for an Intervention — with Russia

by Daniel P. Sullivan | Jun 2, 2012

In the chorus of condemnation that resounded after the massacre, Russia’s voice stood out for its glaring ambiguity.

Just How Many Cyberattacks Will Iran Take Sitting Down?

by Russ Wellen | Jun 1, 2012

Iran may or may not have the ability to mount cyberattacks of its own.

Tall Tale about Special Forces in North Korea?

by Tim Shorrock | May 31, 2012

A classified Pentagon document leaked to me in 1984 may shed some light on a U.S. general’s outlandish claim last week that U.S. Special Forces, along with their South Korean counterparts, have parachuted into North Korea in search of human intelligence on the country’s nuclear weapons programs. The revelation was made by Brigadier General Neil Tolley, the commander of U.S. Special Forces in Korea, at a “Special Operations Force Industry Conference” in Florida organized by defense contractors. His remarks were relayed by David Axe, a prominent military writer who has reported on Africa and the Middle East but has little experience in Korea.

The Failure of the Summit of the Americas VI

by Raul Zibechi | May 31, 2012

Dilma Rousseff interrupted the speech of Barack Obama. The President of the United States was speaking about the advances of various countries in Latin America, commenting that now there exists “a prosperous middle class” that represents a business opportunity for companies from his country. “Suddenly, they are interested in buying iPads, interested in buying planes from Boeing.” “Or Embraer,” interjected Dilma, yielding applause.

Syria’s Atamans

by Paul Mutter | May 31, 2012

A political solution cannot occur without a military one, but a military solution alone does not guarantee stability or security, even in the short term.

Drone Strikes Magically Transform Dead Civilians Into Assassinated Militants

by Russ Wellen | May 30, 2012

Thanks to fuzzy accounting, civilians killed in drone strikes are liable to be categorized as militants posthumously.

Bipartisan Assault on Middle East Peace

by Stephen Zunes | May 29, 2012

Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed a dangerous piece of legislation (H.R. 4133) which would undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, weaken Israeli moderates and peace advocates, undercut international law, further militarize the Middle East, and make Israel ever more dependent on the United States.