I’ve never been to Afghanistan, but I am the mother of two young children. So when I imagine what life must be like there after 18 years of war, my mind conjures up the children most vividly — the ones who have been affected by the conflict — and their parents. I think of the…
President Donald Trump does not want war with Iran. America does not want war with Iran. Even the Senate Republicans are advising against military action in response to that attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities. “All of us (should) get together and exchange ideas, respectfully, and come to a consensus — and that should be…
John Bolton tried his best. The national security adviser entered the Trump administration as a predictable warmonger with an unslakable thirst for power. He streamlined the national security apparatus to maximize his access to the president. At least at first, he played the role of loyal adjutant to Trump. As in his days as an…
From the abstract of a (paywalled) piece about the never ending U.S. war on Afghanistan: Slow failure: Understanding America’s quagmire in Afghanistan The United States government has no organised way of thinking about war termination other than seeking decisive military victory. This implicit assumption is inducing three major errors. First, the United States tends to…
“Iran has launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply,” declared Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Putting America’s credibility on the line, Pompeo accused Iran of carrying out the devastating attack on Saudi oil facilities that halted half of the kingdom’s oil production, 5.7 million barrels a day. On Sunday, President Donald Trump did…
On 10 September Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu claimed he’d identified a third secret nuclear site in Iran where Iran allegedly “conducted experiments to develop nuclear weapons”. Yet, despite the hyperbole no one seemed to take Netanyahu seriously: the Israeli press was amused by the desperate election stunt. His political rivals mocked him and a few hours after…
