President Obama found himself isolated on the Syria issue at the G20 conference in St. Petersburg on Thursday. Among the world’s largest 20 economies, only France agreed with his plan for a military attack on Damascus. China expressed fears that US military action in Syria would cause a spike in oil prices and slow the […]
In Shadow of Syria Strike: August US Drone Strikes in Yemen highest in 16 Months (Searle)
Jack Searle writes at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism One strike in Pakistan ends 34-day stretch without an attack. Yemen sees more strikes in a month than any time since March 2012. Yemen A terror alert centred on Yemen gripped the US in August leading to six confirmed drone strikes. The US closed 21 diplomatic […]
Syrian and Middle Eastern Christians Condemn US Strike Plans
Syria and Lebanon are multicultural societies, but the American discourse about Syria tends to focus on the Muslim majority and to ignore the substantial Christian minorities. It is interesting that these Eastern Christians are solidly against an American missile strike on Syria. Many US congressional representatives discussing the possibility of military action against that country […]
Obama’s Syria Strike Part of ‘Broader Strategy’ (Germanos)
Andrea Germanos writes at Commondreams As the Obama administration continues its "flood the zone" campaign to win congressional support for military force against Syria, a statement by the president Tuesday indicates its plan is to go beyond punitive strikes against Assad and to pursue a "broader strategy." President Barack Obama meets with his National Security […]
A US attack on Syria will Prolong the War
The struggle in Syria began peacefully in spring of 2011, but after about half a year it turned violent when the regime deployed tanks and other heavy munitions against the protesters. Some of the latter took up weapons and turned to violence in revenge. Thereafter the struggle spiraled into a civil war, in which the […]
Syria: The US is no Lone Ranger (Cole @ Truthdig)
My essay, “The US is no Lone Ranger,” on Syria, is out at Truthdig Excerpt: “The odd discourse in Washington around President Barack Obama’s determination to bomb Syria over the country’s use of chemical weapons assumes a moral superiority on the part of the United States and its allies on this issue that can only […]
The US still Wants to be the Sole Superpower; but it Can’t (Engelhardt)
Tom Engelhardt writes at Tomdispatch.com In an increasingly phantasmagorical world, here’s my present fantasy of choice: someone from General Keith Alexander’s outfit, the National Security Agency, tracks down H.G. Wells’s time machine in the attic of an old house in London. Britain’s subservient Government Communications Headquarters, its version of the NSA, is paid off and […]
Former Iranian President Slams Syria for Gassing own People: Sign of deep Divisions in Tehran
Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani has roiled Iranian politics by admitting that the Syrian government gassed its own people at Ghuta in the eastern suburbs of Damascus. He was lamenting the calamities that are befalling the hapless Syrian people. He attacked the regime of President Bashar al-Assad for filling what he called “football stadiums” full […]
Israeli Press on Syria Delay: History will Mock Obama (OSC)
The USG Open Source Center translates or paraphrases passages from the Israeli Hebrew press on President Obama’s decision to seek Congressional advice and consent regarding responses to Syria’s use of chemical weapons. Some slammed him, some were supportive or understanding : Historians To Mock Obama, President’s Actions Convey Weakness “Obama Playing Dumb” by Hagay Segal […]
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