Istanbul (48hills.org) – In 2013, an Iranian national living in Texas was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison for planning to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, D.C. The State Department alleged that Iran’s Al Quds force masterminded the terrorist plot. Although the bombing never took place and Iran denied any connection with the conspiracy, […]
Myanmar: Nobelist Suu Kyi silent as Rohingya Crisis Rolls On; let’s at Least help the Refugees
I sneaked into Myanmar on a tourist visa because the military junta running the country made it almost impossible to travel as a journalist. So I thought I was the only foreign reporter in the capital of Yangon in July of 1995. I was relaxing one morning when BBC TV ran a bulletin that famous […]
What 15 Years of US Occupation have Produced: Angry Iraqis
Militant protests continue in the oil rich city of Basra despite a harsh government crackdown. Thousands of Iraqis are demanding jobs, restoration of basic utility services and an end to government corruption. The protests quickly spread to other southern Iraqi cities and Baghdad. Iraq has faced major electricity shortages since the 2003 US invasion. In […]
As Trump Expands Failed War in Afghanistan, he Stops Boasting about It
(San Francisco ( 48hills.org) – President Donald Trump is back on the stump, trumpeting his alleged triumphs since the 2016 elections. Somehow, he never mentions Afghanistan. For years, Trump has denounced endless foreign wars, including Afghanistan. He tweeted in 2012, for example, that Afghanistan is “a complete waste….Time to come home!” Once in power, however, […]
Trump has Launched a Trade War with China: Why he will Lose
When I first reported from China in 1980, bicycles outnumbered cars on Beijing’s major streets, and the tallest building in town was a 25-story hotel. I visited a small village that had one black and white TV, which everyone watched at night. Today China’s major cities are jammed with modern factories, skyscrapers, and large public […]
With 5 Powers fighting in Syria, who will come out on top? Netanyahu, Putin, or Trump?
San Francisco (48 Hills) – Russian bombs rained down on towns of southern Syria as an estimated 320,000 civilians fled for their lives. Over the past several weeks tens of thousands walked to the Jordanian and Israeli borders hoping to escape the onslaught. Rula Amin, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, based in […]
Leftist Wave sweeps Mexico: Can Lopez Obrador take on Corruption, Poverty… & Trump?
When I was writing an article about street vendors in Mexico City, I saw firsthand how the country’s ruling party operated. Vendors eke out a living selling trinkets and food on street corners. A group in one part of Mexico City had held a series of militant demonstrations opposing a violent police crackdown aimed at […]
What could Really Make a US-N. Korea Summit Work: A Peace Treaty US Hawks Honor
Police wearing Darth Vader helmets and carrying shotguns mounted with tear gas launchers lined up ready for battle. Fifty yards away, tens of thousands students and workers placed iron bars and Molotov cocktails on the street preparing for battle. At the appointed hour both sides charged, with police clubbing and firing tear gas barrages. It […]
Why the Youth of Gaza Protest: It is their Squalid Open Air Prison, not Hamas
San Francisco (The Progressive) – On my most recent reporting trip to Gaza, I stayed with a family living just a short walk from the Israeli border. At dusk we watched a beautiful sunset over the Mediterranean and could forget the ongoing conflict for just a few minutes. Living conditions for the family have gotten […]
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