War

Arirang News | (Video Short Documentary) | – – “So North Korea claims it′s a hydrogen not an atomic bomb that it′s tested. But what exactly is the difference， and if true what would the implications be？ Kwon Jang－Ho explains. Atomic bombs are also known as fission bombs， as they use nuclear fission reactions to […]

Authoritarianism

Do Drug Gangs in Mexico kill more than ISIL? & other Big Security threats that will Surprise You

contributors

By Natasha Ezrow | (The Conversation) | – – This has been a remarkably violent year – and many of the worst threats to human security that have dogged people all over the globe are no less a problem than they were a year ago. Here, in no particular order, are some of the biggest […]

Republican Party

Which war did the Republican candidates serve in? Reflections on GOP War Talk from an Iraq vet

contributors

By Ramon Mejia | ( Waging Nonviolence) | – – As a U.S. Marine veteran who was deployed to Iraq in 2003, I can’t even begin to describe the disgust I felt while watching the GOP debate [last week]. Presidential candidate after presidential candidate attempted to one-up each other by highlighting how tough they would […]

Militarization

5 Questions For Syria Hawks

contributors

David M. Faris | (Informed Comment) | – – Last month’s horrific attacks in Paris and last week’s massacre in California – which was at most loosely connected to Daesh (ISIS/ISIL)– have renewed calls for more robust U.S. intervention in Syria. The momentum toward escalation is hardly limited to the political right: Opinion polling suggests […]

Featured

41% of Trump Supporters want to bomb Aladdin and Jasmine

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Public Policy Polling asked US voters if they favored bombing “Agraba.” Some 30% of Republicans said “Yes!” Obviously, this is a a little bit of a trick, since voters being asked such a question assume it is a real policy issue. But wouldn’t you want to […]

Iraq

Is the US Suddenly entering a Major new War in Iraq & Syria?

contributors

Paul Rogers | ( OpenDemocracy) | – – The spreading influence of ISIS is forcing Washington into a strategic decision: escalate. Suddenly, and without almost anyone noticing, the war against ISIS in Syria and Iraq is developing and growing rapidly. Some elements are already clear enough: they include the expansion of ISIS-controlled territory in Libya, […]

Israel

US think tank says Israel has around 115 nuclear weapons

contributors

Ma’an News Agency | – – BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Washington-based think tank published a study Friday reporting Israel’s possession of around 115 nuclear weapons, despite the country’s ongoing policy of ambiguity regarding its nuclear capacities. According to the report by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), Israel has produced 660 Kg of […]

France

Paris attacks: how effective has the military response been?

contributors

By Scott Lucas | (The Conversation) | – – Even as Parisians were trying to assess the scale of the attacks by Islamic State (IS) which killed 132 people on November 13, politicians were promising a decisive and effective military response. French President Francois Hollande assured, “We will be merciless toward the barbarians of Islamic […]

Drones

How Syria is becoming a test bed for high-tech weapons of electronic warfare

contributors

David Stupples | (The Conversation) | – – The relationship between Russia and the West is becoming increasingly dangerous with potential flashpoints developing in both eastern Europe and Syria. After repeated incursions into Turkish airspace by Russian warplanes on bombing raids over Syria, NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg warned Moscow that it stands ready to […]