International
What About the War, Benedict?
Pope Benedict XVI maneuvered his way through Washington without upsetting his American hosts by criticizing the Iraq War, torture, and the Supreme Court's enthusiasm for capital punishment. Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern regrets an opportunity lost. April 21, 2008
Beijing's Reality Intrudes on Shangri-la
China's desire for international respect from the Olympic Games is colliding with Tibet's resistance to Chinese encroachment on its mystical Buddhist traditions. In this special report, veteran war correspondent Don North looks at the darkening clouds over Shangri-la. April 5, 2008
St. Patrick's Day & Irish Resistance
Like many other holidays, the frivolities around St. Patrick's Day had a more sobering historical context, as Daniel Patrick Welch reminds us in this guest essay. March 16, 2008
Bush, Colombia & Narco-Politics
The Bush administration defended Colombia's government for its attack against leftist guerrillas inside Ecuador - a position echoed by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. But there is another dark side to the story, a reality that Official Washington wants to ignore. March 9, 2008
Behind the Kosovo Crisis
Kosovo has declared its independence angering the Serbs and the Russians. But few Americans understand the centuries-old roots of this bitter conflict, which led the Clinton administration to war in 1999. This retrospective on our coverage of that conflict tells a story of horrific violence, ethnic passions and few heroes. February 24, 2008
Iran & Bush's Crisis of Truth
As the time on his presidency ticks down, George W. Bush is still trying to stoke the fires of confrontation with Iran, relying on his signature mix of bellicosity and self-righteousness. In this guest essay, Peter Dyer looks at Bush's new push in the context of his old lies. January 26, 2008
Turkey's Drug-Terrorism Connection
New allegations from former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds are focusing attention on shadowy intelligence networks in Turkey that also may implicate Americans and Israelis. To provide some background, we are republishing a 1997 investigative report by Martin A. Lee on Turkey's drug and terrorism connections. January 25, 2008
The Global Economy's 'Lame Duck'
The American sub-prime financial scandal continues to reverberate through U.S. equity markets, sending after-shocks across Europe and Asia. In this guest essay, Pablo Ouziel examines the chances that abuses in the U.S. economy could spark a worldwide recession. January 24, 2008
Pakistan's Bomb, U.S. Cover-up
The London Sunday Times has published two stunning articles based on allegations from former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds about high-level U.S. complicity in Pakistan's nuclear program. In this guest essay, Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg calls on the U.S. press corps to follow up on these disturbing disclosures. January 22, 2008
CIA, Iran & the Gulf of Tonkin
George W. Bush's warning to Iran after a confusing incident involving U.S. ships and Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz is reviving memories of a fateful 1964 confrontation in North Vietnam's Gulf of Tonkin. Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern writes that U.S. intelligence should have spoken truth to power then -- as it must now. January 12, 2008
Reagan's Bargain/Charlie Wilson's War
To tell a more heroic story, the producers of "Charlie Wilson's War" left out many of the dangerous trade-offs that shaped U.S. policy in the Afghan War. As former CIA analyst Peter W. Dickson notes, one of the riskiest parts of Ronald Reagan's Afghan bargain was his decision to look the other way on Pakistan's nuclear program. January 6, 2008
Bush, Georgia & Authoritarianism
Today's election in the former Soviet republic of Georgia is shaping up as a test for the durability of democratic reforms in central Asia -- and whether George W. Bush's double standards on democratic principles at home will undercut his "democracy promotion" abroad. January 5, 2008
How to Get a Real Mideast Peace
If the key players were serious, there are strategies that might help bring about a meaningful peace deal between Israel and its Arab neighbors. But progress, after the Annapolis summit, would require different political dynamics in the Middle East -- and in Washington. November 29, 2007
Attacking Iran for Israel?
The Bush administration and the Israeli government are on the same page about the urgent need to neutralize Iran's nuclear facilities. But former CIA analyst Ray McGovern wonders whose interests are at the forefront of this impending conflict. October 30, 2007
Bush's Free-Fire Zones
Frustrated by the insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, George W. Bush has unleashed U.S. forces to strike at suspected enemy positions with fierce firepower, even in populated areas. Two recent cases in Iraq reveal how civilians often end up as the victims -- and how brutal lessons of Vietnam are being applied to these new wars. October 25, 2007
U.S. Double Standards for Friend/Foe
Is it fair and balanced for the Bush administration to help Turkey deny responsibility for the Armenian genocide, while whipping up war fever against Iran because its president questions the historical accuracy of the Nazi genocide against the Jews? In this guest essay, Ivan Eland calls for equal standards on all human rights violations. October 24, 2007
How Best to Partition Iraq
Far from the pre-war wishful thinking about easy regime change in Iraq, George W. Bush's invasion released dangerous forces, including vengeful ethnic and sectarian rivalries that have ripped the country even further apart. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland looks at the logic behind the Senate resolution calling for a de facto partitioning. October 22, 2007
Risky Jokes About Burma's Dictators
Under the military junta that rules Burma, even telling unauthorized jokes can get you thrown into prison. In this report from Mandalay, veteran war correspondent Don North describes the risks taken by a troupe of comics called the Moustache Brothers, whose "politically incorrect" humor appears to have gotten them into trouble again. October 19, 2007
On the Ground in Israel/Palestine
Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern recently visited Israel as part of an interfaith delegation witnessing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict first-hand. In this guest essay, he describes what shocked him. October 19, 2007
So Who's Afraid of the Israel Lobby?
One of the strongest case studies demonstrating the power of the Israel Lobby is the 40-year official silence about the assault on the USS Liberty, an American spy ship that came under merciless attack from Israeli forces during the Six Day War. Only now are some of the secrets starting to spill out. In this special report, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern looks at some of this troubling evidence. October 5, 2007
Readers' Reactions
Readers had comments on Ray McGovern's article about the attack against the USS Liberty and on other recent stories. October 8, 2007
Forgetting Gandhi
For an America trapped in George W. Bush's endless "war on terror," the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, the great disciple of non-violence, might sound simultaneously jarring and alluring. In this guest essay on the anniversary of Gandhi's birth, writer Pablo Ouziel recalls Gandhi's enduring message about the evils of violence. October 2, 2007
Saudi Arabia's Myth of Moderation
Though the Bush administration blames Iran for "terrorism" in Iraq and elsewhere, the evidence of violent meddling is actually stronger against U.S. ally, Saudi Arabia. Still, the administration and the U.S. press corps routinely describe the oil-rich kingdom as "moderate" and a friend of "reform." In reality, however, Saudi Arabia's mix of religious extremism and political repression has made it a breeding ground for the likes of Osama bin Laden and scores of suicide bombers. August 17, 2007
Bush, Colombia & Narco-Politics
A spreading political scandal in Colombia, linking narco-funded death squads to President Alvaro Uribe's inner circle, is complicating George W. Bush's strategy of using Uribe's rightist government to counter Venezuela's leftist president Hugo Chavez. As more and more Colombian death squad leaders and cocaine traffickers come forward as part of a peace process, the stain gets closer to Uribe. But President Bush seems to have few regional options, since Uribe was the only South American leader to endorse Bush's invasion of Iraq. August 8, 2007
Payback for NATO Expansion
The neoconservative vision of a U.S. hegemony that overrides the security interests of other countries has led to a bloody disaster in the Middle East -- and is now threatening to provoke renewed Washington-Moscow nuclear tensions. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland warns of an unnecessary confrontation with a resurgent Russia. July 18, 2007
Lockerbie Ruling Revisited
A Scottish judicial review panel says the guilty verdict against a former Libyan intelligence officer for the 1988 mid-air bombing of Pan Am 103 may have been "a miscarriage of justice" based on flimsy evidence. A critique published at Consortiumnews.com just after the conviction in 2001 made the same point, even as the U.S. government and the major news media hailed the politically popular verdict. June 29, 2007
The Hariri Case & Double Standards
Washington and London are thrilled with their success in creating a U.N. tribunal that may put Syria on the hot seat over its suspected role in the 2005 assassination of Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri. But an underlying message is that double standards apply to weak countries and powerful ones. No one in a position of authority is talking about establishing a tribunal that would judge whether George W. Bush and Tony Blair are guilty of war crimes for their far-bloodier invasion of Iraq. May 31, 2007
Israeli Leaders Fault
Bush on War
As more Israelis criticize
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for his handling of the botched invasion of
Lebanon, some Israeli leaders are privately faulting U.S. President
George W. Bush for egging Olmert into his fateful decision. Sources say
Bush gave Olmert a green light for the attacks in May and then bought
Olmert time in July for the Israeli bombardments to succeed. Only
recognition of Israel's failure led to U.S. support for a cease-fire. August
13, 2006
A 'Pretext' War in
Lebanon
The American people have
been sold the notion that Israel's bombardment of Lebanon was justified
by an unprovoked "kidnapping" of two Israeli soldiers on July 12. The
reality now appears to be quite different: that U.S. President George W.
Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signed off on the war almost
two months earlier and then sought a pretext. August
9, 2006
Who Is Israel's Friend?
Some U.S. politicians and
pundits present themselves as Israel's friend, abhorring any criticism
of Israeli government policy and positioning themselves for expected
political advantage. But sometimes real friends are the ones who tell
you that you're making a mistake and need to go in a different
direction, even when you don't want to hear it and even when they'll
take heat for saying what needs to be said. August 1, 2006
The Hariri Mirage
Returns
In its Sunday lead story,
the New York Times twice references alleged Syrian guilt in the 2005
assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. But -- in
much the same pattern of the Times' coverage of purported Iraqi WMD four
years ago -- the article offers no balance or perspective, such as
recognition that the initial Hariri-murder accusations have fallen
apart. July 23, 2006
Pinochet's Mad
Scientist
New allegations in Chile
have implicated ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet in smuggling cocaine to the
United States in the 1980s, when he was a close ally of Ronald Reagan
and George H.W. Bush. According to a court filing by one of Pinochet's
former top deputies, Pinochet used a government scientist named Eugenio
Berrios for the cocaine production. Berrios also allegedly manufactured
poison gas for assassinations of Pinochet's enemies. But Pinochet's "mad
scientist" became a mystery himself, 13 years ago when he disappeared
before being tortured and murdered. July 12, 2006
The Hariri Mirage:
Lessons Unlearned
In October 2005, a drumbeat began
about Syria's presumed guilt for the assassination of former Lebanese
prime minister Rafik Hariri. From President Bush to the New York Times
editorial page, almost everyone agreed that Syrian security forces must
have been responsible, though there was some debate about whether
"regime change" was called for. However, with little notice in the past
half year, the initial Hariri investigation has crumbled. Still, the
American people have heard almost nothing about this changed situation. June 16, 2006
Colombia's
'Narco-Presidente'
The re-election of
Colombia's president Alvaro Uribe marked a rare victory for George W.
Bush in South American elections. Uribe gives Bush one regional ally
whose country can serve as a base for challenging Venezuela's president
Hugo Chavez. But Uribe also carries with him baggage as a political
leader who tolerates political violence and narco-trafficking by his
allies. June 1, 2006
UAE, Port Security & the
Hariri Hit
With the United Arab Emirates
poised to take over six key U.S. ports, the reputation of its own chief port
as a smuggling center used by arms traffickers, drug dealers and terrorists
is drawing new attention. February 22, 2006
America's Historic Debt
to Haiti
Haiti's troubled elections have
put the impoverished Caribbean nation briefly back into U.S. consciousness,
but few Americans know the historic debt that they owe to Haiti. February 10, 2006
Osama's Briar Patch
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin-Laden is
almost baiting the United States to leave Iraq, offering a "truce" to
cover the U.S. retreat. But he surely knows that whatever he says he
wants done the American people will reflexively do the opposite. Indeed,
there's evidence that bin-Laden is playing a double game, the old
strategy of Brer Rabbit who begged not to be thrown into the briar patch
when that was exactly where he wanted to go. If that's bin-Laden's ploy,
it seems to be working. George W. Bush has already cited bin-Laden's
desire for U.S. troops to leave Iraq as reason for them to stay. February
2, 2006
Scheuer on Bin-Laden's
'Truce' Tape
Former CIA counter-terrorism
expert Michael Scheuer says Osama bin-Laden's offer of a "truce" was a
gesture to fellow Muslims who favor giving an enemy an opportunity to
withdraw before attacking. February
3, 2006
Political Earthquake in
Palestine
George W. Bush has assured the
American people that his forcible export of "democracy" to the Middle East
will lead to solutions for the region's political problems. But the Hamas
victory in Palestine is another case of reality intruding into Bush's world
of propaganda and wishful thinking. In this guest essay, Ivan Eland examines
the subterranean effects of the Hamas victory. January 31, 2006
Death of an American Hero
At one of America's darkest moments -- the My Lai massacre of Vietnamese
civilians in 1968 -- an American helicopter pilot named Hugh Thompson risked
his life and his reputation to do the right thing, placing himself and his
door-gunner between rampaging U.S. soldiers and fleeing
Vietnamese civilians. Thompson's death last week at the age of 62 stirs
timely thoughts about the meaning of true heroism and the danger of false
hero-worship. January 10, 2006
Elusive Truth Behind the
Hariri Hit
A rushed United Nations probe of the Feb. 14, 2005, assassination
of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri sacrificed accuracy for
speed, leaving the mystery in such disarray that the truth may never be
known. But encouraging progress has been made in tracking the bomb-laden
truck, which was reported stolen in Japan before winding its way through the
Middle East. January 4, 2006
Denial in Haiti
The independence of the U.S. news media -- how free the press is from
government influence and control -- has emerged as a troubling new issue in
recent years. Amid disclosures that the Bush administration paid
commentators for favorable coverage and planted stories in foreign media, a
new controversy has arisen over an American news stringer in Haiti who
appears to have moonlighted for a U.S.-funded organization. December 31,
2005
The Dangerously
Incomplete Hariri Report
George W. Bush is citing a new United Nations report implicating Syria
in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri as one
more reason to demand regime change in Damascus. Yet, while the report may
have profound consequences, it fails to follow up key leads, like how the
bomb-carrying vehicle made its way from a Japanese city to its destiny with
history four months later in Beirut. October 23, 2005
'Failing Up' in the Iraq
War
The second anniversary of George
W. Bush's invasion of Iraq might be expected to mark a moment of sober
reflection on the need to oust the political and media experts who got so
much so wrong. Instead, many of the same people -- the policymakers and the
pundits -- who botched the pre-war analysis are still in place. Having
"failed up," they now are in position to judge how brilliantly their
strategies have worked. March 19, 2005
History of Guatemala's
'Death Squads'
Declassified U.S. government
records offer a shocking view of how Washington helped create and guide
Guatemala's notorious "death squads" from the 1960s through the bloodbaths
and anti-Mayan genocide of the 1980s. January 11, 2005
A 'Long War' Against
Whom?
Looking toward his second term,
George W. Bush is eliminating skeptical voices within his administration as
he leads the nation deeper into what one senior U.S. general candidly
calls the "Long War" against Islamic extremism. But how high a price -- in
money, blood and liberty -- must the American people be prepared to pay, and
is there a better course? December 31, 2004
Iraq Plan '03: Troops
Home Christmas '04
Wishful thinking has been the
hallmark of George W. Bush's Iraq War from the start. A painful reminder is
that about 140,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq on Christmas 2004, when Bush
originally projected that all Army brigades would be home with their
families. Now, that final Christmas homecoming for U.S. troops in Iraq has
been put off indefinitely. December 24, 2004
Arafat: Tragedy & Hope
Perhaps more than any other leader, Yasir Arafat personified the
Palestinian people's tragic predicament and the Middle East's lost hope.
Longtime Arafat watcher Morgan Strong recounts his last meeting with the
complex leader whose death may lead to new opportunities for peace or
contribute to a worsening cycle of violence. November 17, 2004
Truth Serums & Torture
Pundits are
debating whether "truth serum" might be a way to extract information from
belligerents captured in the war on terror. But past use of "truth serum" raises
issues both of effectiveness and morality. By Martin A. Lee. June 4, 2002
Bush's Bono Act
A small promised
increase in U.S. foreign aid is being hailed as an important change of heart for George W.
Bush. But was this latest Bush conversion sincere or was it the minimum price to be paid
for a photo op with U2's Bono? By Nat Parry. March 20, 2002
Marching Into Georgia
George W. Bush's
"crusade" against evil is headed for the former Soviet republic of Georgia,
where U.S. troops have been tasked to root out alleged al-Qaeda operatives amidst Chechens
rebels and refugees. The morally murky conflict illustrates the dangers that the war on
terrorism could make worse. March 13, 2002
Mexico's War on Terror
An
investigation into the brutal murder of a human rights lawyer could spark a struggle
against political terror in Mexico -- or lead to a resurgence of power by a corrupt
establishment. November 25, 2001
The More Things Change...
The war on
terrorism has introduced Americans to a whole new cast of villains -- and a new roster of
erstwhile allies. One of those new friends is the authoritarian government of Uzbekistan.
By Nat Parry. October 29, 2001
Doctrinaire Unilateralism
The new U.S. foreign policy pursues a
go-it-alone unilateralism -- to the dismay of many U.S. allies. June 14, 2001
The Dubya Doctrine
Self-interest has replaced larger goals in the Bush administration's foreign
policy. June 11, 2001
W's
Abortion 'Gag Rule'
George W. Bush's decision to impose an abortion
"gag rule" on international family-planning groups is spreading alarm in the
Third World. By Marta Gurvich. April 1, 2001
Nothing
Is Free About Free Trade
A trip to the Texas-Mexico border pulls back
the curtain on what is wrong with trade agreements like NAFTA and the Free Trade Area of
the Americas -- a Super-NAFTA trade deal for the entire Western Hemisphere being
negotiated now. March 19, 2001
Colombia's Youth & Plays of Death
Young refugees adapt to the horrors of
life in Colombia's brutal civil war by creating fictional characters who can defy death.
By Andres Cala. March 14, 2001
Reagan-Bush Security Breaches
Ronald Reagan's tough rhetoric of the
1980s obscured a very different reality. As the arrest of an alleged FBI "double
agent" underscores, the Reagan-Bush era was a time when American national security
was compromised, possibly worse than at any time in U.S. history. February 23, 2001
Chinese Espionage Was a Reagan-Bush Scandal
Conservatives keep blaming
Clinton-Gore for Chinese nuclear espionage, but the evidence keeps pointing at the
Reagan-Bush years. February 16, 2001
W.'s Risky Foreign Policy
Tensions in the Middle East pose an
early test of President Bush's 'unilateralist' foreign policy. By Sam Parry. February 12,
2001
Behind the Elian Case
Some
vocal anti-Castro Cubans have checkered pasts. By Jerry Meldon. March 30, 2000
Russia 2000: Back to the Future
A first-hand look at a humbled ex-super-power. By Don North.
February 7, 2000
Brazil's Pain and Promise
The mixed results of a neo-liberal experiment. By Marta
Gurvich. January 12, 2000
Inside U.S. Counterinsurgency: A
Soldier Speaks.
Hard lessons from “dirty wars.” By Stan Goff. December 22, 1999
Fact Finders. U.S.-Iran: 20 Years
of Secrets.
An American mystery behind a mass kidnapping. December 10, 1999
Iran-Contra & the Safra
Mystery.
Slain banker was not 'exonerated' on Iran-Contra money deals. By Robert Parry.
December 4, 1999
The WTO: What’s That
Organization?
Free trade clashes with democratic principle. By Sam Parry. November 17, 1999
Juan Peron &
‘Cocaine Politics’
Latin dictators and their long drug
dependency. By Robert Reed. November 12, 1999
Israeli Spy Cover-up Crumbles.
A legendary spymaster tells long-hidden secrets. By Jack Colhoun.
October 14, 1999
US Tie to Russian Money Scam.
CIA exposure. By Robert Parry. September 23, 1999
Clinton’s
‘Info-War’ Underload.
"Information Warfare" against Serb government fizzles. By Robert Parry.
September 23, 1999
Our Man in Morocco
King Hassan’s eulogies ignore the reality of his rule. By Jerry Meldon.
September 17, 1999
Kosovo: KLA Country
The pro-Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army is quickly
establishing itself as the real power on the ground, sowing the seeds for more violence
and corruption ahead. By Don North. August 12, 1999
Colombia’s Cautious
Revolutionary
FARC leader Marulanda’s survival instincts. By Andres Cala. July 25, 1999
Aborigines & Uranium
Australia plans to mine uranium on scenic Aboriginal land. By Sam Parry. July 15,
1999
US Asks Venezuela-Colombia Buffer
Pentagon has plans to seal off Colombia’s drugs and unrest. By Tony Bianchi.
May 8, 1999
| Special Report: Target Yugoslavia |
Serb-US Info-War
At center stage and behind the scenes, NATO’s war for Kosovo is pressing the
edges of modern “information warfare.” By Robert Parry. May 4, 1999
Television Wars
Was NATO justified in destroying Serbian tv headquarters and killing journalists?
By Don North. May 4, 1999
Collateral Damage
The story behind the murder of a Serb editor who criticized Slobodan Milosevic. By
Don North. May 4, 1999
'Wag the Dog' in Reverse
Distracted by the Lewinsky scandal, President Clinton didn't pay enough attention
to the developing Kosovo crisis. By Mollie Dickenson. May 4, 1999
Kosovo
‘Hawks’ in Canada
Horror over “ethnic cleansing” in Kosovo has created
strong public support in some NATO nations for the bombing campaign against Serbia, but
will polls shift? By Don North. April 19, 1999
Kosovo’s Moscow
Fallout
The Serb brutality against the ethnic Albanians and NATO’s bombing of
Serb targets have rattled Moscow’s fragile political order. By Robert Parry. April 7,
1999
A Plight Known to
Hemingway.
Balkan despair. By Don North. March 4, 1999
Irony at Racak:
Tainted U.S. Diplomat Condemns Massacre
Ambassador William Walker denounced an atrocity
in Kosovo, but stayed silent during a decade of war crimes in Central America. By Don
North. January 27, 1999
Why Kosovo?
Brutally, the Serbs gain a tactical edge in an historic province. By Don North.
November 6, 1998
Testing Democracy:
Elections in Algeria and Turkey
Elections in Algeria and Turkey this week will test the two countries’
commitment to democracy. By Jerry Meldon. April 13, 1999
Japan's
Kill-the-Whales Plot.
The U.S. helps Japan on a hunting loophole. By Sarah Christie. March 17, 1999
Describing the Wild West economics of Russia,
the U.S. news media harkens back to the American ‘robber barons’ of the last
century. But the U.S. ‘robber barons’ built industries. The Russian billionaires
-- many linked to organized crime -- have plundered their nation’s wealth and shipped
billions of rubles offshore. Now, poverty in nuclear-armed Russia is causing political
instability and the risk of a new Cold War.
Russia’s Ruling
Robbers.
By Mark Ames. March 11, 1999
Russia’s Crash
Sounds Clinton Alarm.
By Robert Parry. March 11, 1999 (Revised from 10/1/98)
The Price of
Free-Market ‘Reform.’
By Edward S. Herman. March 11, 1999 (Revised from 9/9/98)
Nigeria: Shell’s
Game.
Oil, rights and money. March 4, 1999 |