For the last twenty years, Somalia has been entangled in a “civil war” amidst the destruction of both its rural and urban economies. The country is now facing widespread famine. According to reports, tens of…
Tag: military
Introduction While the possibility of a war with Iran is acknowledged in US news reports, its regional and global implications are barely analyzed. Very few people in America are aware or informed regarding the devastation and massive loss of life which would occur in the case of a US-Israeli sponsored attack on Iran. The media is involved in a deliberate process of camouflage and distortion. War preparations under a “Global Strike” Concept, centralized and coordinated by US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) are not front page news in comparison to the most insignificant issues of public concern, including the local level crime scene or the tabloid gossip reports on Hollywood celebrities. The “Globalization of War” involving the hegemonic deployment of a formidable US-NATO military force in all major regions of the World is inconsequential in the eyes of the Western media.
The broader implications of this war are either trivialized or not mentioned. People are led to believe that war is part of a “humanitarian mandate” and that both Iran as well as Iran’s allies, namely China and Russia, constitute an unrelenting threat to global security and “Western democracy”. While the most advanced weapons system are used, America’s wars are never presented as “killing operations” resulting in extensive civilian casualties. While the incidence of “collateral damage” is acknowledged, US-led wars are heralded as an unquestionable instrument of “peace-making” and “democratization”. This twisted notion that waging war is “a worthy cause”, becomes entrenched in the inner consciousness of millions of people. A framework of “good versus evil” overshadows an understanding of the causes and devastating consequences of war.
President Obama’s recent decision to re-focus U.S. military power away from Iraq and Afghanistan to the Asia-Pacific region and, to a lesser extent, Africa, means that China and certain rebel groups in Africa have replaced…
The program manifesto US President Barack Obama voiced in the Australian parliament on November 17 and his statements on January 5 make it clear for everyone that Washington has outlined the new strategy of its foreign policy. “After a decade in which we fought two wars that cost us dearly, the US is turning its attention to the vast potential of the Asia-Pacific”, the president said. The decision of the commander of the US military forces Obama to deploy 2,500 marines in the Northern Territories (an administrative district in Australia, which borders the Southern Asia) became the first concrete manifestation of the new course. The change of priorities predicts serious international shifts. It predicts the completion of the military operations against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which gave no result, a partial retreat from Iraq and reorientation on new external enemies both real and imaginary ones.
[anyplayer:url=http://rt.com/files/news/taliban-marines-urination-scandal-651/i91cf47c31f26ac85b64268ca917ee3e3_davidswansonafghanpisser.flv type=FLV] As Washington attempts to limit the damage done by the now-infamous YouTube video which apparently depicts US marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters, critics say such actions are the inevitable outcome…
Editor’s note: Amitai Etzioni is a sociologist and professor of international relations at George Washington University and the author of several books, including “The Limits of Privacy.” He was a senior adviser to the Carter…
The NSA performs clandestine surveillance of Russia’s electronic communications through Echelon elements stationed in Norway, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan and the Baltic states. The US Cyber Command, aka CYBERCOM, plans to employ cyber warfare for purposes of…
Spiralling US Defense Spending: US defense review firmly fixes strategic focus on Asia-Pacific and China’s perceived threat to its power projection abilities -The US’ defense spending has skyrocketed to a record high over the past decade….
The following article by Richard Sanders published in May 2002, prior to the onslaught of the Iraq war, carefully documents the History of War Pretext Incidents. This historical review raises an important issue: Is the Pentagon…
Asia – Pacific region is attracting the increasing attention of Western politicians against the backdrop of Chinese growing military and economic might. For instance the US influence had been indisputable until recently but today China’s…