US National Security Senior Director of Russian and Eurasian Affairs until recently, Michael McFaul, a 48 year old Stanford University professor, was appointed US ambassador to Russia at the end of last year. He’s widely…
Tag: US
As international relations scholar Kenneth Waltz said, states seek survival above all else. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is no exception. The DPRK conducted two nuclear tests, one in 2006 and the other in 2009, and despite the huge international pressure it exchanged fire with the Republic of Korea (ROK) over Yeonpyeong Island in late 2010. These incidents worsened the DPRK’s ties with the United States, Japan and the ROK. But these seemingly “irrational” actions by the DPRK were decided by its security concerns, for it lacks a sense of security. On the international front, former US president George W. Bush labeled the DPRK as part of the “axis of evil” and even threatened preemptive strikes against it. Through sanctions and various other means, the US has tried to topple the DPRK government.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has been threatened with military action by the US and its allies for the last eight years. Iran has been involved in war games in the Persian Gulf. The US Navy is deployed. Iran’s naval exercises which commenced on December 24th were conducted in an area which is patrolled by the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain. Meanwhile, a new round of economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran has been unleashed, largely targeting Iran’s Central Bank, leading to a dramatic plunge of Iran’s currency. Reacting to US threats, Iran declared that it would consider blocking the shipment of oil through the Strait of Hormuz:
As the US and Iranian governments escalate tensions in the already volatile Straits of Hormuz, and China and Russia begin openly questioning Washington’s interference in their internal politics, the world remains on a knife-edge of…
“War with Iran is already here,” wrote a leading Israeli commentator recently, describing “the combination of covert warfare and international pressure” being applied to Iran. Although not mentioned, the “strategic prize” of the first stage…
How Media is used to Whip the Nation into Wartime Frenzy As the US and Iranian governments escalate tensions in the already volatile Straits of Hormuz, and China and Russia begin openly questioning…
$14 Billion From Breaching Debt Ceiling. While not news to Zero Hedge readers who knew about the final debt settlement of US debt about 10 days ahead of schedule, it is now official: according to…
By a media trick, Tehran proved its claim that closing the Strait of Hormuz is as “easy as drinking water,” DEBKAfile reports. First thing Saturday morning, Saturday, Dec. 31, Iran’s state agencies “reported” long-range…
In an open-air cement bunker at the former Baghdad airport turned military base, Pentagon chief Leon Panetta praised more than one million Americans in uniform or in mercenary gear for “the remarkable progress” in death…
In March 2010 when I resigned from my column with Creator’s Syndicate and put down my pen, I received so many protests from readers that two months later I began writing again. This renewed activity…