American combat in Iraq and Afghanistan is ending. Not that flare-ups, implosions and dramas aren’t ahead. Not that blood won’t be spilled. Not that drones won’t attack from the skies of Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and beyond. Not that secret ops won’t happen, or American advisers won’t be embedded in obscure places.But the will, the force, and the momentum sustaining American combat … [Read more...]
The Trials of Julian Assange: A View From Sweden
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On July 12 Julian Assange’s new legal team is scheduled to appeal before a London court his extradition to Sweden, where he faces questioning in a sexual assault case brought by two Swedish women. Solicitor Gareth Peirce and barrister Ben Emmerson are respected human rights attorneys replacing a previous team described by Guardian investigations executive editor David Leigh as “high-priced … [Read more...]
Obama Feels Pressure for Peace
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Obama Begins to De-Escalate in Face of Public Opinion and Pressure for Peace Two years ago I was on a Chicago panel with a just-retired military officer, Charles Tucker, a former top adviser to the U.S. embassy in Iraq, general counsel to the Pentagon, and a major general in the Air National Guard. During our debate, he made a statement worth remembering on this night of Barack Obama’s speech … [Read more...]
Take Credit, But Do Not Accept or Endorse
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If Leslie Gelb is right, and he usually is, if President Obama is set to announce that only 30,000 of the current 109,391 U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be withdrawing over two-plus years, I would recommend that the peace movement take some credit for being a factor in the decision but not endorse the number leaving because it is still too low.A withdrawal of 30,000 will end the U.S. surge, … [Read more...]
The Fight for Peace Heats Up
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President Barack Obama drops by a meeting between National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain, second from left, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, June 7, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) The New York Times finally acknowledged this week that a significant withdrawal from Afghanistan is a real possibility being considered by the White … [Read more...]
Prediction: The U.S. Stays in Iraq
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It is becoming almost certain that the U.S. succeed in forcing Iraq to “invite” thousands of American troops to stay indefinitely in the latest imperial outpost of the United States in the Arab world. [New York Times, May 12]To recap: the Bush administration signed a pact with the Iraqi government in the interlude between administrations, and President Obama concurred. Then in early … [Read more...]
Afghanistan: A Moment of Opportunity for Obama
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President Obama has now gained the moral and political capital to responsibly end the U.S. military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. With an average of 30 to 50 Americans being killed each month in Afghanistan, the total will be well over 1,000 on Obama's watch if nothing is done. In addition to saving lives, removing 60,000 troops from Afghanistan in 2011-12 would also save about $70 … [Read more...]
The Death of Bin Laden
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The killing of Osama Bin Ladin is a triumphal moment for President Obama and the CIA, allowing a symbolic claim to victory in the War on Terror, bringing an understandable feeling of closure for the victims of 9/11, and will almost certainly assure the president’s re-election in 2012.But as I wrote in The Nation in October 2009, however, the death of Bin Ladin is not likely to end … [Read more...]
Relentless Pentagon Pressure Mounts to Keep Troops in Iraq
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In a Culver City speech last week, President Obama declared that he has removed 100,000 troops from Iraq and ended their combat mission, leaving wide open the question of whether he seeks to leave thousands of American troops behind as trainers and counterterrorism specialists on a permanent base.In an expression of peak, Adm. Mike Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs, called on Baghdad … [Read more...]
A Turning Point?
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Peace advocates should unite in demanding that President Obama decide to announce a significant troop withdrawal from Afghanistan beginning this July. Together we can push toward a significant de-escalation of this war.The background: last week President Obama told the Associated Press (AP) that his announcement of troop reductions would be “significant” and “not just a token gesture.” … [Read more...]
Deficit Debate Ignores War, Labor Leaders Speak Out
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As longtime labor leader Bob Muehlenkamp points out, three columns in the Washington Post, totalling 2,853 words, completely ignore the trillions spent on the Long War in discussing the deficits.It’s ridiculous to claim to be a deficit hawk and a war hawk at the same time. Here’s some good news, from Peace Action West: Oregon’s labor leadership has sent a letter to their Congressional … [Read more...]
Libya: Negotiations Now!
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A diplomatic alternative to a deepening quagmire is now possible, and the opportunity should be seized. The suggestion this week by U.S. Gen. Carter Ham that American ground troops might enter the conflict in support of the Libyan rebels goes beyond the United Nations mandate and suggests that the politics of escalation are underway.But the conditions of stalemate, and therefore … [Read more...]
Afghan War Goes Savage
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Roadside Bombs Blow Off Legs, Testicles The death toll of American soldiers in Afghanistan has jumped to 1,516 since 2001. 886 of the deaths have occurred during the Obama presidency. Pentagon predictions of heavier fighting ahead could translate to the overall dead reaching 1,900 during the 2012 presidential campaign.With more American boots on the ground, the number of wounded has … [Read more...]
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What’s Next for Obama and Democrats?
President Obama’s position as a centrist has left him wounded by left and right in the raging deficits debate. In one sense he has succeeded politically by appearing far more rational than a Republican Party tethered to the Tea Party. That should serve him well in the 2012 national election. On the other hand, he has seriously alienated most of the progressive community, including the … [Read more...]