Negotiating to End the Ukraine War isn't Appeasement (tags)
A negotiated end to the conflict is the right goal — and one that needs to arrive sooner rather than later. Ukraine likely lacks the combat power to expel Russia from all of its territory, and the momentum on the battlefield is shifting in Russia’s favor.
Negotiating at last and The Russian-American Friendship (tags)
Russia's war is a response to NATO's eastward expansion, long criticized by the peace movement,and to Western policies of rearmament and confrontation, by which Russia feels existentially threatened. It began as early as the 1990s with the expansion of NATO.
Nuclear deterrence and Negotiate and peace now! (tags)
"I believe the Administration's recommendation to admit new members to NATO at this time is misguided. If adopted by the United States Senate, it could go down in history as the greatest strategic blunder since the end of the Cold War..." Jack F. Matlock Jr, U.S. ambassador
Snowden and Latin America Expose Washington (tags)
One of America’s genuine heroes, Major General Smedley D Butler revealed in his memoirs the true, abhorrent nature of Washington’s foreign policy. Butler had led countless military operations in Central America and the Caribbean as a US Marines Corp commander in the era of «gunboat diplomacy» during the early 1900s. Years after his retirement, he spoke out candidly and ruefully of his highly decorated military service in a book entitled War is a Racket. Here is how Butler characterized with unsparing words his service for country in 1935, five years before his death:
imperialism
Washington’s “humanitarian” war and the KLA’s crimes (tags)
"This may come as no surprise to those who have witnessed his rise from terrorist thug to head of the newly “independent” state. But what will be a shock to many is the grotesque way in the KLA helped finance its operations—by removing and selling body organs from kidnapped Serb and Kosovan Albanian civilian prisoners." "Any prosecution of the KLA was made “impossible” by Washington, which has been its main sponsor since at least 1998. Following the Bosnian war of 1995, the KLA, seeking to capitalise on popular resentment among Kosovan Albanians against the regime of Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia, pursued a strategy of destabilising Kosovo by acts of terrorism in the hope of provoking Western intervention." "US Senator Joseph Lieberman declared that “Fighting for the KLA is fighting for human rights."
Health Advocate McGuire Speaks Out for Single-Payer (tags)
Andrew McGuire, who's been active in grass-roots health campaigns for over 35 years, came to San Diego May 7 to speak at the First Unitarian-Universalist Church as part of his campaign to get a single-payer health care system enacted and operating in California. McGuire was eloquent about the "immoral, demeaning and lethal" health care system the U.S. has now, and the political pressures making reform impossible at the federal level,but even some progressives in his audience were concerned about details in the plan he was promoting.
Pakistani Elections: the mother of all frauds (tags)
Before the results had come in, President Musharraf appeared on the state-run Pakistan Television, calling the vote "the voice of the nation" and the "mother of elections" must be accepted. But in fact this was the Mother of all Frauds. The provisional results for the elections to the National Assembly, as of midday today (Tuesday 19th February) are as follows: Party Seats PPP 87 PML(N) 66 PML(Q) 38 MQM 19 ANP 10 BNP(A) 1 MMA 3 Others 34 Even by Pakistan standards this was a massive exercise in vote rigging. Overnight, the masses have been robbed of victory by the intriguers in Islamabad and Washington. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto immediately stirred the masses into action. If the elections had been held at that time, there would have been a landslide victory for the PPP. Nobody seriously doubts this. For that very reason the ruling clique, in agreement with the Americans, decided to postpone the elections.
Afghanistan, the CIA, bin Laden, and the Taliban (tags)
The U.S. government was well aware of the Taliban's reactionary program, yet it chose to back their rise to power in the mid-1990s. The creation of the Taliban was "actively encouraged by the ISI and the CIA," according to Selig Harrison, an expert on U.S. relations with Asia. "The United States encouraged Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to support the Taliban, certainly right up to their advance on Kabul," adds respected journalist Ahmed Rashid. When the Taliban took power, State Department spokesperson Glyn Davies said that he saw "nothing objectionable" in the Taliban's plans to impose strict Islamic law, and Senator Hank Brown, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Near East and South Asia, welcomed the new regime: "The good part of what has happened is that one of the factions at last seems capable of developing a new government in Afghanistan." "The Taliban will probably develop like the Saudis. There will be Aramco [the consortium of oil companies that controlled Saudi oil], pipelines, an emir, no parliament and lots of Sharia law. We can live with that," said another U.S. diplomat in 1997.
The real meaning of terrorism.
BTL:Iran Defies UN on Uranium Enrichment, as US Pushes for Sanctions &... (tags)
...Contemplates "Other Consequences" ~ Interview with Arang Keshavarzian, assistant professor of government at Connecticut College, conducted by Between the Lines' Scott Harris
SOLIDARITY STREET DEMONSTRATIONS DEMAND US KEEP HANDS OFF VENEZUELA AND CUBA (tags)
National and worldwide demonstrations demand US keep hands off Venezuela and Cuba
Shays Fought the Revolution's Final Battle (tags)
Shays Fought the Revolution's Final Battle, and We Lost
As in all history, it is shown that it is impossible to make friends by invading, intimidating, shooting, bombing, jailing, torturing, killing, maiming, napalming or other deadly actions. It showed every time, that the only people the US could call their friends were the dead, because they couldn't protest anymore.
"THESE COLORS DON'T RUN" (tags)
GOON WORDS TO HYPE THE MONOTONE MOOSE...
BTL:Washington Meddles in El Salvador's Recent Presidential Election... (tags)
Interview with Burke Stansbury, program director, Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador conducted by Between the Lines' Melinda Tuhus
US Government Betrayal of America
BTL:UN Security Council Approves Resolution Renewing Iraq Weapons Inspections (tags)
U.S. interpets wording of document as authority to wage war against Baghdad for any future violations. Interview with James Paul, executive director of the Global Policy Forum conducted by Between the Lines' Scott Harris.
Al-Quaida, Taliban vow revenge as air raids continue (The Frontier Post) (tags)
WASHINGTON (APP): US planes punish Afghanistan but draw fire during a daylight raid Wednesday on the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, as prime terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden renewed his call on all Muslims to attack US targets worldwide.As the United States claimed air supremacy over Afghanistan, Arab nations gave support to the fight against global terrorism but were cautious about the US action in Afghanistan.