Republican Party

By Peter Certo | (Foreign Policy In Focus) | – – One in 3.5 million: That’s your annual risk of dying from a terrorist attack in the United States, at least according to Cato analyst John Mueller. Rounded generously, that comes out to roughly 3 one-hundred thousandths of a percentage point, or 0.00003 percent. And […]

Featured

War Talk, Jingoism and White Supremacy at GOP Debate

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The GOP presidential debate last night veered even further right on international issues, given the absence of Ron Paul, who represents the Libertarian wing of the party that is less interested in foreign wars. Ted Cruz started off with a promise of war on Iran over […]

Foreign Policy

None of the GOP Candidates knows anything about Syria & Why that’s Scary

contributors

By John Kiriakou | (Otherwords.org) | – – “Ending this imbroglio requires robust diplomacy.” One ongoing theme [of the GOP campaign has] bothered me — a lot. It seems to me that none of the Republicans running for president had even the vaguest understanding of what’s happening in Syria. I learned during my nearly 15 […]

Pentagon

How We Learned to Stop Worrying About People and Love the Bombing

contributors

By Rick Shenkman | (Tomdispatch.com) | – – After Senator Ted Cruz suggested that the United States begin carpet bombing Islamic State (IS) forces in Syria, the reaction was swift. Hillary Clinton mocked candidates who use “bluster and bigotry.” Jeb Bush insisted the idea was “foolish.” Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review, tweeted: “You […]

Authoritarianism

How the fate of Syria’s al-Assad divides the GOP Field: Cruz, Trump, Rubio

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Foreign policy is not a strong suit for most of the Republican candidates for president. Many of them probably couldn’t find Syria on a blank world map. But the fate of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad has become a flashpoint issue distinguishing them from one another. Donald […]

Foreign Policy

The Ultimate Blowback from U.S. Foreign Policy? Donald Trump.

contributors

By Walden Bello | ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) | – – How the CIA, bad trade deals, and wanton military intervention caused the social crises that gave us the Donald. (Really.) When the late Chalmers Johnson introduced the word “blowback” to describe the adverse consequences of Washington’s actions in the world, he wasn’t […]

Far Right

Turning to the Dark Side: US Candidates Compete to Promise the Most Torture and Slaughter

contributors

By Rebecca Gordon | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | – – They’re back! From the look of the presidential campaign, war crimes are back on the American agenda. We really shouldn’t be surprised, because American officials got away with it last time — and in the case of the drone wars continue to get away with […]

Republican Party

In Irony, Trump Trolls Ted Cruz with Birtherism; WH Amused

contributors

Nancy Cordes | CBS Evening News | (Video News Report) | – – “Donald Trump is back in the “birther” game. The GOP presidential candidate is taking on Ted Cruz by questioning his citizenship, a tactic he previously used against President Obama. Nancy Cordes reports.” 1. CBS Evening News: “Trump goes after Cruz for Canadian […]

Featured

Britain’s Debate over Banning Trump by the Numbers

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The British parliament will debate a motion to ban Donald Trump from the UK on January 18. Typically 100,000 signatures on a petition will provoke such a debate, but many more Britons asked for it than that. Trump would hardly be the first person banned there […]