US Foreign Policy

End U.S. War In Afghanistan

January 31, 2017 Staff, www.actionnetwork.org Resist! Afghanistan, US Foreign Policy, Wars and Militarism

By Staff of Action Network - The U.S. war in Afghanistan is well into its 16th year. In 2014 President Obama declared it over, but it will remain a political, financial, security, legal, and moral problem unless you actually end it. The U.S. military now has approximately 8,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan , plus 6,000 other NATO troops, 1,000 mercenaries, and another 26,000 contractors (of whom about 8,000 are from the United States). That's 41,000 people engaged in a foreign occupation of a country 15 years after the accomplishment of their stated mission to overthrow the Taliban government. During each of the past 15 years, our government in Washington has informed us that success was imminent.

Trump Is Carpet-Bombing U.S. Foreign Policy

January 28, 2017 Phyllis Bennis, www.fpif.org Educate! Donald Trump, US Foreign Policy

By Phyllis Bennis for FPIF - Very soon, Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order regarding refugees and entry to the U.S. for a whole swathe of people. In effect, the edict would be aimed at banning Muslims from the United States, demonizing people from Muslim-majority countries across the Middle East and North Africa. It’s no accident that of the seven countries identified, the U.S. is bombing five (Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Somalia), has troops deployed and military bases in another (Sudan), and imposes harsh sanctions and frequent threats against the last (Iran). These military actions all reflect policies that fuel refugee flows in the first place. In a grim irony, the order bans refugees from wars that in many cases the U.S. itself started.

Trump Team Hell-Bent On Threatening World Security By Escalating Against Iran

January 21, 2017 Vijay Prashad, www.alternet.org Educate! Donald Trump, Iran, US Foreign Policy

By Vijay Prashad for AlterNet - Gunfire broke out in Tehran, Iran’s capital, on Monday. A drone flew over the city and provoked anti-aircraft fire. Deputy of Air Defense Alireza Elhami said that the drone left the restricted area after the firing. It is likely that this episode is harmless. But nothing can be taken lightly just days before the inauguration of Donald Trump as the next US president. Trump has assembled a team that is obsessed with Iran. His Secretary of Defense James Mattis and his National Security Adviser Mike Flynn take their fulminations into bizarre territory. Last April, Mattis said that ISIS is ‘nothing more than an excuse for Iran to continue its mischief.

Obama’s Bombing Legacy

January 20, 2017 Nicolas J S Davies, www.consortiumnews.com Educate! Barack Obama, US Foreign Policy, US military

By Nicolas J S Davies for Consortium News - As President Obama leaves office, much of his foreign policy record remains shrouded in the symbolism that has been the hallmark of his presidency. The persistence of Obama’s image as a reluctant war-maker and a Nobel Peace Prize winner has allowed Donald Trump and his cabinet nominees to claim that Obama has underfunded the military and been less than aggressive in his use of U.S. military power. Nothing could be further from the truth, and their claims are clearly designed only to justify even more extravagant military spending and more aggressive threats and uses of force than those perpetrated under Mr. Obama’s “disguised, quiet, media-free” war policy.

First Permanent Deployment Of US Troops On Russian Border Since Cold War

January 17, 2017 Andre Damon, www.wsws.org Educate! Cold War, Russia, US Foreign Policy, US military

By Andre Damon for WSWS - Some 4,000 US troops, together with tanks, artillery and armored vehicles, arrived in Poland over the weekend, further escalating tensions with Russia ahead of the January 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. It is the largest US troop deployment in Europe since the Cold War. The troops will be dispersed over seven Eastern European countries, including the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, all of which border Russia. After nine months, the troops will be replaced with another unit, making the deployment effectively permanent. NATO plans to deploy a further four battalions to the Russian border later this year, including one each to Poland and the three Baltic states.

America Dropped 26,171 Bombs In 2016. Bloody End To Obama’s Reign

January 14, 2017 Medea Benjamin, www.theguardian.com Educate! Barack Obama, US Foreign Policy, Wars and Militarism

By Medea Benjamin for The Guardian - Most Americans would probably be astounded to realize that the president who has been painted by Washington pundits as a reluctant warrior has actually been a hawk. The Iran nuclear deal, a herculean achievement, and the opening of diplomatic relations with Cuba unfortunately stand alone as President Obama’s successful uses of diplomacy over hostility. While candidate Obama came to office pledging to end George W Bush’s wars, he leaves office having been at war longer than any president in US history. He is also the only president to serve two complete terms with the nation at war.

Learning To Love A Multipolar World

January 14, 2017 Jeffrey D. Sachs, www.project-syndicate.org Educate! Politics, US Foreign Policy

By Jeffrey D. Sachs for Project Syndicate - NEW YORK – American foreign policy is at a crossroads. The United States has been an expanding power since its start in 1789. It battled its way across North America in the nineteenth century and gained global dominance in the second half of the twentieth. But now, facing China’s rise, India’s dynamism, Africa’s soaring populations and economic stirrings, Russia’s refusal to bend to its will, its own inability to control events in the Middle East, and Latin America’s determination to be free of its de facto hegemony, US power has reached its limits. One path for the US is global cooperation.

False Hope, Broken Promises: Obama’s Belligerent Legacy

January 13, 2017 Jakob Reimann, www.roarmag.org Educate! Barack Obama, US Foreign Policy, Wars and Militarism

By Jakob Reimann for Roar Magazine - In 2009, Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize — not for any concrete action but rather for his effusive optimism and, eventually, for his Yes We Can campaign. The Nobel committee acknowledged Obama’s commitment to peace and admired his diplomacy-focused aspirations: “Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts.” Furthermore, the committee appreciated the fact that Mr. Obama had given people everywhere “hope for a better future.” The president himself felt “deeply humbled” and considered the award a “call to action.”

“The Yanks Are Coming!”

January 11, 2017 ,Victor Grossman, www.theleftberlin.wordpress.com Uncategorized US Foreign Policy

By Victor Grossman for The Left Berlin - Hit that old song again, loud and clear! “Over there, over there, Send the word, send the word, That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming…” Yes, sirree! Shades of 1918 and the Battle of the Marne! Shades of 1944 and the beaches of Normandy! But no, not just shades and not just words have already been sent. 2017 had hardly begun in Germany’s port of Bremerhaven when 4000 lads and lasses in Yankee uniform disembarked and unloaded three shiploads, over 2,500 tanks, trucks and other combat vehicles, and sent them on by rail, on ferries through the Baltic or clanking along those Autobahn highways through North Germany. So many memories!

Election Interference? The U.S. Has Done It In 45 Countries Worldwide

January 10, 2017 Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, www.vocativ.com Educate! Elections, US Foreign Policy

By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh for Vocativ - Russia’s attempt to sway the 2016 election continues to consume American politics as the Obama administration struck back with a series of punishments targeting Russia’s spy agencies and diplomats. The White House on Thursday moved to expel 35 suspected Russian intelligence operatives from the U.S. and impose sanctions on the Kremlin’s two leading intelligence services in response for what the U.S. says were a series of cyberattacks conducted by Russia during the presidential campaign. For the time being, Russian President Vladamir Putin has indicated that he won’t immediately retaliate, though that could change. The simmering tit for tat has kept the issue of election meddling burning bright in the national spotlight...

US Sends 3,600 Tanks Against Russia – Massive NATO Deployment

January 7, 2017 Staff, www.dninews.com Educate! NATO, Russia, US Foreign Policy, US military

By Staff of DONi News - The NATO war preparation against Russia, 'Operation Atlantic Resolve', is in full swing. 2,000 US tanks will be sent in coming days from Germany to Eastern Europe, and 1,600 US tanks is deployed to storage facilities in the Netherlands. At the same time, NATO countries are sending thousands of soldiers in to Russian borders. According to US Army Europe, 4,000 troops and 2,000 tanks will arrive in three US transport ships to Germany next weekend. From Bremerhaven, US troops and huge amount of military material, will be transported to Poland and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. USA is sending to Russian borders 3rd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division.

US Special Operations Troop Deployments In Africa Surged In 2016

January 4, 2017 Eddie Haywood, www.wsws.org Educate! Africa, AFRICOM, US Foreign Policy, US military

By Eddie Haywood for WSWS - At the close of 2016, Africa saw a dramatic surge in the number of US Special Operation forces deployed across the continent. Since 2006, the US military has increased its operations in Africa from just 1 percent of overall global Special Operations to more than 17 percent. The rate at which troops have been surged on to the continent far surpasses that of any other region in the world, including Washington’s substantial military operations in the Middle East. There were 700 Special Operation commandos deployed across Africa in 2014; by 2016, the number had more than doubled, to 1,700.

No More Holiday Gifts For Repressive Regimes

December 30, 2016 Medea Benjamin, www.otherwords.org Resist! Aid, Regimes, US Foreign Policy

By Medea Benjamin for Other Words - The U.S. is selling weapons to a country that's killing a child every 10 minutes. That has to stop. While the world has been transfixed on the epic tragedy in Syria, another tragedy — a hidden one — has been consuming the children of Yemen. Battered by the twin evils of war and hunger, every 10 minutes a child in Yemen dies from malnutrition, diarrhea, or respiratory-tract infections, UNICEF reports. And without immediate medical attention, over 400,000 kids suffering from severe acute malnutrition could die, too. Why are so many of Yemen’s children going hungry and dying?

Trump’s Frightening Picks For U.S. Policy In The Middle East

December 29, 2016 Stephen Zunes, www.progressive.org Educate! Donald Trump, Middle East, Trump Administration, US Foreign Policy

By Stephen Zunes for The Progressives - Among the many disturbing appointments by President-elect Donald Trump are the people charged with conducting U.S. policy in the Middle East. Trump’s ignorance of the region will make him even more dependent on his advisers than most Presidents. And that’s not good news. Rex Tillerson, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, as with other oil men who have taken leading positions dealing with U.S. Mideast policy, will presumably favor close relations with Arab despots, even if they are terrible on human rights. However, as CEO of ExxonMobil, he would likely oppose actions that could destabilize the region, and respect the views of State Department professionals who provide analysis and advice.

Syria Cease-Fire To Take Effect At Midnight On Dec. 30

December 29, 2016 Staff, www.huffingtonpost.com Educate! Russia, Syria, US Foreign Policy

By Staff of Reuters - MOSCOW/ANKARA, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a ceasefire between Syrian opposition groups and the Syrian government starting at midnight on Thursday. The parties were also prepared to start peace talks, Putin said, after Moscow, Iran and Turkey expressed readiness to broker a deal to settle the nearly six-year-old Syrian war. The Syrian army announced a nationwide halt to fighting but said Islamic State and ex-Nusra Front militants and all groups linked to them would be excluded from the deal. It did not say which unnamed groups would be excluded. Several rebel officials told Reuters they had agreed to the ceasefire, due to come into effect at 2200 GMT on Thursday.

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