US Militarism
Trump threats on South China Sea heighten risk of nuclear war
By Peter Symonds, 25 January 2017
The only means of barring China from access to its islets in the South China Sea is a naval and air blockade, an act of war.
Syrian government, “rebels” meet for talks in Kazakhstan
By Bill Van Auken, 25 January 2017
In the wake of the strategic defeat suffered by the CIA-backed Islamist militias, the US participated only as an observer in the talks brokered by Russia.
Poland “faces tragic decision” after Trump election
By Clara Weiss, 25 January 2017
According to the conservative newspaper Rzeczpospolita, Poland faces a “devilish decision” between allying itself either with the US or with Germany and the European Union.
Appearance of military officers during Trump’s inaugural address still unexplained
By Jerry White, 23 January 2017
There has been no explanation as to why, in an unprecedented fashion, ten military officers stood prominently behind Trump during his inaugural address before promptly dispersing.
Trump’s fascistic diatribe: On the road to World War III
By Patrick Martin, 21 January 2017
Trump’s inaugural address combined nationalistic chest-thumping against foreign countries with bullying demands for patriotism and conformity at home.
Former US ambassador advocates American military bases on Taiwan
By Peter Symonds, 19 January 2017
Bolton is among those militarist layers who regard conflict with China as inevitable.
Chelsea Manning sentence commuted after seven years of brutal imprisonment
By Patrick Martin, 18 January 2017
Manning’s trial and imprisonment for leaking evidence of war crimes was itself a crime, for which the US military and Obama administration are responsible.
US escalates Russia tensions on eve of Trump inauguration
By Bill Van Auken, 18 January 2017
The deployment of 300 Marines to Norway Monday was accompanied by a barrage of anti-Russian rhetoric from the outgoing Obama administration.
Parliamentary crisis in Poland deepens amid US troop deployment
By Clara Weiss, 18 January 2017
As 3,500 US troops deploy to Poland, escalating plans for war against Russia, the ruling Law and Justice Party continues its efforts to build up a dictatorial regime.
Iraqi civilian death toll mounts as fighting intensifies in Mosul
By Jordan Shilton, 17 January 2017
Up to 30 civilians were reportedly killed in a US-led air strike last Thursday. The UN reports that fully half of all casualties in Mosul have been civilians.
Amid anti-Russia media campaign
First permanent deployment of US troops on Russian border since Cold War
By Andre Damon, 16 January 2017
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 inauguration of Trump.
Trump again threatens to tear up One China policy
By Peter Symonds, 16 January 2017
China rejected Trump’s remarks declaring that the “One China” principle was the political foundation of China-US relations and was “non-negotiable.”
Former Australian prime minister denounces Trump over China
By James Cogan, 16 January 2017
Paul Keating stated that a Trump administration threatened to “involve Australia in war with China.”
China and Russia to counter US anti-missile systems in Asia
By Peter Symonds, 14 January 2017
While nominally directed against North Korea, the THAAD deployment in South Korea is part of the US military buildup in Asia for war against China and Russia.
With bipartisan support, Trump defense nominee outlines plans for global war
By Tom Eley, 13 January 2017
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 24-3 to waive the legal restriction preventing the approval of a secretary of defense who has not been out of the military for at least seven years.
Trump’s China policy threatens nuclear war
By James Cogan, 13 January 2017
President-elect Donald Trump and the cabal of billionaires and ex-generals who will comprise his cabinet have signaled they will substantially intensify the United States’ conflict with China.
US air strike kills 20 civilians in Syria
By Jordan Shilton, 11 January 2017
Details of last week’s raid in Idlib province emerged as Democrats and Republicans in the Senate introduced bipartisan legislation to intensify punitive measures against Russia over its interventions in Syria and Ukraine.
US defence secretary threatens to shoot down any North Korean missile
By Peter Symonds, 11 January 2017
Trump’s propensity for recklessness and militarism will only heighten the danger of conflict on the Korean Peninsula, one of the world’s most dangerous flash points.
US destroyer fires warning shots at Iranian patrol boats
By Peter Symonds, 10 January 2017
The incident underscores the volatile situation in the Middle East and the potential for a rapid rise of US-Iranian tensions once Trump assumes the US presidency.
Details emerge of Fort Lauderdale shooter’s experience in military
By Genevieve Leigh, 10 January 2017
Reports from friends and family continue to emerge regarding the toll that Esteban Santiago’s time in Iraq took on his mental state.
Obama's legacy of war, repression and inequality
By Joseph Kishore, 10 January 2017
For Obama and the privileged social layers that surround the Democratic Party, a legacy can be crafted with honeyed phrases and clever marketing. Millions of people, however, will judge the administration by its actions.
Child abuse and neglect soar in US military families
By Shelley Connor, 9 January 2017
For years, the Pentagon has maintained that child abuse is less common and less severe in military homes than it is among the civilian population.
The media campaign on Russian hacking and the US debacle in Syria
By Andre Damon, 9 January 2017
Despite the absence of any factual evidence in the report released last week by US intelligence agencies on alleged Russian hacking, the media campaign for war shows no signs of abating.
Trump’s coming confrontation with China
By Peter Symonds, 7 January 2017
No longer having the economic muscle to lay down the international trade rules, the US has begun a dramatic military build-up in Asia to assert its dominance, even if that leads to war with China.
Senators call for retaliation against Russia at “hacking” hearing
By Tom Hall, 6 January 2017
Yesterday’s hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee provided an opportunity for senators to kowtow before the US intelligence agencies and bray for war against Russia.
Congress grovels before the CIA as it escalates “Russian hacking” hysteria
By Patrick Martin, 6 January 2017
At Thursday’s congressional hearing, US Senators seemed to be in competition to demonstrate the most abject loyalty to the intelligence agencies.
US Special Operations troop deployments in Africa surged in 2016
By Eddie Haywood, 3 January 2017
The US deployed at least 1,700 elite soldiers to 33 nations across the African continent in 2016, more than twice the number deployed in 2014.
US think tank urges Trump to confront China in South China Sea
By Peter Symonds, 3 January 2017
Well aware of the dangers of full-scale war, the report nevertheless insists that the US and its allies must challenge China sooner rather than later.
US bombs hospital amid escalating assault on Mosul
By Bill Van Auken, 31 December 2016
The attack came as US-backed Iraqi forces launched what they described as the second phase of their assault on Iraq’s second-largest city.
The lying campaign on Russian hacking
By Andre Damon, 31 December 2016
The US media, led by the New York Times, has embraced Obama’s retaliatory measures against alleged Russian hacking despite the fact that the White House has put forward no evidence to substantiate its claims.
Obama escalates anti-Russian campaign with new sanctions and threats
By Patrick Martin, 30 December 2016
The executive order issued Thursday is nominally directed against Russian hacking, but constitutes a sweeping attack on democratic rights.
Russia and Turkey broker ceasefire in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 30 December 2016
The ceasefire, which excludes ISIS and Al Qaeda, as well as the Kurdish militia, is supposed to lay the foundations for peace talks in Kazakhstan.
US weapons dealers top the market in global arms sales
By Nick Barrickman, 29 December 2016
The United States concluded over a third of the world’s weapons deals to developing nations in the last eight years.
Obama signs his last Pentagon budget: A legacy of war and reaction
By Bill Van Auken, 29 December 2016
The Democratic president’s signing of the National Defense Authorization Act ensures that the infamous prison at Guantanamo will be handed over intact to Donald Trump.
Japanese PM visits Pearl Harbor
By Peter Symonds, 28 December 2016
The ceremony was not about peace and goodwill, but was rather in preparation for new wars amid escalating tensions in the Asia Pacific with China.
Trump’s tweet and the danger of nuclear war
By James Cogan, 23 December 2016
Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested the use of nuclear weapons to achieve American imperialist ends and impose Washington’s dictates.
UK: Cambridge “spy” forum splits over alleged “Russian influence”
By Julie Hyland, 23 December 2016
The split comes against the backdrop of US and British imperialism’s debacle in Syria.
Mosul, Iraq and Obama’s legacy of war
By James Cogan, 22 December 2016
There is no doubt as to the overriding motive behind the 1991 Gulf War, years of sanctions on Iraq, the 2003 US invasion and the blood-letting in Mosul—oil.
Pentagon sends advanced surveillance team to train Sri Lanka’s military
By Pradeep Ramanayake, 22 December 2016
In line with Washington’s enhancement of India’s military capability, the US military is establishing interoperability with the Sri Lankan armed forces.
US Army document on urban warfare advances strategy for “contemporary Stalingrads”
By Eric London, 21 December 2016
The report titled “Military Contingencies in Megacities and Sub-Megacities” claims that US invasion of major cities is “inescapable” in the “not-too-distant future.”
The International Socialist Organization and the fall of Aleppo
By Andre Damon, 20 December 2016
The crisis of the US-backed proxy war for regime change in Syria has provoked a furious response from the pseudo-left apologists for US imperialism.
China accuses US of using undersea drone to spy
By Peter Symonds, 19 December 2016
The incident intensifies the US-China tensions produced by the Obama administration’s “pivot to Asia” that has transformed the South China Sea into a dangerous flashpoint.
Obama, Clinton stoke anti-Russia campaign
By Patrick Martin, 17 December 2016
In his final press conference, Obama reiterated claims of Russian government hacking against the US election while refusing to provide any evidence.
While decrying “massacre” in Aleppo, US steps up bloodshed in Mosul
By Bill Van Auken, 16 December 2016
The hypocrisy of US denunciations of Syria, Russia and Iran for the suffering in Aleppo is exposed by the plight of the besieged Iraqi city of Mosul.
The US media’s neo-McCarthyite campaign for war against Russia
By Andre Damon, 16 December 2016
The ferocious denunciations of Russia that have dominated the American media are aimed at poisoning public sentiment and paving the way for war.
US admiral pledges to confront China in South China Sea
By Peter Symonds, 15 December 2016
The aggressive remarks by Admiral Harry Harris, commander of US Pacific Command, were encouraged by Trump’s belligerent stance toward China during and since the election.
To target China, US further enhances military-strategic alliance with India
By Keith Jones, 15 December 2016
The last days of the Obama administration have seen a concerted, bi-partisan drive of the American political elite and the Pentagon to further cement the Indo-US “global strategic partnership.”
Syrian government retakes eastern Aleppo
By Bill Van Auken, 14 December 2016
Under a deal brokered between Turkey and Russia, Islamist militias have agreed to evacuate the last remaining area of the city under their control.
White House, Clinton campaign intervene in conflict over Russian hacking charges
By Andre Damon, 13 December 2016
The White House and the Clinton campaign intervened Monday in the escalating conflict between the intelligence agencies and among different factions within the state over US policy toward Russia.
Behind hacking allegations: Explosive conflict over US policy toward Russia
By Patrick Martin, 12 December 2016
Behind the claims of Russian hacking in the 2016 elections is a raging dispute within the US ruling elite and its military-intelligence apparatus over what policy to adopt towards Moscow.
US sends more ground troops to support Kurdish militias in Syria
By James Cogan, 12 December 2016
The increased involvement of American forces will heighten already tense relations between the United States and Turkey.
Obama’s parting shot at Russia
By Bill Van Auken, 10 December 2016
While Obama and the Democrats bow to Trump as he assembles the most right-wing administration in US history, they remain concerned that he is insufficiently bellicose toward Moscow.
A Trump junta?
By Bill Van Auken, 9 December 2016
The growing number of recently retired generals joining the Trump cabinet is an expression of the ever-growing power of the military over political life.
A cabinet of generals: Trump appoints John Kelly to lead Department of Homeland Security
By Eric London, 8 December 2016
The unprecedented prominence of the military in the incoming cabinet is a dangerous sign that the American ruling class is preparing for war abroad and repression at home.
US-backed Islamist militias abandon Aleppo’s old city as Syrian army advances
By Alex Lantier, 8 December 2016
Reports are emerging that Washington is pressing opposition forces in Aleppo to abandon the city and continue fighting elsewhere.
In counterterrorism speech, Obama hints at danger of dictatorship
By Patrick Martin, 7 December 2016
In a speech to a military audience in Florida, the US president twice cited the Nuremberg war crimes tribunal as a warning to the incoming administration of Donald Trump.
Trump picks General “Mad Dog” Mattis for secretary of defense
By Patrick Martin, 5 December 2016
The selection of retired General James Mattis has been greeted with approval across the political and national-security establishment and in the major organs of the corporate-controlled media.
Trump victory strengthens Israel’s far-right and settler parties
By Jean Shaoul, 5 December 2016
Trump’s remarks on the Israel/Palestine conflict reflect the most extreme demands of Israel’s settler movement and Netanyahu’s political rival Naftali Bennett.
A new round of UN and US sanctions on North Korea
By Peter Symonds, 3 December 2016
The punitive sanctions will not only raise tensions with North Korea, but also with China, which is its strategic ally and largest trading partner.
US Pacific commander visits Sri Lanka, praising new regime
By K. Ratnayake, 3 December 2016
PACOM chief Harris’s visit was part US efforts to boost military ties with Sri Lanka after President Maithripala Sirisena became president in early 2015.
Moscow in secret talks with Syrian “rebels”
By Bill Van Auken, 2 December 2016
The talks brokered between Russia and Turkey are a further manifestation of the debacle facing the US regime change campaign.
Mosul and imperialist “human rights”
By James Cogan, 2 December 2016
The attitude of the imperialist powers to war crimes is determined by whether they benefit from them.
Pentagon advances coverup for September bombing of Syrian army
By Bill Van Auken, 1 December 2016
The claim that the massacre of as many as 90 Syrian soldiers was a “human error” carried out in “good faith” is contradicted by the US military’s own admissions.
US officials press Trump to tackle North Korea
By Peter Symonds, 30 November 2016
Former military chief Admiral Mike Mullen warned that the Korean peninsula was “more likely than anyplace else in the world to potentially create an explosive outcome.”
New York Times vents Washington’s rage over debacle in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 30 November 2016
The Times has churned out countless lying editorials and columns justifying the bloodbath instigated by US imperialism in Syria as a “human rights” crusade.
Obama extends global reach of US Special Operations death squads
By Patrick Martin, 29 November 2016
The global mandate of the new formation means US death squads could be sent virtually anywhere, from European cities to South American jungles, including in the United States itself.
Chinese fears about Trump and the South China Sea
By Peter Symonds, 28 November 2016
A Chinese think tank director warned that “strategic rivalry between China and the US is likely to continue over the South China Sea.”
US and Philippine militaries maintain “robust” ties
By Peter Symonds, 26 November 2016
US Admiral Harry Harris, head of Pacific Command, dismissed any suggestion that Philippine President Duterte’s anti-American remarks would derail the US-Philippine alliance.
US arms Syrian Islamists with surface-to-air missiles
By Bill Van Auken, 23 November 2016
The portable missiles have been placed in the hands of the so-called “rebels” in an apparent attempt to escalate the conflict in advance of the change in US administrations.
Fighting intensifies in Mosul and northern Iraq
By James Cogan, 22 November 2016
Hundreds of American personnel are on the ground and involved in the combat, while British and Australian troops are also reported to be fighting alongside Iraqi units.
Syrian fighting intensifies amid growing signs of military escalation under Trump
By Bill Van Auken, 17 November 2016
The offensive has been accompanied by an increasingly hysterical campaign in the media against any easing of tensions with Moscow under a Trump administration.
Trump transition points to escalation of US militarism
By Bill Van Auken, 16 November 2016
Former New York Mayor Giuliani, named as top choice for secretary of state, condemned the Obama administration for failing to “even threaten to use our military” against Russia.
Bagram air base bombing kills four US personnel in Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 14 November 2016
The attack and other incidents underscore the increasingly precarious situation in Afghanistan after a decade and a half of US war and occupation.
Growing crisis surrounds US-backed offensive in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 11 November 2016
The assault on the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa has exposed the sharp tensions between the disparate forces that constitute Washington’s allies.
NATO announces largest troop deployments against Russia since Cold War
By Alex Lantier, 8 November 2016
On the eve of the US election, NATO officials announced plans to place hundreds of thousands of troops on alert for military action against Russia.
US-backed Kurdish militia announces assault on ISIS capital in Syria
By James Cogan, 7 November 2016
The largely rhetorical announcement appears primarily aimed at bolstering Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
US air strikes kill scores of civilians in Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 4 November 2016
More than 15 years after the Bush administration invaded Afghanistan, the US-backed regime controls less territory than ever, and the slaughter of civilians is escalating.
Putin criticizes the US and pleads for a change in course
By Andrea Peters, 4 November 2016
As military, economic and diplomatic pressures mount, Putin feels obliged to discuss the aggressive and provocative character of US policy toward Russia.
New York Times promotes war hysteria over Estonia
By Bill Van Auken, 2 November 2016
The Times piece amounts to war propaganda, echoing the hysterical claims of the Baltic states that a Russian invasion is imminent and glorifying the legacy of Nazism.
Sectarian tensions rise in Iraq as Mosul offensive enters third week
By Jordan Shilton, 1 November 2016
Iraqi government troops entered the eastern outskirts of the northern Iraqi city Monday amid ongoing warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe facing its residents.
The political anatomy of pseudo-left war propaganda
Part one
By Eric London, 1 November 2016
A Road Unforeseen employs postmodernist political categories and identity politics in constructing an argument for war in the Middle East.
Sixty killed in new US-Saudi war crime in Yemen
By Bill Van Auken, 31 October 2016
At least 60 civilians were killed in the latest bombing raid, which comes on the heels of reports warning of mass starvation.
UN warns US-Saudi war threatens mass starvation in Yemen
By Bill Van Auken, 29 October 2016
After 18 months of bombardment, the catastrophe unfolding in the poorest nation in the Middle East constitutes a war crime of historic proportions.
US-backed Islamist rebels launch offensive in Syria
By Jordan Shilton, 29 October 2016
Continuing its grotesque double standards over human rights violations, the US media broadly welcomed an Islamist rebel offensive in Aleppo that included indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas.
Aleppo, Mosul and “war crimes”
By Bill Van Auken, 28 October 2016
Those denouncing Russia for “war crimes” in Aleppo have carried out atrocities over the course of the past three quarters of a century that vastly eclipse the events in the embattled Syrian city.
US-Russian war tensions mount over Eastern Europe and Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 27 October 2016
NATO countries meeting in Brussels have promised to deploy troops and heavy weapons on Russia’s borders in the biggest buildup since the height of the Cold War.
Philippine President Duterte says he wants US troops out of the country in two years
By Joseph Santolan, 27 October 2016
The abrupt shift in Manila’s foreign policy toward China is an expression of the immense geopolitical tensions stoked by Washington's policies.
New Zealand: The US warship visit and the fraud of Peace Action
By Tom Peters, 27 October 2016
Peace Action Wellington and Auckland Peace Action do not represent any alternative to the Greens and other organisations which have discredited themselves by embracing imperialist war preparations.
US “pivot to Asia” in disarray
By Peter Symonds, 26 October 2016
Far from making a retreat, Washington’s response to its setbacks will be to escalate its diplomatic intrigues and military provocations in the Asia Pacific.
Making the case for war in Eastern Europe
Robert D. Kaplan’s In Europe’s Shadow
By Clara Weiss, 26 October 2016
The latest book by Robert D. Kaplan advocates transforming Romania into a military staging ground for US imperialism and preparing for all-out war against Russia.
Mosul offensive intensifies regional tensions as Turkish soldiers intervene in Iraq
By Jordan Shilton, 24 October 2016
The dispute between the Iraqi and Turkish governments is only one of a vast array of regional and sectarian divisions being inflamed by the US-backed offensive on the northern Iraqi city.
Report signals renewed US pressure on Australia to line up against China
By Peter Symonds, 24 October 2016
The US Studies Centre document examines risks to the US-Australia alliance, raising concerns, in particular, about the lack of public support for the US military build-up in Asia.
What is behind the anti-Russia campaign in the US?
By Andre Damon, 22 October 2016
A major theme of the 2016 US presidential campaign has been the campaign to depict Russia as intent on manipulating the election through cyber warfare.
US navy sends destroyer to challenge China in South China Sea
By Peter Symonds, 22 October 2016
The latest US “freedom of navigation” operation came as Philippine President Duterte’s tilt to Beijing dealt a blow to Washington’s “pivot to Asia” strategy.
Public rifts erupt in Australian government
By Mike Head, 22 October 2016
The internal warfare wracking the Liberal-National Coalition cannot be explained by a dispute over gun laws.
Mosul offensive stirs a cauldron of conflicts
By James Cogan, 21 October 2016
Before Mosul even falls, savage fighting threatens to break out between nominal allies in the operations against Islamic State.
The siege of Mosul and the crimes of US imperialism
By Bill Van Auken, 20 October 2016
The offensive against Mosul is the latest in a series of US war crimes that have killed, maimed and displaced millions across the Middle East.
US-backed Iraqi forces tighten noose around Mosul
By James Cogan, 18 October 2016
The increasingly clear intent is to use air strikes, starvation and desperation to weaken what remains of ISIS’s fighting strength.
EU foreign ministers adopt statement denouncing Russia and Syria
By Alex Lantier, 18 October 2016
The European Union statement is aligned with the flood of anti-Russian propaganda emanating from Washington over the NATO war for regime change in Syria.
US amplifies its support for India’s military strikes on Pakistan
By Deepal Jayasekera, 18 October 2016
Washington’s endorsement of India’s jettisoning of “strategic restraint” will only encourage New Delhi to carry out still more aggressive and provocative military actions.
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