Opinion

The Non-Surge in Government Spending

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The fiscal debate in Washington is dominated by things everyone knows that happen not to be true. One of those things is the notion that we have a fiscal crisis, an assertion belied both by the low interest rates at which the Feds can borrow and by the fact that medium-term deficit projections really aren’t that alarming. Another is the notion that our current deficit is driven by a surge in government spending.

America in Crisis: The Institutionalization of Tyranny

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Opinion

Republicans and conservative Americans are still fighting Big Government in its welfare state form. Apparently, they have never heard of the militarized police state form of Big Government, or, if they have, they are comfortable with it and have no objection.

6 Brilliant Insights from Noam Chomsky on American Empire

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Opinion

Noam Chomsky is an expert on many matters -- linguistics, how our economy functions and propaganda, among others. One area where his wisdom especially shines through is in articulating the structure and functioning of the American empire.

From Ground War to Long War to Hell

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Opinion

Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, Mali, Somalia and Algeria, drone strikes, indefinite detention and torture, secret operations – all of these controversies and more are connected by a “shadow war” and cannot be resolved without a departure from or change in its guiding doctrine; nor can the Central and Latin American drug wars, which derive from that same poisoned root.

Brookings' Bruce Riedel Urges Intensified US Support for Saudi Despots

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Opinion

When it comes to the US "foreign policy community", few if any people are more representative of it than Bruce Riedel. A 30-year CIA officer and adviser to the last four US presidents, he is now a senior fellow at the wing of the Brookings Institution funded by entertainment mogul Haim Saban (whom the New York Times described as "a tireless cheerleader for Israel" and who described himself this way: "I'm a one-issue guy and my issue is Israel").

The African-American Army

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Opinion

Escaped slaves fought on the British side, which promised to free them, during the American war for independence for white men. But nobody liked to talk about that much after the French won the war, although -- come to think of it -- nobody much likes to talk about the French winning the war, or for that matter about the big losers being, not the British but the Native Americans.

Western Economic Sanctions and Iran's Survival Strategy

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Opinion

It is by now common knowledge that Western-imposed economic sanctions on Iran have detrimental impacts on the Iranian economy. In fact, Iranian officials have long since shifted their public statements from outright denial to explicit acknowledgement of the effect of sanctions on Iran’s economy. They have, for instance, acknowledged that sanctions were partly to blame for Iran’s recent currency depreciation as well as its rampant inflation.

American News Media Ignores Critical Media Scandal

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Opinion

America's corporate news media love highlighting David-besting-Goliath stories"except apparently, when the fallen Goliath is major media mogul Rupert Murdoch -- the billionaire owner of America's caustic FOX News and other entities.

The Shifting Nature of Iran’s Regional Policy

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Opinion

The Arab Spring has resulted in a shift in the nature of Iran’s regional policy from a traditional “reconciliation and resistance” approach to a “regional cooperation” approach.

Obama's America Expands Its Global Overreach

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Opinion

In January 2003, headlines such as "American Empire: Get used to it" seemed commonplace. In the wake of 9/11, the United States had already invaded Afghanistan, was weeks away from invading Iraq and in the middle of a "global war on terror."