The Progressive Jan. 3, 2022, by Stephen Zunes [source]
The death of former Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid of Nevada has evoked praise for his parliamentary skills passing some critically important legislation and preventing passage of some seriously problematic bills. However, Reid not only failed to challenge dangerous Republican foreign policy initiatives that violated fundamental principles of international law and human rights, he was often among their most prominent supporters.
Category: Middle East
Middle East Overview
The Pentagon Doesn’t Care About Civilian Casualties
The Progressive, Nov. 26, 2021, by Stephen Zunes [source]
In August 2019, thousands of refugees, prisoners, and families of ISIS fighters crowded into an encampment in the border town of Baghuz in eastern Syria, one of the last territories controlled by the so-called Islamic State. The US, supported on the ground by an allied Kurdish and Arab militia, launched a massive air assault on the enclave.
Biden and Other Democrats Helped Colin Powell Spread George W. Bush’s Iraq Lies
Truthout, Oct. 19, 2021, by Stephen Zunes [source]
While the death of former Secretary of State and retired Gen. Colin Powell has elicited praise-filled eulogies in the mainstream media and officials in Washington, many Americans still carry bitter feelings over Powell’s support for the illegal, unnecessary and predictably disastrous war in Iraq. In particular, critics cite his February 2003 speech before the UN Security Council in which he put forward a litany of demonstrably false statements in making the case that Iraq had compiled a dangerous arsenal of “weapons of mass destruction” and was actively supporting the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
WBAI: Colin Powell’s Legacy
18 October 2021: Item is no longer available. See
Biden and Other Democrats Helped then Secretary of State
Colin Powell Spread
George W. Bush’s Iraq Lies about WMDs.
WORT: 9/11 Anniversary
September 9, 2021: Recording is no longer available.
[Find best related links.]
WMNF: US and Afghanistan
2 September 2021: Recording is no longer available.
[Find best related links.]
Interview: KPFA Talkies and Sunday Show, US and Afghanistan
KPFA and Pacifica Radio affiliates, August 31, 2021
A bomb kills Marines and Afghans trying to flee the Taliban—and the bomber was NOT Taliban. Lessons from the past, analysis of the present, and a peer into the future with Stephen Zunes. Hosted by Kris Welch (starting at 9:45). See also Tazeen Hasan: Afghanistan
Tazeen Hasan: Afghanistan
August 20, 2021 [Recording is no longer available]
Find best Afghanistan links and TazeenHasan.net
CGTN Asia Today: Afghanistan
August 19, 2021 [Recording is no longer available]
Find best Afghanistan related links
Interview, Media Sanctuary: U.S. and Afghanistan
MediaSanctuary.org, August 18, 2021
Prof. Stephen Zunes Shares Analysis of Afghanistan War, Withdrawal and History.
Radio: U.S. and Afghanistan
Radio Islam International, 17 August 2021: “U.S. Government Still Trying to Come to Terms with How Quickly Taliban Took Over Afghanistan.”
US Policy Toward Afghanistan Was a Recipe for Collapse From the Start
Truthout August 17, 2021: The rapid fall of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan and takeover by Taliban extremists has stunned the world. President Biden has nevertheless defended his decision to withdraw…
Radio: US and Afghanistan
Have ‘Human Shields’ Accusations Become an Excuse for War Crimes?
The Progressive, June 17, 2021. The implications for U.S. policy are concerning. The House-passed resolution in July 2014, absolved Israel for responsibility for the large-scale civilian casualties…
Also published by Reddit, ThePeterHawk.blogspot.com, RadioFree.org, and OccupyPeace.com
United States’ Imperial Foreign Policy Is the Deadly Enemy of Progress at Home
Jacobin June 14, 2021: The US military spends trillions on death abroad that could be spent on improving life back home…
Interview: Gaza/Israel! CalMatters!
KPFA FM Radio, June 2, 2021: Zunes’s analysis of the past, present and future of Gaza/Israel
Professor Stephen Zunes on Gaza, the US, and Israel
Tikkun: “The extreme disproportionate firepower of the Israelis is really staggering. We’re looking at a 20:1 ratio just in terms of casualties… the U.S. bears special responsibility…”
Commentary: Panetta out of touch with constituents in his support for Netanyahu
The Californian: Commentary: As the ceasefire takes hold ending the fighting between Hamas and Israel, central coast voters are raising questions over controversial statements he made.
From Aleppo to Gaza: A Handy Guide for Defending War Crimes
Foreign Policy In Focus May 26, 2021: The U.S. strident defense of Israel’s recent military onslaught on the Gaza Strip… sounds remarkably similar to that to defend the Assad regime in Syria during their bloody attacks on Aleppo, Idlib, and other rebel-held areas… here’s a summary — based on real articles, interviews, and statements — in which apologists for war crimes can insert the appropriate words at the appropriate spot, depending on which government’s atrocities they are defending…
Israel/Palestine Conflict and U.S. Policy
ParallaxViews.podbean.com: We explore recent events involving Israeli airstrikes, the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem, Hamas, Gaza, and U.S. foreign policy [and] dive into the Israeli airstrike that took down an Associated Press building… the misuse of antisemitism to stifle criticism… the generational gap… racism and settler-colonialism, and more.