History is strewn with the broken branches of twisted irony. An individual who found himself entangled in it was the late Colin Powell, who, as a military man, gave a doctrine his name only to forgo it as a diplomat. The Powell Doctrine was one of certitude and caution: do not engage in conflict except […]
The post Colin Powell: Establishment Warrior first appeared on Dissident Voice.
Anniversaries can provide occasions for reflection and deep consideration. Past errors and misjudgements can be considered soberly; historical distance provides perspective. Mature reflections may be permitted. But they can also serve the opposite purpose: to cake, cloak and mask the record. The gooey name GWOT, otherwise known as the Global War on Terrorism, is some […]
It was all marvellous for Paul Wolfowitz to get on Australian television (why bother?) to brusquely discuss those attacks on US soil in September 2001 and criticism of the invasion of Iraq by US-led forces. After two decades, the former US deputy secretary of defense has not mellowed. With each show, interview and podium performance […]
The post Paul Wolfowitz: Deluded and At Liberty first appeared on Dissident Voice.
Protest in Westwood, California 2002. Photo: Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images America’s corporate media are ringing with recriminations over the humiliating U.S. military defeat in Afghanistan. But very little of the criticism goes to the root of the problem, which was the original decision to militarily invade and occupy Afghanistan in the first […]
Jonah Goldberg and Michael Ledeen have much in common. They are both writers and also cheerleaders for military interventions and, often, for frivolous wars. Writing in the conservative rag, The National Review, months before the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Goldberg paraphrased a statement which he attributed to Ledeen with reference to the interventionist […]
On July 25, 1990, Saddam Hussein entertained a guest at the Presidential Palace in Baghdad: U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie. She told the Iraqi president: “I have direct instructions from President (George H.W.) Bush to improve our relations with Iraq. We have considerable sympathy for your quest for higher oil prices, the immediate cause […]
With the recent passing of your close associate Donald Rumsfield, we felt compelled to share with you our many thoughtful remembrances. Many of us are also approaching our final years, and have already suffered the first indications of failing memory. (In public figures of Rumsfeld’s and your high stature, the condition is termed “I do […]
The post Open Letter to George W. Bush first appeared on Dissident Voice.
“On the morning of September 11, 2001, Donald Rumsfeld ran to the fire at the Pentagon to assist the wounded and ensure the safety of survivors,” expressed a mournful George W. Bush in a statement. “For the next five years, he was in steady service as a wartime secretary of defense – a duty he […]
The post The Known Knowns of Donald Rumsfeld first appeared on Dissident Voice.
Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Pope Francis arrived yesterday at the Baghdad International Airport to begin a three-day visit, the first of its kind, and the first visit for the Pope abroad since the COVID-19 pandemic began one year ago. Critics have wondered what difference the compassionate tourist could make, but the Pope has aimed […]
It was the Blair and Bush, not Saddam Hussein, who lied about Iraq’s WMDsby Ian SinclairMorning Star21 December 2020 As the famous quote – commonly attributed to US writer Mark Twain – goes: “a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes”. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, […]
