Thursday, May 31, 2018

Our Dad’s Pledge to You, the Reader

“The core responsibility of a journalist is to have an open mind toward any information you might find, to have no agenda, and to have no preferred outcome. In other words, I don’t care what the truth is. I just…

Spooks Spooking Themselves

As the role of a well-connected of group of British and U.S. intelligence agents begins to emerge, new suspicions are growing about what hand they may have had in weaving the Russia-gate story, as Daniel Lazare explains. By Daniel Lazare…

Sunday, May 27, 2018

‘Ehud Barak Gave the Order to Kill’

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak received an earful from protestors when he was in San Francisco recently to hawk his new book, as explained in this interview by Dennis J. Bernstein.  By Dennis J Bernstein 05/27/2018 15:33:27 Former Israeli Prime…

Saturday, May 26, 2018

South Korean President Moons Bolton

The summit may still be alive because it appears advisers around Trump may well be warning him not to follow his national security adviser down the road to disaster, comments Ray McGovern. By Ray McGovern  Special to Consortium News Thanks…

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

The U.S. and the Fate of the World

It may not be an exaggeration to say that the fate of civilization is up to Americans to sort out how they want to interact with the rest of the world, argues Inder Comar in this commentary. By Inder Comar…

Monday, May 21, 2018

Delusions and Genocide: A Reply to Diana Johnstone 

Consortium News published an article on May 4 by Diana Johnstone, in which she critiqued an article by Tony McKenna, who has asked for the right to reply. Editor’s Note: Consortium News published an article on May 4 by Diana…

Friday, May 18, 2018

US Not Sitting Idly By on Eve of Venezuelan Election

As Venezuelans go to the polls Sunday, the U.S. is working to disrupt the re-election of Nicolas Maduro and rollback leftwing governments in the region, reports Roger D. Harris. By Roger D. Harris Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is the frontrunner…

Thursday, May 17, 2018

An Iranian Viewpoint on the Battle for Syria

A new feature from Iran gives a totally different perspective of the war raging in Syria than Western audiences are used to, explains Rick Sterling. By Rick Sterling West against East on the Syrian battle-field, in the newspapers and now…

A Tale of Two Tortures

How the Americans and the British “tortured some folks” and got away with it, as Annie Machon explains. By Annie Machon Special to Consortium News in Brussels It was with some disbelief that I read of two torture-related stories emerging…

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

The Rebuilding of Syria

As the war in Syria winds down the daunting task of resettling refugees and internally displaced people and rebuilding the country faces numerous obstacles, reports Jeff Klein. By Jeff Klein Special to Consortium News During visits to Syria in 2016 and 2018, the devastation…

Tribute to Robert Parry, Founder of Consortium News, May 19, Berkeley, CA.

REMINDER: This Saturday afternoon, May 19, at 2pm, a Tribute to Robert Parry, Founder and Editor of Consortium News will be held at Berkeley Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar St. in Berkeley, CA. Open to the public. Tickets at Brownpapertickets.comor at…

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

The (Unrecognized) US Contribution to Bloodshed in Syria, Part Two

Bashar Asad sought closer relations with the West but the U.S. was planning to remove him as early as 2006, which eventually led to the devastating seven-year in Syria, says As’ad AbuKhalil in the second and last part of this…

Monday, May 14, 2018

The World Will Not Mourn the Decline of U.S. Hegemony

Commentators on both right and left bemoan the decline of American global power under Donald Trump, but is that such a bad thing?, asks Paul Street in this commentary. By Paul Street There are good reasons to bemoan the presence…

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Ecuador Hints It May Hand Over Assange

Julian Assange has remained incommunicado for more than six weeks and as his health deteriorates many of his former supporters have remained silent too, says James Cogan. By James Cogan Julian Assange is in immense danger. Remarks made this week…

Congress Weighs Indefinite Detention of Americans

A Senate bill under consideration could allow Donald Trump to indefinitely jail American citizens without charge if they oppose U.S. military action, says Marjorie Cohn. By Marjorie Cohn Under the guise of exercising supervisory power over the president’s ability to…

Saturday, May 12, 2018

The EU Will Not Stand by Iran and the Nuclear Deal

While European leaders have made noises that they will defy Donald Trump’s reneging on the Iran nuclear deal and resist U.S. sanctions, in the end the Europeans will give in to U.S., argues Alexander Mercouris in this commentary. By Alexander…

Trump’s War Against Iran

An apparent coordination between Trump leaving the Iran deal and Israeli attacks on Iranian targets in Syria portend an attack on Iran itself, says Eric S. Margolis.  By Eric S. Margolis? Israel attacked alleged Iranian military positions in Syria on Tuesday, just…

Friday, May 11, 2018

Trump’s Iran Debacle: What Will Germany and Russia Do?

It falls to Germany to save the Iran nuclear deal and try to prevent a devastating new Middle East War, argues Daniel Lazare. By Daniel Lazare  Special to Consortium News In the wake of Donald Trump’s thoroughly unsurprising decision to…

Iran Deal Partners Consider How to Confront ‘Renegade’ U.S.

With the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal and with Americans ordering Europeans to stop dealing with Tehran, the remaining signatories are trying to figure out how to confront the U.S., says Enrico Carisch. By Enrico Carisch What can…

Thursday, May 10, 2018

War Clouds Gather Around Iran

With Israel and Iran exchanging direct fire, Trump pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and John Bolton promoting regime change in Tehran, Inder Comar offers four reasons why the US may be close to attacking the Islamic Republic. By…

Haspel Says CIA Won’t Torture Again as Ray McGovern is Dragged Out of Hearing

After refusing to directly answer questions about her history as an alleged torturer, Ray McGovern decided to ask Gina Haspel a question or two of his own and he wound up in jail for it, reports Joe Lauria. By Joe…

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Trump Vindicates Iranian Hardliners and Victimizes Ordinary Citizens

Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Iranian nuclear deal only strengthens Iranian hardliners, hurts average people and drives up the potential for a devastating war, argue Trita Parsi and Ryan Costello. By Trita Parsi and Ryan…

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Torture is Not Only Immoral, but a Tool for War

When the Senate Intelligence Committee begins question CIA director-nominee Gina Haspel on Wednesday they should ask these questions, especially whether torture was used to build a rational for war, argues Sam Husseini. By Sam Husseini Gina Haspel’s nomination to be…

VIPS Call on Senate Intel Panel to Vote Against Haspel

With torture-overseer Gina Haspel set to face the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, instead of a judge, the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity urge committee members to vote against her nomination. MEMORANDUM FOR:Members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence…

Monday, May 7, 2018

Will a Torturer Become CIA Director?

Gina Haspel faces a confirmation hearing on Wednesday to become CIA director despite her record of supporting torture, which even the Pentagon admitted does not work, says Ray McGovern. By Ray McGovern Special to Consortium News The Senate Intelligence Committee…

Plight of the Rohingya: Ethnic Cleansing, Mass Rape and Monsoons on the Way 

Dennis J. Bernstein says down with filmmaker and human rights activist, Jeanne Hallacy, just back with horror stories from Myanmar and the massive Rohingya camps of over 700,000 in neighboring Bangladesh. By Dennis J Bernstein The English-language Bangkok Post reported…

Trump Disregards Caravan Asylum Seekers’ Legal Rights

As Central Americans fleeing oppression in their countries remain stalled in appalling conditions at the U.S. border, Donald Trump ramps up the xenophobic rhetoric, reports Marjorie Cohn. By Marjorie Cohn The 300 asylum seekers who arrived at the U.S. border…

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Letter from Britain: Increasingly Illiberal Establishment and the Challenge of Jeremy Corbyn

Britain prides itself on being a liberal state, tolerant of diverse points of view with a judicial system based on law and evidence, but its recent behavior has been anything but that, reports Alexander Mercouris. By Alexander Mercouris In London…

Friday, May 4, 2018

Trotskyist Delusions: Obsessed with Stalin, They See Betrayed Revolutions Everywhere

The trouble with Trotskyists is they’re always “supporting” other peoples’ revolutions, says Diana Johnstone. Their obsession with permanent revolution in the end provides an alibi for permanent war. By Diana Johnstone I first encountered Trotskyists in Minnesota half a century…

On This Day in Consortium News: May 4, 2004, Apocalypse Again

We begin a new feature, looking back at articles published years ago on Consortium News on the current date. This article by Nat Parry, published on May 4, 2004, is about the madness of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The…

Thursday, May 3, 2018

The ‘Values,’ ‘Vision,’ and ‘Democracy’ of an Inauthentic Opposition

Average Americans, whose economic survival is threatened, have no political party to represent them, including deceptive Democrats who claim to be their champions and blame others when their deception fails, says Paul Street. By Paul Street Special to Consortium News…

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Beware of Bolton Undermining Korean Peace

With peace breaking out on the Korean peninsula, beware of National Security Adviser John Bolton’s efforts to sabotage any deal, warns Gareth Porter. By Gareth Porter The still-unscheduled Donald Trump-Kim Jong Un summit offers the opportunity for a denuclearization deal…

The Tragedy of Benjamin Netanyahu

In presenting no new information about Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program, the Israeli prime minister is actually undermining his own country’s security, argues Trita Parsi. By Trita Parsi There is something tragic about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The harder…

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

May Day ‘71: When Bob Parry Went to Jail in the Biggest Mass Arrest in U.S. History

In 1971, Bob Parry, the late founder and editor of Consortium News, traveled to Washington to take part in an anti-Vietnam War protest. Here published for the first time in 47 years is Bob’s account of that day. A note…

Month in Review: Syria, Gaza, Russia and Tributes to Bob Parry

A look back at the stories in April that made the headlines on Consortium News. By Joe Lauria The worsening crises in Syria and Gaza dominated Consortium News’ coverage in April.  Last month also saw publication of numerous tributes to…