Category Archives: military

Going Dark in Afghanistan

Posted on 05/25/2021 by Janice Jayes

In April President Biden announced he was “ending America’s longest war” by bringing US troops home from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. If only this war were that simple. Biden isn’t really ending the war in Afghanistan, of course: he … Continue reading →

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Counting the Costs of War

Posted on 04/03/2021 by Seth Lerner

“The refugee crisis” is a big and scary concept, but to many of us it is just that, conceptual. However, a September 2020 study has found that between 37 and 59 million people from 12 different countries have been displaced … Continue reading →

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Attacks on the Campus Left Then and Now: Fighting Student Activists on Illinois’ Campus in the 1930s

Posted on 05/09/2019 by Nick Goodell

In the 1930s, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was home to a thriving anti-war and anti-imperialist community of different radical, socialist, and communist groups. The National Student League (NSL), later called the American Student Union (ASU), the Communist Youth … Continue reading →

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Hiroshima 1945 and the Threat of Nuclear Catastrophe

Posted on 09/10/2018 by Al Kagan

“The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and thus we drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.” – Albert Einstein, 1946. “To hell with these maniacs.” – Premier Nikita Khrushchev, talking about his military advisors during … Continue reading →

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The Honduran Crisis: Not Quite Your Father’s Oligarchy…

Posted on 01/24/2018 by Janice Jayes

By Janice Jayes At first glance the political crisis in Honduras seems depressingly familiar: a military coup against a left-leaning President in 2009, continued repression of opposition groups, and now a Presidential election so full of irregularities that demonstrators refuse … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Environment, Honduran Election 2017, Human Rights, International, Land, military | Comments Off on The Honduran Crisis: Not Quite Your Father’s Oligarchy…

The U.S. Military in Africa: a Workshop for the Militarization of Foreign Policy

Posted on 12/07/2017 by Janice Jayes

By Janice Jayes After four American servicemen were killed in in Niger in October, social media discussion fixated on President Trump’s insensitive remarks to the widow of one of the slain soldiers and questions about the logistics surrounding the unlucky … Continue reading →

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Congress must end American support for Saudi war in Yemen

Posted on 12/07/2017 by Mark Weisbrot

By Mark Weisbrot The New York Times editorial board recently took an unusual position of denouncing what it called “war crimes” by a U.S. ally, in a war in which the United States is actively participating militarily. “Saudis try to starve … Continue reading →

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The 2018 U.S. Militarized Budget

Posted on 09/09/2017 by Mort Brussel

The 2018 U.S. Militarized Budget My premise is that the military budget, as proposed by the current administration, is a principal reason for the strangling of our civil society. This article explains why it is unnecessary, why it is promoted, … Continue reading →

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OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND, THE HIDDEN COSTS OF WAR

Posted on 09/09/2017 by David Johnson

“War is a racket!” This was a famous quote from retired U.S. Marine Corp General Smedley Butler in 1934. Butler stated that “I spent 33 years in the Marine Corp, most of my time being a high-class muscle man for … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Environment, Foreign Policdy, Foreign Policy, labor, Middle East, military | Comments Off on OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND, THE HIDDEN COSTS OF WAR

Foreign Relations, Domestic Security, and the Trump Era

Posted on 01/19/2017 by Janice Jayes

The foreign policy outlook for the near future is bleak, but not just because of the incoming Trump administration’s proposals. Trump’s public statements about rolling back U.S. investments in “soft” issues like human rights or economic development, abandoning multilateral obligations … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016 election, International, military, Trump | Comments Off on Foreign Relations, Domestic Security, and the Trump Era

Independence Day 2016

Posted on 07/13/2016 by Susan Shoemaker

We have just celebrated the independence of our nation with fireworks and other reminders of the “glories” of war. Only a few weeks ago I saw our president laying a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Somehow it doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Alternative to U.S.-Led War

Posted on 02/18/2015 by Sarah Lazare

Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for Common Dreams and an independent journalist whose work has been featured in The Nation, Al Jazeera, TomDispatch, Yes! Magazine, and more. She is also an anti-militarist organizer interested in building people-powered global movements … Continue reading →

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The Assault on Gaza

Posted on 08/21/2014 by Niloofar Shambayati

Throughout the current Israel’s assault on Gaza, President Obama, the Congress, and the media have been sounding off the mantra of “Israel’s right to defend itself” against rockets from Gaza—a self-evident right, if Israel were indeed the innocent victim of … Continue reading →

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US Labor Against the War

Posted on 07/24/2014 by Al Kagan

The level of violence in Iraq is rapidly escalating and the country is falling apart. There are calls for sending back US troops. Syria’s catastrophic civil war is being fueled by arms shipments from various directions. There are calls for … Continue reading →

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Shooting the Messenger: Reflections on the Court Martial of Whistle Blower PFC Bradley Manning

Posted on 08/01/2013 by Niloofar Shambayati

I spent five days in and around Fort Meade military base in Maryland, attending the first two days of the court martial of the whistleblower, Bradley Manning.  The trial started on June 3rd, after he had already spent three years … Continue reading →

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NATO & G8 Imperialism

Posted on 04/24/2012 by John Kenealy

NATO (or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is, according to its website, a political and military alliance founded in 1949 to protect its member states from attacks by non-member states.  It “promotes democratic values and encourages consultation and cooperation on … Continue reading →

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Reduce the U.S. Military to a Defensive Force

Posted on 04/04/2012 by Belden Fields

Dannel Mccollom DEFENSE To say that I am unimpressed with the President’s latest announcement regarding the department of defense is a colossal understatement.  What is especially troubling is the suggestion that even with anticipated cuts, in the words of the … Continue reading →

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NATO & G8 Imperialism

Posted on 04/03/2012 by Marya Burke

NATO & G8 Imperialism   NATO (or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is, according to its website, a political and military alliance founded in 1949 to protect its member states from attacks by non-member states.  It “promotes democratic values and encourages … Continue reading →

Posted in International, military, Politics | Comments Off on NATO & G8 Imperialism