I want to speak to you tonight about Ukraine – what has happened to it and why, how it is likely to emerge from the ordeal to which great power rivalry has subjected it; and what we can learn from this. I do so with some trepidation and a warning to this audience. My talk, like the conflict in Ukraine, is a long and complicated one. It contradicts propaganda that has been very convincing. My talk will offend anyone committed to the official narrative. The way the American media have dealt with the Ukraine war brings to mind a comment by Mark Twain: “The researches of many commentators have already thrown much darkness on this subject, and it is probable that, if they continue, we shall soon know nothing at all about it.”
Chas Freeman: The Many Lessons of the Ukraine War
Tag: Afghanistan War
Report: Cluster bomb deaths in Ukraine pass Syria casualties
For the first time in a decade, Ukraine has surpassed Syria as the country with the highest number of casualties from cluster bombs. That’s according to a report from the Cluster Munition Coalition weapons watchdog. Nathan Southern from the University of St. Andrews has more on this report.
Report: Cluster bomb deaths in Ukraine pass Syria casualties
Related:
Ukraine surpasses Syria for highest casualties from cluster munitions
Cluster munitions killed at least 37 Yemenis in August: Watchdog
Timeline: Use of controversial cluster bombs in past conflicts
Al Jazeera falsely claims that Russia used cluster munitions in Crimea! Nowhere, in the linked report, does HRW mention Crimea!
Daniel Ellsberg, Who Leaked the Pentagon Papers, Is Dead at 92
Deeply disturbed by the accounting of American deceit in Vietnam, he approached The New York Times. The disclosures that followed rocked the nation.
Daniel Ellsberg, Who Leaked the Pentagon Papers, Is Dead at 92
Previously:
Taliban successfully eradicates poppy cultivation: Report
The Taliban government of Afghanistan has carried out “truly unprecedented reductions in poppy cultivation” in 2023, according to a new analysis published by Alcis, a UK-based geographic information services firm specializing in geospatial data collection, statistical analysis and visualization.
Taliban successfully eradicates poppy cultivation: Report
A Memorial Day Message From a Former US Marine

It’s Memorial Day and Americans are out barbequing, having a few beers, and spending time with their loved ones; they are celebrating to honor the fallen warriors who have died to protect our nation, our freedoms, and our way of life.
A Memorial Day Message From a Former US Marine
Memorial Day by a Vietnam War veteran.

Perhaps some may find what I will argue below as disrespectful, especially coming from a veteran who participated and lost comrades in the American War in Vietnam. But it must be said. How Memorial Day is currently observed does not, in my view, fulfill its intended purpose—that is, as a day of remembrance, reflection, and appreciation for the sacrifices of those who fought and died in this nation’s all too numerous wars.
Memorial Day by a Vietnam War veteran.
Related:
US intervention leaves rifts that take years to heal

by Brian Berletic
With so many countries around the globe still subjected to US influence, either literally occupied by US military forces, or ruled by a government helped into power by significant US assistance (or a combination of the two), and with so many countries the target of possible US-sponsored regime change and interference in contravention of the UN Charter, it is important to take a look at the history of US occupation and the indelible scars it leaves on the countries and their inhabitants even decades after the US finally withdraws.
US intervention leaves rifts that take years to heal
Pakistan lurches to dictatorial rule as authorities launch vendetta against Imran Khan and supporters of his Islamic populist PTI
The long simmering political crisis in Pakistan is now boiling over. Terrified that the campaign of ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan for immediate new elections could inadvertently precipitate an explosion of mass working class anger against brutal IMF-dictated austerity, soaring food prices and mass joblessness, the government and military are resorting to dictatorial forms of rule.
Pakistan lurches to dictatorial rule as authorities launch vendetta against Imran Khan and supporters of his Islamic populist PTI
Related:
How the Bipartisan War Party Fostered Fiscal Ruin
When big spending Barrack Obama left the White House the national security budget properly measured totaled a staggering $822 billion. That included $600 billion for defense, $46 billion for security assistance and international operations and $177 billion for veterans compensation and services, which reflects the deferred cost of prior wars.
How the Bipartisan War Party Fostered Fiscal Ruin
The US Should Be a Force for Peace in the World

The following is the text of a full-page ad by the Eisenhower Media Network in the New York Times on May 16, 2023.
The US Should Be a Force for Peace in the World
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