Hiroshima, Nagasaki Bombings Were Needless, Said World War II’s Top US Military Leaders

“Three-year old Shinichi Tetsutani, burned as he was riding this tricycle when the atomic bomb hit Hiroshima, died a painful death that night (Hiroki Kobayashi/National Geographic)”

The anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki present an opportunity to demolish a cornerstone myth of American history — that those twin acts of mass civilian slaughter were necessary to bring about Japan’s surrender, and spare a half-million US soldiers who’d have otherwise died in a military conquest of the empire’s home islands.

Hiroshima, Nagasaki Bombings Were Needless, Said World War II’s Top US Military Leaders

Iran’s Su-35 Aircraft Procurement Is More Dangerous Than You Think

Iran’s Su-35 Aircraft Procurement Is More Dangerous Than You Think

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The Difficulty of Disrupting Iranian Drones

Russia and Iran Are Building a Trade Route That Defies Sanctions

In all of this, some analysts see echoes of an idea that dates back more than a century and is reckoned to be the foundation of geopolitical thinking. It focused on the struggle between an oceangoing world power—the UK then, the US today—and the land giants of Eurasia. [Heartland Theory]