Iraq
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Coup attempt in Jordan leaves a trail
A coup attempt is an orphan unless it succeeds. Therefore, all we can say is that a coup was in the making in Jordan. In a televised news conference on Sunday in Amman, all that Deputy Prime Minister Ayman al-Safadi would admit was that “These were efforts that threatened Jordan’s security and stability, and these… Continue reading
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Inside the Gorbachev-Bush “Partnership” on the First Gulf War 1990
Washington, D.C., September 9, 2020 – Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev quickly decided that joint action with the United States was the most important course for the USSR in dealing with Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait 30 years ago, rather than the long-standing Soviet-Iraq alliance, and built what he explicitly called a “partnership” with the U.S. that… Continue reading
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Will the UK continue to launch strikes against ISIS? by Chris Cole
When British MPs voted for resolutions supporting strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, these had specific aims. Firstly, in 2014, strikes were authorised to aid Iraqi security and then in 2015, to eliminate ISIS’ safe haven in Syria. Now, more than four years later, Iraq has declared victory over ISIS, and the so-called ‘safe haven’ for… Continue reading
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The Destruction of Freedom: Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange And The Corporate Media
In 2010, US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning was given a 35-year prison sentence after she had leaked more than 700,000 confidential US State Department and Pentagon documents, videos and diplomatic cables about the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to WikiLeaks. Perhaps the most notorious of the releases was a US military video that WikiLeaks… Continue reading
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Trump’s visit to Iraq and Washington’s never-ending war in the Middle East
Donald Trump’s brief, unannounced visit to Iraq on the day after Christmas was staged with a patent political motive. His appearance with assembled troops—for a grand total of 45 minutes—was aimed at shoring up support within the Pentagon as well as among rank-and-file soldiers in the wake of the resignation in protest of his defense… Continue reading
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Trump’s Troop Pullout Not Peace, More Imperialist Reconfiguration
President Trump’s sudden call for US troops to withdraw from Syria and Afghanistan has left many observers scratching their heads. Continue reading
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Media Lens: The Filter Bubble – Owen Jones And Con Coughlin
The nightmare version of ‘news’ is maintained by a corporate ‘filter bubble’ that blocks facts, ideas and sources that challenge state-corporate control of politics, economics and culture. It is maintained by a mixture of ruthless high-level control and middle- and lower-level compromise, conformity and self-serving blindness. Continue reading
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Media Lens: The Syrian Observatory – Funded By The Foreign Office
No-one, it seems, would dream of challenging such a high figure supplied by a clothes shop owner supporting regime change in Syria from Coventry. Nobody challenges SOHR’s methodology, or complains of statistics being thrown about with irresponsible abandon. Why? Because the 2004 and 2006 Lancet reports seriously undermined the US-UK case for conquering Iraq, whereas… Continue reading
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Perpetual war: UK’s armed drones to stay deployed beyond campaign against ISIS By Chris Cole
The ongoing drone deployment by the UK will no doubt not be viewed as pragmatic or sensible by the majority in the Middle East, but as provocative and threatening. It will be seen that the UK is continuing to partner with the US in an endless drone war in the Middle East and beyond. Continue reading
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Middle East and Asia Geopolitics: Shift in Military Alliances? By Prof Michel Chossudovsky
30 September 2017 — Global Research A profound shift in geopolitical alliances is occurring which tends to undermine US hegemony in the broader Middle East Central Asian region as well as in South Asia. Several of America’s staunchest allies have “changed sides”. Both NATO and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are in crisis. Turkey and NATO NATO Continue reading
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Media Lens: Mass Media Siege: Comparing Coverage Of Mosul and Aleppo
When Russian and Syrian forces were bombarding ‘rebel’-held East Aleppo last year, newspapers and television screens were full of anguished reporting about the plight of civilians killed, injured, trapped, traumatised or desperately fleeing. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, both Official Enemies, were denounced and demonised, in accordance with the usual propaganda… Continue reading
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Audio: Vijay Prashad on Displaced People
Displaced people aren’t one story; they’re 65.9 million, according to the UN Refugee Agency. But it’s not just a story about individuals. What’s the connection between displacement and the so-called war on terror? Climate disruption? Poverty? On displacement, If you aren’t telling the big, interconnected story, you aren’t telling the story. Continue reading
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US Military Sent over $1 Billion Worth of Light Weapons To “Multiple Armed Groups” in Iraq By Prof Michel Chossudovsky
In 2015, US Congress appropriated $1.6 billion for the ITEF program. The funds were earmarked to fight against the ISIS in response to Obama’s counter-terrorism campaign launched in Summer of 2014. In a bitter irony, a large number of these weapons landed up in the hands of terrorists including the ISIS. Continue reading
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Terror in Britain: What Did the Prime Minister Know? By John Pilger
The unsayable in Britain’s general election campaign is this. The causes of the Manchester atrocity, in which 22 mostly young people were murdered by a jihadist, are being suppressed to protect the secrets of British foreign policy. Critical questions – such as why the security service MI5 maintained terrorist “assets” in Manchester and why the… Continue reading
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Media Lens: Rehabilitating Bush – The Deadly Illusion Of Corporate Dissent
3 March 2017 — Media Lens The title of the editorial said it all: ‘The Guardian view on George W Bush: a welcome return’ In a tongue-in-cheek, almost jovial, piece the Guardian unsubtly rehabilitated a man responsible for crimes that are among the most egregious in all history. Continue reading
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New Report: British Drone Operations Against ISIS, 2014-2016 By Chris Cole
Drone Wars UK is today publishing a new report detailing UK armed drone and air operations against ISIS. The report contains data on UK operations in Iraq and Syria gained through Freedom of Information requests since 2014 as well as background and a timeline of UK air operations. In addition, the report highlights continuing issues… Continue reading
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FAKE NEWS And FALSE FLAG: Pentagon Paid $540mn For FAKE ‘Al Qaeda’ Videos By Crofton Black and Abigail Fielding-Smith
The Pentagon gave a controversial UK PR firm over half a billion dollars to run a top secret propaganda programme in Iraq, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism can reveal. Bell Pottinger’s output included short TV segments made in the style of Arabic news networks and fake insurgent videos which could be used to track the… Continue reading
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Sign the petition – Blair must be held to account
A new petition has been launched to bolster the campaign to hold Tony Blair to account by obtaining a House of Commons’ vote holding him in contempt of Parliament. Get 10,000 then Parliament has to respond (no response so far). Get 100,000 signatures and they have to debate it in Parliament. Continue reading
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Blair must be held to account! Sign the petition
28 July 2016 Update: There are now 14,43o signatures. Government has to respond to all petitions that get more than 10,000 signatures but so far, three days in, there’s no sign of a response. A new petition has been launched to bolster the campaign to hold Tony Blair to account by obtaining a House of Commons’ Continue reading
The New Dark Age 