Robert Gates
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National Security Archive: Finally released – CIA History of DCI William Colby
The latest declassification (in August 2011) from a series of secret studies by the CIA History Staff of the agency’s directors, the volume gains credibility from its authorship by veteran CIA analyst and operative Harold Ford, who courageously presented to the Congress well-documented internal critiques of CIA director-designate Robert Gates during his confirmation hearings in… Continue reading
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Information Clearing House Newsletter 6 September, 2011: Robert Gates : Israel Is an Ungrateful Ally
6 September, 2011 — Information Clearing House Western Powers Have Syria in Their Sights By Jean Shaoul The threats are being taken seriously by Tehran. “Syria is the front-runner in Middle Eastern resistance (to Israel) and NATO cannot intimidate this country with an attack … If, God forbid, such a thing happened, NATO would drown Continue reading
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Let them eat doughnuts: the US response to Bahrain's oppression By Mehdi Hasan
Syria was subjected to sanctions and Libya to air strikes; Bahrain, however, was rewarded with visits from the Pentagon’s two most senior officials – the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Mike Mullen, and the then defence secretary, Robert Gates Continue reading
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Libya Newslinks for 19 June 2011
20 June 2011 — williambowles.info Gates vigorously backs Libya policy Politico Gates defends the president against critics who question the legality of the operation in Libya. | AP Photo Close By BYRON TAU & ANDY BARR | 6/19/11 12:41 PM EDT In two farewell interviews Sunday as Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates launched a robust Continue reading
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NATO Newslinks 12 June 2011
12 June 2011 — williambowles.info Does Nato have a purpose any longer? The Guardian It is an irony of history that it should be a departing US defence secretary, Robert Gates, who should break a long taboo and pronounce Nato faces a “dim, if not dismal future”, as he did on Friday while delivering a Continue reading
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WHY IS THE HAITI DISASTER RESPONSE SO SCREWED UP: IS THIS ANOTHER KATRINA 'RELIEF' EFFORT IN THE MAKING? By Danny Schechter
There is a deeper fear, a political fear. What with President Aristide, the man the US considers too radical for its tastes, anxious to return. There is a fear of a possible revolt against the lack of help could turn political and angry. Continue reading
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A History of Failed Press Coverage of Afghanistan By Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould, Nieman Watchdog
For decades, the American news media by and large have been simplistic and misleading in reporting U.S. relations toward Afghanistan, write Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould. From 1981 on, they say, the press has kept vital information away from the American people. For almost 30 years – ever since we got a close-in view of… Continue reading
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Missile Defense: The Other Story
We are witnessing a flurry of emails and articles proclaiming victory after President Obama’s announcement that he was going to scrap George W. Bush’s plans to deploy missile defense interceptors in Poland and a Star Wars radar in the Czech Republic. But now that we’ve had a day to rejoice, the time has come for… Continue reading
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U.S. Occupation of Iraq Continues Unabated By Dahr Jamail
The SOFA is a sieve, and the number of US military personnel in Iraq is remaining largely intact for now. Add to the 134,000 US soldiers almost the exact number of military contractors (132,610 and increasing), 36,061 of which, according to a recent Department of Defense report, are US citizens. While the military and most… Continue reading
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The Launching of U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM). Offensive Operations in Cyberspace By Tom Burghardt
Ostensibly launched to protect military networks against malicious cyberattacks, the command’s offensive nature is underlined by its role as STRATCOM’s operational cyber wing. In addition to a defensive brief to “harden” the “dot-mil” domain, the Pentagon plan calls for an offensive capacity, one that will deploy cyber weapons against imperialism’s adversaries. Continue reading
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No Coincidences in Iraq by Dahr Jamail
Following George W. Bush’s example of keeping war funding off the books, President Barack Obama is seeking $83.4 billion in additional “emergency” funding for the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which, if approved, would bring the 2009 funding to around $150 billion and the overall costs of the two wars to nearly $1 trillion. Continue reading
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Up Is Down: The Military Budget By David Swanson
My point is not just that the military should be cut and that non-military investment produces more and better paying jobs. My immediate point is that we are not getting the news Continue reading
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Nikita Petrov: US Wants To Resume Nuke Testing To Retain Bomb Making Skills
The arguments the Pentagon chief used to justify the resumption of tests are not new and are slightly cunning. He said the country ceased developing nuclear weapons in the 1980s and stopped producing nuclear munitions in the 1990s. With weapons developers and engineers gone, he said, the United States suffered a brain drain. Continue reading
The New Dark Age 