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April 1, 2020

Trump Accuses Iran of Plotting "Sneak Attack"

All the reports of some in the Trump Administration pushing for attacks on "Iranian proxies" in Iraq seem to be coming to a head, with President Trump claiming Wednesday that Iran is "planning a sneak attack" in Iraq, and threatening to make them pay a "very heavy price."

This is, of course, exactly the sort of thing the US would claim if they are going forward with plans to attack the Iraqi militias (or even Iran itself), as they could claim to be preempting what Iran is planning. The planned attacks in Iraq are advocated by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and opposed by US generals in Iraq, who believe it would provoke a bigger war and require more troops than the US has in the country.

- By  Jason Ditz

Can anyone think what our society might have spent six and a half trillion dollars on instead of 20 years of war in the Middle East for nothing? How about the trillion dollars per year we keep spending on the military on top of that?

Invading, dominating and remaking the Arab world to serve the interests of the American empire and the state of Greater Israel sounds downright quaint at this point. Iraq War II, as Senator Bernie Sanders said in the debate a few weeks ago, while letting Joe Biden, one of its primary proponents, off the hook for it, was "a long time ago." Actually, Senator, we still have troops there fighting Iraq War III 1/2 against what's left of the ISIS insurgency, and our current government continues to threaten the launch of Iraq War IV against the very parties we fought the last two wars for. This would almost certainly then lead to war with Iran.

- By  Scott Horton

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William Barr Greenlit Bush's Invasion of Panama, Is Venezuela Next?

The US Justice Department unsealed an indictment on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other government officials last week, accusing them of "narco-terrorism." The move is reminiscent of the 1988 indictment of former CIA asset and Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega. The Noriega indictment resulted in a US invasion of Panama that left hundreds - possibly thousands - of dead civilians in its wake. Attorney General William Barr took to the podium to announce Maduro's indictment. Barr happens to be the same person who gave the first Bush administration the legal justification to invade Panama just over 30 years ago.

Barr first worked in the DOJ in 1989 when George H. W. Bush appointed him as head of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). Bush and Barr had some history together. The two first crossed paths in 1976 when Bush was head of the CIA, and Barr served as a congressional liaison for the agency. At the time, Manuel Noriega was also on the CIA's payroll.

- By Dave DeCamp

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The Pentagon has issued a secret directive, as of last week, calling on the military commanders in Iraq to plan a massive campaign against Iraqi Shi'ite militias, with an eye toward totally wiping one or more of the factions out.

The offensive is being advocated by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who believes they can destroy Iran's proxies while the country is distracted by the coronavirus pandemic. Some commanders, particularly Lt. Gen.
Robert White, are opposing the idea.

- By Jason Ditz

In a substantial break from previous policy statements, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters on Tuesday that the US may ease sanctions against Iran in the days to come. US officials, and Pompeo in particular, had been denying that this was the case all month.

- By Jason Ditz

Mideast Coronavirus Lockdowns Block Humanitarian Aid

As coronavirus spreads throughout the Middle East and lockdowns begin, aid groups are struggling to reach people in conflict zones. The Norwegian Refugee Council said on Wednesday that coronavirus shutdowns prevented the agency from reaching 300,000 people in need in Syria, Yemen, and the Gaza Strip.

Countries across the region have imposed sweeping efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus. The UN has called for a world-wide truce to focus on the pandemic, but in some areas, fighting continues.

- By Dave DeCamp

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