The War & Peace Newsletter from Antiwar.com

Your source for US  foreign policy.

April 8, 2020

With the world in the throes of the calamitous COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres is pushing for a global ceasefire, seeing a planet-wide halt to war as a chance to allow an all-out effort to fight the virus.

This is getting some interest beyond NGOs and the Pope. As of Friday, 11 countries have endorsed the idea, including Cameroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Libya, Myanmar, the Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.

While the UN is still looking for a big nation engaged in foreign wars to really make this a thing, but some of these nations have some substantial domestic conflicts that might benefit from a ceasefire, and countries like Syria may find themselves influencing others.

— By  Jason Ditz

Donald Trump’s failure to act decisively to control the coronavirus pandemic has likely made the Covid-19 pandemic far more lethal than it should have been. But the reasons behind failure to get protective and life-saving equipment like masks and ventilators into the hands of health workers and hospitals run deeper than Trump’s self-centered recklessness.

Both the Obama and Trump administrations quietly delegated state and local authorities with the essential national security responsibility for obtaining and distributing these vital items. The failure of leadership was compounded the lack of any federal power center that embraced the idea that guarding for a pandemic was at least as important to national security as preparing for war.

— By  Gareth Porter

Read the full story >

Mad Man Modly: The Secretary of the Navy Gets the Boot

Mea culpa. In "Coronavirus Lays Low the Military" (Antiwar.com, Apr. 2), I wrote that "it’s taken the military several weeks to realize what’s going on" with Covid-19, and that "judging from the mixed messages sent by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, it still hasn’t figured it all out."

This was way too kind since it implies that Esper was honestly wrestling with the problem when, as is now clear, he’s not honestly wrestling with anything at all. Along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser Robert C. O’Brien, rather, he’s part of a spooky cabal that is in full-scale denial about Covid-19 and, what’s worse, sees it as an opportunity to take out longtime foes. In recent weeks, these mini-Dr. Strangeloves have:

— By Daniel Lazare

Read the full story >

Pompeo Threatens US Pullout From Afghanistan During Kabul Visit

On March 23, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo bad a very unproductive visit in Kabul about the Afghan government’s post-election split. This culminated with the US pulling $1 billion in military aid from them.

The presidential election saw both Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah claiming victory, and ultimately both holding inaugurations. Pompeo demanded that they work out a deal, and warned they’ll both be held responsible if they don’t work something out.

— By Jason Ditz

US Navy Expands Presence Near Venezuela

Following up on a $15 million bounty the US has placed on the head of Venezuela’s President Maduro, the Pentagon announced a substantial buildup of naval assets in the Caribbean, with a lot of the ships parked off the Venezuelan coast.

This is not unrelated to US hostility toward Maduro. Officially, the Pentagon says the ships are to engage in “counter-narcotics” operations, but they’ve also said that part of the goal is to cut off Maduro’s funds and increase pressure on him.

— By Jason Ditz

"If the provisions of the Constitution be not upheld when they pinch as well as when they comfort, they may as well be abandoned."
~ Justice George Sutherland (1862-1942)

In his 2008 book "Taking Rights Seriously," the late professor Ronald Dworkin explored the origins and governmental treatment of human liberty. He argued that Thomas Jefferson – who wrote the Declaration of Independence – and James Madison – the scrivener at the Constitutional Convention and the author of the Bill of Rights – were clear in their articulations that the premise of America at its birth is that our rights are personal and natural because they come from our humanity, not from the government.

— By Andrew P. Napolitano

We Need a Coronavirus Truce

Do you want more news?

Keep your finger on the pulse of US foreign policy. Subscribe to our Daily Digest and each evening, the day's top news stories and editorials are delivered straight to your email. Please support our work by visiting Antiwar.com/donate.

Antiwar.com, 1017 El Camino Real #306, Redwood City, CA 94063 | 323 512 7095 | www.antiwar.com