The tempo of events in Syria has increased in recent weeks. The government forces have scored significant battlefield victories over the rebels, and this has provoked a number of responses from the U.S. and its anti-Assad allies: a mixture of war provocations and peace offers. With Obama’s blessing Israel fighter jets recently attacked Syria on three [...]
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The Onion Website Joins the U.S. Anti-Syria Club
Shamus Cooke
The Onion is the most famous fake news website in the world, adored by millions who visit the site regularly for a cheap laugh as well as sharp political satire. But even fake news has certain responsibilities. Recently The Onion began publishing articles that framed the Syrian conflict according to the very biased views of U.S. [...]
Obama and U.S. Military Divided Over Syria
Shamus Cooke
Has Syria crossed the “red line” that warrants a U.S. military invasion? Has it not? The political establishment in the United States seems at odds over itself. Obama’s government cannot speak with one voice on the issue, and the U.S. media is likewise spewing from both sides of its mouth in an attempt to reconcile U.S. [...]
How Obama Chose War Over Peace in Syria
Shamus Cooke
With Syria on the brink of national genocide, outside nations have only two options: help reverse the catastrophe or plunge this torn nation deeper into the abyss. Countries can either work towards a peaceful political solution or they can continue to pour money, guns, and fighters into the country to ensure a steady gushing into the [...]
Obama Wades Deeper Into Syria’s Morass
Shamus Cooke
The recent announcement that the United States would increase its “non lethal” military aid to Syria’s rebels shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Some speculated that Obama — having been repeatedly proved wrong about the Syria government’s stability — would leave Syria in silent humiliation. Not so. The destruction of Syrian society will continue, indeed, increase. Although [...]
U.S. Cannot Tell Iran to Abandon its Nuclear Program
Kourosh Ziabari
Interview with American social justice activist and writer Mark Vorpahl Mark Vorpahl is an American social justice activist, union steward and anti-war writer. He mostly writes for the Workers Compass but his writings have also appeared on a number of international journals and news websites such as Common Dreams, Global Research, CounterPunch and Counter Currents. [...]
Obama’s War on Syria and Its Implications
Shamus Cooke
The Obama administration has already declared war on Syria, even if it isn’t “official” yet. Consider the facts, all of them acts of war: The U.S. now recognizes a group of Syrian exiles to be the official government of Syria; the U.S. is providing direct support for rebels attacking the government; the U.S. has coordinated with [...]
Navigating Egypt’s Revolutionary Crisis
Shamus Cooke
As chaos again envelopes Egypt, the revolution is evolving in new directions, along contradictory and confusing channels. It’s tempting to immediately support the “opposition” to the Muslim Brotherhood’s apparent “power grab,” but the situation in Egypt is more complex. The recent events in Egypt are not simply signs of a healthy revolution, they include immediate dangers. Making sense [...]
The U.S. Role in Israel’s Attack on Gaza
Shamus Cooke
As Obama tours Southeast Asia to strengthen his alliances against China, Gazans are being killed and maimed by the hundreds, with the possibility of an incredibly bloody Israeli invasion. The United States still wields tremendous power internationally; its actions and inactions have direct consequences in international conflicts.
Obama Nudges Syria Toward Regional War
Shamus Cooke
Humanitarian catastrophes are surprisingly easy to predict. Take Syria for instance. Like Iraq, Syria has a complex mix of ethnicity and religion, with a long history of conflict. Enter the United States, who comes with guns and cash that it doles out to certain ethnic/religious groups, and not to others. The ensuing bloodbath is not a [...]
Western Powers Double Down on Syria’s Destruction
Shamus Cooke
The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those, who in time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality. Dante The world watches as a nation is torn, slow motion, at the seams. Money and geopolitics has caused a feeding frenzy of western nations biting and tearing at Syria, all hoping to profit from the regime’s destruction. [...]
Syria’s “Liberated” Future: Ethnic-Religious Cleansing and Genocide
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke A fascinating shift has happened in the U.S. mainstream media: After a year of anti-Syria war propaganda and lies, glimmers of truth are making their way into the public’s view. This may be too little too late: [...]
The Next Stage in the Destruction of Syria
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke The U.S. media has made its intentions clear: the “rebels” attacking Syria’s government must have more support to advance Syria’s “revolution.” This was the result of the much-hyped advance of Syria’s rebels into the country’s two largest cities, which [...]
How to Complete Egypt’s Revolution
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke The Egyptian revolution’s fight for life has reached a critical stage. The massive energy that toppled Egypt’s hated dictator seems to have hit a wall after Egypt’s Supreme Court dissolved parliament in what many are calling a “coup.” The military then took further action to consolidate itself, putting a halt to their fake steps [...]
Counter Revolution Disguised as Democracy in Egypt
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke In a country where the embers of revolution are still glowing, you would assume that a presidential election would produce a revolutionary-appearing government. Not so in Egypt. The revolutionaries who toppled the hated dictator Mubarak will have zero representation in the upcoming runoff election for president.
Whose Security Is Iran Threatening?
Emergency Labor Network
Emergency Labor Network No War, No Sanctions, No Bombing Iran! Second in a Series on Key Issues in 2012 Iran poses no threat to the U.S. It has initiated no aggressive measures against the U.S. It has not sent its navy into the Gulf of Mexico in order to flaunt its power. It has not [...]
Proxy War in Syria Threatens Catastrophe for the Middle East
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke In an effort to undermine Iran by overthrowing its strategic ally, Syria, western nations are using their Middle East client states to conduct a multi-pronged attack against Syria through the media, the Arab League, the United Nations and now through military proxy forces. This fact is widely recognized by many mainstream western media [...]
The Truth Behind the Coming “Regime Change” in Syria
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke After meeting again to decide Syria’s fate, the Arab League again decided to extend its “monitoring mission” in Syria. However, some Arab League nations under U.S. diplomatic control are clamoring for blood. These countries — virtual sock puppets of U.S. foreign policy — want to declare the Arab League monitoring mission “a failure,” [...]
The Aftermath of Bin Laden’s Assassination
Shamus Cooke
Like Bush, Jr., before him, Obama is proving that a puffed-up and “powerful” president is a dangerous president. It was only a matter of time before Obama used his newfound popularity and warrior credentials to wreak military havoc elsewhere. It took just three days for Obama to go from bin Laden to Yemen, where he bombed — [...]
Bahrain: Uprising Against the U.S.-Backed Regimes Gains Critical Mass
Finian Cunningham
Finian Cunningham Bahrain’s uprising against the US-backed ruling elite is gathering critical mass, with the Persian Gulf island state seeing the biggest demonstration ever last night. Some 200,000 people took the main highway leading to the financial district in the capital, Manama, shouting in unison for the regime to go.
Hail to the Egyptian People
Workers Action
A Statement by Workers Action We stand in awe and admiration at your historic victory, as you removed one of the world’s worst U.S.-sponsored dictators. You liberated yourselves and at the same time liberated the imagination of ordinary working people around the world. We just have a few requests. As you know better than anyone, [...]
Who is the Real Opposition in Egypt?
Shamus Cooke
The revolution in Egypt erupted like all revolutions do, from the bottom up. It was unemployment and high food prices that propelled working and poor people into action. Now, the media reports that the “opposition” in Egypt is a group of well-to-do folks who have very little in common with the poor of Egypt. This top down takeover [...]
Why Obama Fears Democracy in Egypt
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke Raising Lazarus from the dead would be easier than reviving the Egyptian President. So Obama is on to plan B. And as it turns out, plan B looks a lot like the status-quo, minus a change of face. The new face is a man handpicked by the U.S., Mohamed ElBaradei, a UN bureaucrat [...]
Why Tunisia Changed the World
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke Tunisia woke up the Middle East with a thundering yawn. After years of domination by western-backed tyrants, the working people of the Arab world are rising from slumber. Once fully awake and aware of their surroundings, they’ll shake off the influence of the western nations with a collective flick of the wrist. The elites of [...]
Obama’s Middle East Peace Talks: A Circus to Distract
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke What a joke. President Obama surely knows there is zero chance that his Middle East peace talks will succeed, even with the deck stacked in his favor. All of the main actors are on the U.S. payroll: Israel, Egypt, and Jordan get billions in foreign aide, while the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has proven [...]
Obama’s Delusions: The Economy And Iraq
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke If you’ve listened to recent speeches the President has given about the economy and the Iraq war, you’d think that two of the biggest social issues facing working Americans are improving. But facts are stubborn things.
Words Fail: People of Conscience Condemn Israel’s Terrorist Actions
Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan First and foremost, we mourn the deaths of the 20 humanitarian aid workers that were spinelessly slaughtered by the terrorist state of Israel. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the families in this terrible time of senseless loss. We also wish a speedy and complete recovery to the up to 80 people [...]
Iran’s Growing Revolution vs. the Democrat’s Intervention
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke On Sunday in Iran, mass protests were drowned in blood by government authorities; at least ten reportedly have been killed with hundreds injured. The events have been given ample coverage in the U.S. media, with the intention of further demonizing Iran’s repressive government. Absent in the American media are the deeper implications of [...]
Why Obama’s Surge in Afghanistan?
Shamus Cooke
Tuesday’s announcement that President Obama will send an additional 30,000 soldiers to fight and in many cases die in Afghanistan — while begging his foreign allies to send an extra 10,000 — will have dramatic effects throughout the American and world society. The hope that Obama’s election would drastically change U.S. foreign policy has been [...]
Iraq: A War of Aggression Continues
Brad Forrest
Brad Forrest Operation Iraqi Freedom began on March 20, 2003. The exact nature of this war is the exact opposite of its name. The Iraqis will never know anything resembling freedom coming from the direction of the United States military. The real purpose of the Iraq war was criminal in nature, the theft of the [...]
Troops Home Now from Iraq and Afghanistan!
Workers Action
National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations The National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations is joining with other coalitions, organizations, and networks to organize a united MARCH 21 NATIONAL COALITION to mobilize people across the United States to take part in a March on the Pentagon [...]
Victory for Worker Solidarity
Workers Action
Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) Media Release: The Congress of South African Trade Union is pleased to announce that its members, dock workers belonging to the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) achieved a victory last night when they stood firm by their decision not to [...]
Oppose Escalation of the War in Afghanistan
Workers Action
Peace & Justice Committee, Professional Staff Congress/ American Federation of Teachers Local 2334 (City University of New York) Resolution as adopted by Delegates Assembly of Professional Staff Congress, AFT Local 2334, at City University of New York (see below for original text). WHEREAS, NYSUT at its 2008 Representative Assembly and the AFT at its 2008 [...]
Washington Moves to Control Iran’s Revolution
Shamus Cooke
Shamus Cooke It seems that President Obama has finally woken up. He now realizes that the U.S. friendly “color revolution” in Iran that he hoped for — and planned for — has gotten out of control. To the Democrat’s terrible regret, a real revolution is under way. An extremely revealing article in the Wall Street [...]
Of Course Israel Targets Civilians, Of Course Israel Engages in Routine State Terrrorism
Workers Action
“As a former Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff said in 2002: “The Palestinians must be made to understand in the deepest recesses of their consciousness that they are a defeated people.” In fact, these acts of terrorism, which are war crimes, have only served to steel the resolve of the Palestinian people.”
Articles of Interest
CORE slate re-elected in landslide in Chicago Teachers Union
Richard Trumka: The 'grand bargain' is a dead end
On the Impotence of the Progressive Movement
Revealed: how the FBI coordinated the crackdown on Occupy
Bradley Manning is off limits at SF Gay Pride parade, but corporate sleaze is embraced
Cutting Social Security–More than a Bad Idea
The Forgotten Radical History of the March on Washington
Freedom Rider: Obama and the Class War- Hong Kong Dockworkers Strike Attracts Huge Solidarity
Understanding the Venezuelan Presidential Election Outcome
