Author: William Astore

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

The recent deaths of three U.S. soldiers near the Jordanian-Syrian border made me reflect on an obvious fact: It would be hard to kill U.S. soldiers in the Middle East if they weren’t based and deployed there.

When we hear that U.S. troops are killed overseas, rarely do most Americans ask the question, What exactly were they doing in Jordan, or Syria, or Iraq, or Qatar, or the UAE, or Saudi Arabia, and so on. Why does America still have roughly 30,000 U.S. troops in the Middle East, not counting ex-military “civilian” contractors? Why are there still so many U.S. military bases in the area, even in countries like Iraq that say they don’t want them? And what about U.S. bases Syria, the presence of which constitutes an act of (undeclared, of course) war? Continue reading “They Hate Us for Our Bases and Bombs”

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

There they go again. The geniuses inside the DC Beltway are bombing the Middle East again, specifically 85+ targets in Iraq and Syria allegedly supported by Iran. It’s funny: I don’t recall a Congressional declaration of war against Iraq and Syria (or Iran, for that matter), but who needs to be limited by the U.S. Constitution, am I right?

After the recent attack that killed three U.S. soldiers, I heard again that hackneyed expression from DC that “all options are on the table” in response. Amazing how the option that’s always picked by U.S. presidents is the military one. If it’s not “bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran,” as John McCain once jokingly sang, it’s bomb Iranian-backed units in Iraq and Syria, because that’s the best way toward greater stability and peace in the Middle East. Perfectly logical.

Continue reading “‘All Options Are on the Table’”

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

I was reading Heather Cox Richardson again and came across this priceless quote:

My goodness: what arrant nonsense.

Continue reading “Keep Giving Scores of Billions to Ukraine Because Taiwan”

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

“Meanwhile, Ukraine is running out of ammunition.”

That was the last sentence in Heather Cox Richardson’s “Letters from an American” column for January 25, 2024.

I read her daily columns. She’s a strong supporter of the Democratic Party and Joe Biden. She believes Biden has performed well as president and that he’s leading America to a strong and sustainable economic recovery. She deplores Republicans and particularly Donald Trump. And, as her throwaway line above suggests, she’s a strong supporter of Biden’s foreign policy.

Continue reading “Funding Ukraine to Kill Russians”

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

In my “daily briefing” from Reuters this morning, an old canard popped up again:

As Donald Trump strengthens his lead in the race for the Republican nomination, some US allies are worried about an American turn toward isolationism, a shift that would reflect an electorate largely focused on domestic issues.

We can’t have a U.S. electorate focused on domestic issues! That would be “isolationism.” America must lead! Because Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Gaza, et al.

Continue reading “That Old Canard of Isolationism”

Reprinted from Bracing Views with the author’s permission.

Last night, the U.S. bombed another country, Yemen, in the name of the “rules-based order.” Yemen has been striking shipping as a form of protest against the ongoing Israeli genocide-in-slow-motion in Gaza. It always looks good when the U.S. uses its military to enable mass murder elsewhere. I’m sure the “peace bombs” we dropped will bring stability to the region.

The U.S. military bombs and launches Tomahawk missiles as its answer to everything. Meanwhile, our dynamic commander in chief, Joe Biden, launched a new front in this war of terror without Congressional authorization, an impeachable offense. But of course most in Congress will salute him for taking “decisive” action by bombing yet another poor country with brown-skinned Muslim people living in it. Perhaps Biden is counting on being a “wartime president” as a way to eke out a narrow victory in November.

Continue reading “Bombing Another Country for Peace”