Work of Necessity, Work of Choice

At age 11, Saabir Gulmadin began chopping wood to support his family. Now 18, he earns about $1.50 US (120 Afghanis) for every 56 kg of wood he splits. It takes him 2 to 3 hours. "Is the work hard on your body?" I ask. "Ohhh, yes," he says, without...

A Confused Syria Policy Gets Even Worse

Originally appeared at The American Conservative.U.S. troops sent into Syria on an illegal and pointless mission to “take the oil” don’t know what they are supposed to be doing:US military commanders overseeing Syria operations are still waiting for...

Trump’s Plunder Doctrine Comes to Syria

Originally appeared at The American Conservative.Part of the small residual U.S. force that the Trump administration is keeping in Syria serves no real military purpose:“Al-Tanf has no obvious military purpose,” added Sam Heller of the International Crisis Group. “The...