Pentagon’s Outrageous Anti-China Operation Threatened Lives in the Philippines – Col. Larry Wilkerson
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Pentagon’s Outrageous Anti-China Operation Threatened Lives in the Philippines – Col. Larry Wilkerson

A recent Reuters investigation uncovered a scandalous Pentagon operation that sought to discredit the Chinese Sinovac vaccine and sow distrust among the population in the Philippines towards China. Col. Larry Wilkerson discusses previous unlawful Strategic Information Operations (SIOs) launched by the Pentagon and the particular depravity of this operation initiated in Spring 2020 under President Trump’s administration, at a time when countries such as the Philippines did not possess their own vaccine manufacturing capacity and were accepting a free supply of vaccines from China. 

Russia Out of Ukraine, Disband NATO – Latvian Politician’s Plan for Peace
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Russia Out of Ukraine, Disband NATO – Latvian Politician’s Plan for Peace

As the war of attrition between Russia and Ukraine continues to exact a catastrophic death toll for civilians and military forces alike, the prospect of a lasting peace remains elusive. Latvian politician Igor Pimenov denounces President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it a colonial war that also adversely affects the Russian population. Pimenov lays out his proposal for a multilateral peace agreement between Ukraine, Russia, and its European neighbors.

Genocide in Gaza Supported by Venture Capital’s AI Military Tech – William Hartung
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Genocide in Gaza Supported by Venture Capital’s AI Military Tech – William Hartung

The Israeli attack on a civilian aid convoy, which killed seven World Central Kitchen workers, has pushed U.S. officials to entertain policy alternatives to unconditional aid to Israel. Bill Hartung, national security and U.S. foreign policy analyst at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, discusses the Biden administration’s weapons sales to Israel, many of which have not been reported to U.S. Congress. Hartung addresses the role of venture capital firms in shaping the U.S. defense industry, firms which advocate the development of dual-use technology or artificial intelligence as optimized tools to wage warfare.

Catastrophic Foreign Intervention in Haiti – Jafrikayiti (pt 1/2)
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Catastrophic Foreign Intervention in Haiti – Jafrikayiti (pt 1/2)

Following a disastrous UN mission in 2010, several Western-backed coups d’état, and the U.S. occupation of 1915-1934, the initiation of yet another foreign intervention in Haiti aligns with the longstanding imperial policy of the U.S., Canada, and European powers towards the country. Jafrikayiti, author and activist for Solidarité Québec-Haiti, underscores the broken social contract in Haiti, where installed leaders are neither elected by nor are accountable to the people but serve the interests of the private sector, over a dozen rich families, and the countries of the Core Group.

A Viable Plan or Utter Delusion: Is the Two-State Solution (Still) Possible? – Assal Rad part 2/2
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A Viable Plan or Utter Delusion: Is the Two-State Solution (Still) Possible? – Assal Rad part 2/2

In Part 2, Assal Rad speaks to the importance of U.S. airman Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., where he stated that he would “not be complicit in genocide” in the Gaza Strip. Assal Rad, scholar of the Middle East, highlights the Biden administration’s deceitful unwillingness to hold Israel to account in the face of the IDF’s well-documented atrocities in Gaza while it simultaneously withholds funding from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on the mere basis of allegations.

Defying the World: Why the West Won’t Stop Israel’s Slaughter in Rafah – Assal Rad part 1/2
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Defying the World: Why the West Won’t Stop Israel’s Slaughter in Rafah – Assal Rad part 1/2

Despite the ICJ’s ruling calling for the prevention of plausibly genocidal acts against the Palestinians, the IDF continues its slaughter of civilians in the Gaza Strip with impunity. Assal Rad, historian, and Middle East scholar discusses the plight of 1.4 million Palestinians in Rafah and the absurdity of placing their livelihood in the hands of Israeli officials whose aim is anything but ensuring their safety. If Israeli government plans are not just another step towards ethnic cleansing, why won’t Prime Minister Netanyahu propose evacuating Palestinians to Israel in order to ensure their subsequent safe return back to the Gaza Strip?

Should the U.S. Withdraw Its Troops from Iraq and Syria? – Joshua Landis (part 1/2)
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Should the U.S. Withdraw Its Troops from Iraq and Syria? – Joshua Landis (part 1/2)

Joshua Landis is a historian and Sandra Mackey Chair and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, as well as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Landis presents the case for an immediate U.S. troop withdrawal in the Middle East, arguing that many civil society groups as well as militant groups in Iraq are strongly opposed to the U.S.’ military presence there. This is Part 1 of 2.

Strategically and Morally Bankrupt: U.S. Policy in the Middle East – Col. Lawrence Wilkerson
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Strategically and Morally Bankrupt: U.S. Policy in the Middle East – Col. Lawrence Wilkerson

Retired U.S. Colonel Larry Wilkerson discusses the Biden administration’s unconditional support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bombardment of Gaza and large-scale indiscriminate attacks on Palestinian civilians. He points to state-sanctioned torture and other unlawful acts committed by the U.S. after 9/11 and asserts that the Israeli government is responding to Hamas’ attacks in a similar fashion by wholly disregarding international legal norms. In doing so, Israel is putting its own population at risk, as well as collectively punishing the Palestinians.

BRICS: An Anti-Imperialist Fantasy and Sub-Imperialist Reality? – Patrick Bond (pt 1/2)
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BRICS: An Anti-Imperialist Fantasy and Sub-Imperialist Reality? – Patrick Bond (pt 1/2)

Patrick Bond, political economist, Professor of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg, and Director of the Centre for Social Change, discusses the recent BRICS summit in Johannesburg. The BRICS countries continue to call for greater representation within Bretton Woods institutions, while their opposition to US-dollar hegemony has been feeble at best. Patrick Bond lays out the complicity of the BRICS and soon-to-be BRICS+ elite in corruption networks as they profit from Big Oil and Gas contracts and accelerate environmental disasters. This is part 1 of 2.

Libyans Caught Between Warring Elites and Foreign Powers
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Libyans Caught Between Warring Elites and Foreign Powers

Anas El Gomati is the founder and director of the Libyan think tank, the Sadeq Institute. He discusses how so much of Libya’s history has been shaped by European colonial powers and other foreign states meddling in its affairs. On the flip side, E.U. developments and the rise of right-wing populism and racist anti-migrant sentiment cannot be disentangled from what transpires in Libya. In light of the ongoing fighting between rival government structures, how can the control of oil resources and state assets shift from elite strongmen to civilian bodies?

U.S. Interference in the Middle East – 20 Years Since the U.S. Invasion of Iraq – Col. Larry Wilkerson
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U.S. Interference in the Middle East – 20 Years Since the U.S. Invasion of Iraq – Col. Larry Wilkerson

Col. Larry Wilkerson speaks about how the media’s portrayal of the U.S. invasion of Iraq barely encapsulates the damage wrought by the U.S.-led “coalition of the willing.” He also addresses recent developments in the Middle East, including Israel’s increasingly belligerent policy on Iran, how the Saudi-Iran deal might end the Saudi blockade of Yemen, and the military significance of Israel being moved from U.S. European Command to U.S. Central Command.

Significance of China-Brokered Iran-Saudi Agreement – Trita Parsi
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Significance of China-Brokered Iran-Saudi Agreement – Trita Parsi

Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties, with China showing itself to be a neutral and effective negotiator in the region. Talia Baroncelli speaks to Trita Parsi, the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, on how this shift in Saudi-Iran relations affects Israel’s posture toward achieving normalization with Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the United States’ recent departure from its usual condemnation of Israeli drone strikes on Iran and its open support for Israeli belligerence signals a new dangerous policy that increases the likelihood of war with Iran.

Biden’s China Policy: A More Polite Trump – Amb. Chas Freeman
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Biden’s China Policy: A More Polite Trump – Amb. Chas Freeman

Retired Ambassador Chas Freeman, Nixon’s translator during his 1972 trip to China, says U.S. policy to China remains a desire to hold on to primacy globally and regionally. Biden’s approach so far is not much different than the aggressive posture of Trump. This interview was originally conducted on March 12, 2021.

Is China Socialist or State Capitalist? – Hudson and Bond pt 1/2
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Is China Socialist or State Capitalist? – Hudson and Bond pt 1/2

Will China resist financialization and lead the way on climate policy, or is it a form of capitalism that will not reduce inequalities much further and isn’t serious about phasing out fossil fuel? Michael Hudson and Patrick Bond in a discussion about what we can expect from the CCP. Note: this was recorded before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine: Dangerous Dance of Military-Industrial Complex – Paul Jay
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Ukraine: Dangerous Dance of Military-Industrial Complex – Paul Jay

Great powers, especially the Americans, believe prestige and “strategic power,” in other words a pissing match, is worth sending other people’s kids to die for. This is a fight between the oligarchs on all sides. They will all find ways to make money out of the tension, even if they are playing with nuclear fire. Paul Jay joins George Clark on his podcast By George (pt 1/3).

Russian Political Scientist: “The Russian Public has no Appetite for War” – Stanislav Byshok Pt 1
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Russian Political Scientist: “The Russian Public has no Appetite for War” – Stanislav Byshok Pt 1

Stanislav Byshok will explain the attitudes of the Russian public and the reactions of the Russian media to the growing tensions between Moscow and Washington over Ukraine in a two-part conversation hosted by Maria Cernat and Boyan Stanislavski. Other aspects of the Russian perspective on recent events and processes are also being discussed.

Kazakhstani Chessboard – Part 2 – From Spontaneous Demos to Rampant Riots
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Kazakhstani Chessboard – Part 2 – From Spontaneous Demos to Rampant Riots

What exactly happened last week in Kazakhstan? This is a question that many people have. Was this a genuine protest, or a western-led American jab in Russia’s soft underbelly? Was this a working-class movement or yet another post-Soviet attempt at a color revolution? It appears that there was a little bit of everything. The context is one of deep contradictions in Kazakhstan’s ruling class and society as a whole.

Boyan Stanislavski and Maria Cernat carefully examine the chronology of last week’s events in Kazakhstan, highlighting the most doubtful moments and carefully explaining what conclusions can be drawn based on facts that are now public record. The hosts of “On the Barricades” also mention some possibilities for which there is only circumstantial evidence and which cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt at this time.

Kazakhstani Chessboard – Part 1 – The Setting
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Kazakhstani Chessboard – Part 1 – The Setting

Were the events in Kazakhstan a popular workers uprising, a “Colored Revolution”, or a manifestation of power struggles within the Kazakh establishment? Or all of the above? The Barricade’s Boyan Stanislavski and Maria Cernat discuss the general political realities in Kazakhstan today, as well as the fundamental premises for such violent events to have occurred.

Mini Doc: Gore Vidal’s History of the National Security State
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Mini Doc: Gore Vidal’s History of the National Security State

When Julian Assange was arrested, he was holding up a copy of Paul Jay’s book, “Gore Vidal’s History of the National Security State.” This mini-documentary is the original 2005 interview with Vidal, upon which the book is based. We republish it now as a way of protesting the persecution of Assange and the threat to what’s left of press freedom in the United States.

Ellsberg on Milley, China and the Danger of Nuclear War
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Ellsberg on Milley, China and the Danger of Nuclear War

In a commentary, Daniel Ellsberg explains that Gen. Milley’s call to China may have prevented a near catastrophe, as happened in 1983 when the Soviet Union believed Reagan had gone mad and planned a first strike. He calls for a fundamental change in U.S. nuclear strategy.

After Forty Years of U.S. Destruction of Afghanistan, it’s Time for Reparations
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After Forty Years of U.S. Destruction of Afghanistan, it’s Time for Reparations

The U.S. armed jihadists and invited Bin Laden as part of the Cold War; abandoned the country to criminal warlords and civil war; created conditions for rise of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda; since 9/11 waged brutal war and broke every promise to rebuild the economy – Wilkerson and Jay on theAnalysis.news.

A Second Pink Tide in Latin America? – Pt 1/2
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A Second Pink Tide in Latin America? – Pt 1/2

With the left’s recent electoral successes in Peru and Bolivia, and previously in Mexico and Argentina, does this mean that there is a second so-called “Pink Tide” in Latin America? If so, how do we make sense of the first Pink Tide, its successes and failures, and what might Latin America’s left have learned from the first tide, as it gets ready to take power in several countries? René Rojas, professor at SUNY Binghamton, and Hilary Goodfriend, of Jacobin Magazine Latin America, argue that while the left needs a clearer economic plan, it is at an advantage at the moment because of the right’s disarray across the region.