Connor Freeman

Congress Passes Stop-Gap Spending Bill, Ukraine Aid Relegated to Separate Vote

by Connor Freeman | Oct 2, 2023 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, Politics

Editor's Note: Before midnight, President Joe Biden signed the temporary funding bill. A partial “shutdown” of the federal government, which seemed inevitable amid battles over spending in both chambers of Congress, was averted after the House and Senate passed a stop-gap funding bill without any Ukraine aid on Saturday night. Passed before the midnight deadline, the bill will fund the government until November 17 at 2023 spending levels. As a result of growing GOP opposition to massive spending on the White House’s proxy war with Russia, aid to Kiev was dropped from the House leadership’s...

Moscow Announces Massive Military Spending Increase to Combat NATO’s ‘Hybrid War’ in Ukraine

by Connor Freeman | Sep 28, 2023 | News

Moscow announced that it plans to increase military spending by nearly 70% in 2024 as it fights against what the Kremlin has dubbed NATO’s “hybrid war.” Russia’s defense budget next year, which is dwarfed by the Pentagon budget, will still be less than the total amount the US has already pledged to assist Kiev in its proxy war with Moscow. Russia’s Finance Ministry published a document on Thursday explaining that Moscow is set to ramp up defense spending by a whopping 68% to 10.8 trillion rubles ($111.15 billion) next year. At the same time, the Pentagon budget is fast approaching $900...

US-Backed SDF Militia Shells Positions Taken By Arab Fighters in Eastern Syria

by Connor Freeman | Sep 27, 2023 | News

The Kurdish-led, and US-backed, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) moved reinforcements to the province of Deir Ezzor in Syria for continued fighting on Tuesday. In eastern Syria, illegally occupied by American forces and their SDF partners, ethnic tensions have been boiling over and clashes have been erupting for weeks between the Washington-supported group and local Arab tribesman. Arab gunmen, associated with tribal leader Ibrahim-al Hifl, took over at least three positions in the town of Ziban - located near the Iraqi border - on Monday, during which a number of SDF fighters were killed. The...

US Backed Kurdish Militia Imposes Curfew in Eastern Syria, Following Clashes with Another US Backed Militia

by Connor Freeman | Sep 25, 2023 | News

After weeks of clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Arab tribesman aligned with Deir Ezzor Military Council (DEMC), the SDF has imposed a curfew following a resumption of fighting on Monday. These ethnic tensions are boiling over in eastern Syria’s Deir Ezzor province, illegally occupied by the US and its SDF partners, as the Arab majority resists Kurdish rule. Syrian media and activists reported that the SDF imposed the indefinite measure across a handful of towns in Deir Ezzor including Ziban, located close to the border with Iraq. Arab gunmen took over...

Kiev Launches More Attacks on Sevastopol in Crimea

by Connor Freeman | Sep 25, 2023 | News

Russian FM Sergey Lavrov remarked that the Western powers are “fighting against us, using the hands and bodies of Ukrainians” Kiev launched cruise missile attacks on the Crimean Peninsula with weapons provided by NATO on Friday. This was followed by another missile strike on Sevastopol, where Russia’s Black Sea fleet is based, on Saturday morning. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s intelligence chief, told Voice of America – the US state-funded media outlet – that at least nine people were killed, and 16 others were wounded during the attack on Friday. The Russian Defense Ministry says there were no...

White House Close To Providing Kiev With Cluster-Armed ATACMS

by Connor Freeman | Sep 25, 2023 | News

This comes amid Kyiv’s failing counteroffensive and poses a major risk of escalation, President Volodymyr Zelensky has desired to use the long-range weapons to attack the Russian mainland. The White House is close to deciding it will provide Ukraine with a cluster-armed version of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which has a range of nearly 200 miles and can be fired from HIMARS launchers, according to the Washington Post. The HIMARS in Kyiv’s possession are currently firing munitions with a range of 50 miles. The US arming Ukrainian forces with ATACMS would mark a significant...

Netanyahu and MBS Suggest Progress is Being Made on US-Brokered Normalization Deal

by Connor Freeman | Sep 21, 2023 | News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) have expressed confidence that a Washington-brokered normalization agreement between Tel Aviv and Riyadh is becoming more likely as negotiations continue apace. This comes as Netanyahu’s apartheid army is murdering scores of Palestinians in the occupied territories and the blockaded Gaza Strip. Netanyahu met with President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, this was the first meeting the two heads of state have held since the former returned to power last...

US Levies Sanctions Over Iran’s Drone Program

by Connor Freeman | Sep 19, 2023 | News

Washington imposed sanctions on four entities and seven people in Russia, China, and Turkey over their alleged assistance with Tehran’s drone program which the US says has significantly benefited Russia in its war with Ukraine. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has denounced the accusations that Tehran has been arming Moscow since the Kremlin launched its invasion last year. The sanctions announced by the Treasury Department on Tuesday target the Iranian drone company Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company – also known as HESA - which was hit with sanctions in 2008, along with its managing...

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Connor Freeman is the assistant editor and a writer at the Libertarian Institute, primarily covering foreign policy. He is a co-host on Conflicts of Interest. His writing has been featured in media outlets such as Antiwar.com and Counterpunch, as well as the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. He has also appeared on Liberty Weekly, Around the Empire, and Parallax Views. You can follow him on Twitter @FreemansMind96