Jason Ditz

House: No Authorization for US to Attack Iran

by Jason Ditz | May 27, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

Passed unanimously in the House of Representatives on Tuesday night, an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2019, which itself passed the House on Thursday, warns the Trump Administration that they have no legal authorization for a military attack on Iran. The amendment was offered by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), and was very simply worded. It simply declares that it is the sense of Congress that neither the NDAA nor any other act authorizes the use of military force agaist Iran. The amendment became particularly important after President Trump withdrew the US from...

Houses Passes $717 Billion Military Spending Bill

by Jason Ditz | May 27, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy, Politics

In a 351-66 vote, the House of Representatives has passed their version of the 2019 military spending bill, the National Defense Authorization Act. The NDAA intends to spend $717 billion in the next fiscal year on the military, wars, and nuclear arms. This is another substantial increase in military spending, broadly supported within both parties. Only 7 Republicans voted against the bill, while Democrats were a bit more split on the matter. Either way, amendments intended to limit nuclear weapons spending or the like were roundly defeated. One amendment that did manage to make its way into...

Trump Threatens Iran as Deadline to Withdraw From Nuclear Deal Looms

by Jason Ditz | Apr 25, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

Speaking on Tuesday, President Trump again threatened to withdraw from the P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran. Trump previously set an ultimatum of May 12 for withdrawing if the deal isn’t changed substantially. Trump also threatened to make Iran “pay a price like few countries have ever paid.” The May 12 deadline is when President Trump would have to extend sanctions relief from the deal. Without that, the US would effectively be withdrawing. Iranian officials have made clear if that happens, they’ll resume uranium enrichment they’d stopped under the pact. The three EU parties to the deal have...

UN Security Delays Inspectors Entrance to Douma

by Jason Ditz | Apr 18, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

Security forces driven off by large crowd, small explosion The UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) continues to prevent chemical inspectors from entering Douma for their investigation, citing safety concerns. They have offered no timetable for when the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inspectors will be allowed in. The OPCW inspectors did not visit Monday, and there were a lot of allegations exchanged as to why. Though British officials blamed Russia for the delay, it is now clear that the UNDSS is driving the scheduling. The UNDSS team visited two sites in...

Welcome to Iraq War 3½

by Jason Ditz | Mar 29, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

With the last of the ISIS-held territory in Iraq recaptured, Iraqi officials are cheerfully proclaiming the war is over. Pentagon’s commanders, who recognize that this is the third “end of the Iraq war” in just 15 years, are trying to spin it as a new phase in the continuing war. It makes sense for them to present it this way, US operations aren’t changing substantially. The troops are staying, which is unsurprising as the Pentagon was insisting from the start of this most recent buildup that the deployment was to be more or less permanent. So US officials want the public to view this more...

Trump Pushes Europe on Iran Deal, But May Kill Deal Either Way

by Jason Ditz | Mar 22, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

US officials scramble to plan for failed talks State Department official Brian Hook told reporters today that, despite “constructive” talks with European nations on the Iran agreement, the US is scrambling to make “contingency plans” in case the talks fail, and the nuclear deal gets blown up by President Trump. There’s every reason to think such preparation is necessary. President Trump set an ultimatum for Europe to agree to vast changes to the P5+1 nuclear deal, or he would withdraw the US. European officials are trying to placate the US, but also recognize that Russia, China, and most...

North Korea Willing to Discuss Denuclearization for Security Assurances

by Jason Ditz | Mar 6, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

Kim says no reason to keep nukes if military threat ends In comments that could potentially have significant ramifications on trying to convince the US to join talks with North Korea, South Korean delegation envoys say they were told by Kim Jong-un that North Korea is willing to discuss scrapping their nuclear arsenal. The White House has long suggested scrapping the nuclear program and missile development as a precondition for talks, and clearly that’s not going to happen, but North Korea seems very willing to discuss the subject within the talks, and would disarm if given the right deal....

Taliban Issues Open Letter Calling for Peace Talks With US

by Jason Ditz | Feb 15, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

Taliban Wants to Solve War 'Through Peaceful Dialogue Late last month, President Trump announced the US is unwilling to engage in any peace talks with the Afghan Taliban. The Taliban, however, has now issued an open letter on the matter saying that they do want peace talks, and see the war needing to be resolved through peaceful dialogue. If President Trump’s disavowal of talks marked a big change, the Taliban’s position is even moreso, as top Taliban officials have long spurned the idea of talks without US withdrawal as a precondition, and have repeatedly denied that the talks that have...