Jason Ditz | The Libertarian Institute

Gen. Dunford: US Must Stay in Afghanistan or Get Another 9/11

by Jason Ditz | Dec 10, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

With war fatigue finally setting in a generation into the US occupation of Afghanistan, there is talk of negotiating a peace deal, or withdrawing. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford opposes this idea. Gen. Dunford argued that the US has to staying Afghanistan “to contain terrorists,” otherwise there would be another 9/11. He pointed to the last 17 years of occupation as having disrupted such plots. Dunford’s position seems to set out permanent war as a reality for Afghanistan, with no real end game even being sought. With the war being lost at an alarming rate, it’s not clear...

Trump: Experts All Say US Troops Need to Stay in Afghanistan

by Jason Ditz | Dec 2, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

With three US troops killed in Afghanistan earlier this week, President Trump was pressed on the matter of why, 17+ years in, the US military remains in the country. He told interviewers that “every expert that I have and speak to says if we don’t go there, they’re going to be fighting over here. And I’ve heard it over and over again.” When Trump announced his escalation of the war last year, he said his first impulse was to pull out, but that the experts had assured him the war was still winnable. In recent months, officials have been very public about trying to convince Trump to stay in...

Ukraine Declares Martial Law as Tensions With Russia Soar

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

Following up on Sunday’s maritime incident in the Sea of Azov, the Ukrainian parliament voted Monday on a declaration of martial law. They are presenting this as a “partial mobilization” of the military as officials hype the possibility of war with Russia. The martial law will formally begin on Wednesday, and last for 30 days. President Petro Poroshenko said he intends to respect the rights of individual Ukrainian citizens during this period. Importantly, Ukrainian officials are emphasizing that this move is short of a declaration of war on Russia. On Sunday, officials had said the National...

Iraqi Parliament Pushes for Timetable on US Pullout

by Jason Ditz | Nov 13, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

Always more resistant to open-ended foreign military presence than the nation’s executive branch, Iraq’s parliament has revealed a series of plans to start “reviewing” the US military presence. This is focused in particular on a timetable for the US pullout. Iraq MP Ahmad al-Assadi said he expects the calls for a US withdrawal to at least double during the new parliament’s term, and that most are only prepared to accept the trainers and advisors described as filling a specific need. This is to start with a review of the scale of the US presence, the needs of the Iraqi security forces, and...

Saudi King’s Brother Returns Home to Challenge ‘Toxic’ Crown Prince

by Jason Ditz | Nov 1, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

In what appears to be the start of a challenge to the rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his exiled uncle Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz has reportedly returned to Saudi Arabia from the United Kingdom this week. Prince Ahmed, the younger brother of King Salman, called his nephew “toxic” in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and Saudi sources say he intends to return to challenge the crown prince on that basis. Reports claim some sort of “understanding” on Prince Ahmed’s return, but don’t know the retails. He apparently had been seeking assurances from his brother the...

US Airstrikes Kill 32 Civilians in Eastern Syria

by Jason Ditz | Oct 20, 2018 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy

Airstrikes pound one of the last ISIS towns in Deir Ezzor Via Antiwar.com. US airstrikes against the town of Souseh, one of the last ISIS-held territories in Syria’s Deir Ezzor Province, killed at least 32 civilians, many of them women and children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. This is one of two towns still under ISIS control in eastern Syria, which have been targeted by an offensive by US and Kurdish forces. These are among the first major airstrikes hitting the town itself in the past 24 hours. US officials have yet to comment on the matter, but it’s not hard to...

Kim, Moon End Inter-Korean Summit at Peak of Sacred North Korea Volcano

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

The third inter-Korean summit of the year ended on Thursday, with the respective leaders hand in hand at the top of Mount Paektu, a volcano along the North Korea-China border which has huge symbolic import for both countries. Kim Jong Un’s family is said to share the “Paektu Bloodline,” and the volcano’s name is used across North Korea for symbols of the Kim family’s power. Mount Paektu was also the site of several guerrilla bases resisting Japanese occupation during World War 2. South Korea’s President Moon has described visiting the mountain as a lifelong goal. Moon is keen on mountain...

Israeli Army Admits to Arming Syria Rebels, Then Censors Story

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

The Jerusalem Post, a major Israeli newspaper, published an article on Wednesday quoting Israeli military officials as saying that they had been providing seven different Syrian rebel groups with “large amounts of cash, weapons and ammunition.” Though the report did not name all of the rebel factions subsidized by Israel, it did name Fursan al-Joulan, a rebel group which had previously been accused of being in league with the Israeli military. This is particularly noteworthy because this was one of few rebel groups which refused the Russian evacuation deal in southern Syria. The report says...

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