Introduction In the mainstream view, al-Qaeda did not play a role in the Syria conflict until Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dispatched his deputy, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, to Syria in August 2011 to establish a wing of the group there, called...
Lebanon
News Roundup 12/23/21
by Kyle Anzalone | Dec 23, 2021 | News Roundup
US News US airstrikes have dropped about 54% since Biden took office. [Link] Military families in Hawaii believe they have been exposed to contaminated water for months longer than the Navy currently admits. [Link] The US sanctions three people in Brazil for...
News Roundup 10/29/21
by Kyle Anzalone | Oct 29, 2021 | News Roundup
US News Kevin Gosztola breaks down day two of Assange’s extradition appeal. [Link] China FBI Director Chris Wray says US businesses need to work with the FBI to prevent China from becoming the world’s only superpower by stealing US business information. [Link] China...
In World’s View, Palestinians Are The Weaker Side’: Inside Israel’s PR War
by Steven Woskow | May 18, 2021 | Blog
Israel is losing the PR war. From The Times Of Israel A new ‘bridge’ Last Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry’s Public Diplomacy Division created an initiative called Gesher – Bridge in Hebrew – to bring the IDF Spokesperson, Israel Police, Prime Minister’s Office,...
Massive Explosion Escalates Lebanon Protests
by Kyle Anzalone | Aug 12, 2020 | Conflicts of Interest
On FPF #531, Will Porter returns to the show to discuss the ongoing unrest in Lebanon. Protests escalated after government negligence led to a massive explosion at the Bierut Port. The country's prime minister and his cabinet resigned, although they will remain in...
Beirut Explosion: Details Emerge on the Origin of the Blast
by Kyle Anzalone | Aug 7, 2020 | Conflicts of Interest
On FPF #529, Will Porter returns to the show to discuss the massive explosion in Beirut. So far, over 150 people have been killed; however many more remain missing. The damage to the port will also significantly harm Lebanon's economy, doing billions in damage. Will...
Trump Doubles Down on Ineffective Sanctions
by Kyle Anzalone | May 29, 2020 | Conflicts of Interest
On FPF #498. I discuss Trump's foreign policy strategy of using sanctions to deal with any international issue. Trump has sanctioned several countries, including Russia, China, Iraq, Lebanon, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar. For others - North Korea, Venezuela, and Iran - he...
Israeli Defense Forces New Strategy To Combat Hezbollah
by Steven Woskow | Aug 29, 2019 | Blog
Israeli Defense Forces are on high alert after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened retaliation after Israeli drone strikes in Southern Lebanon. “I say to the Israeli army on the border from tonight, stand guard (on high alert). Wait for us one, two, three,...
Hezbollah Debate: Terrorism or Self-defense?
by HypocriteTwins | Aug 24, 2019 | Blog
Hezbollah is labeled a terrorist organization by the United States. Should they be? Some argue that they are defending their homeland from Israeli conquest. Others argue they are trying to kill innocent Israelis without just cause or legitimate state backing....
Is Israel Guilty of War Crimes in Lebanon?
by HypocriteTwins | Aug 17, 2019 | Blog
The Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon was the brutal murder of many Palestinians committed by a Christian group (that Israel was allied with). Is Israel responsible? Some blame Ariel Sharon, Israel’s Defense Secretary at the time, because he was directly...
68% Percent of Americans Would Reject Trump’s Mideast ‘Deal of the Century’
by Scott Horton | Jul 30, 2019 | Blog
Grant F. Smith: To gauge U.S. public opinion about the “Peace to Prosperity” plan, IRmep put a national sample of American adults in the shoes of Palestinian refugees, notably the 750,000 forcibly expelled during Israel’s creation and their descendants living in Gaza,...
Israel’s Siege of Beirut Explained for Dummies
by HypocriteTwins | Jul 27, 2019 | Blog
Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 to stop the PLO, led by Yasser Arafat. Against the wishes of the United States, Israeli tanks surrounded Beirut and blasted the city with heavy artillery to force the Palestinians to surrender. However, Arafat was hiding among a heavy...
Lebanon Civil War Explained for Dummies
by HypocriteTwins | Jul 20, 2019 | Blog
In 1982, Israeli tanks crossed the border into Lebanon to hunt down the PLO. It was supposed to be a quick simple mission to push the Palestinian resistance groups north 25 miles to protect Israel. However, the mission quickly became more complicated with Israel...
Jerusalem Post Concerned For Palestinians Killed In Syria
by Steven Woskow | Jul 10, 2019 | Blog
Anna Arohnheim at The Jerusalem Post laments that over 4,000 Palestinians have been killed in Syria since 2011. But, why were they in Syria? Why were they in refugee camps in Syria to begin with? Most of the Palestine refugees who fled to the Syrian Arab Republic in...
Blog
My Testimony Before the Maine State Senate
In support of Ld 1054, Defend the Guard legislation: Thank you all so much for the opportunity to testify before your committee today. Today is the 20th anniversary of the beginning of Iraq War II. The consensus now is that we should not have done it. Iraq was not...
These Iraq War Supporters Are Still in Congress
On March 19, 2003 the United States began its military invasion of Iraq. The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq passed Congress in October 2002, with 296 congressmen and 77 senators voting in favor of giving President George W. Bush carte blanche...
Laci Green is Wrong: Democratic Competition vs. Free Market Competition
In environments where there's a lot of competition, people tend to lie out their ass and you can apply this to any competitive situation. Take capitalism. As industrialization took full effect, the Federal Government had to interfere because there was so much false...
Empower the Workers: Decriminalize Economic Activity Between Consenting Adults
The most reliable and effective protection for most workers is provided by the existence of many employers. As we have seen, a person who has only one possible employer has little or no protection. The employers who protect a worker are those who would like to hire...
Chris Rock’s New Special Exposes His Political Ignorance
A common claim among Democrats is that, "It's not that people don't want to be educated, they just haven't been given the opportunity, thus government spending on education needs to increase." If there were ever a group of people capable of "educating" themselves it...
War and Delusion: A Critical Examination
In this episode of the Protestant Libertarian Podcast, Alex Bernardo sits down once again with Laurie Calhoun. Laurie is a philosopher, a cultural critic and an author. She is a senior fellow at the Libertarian Institute, where she regularly writes articles analyzing...
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Voluntaryist Handbook
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Hotter Than The Sun: Time To Abolish Nuclear Weapons
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Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism
by Scott Horton