One of the more puzzling features of the U.S. approach to world affairs is how officials persist in their enthusiasm for economic sanctions as a worthwhile policy tool despite massive evidence regarding their futility. More than three decades ago, Gary Hufbauer,...
Saudi Arabia
UAE Suspends Participation in US-Led Military Bloc
by Kyle Anzalone | May 31, 2023 | News
Abu Dhabi has halted its involvement with a Washington-led coalition aimed at preventing Iranian ship seizures in the Middle East. The UAE disclosed the decision the day after the Wall Street Journal reported growing discord between Abu Dhabi and Washington over the region’s lack of American military assets.
As Biden Eyes More War, South Yemen Intensifies Push for Secession
by Connor Freeman | May 26, 2023 | News
The UAE-backed National Assembly of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) called on its forces to secure a military takeover and annexation of the entirety of Yemen’s southern territory during a meeting on Monday, the Arab Weekly reported. The STC is intensifying its push for secession, seeking a partition corresponding with the borders of the former states of North Yemen and South Yemen, which existed prior to the country’s 1990 unification.
Washington Pushes Netanyahu to Shelve Judicial Overhaul in Bid for Saudi-Israeli Normalization
by Connor Freeman | May 24, 2023 | News
As the Joe Biden administration continues its hurried push to foster an unlikely normalization deal between Riyadh and Tel Aviv, the White House is suggesting Israel make some concessions to the Saudis in the hopes of achieving an agreement, Times of Israel reported on Tuesday.
News Roundup 5/18/2023
by Kyle Anzalone | May 18, 2023 | News Roundup
Russia Washington is launching the “Ukraine Content Aggregator,” an artificial intelligence program designed to detect so-called Russian disinformation online. The Institute Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that the Black Sea grain export deal...
Up to 4.5 Million Dead in ‘Post-9/11 War Zones’ – Study
by Will Porter | May 16, 2023 | News
The far-reaching effects of America’s War on Terror may have contributed to the deaths of some 4.5 million people, according to new research by Brown University’s ‘Costs of War’ project.
News Roundup 5/15/2023
by Kyle Anzalone | May 15, 2023 | News Roundup
Russia The debate in Washington about ending the war in Ukraine has become “amorphous and paradoxical,” according to the New York Times. AWC British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed on Thursday that London is providing Ukraine with longer-range missiles,...
Jake Sullivan Reviewed ‘Significant Progress’ Toward Yemen Peace in Meeting with MBS
by Connor Freeman | May 8, 2023 | News
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, and reviewed “significant progress” toward peace in the war-torn country of Yemen, Al Jazeera reported on Monday.
News Roundup 5/8/2023
by Kyle Anzalone | May 8, 2023 | News Roundup
Assange Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed frustration over the Biden administration’s efforts to convict WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, an Australian citizen. AWC Russia The Pentagon has ordered more Javelin anti-tank missiles manufactured by...
The Iraq War Is (And Will Always Be) Undefendable
by Ryan McMaken | May 4, 2023 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy
This spring marks the twentieth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. After an initial frenzy of war fever in the early years of the war, support for the war has since largely evaporated. Nearly two thirds of veterans now say the war was "not worth...
News Roundup 5/3/2023
by Kyle Anzalone | May 3, 2023 | News Roundup
US News Over the weekend, President Biden declared “journalism is not a crime” at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a statement that rings hollow as his Justice Department is seeking the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for exposing US war crimes....
The World Is Changing, But Is Washington Finally Noticing?
by Ted Snider | Apr 26, 2023 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy
Recent statements by two Biden administration officials hint that the United States is finally noticing that the world around them is changing. On April 11, CIA Director William Burns spoke at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. In a somewhat stunning...
NPR Can’t Justify Its Existence
by Laurence Vance | Apr 24, 2023 | Featured Articles
One of the hallmarks of authoritarian countries is that the media is state-run or under the direct supervision or control of the government. The Xinhua News Agency is the official state news agency in China. Al-Akhbar, Al-Ahram, and Al-Gomhuriya are state-owned...
Leaked Docs: Ukraine Planned Attacks on Russian Forces in Syria
by Kyle Anzalone | Apr 22, 2023 | News
Kiev’s military intelligence agency believed it could carry out attacks on Russian soldiers and Wagner Group forces in Syria, forcing Moscow to redeploy military assets from Ukraine. The story was reported by the Washington Post using documents released by Jack Teixeira.
Blog
The Non-Existent Difference Between National Socialism and Democratic Socialism
Summary: National Socialism and Democratic Socialism both advocate institutionalized violence by the state against peaceful people only differing in rhetoric. The most popular self described Democratic Socialists in America today are Senator Bernie Sanders and...
A Response to My Memorial Day Critics
My article against Memorial Day drew a lot of ire and attention. This should not have been surprising; I was making a controversial statement. What did surprise me, however, was that many critics were self-described libertarians or former libertarians. There were many...
Ignoring Political Gossip & Sticking to Principle
https://youtu.be/ZwWHjYVY4tg In the private sector, firms must attract voluntary customers or they fail; and if they fail, investors lose their money, and managers and employees lose their jobs. The possibility of failure, therefore, is a powerful incentive to find...
The Myth of “Hyper-Rugged-Isolationist-Individualism”
Myth #1: Libertarians believe that each individual is an isolated, hermetically sealed atom, acting in a vacuum without influencing each other. This is a common charge, but a highly puzzling one. In a lifetime of reading libertarian and classical-liberal...
The Lesson From Germany and Korea
Institutions are, of course, in some sense the products of culture. But, because they formalize a set of norms, institutions are often the things that keep a culture honest, determining how far it is conducive to good behaviour rather than bad. To illustrate the...
Occupational Licensing Increases Prices and Deprives People of Options
When you shop online, vendors usually give you a bunch of different ways to sort your options. Take Amazon: One popular sorting option – especially for customers with low income – is “Price: Low to High.” You’ve probably used it yourself many times. This...
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