LaRouche

Obama continues his mobilization for war with Russia. NATO is planning to send fighter planes and anti-aircraft missiles to Turkey -- with Russia the only target for such offensive weapons -- as US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced Tuesday the deployment of 200 U.S. hunt-and-kill special forces to Iraq, to seek out and kill ISIS leaders in both Iraq and Syria. Not "advisors" and "trainers," but assassination teams. Even Iraq reacted against the mad killer, as Prime Minister al-Abadi told the press that Iraq needed training, weapons, and advice from the international community, "not foreign ground combat forces fighting on Iraqi soil." He added that such a deployment "can't be done without [the government's] approval, full coordination and with full respect to Iraqi sovereignty."

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By David Swanson

Imagine an alcoholic who managed every night to get ahold of and consume huge quantities of whiskey and who every morning swore that drinking whiskey had been his very last resort, he’d had no choice at all.

Easy to imagine, no doubt. An addict will always justify himself, how ever nonsensically it has to be done.

But imagine a world in which everyone believed him and solemnly said to each other “He really had no other choice. He truly had tried everything else.” Not so plausible, is it? Almost unimaginable, in fact. And yet:

Everyone says the United States is at war in Syria as a last resort, even though:

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by Stephen Lendman

William Perry served as Clinton’s defense secretary from 1994 - 1997, currently the Nuclear Risk Reduction and Preventive Defense Project co-director.

Paul Craig Roberts posted Sputnik News’ report on Perry’s warning about reckless US policy, heading things toward a possible “nuclear apocalypse.”

Roberts, myself and others warn often about reckless US policymakers risking possible nuclear war with Russia and/or China. Their rage for unchallenged global dominance may kill us all.

Perry agrees in remarks delivered before a defense writers group, warning of a potentially disastrous new nuclear arms race, saying:

“We're now at the precipice, maybe I should say the brink, of a new nuclear arms race. This arms race will be at least as expensive as the arms race we had during the Cold War, which is a lot of money.”

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by Stephen Lendman

Turkey under Erdogan partners with America’s imperial enterprise, both regimes operating more like international crime syndicates than legitimate nation-states, threatening world peace and security by their rage for power and profit.

It’s no secret both countries aid and abet ISIS. Washington uses its jihadists as imperial foot soldiers, terrorizing populations wherever they’re deployed, mainly in Syria and Iraq.

They operate freely because of key foreign backing (from America, Turkey, Britain, France, other NATO members, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan) - now for the first time challenged effectively by Russia’s righteous intervention, changing things dramatically on the ground.

Erdogan, his family members and other Turkish officials were caught red-handed, supporting ISIS, training and arming their fighters, complicit with CIA operatives and US special forces, providing them a key revenue source, smuggling stolen Syrian and Iraqi oil for refining on its territory and black market sales to regional markets.

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Eric Zuesse

Some of the world’s top Al Qaeda operatives were freed from a Lebanese prison on Tuesday December 1st, to rejoin the U.S.-led war against Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

America’s anti-Assad ally, Qatar, the chief financiers of the Muslim Brotherhood, negotiated with the neutralist Lebanese government, to swap the 26 imprisoned Al Qaeda jihadists for 16 Lebanese soldiers who had been captured by Al Qaeda in Lebanon.

Lebanese and Syrian Al Qaeda are called Al Nusra. Al Nusra had captured these soldiers in Lebanon this past summer.

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by Stephen Lendman

Longstanding Times policy suppresses what’s most important to report - especially on issues of war and peace.

Its editorial policy supports naked US aggression - in Korea, Southeast Asia, the rape of Yugoslavia, and notably post-9/11.

Nothing about Washington’s support for ISIS is explained, creating and using its terrorists as imperial foot soldiers, especially in Iraq and Syria - heading wherever US policymakers intend deploying them destructively.

Instead of exposing America’s evil agenda, Times editors headlined “What It Will Take to Bankrupt ISIS,” avoiding the obvious answers:

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by Stephen Lendman

Turkey is one of many US imperial partners against world peace, stability and security - both nations waging endless wars of aggression, profiteering from grand theft.

Moscow documented Turkey’s involvement in refining and selling stolen Syrian and Iraqi oil - President Erdogan, his son, one or more other family members, and complicit regime officials profiting directly.

Putin blasted his lawless enterprise, along with supporting terrorists and committing an act of war by downing a Russian aircraft.

Washington rejects what’s clear for the whole world to see, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren calling Ankara a “great partner.”

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by Stephen Lendman

Britain is a longstanding US imperial partner, involved in virtually all its wars of aggression - four post-9/11.

It’s been covertly bombing Syrian targets jointly with US warplanes since last year, along with Israel, France, Canada and Australia - on the phony pretext of combating ISIS.

Now it’s official after parliament voted 397 to 223 for war (a nearly two-thirds majority), following nearly a half-day debate - dozens of Labour and Lib Dem MPs joining with hawkish Torries.

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn’s strong opposition didn’t help. In response to the vote, he twittered: “I have argued, and will continue to do so, that we should re-double our efforts to secure a diplomatic and political end to the conflict in Syria.”

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by Stephen Lendman

On Thursday, Putin delivered his 12th annual state of the nation address to Russia’s Federal Assembly, its bicameral legislature, and invited guests - at a time of grave danger to world peace.

America’s imperial wars head recklessly toward possible direct confrontation with Russia. Putin and other government officials understand the current threat. Free societies everywhere are at risk.

Putin began by thanking Russian military forces engaged in combating “international terrorism.” He expressed deep sorrow and respect for the widows and families of two fallen Russian servicemen - victims of Turkish aggression, OK’d and facilitated by Washington.

Its surveillance aircraft determined the flight path and coordinates of Russia’s Su-24 bomber enabling Erdogan to dispatch a warplane to down it - a clear act of war, aggression Putin won’t forgive or forget, nor will millions of ordinary Russians and Turks opposed to rogue state rule.

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by Stephen Lendman

Israeli viciousness has no limits. No high crimes are too heinous for its forces to commit - reflecting longstanding institutionalized racism, treating Palestinians brutally, the reason for courageous intifada resistance.

Palestinians have no safe havens. Fair game are attacks on schools, mosques, residential neighborhoods, fishermen at sea, farmers in their fields, children at play and hospitals, treating sick, wounded and dying patients - depraved acts committed by a ruthless regime unaccountably.

Its daily high crimes are so numerous, it’s hard keeping up - a recent one, involving an attack on Jerusalem’s Al-Makassed Hospital.

Soldiers rampaged through its wards, firing tear indiscriminately. Children, intensive care and other patients, as well as medical staff and visitors suffered the effects of toxic tear gas inhalation, potentially lethal at times, the sick and weak most vulnerable.

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