US Militarism
Washington’s hacking charges escalate pressure on China
By Alex Lantier, 21 May 2013
The New York Times on Monday published a front-page article reiterating unsubstantiated allegations that the Chinese military is carrying out cyberwarfare against US corporations.
European powers fund Al Qaeda looting of Syrian oil
By Johannes Stern, 20 May 2013
The European Union is funding Al Qaeda-linked groups in Syria by purchasing oil they have looted in eastern Syria.
Pentagon tells US Senate wars will continue for decades
By Alex Lantier, 18 May 2013
The Pentagon claims that “war on terror” legislation gives it sweeping powers to wage war around the world without congressional authorization.
FBI director continues cover-up of contacts with Boston bombing suspects
By Barry Grey, 18 May 2013
Knowing he had nothing to fear from the Senate committee, FBI Director Mueller defended the FBI’s handling of the Tsarnaevs and failure to alert state or local authorities.
New revelations of torture and murder of Afghan civilians by US Special Forces
By Thomas Gaist, 15 May 2013
Further revelations of torture and murder by elite US soldiers in Afghanistan highlight the neo-colonial character of the occupation.
New South Korean president commits to Obama’s “pivot to Asia”
By Ben McGrath, 15 May 2013
A recent meeting between South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Barrack Obama gave Washington an opportunity to ensure Seoul’s adherence to US demands.
Obama, Cameron hold Syria war summit in Washington
By Alex Lantier and Chris Marsden, 14 May 2013
The US and British heads of government discussed stepping up their campaign for war in Syria as well as plans for intervening throughout the Middle East.
Bombings rock Turkish-Syrian border
By Thomas Gaist, 13 May 2013
In response to bombings in the city of Reyhanli, Turkish leaders are demanding an acceleration of the US war drive against Syria.
Karzai reveals US plan for permanent Afghanistan bases
By Bill Van Auken, 11 May 2013
The Afghanistan president’s statement underscores the intention of the Obama administration and the Pentagon to maintain a permanent military presence.
The International Socialist Organization and the imperialist onslaught against Syria
By David North and Alex Lantier, 11 May 2013
The ISO’s May 1 statement “Solidarity with the Syrian revolution” is written in support of the imperialist-orchestrated conspiracy to topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
US prepares war with Syria as pro-US opposition loses ground
By Thomas Gaist, 10 May 2013
Faced with serious defeats of its proxy forces, the US is scrambling to ramp up diplomatic and military pressure on the Syrian regime.
US shrugs off Syrian opposition’s chemical weapons use, presses for war
By Thomas Gaist, 8 May 2013
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney summarily rejected the UN investigator’s report without offering a shred of evidence to refute her statement.
Worldwide outrage as Guantanamo hunger strike enters fourth month
By Fred Mazelis, 8 May 2013
Guantanamo inmates have reported that the feeding tubes, instead of being left in, are inserted twice daily for maximum pain and discomfort.
Eight US-NATO troops killed in one day
Crisis deepens for US occupation in Afghanistan
By Patrick Martin, 6 May 2013
Both the US-NATO occupation and the stooge regime of President Hamid Karzai are widely hated by the Afghan population.
The Israeli strikes on Syria
By Alex Lantier, 6 May 2013
The Israeli strikes in Syria are unprovoked and illegal acts of war, abetted by Washington and its European allies as part of their escalating campaign against Syria.
Iraq war resister, a pregnant mother of four, sentenced to 10 months in prison
By Naomi Spencer, 4 May 2013
US Army Private Kimberly Rivera has been sentenced to prison for crossing into Canada in 2007 to avoid redeployment to Iraq.
Police buildup in Pittsburgh in lead-up to marathon
By our reporter, 4 May 2013
Pittsburgh officials are using the occasion of the marathon race this Sunday as a pretext for a massive police buildup.
A crass apology for imperialist intervention in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 4 May 2013
In the midst of a growing drumbeat for direct Western intervention in Syria, Gilbert Achcar dismisses questions about imperialist interests in the region as a “conspiracy theory.”
US defense secretary says Washington weighs arming of Syrian insurgency
By Bill Van Auken, 3 May 2013
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told a Pentagon press conference Thursday that the US is “rethinking” its policy on arming the so-called rebels in Syria.
International law and the US war drive in Syria
By Joseph Kishore, 2 May 2013
The fundamental issue involved in Washington’s intervention in Syria is not the nature of the Assad government, but the nature of US imperialism.
US pledges to arm Syrian opposition as new terror bombing hits Damascus
By Alex Lantier, 1 May 2013
Senior Obama administration officials announced yesterday that the US will directly arm the Islamist opposition fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
What the CIA’s cash has bought for Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 1 May 2013
The report that the CIA regularly hands over sacks of cash to Afghanistan’s President Karzai is only the latest episode in Afghanistan’s long and tragic encounter with US imperialism.
US think tank report weighs up “grim future” of nuclear war
By Peter Symonds, 1 May 2013
The CSIS paper marks a shift from the rhetoric of nuclear disarmament to the planning and preparing for actual nuclear war—above all, against China.
Braying for war against Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 30 April 2013
A campaign of lies and propaganda about the alleged use of chemical weapons is steadily escalating in preparation for a US war against Syria.
The New York Times and terrorism
By Joseph Kishore, 30 April 2013
The attitude of the New York Times to terrorist attacks is entirely determined by the relationship of such attacks to the operations of US military and intelligence agencies.
Washington fabricates chemical weapons pretext for war against Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 27 April 2013
Seeking to pave the way for a predatory war, Washington, its NATO allies and Israel are all fabricating charges that Syria used chemical weapons.
Washington’s threat to invade Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 26 April 2013
US allegations of chemical weapons use by government forces have brought Washington to the brink of war with Syria.
US finalises arms deals with Israel, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
By Jean Shaoul, 25 April 2013
The United States is flooding the Middle East with armaments, a further sign that the preparations for military intervention against Syria are ultimately aimed at Iran.
US ramps up plans for military intervention in Syria
By Joseph Kishore, 24 April 2013
The expansion of aid to US-backed oppositional forces in Syria and the deployment of hundreds of US troops to Jordan come amidst new threats against Iran.
The Boston bombings and the roots of terror
By Bill Van Auken, 24 April 2013
Of all the possible explanations for the bombings in Boston, the least plausible is the official claim that the main suspect in the case had fallen beneath the FBI’s radar.
German media, politicians praise Obama for military-police lockdown of Boston
By Johannes Stern, 23 April 2013
Commentaries in the media and by leading political figures on the events in Boston throw a spotlight on the undemocratic character of the German ruling elite.
American democracy in shambles
By Barry Grey, 22 April 2013
With the imposition of a state of siege in Boston, a historical threshold has been crossed.
Unanswered questions in Boston bombings
By Bill Van Auken, 22 April 2013
One week after the Boston bombings, much remains unknown, including their motive, whether others were involved, and what connection the FBI and other agencies had to the suspects.
Federal authorities prepare charges against Boston bombings suspect
By Kate Randall, 22 April 2013
A week following the April 15 bombings in Boston, suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remains in serious condition at a Boston hospital.
Bombing suspect captured after military-police lockdown of Boston
By Alex Lantier and Kate Randall, 20 April 2013
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a suspect in Monday’s bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, was captured yesterday after a massive manhunt by law enforcement agencies.
Reports detail CIA war crimes in Pakistan
By Tom Carter, 20 April 2013
A series of recent articles by journalist Mark Mazzetti published in the New York Times have shed further light on the criminal activities of the US Central Intelligence Agency in Pakistan.
US deploys troops to Jordan, prepares to invade Syria
By Alex Lantier, 19 April 2013
US forces deployed by the Obama administration to Jordan will plan for a rapid build-up of 20,000 or more US troops, preparing an invasion of Syria.
The US Justice Department brief for the assassination of US citizens
Part two
By Tom Carter and Eric London, 19 April 2013
The Obama administration has accelerated the drive toward dictatorship initiated by the Bush administration.
The US Justice Department brief for the assassination of US citizens
Part one
By Tom Carter and Eric London, 18 April 2013
Since the publication of the white paper, leading figures in the US political establishment have declared that the asserted power to assassinate includes the power to kill US citizens on US soil.
Obama proclaims Boston bombings an “act of terror”
By Bill Van Auken, 17 April 2013
President Barack Obama used a briefing Tuesday to declare the bombings the day before at the Boston Marathon “an act of terror,” though the FBI and police still had neither suspects nor a motive for the attacks.
Australian think tank outlines US plans for war against China
By Peter Symonds, 16 April 2013
“The Pentagon has started to ‘think about the unthinkable’: a military strategy for fighting and winning a potential war against China.”
US Secretary of State blackmails China over North Korea
By John Chan, 15 April 2013
Kerry made clear that the US would continue to deploy advanced weapons in the region, unless Beijing “put some teeth” into forcing North Korea to denuclearise.
Raid by guards triggers clash with Guantanamo inmates
By Ed Hightower, 15 April 2013
The resistance of the inmates by means of a hunger strike, or any other measure of collective action, is something the overseers of the prison cannot tolerate.
Kerry issues war threat over Korea
By Alex Lantier, 13 April 2013
US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Seoul yesterday, beginning a three-nation East Asian tour dominated by escalating US threats against North Korea.
Government witnesses to testify anonymously at Bradley Manning trial
By Naomi Spencer, 12 April 2013
A military judge ruled Wednesday that the government can call witnesses to testify in secret in the court martial against accused whistleblower Bradley Manning.
The brutal face of neocolonialism in Afghanistan
By Bill Van Auken, 10 April 2013
The attempt to exploit the death of a young State Department official to cast the Afghanistan war as an exercise in US altruism is belied by the continuing murder and oppression inflicted upon the civilian population.
Italian president pardons officer involved in CIA renditions in Italy
By Stefan Steinberg, 10 April 2013
At the end of last week the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, issued a pardon to US colonel Joseph Romano who was involved in a CIA rendition operation in Italy.
US threatens war with North Korea, demands China cut off support
By Alex Lantier, 8 April 2013
Over the weekend, US officials continued to threaten North Korea with war, demanding that China cut off its support to the North Korean regime in Pyongyang.
NATO strike kills 10 Afghan children after week of bloody fighting
By Thomas Gaist, 8 April 2013
A NATO airstrike killed 20 people in eastern Afghanistan during the weekend, including at least one woman and 10 children ages 1 to 12.
US threatens North Korea while signaling possible talks
By Alex Lantier, 6 April 2013
Tensions remained high in Korea after revelations Thursday that the US is following a pre-set “playbook” of escalations drafted by the Obama administration.
Renewed US pressure for increased Australian military spending
By James Cogan, 6 April 2013
The military expansion will inevitably be at the expense of the living standards of the working class.
Obama’s “playbook” and the threat of nuclear war in Asia
By Peter Symonds, 5 April 2013
The US has deliberately inflamed the Korean peninsula, one of Asia’s most dangerous flash points, and heightened the danger of war.
Washington escalates Syria intervention
By Bill Van Auken, 4 April 2013
The US and Jordanian militaries have stepped up a program to train thousands of armed fighters to send into Syria with the aim of carving out a buffer zone in the south of the country.
China appeals for calm amid fears of war over US escalation in Korea
By Alex Lantier, 4 April 2013
Chinese officials appealed for calm on the Korean peninsula yesterday, as the United States deployed missiles and further military forces to East Asia.
US escalates military tensions over North Korean nuclear program
By Alex Lantier, 3 April 2013
The major powers in the region are holding military exercises amid fears of war driven by the US “pivot to Asia” and moves against North Korea’s nuclear program.
The terrible cost of Washington’s wars
By Bill Van Auken, 3 April 2013
The report that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will end up costing as much as $6 trillion is another indication of the terrible price paid by working people the world over for the crimes of imperialism.
Costs of Iraq, Afghanistan wars could rise to $6 trillion
By Bill Van Auken, 2 April 2013
The costs of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will total $4 trillion to $6 trillion, according to a new research paper published by Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
In Qatar, US-backed Afghan President Karzai makes overtures to Taliban
By Thomas Gaist, 2 April 2013
US-backed Afghan President Hamid Karzai travelled to Doha to make political overtures to the Taliban, as Taliban officials open an office in the Qatari capital.
US sends fighter-bombers to Korea amid rising risk of war
By Alex Lantier, 1 April 2013
American F-22 stealth fighter planes arrived in South Korea yesterday, placing East Asia on hair-trigger alert as the US escalated its confrontation with North Korea.
US deployment of stealth bombers escalates military standoff in Korea
By Alex Lantier, 30 March 2013
On Thursday, US officials announced that B-2 stealth bombers had flown from Whiteman Air Force Base in the United States to South Korea.
Plans to vastly expand drones in US
By Fred Mazelis, 28 March 2013
After a decade of the use of drones as part of its “war on terror” abroad, the US government is preparing the American people for the routine use of drones inside the US.
Kerry’s Middle East tour prepares endless war in Afghanistan, Syria
By Alex Lantier, 27 March 2013
US Secretary of State John Kerry left Kabul for Paris yesterday, after a Middle Eastern tour to Jordan and Afghanistan to plan broader wars across the region.
US-led campaign against Syria destabilises Lebanon
By Jean Shaoul, 27 March 2013
Growing social and political tensions in Lebanon have been stoked by outside intervention in the region, as part of broader plans to topple Syria’s regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
The CIA war against Syria
By Johannes Stern, 26 March 2013
US president Barack Obama’s so called “peace” trip to Israel last week made clear that, on the tenth anniversary of its criminal invasion of Iraq, US imperialism is intensifying its bloody intervention in the Middle East.
US steps up war against Syria after Obama’s “peace” trip to Israel
By Johannes Stern, 25 March 2013
CIA operations and calls to arm the pro-Western Syrian opposition are escalating after US President Barack Obama's trip to Israel last week.
Dying US army veteran denounces “illegal” Iraq War
By David Walsh, 22 March 2013
Iraq War veteran Tomas Young, currently under hospice care at his home in Kansas City, Missouri, has written a “last letter,” addressed to former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Hands off Syria!
By Bill Van Auken, 21 March 2013
Ten years after the launching of a criminal war against Iraq, Washington is once again preparing military aggression in the Middle East.
US, NATO prepare Syria intervention
By Bill Van Auken, 20 March 2013
The top US commander in Europe told a Senate hearing Tuesday that the US and NATO are drawing up plans for direct military intervention in Syria.
The American media, ten years after the Iraq war
By Alex Lantier, 20 March 2013
Multiple car bomb attacks hit Shiite targets across Iraq yesterday, on the tenth anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, killing 65 and wounding at least 200.
New report on CIA: Rendition and torture on a global scale
By Jeff Lincoln, 20 March 2013
The US has utilized a global network of secret prisons, foreign intelligence agents, and interrogation and torture centers to send detainees to without any legal protections.
Into the maelstrom: The crisis of American imperialism and the war against Iraq
By David North, 20 March 2013
This report was delivered March 29, 2003 to the SEP conference “Socialism and the Struggle against Imperialism and War: The Strategy and Program of a New International Working Class Movement” in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Iraq War ten years on: A turning point for US imperialism
By Bill Van Auken and David North, 19 March 2013
This was a war of staggering criminality in both its planning and execution. It was a premeditated act of aggression launched on the basis of lies.
US to boost anti-ballistic missile systems in Asia Pacific
By Peter Symonds, 16 March 2013
The US is exploiting North Korea’s limited nuclear and missile capability to justify the build-up of anti-missile systems aimed primarily against China.
UN says US drone war in Pakistan violates international law
By Alex Lantier, 16 March 2013
According to the UN, the strikes launched by unmanned US drone aircraft in Pakistan are illegal.
US officials announce formation of offensive cyber war units
By Alex Lantier, 14 March 2013
US intelligence officials announced Tuesday that Washington is setting up military units to write destructive computer code to attack other countries.
Guardian/BBC report lays out US policy of torture, murder in Iraq
By Naomi Spencer, 12 March 2013
David Petraeus and other top US officials were involved in developing “El Salvador-style” death squads that tortured and murdered thousands in US-occupied Iraq.
The Obama administration’s persecution of Bradley Manning
By Naomi Spencer, 8 March 2013
The Obama administration intends to make an example out of the accused whistleblower.
Obama administration claims right to assassinate citizens within the US
By Joseph Kishore, 7 March 2013
The administration claims the power to order extrajudicial assassination of citizens within the US under undefined “extraordinary circumstances.”
Kerry steps up US war threats against Syria, Iran
By Chris Marsden, 6 March 2013
US Secretary of State John Kerry’s first tour of the Middle East has been the occasion for naked warmongering against Syria and Iran.
Washington steps up Africa intervention
By Bill Van Auken, 5 March 2013
The Obama administration is “markedly widening its role” in the French-led neo-colonial war in Mali.
Bradley Manning and the media
By Naomi Spencer, 2 March 2013
At Thursday’s hearing, Bradley Manning revealed this extraordinary fact: before sending files to WikiLeaks, he contacted both the Washington Post and the New York Times, but neither paper responded.
Washington escalates Syrian bloodbath
By Bill Van Auken, 1 March 2013
The decision announced by the new US secretary of state, John Kerry, to directly aid armed militias marks a major escalation of the US-backed bloodletting in Syria.
Bradley Manning pleads not guilty to “aiding the enemy” charge
By Naomi Spencer, 1 March 2013
In a statement in military court Thursday, accused whistleblower Bradley Manning admitted leaking government files, but pleaded not guilty to “aiding the enemy.”
US moves towards open arming of Syrian opposition
By Chris Marsden, 28 February 2013
In advance of today’s Friends of Syria meeting in Rome, US and Europe could begin openly providing arms to opposition forces in pursuit of regime-change.
US troops to Niger: A new stage in the scramble for Africa
By Bill Van Auken, 26 February 2013
With the deployment of US troops and drones to Niger, a new stage in the imperialist recolonization of Africa is now in progress.
Afghan regime accuses US forces of torturing, murdering civilians
By Alex Lantier, 25 February 2013
The Afghan government asked US Special Forces to leave Wardak and Logar provinces after reviewing reports that they tortured and murdered Afghan civilians.
US deploys troops, drones to Niger
By Barry Grey, 23 February 2013
The action announced by Obama marks a major escalation of the drive by the United States and the other imperialist powers to recolonize Africa and gain direct control of its strategic natural resources.
US blocks UN resolution condemning Damascus terror bombings
By Alex Lantier, 23 February 2013
US officials blocked a Russian-sponsored resolution at the UN Security Council condemning Thursday’s multiple terror bombings in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Obama administration denies Congress drone assassination memos
By Bill Van Auken, 22 February 2013
The administration has worked out a cynical strategy to keep the documents secret while assuring Senate confirmation of its nominee to head the CIA, John Brennan.
Massive car bomb hits Syrian capital, killing 53 and wounding 235
By Alex Lantier, 22 February 2013
Amid a wave of attacks on Syrian government facilities in Damascus, a massive car bomb hit a security checkpoint in the Mazraa neighborhood.
US uses hacking allegations to escalate threats against China
By Barry Grey, 21 February 2013
The anti-China propaganda offensive is part of an aggressive expansion of US military capabilities, both conventional and cyber-based.
Ten years since the global protests against war in Iraq
By Joseph Kishore, 20 February 2013
On the weekend of February 15-16, 2003, some 10 million people participated in coordinated anti-war protests in major cities of the world.
Brennan refuses to rule out drone assassinations within the US
By Tom Carter and Barry Grey, 19 February 2013
As Brennan’s written responses to the Senate Intelligence Committee underscore, behind the threadbare trappings of parliamentary democracy, the scaffolding of an American police state is well advanced.
US/NATO occupation of Afghanistan unravelling
By Harvey Thompson, 18 February 2013
The US-puppet Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai is facing an increase in attacks by insurgents as the US/NATO occupation continues to unravel.
As Obama touts end of Afghan war, US strike kills 10 civilians
By Bill Van Auken, 14 February 2013
A US airstrike in eastern Afghanistan Wednesday killed 10 civilians, including five children.
The Nation magazine and Obama’s assassination program
By David Walsh, 13 February 2013
The liberal-left downplays the threat to basic rights and expresses continued support for the Obama administration and the Democratic Party.
Pentagon chiefs reveal divisions over Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 12 February 2013
Tactical differences have emerged within the Obama administration over how best to prosecute its strategy for regime-change in Syria.
US to expand assassination program to northern Africa
By Joseph Kishore, 11 February 2013
Discussions over extending the “kill list” to northwest Africa are taking place, as the Obama administration and congressional leaders work to institutionalize the global policy of extra-judicial assassination.
The US drone assassination program and the threat of dictatorship
By Bill Van Auken, 9 February 2013
Thursday’s confirmation hearing for John Brennan, Obama’s nominee for CIA director, provided a spectacle of the disintegration of democratic rights in the United States.
Media covered up US assassination base in Saudi Arabia
By Joseph Kishore, 8 February 2013
At the request of the Obama administration, the New York Times, Washington Post and other media outlets concealed the location of the base, used to carry out drone assassinations.
Follow us on