Category Archives: U.S. policy

World poised on post-Soleimani knife-edge. Possible off-ramp emerges?

Helena · 9:24 pm · 01/06/2020 · Gulf balance, Iran, Iraq, U.S. military, U.S. policy

With the decision he made late January 2 to kill the head of the Iranian “Qods Force”, Lt.-Gen Qasem al-Soleimani, Pres. Donald Trump set the United States on a course to an upheaval– certainly political and possibly also military– of truly global impact. The first reverberations of the heightened U.S.-Iran tensions have already been felt … Continue reading World poised on post-Soleimani knife-edge. Possible off-ramp emerges? →

New piece on Syria & how the Washington ‘Blob’ still works to punish it

Helena · 9:04 pm · 12/19/2019 · Human rights, Syria, Transitional Justice, U.S. policy, War-crimes courts

Earlier today, I published a new piece over at Medium, on how both wings of the bellophilic Washington “blob” are still working to punish and isolate the Syrian government, rather than providing real support to the peace/reform negotiations that have been (creakingly) underway in Geneva since October 30. (By “both wings”, I mean leaderships of … Continue reading New piece on Syria & how the Washington ‘Blob’ still works to punish it →

What do Paul Wolfowitz, Dan Kurtzer, Aaron Miller, and Prince Andrew have in common?

Helena · 8:26 pm · 11/26/2019 · Human rights, International law, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, U.S. policy

These four  privileged older white guys have all sought (and been granted) exposure in the corporate media recently. Paul Wolfowitz, one of the prime architects and advocates of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, was given this fine platform on the NYT’s opinion page in order to criticize Pres. Trump’s recent decision to withdraw (or late, … Continue reading What do Paul Wolfowitz, Dan Kurtzer, Aaron Miller, and Prince Andrew have in common? →

U.S. forces (and policy) in Syria head south

Helena · 2:53 pm · 10/14/2019 · Russia, Syria, Turkey, U.S. policy

Washington, DC — It took less than a week after President Trump announced the summary withdrawal of the tripwire U.S. force deployed in northeast Syria alongside the Kurdish-dominated “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDF), before the SDF concluded a new alliance with the Syrian government. What happened between, of course, was the large-scale incursion of Turkish forces into the … Continue reading U.S. forces (and policy) in Syria head south →

WaPo’s Ignatius gets “mugged by reality” on Iran

Helena · 2:44 pm · 09/20/2019 · Ethics, Gulf balance, Iran, Strategic thinking, U.S. military, U.S. policy

The Washington Post’s David Ignatius had a column in today’s paper that gave a muddled, fairly escalatory take on the continuing crisis in the Persian Gulf between the Iranian government and the forces lined up against it. His lede (intro) is fairly straightforward: It’s a good rule never to start a fight you’re not eager … Continue reading WaPo’s Ignatius gets “mugged by reality” on Iran →

The Dogs of War That Have Not Barked

Helena · 9:20 pm · 08/20/2019 · Gulf balance, Iran, U.S. military, U.S. policy

In May, President Donald J. Trump rolled out his policy of “maximum pressure” designed to force Tehran to concede to far-reaching demands. He tightened U.S. sanctions against Iran considerably and ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and numerous other military units deployed to (or toward) the Persian Gulf. Then-especially after Iran shot down a large U.S. Navy drone in late June-the world braced for a showdown.

On “Humanitarian Intervention”

Helena · 4:34 pm · 08/08/2019 · Ethics, Humanitarian Intervention, U.S. policy, War

I am old enough to remember when a “humanitarian intervention” meant organizing collections of food and blankets to send to distant communities in distress. Heck, in my elementary school in England we knitted little 6-inch squares to make up such blankets: they were taken away, sewn together, and delivered to the Red Cross by the … Continue reading On “Humanitarian Intervention” →

Suez, Iran, and the perils of imperial over-reach

Helena · 5:26 pm · 06/21/2019 · Imperialisms, Iran, U.S. policy, War, World order

  Sixty-three years ago, a (possibly amphetamine-addled) British Prime Minister, Anthony Eden, launched a military attack against a Middle Eastern country with the goal of provoking unrest that would topple its troublesome leader. Eden had conspired with others to create the pretext for the military attack. In the last days of October 1956, they swung … Continue reading Suez, Iran, and the perils of imperial over-reach →