Is America Addicted to War?

By Stephen M. Walt

Here are my Top 5 Reasons Why America Keeps Fighting Foolish Wars: Continue

---

America's Costliest War

By William Hartung

The tax dollars being spent on Afghanistan are enough to offset the $100 billion per year that House Republicans are seeking to cut from next year's budget, or enough to fill the projected budget gaps of the 44 states that expect to run deficits in 2012. Continue

---

The Obama Disaster, at Home and Abroad

By Glen Ford

There is nothing left of Obama, except the “moderate Republicrat corporate lawyer” that he has always been. He refuses to fight in the people’s interest, because he is not interested in the people – only in his foolish dream of a grand alliance with the GOP in service of Wall Street. Continue

---

Gambling With The Planet

By Joseph E Stiglitz

Japan's disaster and the global recession provide stark lessons on societies' failure to manage risks, economist says. Continue

---

Greed is Not a Virtue

By David Korten

Profit-centered market fundamentalism has become a national religion. Continue

---

The Peasants Need Pitchforks

By Robert Scheer

The delusion of a classless America in which opportunity is equally distributed is the most effective deception perpetrated by the moneyed elite that controls all the key levers of power in what passes for our democracy. Continue

---

UN refugee chief voices deep shock after more than 200 migrants drown off Italy: Media reports indicate that 213 people, including many Somalis, Eritreans and Ivorians, died this morning after the boat in which they were travelling experienced difficulties in rough seas near the Italian island of Lampedusa. The boat had left Libya three days ago.
Libyans shooting Sub-Saharan African refugees seeking to escape war-torn country: report: A Rome-based Eritrean priest, Father Mussie Zerai, told the paper that according to his contacts in Tripoli the bodies of sub-Saharan refugees who sought to flee Libya by boats were found washed back ashore with gunshot wounds.
Two people killed in Misrata shelling - "rebel:" Two people were killed and 26 injured in shelling by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in the besieged city of Misrata on Tuesday, a rebel said.
NATO Escalates Campaign Over Libya as "Rebels" Criticize Mission: NATO escalated its air campaign over Libya a day after a rebel commander criticized the alliance for not doing enough to stop artillery attacks by Muammar Qaddafi’s forces that pushed rebels into retreat. Britain said it has committed four additional Typhoon combat jets to the NATO mission.
Russia warns NATO against military help for Libyan rebels: - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday warned NATO against arming Libyan rebels, according to the news agency Interfax. 'That would break the UN resolution,' Lavrov said
Russia warns against new UN approval on use of force : "We would not like the Security Council to decide on anything like that again, and we would like the text to be as specific as possible on who will use military force and how it will be used," Lavrov was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.
U.S. to suggest Gadhafi to become honorary chairman of African Union: Former U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon said he is set to meet with Moammar Gadhafi . Weldon said that in addition to Gadhafi stepping down, he is proposing a cease-fire on both sides; a withdrawal of government forces from key cities; no further advances by rebel forces; a joint interim government run by Libya's current prime minister and the an opposition leader
US, NATO allies join scramble for Libya’s oil: A US delegation arrived in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Tuesday for talks with the Transitional National Council, the political arm of the so-called rebels fighting against the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Afghan, foreign troops kill more than 130 "insurgents" - governor: The governor of Kunar province, told Reuters the week-long air and ground assaults had focused on two districts which the Taliban had taken over.
7 rebels killed in eastern Afghanistan: "A group of militants carried out a rocket attack against Jalalabad airport at around 11:30 p.m. (local time) but security forces rushed to the site of the attack and encountered the militants, as a result seven militants had been killed," Ahmad Zia Abdulzai told Xinhua.
3 helicopters destroyed in attack on Jalalabad airport, 9 killed: Taliban: Witnesses from the area say that 9 invaders were killed, 7 seriously wounded besides of 3 helicopters and 8 military vehicles destroyed due to heavy arms fire. It is said that 3 Mujahideen were also martyred, after the invaders bombed the surrounding areas. (Taliban website)
UK troops kill 3 Afghans in car accident, shooting - police: British troops killed two Afghan civilians in a car accident in western Kabul and shot dead a third man when local people tried to prevent them leaving the scene of the accident, a spokesman for the Kabul Police Chief said.
US lawmakers reject upbeat government assessment of progress in Afghanistan: Democratic Rep. Gary Ackerman said: "After hearing the same sales pitch for 10 years, I doubt it."
Tensions run high in Yemen as 19 killed: Police shot dead two people in the Red Sea city of Hudaydah in overnight protests over the killings of 17 demonstrators earlier the same day in Taez, south of the capital.
No plans to suspend military aid to Yemen: US: Asked at a news conference if the US administration was considering withholding military aid due to unrest and violence against demonstrators, press secretary Geoff Morrell said: "As far as I know, it has not been (considered)."
Protesters flood the streets in Yemen’s second city in ongoing defiance of government: Defying a deadly government crackdown, tens of thousands of protesters on Wednesday poured into the streets of Yemen’s second largest city in the latest demonstrations against the long serving president.
Bahrain police trying to run over protesters: Video
Iranian MPs condemn Saudi Arabia's military intervention into Bahrain: Iranian members of parliament signed a declaration to condemn Saudi Arabia’s dispatching troops to Bahrain, IRNA reported on Wednesday
Saudi official says Iranian MPs' rant is threatening: Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti lawmaker has called upon the foreign ministry to expel the Iranian Charge d'Affaires and sever diplomatic ties with Iran.
At least 3 killed in suicide bombing in northern Iraq: At least three people were killed and some 10 others wounded in a suicide bomb attack at a town in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh on Tuesday, a provincial police source said.
2 Fort Hood soldiers killed in Iraq attack: Two soldiers assigned to Fort Hood have been killed in combat in Iraq.
Ouattara forces attack Gbagbo bunker in Ivory Coast: "The fighting is terrible here, the explosions are so heavy my building is shaking," Alfred Kouassi, who lives near Gbagbo's residence in the commercial capital Abidjan, told Reuters
Gbagbo’s Generals Hand Weapons Over to the UN: The Generals in charge of forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo have telephoned the UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire to signal that they intend to hand over their weapons.
Sudan accuses Israel of air attack: Sudan accused Israel Wednesday of being behind an air strike against a car driving along the coast the night before, in a case believed to involve weapons smuggling to the resistance movement in Gaza.
Stranger than fiction? U.S. committed to ending anti-Israel bias on UN council, envoy says: U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice defends America's membership on Human Rights Council, declaring: U.S. retreat would embolden nations that unfairly ostracize Israel.
Japan No 2 core melted through reactor vessel: Rep. Markey: - The core at Japan's Fukushima nuclear reactor has melted through the reactor pressure vessel, Democratic Congressman Edward Markey told a hearing on the nuclear disaster on Wednesday.
Nitrogen Injected at Nuclear Plant to Head Off Possible Blast: Japan’s nuclear regulatory agency, which confirmed early Thursday morning that the injections had just started, said the operation was aimed at reducing the risk of an explosion from hydrogen gas that might be building up in the plant’s No. 1 reactor.
Fukushima: A Nuclear Threat to Japan, the U.S. and the World: A confidential assessment by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission obtained by The New York Times suggests that the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant is far from stable.
U.S. Sees Array of New Threats at Japan’s Nuclear Plant: The ejection of nuclear material, which may have occurred during one of the earlier hydrogen explosions, may indicate more extensive damage to the extremely radioactive pools than previously disclosed.
US general voices concern over Iran-Venezuela ties: "My concern, as I look at it, is the fact that there are flights between Iran and Venezuela on a weekly basis, and visas are not required for entrance into Venezuela or Bolivia or Nicaragua," said General Douglas Fraser, head of the US Southern Command.
US has infiltrated Ecuador's police: military: President Rafael Correa has charged the United States with infiltrating Ecuador's armed forces and police, shortly after he ordered the US ambassador out of the country over a leaked Wikileaks diplomatic cable.
Gitmo ‘torture’ doc now in the hot seat: The practices of a New York-licensed psychologist will be reviewed by a state Supreme Court judge today, after he was accused of creating U.S. interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay that some decry as torture.
ABC News Reporter Served As FBI Informant: In the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, ABC News received a tip that Iraq was behind the terrorist attack. The FBI got the ABC reporter to reveal their source, and proceeded to add them to the bureau’s informant database.
Troops Won't Receive Paycheck if Government Shuts Down: Soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan will not receive paychecks next week if the government fails to come together on a resolution to keep the government funded and avert a shutdown, senior government officials said today.
Gov. Rick Scott orders immediate cuts to programs for disabled: Florida Gov. Rick Scott ordered deep cuts Thursday to programs that serve tens of thousands of residents with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and other developmental disabilities.