A Nonprofit, Reader-Supported News Organization
There’s a rush to judgment about who shot down Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. That’s clearly dangerous with Ukraine a flashpoint in what appears to be turning into a new Cold War. Here are some things to think about as we try to separate fact from speculation and even outright fiction.
Libya is sliding back into chaos. The escalating violence prompted the U.S. to evacuate its embassy, and European countries are urging their citizens to flee. We hate to say it, but it looks like deja vu all over again for another failed military intervention by the West. If you want to understand what motives are in play now, read on for a look back at the real reasons behind Qaddafi’s overthrow.
The noisy fight over Secretary of State John Kerry’s testimony about the Benghazi attack tells us the one thing we know about the 2012 attack that killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stephens and three others: we’re no closer to the truth. And that’s not likely to change, even with a fifth Congressional probe on the way.
In the drama over who controls Ukraine, Americans know exactly which side we are on. Or do we?
The debate over who was responsible for the attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, rages on. But the partisan noise appears to be obscuring a much more interesting possibility. Not to mention more troubling.
America and its allies appear about to launch a war against Syria. The justification is that the regime of Bashar al-Assad is using chemical weapons against the Syrian people. But a closer look raises doubts about whether Assad is using the weapons, whether the US-backed opposition is using them—or some combination. This is a timely must-read.
As we have been reporting over the past 18 months, the Obama Administration has had a very frustrating time inventing reasons to invade Syria or otherwise topple the independent-minded Assad regime. It seemed Bush-style “Curveball” inventions were out of vogue. But good news: they’re back, under a Democrat. And the real motivations—why, those are none of your business.
Weird just keeps getting weirder. A close read of the New York Times’s profile of a mysterious top Obama speechwriter and advisor raises questions about the media, the presidency, and power itself.
It’s the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, and, as usual, the media are making all the right sounds about what they got wrong. But the truth is that they almost always get the big things wrong—and deliberately ignore or ostracize those who break from the pack. Here are some things that the media could have, should have, been able to do in informing the public what was coming with Iraq—and why. And not to toot our horn too vigorously–we did them.
Why is torching a police kiosk an admirable thing in Syria but cause for consternation in the United States? Why is protest against corrupt central power in one country a good thing—and something to be dismissed in another? WhoWhatWhy asks….WhyWhyWhy
The fiscal crisis offers ample opportunities for finger-pointing. Let’s be sure we’re not using it simply to advance an agenda, and try to keep our eye on those who (almost) always get their way.
Trying to understand the story of the Algerian hostage crisis? French (and soon US) intervention in neighboring Mali creeping onto your radar? A trip through some baffling landscape reveals some familiar landmarks.