Page 177 – Toward Freedom

Trump’s Grand Plan: A Foreign Policy Strategy of Perpetual War

Michael Klare July 24, 2018 Michael Klare

The pundits and politicians generally take it for granted that President Trump lacks a coherent foreign policy. They believe that he acts solely out of spite, caprice, and political opportunism — lashing out at U.S. allies like Germany’s Angela Merkel and England’s Theresa May only to embrace authoritarian rulers like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. His instinctive rancor and impulsiveness seemed on full display during his recent trip to Europe, where he lambasted Merkel, undercut May, and then, in an extraordinary meeting with Putin, dismissed any concerns over Russian meddling in the 2016 American presidential election (before half-walking his own comments back). read more

People carry water tanks at the site of a Saudi-led air strike, north of Yemen’s capital Sanaa, March 8, 2018. (Reuters / Mohamed al-Sayaghi)

“God Knows If He’s Alive”: Report Sheds Light on US-Backed Atrocities in Yemen

Kathy Kelly July 24, 2018 Kathy Kelly

A new Amnesty International report documents the plight of dozens of families in southern Yemen whose loved ones have been tortured, killed, or forcibly disappeared by Yemeni security forces reporting to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition that, with vital US support, has been bombarding and blockading famine and disease-ravaged Yemen for three brutal years. The disappearances, and torture, can sadly be laid at the doorstep of the United States.

Given What the U.S. Has Done to the World, It Should Be Letting All Refugees In

Khury Peterson-Smith July 23, 2018 Khury Peterson-Smith

The U.S. is slamming the door on people forcibly displaced by American interventions. As with Central America, the United States is committing crimes in Yemen that force millions into desperate circumstances.

“I thank god I am alive”: standing firm against mineral extraction in South Africa

Jonathan Watts July 23, 2018 Jonathan Watts

Source: The Guardian

Nonhle Mbuthuma is battling for her community’s right to say no to the exploitation of their territory in a hangover of the apartheid era

As a child, Nonhle Mbuthuma would wake up in her family’s thatched hut listening to the waves crashing on South Africa’s Wild Coast , then go and play on the sand dunes, head off to school or help her parents cultivate sweet potatoes and bananas on the family plot.

Today, she can rarely stay in the same place for any length of time and is more likely to be keeping her ears alert to signs of danger. At times she needs bodyguards or goes into hiding. read more

Commandos Without Borders: The Global Growth of U.S. Special Operations Forces

Nick Turse July 23, 2018 Nick Turse

On any given day, more than 8,000 exceptionally well-equipped and well-funded special operators from a command numbering roughly 70,000 active-duty personnel, reservists, and National Guardsmen as well as civilians are deployed in approximately 90 countries.

Large mobilizations against fracking took place in 2014 in San Martin, Colombia. Photo credit: Ezperanza Proxima on Flickr

Colombians Determined Not to be Conned by ConocoPhillips’ Fracking Spin

Sian Cowman July 16, 2018 Sian Cowman

How ConocoPhillips is trying to manipulate locals in San Martín César, Colombia into accepting fracking.