US Militarism
G8 calls for peace talks to provide cover for US war preparations against Syria
By Chris Marsden, 19 June 2013
While the G8 summit formally agreed to peace negotiations in Geneva next month, behind the scenes the US is making plans for a no-fly zone in Syria.
No to war in Syria!
By Bill Van Auken, 18 June 2013
The Obama administration’s military intervention in Syria in pursuit of geostrategic goals constitutes a wholly criminal act of aggression.
G8 summit rent by divisions over Syria
By Chris Marsden, 18 June 2013
Relations between Russia and Britain have become overtly hostile, with Russia making clear that its response to the US arming the Syrian opposition would be to continue arming the Assad regime.
US inflames sectarian tensions to escalate war in Syria
By Johannes Stern and Alex Lantier, 17 June 2013
With their proxy forces facing defeat within Syria, US and European officials are calling for an escalation of the imperialist war for regime-change.
Obama moves to escalate Syrian slaughter
By Bill Van Auken, 15 June 2013
For the second time in a decade, the White House, the Congress, both major parties and the media are seeking to drag the American people into a war based on lies.
Pretext for a new war: Obama lies about Syrian chemical weapons
By Peter Symonds, 14 June 2013
The bogus claims about the use of sarin nerve gas will be used by the US to justify its arming right-wing Islamist proxies in Syria and for military intervention.
Turkey, Syria and the hypocrisy of US imperialism
By Bill Van Auken, 14 June 2013
The social upheavals in Turkey, arguably Washington’s most important regional ally, have torn to shreds the phony democratic pretenses and exposed the hypocrisy of US policy in the region.
Snowden defends actions as Obama administration pushes for prosecution of whistleblower
By Thomas Gaist, 14 June 2013
FBI director Robert Mueller pledged to take “all necessary steps” to go after Snowden, as the former intelligence employee said from Hong Kong: “I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality.”
Liberal advocates of a police state turn savagely against Edward Snowden
By David North and Eric London, 14 June 2013
Since Edward Snowden’s exposure of the Obama administration’s domestic and international surveillance program, the political establishment and the media have been engaged in a non-stop campaign to discredit the young man and besmirch his character.
Defend Edward Snowden!
13 June 2013
The World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Party call on all workers, students and youth within the United States and internationally to come to the defense of Edward Snowden.
Obama administration officials, guilty of perjury, defend spy program
By Thomas Gaist, 13 June 2013
The Obama administration has responded to the revelations of massive and unconstitutional spying operations, exposed in leaks by former intelligence employee Edward Snowden, with a campaign of lies, threats and intimidation.
US-backed “rebels” carry out sectarian massacre in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 13 June 2013
At least 60 people, including women, children and elderly people, were killed in a massacre of Shia Muslims by US-backed Syrian “rebels.”
White House convenes meetings on Syria escalation
By Bill Van Auken, 11 June 2013
The Obama White House is convening meetings this week to discuss measures to escalate the US-backed war for regime-change in Syria.
What Edward Snowden has revealed
By Joseph Kishore, 11 June 2013
The World Socialist Web Site calls on workers around the world to come to the defense of Edward Snowden, who is the subject of a ferocious assault by the American state.
Obama administration initiates criminal prosecution of NSA whistleblower
By Thomas Gaist, 11 June 2013
Representatives of the US establishment demanded swift action to punish the man responsible for leaks detailing the government’s massive surveillance program.
NSA whistleblower reveals identity, exposes US government’s “architecture of oppression”
By Thomas Gaist, 10 June 2013
Former CIA administrator Edward Snowden has come forward as the source of recent leaks detailing massive spying by the US government.
Who rules America?
By Barry Grey, 10 June 2013
The Obama administration embodies the consolidation of power by the military and the CIA in alliance with the financial elite.
Obama ordered planning for cyberwarfare first strike
By Patrick Martin, 10 June 2013
The US government is preparing for aggressive cyberwarfare action, both abroad and at home.
US drone strikes kill dozens in Yemen, Pakistan
By Niles Williamson, 10 June 2013
As many as 25 people have been killed in four separate US drone missile attacks in the two-and-a-half weeks since President Barack Obama’s policy speech at the National Defense University.
US, Chinese presidents hold two-day discussion in California
By Joseph Santolan, 8 June 2013
Washington is ratcheting up the pressure on Beijing, demanding significant economic and geo-strategic concessions.
US Sgt. Robert Bales pleads guilty in Kandahar massacre
By Richard Vargas, 8 June 2013
Staff Sergeant Robert Bales pled guilty to nearly all charges in the 2011 massacre, which left 16 Afghan civilians dead and six injured.
US threatens Iran, Hezbollah for backing Syria
By Chris Marsden, 7 June 2013
Washington has threatened Iran and the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah as “partners in tyranny” for their support of the Assad regime in Syria.
Once again, on the filthiness of the makers of Zero Dark Thirty
By David Walsh, 7 June 2013
A leaked government report reveals that Zero Dark Thirty screenwriter Mark Boal attended a CIA awards ceremony in June 2011.
US government charges Manning with “aiding the enemy” in court martial
By Naomi Spencer, 5 June 2013
The ongoing Army court martial of Private Bradley Manning is a crude political frame-up.
Syria: UN report reveals opposition crimes as imperialist powers push for intervention
By Johannes Stern, 5 June 2013
A new UN report sheds light on the increasing brutality of the Syrian war, which threatens to trigger a major international war.
Former CIA head David Petraeus joins buyout firm
By Andre Damon, 5 June 2013
KKR, the giant leveraged buyout firm, has hired General David Petraeus, the former director of the CIA and head of US combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bradley Manning’s court martial begins
By Naomi Spencer, 4 June 2013
After 1,100 days in prison, Army private Bradley Manning faced a military court martial Monday. Day one of the trial was characterized by government secrecy, vindictiveness, and lies.
The state killing of Ibragim Todashev
By Tom Carter, 3 June 2013
On May 22, a key witness in relation to the Boston bombings was killed by an FBI agent in his residence in Florida.
US defence secretary outlines military build-up in Asia
By Peter Symonds, 3 June 2013
Obama’s “pivot” involves strengthening US military ties, as well as restructuring military forces, throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
Syrian opposition fighters arrested with chemical weapons
By Bill Van Auken, 1 June 2013
Initial Turkish press reports said that members of the Al Nusra Front were found with sarin gas, while subsequent official statements referred to unidentified chemical materials.
Obama’s attorney general admits approving search warrant for news reporter
By Eric London, 31 May 2013
US Attorney General Eric Holder personally approved the Obama administration’s secret effort to seize email records of Fox News reporter James Rosen in 2010.
Imperialism, Syria, and the threat of world war
By Alex Lantier, 31 May 2013
As Washington and its allies escalate their proxy war to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the conflict is on the brink of triggering a major international war.
First US drone strike in Pakistan since Obama’s drone speech kills seven
By Niles Williamson, 30 May 2013
On Wednesday the US launched a drone strike in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region that killed at least seven people.
Imperialist powers threaten to escalate intervention as Assad beats back opposition
By Johannes Stern, 30 May 2013
Plans for so-called “peace talks” on the Syrian war have broken down, as the Syrian army and its regional allies beat back US-backed Sunni Islamist opposition forces.
Syria escalation poses growing risk of regional war
By Bill Van Auken, 29 May 2013
In the wake of the European Union’s vote to lift a ban on directly arming Western-backed “rebels,” there is a mounting threat of a wider conflagration.
The war on terror and the fate of US democracy
By Joseph Kishore, 28 May 2013
The speech delivered by President Barack Obama at the National Defense University in Washington, DC last week revealed not only the crisis of the Obama administration, but a crisis of class rule.
US, EU poised to escalate intervention as Syrian war spreads to Lebanon
By Thomas Gaist, 27 May 2013
The spread of fighting from Syria to Lebanon and growing US and European efforts to arm the Syrian opposition point to looming region-wide conflagration.
US and allies step up war preparations against Syria, Lebanon, Iran
By Chris Marsden, 25 May 2013
The United States and its allies continue to escalate their military aggression against Syria, behind the smokescreen of a proposed international peace conference scheduled for June in Geneva.
Traumatic brain injuries increase risk of veteran suicides
By John Marion, 25 May 2013
In 2012, 349 US military personnel killed themselves, compared to less than 300 who died in battle in Afghanistan.
Obama offers tortured defense of targeted killings
By Joseph Kishore, 24 May 2013
Obama defended drone killings, while essentially acknowledging their illegality and the illegality of much of what the US government has done over the past decade.
Behind Syria peace talks proposal, US prepares regional war
By Bill Van Auken, 23 May 2013
While touring the Middle East ostensibly to discuss joint US-Russian peace talks on Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry met with US allies to prepare for region-wide war.
Israel, US threaten war with Syria as sectarian fighting spreads across region
By Alex Lantier, 22 May 2013
Israeli and Syrian forces exchanged fire in the Golan Heights yesterday, amid rising US and Israeli threats of direct intervention in the US-led proxy war in Syria.
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.
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