Reference: Surrounding Iran – Updated with Pop-Up Info Boxes

Interactive: Map: US bases encircle Iran Dozens of US and allied forces’ military installations dot the region, from Oman, UAE and Kuwait to Turkey and Israel. Doha, Qatar – US military bases continue to form a strategic envelope around Iran, although the American withdrawal from Iraq at the end of 2011 may have changed the …

Chuck Spinney: Analysis of Cost of Neo-Con Idiocy on Iran

The attached essay by investigative journalist Robert Parry is an excellent — and important — summary of the trashing of the Iranian nuke deal in 2010. CS How Neocons Sank Iran Nuke Deal Exclusive: Iran is resuming talks over its nuclear program with leading international powers – the United States, Britain, Russia, China, France and …

Paul Craig Roberts: Washington Leads World Into Lawlessness

Washington Leads World Into Lawlessness The US government pretends to live under the rule of law, to respect human rights, and to provide freedom and democracy to citizens. Washington’s pretense and the stark reality are diametrically opposed. US government officials routinely criticize other governments for being undemocratic and for violating human rights. Yet, no other …

Berto Jongman: From the Daily Star, Perspective on the Arab Spring and USA

Being read in Europe. The counter-revolution is in full swing By Rami G. Khouri The Daily Star Lebanon, 11 April 2012 It is common for analysts in the Middle East and abroad to view most of the conflicts and tensions in our region through the lens of (take your pick) the Iranian-Saudi Arabian regional cold …

2012 Reality Sandwich: The Battle for the Soul of the Republic

The Battle for the Soul of the Republic Reality Sandwich, 10 April 2012 Robert David Steele Vivas The National Security Agency (NSA) mega-data center, combined with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) special relationship with Google, and the federalization of local police using Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funds to pay for monitoring both the locations …

Chuck Spinney: The Afghanistan Disaster Part I – When the War Comes Home

WEEKEND EDITION APRIL 6-8, 2012 Wait Till the War Really Comes Home The Afghan Disaster by FRANKLIN C. SPINNEY, Counterpunch The PR disasters over the last three months — including pictures of American troops urinating on Afghan corpses, the burning of Qurans, and the massacre of Afghan civilians, including women and children, by at least one …