Category: Foreign Policy

War & Peace on Mobile Bay: Springtime for Warships

Posted on by nickdupree

#USSMontgomery (#LCS 8) underway for builder’s trials @MadeinAL #MobileAL pic.twitter.com/231cl3HvvO — Austal USA (@Austal_USA) March 3, 2016 Mobile, Alabama. Pronunciation: MOH-BEAL I found the above photo posted March 3rd on Twitter under #MobileAL, and thought it striking. Uniquely illustrative of the America few actually see. The image of tranquil Mobile Bay, relatively sleepy downtown Mobile, … Continue reading “War & Peace on Mobile Bay: Springtime for Warships”

VP Biden Accidentally Suggests U.S.-Asia Influence Waning

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December 5th, 2013, Vice President of the U.S. (VOTUS) Joseph R. Biden, speaking to a conference room-full of PRC diplomats and dignitaries after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, made an accidentally revealing comment: The United States has a profound stake in what happens here, because we need—we are, and will remain—a Pacific power, diplomatically, economically, and … Continue reading “VP Biden Accidentally Suggests U.S.-Asia Influence Waning”

Did You Know? Imperialist Aggression and Exploitation: The History of U.S. – Latin American Relations

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With love and thanks to everyone who has made my current, first semester back to college (online) possible… The History of U.S. – Latin American Relations: An Overview Nicholas F. Dupree The history of U.S.-Latin American relations is a long and bloody one checkered by imperialist aggression and exploitation. The United States had a head … Continue reading “Did You Know? Imperialist Aggression and Exploitation: The History of U.S. – Latin American Relations”

U.S. Expat Professor From Benghazi Talks To Jon Stewart (a pro-intervention viewpoint)

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Everyone interested in understanding the current crisis in the Middle East should watch Jon Stewart’s conversation with Mansour O. El-Kikhia, a Benghazi-born professor who chairs the political science department at UT San Antonio. This is an important pro-intervention viewpoint to think about, though I differ in pivotal areas and OPPOSE American intervention in a third concurrent … Continue reading “U.S. Expat Professor From Benghazi Talks To Jon Stewart (a pro-intervention viewpoint)”

Video Blog: Islamic Center on Park Place: Guy in Neighborhood Responds

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I’m that guy in the neighborhood. Believe it or not, we live in an apartment only 6-8 blocks or so north of the disputed Park51 site, so this is about MY NEIGHBORHOOD and I feel I’m a direct stakeholder in this controversy, so I should weigh in. Knowledge of the neighborhood, and of the culture … Continue reading “Video Blog: Islamic Center on Park Place: Guy in Neighborhood Responds”

In-Depth Nick Analysis: Who Are The Basij? The Group That Stopped A New Iranian Revolution

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If you’re like me, you’ve been closely following reports of the attempts at “soft overthrow” by “Green Revolution” protesters clogging the streets in Iran (properly pronounced E-ron, though I admit even I mangle it frequently). Twitter, bloggers (Nico Pitney blogging at HuffPo, Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic) and various print news web sites (TIME, Reuters) … Continue reading “In-Depth Nick Analysis: Who Are The Basij? The Group That Stopped A New Iranian Revolution”

How Will Gender Imbalance Affect China’s Future?

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This topic occurred to me after reading Larry Kramer’s long rant in the Huffington Post claiming that because men outnumbered women 6 to 1 in the original Jamestown colony in 17th century America, that lots of gay sex had to be going on, and that historians are erasing gays from history out of homophobic bigotry.   … Continue reading “How Will Gender Imbalance Affect China’s Future?”

A Worthy Cause: Helping LGBT Iraqis Who Are Being Chased Down And Executed

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As I posted before, Iraq is now killing homosexuals at a startling rate, and since many can’t blend in, are forced into hiding.  And three safe houses have now closed for want of funding. PaulCanning forwards an urgent request from IRAQI LGBT: IRAQI LGBT started to establish a network of safe houses inside Iraq in … Continue reading “A Worthy Cause: Helping LGBT Iraqis Who Are Being Chased Down And Executed”

Understanding Pashtuns Critical To Avoiding Afghanistan Quagmire

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How is Obama’s Afghanistan plan supposed to work, when similar plans were EPIC FAIL for the Soviets, British, Alexander the Great and others? Former CIA Mideast operative Robert Baer (played by George Clooney in Syriana) writes in TIME Magazine: The Pashtun are a big, sprawling, insulated tribal people. There are some 40 million of them, … Continue reading “Understanding Pashtuns Critical To Avoiding Afghanistan Quagmire”

Arab League Embraces Sudan’s Genocidal Dictator

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Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is one the worst war criminals in recent history. His Janjaweed thugs have killed 300,000 people in Darfur, raped untold numbers, and caused over 2.5 million Darfuris to flee to perilous existences as refugees. Bashir makes Slobodan Milosovic (with an estimated 10,000 killed) look like small potatoes. Most recently, in response … Continue reading “Arab League Embraces Sudan’s Genocidal Dictator”

U.S. Prepares to Jettison Al-Maliki

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I saw this story the other day: By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer Wed Aug 22, 8:58 AM ET DAMASCUS, Syria – Iraq’s prime minister lashed out Wednesday at U.S. criticism, saying no one has the right to impose timetables on his elected government and that his country “can find friends elsewhere.” Prime Minister Nouri … Continue reading “U.S. Prepares to Jettison Al-Maliki”

This Day In History, U.S. Overthrows Iran Gov’t

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On this day, August 19, in 1953, the Americans and British overthrew the democratically-elected Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammed Mossadegh. Mossadegh ended (BP) British Petroleum’s monopoly over Iranian oil, and *gasp* nationalized their oil fields so that Iranians would benefit from their own resources. The Western powers, angry at being cut out of the oil … Continue reading “This Day In History, U.S. Overthrows Iran Gov’t”

Iraqi Jewish Woman Very Angry At War

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I found this on YouTube. It is testimony from Dahlia Wasfi, a physician with a Jewish mother (who fled the Nazis) and an Iraqi father, and she has done two long visits to Iraq recently to help during the war. This testimony is riveting. She is very angry, screen-melting angry, about America invading her country. … Continue reading “Iraqi Jewish Woman Very Angry At War”

New Newsweek Poll: Misinformed Population ALARMS Me!

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In a new Newsweek Poll first posted Saturday, 41% of Americans say Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was directly involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks . Thanks Dick Cheney! Thanks Rush Limbaugh! You are successfully duping a huge swath of the population. However this is down from 49%, a plurality, that believed this lie in … Continue reading “New Newsweek Poll: Misinformed Population ALARMS Me!”

Giving Your Money to Evil, Saddam-style Dictators

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I’ve been increasingly angry lately (nothing new) about how the Republicans want to slash aid to poor and disabled Americans because “we can’t afford it” but have no qualms whatsoever about funneling BILLIONS of our money to the worst evil dictators imaginable. Did you know we prop up the evil dictator in Ethiopia to the … Continue reading “Giving Your Money to Evil, Saddam-style Dictators”

Why The Global Shortage of Good Leaders?

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There is a very disturbing worldwide trend going on. In 1957 our president was Eisenhower and Israel’s PM was David Ben-Gurion. Say what you will about them, but they were competent. They weren’t bumblers or fools. In 2007 Israel is headed by the failed mayor of Jerusalem and the U.S. is run by the Clown … Continue reading “Why The Global Shortage of Good Leaders?”

Inexorable Cycle of History?

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“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” — Ecclesiastes 1:9-14I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Are the events shaping the U.S. just a part of an inexorable repeating cycle of history? In the 1920s the wealth inequality grew to … Continue reading “Inexorable Cycle of History?”

Latest From The Iraqi Front, April 2007

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I wanted to post a quick note of my thoughts on the developing (and rapidly changing) situation on the Iraqi front. Check out this story from the AP wire, Iraqi Insurgents Now Fighting Each Other. It describes how some of the Sunni insurgents are turning against al-Qaida: MUQDADIYAH, Iraq — At least two major insurgent … Continue reading “Latest From The Iraqi Front, April 2007”

What The U.S. Can Learn From “Lawrence of Arabia”

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In my post, Why did they create the new nation of Iraq? I discussed T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) and his vision of the Middle East’s borders after WWI, which would’ve amounted to the Shias getting their own state in the Mesopotamian Basin, a single state for most of the Sunnis of what are now … Continue reading “What The U.S. Can Learn From “Lawrence of Arabia””

Why did they create the new nation of Iraq? UPDATED

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After World War I destroyed the Ottoman Empire, why did the British decide to create the new nation of Iraq out of the 3 different Ottoman provinces? The British divvied up the Ottoman Empire’s holdings and created Iraq out of the three Ottoman “vilayets” (regions) of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. Why would they do this? … Continue reading “Why did they create the new nation of Iraq? UPDATED”

Of Continents and Subcontinents (animation by Nick)

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I whipped up this simple, amateur animation to make a point. India and Europe are roughly the same land area, but India is considered a subcontinent. Why is Arabia dubbed a “peninsula” and not a subcontinent? These are all pretty arbitrary designations based on little but cultural history. We forget that about 40% of humanity … Continue reading “Of Continents and Subcontinents (animation by Nick)”

George W. Bush Compares Iraq War To “First George W’s” Revolutionary War

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O Rly? At a President’s day celebration Tuesday, “President Bush linked the ideals of the first president to the war being fought by the 43rd” (full story here). This was so incredible, the disembodied spirit of George Washington ripped through the space-time continuum and said:

U.S. Foreign Policy In Deep Shi’ite

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U.S. Foreign Policy In Deep Shi’ite An in-depth analysis In 2007, the dominant news story will be the ongoing bloodshed in Iraq. War is also the dominant spiritual and moral issue of my generation. It’s impossible for me not to blog about this. The president has ordered a “surge,” or increase of 21,500 troops, which … Continue reading “U.S. Foreign Policy In Deep Shi’ite”

U.S. Foreign Policy Lumbers, Hobbles and Bleeds Into New Year

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U.S. Foreign Policy Lumbers, Hobbles and Bleeds Into New Year Thoughts on a “regional conflagration” in Iraq. Also, Israel in the spotlight Your foreign policy forecast for 2007: Iraq will be partly cloudy with a high chance of scattered shrapnel, and heavy sectarian bloodshed expected to the north, south, east and west of Baghdad. Earlier … Continue reading “U.S. Foreign Policy Lumbers, Hobbles and Bleeds Into New Year”

Freed Iraqi Shias Joining Forces With Iranian Military and Hezbollah

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“Liberated” Iraqis Free To Join Forces With Hezbollah Hezbollah and Iran Training Shia Militias In Iraq Poster from the Mahdi Army, the Iraqi Shiite militia led by Moktada al-Sadr (upper left). Hezbollah, under Iranian auspices, are training the Shiite Mahdi Army (seen above). How sweet and helpful of them. According to the New York Times … Continue reading “Freed Iraqi Shias Joining Forces With Iranian Military and Hezbollah”

Arab Monarchs To Bankroll Bush Library Institute For Democracy

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Arab Monarchs To Bankroll Bush Library Institute For Democracy OMG THE IRONY!!! In my last post, I showed the Administration snuggling up to evil Arab tyrants. Today, I see this from the New York Daily News: Bush sources with direct knowledge of library plans told the Daily News that SMU and Bush fund-raisers hope to … Continue reading “Arab Monarchs To Bankroll Bush Library Institute For Democracy”

Latest Mideast News: Dick Cheney Hugs Saudi Despot

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Latest Mideast News: Dick Cheney Hugs Saudi Despot So the Vice President of the United States went to Saudi Arabia yesterday for talks about stopping the Iraqi civil war and stabilizing the Mideast. It was all over the news. These images were all over the TV: Video here That’s right, Dick Cheney hugged Saudi Arabian … Continue reading “Latest Mideast News: Dick Cheney Hugs Saudi Despot”

Bush In Vietnam – The Irony Is Too Much

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Bush In Vietnam – The Irony Is Too Much The Irony Is Just Incredible In Vietnam, Bush cites lessons for Iraq, saying Vietnam war teaches us “we’ll succeed unless we quit.” WHAT?! You realize you’re sitting under a giant statue of Ho Chi Minh, right? You’re citing a non-example example? President Bush is in Vietnam … Continue reading “Bush In Vietnam – The Irony Is Too Much”

Former Sandinista Wins Nicaragua Presidency

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Former Sandinista Wins Nicaragua Presidency An Addendum To U.S. Vows To Punish Nicaragua For Elections As I reported in detail in the aforementioned post, the U.S. administration has recently been meddling in Nicaraguan affairs by openly supporting the Contra-type opponents of former Sandinista Daniel Ortega’s leading presidential bid, sending Oliver North to Nicaragua to stump … Continue reading “Former Sandinista Wins Nicaragua Presidency”