In The News

Will US-Taliban Deal End the War? New York Times

Laurel Miller February 19, 2020
The Taliban’s ongoing fierce attacks in Afghanistan have blocked efforts at peace. US and Taliban negotiators approach a deal. The conditions are minimal with a brief ceasefire. The Taliban expects US troops to withdraw troops and the US does not want Afghanistan to be used by transnational terrorists. The Taliban have demonstrated the extent to which they will fight for a state with Islamic...

World Watches Moves by India: Frontline

Anando Bhakto February 18, 2020
Global leaders are speaking out about India’s unilateral action ending semi-autonomous status for Jammu and Kashmir. The European Parliament has tabled a resolution criticizing the move until March, giving time for India’s courts to offer a resolution, and a US congressional panel is reviewing reports on Kashmir. In addition, six resolutions, also tabled, have criticized the Citizenship...

Global Defense Spending on Rise: BBC

Jonathan Marcus February 14, 2020
Global defense spending swells with low interest rates, easy borrowing and technological advancements. Military spending for 2019 rose 4 percent over 2018, reports BBC News. The International Institute for Strategic Studies released the figures. “In both the US and China defence spending increased by 6.6% in 2019, though the rate of growth is accelerating in the US, while it is slowing in China...

US-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement: Diplomat

Prashanth Parameswaran February 14, 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced he delivered notice of ending the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States, triggering a 180-day waiting period. Duterte expressed concern about visa revocation of an official who ran that country’s harsh crackdown on illegal drugs. The two countries have been allies since 1951 under the Mutual Defense Treaty, and ending the agreement that...

US Intelligence Coup: Washington Post

Greg Miller February 12, 2020
Swiss Encryption company Crypto AG began working for the US government during World War II. Customers included 120 countries, including US allies that had no clue the company was “secretly owned by the CIA in a highly classified partnership with West German intelligence,” reports Greg Miller for the Washington Post. The purchase was made in 1970 through shell companies. The intelligence agencies...

Murders at Monarch Sanctuary: Common Dreams

Julia Conley February 5, 2020
The murder of two activists dedicated to protecting monarch butterflies has turned attention to illegal logging in Mexico. “El Rosario sanctuary provides a home for millions of migrating monarch butterflies each year and draws thousands of tourists annually,” reports Julia Conley for Common Dreams. “But the reserve has also drawn the ire of illegal loggers in Mexico, who are banned from cutting...

Deported to Danger: Human Rights Watch

Elizabeth G. Kennedy and Alison Parker February 5, 2020
Many immigrants flee abuse, gang recruitment and crime in their homelands, yet no government, UN or nonprofit agency monitors what happens to El Salvadoran immigrants after deportation. Human Rights Watch researched court cases and press reports to document brutal deaths of 138 immigrants deported from the United States to El Salvador since 2013, along with abuse and torture of more than 70...