Stephen Lendman's blog

Washington Targets Syria and Iran

by Stephen Lendman

US policies threaten both nations. Doing so imperils the region and beyond. Syria's now in focus. Iran's turn awaits. 

What's likely should terrify everyone wanting America's imperium defeated and peace restored. Doing so remains a distant dream. Potential worst of times loom.

Tortured in Sinai, Imprisoned in Israel

by Stephen Lendman

A new Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-I) report is titled "Tortured in Sinai, Jailed in Israel." More on it below.

Bolivarianism Wins Big

by Stephen Lendman

For millions in Venezuela, the region and beyond, Chavez is bigger than life. He's heroic. 

He's important to sustain Bolivarian values. He's a legend in his own time. He's a role model for other leaders. 

Islamofascist Killers Threaten Syria

by Stephen Lendman

They're merciless cutthroat murderers. They commit grotesque atrocities. Torture, beheadings, and other monstrous savagery are all in a day's work.

They're Washington favorites. They're recruited, heavily armed, trained, funded and directed in all US regional wars. Ronald Reagan called earlier equivalents "freedom fighters." Some got White House visits. 

Premeditated Israeli Violence

by Stephen Lendman

Merriam-Webster calls a police state "a political unit characterized by repressive governmental control of political, economic, and social life usually by an arbitrary exercise of power by police and especially secret police in place of regular operation of administrative and judicial organs of the government according to publicly known legal procedures."

Gun Violence in America

by Stephen Lendman

US civilian gun ownership is the highest worldwide. Yemen ranks second. America doubles the Yemeni level.

Gun related violence follows. In America it's endemic. In Chicago alone, gun-related deaths exceed one a day. More Chicagoans are shot and killed than US forces in Afghanistan by any means.

Israel's Lieberman Resigns

by Stephen Lendman

Lieberman and Netanyahu represent the worst of extremist governance. They're hardcore racists. They're ideologically anti-democratic. 

They believe Israel has a divine right to persecute, torture, commit naked aggression, and dominate the region unchallenged.

Complex Chavez Recovery

by Stephen Lendman

Major surgery for any reason is daunting. Imagine four times in 18 months for the same illness. On December 11, Chavez underwent it to remove cancerous tissue.

Malignancy reappeared weeks after examination revealed he was cancer free. Post-surgical chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatment now follows. 

Holding Israel Accountable

by Stephen Lendman

For decades, world leaders let Israel get away with murder. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said enough is enough. It wants Israeli officials held accountable.

Propaganda War on Syria Rages

by Stephen Lendman

Propaganda wars precede hot ones. Conflicts and other forms of violence are glorified in the name of peace. Doublespeak duplicity claim it. Wars are waged to prevent it. 

Ongoing ones assure more ahead. Unconscionable death counts rise. America, Israel, key NATO partners, and regional allies bear full responsibility. Humanity hangs in the balance.

Waging War on US Workers

by Stephen Lendman

America's war on workers dates from the 19th century. Labor learned the hard way what it takes to win. 

It requires organizing, pressing demands, taking to the streets, going on strike, holding boycotts, battling police and National Guard forces supporting management, as wells paying with blood and lives to get results.

America and Israel Wage War on Humanity

by Stephen Lendman

America's longstanding policy is permanent war. It's the only nation ever to wage them ever year in its history abroad and/or at home.

Multiple direct and proxy wars rage now. Obama plans more. He's a war criminal multiple times over. 

Uncertainty about Chavez's Health

by Stephen Lendman

On December 8, Chavez announced he'll return to Cuba. More surgery is needed. It'll be his fourth for cancer. Tests after his October reelection found no reoccurrence. 

Syria: Tightening the Noose

by Stephen Lendman

Since conflict erupted last year, Washington, other NATO states, and regional allies recruited, armed, funded, trained and directed Syrian insurgents. 

Lawsuits for Information on Drones

by Stephen Lendman

Drones are increasingly becoming America's weapon of choice. They're used to kill and spy. Domestic warrantless surveillance is illegal. 

It's done extrajudicially on a regular basis. By around 2020, eyes in the sky spying will cover America. Fourth Amendment freedoms are null and void. It states:

Syria Boils

by Stephen Lendman

News from Syria is grim. Libya 2.0 looms. Fabricating a chemical weapons threat looks like pretext for full-scale war.

Abbas: Betrayal Pays Well

by Stephen Lendman

In 2003, Forbes magazine estimated Yasser Arafat's wealth at about $300 million. No verifying source was listed. Fatah was notoriously corrupt. It still is today. 

Its finances are a black hole. Bribes, foreign aid, secret investments, hidden bank accounts, slush funds, and other ill-gotten gains define them.

Preemptive Strike on Syria Looms

by Stephen Lendman

Washington planned war on Syria years ago. Only its timing and methodology remained to be decided. 

US administrations want all independent governments replaced by pro-Western puppet regimes. War is the bottom line option when other methods fail.

Netanyahu Mocks Legitimate Governance

by Stephen Lendman

Netanyahu never met a non-Jew he considered equal, a peace plan he didn't spurn, a law he didn't violate, or truth he didn't turn on its head.

He reveals Israel's true face. He's contemptuous of Palestinians, other Arabs, and Iranians. He considers them subhuman enemies. More on his latest outburst below. 

NATO Intervention in Syria Imminent

by Stephen Lendman

On December 7, Voice of Russia (VoR) headlined: "Iraq 2.0, another false-flag invasion rated XXX," saying:

Hamas Commemorates 25th Anniversary

by Stephen Lendman

On Friday, Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Khaled Meshal arrived in Gaza. It was his first time in Palestine in decades. 

At age 11, his family fled after Israel's Six Day War. In 1975, he returned briefly. 

Obama Plans African Wars

by Stephen Lendman

Obama's warmaking appetite exceeds all his predecessors and then some. He's already waging multiple direct and proxy wars. 

His rhetoric about winding them down rings hollow. He wants to make the most of the next four years. 

Raising Money for Killers

by Stephen Lendman

Imagine holding a fundraiser for murder, destruction, and occupation viciousness. 

On December 6, Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FIDF) held their annual gala in Los Angeles. Guests annually include high-ranking Israeli military and government officials. Well-known Americans attend.

Middle East on the Boil

by Stephen Lendman

Call it the curse of oil and gas. Countries with large and smaller reserves are affected. So are some with few or perhaps none. Living in a targeted neighborhood is challenging. Independent governments are most vulnerable.

Netanyahu's Israel

by Stephen Lendman

He's made Israel more unfit to live in than any of his predecessors. Palestinians have no rights whatever. Israeli Arabs have few. Most Jews are losing theirs incrementally.

Neoliberal harshness plans destroying Israel's safety net entirely. Budget cuts target housing, healthcare, education, employment and welfare. 

Corruption in Israel

by Stephen Lendman

Israel ranks among the world's most ruthless states. It qualifies for rogue state status. 

It spurns the UN Charter, major treaties, and other international law. It violates its own. It gets away with murder because world leaders mattering most do nothing.

Israel: Heading for a Political Cliff?

by Stephen Lendman

Middle East expert Patrick Seale knows the region well. He's covered it for over four decades. On December 4, he said:

Israel Gives Chutzpah New Meaning

by Stephen Lendman

The Yiddish word derives from the Hebrew hutspa. It means insolence or audacity. The Urban Dictionary adds "unmitigated effrontery or impudence."

Venezuelans Vote Again

by Stephen Lendman

In America, money power controls elections. People have no say. Each party replicates the other. Venezuela is different. 

Voters take full advantage. They choose real democrats over fake ones. It shows in how Venezuelans are governed.