What I Learned About Governments by Reading Classified Documents

Donald Trump’s illegal retention of classified U.S. government records reminded me that I have been reading these kinds of sensitive official files after their declassification―and learning from them―for decades.

The reason is that I am a scholar of international history and, in this connection, have drawn upon such material in my research.  Governments keep secrets, and to understand the full story of their behavior, it is often necessary to dig into the documentary evidence.

When I first read more

How to Oppose Both Sides of a War

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, September 4, 2022

It’s tricky to oppose both sides of a war, and rarer even than supporting both sides. The weapons dealers support both sides.

In obedience to their televisions, people all over the world spend a great deal of time expressing the opinions dished out by those televisions regarding a particular war that is far from the worst war at the moment. It is the war that creates the greatest risk of nuclear apocalypse, but that does not typically enter read more

Tomgram: Engelhardt, Honestly, Donald Trump?

This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.

Living in a Sci-fi World How the American Dream Became the American Scream By

Honestly, if you had described this America to me more than half a century ago, I would have laughed in your face.

Donald Trump becoming president? You must be kidding!

If you want a bizarre image, just imagine him in the company of Abraham Lincoln. I mean, really, what’s happened to us?

Not, of course, that we haven’t had bizarre politicians in Washington before.  I read more

2022 War Abolisher Awards to Go to Italian Dock Workers, New Zealand Filmmaker, U.S. Environmental Group, and British MP Jeremy Corbyn

By World BEYOND War, August 29, 2022

World BEYOND War’s Second Annual War Abolisher Awards will recognize the work of an environmental organization that has prevented military operations in state parks in Washington State, a filmmaker from New Zealand who has documented the power of unarmed peacemaking, Italian dock workers who have blocked the shipment of weapons of war, and British peace activist and Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn who has taken a consistent stand for peace despite intense read more

Speaking Truth to Empire

Speaking Truth to Empire on KFCF 88.1 FM independently owned and locally operated since 1975 in Fresno, Dan Yaseen interviews Jeff J. Brown; he is a geopolitical analyst, journalist, lecturer and the author of The China Trilogy, which consists of “44 Days Backpacking in China”, “China Rising – Capitalist Roads, Socialist Destinations” and “China Is Communist, Dammit! – Dawn of the Red Dynasty”. They

discuss the Ukraine crisis, Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan and the end read more