Antiwar.com Weekly Newsletter for March 23, 2021

Your source for foreign policy news. 

March 23rd, 2021

Six Years Later, Yemen Is Still Being Starved

The people of Yemen have been enduring a six-year siege ever since the beginning of the U.S.-backed Saudi coalition's intervention. The coalition's indiscriminate bombing campaign has claimed thousands of innocent Yemeni lives, but the more destructive and insidious side of the war has been the blockade and the economic warfare that has accompanied it. At least 130,000 Yemeni civilians have died as a result of starvation and disease since the intervention started. That is more than have been killed by shells and bombs, and that number is set to grow substantially as the country once again faces a famine created by the war and blockade. Tens of thousands already live in famine conditions, and hundreds of thousands more may join them unless the blockade is brought to an end.

By Daniel Larison

NATO Chief Sees Rise of China as an 'Opportunity' for the Alliance

In an effort to stay relevant, NATO is following the US and turning its eyes on China. In rather candid comments, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the "rise" of China presents an "opportunity" to strengthen the trans-Atlantic military alliance.

"China is coming closer to us, investing in our critical infrastructure," Stoltenberg told DW on Monday. "There's no way we can avoid addressing the security consequences for our regional alliance of the rise of China and the shift in the global balance of power."

Repeating the talking points coming out of Washington, Stoltenberg said China "doesn't share our values" and threatens the "rules-based order." He said the competitive relationship with Beijing presents "a unique opportunity to open a new chapter in the relationship between North America - the United States - and Europe."

By Dave DeCamp

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Unnamed Western Officials Spread Dubious Claims About Iran

With a possible revival of the Iran nuclear deal on the table, there are many forces at work opposing a US return to the accord, known as the JCPOA. One form this opposition takes is through anonymous leaks to Western media outlets that are happy to publish whatever intelligence officials tell them to. This week, two dubiously-sourced reports came out that accused Iran of plotting an attack in Washington and operating a secret nuclear program. Missing from the stories was any evidence to back up the claims.

On Sunday, The Associated Press published a story that cited "two senior US intelligence officials" who claimed that Iran made threats against Fort McNair, a waterfront Army base in Washington DC. The officials said the NSA intercepted communications of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps discussing possible "USS Cole-style attacks" on Fort McNair, referring to the 2000 attack on a US Navy destroyer off Yemen that was launched using a small explosive-laden boat. The AP story offers no other evidence to back up the claim besides the word of the unnamed officials.

By Dave DeCamp

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If Israel Accuses Iran of Doing Something, Israel Is Likely Already Doing It

Israel has accused Iran of doing many nefarious things. But the historical record shows that whatever Israel accuses Iran of, it is likely that Israel is already doing it.

For example, Israel has repeatedly accused Iran of destabilizing the region by malignantly spreading across the region and forming alliances and exercising influence in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.

But Israel is spreading across the region by forming alliances and exercising influence across the region. With varying degrees of formality and publicity, Israel has expanded its network and formed alliances with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. And this Israeli spread has been destabilizing both in terms of increasing weapons in the region and legitimizing and solidifying occupations.

By Ted Snider

Drafting People Into the Moral Equivalent of War

War fires the imagination, especially of those who never suffered its horrors. Washington, D.C.'s faux heroes find nothing so courageous as sending other people off to fight and die in one grand cause or another.

Of course, some professionals glory in death and gore, such as World War II's Gen. George S. Patton. In his infamous speech to the Third Army he declared: "Men, all this stuff you hear about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung. Americans love to fight. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle."

By Doug Bandow

SecDef Austin to North Korea: US Ready to 'Fight Tonight'

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned North Korea that US forces are ready to "fight tonight" after Pyongyang denounced Washington and Seoul's decision to resume military exercises. The US and South Korea are resuming military drills after pausing them for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Our force remains ready to fight tonight, and we continue to make progress toward the eventual transition of wartime Operational Control to a [Republic of Korea]-commanded, future Combined Forces Command," Austin said from Seoul on Thursday.

Austin also said the US remains committed to the "denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula, a demand that is a non-starter for negotiations with Pyongyang. A more realistic approach from the Biden administration would be an offer to ease sanctions in exchange for a freeze in North Korea's nuclear arsenal.

By Dave DeCamp

Putin Calls for Open Talks With Biden After 'Killer' Comment

Gareth Porter on the Military's Efforts to Subvert the Afghan Peace Deal

Stealth Commitment: How the Syrian Kurds Became US 'Allies'

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