Stories by Conn Hallinan

Why Nations Start Dumb Wars: Is Israel Setting the Stage for Tragedy?

Posted on Feb 28, 2012, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

Netanyahu may calculate that an election-season Israeli attack might force the Obama administration to back a war and/or damage Obama’s re-election chances.

Why Civilian Control of the US Military Is Deeply Threatened

Posted on Aug 18, 2011, Source: AlterNet

A military that conducts stealthy night raids, secret assassinations, and death-dealing drones is more likely to believe it has the right to control America's policy abroad.

Epidemic: Over 400,000 Traumatic Brain Injuries for Vets Coming from Iraq and Afghanistan

Posted on Jun 21, 2011, Source: AlterNet

America faces a huge challenge in caring for the shocking number or traumatized war vets.

How the 'Humanitarian' Intervention in Libya Made Our World Infinitely More Dangerous

Posted on Apr 26, 2011, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

North Korea's lesson from Libya is that if you give up your WMD programs peacefully, you may have lost your best defense from invasion.

Obama Silent on Kashmir Despite Devastating Conflict -- And Solution Has Been Outlined For Years

Posted on Dec 13, 2010, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

Today, Kashmir could spark a nuclear war that would have a global effect. It is short-sighted to ignore the UN's original proposal and instead pursue an anti-China alliance.

As Tensions Escalate Between China and Japan, the US Plays Both Sides

Posted on Nov 2, 2010, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

A strengthened and more democratic United Nations is necessary to resolve these crises. The alternatives are the stuff of nightmares.

Is War About to Break Out on the Israeli-Lebanese Border?

Posted on Sep 5, 2010, Source: AlterNet

While the world is riveted by the on-going crisis around Iran's nuclear program, the most immediate danger of a war may be on Israel's border with Lebanon

The US Has Lost in Afghanistan -- We Have to Come to Grips with What That Means

Posted on Aug 16, 2010, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

There never was a goal set by NATO and Afghanistan that was achievable; because their blood and capital are finite.

Colombian Mass Grave Of More Than 2000 May Be Civilian Trade Unionists, Not Military Casualties

Posted on Aug 5, 2010, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

Colombia is currently the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists, and the U.S. is likely implicated in the murders.

Scary Anti-Iran Talk Is Escalating -- And Weapons May Be Moving Into Position for Attack

Posted on Jul 12, 2010, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

Though Iran does not have nuclear capability, the U.S. and Israel are espousing a doctrine of "pre-emption."

Is Israel About to Trigger a New Middle East War?

Posted on Apr 3, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Ramping up the rhetoric of war in a volatile region can lead to a misstep and once the dogs of war are off their leash, it will be hard to bring them to heel.

4 Deadly Delusions About Afghanistan Held by Obama's Top Advisors

Posted on Sep 14, 2009, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

It's almost as if there is something about that hard-edged Central Asian country that deranges its occupiers.

Obama's Voters Clearly Have His Back If He Wants to Get Tougher with Israel

Posted on Jul 13, 2009, Source: CounterPunch

Israel faces growing international pressure to freeze its settlements -- will the U.S. join the chorus?

Who Are the Shadow Warriors? Countries Are Getting Hit by Major Military Attacks, and No One Is Taking Credit

Posted on May 28, 2009, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

In Syria, Sudan and elsewhere there have been violent attacks that no country has claimed responsibility for. A dark new trend in warfare.

Disturbing Idea of Expelling Arabs from Israeli Territory Gains Ground

Posted on Mar 4, 2009, Source: AlterNet

There is a growing consensus among Israelis that it would acceptable to expel its Arab citizens to either a Palestinian state or to Jordan and Egypt.

Israel Treated Gaza Like Its Own Private Death Laboratory

Posted on Feb 13, 2009, Source: Foreign Policy

Israel tested out a "focused lethality" weapon that minimizes explosive damage to structures while inflicting catastrophic wounds on its victims.

Fighting the Greedy Defense Lobbyists: Our Schools vs. Their Worthless Weaponry

Posted on Dec 22, 2008, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

With less money to go around, why burn it on stupid projects for the defense industry?

Latin America's New Consensus and the end of the Monroe Doctrine

Posted on Nov 6, 2008, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

Beset by economic crisis and bogged down in two unwinnable wars, the Colossus of the North no longer wields the clout it once had.

Starting the Next Cold War

Posted on Jun 28, 2008, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

NATO is an organization without a mission -- will it create its own?

Rumors of War: Is Bush Gearing Up to Attack Iran?

Posted on Jun 5, 2008, Source: Portside

Something is afoot. Just what is not clear, but recent moves by the White House strongly suggest that Bush will attack Iran in the near future.

Basra Battles Echo Vietnam's Tet Offensive -- Will We Ever Learn History's Lessons?

Posted on Apr 25, 2008, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

The Bush administration needs to be reminded that Iraq is not a war -- it's a country.

Afghanistan: A River Runs Backward

Posted on Mar 24, 2008, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

Last year was the deadliest for Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion

The End of the 'American Century' Is Here

Posted on Jan 30, 2008, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

The neocons' project to create a "benign" global empire is dead, a victim of their own hubris.

Iraq's Bloody Toll: History Repeats Itself

Posted on Oct 19, 2007, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

In 1258, the Mongols took Baghdad, murdered its inhabitants, burned its libraries, and ravished its lands. The Bush administration has done the same, but hidden it behind a smoke screen of lies.

U.S. Secret Air War Pulverizes Afghanistan and Iraq

Posted on Sep 14, 2007, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

The U.S. military is increasingly relying on deadly air strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan as the ground occupations fall apart, killing untold numbers of civilians.

Bush Admin. Gives Vets the Shaft

Posted on Nov 14, 2006, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

A growing number of ill-prepared and under-funded clinics are tasked with caring for our nation's vets, and Bush is turning a blind eye.

Time to Inspect Bush's Nuclear Program

Posted on Dec 6, 2002, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

The White House plan to develop nuclear "bunker-busters" is a violation of of at least three articles of the non-proliferation treaty.

For the past 11 years, the U.S. government has coordinated a war of terror and destruction on Iraqi civilians and infrastructure. The time to join the legions already opposed is now, or else your silence will be taken as consent.