Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Iran Nuke Threat: Phantom Menace

Brave New World/CounterPunch/Dissident Voice 
by Ben Schreiner

They say you can’t kill that which has never lived.  It’s useful advice when analyzing the persistence of the so-called “Iranian nuclear threat.” 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Containing China by “Fighting Al-Qaeda” in Africa

Global Research 
by Ben Schreiner

Harnessing Asia's growth and dynamism is central to American economic and strategic interests.
Hillary Clinton

France’s military intervention into Mali may at first glance appear to have little to do with the U.S. “pivot” to Asia.  But as a French mission supposedly meant to bolster a U.N. sanctioned and African-led intervention has gone from “a question of weeks” to “the total re-conquest of Mali,” what may have begun as a French affair has now become a Western intervention.  And this in turn has drawn wider strategic interests into the conflict.  Strategic interests, it is becoming clearer, shaped by the imperatives of the U.S. Asia pivot.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Davos Mysticism: Elite Optimism Amid Endless Crisis

CounterPunch/Dissident Voice
by Ben Schreiner

An economic recovery has begun.
President Obama, Second Inaugural Address

President Obama’s optimism — baseless as it may be — was surely appreciated at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.  For in what was described as the “most optimistic” meeting since 2007, 2,600 members of the global elite convened over the weekend at their exclusive Davos, Switzerland retreat to once again set upon “improving the state of the world.” 

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The Crisis in Mali

Watch my appearance Tuesday on RT, as I discuss the crisis in Mali and Western intervention in Africa.


Monday, January 14, 2013

Mali and the Scramble for Africa: A New Wave of Barbarism

CounterPunch/Dissident Voice/Global Research
by Ben Schreiner

The French military intervention into Mali on Friday — France’s second in as many years into a former African colony — was reportedly “seconded” by the United States.  This ought to come as no great surprise, given the Pentagon’s deepening penetration into Africa.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Discussing Sanctions Against Iran

Listen to my appearance Friday on KDVS 90.3 FM in Davis, California, as Richard Estes and I discuss the U.S. sanctions regime against Iran.
 

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Sanctioning Iran: Punishing the Crime of Defiance

CounterPunch/Dissident Voice/Global Research
by Ben Schreiner

Washington’s quest to bring Tehran to its knees continues to accelerate.  And in turn, ordinary Iranians increasingly find themselves caught in the crosshairs.