COLONIALISM

EDITOR—Various correspondents debunk the “Amsterdam pogrom” story pushed by major Western media, including the BBC, the New York Times, SkyNews, CNN, and others.

EDITOR—Garland’s wide-ranging conversation with Palestinian journalist Laith Marouf about the latest developments in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran and other key regions in the Resistance, and how Hezbollah’s tenacity and good strategic and tactical planning —despite enormous losses in its leadership—have been defeating Israel’s big army and its criminal air force. Israel has not been able to penetrate more than a mile into Lebanon, and Netanyahu’s promise to return settlers to Northern Palestine dissipates into thin air with each passing day.  Looking at the election, Garland believes that Democrats being voted out of office because of their loyalty to Zionism is not a deterrent for many of these politicians. Their calculus is simple: If they lose because of their support for Israel, they can always count on a cushy job somewhere. If they vote against Israel, they stand to lose plenty. Short of a real revolution, they become “political orphans.” Besides, the Dems have long made their pact with the ruling elites, seeing themselves as the natural political platform for the PMC class and its billionaire class sponsors, not to mention their MICIMATT-dominated Deep State. For his part, Trump will not be able to deliver on any of his promises. He won’t upset the abominable status quo that MAGA people abhor because he is fully embedded in it, he’s a con man. 

STANSFIELD SMITH—“Compatible left” was a term used by the CIA to describe those on the left it has deemed compatible with maintaining imperialist world rule. This left has dominated the US left since the end of World War II, in large part a result of government operations repressing the communist or anti-imperialist left. Historically, this compatible left that the CIA worked to cultivate rejects actually existing socialism and formed a “third camp” or “plague on both houses” left between capitalist and socialist countries. Providing a “respectable” alternative to the anti-imperialists, it used its progressive flavor to lure in radical youth, activists, workers, and intellectuals.

The CIA is correctly seen as a ruthless organization that overthrows democratic governments considered a threat to US domination. But this overlooks the CIA’s “gentler” work: underwriting and encouraging a compatible left, one which looks to the Democratic Party for political leadership. The CIA has secretly funded and managed a wide range of these groups and individuals.

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE—If you understand the truth that modern Israel is a settler-colonialist project of the western empire which uses the Jewish religion as an excuse to inflict violence and tyranny in a crucial geostrategic region, then you understand that there’s no real connection between modern Israel and the Jews you encounter in your community. Sure a majority of western Jews buy into the empire’s lies and support Israel, but a majority of the westerners of all faiths buy into the empire’s lies about its wars and official enemies and all its other propaganda too. This is just what it looks like when you live in a highly propagandized society which is structured to psychologically manipulate people into consenting to nonstop military violence.

THOMAS FAZI—More to the point, European elites have allowed themselves to be dragged by Washington into a disastrous proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, condemning their citizens to collapsing industry and rising prices. That’s even as the conflict in Eastern Europe exposes the continent to unprecedented military risks, including the genuine possibility of nuclear war. Yet despite all these sacrifices, all that eagerness to do the Pentagon’s bidding, Trump’s isolationist bent means it could ultimately all be for nothing.

For the past few years, the EU’s leaders have framed their entire foreign policy in American terms. Nato expansionism; economically decoupling from Russia; supporting Ukraine’s victory-at-all-costs strategy — each has been justified in the name of preserving the transatlantic alliance, even at the expense of Europe’s actual interests.