Foreigners Without Guns: News Clips on War, Climate, Hunger, and Corruption

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My latest essay is “Afghanistan and the Purdue Pharma Case are Reminders That the U.S. is a Failed Narco-State, Too”:

“When the people who finance the dealers of lethal drugs respond to the law by chilling the Dom, you know you’re dealing with a failed narco-state.”

I also wrote “Trillions Spent on Disastrous Afghan War vs. Just $25 Billion to Vaccinate World's Poor”:

“Ending this pandemic would be a good way for the United States to save countless more lives. It would also be a kind of living amends for the innocent lives we've taken in the Middle East.”

For the Asia Times, Zero Hour guest Pepe Escobar has written “What to expect from Taliban 2.0 .” Excerpt:

“The Taliban Revolution has already hit the Walls of Kabul – which are fast being painted white with Kufic letter inscriptions. One of these reads: ‘For an Islamic system and independence, you have to go through tests and stay patient.’

“That’s quite a Taoist statement: striving for balance towards a real ‘Islamic’ system. It offers a crucial glimpse of what the Taliban leadership may be after: As Islamic theory allows for evolution, the new Afghanistan system will be necessarily unique, quite different from Qatar’s or Iran’s, for instance.”

And from another valued Zero Hour guest, Vijay Prashad, “How the Taliban Chased the West out of Afghanistan”:

“During the past 20 years, the United States government spent $2.26 trillion toward its war and occupation of Afghanistan … Meanwhile, it is shocking to note that there was barely any construction of infrastructure to advance basic needs during these 20 years. Afghanistan’s power company … reports that only 35 percent of the population has access to electricity and that 70 percent of the power is imported at inflated rates.

“Half of Afghanistan lives in poverty, 14 million Afghans are food insecure, and 2 million Afghan children are severely hungry. The roaring sound of hunger was combined—during these past 20 years—with the roaring sound of bombers. This is what the occupation looked like from the ground. “

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Other important reads:

“One Atmospheric Nuclear Explosion Could Take Out the Power Grid: New study identifies vulnerabilities to EMP attack.” But sure, let’s heat up the new Cold War.

“'Outrageous' and 'Shameful': House Panel Approves $37.5B Boost to Pentagon Budget.

Speaking of which: “The NDAA amendment would add $25 billion to President Joe Biden's $753 billion topline military spending request for the next fiscal year.”

But remember, we can’t afford to give everybody in this country adequate medical care.

“UN: Climate-Driven Extreme Weather Disasters since 1970 increased 5-Fold, costing Trillions.” But a Green New Deal is too expensive ...

“More than 200 medical journals call for emergency action on 'catastrophic' climate change.” The worst national security threat? …

“Growing inequalities, reflecting growing employer power, have generated a productivity–pay gap since 1979. Productivity has grown 3.5 times as much as pay for the typical worker.” Capitalism’s death spiral?

“More Americans are taking jobs without employer benefits like health care or paid vacation. An astonishing one in three US workers does gig work now.” Capitalism’s death spiral.

“Pandemic Aid Programs Spur a Record Drop in Poverty.” Excerpt:

“The huge increase in government aid prompted by the coronavirus pandemic will cut poverty nearly in half this year from prepandemic levels and push the share of Americans in poverty to the lowest level on record, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet of a vast but temporary expansion of the safety net.”

Hey, remember that thing you did that worked really well? How about we keep doing it?

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“Corporate boards, consulting, speaking fees: How U.S. generals thrived after Afghanistan. Stanley A. McChrystal exemplifies how ex-generals sell their battlefield experience in other arenas, from corporations to covid-19 response.”

“The eight generals who commanded American forces in Afghanistan between 2008 and 2018 have gone on to serve on more than 20 corporate boards, according to a review of company disclosures and other releases.”

Taking management advice from these corrupt clowns is like taking navigation advice from the captain of the Exxon Valdez – but even he didn’t do it deliberately, and he didn’t lie about it for 20 years.Here’s the story of archaeological digging

“Beneath the Soil of Blair Mountain,” where a watershed battle for labor rights was fought in the United States.

“After Ida, Toxic Smoke From Shell’s Norco Plant in Louisiana Creates Apocalyptic Landscape.” Fossil fuels make us even more vulnerable to the damage caused by (among other things) fossil fuels.

“Facebook says its AI mislabeling a video of Black men as ‘primates’ was ‘unacceptable.’” That’s mighty, er, white of them.

“The Other Afghan Women.”

 “I’ve never met a foreigner before,” she said shyly. “Well, a foreigner without a gun.”

She must not know how to write a grant proposal to USAID.