War and militarism
US State Department designates Cuba state sponsor of terrorism
By Alexander Fangmann, 16 January 2021
The announcement is a continuation of the rollback of Obama’s normalization of relations as the island has been hit hard by COVID-19 and a deepening economic crisis.
Are Trump and Netanyahu plotting war against Iran?
By Bill Van Auken, 15 January 2021
Washington openly claimed credit for providing intelligence used in Israeli airstrikes on Iranian-linked targets in eastern Syria Tuesday that claimed scores of lives.
After Trump’s coup attempt: German politicians call for massive military build-up
By Johannes Stern, 14 January 2021
While the ruling class in Germany reacts with a mixture of shock, nervousness and aggression to the fascist coup attempt in the US, all the establishment parties are intensifying their great power offensive.
Israel strikes Syria as Trump coup attempt stokes war threat in Middle East
By Bill Van Auken, 8 January 2021
The threat that Trump and Netanyahu, both fighting for their political lives, may provoke a war with Iran continues to escalate.
UK government refuses to publish list of airstrikes in Yemen involving civilian casualties
By Jean Shaoul, 7 January 2021
While the UK’s Ministry of Defence has listed a staggering 516 potential International Humanitarian Law violations by the coalition of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the real number is far higher.
Growing threat that Trump will provoke war with Iran to further coup plot
By Bill Van Auken, 6 January 2021
In the midst of his plot to overthrow the results of the US election, Trump suddenly ordered a halt to the Pentagon’s withdrawal of the USS Nimitz carrier strike group from the Persian Gulf.
EU–US tensions mount after EU signs trade deal with China
By Alex Lantier, 5 January 2021
Officials of the incoming Biden administration and their European allies denounced the EU–China deal, which they tried to halt before it was signed on December 30.
Spanish officers plot fascist coup to impose “herd immunity” COVID-19 policy
By Alejandro López and Alex Lantier, 31 December 2020
The “left populist” Podemos party and its ruling social-democratic allies are hushing up active plotting for a coup that has taken place throughout virtually the entire year.
B-52s fly over Persian Gulf as Washington escalates war threat against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 31 December 2020
The threat that Trump will launch a war of aggression against Iran, on whatever pretext, in the waning days of what is supposed to be his “lame duck” presidency, is deadly serious.
Active-duty Spanish officers hail retired officers’ fascist calls for mass murder
By Alejandro López, 29 December 2020
Despite the PSOE-Podemos government’s denials, calls by retired officers for a fascist coup and mass murder of left-wing voters have broad support among serving officers.
House overrides Trump veto of military spending bill
By Patrick Martin, 29 December 2020
The veto override, which has the effect of approving a record outlay for the US military machine, had the support of the entire Democratic leadership, from Speaker Nancy Pelosi on down.
Israel’s fourth election in two years dominated by far-right forces
By Jean Shaoul, 29 December 2020
Netanyahu faces a strong challenge from the far right, his former colleagues. These forces have moved to fill the vacuum left after Benny Gantz joined and served as Netanyahu’s political accomplice in imposing the government’s “herd immunity” policies.
Pentagon brass on “red alert” over Trump’s coup plotting
By Bill Van Auken, 29 December 2020
The extraordinary tension within the Pentagon’s uniformed command has been made clear in a series of reports by media commentators with close ties to the US military-intelligence apparatus.
Trump pardons Blackwater killers for Nisour Square massacre
By Patrick Martin, 24 December 2020
The four mercenaries, all former Marines, killed 14 unarmed Iraqis in 2007 in an unprovoked slaughter in Baghdad.
The ICC refuses to prosecute UK war crimes in Iraq despite “reasonable” evidence
By Jean Shaoul, 18 December 2020
The imperialist powers that orchestrated criminal wars are determined that they should never be brought to account for their war crimes.
CNN, Spiegel double down on anti-Russia campaign over Navalny case
By Clara Weiss, 17 December 2020
This latest bogus “investigation” into the Navalny case marks yet a further escalation of the anti-Russia campaign.
German government increases military spending, cuts education and health care
By Johannes Stern, 17 December 2020
The entire budget debate underscored that the ruling class sees the pandemic primarily as an opportunity to advance its policies of militarism, repression and social austerity.
Largest US overseas base placed on missile alert amid nuclear war warnings
By Bill Van Auken, 16 December 2020
Sirens and loudspeakers at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, the center of the largest US overseas military complex in the world, sounded the alarm for an incoming missile strike.
Labor helps expand Australian spy agency’s secret interrogation powers
By Mike Head, 15 December 2020
Pushed through parliament in one day, the bill extends ASIO’s coercive questioning powers beyond terrorism to “foreign interference,” “espionage” and “politically motivated violence.”
India moves to strengthen strategic relations with Sri Lanka and the Maldives
By Rohantha De Silva, 14 December 2020
Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s trip to Sri Lanka was aimed at securing maritime cooperation to counteract Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean region.
Canada’s military seeks to cover its tracks following damning report on Australian war crimes in Afghanistan
By Penny Smith, 12 December 2020
In response to the release of a report exposing Australian military atrocities in Afghanistan, the Canadian Armed Forces has doubled down on its long-running efforts to cover up its own war crimes in the region.
US B-52 bombers threaten Iran for second time in three weeks
By Bill Van Auken, 11 December 2020
These massive warplanes used to devastate Vietnam half a century ago have been deployed amid mounting US and Israeli war threats and provocations against Iran.
US Army punishes 14 senior officers at Fort Hood citing “leadership failures”
By Chase Lawrence, 11 December 2020
The disciplinary actions were one of the single largest taken by the Army in history, indicating that the Pentagon is well aware of deep disillusionment and anger within the ranks.
In bipartisan vote: US House approves record $741 billion military spending bill
By Patrick Martin, 10 December 2020
In a country with “no money” for schools, the unemployed or the health care system being destroyed by COVID, there are effectively unlimited funds for the world’s largest military establishment.
US secretary of state hypocritically sanctions Chinese officials over Hong Kong human rights
By Peter Symonds, 9 December 2020
Washington has a long record of selectively exploiting human rights issues to further its economic and strategic interests, while turning a blind eye to flagrant abuses of democratic rights by its allies and strategic partners.
Biden selects recently retired general, ex-Mideast war commander to head Pentagon
By Bill Van Auken, 9 December 2020
The media and the Democrats have hailed the choice of Lloyd Austin as the first African American nominee for secretary of defense, glossing over the implications of another general being tapped for the Pentagon’s top civilian post.
US war threats mount against Iran and Venezuela with six weeks remaining in Trump term
By Bill Van Auken, 8 December 2020
US ultimatums over fuel and arms shipments between Iran and Venezuela have escalated the danger of a military provocation as Trump attempts to overturn the US presidential election.
Mélenchon calls for military conscription, arms buildup in France
By Will Morrow, 8 December 2020
Mélenchon used the interview as a presidential candidate in 2022 to advance his credentials to France’s ruling elite as an aggressive promoter of the interests of French imperialism at home and around the world.
UK deploys troops to Mali
By Jean Shaoul, 8 December 2020
Earlier this year, Mali witnessed months of protests against the French occupation, launched in 2013, and the ethnic massacres between rival militias that Paris tolerates, and uses to divide and rule the country.
Australian Greens on Afghan war crimes: Hypocrisy, hand-wringing and support for militarism
By Oscar Grenfell, 7 December 2020
The Greens have promoted the official cover-up as a “justice process,” while advancing proposals aimed at providing future predatory wars with a democratic figleaf.
Chinese defence minister visits Nepal to boost political and military ties
By Rohantha De Silva, 7 December 2020
The landlocked and poverty-stricken Himalayan country has become another focal point in the dangerous geo-political rivalry between India and the US on one side, and China on the other.
New Zealand government denounces China’s condemnation of Australian war crimes
By Tom Peters, 5 December 2020
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern did not condemn the murder of at least 39 unarmed people in Afghanistan by Australian special forces, but denounced a Chinese official’s tweet that drew attention to these war crimes.
Australian soldiers drank alcohol from prosthetic leg of dead Afghan
By Oscar Grenfell, 4 December 2020
Politicians and corporate journalists have maintained a stony silence on the gruesome revelation, while waging a furious campaign against a Chinese tweet condemning the war crimes.
Trudeau names top military officer to lead Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout
By Laurent Lafrance, 4 December 2020
Making the military responsible for the vaccination campaign is part of an ongoing government effort to promote the armed forces as a pivotal national institution, and acclimatize the population to its playing an increasingly important role in public life.
EU-Turkey tensions mount over Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean
By Hasan Yıldırım, 3 December 2020
The unilateral opening of Varosha or Maraş in northern Cyprus and Ankara’s proposed two-state solution have intensified tensions between the European Union and Turkey.
“So that rifles shoot”: Germany’s Green Party leader Baerbock pleads for massive arms spending and new war missions
By Johannes Stern, 3 December 2020
In advance of next year’s federal elections, the Greens are spearheading the campaign for the return of German militarism.
Australian court upholds sacking of academic for criticising US and Israeli militarism
By Mike Head, 3 December 2020
The court’s anti-democratic ruling further shreds academic freedom, as well as trade union claims to have protected it via enterprise bargaining agreements.
Australian ruling elite responds to Chinese condemnation of Afghan war crimes with nationalist hysteria
By Oscar Grenfell, 2 December 2020
Having covered up and downplayed the atrocities against Afghan civilians, Australia’s official parties and the corporate media are up in arms about a tweet condemning the war crimes.
Australian war crimes report: A damning indictment of the barbarity in Afghanistan
By Socialist Equality Party (Australia), 2 December 2020
The depraved abuses flowed inevitably from the nature of the war itself—a brutal operation to crush all resistance to the imposition of US control over the country.
War tensions mount in wake of Israeli assassination of top Iranian scientist
By Bill Van Auken, 1 December 2020
While neither Washington nor Tel Aviv have formally claimed responsibility for the assassination of Moshen Fakhrizadeh, the authorship of this act of state terrorism is hardly in doubt.
Fiji and Australia to negotiate new military pact
By John Braddock, 1 December 2020
The move to establish closer Fiji-Australian military ties is part of the intensifying US-led build-up to counter China’s influence in the south west Pacific.
This week in history: November 30-December 6
30 November 2020
75 years ago: General Douglas MacArthur, the effective leader of US-occupied Japan, ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe and eight of the country’s other civilian and military leaders for war crimes, setting the stage for criminal prosecutions.
German Green Party sets course for government based on promoting militarism and war
By Jan Ritter and Max Linhof, 30 November 2020
The party made clear that a future Green federal government and/or Green chancellor would continue and expand the right-wing militaristic policies espoused by the current CDU-SPD grand coalition.
Ethiopian military seizes control of regional capital after offensive against Tigray province
By Jean Shaoul, 29 November 2020
The desperate situation confronting Ethiopia is bound up with great power rivalries between the US, Europe and China that led over the last decades to the fragmentation and disintegration of a region that includes Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Djibouti.
Israel’s siege means death for Gaza’s COVID-19 patients
By Jean Shaoul, 28 November 2020
The Hamas government has said the Gaza Strip “lacks oxygen-generating machines, ventilators, protective gear, and hygiene materials. Thirty-two percent of basic drugs and 62 percent of drugs and materials for medical laboratories are not available.”
Ten years since WikiLeaks published the US diplomatic cables
By Thomas Scripps, 28 November 2020
WikiLeaks contributed to a growing recognition among workers and young people that state criminality and ruling class conspiracies are not accidents or the work of a few bad individuals, but the product of a whole social system based on the rule of competing oligarchies which must be overthrown.
Top scientist assassinated as Israel and US stage war provocations against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 28 November 2020
The brutal assassination of Iran’s most prominent nuclear physicist Friday is part of an escalating campaign to provoke a catastrophic new war in the Middle East.
Hailing election security, New York Times drops its “Russian meddling” narrative
By Barry Grey and Jacob Crosse, 26 November 2020
The fact that it is absent from the Times’ November 22 editorial makes absolutely clear one basic fact: the entire anti-Russia narrative is a deliberate fabrication.
Australian war crimes report points to history of military atrocities and coverups
By Mike Head, 26 November 2020
For all the mythology of heroic and honourable armed forces, the report outlines more than a century of illegal killings, massacres and other abuses.
US, Israel and Saudi Arabia meet amid mounting war threats against Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 24 November 2020
The trip by Pompeo and Netanyahu to Saudi Arabia came as the Pentagon is steadily building up its air power in the region.
Labor governments presided over most confirmed Australian war crimes in Afghanistan
By Oscar Grenfell, 24 November 2020
Many of the war crimes flowed out of Labor’s escalation of Australia’s role in the occupation of Afghanistan, including in US-led “kill or capture” operations.
New Zealand government, media downplay Australian war crimes in Afghanistan
By Tom Peters, 24 November 2020
Prime Minister Ardern did not condemn the Australian war crimes, as her government has sought to cover up similar atrocities committed by New Zealand special forces.
Biden names national security team of right-wing militarists
By Patrick Martin, 24 November 2020
The roll-out of Biden’s first cabinet nominees shows the top priority of the incoming Democratic administration: building a US-led imperialist front against China and Russia
Stop the rearming of Germany’s air force, army, and navy!
By Johannes Stern, 21 November 2020
Six years after the federal government declared the end of military restraint at the 2014 Munich Security Conference, the largest rearmament programme since the Second World War is being implemented, in spite of the coronavirus pandemic.
UK government announces £21.5 billion increase in military spending
By Thomas Scripps, 21 November 2020
UK Prime minister Boris Johnson is trying to extricate his government from its foreign policy crisis over Brexit—intensified by the US election victory of the anti-Brexit Joe Biden—with the lever of British militarism.
War crimes report: Australian special forces murdered 39 Afghans
By Oscar Grenfell, 20 November 2020
The report whitewashes successive governments and the military command, but the killings it documents underscore the utter criminality of the 19-year occupation of Afghanistan.
Palestinian Authority restores “cooperation” with Israel as Pompeo visits West Bank
By Jean Shaoul, 20 November 2020
The US Secretary of State became the first top US official to visit an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank, while also touring the occupied Golan Heights.
Pompeo escalates Iran war threats in trip to Israel
By Bill Van Auken, 20 November 2020
The US Secretary of State arrived in the wake of Israeli air strikes against Iranian forces in Syria, and announced yet another round of sanctions against Tehran.
Peaceful antiwar protesters sentenced to federal prison terms during pandemic
By Kevin Reed, 19 November 2020
Three antinuclear war protesters—members of the Kings Bay Plowshares Seven group—were sentenced to between 10-14 months in federal prison last week amid the raging coronavirus pandemic.
Saeb Erekat: Palestinian peace negotiator who epitomised the degeneration of the PLO (1955-2020)
By Jean Shaoul, 19 November 2020
While all obituaries testify to Erekat’s tenacity, none could explain why he and the Palestine Liberation Organisation were in the end wholly unsuccessful.
Japan and Australia step up military partnership against China
By Mike Head, 19 November 2020
The two governments echoed the Trump administration’s accusations of Chinese aggression and aligned themselves with the expected intensification of the US confrontation under a Biden administration.
Sweden initiates massive military buildup in preparation for war with Russia
By Gabriel Black, 18 November 2020
The ruling Social Democrats and Green Party coalition are increasing the military budget by 40 percent as part of the US-NATO war drive against Russia.
Fighting erupts between Morocco and Polisario in Western Sahara
By Alejandro López, 18 November 2020
The fighting erupted amid reports of mounting protests in regions of both Morocco and Algeria near the former Spanish colonial possession of Western Sahara.
Canada’s union-backed NDP champions close ties with a Biden administration, opposition to China
By Roger Jordan, 18 November 2020
The NDP has signalled its support for expanding Canada’s longstanding military-strategic partnership with US imperialism under a Joe Biden–led Democratic Party administration.
Amid electoral coup plot, Trump threatens catastrophic war on Iran
By Bill Van Auken, 18 November 2020
The bombing of Natanz or any other Iranian nuclear facility would be a war crime of world historic proportions.
Justice Department attorney tells appeals court the government can kill US citizens without judicial review
By Harvey Simpkins, 18 November 2020
The Trump administration’s despotic assertion of the right to kill people, including US citizens, without any judicial review is a continuation and extension of powers asserted and acted upon by the Obama administration.
Biden names pro-war think tank and former Pentagon officials to transition team
By Ray Coleman and Nick Barrickman, 17 November 2020
Over one-third of the members of Biden’s defense transition team are drawn from foreign policy think tanks funded by military contractors or are former national security officials.
With Malabar exercise, Quad emerging as US-led, anti-China military alliance
By Shuvu Batta and Keith Jones, 17 November 2020
The Indian Ocean exercise is a clear signal that the US and its Quad allies—India, Japan and Australia—are now seeking to develop the capacity and expertise for joint military planning and action, including combat, against China.
Michigan university’s ‘Veteran’s Promise’ exploits economic crisis to promote military recruitment
By Luke Galvin, 17 November 2020
In effect, the plan simultaneously throws support behind the parasitic recruitment policies of the US military while attempting to boost enrollment numbers at the school.
Ethiopia slides towards civil war as Tigray conflict escalates
By Jean Shaoul, 16 November 2020
Politicians of all stripes have whipped up ethnic tensions to prevent a unified struggle by the impoverished masses against the Ethiopian elites.
Sixty-five years of the Bundeswehr: German president appeals for militarism, rearmament and war
By Johannes Stern, 16 November 2020
Steinmeier’s claim that the Bundeswher has nothing to do with “the unwholesome role of German militarism” and the criminal record of the Wehrmacht is just as dishonest today as it was 65 years ago.
The pandemic and Trump’s plots
By Joseph Kishore, 16 November 2020
Three events over the past three days cast light on the character of Trump’s post-election conspiracies and the social and economic interests driving them.
Stalinist Podemos minister pledges to keep US military bases in Spain
By Alejandro López, 14 November 2020
Alberto Garzón defended Spain’s deal with the Pentagon, citing the fact that Democrat Joe Biden recently won the presidential elections.
Is Trump plotting a war against Iran?
By Bill Van Auken, 14 November 2020
Refusing to accept electoral defeat, and having purged the top ranks of the Pentagon, there is a growing danger that the US president will launch a “December surprise” in the form of a war against Iran.
Trump packs Pentagon with right-wing loyalists
By Bill Van Auken, 12 November 2020
The wholesale shakeup in the Pentagon leadership is one of the most ominous features of Trump’s bid to annul the results of the 2020 elections.
New Zealand government promises stronger US ties after Biden elected
By Tom Peters, 12 November 2020
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern noted that New Zealand had strengthened its alliance with the US during the Trump administration and promised this would continue under a Biden administration.
Australian political elite rushes to salute Biden and re-affirm US alliance
By Mike Head, 10 November 2020
The statements of the government and opposition Labor Party signalled an unequivocal alignment with Washington’s escalating confrontation with China.
Armed conflict in Tigray threatens break up of Ethiopia
By Jean Shaoul, 9 November 2020
Despite Abiy’s promise to end ethnic discrimination, ethnic violence has increased, with some 1.7 million internally displaced people living in camps as the danger grows of still bloodier ethnic violence.
Coronavirus pandemic intensifies humanitarian disaster in Yemen
By Anna Rombach and Marianne Arens, 9 November 2020
In war-torn Yemen the coronavirus pandemic is exhibiting its murderous potential. Doctors report a death rate of 20 to 30 percent among those infected.
Australian government uses bushfire report to demand emergency powers
By Mike Head, 3 November 2020
The royal commission’s “legislative model” would give the prime minister the power to mobilise troops without any request by a state or territory.
Duterte administration launches “red-tagging” witchhunt
By John Malvar, 3 November 2020
The various mass organizations now being red-tagged by the Duterte administration—Bayan, Bayan Muna, Gabriela, the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)—gave their enthusiastic support to him as he took office.
US mercenary exposes Trump administration links to abortive Venezuela invasion
By Bill Van Auken, 3 November 2020
The former special forces operative’s charges came in a breach of contract suit against a chief advisor to Washington’s Venezuelan puppet Juan Guaidó.
Ukraine, Turkey deepen military alliance in Black Sea region
By Jason Melanovski, 3 November 2020
The systematic NATO encirclement of Russia has turned seemingly isolated conflicts in the region into dangerous flashpoints that threaten to spark a major war involving the US, nuclear-armed Russia and countries such as Turkey.
Australian troops accused of Abu Ghraib, My Lai-style war crimes in Afghanistan
By Oscar Grenfell, 3 November 2020
An official 2016 report, now partially revealed, is part of a protracted government cover-up.
Brazilian armed forces conduct unprecedented military exercises amid US threats to Venezuela
By Gabriel Lemos, 2 November 2020
Bolsonaro’s Foreign Ministry last Friday classified as “secret” cables about Pompeo’s trip to Brazil, which took place during war games in Brazil and Colombia.
US Secretary of State insists Sri Lanka lines up against China
By Saman Gunadasa, 31 October 2020
The US has been hostile to China’s influence in strategically important Sri Lanka, as preparations for a US-instigated war against China are escalated.
Casualties mount in Armenian-Azeri war as US-brokered ceasefire collapses
By Alex Lantier, 30 October 2020
The danger is growing that the war between the two former Soviet republics in the Caucasus could escalate into a war involving Russia, Iran, and the NATO powers.
The WSWS and the exposure of US imperialism’s crimes
By Bill Van Auken, 30 October 2020
The WSWS has worked tirelessly to expose the crimes of US imperialism, which have killed and maimed millions and destroyed entire societies.
US threatens military strikes against Iran and Venezuela
By Bill Van Auken, 29 October 2020
Washington has indicated it is prepared to use armed force to prevent Iran from selling weapons to Venezuela, potentially attacking both countries.
Amid tense India-China border stand-off, US and India boost military-security partnership
By Deepal Jayasekera and Keith Jones, 29 October 2020
India’s BJP government has exploited the ongoing military border standoff with China to integrate India still more fully into American imperialism’s incendiary military-strategic offensive against Beijing.
The WSWS and the fight to free political prisoners
By Oscar Grenfell, 28 October 2020
The remarks below were given by Oscar Grenfell, a member of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia) national committee.
France recalls ambassador to Turkey over Turkish criticisms of law on Islam
By Alex Lantier, 26 October 2020
The recalling of an ambassador is the most serious gesture taken between states short of a complete breakdown of diplomatic relations and war.
Mounting evidence of systemic Australian war crimes in Afghanistan
By Mike Head, 24 October 2020
The atrocities flowed inevitably from the nature of the war—a brutal operation to crush all resistance to the US military occupation of the impoverished country.
Support for socialism jumps by nearly 10 percent among US youth amid pandemic depression
By David Fitzgerald and Gabriel Black, 23 October 2020
These statistics quantitatively express a significant shift in political mood and perspective that has occurred over just the last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the US and the world.
Ten years since WikiLeaks and Julian Assange published the Iraq War Logs
By Oscar Grenfell, 23 October 2020
The publication was an imperishable contribution to the fight against imperialist militarism, for which the war criminals and their political representatives have never forgiven Assange.
Australia joins “Quad” military exercises directed against China
By Mike Head, 22 October 2020
None of the latest announcements explicitly named China as the target, but they flowed from a meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue between the US, India, Japan and Australia on October 6, where US Secretary of State Pompeo denounced Beijing.
David North presents Thirty Years of War at Frankfurt Book Fair
By our correspondents, 21 October 2020
North spoke with Johannes Stern, a WSWS editor and representative of Mehring Verlag, about the significance of the book and the socialist perspective upon which the analysis contained within it is based.
Danger of Russian-Turkish conflict grows as Armenian-Azeri ceasefire fails
By Alex Lantier, 19 October 2020
Casualties are rapidly mounting as heavy artillery and precision missile strikes rain down on civilian and military targets in both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Labor Party helps impose Australian military call-out laws for “emergencies”
By Mike Head, 16 October 2020
The “emergency” bill can cover civil unrest, industrial action or any other development regarded as a threat to the existing economic and political order.
US military chief disputes Trump’s Afghanistan troop withdrawal pledge
By Bill Van Auken, 15 October 2020
General Mark Milley insisted that any drawdown of US troops would be “condition-based” as major fighting erupted in Helmand province.
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