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Imperialist mourning for King Abdullah
By Patrick Martin, 26 January 2015
The close collaboration between Washington and the Saudi regime speaks volumes about the nature of American intervention in the Middle East.
ISIS kills Japanese hostage
By Ben McGrath, 26 January 2015
The apparent murder of one of the hostages held by ISIS, Haruna Yukawa, comes as Japan plans to expand its military presence in the Middle East.
Crisis talks in London over Islamic State
By Paul Mitchell, 23 January 2015
The UK/US-hosted summit in London discussed plans for stepping up military action in Iraq.
Syria strike caps Israel's provocations in Middle East
By Chris Marsden, 21 January 2015
Israel's air strike follows its denunciations of the International Criminal Court's decision to launch a preliminary investigation into possible war crimes in Palestine.
Canadian Special Forces engage in ground combat in Iraq
By Roger Jordan, 21 January 2015
Canada's military is playing an important role in planning Peshmerga attacks and in coordinating its operations with air strikes by the US and its war coalition allies.
Europe's terror attacks: The blowback from Western intervention
By Bill Van Auken, 17 January 2015
The terrorist attacks in Paris, like the alleged plot in Belgium, are the direct products of decades of imperialist intervention in the Middle East.
Racist provocation and the "war on terror"
By Patrick Martin, 15 January 2015
With the state-financed publication of the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo, the "war on terror" is ever more openly acquiring a racist character.
Yemen moving towards civil war
By Jean Shaoul, 12 January 2015
Escalating protests and attacks are largely the outcome of the intervention of the American and Saudi governments
Australian special forces working with sectarian Shiite troops in Iraq
By Will Morrow, 12 January 2015
Australian troops are attached to Iraqi units that function as sectarian death squads, murdering suspected opponents of the US puppet regime.
US military admits civilian deaths in Mideast air war
By Thomas Gaist, 8 January 2015
US warplanes have bombed at least 3,222 targets inside Iraq and Syria and destroyed some 980 structures, an official Pentagon announcement said Wednesday.
Australian prime minister visits Iraq to promote US-led war
By James Cogan, 6 January 2015
Abbott's visit coincides with the Obama administration's push to expand the size and operations of US forces.
US moves closer to direct combat with ISIS
By Patrick Martin, 3 January 2015
A former US airbase in Anbar province, where 300 US trainers and Special Forces operatives are located, is surrounded by ISIS and under continuous attack.
US drone strike against Somalia
By Bill Van Auken, 31 December 2014
The attempted assassination of a Somali Islamist militia leader is part of a global escalation of the Obama administration's illegal drone killing program.
Reports reveal scale of destruction of Syria's world historic heritage
By Jean Shaoul, 29 December 2014
The destruction of Syria's patrimony means its history can never be studied and made available to future generations.
German government to send combat troops to Iraq
By Christoph Dreier, 15 December 2014
The German parliament's imminent backing of a combat mission in Iraq marks a crucial step in the unleashing of German militarism.
Israeli bombing of Syria threatens wider war
By Bill Van Auken, 9 December 2014
The latest bombing raids took place amid fresh reports of Israeli aid to the Islamist "rebels" inside Syria.
Israeli prime minister Netanyahu calls March 2015 general election
By Jean Shaoul, 8 December 2014
Netanyahu called the general election for March 17, appealing for the support of ultra-nationalist and religious parties.
Canada preparing to expand its role in Mideast war
By Roger Jordan, 29 November 2014
Canada's Conservative government is now trying to concoct a pseudo-legal justification for involving the country in air strikes against Syria.
Washington denounces Syrian air strikes on ISIS
By Peter Symonds, 28 November 2014
The US State Department's comments are utterly cynical given the Pentagon's indifference to civilian casualties in its new Middle East war.
Neo-fascist National Front calls for rearming of French imperialism
By Francis Dubois, 13 November 2014
On November 11, FN leader Marine Le Pen called for France to rearm, introduce universal military service and develop a policy independent of NATO and the European Union.
US troops sent to Iraq's Anbar province
By Bill Van Auken, 12 November 2014
In the first stage of the latest US escalation, "advisers" are being dispatched to Anbar to pave the way for more "boots on the ground."
Obama calls for more Australian, allied troops for Middle East war
By James Cogan, 11 November 2014
Planning is undoubtedly underway for bloody attacks to retake major Iraqi cities currently controlled by ISIS.
US steps up military operations in Iraq, Syria
By Patrick Martin, 10 November 2014
US warplanes struck along a 400-mile front from Idlib, in northwestern Syria, to Mosul in northern Iraq, and at numerous locations in western Iraq.
After elections, Washington plans escalation of Middle East war
By Bill Van Auken, 7 November 2014
The push for a new Authorization of the Use of Military Force is aimed at preparing a war that will be far wider and even more protracted than those launched over a decade ago.
Washington moving towards wider war in Iraq and Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 6 November 2014
The Pentagon has put out contracts for the support of fighting in the region through 2024.
Canada launches first air strikes in Iraq
By Roger Jordan and Keith Jones, 5 November 2014
The head of Canadian military operations has boasted that Canada is "actively involved in the command-and-control structure" of the coalition bombing campaign.
Last British combat troops leave Camp Bastion in Afghanistan
By Harvey Thompson, 3 November 2014
The withdrawal of hundreds of British soldiers was carried out in almost complete secrecy, amid serious security concerns.
Top US general calls for "advisers" in Iraq combat zone
By Bill Van Auken, 1 November 2014
Gen. Dempsey's proposal would put US troops in predominantly Sunni Anbar province, where ISIS controls roughly 80 percent of the territory.
Turkey allows Kurdish reinforcements into Syrian town of Kobani
By Peter Symonds, 30 October 2014
The US is seeking to forge closer ties with the Kurdish militia groups as it pursues its broader aims of regime-change in Syria.
After the US election, an escalation of the Mideast war
By Bill Van Auken, 29 October 2014
There is a mounting drumbeat from Washington's vast military and intelligence apparatus for stepped-up bombing and US "boots on the ground" in both Iraq and Syria.
SEP Public Meetings
Syria, Iraq and the new war in the Middle East: Causes and Consequences
27 October 2014
Once again, the US military machine has dropped bombs upon a defenseless country in the Middle East—this time Syria. As with "shock and awe" against Iraq in 2003 and the "humanitarian" war for regime-change in Libya in 2011, Washington has launched a war of aggression based upon lies.
Washington Post seizes on chemical weapons claims to press for wider war in Syria
By Niles Williamson, 25 October 2014
Two items in Friday's Washington Post reporting chemical weapons attacks in Iraq and Syria are part of a propaganda campaign by the media to turn the operation against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria into a war to overthrow the Assad regime in Syria.
Obama administration considers sending more "advisers" to Iraq
By Bill Van Auken, 23 October 2014
Preparations are being made to substantially escalate the US military presence and participation in ground combat operations.
US boosts support for Kurdish militia in Syria
By Peter Symonds, 21 October 2014
While the PYD and its armed wing are still on the US list of terrorist organisations, Secretary of State Kerry is rebadging them as Washington's latest "valiant" freedom fighters.
US boosts air war in Syria
By Peter Symonds, 17 October 2014
As the US seeks to consolidate its presence in Iraq and further plans for regime change in Syria, the logic of the military situation points to a further escalation of the war.
CIA warned arming Syrian "rebels" unlikely to succeed
By Bill Van Auken, 17 October 2014
The intelligence agency concluded on the basis of decades of experience that its arming of US-backed insurgents seldom proved successful.
Australia's pseudo-left organisation complicit in US war for regime change in Syria
By Will Morrow, 17 October 2014
Socialist Alternative has yet to write a single article even acknowledging that US bombs have begun to rain down on Syria. As the old maxim states, silence is consent.
US-backed militias commit war crimes in Iraq
By Bill Van Auken, 16 October 2014
Shia militias, among the only ground forces to make advances against ISIS, have carried out a deadly campaign of sectarian violence against Sunnis.
Obama meets anti-ISIS "coalition" amid rising US-Turkish tensions
By Bill Van Auken, 15 October 2014
The meeting at Andrews Air Force Base could not mask the deepening divisions over the strategy guiding the US-led war in Iraq and Syria.
Drumbeat grows for US troops in Middle East war
By Peter Symonds, 13 October 2014
Top US general Martin Dempsey has again suggested that American military advisers will be needed in a frontline combat role.
A bipartisan conspiracy
Australian imperialism and the Middle East war
Statement of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia)
13 October 2014
The justification for war is no less a lie than the claims in 2003 that the US invasion of Iraq was about "weapons of mass destruction."
Balkan states back US war in the Middle East
By Stefan Steinberg, 11 October 2014
Balkan countries that have joined the "coalition against IS" are whipping up anti-Islamist sentiment and introducing repressive legislation.
Australian forces deployed in Iraq: Bipartisanship and the war drive
By Nick Beams, 11 October 2014
The illusion of "strength" surrounding the Abbott government as it commits troops to the US-led war is, above all, a product of the bipartisan support it is receiving.
US, Turkey at odds over Syria intervention
By Patrick Martin, 10 October 2014
Obama and Erdogan are in conflict over the methods to achieve their common goal, the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.
Germany: Left Party bangs the drum for military action against the Islamic State
By Johannes Stern, 10 October 2014
Fourteen leading Left Party politicians have issued a statement titled "Save Kobani!"
Turkey's role in ISIS conflict threatens to reignite civil war
By Jean Shaoul, 9 October 2014
Ankara is determined that anti-ISIS operations do not strengthen Kurdish forces in either Syria or Turkey itself.
The Australian Greens and their phony anti-war posturing
By Mike Head and Peter Symonds, 9 October 2014
The Greens are positioning themselves as a political lightning rod for anti-war opposition.
Turkey demands US back war to topple Syria's Assad
By Bill Van Auken, 8 October 2014
As ISIS forces were poised to take the Syrian border town of Kobani, Turkish President Erdogan reiterated his conditions for joining the US-led war in the region.
The Mideast war and the US election
By Patrick Martin, 7 October 2014
Four weeks before the congressional election, the Democrats and Republicans are engaged in a conspiracy of silence over US war plans in the Middle East.
ISIS gains provide further pretext for US ground troops in Iraq and Syria
By Mike Head, 7 October 2014
Air strikes by the US and its allies have failed to halt the ISIS siege of Kobane on the Syrian-Turkish border.
New Zealand government prepares to join US war in Middle East
By Tom Peters, 7 October 2014
Just nine days after his government was re-elected, Prime Minister John Key said he would consider sending soldiers to Iraq.
UK terror trial collapses because defendant briefed MI5
By Robert Stevens, 6 October 2014
Moazzam Begg was one of four people arrested in February on suspicion of attending a terrorist training camp in Syria, possessing documents for a purpose connected to terrorism.
Behind the war against ISIS
By Bill Van Auken, 4 October 2014
The call for a military crusade against "savagery," "zealots" and "raw evil" is an echo of the rhetoric employed by the yellow press over a century ago.
Australia commits to combat operations in Middle East
By James Cogan, 4 October 2014
The Abbott government's deployment of military forces has been facilitated by the bipartisan support of the Labor Party opposition.
Canada to dramatically escalate its role in Mideast war
By Keith Jones, 4 October 2014
Canada is deploying fighter jets to participate in the US bombing campaign in Iraq and possibly Syria.
Marines in Kuwait; Turkey joins US coalition
New steps to wider war in Middle East
By Patrick Martin, 3 October 2014
Despite Obama's pledge of no boots on the ground, more than 17,000 US ground troops in Kuwait could be quickly deployed in the new war in Syria and Iraq.
US war against the people of Syria and Iraq
By Patrick Martin, 2 October 2014
The White House said Tuesday that restrictions on drone missile strikes meant to limit civilian casualties would not apply to operations in Syria and Iraq.
Pseudo-left New Anti-capitalist Party backs France's "war on terror" agenda
By Francis Dubois, 2 October 2014
The NPA's response to the French government's anti-terror law amounts to a defense of both imperialist war in the Middle East and police repression at home.
US ramps up war in Syria
By Peter Symonds, 30 September 2014
The Obama administration is marshalling support for a war that is primarily aimed against the Syrian government, rather than ISIS.
Le Monde promotes French government war propaganda on Iraq
By Kumaran Ira, 30 September 2014
The French daily Le Monde justifies the escalating imperialist war in the Middle East by echoing Paris's claims that it is fighting a war against "terrorism."
Turkey lines up for military role in Syria–Part 1
By Jean Shaoul, 30 September 2014
Turkish President Recep Erdogan has come under enormous pressure from Washington to join President Obama's coalition for a new war of aggression in the Middle East.
US plans massive military escalation in Syria and Iraq
By Patrick Martin, 29 September 2014
Statements from top US officials are part of a carefully orchestrated campaign to prepare public opinion for full-scale war in the Middle East.
French government exploits Islamist murder of Hervé Gourdel to expand Iraq war
By Pierre Mabut, 29 September 2014
The Islamist forces that murdered Gourdel benefited from the support of France and its allies amid the imperialist powers' proxy wars in Libya and Syria.
Shia insurgency sets stage for expanded US military intervention in Yemen
By Thomas Gaist, 29 September 2014
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on the US embassy in Sanaa amid an ongoing occupation of Yemen's capital city by Houthi rebels.
The escalating US war in Iraq and Syria
By Peter Symonds, 27 September 2014
In less than two months, Obama's phony "humanitarian mission" to protect the Yazidis in Iraq has become a full-blown war across two countries.
Britain's parliament votes for war in Iraq, and also Syria
By Robert Stevens, 27 September 2014
Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament there was "no legal barrier" to Britain extending parliament's approval for bombing Iraq to cover similar action in Syria.
German government sends arms to Iraq and backs US air strikes in Syria
By Johannes Stern, 27 September 2014
The German government plans to deliver weapons worth around 70 million euros to Iraq in the coming days.
The discovery of the "Khorasan Group" in Syria
By Niles Williamson, 27 September 2014
Alleged plotting of the so-called Khorasan Group has been used by the Obama administration as a further justification for its ongoing bombing in Syria.
Britain prepares to join US-led war in Iraq and Syria
By Paul Mitchell, 26 September 2014
Both the Conservatives and Labour Parties back British involvement in the US-led war, which is aimed at reasserting military dominance in Iraq and throughout the Middle East.
In wake of Obama speech, UN debate dominated by "terror," war
By Bill Van Auken, 26 September 2014
European powers solidarized themselves with the latest US imperialist war, while other states used the "terror" hysteria to justify their own crimes.
Australia: Questions over police killing of young Muslim "terrorist"
By our correspondents, 26 September 2014
Workers and youth expressed concern and disbelief to the WSWS over the police shooting of the 18-year-old.
Danish Socialist Workers Party supports imperialist war in the Middle East
By Christoph Dreier, 26 September 2014
The Danish section of the United Secretariat, the Socialist Workers Party, joined the vote to send an Air Force Hercules transport plane carrying arms to Iraq.
UN Security Council resolution on "foreign terrorist fighters" targets democratic rights
By Joseph Kishore, 25 September 2014
The resolution, proposed by the Obama administration, comes as the major powers are implementing a raft of antidemocratic measures under the guise of a renewed "war on terror."
Deceit and delusion at the United Nations
By Barry Grey, 25 September 2014
What above all distinguished Obama's speech was the complete disconnect between its assertions and political reality.
South Korea backs Washington's war in Syria and Iraq
By Ben McGrath, 25 September 2014
The government in Seoul has not ruled out providing military assistance to the US in the Middle East.
US air strikes in Syria, just the beginning
By Peter Symonds, 24 September 2014
The scope and extent of yesterday's air attacks underline the fact that Syria, not Iraq, has been the primary US target all along.
The bombing of Syria and unending US war
By Bill Van Auken, 24 September 2014
The perfunctory character of Obama's statement Tuesday made it clear that Washington no longer feels obliged to even explain, much less defend, its military interventions abroad before the American people.
Video: Detroit residents speak out against war
By Tim Rivers and Seraphine Collins, 24 September 2014
Residents said the billions of dollars spent on war should be used to rebuild infrastructure and fight poverty.
US launches air strikes inside Syria
By Peter Symonds, 23 September 2014
The attacks on ISIS in Syria mark the expansion of a reckless and criminal war that will have catastrophic consequences for the Middle East and beyond.
Obama marshals allies for war on Syria and Iraq
By Peter Symonds, 22 September 2014
Washington's claims to have "universal support" cannot obscure the fact that it is waging another war of aggression based on lies.
Australian anti-terror raids part of US war drive
By Nick Beams, 20 September 2014
Within hours of Australia's largest-ever anti-terror operation, US Secretary of State Kerry invoked the lurid news reports to justify the US war in Iraq and Syria.
US generals challenge Obama on ground troops in Iraq, Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 20 September 2014
In a series of statements contradicting the president's vow of no new "ground war" in Iraq, the Pentagon's top brass has come close to insubordination.
Detroit Chrysler workers speak out against war
By a WSWS reporting team, 20 September 2014
Workers at the Chrysler Warren Truck assembly plant in suburban Detroit expressed opposition to the Obama administration's new war against Iraq and Syria.
France bombs ISIS targets in Iraq
By Alex Lantier, 20 September 2014
The air strikes marked the first European attack in support of the latest US war in Iraq and the first overt French military operation there since the 1990-1991 Gulf War.
US lays new chemical weapon allegations against Syria
By Peter Symonds, 19 September 2014
While the US shelved its planned air war against Syria last year, it has never relinquished its ambition for regime change in Damascus.
"War means the people are losing"
Wayne State University students and workers speak out against war
By Seraphine Collins, 19 September 2014
As the US military launches an open-ended war in Iraq and Syria, a broad section of workers and young people say they feel deeply opposed to war, but their views find no reflection in official politics.
US House approves Obama plan for military intervention in Syria
By Patrick Martin, 18 September 2014
The bipartisan vote, with majorities of both Republicans and Democrats supporting the White House, is a major step towards a wider war in the Middle East.
FBI arrests Rochester man in fabricated ISIS "terror plot"
By Thomas Gaist, 18 September 2014
Mufid Elfgeeh was arrested after purchasing inoperative weapons from FBI informants posing as aspiring ISIS militants
US prepares for "generational" war in the Middle East
By Peter Symonds, 17 September 2014
In Senate hearings yesterday, the top US general contradicted President Obama's pledge that no US troops would engage in combat in Iraq or Syria.
Mediterranean shipwrecks leave over 700 refugees dead, many fleeing Mideast wars
By Bill Van Auken, 16 September 2014
Underlying the desperate attempts of refugees to reach Europe is the chaos that multiple imperialist interventions have inflicted upon the Middle East and Africa.
UK prepares for full military action in Syria and Iraq
By Robert Stevens, 16 September 2014
Using aid worker David Haines' murder by ISIS as the casus belli, British Prime Minister Cameron is preparing to back military strikes in Iraq and Syria.
Obama's "coalition of the willing" against Syria, Iran
By Peter Symonds, 15 September 2014
Using the pretext of attacking ISIS militias, the US has revived its plans directed at ousting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and also against Syria's backers, Iran and Russia.
US Congress to vote to fund Syrian "rebels"
By Patrick Martin, 15 September 2014
The House will act on Monday, followed shortly by the Senate, with both parties expected to provide top-heavy majorities for stepped-up US intervention in the Syrian civil war.
Families of journalists murdered by ISIS threatened with prosecution by US government
By Niles Williamson, 15 September 2014
The families of journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, both beheaded by ISIS, have come forward about threats from the Obama administration of prosecution if they paid the ransoms demanded for their sons' lives.
Australian government commits warplanes, troops to Iraq war
By Zac Hambides and Peter Symonds, 15 September 2014
Yesterday's announcement by Prime Minister Tony Abbott that up to 600 Australian military personnel and 10 aircraft will be deployed within the week to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to "contribute" to fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is surrounded by deception and lies. While Abbott declared that Australia was involved in a "humanitarian operation," the real aim of the new US-led war is regime-change against the Iranian and Russian-backed government in Syria.
The war for regime-change in Syria
By Barry Grey, 13 September 2014
The new war represents a massive escalation of US imperialist aggression in the entire Middle East and beyond.
Obama administration asserts unlimited powers for new war in Iraq, Syria
By Joseph Kishore, 13 September 2014
The White House designated military operations in Iraq and Syria as a "war," even as it insisted that it did not need congressional authorization.
Canada signs up for Washington's new Mideast war
By Keith Jones, 13 September 2014
With the full support of the country's ruling business elite, Canada has joined the new "coalition of the willing" that US imperialism has organized to wage war in Iraq, Syria and beyond.
US to rapidly expand war in Iraq and Syria
By Peter Symonds, 12 September 2014
While ISIS is the nominal target, the new US-led war is above all a revival of plans to topple the Assad regime in Syria.