Just International

What Matters In Terms Of Donald Trump

By Sally Dugman

One of my friends sent me an article that suggested that Bernie Sanders’s recent rallies that goad Donald Trump had paid attendees. In response, I think that such a plan is dubious, although I do remember Trump paying actors to come to at least one of his public meetings to make him look popular and desirable.

So, what does it matter, anyway, about  the number and whom attended Bernie Sanders’s rallies? What matters much more so is about whom runs the narrative about happenings.

All considered, we, as a country’s citizens, aren’t acting conscionably when our main leader who is liked is someone who wants to steal Gaza for his own personal, cut-throat (literally so) financial gain (so as to build a high-end resort catering to the extremely wealthy) and we think that this action is okay. I, certainly, don’t do so.

Yes, maybe lots of U.S. citizens think that it is okay to steal land and resources (especially since our country was founded on murder and theft from millions of natives for self-gains). I do not.

Maybe most U.S. citizens think that it is okay to provide “hush money” to shut up a porn star who one solicited for sex so as to be able to present a lily-white image of self during the time that one is running for office and at that point, one’s wife has just given birth or about to do so. I do not.

Maybe they even like that Trump followed a woman, who verbally stood up to him, into a store dressing room and by forcing his finger or fingers into her vagina showed his dominance and control over her with his pay-back revenge in the way that war-mongering thugs do in conflict war zones do. I do not.

Maybe they think that it is all right to publicly make fun of a disabled reporter who is asking you an earnest question at a news conference.I do not.

Maybe they don’t mind that Trump was caught lying again and again on a frequent basis about all sorts of topics such as consuming cleaning solutions for handling a virus, I do not.

Maybe they think that it is okay that he gives funds and weapons of mass destruction at taxpayers’ expense that are used to purposefully kill children and elderly citizens in Palestine so that they simply die off in a massive genocide. I do not.

Maybe they think that it’s okay to ravage USA forests, meadows, waters, and more while causing lots of species to go extinct and climate change to run amuck while not leaving much by way of resources for future generations of humans. I do not.

Maybe they even imagine that it’s favorable to dismantle assorted U.S. agencies via a fawning lackey named Elon Musk who is on the dole for billions of dollars for his provisions to the United States government. I do not.

Maybe they think that in reverse Robin-hood style, it’s okay to steal Medicaid, SNAP, WIC and more from the poor to have ample money available to give tax breaks to billionaire personal pals. Imagine that happening being condoned by the brunt of the public. I cannot.

Perhaps Trump and the brunt of the general public like shabbily treating as a way to publicly humiliate the Ukraine leader. I do not. …and the list of the grievous and morally slipshod wrongs goes on and on all of which some people wildly condone Trump’s actions overall, including his sending  would-be Immigrants to a notorious prison in another nation! I do not … and adamantly so since I lack having any degree of liking moral lassitude.

Sally Dugman lives in and writes from Massachusetts in the USA.

25 March 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

Bomb with Everything You Have: Israel Sets the Tone for the Genocide of the Palestinians

By Vijay Prashad

On 5 March 2025, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi stepped down as chief of the general staff of the Israeli military. He had held that post since 16 January 2023 and therefore led the military during its war against the Palestinians. Several appreciations of Halevi appeared in the aftermath of his departure from this important post. In one of these long articles, in the hugely influential Yedioth Ahronoth, one of Israel’s most well-known journalists – Nahum Barnea – profiled Halevi. In this profile, Barnea described the cabinet meeting forty-eight hours after the Hamas attack on the Israeli border posts. Halevi presented the military operations that had taken place during these two days. He said that the Air Force had attacked 1,500 targets in this short time. Halevi is not a dove. This was a ferocious attack on a largely civilian area.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘erupted in anger’, wrote Barnea.  He began to yell and bang on the table, around which sat his cabinet. ‘Why not 5,000?’, Netanyahu scolded Halevi. ‘We don’t have 5,000 approved targets’, responded the military man. ‘I’m not interested in targets,’ said Netanyahu. ‘Take down houses. Bomb with everything you have.’

Netanyahu’s statement on 9 October 2023 set the tone of the entire war. But Netanyahu was not alone in this attitude. Those Israelis who fashion themselves to be more liberal than him, and to be less ferocious, are equally committed to the bloodbath.

In June 2024, the members of National Unity (Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot) resigned from Netanyahu’s cabinet. They argued that Netanyahu was not able to focus on the war because he brought ‘outside considerations and politics’ into the discussions. Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the military who has said he supports a two-state solution, nonetheless has pushed for more ruthless military action against the Palestinians in Gaza.

It was widely reported when Itamar Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit members of cabinet resigned in January 2025 because of the ceasefire. They did not want any stoppage to the war.

So, neither the more liberal National Unity nor the far-right Otzma Yehudit wanted the bombing to cease.

Preparations to Break the Ceasefire

A ceasefire deal had been prepared on 31 May 2024, but the Israelis refused to sign it. They did, however, accept the ceasefire on 15 January 2025. It went into effect four days later. During the ceasefire, the Palestinian factions and Israel swapped political prisoners according to the timetable established during the negotiations. Ramadan began on 28 February. The first phase of the ceasefire was set to expire on 1 March, but Israel demanded that it be extended so that all Israeli prisoners could be released; Hamas argued instead that it wanted to move to the second phase of the ceasefire, which would have allowed greater humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. On 2 March, Israel stopped the entry of humanitarian aid, and on 9 March cut off electricity to Gaza. Life inside Gaza became even more intolerable because the hope of the ceasefire had now been crushed. Palestinians waited for the Israelis to act.

Was the Israeli action really about the political prisoners that Hamas had not yet released? On 14 March, Hamas agreed to release Edan Alexander (a dual US-Israeli citizen) and the bodies of dual nationals. Israel and the United States refused to accept this offer. Other issues seem to have been at play, not the prisoner exchange.

On 16 March, Gadi Eisenkot and other members of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) sent a letter to Netanyahu and his Defence minister Israel Katz. They argued that the ceasefire has allowed Hamas and Islamic Jihad to regroup. Hamas, they said, now has 25,000 armed fighters, while Islamic Jihad has 5,000 fighters. And, they said, that these groups had used the ceasefire to plan another 7 October style attack. These lawmakers argued that Netanyahu’s war policy and the ceasefire show a ‘failure to achieve the war’s objectives’ and ‘damage… national security interests’.

On 17 March, the Israeli cabinet held an emergency meeting to discuss intelligence claims that Hamas was planning another attack. The next day, Katz went to the Otef Israel Forum – made up of Israeli residents who live along the edge of Gaza – and told them that ‘there are constant preparations being made by Hamas for an invasion’ that is ‘similar to 7 October’. ‘We must strike them and completely finish the job’, Katz said at the forum. It was clear that the entire Israeli political class – from Netanyahu’s cabinet to his opposition – had begun to generate fear about another Hamas attack.

Hamas responded immediately that the allegations of an attack ‘are baseless and merely a flimsy pretext to justify its return to war’. Hamas said that it had ‘adhered to the agreement’ and that it was Netanyahu – ‘seeking a way out of his internal crises’ – who wanted to ‘reignite the war’.

The Israeli bombardment began on 18 March with the massacre of 400 Palestinian civilians (including 174 children).

On 22 March, the Israelis destroyed the Turkish Friendship Hospital located on al-Hurriya Street in the central Gaza region. It was the only real cancer hospital in Gaza and had provided treatment for 13,000 cancer patients who still remain in the area. When Israel had occupied the region with its soldiers, it had converted the hospital into a military barracks. When it withdrew on 19 January 2025, medical personnel hastily tried to recover the hospital for the cancer patients. Now it is destroyed.

Israeli Options

Major General Tamir Heyman heads the Institute for National Security Studies, a major think tank in Israel. In an important column, widely circulated, Heyman argues that the Israelis have two goals: rescue the prisoners and destroy Hamas. To do so, he proposes three scenarios:

First, Israeli soldiers enter Gaza and hold it under military rule, seeking out and destroying Hamas, and finding the prisoners. Second, Israel imposes an even harsher siege on Gaza and weakens Hamas (but it might not get its prisoners). Third, a ‘Hezbollah model’, where Israel recognises that Hamas ‘cannot be wiped off the face of the earth’ but the link between Hamas and the Palestinian people can be eroded by the creation of an alternative political force in Gaza.

All three options share one element: pain for the Palestinians. Across the Israeli political spectrum, apart from a small section of dissidents, this is the general orientation.

Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor, and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter.

25 March 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

Palestinian Oscar Winner Arrested by Israeli Forces After Being ‘Assaulted and Beaten’ by Settlers

By Quds News Network

Occupied West Bank (Quds News Network)- Palestinian film director and Academy Award-winner Hamdan Ballal was arrested by Israeli forces after being severly assaulted and beaten by what his colleague described as a “lynch mob” of Israeli settlers on Monday night in the Palestinian village of Susya, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

Ballal’s co-director and fellow Oscar winner of the documentary No Other Land, Yuval Abraham, said in a post on X featuring a shaky cell phone video that masked settlers “attacked Hamdan’s village, they continued to attack American activists, breaking their car with stones”.

The Center for Jewish Nonviolence said in a statement released on Monday that the five Jewish-American activists at the scene “are participating in a three-month long coresistance project” in Masafer Yatta, the village at the heart of No Other Land. Masafer Yatta is a short drive southeast of Susya, which is also the site of an illegal Israeli settlement.

The activists “responded to calls to come and support the village of Susya while it was under attack,” and “when the activists returned to their car to seek shelter, the settlers surrounded the car, slashed its tires, and smashed the windows with stones”, the statement read.

Ballal’s whereabouts were unknown after Israeli soldiers seized him from the ambulance that arrived to treat him, Abraham, a journalist for +972 magazine, said on X.

Later Abraham confirmed that Hamdan was “assaulted and beaten.. He’s injured and being held at a police station in a settlement. They did not let his lawyer speak to him yet so we don’t know more.”

Basel Adra, the Palestinian resident of Masafer Yatta whose story is told in the oscar-winning film, said on Monday that he was “standing with Karam, Hamdan’s 7 year old son, near the blood of Hamdan’s in his house, after settlers lynched him”.

Ballal “is still missing after soldiers abducted him, injured and bleeding”, Adra said. “This is how they erase Masafer Yatta.”

The Israeli forces confirmed later on Monday that it had arrested Ballal. He was arrested for allegedly “throwing stones.”

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law. However, Israel has continued to build settlements across the occupied territory over the past several decades.

Israeli settler violence against Palestinians has been on the rise for several years now. Since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023, the attacks in the occupied West Bank have spiked even more.

The United Nations humanitarian agency, OCHA, has documented at least 220 attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in 2025 alone.

“Local and international activists regularly document the actions of settlers carrying out similar attacks, often calling the police for some sort of recourse, but settlers are rarely, if ever, held accountable for their crimes,” the Center for Jewish Nonviolence said.

25 March 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

‘If You’re Reading This, It Means I Have Been Killed’:Journalist Hossam Shabat’s Final Words

By Quds News Network

Gaza (Quds News Network)- The colleagues of Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat, who was killed in a targeted Israeli attack on Monday, have shared his final words.

Shabat, a journalist for the Al Jazeera Mubasher channel, was killed in northern Gaza. Witnesses said his car was targeted while in the eastern part of Beit Lahiya.

In a post on X, pre-written by Shabat, he wrote, “If you’re reading this, it means I have been killed — most likely targeted — by the Israeli occupation forces.

When all of this began, I was only 21 years old—a university student with dreams like anyone else. Over the past 18 months, I have dedicated every moment of my life to my people. I documented the horrors in northern Gaza minute by minute, determined to show the world the truth they tried to bury. I slept on sidewalks, in schools, in tents—wherever I could. Every day was a battle for survival. I endured months of hunger, yet I never abandoned my people.

By God, I fulfilled my duty as a journalist. I risked everything to convey the truth, and now, at last, I am at rest—something I have not known for the past 18 months. I did all of this out of faith in the Palestinian cause. I believe that this land is ours, and the greatest honor of my life was to die in its defense and in service of its people.

I ask you now: Do not stop talking about Gaza. Do not let the world turn away. Keep fighting, keep telling our stories—until Palestine is free.

For the last time, Hossam Shabat, from northern Gaza.”

[https://twitter.com/HossamShabat/status/1904219854183313461]

25 March 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

Reclaiming the Narrative: Why Palestinians Must Own the Means of Content Production

By Dr. Ramzy Baroud

My journey into the realm of people’s history began during my teenage years when I first read Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. This initial exposure sparked my curiosity about how history is constructed, and it led me to delve deeper into historiography—particularly the evolution of people’s history as an intellectual movement. Over the years, I encountered a wide range of historians, from Michel Foucault and Marc Bloch to Lucien Febvre and Chris Harman, each offering unique perspectives on the study of ordinary people in history.

However, it wasn’t until I immersed myself in the work of Antonio Gramsci that I discovered a more universal, less provincial, and Western-centric approach to history. Although Gramsci did not explicitly position himself as a historian of the people, his ideas on organic intellectuals and cultural hegemony have provided invaluable tools for understanding how ordinary people can shape history. Gramsci’s theories have brought a more relatable and applicable understanding of Marxism, particularly by liberating it from the confines of rigid economic theories.

The Contribution of Linda Tuhiwai Smith

A significant turning point in my intellectual journey came with Linda Tuhiwai Smith’s Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples’. Her work further deepened my understanding of how to approach history from a decolonial perspective. Smith’s methodology allowed me to, once again, revisit and reconsider Palestinian history, challenging the orientalist and elitist perspectives that have long distorted the narrative. It also opened my eyes to a lingering issue within indigenous history: many of us, as indigenous historians, unknowingly replicate the very methodologies used by Western historians to portray us as the ‘other.’

Smith’s work fundamentally challenges the traditional view that history is written by the victor.

“It is the story of the powerful and how they became powerful, and then how they use their power to keep them in positions in which they can continue to dominate others,” she wrote.

Instead, history can be written to empower the oppressed, enabling them to challenge their victimhood. However, for this alternative history to be effective, it must be acknowledged not just by historians but also by those affected by the misreading of history.

Malcolm X’s Empowerment and Global Resonance

One of the most profound aspects of Malcolm X’s message, aside from his courage and intellectual rigor, was his focus on empowering Black communities to challenge their own inferiority and reclaim their power. He did not prioritize confronting white racism; rather, he sought to inspire Black people to assert their identity and strength. This message has resonated globally, especially in the Global South, and continues to thrive today. For a deeper understanding of Malcolm X’s impact, I recommend The Dead Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne.

In the Palestinian context, there is a similarly pressing need for a reclamation of the narrative—a reclaiming of both identity and history. While a people’s history of Palestine is beginning to emerge, there are still misunderstandings about what this form of research truly entails.

The Role of Refaat Alareer in Palestinian History

Refaat Alareer, a Gaza-based Palestinian historian, will be remembered for his significant contributions to articulating the Palestinian struggle for freedom. In the years leading up to his assassination by Israel during the Gaza genocide on December 6, 2023, he consistently emphasized the centrality of resistance in Palestinian discourse, gaining recognition for his courage, poetry, and intellectual work. It is also essential to highlight Alareer’s unwavering belief that Palestinians must control what I refer to as “the means of content production.” This control is vital to prevent the Palestinian narrative from being hijacked or manipulated by external forces.

“Gaza writes back because the power of imagination is a creative way to construct a new reality. Gaza writes back because writing is a nationalist obligation, a duty to humanity, and a moral responsibility,” he wrote.

Misunderstandings in People’s History Research

There are several common misunderstandings about people’s history that need to be addressed. These misconceptions often stem from the way this form of research is applied, especially in newer contexts.

People’s History is Not Just Oral History

While oral history and storytelling are essential components in laying the foundation for people’s history, they should not be confused with people’s history itself. Oral history can provide raw material for research, but true people’s history requires a broader, more comprehensive approach that avoids selectivity or bias.

The collective messages of ordinary people should shape the intellectual outcomes, allowing for a more accurate understanding of complex phenomena.

Concepts like sumud (steadfastness), karamah (dignity), and muqawama (resistance) must be seen not just as sentimental values, but as political units of analysis that traditional history often overlooks.

People’s History Cannot Be Used to Validate Pre-Existing Ideas

It is crucial to differentiate people’s history from opportunistic attempts to validate pre-existing ideas. Edward Said’s concept of the “Native Informant” highlights how seemingly indigenous voices have been used to legitimize colonial interventions.

Similarly, political groups or activists might selectively present voices from within oppressed communities to validate their own pre-existing views or agendas.

In the Palestinian context, this often manifests in the portrayal of “moderate” Palestinians as the acceptable face of the Palestinian discourse, while “radical” Palestinians are labeled as extremists. This selective representation not only misrepresents the Palestinian people but also allows Western powers to manipulate the Palestinian narrative without appearing to do so.

People’s History is Not the Annunciation of Pre-Existing Agendas

In traditional academic research, the study typically follows a hypothesis, methodology, and a process of proving or disproving ideas. While people’s history can follow rational research methods, it does not adhere to the traditional structure of validating right or wrong.

It is not about proving a hypothesis, but about uncovering collective sentiments, thoughts, and societal trends. The responsibility of the historian is to reveal the voices of the people without subjecting them to pre-established notions or biases.

People’s History is Not the Study of People

Linda Smith emphasizes the importance of liberating indigenous knowledge from the colonial tools of research. In traditional Western research, the colonized people are often reduced to mere subjects to be studied.

People’s history, on the other hand, recognizes these individuals as political agents whose histories, cultures, and stories are forms of knowledge in themselves. When knowledge is harnessed for the benefit of the people it belongs to, the entire research process changes.

For example, Israel ‘studies’ Palestinian culture as a means to subdue Palestinian resistance. They attempt to manipulate societal faultlines to weaken the resolve of Palestinians.

This is a crude but effective manifestation of colonial research methods. While these methods may not always be violent, their ultimate goal remains the same: to weaken popular movements, exploit resources, and suppress resistance.

Conclusion

People’s history is an urgent necessity, especially in contexts like Palestine, where it is vital to communicate the empowered voices of the people to the rest of the world.

This form of research must be conducted with a deeper understanding of its methodologies to avoid further marginalization and exploitation. By prioritizing the narrative of ordinary people, we can shift the historical discourse towards greater authenticity, justice, and empowerment.

Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle.

24 March 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

Columbia University Capitulates to Outrageous and Unprecedented Fascist Demands

By Raymond Lotta

On March 13, the Trump fascists issued an outrageous and unprecedented list of demands that Columbia University must comply with in order to even negotiate with the government for federal funds. This comes five days after the Gestapo-like abduction of Mahmoud Khalil (the Palestine solidarity activist and a movement spokesperson at Columbia) by ICE agents! It comes six days after the federal government cut off $400 million for scientific research conducted at Columbia. Meanwhile, the fascist regime announced a new round of government investigations into 52 universities to crack down on “DEI” (diversity, equity, inclusion) programs in campus curriculum and hiring.

On March 21, Katrina Armstrong, the interim president of Columbia, cravenly capitulated to the Trump administration’s demands.

Fascist Demands, an Accommodating Administration

Let’s look at some of these nine demands that Columbia has now agreed to meet. They require that Columbia:

  • Grant “full law enforcement authority, including arrest and removal of agitators,” to public safety officers;
  • Abolish the University Judicial Board;
  • Complete disciplinary proceedings for students involved in the Gaza protests;
  • Enforce a ban on masks [used by protesters to protect their identities and safety];
  • Place the Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies department under “academic receivership” [a process that requires an outside chair to run the department for a minimum of five years];
  • Implement “a plan for comprehensive admissions reform”’ [read: vet racial-national backgrounds and political views of prospective students].

Never has the U.S. government taken such extreme measures to discipline and compel the university to align its views and practices to the politics and priorities of the government. What is happening now is even more extreme than what happened at the height of McCarthyism of the early 1950s, when left-wing and communist professors were targeted by Congressional committees. These demands to Columbia gut any degree or semblance of university independence. This fascist diktat, or decree, is the spearpoint of the war on the university as it has existed for generations. (A diktat is a punitive decree imposed unilaterally on a country, party, or institution.)

This is the playbook of a Nazi-like takeover. As Columbia classics professor Joseph Howley at Columbia put it: “If the federal government can show up and demand a university department be shut down or restructured, then we don’t have universities in this country.”

And what has been the response of Katrina Armstrong, interim president of Columbia? Outcry, rebuke, a call to the academic and broader community to resist and protect the integrity and very survival of intellectual life in the university and society? The demand that ICE agents get off the campus?

On the contrary! In response to the cancellation of federal research funds, Armstrong declared that Columbia is “committed to working with the federal government to address their legitimate demands.”

Note the invocation of “legitimate”—that these fascists somehow have “legitimate” concerns and claims. Truly a “profile in cowardice.” Truly a lesson NOT learned from the rise of Hitler, when most academic institutions either enthusiastically embraced Hitler or thought they could accommodate and squirm their way to survival. Which of course begs the question: survival for what and as what?!

On March 21, the Columbia University administration utterly prostrated itself before the Trump fascist regime, acquiescing to its outrageous assault on the right to protest and academic freedom.

Stepping Back

This fascist assault on the university, including and especially the “elite” schools, took a qualitative leap in response to the courageous student movement to stop the U.S.-Zionist-Israeli genocide in Gaza and the complicity of the university in war crimes and Zionist apartheid. This movement has faced unrelenting repression from the start—from university administrations, Zionist donors and thugs, and local police… up to the highest levels of governance. Now it is facing whole new levels of repression, with the university itself as we know it on the chopping block.

Why is this movement the target of such intense attack and vitriol? Because criticism of and opposition to the state of Israel is a kind of “third rail” of American politics and political life—a “no go” because it touches on the most strategic interests of U.S. imperialist interests. The apartheid state of Israel is financially, militarily, and diplomatically propped up by U.S. imperialism to function as a “watch-dog” and “attack-dog” for the interests of Western, especially U.S., imperialism in a strategic part of the world. (See the series of social media messages from Bob Avakian titled “Palestine, Israel, U.S. Imperialism and Revolution.”)

And here is something that people need to appreciate. The university is one of the few spaces in society where critical thinking and dissent have some initiative, and where radical movements have space to develop, where ideas have space to incubate. This happened in the 1960s.1 The potential for this kind of dissent to spread and influence society more broadly is threatening to the rulers of society. Last spring in particular, the protest and dissent on the campuses jolted large sections of society to seriously re-examine their views on Israel and the U.S. This protest powerfully included the willingness of students to be arrested and to stand up to violent attack from Zionist thugs. It is this questioning—not the few incidents of anti-Semitism that in no way characterize the movement—that the capitalist-imperialist ruling class finds so threatening and that they are determined to crack down on.

And here is something else to reckon with: If the Trump fascist regime has its way—and it is well on its way—that university as “incubator of ideas” will be no more.

The Trump MAGA fascists in power are aiming to restructure the university: to outlaw protest; to monitor and regulate curriculum: from Black history to the history of the Palestinian people as a people uprooted, oppressed, and subjugated by the apartheid state of Israel. They aim to harass and drive out professors who stand with righteous protest and who fight to teach “inconvenient truths” of empire, history, and the world… who foster critical and creative thinking.

“Nazification” An Apt Description

The phrase “Nazification of the university” describes the process that has taken a dangerous and unprecedented leap in the last few weeks: a) suppression and criminalization of dissent; b) thought control over faculty, curriculum, acceptable discourse; and c) semi-militarization, with agents of repression like ICE and Department of Homeland Security now infiltrated on to campus with license to surveil, intimidate, arrest, and deport.

In examining the larger situation we are facing, the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian has drawn the important parallel to the rise of Hitler in the early 1930s. Hitler came to power through “normal” processes and “trampled on and quickly put an end to the basic norms and principles of that republic, forcibly imposing in its place the open fascist dictatorship by the Nazis. This laid the basis for all the horrific atrocities committed by the Hitler/Nazi regime… what is happening now with Trump fascist rule also involves a terrible momentum that will involve massive monstrous crimes against humanity, in this country and in the world overall.”

Our Historic Responsibility

We, who live in the “belly of the beast,” have a limited time to act. As Bob Avakian goes on to argue,

Before Trump’s fascist rule can become fully consolidated and carry out even far worse horrors than what it is already perpetrating, it must be defeated through powerful mass mobilization— overcoming all “divide and conquer” schemes, uniting all who can be united, from many different viewpoints and perspectives, in actively opposing, defying and resisting this fascism, in continually growing numbers—moving to quickly involve millions, determined to create such a profound political crisis that Trump cannot govern the country and continue to implement his fascist program, with all its terrible consequences.

Columbia-Barnard has been the epicenter of both student-faculty resistance and the repression against it. The fascists want to turn this assault on speech, protest, and academic freedom at Columbia, at this Ivy League university, into a proving ground for restructuring the university. They want to turn this university (and all universities) into a “dead-zone” of compliance with and obedience to fascism—with all of the ominous implications for the political and intellectual life of society overall, and for people’s capacity and willingness to resist, that go with that.

We must draw the line here and now: refusal, defiance, resistance… no business as usual. We must turn this into our proving ground. To make the battle to defeat this fascist onslaught at Columbia—as we unite ever more broadly and draw growing numbers into this fight from all corners of society—into an example and clarion call to others.

This only stops when we dare to stop it, when we dare to stand on principle and humanity—and challenge others to do the same. It only STOPS when we grow to the millions and say, “The Trump Fascist Regime Must Go. NO! In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept a fascist America.”

Free Mahmoud Khalil Now!

Stop the Fascist Assault on Academic Freedom, Protest, and Basic Rights

In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America

_______________

An earlier version of this article appeared in revcom.us

FOOTNOTE:
1. Bob Avakian discusses this in his social media message Revolution #33, “The powerful positive experience of the 1960s movement—the crucial importance of uniting broadly against injustice and atrocity, with open-minded engagement of different ideas and programs…”

Raymond Lotta is a political economist; spokesperson for Revolution Books, New York City; and an advocate for the new communism developed by the revolutionary leader Bob Avakian.

23 March 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

Israel Kills 130 Palestinians in 48 Hours Across Gaza

By Quds News Network

Gaza (Quds News Network)- Israeli warplanes continue to bomb different parts of Gaza, violating the ceasefire agreement. In the past 48 hours, Israeli attacks have killed 130 Palestinians.

Israeli airstrikes targeted homes and farmland in Gaza City. A strike hit an agricultural area near Al-Karama in the western part of the city.

In Al-Tuffah neighborhood, an airstrike on an apartment killed 12 civilians, including six children. Paramedics rushed the victims to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.

In Khan Younis, Israeli jets destroyed a four-story home belonging to the Sharrab family. The attack also damaged nearby houses.

Israeli forces also bombed a police facility in Deir Al-Balah, but no casualties were reported.

Meanwhile, Israeli artillery shelled areas near Al-Mughraqa in central Gaza. Another airstrike targeted farmland west of Khan Younis, with no immediate reports of casualties.

Israeli airstrikes in Beit Lahiya and Umm Al-Nasr in northern Gaza killed three civilians and wounded others. A separate attack on Al-Shaymaa neighborhood also caused multiple casualties.

In central Gaza, three Palestinians were injured in an airstrike near the Nuseirat refugee camp. Israeli artillery also shelled farmland east of Al-Fukhari in the south.

Israel resumed its genocide in Gaza early last Tuesday after a two-month pause under a ceasefire agreement that took effect on January 19. However, Israeli forces repeatedly violated the truce throughout this period.

Since the genocide began on October 7, 2023, Israel, with U.S. support, has killed and injured over 160,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, while the international community remains silent.

23 March 2025

Source: countercurrents.org

Dear DOGE: Here’s How to Cut the Pentagon Budget by $100 Billion in Six Easy Steps

By Melissa Garriga

America’s military budget is more than just numbers on a page—it’s a reflection of the priorities that shape our society. Right now, that nearly trillion dollar budget is bloated, inefficient, and far removed from the needs of everyday Americans. We’ve identified six simple yet effective ways to cut at least $100 billion from the Pentagon’s budget—without sacrificing even the most hawkish of war hawk’s sense of national security. Ready to take the scissors to that excess spending? Here’s how we can do it.

1. Halt the F-35 Program (Save $12B+ per year)

The F-35 is the poster child for military mismanagement. It’s a fighter jet that was supposed to revolutionize our military—except it’s plagued by cost overruns, delays, and underperformance. Despite a projected lifetime cost of over $2 trillion, this aircraft only meets mission requirements about 30% of the time. If we ended or paused the F-35 program now, we’d free up $12 billion annually. The military-industrial complex can afford a few less fancy jets that destroy land and lives, especially when they don’t even do their job right.

2. Reassess Long-Range Missile Defense (Save $9.3B+ per year)

For over half a century, we’ve sunk an eye-watering $400 billion into long-range missile defense systems that have never delivered. The cold, hard truth is these systems are ineffective against real-world threats. In fact, no missile defense technology has ever proven capable of neutralizing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) attack. Cutting back on these programs would save us $9.3 billion per year—money that could be better spent on diplomacy initiatives that actually work.

3. Cut the Sentinel ICBM Program (Save $3.7B+ per year)

ICBMs were once the crown jewels of our nuclear deterrence strategy, but they’re outdated in today’s geopolitical climate. With more reliable and flexible platforms like submarines, bombers, and emerging hypersonic technologies, maintaining an expensive, high-risk ICBM arsenal makes little sense. Ending the Sentinel ICBM program would save taxpayers $3.7 billion annually, and even more in the long run, with total savings over its lifespan estimated at $310 billion. It’s time to face facts: we don’t need to keep pouring money into a strategy that no longer aligns with modern defense needs. Especially when the best nuclear deterrence system is ending nuclear weapons programs to begin with.

4. Cease Procurement of Aircraft Carriers (Save $2.3B+ per year)

Aircraft carriers are relics of a bygone era, costing billions to build and maintain, while becoming increasingly vulnerable to modern missile technology. These floating cities are no longer the symbols of naval power they once were. By halting new aircraft carrier procurements, we can save $2.3 billion a year—money that could be better allocated to ways that actually keep us safe in the 21st century like housing, healthcare or climate justice.

5. Cut Redundant Contracts by 15% (Save $26B per year)

The Pentagon’s bureaucracy is a cash cow for contractors—more than 500,000 private sector workers are paid to do redundant and often wasteful work. Many contracts overlap or go toward projects that are, frankly, unnecessary. Cutting back just 15% on these contracts would save $26 billion annually. That’s a massive chunk of change that could be reallocated to more efficient and effective defense projects. Want a starting point? Look no further than SpaceX’s lucrative contracts—it’s time we hold these companies accountable.Maybe DOGE knows a guy there?

6. Prioritize Diplomacy (Save $50B+ per year)

The best way to avoid unnecessary military spending is to prevent conflicts from happening in the first place. By focusing on diplomatic solutions instead of military interventions, we can scale back expensive overseas bases, reduce troop deployments, and use reserves and National Guard units more effectively. This shift could save up to $50 billion a year—and possibly as much as $100 billion in the long term. It’s about time we put our resources into creating peaceful solutions rather than preparing for endless wars.

What Could We Do with the $100 Billion in Savings?

The possibilities are endless when we take a more practical approach to national security spending. What could we do with the $100 billion we save? Here’s a snapshot of just some of the incredible investments we could make in American society:

  • 787,255 Registered Nurses: Filling critical healthcare gaps nationwide.

  • 10.39 million Public Housing Units: Making affordable housing a reality for families across the country.

  • 2.29 million Jobs at $15/hour: Providing good jobs with benefits, boosting the economy.

  • 1.03 million Elementary School Teachers: Giving our children the education they deserve.

  • 579,999 Clean Energy Jobs: Building a sustainable, green future for the next generation.

  • 7.81 million Head Start Slots: Giving young children a foundation for lifelong success.

  • 5.88 million Military Veterans receiving VA medical care: Ensuring those who served our country receive the care they earned.

The Bottom Line?

Cutting $100 billion from the Pentagon budget isn’t just a pipe dream—it’s a tangible, achievable plan that could deliver real benefits to everyday Americans. While it’s just a starting point, this reduction would allow us to prioritize what truly matters: healthcare, education, infrastructure, and the well-being of our people. If we’re going to spend taxpayer dollars, let’s make sure they go toward initiatives that directly benefit the lives of the citizens who fund them.

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Melissa Garriga is the communications and media relations manager for CODEPINK. She writes about the intersection of militarism and the human cost of war.

25 March 2025

Source: globalresearch.ca

Russian Airbase Rescues 8,000 Syrians

By Steven Sahiounie

The Russian air base at Hmeimin, near Latakia, Syria has rescued over 8,000 Syrian minorities fleeing the recent sectarian massacres.

Kremlin spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said Russia is shocked by the tragic events in Syria.

“The victims were innocent, peaceful civilians. The use of force against civilians is categorically unacceptable. It can in no way be justified,” she pointed out. “We are certainly concerned about the developments in Syria and strongly condemn the massacres. Of course, we sympathize with the families of the victims,” the diplomat added.

According to testimonies of some of those sheltering at the air base, they have not felt any pressure from the Russian military officials who have welcomed them and have not been forced to leave.

The displaced people, mainly from the Alawite community but also a small number of Christians, are being treated with respect and humanity and are being provided with basic humanitarian supplies. The Russian military provided them with a field kitchen, a medical center, and tents, but the situation remains difficult as the air base is not designed to host such a large number of people.

Residents reported that Russian aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance, such as food, water, blankets, and tents had been provided, and have continued to arrive. A large Russian II-76 transport aircraft landed later at the base carrying medicines, treatments, and food.  Russian sources said that Moscow would intensify its flights to the air base, reaching approximately 3-4 aircraft weekly.

The Mayor of Latakia visited the air base calling on the people to return home, but the people were still very afraid.

“We will not return until we ensure the arrest of these criminals, and with international guarantees that they will not return and repeat their crimes against us,” said one anonymous resident at the base.

Russian officials have assured the displaced people they can remain under their protection until an international solution has been reached regarding their safety.

On March 10, Russia and the US asked the UN Security Council to meet concerning the violence against civilians in Syria.

On March 14, the UN Security Council condemned the widespread violence perpetrated in Syria’s Latakia and Tartus provinces since March 6, including mass killings of civilians among the Alawite community, and called on the interim authorities to protect all Syrians without distinction.

Remnants of the former Assad regime staged an armed insurgency on the coast which is home to minorities such as the Alawite and Christian communities. The security forces responded to the attacks and deaths on their numbers with a brutal crackdown.  According to human rights sources, hundreds of armed insurgents and security forces were killed collectively.

The Abu Amsha and Hamsat divisions of the security forces were called in to respond and innocent unarmed civilians were caught in the cross-fire, as well as house-to-house raids which killed and looted civilian homes in the Latakia, Jeblah, Banias, and Tartus countryside on the coast.

Eyewitnesses have confirmed it was the Abu Amsha and Hamzat groups who carried out the sectarian massacres and lootings. Human rights groups have estimated about 1,000 people were killed.

The interim President Ahmad Sharaa has formed a committee to investigate the massacres and has promised to hold those accountable, even those who may be connected to his administration.

On February 2, the Ministry of Defense in the Sharaa government appointed Mohammed al-Jassem (Abu Amsha) as the commander of the Hama military brigade.

Before his appointment, he led the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade in Afrin in northern Aleppo.

On August 17, 2023, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions “in connection to serious human rights abuses committed in northern Syria, including abduction, severe physical abuse, and rape” on the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, its leader Abu Amsha, his brother Walid al-Jassem, and the Hamza Brigade and its leader Sayf Balud ( Sayf Abu Bakr).

Brigadier General Sayf Balud is commander of the Hamza Brigade, formerly a Syrian rebel group in northwestern Syria affiliated with the Syrian National Army. He was trained and equipped by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Turkey as part of the Syrian Train and Equip Program in 2013.

The Syrian leadership has sought cooperation with the Russian Federation.  Sharaa has said the future of the Russian air base at Hmeimin and the Naval base at Tartus is open for discussion and has recognized the long history of Russian-Syrian cooperation.

Recently, the Sharaa signed an agreement with General Mazloum Abdi of the Syrian Defense Forces (SDF). The agreement calls for the eventual integration of the mainly Kurdish militia into the new Syrian national army as it is developed.  The SDF has been supported by the illegally occupying US troops in Syria, and this agreement foreshadows the eventual withdrawal of the US military from Syria.

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Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

25 March 2025

Source: globalresearch.ca

Calls on Serbs to React: Time to Demand the Closure of the Bondsteel Military Base in Kosovo! Michel Chossudovsky

By Serbian Times and Prof Michel Chossudovsky

Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Ottawa and founder of the Centre for Research on Globalization, Michel Chossudovsky, on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the beginning of NATO’s aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, reminds that it was NATO’s first official war against a sovereign country—but not the last—as this war agenda was later used in various conflicts, with media propaganda playing a significant role, which is still evident today in the case of Ukraine.

He also believes that now is the opportunity, especially with Donald Trump at the helm of the United States, to raise the issue of closing the American Bondsteel base in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija.

“This is essentially a U.S. base. Trump wants to reduce military costs, and this is a large military base, expensive to maintain,” said Chossudovsky, author of numerous books, including The U.S. and NATO Aggression Against Yugoslavia and The Globalization of Poverty, which have been translated into Serbian.

Regarding negotiations on Ukraine, Chossudovsky believes it would have been better if they had taken place in Belgrade, given that Serbia is a militarily neutral country. President Aleksandar Vučić could have played a mediating role since he maintains dialogue with the EU, Washington, and Moscow.

Chossudovsky emphasized to Tanjug that, in the case of the bombing of the FRY, the propaganda machine was well-organized, but that war was—brutal and ruthless—planned many years in advance, “which is confirmed, among other things, by the construction of the American Bondsteel military base on occupied Kosovo,” which, in his view, many see as a strategic pillar of the U.S. presence in this region.

He added that he believes the world is “in an era of insane politics,” but at least not Serbia.

“When you have U.S. President Donald Trump making certain statements about wanting to cut military spending by billions and billions of dollars, while also being reserved about NATO’s role in American military bases—as is the case with Bondsteel—I think it would be appropriate for the Serbian government to politely send a note to Washington, citing Trump’s concerns about military expenses,” said Chossudovsky.

According to him, the note should state that Bondsteel is a burden for Serbia, a burden for so-called Kosovo, and for Washington, and that “we want to cooperate” and “we would like to see that base closed.”

He added that this would be a position aligned with the rhetoric of the U.S. president, who has even stated that he would close military bases in Europe.

“And here you have an opportunity,” said Chossudovsky, noting that the relationship between the U.S. and NATO is complex, but that NATO does not actually decide anything, as all major decisions go through the Pentagon and highly complex command structures.

Serbia, he stressed, must regain control over Kosovo.

Chossudovsky stated that, first and foremost, that the Kosovo territory is not a state but a province of Serbia, which was taken over by General Michael Jackson—who had a criminal record in the United Kingdom—and Hashim Thaçi, a man involved in drug trafficking, who was only sent to The Hague 20 years later.

According to him, by remaining neutral in relations with both Russia and the U.S., Serbia has the potential to play a role in creating peace.

That is why, he says, it would have been better if negotiations between Putin and Trump had taken place in Belgrade rather than in Saudi Arabia.

“This is neutral territory, not in the way Switzerland is. They are very biased. Your president (Aleksandar Vučić) is very perceptive in understanding geopolitics. We watched one of his earlier speeches, where he says that if we do not make certain decisions, it will lead to catastrophe. I think he is a powerful voice and perhaps should also play a role in peace operations, as he has dialogue with the EU, Washington, and Moscow,” Chossudovsky assessed. He reminded that Serbia has always declared itself neutral, which, he adds, it inherited from the SFRY, which was non-aligned, making it “strategically important for those seeking to build empires.”

Recalling March 24, 1999, Chossudovsky states that it was a war against truth, carried out in coordination with the criminal elements of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which collaborated with American and German intelligence services.

“This was NATO’s first war, but not its last, because all the elements of that war were stored in databases for future conquest plans in various countries. The war agenda from 1999 was used in different wars, adapted to different contexts and cultures, but ultimately, it always involved the coordination of military action with economic activities, regime change, and propaganda,” said Chossudovsky, one of the first people to stand by Serbia during NATO’s aggression.

Chossudovsky, who was awarded the Medal for Merit of the Republic of Serbia in 2014, considers the bombing of the FRY to have been an illegal and criminal act in which the media played a crucial role. He also noted that the situation is similar in Ukraine, “because there are no newspapers in the Western world that would write that the Ukrainian government is neo-Nazi.”

Western media, he added, are complicit, covering up crimes. He recalled the 1998 film The Valley, sponsored by NATO, which served as justification for the horrors of war in Kosovo and Metohija.

“There were fake images… They showed that Serbs were killing Albanians, and it was sponsored with KLA support. That documentary film was distributed mainly in Western countries. It was a way to show that Serbs were killing people… and so, the fabricated notion that the KLA was there to ‘save’ everyone from the Serbs gained legitimacy, despite the fact that they themselves were linked to organized crime and Al-Qaeda, with media support,” Chossudovsky said.

That film must be carefully analyzed, assessed Chossudovsky, who at the time wrote for Le Monde Diplomatique but ended his collaboration when the editorial board refused to publish an article presenting evidence that one of the key figures in Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, had a criminal record.

“They attacked Serbia, or rather, the FRY, under the pretext of a humanitarian intervention, with strong condemnation and demonization of President Slobodan Milošević, as well as the entire Serbian people,” said Chossudovsky, who claimed that he spoke with Milošević in The Hague and “knew they were poisoning him in the Tribunal.”

“People in Serbia need to understand that Milošević died for his people,” said Chossudovsky, who began researching Yugoslavia within the broader economic events of the 1980s.

He recalled that the peak of the economic crisis in Yugoslavia was in January 1990, which led to what was called a civil war, although, as he argues, it was not a civil war.

“There were two key elements—the Western media and how they lied and covered up crimes committed by NATO forces. The second element was the so-called left, the ‘progressive’ parties in the U.S. and Western Europe. They even portrayed KLA members as ‘freedom fighters’ and went so far as to cite Marx and Lenin in that context. They even acknowledged that the KLA was linked to organized crime but justified it as necessary for the revolution,” he said.

He emphasized that Milošević’s legacy is very important because, first and foremost,

“he did not play their game, acted on behalf of the Serbian people and his country, and understood the situation—his actions also saved lives when they came to arrest him.”

“It was clear where the crime originated from, and Milošević analyzed it and understood the role of Al-Qaeda. I reviewed one of his speeches in The Hague, which was very concrete,” he stated, adding that “everyone knows that the CIA financed Al-Qaeda,” which was also linked to the KLA.

According to Chossudovsky, it was crucial for Milošević, but for the West, it was essential to discredit him.

25 March 2025

Source: globalresearch.ca