Phil Butler

The latest news from Washington is that the government will cease its covert training and supply of al-Qaeda in Syria. This is a dramatic turn of events, but not an unexpected one. The notion “We funded al-Qaeda,” still reverberates in many conversations, but somewhere in the White House, in some remote situation room, other…

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said earlier this week that he expects Russia will soon suffer casualties. The comment has sparked a good deal of debate as to whether Carter is just another hopeful…

The Iraqi military has taken a brutal beating in its battles against ISIL. Even with the support of American and coalition airpower, the Iraqis have lost untold material and territory since ISIL overran much of the country’s Sunni Arab heartland these last months. News now that…

America is blessed in so many ways.  Why look at our Council on Foreign Relations as one shining example. The think tank so well endowed with brilliant diplomats and policy wonder boys is clearly the nucleus from whence US policy emanates. Case in point…

Yesterday at Ramstein Air Base here in Germany, hundreds marched in protest of America’s drone killing and warlike posture. Carrying signs demanding the U.S. military “to go home” and “to stop war,” a crowd of Germans peacefully protested the military…

The 70th anniversary of the end of World War II has been momentous for many reasons. A new law enacted by the Japanese last week is not the least of a string of consequences of a new Cold War that threatens our world.  For the first time since 1945 Japanese…

Nasty, that’s the tone of western media these days, and BBC is the nastiest of all. Type into Google or Yandex the term Vladimir Putin, and you’ll quickly be able to discern this. If the Russian president is not vilified over mythical invasions, or an invisible…

The burden of leadership is an unbelievably complex and cumbersome role these days. Every day we see evidence of ineffectual direction in the world, and at a time when the world needs guidance most. Perpetual conflicts, paradigm shifts in politics and policy…

The conflict in Ukraine today is the handiwork of greedy, evil men intent on only one goal – profit at any cost – profit no matter what. I think most people understand this by now. What readers may not know though, are those instrumental in the death dealing…

The world is in a mess, in case you did not notice. For any journalist out there, one look at the headlines mirrors a reality right out of a Stephen King psychological horror. Migrants swarm into the European…

American President Barack Obama is once again, sorry. This time the boss of America’s intelligence community is woefully regretful WikiLeaks spilled the beans on NSA eavesdropping on Japan. By now the world community has to be wondering, “Is there anyone, friend or…

The only closure normal citizens will ever get on the MH17 tragedy has already been revealed. We will never know for certain who is responsible for the deaths of 298 innocent passengers. As sad a reality as this is, the world must come to accept it. A year of propaganda and…