Antiwar.com Weekly Newsletter for July 14, 2021

Your source for foreign policy news. 

July 14th, 2021

Another Failed 20-Year War: America vs. Somalia

The name "Somalia" has somehow become a slur against Americans who prioritize political liberty. "Oh, you think freedom works, huh? Well, why don't you just move to Somalia?" This nonsense may have originated from the fact that some libertarian economists, such as Michael van Notten and Peter T. Leeson, noticed that when Somalia's government ceased to exist after various warlords had exhausted themselves fighting over control of the country in the late 1990s, freedom was working. No power in the country had a monopoly on force, so traditional tribal methods of dispute resolution were being used instead. There was no authority to collect tariffs at the ports of Kismayo or Mogadishu, so the economy was booming. The cell phone industry, which was a huge marker of progress, was also growing rapidly in Somalia, greater than anywhere else in that part of Africa.

By Scott Horton

320 Killed in New Fighting in Central Yemen

Fighting in Yemen's central Bayda Province began at the start of the month, with the government claiming to have captured several villages amid heavy fighting, before ultimately losing many of them in counteroffensives.
Government forces are pouring reinforcements into the area this week. The last 48 hours have seen a new round of heavy fighting, and reports from officials that 320 fighters were killed.
That is a huge death toll, covering fighters on both sides in just two days of fighting. It is impossible to confirm, as is often the case, with no figures offered by the Houthis and an unclear split between the two sides.

By Jason Ditz

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Was It Just? America and Her Suicidal Combat Veterans

Thirty thousand dead from suicide in 20 years among American service-members and veterans. Brown University's Costs of War Project, utilizing data from the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), calculates that four times as many men and women who have served in the US military since 9/11 have died by suicide than were killed in the post-9/11 wars. The vast majority of those killed by suicide have been veterans, meaning men and women not still in uniform. While the rate of suicide among active-duty service-members is alarmingly high, the rate among veterans is even more so, and, in particular, it appears highest among combat veterans.

Anyone who served in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan may likely now know more friends killed by suicide than killed by the Taliban or by Iraqi insurgents. The same possibly for veterans who fought in Vietnam, Korea, and World War II. Suicide after taking part in war, and its killing, is not a new phenomenon, and its likely cause, guilt, is understood if seldom discussed.

By Matthew Hoh

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White House Says Haiti Troop Request Is Still Under Review

The White House said Monday that the US has not ruled out the idea of sending troops to Haiti. In the wake of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, Haiti requested that the US send military assistance to help secure infrastructure.

When asked about the request, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, "It's still under review." Also on Monday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the US military is "reviewing" the prospect of sending troops to Haiti.

When the request was made on Friday, a US official quickly downplayed the idea and told Reuters that there were no plans to deploy troops. But judging by Psaki and Kirby's comments, a final decision on the possible deployment has not been made by the Biden adminitration.

By Dave DeCamp

Taliban Says It Now Controls 85% of Afghanistan in Russia Visit

On Friday, a Taliban delegation in Moscow said that the group now controls over 85 percent of Afghanistan and assured Russia that groups like ISIS would not be able to use the country as a platform to launch attacks.

"We will take all measures so that Islamic State will not operate on Afghan territory -- and our territory will never be used against our neighbors," Taliban official Shahabuddin Delawar said at a press conference, according to Reuters.

Russia has been voicing concern over the idea that ISIS could gain a foothold in Afghanistan after US and NATO troops leave. Russia is also concerned with the possibility of violence spilling into Tajikistan, a security treaty ally of Moscow.

By Dave DeCamp

Biden Says US 'Stands' With Cuban People But Continues Embargo

President Biden released a statement on Monday throwing his support behind anti-government protesters in Cuba.

"We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba's authoritarian regime," Biden said.

While Biden claims the US "stands" with the people of Cuba, his administration is still enforcing the decades-old trade embargo despite international calls to end it. 

By Dave DeCamp

Iran's Election: Making Your Iranian Nightmares Come True

Andrew Cockburn on the Catastrophic Legacy of Donald Rumsfeld

A Deranged Cult and Our Warped Foreign Policy

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