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June 30th, 2021
Federal Authorities Are Using 'Disinformation' as a Pretext To Silence Foreign Policy Dissent June 22, 2021 should go down as a dark day in the history of the First Amendment. On that date, the U.S. Justice Department seized control of dozens of Iranian websites. According to a Justice Department press release, the federal authorities seized 33 websites operated by the Iranian Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU), which is "linked" to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In October 2020, the Office of Foreign Assets Control designated IRTVU as a Specially Designated National (SDN). SDNs are prohibited from obtaining services, including website and domain services, in the United States without a license. The Justice Department charged that such entities "disguised as news organizations or media outlets, targeted the United States with disinformation campaigns and malign influence operations."
Such a vague and subjective justification should send chills down the spine of every American who values the First Amendment. "Disinformation" is fast becoming an all-purpose rationale (pretext?) for trying to silence dissenting voices, especially on foreign policy issues. By Ted Galen Carpenter Read the full story >
Senator Mike Gravel and Me: RIP to a Hero of the Antiwar Movement Former Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK) died yesterday at 91. He was a major hero of the antiwar movement several times over.
Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times; they began publishing them on June 13, 1971 The U.S. Justice Department immediately tried to halt publication, on the grounds that the information revealed within the papers harmed the national interest. Within the next two weeks, a federal court injunction halted publication in The Times; The Washington Post and several other newspapers began publishing parts of the documents, with some of them also being halted by injunctions; and the whole matter went to the US Supreme Court for arguments. Ellsberg then went to Senator Gravel to release them in the Senate. Gravel had recently led Senate filibusters against renewal of the military draft. Gravel was able to read them into the Congressional Record, putting them into the public domain under the Speech or Debate Clause of the Constitution which gives congressional members immunity from prosecution. By Eric Garris
Do US Attacks Portend More Regional Violence in Iraq, Syria? Sunday's overnight attack by the Biden Administration hit putative targets in Iraq and Syria. The targets were supposed to be an Iraqi militia that was backed by Iran, and this quickly was expanded in narratives into just being Iran. By Jason Ditz West Blames Iran for Delaying Nuclear Deal, But Fault Lies With the US Western powers continue to blame Iran for the slow progress of the negotiations to revive the nuclear deal even though the US withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, and now the Biden administration refuses to lift all Trump-era sanctions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Paris Friday. Both Blinken and his French counterpart warned Iran that time was running out to revive the JCPOA. "There will come a point, yes, where it will be very hard to return back to the standards set by the JCPOA," Blinken told reporters. "We haven�t reached that point - I can't put a date on it - but it's something that we�re conscious of." By Dave DeCamp The Biden administration continues its military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Opposition from the U.S. foreign policy establishment known as "the Blob" is fierce. Most Washington policymakers would have American military personnel stay in Afghanistan forever, or at least until the Second Coming, plus a few extra years, just to be safe.
The president's plan naturally is opposed by most Republicans, who have turned themselves into the forever war party. The country doesn�t matter. Whether it is Afghanistan, Germany, Iraq, Syria, South Korea, Lithuania, Turkey, or elsewhere, no US military personnel once deployed can ever be withdrawn, under any circumstances. To even suggest doing so anywhere at any time, argue the uber-hawks who now dominate the GOP congressional caucus, is to signal weakness, invite war, risk chaos, and even chance a new Dark Age. By Doug Bandow General: US Withdrawing, But Will Keep Supporting Afghan Forces Militarily Speaking to reporters in Kabul, Gen. Austin Miller detailed the ongoing US withdrawal from Afghanistan, worrying about the mounting losses by Afghan security forces, and promising US military support in the future. By Jason Ditz
Report: Iranian Facility Targeted in Attack Was on List of Targets Israel Gave to US Doug Bandow on America's Dangerous Alliance with Ukraine Warmongering British Actions in the Black Sea Do you want more news? Keep your finger on the pulse of US foreign policy. Subscribe to our Daily Digest and each evening, the day's top news stories and editorials are delivered straight to your email. Please support our work by signing up. Subscribe now >Antiwar.com, 1017 El Camino Real #306, Redwood City, CA 94063 | 323 512 7095 | www.antiwar.com
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