WAR CRIMES & CRIMINALS

ERIC ZUESSE—Even some mainstream U.S. ‘news’-media (but none that are Republican) acknowledge the fact that Qasem Soleimani was among the most effective of all nations’ generals who fought against ISIS. Other mainstream U.S. ‘news’-media seem very reluctant to do so, because the entirety of America’s mainstream ‘journalism’ has spewed hatred against Iran’s Government after Iranians in 1979 succeeded at overthrowing the dictator Shah whom America’s CIA had installed in 1953 to end Iran’s democracy and to control the country

JEREMY SCAHILL—Assassination has been a central component of U.S. policy for many decades, though it has been whitewashed and normalized throughout history, most recently with Obama’s favored term, “targeted killings.”

R S AHTHION—Nato represents a violent spasm of neverending war. The United States has existed for 244 years and has been at war for 227 of those years.

This represents a country that has been at war 93% of it’s existence. Nato represents military hegemony of the United States in the same way the economic arms of war are represented by the World Bank and the IMF.

The General Staff of Armed Forces’ statement on Friday described the assassination as a “terrorist attack ” carried out by the “criminal American regime”. “The brave commander, Major General Qassem Soleimani, played a key and unique role in fighting terrorist Takfiri groups which were set up by the criminal American government,” it read.

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE—Many are understandably claiming that this geostrategically pivotal confrontation was precisely what Trump was installed to facilitate all along. The largest donor to any campaign in 2016 was oligarch Sheldon Adelson, who gave $25 million to the Trump campaign, and who in 2013 said that the US should drop a nuclear bomb on Iran.