In Ukraine over the weekend, eastern Ukrainian oblasts Donetsk and Lugansk held referenda to decide whether they would declare independence from Kiev. RPI's Daniel McAdams explains to Jay Taylor the motivations behind the vote and the US reaction. read on...
Looking at the Washington Post and Rare, one has to wonder if today is Lie about Ron Paul in Headlines Day.
First, the Washington Post published an article with the headline “Ron Paul thinks drug use is rampant inside prisons. He’s wrong.” That is a rather provocative claim. But, the claim is not at all backed up by the article. Paul, who is the chairman and founder of RPI, is quoted in the article’s first sentence read on...
The war party did everything they could to defeat pro-peace Republican Walter Jones in the North Carolina primary last week, said Ron Paul, but in the end Rep. Jones prevailed. One important lesson from the victory, Dr. Paul pointed out, was that you can represent a district with a heavy US military presence and still oppose the unnecessary wars urged by the US neocons. The American public is rapidly waking up to the necessity of a non-interventionist foreign policy, said Dr. Paul, and they are coming to understand that the real isolationists are the ones who demand sanctions and tariffs on other countries. read on...
William & Mary Professor and RPI Academic Board Member Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, in an in-depth interview with this week with Paul Jay on the Real News Network, argues that oligarchs run United States foreign policy. Having served in US government positions including as chief of staff for Colin Powell when Powell was Secretary of State, Wilkerson has seen close up how US foreign policy operates. Here is Wilkerson’s summation... read on...
While noting that the killing of two US diplomats, including the US ambassador to Libya, and CIA contractors in Benghazi, Libya is a “big issue” that merits attention, Ron Paul explains at the Ron Paul Channel that much of the commotion in Congress concerning the incident is sidestepping important questions related to US intervention in Libya and apparent weapons transfers through Libya to Syria. Paul, the chairman and founder of RPI, explains that many Republicans do not want to address these questions at the heart of the incident because, concerning these questions, they agree with President Barack Obama. read on...
Who is responsible for the carnage in Odessa, Ukraine, where dozens of anti-Kiev protesters were burned alive in the Trade Union building last weekend? Did the US government have a role? Why was the CIA director in Ukraine weeks before the attack? Listen to RPI Director Daniel McAdams on the Scott Horton Show: read on...
Just when you thought their 15 minutes of fame was up, the women of Pussy Riot have made their way to Capitol Hill and into the hearts of (some) US lawmakers. They also posed for pictures with Hillary Clinton, which promptly ended up on her Twitter page.
The Pussy Riot did not come to the Hill empty-handed, however. They conveniently brought with them a list of their fellow Russians who they would like the US government to put under sanctions for "human rights violations." Their list included -- surprise surprise -- one of the judges who presided over their 2012 trial for inciting religious hatred. It was a charge filed after they screamed an obscenity-filled rant aimed at the Russian government and religious leaders on the altar of Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in central Moscow. read on...
Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, speaking with Lindsay France on RT this week, explains that, in order to prevent “a shooting war that grows evermore larger,” the United States, Russia, and the nations of the EU and NATO should focus on ensuring Ukraine neutrality. Wilkerson, an RPI Academic Board member, proceeds to caution that war rhetoric and sanctions could lead to “another 1914”—referring to the breakout of World War I. read on...
In the name of a "free and independent media," the US government through its Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced that it will dedicate an additional $1.25 million to subsidize the Ukrainian media in advance of the May 25th presidential election.
Through its multi-year "U-Media" project, USAID has been a major sponsor of the Ukrainian press. It goes without saying that the media outlets and organizations underwritten by the US government in Ukraine adhere closely to the US government's foreign policy position in the country and region. There will be no US government support for alternative media when it favors the government in power. read on...
Yesterday in Odessa, Ukraine, more than 30 anti-Kiev protesters were burned alive, as a US-backed pro-Kiev mob set fire to the trade union building into which they ran to escape the pro-Kiev crowd. It was the largest loss of life in Ukraine since the US-backed coup in February, and it may well be a turning point in the east versus west struggle that ensued.
The pictures from the scene were ghastly (warning: graphic), as desperate protesters tried to claw their way out of the building as they were burned alive. Also ghastly were the photos of the young girls happily making the molotov cocktails that were thrown into the building. read on...