Empire Under Obama, Part 4: Counterinsurgency, Death Squads, and the Population as the Target by Andrew Gavin Marshall

Image by sandy_sanders via Flickr

by Andrew Gavin Marshall
Writer, Dandelion Salad
andrewgavinmarshall.com
Originally published on The Hampton Institute
October 30, 2013

While the American Empire – and much of the policies being pursued – did not begin under President Obama, the focus of “Empire Under Obama” is to bring awareness about the nature of empire to those who may have – or continue – to support Barack Obama and who may believe in the empty promises of “hope” and “change.” Empire is institutional, not individual. My focus on the imperial structure during the Obama administration is not to suggest that it does not predate Obama, but rather, that Obama represents ‘continuity’ in imperialism, not “change.” This part examines the concept of ‘counterinsurgency’ as a war against the populations of Iraq, Afghanistan and spreading into Pakistan.

US trying to play Iran off Syria? by Finian Cunningham

by Finian Cunningham
Writer, Dandelion Salad
East Africa
Crossposted from PressTV
October 30, 2013

Is the US trying to manipulate Iran, through sanctions relief, in order to assert Washington’s agenda for regime change in Syria?

The answer would seem to be ‘yes’, as suggested by the latest tour of the region by the UN-Arab League special envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi.

In particular, it was the private message that Brahimi brought to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani that suggests the Algerian career diplomat is acting more as an interlocutor for Washington’s nefarious political agenda, rather than as an honest peace broker.

Global Power Project: Central Bankers and the Institute of International Finance, Part 3 by Andrew Gavin Marshall

by Andrew Gavin Marshall
Writer, Dandelion Salad
andrewgavinmarshall.com
Originally published on Occupy.com
October 30, 2013

In Part 1 of the Global Power Project exposé on the Institute of International Finance, I examined the origins and evolution of an organization representing the interests of global banks. In Part 2, I looked at the role played by the IIF and its leadership during the European debt crisis. In this third and final part in the series, I examine the relationship between the IIF and global central bankers.

Since the early 1990s, the IIF has been heavily involved working with central bankers, particularly through the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, Switzerland, where private bankers have been granted a powerful position determining their own regulations in international financial markets.

Chris Hedges: Black Bloc Tactics and Civil Disobedience

Dandelion Salad

with Chris Hedges

Image by Lorianne DiSabato via Flickr

Lauren Steiner on Oct 26, 2013

After his lecture for a Truthdig fundraiser in Santa Monica on 10/13/13, I had a chance to ask Chris Hedges a few questions about his contention that ideas can only be learned through books, the falling out with Occupy over his comments on the black bloc, and what’s the plan after civil disobedience.