Articles by: Ben Freeman

The Twenty-First Century of (Profitable) War

The Twenty-First Century of (Profitable) War

by Ben Freeman and William D. Hartung The military-industrial complex (MIC) that President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned Americans about more than 60 years ago is still alive and well. In fact, it’s consuming many more tax dollars and feeding far larger weapons producers than when Ike raised the alarm about the “unwarranted influence” it wielded in his 1961 farewell address to the[Read More…]

by 05/05/2023 Comments are Disabled World
How to Make a Gulf Monarchy All-American

How to Make a Gulf Monarchy All-American

Written by Ben Freeman, Brian Steiner and Leila Riazi The Saudi Lobby Moves from K Street to Main Street Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S., was on the hot seat. In early March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world, oil prices collapsed and a price war broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, leaving American[Read More…]

by 19/04/2021 Comments are Disabled World
Saudi King Salman presents President Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace, Saturday, May 20, 2017, in Riyadh. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

 The Perfectly Legal Ways Foreign Powers Subvert American Democracy

Co-Written by Ryan Summers and Ben Freeman Foreign influence in America is the topic du jour. From the impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s request that a foreign power investigate a political opponent to the indictment of associates of his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, for illegally funneling foreign money into U.S. elections, the nation has been transfixed by news of illegal foreign influence in the political[Read More…]

by 13/11/2019 2 comments World
Yemenis eat leaves to stave off famine

How Saudi Money Keeps Washington at War in Yemen 

It was May 2017. The Saudis were growing increasingly nervous. For more than two years they had been relying heavily on U.S. military support and bombs to defeat Houthi rebels in Yemen. Now, the Senate was considering a bipartisan resolution to cut off military aid and halt a big sale of American-made bombs to Saudi Arabia. Fortunately for them, despite mounting evidence that the U.S.-backed,[Read More…]

by 05/10/2018 Comments are Disabled Imperialism