Articles by: Peter Symonds

G7 leaders gather in Hiroshima amid rising threat of nuclear war

G7 leaders gather in Hiroshima amid rising threat of nuclear war

In a display of shameless hypocrisy, the leaders of the G7 group of the major powers—the US, Britain, France Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada—laid wreaths yesterday at the Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims in the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan prior to their summit this weekend. Far from the ceremony signifying a pledge to never use nuclear weapons[Read More…]

by 20/05/2023 Comments are Disabled World
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen

Taiwanese president’s trip to US exacerbates tensions with China

In another move that is deliberately raising tensions with China, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen held a series of high-level meetings in New York on Wednesday and Thursday with American politicians and representatives. The trip to the US is being held under the guise of a “transit” by Tsai as she proceeds to visit Guatemala and Belize in central America—two of[Read More…]

by 02/04/2023 Comments are Disabled World
US-China relations at breaking point

US-China relations at breaking point

The reckless and provocative trip by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has strained relations between the United States and China to breaking point. The Chinese government has reacted with Pelosi’s visit by ending dialogue with Washington in key areas, including military-to-military talks, climate change, cross-border crime and drug trafficking, and the repatriation of illegal migrants. Beijing has also imposed unspecified[Read More…]

by 06/08/2022 Comments are Disabled World
Beijing condemns military pact between the US, Britain and Australia

Beijing condemns military pact between the US, Britain and Australia

Beijing has condemned the announcement last Thursday of a new AUKUS military pact between the US, Britain and Australia, which is focused on the Indo-Pacific and aimed against China. The Chinese government has also taken aim at the associated decision to assist Australia in building nuclear-powered submarines. Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian criticised the three countries for being “extremely irresponsible.”[Read More…]

by 20/09/2021 Comments are Disabled World
The UK Carrier Strike Group 2021, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, departing the UK [Credit: Royal Navy/Flickr]

US, UK, Australia military pact threatens war against China

The dramatic announcement this week of the AUKUS military alliance between the US, Britain and Australia has made the fault lines of a terrible war between nuclear-armed powers explicit. Hatched in months of secret negotiations, the pact revives the World War II alliance in the Pacific against Japan—this time against China. The militarist character of the agreement was underscored by[Read More…]

by 18/09/2021 Comments are Disabled World
US secretary of state declares “military response” to Iran “being considered”

US secretary of state declares “military response” to Iran “being considered”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday continued the Trump administration’s belligerent threats against Iran, declaring in an interview on CBS “Face the Nation” that the US was “considering a full range of options.” Asked if that included “a military response,” he declared “of course.” Pompeo blustered his way through the interview, dismissing any suggestion that the US had no[Read More…]

by 17/06/2019 Comments are Disabled World
Turkish president brands Khashoggi killing a premeditated murder

Turkish president brands Khashoggi killing a premeditated murder

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday provided details of the premeditated murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2 in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. While Erdogan had promised to expose the “naked truth” about the brutal killing, his less-than-full account indicates that his government is intent on exploiting the issue to further Turkish interests in the Middle[Read More…]

by 24/10/2018 Comments are Disabled World
Trump menaces the world over Iran sanctions

Trump menaces the world over Iran sanctions

As US sanctions on Iran “snapped back” into force, US President Donald Trump yesterday issued a blunt warning to countries and corporations around the world: “Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States.” The punitive measures follow the Trump administration’s decision in May to abrogate the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, known as the[Read More…]

by 08/08/2018 3 comments Imperialism
Tensions Rise Again As North Korea Tests Missile

Tensions Rise Again As North Korea Tests Missile

North Korea test fired a long-range missile today that appears to have the range to potentially hit most parts of continental United States, including its capital Washington DC. The test took place amid high tensions on the Korean Peninsula stoked by the Trump administration’s threats to use military force to destroy North Korea’s nuclear and missile facilities. North Korea fired[Read More…]

by 29/11/2017 1 comment World
Trump Makes Another Reckless Threat Against North Korea

Trump Makes Another Reckless Threat Against North Korea

In another act of utter recklessness, US President Donald Trump yesterday again threatened North Korea with destruction if it failed to totally capitulate to Washington’s demands. By declaring that military action is not only an option but could be imminent, he is relentlessly pushing the Korean Peninsula, Asia and the world toward the precipice of a calamitous war. Speaking at[Read More…]

by 27/09/2017 1 comment Imperialism
North Korean Missile Launch Intensifies War Danger

North Korean Missile Launch Intensifies War Danger

North Korea’s test launch yesterday of a long-range missile has markedly heightened the danger of a war in North East Asia that would have catastrophic consequences for the region and the world. The launch was followed by threatening missile tests by the South Korean and US militaries, as well as condemnations by the US and its allies and a call[Read More…]

by 05/07/2017 1 comment World
US Shoots Down Syrian Government Aircraft

US Shoots Down Syrian Government Aircraft

In a marked escalation of the war in Syria, a US F-18 fighter jet yesterday shot down a Syrian government fighter bomber for the first time, claiming that it had been attacking pro-US rebel forces on the ground near Raqqa. While nominally fighting Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) forces, the US shoot-down makes clear that the real target[Read More…]

by 19/06/2017 1 comment World
US Sends B-1 Strategic Bombers Over South Korea

US Sends B-1 Strategic Bombers Over South Korea

The US Air Force sent two B-1B Lancer strategic bombers from Guam to the Korean Peninsula on Monday to engage in bilateral training exercises with South Korean and Japanese military forces. The provocative move was taken amid continuing threats by the Trump administration to launch military action against North Korea. A US Air Force spokesperson claimed that the flight was[Read More…]

by 03/05/2017 2 comments Imperialism
US Sends Drones, Assassination Squad To South Korea

US Sends Drones, Assassination Squad To South Korea

The Trump administration has further exacerbated the extremely tense standoff on the Korean Peninsula by dispatching attack drones to South Korea and sending special forces units to participate in massive war games already underway. The military build-up takes place as the White House considers launching strikes on North Korean nuclear and military sites. US Forces Korea announced on Monday that[Read More…]

by 14/03/2017 1 comment World
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor arrives at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, in this handout picture provided by the United States Forces Korea (USFK) and released by Yonhap on March 7, 2017. USFK/Yonhap via REUTERS

As US Deploys Anti-missile System, China Warns of Nuclear Arms Race

The US has begun the installation of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea, provoking an angry reaction from China, which warned that it could trigger a nuclear arms race in the region. The provocative move will heighten the already tense situation on the Korean Peninsula as the US and South Korea engage in[Read More…]

by 08/03/2017 1 comment World
White House Issues War Threat Against Iran

White House Issues War Threat Against Iran

In an extraordinarily bellicose statement Wednesday, US National Security Adviser Michael Flynn accused Iran of “destabilising behaviour across the Middle East” and warned, “As of today we are officially putting Iran on notice.” He denounced Tehran for carrying out a ballistic missile test on Sunday and accused the Iranian regime, without any substantiation, of responsibility for an attack on a[Read More…]

by 02/02/2017 2 comments World
US Military Prepares New Offensives In Syria And Iraq

US Military Prepares New Offensives In Syria And Iraq

Even as tensions are rising with Russia in Eastern Europe and China in Asia, the United States has launched a new war in Libya and is preparing a major military escalation in the Middle East, nominally directed against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In an interview yesterday with USA Today, Air Force Lieutenant General Jeffrey Harrigan confirmed that[Read More…]

by 13/08/2016 2 comments World
More Airstrikes In New US War In Libya

More Airstrikes In New US War In Libya

US airstrikes on the Libyan coast city of Sirte, which began on Monday, continued yesterday as part of what American officials have made clear will be an ongoing military campaign. While nominally directed against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militias, the fresh eruption of American militarism is more broadly aimed at ensuring US dominance in the region. Pentagon[Read More…]

by 03/08/2016 1 comment World