The Guardian

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Barack Obama, Crimes Against Humanity, foreign news coverage, History, human rights, Lebanon, State Department, syria, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes January 12, 2014

REPRISE: The Olympic Games, and the Battle for Aleppo, Begin (July 28, 2012); Geneva II and the urgency of a ceasefire NOW

Update Approximately 700 people killed in 9 days of intense clashes and executions between the ISIS forces against islamist and rebel battalions 697 people have…

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Barack Obama, CIA, Culture and Communication, Dictatorship, extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, freedom of speech, human rights, Intelligence, International Law, refoulement, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Torture Convention, United States, use of force, war crimes July 18, 2013

“The Disposition Matrix”: Is Obama laying the foundations of a future totalitarian state? (Updated July 27, 2013)

A recent article in The Guardian on Obama’s kill lists and the now highly bureacratized killing machine used to extirpate individuals on the lists, highlights…

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The vote on John Brennan’s confirmation to be CIA Director: Opinion and Commentary

Recent Commentary and Opinion “It is not going too far to say that American foreign policy has become completely subservient to tactical domestic political considerations.”…

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Drone Killings, the Constitution, International Law, and the John Brennan File

Developing story Check back for updates Recent News Reports and Commentary Michael Isikoff (National Investigative Correspondent, NBC News), “Justice Department memo reveals legal case for…

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60,000 killed in Syria—REPRISE II: The Olympic Games, and the Battle for Aleppo, Begin—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #91 (January 2, 2013)

Barbarism in a Leaderless World The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights now estimates there have been “59,648 individuals reported killed in Syria between 15…

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Azerbaijan, Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Egypt, extrajudicial execution, France, Germany, Guatemala, History, human rights, Intelligence, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, NATO, Nigeria, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, self-defense, South Africa, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, Togo, Torture, Tunisia, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, war crimes October 11, 2012

REPRISE: The Olympic Games, and the Battle for Aleppo, Begin—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #88 (October 11)

Originally published July 28, 2012 The Opening of the XXX Olympic Games It was a poignant moment, as world leaders gathered in London last night…

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The Olympic Games, and the Battle for Aleppo, Begin—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #70 (July 28)

The Opening of the XXX Olympic Games It was a poignant moment, as world leaders gathered in London last night (July 27) for the opening…

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Barack Obama, CIA, extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendering, extraordinary rendition, human rights, Intelligence, International Law, Iran, Israel, Justice Department, Mossad, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Torture Convention, U.S. Congress, U.S. Intervention, U.S. news coverage, United States, use of force June 26, 2012

Holder’s Investigations into Torture and Covert Operations Leaks–An Obama Cover-up?

Barack Obama thinks he’s always “the smartest person in the room”, and that he is a lot smarter than we are. Or maybe, accustomed as…

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Barack Obama, China, CIA, Crimes Against Humanity, extrajudicial execution, France, Germany, History, human rights, human rights reports, International Law, Justice Department, Lebanon, Middle East, NATO, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, State Department, State Department Human Rights Country Reports, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, Turkey, U.N. Charter, U.N. Convention Against Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.N. Torture Convention, united arab emirates, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, war crimes, Yemen June 23, 2012

Immunity or safe-conduct for al-Assad? Can Kofi Annan fail? Conference before cease-fire?—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #56 (June 23)

A lot of wasted time and diplomatic effort could be saved if the world’s leaders insisted on their top international lawyers sitting in on critical…

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China, CIA, Crimes Against Humanity, extrajudicial execution, History, human rights, International Law, Lebanon, Libya, Middle East, NATO, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, State Department, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, targeted assassinations, targeted killings, Torture, Turkey, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United Kingdom, United States, use of force, war crimes May 25, 2012

At least 70 killed nationwide; massacre of 50 in Houla; U.N. International Commission on Syria Update—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update # 43 (May 25)

Periodic Update Report by Independent Commission of Inquiry The U.N. appointed Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria published a Periodic Update report on May…

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Crimes Against Humanity, extrajudicial execution, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, International Law, Middle East, NATO, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, State Department, State Department Human Rights Country Reports, State Department Legal Adviser, syria, targeted killings, Torture, U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes May 4, 2012

U.N. says peace plan “on track” as up to 43 people killed on Friday—Obama’s debacle in Syria — Update #34 (May 4)

Points 4, 5 and 6 of the UN Peace Plan Kofi Annan’s 6-point peace plan for Syria, adopted by the Security Council in its Presidential…

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Barack Obama, China, Crimes Against Humanity, Dictatorship, History, human rights, internal supporters of human rights, Russia, State Department, syria, Torture, U.N. Security Council, U.S. Intervention, U.S. Military, United States, use of force, war crimes March 20, 2012

Putin plays hardball in Syria, uses Lavrov to distract gullible UN and international community—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #13 (March 20)

AP reporter Vladimir Isachenkov reported from Moscow a week ago that: Russia has no intention of curtailing military cooperation with Syria despite calls from the…

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Annan fails in Damascus as Syrian army continues its onslaught—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #11 (March 11)

Predictably, Kofi Annan was rebuffed by Bashar al-Asad in talks in Damascus on March 10-11.  Inexplicably, Annan declared following his talks in Damascus that there exist grounds…

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Syria: The Human Cost of Delay

An editorial today in The Daily Star (Beirut) reviewed the major developments and factors at play in Syria, including 1) the report of the Arab…