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Philip
Giraldi is the executive director of the Council for the National
Interest and a recognized authority on international security and
counterterrorism issues. He is a former CIA counter-terrorism specialist
and military intelligence officer who served eighteen years overseas in
Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Spain. Mr.
Giraldi was awarded an MA and PhD from the University of London in
European History and holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the
University of Chicago. He speaks Spanish, Italian, German, and Turkish. His columns on terrorism, intelligence, and security issues regularly appear in The American Conservative magazine, Huffington Post, and antiwar.com.
He has written op-ed pieces for the Hearst Newspaper chain, has
appeared on “Good Morning America,†MSNBC, National Public Radio, and
local affiliates of ABC television. He has been a keynote speaker at the
Petroleum Industry Security Council annual meeting, has spoken twice at
the American Conservative Union’s annual CPAC convention in Washington,
and has addressed several World Affairs Council affiliates. He has been
interviewed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the British
Broadcasting Corporation, Britain’s Independent Television Network, FOX
News, Polish National Television, Croatian National Television,
al-Jazeera, al-Arabiya, 60 Minutes, and other international and domestic
broadcasters.
SHARE Saturday, May 17, 2014 Israel Is Serious About Spying -- But Not About Peace
Kerry's reluctance to speak the truth unambiguously is not surprising as is the use of anonymous quotes to register displeasure with Israeli behavior. The White House operates under the shadow of powerful international Jewish organizations that appear to regard Israel as something that has to be protected at all costs and by any means no matter how it misbehaves.
SHARE Sunday, March 2, 2014 Is AIPAC Doomed?
There will be speeches by Sen John McCain and by Sec of State John Kerry. Attendees will descend en masse on the Capitol Hill offices of Senators and Congressmen, delivering the message that AIPAC is alive and well in spite of some recent very public setbacks. They will demand that the US pressure Iran with new sanctions even as the White House is searching for a way to avoid another catastrophic war in the Middle East.
(2 comments) SHARE Thursday, February 13, 2014 Such A Deal
Kerry's objective from the start has been to get the maximum possible for Israel while enticing the Palestinians to accept the barest minimum that will get them to agree to sign on to something. Even if Kerry wanted to be an honest broker he knows he can't go that route because the Israel Lobby is so powerful and pro-Palestinian sentiment means nothing in terms of American elections.
(5 comments) SHARE Thursday, December 19, 2013 Some Might Call It Treason
The principal Israeli lobby AIPAC has basically declared war on the White House over the issue and the Senators who are leading the charge are firmly in Israel's pocket. Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois is even being briefed by Israeli intelligence, and Israeli cabinet ministers have been observed pleading their case on Capitol Hill to a very receptive audience.
(1 comments) SHARE Sunday, December 15, 2013 Why Remain in Afghanistan?
Karzai, who will be leaving office next Spring and is undoubtedly looking forward to a comfortable retirement in Dubai in close proximity to the bank accounts holding all the money he stole, is quite likely relying on a continued US presence no matter what agreement is reached.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, December 6, 2013 Palestinians Lose Again
What does the White House do? It comes down on both sides of every issue whenever it possibly can, criticizing the growth of Israeli settlements while at the same time doing nothing to stop them and doing even less to expedite the development of a viable Palestinian state. This to avoid confronting directly the Israel Lobby, which is unrelenting to have its viewpoint be the only acceptable narrative inside the Beltway.
(36 comments) SHARE Thursday, November 14, 2013 The Two Snowdens
Snowden would have gotten absolutely nowhere if he had attempted to "go through channels" in any attempt to resolve the violations of law that he observed and was right to go public, but that is where the acceptance of his actions by me and my former colleagues pretty much ends.
SHARE Thursday, October 31, 2013 Riyadh Says Let America Do It
If the Israelis and Saudis were really threatened by Iran, one suspects that their response would be more robust. Meanwhile they will see if they can shame and coerce President Obama into doing what they think is best for them. Hopefully, he will be able to resist the pressure.
(1 comments) SHARE Saturday, October 26, 2013 Crying Wolf Over Iran
Targeting Iran for special treatment as a rogue nation seems a bit hard to explain beyond the bromides as it has not attacked a neighbor since the 17th century and is itself threatened nearly daily by Washington and Tel Aviv. And even the CIA and Mossad agree that it is not developing a nuclear weapon. Beyond that, Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which grants it the right to enrich uranium.
(4 comments) SHARE Saturday, October 19, 2013 Fixing Congress Means Fixing the Government
It is an ultimate irony that institutions like the Post Office that actually provide a necessary service for most Americans are starved for funds while the National Security Agency seems to have plenty of cash to build and operate its vast new spy center in Utah. A spy center that will collect information on the American people. The priorities of government are skewed and it is not just in congress.
(25 comments) SHARE Wednesday, October 9, 2013 A Syrian Solution?
Nearly everyone would be able to find a comfort zone if the Syrian civil war were to end, so there is strong motivation to take whatever steps are necessary to accomplish just that. And it would be a political victory for nearly everyone involved, with the US and its allies claiming that they had stopped the bloodshed while blocking the extremists from forming a government.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, October 4, 2013 Coming to Terms With Iran
Washington should be racing to talk to Iran to find an exit from the longest running unnecessarily sustained neither-war-nor-peace conflict since the cold war. An unnecessary armed conflict with Iran, which might easily be avoided, could well be the final blow that will sink the American ship of state.
(1 comments) SHARE Saturday, August 10, 2013 Throw the Bums Out
So the game goes on, with no one winning but the thuglike and expansionistic Israeli settlers. And if you wonder why Washington persists in engaging in self-destructive behavior, just go ask Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. They will wave a paper in your face and on it will be the latest directives from AIPAC.
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, August 1, 2013 Spinning Yarns in the Mainstream Media
If you want your neocon news straight from the source, the Washington Post is the way to go. It will explain to you why we should be prepared to intervene militarily worldwide and why some bureaucrat reading your mail or reviewing your phone calls is not a bad thing as all that stuff will make you a lot safer.
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, July 25, 2013 The Lobby Never Sleeps
When it comes to actual war and peace, those of us who have been preoccupied by the crises in Egypt and Syria would be well served by taking another look at what Israel has been up to. Settlements are expanding and still more Arabs are being dispossessed, making peace all but impossible.
(1 comments) SHARE Tuesday, July 16, 2013 Edward Snowden Is No Traitor
The White House's colossal data-mining operation has now been exposed by Edward Snowden, and the American people have discovered that they have been scrutinized by Washington far beyond any level that they would have imagined possible. Many foreign nations have also now realized that the scope of U.S. spying exceeds any reasonable standard of behavior.
(13 comments) SHARE Friday, July 12, 2013 The Meaninglessness of Elections
Here in the United States, we have congressional elections every two years but the dominant parties that alternate in power have rigged and gerrymandered the process in such a way that only candidates acceptable to the corporate/military/political status quo can rise to the surface.
SHARE Saturday, July 6, 2013 Independence Day Blues
Overall, it has become somewhat shameful to be an American. But possibly far worse than the way the rest of the world perceives us is the damage that we have done to ourselves. Consider for a moment what the past 12 years have meant in terms of what the United States government can now do to any American citizen.
(6 comments) SHARE Sunday, June 16, 2013 Don't Forget Syria
Syria in danger of ceasing to exist as a nation-state. Its collapse could inspire a new global jihad and provoke violence throughout the Middle East, while its chemical weapons could easily fall into dangerous hands. Israel is already threatening to intervene, which could produce a major regional conflict.
(7 comments) SHARE Friday, May 31, 2013 John McCain: War Hero or Something Less?
It is perhaps not too late to take another look at McCain and the post-Vietnam POW issue while many veterans of that conflict are still alive. It might also help to discredit the Senate's leading warmonger. Either way, it would be a reckoning that is long since overdue.