Eric Draitser

Eric Draitser is a political analyst and host of CounterPunch Radio.  You can follow and support his work at CounterPunch and patreon.com/ericdraitser.

AFRICOM is More about Natural Resources than Fighting Terrorism

Lucrative trade in illicit goods, drugs, human trafficking, and more has continued to line the pockets of militant organizations in Africa and the very fact that they are continuing calls into question the efficacy of, and agenda behind, the US AFRICOM force.

African Land Force Summit 2018

Amid the George HW Bush imperial death-orgy, the endless saga of Midtown Mussolini’s daily news cycle, the seemingly unprecedented political upsurge in France, and countless other show-stopping news stories, you likely missed three very sad, yet revealing, incidents out of the Sahel region of West-Central Africa. First, on November 18th, a

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How Establishment Democrats Manufacture Faux Progressive Congressional Campaigns

By presenting real progressive voters with manufactured, faux-progressive candidates like Jeff Beals, the Clintonites think they’ll pull the wool over the eyes of the progressive left.

Photo via bealsforcongress.com

When Bernie Sanders took the stage in Washington Square Park in New York City on a cold April night in 2016, he faced a crowd of approximately 25,000 adoring fans, many of whom were young, progressive, and desperately seeking a political alternative to the seemingly ineluctable game of Russian roulette that was a Clinton-Trump crapshoot. They

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Russia’s Political Repression of Crimea’s Radical Left

The crackdown of leftist elements in Crimea is yet another move by Putin & Co. to consolidate power by smashing any potential for a radical political alternative.

Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) operatives detain suspects in their apartment. (FILE - Russian Federal Security Service/AP)

Russia’s annexation of Crimea was purportedly an exercise in free political expression, a watershed moment in history when a historic part of Russia returned to the motherland against the backdrop of a fascist putsch in Ukraine. Indeed, Crimea’s “reunification” (in Kremlin lingo) with Russia was sold, at least in part, as a humanitarian operation

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How Trump’s Declaration Inflames a Middle East Already Ablaze

Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a turning point in the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. However, the issue is much bigger than Palestine as Donald Trump may have just lit the match that will set off the powder keg of the Arab World.

A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot amid teargas and smoke, during clashes with Israeli troops following protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel predictably sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East and reverberated around the world. Anger and outrage have been seen on the streets of Palestinian cities, as well as in major cities around the world, where diaspora Palestinians and their

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Honduras Elections: Turning the Tide of US-Backed Violence and Neoliberalism?

The Honduran elections are a choice between a powerful right-wing government and an opposition coalition of liberal centrists and radical leftists seeking to unseat a criminal regime. But as much as this is a referendum on the right-wing government, it is equally a referendum on U.S. power and Honduras’ status as a client of Washington.

Supporters of opposition Alliance presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla chant slogans in front of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Nov. 27, 2017. Early results from Honduras' presidential election Monday showed leftist challenger Nasralla with a surprise lead over incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez, both of whom had claimed victory. (AP/Rodrigo Abd)

HONDURAS (Analysis) -- As Hondurans went to the polls to elect a new government Sunday, the country was looking both forward to the future and backward to a recent and tragic past. With the contest primarily between current right-wing President Juan Orlando Hernández (running for re-election despite being forbidden by the country’s constitution)

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Zimbabwe: Domestic Rivalries, US-China Competition Underlie Political Crisis

The political turmoil in Zimbabwe is a product of both domestic factional rivalries and broader international political intrigue. Don’t let the corporate media impose its usual superficial narrative on the events in Zimbabwe; as with all things Africa, there’s so much more than meets the eye.

An election poster from the 2008 Zanu Pf election campaign on the wall of a dilapidated old building in the Mbara suburb of Harare, Friday Nov. 17, 2017. Zimbabwe's military says it is making "significant progress" in talks with President Robert Mugabe for his departure while it pursues and arrests some allies of the leader and his wife. (AP Photo)

NEW YORK (Analysis) -- On November 14, 2017 military forces in Zimbabwe took control of the streets, sequestered President Robert Mugabe in his residence, and publicly announced that the kinda sorta but not really coup was merely a clean-up operation intended to “target criminals.” While the claim does have some merit – Zimbabwe’s government, like

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The Passion Of Colin Kaepernick

By directly challenging white supremacy, racism and imperialism, Colin Kaepernick is making himself a household name for all the right reasons. And the NFL, its billionaire owners and the corporate errand boys of sports journalism simply cannot stand it.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick listens to a question at a news conference after an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, in Chicago. The Bears won 26-6. (AP/Charles Rex Arbogast)

In light of recent statements by President Donald Trump calling for retaliation against NFL players engaged in the free exercise of their First Amendment rights, this editorial - originally published on Jun 23, 2017 - has once again become relevant.  MintPress brings you the original piece by Eric Draister in its entirety. Like a million and a

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