Philip M. Giraldi

Philip M. Giraldi is a former CIA counter-terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer who served nineteen years overseas in Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Spain. He was the CIA Chief of Base for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and was one of the first Americans to enter Afghanistan in December 2001. Phil is Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, a Washington-based advocacy group that seeks to encourage and promote a U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East that is consistent with American values and interests.

How Pro-Israel Foundations in Washington are Pushing a US War with Iran

“As an ex-CIA case officer who worked on the Iran target for a number of years, I was shocked when I read the Times’ article, primarily because it sounded like a repeat of the fabricated intelligence that was used against both Iraq and Iran in 2001 through 2003,” says Philip M. Giraldi.

Philip M. Giraldi
By Philip M. Giraldi

Observers of developments in the Middle East have long taken it as a given that the United States and Israel are seeking for an excuse to attack Iran. The recently terminated conference in Warsaw had that objective, which was clearly expressed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but it failed to rally European and Middle Eastern states to

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Is Tulsi Gabbard for Real? America Is Ready for a Genuine Peace Candidate

What Tulsi Gabbard is accomplishing might be measured by the enemies that are already gathering and are out to get her.

Philip M. Giraldi
By Philip M. Giraldi
Tulsi Gabbard

The lineup of Democrats who have already declared themselves as candidates for their party’s presidential nomination in 2020 is remarkable, if only for the fact that so many wannabes have thrown their hats in the ring so early in the process. In terms of electability, however, one might well call the seekers after the highest office in the land the

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How Washington Became the World’s Judge, Jury and Executioner

The principle that Washington should respect the sovereignty of other states even when it disagrees with their internal policies has effectively been abandoned.

Philip M. Giraldi
By Philip M. Giraldi
Mike Pompeo, Steven Mnuchin Iran Sanctions

One of the most disturbing aspects of the past two years of Donald Trump foreign policy has been the assumption that decisions made by the United States are binding on the rest of the world. Apart from time of war, no other nation has ever sought to prevent other nations from trading with each other. And the United States has also uniquely sought

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Analysts Confirm: Israel Used Civilian Airliners as Cover in Christmas Day Airstrikes in Syria

Analysts have confirmed that the Israelis carried out the strikes in Syria by deliberately using scheduled airline departures and arrivals as cover to foil the improved and upgraded Syrian air defenses.

Philip M. Giraldi
By Philip M. Giraldi
Syria Israel airstrikes

As has become the normal practice, Christmas Day's air raid by Israel directed against targets near Damascus was largely ignored by the US media. Given the fact that Israel has bombed Syria more than two hundred times, the attack itself, which wounded three soldiers at a warehouse, was not particularly notable. But what was significant was the fact

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Two Stories from the Propaganda War

When someone is found guilty by the media there is no way to right the wrong when the story shifts and starts to break down. 

Philip M. Giraldi
By Philip M. Giraldi
Maria Butina NRA

Two recent stories about Russians have demonstrated how the news is selected and manipulated in the United States. The first is about Maria Butina, who apparently sought to overthrow American democracy, such as it is, by obtaining a life membership in the National Rifle Association. Maria, a graduate student at American University, is now in

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How Security Clearances Perpetuate Top-Level Corruption in the United States

Former CIA Director John Brennan and other of his ilk have profited greatly from his government service, becoming rich from board memberships.

Philip M. Giraldi
By Philip M. Giraldi
Former CIA Director John Brennan testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 23, 2017, before the House Intelligence Committee Russia Investigation Task Force. Pablo Martinez Monsivais | AP

President Donald Trump is threatening to take away the security clearances of a number of former senior intelligence and security officers who have been extremely critical of him. Most Americans were unaware that any ex-officials continued to hold clearances after they retired and the controversy has inevitably raised the question why that should

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The Madness That Is Gripping Washington

Iran is the hottest of all hot spots in the American view.

Philip M. Giraldi
By Philip M. Giraldi
iran

The United States and Israel have been threatening Iran for something like twenty years, using the pretext that it was developing a nuclear weapon initially, but also more recently declaring that Tehran has become a threat to the entire Middle East. Both contentions are essentially lies, concocted by an Israel and Saudi Arabia that would prefer to

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