How the US Trained the Afghan Mujahideen To Produce War Propaganda

Behind The Headlines’ Dan Cohen explains a little known effort to train Afghan Islamic fundamentalists in propaganda, and how that effort created a blueprint for the White Helmets in Syria.

Dan Cohen
By Dan Cohen
Afghan War Propaganda Feature photo

By now, everyone knows about the White Helmets – the State Department’s propaganda operation to manufacture consent for the U.S.’s dirty war on Syria. But long before the White Helmets were the Afghan mujahideen. Quick review: The White Helmets were presented as laudable rescue teams who operated in opposition-held territory in Syria. They

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Jessica Ashooh: The Taming of Reddit and the National Security State Plant Tabbed to Do It

How and why did a hawkish young mandarin hothoused at elite universities and in the halls of state power end up an executive at an anarchic messageboard site with an anti-establishment reputation?

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
Jessica Ashooh Reddit Feature photo

SAN FRANCISCO -- Reddit is one of the world’s most influential news and social media platforms. The website attracted over 1.2 billion visits in April 2021 alone, making it the United States’ eighth most visited site, ahead of other leviathans like Twitter, Instagram and eBay. Now majority-owned by a much larger corporate publishing empire, Reddit

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Dan Kovalik on Elections, Rebuilding and the Ongoing Proxy War in Syria

Despite the Western reaction, Assad, in power since 2000, looks set to govern for seven more years. His major task will be attempting to break armed opposition groups in Idlib and to repair a nation destroyed by 10 years of war and crippling sanctions.

Mnar Adley
By Mnar Adley
Dan Kovalik Syria Feature photo

Amidst a decade-long war that has devastated the country, Syrians went to the polls last week in an election that gave another seven-year term to current leader Bashar al-Assad. With a turnout of over 78%, Assad achieved an overwhelming victory against his nearest opponent, Mahmoud Ahmad Marei. Supporters of the president took to the streets in

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After 10 Years of Civil War in Syria, US (Quietly) Declares Defeat but Won’t Go Home

After a decade of bombing, invasions, exoduses and economic strife, it is clear that there are precious few winners in the Syrian Civil War — or from the rest of the Arab Spring, for that matter.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
Syria Media Bias

DAMASCUS, SYRIA -- This March marks the 10-year anniversary of the Arab Spring and the protests that rocked Syria, which were a starting point for the ongoing civil war. That conflict has led to over half a million deaths and nearly 13 million people displaced, according to some estimates. Now, after 10 years of attempts to topple the government

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Vanessa Beeley on Biden’s Escalation of War on Syria Amid the Pandemic

Having just taken office amid a pandemic, the Biden administration quickly ordered an airstrike that dropped 1.75 tons of explosives on a town in Syria near the Iraq border, re-inflaming tensions between Washington and Damascus.

Mnar Adley
By Mnar Adley
Podcast | Vanessa Beeley

Welcome to MintCast -- an interview series featuring dissenting voices the establishment would rather silence. I’m your host Mnar Muhawesh Adley. Within just three months in office amid a global pandemic, the Joe Biden administration recently ordered an airstrike that dropped 1.75 tons of explosives on a town in Syria near the Iraq border. The

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Another Step Back for Biden: Attack on Syria Draws Establishment Cheers

“This is basically the polar opposite of getting back in the peace agreement, which was what [Biden] promised to do.” — Political commentator Kyle Kulinski

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
US Syria Feature photo

WASHINGTON -- Barely a month into his presidency, Joe Biden launched an airstrike on Syria yesterday. The attack was reportedly aimed at militias close to the Iraq border, killing 22 people — considerably more than the White House first claimed. In the attack, 1.75 tons of bombs were dropped on a small border-crossing village, according to The New

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