PRESS ROOM

William Hartung is quoted in this edition of Politico's Morning Defense on the Biden administration's decision to move forward with the $23 billion arms package to the UAE.

"The decision 'contradicts its pledge to make human rights and long-term U.S. interests the central factors in deciding which nations to supply with U.S. arms,' said William Hartung, head of the Arms and Security Program at the progressive Center for International Policy. 'The UAE is an unreliable partner that has fueled conflict, transferred U.S.-supplied weapons to extremist groups, and inflicted severe human rights abuses on its own population.'"

He cited in particular UAE’s military support for Gen. Khalifa Haftar in Libya, 'in violation of a United Nations arms embargo.'"

"We also speak with Matthew Hoh, senior fellow with the Center for International Policy, who in 2009 resigned from the State Department in protest of the escalation of the War in Afghanistan. 'This is a step that is necessary for the peace process to go forward, and that’s what the Afghan people desperately need,' he says. 'It has been well over 40 years of fighting. Millions of Afghans have been killed or wounded. The devastation on the Afghan people is hard to imagine.'”

"Senate Democrats had tried and failed to muster support in the Senate for blocking the deal, announced by the Trump administration in its final months. Some arms-trade experts, including William Hartung of the Center for International Policy, had urged the Biden administration not to go ahead with the deal, saying it contradicted Biden’s pledge of a foreign policy in line with human rights and American values."

"Despite it’s dark role in the region’s violence — another reason why we are anchored there interminably — the UAE has made some 39 deals with the United States since 2009, bringing the total of all its weapons sales, including the pending agreements, to $59 billion, according to researcher William Hartung at the Center for International Policy.

'The UAE is not a reliable partner, and selling it advanced combat aircraft, drones and bombs will do far more harm than good,' Hartung told Al-Monitor."

In his latest interview on Citizen Truth podcast, Sjursen retells some personal journey highlights with —all tied to present issues/concerns—and explains evolutions not just in his life but how he remembers & evaluates it, also answering the radical question: "Why Peace?”

"Danny Sjursen talks about the absurdity of the recent announcement that America is sending special forces troops to Mozambique, a country that he says has basically no strategic relevance to the United States whatsoever. Those who argue that this is only a dozen operatives who will stay less than two months, he says, don’t understand the way the U.S. military works. These operations always entail a vast number of support personnel and infrastructure, and they always find a way of exceeding their schedules. This is just the latest move in “The Great Game” that America plays for global dominance."

The reaction to President Biden’s newly announced plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11 of this year has ranged from the dismay of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who called it a “grave mistake,” to more positive statements from Senate Democrats such as Tim Kaine, who said it’s time to bring U.S. troops home and refocus on other challenges.

Missing from these early reactions is a critical question: What does a troop withdrawal really look like in Afghanistan? And what are America’s plans for security assistance, or support for Afghanistan’s security forces, when U.S. troops leave?

"Senate Democrats had tried and failed to muster support in the Senate for blocking the deal, announced by the Trump administration in its final months. Some arms-trade experts, including William Hartung of the Center for International Policy, had urged the Biden administration not to go ahead with the deal, saying it contradicted Biden's pledge of a foreign policy in line with human rights and American values."

"The administration’s decision 'contradicts its pledge to make human rights and US security interests the central concerns in deciding which nations to supply with US weaponry,' said William D. Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Program at the Washington-based Center for International Policy. "

On this episode of Facts on the Ground, Sjursen speaks with Jesse Zurawell about U.S. special forces in Mozambique and the omissions, myths, assumptions, and outright lies used to justify America’s latest AFRICOM-Adventure.

Security Assistance Monitor's report, "U.S Arms Sales Trends: 2020 and Beyond from Trump to Biden" cited in Defense One's D Brief.

Findings from Security Assistance Monitor's "U.S. Arms Sales Trends: 2020 and Beyond From Trump to Biden" are cited in this issue of Defense One's Business Brief.