** Weekly Round-Up
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April 2, 2020
Fighting a virus with the wrong tools
By Catherine Lutz and Neta C. Crawford
The Hill, 3/31/20
Right now, the wealthiest, most scientifically advanced country in history is being brought to its knees by a virus it knew was coming. And having failed to adequately invest in pandemic protection measures, the U.S. government now is fighting a war against COVID-19. But, if the past two decades have taught us anything, we should know that “war” is the wrong metaphor and our military is the wrong tool.
READ HERE ([link removed])
The coronavirus exposes the foolishness of the U.S. sanctions policy
By Annelle Sheline
The Nation, 3/24/20
Viruses do not care about geopolitics, and they refuse to abide by US sanctions policy. Indeed, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 disease, has demonstrated that despite the United States’ best efforts to isolate them, sanctioned countries like Iran and North Korea remain as connected as ever to the rest of the world. Instead, sanctions have weakened their health care systems, making their populations more vulnerable to disease outbreaks and their governments less able to respond to the spreading virus.
READ HERE ([link removed])
An ailing America must not abandon Afghanistan
By Barnett Rubin
Foreign Policy, 3/28/20
On March 23, after failing to broker an agreement between incumbent Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah, both of whom claim the presidency after a disputed election, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the State Department was slashing Afghanistan aid by $1 billion, threatening to cut another $1 billion in 2021. “This leadership failure poses a direct threat to U.S. national interests,” Pompeo said in his statement that day.
READ HERE ([link removed])
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Judgment Day for the national security state
By Andrew Bacevich
The coronavirus pandemic provides one lesson Americans cannot afford to overlook: the national security state – created to keep them safe and free – has failed. The preoccupation with projecting military power abroad has exposed Americans to real dangers at home – threats that are now putting life and liberty at risk.
WATCH VIDEO ([link removed])
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COVID-19 Crisis: Trump may be giving Iran’s hardliners a pathway to the bomb
By Trita Parsi
Mike Pompeo believes that COVID-19 has made Iran ripe for some bombing. Arguing that Iran is weak and in a state of disarray due to the pandemic, he urged Trump last week to take military action against Iran.But Trump’s breach of the nuclear deal and continued economic warfare against Iran have already created incentives for Tehran to quit the JCPOA and move towards a bomb..Qi’s Executive Vice President Trita Parsi explains how global chaos fomented by the pandemic may have provided it with the opportunity to make a dash for the bomb.
W ([link removed]) ATCH VIDEO ([link removed])
MORE. MORE. MORE.
* Why the US should be supporting, not undermining, international justice ([link removed]) by Liz Evenson and Andrea Prasow, Responsible Statecraft, 3/27/20
* ‘Run them over’: The rise of a new Sinophobia and its dangers to us all ([link removed]) by Gordon Chang, Responsible Statecraft, 3/27/20
* BuT hOw WiLl We PaY fOr It? — No one asks how we’ll offset corporate bailouts and more Pentagon spending ([link removed]) by Kate Kizer, Responsible Statecraft, 3/25/20
* PODCAST: Andrew Bacevich's 'Age Of Illusions' argues the old War 'gave definition to American life,' ([link removed]) WBUR Here and Now, 3/31/20
* PODCAST: Eli Clifton on the crushing US sanctions on Iran ([link removed]) , Scott Horton Show, 3/29/20
* EVENT: A progressive Asia policy: US Alliances, the rise of China, and a changing Asia ([link removed]) with Jessica Lee, Center for American Progress, 3/12/20
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