The Rise of America’s Secret Wars

By Nick Turse / TomDispatch Dec 18, 2017 Elite troops were deployed to 149 nations in 2017, according to U.S. Special Operations Command. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

Lies We Tell Ourselves

Maj. Danny Sjursen / Truthdig Nov 15, 2017 The media, military, policymakers, political leaders and even the public propagate dangerous myths and platitudes that enable perpetual war. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

AFRICOM and the Self-Investigation Farce

Maj. Danny Sjursen / Truthdig Nov 10, 2017 The U.S. military's probe of the deadly ambush in Niger will avoid answering the most critical questions—including why our soldiers are deployed there. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Does U.S. Want a Blank Check to Wage Illegal War?

By Marjorie Cohn / Truthout Nov 9, 2017 Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson say the Trump administration has all the legal authority it needs to begin hostilities. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Rick Perry Has It Wrong on Fossil Fuels Preventing Rape

Juan Cole / Informed Comment Nov 4, 2017 The secretary of energy says electrification using hydrocarbons would prevent sexual assaults in rural Africa. But such fuels can just as well be blamed for mass rapes during wartime. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The U.S. War Machine Is on a Death March Across Africa

Vijay Prashad / AlterNet Nov 1, 2017 It was surprising to hear Sen. Lindsey Graham—who is on the Armed Services Committee—say he didn’t know there were American troops in Niger. There are thousands across the continent. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

North Carolina Congressman on Why He Writes to Families of Dead Troops

Martha Waggoner / AP Oct 30, 2017 Rep. Walter Jones signs each letter personally as penance, he says, for voting for the Iraq war in 2002. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Neither Political Party Wants Us to Know What U.S. Is Doing in Niger

Staff and Larry Gross / Truthdig Oct 29, 2017 The deaths of American soldiers in Africa have brought up questions regarding U.S. interventions; meanwhile, scientists have discovered that humans do have an autopilot. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Drought-Stricken African Region May Finally Bloom, Thanks to Incoming Monsoon

By Tim Radford / Climate News Network Jul 8, 2017 European scientists say there is hope that a parched swath of Africa could suddenly start to receive heavy seasonal rainfall. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Chibok Girls Remembered, One Year On

China Okasi / Truthdig Apr 16, 2015 The loss of hundreds of schoolgirls to Boko Haram has shown that in Nigeria, the powerful care nothing about the powerless until an international tragedy embarrasses them. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Libyan Convoy Spotted in Niger

Staff / Truthdig Sep 6, 2011 Reports have a large convoy of Libyan military vehicles crossing the border into Niger, but there is no indication that Moammar Gadhafi, his family or his advisers are on board. The Los Angeles Times reports that the convoy is made up of as many as 250 vehicles, though a local source puts the number at a few dozen. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Niger Seeks Aid for Weary Libyan Refugees

Staff / Truthdig Apr 28, 2011 The government of Niger has appealed to the international community for assistance for almost 60,000 people who have fled to Niger from Libya since fighting began in February. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )