Foreign Correspondent: US Hypocrisy on Cuba Continues


State Department “terror list” includes countries that aren’t terrorists and excludes those who are. 48 Hills | Independent daily San Francisco news + culture By Reese Erlich I’ve always been puzzled by the State Department list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. It supposedly designates countries aiding terrorist organizations. But it includes countries that don’t support … Continue reading

An Open Letter to a Trump-Supporting, Working-Class Friend


Robby reflects the views of many older white workers who are critical of the system and blame Democrats and liberals for its breakdown. https://progressive.org/dispatches/foreign-correspondent-an-open-letter-to-a-trump-supporter-erlich-191213/ by Reese Erlich, The Progressive December 13, 2019 I first met Robby Robertson during the 1969 General Electric strike. He was a young, militant worker fighting for a decent contract and social … Continue reading

Americans rally against Turkish invasion


What happens next in northern Syria? By Reese Erlich  48 Hills, November 8, 2019 https://48hills.org/2019/11/foreign-correspondent-kurds-Rojava/ Editor’s Note: This story by our Foreign Correspondent columnist Reese Erlich is accompanied by photographs by Beth LaBerge. In Laberge’s words, “I spent two weeks in June traveling between Qamishli and Kobani with a group of mostly academics, accompanied by … Continue reading

Foreign Correspondent: Turkey Plans an Attack on Syrian Kurds


Turkey plans ethnic cleansing of Kurds in northern Syria by Reese Erlich – October 3, 2019, 48Hills https://progressive.org/dispatches/foreign-correspondent-turkey-plans-attack-on-syrian-kurds-erlich-191003/ ISTANBUL —The Turkish government plans to use Syrian refugees to displace the local Kurdish population in northern Syria. But so far, the scheme isn’t working so well. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayep Erdoğan announced his intention … Continue reading

Why Is Russia in Syria? A first-hand report from Mococw


It’s for many of the same bad reasons used by the United States to justify its military interventions. https://progressive.org/magazine/why-is-russia-in-syria-erlich-190801/ by Reese Erlich August 1, 2019, The Progressive MOSCOW — I’m ankle deep in mud, on a path to a working-class housing project in Moscow following a late spring drenching rain. I’m on my way to … Continue reading

A critical eye on 6 new political films


From Gorbachev to ‘Red Joan’: SFFILM Fest gets geopolitical Our Foreign Correspondent reviews films dealing with nuclear secrets, Perestroika, Syrian refugees, Afghan cinema under Communist rule, and more. https://48hills.org/2019/04/from-gorbachev-to-red-joan-sffilm-fest-gets-geopolitical/ By Reese Erlich – April 5, 2019, 48Hills The 62nd SFFILM Festival kicks off next week, and as usual there’s a plethora of movies to choose … Continue reading

Foreign Correspondent — Does Trump want peace in Syria?


http://www.48Hills.org   Foreign Correspondent Trump – the new anti-war champion?  By Reese Erlich  Dec. 28, 2018 Last week President Donald Trump surprised the world, and much of his own staff, by announcing plans to pull over 2000 US troops out of Syria. Then he said he would cut the number of US troops in Afghanistan … Continue reading

Foreign Correspondent: Netanyahu, Putin, and Trump — jockeying for power in Syria


While foreign powers continue their squabbles, Syrian civilians pay the price. https://48hills.org/2018/07/putin-trump-syria/ By Reese Erlich  July 12, 2018 FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT Russian bombs rained down on towns of southern Syria as an estimated 320,000 civilians fled for their lives. Over the past several weeks tens of thousands walked to the Jordanian and Israeli borders hoping to … Continue reading

US fires missiles at Syria but the justification unravels


Foreign Correspondent column  by Reese Erlich April 19, 2018 In 1998, al Qaeda killed 224 people when it attacked U.S. embassies in east Africa. In retaliation, President Bill Clinton ordered a missile strike against what he described as an al Qaeda nerve gas factory in Sudan. For years, he insisted that the attack had dealt … Continue reading

Foreign Correspondent: The U.S. Is Permanently Occupying Northern Syria, and That’s Trouble


http://progressive.org/dispatches/u-s-permanent-occupation-of-northern-syria-180213/ What will the leftists in Rojava do? by Reese Erlich February 13, 2018 The Progressive When President Barack Obama started bombing Syria in 2014, he enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington, D.C. Americans were appalled by the atrocities of the Islamic State, which had massacred Yazidis, and seized swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq. … Continue reading