US federal jury found four Blackwater employees guilty
US Department of Justice, “Four Former Blackwater Employees Found Guilty of Charges in Fatal Nisur Square Shooting in Iraq,” press release, October 22, 2014, https://www.justice.gov/?opa/?pr/?four-former-blackwater-employees-found-guilty-charges-fatal-nisur-square-shooting-iraq.
Erik Prince: “secure land borders and so prevent migrants…”
Erik Prince, “A Public-Private Partnership Will Solve Europe’s Migrant Crisis,” Financial Times, January 3, 2017, https://www.ft.com/?content/?d95057a2-c907-11e6-9043-7e34c07b46ef.
No, They Don’t Need to Plan It
Daniel L. Bynam: “Trump’s actions and rhetoric add credibility…”
Daniel L. Byman, “Why Trump’s Policies Will Increase Terrorism—and Why Trump Might Benefit as a Result,” Brookings Institution website, January 30, 2017, https://www.brookings.edu/?blog/?markaz/?2017/?01/?30/?why-trumps-policies-will-increase-terrorism-and-why-trump-might-benefit-as-a-result/.
ISIS: “blessed ban”
Joby Warrick, “Jihadist Groups Hail Trump’s Travel Ban as a Victory,” Washington Post, January 29, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/?world/?national-security/?jihadist-groups-hail-trumps-travel-ban-as-a-victory/?2017/?01/?29/?50908986-e66d-11e6-b82f-687d6e6a3e7c_story.html?utm_term=.90be45d896db.
Iran’s foreign minister: “a gift to extremists”
“Iran Says Donald Trump’s Travel Ban Is a ‘Gift to Extremists,’?” Financial Times, January 29, 2017, https://www.ft.com/?content/?8f13e824-e622-11e6-893c-082c54a7f539.
Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster: “un-Islamic”
Mark Landler and Eric Schmitt, “H.R. McMaster Breaks with Administration on Views of Islam,” New York Times, February 24, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/?2017/?02/?24/?us/?politics/?hr-mcmaster-trump-islam.html.
The Shock of War
Yemen: increased number of drone strikes
Dan De Luce and Paul McLeary, “Trump’s Ramped-Up Bombing in Yemen Signals More Aggressive Use of Military,” Foreign Policy, March 9, 2017, http://foreignpolicy.com/?2017/?03/?09/?trumps-ramped-up-bombing-in-yemen-signals-more-aggressive-use-of-military/.
Iraq: deadly strikes with high civilian casualties
Tim Arango and Helene Cooper, “U.S. Investigating Mosul Strikes Said to Have Killed Up to 200 Civilians,” New York Times, March 24, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/?2017/?03/?24/?world/?middleeast/?us-iraq-mosul-investigation-airstrike-civilian-deaths.html.
Rex Tillerson: “all options are on the table”
Anne Gearan and Anna Fifield, “Tillerson Says ‘All Options Are on the Table’ When It Comes to North Korea,” Washington Post, March 19, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/?world/?tillerson-says-all-options-are-on-the-table-when-it-comes-to-northkorea/?2017/?03/?17/?e6b3e64e-0a83-11e7-bd19-fd3afa0f7e2a_story.html?utm_term=.4021d0f024ff.
Trump: “we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A.”
Donald Trump, tweet, posted by @realDonaldTrump, April 11, 2017, https://twitter.com/?realdonaldtrump/?status/?851767718248361986?lang=en.
North Korean state media: “in the U.S. mainland”
Sue-Lin Wong and David Brunnstrom, “North Korea Warns of Nuclear Strike If Provoked; Trump ‘Armada’ Steams On,” Reuters.com, April 12, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/?article/?us-northkorea-nuclear-idUSKBN17D0A4.
Trump: new nuclear “arms race”
Ed Pilkington and Martin Pengelly, “?‘Let It Be an Arms Race’: Donald Trump Appears to Double Down on Nuclear Expansion,” Guardian, December 24, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/?us-news/?2016/?dec/?23/?donaldtrump-nuclear-weapons-arms-race.
Trump: why can’t the US just use nuclear weapons?
Video available via: Matthew J. Belvedere, “Trump Asks Why US Can’t Use Nukes: MSNBC,” CNBC.com, August 3, 2016, http://www.cnbc.com/?2016/?08/?03/?trump-asks-why-us-cant-use-nukes-msnbcs-joe-scarborough-reports.html.
Sheldon Adelson: “middle of the desert that doesn’t hurt a soul…”
“Sheldon Adelson Calls on Obama to Fire a Nuclear Weapon at Iran, Not Negotiate,” YouTube video, 6:45, posted by Philip Weiss, October 22, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/?watch?v=6oSAPMYTuss.
Adelson: $5 million donation to Trump’s inauguration, the largest ever
Nicholas Confessore, Nicholas Fandos, and Rachel Shorey, “Trump Inaugural Drew Big Dollars from Donors with Vested Interests,” New York Times, April 19, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/?2017/?04/?19/?us/?politics/?trump-inauguration-sheldon-adelson-fundraising.html.
Mikhail Gorbachev: “the nuclear threat once again seems real…”
Mikhail Gorbachev, “Mikhail Gorbachev: ‘It All Looks as If the World Is Preparing for War,’?” Time, January 26, 2017, http://time.com/?4645442/?gorbachev-putin-trump/.
Trump’s missile strike on Syria: illegal according to some experts
Alex Emmons, “Legal Experts Question Whether Trump’s Syria Strike Was Constitutional,” TheIntercept.com, April 7, 2017, https://theintercept.com/?2017/?04/?07/?legal-experts-question-whether-trumps-syria-strike-was-constitutional/.
Eric Trump: “If there was anything that Syria did…”
Simon Johnson Gordon Rayner, “Donald Trump’s Action in Syria Proves He Is Not in League with Putin, Says His Son Eric,” Daily Telegraph, April 11, 2017, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/?news/?2017/?04/?10/?donaldtrumps-action-syria-proves-not-league-putin-says-son/.
Exxon’s Wars
Tillerson’s receives $180-million retirement package from Exxon
Associated Press, “Rex Tillerson Would Head to D.C. with $180 Million Retirement Package from Exxon,” Fortune, January 4, 2017, http://fortune.com/?2017/?01/?04/?donaldtrump-rex-tillerson-exxonmobil-180-million/.
Tillerson excluded from decisions relating to ExxonMobil for two years
Nick Wadhams, “Tillerson Vow to Keep Away from Exxon Runs into World of Oil,” Bloomberg.com, February 1, 2017, https://www.bloomberg.com/?politics/?articles/?2017-02-02/?tillerson-s-vow-to-keep-away-from-exxon-runs-into-a-world-of-oil.
Oil price rise after strike on Syria
Jessica Resnick-Ault, “Oil Rises after U.S. Missile Strike in Syria, Weekly Gain 3 Percent,” Reuters.com, April 7, 2017, http://www.reuters.com/?article/?us-global-oil-idUSKBN17905I.
Oil prices before and after the 2003 Iraq War
“Brent Crude Oil Prices, 1970–2017,” TradingEconomics.com, http://www.tradingeconomics.com/?commodity/?brent-crude-oil.
Timeline of ExxonMobil oil sands investment
Nicholas Kusnetz, “Exxon’s Oil Sands Reserves: Now a Big Burden to Carry,” Inside Climate News, September 30, 2016, https://insideclimatenews.org/?news/?29092016/?exxonmobil-change-change-investigation-oil-sands-tar-sands-alberta-canada-sec.
Russia largest exporter of natural gas and second-largest exporter of oil
Central Intelligence Agency, “Field Listing: Exports—Commodities,” The World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/?library/?publications/?the-world-factbook/?fields/?2049.html.