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Melvin Goodman

Melvin Goodman

CounterPunch

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The US’s Strategic Alliance With Israel is a Disaster

It’s difficult to imagine a greater U.S. strategic mistake than to align itself in any fashion with Israel. The United States and Israel have...

tuesday 9

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Trump and Putin: Their Failures in Regime Change

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will go down in history for their respective failures in regime change. Both Trump and Putin overestimated their...

16.03.2026 3

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

This is Evil, Not the Banality of Evil!

Sixty-three years ago, Hannah Arendt coined the concept of the “banality of evil,” describing Holocaust organizer Adolf Eichmann as disturbingly...

11.03.2026 20

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Trump’s War and Murky Messages From the Mainstream Media

The worst examples come from the New York Times. Its leading Israeli apologist, Bret Stephens, predictably believes that “Trump and Netanyahu did...

04.03.2026 20

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Trump’s National Security Chaos: What Needs to be Done

Earlier this week, I wrote about the dysfunction and danger associated with Donald Trump’s national security policies, processes, and personnel. No...

27.02.2026 9

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Trump’s National Security Team: Dangerous and Dysfunctional

In the wake of 9/11, there has been a dangerous militarization of our national security and foreign policies. The military has been used to secure...

24.02.2026 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The New York Times Still Gives Israel the Benefit of the Doubt on the USS Liberty

The post The New York Times Still Gives Israel the Benefit of the Doubt on the USS Liberty appeared first on CounterPunch.org.

16.02.2026 50

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Trump’s Destruction of Diplomacy and Disarmament

In one year, Donald Trump has managed to disarm Congress and put our Constitution on life support.  The separation of powers has been breached, and...

09.02.2026 6

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Acts of Revisionism: Hitler, Stalin and Trump

Authoritarian leaders typically attempt a radical reshaping of civic life.  Every area of life—from culture and the arts to education and...

02.02.2026 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Donald Trump, Poster Child for Megalomania

Trump’s narcissism has been on display for decades.  It is a serious personality disorder that is difficult to treat.  According to one prominent...

19.01.2026 30

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Donald the Destroyer: Act II

There are no in-house critics in Trump’s second term (2025-2029), which may be more apocalyptic, leading to the derogation of America’s democracy...

14.01.2026 40

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The New York Times Support for Israel Never Ends

The New York Times' one-sided support for Israel began with Israeli independence in 1948.  Last week’s front-page piece on Israel and New York...

12.01.2026 20

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Trump, Venezuela and the Roosevelt Corollary

Theodore Roosevelt was one of our most interesting and progressive presidents.  Donald Trump is uninteresting and uninterested to the extreme and is...

06.01.2026 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Prominent Think Tank Joins Media in Endorsing Trump’s Foreign Policy

Donald Trump views armed dominance as the essential element of U.S. policy in the global arena.  The New York Times and the Washington Post support...

05.01.2026 4

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Prominent Think Tank Joins Media in Endorsing Trump’s Foreign Policy

Donald Trump views armed dominance as the essential element of U.S. policy in the global arena.  The New York Times and the Washington Post support...

05.01.2026 30

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The NYT Wants More Defense Spending

On December 14, the New York Times devoted its entire Opinion section of 14 pages to lobbying for greater defense spending.  The NYT managed to do...

19.12.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The Washington Post’s Ignatius, Always Optimistic on Trump’s “Peace” Plans

For the past several years, the Washington Post’s senior diplomatic columnist, David Ignatius, has echoed the optimism of the Trump administration...

18.12.2025 9

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Trump Has Trashed the US’s Post-WW II Foreign Policy

Europe should find some incentive to be more assertive and even aggressive in response to Vance’s obnoxious references to Europe’s “erasure”...

14.12.2025 20

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Trump is Melting Down: Is This the Beginning of the End?

The mainstream media have been concerned with the politics, policies, and propaganda of Donald Trump’s terms in office, but have virtually ignored...

25.11.2025 5

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

NYTs Calls Trump Strategy in South America “Pragmatic”

There is nothing “pragmatic” about engaging in a conflict where only one side, the United States, is armed, and the factual basis for the conflict...

24.11.2025 5

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Rightwing Washington Post Editorial Board Endorses Trump’s Golden Dome

 Over the past several months, the editorial board of the Washington Post  has moved steadily to the right, endorsing greater defense budgets, the...

06.11.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The Many Crimes of CIA Covert Actions

The term “covert action” is a peculiarly American invention; it does not appear in the lexicon of other intelligence services.  Nor does the term...

20.10.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

One More Betrayal of the Palestinians

The history of the Palestinians is a history of betrayal.  In the wake of World War I, Britain and France redrew the map of the Middle East to suit...

15.10.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

What is It: Peace Plan or Ultimatum?

The Washington Post and its leading national security columnist, David Ignatius, have labeled the so-called “peace plan” for Gaza the “real...

07.10.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Setting the Stage for the Insurrection Act

In the summer of 2020, during the protests in Minneapolis following the brutal murder of George Floyd, Donald Trump and his senior aides discussed the...

01.10.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Washington Post: Losing Credibility and Reporters

As a result of the editorial interference and even censorship of some of its best writers, the Post’s leading journalists are packing their bags...

29.09.2025 20

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Manufacturing Excuses: Why Does David Ignatius Give Apologizing for Israeli Atrocities?

“Israel’s strike on Hamas’s political leadership in Qatar’s capital, aimed at forcing an end to the Gaza war, looks like a rare Israeli...

15.09.2025 20

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Washington Post Targets Disarmament in Its March to the Right

Several days after its absurd endorsement of renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War and calling for a more aggressive posture...

12.09.2025 20

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The Politicization of Intelligence Weakens the United States

The politicization of intelligence is nothing new, but Donald Trump is finding new ways to pursue it.  The United States has gone to war with phony...

09.09.2025 6

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The Washington Post Turns Further to the Right

“Renaming the Pentagon won’t cause Congress to suddenly change its ways, but at least it is a reminder that the powers the Pentagon exercises are...

08.09.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Trump and the Post-American World

Donald Trump’s blatant campaign for a Nobel Peace Prize has a new claim for his resume—his “diplomacy” is contributing to a new world order. ...

04.09.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Russia’s Foreign Minister Cites NATO Expansion as Cause of Ukraine War

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told an NBC interviewer last week that the expansion of the North Atlantic Treat Organization was a...

29.08.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The NYT’s David Sanger Foolishly Likens Trump to Teddy Roosevelt

In many quarters, the New York Times’ David Sanger is considered the country’s best diplomatic journalist.  After a recent article in the NYTs,...

28.08.2025 20

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Remembering the FBI’s Deceit and John Bolton’s Dangerous Career

The mainstream media are describing John Bolton as an experienced diplomat and a serious analyst.  He was neither.  Many members of the media are...

27.08.2025 7

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The New York Times Continues to Give Netanyahu the Benefit of the Doubt

“Flush with newfound confidence and authority, Mr. Netanyahu seemed finally to have gained the political capital he needed to override opposition...

12.08.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Trump’s Policies Will Make China Great Again

China has transitioned from one of the poorest nations in the world to the second-largest economy with nuclear-armed forces growing at a record...

08.08.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The Strategic Nightmare That is National Missile Defense

The off-and-on debate that has revolved around the feasibility and dependability of Natioinal Missile Defense has been present since the Reagan...

04.08.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The Sad History of “Changing the Map” of the Middle East

Netanyahu is proclaiming that his war against Hamas, the attacks on Iran, and the new attacks on Syria will create a “new” Middle East.  Israel...

30.07.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The New York Times’ Leading Apologist for Israel is Still at It

    Last week, Bret Stephens, the New York Times’ leading warmonger and apologist for Israel, penned a lead editorial that denied Israel was...

28.07.2025 20

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The Waste and Futility of the Golden Dome National Missile Defense System

The United States is responsible for half of global spending on defense.  The Trump administration is committed to spending more than $1 trillion...

21.07.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Some Fundamentals of Russian National Security Policy

It’s often stated that useful collaboration with Russia is not possible.  Is this true?  Not really.  There are some areas where useful...

14.07.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Two Leading Narcissists Meet at the White House

Narcissism is a personality trait characterized by an excessive preoccupation with oneself, a sense of entitlement, and a need for admiration.  It...

10.07.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The Wretched History of Regime

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is planning to come to Washington in the next week or so, and probably will make his case for regime change in...

30.06.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The Mad Man Theory Has Its Mad Men

“You know what November 5 was?  It was the election of a president that loves you.” – Donald Trump to applause and cheers from soldiers at Fort...

20.06.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Trump Will Make the US Irrelevant

Donald Trump’s executive actions are clearly weakening the international standing of the United States and begging the question of U.S. relevance in...

13.06.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Robert Gates: Four Decades of Truckling

Former CIA director Robert M. Gates was on “Face the Nation” last month and demonstrated that there has never been a better truckler in the...

12.06.2025 20

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The Fire Trump Started

It is clear that Donald Trump has been hoping for a protest that he can use to expand his use of the military and other militarized units.  A...

09.06.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Will the United States Have an Unpredictable Past?

The belief that Russia is a country with an unpredictable past is a common one, frequently cited in academic and cultural studies.  Now the Trump...

04.06.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

Marco Rubio: The Secretary of Statelessness

Marco Rubio is the uber-mensch of the Trump administration.  He is the secretary of state, the acting national security adviser, the acting director...

02.06.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman

The Washington Post’s David Ignatius, a Leading Apologist

 The Washington Post’s senior national security columnist, David Ignatius, is the mainstream media’s leading apologist for the Central...

29.05.2025 10

CounterPunch

Melvin Goodman