Ben Armbruster
- Contributor, Responsible Statecraft
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Articles by Ben Armbruster
The cost of Trump's Iran war is already adding up quickly
A new report has found that President Trump’s illegal and unprovoked war against Iran has now cost American taxpayers upwards of $5 billion and counting.
TRILLION DOLLAR WAR MACHINE-Trump likes using it-BILL HARTUNG & BEN FREEMAN
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Trump's war on Iran is already losing the home front
A series of new polls show that the American public is overwhelmingly opposed to President Trump’s war on Iran. Nearly three days after the beginning of the joint U.S.-Israel attack, Trump and his top aides have offered a series of shifting (or baseless) justifications for the attack and have failed to articulate an end game or timeline on how long the conflict will last.
The White House wants Iran to attack Americans
Trump administration officials are apparently aware that Americans do not want to go to war with Iran. Indeed, poll after poll (after poll) shows that voters have no interest in starting another Middle East conflict, let alone embarking on an Iraq war-style regime change operation. But the White House is working on ways around that.
Bari Weiss just handed Trump a ‘kill switch’ for news it doesn’t like
CBS’s new controversial editor-in-chief Bari Weiss pulled a 60 Minutes story that was set to air last night about the torture and other horrid conditions at CECOT, the El Salvador megaprison to which the Trump administration has send hundreds of deportees over the last year..
You have 19 minutes to decide whether to kill tens of millions
WARNING: This article contains spoilers. What if you were the president of the United States and you had just minutes to decide how to respond to an impending nuclear attack?
You have 19 minutes to decide whether to kill tens of millions
11 hours ago Former military members referred to the secretary of defense as "a blowhard," "a complete jackass" and "a total blue falcon." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to troll Sen. Mark Kelly after the Pentagon announced on Monday it would be investigating the Arizona Democrat caused a real war of …
Diplomacy Watch: Is there a 'next' for Ukraine peace talks?
One of the top headlines that emerged from the Alaska summit earlier this month was that, according to President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would soon meet face-to-face to find a way to end the war in Ukraine, which has dragged on for more than three years. The president, however, expressed skepticism this week that it would happen anytime soon.
Ukrainian drone commander claims attack on key oil pipeline to EU
Ukrainian drone commander claims attack on key oil pipeline to EU RT | August 18, 2025 The head of Ukraine’s UAV forces has claimed that Kiev’s drones have disabled a Russian pipeline which delivers oil to Hungary and Slovakia. Both Budapest and Bratislava earlier confirmed that supplies via the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Ukraine, had been suspended. Russia has not confirmed the attack. “The Druzhba pipeline is out of service.
Armed Settler Militia Terrorizes Ibziq, Assaults ISM Volunteers
Armed Settler Militia Terrorizes Ibziq, Assaults ISM Volunteers International Solidarity Movement | August 18, 2025 On the night of August 11th, two ISM volunteers were assaulted, beaten, and robbed by a mob of at least eight armed settlers dressed in full military-style uniforms in the rural shepherding village of Ibziq.
Britain: From arms supplier to accomplice in war crimes
Britain: From arms supplier to accomplice in war crimes By Adnan Hmidan | MEMO | August 18, 2025 When we speak of the devastation in Gaza, the blame does not rest solely on the generals and politicians of the occupying power. The tragedy is sustained by the international system that arms, trains and protects it. And Britain, far from being a neutral observer, is among the most significant enablers of this machinery of destruction.
Israel dangles aid for South Sudan amid reports of Gaza expulsion talks
Israel dangles aid for South Sudan amid reports of Gaza expulsion talks The Cradle | August 18, 2025 Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced on 18 August that it plans to provide “urgent” humanitarian assistance to South Sudan, following recent reports that Tel Aviv was engaged in efforts to expel Palestinians from Gaza to the east African nation.
Hamas agrees to Gaza ceasefire proposal presented by mediators
Hamas agrees to Gaza ceasefire proposal presented by mediators Palestinian Information Center – August 18, 2025 GAZA – An official Hamas source said on Monday that the Movement delivered a positive response to an Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. An informed Palestinian official also said, on condition of anonymity, that the proposal forms a framework for indirect negotiations over a permanent ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
Iraqi FM warns PMU, Lebanese Hezbollah cannot be disarmed by force
Iraqi FM warns PMU, Lebanese Hezbollah cannot be disarmed by force The Cradle | August 18, 2025 Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein stated on 18 August that efforts to pass a new law in the parliament to regulate the status of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) are coming at the wrong time, while at the same time emphasizing the government’s inability to disarm the resistance factions comprising the PMU by force.
Serbia exposed as EU nation behind $1.64bln ‘Israel’ arms deal
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Ridiculous Europe
Ridiculous Europe By Ted Snider | The Libertarian Institute | August 18, 2025 By President Donald Trump’s transactional criterion, NATO has been a costly failure that needs fixing or needs to be cut lose. Europe has failed to pay the price and has left the United States with the financial and military burden of defending Europe. The war in Ukraine has proven the point. But that was never the point of NATO. The point of NATO was never economic nor transactional.
Trump’s make or break moment after the Alaska summit
Trump’s make or break moment after the Alaska summit By Salman Rafi Sheikh – New Eastern Outlook – August 18, 2025 While Western media fixated on optics and diplomatic jabs, the Alaska summit quietly marked a turning point that shifted the conversation from temporary ceasefires to the possibility of lasting peace. This moment demands clarity from Donald Trump: will he commit to a peace-first strategy or allow his European allies to drag the US deeper into costly, unwinnable conflicts?
Ukraine Ramps Up Provocations To Sabotage Peace Efforts
Ukraine Ramps Up Provocations To Sabotage Peace Efforts Sputnik – 18.08.2025 US President Donald Trump will receive Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House for the first time on Monday since the spat between them in February. As Zelensky prepares to meet Trump at the White House, Ukraine is desperately attempting to jeopardize the peace process, which gained momentum after the historic meeting in Alaska.
Why Zelensky’s main argument against peace is a lie
Why Zelensky’s main argument against peace is a lie By Nadezhda Romanenko | RT | August 18, 2025 Commenting on the outcome of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky declared: “The Constitution of Ukraine does not allow the surrender of territories or the trading of land.” On paper, that sounds noble. The message is clear: Kiev won’t let others decide Ukraine’s fate behind its back.
Senate vote to exert war powers over Trump fails
The Senate largely along partisan lines voted down a resolution that would have prevented President Trump from launching further attacks on Iran. The resolution — introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) just days before U.S. military forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites last Saturday — failed by a vote of 47-53, with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) breaking ranks with Democrats in voting against, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) the only Republican supporting. It’s unclear what those strikes accomplished.
US senator: 'War industry' has a stranglehold on Washington
A top Democratic senator on Tuesday had a blunt assessment of why members of his party are out of step with rank-and-file American Democrats across the country on issues of foreign policy, specifically President Trump’s illegal attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday. During an interview with Sen.
Poll: Trump voters don't want US involved in Israel’s war on Iran
More than half of those Americans who supported Donald Trump for president in 2024 don’t think the U.S. military should get involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel. A new The Economist/YouGov poll conducted on June 13-16 found that 53% of Trump voters said the U.S. should not join the war, versus just 19% who said the U.S. military should. Sixty percent of all Americans surveyed agreed that the U.S. should not get involved.
MAGA influencers want an Iran deal and for hawks to shut up
MAGA influencers want an Iran deal and for hawks to shut up Trump is unlikely to pay any political price if he disregards the old guard’s unrealistic demands By Ben Armbruster | Responsible Statecraft | May 19, 2025 Neocons and their allies in Washington, Israel, and beyond are making unrealistic demands about the outcome of U.S. talks with Iran on limiting its nuclear program. But President Trump has absolutely no reason to listen to them and should not take them seriously.
MAGA influencers want an Iran deal and for hawks to shut up
Neocons and their allies in Washington, Israel, and beyond are making unrealistic demands about the outcome of U.S. talks with Iran on limiting its nuclear program. But President Trump has absolutely no reason to listen to them and should not take them seriously.
Trump considering US-led Iraq-style occupation of Gaza
The Trump administration is reportedly considering a plan for the U.S. to lead the administration of Gaza after Israel’s siege, similar to how Washington ran Iraq after the 2003 American-led invasion.
Trump fired Waltz because he wanted to attack Iran
President Trump sacked his national security adviser Mike Waltz because he was working with a foreign leader to push the United States to attack Iran, according to a new report in the Washington Post.
Tom Cotton signals big shift on Iran talks
A prominent Republican Iran hawk suggested this week that he may be willing to accept a deal with the United States in which Iran maintains its civilian nuclear program, a sign that hardline opposition to President Trump’s negotiations with Tehran may be softening. “A good deal is a deal that cuts off all of Iran’s paths to a nuclear bomb, that includes all of their highly enriched uranium and their advanced centrifuges,” Sen.
Top House Dem: Party's embrace of hawks 'is a problem'
A senior Democratic lawmaker on Wednesday said it was ‘a problem’ that many in his party have been trying to out-hawk Republicans on foreign policy and that Democrats need to be more aggressive in advocating for diplomacy approaches abroad, particularly with respect to China. During a discussion hosted by the Quincy Institute — RS’s publisher — with House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Rep.
Diplomacy Watch: Will Assad’s fall prolong conflict in Ukraine?
Vladimir Putin has been humiliated in Syria and now he has to make up for it in Ukraine. That’s what pro-war Russian commentators are advising the president to do in response to the sudden collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, according to the New York Times this week. That sentiment has potential to derail any momentum toward negotiating an end to the war that had been gaining at least some semblance of steam over the past weeks and months.
Free speech crises loom with crackdown on Israel criticism
As one administration exits and another takes form, a harsh reality is becoming clear for critics of maintaining U.S. support for the Israeli government: in government bureaucracies and university campuses alike, crackdowns and pressure on free expression and assembly will continue in force.
Popular YouTuber discovers how corrupt the Pentagon budget is
EuropeMiddle EastAfricaAsia-PacificLatin AmericaNorth America EuropeMiddle EastAfricaAsia-PacificLatin AmericaNorth America Johnny Harris, a popular YouTuber with nearly 6 million subscribers, published a video on Thursday that sought to answer an enormous question: “Why does the U.S. spend so much on its military”?
Diplomacy Watch: Zelensky presents arms asks as push for peace
“I think we are closer to…peace than we think.” That’s what Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told ABC News amid his tour of the United States ahead of his speech at the U.N. General Assembly this week. Zelenskyy appears to believe we are closer to peace in Eastern Europe because of a plan he says is a blueprint to win the war, one that he presented to President Biden on Thursday.
Ukraine und Russland: Stehen Friedensgespräche bevor?
In Moskau und Kiew scheint sich eine wichtige Erkenntnis durchzusetzen: Der Krieg kann militärisch nicht gewonnen werden. Was das politisch bedeutet. Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin hat sich unlängst offen für Friedensverhandlungen mit der Ukraine gezeigt. Anzeige "Sind wir bereit, mit ihnen zu verhandeln?
Ukraine und Russland: Stehen Friedensgespräche bevor?
In Moskau und Kiew scheint sich eine wichtige Erkenntnis durchzusetzen: Der Krieg kann militärisch nicht gewonnen werden. Was das politisch bedeutet. Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin hat sich unlängst offen für Friedensverhandlungen mit der Ukraine gezeigt. Anzeige "Sind wir bereit, mit ihnen zu verhandeln?
Diplomacy Watch: Are Moscow and Kyiv on collision course to talk?
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he would be open to peace negotiations with Ukraine. “Are we ready to negotiate with them? We never refused, but not on the basis of some ephemeral demands, rather on the basis of the documents which were agreed on and actually initialed in Istanbul,” said Putin during remarks at an economic forum with leaders from Malaysia and China.
Diplomacy Watch: Moscow bails on limited ceasefire talks
Since the Ukrainian military’s incursion into Russian territory earlier this month, experts and other observers have been wondering what it might mean for the prospects of a negotiated settlement. Indeed, that may have even been the incursion’s goal. “I think everyone, including our command, thinks this is being done to end the war,” said a drone unit commander who helped plan the attack. But it appears, at least in the short term, that the offensive has had the opposite effect.
US, Japanese lawmakers ask Biden for diplomacy on Taiwan
A group of nearly five dozen progressive American and Japanese lawmakers are calling on President Biden to employ a “robust diplomatic approach” to ease tensions between the U.S. and Taiwan and China, and to avoid what they view as increasing potential for conflict in the Taiwan Strait. “A potential conflict would be disastrous, and we remain concerned that the possibility remains unacceptably high,” the lawmakers said in a letter to the president on Friday.
Diplomacy Watch: Ukraine takes the war inside Russia
For the first time since the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian military this week launched what appears to be a major operation inside Russian territory, raising questions about why Kyiv is doing this now, what its overall strategic goals are, and whether Ukraine is violating prohibitions on the use of U.S.-supplied weapons inside Russia.
What it means when someone calls you an 'isolationist'
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “isolationism” as “a policy of national isolation by abstention from alliances and other international political and economic relations.” In a recent article exploring the foreign policy positions of Donald Trump’s potential running mates, Washington Post columnist Max Boot described the Quincy Institute, the publisher of Responsible Statecraft, as “an isolationist think tank” when referencing a comment Sen.
US intel has 'low confidence' in Israel's UNRWA claims
The U.S. intelligence community has found Israel’s claims that employees of a U.N. aid agency took part in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack to be plausible, but it cannot conclude more definitively because it has not been able to independently verify the charges, according to new reporting from the Wall Street Journal.
Media downplays lack of evidence in UNRWA employee scandal
Momentum in Washington to cut or eliminate U.S. funding for a United Nations agency that aids Palestinians is moving forward almost entirely unchecked. But it’s based on unproven allegations — largely uncritically amplified by U.S. media — that the agency’s staff had links to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Mainstream Media Wasn't Good for US Foreign Policy in 2023 - Global Research
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Mainstream media wasn't good for US foreign policy in 2023
American militarism has many authors. From lawmakers on Capitol Hill and policy makers in the executive branch to the defense industry and its army of lobbyists, many in Washington and beyond have an interest, whether political or financial (or both), in keeping the Pentagon’s coffers overstuffed and the global U.S. military machine humming. Unfortunately America’s fourth estate doesn’t do a very good job of keeping an overly militaristic U.S. foreign policy in check.
Pentagon enlists Politico to amplify funding woes claim
If you have been paying even the tiniest bit of attention to the ins and outs of the Pentagon budget for the past two decades-plus, you would know that the Defense Department isn’t hurting financially. In fact, Congress has given the Pentagon so much money that it can’t even account for most of it. Yet according to a Politico “exclusive” on Tuesday, DOD’s bank account is having a tumbleweed issue.
Senators urge caution on potential Saudi deal
Nearly two dozen U.S. senators sent a letter to President Biden on Wednesday expressing concern about reports of a potential American security guarantee for Saudi Arabia that has been reported to be part of a larger normalization deal with Israel.
Poll: Americans split by party on whether Ukraine weapons aid ‘worth it’
A new Chicago Council on Global Affairs poll finds that 63% of Americans support continued aid to Ukraine in its war against the Russian invasion, while 53% overall say it’s been “worth the cost.” Some 45% say it has not been worth the cost. The new numbers represent a slight dip — 65% supported aid in November last year (down from 72% in July 2022). The biggest decline is coming from Republicans — no surprise there.
MBS admits LIV Golf-PGA merger would be a monopoly
Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammad bin Salman said on Wednesday that a merger between Saudi-owned LIV Golf and the PGA would amount to a monopoly, an admission that could give federal officials ammunition to block it. During an interview with Fox News’s Brett Baier, MBS blew off charges that his regime is engaged in “sports washing” — or laundering its reputation via professional sports investments — and vowed to continue the practice.
Why Blind Optimism Leads Us Astray on Ukraine
The Washington Post reported recently that U.S. intelligence officials do not believe the Ukrainian military will achieve a key goal set out at the launch of its counteroffensive against Russian occupying forces back in June — reaching the southeastern city of Melitipol and cutting off Russia’s access to Crimea by land.
Why blind optimism leads us astray on Ukraine
The Washington Post reported recently that U.S. intelligence officials do not believe the Ukrainian military will achieve a key goal set out at the launch of its counteroffensive against Russian occupying forces back in June — reaching the southeastern city of Melitipol and cutting off Russia’s access to Crimea by land.
The US Mainstream Media Beats the China War Drums
As the United States tries to navigate a new world order in which China has emerged as its primary competitor and at times rival, hawks in Washington, the weapons industry, and other financially or politically interested parties are seeking to base that relationship on fear, confrontation, and animosity rather than healthy competition and cooperation.
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