Please Support Independent Media

Progressive independent media doesn’t exist without support from its readers. There’s no way around it. No ads. No billionaires. Just the people who believe in this mission and our work.

If you believe the survival of independent media is vital to do the kind of watchdog journalism that a healthy democracy requires, please step forward with a donation to non-profit Common Dreams today:

Card PayPal Logo Donate via Paypal

The Stakes Have Never Been Higher.

In the face of existential emergencies to humanity, Common Dreams is facing other potentially fatal threats to our funding model. Please support our nonprofit journalism and help us reach our $75,000 Mid-Year Campaign goal.

Donate Now
Support Progressive Media

'Normal' is killing us.

Donald Trump is out of the White House. COVID-19 is fading, at least in wealthier nations. The world, they say, is returning to “normal.” That’s the narrative that the corporate media is selling. But there’s a problem: “normal” is destroying our planet, threatening our democracies, concentrating massive wealth in a tiny elite, and leaving billions of people without access to life-saving vaccines amid a deadly pandemic. Here at Common Dreams, we refuse to accept any of this as “normal.” Common Dreams just launched our Mid-Year Campaign to make sure we have the funding we need to keep the progressive, independent journalism of Common Dreams alive. Whatever you can afford—no amount is too large or too small—please donate today to support our nonprofit, people-powered journalism and help us meet our goal.

Please select a donation method:

Card PayPal Logo Donate via Paypal

Support Our Work -- Join the small group of generous readers who donate, keeping Common Dreams free for millions of people each year. Every donation—large or small—helps us bring you the news that matters.

Card PayPal Logo Donate via Paypal

Afghan War

A 2020 U.N. report on civilian casualties in Afghanistan notes that 2019 was the sixth straight year in which 10,000 civilians were killed or wounded. (Photo: Scott Nelson/Getty Images)

America's Ruinous Pursuit of Mission Impossible in Afghanistan

The graveyard of empires redux.

Rajan Menon ·

President Biden may not get such an opportunity to begin the long process of harm reduction in US foreign policy as he does with Afghanistan. (Photo: Jim Watson / Contributor / Getty Images)

Biden's Progressive Path Through Afghanistan

No greater bleeding wound exists for the United States in the world than the unending Global War on Terror.

Matthew Hoh ·

A man walks by a U.S. drone graffiti painted on a wall during a campaign against drones in Yemen on May 31, 2018 in Sana'a, Yemen. (Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

Biden's Drone Wars

Talk of peace in Afghanistan, Yemen, the streets of the U.S., is not coherent while waging wars with drones.

Brian Terrell ·

In recent years, massive US bombing raids have been killing more civilians than have attacks by the Taliban. The US did not kill all those people, but created the conditions in which they were killed.(Photo: U.S. Army/flickr/cc)

We Could Have Greened Half the US Electrical Grid With $2.26 Wasted on Afghan War

Much of the money spent in Afghanistan was wasted and disappeared into a fog of corruption.

Juan Cole ·

U.S. troops patrol near Forward Operating Base Baylough in Zabul province, Afghanistan. (Photo: U.S. Army/Public Domain)

The US Did Not Bring Peace, Democracy, or Freedom to Afghanistan

Twenty years of war and U.S. interference have brought no long-term, positive gains in Afghanistan. War is not the answer—not in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria.  Peace must be our demand.

Mary Hladky ·

U.S. Army soldiers of 101 Airborne Division 1st Battalion, Bush Masters assisted by Afghan National Army troops move into an over watch position. (Photo: U.S. Army)

What's Needed for a More Lasting Peace in Afghanistan

President Biden announced a removal of all U.S. troops by September 11, but he failed to include some important details.

Medea Benjamin ·

Since the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the war has cost trillions of dollars and nearly a quarter-million lives. (Photo: Veronique de Viguerie/Edit by Getty Images)

As Biden Plans Withdrawal, Analysis Shows Afghan War Cost At Least 241,000 Lives and $2.26 Trillion

"Ending the war as soon as possible is the only rational and humane thing to do," said a co-director of the Costs of War Project.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer ·

Guljumma, 7, and her father, Wakil Tawos Khan, at the Helmand Refugee Camp District 5 in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 31, 2009. (Photo: Reese Erlich)

Contrary to What Biden Said, US Warfare in Afghanistan Is Set to Continue

No matter what the White House and the headlines say, U.S. taxpayers won’t stop subsidizing the killing in Afghanistan until there is an end to the bombing and "special operations" that remain shrouded in secrecy.

Norman Solomon ·

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) speak during a press conference following a vote in the U.S. House on ending US military involvement in the war in Yemen, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., April 4, 2019.

Afghanistan Withdrawal Good, Say Sanders and Khanna, But Biden Must Do More to End 'Forever Wars'

"It's about time we bring home our troops and end this trillion-dollar war in Afghanistan," said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).

Andrea Germanos, staff writer ·

U.S. troops patrol near Forward Operating Base Baylough in Zabul province, Afghanistan. (Photo: U.S. Army/Public Domain)

After Nearly 20-Year Assault on Afghanistan, Biden Says 'It Is Time to End America's Longest War'

White House announcement for complete withdrawal comes nearly two decades after the U.S. president, then a senator, backed the 2001 invasion.

Brett Wilkins, staff writer ·