Larry Johnson is a former intelligence analyst at the CIA, who also worked at the US State Department's Office of Counterterrorism. Johnson discusses why the West is doubling down on the failed wars in Ukraine and the Middle East

States announce unprecedented measures to halt the Gaza genocide at Bogotá conference

16 July 2025 - In the most ambitious multilateral action since the start of Gaza genocide 21 months ago, a coalition of cross-regional states gathered in Bogotá has agreed to six coordinated diplomatic, legal and economic measures to restrain Israel’s assault on the Occupied Palestinian Territories and defend international law at large.

Jointly convened by the governments of Colombia and South Africa as co-chairs, the Emergency Conference of The Hague Group, brought together 30 states from Africa, Asia, Europe, as well as North America and South America to move beyond words of condemnation — and to take collective action grounded in international law. 

In the deliberations at the Bogotá conference, all 30 participating states unanimously agreed that the era of impunity must end— and that international law must be enforced without fear or favour through immediate domestic policies and legislation  — along with a unified call for an immediate ceasefire.

To kickstart that process, 12 states from across the world — Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and South Africa — committed to implementing the six measures immediately through their domestic legal and administrative systems to break the ties of complicity with Israel’s campaign of devastation in Palestine — and set a date of 20th September, to coincide with the 80th UN General Assembly, for additional states to join them. Consultations with capitals across the world are now ongoing.

“We hereby announce the following measures,” the Joint Statement on the Conclusion of the Emergency Ministerial Conference on Palestine reads, “to be adopted based on states’ domestic legal and legislative frameworks”:

Former British diplomat Alastair Crooke uses his geopolitical expertise to break down the global complexities of the US and Israeli war with Iran — from variables involving China, Russia, trade deals with the Gulf States and more, there is much to be considered when analyzing the implications of this latest conflict. 

With its decision of July 1, 2025, the German and Swedish governments are pushing ahead with its piracy files in the Baltic Sea. Action is now to be taken against merchant ships carrying Russian oil “to check the insurance papers”. See HERE.

Due to EU and US sanctions, these ships do not carry Western insurance documents, but are generally insured by Central Asian companies. For a flag state that recognizes such insurance, this satisfies maritime law. It is precisely this maritime law that the European Union now wants to undermine. With arrogant presumption, so-called “renowned” insurance companies are expected to accept this, e.g. Lloyds, which dominated the high seas for centuries as a colonial power in the tradition of the British Empire.

NATO states continue to provoke and have no qualms about overriding the freedom of the high seas, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which guarantees free, uncontrolled and unhindered passage. The Russian merchant ships referred to as the “shadow fleet” (there is nothing shadowy about them) are also allegedly too old and a danger to our environment. But this is ONLY a pretext. These EU provocations increase the danger of a transition from an economic war to a shooting war in the Baltic Sea.

Let's stop NATO's escalation of war in the Baltic Sea. Instead of economic warfare, sanctions, embargoes and acts of piracy against the Russian Federation, we need global economic cooperation, change through trade and the opening of secure gas and oil pipelines from Russia.

This year's NATO summit in The Hague is set against heightened geopolitical turbulence – from the ongoing war in Ukraine to the rapidly escalating crisis in the Middle East. NATO leaders have agreed to commit 5 percent of GDP annually on defense and security-related spending by 2035. But how will NATO members handle their internal divisions over increasing budgetary demands? Is the U.S. shifting its role within the alliance? And how consistent is NATO's approach to regional conflicts unfolding globally? Guests in this edition of Dialogue are Wang Yiwei, Jean Monnet chair professor of Renmin University of China; Victor Gao Zhikai, chair professor at Soochow University; Warwick Powell, senior fellow at Taihe Institute; and Prof. Glenn Diesen from University of South-Eastern Norway.

Some peace activists from our peace alliance were in The Hague, such as Kathrin Otte and Reiner Braun; they have provided some photo impressions.

The two-day NO NATO! counter-summit took place on June 21 and 22 at the Social Hub Hoefkade and the Grey Space in The Hague. Activists and peace advocates came together for dialog, learning and coordination, Jeremy Corbyn was connected via video Afterwards, a World BEYOND War event took place on the evening of June 22 at the Grand Cafe Utopie in The Hague. - The international protest march, organized by the Dutch Counter-Summit Coalition for Peace and Justice, started at Central Station on 22 June 2025 and led to the World Forum. - As NATO heads of state prepared for their meeting (23-24 June) to develop strategies for military operations, this demonstration sent a unified message against militarization, imperialism and belligerent conflict.

Former UN weapons inspector and US military intelligence officer Scott Ritter joins TMJ News for an interview that exposes the deeper implications of Israel’s recent attack on Iran and the role the U.S. has played behind the scenes. From violations of international law to the growing threat of nuclear war, Ritter offers a hard-hitting assessment of what could be the most dangerous geopolitical crisis in decades. 

Just weeks before war erupted between Israel and Iran, journalist Max Blumenthal and I traveled to Tehran. In this exclusive podcast episode, we reflect on what we witnessed, how the political atmosphere felt on the ground, and what the West gets wrong about Iran. We break down the lead-up to the war, the regional tensions you won’t hear about on mainstream media, and what could happen next.

Anatol Lieven is the Director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and recently published an article "Ukraine war Europe's risky war on Russia's 'shadow fleet'. Seizing Russian ships in international waters will trigger a powerful response from Russia. Yet, the Europeans seem unaware of the consequences as they believe they are already at war with Russia.