Craig Murray has a pair of articles well worth reading:
First on Daniel Bethlehem exemplification of Orwell's warning on the corruption of language. There are others in the USA, notably Yoo, Bybee and the rest on this side of the pond, but Murray concentrates on Bethlehem and the UK:
"What very few people, and almost no international lawyers, accept is the key to the Bethlehem Doctrine – that here “Imminent” – the word used so carefully by Pompeo – does not need to have its normal meanings of either “soon” or “about to happen”. An attack may be deemed “imminent”, according to the Bethlehem Doctrine, even if you know no details of it or when it might occur. So you may be assassinated by a drone or bomb strike – and the doctrine was specifically developed to justify such strikes – because of “intelligence” you are engaged in a plot, when that intelligence neither says what the plot is nor when it might occur. Or even more tenuous, because there is intelligence you have engaged in a plot before, so it is reasonable to kill you in case you do so again."
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/01/lies-the-bethlehem-doctrine-and-the-illegal-murder-of-soleimani/Next, Murray on the Saud-Israel-USA axis:
"this morning there will be excitement and satisfaction in the palaces of Washington, Tel Aviv, Riyadh and Tehran."
"Tehran will be pleased because the USA has just definitively lost Iraq."
"The “containment” consisted of a deliberate and profound push across the Middle East to oppose Shia influence in proxy wars everywhere. "
"It meant that Sunni jihadists like Al-Qaida and later al-Nusra were able to switch back to being valued allies of the United States. It redoubled the slavish tying of US foreign policy to Saudi interests. "
"Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi had until now tiptoed with great care ... That is now over. He is pro-Iranian now."
"Such precarious balance as there ever was in Iraq was upset this last two months when the US and Israelis transported more of their ISIL Sunni jihadists into Iraq, to escape the pincer of the Turkish, Russian and Syrian government forces. The Iranians were naturally not going to stand for this and Iranian militias were successfully destroying the ISIL remnants, which is why General Qassem Suleimani was in Iraq, why a US mercenary assisting ISIL was killed in an Iranian militia rocket attack, and why Syrian military representatives were being welcomed at Baghdad airport."
"Tehran will now have a grip on Iraq that could prove to be unshakable."
"Tel Aviv and Riyadh will also be celebrating today at the idea that their dream of the USA destroying their regional rival Iran, as Iraq and Libya were destroyed, is coming closer. "
"There will also today be rejoicing in Washington. There is nothing like an apparently successful military attack in a US re-election campaign. "
"2020 is going to be a very dangerous year indeed."
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/01/the-usa-doubles-down-on-its-saudi-allegiance/sidd