Israel’s military might and occupation of Palestine depend on the support of Egypt & Saudi Arabia, two brutal, repressive dictatorships in the Middle East.

“Lebanon is brutally capitalist in its structures … all public infrastructures are run privately,” one analyst tells MintPress. “And so what you see today as a ‘revolution’ against the establishment is really a denunciation of Western capitalism.”

What gave rise to ISIS and how is the group holding onto power? To answer these questions, journalist, activist and political commentator Phyllis Bennis connects the dots between the fall of Iraq, the U.S. “War on Terror,” and oil.

The United States could be fighting in dozens of conflicts around the world or none at all, depending on how one defines “war” or “conflict.” And despite repeated failures of U.S. military intervention to create global stability, American troops continue to be sent into more nations and more battles, usually without congressional approval.

Don’t let anyone fool you: Sectarian strife in Syria has been engineered to provide cover for a war for access to oil and gas, and the power and money that come along with it.

It may never be possible to know the true death toll of the modern Western wars on the Middle East, but that figure could be 4 million or higher. Since the vast majority of those killed were of Arab descent, and mostly Muslim, when would it be fair to accuse the United States and its allies of genocide?

This second edition of the Shadowproof mailbag is dedicated to all our readers that participated in our community during our first week. I was consistently impressed by not just your insight, but also your kindness to each other in our conversations. Thank you for making our first steps so successful. Below is a selection of our feedback with some responses from our staff.