By James Petras
In order to overcome massive US and world public opposition to new wars in the Middle East, Obama relied on the horrific internet broadcasts of ISIS slaughtering two American hostages, the journalists James Foley and Steve Sotloff, by decapitation. These brutal murders were Obama’s main propaganda tool to set a new Middle East war agenda—his own casus belli bonanza! This explains the US Administration’s threats of criminal prosecution against the families of Foley and Stoloff when they sought to ransom their captive sons from ISIS.

By David Swanson 
To the extent that the U.S. public is newly, and probably momentarily, accepting of war—an extent that is wildly exaggerated, but still real—it is because of videos of beheadings of James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

Former UK rapper 23-year-old Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary has been named by MI5 as a prime suspect in the beheading of James Foley.

Press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders has opend a special tribute page in honour and memory of James Foley, who was taken hostage by members of Islamic State and beheaded.