Monday, January 11, 2010

CIVILISED USA GIFTS MORE DRONE MUNITIONS TO PAKISTAN


Messages In This Digest (10 Messages)

Messages

1.

A Decade of Wars, Crises And Rises

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com   rwrozoff

Sat Jan 9, 2010 6:26 am (PST)



http://www.zeenews.com/zeeexclusive/2010-01-07/593129news.html

Zee News (India)
January 7, 2010

A Decade of Wars, Crises and Rises
Stanly Johny

In international politics, decades are important tools that help us understand and interpret history better. The major developments in the past often come to our mind with tags of decades - the economic crisis of 1920's, the wars of 1930's, the reconstruction of 1950's, the Lost Decade, and so on. Now, standing at the starting point of a new decade, how do we analyse the bygone one (2000-10)?

According to British historian Andrew Roberts, the first ten years of the new century, or the Noughties, were full of troubles. It witnessed two major wars, one of the gravest financial crises in decades, a number of natural disasters including Tsunami, and changes in global power dynamics. At the beginning of the century, not many might have forecast such a troublesome first decade.

The Noughties followed a decade that the saw the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the subsequent emergence of the US as the sole superpower in the world. The successful tests of American hard power in the Balkans and the Middle East in the late 1990's underscored the opinion that the new century would be an American century. President George W. Bush, who assumed office in 2001, vowed to accelerate American style free market capitalism and expand the military capabilities of the country. Everything looked set for paving the way for the US to reshape and lead the global order without major hindrances. But the path of history often lies beyond the scope of prediction.

Wars

The beginning of sweeping changes of the decade started on September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Centre, the tall symbols of America's economic might, was attacked by a few terrorists. The attack became a reference point of the decade, if not of the century. In the same month, president Bush declared America's "war on terror" and the US started this war on October 7 by bombing Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

The US could drive the Taliban out of Kabul within weeks of bombing, and set up a puppet government of Hamid Karzai in the capital city. But the war did have a ripple effect across the Muslim Middle East. The war on terror was interpreted by many political Islamists as an "imperial crusade" of the West against Islam. This notion gained currency when Bush opened another war front in the Islamic world in 2003. Accusing the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq of supporting al-Qaeda in the region and mobilising weapons of mass destruction, the US declared war on the Baathist country in March 2003.

Two months later, President Bush declared victory in Iraq. Saddam Hussein went absconding, the regime was toppled and a provincial government was established, which was followed by a bloody resistance by Iraqis against the occupation. Saddam was captured in December 2003 and hanged on December 30, 2006.

According to many reports, the neoconservatives in the Bush administration wanted to expand the war to Iran, and further to Syria as part of their plans to reinforce America's hegemony on the entire Middle East. But the Iraqi resistance bogged America down for years. When things started returning to a new normal in Iraq, the economic catastrophe limited America's military possibilities.

Crisis

If America's hard power faced fresh challenges in the first half of the decade, its unique economic model was nearly destroyed in the second half. The unregulated capitalism, which the US championed for years, drew flak from all corners when Wall Street investment banking giants like Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008, plunging the entire world into an unprecedented liquidity crisis. The woes of the financial sector soon expanded to the real economy, leaving most of the advanced developed countries in recession.

The new president of the US, Barack Obama, in complete realisation that his country was not in an advanced position to cope with the world's problems, came forward to formulate a new cooperation mechanism with the emerging economies including China and India. Many countries, including the US, put caps on the flow of capital, implemented fresh regulations and expanded the scope the government to fight the crisis.

The Rise of China

Another major twist of the decade is the rise of emerging powers, including China, India and Brazil, onto the global stage. Of these, China stands out. According to many analysts, the this century is China's. British academic Martin Jaques says the stage is set for China to rise as a counter power to the US and radically overhaul the international system. China's escape from the global slowdown nearly unhurt has forced many analysts to take a more positive view vis-à-vis the Asian giant. China is the fastest growing economy in the world and is set to overtake Japan as the second largest economy in 2010. It is also a fast rising military power and a regional hegemonic state in Asia.

The new decade will see China further expanding its economic influence and making efforts to convert that into political clout. According to Goldman Sachs, China will move past the US as the largest economy by 2027. If the trend of Noughties continues in the new decade, it will have radical effect on the existing global order, so far dominated by the West. So, gear up to live in a rapidly changing world.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

 
2.

Georgia: U.S. Senators To Shore Up Strategic Partnership

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com   rwrozoff

Sat Jan 9, 2010 6:26 am (PST)



http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=21866

Civil Georgia
January 9, 2010

U.S. Senators to Visit Georgia

Tbilisi: Republican Senators John McCain, John Barrasso and John Thune will visit Batumi in the Adjara Autonomous Republic on January 10-11, the Georgian President's press office reported.

"The main goal of the senators' visit is to once again express the United States' unwavering support to Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the President's administration said in a press release on Saturday.

"The visit also aims at strengthening the U.S.-Georgian strategic partnership," it added.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

 
3.

NATO Wants Bulgarian Warship For Somalia Deployment

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com   rwrozoff

Sat Jan 9, 2010 6:27 am (PST)



http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=111785

Sofia News Agency
January 9, 2010

NATO Salutes Eventual Bulgarian Help in Fighting Somali Pirates

The participation of Bulgaria's frigate Drazki (Intrepid) in operations against Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden would be of great help to the NATO mission in the area.

The statement was made Saturday by Rear Admiral Hank Ort, Chief of Staff of the Allied Maritime Component Command in Northwood, who spoke in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio BNR.

"In this particular operation the contribution of even one military unit becomes crucial. The number of the units is very important. It is simple mathematics. We divide the area in patrol zones and if we have more vessels, we would be more effective. So we would salute a Bulgarian decision to send the frigate," Rear Admiral Ort says.

On January 4, Rear Admiral Plamen Manushev, Chief of Staff of the Bulgarian Navy, said that Intrepid could be sent to the Gulf to help counteract Somali pirates there....
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

 
4.

Armenian Troops Trained In Germany For NATO Afghan War

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com   rwrozoff

Sat Jan 9, 2010 6:29 am (PST)



http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=41443

PanArmenian.net
January 9, 2010

Armenian peacekeepers departing for Germany prior to Afghanistan

Armenian peacekeepers are departing for Germany for training before joining the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.

"10 peacekeepers will start off on January 10; the other 30 will depart on January 17," colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan, spokesman for the RA Defense Minister, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. "Our peacekeepers will be in Afghanistan in mid-February," he said.
....
ISAF forces are conducting security and stability operations throughout the country together with the Afghan National Security Forces and are directly involved in the development of the Afghan National Army through mentoring, training and equipping.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

 
5.

AFRICOM: Latest U.S. Bid To Recolonize Africa

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com   rwrozoff

Sat Jan 9, 2010 6:48 am (PST)



http://allafrica.com/stories/201001070715.html

The Herald (Zimbabwe)
January 7, 2010

Africom - Latest U.S. Bid to Recolonise Continent
Tichaona Nhamoyebonde*

-Training and weapons programmes and arms transfers from Ukraine to Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Ethiopia and the transitional government in Somalia clearly indicate the use of military might to maintain influence in governments in Africa, remains a priority of US foreign policy.
Ukraine's current leadership was put into power by the US under the Orange Revolution and is being given a free role to supply weaponry in African conflicts.
-African leaders do not need prophets from Mars to know that US's fascination with oil, the war on terrorism and the military will now be centred on Africa, after that escapade in Iraq.

Harare — African revolutionaries now have to sleep with one eye open because the United States of America is not stopping at anything in its bid to establish Africom, a highly-equipped US army that will be permanently resident in Africa to oversee the country's imperialist interests.

Towards the end of last year, the US government intensified its efforts to bring a permanent army to settle in Africa, dubbed the Africa Command (Africom) as the latest tool for the subtle recolonisation of Africa.

Just before end of last year, General William E. Garret, Commander US Army for Africa, met with defence attaches from all African embassies in Washington to lure them into selling the idea of an American army based in Africa to their governments.

Latest reports from the White House this January indicate that 75 percent of the army's establishment work has been done through a military unit based in Stuttgart, Germany, and that what is left is to get an African country to host the army and get things moving.

Liberia and Morocco have offered to host Africom while the SADC [Southern African Development Community] has closed out any possibility of any of its member states hosting the US army.

Other individual countries have remained quiet.

Liberia has longstanding ties with the US due to its slave history while errant Morocco, which is not a member of the African Union and does not hold elections, might want the US army to assist it to suppress any future democratic uprising.

Sadc's refusal is a small victory for the people of Africa in their struggle for total independence but the rest of the regional blocs in Africa are yet to come up with a common position. This is worrying.

The US itself wanted a more strategic country than Morocco and Liberia since the army will be the epicentre of influencing, articulating and safeguarding US foreign and economic policies.

The other danger is that Africom will open up Africa as a battleground between America and anti-US terrorist groups.

Africom is a smokescreen behind which America wants to hide its means to secure Africa's oil and other natural resources, nothing more.

African leaders must not forget that military might has been used by America and Europe again and again as the only effective way of accomplishing their agenda in ensuring that governments in each country are run by people who toe their line.

By virtue of its being resident in Africa, Africom will ensure that America has its tentacles easily reaching every African country and influencing every event to the American advantage.

By hosting the army, Africa will have sub-contracted its military independence to America and will have accepted the process that starts its recolonisation through an army that can subdue any attempts by Africa to show its own military prowess.

The major question is: Who will remove Africom once it is established? By what means?

By its origin Africom will be technically and financially superior to any African country's army and will dictate the pace for regime change in any country at will and also give depth, direction and impetus to the US natural resource exploitation scheme.

There is no doubt that as soon as the army gets operational in Africa, all the gains of independence will be reversed.

If the current leadership in Africa succumbs to the whims of the US and accept the operation of this army in Africa, they will go down in the annals of history as that generation of politicians who accepted the evil to prevail.

Even William Shakespeare would turn and twist in his grave and say: "I told you guys that it takes good men to do nothing for evil to prevail."

We must not forget that Africans, who are still smarting from colonialism-induced humiliation, subjugation, brutality and inferiority complex, do not need to be taken back to another form of colonialism, albeit subtle.

Africom has been controversial on the continent ever since former US president George W. Bush first announced it in February 2007.

African leaders must not forget that under the Barack Obama administration, US policy towards Africa and the rest of the developing world has not changed an inch. It remains militaristic and materialistic.

Officials in both the Bush and Obama administrations argue that the major objective of Africom is to professionalise security forces in key countries across Africa.

However, both administrations do not attempt to address the impact of the setting up of Africom on minority parties, governments and strong leaders considered errant or whether the US will not use Africom to promote friendly dictators.

Training and weapons programmes and arms transfers from Ukraine to Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Ethiopia and the transitional government in Somalia, clearly indicate the use of military might to maintain influence in governments in Africa, remains a priority of US foreign policy.

Ukraine's current leadership was put into power by the US under the Orange Revolution and is being given a free role to supply weaponry in African conflicts.

African leaders must show solidarity and block every move by America to set up its bases in the motherland unless they want to see a new round of colonisation.

Kwame Nkrumah, Robert Mugabe, Sam Nujoma, Nelson Mandela, Julius Nyerere, Hastings Kamuzu Banda, Kenneth Kaunda, Augustino Neto and Samora Machel, among others, will have fought liberation wars for nothing, if Africom is allowed a base in Africa.

Thousands of Africans who died in colonial prisons and in war fronts during the liberation struggles, will have shed their blood for nothing if Africa is recolonised.

Why should the current crop of African leaders accept systematic recolonisation when they have learnt a lot from colonialism, apartheid and racism? Why should the current crop of African leaders fail to stand measure for measure against the US administration and tell it straight in the face that Africa does not need a foreign army since the AU is working out its own army.

African leaders do not need prophets from Mars to know that US's fascination with oil, the war on terrorism and the military will now be centred on Africa, after that escapade in Iraq.

*Tichaona Nhamoyebonde is a political scientist based in Cape Town, South Africa.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

 
6.

Arms To Taiwan: China Issues Second Warning To U.S. In Week

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com   rwrozoff

Sat Jan 9, 2010 6:52 am (PST)



http://en.rian.ru/world/20100109/157501681.html

Russian Information Agency Novosti
January 9, 2010

China urges U.S. to stop arms sales to Taiwan

Beijing: China urged the United States on Saturday to reverse its decision to sell arms to Taiwan, Xinhua reported.

The U.S. arms sales to Taiwan undermine China's national security as well as the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei told the agency, stressing Beijing's "resolute opposition" to the sales.

This was China's sixth official warning over the issue in a week, as government officials denounced the U.S. move.

He Yafei said China had strongly protested the U.S. government's recent decision to allow Raytheon Company and Lockheed Martin Corp. to sell weapons to Taiwan.

The sales plan was part of an arms package announced in October 2008 by the Bush administration, which included weapons and equipment such as Patriot III anti-missile systems.

He said the Taiwan issue was "the most important and sensitive issue at the core of Sino-U.S. relations."
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

 
7.

NATO Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com   rwrozoff

Sat Jan 9, 2010 7:00 am (PST)



http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/09/content_12783174.htm

Xinhua News Agency
January 9, 2010

NATO soldier killed in Afghanistan


KABUL: A soldier of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was killed in the militancy-ridden Afghanistan on Saturday, a press release of the alliance said.

"An ISAF service member was killed this afternoon in an IED (Improvised Explosive Devise) strike in southern Afghanistan," the press released added.

However, it did not say the exact place of the incident.

Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces in south Afghanistan commonly known as the hotbed of Taliban militants have been the scene of increasing insurgency over the past couple of years.

NATO-led forces casualties had been registered 512 in 2009, according to reports, while militancy is predicted to increase this year.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

 
8.

Georgia: Pivot In West's Caspian-Black-Baltic Seas Energy Strategy

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com   rwrozoff

Sat Jan 9, 2010 7:03 am (PST)



http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/09/content_12782567.htm

Xinhua News Agency
January 9, 2010

Georgia to host energy security summit next week


-Confirmed participants included Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, and Romania.

TBILISI: A high-profile summit on energy security will be held next week in Batumi, Georgia to discuss energy delivery from the Caspian Basin to world markets.

The Jan. 14 summit also was to include discussions of energy security, the development of the South Caucasus energy corridor and other issues of mutual interest, said Georgian Energy Minister Alexander Khetaguri.

Khetaguri said the presidents of nine countries planned to attend the summit.

Confirmed participants included Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, and Romania.

The first energy security summit in the regions of Caspian Sea, Black Sea and Baltic Sea took place in Krakow, Poland in 2007. High-level negotiations have since been held in Vilnius, Kiev and Baku.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

 
9.

stop nato printmaking

Posted by: "george magiros" submodd@gmail.com   kc2sci

Sat Jan 9, 2010 7:10 am (PST)

10.

U.S. Intensifies Drone Missile Attacks In Pakistan In 2010

Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com   rwrozoff

Sat Jan 9, 2010 9:48 pm (PST)



http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n206221

Focus News Agency
January 10, 2010

4 killed in suspected drone strike in Pakistan


Peshawar: Four people in Pakistan died Saturday when a suspected U.S. drone fired two missiles at a target close to the Afghan border, according to two intelligence sources and an administration official, CNN informed.

The drone struck a compound in the village of Ismail Khan in the Dattakhel area of North Waziristan, a volatile region in Pakistan's tribal area where Islamic militants have a strong presence. Dattakhel has been the center of many recent drone attacks, and this strike is the latest in a series of such actions in the rugged territory.

The sources say foreigners may have been among the fatalities.

The U.S. military routinely offers no comment on reported attacks by drones, or unmanned aircraft. But the United States is the only country operating in the region known to have the ability to launch missiles from remote-controlled aircraft.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff@yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================

 
Recent Activity
Visit Your Group
Sitebuilder

Build a web site

quickly & easily

with Sitebuilder.

Dog Zone

on Yahoo! Groups

Join a Group

all about dogs.

Y! Groups blog

the best source

for the latest

scoop on Groups.

Need to Reply?

Click one of the "Reply" links to respond to a specific message in the Daily Digest.

Posted by at

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)