Messages In This Digest (13 Messages)
- 1.
- Fw: Drone Protest at CIA HQ - Jan 16 From: Rick Rozoff
- 2.
- U.S. Launches Another Deadly Missile Attack Inside Pakistan From: Rick Rozoff
- 3.
- Rocket Hits Defense Ministry Grounds In Afghan Capital From: Rick Rozoff
- 4.
- En Route To Afghanistan: EU States Withdraw Troops From Chad From: Rick Rozoff
- 5.
- New Zealand: European Nazi Nostalgia Spreads To Pacific Outpost From: Rick Rozoff
- 6.
- German Defense Chief: Afghans Incapable Of Practicing Democracy From: Rick Rozoff
- 7.
- Russia To Start Eastward Oil, Gas Deliveries Via Arctic From: Rick Rozoff
- 8.
- Federal War Spending Exceeds State Government Outlays From: linguisticresearch
- 9.
- U.S., NATO Boost Special Forces Ops In Afghanistan, Pakistan From: Rick Rozoff
- 10.
- Saakashvili Wants Half Million Georgians Armed Against Russia From: Rick Rozoff
- 11.
- And The Nobel Peace Prize Goes To: A Warrior From: Rick Rozoff
- 12.
- U.S. Bombs House Of Northern Yemen Governor: Report From: Rick Rozoff
- 13.
- Christmas In Afghanistan: NATO Cluster Bombs And Maimed Children From: Rick Rozoff
Messages
- 1.
-
Fw: Drone Protest at CIA HQ - Jan 16
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 7:57 am (PST)
On Sat, 12/26/09, Global Network <globalnet@mindspring.com> wrote:
From: Global Network <globalnet@mindspring.com>
Subject: Drone Protest at CIA HQ - Jan 16
To: "GN List Serve" <globenet@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Saturday, December 26, 2009, 9:42 AM
NO MURDEROUS CIA DRONES!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
1:00pm - 4:00pm
CIA Headquarters (Langley, Virginia)
It was recently announced that the White House gave the CIA permission to increase its drone bombings in Pakistan of which to date over 1/3rd of the deaths are civilian.
The CIA is a profoundly violent and corrupt organization and, while we don't think the Military should be using manned, or unmanned aerial vehicles, we think the drone bombings from CIA robots are particularly despicable.
Many of us will be in the DC area for the Witness Against Torture vigil-fast from Dec 11-22, so we decided to do this protest on Saturday, January 16th.
Speakers: Cindy Sheehan, Cynthia McKinney, Kathy Kelly, Debra Sweet and Col. (Ret.) Ann Wright, Bruce Gagnon, Joshua Smith (Technical Briefing).
Songs of Social Significance to be performed by David Rovics. http://www.davidrovics.com/
Please join us if you can!
Temporary Download Link for CIA Protest Flyer PDF: http://www.ipdop.org/cia_drone_protest_flyer.pdf
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
PO Box 652
Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 443-9502
globalnet@mindspring.com
www.space4peace.org
http://space4peace.blogspot.com/ (blog)
===========================
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- 2.
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U.S. Launches Another Deadly Missile Attack Inside Pakistan
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 7:58 am (PST)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-12-26-missile-strike-pakistan_N.htm
Associated Press
December 26, 2009
Officials: Suspected U.S. strikes kill three in Pakistan
-Saturday's strike occurred in the Babar Raghzai area of North Waziristan and also wounded two people, the officials said. The identities of the dead were not immediately clear. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to media on the record.
-A statement from the military Saturday said that a targeted airstrike at a compound in Orakzai had killed some civilians along with eight suspected militants.
MIR ALI, Pakistan: A suspected U.S. missile strike killed three people Saturday in a northwest Pakistani tribal region where militants focused on fighting the West in Afghanistan are concentrated, two Pakistani intelligence officials said.
The strike was apparently the latest in a lengthy campaign of such attacks by the U.S., which rarely discusses the covert program....Pakistan publicly opposes the strikes but is believed to secretly aid them.
Saturday's strike occurred in the Babar Raghzai area of North Waziristan and also wounded two people, the officials said. The identities of the dead were not immediately clear. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to media on the record.
The area targeted is used by militants from two major factions that are battling U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan - the Haqqani network and the militants of warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur.
U.S. missile strikes in North Waziristan are sensitive largely because Pakistan has a truce with Bahadur. He agreed to stay on the sidelines as the Pakistani army has waged an offensive in South Waziristan....
Missile strikes on his territory could endanger that deal, analysts have said. However, in the past the U.S. has indicated it will not hesitate to launch the drone-fired missiles if it tracks down an important target.
....
A statement from the military Saturday said that a targeted airstrike at a compound in Orakzai had killed some civilians along with eight suspected militants.
"Military authorities have deeply regretted the loss of civilian lives," said the statement. It said the families of the civilian victims would be compensated.
....
===========================
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- 3.
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Rocket Hits Defense Ministry Grounds In Afghan Capital
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 8:07 am (PST)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/26/content_12707320.htm
Xinhua News Agency
December 26, 2009
Rocket hits Afghan capital Kabul, three injured
KABUL: A rocket struck Afghan capital Kabul Saturday evening, injuring three people, an official who declined to be named told Xinhua.
The official said the rocket was launched into the yard of Afghan Defense Ministry. Windows of the ministry's building were also smashed in the blast.
Increasing militancy was seen in Afghanistan after U.S. President Barack Obama announced earlier this month an additional 30,000 troops to the war-torn country. On Dec. 15, a powerful bomb blast rocked Kabul, leaving eight civilians dead and 40 others injured.
===========================
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- 4.
-
En Route To Afghanistan: EU States Withdraw Troops From Chad
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 8:09 am (PST)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/26/content_12707321.htm
Xinhua News Agency
December 26, 2009
Norway to withdraw peacekeeping troops from Chad
OSLO: Norway will pull out all its troops participating in a UN peacekeeping mission in Chad, when their mandate ends on May 15, 2010, Norwegian Defense Minister Grete Faremo said.
"It was a clear understanding that this was a one-year project when one entered into these commitments," the Norwegian-language newspaper VG quoted Faremo as saying on Friday.
As part of the UN Stabilizing Force, two Norwegian units comprising 154 soldiers are currently stationed in eastern Chad, with one operating a field hospital and the other responsible for drilling water wells.
The deployment costs Norway about 500 million Norwegian kroners(85 million U.S. dollars), the report said.
Norway's decision not to extend its mission in Chad followed the announcements by Poland and Austria that they will withdraw all their peacekeeping soldiers from Chad by Dec. 9 and Dec. 11 respectively.
....
===========================
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- 5.
-
New Zealand: European Nazi Nostalgia Spreads To Pacific Outpost
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 8:15 am (PST)
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=168470
NewsTalkZB
December 26, 2009
SS regalia event taken "out of context"
[The Armistice was signed in November of 1918; the Nazi "theme" was then both gratuitous and perfectly intentional.]
The Military Reenactment Society says the case of members dressing in SS regalia have been taken out of context.
Some from the historical military club dressed up as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguards for a private dinner at a restaurant in Cambridge last month to mark Armistice Day. The venue was decorated in swastikas.
Spokesman Steve Goodman says the issue has been taken out of context. He says the dinner was themed as 1940s Germany and other military units, including American troops were represented.
Rob Feisst, the organiser of Armistice in Cambridge commemorations, says the dinner was outside the official programme. He says the way the men dressed was totally inappropriate and in very poor taste.
===========================
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- 6.
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German Defense Chief: Afghans Incapable Of Practicing Democracy
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 8:20 am (PST)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE5BP03H.htm
Reuters
December 26, 2009
German DefMin: Afghanistan not suited for democracy
[Afghanistan has a functioning parliamentary system from 1918-1992 until the West "liberated" the nation.]
BERLIN: German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg does not see democracy as a suitable political system for Afghanistan, a newspaper reported on Saturday.
The comments will further fuel scepticism over Germany's military operations in Afghanistan and add to growing political momentum against a troop increase which Berlin is considering.
"I've long come to the belief that Afghanistan, because of its history and background, is not currently suited to be a model democracy by our standards," Guttenberg told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
On Thursday the head of Germany's Protestant churches described the Afghanistan war as unjust and called for a pullout of the 4,400 German troops taking part in the NATO-led operation against the Taliban.
Washington wants NATO allies to contribute at least 5,000 more soldiers to the mission. However, polls show the German public oppose the troops' presence and would like to see them withdrawn in the next few years.
(Writing by Brian Rohan; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
===========================
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- 7.
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Russia To Start Eastward Oil, Gas Deliveries Via Arctic
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 8:27 am (PST)
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20091226/157382462.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
December 26, 2009
Russia to start eastward oil, gas shipments via Arctic in 2010
NOVO-OGARYOVO: Sovcomflot, Russia's largest shipping company, will start delivering Russian oil and gas in the eastern direction of its Arctic shipping lane in the summer, the company head said on Saturday.
At a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Sergei Frank said Sovcomflot was planning to launch pilot shipments of Russian hydrocarbon reserves in the eastern direction of the Northern Sea Route, from the Atlantic to the Pacific via Russia's Arctic, later this year.
"We will make such pilot deliveries in the summer," he said.
Frank said the goal was to expand oil and gas markets for domestic energy producers and enter new ones.
The businessman said though shipments via the Arctic had been made before, the scale and cargoes were different.
"We are cooperating closely with the transportation and nuclear power ministries, and with the federal office of Rosatomflot [state-run civil nuclear fleet corporation] now to arrange everything properly for [oil and gas] shipments," Frank said.
He said the eastward shipment experience would later be used in the development of West Siberia's Yamal fields and also for liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies.
===========================
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- 8.
-
Federal War Spending Exceeds State Government Outlays
Posted by: "linguisticresearch" LinguisticResearch@gmx.de
Sat Dec 26, 2009 8:30 am (PST)
http://pubrecord.org/nation/6376/federal-spending-exceeds-state/
Federal War Spending Exceeds State Government Outlays
* By Sherwood Ross <http://pubrecord.org/author/sherwood-ross/> *
The Public Record
Dec 23rd, 2009
<http://pubrecord.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/govt-spending.jpg>The
U.S. spends more for war annually than all state governments combined
spend for the health, education, welfare, and safety of 308 million
Americans.
Joseph Henchman, director of state projects for the Tax Foundation of
Washington, D.C. says the states collected a total of $781 billion in
taxes in 2008.
For a rough comparison, according to Wikipedia data, the total budget
for defense in fiscal year 2010 will be at least $880 billion and could
possibly top $1 trillion. That's more than all the state governments
collect.
Henchman says all American local governments combined (cities, counties,
etc.) collect about $500 billion in taxes. Add that to total state tax
take and you get over $1.3 trillion. This means Uncle Sam's Pentagon is
sopping up nearly as much money as all state, county, city, and other
governmental units spend to run the country.
If the Pentagon figure of $1 trillion is somewhat less than all other
taxing authorities, keep in mind the FBI, the various intelligence
agencies, the VA, the National Institutes of Health (biological warfare)
are also spending on war-related activities.
A question that describes the above and answers itself is: In what area
can the Federal government operate where states and cities cannot tread?
The answer is: foreign affairs—raising armies, fighting wars, conducting
diplomacy, etc. And so Uncle Sam keeps enlarging this area. His emphasis
is not on diplomacy, either.
For every buck spent by the State Department, which gets some $50
billion a year, the Pentagon spends $20. As for the Peace Corps, its
budget is a paltry $375 million—hardly enough to keep the Pentagon
elephant in peanuts.
Nobel Prize economist Joseph Stiglitz and finance authority Linda Bilmes
write in their "The Three Trillion Dollar War"(W.W. Norton), "defense
spending has been growing as a percentage of discretionary funding
(money that is not required to be spent on entitlements like Social
Security), from 48 percent in 2000 to 51 percent today. That means that
our defense needs are gobbling up a larger share of taxpayers' money
than ever before."
And they add, "The Pentagon's budget has increased by more than $600
billion, cumulatively, since we invaded Iraq." With its 1,000 bases in
the U.S. and another 800 bases globally, the U.S. truly has become a
"Warfare State." Today, military-related products account for about
one-fourth of total U.S. GDP. This includes 10,000 nuclear weapons.
Indeed, the U.S. has lavished $5.5 trillion just on nukes over the past
70 years.
No other nation has anything remotely like this menacing global
presence. The Pentagon strengthens its grip by running joint "training"
exercises with the military of 110 other nations, including outright
dictatorships that suppress internal unrest.
The U.S. spends more on weaponry than the next dozen nations combined
and is by far the No. 1 world arms peddler. "The government employs some
6,500 people just to coordinate and administer its arms sales program in
conjunction with senior officials at American embassies around the
world, who spend most of their 'diplomatic' careers working as arms
salesmen," writes Chalmers Johnson in "Blowback: The Costs and
Consequences of American Empire(Henry Holt)."
Johnson goes on to say the U.S. military establishment today is "close
to being beyond civilian control" and that despite its ability to
"deliver death and destruction to any target on earth and expect little
in the way of retaliation" it demands more and newer equipment "while
the Pentagon now more or less sets its own agenda" and "monopolizes the
formulation and conduct of American foreign policy."
How long will it be before this tyrannical, anti-democratic, colossus
that is sucking up as much money for war as all states, counties and
cities spend on peace—and which straddles the globe, boosts dictators,
and beats the war drums—turns on its own people?
/Sherwood Ross formerly worked for The Chicago Daily News and other
major dailies and as a columnist for wire services. He currently runs a
public relations firm for "worthy causes." You can reach him at
sherwoodross10@gmail.com <mailto:sherwoodross10@gmail.com>/
- 9.
-
U.S., NATO Boost Special Forces Ops In Afghanistan, Pakistan
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 9:03 pm (PST)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/world/asia/27commandos.html
New York Times
December 27, 2009
Elite U.S. Force Expanding Hunt in Afghanistan
By ERIC SCHMITT
-Although President Obama and his top aides have not publicly discussed these highly classified missions as part of the administration´s revamped strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the counterterrorism operations are expected to increase, along with the deployment of 30,000 more American forces in the next year.
-Senior military officials say it is not surprising that the commandos are playing such an important role in the fight, particularly because Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the senior American and NATO officer in Afghanistan, led the Joint Special Operations Command for five years.
In addition to the classified American commando missions, military officials say that other NATO special operations forces have teamed up....
-[A]n official with Pakistan´s main spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, or I.S.I., said there had also been more than 60 joint operations involving the I.S.I. and the C.I.A. in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Baluchistan in the past year.
-Many of the top Special Operations forces, as well as intelligence analysts and surveillance aircraft, are being moved to Afghanistan from Iraq, as the Iraq war begins to wind down.
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan: Secretive branches of the military´s Special Operations forces have increased counterterrorism missions against some of the most lethal groups in Afghanistan and, because of their success, plan an even bigger expansion next year, according to American commanders.
The commandos, from the Army´s Delta Force and the Navy´s classified Seals units, have had success weakening the network of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the strongest Taliban warrior in eastern Afghanistan, the officers said. Mr. Haqqani´s group has used its bases in neighboring Pakistan to carry out deadly strikes in and around Kabul, the Afghan capital.
Guided by intercepted cellphone communications, the American commandos have also killed some important Taliban operatives in Marja, the most fearsome Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province in the south, the officers said. Marine commanders say they believe that there are some 1,000 fighters holed up in the town.
Although President Obama and his top aides have not publicly discussed these highly classified missions as part of the administration´s revamped strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the counterterrorism operations are expected to increase, along with the deployment of 30,000 more American forces in the next year.
....
American commanders in Afghanistan rely on the commando units to carry out some of the most complicated operations against militant leaders, and the missions are never publicly acknowledged.
....
In recent interviews here, commanders explained that the special-mission units from the Joint Special Operations Command were playing a pivotal role in hurting some of the toughest militant groups, and buying some time before American reinforcements arrived and more Afghan security forces could be trained.
"They are extremely effective in the areas where we are focused," said one American general in Afghanistan about the commandos, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the classified status of the missions.
Gen. David H. Petraeus, who is in charge of the military´s Central Command, mentioned the increased focus on counterterrorism operations in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Dec. 9. But he spoke more obliquely about the teams...particularly those in rural areas outside the reach of population centers that conventional forces will focus on.
"We actually will be increasing our counterterrorist component of the overall strategy," General Petraeus told lawmakers. "There´s no question you´ve got to kill or capture those bad guys that are not reconcilable. And we are intending to do that, and we will have additional national mission force elements to do that when the spring rolls around."
Senior military officials say it is not surprising that the commandos are playing such an important role in the fight, particularly because Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the senior American and NATO officer in Afghanistan, led the Joint Special Operations Command for five years.
In addition to the classified American commando missions, military officials say that other NATO special operations forces have teamed up....
About six weeks ago, allied and Afghan special operations forces killed about 150 Taliban fighters in several villages near Kunduz, in northern Afghanistan, a senior NATO military official said.
....
In Helmand, more than 10,000 Marines, as well as Afghan and British forces, are gearing up for a major confrontation in Marja early next year. Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, the senior Marine commander in the south, said in a recent interview, "The overt message we´re putting out is, Marja is next."
General Nicholson said there were both "kinetic and nonkinetic shaping operations" under way. In military parlance that means covert operations, including stealthy commando raids against specific targets, as well as an overt propaganda campaign intended to persuade some Taliban fighters to defect.
....
Across the border in Pakistan, where American commandos are not permitted to operate, the Central Intelligence Agency has stepped up its missile strikes by Predator and Reaper drones on groups like the Haqqani network.
But an official with Pakistan´s main spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, or I.S.I., said there had also been more than 60 joint operations involving the I.S.I. and the C.I.A. in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Baluchistan in the past year.
The official said the missions included "snatch and grabs" - the abduction of important militants - as well as efforts to kill leaders. These operations were based on intelligence provided by either the United States or Pakistan....
"We can expect to see more U.S. action against Haqqani," a senior American diplomat in Pakistan said in a recent interview.
The increasing tempo of commando operations in Afghanistan has caused some strains with other American commanders. Many of the top Special Operations forces, as well as intelligence analysts and surveillance aircraft, are being moved to Afghanistan from Iraq, as the Iraq war begins to wind down.
"It´s caused some tensions over resources," said Lt. Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., the second-ranking commander in Iraq.
Richard A. Oppel Jr. contributed reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan.
===========================
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- 10.
-
Saakashvili Wants Half Million Georgians Armed Against Russia
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 9:15 pm (PST)
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=21837
Civil Georgia
December 26, 2009
Saakashvili: `Each House should be Fortress to Resist Enemy´
`Very painful reforms in the army´
`Very correct regrouping of forces´
-"100,000; 200,000; 300,000 and if needed half a million people should stand with arms in their hands. We have enough automatic rifles for that and we have ammunition more than enough."
Tbilisi: Each and every citizen of Georgia should be ready for defense and each family and house should "become a fortress of resistance" in case of [the] enemy´s attack, President Saakashvili said on December 26.
Speaking at a meeting with National Guard personnel in Tbilisi in the presence of Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia and chief of staff of the armed forces, Devi Chankotadze, he said "war is ongoing against Georgia" and "daily threats are heard against our country."
It will be "a tragic mistake" to ignore these threats, Saakashvili added.
"But the enemy should not have an illusion either," he continued. "Any new wide-scale adventure will come across a fierce resistance of each Georgian soldier, officer and the entire Georgian people."
He said that the protection of Georgia should not be only up to its regular armed forces.
"When this moment comes; if this moment comes - and we should do all our best avoid this moment, but every country should be ready for that, especially those which are in a situation similar to us - each Georgian man and woman will be a fighter for Georgia; they should be ready to fight for Georgia," Saakashvili said.
"Each Georgian family, each of our streets, regions, villages, cities, each settlement and neighborhood, each house and family should become a bastion, a fortress of resistance," he added.
....
Saakashvili said that along with level of training and adduction, "the massiveness of our armed forces" was also an important aspect.
"100,000; 200,000; 300,000 and if needed half a million people should stand with arms in their hands. We have enough automatic rifles for that and we have ammunition more than enough," he added. "Each person and each family, which can fight for Georgia, should be ready to struggle and defend their country. Without it nobody will serve us on a tray either long-term guarantees of freedom or economic development and success."
....
`Painful Reforms´
In the speech Saakashvili also spoke briefly about "painful reforms", which he said were carried out recently in the armed forces.
"In recent months very painful reforms, also involving army personnel, were carried out quietly," he said.
"Serious assessments [of the personnel] have been conducted; level of readiness and training has increased seriously of each soldier; and new replenishment is coming in our armed forces," Saakashvili added without giving further details.
The Georgian daily, Rezonansi, reported this week that about 150 officers were dismissed from the armed forces. According to the newspaper, the Ministry of Defense though declined to comment on the reported dismissal of officers, but confirmed that the process of "optimization" was ongoing.
Saakashvili also said that "a very right regrouping of our armed forces" had been conducted recently.
The regrouping of the armed forces was carried out in late November, reportedly involving concentration of forces in Tbilisi and its surroundings, in particular, the relocation of the 1st infantry brigade and the artillery brigade from the town of Gori.
===========================
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- 11.
-
And The Nobel Peace Prize Goes To: A Warrior
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 9:22 pm (PST)
http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=196721&bolum=109
Sunday Zaman (Turkey)
December 27, 2009
And the Nobel Peace Prize goes to: a warrior
by
KAAN KUTLU ATAC*
Just two weeks before being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, President Barack Obama made a historic speech about the war in Afghanistan at West Point, the most prestigious military academy in the US.
In his speech to the military cadets, which was carefully written and professionally delivered, Mr. President used the word "war" 25 times, the word "kill" six times and "peace" only three times.
In his Nobel Prize speech in Oslo, not long after West Point, the same gravity of the language of "war" was seen again with the same professionalism: "war" 44 times, "kill" five times and "peace" 31 times.
The first one was delivered to military personnel while the latter was to highly distinguished guests from all over the world. The common point of these speeches was that the Obama administration intended that world opinion relay the same message: The US will not close the Gates of Janus, meaning that the hegemonic world power will keep the war in its main policy objectives instead of seeking immediate peace and stability on the global scene.
After carefully studying both speeches, we can make some assessments about President Obama´s immediate foreign policy priorities. Mr. Obama´s clear message is that the US is not going to war with peoples but against badly behaved rulers and administrations whose policies do not accommodate the US.
Ending his first year of presidency, Mr. Obama, whose personality and promises had once given hope to the world (or at least some thought so!), has surprised the world by rather directly using the language of "war."
Mr. Obama´s vision for new foreign policy objectives of the US during his presidential campaign inspired some optimism around the world. But nowadays, with his direct speeches, he has even tried to convince world public opinion about a "just war."
From now on we may expect that every step to be taken by the military will be justified by the magic phrase "just war." But the difficulty lies in the simple logic of what a "just war" means to the people who have been and possibly will be affected by America´s mighty and destructive military power.
In executing a "just war," Hannibal of Carthage may help Mr. Obama. But it will not be an easy task for the Obama administration to reassure the people whose rulers would be targeted by this hegemonic power.
History shows us the very real proof of how a war can be conducted: Use of force only claims lives regardless of whether the action is right. The international media covers, on a daily basis, the death of innocent civilians in Afghanistan. Nobody can provide any justification for a "just war," and Mr. Obama is not exempt from the lessons of history. In the hall of fame, Mr. Obama, at least for the time being, deserves his place with former President Bush the younger. There is no doubt Obama´s policies will follow the same path Bush´s did. Therefore, there is little hope for global stability and security, and no hope for peace.
Looking for someone who dares to cross the Rubicon? (arabaslik)
Just before the presidential election in 2008, I participated in a roundtable meeting in Washington, D.C., where one of the topics was what could change in American foreign policies if Obama were to be elected president.
I voiced my suspicions then as to whether Mr. Obama would have enough courage and power to change what President Bush had done in Afghanistan and then Iraq (it is ironic that Mr. Obama´s election motto was "Change you can believe in"). "Is he the man who will dare to cross the Rubicon?" was the question I asked the American liberals. As you may well guess, even liberals and democrats were not entirely sure of Mr. Obama´s ability to change the foreign policy of the US in Afghanistan and Iraq "because the national interest of the country was determined so long ago and has been executed according to the United States institutions´ decisions." At best "it would take at least one term of any president to adjust and adapt - no real change."
In fact, for those who are familiar with US foreign policy and its execution, a shift toward promising policies hardly ever occurs in American politics, especially when its armed forces are already engaged in overseas military operations.
What the Obama administration promises is an ironic Pax Carthage. When Rome defeated and literally wiped out the civilization of Carthage, Roman Senator Cato´s repeated wish that "Carthage must perish" was realized. The ghosts of neo-cons from the Bush administration are still whispering in the corridors of the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department in Washington, D.C. It seems there are a lot of jobs they promised to do years ago. Anyone who may have hoped that Mr. Obama would move US foreign policy in a new direction was shattered by his two speeches.
The possible effects of Obama´s policies on the Middle East in general and specifically on Turkey are the subject of another article.
*Kaan Kutlu Ataç is an international security analyst and a doctoral candidate at Hacettepe University.
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- 12.
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U.S. Bombs House Of Northern Yemen Governor: Report
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 9:30 pm (PST)
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114738§ionid=351020206
Press TV
December 27, 2009
US bombs Sa'ada governor's house, Houthis say
A US fighter jet has carried out multiple airstrikes on the home of a senior official in Yemen's northern rugged province of Sa'ada, Houthi fighters say.
The Yemen-based Houthi fighters say the warplane struck the home owned by the governor of Sa'ada province, Hassan Mohammad Manna in five blitzes. There were no reports on possible casualties in the attacks.
The conflict in northern Yemen began in 2004 between Sana'a and Houthi fighters. The conflict intensified in August 2009 when the Yemeni army launched Operation Scorched Earth in an attempt to crush the fighters in the northern province of Sa'ada.
The Houthis accuse the Yemeni government of violation of their civil rights, political, economic and religious marginalization as well as large-scale corruption.
This is while in addition to the Yemeni government, Saudi Arabia also pounds the Houthis. The Houthis say that Saudi forces strike Yemeni villages and indiscriminately target civilians. According to the fighters, Saudis use toxic materials, including white phosphorous bombs, against civilians in northern Yemen.
The US military is also said to raid Yemen's northern rugged regions of Amran, Hajjah and Sa'ada which have already been the target of joint Saudi-Yemen offensives.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that since 2004, up to 175,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Sa'ada and take refuge at overcrowded camps set up by the United Nations.
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- 13.
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Christmas In Afghanistan: NATO Cluster Bombs And Maimed Children
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Sat Dec 26, 2009 10:07 pm (PST)
http://www.thenews.pl/national/artykul122643_christmas-in-afghanistan.html
Polish Radio
December 25, 2009
Christmas in Afghanistan
Hosted by Magdalena Jensen and Alicja Baczynska
-Those cluster bombs that Bogdan Klich believes are good and necessary for Afghanistan and which the PO [Platforma Obywatelska] government refused to sign a treat banning their use. The reasons are curious.
There is the business angle. Krasnik makes cluster bombs in Kielce and the PO is a pro-business party and Radek Sikorski makes jokes about having survived cluster bomb atttacks.
-If it's Afghanistan, then it doesn't matter because the victims are only peasant children whose scorched flesh and corpses will not be seen in Krakow's Bonarka City Centre this Christmas.
Instead the main media news item was the theft of the Arbeit Mach Frei banner at the gates of Auschwitz, a crass theft but that did not actually kill anybody unlike Saakashvili's blowing up of the Soviet War Memorial in Kutaisi, killing a woman and child of 8.
-With NATO forces present at Camp Babylon the site wintnessed the desecration and destruction of some of the world's most treasured artifacts. But Poland was displeased.
The US did not dish out the construction contracts it wanted. At least in Afghanistan the contruction of the TAPI pipeline will open up the gas energy market, drive down prices and reduce dependence on Russia.
-The troops are dying for a war fought on shifting pretexts and according to contradictory goals. First to get Al Qaida, who are no longer in Afghanistan in force, then to save the women, then to defeat the opium trade....[I]n 2008 the TAPI pipeline scheme is agreed upon and reinforcements needed in the areas around Kanfahar where most troops are being killed because that's where the pipeline with go.
This week´s Diplomatic Bag is a holiday tribute to Poland´s soldiers in Afghanistan, occupying the Ghazni province of the country under the NATO ISAF mission and to soldiers fare from their families fighting in conflicts around the globe this holiday season.
Comments
Karl Naylor
I suppose unlike Christmas in the First World War its more difficult to enjoy the Festive season as the Taliban unlike the Kaiser's Army won't be up for a game of football.
That's the problem with Muslims. They are more difficuly to win over with WHAM strategies. Not least as large flying objects in the sky are not likely to be Santa and his sleigh but B52 bombers.
Still its Christmas and with the families far from the troops it's time to remember how safe they are, that their children won't have arms and legs blown off by cluster munitions.
In a HRW report Fatally Flawed it was revealed how children were blown up thinking unexploded bomblets or duds were toys to play with.
http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/2002/us-afghanistan/Afghan1202-06.htm#P492_102247
"Afghans rely on wood for fuel, and they forage for it in the hills and rural areas outside their villages. In early December, 9-year-old Amin went to collect brush at the edge of the Jebrael field where Arbrabrahim had died. A cluster bomblet exploded and killed him.
160 children sent to gather wood also frequent military bases, which in Afghanistan generally have undefined and porous borders.
The suburbs of Herat lost several children to bomblets dropped on these targets. Three children from Nawabad, for example, died while collecting wood at Firqa #17 in Herat.
"Children are especially vulnerable to cluster bomblets because of their curiosity. Arif, 14, and Sharif, 13, brothers from the Herat suburb of Bag Nazer Gah, were injured while playing during an excursion to the Firqa. Arif lost his leg to a bomblet."
Those cluster bombs that Bogdan Klich believes are good and necessary for Afghanistan and which the PO government refused to sign a treat banning their use. The reasons are curious.
There is the business angle. Krasnik makes cluster bombs in Kielce and the PO is a pro-business party and Radek Sikorski makes jokes about having survived cluster bomb atttacks.
Absurdly though Klich has tried to 'reason' in an interview with Gazeta that cluster bombs were essential for defending Poland or land controlled or occcupied by Polish troops.
'This isn't just a whim. We need those weapons to defend our territory. In fact, a debate has been going on about this type of munitions'.
'Our territory' could be interpreted in different ways. Dropping clusters on Poland against an hypothetical Russian invasion would not go down well with Belarusians or those living in Eastern Poland.
If it's Afghanistan, then it doesn't matter because the victims are only peasant children whose scorched flesh and corpses will not be seen in Krakow's Bonarka City Centre this Christmas.
Instead the main media news item was the theft of the Arbeit Mach Frei banner at the gates of Auschwitz, a crass theft but that did not actually kill anybody unlike Saakashvili's blowing up of the Soviet War Memorial in Kutaisi, killing a woman and child of 8.
There were few festive sentiments of goodwill from Georgia, a state run by an authoritarian warmongering nationalist that Kaczynski insists that Poland should stand 'shoulder to shoulder' with.
That iconoclasm just before Christmas was another media non-event in Poland and Britain, though it was an act that the Taliban would endorse as a means of erasing history.
As was clear after the invasion and occupation of Iraq when the military zone around the ancient city of Babylon and Karbala was under Polish military command (consisting of 7,000 troops)
With NATO forces present at Camp Babylon the site wintnessed the desecration and destruction of some of the world's most treasured artifacts. But Poland was displeased.
The US did not dish out the construction contracts it wanted. At least in Afghanistan the contruction of the TAPI pipeline will open up the gas energy market, drive down prices and reduce dependence on Russia.
Or that's the plan. Unfortunately, with Polish consumer heroin demand mirroring the the rise of bored and satiated consumers in the West, the profits from narcotics can prop up both Taliban insurgency and the corrupt politicians in Afghans' new model democracy.
The old Polish heroin or kompote has been replaced by newer supplies of heroin which come from Afghanistan which now account for over 90% of global production. The problem is getting worse.
The profits from opium are so high because of the "war on drugs" that few in Afghanistan have any interest in not cultivating the most lucrative cash crop. It's this that condemns the war in Afghanistan to futility.
The troops are dying for a war fought on shifting pretexts and according to contradictory goals. First to get Al Qaida, who are no longer in Afghanistan in force, then to save the women, then to defeat the opium trade.
Then in 2008 the TAPI pipeline scheme is agreed upon and reinforcements needed in the areas around Kanfahar where most troops are being killed because that's where the pipeline with go.
The troops volunteer their service. That's their business. But the Polish public has the right to know what this war is about, what the real stakes are and for what end both Poles and Afghans are dying.
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