Showing posts with label US Foreign Policy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Foreign Policy. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

International Crisis Group Sweating over Syria


Baath Party Headquarters
Tony Cartalucci, Contributing Writer

The International Crisis Group (ICG) has been at the center of the unfolding "Arab Spring" since the very beginning.

Mohamed ElBaradei, a member of the ICG board of trustees, was literally leading the color revolution in the streets of Cairo along with his admitted underling, Google executive Wael Ghonim. The ICG has also recently made a heeded call for intervention in the Ivory Coast.

ICG includes George Soros and Zbigniew Brzezinski, two men notorious for their extraterritorial meddling and their fomenting of color revolutions in far flung lands.

To explain why they are so eager to pry their way into sovereign nations, despoil, topple, and rebuild them, one only has to look at ICG's corporate supporters.

They include such ignoble organizations as Chevron, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank Group with equally ignoble intentions that are confidently expressed through ICG's nefarious agenda.

In the ICG's most recent report, "Syria: Quickly Going beyond the Point of No Return," they worryingly state that, "By denouncing all forms of protest as sedition, and dealing with them through escalating violence, the regime [Syria] is closing the door on any possible honourable exit to a deepening national crisis. With little the international community can do, the optimal outcome is one whose chances are dwindling by the day: an immediate end to the violence and a genuine national dialogue to pave the way for a transition to a representative, democratic political order."In other words, the window is closing on Western-engineered regime change in Syria.

The ICG goes on to state that "the regime blames all casualties on its foes -- agents provocateurs and, more recently, jihadis," but they concede that "one cannot exclude possible foreign involvement in the ongoing crisis..." ICG's report degenerates into a hypocritical, somewhat bizarre and uncharacteristically incoherent rant stating that even though foreign influence is evident and that "there are plausible reports of security forces being ambushed by unidentified armed groups, as well as of protesters firing back when attacked," Syria's bid to restore order amidst a clearly violent, foreign-funded insurrection is a "violent, unlawful and disorderly response."

Perhaps the deep pockets of George Soros and the myriad of influential world leaders that populate the International Crisis Group's board of trustees and serve as advisers, are unable to afford a copy of the New York Times paper stating that the entire "Arab Spring" was prepared and directed years in advance by the US. Perhaps the ICG is incapable of reading AFP reports openly stating that Syrian protesters were trained abroad by the US and sent back to Syria to fuel a "ripple effect."

It seems they are also absent-minded of the corporate-funded Brookings Institution report, "Which Path to Persia?" which gives specific acknowledgment to the Smith Richardson Foundation, upon which Zbigniew Brzezinski sits as an acting governor.

In this Brookings report, fueling simultaneous popular revolutions, armed insurgencies, and tempting military units to carry out a coup are openly talked about as viable options used in tandem to destabilize a targeted nation. In addition, "some form of military support" is cited as an absolute necessity when fomenting a popular revolution to prevent it from being crushed by competent security forces. Judging from Damascus' daily claims, video, and photographic evidence, coupled with eye witness accounts from the protesters themselves of mysterious gunmen, it appears the "Which Path to Persia?" doctrine is being carried out in earnest within Syria's borders.

The untenable position the global corporate-financiers are in to intervene further is illustrated in ICG's report where they conclude, "the international community clearly has an important stake in the outcome of the current crisis, even if little capacity to influence it." ICG recognizes how further intervention will make it abundantly clear to the general population that indeed this is an orchestrated, foreign-funded plot - something the world's leaders, from Cairo to Damascus, from Minsk to Beijing have already pointed out.

Despite ICG's apparent resignation to sitting the Syrian conflict out on the sidelines (apparently not counting the already admitted funding and support the US has given the Syrian opposition) it should be noted that a campaign to build up support for a Libyan-style military intervention in Syria is already underway.

The Economist notes that the missing component is the Arab League's support - without which, military intervention is almost unimaginable. We can then expect a concerted and furious effort made to twist arms in Riyadh, Cairo, Amman, and even Istanbul to match Qatar's fervent support for this Western-driven regional conflagration. The impetus to wring out such a concession however, is almost unimaginable.  

Tony Cartalucci's articles have appeared on many alternative media websites, including his own at 
Land Destroyer Report.  
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

Osama Bin Laden Corpse Photo is Fake

- 04. May, 2011


A fake image purporting to show Osama bin Laden's bloody
corpse, right, is a composite of two seperate images,
left and center. Photograh; twitpic

ED NOTE: Fake photoshoped Image of bloodied man picked up by British newspapers has been circulating online for two years.
We are still awaiting US Government offerings as proof of the fact that should have accompanied the President’s announcement, if it is true as reported in the Daily Mail UK, “A Special Forces Team goes into action after bin Laden wearing TV cameras?”
Was this the same camera team who covered the “rescue of the little blond girl-soldier” pfc Jessica Lynch, who was wounded on the first day of the invasion of Iraq?
Lynch, along with major media outlets, fault the U.S. government for creating the story as part of the Pentagon’s Propaganda effort.

***

 

 Amelia Hill / Guardian UK


(LONDON) – An image apparently showing a dead Osama bin Laden broadcast on Pakistani television and picked up by British newspaper websites is a fake.
The bloodied image of a man with matted hair and a blank, half-opened eye has been circulating on the internet for the past two years.

It was used on the front pages of the Mail, Times, Telegraph, Sun and Mirror websites, though swiftly removed after the fake was exposed on Twitter.

It appears the fake picture was initially published by the Middle East online newspaper themedialine.org on 29 April 2009, with a warning from the editor that it was “unable to ascertain whether the photo is genuine or not”.

Since then, however, the image has been claimed as genuine on a number of conspiracy forums and used to substantiate claims that the terrorist responsible for the 9/11 bombings had been killed.

The Guardian was one of the few sites to hold back from using the manipulated image on its front page, reporting the picture’s existence in its live blog but questioning its legitimacy.



The Daily Mail was one of the newspaper websites to publish the fake picture of Osama bin Laden’s body.

The image is based on a genuine photograph of Bin Laden taken in 1998 and used by the Reuters news agency.

A composite including the other photograph used to make the image was quickly posted on Twitter, and a number of users showed how easy it was to find the image already online with a simple search.

• This article was amended on 3 May 2011. The username of a Tweeter was deleted from the final sentence of the piece and a link to the composite removed as the image was no longer available on Twitter.

Originally published by: Guardian.co.uk

Related video:

lol at the Bin Laden narrative



River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

Wikileaks: After being scolded by Eric Edelman, Michel Suleiman: "Sacrifice yourselves to protect Hariri and Jumblatt!"

Via FLC

I’d catch a grenade for ya
Throw my hand on a blade for ya
Original in English, tomorrow: Excerpt:
"... 12. Chargé d'affaires told (Michel)Suleiman that the embassy has spoken to a Lebanese army officer who complained that 'the politicians have gotten us in this mess' and that it was not the duty of the army that protects them ... The Charge told Suleiman that this was 'unacceptable' and that the Grand Serail must be protected the Grand Serail as well as the homes of political leaders, especially in light of rumors circulating about the possibility of exposure of these sites to 'attacks during the night'... During that meeting with Suleiman, the Charge got a call from Assistant Secretary of Defense Eric Edelman to consult with existing work and to speak to Suleiman. After scolding Suleiman, stressing the expectations of the U.S. government .... Suleiman immediately contacted his field commanders. Suleiman reiterated his orders to the commander of the regiment Brigadier Qais Saleh, a Shiite. Suleiman said specifically, 'you will defend the Grand Serail and Quraytem and Clemenceau to death. Sacrifice yourselves to protect these places. The enemy must pass over your dead bodies to enter..."
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

US MANUFACTURED WEAPONS FIND IN POSSESSION OF ANTI-SYRIAN TERRORISTS

May 4, 2011 by freedemocraticsyria

A terrorist group on Monday opened fire randomly on passengers at Athrayia region in Salamya, Hama Province, injuring three citizens and three security men including an officer and burning a police vehicle.
An official source at Ministry of Interior said that police and security patrols killed one member of the terrorist gang and confiscated two cars after a clash between police and the gang.

The source added that a-500 machine gun and a big amount of ammunition in addition to some car tableaus were found in the cars.

The source clarified that competent authorities are hunting down members of the group who fled toward the desert.

The injured are Lieutenant Adnan al-Khalaf, policemen Kamal Hasan and Ragheb Shaaban and citizens Mousa al-Haj Zakaria, Tamim Ahmad al-Hussein and Mohammad Borhan.

The source added that in al-Thawra region, security forces foiled the attempt of an armed terrorist group which fired live ammunition to terrify citizens in the cars and buses at al-Salamiya – Raqqa highway.
A statement by al-Rhaibat unit in Bi’r Zaidan area indicated to the presence of armed members in 4 cars on both sides of the road firing at the buses and the passers-by.

A security official said “We received calls from many cars at al-Salamiya – al-Thawra highway about a pickup truck that was opening fire randomly at other cars and terrifying citizens. A patrol headed to the mentioned area and we exchanged fire with the armed group. We confiscated two cars and their weapons.”
Citizen Mohammad Burhan, from the town of Halfaya, Hama governorate, said that he was heading in his car from al-Salamiya to al-Raqqa transporting vegetables when he was shot at in the middle of the road by armed terrorist groups, adding that two people who were with him were shot in their hands and were hospitalized.

One of the wounded said that they were asked to stop by an armed group standing in a earthy path on the road of Salamiya, 90 kilometers before al-Raqqa, adding “We thought they were thieves so we didn’t stop and went on… after around 30 kilometers, we were shot at from the side of the road. A bullet hit me in the hand and my friend Mousa was hit in the jaw and the hand. The driver wasn’t injured.”

He said that they went down at the side of the road and the shooting continued targeting15 other passing cars which were transporting vegetables. “Afterwards, they called a patrol which arrived with backup and ambulances to transport the wounded.”

One of the doctors said that they informed the emergency department at Health Department and the National Hospital that there was an accident, and that two wounded men arrived, one with an injury in the upper jaw and in the wrist caused by gunfire, while the other had his left hand severely crushed.

The doctor affirmed that both of them received treatment and are now stable.
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

MAZIN : WESTERN MEDIA FRENZY ABOUT OSAMA BIN LADEN

- 03. May, 2011

Bin Laden’s assassination and the continued state terrorism practiced by the US government and its allies, especially Israel, attempt to entrench the idea of violence as an answer.

By Mazin Qumsiyeh / My Catbird Seat

There is a western media frenzy about the reported “taking-out” of Osama Bin Laden (the previous ally turned enemy). Israeli papers reported a high level US security official as saying his instruction was not to capture Bin Laden alive but to liquidate him.  But everyone already knew this would be the case,  since it would be a messy business if the US soldiers captured such a person alive (he may even spill the beans on his US and Pakistani  intelligence links).  Most people went about their daily lives of apathy.  Even the stock market did not go up as pundits predicted.  Soon the dollar will resume its downward spiral.

The US military may feel vindicated and Pakistanis will feel their country’s sovereignty challenged. Some may choose to retaliate with violence giving the Neocons and Neoliberals their excuse to pursue their policies.  After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the military-industrial complex needed a new enemy to sustain its massive structure and conveniently the “Islamic terrorism” materialized. Of course there are fanatical Muslims (and Jews and Christians and Hindus) who are willing to kill. Yet, the US did not have to invade Iraq and Afghanistan and create more such fanatics.  But a more sober analysis shows that things will change. Bin Laden was killed a while ago not physically perhaps but as an idea! The idea suffered significant blows by the Arab Spring revolutions which showed that it does not take violence to change our societies and remove US/Israeli backed dictators.

Bin Laden’s assassination and the continued state terrorism practiced by the US government and its allies, especially Israel, attempt to entrench the idea of violence as an answer.


The brutal assault on Syrian, Yemeni, Saudi and Bahraini demonstrators and the US continued military attacks in countries around the world are part of this human foolishness.  They represent that wing of our global society that believes violence is the answer: the win-lose scenario. The hopeful ideas of popular resistance, freedom, democracy and end to exploitation successfully challenged the notions of “clash of civilization” and “might makes right”.
We thus remain hopeful despite all the false news planted around us and all the false-flag operations, and despite the 1 million Iraqis and 50,000 Afghans killed by these wars.

Here in Palestine, most people went about their lives focusing on how to find the next loaf of bread under Israeli colonial occupation.  Hardly a mention was made of Bin Laden.  If we take just one village called Izbet Al-Tabib, a tiny village of 247 residents (60% of them children), we see one example of what was on people’s minds.  The Israeli decision to take their land was met with building a protest tent on the threatened land and trying to make their story known.

Sandra Quintano, A 60 year-old American Activist
The Israeli military came and attacked the villagers and the international volunteers severely, injuring an elderly American woman and arresting three other internationals (see here).

At night more than 200 soldiers invaded the village terrorizing its population to try and stem the growing popular resistance. Please join the villagers this Thursday for solidarity starting at 1 PM.

Last night, the Israeli army arrested several Palestinians in major cities including Bethlehem (this happens regularly in defiance of the Oslo accords and with knowledge of “Palestinian security” forces).
In a few days, there will be events and commemorations surrounding the Nakba day.  The Nakba is the Palestinian catastrophe etched into every living Palestinian mind.  It is the fact that from January 1948 to the end of 1949, more than 2/3rd of our people who lived in the land that became the (Jewish) state of Israel were ethnically cleansed.  63 years later, nearly 7 million Palestinians are refugees or internally displaced people. This is the largest and most tragic and persistent post world war II atrocity.

For information, visit http://PalestineRemembered.com

Israeli Apartheid and The Nakba

By Anthony Lawson



It is important that we all join in activities to challenge colonialism on this anniversary of the Nakba.

In the US, you can also get some printed material (a Nakba Pak) from here

Below are some events but do look for events in your area or organize your own events:
From Lebanon and Jordan, see details here http://returntopalestine.blogspot.com/
Hellerup, Kobenhavn, Denmark http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=221525124531256
Israëlische ambassade, Sterrewachtlaan 40 1180 Ukkel – Avenue del’Observatoire 40 1180 Brussel

(UCCLE) http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200013603371184
Madrid. C/ Velázquez 150, 7º http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=180589978657757
Ambassade d’Israel – Paris http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179953362056178
Bern (Bern, Switzerland) http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=168998889823873
Houston, TX http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123540217721453
Consulate General of Israel, 6380 Wilshire blvd. Suite 1700, Los Angeles CA, 90048 & Consulate General of Israel, 456 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, 94104 http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=140344946036616
Israeli Embassy 122 Pembroke Road, Ballsbridge Dublin, Ireland
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=205349512829240

Ambasciata d’Israele, via Michele Mercati 12, Roma
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=178215672227437

Israelische Botschaft Auguste-Viktoria-Str. 74-76 14193 Berlin
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118993821513426

Boston Israeli Consulate
20 Park Plaza
Boston, MA
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=210024405683124

Israeli Embassy, 2 Palace Green, London W8 4QB
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=197040297000383


Mazin Qumsiyeh teaches and does research at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities in occupied Palestine. He previously served on the faculties of the University of Tennessee, Duke and Yale Universities. He served on the board/steering/executive committees of a number of groups including Peace Action Education Fund, the US Campaign to End the Occupation, the Palestinian American Congress, Association for One Democratic State in Israel/Palestine, and BoycottIsraeliGoods.org. He is now president of the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People. He advised many other groups including Sommerville Divestment Project, Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project, Palestine Freedom Project, Sabeel North America, and National Council of Churches of Christ USA. He is an active member of a number of human rights groups (Amnesty, Peace action, Human Rights Watch, ACLU etc.). He published several books of which the most acclaimed “Sharing the Land of Canaan: human rights and the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle” which was also translated to spanish. For more about his work go to: http://qumsiyeh.org
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

Monday, May 2, 2011

Egypt FM to US: Recognize Palestine State, Zahar Doesn’t Trust UN to Grant Palestinian State


Egypt FM to US: Recognize Palestine State

The Egyptian foreign minister has called on the US to recognize Palestinian state, as Palestinian factions were preparing to sign a unity deal.

Nabil al-Arabi urged the visiting US Congressman Steve Chabot on Sunday to “press Washington to recognize Palestine as a state” in line with previous statements by the US administration about a two-state solution, Egypt's official news agency, MENA, quoted him as saying.

The issue came into view as Hamas political leader, Khaled Meshaal, will meet Fatah leader and acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas at the Arab League headquarters in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on May 4 to sign the Egyptian-brokered deal.

The Palestinian movements, which have been at odds since Hamas came to power in 2006, reached an initial agreement on all controversial issues, including the elections and the formation of the interim unity government. They have also agreed to hold the elections within one year.

Al-Arabi also said a united Palestinian side would be ready for peace negotiations. He also urged Washington to arrange an international conference on peace in the Middle East.

Hamas has vowed that the reconciliation deal will stay in place despite all the pressure from the US and Israel, which have been campaigning to prevent the recognition of a Palestinian state that includes the resistance movement.

Zahar Doesn’t Trust UN to Grant Palestinian State
Senior Hamas official in Gaza Mahmoud al-Zahar on Sunday said Hamas has little faith in the "so called" international community to confer statehood on the Palestinian people, in an interview with Jerusalem-based investigative reporter and radio host Aaron Klein on WABC Radio.

Asked whether Hamas supports Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's September initiative to seek statehood in the United Nations, Zahar said, "First of all, we don't trust what is called the international community."

Zahar called the very suggestion that statehood could be handed to Palestinians by a world body an "imaginary question." By entertaining the question, he said, "you are [giving] the impression that something can be achieved." Hamas, he added, has serious doubts about the very line of argument.

Although, the senior Hamas official said his group has no hopes for Palestinian statehood derived from the United Nations, he said that if the UN does follow through with Abbas' initiative, "we will discuss that and declare our state."

Listing instances of Palestinian disappointment in recent years, Zahar said, "[former US president George W.] Bush promised the Palestinians an independent state ... [US President Barack] Obama came in order to give the Palestinians just the basic demand - to stop the settlements - and he failed."

Questioned as to whether Hamas is willing to accept the existence of the Zionist entity, Zahar countered: "The question is whether Israel is ready to accept the Palestinian state. Is Israel ready to accept the right of the Palestinian people to come back to their homeland?"

He added "these imaginary questions will not be answered."

On the Syrian issue, Zahar declared, "will be decided by the Syrian people." He described Hamas' position in Arab countries that host it as "guests," he added that if the Syrian people decide to bring about regime change "by agreement or by force, we are not interfering. Half a million Palestinian people live in Syria," he said, "we will not interfere."

Discussing the recently-announced reconciliation agreement between Hamas and rival Fatah, Zahar addressed the details of future security arrangements in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Hamas, he said, will continue to control security affairs in the Strip - and Fatah in the West Bank - but the yet-to-be-formed interim government that includes both Fatah and Hamas, "will lead the policy in the West Bank and in Gaza." In the first year of the agreement, he added, "security affairs will [remain as they are] in the status quo. But security policy will be controlled by the government."




River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

Sunday, May 1, 2011

America's New Middle East Agenda


A previous article on Syria quoted Middle East analyst Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, explaining Washington's longstanding plan to "creat(e) an arc of instability, chaos, and violence extending from Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria to Iraq, the Persian Gulf, Iran, and the borders of NATO-garrisoned Afghanistan."

He explained it also includes redrawing the Eurasian map, balkanizing or reconfiguring countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, perhaps Baltic states, the entire Persian Gulf, Syria, Lebanon, and, of course, Libya to assure Western control of its valued resources, besides already having created three Iraqs. The strategy involves "divid(ing) and conquer(ing to serve) Anglo-American and Israeli interests in the broader region."

Currently it's playing out violently in Libya, addressed in numerous previous articles as Western intervention heads closer to invasion, knowing air strikes alone can't topple Gaddafi unless a "lucky" one kills him. It's a key administration goal despite official denials, while defending the right to bomb his compound having no other purpose than assassination.

Notably on April 26, Los Angeles Times writer David Cloud headlined, "NATO widens air war in Libya, targeting key sites in Tripoli," saying:

Predator drones are being used "to strike directly at the pillars of the regime, including (Gaddafi), in the heart of Tripoli," according to a senior NATO officer, explaining:

"This is a shift, absolutely. We're picking up attacks on these command-and-control facilities. If (Gaddafi) happens to be in one of those buildings, all the better," stopping short of saying he, in fact, is the target.

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin criticized the attacks, saying:

"They said they didn't want to kill Gaddafi. Now some officials say: 'Yes, we are trying to kill Gaddafi.' Who permitted this, was there a trial? Who took on the right to execute this man, no matter who he is?"

Putin denounced the efforts, saying they exceed the UN resolution's mandate. As a result, Libya asked Russia to convene a new Security Council meeting to address illegitimate NATO action, functioning as the insurgency's air force, taking sides instead of staying neutral in Libya's internal affairs.

China also objects to Western military "advisers" intervening, special forces aiding insurgents besides CIA and MI 6 agents doing it also for months. Now Britain will deploy troops on Tunisia's border with Libya, inching closer to invasion. UK Defense Minister Liam Fox justifies it, saying Britain's prepared for the "long haul," adding:

"It is essential that the international community gives a very clear signal to the Libyan regime that our resolve isn't time-limited....Politically, economically, militarily, we are moving forward," stopping short of explaining key Western goals.

They're unrelated to humanitarian intervention or protecting civilians, the bogus reasons always given (besides WMDs or other spurious security threats) to attack, conquer, colonize, and plunder targeted countries. Now it's Libya's turn at the same Syria experiences Western destabilizing intervention, perhaps ahead of "shock and awe" and whatever else US/NATO planners have in mind.

In fact, the Obama administration threatens the entire region, using "constructive chaos" to create "an arc of instability, chaos, and violence," affecting all Eurasian countries to solidify unchallengeable US control.

Moreover, at a time when "Let them eat cake" arrogance trumps growing public needs, America plans more than ever military spending. In addition, Britain's Fox said the Libyan campaign won't "be limited by pounds, shillings and pence" to conclude the mission successfully.

Nor do royal weddings costing her majesty's subjects a shocking $10 billion, including official understated expenses, security, and declaring a national holiday, depriving millions of Brits of a day's pay they can't afford to lose.

Kill Gaddafi

In America, congressional calls are increasing to assassinate him, Washington's favored regime change method besides externally instigated coups. In recent days, figures like Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for:

"cut(ting) the head of the snake off. Go to Tripoli, start bombing Gaddafi's inner circle, their compounds, their military headquarters....The people around Gaddafi need to wake up every day wondering 'will this be my last?' The military commanders supporting Gaddafi should be pounded. So I would not let the UN mandate stop what is the right thing to do."

He wasn't asked to explain how violating UN Resolution 1973, its Charter, as well as international and US law is "right" when daily war crimes keep mounting. Nonetheless, others in Congress agree, including Senator John McCain, preferring winning on the ground only because it's chancy "taking him out with a lucky air strike." Senator Joe Lieberman also says he's "got to start thinking about whether they want to more directly target (him) and his family."

Bipartisan support in both Houses concurs, as well as Obama, despite official denials. In fact, current efforts may be to accomplish Ronald Reagan's failed 1986 objective. At the time, White House press secretary Larry Speakes called killing Gaddafi "a fortunate by-product of our act of self-defense," against what he didn't explain nor apologize for murdering 37 Libyans, including his daughter, as well as injuring dozens more, mostly civilians, those always harmed most in wars and other conflicts.

Earlier, however, House and Senate members from both parties criticized Obama for not seeking congressional authorization for war, saying it exceeded his constitutional authority, but stopping short of wanting attacks stopped.

In fact, under the Constitution's Article 1, Section 8, only Congress may declare war, what hasn't happened since December 8, 1941 against Japan, making all US wars since illegal. Obama once taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago. In addition, as a presidential candidate in December 2007, he told the Boston Globe:

"The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."

That was then. This is now as Republicans and Democrats plan authorizing it after the fact either by resolution or a symbolic "sense of the House and Senate" motion or confirmation.

If so, it will legitimize the illegitimate as Congress can't invalidate UN Charter provisions explaining under what conditions intervention, violence and coercion (by one state against another) are justified. Article 2(3) and Article 33(1) require peaceful settlement of international disputes. Article 2(4) prohibits force or its threatened use, including no-fly zones that are acts of war.

In addition, Articles 2(3), 2(4), and 33 absolutely prohibit any unilateral or other external threat or use of force not specifically allowed under Article 51 or otherwise authorized by the Security Council.

Moreover, so-called "humanitarian intervention" amounts to modern-day colonialism to achieve geopolitical objectives. Besides, America never showed concern for human rights in pursuit of strategic aims.

Notably, dovish US diplomat, advisor, and father of Soviet containment George Kennan (advocating diplomacy over force) explained what became America's post-WW II foreign policy. In his February 1948 "Memo PPS23," he stated:

"....we have 50% of the world's wealth but only 6.3% of its population. (It makes us) the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships (to let us) maintain this position of disparity without positive detriment to our national society. To do so we will have to dispense with all sentimentality and daydreaming; and our attention will have to be concentrated everywhere on our immediate national objectives. We need not deceive ourselves that we can afford today the luxury of altruism and world benefaction...."

"We should dispense with the aspiration to 'be liked' or to be regarded as the repository of a high-minded international altruism....We should (stop talking about) unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of the living standards, and democratization. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are hampered by idealistic slogans (ideas and practices), the better."

As a result, when America intervenes militarily, it's for policy goals, never for human rights or humanitarian priorities, rhetoric notwithstanding.

Why Gaddafi Is Targeted

Previous articles explained that he wasn't fully on board, or put another way, "with the program." Specific reasons are explained below.

(1) He opted out of AFRICOM, one of nine global Pentagon commands, to control the Africa and the Mediterranean Basin, including its strategic energy transit routes and choke points, crucial to keep open for world economies. All African countries participate except Sudan, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, and Libya. He also backed an initiative to create a United States of Africa, whereas Washington wants easily exploitable divisions.

(2) Besides ranked ninth in the world with 42 billion proved barrels of oil reserves (and large amounts of gas), its untapped potential is believed much greater. Moreover, being nearly sulfur-free, it's even more valued for its extremely high quality. At issue isn't access, it's control over who develops, produces and receives it in what amounts.

(3) In January 2009, Gaddafi wanted to nationalize Libyan oil, but his timetable faced internal resistance. According to Pravda.ru's March 25, 2011 article titled, "Reason for war? Gaddafi wanted to nationalise oil," he considered the option because of low oil prices at the time, saying:

"The oil-exporting countries should opt for nationalisation because of the rapid fall in oil prices. We must put the issue on the table and discuss it seriously. Oil should be owned by the State at this time, so we could better control prices by the increase or decrease in production."

In February 2009, he asked for public support to distribute Libya's oil wealth directly to the people. However, senior officials feared losing their jobs "due to a parallel plan by Gaddafi to rid the state of corruption." He was also advised about the possibility of capital flight.

As a result, Libya's Popular Committee voted 468 - 64 to delay nationalization plans, even though a 251 majority viewed the change as positive.

Note: Gaddafi didn't consider how powerful insiders manipulate all markets up or down for profit, including oil, irrespective of demand. It's brazen fraud but goes on all the time, especially on Wall Street in collusion with Washington.

(4) Libya's Great Man-Made River (GMMR) is developing an ocean-sized aquifer beneath the desert for irrigation, human consumption, and other uses. At 2007 consumption rates, it could last 1,000 years. No wonder Gaddafi calls his Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

At issue, of course, is privatizing it, making water unaffordable for many, perhaps most Libyans. In other words, neoliberal control will exploit it for maximum profits, not equitable use as a public resource.

(5) Ellen Brown's April 13 article titled, "Libya: All About Oil, or All About Banking?" raised another, easily overlooked, issue. Who controls Libya's money, the lifeblood of every economy? In 1970, Henry Kissinger said, "Control oil and you control nations. Control food and you control people." He neglected to add, control money and you control everything because without it economies collapse.

At issue is whether it's public or private like most nations, including America under the Federal Reserve that isn't federal and has no reserves as Ron Paul explains.

Under Gaddafi, "the Central Bank of Libya is 100% State owned." In other words, it creates its own money, the Libyan Dinar, interest free to be used productively for economic growth, not profits and bonuses for predatory bankers.

However, after Washington's led NATO intervention, the privately controlled Central Bank of Benghazi was established to let Western bankers, not Libyans, run things. Money control indeed appears an important reason for intervening, perhaps most important of all.

(6) On April 24, Manlio Dinucci's Global Research article headlined, "Financial Heist of the Century: Confiscating Libya's Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF)," saying:

Besides money, oil, gas, water, and other reasons, the "Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) manages" an estimated $70 billion, "rising to more than $150 billion (including) foreign investments of the Central Bank and other bodies. But it might be more."

Confiscation gives US/NATO interests easy money to use for their own purposes, no matter that doing so amounts to grand theft, an American/Western specialty in league with Wall Street and its European counterparts.

"Constructive chaos" takes many forms, including conquering and colonizing nations, then carving up the corpse for profit to the detriment of its people. That's always imperial Washington's grand plan, playing out disruptively throughout the region and violently in Libya.

A Final Comment

A previous article discussed US intervention in Syria. On April 28, Washington Post writers Joby Warrick and Liz Sly headlined, "Senators press Obama to take strong action against Syria," saying:

Besides ongoin wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Libya, "Sens. John McCain (R.-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R.-SC), and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) demanded tangible steps to pressure Assad," issuing a joint letter stating:

"The escalating crackdown by Bashar al-Assad's regime against the Syrian people has reached a decisive point. By following the path of Muammar Gaddafi and deploying military forces to crush peaceful demonstrations, Assad and those loyal to him have lost the legitimacy to remain in power in Syria."

In fact, as the earlier article explained, "peaceful demonstrations" include provocateurs inciting violence that, in turn, trigger a robust government response, resulting in security force deaths as well as civilians expressing legitimate demands for reform.

According to reports, only sanctions so far are being considered. In fact, they made be step one ahead of already being discussed harsher measures. It takes little insight to imagine what kinds.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

posted by Steve Lendman @ 9:56 AM  

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Panic from the Houses of Congress and Aipac?

April 30, 2011 posted by Franklin Lamb - Exclusive

Netanyahu, the conferees were told, wants Congress to flex its muscle with the White House and deliver a strong message to President Obama that his political future is tied to Israel’s.

BY FRANKLIN LAMB

On April 13, 2011, more than a dozen Israel “First, last and always” US congressional leaders from both houses of Congress held an urgent conference call organized by the pro-Israel Lobby, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac).  Their purpose was to discuss how best to promote Israel during next month’s US visit by Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu and more importantly how to confront the rapidly changing Middle East political landscape. One consensus was that no one saw it coming and that is was dangerous for Israel.

Among those participating were former Jewish Chairman of powerful committees including Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who headed the Banking Committee; Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), ex-chairman of the Commerce and Energy committee; Howard Berman (D-Calif.) ex-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee; and Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), ex-chairwoman of the foreign operations subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee as well as Eric Cantor, House Majority leader, the highest rankling Jewish member of Congress in history.

What AIPAC operatives reportedly told the conferees was that Netanyahu is once again furious with President Obama and outraged by what he sees as a vacillating US Government attitude towards Israeli needs. They were told that the Israeli PM sees real political danger for Israel in the shifting US public opinion in favor of the young sophisticated attractive Arab and Muslims increasingly seen on satellite channels from the region who remind the American public of their own ideals.

Abe Foxman Caricature
Netanyahu, the conferees were told, wants Congress to flex its muscle with the White House and deliver a strong message to President Obama that his political future is tied to Israel’s. Hence the current “America needs Israel more than ever stupid!” campaign wafting from the Israel Lobby across the talk radio airwaves.
In addition, as more Israeli officials are indicted for various domestic crimes, and some harbor fears of arrest for international ones, 68% of the American Jewish community, according to one by poll commissioned last month by Forward, believe the US Israel Lobby is increasingly fossilized with the likes of ADL (Anti-Defamation League) director Abe Foxman’s vindictive infighting among several of the largest Jewish lobby organizations which continue to lose  memberships, especially among the young.
Congressman Eric Cantor lamented that “Israel is badly losing the US College campuses”, despite heavy financial investments the past few years to curb American students growing support for Gaza, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, all dreaded symbols of the growing opposition to the 19th Century Zionist colonial enterprise. Support for Palestine is skyrocketing he claimed. “Until Palestine is freed from Zionist occupation no Arab or Muslim is truly free of Western hegemony,” according to one assistant editor of Harvard University’s student newspaper, the Crimson.
Admitting that the Mossad did not foresee even the Tunisian or Egyptian uprisings some Aipac  staffers, of whom there are more than 100, admit to not knowing how to react to the topics they were presented with for discussion, some of which included:
  • The Egyptian public emphatic insistence that the 1978 Camp David Accords be scrapped and that the Rafah crossing be opened.  The latter has just been announced and the former is expected to be achieved before the end of the year. 
  • The change of regimes and the dramatic rise in publicly expressed anti-Israel sentiment and insistence that Israel close its embassy and Egypt withdraw its recognition of the Zionist state. 
  • The apparent rapprochement between Fatah and Hamas which has been increasingly demanded by the Palestinians under occupation and in the Diaspora. 
  • The fact that the new regime in Cairo is seeking to upgrade its ties with Gaza’s Hamas rulers as well as Iran. 
  • With respect to possible PA-Hamas rapprochement, U.S. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor is trying to reassure Israel before Netanyahu’s visit by announcing this week that “The United States supports Palestinian reconciliation on terms which promote the cause of peace, but to play a constructive role in achieving peace, any Palestinian government must renounce violence, abide by past agreements, and recognize Israel’s right to exist.”
AIPAC, frequently knocks heads with the Israeli embassy in Washington for control of visiting Israeli PM’s and important governments schedules will control what Netanyahu says and does.  AIPAC Executive Director Howard Kohr recently told a group of visiting Jewish student activists from California that “sometimes there is confusion in this town over just where the Israeli Embassy is located but let me assure you it’s no more than 300 yards from the Capitol Dome on North Capitol Street, NW.”
AIPAC, not the Israeli Embassy will write the final draft of Netanyahu’s speeches including the themes he will emphasize.  According to a Congressional  source with AIPAC connections, Netanyahu’s visit will focus on the following:
  • Bashing Iran to please the White House. However, this mantra will have to compete with   the democratic revolutions that are sweeping the Arab world and which are terrifying not just Netanyahu, but also AIPAC and their hirelings in congress.
  • Warning against the dangers to “the peace process” of any PA-Hamas unity government.
  • Warnings about the threats to Israel from Egypt and popular calls for scrapping of the  1978 Camp David Accords, ending the Egyptian subsidy and supply of 40% of Israel’s natural gas, calls for closing the Israeli Embassy, the dangers of permanently opening the Rafah border crossing “that will allow Hamas to in the words of, an Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity to the Washington Post that Gaza’s Hamas rulers had already built up a “dangerous military machine” in northern Sinai which could be further strengthened by opening the border.
  • The tried and tested bromide that “Israel has no peace partner to negotiate with will be used but this too has lost its bite given that the Palestine Papers has shown that the PA for five years habitually caved into Israel demands and are widely viewed as collaborators with Israel in preserving the status quo– so what more could be expected from them? The truth is that Mahmoud Abbas and Salem Fayyad are Netanyahu, Leiberman’s and Barak’s favorite “peace partners.”
  • Netanyahu will hint at and AIPAC will drill in the idea that the Obama administration has been too hard on Israel.
While Netanyahu announced this week that “I will have the opportunity to air the main parts of Israel’s diplomatic and defense policies during my visit in the United States”,informed sources report that his main goal and timing of his visit is to undermind a rumored initiative that President Obama’s team has been working on.
Netanyahu, according to AIPAC, also plans to attack the UN’s plan to admit Palestine  and its offices are preparing a media blitz in an attempt to undermine the U.N. recognition of  Palestine  by arguing that such a General Assembly action would not in reality mean Palestinian sovereignty over the West Bank and East Jerusalem  because of the fact that Israel currently controls those territories. Aipac is arguing that such United Nations recognition of Palestine would only reiterate the principle, previously articulated by the U.N which denies the legitimacy of Israel’s claim to territories acquired by force in the war of June 1967.

In reality, and as AIPAC well knows, UN recognition of Palestine would have a devastating effect on Israel’s legitimacy and would fuel an international campaign to force every colonist out of the West Bank. Given the feelings of virtually all people in the Middle East and North Africa toward Israel this could dramatically undermine the apartheid state. Aipac and Israel’s agents in Congress also ignore the fact that the U.N. is the only the international body that admitted Israel as a member state in May 1949, although the resolution noted a connection between Israel’s recognition and the implementation of resolution 181 of November 1947, which called for partition of what had been British Mandate Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states.

The reason that intense angst and even fear stalks the Houses of Congress and Aipac is that Netanyahu will remind his hosts in the coming days that Israel has always called “home” is that some US officials are starting to express treasonous thoughts long kept to themselves.
One seemingly shocking statement was made to a visiting Oregon delegation during a recent visit to Congressional offices by a Member of Congress never known for being publicly critical of Israel.  As reported via email:  “He said recent events suggest that while ( the revolts spreading across the Middle East) are not the immediate  end of the State of Israel, he believes they are harbingers and signal the  ‘beginning of the end of the State of Israel as we have known it. And that will be good for America and humanity.”
“What seems to  have particularly upset him was his own  mentioning to the group was a recent report about a conference of Rabbis in Israel who are demanding the expulsion of non-Jews, especially Palestinians, from occupied Palestine in order to maintain the “ethnical and religious purity of the peoples of Israel.

He quoted Dov Lior, the rabbi of Kiryat Araba, an illegal settlement near Hebron, who according to media reports told a conference organized to discuss how to get non-Jews in mandatory Palestine to leave the country for the sake of Jewish immigrants who had no roots in Palestine: “Today there is a lot of land in Saudi Arabia and in Libya, too. There is a lot of land in other places. Send them there.” As scholar Khalid Amayreh reminds us, it was Lior, who in 1994 praised arch-terrorist Baruch Goldstein for massacring 29 Arab worshipers at the Ibrahimi Mosque in downtown Hebron, said peace in the Holy Land was out of question because the Arabs wouldn’t allow Jews to usurp the land.

Meanwhile, a large coalition  of pro peace and pro-Palestinian organizations, under the umbrella of http://www.moveoveraipac.org/ is preparing a new and different American reception for the Israeli Prime Minister.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Franklin Lamb , a former Assistant Counsel of the US House Judiciary Committee at the US Congress and Professor of International Law at Northwestern College of Law in Oregon, earned his Law Degree at Boston University and his LLM, M.Phil, and PhD degrees at the London School of Economics. Lamb is Director, Americans Concerned for Middle East Peace, Beirut-Washington DC, Board Member of The Sabra Shatila Foundation, and a volunteer with the Palestine Civil Rights Campaign, Lebanon. He is the author of The Price We Pay: A Quarter-Century of Israel’s Use of American Weapons Against Civilians in Lebanon
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 River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian