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1. US 'Welcomes' Dialog with Muslim Brotherhood
by Gavriel Queenann
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that the Obama administration wants to open a dialog with the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.
"We believe, given the changing political landscape in Egypt, that it is in the interests of the United States to engage with all parties that are peaceful and committed to nonviolence, that intend to compete for the parliament and the presidency," Clinton told reporters in Budapest, Hungary. "And we welcome, therefore, dialogue with those Muslim Brotherhood members who wish to talk with us,"
Clinton added the desired dialog "will continue to emphasize the importance of and support for democratic principles, and especially a commitment to nonviolence, respect for minority rights, and the full inclusion of women in any democracy. You cannot leave out half the population and claim that you are committed to democracy."
Brotherhood Skeptical
Mahmoud Ghozlan, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, told CNN he had heard of the U.S. interest in dialogue only from media reports.
"The U.S. administration has supported dictators for decades and authorized torture, repression and colonization. The U.S. is hated in the Middle East region more than any other country according to polls published in the U.S,” Ghozlan said.
“If the U.S. is serious in opening a dialogue, they must first respect the people's choices for a true democracy, independence and respect their choice of leaders,” Ghozlan continued, “We would welcome the open dialogue, if they are serious and transparent."
Pushing for Sharia
Muslim Brotherhood members, joined by allied Hamas fighters from Gaza, were at the fore of some of the most violent protests during the demonstrations in Egypt that resulted in the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February.
In the aftermath, the group's leadership threw its support behind the interim-junta that took power until criticism from other opposition parties started to hurt it in the polls.
The Islamist group, which originally said it dos not intend to field a candidate for president, has since created a broad super-coalition of opposition parties in hopes of taking Egypt's next government by storm.
The international media frequently quotes former brotherhood leaders who say the group's new Freedom and Justice party is not theocratic and supports democracy in English-language interviews, but current leaders openly advocate the imposition of sharia law in Egypt's Arabic press.
“Terms like civil or secular state are misleading,” the brotherhood's Sobhi Saleh told Egyptian Arabic daily Al Masry Al Youm. “Islamic Sharia is the best system for Muslims and non-Muslims."
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 with the express goal of ousting the British and creating an independent Islamic state.
US Controversy
Dialog with the group has sparked controversy in the United States, where a debate over the brotherhood's essential character still rages on.
US President Barack Obama tried to downplay the prospect of the Muslim Brotherhood dominating Egyptian politics saying it is just one faction in Egypt that does not have majority support.
"There are a whole bunch of secular folks in Egypt, there are a whole bunch of educators and civil society in Egypt, that want to come to the fore as well," Obama told Fox News in February.
"It's important for us not to say that our only two options are either the Muslim Brotherhood or a suppressed Egyptian people," Obama added.
But observers familiar with the Muslim Brotherhood say its famed organizational prowess means it does not need a majority in Egypt's parliamentary system to play king-maker and push its radical Islamist agenda.
Former CIA Director Mike Hayden says he believes the brotherhood could "enjoy a disproportionate power in shaping the new government."
The pro-Zionist StandWithUs Organization issued a sharp response to the US move.
"StandWithUs is deeply disturbed that the U.S. government is establishing relations with Egypt`s Muslim Brotherhood [MB]. The MB is a dangerous movement committed to establishing a repressive, intolerant theocracy, and to replacing liberal democracies with Sharia law," the response read.
"We urge the American government to reverse course, and ensure that it upholds moderate forces in Egypt and the wider region. The U.S. should not be giving cover and support to the most dangerous and repressive forces in the region, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and its various offshoots, including Hamas," it added.
The organization has asked the public to wage a letter writing campaign against relations with the MB.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that the Obama administration wants to open a dialog with the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.
"We believe, given the changing political landscape in Egypt, that it is in the interests of the United States to engage with all parties that are peaceful and committed to nonviolence, that intend to compete for the parliament and the presidency," Clinton told reporters in Budapest, Hungary. "And we welcome, therefore, dialogue with those Muslim Brotherhood members who wish to talk with us,"
Clinton added the desired dialog "will continue to emphasize the importance of and support for democratic principles, and especially a commitment to nonviolence, respect for minority rights, and the full inclusion of women in any democracy. You cannot leave out half the population and claim that you are committed to democracy."
Brotherhood Skeptical
Mahmoud Ghozlan, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, told CNN he had heard of the U.S. interest in dialogue only from media reports.
"The U.S. administration has supported dictators for decades and authorized torture, repression and colonization. The U.S. is hated in the Middle East region more than any other country according to polls published in the U.S,” Ghozlan said.
“If the U.S. is serious in opening a dialogue, they must first respect the people's choices for a true democracy, independence and respect their choice of leaders,” Ghozlan continued, “We would welcome the open dialogue, if they are serious and transparent."
Pushing for Sharia
Muslim Brotherhood members, joined by allied Hamas fighters from Gaza, were at the fore of some of the most violent protests during the demonstrations in Egypt that resulted in the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February.
In the aftermath, the group's leadership threw its support behind the interim-junta that took power until criticism from other opposition parties started to hurt it in the polls.
The Islamist group, which originally said it dos not intend to field a candidate for president, has since created a broad super-coalition of opposition parties in hopes of taking Egypt's next government by storm.
The international media frequently quotes former brotherhood leaders who say the group's new Freedom and Justice party is not theocratic and supports democracy in English-language interviews, but current leaders openly advocate the imposition of sharia law in Egypt's Arabic press.
“Terms like civil or secular state are misleading,” the brotherhood's Sobhi Saleh told Egyptian Arabic daily Al Masry Al Youm. “Islamic Sharia is the best system for Muslims and non-Muslims."
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 with the express goal of ousting the British and creating an independent Islamic state.
US Controversy
Dialog with the group has sparked controversy in the United States, where a debate over the brotherhood's essential character still rages on.
US President Barack Obama tried to downplay the prospect of the Muslim Brotherhood dominating Egyptian politics saying it is just one faction in Egypt that does not have majority support.
"There are a whole bunch of secular folks in Egypt, there are a whole bunch of educators and civil society in Egypt, that want to come to the fore as well," Obama told Fox News in February.
"It's important for us not to say that our only two options are either the Muslim Brotherhood or a suppressed Egyptian people," Obama added.
But observers familiar with the Muslim Brotherhood say its famed organizational prowess means it does not need a majority in Egypt's parliamentary system to play king-maker and push its radical Islamist agenda.
Former CIA Director Mike Hayden says he believes the brotherhood could "enjoy a disproportionate power in shaping the new government."
The pro-Zionist StandWithUs Organization issued a sharp response to the US move.
"StandWithUs is deeply disturbed that the U.S. government is establishing relations with Egypt`s Muslim Brotherhood [MB]. The MB is a dangerous movement committed to establishing a repressive, intolerant theocracy, and to replacing liberal democracies with Sharia law," the response read.
"We urge the American government to reverse course, and ensure that it upholds moderate forces in Egypt and the wider region. The U.S. should not be giving cover and support to the most dangerous and repressive forces in the region, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and its various offshoots, including Hamas," it added.
The organization has asked the public to wage a letter writing campaign against relations with the MB.
Comment on this story
2. Who Is The Muslim Brotherhood?
by INN Staff
The MB has has tried to portray itself as moderate and democratic. But at its core it is anything but. The Brotherhood is a wolf in sheep`s clothing.
Israel National News thanks StandWithUs for helping bring the Muslim Brotherhood to our readers in its own words:
The Muslim Brotherhood logo fits its motto:
"Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. The Qur`an is our law.
Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope. Allahu akbar!"
The Brotherhood`s goal is to turn the world into an Islamist empire. The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is a revolutionary fundamentalist movement to restore the caliphate and strict shariah (Islamist) law in Muslim lands and, ultimately, the world. Today, it has chapters in 80 countries. "It is in the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet." -Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna
The Brotherhood wants America to fall. It tells followers to be "patient" because America "is heading towards its demise." The U.S. is an infidel that "does not champion moral and human values and cannot lead humanity."-Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Badi, Sept. 2010
The Brotherhood claims western democracy is "corrupt,""unrealistic" and "false." -Former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Mahdi Akef
The Brotherhood calls for jihad against "the Muslim`s real enemies, not only Israel but also the United States. Waging jihad against both of these infidels is a commandment of Allah that cannot be disregarded." -Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Badi, Sept. 2010
The Brotherhood assassinated Anwar Sadat in 1981 for making peace with the hated "Zionist entity." It also assassinated Egypt`s prime minister in 1948 and attempted to assassinate President Nasser in 1954.
Hamas is a "wing of the Muslim Brotherhood,"according to the Hamas Charter, Chapter 2. The Charter calls for the murder of Jews, the "obliteration" of Israel and its replacement with an Islamist theocracy.
The Brotherhood supports Hezbollah`s war against the Jews. Brotherhood leader Mahdi Akef declared he was "prepared to send 10,000 jihad fighters immediately to fight at the side of Hezbollah" during Hezbollah`s war against Israel in 2006.
The Brotherhood glorified Osama bin Laden and mourned his death. Osama is "in all certainty, a mujahid (heroic fighter), and I have no doubt in his sincerity in resisting the occupation, close to Allah on high." -Former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Mahdi Akef, Nov. 2007
The Brotherhood "sanctioned martyrdom operations in Palestine....They do not have bombs, so they turn themselves into bombs. This is a necessity." -Muslim Brotherhood Spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Dec. 17, 2010
The Brotherhood advocates violent jihad: The "change that the [Muslim] nation seeks can only be attained through jihad and sacrifice and by raising a jihadi generation that pursues death just as the enemies pursue life," said Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Badi in a September 2010 sermon.11 Major terrorists came out of the Muslim Brotherhood, including bin Laden`s deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (mastermind of the 9/11 attacks).
The Brotherhood advocates a deceptive strategy in democracies: appear moderate and use existing institutions to gain power. "The civilizational-jihadist process...is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and `sabotaging` its miserable house...so that it is eliminated and God`s religion is made victorious overall other religions," reads a US Muslim Brotherhood 1991 document. It believes it can conquer Europe peacefully: "After having been expelled twice, Islam will be victorious and reconquer Europe....I am certain that this time, victory will be won not by the sword but by preaching and [Islamic] ideology." -Muslim Brotherhood Spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi, "Fatwa," 2003
The Brotherhood uses democracy, but once in power it will replace democracy with fundamentalist shariah law because it is the "true democracy." "The final, absolute message from heaven contains all the values which the secular world claims to have invented....Islam and its values antedated the West by founding true democracy." -Former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Mahdi Akef, Nov. 2007
The Brotherhood`s view of women`s rights is to subjugate and segregate women: The ideal society would include "a campaign against ostentation in dress and loose behaviour...segregation of male and female students; private meetings between men and women, unless within the permitted degrees of relationship, to be counted as a crime for which both will be censured...prohibition of dancing and other such pastimes." -Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, "Five Tracts"
The Brotherhood supports Female Genital Mutilation: "[the Americans] wage war on Muslim leaders, the traditions of its faith and its ideas. They even wage war against female circumcision, a practice current in 36 countries, which has been prevalent since the time of the Pharaohs." -Former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Mahdi Akef, 2007
The Brotherhood will not treat non-Muslim minorities, such as Coptic Christians, as equals. "Allah`s word will reign supreme and the infidels` word will be inferior." -Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Badi, Sept. 2010
The Brotherhood refuses to commit to continuing the Israel-Egypt peace treaty. Muslim Brotherhood leaders have said that "as far as the movement is concerned, Israel is a Zionist entity occupying holy Arab and Islamic lands...and we will get rid of it no matter how long it takes." -Former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Mahdi Akef, 2005 and 2007
The Brotherhood has anti-Semitic roots. It supported the Nazis, organized mass demonstrations against the Jews with slogans promoting ethnic cleansing like "Down with the Jews!"and "Jews get out of Egypt and Palestine!" in 1936; carried out a violent pogrom against Egypt`s Jews in November 1945; and made sure that Nazi collaborator and Palestinian Mufti al- Husseini was granted asylum in Egypt in 1946.
The Brotherhood remains virulently anti-Semitic."Today the Jews are not the Israelites praised by Allah, but the descendants of the Israelites who defied His word. Allah was angry with them and turned them into monkeys and pigs....There is no doubt that the battle in which the Muslims overcome the Jews [will come]....In that battle the Muslims will fight the Jews and kill them." -Muslim Brotherhood Spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi
Comment on this story
by INN Staff
The MB has has tried to portray itself as moderate and democratic. But at its core it is anything but. The Brotherhood is a wolf in sheep`s clothing.
Israel National News thanks StandWithUs for helping bring the Muslim Brotherhood to our readers in its own words:
The Muslim Brotherhood logo fits its motto:
"Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. The Qur`an is our law.
Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope. Allahu akbar!"
The Brotherhood`s goal is to turn the world into an Islamist empire. The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is a revolutionary fundamentalist movement to restore the caliphate and strict shariah (Islamist) law in Muslim lands and, ultimately, the world. Today, it has chapters in 80 countries. "It is in the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet." -Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna
The Brotherhood wants America to fall. It tells followers to be "patient" because America "is heading towards its demise." The U.S. is an infidel that "does not champion moral and human values and cannot lead humanity."-Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Badi, Sept. 2010
The Brotherhood claims western democracy is "corrupt,""unrealistic" and "false." -Former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Mahdi Akef
The Brotherhood calls for jihad against "the Muslim`s real enemies, not only Israel but also the United States. Waging jihad against both of these infidels is a commandment of Allah that cannot be disregarded." -Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Badi, Sept. 2010
The Brotherhood assassinated Anwar Sadat in 1981 for making peace with the hated "Zionist entity." It also assassinated Egypt`s prime minister in 1948 and attempted to assassinate President Nasser in 1954.
Hamas is a "wing of the Muslim Brotherhood,"according to the Hamas Charter, Chapter 2. The Charter calls for the murder of Jews, the "obliteration" of Israel and its replacement with an Islamist theocracy.
The Brotherhood supports Hezbollah`s war against the Jews. Brotherhood leader Mahdi Akef declared he was "prepared to send 10,000 jihad fighters immediately to fight at the side of Hezbollah" during Hezbollah`s war against Israel in 2006.
The Brotherhood glorified Osama bin Laden and mourned his death. Osama is "in all certainty, a mujahid (heroic fighter), and I have no doubt in his sincerity in resisting the occupation, close to Allah on high." -Former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Mahdi Akef, Nov. 2007
The Brotherhood "sanctioned martyrdom operations in Palestine....They do not have bombs, so they turn themselves into bombs. This is a necessity." -Muslim Brotherhood Spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Dec. 17, 2010
The Brotherhood advocates violent jihad: The "change that the [Muslim] nation seeks can only be attained through jihad and sacrifice and by raising a jihadi generation that pursues death just as the enemies pursue life," said Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Badi in a September 2010 sermon.11 Major terrorists came out of the Muslim Brotherhood, including bin Laden`s deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (mastermind of the 9/11 attacks).
The Brotherhood advocates a deceptive strategy in democracies: appear moderate and use existing institutions to gain power. "The civilizational-jihadist process...is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and `sabotaging` its miserable house...so that it is eliminated and God`s religion is made victorious overall other religions," reads a US Muslim Brotherhood 1991 document. It believes it can conquer Europe peacefully: "After having been expelled twice, Islam will be victorious and reconquer Europe....I am certain that this time, victory will be won not by the sword but by preaching and [Islamic] ideology." -Muslim Brotherhood Spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi, "Fatwa," 2003
The Brotherhood uses democracy, but once in power it will replace democracy with fundamentalist shariah law because it is the "true democracy." "The final, absolute message from heaven contains all the values which the secular world claims to have invented....Islam and its values antedated the West by founding true democracy." -Former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Mahdi Akef, Nov. 2007
The Brotherhood`s view of women`s rights is to subjugate and segregate women: The ideal society would include "a campaign against ostentation in dress and loose behaviour...segregation of male and female students; private meetings between men and women, unless within the permitted degrees of relationship, to be counted as a crime for which both will be censured...prohibition of dancing and other such pastimes." -Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, "Five Tracts"
The Brotherhood supports Female Genital Mutilation: "[the Americans] wage war on Muslim leaders, the traditions of its faith and its ideas. They even wage war against female circumcision, a practice current in 36 countries, which has been prevalent since the time of the Pharaohs." -Former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Mahdi Akef, 2007
The Brotherhood will not treat non-Muslim minorities, such as Coptic Christians, as equals. "Allah`s word will reign supreme and the infidels` word will be inferior." -Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Badi, Sept. 2010
The Brotherhood refuses to commit to continuing the Israel-Egypt peace treaty. Muslim Brotherhood leaders have said that "as far as the movement is concerned, Israel is a Zionist entity occupying holy Arab and Islamic lands...and we will get rid of it no matter how long it takes." -Former Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Muhammed Mahdi Akef, 2005 and 2007
The Brotherhood has anti-Semitic roots. It supported the Nazis, organized mass demonstrations against the Jews with slogans promoting ethnic cleansing like "Down with the Jews!"and "Jews get out of Egypt and Palestine!" in 1936; carried out a violent pogrom against Egypt`s Jews in November 1945; and made sure that Nazi collaborator and Palestinian Mufti al- Husseini was granted asylum in Egypt in 1946.
The Brotherhood remains virulently anti-Semitic."Today the Jews are not the Israelites praised by Allah, but the descendants of the Israelites who defied His word. Allah was angry with them and turned them into monkeys and pigs....There is no doubt that the battle in which the Muslims overcome the Jews [will come]....In that battle the Muslims will fight the Jews and kill them." -Muslim Brotherhood Spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi
Comment on this story
3. Ombudsman Faults Judge on NIF-Related Case
by Gil Ronen
The Ombudsman's Office of the Israeli Judiciary has found a complaint filed against a judge for alleged political conflict of interest was justified.
In April 2011, The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel filed a complaint of conflict of interest to the Ombudsman's Office of the Israeli Judiciary regarding a court decision by Tel Aviv District Court Judge Ruth Ronen on a sensitive political case. Ronen had ordered the Israeli Ministry of Defense to hand over to an NGO named "Gisha" an internal document dealing with the supply of food to Gaza .
The Ombudsman decided to accept the complaint and found the Legal Forum's accusations justified.
The Legal Forum explained that Gisha’s goal is to allow full freedom of movement and family unity to the Arab population of Gaza, regardless of Israel’s security needs. Judge Ronen accepted Gisha's claims based on the Freedom of Information Law, despite the fact that the law specifies that the State does not have to supply information that could "hurt the State's security, its foreign relations and the security of the public."
Attorney Hila Cohen of the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel filed the complaint to the Ombudsman based on the fact that Judge Ronen's husband, Mr. Ze'ev Bergman, is a member of the board of the New Israel Fund, which directly supported Gisha in the past and continues to support it through Shatil, the NIF's operative arm.
The Ombudsman, former Supreme Court Judge Eliezer Goldberg, decided to accept the complaint and justified the Legal Forum's accusations, stating that there is a clear conflict of interest and that Judge Ronen should have removed herself from the case due to her husband's position on the NIF Board, and its indirect support of Gisha through Shatil.
The Legal Forum called the decision “a significant achievement.”
“Once again the Legal Forum has revealed an instance of political bias in the judicial system, which continues to incline towards the political left,” it stated. “The New Israel Fund in particular is known as an anti-Zionist organization which has influenced major segments of Israel's judicial, journalistic and political elites, through a network of non-governmental organizations, such as Gisha. The NIF has also been accused of aiding Israel's enemies in demonizing Israel, especially in the context of the Goldstone report, which criticized Israel's right to self-defense.”
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
The Ombudsman's Office of the Israeli Judiciary has found a complaint filed against a judge for alleged political conflict of interest was justified.
In April 2011, The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel filed a complaint of conflict of interest to the Ombudsman's Office of the Israeli Judiciary regarding a court decision by Tel Aviv District Court Judge Ruth Ronen on a sensitive political case. Ronen had ordered the Israeli Ministry of Defense to hand over to an NGO named "Gisha" an internal document dealing with the supply of food to Gaza .
The Ombudsman decided to accept the complaint and found the Legal Forum's accusations justified.
The Legal Forum explained that Gisha’s goal is to allow full freedom of movement and family unity to the Arab population of Gaza, regardless of Israel’s security needs. Judge Ronen accepted Gisha's claims based on the Freedom of Information Law, despite the fact that the law specifies that the State does not have to supply information that could "hurt the State's security, its foreign relations and the security of the public."
Attorney Hila Cohen of the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel filed the complaint to the Ombudsman based on the fact that Judge Ronen's husband, Mr. Ze'ev Bergman, is a member of the board of the New Israel Fund, which directly supported Gisha in the past and continues to support it through Shatil, the NIF's operative arm.
The Ombudsman, former Supreme Court Judge Eliezer Goldberg, decided to accept the complaint and justified the Legal Forum's accusations, stating that there is a clear conflict of interest and that Judge Ronen should have removed herself from the case due to her husband's position on the NIF Board, and its indirect support of Gisha through Shatil.
The Legal Forum called the decision “a significant achievement.”
“Once again the Legal Forum has revealed an instance of political bias in the judicial system, which continues to incline towards the political left,” it stated. “The New Israel Fund in particular is known as an anti-Zionist organization which has influenced major segments of Israel's judicial, journalistic and political elites, through a network of non-governmental organizations, such as Gisha. The NIF has also been accused of aiding Israel's enemies in demonizing Israel, especially in the context of the Goldstone report, which criticized Israel's right to self-defense.”
Comment on this story
4. Saudis Raise Specter of Nuclear Arms Race
by Gavriel Queenann
Saudi Arabia has warned of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East if Iran comes close to approaching nuclear weapons.
Prince Turki Al Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington, warned senior NATO military officials that the existence of such a device "would compel Saudi Arabia to pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences."
While Faisal did not explicitly say what these policies would be a senior official in Riyadh close to the prince said the message is clear.
"We cannot live in a situation where Iran has nuclear weapons and we don't. It's as simple as that," the official said. "If Iran develops a nuclear weapon, that will be unacceptable to us and we will have to follow suit."
Officials in Riyadh say that Saudi Arabia would reluctantly push ahead with its own civilian nuclear program with a 'wait and see' attitude.
"Peaceful use of nuclear power is the right of all nations," Turki said echoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmidinijad.
Iran a Paper Tiger
Turki's comments were made during a meeting at RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, the NATO facility used for gathering and collating intelligence on the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
According to a transcript of his speech, Turki said Iran was a "paper tiger with steel claws" which he accused of "meddling and destabilizing" throughout the region.
"Iran is very sensitive about other countries meddling in its affairs. But it should treat others like it expects to be treated. The kingdom expects Iran to practice what it preaches," Turki said.
Foreign minister
Turki holds no official post in Saudi Arabia but is seen as an ambassador at large for the kingdom and a potential future foreign minister.
Diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks revealed that King Abdullah, who has ruled Saudi Arabia since 2005, had previously warned Washington in 2008 that if Iran developed nuclear weapons "everyone in the region would do the same, including Saudi Arabia".
Saudi Arabian diplomats and officials have launched a serious campaign in recent weeks to rally global and regional powers against Iran, fearful that their country's larger but poorer regional rival is exploiting regional unrest to gain influence in the region and within the kingdom itself.
Meanwhile, the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Saudi Arabia is a member, is moving towards a unified diplomatic and military confederation to serve as a ballast against Iran.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
Saudi Arabia has warned of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East if Iran comes close to approaching nuclear weapons.
Prince Turki Al Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington, warned senior NATO military officials that the existence of such a device "would compel Saudi Arabia to pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences."
While Faisal did not explicitly say what these policies would be a senior official in Riyadh close to the prince said the message is clear.
"We cannot live in a situation where Iran has nuclear weapons and we don't. It's as simple as that," the official said. "If Iran develops a nuclear weapon, that will be unacceptable to us and we will have to follow suit."
Officials in Riyadh say that Saudi Arabia would reluctantly push ahead with its own civilian nuclear program with a 'wait and see' attitude.
"Peaceful use of nuclear power is the right of all nations," Turki said echoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmidinijad.
Iran a Paper Tiger
Turki's comments were made during a meeting at RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, the NATO facility used for gathering and collating intelligence on the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
According to a transcript of his speech, Turki said Iran was a "paper tiger with steel claws" which he accused of "meddling and destabilizing" throughout the region.
"Iran is very sensitive about other countries meddling in its affairs. But it should treat others like it expects to be treated. The kingdom expects Iran to practice what it preaches," Turki said.
Foreign minister
Turki holds no official post in Saudi Arabia but is seen as an ambassador at large for the kingdom and a potential future foreign minister.
Diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks revealed that King Abdullah, who has ruled Saudi Arabia since 2005, had previously warned Washington in 2008 that if Iran developed nuclear weapons "everyone in the region would do the same, including Saudi Arabia".
Saudi Arabian diplomats and officials have launched a serious campaign in recent weeks to rally global and regional powers against Iran, fearful that their country's larger but poorer regional rival is exploiting regional unrest to gain influence in the region and within the kingdom itself.
Meanwhile, the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Saudi Arabia is a member, is moving towards a unified diplomatic and military confederation to serve as a ballast against Iran.
Comment on this story
5. Nirenstein to Head Int'l Council of Jewish Parliamentarians
by Gil Ronen
At a meeting in Jerusalem Thursday, the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP) unanimously elected Fiamma Nirenstein, a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, as its new chair.
Nirenstein, 65, succeeds US Congressman Gary Ackerman. The ICJP is sponsored by the World Jewish Congress (WJC). Its newly elected Steering Committee is made up of Jewish lawmakers from all continents.
The ICJP held a consultation in Jerusalem this week which was attended by 55 parliamentarians from 22 countries, as well as by a number of senior Israeli officials. Nirenstein said that as new ICJP chair she would fight attempts to delegitimize Israel.
Fiamma Nirenstein was born in Florence, where she completed her university studies in Modern History. In April 2008, she was elected Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies for Silvio Berlusconi's center-right coalition, and she serves as vice-president of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Chamber of Deputies.
Until her election to parliament, she was a columnist and Israel correspondent for ‘Il Giornale’, a daily newspaper she still contributes to as an analyst, as well as for the weekly ‘Panorama’. She is a frequent contributor to INN's op-ed section. From 1991 until December 2006, she worked as correspondent and columnist for ‘La Stampa’ daily. She is an expert on the Middle East conflict, terrorism and anti-Semitism.
World Jewish Congress Secretary General Dan Diker congratulated Fiamma Nirenstein on her appointment, calling her "a patriot of Italy and a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people."
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
At a meeting in Jerusalem Thursday, the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP) unanimously elected Fiamma Nirenstein, a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, as its new chair.
Nirenstein, 65, succeeds US Congressman Gary Ackerman. The ICJP is sponsored by the World Jewish Congress (WJC). Its newly elected Steering Committee is made up of Jewish lawmakers from all continents.
The ICJP held a consultation in Jerusalem this week which was attended by 55 parliamentarians from 22 countries, as well as by a number of senior Israeli officials. Nirenstein said that as new ICJP chair she would fight attempts to delegitimize Israel.
Fiamma Nirenstein was born in Florence, where she completed her university studies in Modern History. In April 2008, she was elected Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies for Silvio Berlusconi's center-right coalition, and she serves as vice-president of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Chamber of Deputies.
Until her election to parliament, she was a columnist and Israel correspondent for ‘Il Giornale’, a daily newspaper she still contributes to as an analyst, as well as for the weekly ‘Panorama’. She is a frequent contributor to INN's op-ed section. From 1991 until December 2006, she worked as correspondent and columnist for ‘La Stampa’ daily. She is an expert on the Middle East conflict, terrorism and anti-Semitism.
World Jewish Congress Secretary General Dan Diker congratulated Fiamma Nirenstein on her appointment, calling her "a patriot of Italy and a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people."
Comment on this story
6. Syria Fails to Deflect Criticism Onto 'Israeli Occupation'
by Gavriel Queenann
Syria attempted to shift international focus from President Bashar Al Assad's brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters in his country by raising Israel's 'occupation' of the Golan Heights.
"The real role of the Security Council is to end the illegal occupation of Israel and the Golan," Syrian ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari argued after Western ambassadors raised Assad's repressive tactics during the council's biannual meeting to renew the mandate of the UN separation force in the Golan.
"We know there is an attempt to involve the Security Council in our internal issues, which have no relation to the UN mandate," Jaafari complained. "This is a technical decision by the Security Council, which you are trying to use it to put pressure on Syria."
Jaafari also accused the United States, United Kingdom and France for stirring up touble in the middle east Middle East from the Sykes-Picot agreement to the War in Iraq. Even Germany took fire during Jafari's tantrum over its having supplied Israel with submarines with nuclear capability.
The discussion veered to Assad's domestic woes after Ron Prosor, Israel's new ambassador to the UN, accused Syria of sending protesters to the border to provoke Israel and violate its territory.
Prosor said the violence and unrest in the Golan Heights during recent Nakba and Naksa day protests could not have happened without the active involvement of Assad's regime, who Prosor accused of seeking to divert international attention away from internal events in Syria.
France's permanent representative to the UN, Gerard Aruad, also took aim at Syria and steamrollered over Jaafari's objections calling them 'hypoctitical' before going on to lambaste Assad's brutal police crackdown at great length.
"The council can not accept the hypocrisy of Syria exploiting the Palestinians to divert international criticism from Syria's internal problems. This attempt to divert international attention will not distract us from the repressive measure's Assad's regime has taken against its citizens," said Araud.
Britain's ambassador also expressed concern over the violence employed by the regime and the riots at the Israeli-Syrian border. Germany's ambassador joined Britain its its concerns about the incidents at the border.
"The protesters were not able to get to the border without the consent of the Syrian regime, and leaders keep sending people to the border of Israel. They encouraged protesters to reach the border of Israel," Dr. Peter Wittig, Germany's permanent representative to the United Nations said.
"Syria was trying to trigger a flare-up at the border to divert attention from its internal problems. It was behind these provocations" Wittig added bluntly.
US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said, "the US is concerned by reports the Syrian government played a role in organizing the riots to divert attention from the killing of demonstrators in Syria."
Over 1,300 Syrians have been killed by Bashar Assad's regime since protests broke out in his country earlier this year.
Russia and China blocked Western moves to censure Syria during the meeting.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
Syria attempted to shift international focus from President Bashar Al Assad's brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters in his country by raising Israel's 'occupation' of the Golan Heights.
"The real role of the Security Council is to end the illegal occupation of Israel and the Golan," Syrian ambassador to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari argued after Western ambassadors raised Assad's repressive tactics during the council's biannual meeting to renew the mandate of the UN separation force in the Golan.
"We know there is an attempt to involve the Security Council in our internal issues, which have no relation to the UN mandate," Jaafari complained. "This is a technical decision by the Security Council, which you are trying to use it to put pressure on Syria."
Jaafari also accused the United States, United Kingdom and France for stirring up touble in the middle east Middle East from the Sykes-Picot agreement to the War in Iraq. Even Germany took fire during Jafari's tantrum over its having supplied Israel with submarines with nuclear capability.
The discussion veered to Assad's domestic woes after Ron Prosor, Israel's new ambassador to the UN, accused Syria of sending protesters to the border to provoke Israel and violate its territory.
Prosor said the violence and unrest in the Golan Heights during recent Nakba and Naksa day protests could not have happened without the active involvement of Assad's regime, who Prosor accused of seeking to divert international attention away from internal events in Syria.
France's permanent representative to the UN, Gerard Aruad, also took aim at Syria and steamrollered over Jaafari's objections calling them 'hypoctitical' before going on to lambaste Assad's brutal police crackdown at great length.
"The council can not accept the hypocrisy of Syria exploiting the Palestinians to divert international criticism from Syria's internal problems. This attempt to divert international attention will not distract us from the repressive measure's Assad's regime has taken against its citizens," said Araud.
Britain's ambassador also expressed concern over the violence employed by the regime and the riots at the Israeli-Syrian border. Germany's ambassador joined Britain its its concerns about the incidents at the border.
"The protesters were not able to get to the border without the consent of the Syrian regime, and leaders keep sending people to the border of Israel. They encouraged protesters to reach the border of Israel," Dr. Peter Wittig, Germany's permanent representative to the United Nations said.
"Syria was trying to trigger a flare-up at the border to divert attention from its internal problems. It was behind these provocations" Wittig added bluntly.
US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said, "the US is concerned by reports the Syrian government played a role in organizing the riots to divert attention from the killing of demonstrators in Syria."
Over 1,300 Syrians have been killed by Bashar Assad's regime since protests broke out in his country earlier this year.
Russia and China blocked Western moves to censure Syria during the meeting.
Comment on this story
7. Mixed Healthcare News in OECD Report
by Maayana Miskin
The OECD's latest report brought mixed news regarding Israel's standing in relation to other OECD nations.
In good news, Israelis are healthier than most. Infant mortality is relatively low, at 3.8 per 1,000 births compared to an average of 4.4, obesity is lower than the European average, and both men and women have a higher life expectancy than the OECD average.
Fertility is high, with the average Israeli woman giving birth to three children, more than in any other OECD country. The high natural growth means the average working Israeli has more dependents than average.
The report found that while Israelis are in relatively good health, the healthcare system infrastructure is overburdened. Israel's hospitals are the most crowded found among OECD nations, with wards filled to an average of 96.3% of capacity. Staffing received mixed marks: Israel's doctor-to-patient ratio is higher than the average, at 3.4 doctors per 1,000 citizens compared to 3.1, but the nurse-to-patient ratio is low, standing at 4.5 per thousand compared to an average of 9.1.
Israel's hospitals treat an average of 180,000 Palestinian Authority Arabs per year in addition to Israeli patients.
Government funding for public health is just two-thirds the OECD average.
Government: Working to Change
Government officials accepted the report, and said they are working to improve the healthcare system. The Health Ministry will add 1,000 hospital beds in the next five years, said Deputy Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman.
Ministry Director-General Ronny Gamzu said the report indicates “challenges” for the system to work on. The ministry has made steps in the right direction, he said, “Over the course of the past year we have worked to allot more beds [in hospitals], and we are in the midst of a process aimed at increasing manpower in the healthcare system and distributing it in a manner that will more effectively meet needs.”
The ministry also plans to fight public health threats such as obesity, smoking, and alcohol abuse, he said.
Ministry officials have been in talks with the Israel Medical Association for months as doctors carry out a partial strike. Doctors are calling for higher wages, an end to back-to-back shifts adding to more than 20 hours, and an end to understaffing.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
The OECD's latest report brought mixed news regarding Israel's standing in relation to other OECD nations.
In good news, Israelis are healthier than most. Infant mortality is relatively low, at 3.8 per 1,000 births compared to an average of 4.4, obesity is lower than the European average, and both men and women have a higher life expectancy than the OECD average.
Fertility is high, with the average Israeli woman giving birth to three children, more than in any other OECD country. The high natural growth means the average working Israeli has more dependents than average.
The report found that while Israelis are in relatively good health, the healthcare system infrastructure is overburdened. Israel's hospitals are the most crowded found among OECD nations, with wards filled to an average of 96.3% of capacity. Staffing received mixed marks: Israel's doctor-to-patient ratio is higher than the average, at 3.4 doctors per 1,000 citizens compared to 3.1, but the nurse-to-patient ratio is low, standing at 4.5 per thousand compared to an average of 9.1.
Israel's hospitals treat an average of 180,000 Palestinian Authority Arabs per year in addition to Israeli patients.
Government funding for public health is just two-thirds the OECD average.
Government: Working to Change
Government officials accepted the report, and said they are working to improve the healthcare system. The Health Ministry will add 1,000 hospital beds in the next five years, said Deputy Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman.
Ministry Director-General Ronny Gamzu said the report indicates “challenges” for the system to work on. The ministry has made steps in the right direction, he said, “Over the course of the past year we have worked to allot more beds [in hospitals], and we are in the midst of a process aimed at increasing manpower in the healthcare system and distributing it in a manner that will more effectively meet needs.”
The ministry also plans to fight public health threats such as obesity, smoking, and alcohol abuse, he said.
Ministry officials have been in talks with the Israel Medical Association for months as doctors carry out a partial strike. Doctors are calling for higher wages, an end to back-to-back shifts adding to more than 20 hours, and an end to understaffing.
Comment on this story
8. Violent Workers Fired Following A7 Expose
by Maayana Miskin
Jordan River Rafting site managers announced Thursday night that they have fired Arab workers who attacked yeshiva students and their rabbi earlier in the day. The announcement followed an Arutz Sheva expose on the incident.
The company had initially denied that the incident took place, then later attempted to place blame on the students, claiming that they had instigated the violence.
However, after the incident was made public, managers agreed to conduct an investigation. At its conclusion, they announced that the workers involved had been fired. Manager Eran Gigi said, “Jordan River Rafting invests in visitors' safety, and will take care that such incidents do not occur in the future.”
Thursday's incident began when a Bedouin tractor driver sped at students from Yeshivat Bnei Tzvi and threatened them. Another Bedouin man then hit one of the students in the face. The student responded by spraying him with tear gas.
A Bedouin worker then chased the students' rabbi with a rock and knocked him to the ground. He agreed to leave the rabbi alone only after students began a commotion.
Five students were treated for light injuries at a local clinic after the incident. The group then continued its tour of the region. Students managed to videotape the incident.
The police response to the incident is still pending.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Jordan River Rafting site managers announced Thursday night that they have fired Arab workers who attacked yeshiva students and their rabbi earlier in the day. The announcement followed an Arutz Sheva expose on the incident.
The company had initially denied that the incident took place, then later attempted to place blame on the students, claiming that they had instigated the violence.
However, after the incident was made public, managers agreed to conduct an investigation. At its conclusion, they announced that the workers involved had been fired. Manager Eran Gigi said, “Jordan River Rafting invests in visitors' safety, and will take care that such incidents do not occur in the future.”
Thursday's incident began when a Bedouin tractor driver sped at students from Yeshivat Bnei Tzvi and threatened them. Another Bedouin man then hit one of the students in the face. The student responded by spraying him with tear gas.
A Bedouin worker then chased the students' rabbi with a rock and knocked him to the ground. He agreed to leave the rabbi alone only after students began a commotion.
Five students were treated for light injuries at a local clinic after the incident. The group then continued its tour of the region. Students managed to videotape the incident.
The police response to the incident is still pending.
Comment on this story
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Punishing Pakistan and Challenging China
Pakistan in Pieces, Part 2
By Andrew Gavin Marshall
URL of this article: www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25440
Global Research, June 30, 2011
This is Part 2 of "Pakistan in Pieces."Part 1: Imperial Eye on Pakistan
The AfPak War Theatre: Establishing the New Strategy
As Senator Obama became the President-elect Obama, his foreign policy strategy on Afghanistan was already being formed. In 2007, Obama took on veteran geostrategist and Jimmy Carter’s former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski as one of his top foreign policy advisers,[1] and he remained his foreign policy adviser throughout 2008.[2] On Obama’s campaign, he announced that as President, he would scale down the war in Iraq, and focus the “War on Terror” on Afghanistan, promising “to send in about 10,000 more troops and to strike next-door Pakistan, if top terrorists are spotted there.”[3]
In
October of 2008, before the Presidential elections, “senior Bush
administration officials gathered in secret with Afghanistan experts
from NATO and the United Nations,” to deliver a message to advisers of
McCain and Obama to tell them that, “the situation in Afghanistan is
getting worse,” and “that the next president needed to have a plan for
Afghanistan before he took office,” or else, “it could be too late.”[4]
Both McCain and Obama had agreed to a troop increase for Afghanistan,
essentially ensuring the “continuity of empire” from one administration
to the next.
A
week after winning the election, Obama invited one of Hillary Clinton’s
top supporters and advisers to meet with him. Richard Holbrooke, who
had worked in every Democratic administration since John F. Kennedy,
“which extended from the Vietnam War, in the sixties, to the Balkan
conflicts of the nineties,” was Clinton’s Ambassador to the United
Nations for the last year and a half of the Clinton administration.
Obama had decided “that Holbrooke should take on the hardest
foreign-policy problem that the Administration faced: Afghanistan and
Pakistan.” Holbrooke wrote in March of 2008, before Obama won the
Presidency, that, “The conflict in Afghanistan will be far more costly
and much, much longer than Americans realize,” and it “will eventually
become the longest in American history.”[5]
The
position Holbrooke was to receive in the Obama administration was one
created specifically for him. He was to become a “special
representative” to the region of Afghanistan and Pakistan:
[I]n
addition to being an emissary to the region, Holbrooke would run
operations on the civilian side of American policy. He would create a
rump regional bureau within the State Department, carved out of the
Bureau of South and Central Asia, whose Afghanistan and Pakistan desks
would report directly to him. He would assemble outside experts and
officials from various government agencies to work for him, and he would
report to the President through Hillary Clinton. Clinton told Holbrooke
that he would be the civilian counterpart to General David Petraeus,
the military head of Central Command.[6]
Holbrooke
was thus placed in charge of “Af-Pak”, a term of his own creation, “to
make the point that the two countries could not be dealt with
separately,” which was then adopted into official parlance.[7]
In
November of 2008, the Washington Post reported that while Obama was
considering giving the position of Secretary of State (which he then
did), he was also discussing giving General James L. Jones the position
of National Security Adviser, which he subsequently did. The article
stated that, “Obama is considering expanding the scope of the job to
give the adviser the kind of authority once wielded by powerful figures
such as Henry A. Kissinger.” James Jones was a former NATO commander and
Marine Corps commandant.[8]
Jones
as NATO commander was pivotal in assembling troops for the war in
Afghanistan, and at the time of his nomination as NSA (National Security
Adviser), he headed “the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st
Century Energy.”[9] The official statement of purpose for the Institute
for 21st Century Energy is:
to
unify energy policymakers, regulators, business leaders, and the
American public behind a common sense strategy that ensures affordable,
reliable, and diverse energy supplies, improves environmental
stewardship, promotes economic growth, and strengthens national
security.[10]
Jones
earned $900,000 in salary from the Chamber of Commerce, and got
$330,000 from serving on the board of Boeing and $290,000 for serving on
the board of Chevron upon his resignations of those positions to become
National Security Adviser.[11] In October of 2010, Jones was replaced
as National Security Advisor by Tom Donilon.
On
February 8, 2009, within weeks of being installed as NSA, Jones gave a
speech at the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy, in which he
stated:
As
the most recent National Security Advisor of the United States, I take
my daily orders from Dr. [Henry] Kissinger, filtered down through
Generaal Brent Scowcroft and Sandy Berger, who is also here. We have a
chain of command in the National Security Council that exists today.[12]
He
then elaborated on the purpose and restructuring of the National
Security Council under the Obama administration. He stated that the NSC
“must be strategic” in that, “we won’t effectively advance the
priorities if we spend our time reacting to events, instead of shaping
them. And that requires strategic thinking.” He further stated that:
the
NSC today works very closely with President Obama’s National Economic
Council, which is led by Mr. Larry Summers, so that our response to the
economic crisis is coordinated with our global partners and our national
security needs.[13]
Shortly
after taking office, Obama set up a two-month White House strategic
review of Afghanistan and Pakistan, to be headed by Bruce Riedel, a
former CIA official and scholar at the Brookings Institution, and
“Riedel will report to Obama and to retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones
Jr., the national security advisor,” and was to work very closely with
Richard Holbrooke in drafting the policy review.[14]
In
February of 2009, Henry Kissinger wrote an article for the Washington
Post describing the strategy America should undertake in Afghanistan and
Pakistan, emphasizing the role of “security” over the aim of “reform”
of the Afghan government, stating that, “Reform will require decades; it
should occur as a result of, and even side by side with, the attainment
of security -- but it cannot be the precondition for it.” Militarily,
Kissinger recommended the “control of Kabul and the Pashtun area,” which
stretches from Afghanistan to the North-West Frontier Province and
Balochistan province in Pakistan. When it came to the issue of Pakistan,
Kissinger wrote:
The
conduct of Pakistan will be crucial. Pakistan's leaders must face the
fact that continued toleration of the sanctuaries -- or continued
impotence with respect to them -- will draw their country ever deeper
into an international maelstrom.[15]
Following
the policy review, on March 27, Obama announced the administration’s
new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, decidedly to make it a dual
strategy: the AfPak strategy. Obama promised “to send lawyers and
agricultural experts to Afghanistan to reform its government and
economy, and to offer seven and a half billion dollars in new aid for
schools, roads, and democracy in Pakistan.”[16]
Holbrooke
had a staff of 30 in the State Department, and “nine government
agencies, including the C.I.A., the F.B.I., the Defense and Treasury
Departments, and two foreign countries, Britain and Canada, [were]
represented in the office.” General David Patraeus, then Commander of
U.S. CENTCOM (the Pentagon’s Central Command with authority over the
Middle East, Egypt and Central Asia), along with then-Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen, and Richard Holbrooke worked together
and “pressured General Ashfaq Kayani, the head of the Pakistani Army, to
push back against the Taliban in Swat,” which had the effect of
precipitating the internal displacement of more than 2 million
people.[17]
Changing Strategy, Changing Command
In
January of 2009, shortly after Obama took office, he announced that his
administration “picked Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry, a former top
military commander in Afghanistan, to be the next United States
ambassador to Kabul,” of which the New York Times said:
Tapping
a career Army officer who will soon retire from the service to fill one
of the country’s most sensitive diplomatic jobs is a highly unusual
choice.[18]
Further,
the General had “repeatedly warned that the United States could not
prevail in Afghanistan and defeat global terrorism without addressing
the havens that fighters with Al Qaeda had established in neighboring
Pakistan,” which is parallel to the new strategy in Afghanistan. His
appointment “has the backing of Richard C. Holbrooke, President Obama’s
special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.”[19]
On
May 11, Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired General David D.
McKiernan, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF), which commands all NATO forces in Afghanistan. Gates stated
that, “It's time for new leadership and fresh eyes,” and that it was the
Pentagon command which recommended the White House fire McKiernan,
including Gates, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mullen and McKiernan’s
military boss, General Patraeus, Commander of CENTCOM.[20]
There
has been much speculation as to the reasons for his firing, and it is a
significant question to ask, as the firing of a General in the field is
a rarity in the American experience. The general view pushed by the
Pentagon was that it was due to a matter of “consistency,” as in
changing strategies and changing ambassadors, it was also necessary to
change Generals. While McKiernan was focused on military means and
tactics, the strategy required counter-insurgency tactics. It was
reported that, “McKiernan was overly cautious in creating U.S.-backed
local militias, a tactic that Petraeus had employed when he was the top
commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.”[21]
One
Washington Post article made the claim that the push to fire McKiernan
came initially and most forcefully from the Chairman of the JCS Mullen,
and that Gates agreed and lobbied Obama to fire him. The reasoning was
that McKiernan was “too deferential to NATO” in that he wasn’t able to
properly manage the NATO forces in Afghanistan, and lacked the political
fortitude to manage both military and political affairs.[22]
The
official reason for the firing was mostly to facilitate alignment with
the new strategy requiring a new military commander, which is likely
true. However, it requires an understanding of the new strategy as well
as a look at who was sent in to replace McKiernan where you realize the
true nature of his being fired. [Note: McChrystal himself was later
fired in 2010 after publicly speaking out against top administration
officials].
McKiernan
was replaced with Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, former Commander of
the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), the highly
secretive command of U.S. Special Forces operations. As the Washington
Post pointed out, his appointment “marks the continued ascendancy of
officers who have pressed for the use of counterinsurgency tactics, in
Iraq and Afghanistan, that are markedly different from the Army's
traditional doctrine.”[23]
The
new AfPak strategy, which McChrystal would oversee, “relies on the kind
of special forces and counterinsurgency tactics McChrystal knows well,
as well as nonmilitary approaches to confronting the Taliban. It would
hinge success in the seven-year-old war to political and other
conditions across the border in Pakistan.”[24]
In
March of 2009, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh revealed that the
U.S. military was running an “executive assassination ring” during the
Bush years, and that the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) was
running it, and that, “It is a special wing of our special operations
community that is set up independently,” and that, “They do not report
to anybody, except in the Bush-Cheney days, they reported directly to
the Cheney office... Congress has no oversight of it.” He elaborated:
Under
President Bush’s authority, they’ve been going into countries, not
talking to the ambassador or the CIA station chief, and finding people
on a list and executing them and leaving. That’s been going on, in the
name of all of us.[25]
Hersh appeared on Amy Goodman’s program, Democracy Now, to further discuss the program, of which he stated:
There’s
more—at least a dozen countries and perhaps more. The President has
authorized these kinds of actions in the Middle East and also in Latin
America, I will tell you, Central America, some countries. They’ve
been—our boys have been told they can go and take the kind of executive
action they need, and that’s simply—there’s no legal basis for it.[26]
At
the time this news story broke, it was reported that the JSOC commander
at the time, “ordered a halt to most commando missions in Afghanistan,
reflecting a growing concern that civilian deaths caused by American
firepower are jeopardizing broader goals there.” The halt lasted a total
of two weeks, and “came after a series of nighttime raids by Special
Operations troops in recent months killed women and children.”[27]
All
of this is very concerning, considering that the new Commander of NATO
operations in Afghanistan, was the former head of the “executive
assassination ring.” Having run JSOC between 2003 and 2008, McChrystal
“built a sophisticated network of soldiers and intelligence operatives,”
which conducted operations and assassinations in Iraq, Afghanistan, as
well as Pakistan.”[28]
In
June it was reported that McChrystal was “given carte blanche to
handpick a dream team of subordinates, including many Special Operations
veterans, as he moves to carry out an ambitious new strategy.” He was
reported to be assembling a corps of 400 officers and soldiers “who will
rotate between the United States and Afghanistan for a minimum of three
years.” The New York Times referred to this strategy as “unknown in the
military today outside Special Operations.” The Times further reported
that McChrystal:
picked
the senior intelligence adviser to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Maj. Gen.
Michael T. Flynn, to join him in Kabul as director of intelligence
there. In Washington, Brig. Gen. Scott Miller, a longtime Special
Operations officer now assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff but who had
served previously under General McChrystal, is now organizing a new
Pakistan-Afghanistan Coordination Cell.[29]
In
June of 2006, Newsweek referred to McChrystal’s JSOC as being a “part
of what Vice President Dick Cheney was referring to when he said America
would have to ‘work the dark side’ after 9/11.” McChrystal also
happened to be a Fellow at Harvard and the Council on Foreign
Relations.[30]
As
it was later revealed, the CIA had been running – from 2002 onwards – a
force of roughly 3,000 elite paramilitary Afghans, purportedly to hunt
al-Qaeda and the Taliban for the CIA. Used for reconnaissance,
surveillance, and actual operations, many in the force have been trained
by the CIA in the United States, and their operations and numbers have
expanded since the new strategy involving Pakistan was put in place. The
paramilitary force – or terrorists, depending upon one’s perspective –
are undertaking covert operations inside Pakistan, often working
directly with U.S. Special Forces.[31] It must be remembered that during
the Afghan-Soviet war in the 1980s when the CIA was funding, arming and
training the Afghan Mujahideen to fight the Soviets – late to become
known as ‘al-Qaeda’ – they were, at the time, referred to as “freedom
fighters,” just as the terrorist death squads were referred to in
Nicaragua. Thus, the nomenclature of “paramilitary force” must be viewed
with suspicion as to what the group is actually doing: covert
operations, surveillance, assassinations, etc., which by many
definitions would make them a terrorist outfit.
In
May of 2009, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was reported as
saying that a US military offensive in southern Afghanistan could have
the effect of pushing militants and Taliban into Pakistan, “whose troops
are already struggling to combat militants.” Chairman Mike Mullen
stated that this means that Pakistan “could face even greater turmoil in
the months ahead.” This was based off of a US surge of troops in
Afghanistan. Senator Russ Feingold said that, “We may end up further
destabilizing Pakistan without providing substantial lasting
improvements in Afghanistan,” and that, “Weak civilian governments, an
increased number of militants and an expanded U.S. troop presence could
be a recipe for disaster for those nations in the region as well as our
own nation's security.” Mullen responded to the Senator’s concerns by
stating, “Can I... (be) 100 percent certain that won't destabilize
Pakistan? I don't know the answer to that.”[32]
But
of course, the answer is in fact, certain; and it’s an unequivocal
“yes”. These remarks were made following the surge of an additional
21,000 US troops to Afghanistan in March. In the beginning of May,
Pakistan launched a military offensive against the Taliban in Swat and
other areas of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), after a peace
deal broke down between them, “forcing more than two million people from
their homes.”[33] It was further reported that:
Pakistani
military chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani has told U.S. officials he's worried
not only about Taliban moving across the border, but also the
possibility that U.S. forces could prompt an exodus of refugees from
southern Afghanistan.[34]
In
May, Holbrooke and the American military establishment had pressured
the Pakistani government to undertake the offensive against the Taliban
in the Swat Valley, which led to the displacement of more than 2 million
people. As the New Yorker put it, Holbrooke “was mapping out a new
vision for American interests in a volatile region, as his old friend
Henry Kissinger had done in Southeast Asia. And he was positioning
himself to be a mediator in an international conflict, as he had done in
the Balkans.”[35]
In
September of 2009 a classified report written by General McChrystal was
leaked, in which he had concluded, “that a successful counterinsurgency
strategy will require 500,000 troops over five years.”[36] It was
further reported in September that, “the CIA is deploying teams of
spies, analysts and paramilitary operatives to Afghanistan, part of a
broad intelligence ‘surge’ that will make its station there among the
largest in the agency's history,” rivaling its stations in Iraq and
Vietnam at the height of those wars. The initiative began “under
pressure from Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal,” and the extra personnel
are being employed in a number of ways, including teaming up with
Special Forces troops in “pursuing high-value targets.” Further:
The
intelligence expansion goes beyond the CIA to involve every major spy
service, officials said, including the National Security Agency, which
intercepts calls and e-mails, as well as the Defense Intelligence
Agency, which tracks military threats.[37]
In
October of 2009, it was reported by the Washington Post that although
Obama announced a troop surge in Afghanistan of 21,000 additional
troops, “in an unannounced move, the White House has also authorized --
and the Pentagon is deploying -- at least 13,000 troops beyond that
number.” It was reported that these additional forces were primarily
made up of “support forces, including engineers, medical personnel,
intelligence experts and military police.” Thus, it brings the total
2009 surge in Afghanistan to 34,000 US troops. Thus as of October 2009,
there were 68,000 US troops in Afghanistan (more than double the amount
of when Bush left office), and 124,000 US troops in Iraq.[38]
In
early October, Henry Kissinger wrote an article for Newsweek in which
he proposed a strategy for the US in Afghanistan, in which he initially
made it clear that he supported General McChrystal’s proposal of sending
an additional 40,000 troops to Afghanistan. Kissinger proclaimed that
calls for an “exit strategy” were a “metaphor for withdrawal,” which is
tantamount to “abandonment.” Clearly, Kissinger favours a long-term
presence. He stated that even a victory “may not permit troop
withdrawals,” citing the case of South Korea. Kissinger further wrote on
the options for Afghan strategy, stating:
A
negotiation with the [Taliban] might isolate Al Qaeda and lead to its
defeat, in return for not challenging the Taliban in the governance of
Afghanistan. After all, it was the Taliban which provided bases for Al
Qaeda in the first place.
This
theory seems to me to be too clever by half. Al Qaeda and the Taliban
are unlikely to be able to be separated so neatly geographically. It
would also imply the partition of Afghanistan along functional lines,
for it is highly improbable that the civic actions on which our policies
are based could be carried out in areas controlled by the Taliban. Even
so-called realists—like me—would gag at a tacit U.S. cooperation with
the Taliban in the governance of Afghanistan.[39]
Kissinger
further claimed that a reduction of forces in Afghanistan would
“fundamentally affect domestic stability in Pakistan by freeing the
Qaeda forces along the Afghan border for even deeper incursions into
Pakistan, threatening domestic chaos,” and that, “the prospects of world
order will be greatly affected by whether our strategy comes to be
perceived as a retreat from the region, or a more effective way to
sustain it.”[40]
He
further explained that any attempts to “endow the central government
with overriding authority” could produce resistance, which would “be
ironic if, by following the received counterinsurgency playbook too
literally, we produced another motive for civil war.” Kissinger thus
proposed a strategy not aimed at “control from Kabul,” but rather,
“emphasis needs to be given to regional efforts and regional militia.”
Kissinger explained the regional importance of Afghanistan, and thus,
the “challenge” of American strategy:
The
special aspect of Afghanistan is that it has powerful neighbors or near
neighbors—Pakistan, India, China, Russia, Iran. Each is threatened in
one way or another and, in many respects, more than we are by the
emergence of a base for international terrorism: Pakistan by Al Qaeda;
India by general jihadism and specific terror groups; China by
fundamentalist Shiite jihadists in Xinjiang; Russia by unrest in the
Muslim south; even Iran by the fundamentalist Sunni Taliban. Each has
substantial capacities for defending its interests. Each has chosen, so
far, to stand more or less aloof.[41]
In November of 2009, Malalai Joya, a former Afghan MP and one of the few female political leaders in Afghanistan, said that:
Eight
years ago, the U.S. and NATO—under the banner of women's rights, human
rights, and democracy—occupied my country and pushed us from the frying
pan into the fire . . . Eight years is enough to know better about the
corrupt, mafia system of [President] Hamid Karzai . . . My people are
crushed between two powerful enemies . . . From the sky, occupation
forces bomb and kill civilians... and on the ground, the Taliban and
warlords continue their crimes . . . It is better that they leave my
country; my people are that fed up . . . Occupation will never bring
liberation, and it is impossible to bring democracy by war.[42]
In
late November, Pakistani Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani warned “that the
US's decision to send thousands of extra troops to Afghanistan may
destabilize his country,” as it would likely lead to “a spill over of
militants inside Pakistan.” In particular, it could force militants and
Taliban to migrate into Pakistan’s southern province of Balochistan.[43]
On
December 1, President Obama announced that the U.S. would send an
additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan by summer 2010, and with a
“plan” to purportedly withdraw by July 2011. As the Washington Post
reported, “adding 30,000 U.S. troops to the roughly 70,000 that are in
Afghanistan now amounts to most of what Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the
commander of U.S. and NATO forces there, requested at the end of
August.” Obama stated that the chief objective was to “destroy
al-Qaeda,” and a senior administration official said that, “the goal for
the Afghan army, for example, is to increase its ranks from 90,000 to
134,000 by the end of 2010.”[44]
President
Karzai said in early December that, “Afghanistan's security forces will
need U.S. support for another 15 to 20 years,” and that, “it would take
five years for his forces to assume responsibility for security
throughout the country.”[45] This statement supports the conclusions set
out in McChrystal’s classified report, which stated that the US would
need to remain for at least 5 years.
Seth
Jones, a civilian adviser to the U.S. military and senior political
scientist at RAND Corporation, one of America’s top defense think tanks,
wrote an op-ed for the New York Times in December titled, “Take the War
to Pakistan.” He stated that the U.S. is repeating the same mistakes of
the Soviets when they occupied Afghanistan in the 1980s by not
attacking the Taliban “sanctuary” in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province. He
stated that, “This sanctuary is critical because the Afghan war is
organized and run out of Baluchistan.” He then proclaimed that, “the
United States and Pakistan must target Taliban leaders in Baluchistan,”
which could include conducting raids into Pakistani territory or hit
Taliban leaders with drone strikes.[46]
As
Jeremy Scahill reported in June 2009, “more than 240,000 contractor
employees, about 80 percent of them foreign nationals, are working in
Iraq and Afghanistan to support operations and projects of the U.S.
military, the Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International
Development.” Scahill reported on the findings of a Defense Department
report on contracting work in the war zones, stating that, “there has
been a 23% increase in the number of ‘Private Security Contractors’
working for the Department of Defense in Iraq in the second quarter of
2009 and a 29% increase in Afghanistan, which ‘correlates to the build
up of forces’ in the country.” While contractors outnumbered forces in
Afghanistan, in Iraq they were roughly equal to the US forces occupying
the country, at 130,000.[47]
It
was reported that as Obama ordered more troops to Afghanistan in
December of 2009, a new surge of contractors would follow suit. As of
June 2009, the number of contractors in Afghanistan outweighed the US
military presence itself, with 73,968 contractors and 55,107 troops.
According to different estimates, “Between 7% and 16% of the total are
Blackwater-style private security contractors.” As of December 2009, the
number of contractors in Afghanistan was reported to be 104,100.[48]
In
January of 2010, as Obama’s announced 30,000 extra troops began to be
deployed to Afghanistan, Pakistani officials became increasingly fearful
that “a stepped-up war just over the border could worsen the
increasingly bloody struggle with militancy” within Pakistan itself,
ultimately further destabilizing Pakistan’s southwestern border and the
“already volatile tribal areas in the northwest.” On top of sending
militants into Pakistan, there were fears that it would exacerbate the
flow of Afghan refugees into Pakistani territory.[49]
Blackwater and the “Secret War” in Pakistan
In
November of 2009, investigative journalist and best-selling author
Jeremy Scahill wrote an exclusive report on the secret war of the United
States in Pakistan. The story sheds light on the American strategy in
the region aimed at the destabilization and ultimately the implosion of
Pakistan. The chief architects and administrators of this policy in
Pakistan are none other than the Joint Special Operations Command
(JSOC), previously run as an “executive assassination ring” by General
McChrystal, and the infamous mercenary organization, Blackwater, now
known as Xe Services. JSOC and Blackwater work together covertly in
undertaking a covert war in yet another nation in the region, adding to
the list of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Scahill
described the covert operations as “targeted assassinations of
suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives,” as well as “other sensitive
action inside and outside Pakistan.” Further, “the Blackwater operatives
also assist in gathering intelligence and help direct a secret US
military drone bombing campaign that runs parallel to the
well-documented CIA predator strikes.” The sources for the report are
drawn heavily from individuals within the US military intelligence
apparatus. One source revealed that the program is so
“compartmentalized” that “senior figures within the Obama administration
and the US military chain of command may not be aware of its
existence.” This program is also separate from the CIA’s own programs,
including both drone attacks and assassinations, of which the CIA
assassination program was said to be cancelled in June of 2009.
It
was in 2006 that JSOC reached an agreement with the Pakistani
government to run operations within the country, back when Stanley
McChrystal was running it in close cooperation with Vice President Dick
Cheney as an “executive assassination ring.” A former Blackwater
executive confirmed that Blackwater was operating in Pakistan in
cooperation with both the CIA and JSOC, as well as being on a
subcontract for the Pakistani government itself, as well as “working for
the Pakistani government on a subcontract with an Islamabad-based
security firm that puts US Blackwater operatives on the ground with
Pakistani forces in counter-terrorism operations, including house raids
and border interdictions, in the North-West Frontier Province and
elsewhere in Pakistan.”
JSOC’s
covert program in liaison with Blackwater in Pakistan dates back to
2007, and the operations are coordinated out of the US Bagram Air Base
in Afghanistan, and that Blackwater operates at “an ultra-exclusive
level above top secret.” The contracts are all kept secret, and
therefore “shielded from public oversight.” On top of carrying out
operations for JSOC and the CIA inside Pakistan, Blackwater further
conducts operations in Uzbekistan.
In
regards to the drone strikes within Pakistan, while largely reported as
being a part of the CIA drone program, many are, in fact, undertaken
under a covert parallel JSOC program. One intelligence source told
Jeremy Scahill that, “when you see some of these hits, especially the
ones with high civilian casualties, those are almost always JSOC
strikes.” Further, Blackwater is involved in the drone strike program
with JSOC, “Contractors and especially JSOC personnel working under a
classified mandate are not [overseen by Congress], so they just don't
care. If there's one person they're going after and there's thirty-four
people in the building, thirty-five people are going to die. That's the
mentality.” Blackwater further provides security for many secret US
drone bases, as well as JSOC camps and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
camps within Pakistan.
With
General McChrystal’s rise from JSOC Commander to Commander of the
Afghan war theatre (which in military-strategic terms now includes
Pakistan under the umbrella of “AfPak”), “there is a concomitant rise in
JSOC's power and influence within the military structure.” McChrystal
had overseen JSOC during the majority of the Bush years, where he worked
very closely and directly with Vice President Cheney and Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld. As Seymour Hersh had exposed, JSOC operated as
an “executive assassination ring” and had caused many problematic
diplomatic situations for the United States, as even the State
Department wasn’t informed about their operations. One high-level State
Department official was quoted as saying:
The
only way we found out about it is our ambassadors started to call us
and say, 'Who the hell are these six-foot-four white males with
eighteen-inch biceps walking around our capital cities?' So we
discovered this, we discovered one in South America, for example,
because he actually murdered a taxi driver, and we had to get him out of
there real quick. We rendered him--we rendered him home.[50]
Blackwater
is also involved in providing “security for a US-backed aid project” in
a region of Pakistan, which implies that even some aid projects are
connected with military and intelligence operations, often using them as
a cover for covert operations. Blackwater still operates in Afghanistan
working for the US military, the State Department and the CIA. As one
military-intelligence official stated:
Having
learned its lessons after the private security contracting fiasco in
Iraq, Blackwater has shifted its operational focus to two venues:
protecting things that are in danger and anticipating other places we're
going to go as a nation that are dangerous.[51]
Mmuch
of Scahill’s information has been supported by other mainstream news
sources. In August of 2009, the New York Times reported that in 2004,
the CIA “hired outside contractors from the private security contractor
Blackwater USA as part of a secret program to locate and assassinate top
operatives of Al Qaeda.” The CIA had held high-level meetings with
Blackwater founder and former Navy SEAL Erik Prince. The article also
revealed that in 2002, Blackwater had been awarded the contract to
handle security for the CIA station in Afghanistan, “and the company
maintains other classified contracts with the C.I.A.” Blackwater has
hired several former CIA officials, “including Cofer Black, who ran the
C.I.A. counterterrorism center immediately after the Sept. 11
attacks.”[52]
On
December 10, 2009, the New York Times reported that in both Afghanistan
and Iraq, Blackwater “participated in some of the C.I.A.’s most
sensitive activities — clandestine raids with agency officers against
people suspected of being insurgents.” These raids, referred to as
“snatch and grab” operations, occurred almost nightly between 2004 and
2006, and that, “involvement in the operations became so routine that
the lines supposedly dividing the Central Intelligence Agency, the
military and Blackwater became blurred.” One former CIA official was
quoted as saying, “There was a feeling that Blackwater eventually became
an extension of the agency.” Further, Blackwater was reported to have
provided security not only for the CIA station in Afghanistan, but also
in Iraq; and in both countries, Blackwater “personnel accompanied the
[CIA] officers even on offensive operations sometimes begun in
conjunction with Delta Force or Navy Seals teams.”[53]
In
late August it was reported that Blackwater had a CIA contract to
operate the remotely piloted drones, carried out at “hidden bases” in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as provide security at the bases.[54]
In December, the New York Times ran a story reporting that the CIA had
terminated its contract with Blackwater “that allowed the company to
load bombs on C.I.A. drones in Pakistan and Afghanistan.” However, while
the CIA claimed that all Blackwater contracts were under review, a CIA
spokesperson said that, “At this time, Blackwater is not involved in any
C.I.A. operations other than in a security or support role,”[55] which
is still a very wide role, considering how the roles have been blurred
between providing “security” and actively taking part in missions.
As
the Guardian reported in December of 2009, Blackwater had a contract in
Pakistan “to manage the construction of a training facility for the
paramilitary Frontier Corps, just outside Peshawar,” which is the
Pakistani Army’s paramilitary force.[56] Despite a continual official
denial of Blackwater involvement in Pakistan, in December, the CIA
admitted Blackwater operates in Pakistan under CIA contracts,[57] and in
January of 2010, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates confirmed that both
Blackwater (now known as Xe Services) and DynCorp have been operating in
Pakistan.[58]
However,
some reports indicate that Blackwater may be involved in even more
nefarious activities inside Pakistan. A former head of Pakistani’s
intelligence services, the ISI, stated in an interview that apart from
simply taking part in drone attacks, Blackwater “may be involved in
actions that destabilize the country.” Elaborating, he said, “My
assessment is that they [Blackwater agents] — either themselves or most
probably through others, through the locals — do carry out some of the
explosions,” and that, “the idea is to carry out such actions, like
carrying attacks in the civilian areas to make the others look bad in
the eyes of the public.” In other words, according to the former head of
the ISI, Blackwater may be involved in committing false flag terrorist
attacks inside Pakistan.[59]
In
November of 2009, Al-Jazeera reported that while many attacks occurring
across Pakistan are blamed on the Tehreek e-Taliban, Pakistan’s
Taliban, “the group has issued its first video statement denying
involvement in targeting civilians and has blamed external forces for at
least two recent blasts.” The denial stated that the attacks are being
used as an excuse to prepare for military operations in various tribal
regions of Pakistan, including South Waziristan. The denial also stated
that the Pakistani Taliban “had no role in the bomb blast in a Peshawar
market that killed at least 100 people as well as an attack in Charsada,
a town located in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.” The
spokesperson claimed that the Pakistani Taliban does not target
civilians, and that the bombings were “linked to Blackwater activities
in the country.” Even when the bombings initially occurred the Taliban
denied involvement, and the local media was blaming “Blackwater and
other American agencies.”[60]
The
head of the Pakistani Taliban had previously stated that, “if Taliban
can carry out attacks in Islamabad and target Pakistan army's
headquarters, then why should they target general public,” and proceeded
to blame the bomb blast in Peshawar that killed 108 people on
“Blackwater and Pakistani agencies [that] are involved in attacks in
public places to blame the militants.” He was further quoted as saying,
“Our war is against the government and the security forces and not
against the people. We are not involved in blasts.”[61]
In
January of 2010, it was reported that Blackwater “is in the running for
a Pentagon contract potentially worth $1 billion to train Afghanistan's
troubled national police force,” as Blackwater already “trains the
Afghan border police — an arm of the national police — and drug
interdiction units in volatile southern Afghanistan.”[62]
As
Jeremy Scahill reported in August of 2009 on a legal case against
Blackwater, where a former Blackwater mercenary and an ex-US Marine
“have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed
on August 3 in federal court in Virginia.” Among the claims:
The
two men claim that the company's owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered
or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with
federal authorities investigating the company. The former employee also
alleges that Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with
eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe," and that
Prince's companies "encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi
life."[63]
Further,
both men stated that Blackwater was smuggling weapons into Iraq, often
on Erik Prince’s private planes. These allegations surfaced in a trial
against Blackwater for committing human rights violations and war crimes
in Iraq against civilians. One of those who testified further stated
that, “On several occasions after my departure from Mr. Prince's employ,
Mr. Prince's management has personally threatened me with death and
violence.” The testimony continued in explaining that:
Mr.
Prince intentionally deployed to Iraq certain men who shared his vision
of Christian supremacy, knowing and wanting these men to take every
available opportunity to murder Iraqis. Many of these men used call
signs based on the Knights of the Templar, the warriors who fought the
Crusades.
Mr.
Prince operated his companies in a manner that encouraged and rewarded
the destruction of Iraqi life. For example, Mr. Prince's executives
would openly speak about going over to Iraq to "lay Hajiis out on
cardboard." Going to Iraq to shoot and kill Iraqis was viewed as a sport
or game. Mr. Prince's employees openly and consistently used racist and
derogatory terms for Iraqis and other Arabs, such as "ragheads" or
"hajiis."[64]
In
January of 2010, Erik Prince, the controversial founder and CEO of
Blackwater gave an interview with Vanity Fair magazine which was
intended to not simply discuss the company, but also the man behind the
company. It begins by quoting Prince as saying, “I put myself and my
company at the C.I.A.’s disposal for some very risky missions,” and
continued, “But when it became politically expedient to do so, someone
threw me under the bus.” It is worth quoting the article at some length:
Publicly,
[Erik Prince] has served as Blackwater’s C.E.O. and chairman.
Privately, and secretly, he has been doing the C.I.A.’s bidding, helping
to craft, fund, and execute operations ranging from inserting personnel
into “denied areas”—places U.S. intelligence has trouble penetrating—to
assembling hit teams targeting al-Qaeda members and their allies.
Prince, according to sources with knowledge of his activities, has been
working as a C.I.A. asset: in a word, as a spy. While his company was
busy gleaning more than $1.5 billion in government contracts between
2001 and 2009—by acting, among other things, as an overseas Praetorian
guard for C.I.A. and State Department officials—Prince became a Mr.
Fix-It in the war on terror. His access to paramilitary forces, weapons,
and aircraft, and his indefatigable ambition—the very attributes that
have galvanized his critics—also made him extremely valuable, some say,
to U.S. intelligence.[65]
Prince’s
Afghan security team is the “special-projects” team of Blackwater, and
“except for their language its men appear indistinguishable from
Afghans. They have full beards, headscarves, and traditional knee-length
shirts over baggy trousers.” In regards to Prince’s worth with the CIA,
he:
wasn’t
merely a contractor; he was, insiders say, a full-blown asset. Three
sources with direct knowledge of the relationship say that the C.I.A.’s
National Resources Division recruited Prince in 2004 to join a secret
network of American citizens with special skills or unusual access to
targets of interest.[66]
In
Afghanistan, Blackwater “provides security for the US Ambassador Karl
Eikenberry and his staff, and trains narcotics and Afghan special police
units.” There was also a revolving door of sorts between Blackwater and
the CIA. Not only was Prince a CIA asset, but many higher-ups in the
CIA would also move into Blackwater. A Blackwater-CIA team even hunted
down an alleged Al-Qaeda financier in Hamburg, Germany, without even the
German government’s awareness of it. Publicly, the Blackwater program
with the CIA was canned. Although there was no mention of its covert
program with JSOC in Pakistan, so one must assume its relationship is
maintained in some capacity. Prince ultimately left his position at
Blackwater in the face of bad press, but still controls the majority of
the stock.[67]
In
September of 2009, General Mirza Aslam Beg, Pakistan’s former Army
Chief, said that, “Blackwater was directly involved in the
assassinations of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto and
former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.” He told a Saudi Arabian
daily that, “former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf had given
Blackwater the green light to carry out terrorist operations in the
cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, and Quetta.” It was in an
interview with a Pakistani TV network when he stated that Blackwater and
“the United States killed Benazir Bhutto.” Beg was chief of Army staff
during Benazir Bhutto’s first administration. He claimed that she was
killed “in an international conspiracy because she had decided to back
out of the deal through which she had returned to the country after nine
years in exile.”[68]
Is the West Punishing Pakistan to Challenge China?
China
and Pakistan established diplomatic ties in 1951, and have enjoyed a
close relationship since then, with Pakistan being one of the first
countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China in 1950. One of
the primary reasons behind the close and ever-closer relationship
between China and Pakistan is the role of India, as both an adversary
and competitor to Pakistan and China. A Pakistani ambassador to the
United States said that for Pakistan, “China is a high-value guarantor
of security against India.” Further, within India, increased Chinese
military support to Pakistan is perceived as “a key aspect of Beijing's
perceived policy of 'encirclement' or constraint of India as a means of
preventing or delaying New Delhi's ability to challenge Beijing's
region-wide influence.” These ties have increased since the 1990s, and
especially as the United States became increasingly close to India. As a
Council on Foreign Relations background report on China-Pakistan
relations explained:
The
two countries have cooperated on a variety of large-scale
infrastructure projects in Pakistan, including highways, gold and copper
mines, major electricity complexes and power plants, and numerous
nuclear power projects. With roughly ten thousand Chinese workers
engaged in 120 projects in Pakistan, total Chinese investment--which
includes heavy engineering, power generation, mining, and
telecommunications--was valued at $4 billion in 2007 and is expected to
rise to $15 billion by 2010.[69]
As
the Pakistani ambassador to the U.S. further explained, “Pakistan
thinks that both China and the United States are crucial for it,”
however, he went on, “If push comes to shove, it would probably choose
China--but for this moment, it doesn't look like there has to be a
choice.” The recent U.S.-India civilian nuclear agreement has further
entrenched a distrust of America within Pakistan and pushed the country
closer to China. In 2010, China announced it would be building two
nuclear power reactors in Pakistan.[70]
In
2007, China and Pakistan inaugurated Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s
Balochistan Province along the Arabian Sea, creating the first major
point in an “energy corridor” which would eventually bring oil from the
Gulf overland through Pakistan into China. China financed the building
of the port city for $200 million, with plans to fund billions more
worth of railroads, roads, and pipelines which would link Gwadar Port to
China. Pakistan is strategically placed in the centre of the new ‘Great
Game’, a nomenclature for the great imperial battles over Central Asia
in the 19th century. Pakistan is neighbour to Iran, India, China, and
Afghanistan, with a coastline on the Arabian Sea. Thus, Pakistan is
situated between the oil-rich Middle East and the natural gas-rich
Central Asian countries, with two of the fastest growing economies in
the world – India and China – as energy-hungry neighbours; with the
imperial presence of America in neighbouring Afghanistan, with its eye
focused intensely on neighbouring Iran. A ‘Great Game’ ensues, drawing
in Russia, China, India and America, and the main focus of the game is
pipelines.[71]
China
has a major pipeline project in the works to bring in natural gas from
Central Asia, transporting the gas from Turkmenistan through Uzbekistan
and Kazakhstan and into China, which is set to be completed by 2013.[72]
Iran, OPEC’s second largest oil exporter (after Saudi Arabia), is among
the top ten oil exporters to China, and in 2010 it was reported that
the Chinese have invested roughly $40 billion in Iran’s oil and gas
sectors, including financing for the construction of seven new oil
refineries, as well as various oil and gas pipeline projects.[73] In
June of 2011, it was reported that China’s oil imports from Iran have
increased by 32%, signaling a growing importance in the relationship
between the two countries. The largest three oil exporters to China are
Saudi Arabia, Angola, and Iran, respectively.[74]
The
Gwadar Port city built by Chinese investments is destined to be a
central hub in the pipeline politics of the ‘Great Game,’ in particular
between the competing pipeline projects of the Trans-Afghan Pipeline
(TAP or TAPI), involving a pipeline bringing natural gas from
Turkmenistan through Afghanistan, Pakistan, and into India; and the
Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline (IPI). The major issue here is that the
TAPI pipeline cannot be built so long as Afghanistan is plunged into
war, thus the project has been incessantly stalled. On the other hand,
India has been wavering and moving out of the picture in the IPI
pipeline, in no small measure due to its increasingly close relations
with the United States, which has sought to dissuade Pakistan from
building a pipeline with Iran. However, in 2010, Pakistan and Iran
signed the agreement, and are willing to either allow India or China to
be the beneficiary of the pipeline. Whether going to India or China,
Gwadar Port will be a central hub in this project.[75] Pakistan has now
been seeking direct help from China on the Iran-Pakistan pipeline
project.[76] The U.S., for its part, warned Pakistan against signing
onto a pipeline project with Iran, yet Pakistan proceeded with the
project regardless.[77]
The
southern Pakistani province of Balochistan is home to oil, gas, copper,
gold, and coal reserves, not to mention, it is the strategic corridor
through which the pipeline projects would run, and is home to the
strategically significant port city of Gwadar. For the past fifty years,
however, Balochistan has been a major hub of Chinese investment and
opportunity, with Chinese companies having poured $15 billion into
projects in the province, including the construction of an oil refinery,
copper and zinc mines, and of course, Gwadar Port.[78] India is
increasingly concerned about China’s presence in the Gulf and Indian
Ocean. China is building ports not only in Pakistan, but in Bangladesh
and Burma, as well as railroad lines in Nepal.[79]
Following
the supposed assassination of Osama bin Laden by the U.S. in Pakistani
territory, tensions between Pakistan and America increased, and ties
between China and Pakistan deepened. The Chinese were subsequently
approached by the Pakistanis to take control of the port of Gwadar, and
perhaps to even build a Pakistani naval base there, though the Chinese
have denied Pakistani claims that any such deal had been reached. China,
further, in response to the apparent U.S. assassination of Bin Laden,
said that the ‘international community’ (referring to the United States)
“must respect” Pakistani sovereignty. Indian news quoted diplomatic
sources as saying that China “warned in unequivocal terms that any
attack on Pakistan would be construed as an attack on China.”[80]
Pakistani
Prime Minister Gilani visited China on a state visit shortly after the
American raid into Pakistan. Following the meetings, China agreed to
immediately provide 50 fighter jets to Pakistan, a clear signal that
Pakistan is looking for alternatives to its American dependence, and
China is all too happy to provide such an alternative.[81] As the
Financial Times reported, “Pakistan has asked China to build a naval
base at its south-western port of Gwadar and expects the Chinese navy to
maintain a regular presence there.”[82] China has also signaled that it
would be interested in setting up foreign military bases, just as the
United States has, and specifically is interested in such a base inside
Pakistan. The aim “would be to exert pressure on India as well as
counter US influence in Pakistan and Afghanistan.”[83]
Conclusion
It
would seem, then, that the true cause of chaos, destabilization, and
war in Pakistan is not the Orientalist perspective of Pakistanis being
the ‘Other’: barbaric, backwards, violent and self-destructive, in need
to ‘intervention’ to right their own wrongs. Following along the same
lines as the dismantling of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the destabilization
of Pakistan is aimed at wider strategic objectives for the Western
imperial powers: namely, the isolation of China. While Pakistan has long
been a staunch U.S. puppet regime, in the wider geopolitical context of
a global rivalry between the United States and China for control of the
world’s resources and strategic positions, Pakistan may be sacrificed
upon the altar of empire. The potential result of this strategy, in a
country exceeding 180 million people, armed with nuclear weapons, and in
the centre of one of the most tumultuous regions in the world, may be
cataclysmic, perhaps even resulting in a war between the ‘great powers.’
The only way to help prevent such a potential scenario would be to
analyze the strategy further, and expose it to a much wider audience,
thus initiating a wider public discussion on the issue. As long as the
public discourse on Pakistan is framed as an issue of “terrorism” and
the “War on Terror” alone, this strategic nightmare will continue
forward.
As the saying goes, “In war, truth is the first casualty.”
But so too then, can war be the casualty of Truth.
Andrew Gavin Marshall is a Research Associate with the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG). He is co-editor, with Michel Chossudovsky, of the recent book, "The Global Economic Crisis: The Great Depression of the XXI Century," available to order at Globalresearch.ca. He is currently working on a forthcoming book on 'Global Government'.
Notes
[1] Russell Berman, Despite Criticism, Obama Stands By Adviser Brzezinski. The New York Sun: September 13, 2007: http://www.nysun.com/national/despite-criticism-obama-stands-by-adviser/62534/
[2] Eli Lake, Obama Adviser Leads Delegation to Damascus. The New York Sun: February 12, 2008: http://www.nysun.com/foreign/obama-adviser-leads-delegation-to-damascus/71123/
[3] Jonathan Tepperman, How Obama’s Star Could Fall. Newsweek: October 13, 2008: http://www.newsweek.com/id/162316
[4] Mark
Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt, McCain and Obama advisers briefed on
deteriorating Afghan war. The New York Times: October 31, 2008: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/world/americas/31iht-31policy.17405861.html
[5] George Packer, The Last Mission. The New Yorker: September 28, 1009: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/28/090928fa_fact_packer
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Michael
Abramowitz, Shailagh Murray and Anne E. Kornblut, Obama Close to
Choosing Clinton, Jones for Key Posts. The Washington Post: November 22,
2008: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/21/AR2008112103981.html
[9] Ibid.
[10] About Us, Our Mission. Chamber of Commerce: Institute for 21st Century Energy: http://www.energyxxi.org/pages/about_us.aspx
[11] JOHN D. MCKINNON and T.W. FARNAM, Hedge Fund Paid Summers $5.2 Million in Past Year. The Wall Street Journal: April 5, 2009: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123879462053487927.html
[12] James
L. Jones, Remarks by National Security Adviser Jones at 45th Munich
Conference on Security Policy. The Council on Foreign Relations:
February 8, 2009:
http://www.cfr.org/publication/18515/remarks_by_national_security_adviser_jones_at_45th_munich_conference_on_security_policy.html
http://www.cfr.org/publication/18515/remarks_by_national_security_adviser_jones_at_45th_munich_conference_on_security_policy.html
[13] Ibid.
[14] Julian E. Barnes, Obama team works on overhaul of Afghanistan, Pakistan policy. Los Angeles Times: February 11, 2009: http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/11/world/fg-us-afghan11
[15] Henry A. Kissinger, A Strategy for Afghanistan. The Washington Post: February 26, 2009: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/25/AR2009022503124.html
[16] George Packer, The Last Mission. The New Yorker: September 28, 1009: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/28/090928fa_fact_packer
[17] Ibid.
[18] Eric Schmitt, Obama Taps a General as the Envoy to Kabul. The New York Times: January 29, 2009: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/washington/30diplo.html
[19] Ibid.
[20] Agencies, US fires top general in Afghanistan as war worsens. China Daily: May 12, 2009: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-05/12/content_7766306.htm
[21] Ann Scott Tyson, Top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Is Fired. The Washington Post: May 12, 2009: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051101864.html
[22] Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Pentagon Worries Led to Command Change. The Washington Post: August 17, 2009: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/16/AR2009081602304_pf.html
[23] Ann Scott Tyson, Top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Is Fired. The Washington Post: May 12, 2009: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051101864.html
[24] Agencies, US fires top general in Afghanistan as war worsens. China Daily: May 12, 2009: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-05/12/content_7766306.htm
[25] Muriel Kane, Hersh: 'Executive assassination ring' reported directly to Cheney. The Raw Story: March 11, 2009: http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Hersh_US_has_been_running_executive_0311.html
[26] Transcript,
Seymour Hersh: Secret US Forces Carried Out Assassinations in a Dozen
Countries, Including in Latin America. Democracy Now!: March 31, 2009: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/31/seymour_hersh_secret_us_forces_carried
[27] MARK MAZZETTI and ERIC SCHMITT, U.S. Halted Some Raids in Afghanistan. The New York Times: March 9, 2009: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/world/asia/10terror.html
[28] Ann Scott Tyson, Manhunter To Take On a Wider Mission. The Washington Post: May 13, 2009: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/12/AR2009051203679_pf.html
[29] THOM SHANKER and ERIC SCHMITT, U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Is Given More Leeway. The New York Times: June 10, 2009: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/world/asia/11command.html
[30] Michael Hirsh and John Barry, The Hidden General. Newsweek: June 26, 2006: http://www.newsweek.com/id/52445
[31] KIMBERLY
DOZIER and ADAM GOLDMAN, Counterterrorist Pursuit Team: 3,000 Man CIA
Paramilitary Force Hunts Militants In Afghanistan, Pakistan, Huffington
Post, 22 September 2010: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/22/counterterrorist-pursuit-_n_734961.html
[32] Andrew Gray, US Afghan surge could push militants into Pakistan. Reuters: May 21, 2009: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21412211.htm
[33] Isambard Wilkinson, Top US official warns that war in Afghanistan strengthens Taliban in Pakistan. The Telegraph: May 22, 2009: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/5369740/Top-US-official-warns-that-war-in-Afghanistan-strengthens-Taliban-in-Pakistan.html
[34] AP, Afghanistan surge tied to Pakistan stability. MSNBC: May 21, 2009: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30871807/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/
[35] George Packer, The Last Mission. The New Yorker: September 28, 2009: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/28/090928fa_fact_packer
[36] Tom
Andrews, Classified McChrystal Report: 500,000 Troops Will Be Required
Over Five Years in Afghanistan. Huffington Post: September 24, 2009: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-andrews/classified-mcchrystal-rep_b_298528.html
[37] Greg Miller, CIA expanding presence in Afghanistan. The Los Angeles Times: September 20, 2009: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghan-intel20-2009sep20,0,1183243.story?page=1
[38] Ann Scott Tyson, Support Troops Swelling U.S. Force in Afghanistan. The Washington Post: October 13, 2009:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/12/AR2009101203142.html?hpid=topnews
[39] Henry A. Kissinger, Deployments and Diplomacy. Newsweek: October 12, 2009: http://www.newsweek.com/id/216704
[40] Ibid.
[41] Ibid.
[42] Travis Lupick, Suspended Afghan MP Malalai Joya wants NATO's mission to end. The Georgia Straight: November 12, 2009: http://www.straight.com/article-270310/vancouver/afghan-activist-wants-natos-mission-end
[43] US surge in Afghanistan 'may destablize Pakistan'. Press TV: November 30, 2009: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=112484§ionid=351020401
[44] Scott Wilson, Obama: U.S. security is still at stake. The Washington Post: December 2, 2009: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/01/AR2009120101231.html
[45] Julian
E. Barnes and Tony Perry, Afghanistan will need U.S. help for 15 to 20
years, Karzai says. The Los Angeles Times: December 9, 2009: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-afghan-mcchrystal9-2009dec09,0,224382.story
[46] Seth G. Jones, Take the War to Pakistan. The New York Times: December 3, 2009: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/opinion/04jones.html
[47] Jeremy Scahill, U.S. War Privatization Results in Billions Lost in Fraud, Waste and Abuse—Report. Rebel Reports: June 10, 2009: http://rebelreports.com/post/121172812/u-s-war-privatization-results-in-billions-lost-in
[48] Justin
Elliott, As Obama Sends More Troops, Giant Shadow Army Of Contractors
Set To Grow In Afghanistan. TPMMuckraker: December 1, 2009: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/as_obama_sends_more_troops_giant_shadow_army_of_co.php?ref=fpb
[49] Karin
Brulliard, Pakistan worried U.S. buildup in Afghanistan will send
militants across border. The Washington Post: January 5, 2010: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/04/AR2010010403335.html
[50] Jeremy Scahill, The Secret US War in Pakistan. The Nation: November 23, 2009: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091207/scahill
[51] Ibid.
[52] Mark Mazzetti, C.I.A. Sought Blackwater’s Help to Kill Jihadists. The New York Times: August 19, 2009: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/us/20intel.html
[53] James Risen and Mark Mazzetti, Blackwater Guards Tied to Secret C.I.A. Raids. The New York Times: December 10, 2009: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/us/politics/11blackwater.html
[54] James Risen and Mark Mazzetti, C.I.A. Said to Use Outsiders to Put Bombs on Drones. The New York Times: August 20, 2009: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/us/21intel.html
[55] Mark Mazzetti, Blackwater Loses a Job for the C.I.A. The New York Times: December 11, 2009: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/us/politics/12blackwater.html
[56] Declan Walsh and Ewen MacAskill, Blackwater operating at CIA Pakistan base, ex-official says. The Guardian: December 11, 2009:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/11/blackwater-in-cia-pakistan-base
[57] CIA admits Blackwater presence in Pakistan. Press TV: December 12, 2009: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=113512§ionid=351020401
[58] Gates confirms Blackwater presence in Pakistan. Press TV: January 22, 2010: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116754§ionid=351020401
[59] Blackwater behind Pakistan bombings: Ex-intel chief. Press TV: December 12, 2009: http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=113540§ionid=351020401
[60] Pakistan Taliban airs video denial. Al-Jazeera: November 16, 2009: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/11/20091116145058336650.html
[61] Xihua, Taliban in Pakistan blame U.S. Blackwater for deadly blast. China View: October 29, 2009: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/29/content_12358907.htm
[62] Richard Lardner, Xe Services aiming for Afghan police training deal. The Guardian: January 9, 2010: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8891058
[63] Jeremy Scahill, Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder. The Nation: August 4, 2009: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090817/scahill
[64] Ibid.
[65] Adam Ciralsky, Tycoon, Contractor, Soldier, Spy. Vanity Fair: January 2010: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2010/01/blackwater-201001
[66] Ibid.
[67] Ibid.
[68] Blackwater involved in Bhutto and Hariri hits: former Pakistani army chief. Tehran Times: September 14, 2009: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=203224
[69] Jamal Afridi and Jayshree Bajoria, China-Pakistan Relations, Backgrounder: Council on Foreign Relations, 6 July 2010: http://www.cfr.org/china/china-pakistan-relations/p10070
[70] Jamal Afridi and Jayshree Bajoria, China-Pakistan Relations, Backgrounder: Council on Foreign Relations, 6 July 2010:
http://www.cfr.org/china/china-pakistan-relations/p10070
http://www.cfr.org/china/china-pakistan-relations/p10070
[71] David Montero, China, Pakistan team up on energy, Christian Science Monitor, 13 April 2007: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0413/p06s01-wosc.html
[72] Li Woke, China to enhance natural gas imports via Central Asian pipeline, Global Times, 19 September 2010:
http://business.globaltimes.cn/industries/2010-09/574887.html
http://business.globaltimes.cn/industries/2010-09/574887.html
[73] JPost Staff, China invests $40b. in Iran oil and gas, The Jerusalem Post, 31 July 2010: http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=183200
[74] China oil imports from Iran up 32 percent, Trend Energy News, 8 June 2011: http://en.trend.az/capital/energy/1888392.html
[75] Pepe Escobar, China wages "war" over Asian pipelines, Salon, 12 October 2010: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/10/12/china_oil_gas_pipeline
[76] Pakistan Seeks China's Help for IP Gas Pipeline, Gulf Oil and Gas, 13 March 2011: http://www.gulfoilandgas.com/webpro1/MAIN/Mainnews.asp?id=14611
[77] AP, US opposes Pakistan-Iran pipeline deal, The Jerusalem Post, 21 June 2010: http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?ID=179002
[78] Maha Atal, China's Pakistan Corridor, Forbes, 10 May 2010:
http://www.forbes.com/global/2010/0510/companies-pakistan-oil-gas-balochistan-china-pak-corridor.html
http://www.forbes.com/global/2010/0510/companies-pakistan-oil-gas-balochistan-china-pak-corridor.html
[79] VIKAS BAJAJ, India Worries as China Builds Ports in South Asia, The New York Times, 15 February 2010:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/business/global/16port.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/business/global/16port.html
[80] China asks US to respect Pak's sovereignty, independence, Economic Times, 20 May 2011: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-05-20/news/29565072_1_pakistan-s-ambassador-pakistan-china-pakistan-media
[81] JANE PERLEZ, China Gives Pakistan 50 Fighter Jets, The New York Times, 19 May 2011: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/world/asia/20pakistan.html?_r=3
[82] Farhan Bokhari and Kathrin Hille, Pakistan turns to China for naval base, The Financial Times, 22 May 2011: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3914bd36-8467-11e0-afcb-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1Ol8EY8QF
[83] Saibal Dasgupta, China mulls setting up military base in Pakistan, The Times of India, 28 January 2010:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-28/china/28120878_1_karokoram-highway-military-bases-north-west-frontier-province
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-28/china/28120878_1_karokoram-highway-military-bases-north-west-frontier-province
Rapiscan, a division of OSI Systems Security, has been awarded a three-year $248m indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract by the US Army for entry control point non-intrusive inspection systems.
Textron to Supply Additional ASVs to US Army
Textron Marine & Land Systems has been awarded a contract to supply the US Army with 65 additional M1117 armoured security vehicles (ASVs).
US Army to Train First Bulgarian Battle Group
The US Army has signed a memorandum with Bulgaria to train the first Bulgarian Army battle group by the end of 2012, US Army Europe commander lieutenant general Mark Hertling has said.
Lockheed to Produce Additional US Army PTDS
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $184.3m undefinitised contract agreement by the US Army to produce 29 additional persistent threat detection systems (PTDS) to support coalition forces in Afghanistan.
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Schiamazzi in strada a tarda sera, intervengono le forze dell'ordine.
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Gaetano è considerato il cassiere dei Corleonesi. In cella, insieme a lui, altre tre persone accusate di associazione mafiosa ed estorsione. Il blitz dei carabinieri stamattina all’alba.
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La gaffe di Mark Halperin, analista di Time ed ex corrispondente della
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GUIDO RUOTOLO
Luigi Bisignani e Alfonso Papa insieme ai 2 sottufficiali dei carabinieri e della polizia, rappresentavano un «un «circuito che acquisiva indebitamente notizie riservate».
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FRANCESCA PACI
Il distretto tessile è la meta dell'immigrazione pachistana. «L'Islam non c'entra, è una questione culturale: i figli si allontanano dalle famiglie».
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| SPETTACOLI
MARIA GIULIA MINETTI
L'attore licenziato per un bacio focoso. L'episodio, finito a schiaffi, durante le prove
al Teatro di Verona. Lei querela, lui si difende: strumentalizzato dal suo potente clan |
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POLITICA
FLAVIA AMABILE
Berlusconi: il massimo che potevamo fare. Bossi: il Nord non li prende,
i napoletani non imparano la lezione. Errani: ma è ancora troppo poco. | ||
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| LAZAMPA.IT
Non è più grande di 2 millimetri ma, in rapporto alla sua taglia, è l'animale
più rumoroso sulla faccia della Terra: è l'insetto micronecta scholtzi. |
Band punk: "Assaliti in hotel dai carabinieri"
I Punkreas, gruppo milanese alle porte di Torino per un concerto, accusano: "Eravamo nello stesso albergo dei militari impegnati in Val Susa. Ci hanno messo gas urticante in camera" di G. ANDRUETTO
Spettacoli
01/07/2011 13:45
L’ex vicedirettore di Libero, accusato di essere una spia del Sismi, si dimise: l’Ordine lo cacciò lo stesso. Ma ora la Corte annulla la sanzione: era da considerarsi "estinta". Fu scagionato dall'ex numero uno dei servizi Pollari e da un giurì d'onore
INTERNI
Il settimanale denuncia un presunto scandalo per l'acquisto di due apparecchi. Ma il presidente del Consiglio ha sempre usato quelli Fininvest. Fu D'Alema nel 1999 ad avviare la procedura per sostituire i mezzi ormai obsoleti
Un uomo di 51 anni è morto ieri sera durante un controllo eseguito da una pattuglia della polizia in via Varsavia. Sarebbe morto per un malore, dopo essere stato bloccato dagli agenti. Ma per la famiglia è stato vittima di un pestaggio. Sono in corso accertamenti per stabilire la dinamica dei fatti
