1
Washington's New Strategy On The Road To Global Dominance
by "Rick Rozoff"
rwrozoff
2
Afghans Salute Clinton With Deadliest Day In A Year
by "Rick Rozoff"
rwrozoff
3
Ukraine: U.S. Launches 15-Nation NATO Exercise
by "Rick Rozoff"
rwrozoff
4
Bullying, Bluster and Imperial Arrogance 101
by "Rick Rozoff"
rwrozoff
5
Georgia's Saakashvili Plans Bloodshed To Keep Power: Ex-President
by "Rick Rozoff"
rwrozoff
6
NATO Steps Up Activity In Mediterranean, Syria Responds
by "Rick Rozoff"
rwrozoff
|
Mon Jul 9, 2012 5:16 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://rt.com/
RT
JUly 9, 2012
Washington’s new tricks on the road to global dominance
Veronika Krasheninnikova, Director General of the Institute for Foreign Policy Research and Initiatives in Moscow
====
[U]nable to push anti-Syrian resolutions through the UN Security Council due to Russia and China’s staunch resistance, Washington is building up a group of more than hundred nations more pliable to US pressure. Such “coalitions of the willing” have been put together before, but this time the number of countries makes it look like a parallel anti-UN construct acting as if it is replacing the UN General Assembly itself.
[W]hy does the United States, with the assistance of their local satellites, keep on removing moderate secular governments and bringing to power, in one country after another, increasingly radical extremists?.
====
The latest round of the war against an independent Syria unfolded in Paris last week at the gathering of the “Friends of Syria”.
Russia and China very rightly did not attend this “amoral” – in the diplomatic language of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – meeting. At the meeting western champions of the war insisted on their interpretation of the one-week old Geneva agreements: “transition government based on mutual consent” means “Bashar al-Assad must go”, affirmed French President Hollande.
This recent round of pressure highlights two new tactics employed by Washington: word games and an end-run around the United Nations itself.
First, the new formula “transition government”. The authoritative Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “regime” as “government” and “change” as “transition.” Thus, for those who reject “regime change,” a euphemism was created that has much better chances to go through.
Interestingly enough, this term was promoted by an expert of Russian origin, Dmitri Trenin, Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center. On June 28, 2012 Trenin published a suggestion in his piece “Syria: A Russian Perspective”: “Russia might be willing to cooperate with the U.S. and other countries if the goal moves towards 'transition' rather than “regime change” – what has been dubbed the “Yemen model.”
So who is Mr. Trenin? This retired Soviet colonel was a Senior Research Fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome just before he was recruited in 1993 to join the Carnegie Moscow Center, created the same year by none other than Michael McFaul, the current US Ambassador in Moscow. After nearly 20 years in the pay of the Americans Trenin was rewarded with his current post as director by his former boss, Rose Gottemoeller, who left Moscow in 2008 to join the State Department where she is now Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. Big shoes to fill for Mr. Trenin, but in Washington they know how to pick their cadre.
The board of the Carnegie Endowment in Washington features – this world is truly small – Kofi Annan himself. Among the Endowments “Funders and Supporters” are George Soros’s Open Society Institute, the US National Intelligence Council, the US Defense Intelligence Agency, the US Defense Department, and a collection of other private and public enthusiasts.
Of course the “transition government” and “Yemen model” are nothing other than “regime change.” Honestly: we, Russians, brought up on Tolstoy and Chekhov, should be able to miss Washington’s elementary-school semantic traps.
Secondly, unable to push anti-Syrian resolutions through the UN Security Council due to Russia and China’s staunch resistance, Washington is building up a group of more than hundred nations more pliable to US pressure. Such “coalitions of the willing” have been put together before, but this time the number of countries makes it look like a parallel anti-UN construct acting as if it is replacing the UN General Assembly itself.
Such a gathering, despite the total absence of legitimacy, is not just a talking platform. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told “Le Parisien” that the Paris meeting would push for a Chapter VII United Nations resolution to enforce the transition plan. A Chapter VII resolution can authorize the use of military force "to maintain or restore international peace and security."
In the short term, the United States may attempt to institutionalize this ad hoc grouping into a mechanism to implement a “final solution” to President Al-Assad. In the long term, Washington may try to solidify such structure into an anti-U.N. body of sycophants, ready and willing to approve any U.S. initiative.
Now, from tactics to strategy. Looking at the type of leaders that are seizing power in the Arab world with American assistance, a normal person is perplexed: why does the United States, with the assistance of their local satellites, keep on removing moderate secular governments and bringing to power, in one country after another, increasingly radical extremists – that same type of people who committed 9/11, the greatest tragedy in U.S. post-WWII history?
Indeed, this question is not solvable by listening to Washington’s official line of arguments. But take a look at the policies of the US and its European partners during the in the 1930s. Then, America and its ever so reasonable and civilized European allies provided the financial, industrial and political support encouraging the highly energized, violent extremist Nazi and fascist movements in Europe. With a purpose: to direct its violence against Russia. According to the plan, Germany and Russia were to exhaust themselves so that the US would emerge dominant.
Similarly, the earlier use of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and again today the encouragement of various Muslim extremists including elements of the Muslim Brotherhood are part of the plan to create a regional movement which could be thrown against Iran, Russia and China. Such a furnace of war and chaos in the Middle East, the Caucuses and Central Asia will permanently disable all three of America’s strategic rivals and allow Washington to rise to uncontested world domination.
We should be able to decipher not only US language, but also US strategy. In the 1930s, the Soviet Union was at the front line of the fight against fascism in Europe. Today, Russia owes it to its history and to the fallen in the anti-fascist struggle to recognize and before it is too late avert American designs.
We must prevent Russian and other people from being drawn into a bloodbath of mutual extermination in the voracious interest of Washington’s drive for global hegemony.
============
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Stop NATO website and articles:
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RT
JUly 9, 2012
Washington’s new tricks on the road to global dominance
Veronika Krasheninnikova, Director General of the Institute for Foreign Policy Research and Initiatives in Moscow
====
[U]nable to push anti-Syrian resolutions through the UN Security Council due to Russia and China’s staunch resistance, Washington is building up a group of more than hundred nations more pliable to US pressure. Such “coalitions of the willing” have been put together before, but this time the number of countries makes it look like a parallel anti-UN construct acting as if it is replacing the UN General Assembly itself.
[W]hy does the United States, with the assistance of their local satellites, keep on removing moderate secular governments and bringing to power, in one country after another, increasingly radical extremists?.
====
The latest round of the war against an independent Syria unfolded in Paris last week at the gathering of the “Friends of Syria”.
Russia and China very rightly did not attend this “amoral” – in the diplomatic language of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – meeting. At the meeting western champions of the war insisted on their interpretation of the one-week old Geneva agreements: “transition government based on mutual consent” means “Bashar al-Assad must go”, affirmed French President Hollande.
This recent round of pressure highlights two new tactics employed by Washington: word games and an end-run around the United Nations itself.
First, the new formula “transition government”. The authoritative Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “regime” as “government” and “change” as “transition.” Thus, for those who reject “regime change,” a euphemism was created that has much better chances to go through.
Interestingly enough, this term was promoted by an expert of Russian origin, Dmitri Trenin, Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center. On June 28, 2012 Trenin published a suggestion in his piece “Syria: A Russian Perspective”: “Russia might be willing to cooperate with the U.S. and other countries if the goal moves towards 'transition' rather than “regime change” – what has been dubbed the “Yemen model.”
So who is Mr. Trenin? This retired Soviet colonel was a Senior Research Fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome just before he was recruited in 1993 to join the Carnegie Moscow Center, created the same year by none other than Michael McFaul, the current US Ambassador in Moscow. After nearly 20 years in the pay of the Americans Trenin was rewarded with his current post as director by his former boss, Rose Gottemoeller, who left Moscow in 2008 to join the State Department where she is now Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. Big shoes to fill for Mr. Trenin, but in Washington they know how to pick their cadre.
The board of the Carnegie Endowment in Washington features – this world is truly small – Kofi Annan himself. Among the Endowments “Funders and Supporters” are George Soros’s Open Society Institute, the US National Intelligence Council, the US Defense Intelligence Agency, the US Defense Department, and a collection of other private and public enthusiasts.
Of course the “transition government” and “Yemen model” are nothing other than “regime change.” Honestly: we, Russians, brought up on Tolstoy and Chekhov, should be able to miss Washington’s elementary-school semantic traps.
Secondly, unable to push anti-Syrian resolutions through the UN Security Council due to Russia and China’s staunch resistance, Washington is building up a group of more than hundred nations more pliable to US pressure. Such “coalitions of the willing” have been put together before, but this time the number of countries makes it look like a parallel anti-UN construct acting as if it is replacing the UN General Assembly itself.
Such a gathering, despite the total absence of legitimacy, is not just a talking platform. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told “Le Parisien” that the Paris meeting would push for a Chapter VII United Nations resolution to enforce the transition plan. A Chapter VII resolution can authorize the use of military force "to maintain or restore international peace and security."
In the short term, the United States may attempt to institutionalize this ad hoc grouping into a mechanism to implement a “final solution” to President Al-Assad. In the long term, Washington may try to solidify such structure into an anti-U.N. body of sycophants, ready and willing to approve any U.S. initiative.
Now, from tactics to strategy. Looking at the type of leaders that are seizing power in the Arab world with American assistance, a normal person is perplexed: why does the United States, with the assistance of their local satellites, keep on removing moderate secular governments and bringing to power, in one country after another, increasingly radical extremists – that same type of people who committed 9/11, the greatest tragedy in U.S. post-WWII history?
Indeed, this question is not solvable by listening to Washington’s official line of arguments. But take a look at the policies of the US and its European partners during the in the 1930s. Then, America and its ever so reasonable and civilized European allies provided the financial, industrial and political support encouraging the highly energized, violent extremist Nazi and fascist movements in Europe. With a purpose: to direct its violence against Russia. According to the plan, Germany and Russia were to exhaust themselves so that the US would emerge dominant.
Similarly, the earlier use of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and again today the encouragement of various Muslim extremists including elements of the Muslim Brotherhood are part of the plan to create a regional movement which could be thrown against Iran, Russia and China. Such a furnace of war and chaos in the Middle East, the Caucuses and Central Asia will permanently disable all three of America’s strategic rivals and allow Washington to rise to uncontested world domination.
We should be able to decipher not only US language, but also US strategy. In the 1930s, the Soviet Union was at the front line of the fight against fascism in Europe. Today, Russia owes it to its history and to the fallen in the anti-fascist struggle to recognize and before it is too late avert American designs.
We must prevent Russian and other people from being drawn into a bloodbath of mutual extermination in the voracious interest of Washington’s drive for global hegemony.
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
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stopnato-subscribe@
============
Mon Jul 9, 2012 5:34 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://english.
Voice of Russia
July 9, 2012
Afghans salute Hillary Clinton with deadliest day in a year
Boris Volkhonsky
====
[Clinton's] visit to Kabul came just as the US declared Afghanistan a “major non-NATO ally”. This status will make it easier for the Afghan government to acquire US defense supplies.
It seems that the West is of assertion that there are good donors and there are bad donors, much in the same way that there are bad terrorists (those fighting against the West) and there are good terrorists (those stirred up by the West itself against its foes).
====
On Sunday, as reported by The Washington Post, the donors' conference in Tokyo pledged $16 billion over the next four years for civilian projects – from roads to schools to strengthening the rule of law – in exchange for pledges from the Afghan government to combat corruption.
This amounts to $4 billion a year, which is comparable with Afghanistan'
It is not yet clear how exactly the amount will be shared by donor nations. The US is still and will likely remain the main benefactor, and over the past decade it has provided from $1 billion to $4 billion annually. Japan has pledged $3 billion through to 2016, and Germany has pledged to maintain its current funding level of about $550 million a year.
This is almost the same amount as pledged by Iran, which committed $500 million to road and railway construction, among other projects mainly in the western part of the country.
Before coming to Kabul, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid an unannounced visit to Kabul and met Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
The visit to Kabul came just as the US declared Afghanistan a “major non-NATO ally”. This status will make it easier for the Afghan government to acquire US defense supplies.
The apparent tune to which the news of the Tokyo conference and Clinton's visit to Kabul is reported is upbeat and aimed to demonstrate the willingness of the global community to further sustain Hamid Karzai's government – even after US and NATO troops leave the country.
Still, observers have already pointed to some inconsistencies. Most of them have been there for quite a long time and well known, while several new developments have also occurred around the situation.
For one, Hamid Karzai's government has pledged to fight against corruption an immeasurable number of times. Yet Afghanistan remains on the bottom of Transparency International’s corruption list, second only to the failed state of Somalia. So, the biggest question is where exactly the money will go.
Second, the Iranian pledge to provide $500 million annually has raised suspicions in the West that Iran is not really going build roads and railways for the benefit of Afghan people, but for its own sake. Accusations against Iran by the US and NATO that it is really aiming at destabilizing Afghanistan have been numerous in latest years, among other (similarly poorly founded) claims that Iran is involved in this or that subversive activity. This brings us to the old notorious issue of double standards. It seems that the West is of assertion that there are good donors and there are bad donors, much in the same way that there are bad terrorists (those fighting against the West) and there are good terrorists (those stirred up by the West itself against its foes).
Third, all of the talk about financial assistance and a “major non-NATO alliance” are relevant only until the present Afghan government controls (or is able to pretend that it controls) a substantial part of the country. But judging from the dominant tendencies of Afghan politics, it remains highly doubtful that it will be able to do so once the US and NATO troops withdraw.
The Taliban demonstrated its power on Sunday, saluting Clinton and the donors' conference with one of the deadliest days in many months. On Sunday, at least 35 people were killed in Afghanistan in roadside bombs and clashes, including seven NATO servicemen. And it should be remembered that the active phase of troop withdrawal has not even started.
Finally, it still remains questionable what kind of alliance the US is going to offer to Afghanistan. Incidents like Koran burnings, the indiscriminate killings of civilians, torture of prisoners, urinating on dead men's bodies, etc. have been too numerous to list them all. However, one new incident of the kind was made public a couple of days ago by Liveleak.com website.
An American helicopter pilot was recorded firing a missile on several Afghans in the middle of a road. The Liveleak commentary states that those people were “innocent farmers planting poppy seeds”. There is no further proof of the statement, as well as there is no indication that the people were engaged in any kind of subversive activity.
But one thing is clear. The pilot, while spotting the people on the road and firing at them evidently enjoyed what he was doing – all the while he was singing the 1971 classic “Bye Bye Ms. American Pie”.
Whether or not killing Afghans and enjoying doing so is consistent with the principles of a “major non-NATO alliance” – it’s best to leave that question unanswered.
Boris Volkhonsky, Senior Research fellow, Russian Institute for Strategic Studies
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
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============
Voice of Russia
July 9, 2012
Afghans salute Hillary Clinton with deadliest day in a year
Boris Volkhonsky
====
[Clinton's] visit to Kabul came just as the US declared Afghanistan a “major non-NATO ally”. This status will make it easier for the Afghan government to acquire US defense supplies.
It seems that the West is of assertion that there are good donors and there are bad donors, much in the same way that there are bad terrorists (those fighting against the West) and there are good terrorists (those stirred up by the West itself against its foes).
====
On Sunday, as reported by The Washington Post, the donors' conference in Tokyo pledged $16 billion over the next four years for civilian projects – from roads to schools to strengthening the rule of law – in exchange for pledges from the Afghan government to combat corruption.
This amounts to $4 billion a year, which is comparable with Afghanistan'
It is not yet clear how exactly the amount will be shared by donor nations. The US is still and will likely remain the main benefactor, and over the past decade it has provided from $1 billion to $4 billion annually. Japan has pledged $3 billion through to 2016, and Germany has pledged to maintain its current funding level of about $550 million a year.
This is almost the same amount as pledged by Iran, which committed $500 million to road and railway construction, among other projects mainly in the western part of the country.
Before coming to Kabul, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid an unannounced visit to Kabul and met Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
The visit to Kabul came just as the US declared Afghanistan a “major non-NATO ally”. This status will make it easier for the Afghan government to acquire US defense supplies.
The apparent tune to which the news of the Tokyo conference and Clinton's visit to Kabul is reported is upbeat and aimed to demonstrate the willingness of the global community to further sustain Hamid Karzai's government – even after US and NATO troops leave the country.
Still, observers have already pointed to some inconsistencies. Most of them have been there for quite a long time and well known, while several new developments have also occurred around the situation.
For one, Hamid Karzai's government has pledged to fight against corruption an immeasurable number of times. Yet Afghanistan remains on the bottom of Transparency International’s corruption list, second only to the failed state of Somalia. So, the biggest question is where exactly the money will go.
Second, the Iranian pledge to provide $500 million annually has raised suspicions in the West that Iran is not really going build roads and railways for the benefit of Afghan people, but for its own sake. Accusations against Iran by the US and NATO that it is really aiming at destabilizing Afghanistan have been numerous in latest years, among other (similarly poorly founded) claims that Iran is involved in this or that subversive activity. This brings us to the old notorious issue of double standards. It seems that the West is of assertion that there are good donors and there are bad donors, much in the same way that there are bad terrorists (those fighting against the West) and there are good terrorists (those stirred up by the West itself against its foes).
Third, all of the talk about financial assistance and a “major non-NATO alliance” are relevant only until the present Afghan government controls (or is able to pretend that it controls) a substantial part of the country. But judging from the dominant tendencies of Afghan politics, it remains highly doubtful that it will be able to do so once the US and NATO troops withdraw.
The Taliban demonstrated its power on Sunday, saluting Clinton and the donors' conference with one of the deadliest days in many months. On Sunday, at least 35 people were killed in Afghanistan in roadside bombs and clashes, including seven NATO servicemen. And it should be remembered that the active phase of troop withdrawal has not even started.
Finally, it still remains questionable what kind of alliance the US is going to offer to Afghanistan. Incidents like Koran burnings, the indiscriminate killings of civilians, torture of prisoners, urinating on dead men's bodies, etc. have been too numerous to list them all. However, one new incident of the kind was made public a couple of days ago by Liveleak.com website.
An American helicopter pilot was recorded firing a missile on several Afghans in the middle of a road. The Liveleak commentary states that those people were “innocent farmers planting poppy seeds”. There is no further proof of the statement, as well as there is no indication that the people were engaged in any kind of subversive activity.
But one thing is clear. The pilot, while spotting the people on the road and firing at them evidently enjoyed what he was doing – all the while he was singing the 1971 classic “Bye Bye Ms. American Pie”.
Whether or not killing Afghans and enjoying doing so is consistent with the principles of a “major non-NATO alliance” – it’s best to leave that question unanswered.
Boris Volkhonsky, Senior Research fellow, Russian Institute for Strategic Studies
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
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============
Mon Jul 9, 2012 5:42 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://en.trend.
Trend News Agency
July 9, 2012
Georgian soldiers to attend joint naval exercises with Americans
N. Kirtskhalia
Tbilisi:Georgian soldiers will take part in joint international exercises which will be held in Ukraine.
Georgia will be represented by a delegation from the Coast Guard Service, the Georgian Defence Ministry told Trend on Monday.
The two-week US-Ukrainian military exercise 'Sea Breeze-2012' will begin on July 9. They are held in Odessa and the Black Sea basin.
Exercises of the joint forces are aimed at practicing international maritime security operations. In addition to the host countries, the events are attended by the militaries of Azerbaijan, Moldova, Turkey, Georgia, Germany, Canada, Israel, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, the UAE, Algeria, and Bangladesh.
Ukraine has been holding 'Sea Breeze' exercises since 1997.
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
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============
Trend News Agency
July 9, 2012
Georgian soldiers to attend joint naval exercises with Americans
N. Kirtskhalia
Tbilisi:Georgian soldiers will take part in joint international exercises which will be held in Ukraine.
Georgia will be represented by a delegation from the Coast Guard Service, the Georgian Defence Ministry told Trend on Monday.
The two-week US-Ukrainian military exercise 'Sea Breeze-2012' will begin on July 9. They are held in Odessa and the Black Sea basin.
Exercises of the joint forces are aimed at practicing international maritime security operations. In addition to the host countries, the events are attended by the militaries of Azerbaijan, Moldova, Turkey, Georgia, Germany, Canada, Israel, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, the UAE, Algeria, and Bangladesh.
Ukraine has been holding 'Sea Breeze' exercises since 1997.
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@
============
Mon Jul 9, 2012 5:59 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://sjlendman.
SteveLendmanBlog
July 8, 2012
Bullying, Bluster and Imperial Arrogance 101
By Stephen Lendman
Hillary Clinton's outbursts reflect bullying, bluster, and imperial arrogance, not diplomacy. More on her strong-arm tactics below.
On July 6, Friends of Syria met in Paris. Tunis and Istanbul meetings preceded this one. Conflicting reports said representatives from 60 to around 100 countries attended.
EU and Arab League states comprise most of them. Since last year, they've been involved in crimes of war and against humanity.
Friends like these assure death, destruction, colonization, plunder, exploitation, deprivation, and unspeakable human misery.
Russia and China boycotted the meeting. Clinton used the occasion to lambaste both countries.
Her comments reflect imperial arrogance, contempt for rule of law principles, and commitment for war, not peace.
She's a war criminal multiple times over. She's arguably America's most shameless ever secretary of state.
She's clearly the most brazen. Her language and attitude exceed the worst of Cold War rhetoric.
Her take-no-prisoners thinking, character, and demagoguery reveal a woman addicted to self-aggrandizement and diktat authority.
She relishes death, destruction, and the spoils of war.
She's indifferent to human suffering. She's a monument to wrong over right.
She's a disgrace and embarrassment to her country, position and humanity.
A State Department press release covered her remarks.
"Starting in Tunis and then in Istanbul and now in Paris, we are focused on determining what we can do to try to hasten the end of this regime and to provide the circumstances for an effective process of transition and reconciliation,
Geneva discussions "enlist(ed) not only all five permanent members of the Security Council including Russia and China, but also important leaders in the region and in the Arab League in support of such a transition."
Russia and China support letting Syrians decide who'll lead them. Washington and key allies distort Geneva's final communique language to mean Assad must go. All means will be employed, including war.
It's "imperative to go back to the Security Council....for a resolution..
Friends of Syria demand Russia and China "get off the sidelines and begin to support the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people."
"I don’t think Russia and China believe they are paying any price at all – nothing at all – for standing up on behalf of the Assad regime."
"The only way that will change is if every nation represented here directly and urgently makes it clear that Russia and China will pay a price, because they are holding up progress – blockading it – that is no longer tolerable."
It's "difficult to imagine how the UN supervision mission can fulfill its responsibilities without a Chapter VII enforcement mechanism."
"We are united in support of the Syrian people and in our absolute resolve to see the end of the Assad regime...."
In response, Russia strongly rejected Clinton's tone, language and bullying.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Russia, China and other nations refuse participation with so-called "friends." They reflect unilateralism, wrongheadedness, and immorality.
"(T)hey present theatrical and political propaganda shows that are similar to conferences of political parties, in which the fate of Syria is discussed in the absence of its main representatives and loud calls are made for the opposition to go into battle to undermine the Syrian leadership."
He also called the duplicitous June 27 Human Rights Council report biased, adding:
"(I)t will not help launch a political process in the country."
"The context of the decision didn't include a condemnation of the armed opposition's violence once referred to by Head of the UN monitoring mission in Syria Robert Mood."
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said:
"I reject strongly that in the situation like that in Syria Russia supports Bashar Assad’s rule."
"This is not a matter of support for some politicians, but that the settlement process should be put on a normal, political basis."
"Unfortunately, we cannot attain the basic understanding of various things from our partners, including Western partners."
"They still use the terms 'friend or foe' and who is someone’s 'client.' It seemed to Russia that similar terms should be left in the past."
"If it is still applicable to these politicians, this means that they stayed with their ideas in the past."
"Russia does not support concrete politicians and political figures in Syria, but works for what, we hope, will help establish such a necessary dialogue with the authorities and the opposition in Syria."
Following the Paris meeting a "Statement of (the) Chairman's conclusions followed," saying:
"All Syrians must have a place in the new Syria, regardless of their origins, affiliations, religion, beliefs or gender."
Fingers pointed the wrong way. Assad was blamed for Western-generated violence. Charges against him were spurious and outrageous.
Death squad insurgents ravage the country. They're responsible for thousands of Syrian deaths, atrocities and other high crimes. Western money, arms, training and direction support them.
Assad's blamed for confronting them responsibly.
Paris participants committed to support Security Council action under the UN Charter's Chapter VII. It authorizes "Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression."
Article 41 calls for measures short of armed intervention. They "may include complete or partial interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio, and other means of communication, and the severance of diplomatic relations."
Article 42 calls for other measures if Article 41 proves inadequate or ineffective. They "may include demonstrations, blockade, and other operations by air, sea, or land forces of Members of the United Nations."
Subsequent articles authorize the use of force. UN members are invited to participate.
Article 46 calls for "(p)lans for the application of armed force (to) be made by the Security Council with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee."
Friend of Syria called for "perpetrators of crimes" to be punished. It wants "support(ers of) repression (to) face stiffer and wider sanctions."
It backs the "democratic opposition and local solidarity networks....
They said "the international community will stand by the Syrian people as their country is rebuilt."
Another meeting is planned.
So-called friends want Syrians treated like ravaged Libyans. Months of insurgent attacks and NATO bombing destroyed the country. Tens of thousands died.
Africa's most developed country became NATO's latest charnel house. When Washington-led forces intervene, massacres, mass destruction, and indescribable human misery follow.
NATO committed a Nuremberg level crime. Libya was terrorized, destroyed, and plundered in the name of liberation. Humanitarian intervention was cover for naked aggression.
Washington plans Libya 2.0 for Syrians. So-called friends support it. Who needs enemies with these type scoundrels.
Nations supporting America's imperial agenda share responsibility for what's ongoing and planned. Since the 1990s, NATO ravaged one country after another. Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya no longer exist.
Carving up the Syrian corpse will follow more war. It's coming. Obama plans it. Key NATO partners and rogue Arab states support it.
Nations endorsing peaceful conflict resolution incur Clinton's wrath. She wants unchallenged support for Washington's imperial agenda.
So far they resist. Hopefully they'll continue doing what it takes to avoid more war. Millions of Syrians depend on them. So does the entire region and beyond.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@
His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
http://www.clarityp
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.
http://www.progress
============
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Stop NATO website and articles:
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============
SteveLendmanBlog
July 8, 2012
Bullying, Bluster and Imperial Arrogance 101
By Stephen Lendman
Hillary Clinton's outbursts reflect bullying, bluster, and imperial arrogance, not diplomacy. More on her strong-arm tactics below.
On July 6, Friends of Syria met in Paris. Tunis and Istanbul meetings preceded this one. Conflicting reports said representatives from 60 to around 100 countries attended.
EU and Arab League states comprise most of them. Since last year, they've been involved in crimes of war and against humanity.
Friends like these assure death, destruction, colonization, plunder, exploitation, deprivation, and unspeakable human misery.
Russia and China boycotted the meeting. Clinton used the occasion to lambaste both countries.
Her comments reflect imperial arrogance, contempt for rule of law principles, and commitment for war, not peace.
She's a war criminal multiple times over. She's arguably America's most shameless ever secretary of state.
She's clearly the most brazen. Her language and attitude exceed the worst of Cold War rhetoric.
Her take-no-prisoners thinking, character, and demagoguery reveal a woman addicted to self-aggrandizement and diktat authority.
She relishes death, destruction, and the spoils of war.
She's indifferent to human suffering. She's a monument to wrong over right.
She's a disgrace and embarrassment to her country, position and humanity.
A State Department press release covered her remarks.
"Starting in Tunis and then in Istanbul and now in Paris, we are focused on determining what we can do to try to hasten the end of this regime and to provide the circumstances for an effective process of transition and reconciliation,
Geneva discussions "enlist(ed) not only all five permanent members of the Security Council including Russia and China, but also important leaders in the region and in the Arab League in support of such a transition."
Russia and China support letting Syrians decide who'll lead them. Washington and key allies distort Geneva's final communique language to mean Assad must go. All means will be employed, including war.
It's "imperative to go back to the Security Council....for a resolution..
Friends of Syria demand Russia and China "get off the sidelines and begin to support the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people."
"I don’t think Russia and China believe they are paying any price at all – nothing at all – for standing up on behalf of the Assad regime."
"The only way that will change is if every nation represented here directly and urgently makes it clear that Russia and China will pay a price, because they are holding up progress – blockading it – that is no longer tolerable."
It's "difficult to imagine how the UN supervision mission can fulfill its responsibilities without a Chapter VII enforcement mechanism."
"We are united in support of the Syrian people and in our absolute resolve to see the end of the Assad regime...."
In response, Russia strongly rejected Clinton's tone, language and bullying.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Russia, China and other nations refuse participation with so-called "friends." They reflect unilateralism, wrongheadedness, and immorality.
"(T)hey present theatrical and political propaganda shows that are similar to conferences of political parties, in which the fate of Syria is discussed in the absence of its main representatives and loud calls are made for the opposition to go into battle to undermine the Syrian leadership."
He also called the duplicitous June 27 Human Rights Council report biased, adding:
"(I)t will not help launch a political process in the country."
"The context of the decision didn't include a condemnation of the armed opposition's violence once referred to by Head of the UN monitoring mission in Syria Robert Mood."
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said:
"I reject strongly that in the situation like that in Syria Russia supports Bashar Assad’s rule."
"This is not a matter of support for some politicians, but that the settlement process should be put on a normal, political basis."
"Unfortunately, we cannot attain the basic understanding of various things from our partners, including Western partners."
"They still use the terms 'friend or foe' and who is someone’s 'client.' It seemed to Russia that similar terms should be left in the past."
"If it is still applicable to these politicians, this means that they stayed with their ideas in the past."
"Russia does not support concrete politicians and political figures in Syria, but works for what, we hope, will help establish such a necessary dialogue with the authorities and the opposition in Syria."
Following the Paris meeting a "Statement of (the) Chairman's conclusions followed," saying:
"All Syrians must have a place in the new Syria, regardless of their origins, affiliations, religion, beliefs or gender."
Fingers pointed the wrong way. Assad was blamed for Western-generated violence. Charges against him were spurious and outrageous.
Death squad insurgents ravage the country. They're responsible for thousands of Syrian deaths, atrocities and other high crimes. Western money, arms, training and direction support them.
Assad's blamed for confronting them responsibly.
Paris participants committed to support Security Council action under the UN Charter's Chapter VII. It authorizes "Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression."
Article 41 calls for measures short of armed intervention. They "may include complete or partial interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic, radio, and other means of communication, and the severance of diplomatic relations."
Article 42 calls for other measures if Article 41 proves inadequate or ineffective. They "may include demonstrations, blockade, and other operations by air, sea, or land forces of Members of the United Nations."
Subsequent articles authorize the use of force. UN members are invited to participate.
Article 46 calls for "(p)lans for the application of armed force (to) be made by the Security Council with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee."
Friend of Syria called for "perpetrators of crimes" to be punished. It wants "support(ers of) repression (to) face stiffer and wider sanctions."
It backs the "democratic opposition and local solidarity networks....
They said "the international community will stand by the Syrian people as their country is rebuilt."
Another meeting is planned.
So-called friends want Syrians treated like ravaged Libyans. Months of insurgent attacks and NATO bombing destroyed the country. Tens of thousands died.
Africa's most developed country became NATO's latest charnel house. When Washington-led forces intervene, massacres, mass destruction, and indescribable human misery follow.
NATO committed a Nuremberg level crime. Libya was terrorized, destroyed, and plundered in the name of liberation. Humanitarian intervention was cover for naked aggression.
Washington plans Libya 2.0 for Syrians. So-called friends support it. Who needs enemies with these type scoundrels.
Nations supporting America's imperial agenda share responsibility for what's ongoing and planned. Since the 1990s, NATO ravaged one country after another. Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya no longer exist.
Carving up the Syrian corpse will follow more war. It's coming. Obama plans it. Key NATO partners and rogue Arab states support it.
Nations endorsing peaceful conflict resolution incur Clinton's wrath. She wants unchallenged support for Washington's imperial agenda.
So far they resist. Hopefully they'll continue doing what it takes to avoid more war. Millions of Syrians depend on them. So does the entire region and beyond.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@
His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
http://www.clarityp
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.
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Mon Jul 9, 2012 6:07 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://english.
Interfax
July 9, 2012
Saakashvili prepares bloodshed to retain power – Shevardnadze
The former Georgian President, Edward Shevardnadze, has accused the incumbent President, Mikhail Saakashvili, of preparing bloodshed to retain power.
He pointed out in an interview with the local weekly Asaval-Dasavali that the appointment of a new Cabinet under former Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili in late June is strongly suggestive of this.
According to Shevardnadze, Saakashvili will go to any lengths not to lose the forthcoming parliamentary elections. Shevardnadze has also called the Georgians to display unity, to counter the dictator.
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Interfax
July 9, 2012
Saakashvili prepares bloodshed to retain power – Shevardnadze
The former Georgian President, Edward Shevardnadze, has accused the incumbent President, Mikhail Saakashvili, of preparing bloodshed to retain power.
He pointed out in an interview with the local weekly Asaval-Dasavali that the appointment of a new Cabinet under former Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili in late June is strongly suggestive of this.
According to Shevardnadze, Saakashvili will go to any lengths not to lose the forthcoming parliamentary elections. Shevardnadze has also called the Georgians to display unity, to counter the dictator.
============
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http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
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To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@
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Mon Jul 9, 2012 8:21 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://rickrozoff.
Stop NATO
July 10, 2012
NATO Steps Up Activity In Mediterranean, Syria Responds
Rick Rozoff
Shortly after NATO Allied Maritime Command Naples completed a ten-day air surge in the Mediterranean as part of the Western military bloc's almost eleven-year Operation Active Endeavor, Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 docked in Istanbul, Turkey on its way to conduct exercises off the coast of Syria.
Active Endeavor was launched in October 2001 as part of the activation of NATO's Article 5 collective military assistance clause and has operated ever since with no mandate other than that the alliance has granted itself.
Ships assigned by NATO members and partners have patrolled the Mediterranean at will, contacting (hailing) by NATO's own count over 100,000 vessels and boarding nearly 200.
Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is one of NATO's two Immediate Reaction Forces and consists of warships (destroyers and frigates) from the U.S., Britain, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey. It also operates in the Mediterranean and routinely in conjunction with Active Endeavor.
Active Endeavor and Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 arrogate to themselves the role of conducting supposed anti-terrorist and counter-piracy missions and the ever-elusive hunt for weapons of mass destruction. In the third category it effectively overlaps with the U.S.'s Proliferation Security Initiative [1], described by the State Department as follows:
"The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) is a global effort that aims to stop trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery systems, and related materials to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern. Launched on May 31, 2003, U.S. involvement in the PSI stems from the U.S. National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction issued in December 2002. That strategy recognizes the need for more robust tools to stop proliferation of WMD around the world, and specifically identifies interdiction as an area where greater focus will be placed.
"President Obama strongly supports the PSI. In his April 2009 Prague speech, President Obama first called for the PSI to continue as an enduring international counterproliferatio
Both the Proliferation Security Initiative and Operation Active Endeavor - the first international, the second throughout the Mediterranean - are comprehensive Western maritime surveillance and interdiction missions run without United Nations authorization.
In March of this year Standing NATO Maritime Group I, primarily assigned to the eastern Atlantic, began NATO surge operations in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of Operation Active Endeavor.
On March 24 Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 met with the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group in the western part of the sea.
The recently concluded air surge in the Mediterranean concentrated on "using the massive data collection capabilities" of the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force E-3A (AWACS) Component based in Geilenkirchen, Germany.
After Germany took over command of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 from Turkey on June 15, the detachment of three warships has been, in the words of the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, "flexing its muscles in the Mediterranean" and conducting "its mission in the eastern Mediterranean at a time of increased tensions in the area following the recent downing of a Turkish jet by Syrian forces and continued energy exploration off Greek Cyprus’ southern coast that has upset Turkey and Turkish Cyprus."
The Turkish, German and French frigates currently assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 are equipped with helicopters and landing pads, ship-to-ship and surface-to-air missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes.
On June 7 Syria's armed forces began a series of large-scale military exercises with naval maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency, "The move is thought to be targeted at the West to demonstrate Syria`s capacity to defend its borders."
The naval drills simulated repelling attacks from the sea, were attended by major military officials including Defense Minister General Dawood Rajha and featured missiles fired from ships and from portable land launchers. Threats from the sea could only emanate from one source: NATO.
The second day of the exercises included ships and helicopters conducting joint anti-submarine maneuvers, coastal artillery, armored units, aircraft, marines and frogmen.
The above-cited news agency described the exercise as involving "military maneuvers carried out over several days involving land, sea and air forces in order to test the combat readiness of the Syrian Arab Army and inspect its ability to carry out its duties in circumstances similar to possible combat conditions."
On July 9 Syrian naval, air and land forces held an air defense exercise employing anti-aircraft missiles.
Syria has the military capacity to respond to NATO attacks that Libya didn't last year. Any attempt to replicate the Libyan scenario in the Eastern Mediterranean, even if it doesn't at first pull Russia, Iran, Lebanon and China into the fray, is fraught with disastrous consequences.
1) Proliferation Security Initiative And U.S. 1,000-Ship Navy: Control Of World’s Oceans, Prelude To War
Stop NATO
January 29, 2009
http://rickrozoff.
Stop NATO
July 10, 2012
NATO Steps Up Activity In Mediterranean, Syria Responds
Rick Rozoff
Shortly after NATO Allied Maritime Command Naples completed a ten-day air surge in the Mediterranean as part of the Western military bloc's almost eleven-year Operation Active Endeavor, Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 docked in Istanbul, Turkey on its way to conduct exercises off the coast of Syria.
Active Endeavor was launched in October 2001 as part of the activation of NATO's Article 5 collective military assistance clause and has operated ever since with no mandate other than that the alliance has granted itself.
Ships assigned by NATO members and partners have patrolled the Mediterranean at will, contacting (hailing) by NATO's own count over 100,000 vessels and boarding nearly 200.
Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is one of NATO's two Immediate Reaction Forces and consists of warships (destroyers and frigates) from the U.S., Britain, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey. It also operates in the Mediterranean and routinely in conjunction with Active Endeavor.
Active Endeavor and Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 arrogate to themselves the role of conducting supposed anti-terrorist and counter-piracy missions and the ever-elusive hunt for weapons of mass destruction. In the third category it effectively overlaps with the U.S.'s Proliferation Security Initiative [1], described by the State Department as follows:
"The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) is a global effort that aims to stop trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery systems, and related materials to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern. Launched on May 31, 2003, U.S. involvement in the PSI stems from the U.S. National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction issued in December 2002. That strategy recognizes the need for more robust tools to stop proliferation of WMD around the world, and specifically identifies interdiction as an area where greater focus will be placed.
"President Obama strongly supports the PSI. In his April 2009 Prague speech, President Obama first called for the PSI to continue as an enduring international counterproliferatio
Both the Proliferation Security Initiative and Operation Active Endeavor - the first international, the second throughout the Mediterranean - are comprehensive Western maritime surveillance and interdiction missions run without United Nations authorization.
In March of this year Standing NATO Maritime Group I, primarily assigned to the eastern Atlantic, began NATO surge operations in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of Operation Active Endeavor.
On March 24 Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 met with the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group in the western part of the sea.
The recently concluded air surge in the Mediterranean concentrated on "using the massive data collection capabilities" of the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force E-3A (AWACS) Component based in Geilenkirchen, Germany.
After Germany took over command of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 from Turkey on June 15, the detachment of three warships has been, in the words of the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, "flexing its muscles in the Mediterranean" and conducting "its mission in the eastern Mediterranean at a time of increased tensions in the area following the recent downing of a Turkish jet by Syrian forces and continued energy exploration off Greek Cyprus’ southern coast that has upset Turkey and Turkish Cyprus."
The Turkish, German and French frigates currently assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 are equipped with helicopters and landing pads, ship-to-ship and surface-to-air missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes.
On June 7 Syria's armed forces began a series of large-scale military exercises with naval maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency, "The move is thought to be targeted at the West to demonstrate Syria`s capacity to defend its borders."
The naval drills simulated repelling attacks from the sea, were attended by major military officials including Defense Minister General Dawood Rajha and featured missiles fired from ships and from portable land launchers. Threats from the sea could only emanate from one source: NATO.
The second day of the exercises included ships and helicopters conducting joint anti-submarine maneuvers, coastal artillery, armored units, aircraft, marines and frogmen.
The above-cited news agency described the exercise as involving "military maneuvers carried out over several days involving land, sea and air forces in order to test the combat readiness of the Syrian Arab Army and inspect its ability to carry out its duties in circumstances similar to possible combat conditions."
On July 9 Syrian naval, air and land forces held an air defense exercise employing anti-aircraft missiles.
Syria has the military capacity to respond to NATO attacks that Libya didn't last year. Any attempt to replicate the Libyan scenario in the Eastern Mediterranean, even if it doesn't at first pull Russia, Iran, Lebanon and China into the fray, is fraught with disastrous consequences.
1) Proliferation Security Initiative And U.S. 1,000-Ship Navy: Control Of World’s Oceans, Prelude To War
Stop NATO
January 29, 2009
http://rickrozoff.
