November 8, 2012

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Hawks Circling As Row Deepens, Activists Warn

December 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Stop the War campaigners slammed William Hague’s “irresponsible” knee-jerk reaction to expel all Iranian diplomats from Britain today, saying it was a step towards military intervention.

The Foreign Secretary gave all Iranian diplomats until yesterday afternoon to close the embassy and leave British soil.

Mr Hague’s ultimatum came after the British embassy in Tehran was stormed by hundreds of protesters on Tuesday.

That attack was in response to a British decision to impose further sanctions on Iran over its alleged nuclear programme.

Mr Hague also ordered the evacuation of around 24 British embassy staff from the Iranian capital before threatening Iran with more economic sanctions, including a possible ban on oil exports to the EU.

The US has already passed a Senate Bill allowing President Obama to block money from flowing into Iran’s central bank.

Stop the War Coalition spokesman Chris Nineham said Mr Hague’s reaction was “totally irresponsible” and said the organisation would be redoubling efforts to build a nationwide campaign against any plans for military intervention in Iran.

He added: “Western powers and Britain in particular have done everything they can to raise tensions with the Iranian regime.

“The recent heavy-handed sanctions imposed on the country by the EU and Britain, with a further round expected in January, is an example of that.

“They say they don’t want military intervention but for Hague to expel all of Iran’s diplomats from London will close one of the last channels of communication with the regime and raise suspicions that military action may well be on the cards.

“We’ll be extending and strengthening our campaign to stop any military attack on Iran, starting with a rally in London next week followed by a sustained national campaign in the new year.”

The StWC Don’t Attack Iran rally will take place at 25 Red Lion Square in London from 7pm on Monday December 5.

 

Source: https://www.survivingthefuture.com/what-sections-1031-and-1032-of-bill-1867-really-mean.html

Filed Under: Iran, Politicians, United Kingdom Tagged With:

NWO Puppets: ‘Cold War & Crusades Never Finished’

December 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Iran, Politics, Religion, Syria, USA Tagged With:

“China Will Not Hesitate To Protect Iran Even With A Third World War” (Subtitles)

December 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 

A military General from the Chinese National Defense University says that China should not hesitate to protect Iran, even if it means launching World War III, as more US warships are dispatched to the region amidst heightening tensions.

According to NDTV, a Chinese news station based outside the country, in regard to recent speculation that Iran would be the target of a US-Israeli military assault, Major General Zhang Zhaozhong commented that, “China will not hesitate to protect Iran even with a third World War,” remarks described as “puzzling to some”.

The news report also quotes Professor Xia Ming as paraphrasing Zhaozhong’s quote that, “not hesitating to fight a third world war would be entirely for domestic political needs.”

China has vehemently reaffirmed its alliance with Iran in recent weeks, most notably yesterday when it refused to criticize Iran for a raid on the British Embassy in Tehran launched by Iranian students earlier this week.

Both China and Russia have made it clear that they will veto any UN authorization of military action against Iran in the aftermath of claims that Iran is on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.

“China has noted the tough reactions made by the relevant countries over this event and is concerned over the development of the situation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told reporters today.

“We hope relevant countries will keep calm and exercise restraint and avoid taking emotional actions that may rachet up the confrontation.
Meanwhile, in a related development, three more US warships have been dispatched to join the USS John C. Stennis in the 5th fleet region.
With the Stennis, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier, already stationed just outside Iranian territorial waters, the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier has just been deployed from its home port to join the U.S. 5th Fleet AOR.

“In addition to the USS Carl Vinson’s departure, guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill and guided-missile destroyer left in the morning, and the USS Halsey will depart at 2 p.m,” reports NBC SanDiego, adding that the ships are headed for the Middle East.

Fears of an imminent military assault on Syria were sparked when the USS George H.W. Bush left its usual theater of operations to position itself just off the Syrian coast, but the warship has now completed its mission and is sailing back to its home port in Norfolk Virginia.

Filed Under: China, Iran, Russia Tagged With:

Iran Strike To Paralyze Life In Israel

December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Former director of the Mossad spy agency Meir Dagan has warned that an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities would lead to a regional war.

Dagan said in a television interview on Tuesday that Iran, and the Hezbollah and Hamas resistance movements will respond with massive rocket attacks on Israel if the Tel Aviv regime attacks Iranian atomic sites, Haaretz reported.

He noted that Syria would also join Iran in that scenario.

Dagan added that such a war would take a heavy toll in terms of lost lives and would paralyze life in Israel.

Earlier in May, Dagan publicly argued against an airstrike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

He described the possibility of a future Israeli airstrike on Iran as “the stupidest thing he has ever heard.”

The former Mossad chief said that any military strike was likely to prompt a regional war and missile attacks from several fronts on Israel, adding that any attack on Iran would have no advantage for Tel Aviv.

Israeli officials roundly criticized Dagan for calling a possible attack on Iran “a stupid idea,” saying such remarks undermine Israel’s ability of prowess.

“Any ability to disperse the ambiguousness surrounding the issue of Iran hurts Israel’s standing against Iran,” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said during an interview with Israel Radio on July 5.

He added that the military option against Iran must remain on the table.

Israel’s Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz also said an indictment against Dagan should be considered, adding that he should not have made the comments whether they were correct or not.

“If someone came out of a cabinet meeting and discussed Israel’s capabilities or lack thereof, he would be indicted for compromising national security…His statements harm the people who stood behind him. Perhaps it would have been better to just keep his mouth shut,” Hershkowitz said.

The United States and Israel have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the “option” of a military strike, based on the allegation that Iran’s nuclear work may consist of a covert military agenda.

Iran has refuted the allegations, saying that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

While Israel refuses to allow inspections of its nuclear facilities or to join the NPT based on its policy of nuclear ambiguity, Iran has been subjected to snap IAEA inspections due to its policy of nuclear transparency.

Israel recently test fired a new long-range missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The test was carried out at the Palmahim air base in central Israel.

This three-stage Jericho-3 missile, which is capable of delivering a 750-kilo warhead to a distance, is estimated to have a range of up to 10,000 kilometers. Paradoxically, Israel’s new nuke-capable missile, which can target many parts of the globe, is not considered a threat in the eyes of the West.

Source: https://flipthepyramid.com/index.php/entry/iran-strike-to-paralyze-life-in-israel

Filed Under: Iran, Israel, Nuclear, Syria, Weapons

A Second Iranian Nuclear Facility Has Exploded, As Diplomatic Tensions Rise Between The West And Tehran

November 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

AN IRANIAN nuclear facility has been hit by a huge explosion, the second such blast in a month, prompting speculation that Tehran’s military and atomic sites are under attack.

Satellite imagery seen by The Times confirmed that a blast that rocked the city of Isfahan on Monday struck the uranium enrichment facility there, despite denials by Tehran.

The images clearly showed billowing smoke and destruction, negating Iranian claims yesterday that no such explosion had taken place. Israeli intelligence officials told The Times that there was “no doubt” that the blast struck the nuclear facilities at Isfahan and that it was “no accident”.

The explosion at Iran’s third-largest city came as satellite images emerged of the damage caused by one at a military base outside Tehran two weeks ago that killed about 30 members of the Revolutionary Guard, including General Hassan Moghaddam, the head of the Iranian missile defence program.

Iran claimed that the Tehran explosion occurred during testing on a new weapons system designed to strike at Israel. But several Israeli officials have confirmed that the blast was intentional and part of an effort to target Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

On Monday, Isfahan residents reported a blast that shook tower blocks in the city at about 2.40pm and seeing a cloud of smoke rising over the nuclear facility on the edge of the city.

“This caused damage to the facilities in Isfahan, particularly to the elements we believe were involved in storage of raw materials,” said one military intelligence source.

He would not confirm or deny Israel’s involvement in the blast, instead saying that there were “many different parties looking to sabotage, stop or coerce Iran into stopping its nuclear weapons program”.

Iran went into frantic denial yesterday as news of the explosion at Isfahan emerged. Alireza Zaker-Isfahani, the city’s governor, claimed that the blast had been caused by a military exercise in the area but state-owned agencies in Tehran soon removed this story and issued a government denial that any explosion had taken place at all.

On Monday, Dan Meridor. the Israeli Intelligence Minister, said: “There are countries who impose economic sanctions and there are countries who act in other ways in dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat.”

Major-General Giora Eiland, Israel’s former director of national security, told Israel’s army radio that the Isfahan blast was no accident. “There aren’t many coincidences, and when there are so many events there is probably some sort of guiding hand, though perhaps it’s the hand of God,” he said.

A former Israeli intelligence official cited at least two other explosions that have “successfully neutralised” Iranian bases associated with the Shahab-3, the medium-range missile that could be adapted to carry a nuclear warhead. “This is something everyone in the West wanted to see happen,” he added.

Iran has repeatedly denied the existence of a nuclear weapons program, and strongly condemned the International Atomic Energy Agency’s report last month that accused Iran of trying to build a nuclear weapon.

Source: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/a-second-iranian-nuclear-facility-has-exploded-as-diplomatic-tensions-rise-between-the-west-and-tehran/story-e6frg6so-1226209996774

Filed Under: Environment, Iran, Israel, Radiation, USA Tagged With:

UK Withdraws Diplomatic Staff From Iran After Attack

November 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Britain is withdrawing some diplomats from Iran following the attack on its embassy in the capital, Tehran, on Tuesday, diplomatic sources say.

The Foreign Office said “some staff” were leaving “for their own safety”, but gave no further details of the numbers involved.

Norway has said it has closed its embassy, citing security concerns.

Tuesday’s attack followed Britain’s decision to impose further sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.

It led to Iran’s parliament voting to reduce diplomatic relations with the UK.

‘Hasty’

Hundreds of protesters - whom Iran described as “students” - massed outside the embassy compound on Tuesday afternoon before scaling the walls and the gates, burning British flags and a car.

For many, an incursion into a Western embassy in Tehran triggers memories of one event - the storming by Iranian students of the US embassy in 1979.

More than 50 US diplomats and staff were held for more than 400 days. The US and Iran have yet to overcome the legacy of this event - the two countries have not restored diplomatic relations.

The British government has warned that Iran will face serious consequences. What these consequences may be is not yet clear, but Britain will want to act alongside its partners in the EU.

In April 1997, all EU countries withdrew their ambassadors for seven months because Iranian intelligence agents had been found guilty of murdering four Iranian Kurds in Germany.

Another UK diplomatic compound in northern Tehran, known locally as Qolhak Garden, was also overrun and damaged.

Iran said it regretted the incident, which it described as “unacceptable behaviour by a small number of protesters”.

According to AFP news agency, a first group of embassy staff are flying out to Dubai.

In a statement on Wednesday, the British Foreign Office said Mr Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague had “made clear that ensuring the safety of our staff and their families is our immediate priority”.

“In the light of yesterday’s events and to ensure their ongoing safety, some staff are leaving Tehran,” it said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has warned of “serious consequences”, while the US, EU and UN Security Council also condemned the attack.

Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani has described the UN Security Council’s condemnation as “hasty”, according to state television.

“The hasty move in the Security Council in condemning the students’ actions was done to cover up previous crimes of America and Britain while the police did all they could to keep the peace,” Mr Larijani was quoted as saying.

Norway decided to shut its Tehran embassy due to “security concerns” after the attack on the British embassy, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hilde Steinfeld said.

But it is not evacuating its staff from Iran, she said.

Downgraded relations

The attack came a week after the US, Canada and the UK announced new sanctions against the Islamist state, including measures to restrict the activities of the Iranian central bank.

For its part, the UK said it would sever all financial ties with Iran - the first time Britain has cut off all banking relations with another state.

The move came after a new report by the UN’s nuclear watchdog (IAEA), which said Iran had carried out tests “relevant to the development of a nuclear device”.

Iran denies the accusations, saying its nuclear progamme is solely for civilian purposes.

On Sunday, Iran’s parliament voted by a large majority to downgrade diplomatic relations with the UK in response to the recent action.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15956946

Filed Under: Iran, Politics, Protests, Social Unrest, United Kingdom, Violence Tagged With:

Sanctions Against Iran are Definite Steps Toward a US Attack

November 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Dr. Ron Paul

Many people have the misconception that sanctions are an effective means to encourage a change of behavior in another country without war. However, imposing sanctions and blockades are not only an act of war according to international law, they are most often the first step toward a real war starting with a bombing campaign. Sanctions were the first step in our wars against Iraq and Libya, and now more sanctions planned against Syria and Iran are leading down the same destructive path.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) latest report, just out this month, there is no evidence that Iran has diverted enriched uranium from the peaceful and lawful generation of power toward building a nuclear weapon. According to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has every right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Unfortunately, US foreign policy has boxed Iran into a corner where they may view development of a nuclear weapon as the only way to maintain sovereignty. They are surrounded by unfriendly nuclear powers and history has shown that having a nuclear weapon is the best way to avoid being bombed or invaded. The unintended consequences of our confrontational policies toward Iran may be to actually encourage them to seek nuclear weapons capabilities. We should be using diplomacy rather than threats and hostility.

Fortunately there is another way. Nothing promotes peace better than free trade. Countries that trade with each other generally do not make war on each other, as both countries gain economic benefits they do not want to jeopardize. China is a massive nuclear power yet it does not seek military confrontation with the United States. Trade is much more profitable. Also trade and friendship applies much more effective persuasion to encourage better behavior, as does leading by example. Alarmingly, tough new sanctions are under consideration that would also punish Iran’s trading partners, including China, Russia, and possibly our NATO allies such as Germany.

Conversely, sanctions allow regimes to blame their shortcomings on foreigners, thereby maintaining a hold on power. They rarely even inconvenience elites in the target countries. They simply provide a common enemy to rally the people against and undermine internal dissent. Consider how well the embargo has worked against Cuba. Fidel Castro and his regime may be annoyed by the inability to trade with their neighbors just 90 miles away, but American businessmen also lose out in the bargain. That means less jobs and less freedom at home.

We should be clear about this: sanctions against Iran are definite steps toward a US attack. Already we see US warships approaching the region, moving dangerously close to Syrian waters. The tougher sanctions currently under consideration would disrupt global trade and undermine the US economy, which in turn harms our national security. Foreign companies or foreign subsidiaries of US companies would be severely punished if they did not submit to the US trade embargo on Iran. We must change our foreign policy to one of economic freedom and diplomacy. That is the only way to promote peace and prosperity. This race to war against Iran and Syria is both foolhardy and dangerous.

Source:

https://www.activistpost.com/2011/11/sanctions-against-iran-are-definite.html

Filed Under: Iran, United Kingdom, USA

Iran Threatens 150,000 Missile Response To Israeli Jerichos

November 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Saber-rattling rhetoric in the Middle East is reaching new heights. Israel is reportedly deploying its long-range Jericho missiles around Jerusalem, while the Iranian defense minister threatened massive missile retaliation against Israel.

The threat to launch “150,000 or more” missiles was voiced by Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi on Sunday as he was delivering a speech before army volunteers. Earlier Iranian officials threatened retaliation against both Israel and NATO, should an attack on Iran be carried out.

Meanwhile Israel is reportedly deploying its own missiles around Jerusalem and in the West Bank. The missiles carried into position by military tracks resemble the Jericho missiles, says Aaron Klein, head of the Jerusalem bureau for WorldNetDaily, citing several eyewitness accounts.

The reporter speculates that this may be a military drill, possibly linked to the earlier rocket test fire. The missile launched from the Palmachim test center was reportedly meant to test a new engine for the long-range Jericho III design. Its specifications are classified, but military experts believe the Israeli missile to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to any destination in the Middle East, most of Europe, North America and Africa.

Klein believes such a drill may be carried out either as a step in the escalating conflict over Iranian nuclear program or due to the unstable situation in Syria.

Israel’s ongoing row with Iran came back to the fore in the wake of a critical UN nuclear watchdog report, which alleged that Tehran may be working on creating a nuclear weapon and, as some commentators said, gave Israel the grounds for a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Syria’s civil unrest and governmental crackdown on the opposition has led to several rounds of sanctions imposed on the country and speculations that an intervention similar to that in Libya may follow. President Assad warned that such a move would result in a major regional conflict. Israel would then become a natural target for Syrian allies like Hamas and Hezbollah in such a scenario.

The Israeli Defense Force would not comment on the alleged missile deployment.

Source:

https://rt.com/news/missile-tossing-iran-israel-457

Filed Under: Iran, Israel, Military Industrial Complex, USA, Weapons

That Rocky Road To Damascus

November 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The trillion-dollar question in the “Arab Winter” is who will blink first in the West’s screenplay of slouching towards Tehran via Damascus.

As they examine the regional chessboard and the formidable array of forces aligned against them, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the military dictatorship of the mullahtariat in Tehran must face, simultaneously, superpower Washington, bomb-happy North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members, nuclear power Israel, all Sunni Arab absolute monarchies, and even Sunni-majority, secular Turkey.

Meanwhile, on their side, the Islamic Republic can only count on Moscow. Not as bad a hand as it may seem.

Syria is Iran’s undisputed key ally in the Arab world - while Russia, alongside China, are the key geopolitical allies. China, for the moment, is making it clear that any solution for Syria must be negotiated.

Russia’s one and only naval base in the Mediterranean is at the Syrian port of Tartus. Not by accident, Russia has installed its S-300 air defense system - one of the best all-altitude surface-to-air missile systems in the world, comparable to the American Patriot - in Tartus. The update to the even more sophisticated S-400 system is imminent.

From Moscow’s - as well as Tehran’s - perspective, regime change in Damascus is a no-no. It will mean virtual expulsion of the Russian and Iranian navies from the Mediterranean.

Yet key lateral moves by the West are already on. Diplomats in Brussels confirmed to Asia Times Online that the former Libyan “rebels” - now trying to come up with a credible government - have already given the go-ahead for NATO to build a sprawling military base in Cyrenaica.

NATO has no final say in such matters. This is decided by the boss - the Pentagon - interested in emboldening Africom in coordination with NATO. As many as 20,000 boots are expected to be deployed on the ground in Libya - at least 12,000 of them Europeans. They will be responsible for Libya’s “internal security”, but also be on alert for possible, further military campaigns targeted at - who else - Syria and Iran.

Bring those Shi’ites down
As much as the latest “coalition of the willing” - which by the way repeats the Libya model - is against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, it also represents a Christian/Sunni war against Shi’ites, be they the Alawite minority in Syria or the Shi’ite majorities in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.

This is part and parcel of the “strategic opportunity” identified by the powerful Israel lobby in Washington; if we strike against the Damascus-Tehran link, we deal a mortal blow to Hezbollah in Lebanon. That, ideologues believe, can now be sold to world public opinion under the cover of the former Arab Spring - now “Arab Winter” after a metamorphosis, before “Arab Summer”, into the Arab counter-revolution).

As Tehran sees it, what’s really going on regarding Syria is a “humanitarian” cover for a complex anti-Shi’ite and anti-Iran operation.

The road map is already clear. A fractious, unrepresentative Syrian National Council - Libya-style - is already in place. Same for a heavily armed Sunni “insurgency” crisscrossing the borders in Lebanon and Turkey. Sanctions are already essentially hurting the Syrian middle class. A relentless, international campaign of vilification of the Assad regime has been deployed. And psy ops abound, with the aim of seducing sections of the Syrian army to defect (it’s not working).

A report [1] by a Qatar-based researcher for the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) even comes close to admitting that the self-described “Free Syria Army” is basically a bunch of hardcore Islamists, plus a few genuine army defectors, but mostly radicalized Muslim Brotherhood bought, paid for and weaponized by the US, Israel, the Gulf monarchies and Turkey. There’s nothing “pro-democracy” about this lot - as incessantly sold by Western corporate and Saudi-owned media.

As for the National Council, based in Washington and London and sprinkled with the usual dodgy exiles, its program calls for governing Syria alongside the same military that has been - a la the Egyptian military junta - shooting civilian protesters. Makes one think that the only sensible solution would be for the people in Syria to topple the police state Assad regime, while being vehemently against the dodgy Syrian National Council.

This year’s model (dictator)
Then there’s the usually misguided and misinformed West, which believes that the Arab League - now no more than a puppet of US foreign policy - is siding with the democratic aspirations of the Syrian people. Angry Arab blogger As’ad Abu Khalil is correct when he says that after the fall of president Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, “the League is now an extension of the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC]“.

The GCC is in fact the Gulf Counter-revolution Club. Their favorite sport is to privilege “model” dictators - starting with themselves, but also including Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen and the little kings of Jordan and Morocco, who will be annexed to the GCC because they wish they were in the Persian Gulf (geography dictates they aren’t). On the other hand, the GCC abhors “bad” dictators - the snuffed-out Muammar Gaddafi and Assad, who not by accident are from secular republics.

The House of Saud, Jordan and rising Qatar are more than comfortable doing the US’s and Israel’s bidding. The House of Saud - the GCC’s top dog - invaded Bahrain with 1,500 troops to smash pro-democracy protests very much like the ones in Egypt and Syria. The House of Saud helped the ruling, Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty in 70% Shi’ite Bahrain to conduct widespread torture; Bahrainis confirm that everyone tortured was forced to confess direct links with “evil” Tehran.

In Egypt, the House of Saud supported Mubarak even after he was deposed. Now it supports - with over US$4 billion so far - a military junta that basically wants to keep power, unchecked, over a “democratic” facade.

The House of Saud couldn’t possibly coexist with a successful, democratic Egypt. Anyone believing the House of Saud’s claim to defend human rights and democracy in the Middle East should check into an asylum.

The Arab League - also a House of Saud extension - gave a green card to NATO to bomb a member state. It suspended Syria on November 12 - as it had done with Libya on February 22 - because, unlike in Libya, US and European designs in the United Nations Security Council were duly vetoed by Russia and China.

Welcome to a “new” Arab League where if you don’t prostrate in front of the GCC altar, you’re condemned to regime change.

Worshipping the GCC can’t compare to worshipping the Pentagon and NATO. Jordan and Morocco are members of NATO’s Mediterranean dialogue, and Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are members of NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. In addition, Jordan and the UAE are the only Arabic Troop Contributing Nations for NATO in Afghanistan.

Ivo Daalder, the Obama administration’s ambassador to NATO, has already ordered Libya to enter the Mediterranean Dialogue, alongside Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania and Israel. And early this month he told the Atlantic Council what’s needed for an attack on Syria; an “urgent necessity” (such as giving the impression Assad is going to raze Homs to the ground); “regional support” (that will come in a flash from the GCC/Arab League); and a UN mandate (it won’t happen, as Russia and China had made it clear).

So one may expect exactly that from the “coalition of the willing”; some black ops blamed on the Assad regime; immediate support from GCC/Arab League; and probably unilateral action, because via the UN is a no-no.

The Greater Middle East dream

No wonder some sound minds in Damascus, watching the tea leaves, decided to take some action. Damascus did send secret couriers to sound out Washington’s mood. The price to be left alone; to cut all ties with Tehran, for good. The Assad regime was left wondering what would they get in return.

The Alawites, roughly 12% of the population and members of the ruling elite, won’t desert the Assad regime. Christians and Druze expect only the worst from a possible, hardcore, Muslim Brotherhood-dominated new order. Same for a crucial neighbor, the Nuri al-Maliki government in Baghdad.

Russia knows that if the current Libyan model is reproduced in Syria - and with Lebanon already under a de facto NATO blockade - the Mediterranean will indeed become that dream, a NATO lake, which is code for total US control.

Moscow also sees that in the US-conceived Greater Middle East - and talk about “great“, spanning from Mauritania to Kazakhstan - the only countries that are not linked with NATO through myriad “partnerships” are, apart from Syria: Lebanon, Eritrea, Sudan and Iran.

As for the Pentagon, the name of the game is “repositioning“. As in if you leave Iraq you go somewhere else in the “arc of instability“, preferably the Gulf. There are 40,000 US troops already in the Gulf - 23,000 of them in Kuwait. A secret army for the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency is being trained by former Blackwater, “repositioned” as Xe, in the UAE. A NATO of the Gulf is being born. NATOGCC, anyone?

When the US neo-conservatives ruled the universe - that was only a few years ago - the motto was “Real men go to Tehran“. An update is in order. Call it “Real men go to Tehran via Damascus only if they have the balls to stare down Moscow”.

Source: https://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MK24Ak01.html

Filed Under: China, Iran, NATO, Russia, Syria, USA, War

Democracy: Regime Change - 21st Century Energy Source?

November 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Democracy, Iran, Syria, War
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