tagged w/ facilities
-
Ramping up the rhetoric of war in a volatile region can lead to a misstep and once the dogs of war are off their leash, it will be hard to bring them to heel
April 3, 2010 |
When Israeli Minister without Portfolio Yossi Peled said recently that a war with Lebanon's Hezbollah was "just a matter of time" and that such a conflict would include Syria, most observers dismissed the comment as little more than posturing by a right-wing former general. But Peled's threat has been backed by Israeli military maneuvers near the Lebanese border, violations of Lebanese airspace, and the deployment of an anti- missile system on Israel's northern border.
The Lebanese are certainly not treating it as Likud bombast.
"We hear a lot of Israeli threats day in and day out, and not only threats," Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri told the BBC. "We see what is happening on the ground and in our airspace.during the past two months-every day we have Israeli airplanes entering Lebanese airspace." Hariri added that he considered the situation "really dangerous."
The increasing tension was behind the recent visit to Beirut by Senator Philippe Marini, French President Nicholas Sarkozy's special envoy to Lebanon. After Marini met with Hariri, Christian Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, and Hezbollah leaders, the envoy said that he feared a Hezbollah-Israel rematch could easily become a regional war.
Rhetoric all over the region is heating up.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman first said that Israel would never return the Golan Heights to Syria, prompting Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al- Muallem to comment that Israel "should not test Syria's determination." Lieberman responded by taking direct aim at Syrian President Bashar Assad: "In the next war, not only will you lose, but you and your family will lose the regime."
Israel attacked Lebanon in 2006 following a Hezbollah raid that captured two Israeli soldiers. The 34-day war cost Lebanon more than 1,000 dead, and tens of billions of dollars in damage to bridges, roads, airports, and towns. But the war also saw the once-invincible Israeli Self-Defense Forces (IDF) fought to a bloody standstill, and a barrage of some 4,000 Hezbollah rockets into Israel.
Many in the Israeli military would love to re-establish the IDF's reputation by beating up on Hezbollah, but the Shiite-based militia has broad support throughout Lebanon, as the last elections demonstrated. While the "pro-western" March 14 Movement won the most seats-largely as a result of ethnic gerrymandering-the Hezbollah bloc won the most votes. In any case, the March 14 Movement has begun to unravel with the defection of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.
Lebanon's military is no match for Israel. It has a small army and its air force consists of two grounded 1950s vintage Hawker Hunter fighter-bombers, plus a motley collection of helicopters, most of which are not operational. In the 2007 fight with Islamic extremists in Tripoli, Lebanese Army soldiers pitched bombs out of French Gazelle helicopters by hand.
The Israelis are threatening to flatten the entire country if it comes to war-"taking off the gloves" as Israel military analyst Yisrael Katzover puts it-and they certainly have the capabilities to inflict a stunning amount of damage. But Hezbollah claims it has some thunder of its own. Hassan Nasrallah, the group's leader, vows to bring Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport under fire if Israel bombs Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport as it did in 2006. "If you hit our ports, we will hit your ports," Nasrallah said Feb. 21.
Does the war have the potential to become regional?
Only if Israel decides to make it so. While the Netanyahu government talks about Hezbollah being little more than a cat's paw for Iran and Syria, the group has deep roots in the country's long-repressed Shiite majority. It does receive arms from both Damascus and Iran, and Teheran also gives the group about $200 million a year in aid. That is, however, a tiny portion of Hezbollah's annual budget.
Lebanon's Shiites are also quite different than their Iranian counterparts. While Iran's mullahs dominate civil and economic matters, Lebanon's Shiites are suspicious of direct involvement in government, because they believe that it will ultimately corrupt Islam. A number of Iraq's Shiites, including Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, come from a similar current in the Shiite sect.
Hezbollah is quite aware of the damage that Israel can inflict, and, is consequently unlikely to do anything provocative. As Azmi Bishara, a Palestinian and former Israeli Knesset members writes in Al-Ahram, "Hezbollah has made it clear it intends to avoid giving Israel any excuse to go to war."
Israel has moved its new Iron Dome anti-missile system to its northern border, even though the original plan was to deploy it in the south to intercept rockets fired from Gaza. The system is supposed to be up and running by June. "Making Iron Dome operational will transform Israel's diplomatic and security situation," says Israeli Defense Ministry director general Pinhas Buchris.
Given that Hezbollah has not fired a rocket at Israel since the summer of 2006, why would Tel Aviv move Iron Dome to the northern border unless it was to assure the Israeli public that it will not come under fire in the advent of a new war? In any case, Iron Dome is unlikely to transform anything, since anti-missile systems tend to be more about hype and hope than performance.
There is, of course, the possibility that the Israelis will bet the house and hit Lebanon, Syria and possibly Iran's nuclear facilities. The rhetoric coming out of the Netanyahu government ties all three countries together, which is why Peled lumped Syria with Lebanon. The standard line coming out of Tel Aviv is that Iran is behind everything, including Hamas.
Many in the Israeli establishment openly advocate attacking Iran. Danny Yaton, former head of Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad, told the German Council on Foreign Relations "The entire world should take military action to prevent Iran from getting the bomb."
The Sunday Times (London) reports, "According to well-placed sources, Israel is speeding up preparations for a possible attack on Iran's nuclear sites." The Israeli daily Haaretz says that the Netanyahu government is asking the Obama administration to supply Israel with GBU-28 "bunker buster" bombs and refueling tanker aircraft, both which would be essential for a strike at Iran.
But some in the Israeli military establishment seems reluctant to launch such an attack. Brigadier-General Uzi Eilam, an Israel war hero and a man the Sunday Times calls a "pillar of the defense establishment," says that Iran is a "very, very, very long way from building a nuclear capacity." Eilam charges, "The intelligence community is spreading frightening voices about Iran," and that such an attack would be "counter productive."
Maybe this is all saber rattling aimed at getting the U.S. to step up the pressure on Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Maybe, as Eilam charges, it is all about the IDF getting "a bigger budget." Maybe it is a diversion from the charges that Israel committed war crimes in its invasion of Gaza, its settlement building on the West Bank, and the diplomatic storm it has reaped from its assassination of a Hamas official in Dubai.
But ramping up the rhetoric of war in a volatile region can lead to a misstep-by accident or design-and once the dogs of war are off their leash, it will be hard to bring them to heel.
Late development: The U.S. is transporting 387 bunker-busters, including BLU-110 and massive BLU-117 bombs, to the British controlled Island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, suggesting that Washington is still contemplating an attack on Iran-or wants Teheran to think so.Ramping up the rhetoric of war in a volatile region can lead to a misstep and once the... more
-
-
In the hours following Haiti's devastating earthquake, CNN, the New York Times and other major news sources adopted a common interpretation for the severe destruction: the 7.0 earthquake was so devastating because it struck an urban area that was extremely over-populated and extremely poor. Houses "built on top of each other" and constructed by the poor people themselves made for a fragile city. And the country's many years of underdevelopment and political turmoil made the Haitian government ill-prepared to respond to such a disaster.
True enough. But that's not the whole story. What's missing is any explanation of why there are so many Haitians living in and around Port-au-Prince and why so many of them are forced to survive on so little. Indeed, even when an explanation is ventured, it is often outrageously false such as a former U.S. diplomat's testimony on CNN that Port-au-Prince's overpopulation was due to the fact that Haitians, like most Third World people, know nothing of birth control.
It may startle news-hungry Americans to learn that these conditions the American media correctly attributes to magnifying the impact of this tremendous disaster were largely the product of American policies and an American-led development model.
From 1957-1971 Haitians lived under the dark shadow of "Papa Doc" Duvalier, a brutal dictator who enjoyed U.S. backing because he was seen by Americans as a reliable anti-Communist. After his death, Duvalier's son, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" became President-for-life at the age of 19 and he ruled Haiti until he was finally overthrown in 1986. It was in the 1970s and 1980s that Baby Doc and the United States government and business community worked together to put Haiti and Haiti's capitol city on track to become what it was on January 12, 2010.
After the coronation of Baby Doc, American planners inside and outside the U.S. government initiated their plan to transform Haiti into the "Taiwan of the Caribbean." This small, poor country situated conveniently close to the United States was instructed to abandon its agricultural past and develop a robust, export-oriented manufacturing sector. This, Duvalier and his allies were told, was the way toward modernization and economic development.
From the standpoint of the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Haiti was the perfect candidate for this neoliberal facelift. The entrenched poverty of the Haitian masses could be used to force them into low-paying jobs sewing baseballs and assembling other products.
But USAID had plans for the countryside too. Not only were Haiti's cities to become exporting bases but so was the countryside, with Haitian agriculture also reshaped along the lines of export-oriented, market-based production. To accomplish this USAID, along with urban industrialists and large landholders, worked to create agro-processing facilities, even while they increased their practice of dumping surplus agricultural products from the U.S. on the Haitian people.
This "aid" from the Americans, along with the structural changes in the countryside predictably forced Haitian peasants who could no longer survive to migrate to the cities, especially Port-au-Prince where the new manufacturing jobs were supposed to be. However, when they got there they found there weren't nearly enough manufacturing jobs go around. The city became more and more crowded. Slum areas expanded. And to meet the housing needs of the displaced peasants, quickly and cheaply constructed housing was put up, sometimes placing houses right "on top of each other."
More at the link above:In the hours following Haiti's devastating earthquake, CNN, the New York Times... more
-
-
Although,i have tried to present an extensive list of hospitals in Massachusetts,the list is not completeAlthough,i have tried to present an extensive list of hospitals in Massachusetts,the... more
-
-
The evil toilet attendant. You know the one. She sprays you with cheap perfume and wants 10 bucks. The one in the club who offers you a mint and a paper towel and wants $5. Well, this is a story about the evil bog/toilet lady in London who trumps them all. Read this because---this story isn’t taking the “piss.”The evil toilet attendant. You know the one. She sprays you with cheap perfume and... more
-
-
jrn
-
added this
-
3 years ago
- |
-
"Best of All Worlds" is one of MSC Malaysias value propositions. It advocates a perfect climate for businesses to grow and expand further; a strong, stable business-enabling environment that supplies supportive policies and internationally-compliant regulations.
Multimedia Development Corporation is the one-stop agency bridging investors with the MSC Malaysias world of solutions. More global Multi-National Companies are choosing MSC Malaysia as their preferred hub of call centres, services and operations.
Watch Asha Gill's interview with IBM, Satyam, Manpower, Codemaster, and AIG on the hunt for an insight look at why MSC Malaysia is an ideal setting for their global offices expansion. "Best of All Worlds" is one of MSC Malaysias value propositions. It... more
-
-
xbbtv
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
MSC Malaysia solutions enable businesses to specialise on their competencies and hone their competitive edge. To-date, MSC Malaysia has an impressive repertoire of over 2,000 world-class solutions tailor-made for the world.
Asha Gill's interview with IRIS Coporation Berhad and Tricubes Berhad - MSC Malaysia Status companies providing Security Solutions to the world.
Check out for more videos on http://www.xbb.tvMSC Malaysia solutions enable businesses to specialise on their competencies and hone... more
-
-
xbbtv
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
MSC Malaysia solutions enable businesses to specialise on their competencies and hone their competitive edge. To-date, MSC Malaysia has an impressive repertoire of over 2,000 world-class solutions tailor-made for the world.
Asha Gill's interview with Les' Copaque and Billadam Associate - MSC Malaysia Status companies involved in animation and multimedia content industry.
Check out http://www.xbb.tv for more videos MSC Malaysia solutions enable businesses to specialise on their competencies and hone... more
-
-
xbbtv
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
MSC Malaysia solutions enable businesses to specialise on their competencies and hone their competitive edge. To-date, MSC Malaysia has an impressive repertoire of over 2,000 world-class solutions tailor-made for the world.
Asha Gill's interview with Scan Associates Berhad and CWorks Systems Berhad - MSC Malaysia Status companies providing innovative Software Solutions to the global market.
Check out more videos on http://www.xbb.tvMSC Malaysia solutions enable businesses to specialise on their competencies and hone... more
-
-
xbbtv
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
"Best of All Worlds" is one of MSC Malaysias value propositions. It advocates a perfect climate for businesses to grow and expand further; a strong, stable business-enabling environment that supplies supportive policies and internationally-compliant regulations. As seen on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News and TV guide.
Learn more : http://www.mscmalaysia.my
Check more videos on www.xbb.tv"Best of All Worlds" is one of MSC Malaysias value propositions. It... more
-
-
xbbtv
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
"Best of All Worlds" is one of MSC Malaysia's value propositions. It advocates a perfect climate for businesses to grow and expand further; a strong, stable business-enabling environment that supplies supportive policies and internationally-compliant regulations.
Multimedia Development Corporation is the one-stop agency bridging investors with the MSC Malaysias world of solutions. More global Multi-National Companies are choosing MSC Malaysia as their preferred hub of call centres, services and operations.
Watch Asha Gill's interview with IBM, Satyam, Manpower, Codemaster, and AIG on the hunt for an insight look at why MSC Malaysia is an ideal setting for their global offices expansion.
Check out for more videos on http://www.xbb.tv"Best of All Worlds" is one of MSC Malaysia's value propositions. It... more
-
-
xbbtv
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
MSC Malaysia solutions enable businesses to specialise on their competencies and hone their competitive edge. To-date, MSC Malaysia has an impressive repertoire of over 2,000 world-class solutions tailor-made for the world. As seen on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News and TV Guide.
Learn more : http://www.mscmalaysia.my
Check out more videos on http://www.xbb.tvMSC Malaysia solutions enable businesses to specialise on their competencies and hone... more
-
-
xbbtv
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
World Congress on Information Technology - a premiere global forum that brings together global leader in business, government and academia to share and exchange ideas on technology.
WCIT 2008 held in Malaysia from 18-22 May at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre broke all the previous records and were hailed to be the best World Congress ever. Find out what led to it being a huge success and what it means for ICT in the World and for Malaysia which is fast becoming one of the centre ICT evolution.
WCIT 2008 - another initiative by MSC Malaysia. Hosted by MDeC and PIKOM.
Learn more : http://www.wcit2008.org/World Congress on Information Technology - a premiere global forum that brings... more
-
-
xbbtv
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
World Congress on Information Technology - a premiere global forum that brings together global leader in business, government and academia to share and exchange ideas on technology.
WCIT 2008 held in Malaysia from 18-22 May at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre broke all the previous records and were hailed to be the best World Congress ever. Find out what led to it being a huge success and what it means for ICT in the World and for Malaysia which is fast becoming one of the centre ICT evolution. WCIT 2008 - another initiative by MSC Malaysia. Hosted by MDeC and PIKOM.
Learn more : http://www.wcit2008.org/World Congress on Information Technology - a premiere global forum that brings... more
-
-
xbbtv
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
