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A New Cold War in the Caribbean?
Ever since the Monroe Doctrine, the United States has seen the Caribbean in the way that the Romans viewed the Mediterranean — Mare Nostrum, Our Sea. From the Spanish-American War through the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Central American dirty wars of the Reagan era, Washington was always quick to flex its muscle over the rum-soaked waters that stretch from Florida to Venezuela. The bad news: It ain't our sea anymore, gringos.
"The U.S. let its guard down in the Caribbean after the Berlin Wall fell," says Johanna Mendelson-Forman, a senior associate for the Americas at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "As a result we've gone from unipolarity in that region to multipolarity, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but we're in a real learning phase as to how to deal with it."
Chavez's visit to Moscow this week, not only to buy more than $1 billion worth of anti-aircraft missiles and submarines, but also to commune with growing anti-American resentment in Russia, resurrected old ghosts for some conservative yanqui lawmakers. Florida Congressman Connie Mack declared the Caracas-Moscow partnership "a stark reminder of the Cold War partnership between the Soviet Union and Cuba." Ever since the Monroe Doctrine, the United States has seen the Caribbean in the way that the Romans viewed the Mediterranean — Mare No... more -
Iraq banned from Beijing Olympics
Athletes from Iraq have been banned from taking part at this summer's Beijing Games, the International Olympic Committee has announced.
The team was already the subject of an interim ban after the Iraqi government replaced the country's Olympic committee with its own appointees.
Under the IOC charter, all committees must be free of political influence.
As a result the team of two rowers, two sprinters, one archer, one weightlifter and one judo competitor cannot attend.
"The deadline for taking up places for Beijing for all sports except athletics has now passed," said IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies.
"The IOC very sadly has now to acknowledge that it is likely there will be no Iraqi presence at the Beijing Olympic Games, despite our best efforts."
She added: "Clearly, we'd very much like to have seen Iraq's athletes in Beijing.
"We are very disappointed that the athletes have been so ill-served by their own government's actions."
The four Iraqi athletes that qualified could have competed under the Olympic flag
BBC Radio 5 Live's Gordon Farquhar
Hussein al-Amidi, the general secretary of the Iraqi Olympic Committee, said: "This morning we were informed of the final decision of the International Olympic Committee to suspend the membership of the Iraqi Olympic Committee.
"It's a final decision, there is no way to appeal. This means that Iraq will not take part in the coming Olympic games.
"It is a blow to Iraq and its international reputation, its athletes and its youth.
"I swear those athletes who have been training - they phoned me today and they were crying and were very upset."
BBC Radio 5 Live sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar added: "The four Iraqi athletes that qualified could have competed under the Olympic flag but the deadline for confirmation of places has passed."
The committee which the government dismissed was elected in 2004, in line with the Olympic movement's regulations.
Its chairman, Ahmad al-Samarra'i, and several other members were abducted by gunmen while attending a meeting in central Baghdad in July 2006.
They have not been seen since.
The Iraqi government said it took the move because the committee was corrupt and had not been functioning properly. Athletes from Iraq have been banned from taking part at this summer's Beijing Games, the International Olympic Committee has announced... more -
In May 2006 the United States and Israel officially declared that World War III ha...
There is some disagreement as to the exact date of the beginning of World War III.
“The beginnings of wars are often hard to identify. Which act lit the spark on the tinderbox? Which straw was the final one? Like peak oil itself, the beginnings of war are often visible only in retrospect.”...
So when exactly did World War III start?
In early May of 2006, the president of the United States, George W Bush, the commander in chief of the United States Military, stated that 2001 was the beginning of World War III. His remarks were confirmed by Israel's UN Ambassador Dan Gillerman, when he also acknowledged during a routine UN Security Council meeting on 30 May 2006, that World War III had already begun. Many consider these two statements from two of the main nuclear powers in the world to be the declaration of War, indicating that World War III has already started. There is some disagreement as to the exact date of the beginning of World War III. ... more -
Replacing private contractors in Iraq
In the recent years since the invasion of Iraq, insufficient US military force has lead to the use of an estimated 20,000 contractors to date. The boon in the demand for this began when it became apparent the US Military didn't have the man power to defend the Iraqi/Coalition reconstruction effort. As civilian construction/industrial sites and convoys were attacked private security firms/contractors/providers (mostly with previous or current dealings with the US government) were called in for defense contracts. At first this was slow, but as operations, reconstruction, and industrial development got under-way the more contracts were taken out, and eventualy we are now left with the present situation.
In the column linked by David Isenberg (ex. US Navy and military affairs analyst) we are presented with a paper named " Phasing Out Private Security Contractors in Iraq, " written by Col. Bobby Towery while studying at the US Army War College. It reflects on the possabilities of completely removing private security from convoys construction sites military bases and any site not directly supporting or directly involved with combat operations for the coalition. It states all these things should be the responsability of the Iraqi government to better affirm their authority on the country. Col. Towery also provides an estimated statistic using the current Blackwater training program acknowledging said private security groups could traing their replacements. He proposes if three training firms are signed, it will take just over 133 eight week training sessions between them to replace the 20,000 contractors with special security police officers, trained for various private security missions, knocking out 150 per session.
Let's hope they start soon, as once the coalition pulls out there will be a large base for possible private insurgency, as the companies still barely answer to any Iraqi authority, let alone one that has authority over them. In the recent years since the invasion of Iraq, insufficient US military force has lead to the use of an estimated 20,000 contractors ... more -
Bush Seeks 12 Billion to Waste on Obsolete Missile Defense
Bucking the wishes of top Pentagon officials, Bush is pushing one of the largest military buildups in history.
Will Congress back this senseless spending? Is this about our safety or is the administration using our fear of being attacked to gain wealth on huge military spending contracts (again)? Bucking the wishes of top Pentagon officials, Bush is pushing one of the largest military buildups in history. ... more -
Barack on Iraq policy
In Washington, D.C. last week, before heading to the middle east, Barack Obama gave a speech on Iraq policy.
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Ex-US advisors: Iran attack 'disaster'
Two former senior White House security advisors have warned that a military attack against Iran would be a catastrophe for the US.
"If we get into a war with Iran, we know there would be disaster, we know there would be a disaster," said Zbigniew Brzezinski, ex-president Jimmy Carter's national security advisor on Tuesday.
"The United States will become involved in a four-front war, probably for roughly two decades. Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Persian Gulf," he said during a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on the negotiations between the United States and Iran.
The US accuses Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, insisting the country should either stop nuclear enrichment or face confrontation. Rejecting the allegation, Tehran argues its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Also, advisor to presidents Gerald R. Ford and George H.W. Bush, Brent Scowcroft, said at the meeting, "Don't talk about 'do we bomb them now or later?"
Both former advisors said only diplomacy backed by stronger sanctions and no preconditions for negotiations might work to overcome the current frigid US-Iran relations.
In a major shift from Washington's past policy, the US Under Secretary of State William Burns attended for the first time in talks on Iran's nuclear program in Geneva on Saturday involving Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, as well as representatives from China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany. Two former senior White House security advisors have warned that a military attack against Iran would be a catastrophe for the US. ... more -
Bosnian rape victims may be forced to return to scene by government
"Every day we were raped," says Jasmina of the rule of Radovan Karadzic. She was 19 years old when war broke out.
In April 1992, the Serb soldiers took over her city of Bijeljina and began to kill, torture and terrorize the Muslims there in a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing.
"The men from my family were beaten up the first day. ... My mother just disappeared. I never found out what happened." Jasmina said.
"Then they started torturing me. I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was totally naked and covered in blood, and my sister-in-law was also naked and covered in blood. ... I knew I had been raped, and my sister-in-law, too." In a corner, she saw her mother-in-law, holding her children and crying.
"That same day we were locked in our house. That was the worst, the worst period of my whole life. That's when it started.
"Every day we were raped. Not only in the house -- they would also take us to the front line for the soldiers to torture us. Then again in the house, in front of the children.
"I was in such a bad condition that sometimes I couldn't even recognize my own children. Even though I was in a very bad physical condition they had no mercy at all. They raped me every day. They took me to the soldiers and back to that house.
"The only conversation we had was when I was begging them to kill me. That's when they laughed. Their response was 'we don't need you dead.'
"It lasted for a year. Every day. ... Not all the women survived."
Tens of thousands of women were raped in Bosnia and the other parts of the former Yugoslavia between 1992 and 1994 during the rule of Radovan Karadzic, according to estimates by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Jasmina was finally rescued by a family friend who bought her as a prostitute with the secret intention of setting her free.
She now lives in a modest apartment in a tower block in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
She does not own the apartment, and all property must be returned to rightful owners under the terms of an annex to the U.S.-brokered peace agreement that ended the war.
The Office of the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, an international body set up to oversee the implementation of the peace agreements, says almost all property rights have been restored. But it is impossible to say how many people have gone home and how many have sold their houses, leaving cities and towns like Bijeljina "ethnically cleansed," as the warmongers had planned.
A law enacted in September 2006 does include a section that says homes should be provided for victims of sexual torture during the war. It is not clear who should implement the act, and there is no agency making sure the law is enforced, according to the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees.
Meanwhile, authorities say Jasmina should return to her mother-in-law's rebuilt house in Bijeljina. But she says she will never go back to the place where she lost 39 members of her family and where her abuse began.
It is a fear shared by other women, according to Alisa Muratcaus, the president of the Association of Concentration Camp Survivors, a group that offers classes and other support to Jasmina and 1,200 other women across the capital, including 150 victims of mass rape.
"Many of our members must deal with the realities of return. Not all members are able psychologically to return to regions in which they suffered such extreme abuses," she said.
"No one raped women has returned to their pre-war houses, since it is immoral and inhuman to request their return while the war criminals who tortured them are still free and live in these regions."
With Radovan Karadzic now on trial, can any charge or punishment ever be enough to somehow make up for the atrocities committed on thousands of women, at his orders? How does anyone begin to rebuild their lives after such a horror?
"Every day we were raped," says Jasmina of the rule of Radovan Karadzic. She was 19 years old when war broke out. ... more -
Chavez left unanswered questions about Russian military base in Venezuela
Chavez, a close ally of the regime in Havana, said he had passed on greetings to Medvedev from the former Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. During the Soviet era, Cuba was a close ally of Moscow and in 1962 the site of a major Cold War confrontation over the placement of Soviet missiles.
During a press conference, Chavez left unanswered questions on whether Russian military aircraft and naval vessels could be based in Venezuela in the future.
The mass-circulation tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda said there was speculation Chavez may allow Russia to establish a training facility or military base in the country
Medvedev, while not endorsing Chavez’ remarks about the U.S., said he was ready to work with the Venezuelan president in the “common task to achieve a more democratic, just and secure world.”
Venezuela is already Russia’s largest weapons customer in Latin America, having raised eyebrows in recent years with the signing of contracts to buy military helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov automatic rifles.
Bilateral trade reached $1 billion in 2007, mainly due to the arms trade, according to the Russian government statistics.
Chavez, a close ally of the regime in Havana, said he had passed on greetings to Medvedev from the former Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. ... more -
Unbelievable story of bravery: "grenade hero" wins George cross
A British Royal Marine who, in an extraordinary display of courage, threw himself on top of a grenade to protect his comrades, is to receive the George Cross.
Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher, 24, triggered a trip wire which released a live grenade, when on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in February. He "immediately dropped to the ground and lay across the grenade, being blown into their air as it went off"!
In the split second it took for him to make the decision, he undoubtedly protected the rest of his patrol from serious injury, and probably death: Lt Croucher's bag cushioned him from the blast, leaving him with just "a nose bleed and a headache", while his comrades escaped with only "cuts and bruises."
The George cross is almost the equivalent of the extremely pretigious Victoria cross, and is essentially the same, except that is for actions which are not directly in the face of the enemy.
I've got to say though, how many people would have the initial reaction to jump ONTO the grenade: that's some SERIOUS guts.
A British Royal Marine who, in an extraordinary display of courage, threw himself on top of a grenade to protect his comrades, is to r... more -
Another US led massacre of civilians planned for Fallujah: Documenting American Wa...
Every time I read a story published in Western mainstream media about what transpired in Fallujah in 2004 during two US assaults on the city I feel sick.
The evidence proving that the United States committed war crimes, slaughtering innocent men, women and children is irrefutable. The US military’s use of chemical weapons is irrefutable. The destruction of a city amounting to collective punishment is irrefutable. All of this occurred because four Blackwater mercenaries were killed by Iraqis who were trying to protect their city from what we now know as “America's Private Army”.
I have tried to understand why Western mainstream media has remained complicit in its coverage and reporting of this event, and I believe I have found the answer. Every time I read a story published in Western mainstream media about what transpired in Fallujah in 2004 during two US assaults on th... more -
Sexually assaulted female troops struggle to recover
Women who are fighting for our country and the challenges they face.
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John McCain's Neverending War
John Mccain 2002 to the present his stance on war and his flip flop. be the judge.
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Chavez calls for Russia alliance
Hugo Chavez has called for a strategic alliance with Russia to protect Venezuela from the US.
The Venezuelan president's call came as Moscow and Caracas agreed to extend bilateral co-operation on energy.
Speaking during a two-day visit to Russia, Mr Chavez said oil and military cooperation were vital to guarantee Venezuela's sovereignty.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said three Russian energy companies are to be allowed to operate in Venezuela.
He gave no details of an anticipated arms deal between the two countries. But Mr Chavez seemed upbeat about the prospect of military co-operation.
"If Russia's armed forces want to be present in Venezuela, they will be given a warm welcome," he told a news conference after the meeting.
He said Venezuela would pursue new Russian arms deals "because the North American empire... has plans to invade Venezuela, to disarm Venezuela". Hugo Chavez has called for a strategic alliance with Russia to protect Venezuela from the US. ... more -
Former Osama Bin Laden Driver, A Connection to 9/11?
According to Msnbc.com/ the Associative Press, the prosecutor against Salim Hamdan, former Osama Bin Laden driver, said that the prisoner knew the target of the 4th hijacked plane on 9/11. He says that Hamdan heard Bin Laden say that the plane was heading for 'the dome' which was a reference to the nation's capitol. That plane had eventually crashed in a Pennslyvania field due to the passengers attacking the hijackers.
Salim Hamdan is the first prisoner to be tried to war crimes against the U.S since World War 2.
Harry Schneider, Hamdan's one of a few civil defense attorneys told the jury, that "The evidence is that he worked for wages, he didn't wage attacks on America," "He had a job because he had to earn a living, not because he had a jihad against America."
Prosecutors claim the the prisoner helped the Al-Qaida leader after 9/11 and also transported weapons from Afghanistan to the Taliban. A U.S special forces soldier said on the witness stand that he found two suface to air missiles in the Hamdan's car when Afghan forces captured him back in 2000 in November.
If convicted, Salim Hamdan faces a maxium life sentence. According to Msnbc.com/ the Associative Press, the prosecutor against Salim Hamdan, former Osama Bin Laden driver, said that the priso... more -
Hot Potato Mash: VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: VINCENT BUGLIOSI: The Prosecution of George W. B...
"On Wednesday, famed Charles Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi spoke to a packed and enthusiastic crowd of more than 350 Angelinos about his new book, “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder.” While Bugliosi’s talk will eventually appear on C-SPAN, you can view it first in its entirety..." "On Wednesday, famed Charles Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi spoke to a packed and enthusiastic crowd of more than 350 Angelinos ab... more
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One Soldier's Suicide: James Jenkins
Suicides among veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are reaching epidemic proportions.
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Chavez set to spend big on Russian weapons
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Moscow Tuesday to discuss a deal to spend billions on Russia weapons.
Chavez will meet with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Russia's new President Dmitry Medvedev, Russian news agency, Interfax, said
The two countries hope to sign an agreement for Venezuela to buy Russian military equipment, said Vyacheslav Davidenko, a spokesman for Rosoboronexport, Russia's government agency in charge of arms exports.
The agreement will allow "quick deliveries of arms and military hardware in the interests of Venezuela's security with the observance of international obligations and the laws of both countries," Davidenko told CNN.
Davidenko wouldn't elaborate on the types of weapons that Venezuela wanted to purchase -- or the cost. Previous military-technical contracts had been worth $4 billion, he said.
Interfax quoted an "informed military expert" as saying Venezuela planned to purchase up to 10 air defense systems, three diesel electric submarines, six more non-nuclear powered submarines and several surface vessels.
Venezuela also planned to discuss the possibility of buying certain aircraft, including combat helicopters, the expert said.
The Associated Press reported the deal could be worth $2 billion.
Venezuela is expected to spend over $30 billion under a program to rearm its armed forces up to 2012, the Interfax source said. According to Russian media reports, Russia could provide a loan of about $800 million to Venezuela to finance the arms deals.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Moscow Tuesday to discuss a deal to spend billions on Russia weapons. ... more -
Zimbabwe: Mugabe succumbs to pressure and starts secret talks with opposition
The rival claimants to victory in Zimbabwe's widely criticised presidential elections - Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai - have agreed to immediately begin intensive talks aimed at establishing a "new government".
At their first meeting in more than a decade, Zimbabwe's president and the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change yesterday signed a five-page "memorandum of understanding" that envisages a fortnight of secret talks by representatives dealing with an array of issues from political violence against the opposition to constitutional reform.
Mugabe, who only a few weeks ago was ruling out any deal with Tsvangirai but has been forced to give ground under myriad pressures including an imploding economy, described the memorandum as a "serious matter". "We sit here in order for us to chart a new way, a new way of political interaction," he said.
But he added ominously that negotiators must act without influence from the US or Europe. He has repeatedly accused the opposition of being "puppets" of the west when it has demanded that he surrender power.
Tsvangirai, who won the first round of presidential elections in March but pulled out of the run-off last month after a state-orchestrated campaign of killings, torture and abductions against his supporters, said "not finding a solution is not an option".
However, the obstacles to an agreement remain formidable, with Mugabe looking to legitimise the ballot that returned him to office, in which he claimed to have won 90% of the valid votes, while the opposition says any deal must strip him of power.
South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, oversaw the signing of the agreement at a Harare hotel after Tsvangirai refused to meet Mugabe at the presidential offices because it would infer recognition of his claim to power.
Mbeki, who is likely to claim the agreement as a vindication of his mediation by "quiet diplomacy", said all parties wanted a rapid resolution of the political crisis. "It commits the negotiating parties to an intense programme of work to try and finalise the negotiations as quickly as possible," he said. "All the Zimbabwean parties recognise the urgency of the matters they are discussing and all are committed to trying to complete this process as quickly as possible."
Mbeki has previously proposed what amounts to a transitional government with Mugabe as a titular president and real power in the hands of Tsvangirai as an executive prime minister while a coalition draws up a new constitution and holds fresh elections.
The MDC says it can live with that so long as Mugabe is stripped of power. But Zimbabwe's leader says that any agreement must recognise his claim to have won last month's presidential election run-off, even though few foreign governments have done so. He wants a government of national unity in which the MDC serves under his leadership.
Although the military-led campaign of violence against the opposition has greatly weakened the MDC on the ground, yesterday's signing is a reflection of the pressures on Mugabe.
The economy is imploding under the weight of hyperinflation, the Zimbabwe dollar loses half its value every day and the country is facing a looming famine after the failure of this year's harvest. The government is struggling to find the cash to pay public employees and, more importantly, soldiers at the end of this month.
Mugabe is also under growing pressure to install the new parliament which has yet to sit nearly four months after the election in which his Zanu-PF party lost its majority for the first time since independence in 1980. The ruling party's violence has targeted opposition MPs in recent weeks in what seems to be a strategy to prevent them from taking their seats by beating them up, forcing them in to hiding or arresting them on trumped-up charges.
The rival claimants to victory in Zimbabwe's widely criticised presidential elections - Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai - have agr... more -
2008 Keanu Reeves in The Day The Earth Stood Still
This movie trailer and website is really awesome.
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