Mali: clashes escalate with new Tuareg rebels —led by pro-Qaddafi fighters?

Mali's army says 47 were killed in ongoing clashes this week with a new Tuareg rebel group, whose members include former pro-Qaddafi fighters. "Our armed forces have bravely beaten back the attacks of the former Libyan fighters and the MNLA rebels," the armed forces said in a statement Jan. 19, using the acronym of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. But MNLA spokesman Moussa Ag Acharatoumane denied the government's account, telling the Reuters that his fighters had killed around 30 to 40 soldiers. Both rebel and government forces claim to be in control of Aguelhoc. The MNLA spokesman said fighting was suspended in Tessalit to allow for the withdrawal of Algerian soldiers who had been helping Mali. Sources told Al Jazeera that the army is conducting house raids and arrests in the northern towns of Gao and Kidal, targetting Tuareg tribal sheikhs, as well as Tuareg military and political figures.

"US financial economic collapse?!"

Dronology: US flying eye spies on people at home

US suspends pension fund payments

Treasury 30-year bonds rose, pushing yields close to the lowest level of the year, as the Federal Reserve began four consecutive days of purchasing debt without any new issuance for the first time since June.
US debt securities reversed earlier losses after the Fed bought $2.522 billion (Dh9.26 billion) of Treasuries in a session that took place three hours late because of technical difficulties. The central bank may buy as much as $15 billion in debt this week.
"The Fed purchases were constructive for the market, especially in a low-volume environment," said Ian Lyngen, a government-bond strategist at CRT Capital Group LLC in Stamford, Connecticut. "We are in a low-yield environment because nothing has changed of late in the global atmosphere — it's only gotten worse. Until there is some movement in policy, we will stay near these levels."

East European Debt Set To Explode

Speaking in interview with the Austrian newspaper 'Wiener Zeitung', World Bank official Andrew Burns said on 17 January that the western European banking crisis has moved east with a vengeance: "The problem is especially virulent in eastern Europe and central Asia because those countries strongly depend on loans from developed (west European) countries," he added.

Former Strauss-Kahn IMF comfort girl Piroska Nagy, now a director of country strategy and policy at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), said in interview "there is still a coordination failure” between eastern and western Europe on banking risks. And these risks are mightily growing because economic growth will tail down even faster in eastern Europe, as western Europe's economies tilt into recession. The biggest lenders in the former communist countries, Italy's UniCredit, Germany's Erste Group Bank and Swiss Raiffeisen Bank International are all raising capital, shedding assets and tightening funding of subsidiaries to meet new rules imposed by the European Banking Authority and national authorities in western Europe. Next ranking lenders to the now tottering economies of eastern Europe are France's troubled Societe Generale, Holland's KBC Groep and Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo.

Snow in Algeria

Occupy movement is just starting

Megaupload finished: Feds shut down file-sharing giant without SOPA

A lot of good those Wednesday blackouts did for the Internet. Not. One day after thousands of websites temporarily shut-down to highligt the dangers of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA), federal prosecutors have pulled the plug on Megaupload.com, a website that was at one time among the top 20 most popular sites in the world.
American authorities helped issue arrests on Thursday for four people in New Zealand that they say are responsible for the website. According to the official indictment, unsealed the same day, Megaupload is being accused of costing copyright holders upwards of $500 million in lost revenues because of content illegally uploaded to its servers.
Megaupload is one of many highly visited websites that allows users to upload any media of their choice that might be too large for traditional online distribution. In lieu of email and instant messaging, users of Megaupload and similar sites can upload massive digital files and then pass the link to others across the world for easy download. The website claims that it has always been diligent in handling complaints regarding pirated material, but authorities have taken Megaupload offline while they investigate. In a statement published by the US Department of Justice on the website for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Thursday afternoon, they call the charges “among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States and directly targets the misuse of a public content storage and distribution site to commit and facilitate intellectual property crime.”

Iran suspects UN had role in nuke scientist murder

Iran is suspicious that UN agencies may have given away information which aided the murder of Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan on January 11. Iranian deputy UN ambassador Eshagh Al Habib told the UN Security Council on Thursday that there was “high suspicion” that, in order to prepare the murder, terrorist circles used intelligence obtained from UN bodies. According to him, this included interviews with Iranian nuclear scientists carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the sanction list of the Security Council, Reuters news agency reports.
Officials observed that prior to the murder, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan had talked to IAEA inspectors, a fact which “indicates that these UN agencies may have played a role in leaking information on Iran's nuclear facilities and scientists."
Although the UN Security Council’s list of sanctioned individuals does not include Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, it does bear the name of Fereidoun Abbasi-Davani, who was wounded in a Tehran car bomb attack in November, 2010. Eshagh Al Habib accused the United Nations of failing to guarantee the confidentiality of the information it obtains about the Iranian nuclear program and nuclear scientists. UN spokesman Martin Nesirky says he is currently investigating the claims.  Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, 32, who was overseeing Iran’s uranium enrichment program, is one of five Iranian nuclear specialists killed in the last two years. He was murdered by one or more motorbike hit men who allegedly planted a magnetic bomb on his car or, alternatively, dropped a bomb inside the car during the morning rush hour.  Iran accused American and Israeli intelligence of carrying out the murder – a charge both countries deny.

Syrian opposition courting dangerous allies in face of Assad defiance

The Arab League convenes this weekend to hear a final report from its team of observers, whose mission in Syria is now over. It is expected to condemn President Bashar Assad, who has continued his crackdown on protesters despite promises to stop. There is little doubt that the findings will be used to bolster calls for military intervention.
A major street protest movement may look like a real force for change – and indeed be one.  In Syria, however, demonstrations have visibly failed to prove they are actually able to change anything. Months of bloodshed, with no sign it is going to stop anytime soon.
Halit Hoca from the Syrian National Council, the country's main official opposition body, says making the people's voice louder and bringing an end to the violence is what the SNC was created for.
“Our main goal is to help the Syrian people to be represented in the international community in order to reach their freedoms,” he told RT.
Although it has been run by a Paris-based exile, Burhan Ghalioun, the SNC has been recognized as the country's legitimate government by the new Libyan authorities, and supported by some EU and NATO countries – which has made some doubt the council's innocent intentions.

Pentagon 'prepared': US set for Operation Iranian Freedom?

Washington is prepared to engage in war over the Strait of Hormuz at any moment, the Pentagon says. Some observers say the dangerous move is being viewed as a far from worst-case scenario in America, especially by its hawks.
­American troops in the Persian Gulf region do not require any build-up for a possible military conflict with Iran, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday.
"We are not making any special steps at this point in order to deal with the situation. Why? Because, frankly, we are fully prepared to deal with that situation now," Panetta explained.
The US says it will attack Iran if it tries to block the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for regional oil transit. Tehran has threatened to stop traffic through the Strait in response to mounting pressure, including threats, sanctions and particularly an air strike on its nuclear facilities, which Israel and the US say are on the table.
The US Navy has two aircraft carrier strike groups in the region at the moment, presumably performing a routine rotation. US troops are also stationed in a number of nearby countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and other Gulf nations.
Panetta’s ready-for-war rhetoric was frowned upon by Beijing. China’s foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin commented on Thursday that “sanctions and military threats will not help solve the problem but only aggravate the situation.”

Anonymous downs government, music industry sites in largest attack ever

Hacktivists with the collective Anonymous are waging an attack on the website for the White House after successfully breaking the sites for the FBI, Department of Justice, Universal Music Group, RIAA and Motion Picture Association of America.
In response to today’s federal raid on the file sharing service Megaupload, hackers with the online collective Anonymous have broken the websites for the FBI, Department of Justice, Universal Music Group, RIAA, Motion Picture Association of America and Warner Music Group.
“It was in retaliation for Megaupload, as was the concurrent attack on Justice.org,” Anonymous operative Barrett Brown tells RT on Thursday afternoon.
Only hours before the DoJ and Universal sites went down, news broke that Megaupload, a massive file sharing site with a reported 50 million daily users, was taken down by federal agents. Four people linked to Megaupload were arrested in New Zealand and an international crackdown led agents to serving at least 20 search warrants across the globe.

Pakistan: Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Can something good come out of the current political conflicts in Pakistan? Some signs are promising, other not so.  We can only wish Pakistan well, so that it may become  a truly democratic, tolerant country ruled by law. Pakistan’s army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is an antithesis of his predecessor General and President Musharraf.  Musharraf was a braggart.  Kayani is publicly self-effusive, but is a strong personality.  He wants and did run the government but by remaining out of it.  He withdrew most army officers from civilian posts.  But his focus remained firmly on India as the Number 1 enemy, and strategic depth in Afghanistan i.e. remotely control the government in Kabul.

Kayani’s vision of Afghanistan as a strategic ally was much larger than that of Musharraf.  He saw Afghanistan not only as a strategic depth against India, but as a vehicle in nearby Central Asia where the most sought after assets, oil and gas are located in huge quantities.  The road to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean from Russia and Central Asia would be a hefty bargain.  Islamic terrorist organizations were viewed as strategic assets, and Kayani is on record on this policy.  He detested American interference, and saw President Asif Ali Zardari as a stooge of USA, who must be removed.  Kayani also perceived an emerging US-India cooperation to counter his vision of Pakistan as a formidable regional power.  The biggest Pakistani army backed terrorist attack on India, the Mumbai 26/11, took place under his command, and he scuttled any desire by the Pakistani civilian government to cooperate with India in any manner on this incident.

United States Defence Strategic Review 2012: global and regional implications analyzed

Introductory Observations

United States President Obama on January 05, 2012 personally unveiled at the Pentagon the Defence Strategic Review 2012 “Sustaining United States Global Leadership: Priorities for 21^st Century Defined”.

President Obama personal appearance at the Pentagon to unveil the Defence Strategic Review underscored the Presidential imprint that he desired to put on this Review and the fact that before arriving at these formulations, the President had immersed himself in at least a dozen discussions with the Pentagon and US military hierarchy

The US Defence Strategic Review 2012 should therefore be viewed as a well-calibrated strategic blueprint for the 21^st Century arrived after a perspective analysis of the global strategic challenges that are emerging to challenge US global leadership and US military superiority.

This Review also needs to be viewed as a United States ‘strategic declaratory policy’ that despite whatever steps are undertaken by the United States to cut down its defence expenditure and Forces Restructuring, it is determined to sustain its global leadership and military superiority even with revised military nuances.

Analytically the main thrust appears to focus on United States concerns to meet the emerging strategic threats from China and Iran both located at the opposite ends of the Asian strategic spectrum. However, the Review is not oblivious to other threats that dominate the global strategic calculus.

This Paper intends to analyse the more striking features of this Defence Strategic Review 2012 at the macro-level as the nuts and bolts of the implementation of the Guidelines Defined’ need still to be worked out as the US Defence Secretary has noted.

Russian – Palestinian friendship –century old

Russia and Palestine have enjoyed century-old friendship, Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev stated during his meeting with the head of the Palestine’s National Authority Mahmoud Abbas near Moscow on Friday.

Abbas told Medvedev that a street in the city of Jericho has been named after him. Medvedev said that it’s a real honor for him and another proof of great bilateral relations. Abbas pledged to do everything to strengthen ties and expand dialogue with Russia and other nations.

Saudis protest against Al Saud

Anti-government protesters in Saudi Arabia have once again taken to the streets of the eastern city of Awamiyah, calling for the downfall of the Al Saud regime. Protesters, who gathered in Awamiyah, located in the Qatif region of the Eastern Province, on Thursday night, also demanded the release of the country's political prisoners. The protest comes despite heavy crackdown by regime forces over the past few months. There have been demonstrations in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province on an almost daily basis over the past few months, with protesters calling for political reform. The protests have intensified since November when security forces opened fire on protesters in Qatif, killing five people and leaving many more injured. Rights groups have criticized Riyadh for suppressing anti-government protests in the country. The Saudi interior ministry issued a statement in March 2011, prohibiting "all forms of demonstrations, marches, or protests, and calls for them."  

US Military Strategy – Is It Really New?

The US military will be reshaped between now and 2020 with an emphasis on countering terrorism, maintaining a nuclear deterrent, protecting the U.S. homeland and «deterring and defeating aggression by any potential adversary». That’s what «Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense» new military strategy review says. 

The National Military Strategy is a supporting document based on National Security Strategy, a document prepared periodically by the administration for Congress which outlines the major national security concerns of the United States and ways the president plans to deal with them. The legal foundation for the document is spelled out in the Goldwater – Nichols Act. The document is general in content to be elaborated in supporting documents, the national military strategy in particular. 

At the beginning of 2012 President Obama unveiled the results of an eight-month defense strategy review giving guiding lines on cutting hundreds of billions dollars from previously planned Pentagon’ spending over the coming decade. The eight-page document contained no details about how broad concepts for reshaping the military - such as focusing more on Asia and less on Europe - will translate into cuts.

Iran: An Inexhaustible Supply Of Threats

Iranian threats to close the Straits of Hormuz are believed to be just for show. Iran only hurts itself by trying to close the straits while Iran oil is still being shipped to customers. The attempt to close the straits would also probably fail, and cause widespread destruction of Iranian military forces and economic assets.
Currently, China appears willing to continue buying Iranian oil, although at a substantial discount, especially if China is the only buyer. China is Iran's biggest customer for oil, but only gets 11 percent of its oil from Iran. So Iran needs China more than China needs Iran. China is already demanding lower prices and better terms from Iran, which annoys the Iranians a great deal.
The latest round of sanctions are doing more damage to Iran, but only in terms of driving up costs for the government and some shortages and higher prices for most Iranians. Many Iranians are already unhappy with their government, but only a complete halt in oil income (via war or closure of the straits) would really shake things up inside Iran. At the same time, the Iranian nuclear weapons program (which the government insists does not exist) is very popular with most Iranians (who do believe it exists).

Hamas Prime Minister Says Hamas Is “Jihad Arm” Of The Muslim Brotherhood; May Merge With Islamic Jihad

Overlooked in the avalanche of news on the subject is a statement by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh during a recent visit to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in which he described Hamas as “the Jihad arm of the Brotherhood, it is the Palestinian face.” According to a Washington Post report:

Two weeks later, the group gave a warmer welcome to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in his first visit outside the Gaza Strip since the militant group overran the territory in 2007. He was received at the Brotherhood’s main headquarters by a line of young men and veiled women waving green Hamas flags.  The visit suggested the Brotherhood will seek to stronger ties with Hamas, which the Mubarak government generally shunned, even helping Israel in the post-2007 blockade of Gaza. Haniyeh emphasized the historic link between the groups. Hamas is an ofshoot of the Brotherhood, though the Brotherhood disavowed violence in the 1970s.  “The Islamic resistance group of Hamas is the Jihad arm of the Brotherhood, it is the Palestinian face,” Haniyeh said.

Meanwhile, and appropriately, AFP is reporting that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are holding talks about a possible merger of the two organizations. According to the report:

Thailand gives official recognition for Palestinian statehood

Thailand says it has recognized Palestine as an independent state. Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said Friday that Thailand has informed the Palestinian delegation and all member states at the United Nations in New York that it “has given recognition to the state of Palestine.” The move comes as Palestine pushes for full membership at the U.N., a bid Washington opposes because it says a political settlement with Israel must be reached first. Thailand has friendly ties with Israel and is a major tourist destination for Israeli travelers. Thai officials have expressed concern that the recent arrest of a Lebanese man allegedly linked to Hezbollah and plotting an attack in Bangkok could hurt ties with Middle Eastern countries.

Peru Govt Seeks to Block Shining Path Party from Politics

Weeks after the Shining Path guerrilla organization called for peace talks with the government, the justice minister has declared that those promoting terrorist groups will not be allowed to enter politics. This announcement comes as the Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights (known by its Spanish acronym Movadef) files for political party status. The organization is linked to the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) guerrilla group. Justice Minister Juan Jimenez urged that the panel not approve the group's application, reports La Republica, declaring, "We will not permit political organizations which correspond to armed groups that ... have not shown remorse with respect to the wrongdoings and crimes they have committed, to enter politics and destroy it."

The UN Gang, and the Canada-Mexico Connection

The story behind the murder of a Canadian citizen in Sinaloa, Mexico, reveals how far links between organized crime networks in Canada and Mexico have been broken up by aggressive police work.
Police sources in British Columbia, Canada, confirmed that Salih Abdulaziz Sahbaz, in his mid-thirties, was the key cartel contact for the notorious United Nations Gang, also known as Global United Nations Syndicate (GUNS), which operates out of the city of Vancouver and the surrounding area.
Sahbaz, a naturalized Canadian citizen of Iraqi origin who had spent much of the past three years in Mexico, was found dead on the street in the Country Alamo area of Culiacan, Sinaloa, around midnight on January 15. He had been shot execution-style by what appeared to be a .45 caliber firearm -- police recovered at least 8 empty .45 caliber shells at the scene.

El Chapo Guzmán su historia a 11 años de su fuga

MEGAUPLOAD IS TAKEN DOWN!! Due to S.O.P.A / US Government

En el mayor ataque de su historia, #Anonymous logró “tirar” los sitios del FBI y la Casa Blanca

El grupo de hacktivistas Anonymous lanzó hoy el mayor ataque de su historia, en contra de sitios oficiales del gobierno de Estados Unidos, como el del FBI, la Casa Blanca y el Departamento de Justicia,  y de empresas y organizaciones de la industria de la música y el cine, en represalia por el cierre de Megaupload.com, una de las páginas de intercambio de archivos más grandes de la red.
La cuenta de Twitter @youranonnews lanzó una advertencia poco después de que se conoció la noticia del cierre del sitio: “¿El gobierno baja Megaupload? 15 minutos después Anonymous baja sitios de gobierno y de sellos musicales #esperennos”.
De acuerdo con estimaciones no oficiales, en el primer ataque habrían participado 5 mil 635 simpatizantes  de Anonymous en todo el mundo. El mismo grupo ha pedido a sus militantes “desaparecer” y tomar precauciones “si tomaron parte de la acción colectiva”. Anonymous coordinó los ataques para tirar el sitio del FBI. Consiguió, además, tirar la página oficial de la Casa Blanca.

Rafael Correa Sueña con estar Distanciado de la OEA

La OEA, con sus deficiencias y fragilidades, ha sido un foro útil para dirimir conflictos relacionados con Ecuador.

Las críticas del Gobierno Ecuatoriano contra la OEA se profundizaron a raíz del fracaso de mediación durante el golpe de estado en Honduras.

Con respecto a la OEA y Washington, Correa tiene dos agendas: una ideológica y otra electoral.

Sumario

La agenda de algunos mandatarios latinoamericanos, entre ellos el presidente de Ecuador, Rafael Correa, es alejarse lo más pronto y lo más lejos posible de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA), vista por ellos como la máxima representante del poder hegemónico de Washington. En este enrarecido ambiente, la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) es una víctima colateral que, por ser adscrita a la OEA, arrecian las críticas en su contra, muy a pesar de que su trabajo difiere del accionar inoperante y politizado de la OEA. La corriente de desconfianza en contra de este foro hemisférico, en el caso de Ecuador ha hecho que el país busque otros foros, como Unasur, Alba y ahora la Celac, para hacer oir su voz

Uno de los personajes del  escritor austriaco, Karl Kraus exclamaba: “El que tenga algo que decir, que dé un paso adelante y se calle”. Pues bien, se acaban de cumplir los primeros 10 años de la Carta Democrática Interamericana para una región donde hoy no existen dictaduras, pero sí gobernantes sarcásticos frente al status quo panamericanista y poco dispuestos a respetar el principio democrático de alternabilidad. Al contrario de aquel personaje de Kraus, hoy también hay mandatarios dispuestos a dar ese paso adelante,pero no para callar sino para hablar,  Eso es lo que hizo el presidente del Ecuador, Rafael Correa, en vísperas de la creación oficial de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (Celac). Para él, es hora de remplazar a la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA), porque “es claro el sesgo que ha tenido la OEA con respecto a países hegemónicos”. Además ante sus ojos  “ha sido un instrumento de política exterior de Estados Unidos… “.

Rural Colombia: The Potential for the Future

The problems of Colombia’s rural populations have been extensively analyzed, mostly regarding their participation in the country’s historical domestic armed conflict. For example, numerous reports have focused on the violence of the guerrillas, paramilitaries, and narco-trafficking organizations that have forced families and even entire villages to abandon their native land and homes, becoming Internally Displaced People (IDP). However, factors other than civil conflict can lead to the displacement of populations. Biofuel companies, the mining industry, and mega-construction projects have threatened the environment, food security, and agricultural biodiversity in rural Colombia, and have led to displacement and the dispossession of land. Successive Colombian governments have exacerbated this problem by engaging in the indiscriminate allocation of exploitation licenses to private companies. Furthermore, several ongoing mega-projects fail both to uphold any standards of sustainability and to take into account the interests of the local population. This has created a need for a clearly defined national usage policy and an accompanying regulation and management system. These issues are rarely present in the national and international media, but have transformed the lives of many Colombians living in rural areas.

Russian Godfathers

This BBC documentary series examines the relationship between Russia’s richest men (the oligarchs) and Putin’s administration in the Kremlin. Broadcast a year before the Litvinenko murder, this fascinating series lifted the lid on the struggle that still continues between Putin, and his adversaries, the Russian Oligarchs. The series follows each one in turn to find out what they were up to in the years leading up to 2005, and the crew is granted intimate access. Two of the five are now in exile, wanted on criminal charges, and planning their own anti-Putin campaigns with their wealth and influence. The second episode follows the trial and conviction of Russia’s richest man, Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Khodorkovsky’s grinning face was famously beamed across the world from behind the bars of the court’s cage, and this episode reveals the tactics that Putin used to suppress the oil baron and separate him from his company and wealth. Final part in the formidable series examines Putin’s fight with the only serious rival for the presidency, Yuri Luzhkov. The crew follow Luzhkov, the renegade billionaire Mayor of Moscow as he takes the fight to Putin. This is a fascinating film which shows both the ruthless methods in which Putin crushes his opposition and the extreme corruption that exist at the highest levels of Russian government.

Russia says will stand firm with China on Syria

Using his annual news conference to draw lines in the sand on Syria, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said veto-holding Security Council members Russia and China would stand firm against foreign intervention.
"We will insist - and we have an understanding with our Chinese colleagues that this is our common position - that these fundamental points be retained in any decision that may be taken by the U.N. Security Council," Lavrov said.
"If somebody intends to use force ... it will be on their conscience. They will not receive any authority from the Security Council," said Lavrov, who also emphasized that Russia and China oppose any sanctions against Syria.
Russia has been the most vocal supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a 10-month government crackdown that the United Nations says has killed more than 5,000 civilians, refusing to join calls for him to step down.

Liberia's Brutal Thug Charles Taylor worked for CIA

Liberia's Charles Taylor, the first African head of state to be prosecuted for war crimes by an international tribunal, used to work for the CIA, the Boston Globe newspaper reported this week.
The report, based on information uncovered through a freedom of information request made six years ago, said that Taylor had a relationship with the US spy agency for years, although the details of what he actually did were unclear.

"The Pentagon's response to the Globe states that the details of Taylor?s role on behalf of the spy agencies are contained in dozens of secret reports -- at least 48 separate documents -- covering several
decades. However, the exact duration and scope of the relationship remains hidden," the daily said.

Macedonia Needs Name Solution to Advance NATO Bid

On a visit to Skopje, top US state department official says that the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia must be resolved before Macedonia can join NATO. Philip Reeker, US deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, said on Wednesday that despite a recent court ruling in favour of Macedonia, Skopje and Athens must reach a solution to their name dispute before Macedonia can join the alliance.
“The ruling of the ICJ is the ruling of the International Court of Justice. It is very much a fact. On the other hand NATO - the North Atlantic treaty- is itself a law that requires consensus,” Reeker said after his meeting with Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.
“The obligations that membership in NATO requires mean that existing members as well as new members must be comfortable and all agree to do that,” he added.

US, Serbian Officials Discuss Kosovo Talks

A top US State Department official is in Belgrade on Thursday to discuss the Kosovo issue and overall stability in the region. Philip Reeker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, has arrived on a three-day visit to Belgrade as part of his Balkan tour aimed at ensuring long-term stability in the region. He is scheduled to meet with Serbian President Boris Tadic, Serbia's chief negotiator in the Kosovo talks, Boris Stefanovic, and other state officials and representatives of civil society. According to Stefanovic, one of main topics of the meetings will be Tadic's four-point plan for resolving the Kosovo issue. The plan includes a special status for Serbian monasteries in Kosovo; guarantees for Serbs living in enclaves in Kosovo; guarantees for property of the Serbian state and its citizens in Kosovo; and a resolution of the status issue in the north of Kosovo, where most Serbs live.

NATO Drilling For Nuclear Attack On Iran and Syria?

Yesterday, I carried a story on a crash between a French Air Force Mirage and a Royal Saudi Air Force F-15. The story confirmed that the Saudi pilot and the two French pilots were safe. Little additional information was available. Today, I am able to report that the two-seat Mirage was in fact either a French Air Force Mirage 2000-D or a 2000-N. Both aircraft, in their later variants are virtually identical and are used for the long-range nuclear strike role by the French Air Force. This begs the question, is NATO preparing to ‘go nuclear’ in the coming General Middle East War against Iran and Syria? There are hundreds of allied fighter-bombers available in the Middle East that can hit targets in Iran and Syria. Why bring in the specialized long-range nuclear capable Mirages?
Currently, within the last week or so, the following battle forces have been assembled by NATO in the Middle East. A massive war armada is sitting just south of the Strait of Hormuz, it consists of three US Navy super-carrier battle groups: the USS Carl Vinson; the USS John C. Stennis; and the USS Abraham Lincoln. Each battle group generally has four or five Aegis air defense cruisers and destroyers, and usually one to three other destroyers and/or frigates, plus a large support ship and one or two hunter-killer nuclear submarines.

Saudi ex-spy chief says 'all' options open on Iran

Saudi Arabia will use "all available options" to defend itself against Iranian "threats" that might trigger "unwanted military confrontation," its former intelligence chief told a Gulf security conference. Prince Turki al-Faisal's comments to the conference in Bahrain late on Tuesday came after Tehran demanded Riyadh rethink its offer to make up for any oil lost to world markets as a result of threatened curbs on Iranian exports.
"Any threat to our interests or security will force us to use all available options to defend our interests, and national and regional security," Faisal said in remarks carried by the Al-Arabiya news channel.
"The mounting escalation and persistent tensions might end up in an adventure with unpredictable consequences or in an unwanted military confrontation."

In Libya, a Fundamentalist War against Moderate Islam Takes Shape

The Libyan revolution has not been kind to Mahmud al-Arabi. Last March, forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi ransacked his grocery store in Zuwara after he fled to Tunisia, stealing about $6,000 worth of supplies. When he returned in September, facing mounting debts, al-Arabi turned to selling beer and liquor — an illegal enterprise in a country where alcohol has been banned for four decades. His new business drew the attention of Islamist rebels who helped to overthrow Gaddafi. After they threatened the store's landlord, they blew up Arabi's shop. Out of money and out of work, Arabi spends his days in his trailer home lamenting the turn his country has taken. Says he, "I got nothing but suffering from this revolution."

Throughout this country, Libyans are discovering that their hard fought battle to win freedoms is at risk. Puritanical Muslims known as Salafis are applying a rigid form of Islam in more and more communities. They have clamped down on the sale of alcohol and demolished the tombs of saints where many local people worship. The small town of Zuwara near the Tunisian border, dominated by a heterodox Muslim sect despised by the Salafis, is quickly becoming the battlefield for competing visions of Libya's future. 

Most Syrians back President Assad, but you’d never know from western media

Suppose a respectable opinion poll found that most Syrians are in favour of Bashar al-Assad remaining as president, would that not be major news? Especially as the finding would go against the dominant narrative about the Syrian crisis, and the media considers the unexpected more newsworthy than the obvious.
Alas, not in every case. When coverage of an unfolding drama ceases to be fair and turns into a propaganda weapon, inconvenient facts get suppressed. So it is with the results of a recent YouGov Siraj poll on Syria commissioned by The Doha Debates, funded by the Qatar Foundation. Qatar’s royal family has taken one of the most hawkish lines against Assad – the emir has just called for Arab troops to intervene – so it was good that The Doha Debates published the poll on its website. The pity is that it was ignored by almost all media outlets in every western country whose government has called for Assad to go.

Al-Qaeda magazine that gives tips on how to kill Americans was smuggled into Guantanamo Bay

An Al-Qaeda magazine was smuggled into Guantanamo Bay and into the hands of a suspected terrorist.
The discovery of material sparked an inspection of cells and a contentious new policy requiring special review teams to examine mail between prisoners and attorneys, U.S. prosecutors said today. Navy Cmdr. Andrea Lockhart told a military judge during a pre-trial hearing that a copy of Inspire magazine got into a cell. She provided no details on who received the magazine or how. But she said the breach showed that prior rules at the base governing mail review were not adequate. Yemen's al-Qaida of the Arabian Peninsula launched the online, English-language magazine in 2010. An early issue contained tips to would-be militants about how to kill U.S. citizens. Lockhart is part of the U.S. team prosecuting the case against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi national charged with orchestrating the attack in 2000 on the USS Cole that killed 17 sailors. Al-Nashiri, 47, is considered one of the most senior al-Qaida leaders who has been held at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006. How mail between Guantanamo prisoners and their attorneys should be handled consumed several hours of the al-Nashiri's pre-trial session on Tuesday and Wednesday. At issue is whether even a cursory examination of the legal correspondence violates the attorney-client privilege.

Pressure Israel, Not Iran. Israel has an Arsenal of 200-300 Nuclear Weapons

Neocons in Israel and the United States are escalating their rhetoric to prepare us for war with Iran. Even the infamous John Yoo, architect of George W. Bush’s illegal torture and spying programs, is calling on the Republican presidential candidates to “begin preparing the case for a military strike to destroy Iran’s nuclear program.”
Under the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran has the legal right to produce nuclear power for peaceful purposes. The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found no evidence that Iran is developing a nuclear weapons program. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently said on CBS that Iran is not currently trying to build a nuclear weapon. Nevertheless, the United States and Israel are mounting a campaign of aggression against Iran. The United States has imposed punishing sanctions against Iran that are crippling Iran’s economy, and pressuring other countries and strong-arming financial institutions to stop buying oil from Iran, the world’s third largest exporter. The Obama administration is also preparing new punitive measures that target the Central Bank of Iran. And the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass the Iran Threat Reduction Act of 2011 which would outlaw any contact between U.S. government employees and some Iranian officials.

Who are you calling colonialists? Argentina hits back at Britain

A war of words broke out between Britain and Argentina last night after David Cameron accused the South American nation of "colonialism" over its claim to the Falkland Islands. The Argentinian government retaliated by condemning the Prime Minister's comments as "absolutely offensive". Diplomatic tensions between the two countries are rising ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Falklands conflict in which British forces defeated an Argentinian occupying force.

The Prime Minister told MPs yesterday that he wanted, in the face of recent rhetoric from Buenos Aires, to send a "strong message" about the islanders' right to decide their own future. He said: "What the Argentinians have been saying recently, I would argue, is far more like colonialism because these people want to remain British and the Argentinians want them to do something else." Mr Cameron added: "The absolutely vital point is that we are clear the future of the Falkland Islands is a matter for the people themselves. As long as they want to remain part of the United Kingdom and be British, they should be able to do so."

Money Insider: US Will See Violent Civil Unrest In 2012

Money insider Charles Ortel has warned that a worsening economic picture across the globe will see civil unrest hit the streets of America, not on behalf of leftist OWS types, but by an armed, “irascible and vocal Majority”. Ortel, a managing partner with Newport Value Partners, LLC in New York City, predicts that a failure of the so-called financial recovery will precipitate “A painful re-calibration of economic strength and geo-political standing during 2012 in the midst of widespread civil insurrection and cross-border war.”

Noting that Americans’ access to firearms will cause such riots to be bloodier than anything seen in Europe, Ortel predicts that a contented and silent Majority will be turned into “an irascible and vocal Majority,” as a result of numerous macro-economic and geo-political threats facing the country, including the collapse of the euro, the bursting of the financial bubble in China, and the looming debt crisis, all of which will contribute to weak economic growth.

Encuestadora 30-11 destaca que promedio de aprobación de Chávez ronda el 60%

Todos los estudios publicados recientemente sobre la gestión del presidente de la República, Hugo Chávez, reflejan una aprobación que ronda el 60%, destacó este jueves el director de la encuestadora 30-11, Germán Campos. Durante el programa Toda Venezuela, que transmite Venezolana de televisión, Campos señaló que esta aprobación se ha recuperado, al compararse con valores de hace un año, a los niveles que Chávez ha alcanzado en años electorales como el 2006. "Todos los estudios coinciden en señalar la recuperación de la evaluación de la gestión del presidente Chávez y su liderazgo", dijo.

CNN veut vendre l’Angola à la planète entière

Le 17 janvier 2012, à Luanda, la chaîne de télévision américaine CNN a très clairement manifesté son intérêt de promouvoir le développement socio-économique de l’Angola à l’international, notamment l’évolution enregistrée au cours de neuf dernières années, depuis la guerre. C’est Kim Norgard, le chef du Bureau de CNN pour l’Afrique, qui a apporté cette offre exceptionnelle aux Angolais.

“L’Angola a beaucoup d’exemples à donner au monde. Nous voulons divulguer cette réalité et faire partie de ce processus de développement”, a soutenu Kim Norgard, au cours de l’audience que lui a accordée la ministre angolaise de la Communication Sociale, Carolina Cerqueira.

Selon lui, la CNN veut montrer les potentialités naturelles, le mode de vie des Angolais, les actions du gouvernement et d’autres initiatives de ce pays d’Afrique australe, qui fascinent le monde.

Carolina Cerqueira a, pour sa part, assuré que le Ministère de la Communication Sociale était disposé à collaborer avec CNN, lui garantissant tout appui institutionnel pour qu’elle puisse véhiculer la réalité du pays.

“Nous sommes satisfaits de votre intérêt, nous voulons que vous connaissiez l’Angola et que vous montriez, en commençant par nos initiatives de lutte contre la pauvreté un peu partout au pays, les difficultés et aussi les bonnes initiatives, ainsi que d’autres questions de votre intérêt”, a-t-elle confié.

USA, 1er investisseur étranger au Mozambique

Les États-Unis sont devenus le plus grand investisseur étranger au Mozambique entre janvier et septembre 2011, d’après le Centre de la promotion des investissements (CPI). Selon les statistiques du CPI, les États-Unis arrivent en tête en ce qui concerne les investissements étrangers directs (IED), suite à l’approbation d’un projet de 58,5 millions USD par la Biworld Cement Factory international. La Chine et la Norvège ont été classées comme deuxième et troisième plus grands investisseurs étrangers dans l’ancienne colonie portugaise pour la même période. La Chine a obtenu l’approbation de quatre projets d’investissement d’une valeur de 45,1 millions de dollars, selon le CPI. La China-Mozambique Ciment & Mining development Company, avec un projet d’une valeur de 34,3 millions de dollars americains, est devenu le plus grand investisseur unique de la Chine. Un projet d’investissement de 22,3 millions de dollars a été approuvé par le Norvège. Le projet de boisement de Sanga est en cours dans le district de Sanga dans la province de Niassa. Les chiffres du CPI ont également montré que les investissements privés au cours des neuf premiers mois de l’année 2011 ont baissé de 83% par rapport à la même période de 2010.

Turkey vows to strengthen economic ties with Iran, regional countries

Turkish environment ministry expressed the country's determination to strengthen its commercial and economic relations with Iran and other regional countries, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported on Wednesday. The ministry's statement came after a close-door meeting between Turkish Environment and Urbanization Minister Erdogan Bayraktar and visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Wednesday afternoon. Turkey and Iran plan to jointly set new roadmaps in a variety of fields with special focus on commercial and economic relations, said the environment ministry, adding that trade between the two countries hit 10.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2010 and 14.9 billion U. S. dollars in the first 11 months of 2011. Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also held talks with the visiting Iranian foreign minister. A press conference, attended by Salehi and Turkish officials, will be held on Thursday afternoon. According to the schedule, Salehi will also meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Ankara on Thursday. Anatolia news agency quoted sources close to the prime minister as saying Erdogan and Salehi discussed regional issues including Iran's nuclear program, situation in Iraq and Syria, as well as bilateral relations. Upon his arrival in Ankara on Wednesday, Salehi said the talks on Iran's nuclear program could be held in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The foreign minister told reporters at the airport that the date for the nuclear talks between Iran and the G5+1 (five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) would be determined soon.

Britain Admits Moscow Spy Rock

Britain has for the first time admitted it was spying when Russia’s state security service, the FSB, accused British diplomats of using a transceiver hidden inside a rock on a Moscow street. Footage showing the alleged spies using the device was aired on Russian TV in January 2006. The FSB described it as “absolutely new spy technology.” The UK Foreign Office then denied the claims. But in a BBC documentary due to be broadcast later today, Jonathan Powell, then Prime Minister Tony Blair’s chief of staff, admitted the footage was genuine.
“The spy rock was embarrassing,” Powell said, adding that the Russians “had us bang to rights.” “Clearly they had known about it for some time and they had been saving it up for a political purpose,” he said. That purpose was to justify the adoption of a controversial new law giving the authorities increased powers to monitor the activities and finances of non-governmental organizations, the documentary alleges. Then President Vladimir Putin said NGOs were being used as a cover by foreign spies and argued that the measure was necessary for state security but critics said it cracked down on human rights and democracy.

Belarus’ Lukashenko Promises Reform

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said he may launch political reform following the country’s parliamentary elections this fall. Speaking during a meeting celebrating 20 years of diplomatic relations between Belarus and China on Thursday, Lukashenko said he would “think seriously” about reforming the ex-Soviet state’s “political system” after a parliamentary vote in September.
“We study trends in the world and, of course, we will try to keep up [with them] and modernize our country,” Lukashenko, Belarus’ president since 1994, said. However, he added that his country was not in urgent need of reform.
The former collective farm boss also said that Belarus would look to China for guidance in its relationship with the West and in its internal affairs.
"China teaches us what to do, how to develop our relationship with the Americans," Lukashenko said.
He also praised China's tight controls on the Internet, saying they helped sustain stability there.
"The Internet is still a kind of interesting toy in the hands of the world community," Lukashenko said. "But later people will get used to it and it will be like a newspaper and cease to be important to people's lives."
Earlier this month, Belarus adopted a controversial new law restricting access to foreign websites.
Last month, a Ukrainian women’s group claimed Belarusian police kidnapped and abused three of its members after a topless protest in the capital, Minsk.
Lukashenko, described by the United States as “Europe’s last dictator,” is subject to a series of sanctions by Western governments over a brutal crackdown on protests against his disputed re-election as president in December 2010. Speaking after a wave of public protests against his rule in July last year, Lukashenko defended his tough stance, saying he would not allow  protesters to "impose uncertainty and turbulence" in the country.

Eurasian Union and Russia's Geostrategic Stability

US top foreign-policy strategist and a die-hard Russophobe Zbigniew Brzeziński had a point when he wrote in The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives that “Russia ceases to be a Eurasian empire. Russia without Ukraine can still strive for imperial status, but it would then become a predominantly Asian imperial state”, moreover, a one under permanent pressure from Central Asian republics and China. He also stressed quite appropriately therein that “However, if Moscow regains control over Ukraine, with its 52 million people and major resources as well as its access to the Black Sea, Russia automatically again regains the wherewithal to become a powerful imperial state, spanning Europe and Asia”.

In other words, Russia can't realistically hope to achieve geostrategic stability unless it manages to entrain Ukraine. As a result, the task of precluding synergies between the two countries occupies a significant line on the US and EU foreign-policy agendas. Russian premier Vladimir Putin's opinion piece published in Izvestia in 2011 - "A new integration project for Eurasia: The future in the making" – where he puts forward a case for building a Eurasian union in the post-Soviet space, simply had to come under fire in the West, as what Putin suggests is an alliance between Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, to which Kazakhstan and other republics of the former Soviet Union would also be welcome.

Egyptian Political Parties Select Muslim Brotherhood Leader As Egypt’s First Islamist Speaker Of Parliament

Top parties in Egypt’s incoming parliament have agreed to select an Islamist politician as house speaker for the first time in decades, party leaders said Monday.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the big winner in the first election since the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak last February, said it joined several other parties in backing Saad el-Katatni, the secretary-general of the Brotherhood’s own party.The main function of the new parliament is to pick a 100-person commission to draw up a new constitution for Egypt, while preparations take place for presidential elections scheduled for June.
The selection of el-Katatni showed the power of the Islamists to influence that process.
The Muslim Brotherhood-led alliance won more than 45 percent of the 498 parliament seats. A more radical Islamist movement won another 25 percent. The two are not seen likely to join forces on many issues because of their religious differences.
On Monday, Brotherhood leaders met with heads of other parties to try to reach wide agreement over the choice of a speaker.
Mohammed Morsi, the Brotherhood party’s leader, said the meeting was meant to give assurances that there would be no “exclusions, no polarization and no conflict. Instead there will be national consensus” in parliament.

Antisemitic and Anti-Israel Articles on Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Website

The website of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Egypt, Ikhwanonline.com, contains articles with antisemitic motifs, including Holocaust denial and descriptions of the "Jewish character" as covetous, exploitative, and a source of evil in human society. While articles of this tenor have been posted on the site in the past, their posting has recently taken on greater importance in light of the group's increasing strength following the ouster of the Mubarak regime, as reflected by the results of the recent parliamentary elections.
In addition to antisemitic content, articles on the site also include praise for jihad and martyrdom, and condemnation of negotiation as a means of regaining Islamic lands. Among these are articles calling to kill Zionists and praising the September 9, 2011 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Cairo – which one article called a landmark of the Egyptian revolution. Some senior officials in the MB's Freedom and Justice party published articles on the site expressing reservations regarding the peace agreement with Israel and insisting that Egypt was entitled to amend it.[1] Such statements contradict assurances by Freedom and Justice party head Dr. Muhammad Mursi to senior U.S. officials that the MB would honor all international agreements signed by Egypt.[2]
This paper will present excerpts of articles posted on the MB site, dated both before and after the revolution.
MB: The Jewish Character Is Still a Source of Evil in the World

In a June 2011 sermon posted on the website, MB in Egypt General Guide Muhammad Badi' discussed the Jews, their traits, and their actions: "Allah warned us against the deceit of the Jews and their dangerous role in sparking wars: 'Whenever they kindle a fire for war Allah puts it out, and they strive to make mischief in the land; and Allah does not love the mischief-makers [Koran 5:64].' Their hands light the hidden fuse... [and] little time passes before the fire spreads to the field of war, including Islamic lands... The war in Sudan and its division are their handiwork; the internal struggle and war among the Palestinians is [likewise part] of their plan. [For this reason,] the reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah angered them..."[3]

Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood Prepares To Join Future Government

The Islamist movement has launched preparations to take part in a future government, as the Islamic Action Front (IAF) considers sweeping internal reforms to strengthen the party ahead of potential elections.

In an ordinary IAF Shura Council session late Saturday, Islamist leaders discussed potential measures should the party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, come to power in a government based on a parliamentary majority.

During the meeting, party leaders focused on the steps to make the potential transition from an “opposition movement” to a governing party, a transformation that IAF Secretary General Hamzah Mansour warned will be “difficult” for the movement.

The IAF’s potential participation in governance would come at a time the Kingdom faces several internal and external challenges in the political, economic and social realms, placing a “heavy responsibility” on the Islamist movement, Mansour noted.

“Any political force or political party that takes part or forms a government based on a parliamentary majority will face several challenges,” Mansour told The Jordan Times.

“We must be prepared to face these challenges and come up with solutions to them.”

According to a source within the movement, the debate comes at a time Islamist leaders have received “positive signs” that decision makers will meet the movement’s preconditions for participating in political life, namely an elections law based on proportional representation and constitutional reforms guaranteeing elected governments and protecting Parliament against dissolution.

If the movement’s demands are met, Islamists are prepared to pull its presence from the streets, abandoning the pro-reform movement, and focus its energies on an electoral campaign and a strategy for governance, the source added.

Far Left/Global Muslim Brotherhood Coalition Announces Global March On Jerusalem

A far-left European website has posted an invitation to a “global march on Jerusalem.” According to the announcement on the website of the Anti-Imperalist Camp:

Jerusalem has been a centre of the three monotheistic world religions for more than 1,000 years. This plurality has been threatened since the creation of the state of Israel and more so with the occupation of east Jerusalem and its annexation, in violation of international law. Jerusalem’s Palestinian inhabitants are subjected to a continuous process of expulsion from the city. 85% of its territory has been robbed by foreign settlers, while the Israeli state systematically destroys the livelihood of Palestinians. Every day, the Apartheid state of Israel demolishes Palestinian homes. Armed Israeli gangs, supported by the state, terrorise the old city’s inhabitants demanding, “Arabs out, Jerusalem is Jewish!” Jewish religious fanatics even attack Jewish women if they don’t abide by the rules emanating from their extremist interpretation of religion. All this is happening while the people of the Arab world are clamouring for democracy and self-determination. 

Leaders of German al Qaeda cell living in Iran

In early October 2010, US forces launched a drone airstrike against a militant compound in North Waziristan, Pakistan. The intent of the strike was to kill members of a German al Qaeda cell that had plotted to assault European cities in a manner similar to the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India. Jihadist web sites and news accounts indicated that some members of the cell were killed in the strike. But now, more than two years later, the cell's leaders have turned up alive -- in Iran.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that Namaan Meziche and several other members of the German al Qaeda cell are "waiting in Iran, trying to return to Europe." European intelligence officials are concerned that the cell's members pose a threat to security, however, as they received training from seasoned terrorist operatives in northern Pakistan and reportedly intended to strike multiple targets inside Europe.
Meziche, in particular, has compiled a dossier with extensive links to notorious al Qaeda operatives, including members of al Qaeda's 9/11 Hamburg cell.
Meziche's ties to Hamburg cell
"German authorities began investigating Mr. Meziche in late 2001 after they discovered telephone and email communications he maintained with suspected members of al Qaeda," the Wall Street Journal reported shortly after the October 2010 drone strike. Conspicuously, authorities discovered that Ramzi Binalshibh, the point man for al Qaeda's 9/11 plot, "placed a 34-second phone call on Sept. 5, 2001" to Meziche's home.

Eurocrisis is a Global Crisis

Chile Rising

Occupy Movement Targets Congress

Colombia’s Rebels Switch From Cocaine to Cattle

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, has seen more lucrative days. The-guerrilla-army-turned-drug-cartel has seen its homelands, its outposts and — most importantly — its cocaine revenue chipped away in recent years by record seizures of the drug and a military campaign backed by billions in American aid. The guerrillas’ solution? Cattle rustling and hustling. Call it narcollaneros, or Colombian cocaine cowboys. The FARC is suffering from a “lack of financing…. due to the blows to their funding sources, especially drug trafficking,” Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Monday. “One of the orders was to sell cattle to get more resources.” Precisely how much cattle the FARC wants to offload is not known, but the total number of cows in FARC lassos alone range up to 26,500, according to e-mails discovered on FARC computers following the September 2010 raid that killed second-in-command Mono Jojoy. This is about half of the FARC’s total number of animals, which include horses and various other livestock.

The Islamist Plan for Victory: "Gradualism"

One of the mistakes that the West makes is that it doesn’t listen to what the Islamists are saying. If only we listened, we could hear their strategy. On November 20, Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, the top Muslim Brotherhood theologian and arguably the most influential Sunni cleric in the world, called on Muslims to embrace “gradualism.”

 

The doctrine of gradualism is successful because we fail to appreciate the ability of the Islamists to be skillful political strategists. Gradualism is an intelligent form of jihad based on pragmatism, patience, long-term planning and self-evaluation. The Islamists evaluate their performance and recalibrate their strategy accordingly. The West misinterprets this as being “moderate,” when in reality, not all Islamists are as reckless as Al-Qaeda.

 

“Gradualism in applying the Sharia is a wise requirement to follow,” Qaradawi declared, stating that Mohammed followed it.

 

The Islamists, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, have always worked in stages. In December, the Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide, Mohamed Badi, outlined six phases: Sharia over the individual; Sharia over the family; Sharia over the society; Sharia over the government; the resurrection of the Caliphate and finally, “mastership of the world.” The Muslim Brotherhood is in the process of completing the fourth phase in Egypt.

 

Iranian Submarines' Ambush for US Aircraft Carriers in Persian Gulf

Speaking to FNA on Wednesday, Lieutenant Commander of the Iranian Army's Self-Sufficiency Jihad Rear Admiral Farhad Amiri said that Iran has the best electronic diesel submarines of the world, adding that enemies, the US in particular, are most focused on Iran's astonishing subsurface capabilities.

Amiri underlined that significance of submarines are not just indebted to their arms and equipment, "rather the tactical issues are very important", given the geographical specifications of the waters surrounding the county.

"For example," he stated, "if an ordinary submarines can sit in the Persian Gulf's bed it would be the worst threat to the enemy."

"That is one of the US concerns since Iranian submarines are noiseless and can easily evade detection as they are equipped with the sonar-evading technology" and can fire missiles and torpedoes simultaneously, he added.

"When the submarine sits on the seabed it can easily target and hit an aircraft carrier traversing in the nearby regions," Amiri reiterated.

9/11 Hijackers Passports were issued by the CIA - US Consulate Whistleblower

The Racism behind the Discourse of the Oligarchy against Chavez

Fourth generation warfare has been brewing for a long time on this planet and it has already won a number of battles. It comes from when it was said in the sixties that Fidel Castro ate children. They had to invade Cuba because of that. They had to invade Iraq to look for weapons that they already knew didn’t exist. They had to invade Afghanistan to save Afghani women from the Taliban who made them use unusual burkas. They had to invade Libya to save Libyans from a monster with forty years in power. They have to invade Syria for the same reason. They had to sacrifice Mubarak [ex president of Egypt] so that everyone would believe the story about the struggle for freedom and justice. Prefabricated invasions, made in the USA.
Now Maria Machado [translator: a candidate in the opposition’s primaries for the presidential elections this year] says: against communism, grassroots capitalism. Her three minutes of “fame” in the National Assembly [on Saturday during the president’s annual report] were full of anti-communism. Communists steal, kill people, eat kids...fried and marinated kids or cooked in their own sauce? Did anyone ever believe this? Yes, millions believed it, our grandparents believed it.

Honduras respalda derecho de Argentina sobre las Islas Malvinas

El gobierno hondureño expresó su "respaldo irrestricto" al derecho de Argentina sobre las Islas Malvinas, en el contexto de la visita a este territorio centroamericano del canciller de ese país, Héctor Timerman.

"Honduras en todo momento apoyó a la República Argentina en su reclamo para que se cumpla la resolución de las Naciones Unidas, y esa es una gratitud que se extenderá en el tiempo", expresó el funcionario suramericano, quien llegó ayer a esta capital, procedente de Panamá.

Timerman dialogó con su par hondureño, Arturo Corrales, acerca de una veintena de temas de interés común, en el ámbito bilateral, regional, multilateral, y de política de cooperación.

Ambos cancilleres revisaron y evaluaron la cooperación bilateral con el fin de convocar este año a la primera reunión de la Comisión Mixta, como establece el Acuerdo de Cooperación Científica y Técnica, suscrito en Buenos Aires (20 de agosto de 1981).

También trataron sobre el rol de las Fuerzas Armadas en el Estado de Derecho, el desarrollo y promoción de vínculos e intercambios interparlamentarios y la violencia en Centroamérica, al mismo tiempo que acordaron avanzar en la creación de un Mecanismo de Consultas Políticas y Económicas, con vista a su aprobación este año.

Privatiza EE.UU. lucha contra el narcotráfico

Estados Unidos privatiza la lucha contra el narcotráfico con contratos millonarios a empresas que utilizan mercenarios, según indica hoy el Pentágono. La Secretaría de Defensa anunció que como parte de esa política se otorgan contratos a empresas privadas para prestar asesoría, capacitación y realizar operativos en países productores de drogas y con vínculos al llamado narcoterrorismo. Estas compañías emplean mercenarios y sus tácticas están libres del escrutinio público y político, plantean críticos de esos planes.

La sección de prensa del Pentágono confirmó que, en 1995, se estableció la Oficina de Programas de Tecnología Contra el Narcoterrorismo (Cntpo), para el apoyo administrativo de programas en una amplia gama de actividades antinarcóticos. El teniente coronel James Gregory, vocero del Pentágono, precisó que desde los atentados del 11 de septiembre de 2001 y los conflictos en Irak y Afganistán se incrementó la necesidad de adquirir estos servicios.

Obama Administration Vetoes Canada-Texas Pipeline

The U.S. government said Wednesday it has decided not to give permission for a proposed pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, a project hailed by the domestic oil industry but denounced by environmental groups and landowners along the proposed route.

“The Department of State recommended to President (Barack) Obama that the presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline be denied and that, at this time, the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline be determined not to serve the national interest,” the department said.

Obama, who had delegated the process of evaluating the project to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said in a separate statement that he agreed with her agency’s recommendation.

Street Gangs to Replace Cartels as Drivers of Mexico's Violence

Major trafficking groups like the Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel, which are responsible for most of Mexico's drug violence, will be replaced by super-powered street gangs in coming years, according to a report from Southern Pulse. Southern Pulse’s new report, "Beyond 2012," addresses a ranging of hemispheric security issues, and predicts that today’s big fish will no longer be the major drivers of violence in Mexico three years from now.
According to authors Sam Logan and James Bosworth:
By the end of 2014, the men organized by El Chapo and his principal rival Heriberto Lazcano will no longer be the principal drivers of violence across Mexico. At the hyper-local level, super-powered street gangs, armed with Twitter, You Tube, the weapon of fear, and an enviable armory will man-handle local politicians and municipal police. The likelihood of journalist cowling or murder, local kidnapping, and state displacement will rise...
This would represent a momentous change, as the pair are together responsible for some of the deadliest feuds in the country. Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is widely blamed for initiating the battle with Vicente Carrillo Fuentes for control of Juarez in 2008, a fight that led to thousands of murders and for a time vaulted Juarez into the dubious status of the hemisphere’s most dangerous city. Guzman’s split with his erstwhile allies, the Beltran Leyvas, shook the underworld across the nation, and contributed to increased violence in Morelos, Guerrero, and their native Sinaloa.

Decoding the Murder Rituals of the Mexican Drug Trafficker

The killing of a Juarez policeman who was burned alive on a city street could signify a new escalation of “narco-horror,” with criminals committing ever more grotesque acts in order to intimidate their rivals -- and for fun.
In the last two and a half months I made a journey that covered more than 1,200 km sq. The route included the cities of Culiacan and Mazatlan in Sinaloa, Gomez-Palacio in Durango, and Juarez in Chihuahua. The intention of this journey was, in sum, to understand the changes in the murder rituals of the Mexican narco-trafficker. To put my conclusions concisely: their ways of killing say a lot about the strength or weakness of the person or group that carries out the violence.
This article was inspired by a concrete act: the burning alive of a police officer in Ciudad Juarez in December. Why was this done? Why commit such a grotesque act? What kind of sense does this killing make, and what can it tell us? According to the current logic of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, the spiral of violence that is hitting Mexico (by the end of 2011 46,000 had died as a result of the militarization of the battle against drug trafficking organizations) are desperate actions of people who are losing the war.

Mexican Army Arrests Reputed Cartel Money Manager

Army troops captured a man thought to handle the Sinaloa drug cartel’s financial operations in the states of Baja California and Jalisco, the Mexican military said. Jose Sanchez Villalobos was apprehended Sunday in a suburb of Guadalajara, Jalisco’s capital, the 15th Military Zone said in a statement. Sanchez is wanted in the United States on charges of distributing cocaine, according to the statement. Sunday’s arrest stemmed from the Nov. 18 seizure of $15.3 million in cash in the border metropolis of Tijuana, the military said, adding that the money trail led to Sanchez, who adopted an alias in an ultimately fruitless effort to evade police. Sanchez was handed over to the organized-crime division of the Mexican Attorney General’s Office, the statement said. The Sinaloa cartel is Mexico’s strongest drug mob and its fugitive leader, Joaquin “el Chapo” Guzman, appears on Forbes magazine’s list of the richest people in the world. 

The War With Iran Will Not Be One-Sided. Should World War III break out, it would differ from World Wars I and II

A conflict with Iran will not be one-sided. For one, Russia under Mr Vladimir Putin, aligned with China and Iran, with silent approval from nations like India and Germany that seek energy security by peaceful means, may resist US-led Western hegemony more forcefully. Both Moscow and Beijing feel remorse at permitting the shoddy politics in the UN and handing over Libya and Muammar Gaddafi to the oil-hungry Nato powers.

Already amidst escalating uncertainties, China, Russia, Iran, India, Brazil, Venezuela and other countries have moved to do bilateral trade in their own currencies and avoid using the dollar as the reserve currency.

Once he becomes Russia’s President, Mr  Putin is likely to resist the US on Iran and also address the issue of Nato’s encirclement of Russia with ballistic missile installations.

Should a Third World War break out, it would differ from the First and Second World Wars where rival colonial factions fought for hegemony. This time, the winners of the two Wars are on the rampage; they have lost the propaganda war as their naked greed has been exposed in the public arena and their opponents are not colonial raiders.

Stratfor Forecast for Africa in 2012

They Are Actually Going To Let Greece Default!

I wish that I had an "aha moment" to share with you today, but instead all I have is an "ack moment" to share.  As I was analyzing all of the info coming out of Europe in recent days, I came to the following realization: "Ack! They are actually going to let Greece default!"  The only question is whether it is going to be an orderly default or a disorderly default.  Of course the EU (led by Germany) could save Greece financially if it wanted to.  But Germany has decided against that course of action.  Many in the German government are sick and tired of pouring bailouts into Greece and then watching Greek politicians fail to fully implement the austerity measures that were agreed upon.  At this point a lot of German politicians are talking as if a Greek default is a foregone conclusion.   For example, Michael Fuchs, the deputy leader of Angela Merkel's political party, recently made the following statement: "I don't think that Greece, in its current condition, can be saved."  But that is not entirely accurate.  Greece could be saved, but the Germans don't want to make the deep financial sacrifices necessary to save Greece.  So instead they are going to let Greece default.

Imperialism for a cash-strapped era: US can afford only half-a-cold war – Part II

  The “color revolution” will continue to be the preferred route for the United States in effecting regime change in Central Asia. But the limits to the United States’s capacity to intervene also cannot but be noted. As a perceptive observer recently noted, the US is a “renter rather than a bona-fide landlord of Eurasian property” – and a renter can always be evicted by the landlord. Second, the Central Asian countries cannot but find odious the violent regime changes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and wouldn’t want to go through similar experience. Most important, both Russia and China are following active regional policies with regard to the Central Asian countries, which give the latter much space to withstand US pressures. 

The fact remains that the Central Asian countries are an integral part of the so-called Northern Distribution Network [NDN], which is increasingly gaining in strategic importance as the main supply route for the US’s afghan war due to the rupture and distrust in US-Pakistan relations leading to the closure of the transit routes through Pakistan. Effectively, this means that “Russian policymakers may now take comfort from the fact that NATO’s Afghan mission is hostage to Moscow’s goodwill”, to quote Richard Weitz, director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at the prominent Washington think tank Hudson Institute. Weitz wrote: 

“The NDN cannot function without access to Russian territory or in the face of Russian opposition, given Moscow’s decisive influence in the former Soviet republics in Central Asia. From the perspective of meeting NATO’s logistical needs in Eurasia, Moscow is in a pivotal position.” 

In geopolitical terms, this would mean that the Central Asian states would continue to look up to Moscow as the main provider of security for the region and so long as Moscow continues to enhance its political, economic and security interests in the region commensurate with its status as a great power, the US’s capacity to work itself into the “right of history” will remain severely restricted. 

The West’s Attempt to Dominate the International Satellite News Spectrum

There is a clear attempt by Western governments and their surrogates, especially Qatar, to dominate the spectrum of international network news outlets. It all began when Qatar-based Al Jazeera became the primary enemy of the Bush administration in its attempt to influence news reporting from war zones like Afghanistan and Iraq. The United States was never really happy with Al Jazeera’s Arabic service, having militarily attacked the network’s office in Kabul in November 2001 and its Baghdad bureau in April 2003. A leaked 10 Downing Street memorandum from 2005 indicated that President George W. Bush wanted to bomb Al Jazeera’s broadcast center in Doha in 2004. But when Al Jazeera English began broadcasting in 2006, what was a nuisance to U.S. propaganda efforts on military battlefields abroad became a problem for the United States at home. Although U.S. cable companies did their best to ban Al Jazeera English from cable television offerings, the network was being carried over a television broadcast channels in the Washington, DC area. Moreover, Al Jazeera English’s web site began attracting more and more Internet surfers. Al Jazeera’s independent reporting on the news – which was far and above that of any U.S. news network, including the one-time standard for international cable news broadcasting, CNN – was being referenced by more and more journalists and political leaders.

The Distinguishing Features of Latin America's New Left in Power: The Governments of Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Rafael Correa

Most political analysts place the governments of Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia) and Rafael Correa (Ecuador) in the same category but without defining their common characteristics. Beginning with the publication of Leftovers in 2008, critics of the left sought to overcome the shortcoming by characterizing the three presidents as “populist leftists,” which they distinguished from the “good leftists” taking in such moderates as Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. According to the book’s co-editors Jorge Castañeda and Marco Morales, the salient features of the populist left consist of a radical discourse devoid of ideological substance, disrespect for democratic institutions, pronounced authoritarian tendencies and vituperations against the United States designed to pay political dividends at the expense of their nation’s economic interests (Castañeda and Morales, 2008) .  
On the other side of the political spectrum, the long-time political analyst and activist Marta Harnecker has proclaimed the emergence of a “new left” in Latin America represented by all three leaders. Harnecker associates the new left with “twenty-first century socialism” embraced by the three presidents, while recognizing that both concepts are vague and will be defined over a period of time in large part through practice (Harnecker, 2010: 35-50). Another expression of the common thrust of the three governments was the call by President Chávez in late 2009 for the formation of a “Fifth International” which would constitute a new international movement in favor of radical change. The proposal sought to analyze and apply the novel experiences of Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, as well as other occurrences, in order to break with traditions stemming from the previous four socialist internationals.

La raíz del narcotráfico

48 células de distribuidores de droga al menudeo en BC
En el Consejo Estatal de Seguridad en Baja California las tienen identificadas, pero no han detenido a sus líderes. A muchos se les conoce sólo por apodos y señalamientos de vendedores aprehendidos. Policías federales, estatales, municipales y hasta elementos de la milicia, brindan protección a los vendedores de droga en las calles. Las ganancias se cuentan por cientos de miles de pesos a la semana y se depositan en bancos de la localidad. Algunos de los distribuidores, “Los Chamulas” en Tijuana, “El Chapito” en Ensenada y “El Chente en Mexicali, todos libres.
Las autoridades de Baja California saben quiénes son los vendedores de droga al menudeo en el estado, pero no los han detenido.
En total, refieren 48 células dedicadas al narcomenudeo: 26 en Tijuana, 14 en Ensenada y 8 en Mexicali. De Tecate y Rosarito no se conocen resultados.
También están enterados los mandos que integran el Consejo Estatal de Seguridad Pública en Baja California, encabezado por el mandatario José Guadalupe Osuna Millán, y el General Alfonso Duarte Mújica, que policías de los tres órdenes de gobierno, incluso elementos del Ejército, se han corrompido ante estos vendedores de droga. Los apoyan, los protegen, les proveen impunidad para continuar el ilícito negocio.
Una investigación de un pequeño pero efectivo grupo de inteligencia en Baja California, ha dado como resultado la ubicación de las 48 células y los nombres de algunos de sus cabecillas:
Tijuana: Gustavo Inzunza, una banda criminal conocida como “Los Chamulas” y los hermanos García Rodríguez, del grupo de “Los Litos”.
Ensenada: Salvador Serrano Parra, José Alfredo Zepeda Flores, además de Esteban y Efraín Hernández Contreras.
Mexicali: Sólo se ha identificado a dos delincuentes por sus apodos, “El Chente” y “El Perrote”.