[Zero Hedge] As we asked (rhetorically, of course) and answered over 3 months ago, why has the little nation of Qatar spent 3 billion dollars to support the rebels in Syria? The answer revolves, as usually is the case in the Middle East, around a pipeline.
Here are some additional perspectives.
Submitted by Michael Snyder of The Economic Collapse blog,
Could it be because Qatar is the largest exporter of liquid natural gas in the world and Assad won't let them build a natural gas pipeline through Syria? Of course. Qatar wants to install a puppet regime in Syria that will allow them to build a pipeline which will enable them to sell lots and lots of natural gas to Europe.
[ZH: And as we asked last week, why is Saudi Arabia spending huge amounts of money to help the rebels and why has Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan been "jetting from covert command centers near the Syrian front lines to the Élysée Palace in Paris and the Kremlin in Moscow, seeking to undermine the Assad regime"?] Well, it turns out that Saudi Arabia intends to install their own puppet government in Syria which will allow the Saudis to control the flow of energy through the region.
On the other side, Russia very much prefers the Assad regime for a whole bunch of reasons. One of those reasons is that Assad is helping to block the flow of natural gas out of the Persian Gulf into Europe, thus ensuring higher profits for Gazprom. Lengthy article with additional links continues.
On a lighter side.... Pic at link.
TUCUMCARI, N.M. - Most Presidential libraries are constructed after the President completes his term. However, according to KOAT-ABC, a New Mexico man has determined the location for President Obama's library and has marked it with a sign that is sparking controversy in one small town. If I recall correctly, somebody did the same with G.W. Bush. I think most people's reaction was "well, that's pretty stupid." Sophomoric remains sophomoric, regardless of who does it.
The sign rests on top of an outhouse. It reads: Obama's Presidential Library.
Some in town view the sign as bad taste while others are supportive. Personally I think the sign belongs above the remains of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi myself - or at least the 'Hillary Secretary of State Library' sign. But that is my opinion.
One man told a local reporter that folks are treating it as a tourist destination and that it is frequently photographed. Now all he needs is a life-sized Obama placecard to stand outside it.
The man responsible for the sign would not reveal his name nor would he give any information as to his motivation but did say the following: "It's like watching TV. If you don't like what the hell you're watching, turn the channel. Sadly I'm sure the NSA and IRS are fully aware who the poor magnificent bastard is...
I'm not even certain he even deserves that level of respect, but that's my opinion." I think the outhouse deserves a little more respect myself. At least it serves a useful function.
He added "...and fortunately, that's one thing they haven't taken away from us ... is our right to our opinion," For now...
"Go up and down the streets....., look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.
#13
Sophomoric remains sophomoric, regardless of who does it.
Yes, but can the symbolism really be sophomoric if it represents a fundamental underlying truth?
[Dawn] When Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... assured all segments of society on Tuesday that peace would be brought back to Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , many were not ready to buy his words as history has made them sceptical. Despite seriousness showed by the federal government, the people in Karachi wonder what lies ahead for them, with threats ranging from militancy to murders and street crimes to kidnapping for ransom tormenting them they face daily.
Experts concur that all the stakeholders responsible for making Karachi a peaceful city have systematically sowed violence in the metropolis over the years.
Take political parties for instance. It is no secret that all of them have Death Eater wings. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... , which claims to enjoy the electoral mandate of the city, has a blood-drenched history and a known violent track record.
The PPP has links with the outlawed Peoples Amn Committee (PAC), accused of running an extortion racket across the city.
Take law enforcement agencies. The police are corrupt and politicised. But paramilitary Rangers are fast learning the ropes from police.
Political observers wonder under what policy Rangers have evicted gangsters belonging to the Awami National Party, particularly after the May 11 elections, in a few city localities like Gulistan-e-Jauhar and replaced them with those of the PAC.
Political observers, rights activists and security experts agree on one point: time is running out. With over 1,890 people having already been killed in targeted attacks in the first eight months of the year across Karachi, they suggest an even-handed action against every individual and group involved in crimes.
Apart from politically motivated killings, deadly attacks carried out for sectarian reasons have seen a surge, with banned outfits such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain, as well as Shia groups, undertaking tit-for-tat killings. So there can be no two opinions about the need for ending the spiral of violence in Karachi.
"This time it (the government) looks quite serious," said Zohra Yusuf of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistain. "But it's a little difficult to express hope at this point of time about the outcome of any government action. We monitored such situation in the past and definitely continue it when the government comes up with a plan about Karachi."
She came up with a spontaneous response when asked about the reasons behind Karachi's situation, accusing three major parties -- MQM, PPP and ANP -- of leading the city to anarchy.
Ms Yusuf said she had no doubt about the dismal performance of police and Rangers as corruption had badly affected the performance of the former while the latter never considered themselves accountable for any wrongdoing.
Dr Jafar Ahmad, of the Pakistain Study Centre at the University of Karachi, in his 'objective analysis' found the political parties both victims as well as responsible for the current state of Karachi. But he was not fully satisfied with the federal government's fresh initiative.
"I don't see it very much effective or I am not very much hopeful of a positive outcome," he said, adding: "Karachi has become a national issue but you hardly find the first line of leadership of the parties discussing that crisis. The way it's being handled doesn't give the impression of a national issue and, secondly, political parties are responsible for this state but they never own it. They will definitely make a hue and cry if any action is taken against them."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/05/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
well drat. And here I was hoping for a link to some insightful article by VDH or Wretchard commenting on Congress...
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Nawaz Sharif
