RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia said Wednesday its border with Iraq is secure and tightly monitored, and is unlikely to be infiltrated.
Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turk was quoted in the daily al-Watan as denying any infiltration "because the frontier is highly secure and it is impossible to cross it except through legal crossings." He said the authorities erected sand mounds, barbed wires, cameras and heat sensors along the Iraqi border, which is monitored by border patrols.
Sooooo, I guess this means you're saying that nobody crosses into Iraq to join the jihad without official government permission?
Posted by: Steve ||
01/12/2005 4:10:02 PM ||
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Saudi Arabia's crackdown on al Qaeda militants has seriously eroded their forces and capabilities but the network will remain a threat in the world's biggest oil exporter for years, a U.S. research group said. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said Saudi Arabia had arrested or killed 400 to 500 out of a total of 500-600 al Qaeda members, who have targeted Westerners and government sites in a series of attacks since 2003.
Do they mention how many of the 400-500 have been replaced by new, cheap and easily replaced cannon fodder?
But Saudi militants in Afghanistan, Yemen or Iraq could return to their homeland to reinforce the organization.
... along with the current crop of young 'uns hanging around the mosques...
Four of the network's five main cells in the kingdom have been destroyed, CSIS said in a report. "Despite the popular notion of al Qaeda as a hydra that can constantly grow new heads, there are indications that the organization has not been able to recover from the government attacks," said the report, released this month.
Somebody usually issues a statement like that a week or two before something major goes "kaboom"...
"At its peak, Saudi al Qaeda claimed between 500-600 members, scattered among the cells. Of these, roughly 250 were diehards. By the end of 2004, between 400-500 militants had been captured or killed, including all of the leaders." Diplomats and Western security officials say it is hard to put any precise number on al Qaeda's clandestine forces in Saudi Arabia, but agree it has been significantly weakened -- at least for now -- by the tightened security in the kingdom. But CSIS said recent attacks revealed al Qaeda weaknesses. The Riyadh strikes were largely unsuccessful, it said, and last month's storming of the U.S. consulate in Jeddah was "poorly orchestrated and executed." All the militants involved in Jeddah were killed or captured.
I guess I would consider that a plus...
It said the 2003 attacks were carried out after al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahri overruled the organization's local leader in Saudi Arabia, who had called for more time to establish his network before striking. The subsequent government crackdown eliminated al Qaeda's leadership and the movement could not find new recruits, CSIS said. It also "failed to articulate a viable alternative to the existing government" and suffered from lack of funds after Saudi Arabia tightened financial controls. "Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia is at a critical juncture in its fight against terrorism. The threat is unlikely to disappear for years to come," the CSIS report said. "Al Qaeda can draw on Saudis in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Central Asia, as well as other members of al Qaeda who may be able to enter Saudi Arabia. The Iraqi and Yemeni border present serious problems in terms of infiltration."
Yemen presents a pool of bloodthirsty tribal yokels who're more than willing to run off and play jihad in the Tragic Kingdom. Assir province is chock full of al-Ghamdis, many of whom are just looking forward to being weaned so they can get their own jihad get-ups. But more important than either of those is the fact that Hawali and Co. remain in the religion business, and are honored members of Soddy society.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/12/2005 12:16:10 AM ||
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#1
The writer keeps talking about "captured or killed", as if that makes the total meaningful. It doesn't sound to me as if he is accounting for all the those who escaped from prison, or those released after repenting. (I repent the cookie I just ate. In a moment I will repent the next one.) Also, how many of al Qaeda's top guys are connected to certain Saudi princes? (I do realize that we aren't likely to know until after the Kingdom falls.) And since when do the Iraqi and Yemeni borders present more than a cheesecloth defence against infiltration? Or are they one-way filters? (Not bloody likely to my inexperienced eyes!)
#2
Also, how many of al Qaeda's top guys are connected to certain Saudi princes? (I do realize that we aren't likely to know until after the Kingdom falls.)
I dunno. I think that with a little network analysis you could figure out a lot. The key nodes are probably the mullahs. Prince X's brothers worship at Mullah Y's mosque. Mullah Y's sermons are consistently quoted by Z al Ghamdi on his website, and so on.
As PD once pointed out here, being a Mullah is the only non-tribal path of upward mobility in these places. The mullahs become brokers between the princely tribes who have the money, but don't want to get their hands dirty and the poorer tribes that need the money and influence and are quite willing to get their hands dirty. And the mullahs are public figures. If you can find out who is in their congregations, you can make the connections.
All of which reinforces the sentiment often expressed here that first we need to hang the mullahs.
#3
I'm going to print out your explanation, 11A5S. I think I understand the gist, but I'm not accustomed to think in other than straight-line terms, I'm afraid (although my "straight" lines can be pretty curvy and even discontinuous). One take away though, is that the ambitious Suadi born into the wrong tribe and family, should choose to become a mullah.
A senior business figure has been appointed to MI6 to improve the running of the intelligence agency. A long-serving officer has also begun heading an internal watchdog monitoring the quality of intelligence gathered by the Secret Intelligence Service. The appointments were a response to 2004's Lord Butler report that said intelligence on Iraqi weapons had been unreliable, the Foreign Office said. It confirmed the appointments after reports appeared in newspapers.
Richard Branson is M?
Posted by: Howard UK ||
01/12/2005 4:45:45 AM ||
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#1
Britain and the US have simultaneously reached the conclusion that "schoolboys" have no place in their intelligence service. Be they from Eton and Cambridge, or Yale and Harvard, over time they just go rotten. Not only are their educations *inferior* to those of generic state universities, but they lack the initiative, innovation, creativity, and insights found outside of the ivory towers. Their archaic institutions are much like the service academies are to the military: productive of either rigid and ambitious authoritarians, or undisciplined and feckless slackers.
If you happen to get dumped from your cabinet job and nobody listens to you because they've come to the accurate conclusion that you're a crank, you can always get a bunch of your friends and like-mineded loons together and pretend that you're Parliament. Can't you, Tony?
Former British Minister Tony Benn criticized the unlimited US support to Israel, calling on the US to reconsider its policy vis-Ã -vis the Middle East.
Lemme see, here. There's a reason he's a former minister, isn't there?
"If the U.S. seriously reviews its Middle Eastern policy through building up right relations with Arab countries and recognizing the international legitimacy resolutions, particularly regarding the Palestinian cause, Israel will abide by the Will of peace based on justice, not occupation," Benn said in an interview with Syrian TV. Benn, who was elected an MP in Britain between 1951- 2001, criticized also British Prime Minister Tony Blair for accepting the US policies, particularly occupying Iraq, adding that the British people strongly oppose war on Iraq and sympathize with the Palestinian people.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Why don't toy have a nice cup of STFU. Tony Bean.
The only peace the muslims will accept is if all the jews are dead. It's not hard to understand it is a religious requirement.
Any time anyone claims to be the "peoples" anything hang on to you wallet and run for the exit. "Peoples" is a favorite of communists, and Socailist dictatorships world wide.
The man is a "right wanker" I think they say in the UK.
#2
I now fully appreciate and understand why our UK cousins posting here (BD, Tony, Howard, MacNails, et al) are not nearly as enthused by Blair as Americans have been. He had a bunch of Looneys in his cabinet because, whether we see him as a stalwart WoT ally or not, he's in the Looney Party and is, otherwise, a card-carrying Looney with a Looney wife, Looney friends, Looney cohorts and Looney peers.
Gentlemen, I get it. Sincere apologies for overlooking such lunacy for so long!
#3
The gentleman, if I may use that term, has chosen to be interviewed on Syrian TV just after the American ultimatum was delivered to Assad. Even before he opened his mouth, he made clear exactly where he stands, not that this is anything new. The PM is well rid of the antisemitic bastard. And SPoD, I imagine Mr. Benn is fully aware of, and in agreement with, the Muslims' religious requirement on this subject. (Take a look at Fred's links to his name -- his ugly opinions are a matter of record.)
#5
More cuddly than George Galloway but completely hatstand. .com: spot on for me - you guys don't get to see the implications of domestic policy at first hand... it really is a case of 'who the f*ck else do we vote for?' in the UK.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
01/12/2005 4:33 Comments ||
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Ahh yess. I love it when they get to this part - the part where they admit they want and need American support. Benn, Galloway and the teaming hordes of old euro-lefties are the staunch allies of the old Arab tyrants and (less openly) the Islamo-nutters and they spend their time decrying the inequities of the Great Satan. Then, suddenly, they wonder - out loud, with no trace of irony, without blinking an eye - 'Why don't listen to us? Why don't the Americans reconsider their policies in light of our polite requests and persuasive pleadings. Gee, we could certainly accomplish a lot if we won over the Americans...."
Posted by: John in Tokyo ||
01/12/2005 6:03 Comments ||
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I'm very much for unlimited support of Israel. After all the country has been fighting against unlimited destruction for half a century.
#9
aaah the good old Tony Benn , he appears at every 'anti-something rally' known to man . He has a talent for sprouting so much babble it astonishes me .
Where would British politics be without him ? LOL
Tony Blair is marketed very well over the pond , but over here the Labour Party still has a loooong way to go b4 it gains the trust of alot of folk , unfortunatley , as Howard points out , there arent many options at all .
#11
What sort of business interests does Benn have? Which boards of directors does he serve on? Is he brown-nosing for some of that Arab venture capital and investment money that is now the lifeblood of the British economy?
Follow the money trail. Scratch a lefty, you find a capitalist hypocrite underneath.
Israeli and Russian diplomats Wednesday both denied any crisis in relations between their countries, Interfax news agnecy said.
The Israeli embassy in Moscow denied Russian and Western media reports about a crisis over military-technical ties between Russia and Syria.
There is nothing the embassy must respond to, since there is no crisis in relations between our two countries, the Israeli embassy told the news agency.
Earlier reports had claimed rifts had appeared in the relations over Israel's concern about Russia's possible exports of Iskander-E tactical missile systems to Syria.
However, Russia did not see any signs of deteriorating relations with Israel, Alexander Yakovenko, chief Russian foreign ministry spokesman, said.
In any case Russia has not been and does not intend to become the initiator of this kind of developments, he said.
A leading Russian expert Wednesday defended the controversial new sale of missiles to Syria, Interfax news agency reported.
The expansion of Russia's arms trade with Syria was beneficial for Moscow and did not violate international norms, said Vladimir Anokhin, vice President of the Russian Academy for Geopolitical Problems.
The development of military-technical cooperation with such countries as Syria benefits Russia and does not threaten the security of third countries, he told Interfax, while commenting on media reports of Israeli anxiety over possible deliveries of Russian Iskander-E missile systems to Syria.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz Wednesday quoted Israeli military officials as expressing concern that the missiles would get into the hands of Hezbollah and disrupt the military balance in the Middle East, Interfax said.
Haaretz said the missile has a target radius capable of reaching nearly all of Israel within its range, only the southern Negev and Eilat would be out of range. Therefore the Israeli leadership will attempt to solve the matter through direct talks with Moscow, Haaretz said.
#1
Russia's utterly mercenary posture had better be toned down in the immediate future if they wish to avoid being identified as a supporter of nations that sponsor terrorism. Even after Beslan, Russia continues its "eyes shut tight" stance about Iran's sponsorship of Islamic terrorism and their nuclear aspirations.
Syria's willing participation in the attacks-by-proxy upon Israel makes any sale of such advanced weapons to that nation a general statement of anti-Semitism. Mossad should be given free reign to sabotage all and sundry Russian interests should the Kremlin continue to pursue such an ill thought out revenue source.
The teaching of traditional Islam is introduced in Chechnya's schools beginning from Tuesday, Chechen President Alu Alkhanov told reporters. He said the teaching of traditional Islam was very important, as terrorists act under slogans of extremist religious doctrines. "They try to distort Islam, while it professes peaceful coexistence and tolerance to other religions," Alkhanov said at a ceremony of opening a new school in the village of Alleroi. The new school has been named after Chechnya's late president Akhmad Kadyrov, who died in a bomb attack in Grozny in last May. Kadyrov visited Alleroi a year and a half ago and promised that another school would be built in the village.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/12/2005 12:45:13 AM ||
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Cheez, it's all Habib, all the time today. It's like I'm reading CNN :-)
AUSTRALIA will offer no apology or compensation to former terror suspect Mamdouh Habib and will keep him under surveillance when he returns home.
"Nope. Ain't gonna do it. Piss off!"
The US will release Mr Habib from the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba after holding him for more than three years without charge on suspicion he knew about the September 11 terrorist attacks. The Pentagon still regards Mr Habib as an enemy combatant but says the Australian Government has accepted responsibility for him.
"He's all yours now! Enjoy! Whyn'tcha put him up with some lefties, since they like him so much?"
Mr Habib could be flown home within days and is unlikely to face further charges because Australian terror laws are not retrospective. Human rights activists and legal experts accused the Government of abandoning Mr Habib and have called for compensation and an inquiry into claims he was tortured by US agents.
Surely one of them has a spare room for him?
But Prime Minister John Howard said the Government would not apologise. "We don't have any apology to offer," Mr Howard said. "We won't be offering compensation."
"He's lucky he's not warming a bunk at the Alice Springs calaboose. Yet."
The Government was advised that Mr Habib had been detained lawfully at Guantanamo Bay, although it told US authorities Mr Habib should either be charged or repatriated, Mr Howard said. "I think the process took too long and we have made that known in very plain terms to the US," he said.
Sorry about that. We were hoping he'd die of old age.
Details of Mr Habib's return were still being discussed but the Government said he would remain a security interest to federal police and would have to stay in the country.
"No. You may not go to Bangladesh for the weekend!"
"There are some ongoing inquiries and because of this interest relevant agencies will undertake appropriate measures," Attorney-General Philip Ruddock told radio station 2UE. "He won't face charges in relation to what we know at the moment but if further evidence came to light I wouldn't preclude it." NSW Premier Bob Carr said Mr Habib was likely to return to his south-western Sydney home. "We will cooperate with the federal police in surveillance of any person of interest," he said. "The security of the Australian people demands nothing less than that."
"We don't want any cars exploding around here, either..."
Terrorism analyst and former SAS officer Justin Needham, now with the Melbourne-based Aurora Intelligence Group, said Mr Habib could face more questioning and would probably be monitored. "I think that, regardless of identifying the government organisations involved — whether it's ASIO, ASIS or the federal police — it would be far from over for him once he arrives back," Mr Needham said.
Well, at least his value as a sleeper's ruined...
Mr Habib's lawyer Stephen Hopper described the imprisonment as the most disgraceful episode in Australian history.
... though not nearly as interesting as Ned Kelly, and certainly not as heroic as Gallipoli...
He said the family could seek compensation and vowed to bring to justice those responsible for Mr Habib's detention and torture of the "most hideous, vile and medieval kind".
Since he's responsible for his own actions, that would kinda sorta boil down to him...
Maha Habib, Mr Habib's wife, branded the Government a disgrace. "To apologise or not, is not going to make any difference," she said. "The glass has been broken, they have breached our human rights and they are the criminals."
"Not my old man! That evidence was planted! And besides, the witnesses are all dead!"
Labor meanwhile called on the Government to come clean on the reasons for Mr Habib's release, saying it came just a week after allegations an Australian consular official was present while Mr Habib was tortured. The Australian Greens joined Amnesty International in the circus demanding an independent inquiry into the Government's actions to assist Mr Habib, saying it failed to come to the aid of a citizen. The Australian Democrats backed Mr Hopper's call for compensation, while the Law Council of Australia said Mr Habib had every right to feel abandoned by the government and appalled by his treatment. A mental health expert warned Mr Habib would face a long road to recovery when he returned. "He's lost all opportunities for normal socialisation for about three years now," Australian Psychological Society president Amanda Gordon said.
Maybe he should spend a couple weeks at the beach before going back to work?
Posted by: God Save The World ||
01/12/2005 5:09:53 AM ||
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#1
Mr Habib, darling, you are screwed. That first parking ticket is going to get you sent back to your birthplace for good.
#2
Agree with TW. Marmaduke Haberdashery is screwed if he sneezes, spits on the street or lets his turban come unwrapped. The Australian Ghost Plane Airline Service for him.
#3
...Mr Habibâs detention and torture of the "most hideous, vile and medieval kind"...
Hmm-so he was treated with the most hideous, vile and medieval torture?
Was he burned alive at the stake? No.
Was he put into an Iron Maiden? No.
Was he flayed alive? No.
Was he impaled? No.
Was he drawn and quartered? No.
Were any of his body parts amputated? No.
If Habib's is the most hideous and vile torture Hopper can imagine, Hopper better travel more, or at least read more.
#4
And what of Roman torture, next to which medieval torture was nothing? Habib wasn't roasted alive, crucified, fed to the lions, or bound to a corpse to develop gangrene.
#6
"We donât have any apology to offer," Mr Howard said. "We wonât be offering compensation." The Government was advised that Mr Habib had been detained lawfully at Guantanamo Bay, although it told US authorities Mr Habib should either be charged or repatriated, Mr Howard said. "I think the process took too long and we have made that known in very plain terms to the US," he said.
The quote from a leader willing to review what was done and critique, but unwilling to perform full-blown self-flagellation like so many self-hating and neurotically guilty Western leaders. Yea, Prime Minister Howard.
I'd call that elementary good sense. How about you?
We were watching him better in Gitmo. Unless the Aussies send this clown to Christmas Island.
Guantanamo Bay inmate Mamdouh Habib is likely to remain under surveillance after his repatriation to Australia. The US Department of Defence has announced it is releasing Mr Habib without charging him, on the grounds of assurances given by the Australian Government. At the same time, the US announced it was releasing the last four Britons being held at Guantanamo Bay.
I wonder how many of those being released are going to turn out like Abdullah Mehsud?
Details of Mr Habib's transfer to Australia are still being worked out but he is not expected to set foot on US soil after he leaves Guantanamo Bay. US and Australian authorities are discussing whether he will be sent home on a military or a commercial flight.
How about Fedex? They have pickup...
The US Government says the Australian Government has accepted responsibility for preventing Mr Habib from engaging in terrorist activities in the future. US officials say they have received security assurances from Australia that were important to the transfer. "These [the British and Australian] detainees are enemy combatants who had been detained by the United States in accordance with the laws of war and US law," the Pentagon said in a statement. "The governments of the United Kingdom and Australia have accepted responsibility for these individuals and will work to prevent them from engaging in or otherwise supporting terrorist activities in the future." A spokesman for the Australian embassy in Washington refused to detail the specific assurances, citing security reasons. However, it is understood Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies will closely monitor Mr Habib after his return home. He may also find his ability to travel outside Australia limited.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
01/12/2005 5:27:34 PM ||
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#1
He may also find his ability to travel outside Australia limited.
Aw, gee. No more trips to Afghanistan or Pakistan to check out the school systems or property tax rates?
Mamdouh Habib was one of US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's "worst of the worst" - a prisoner at the notorious Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba for almost three years before winning his freedom this week. How the Egyptian-born Australian found himself in Camp X-ray is an extraordinary tale.
The father of four is to be released from US custody without charge and flown home within days after more than three years in detention on suspicion of terrorism. But Amnesty has questioned what Australia promised the US in exchange for Mr Habib's release.
Caught us again. Oz threw in the floor mats and a pine tree air freshener (in new-car scent).
"Amnesty International calls on Attorney-General Philip Ruddock to give details on the apparent guarantees that the Australian Government has made to the US administration to secure Mamdouh Habib's release," the human rights group said.
Howard guaranteed the Jets would win Super Bowl III, ok? Get over it already.
Amnesty also renewed its calls for the Government to investigate claims Mr Habib and fellow Australian detainee David Hicks were tortured at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. "Governments which receive their nationals back from Guantanamo Bay must abide fully with their international obligations," Amnesty said.
A sovereign gov't must first ensure the safety and security of those of its citizens which have managed not to get tossed into the terror thug tank.
"Governments should ensure that all claims of torture and ill-treatment made by such returnees are fully investigated. Appropriate medical care should be provided and the right to repatriation should be ensured."
I'm quite confident that Mamdouh will get his torture claim heard. He prolly has the book half written, and Indymedia has called for an interview. As for his health and repatriation, he should be eager to stay in Australia; I've heard their health care system is first-rate.
Amnesty International Australia's spokesman, Andrew Beswick. said the release of Mr Habib would help alleviate the distress suffered by his family. "The legal limbo to which detainees and their families have been subjected has been an affront to the rule of law and caused considerable suffering," he said. "An end to the harsh, isolating and indefinite detention in the case of Mamdouh Habib and four Britons is a positive development as is any alleviation of the distress of family members."
"Make sure you alleviate their distress in small unmarked bills. Also Howard's resignation would have a salutary effect. So get cracking."
Posted by: God Save The World ||
01/12/2005 10:16:49 PM ||
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#4
AI, once a great organization is reduced to fiddling while Rome burns. I guess it's more comfortable to work out of cushy offices in NYC than to have to go interview refugees from despotic lands.
#5
what business of AI's is any agreement that gets this mook released? Keep yapping and we won't release him, happy? F*ckwits
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 10:09 Comments ||
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Amnesty International today demanded the (Oz) Federal Government reveal what it offered the US to secure Sydney man Mamdouh Habibâs release from Guantanamo Bay.
WTF does AI care who offered what to who? The scumbag was released, and that's really what should count to these Amnesty International retards, right?
#9
"Amnesty International calls on Attorney-General Philip Ruddock to give details on the apparent guarantees that the Australian Government has made to the US administration to secure Mamdouh Habibâs release."
Yeah? And I call on Amnesty International to either STFU or give find a despotic regime to do a "report" on. Oh, wait a minute--they don't have the balls to criticize THOSE types of attrocities.
German authorities say they have arrested 14 suspected Islamic radicals in massive raids across the country. They said hundreds of police swooped addresses - including apartments and mosques - in five states. The detained are alleged to be members of a radical Islamic network suspected of aiding terrorists through money laundering and falsifying documents. The raids - which are still ongoing - were the culmination of a long-term inquiry, the authorities said. Germany has made fighting alleged Islamist terror cells a key security priority, says the BBC's Ray Furlong in Berlin. He said the country was shocked to find that some of the suicide hijackers in the 11 September attacks were based in the northern city of Hamburg.
The suspects are alleged to have raised funds to "pursue their ideological goals", according to prosecutors in Munich - who co-ordinated the raids. The network "equipped people with false documents, making possible illegal residency in the country and abroad, and supported other like-minded group", the prosecutors said in a statement. "They are also accused of spreading their beliefs of racial hatred and recruiting people for jihad [holy war]." The Islamic network is believed to be based in the southern city of Ulm. The co-ordinated early morning raids took place in the states of Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg, North Rhine Westphalia, North Rhine Westphalia, Hessen and Berlin. Some 50 buildings were searched, including private apartments and call-centres. The authorities, which plan to release further details later, said their immediate target was a group of 20 suspects. The latest arrests followed an operation in December which allegedly thwarted an assassination attempt on visiting Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, our correspondent says.
UPDATE: Prosecutor Martin Hofmann told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa the suspects were mainly Algerians and Tunisians. Some had links to both al-Tawhid and Ansar al-Islam, he said, but added: "These connections, however, do not go so far as to permit investigations on suspicions of forming a terrorist group." Instead the charges were likely to be of criminal conspiracy. Blank passports and copies of official visa stamps were seized. "We suspect this group with having carried out a great number of crimes," Hofmann said, including counterfeiting passports to earn money. "This money, we suspect, then went to help finance the group's other goals." Five of those detained were women. The 22 suspects ranged in age from 17 to 46, and five were described as illegal immigrants to Germany. One suspect was believed to have done a course of training in an al-Qaeda camp in Pakistan.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/12/2005 9:23:13 AM ||
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#1
seems to me that Germany is not very terrorist friendly. I'd be moving my cell to France or Spain, if it were me.
#4
But the Germans opposed the Great Satan's war on Muslims! Why are the mujahadin setting up camp there? Don't they know that good Germany is against setting up democracy in Iraq?
Posted by: Prince Abdullah ||
01/12/2005 18:01 Comments ||
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Via Lucianne: I don't think the FT understands the definition of "neo-con". So, Georgy's exited his moneystery, eh???? A group of billionaire leftists philanthropists are to donate tens of millions more dollars to develop progressive political ideas in the US in an effort to counter the conservative ascendancy. George Soros, who made his fortune in the hedge fund industry; Herb and Marion Sandler, the California couple who own a multi-billion-dollar savings and loan business; and Peter Lewis, the chairman of an Ohio insurance company, donated more than $63m (£34m) in the 2004 election cycle to organisations seeking to defeat George W. Bush. -- was this the secret meeting group in August in Aspen(?)?
At a meeting in San Francisco last month, the left-leaning billionaires agreed to commit an even larger sum over a longer period to building institutions to foster progressive ideas and people. Far from being disillusioned by the defeat of John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, the billionaires have resolved to invest further in the intellectual future of the left, one person involved said. Their commitment to provide new money comes amid criticism of the efforts of high-profile donors such as the Hungarian-born Mr Soros to sway US politics as well as doubts about the effectiveness of record funding in helping the Democratic cause in 2004. The details of the San Francisco meeting are closely held. Mr Soros and his son Jonathan, the Sandlers and Mr Lewis asked aides to leave the room as they discussed the planned financial commitment. But the still-evolving plan, according to one person involved, is "joint investment to build intellectual infrastructure". The intention is to provide the left with organisations in Washington that can match the heft of the rightwing think-tanks such as Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute. At a state level, the aim is to build what one person called a "deeper progressive bench".
The sums involved are the subject of speculation: one person said he had heard a commitment to spend more than $100m over 15 years, another said at least $25m over five years. Several people said their understanding was that the billionaires had decided to spend more, rather than less, than they did in 2004. Mr Soros donated $27m, the Sandlers $13m and Mr Lewis $23m to so-called 527 groups privately-funded political organisations during the 2004 campaign, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, the campaign finance tracking service. Stephen Bing, a film producer and heir to a real estate fortune who donated $13m, is also expected to be involved in the investment in progressive infrastructure. Andrew Stern, who is president of the Service Employees International Union, has been working to include organised labour in the initiative. Leftwing policy experts have already got wind of the new funds. One former aide to Mr Kerry said there had been talks with the Center for American Progress about making permanent the network of foreign policy experts established by Democrats in the 2004 campaign. He said he had been told: "Money is not a problem."
Posted by: anonymous2u ||
01/12/2005 12:22:14 AM ||
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#1
The sort of people this will attract are the same sort the UN attracts... The money will vaporize with little to show for it (just like the UN).
#5
"Money is not a problem"...well, that's nice. Unfortunately, their continued adherence to the failed tenets of Marxism/socialism is a significant one. They are doomed to failure. All the think tanks will be able to do is try and dress up the pig. I hope the money is spread around so good capitalists can use it.
#6
Throw money
Throw more money
Throw even more money
At a Problem you cannot buy or bribe
We of the Problem will be glad to take you all to the cleaners!
Jack.
Posted by: Jack Deth ||
01/12/2005 2:51 Comments ||
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#7
Herb and Marion Sandler, Golden West Savings and Loan; and Peter Lewis, the chairman of an Ohio insurance company,the aptly named Progressive
Now there's two companies you might want to avoid. Anyone willing to pee away such large sums of money for lost causes isn't going to get a chance to handle mine.
#9
Look, if they actually develop viable ideas, we will all benefit from the ensuing discussions. In the meantime, a number of Liberal/Progressive (whatever that means) thinkers will be taken out of circulation, while they concentrate on thinking up new stuff and enjoying their comfortable surroundings. If, in the end, as I think is more likely, nothing more comes of it than the enjoyment, this select group of philanthropists will have less money to annoy us with later. Also a very good thing, no?
#10
What is it about having a Brinks truck or 2 filled with cash that makes these people want to impose socialism on everyone?
They ought to start by giving away all of their personal wealth to benefit the greater good, creating an example for the rest of us.
Singing Kumbaya to your enemies and socialism fail consistantly, but if they want to try to make that a feasible political stance in the US, well what can you say?, fools and their money are soon parted.
#11
It would be interesting to know how much this group donated to tsunami relief. I believe Soros is in for zilch.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 7:55 Comments ||
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#12
I have heard suspicions that Soros had his origins, and got his seed money, from a Soviet-bloc intelligence service. A true believer in the eventual victory of communism, he is still running on auto-pilot, with his foundation trying to interfere in the democratic process in a half dozen countries, with very little success.
"...even larger sum over a longer period to building institutions to foster progressive ideas
...âjoint investment to build intellectual infrastructureâ...
Are Harvard, Berkley, etc. having another building fund drive?
Good grief, they already own the entire acadhimmic world what's one more think tank supposed to do? But, hey, if you want to pour money down the sewer.....
#14
Article: George Soros, who made his fortune in the hedge fund industry; Herb and Marion Sandler, the California couple who own a multi-billion-dollar savings and loan business; and Peter Lewis, the chairman of an Ohio insurance company, donated more than $63m (£34m) in the 2004 election cycle to organisations seeking to defeat George W. Bush. ... Stephen Bing, a film producer and heir to a real estate fortune who donated $13m, is also expected to be involved in the investment in progressive infrastructure. Andrew Stern, who is president of the Service Employees International Union, has been working to include organised labour in the initiative.
The Muslim media think that conservatives are funded by big-time Jewish moneymen. But every single one of these left-wing nutjobs is Jewish. Where are all the big-money Jewish funders of conservatism? What the Muslim media haven't figured out is that the 9/11 attacks have fuelled a grassroots antagonism towards Muslims among conservatives that won't go away, no matter what a bunch of left-wing Jewish billionaires and anti-American Arab billionaire sheiks have to say about it.
#17
"Money is not a problem". They at least got that right, although I don't think they understand the actual meaning of the statment. Its not money, its about ideas. Basic human freedom.
The problem for the left, and especially self-important windbags like Soros, is this is not a fight about message or money - its the IDEAS behind the message that matter. The left still doesnt get it: their IDEAS are wrong - they are broken, they do not work, and most of America rejects them no matter how you package them. You can put 3 stripes on a turd and call it "Gucci" but only the gullible types who already support Soros and his collectivist socialist pals are going to buy it.
And all the money Soros wants to throw at this will be like pissing in the wind - his brand of collectivism is antithetical to "Red State" Americans. Always has been, always will be. And will be rejected the same way.
OK - onto the boycott list they go. I do not want ANY of my discretionary money going into the pockets of those who would use it curtial my liberty and detroy this nation with collectivism.
Somone got a web page set up to inform the many conservatives and libertarians who may be inadvertently contributing to people who would like to see conservatism (and libertarianism) destroyed and outlawed?
#20
At a state level, the aim is to build what one person called a âdeeper progressive benchâ.
If I can speak "liberalese" correctly, this means there going after State-level (not Feds) judges too? Man, they've got another thing coming if they're going to mix in State politics also!
Posted by: BA ||
01/12/2005 11:23 Comments ||
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#21
BA, "a deeper bench" means getting more Democrat progressives into local and state politics, thus creating a deeper pool of candidates. California is a prime example of this.
#24
Pennies from heaven will beat billions from hell any day.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/12/2005 16:56 Comments ||
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#25
Yo' George! I've got a wedding to pay for this year. How 'bout a little love? C'mon... just a little bit. I'm sure I can Progress. (Just what is it that so-called Progressives are trying to make progress toward, anyway? And why do you suppose they can't openly state it?)
#26
"Money is not a problem". They at least got that right, although I don't think they understand the actual meaning of the statment. Its not money, its about ideas. Basic human freedom.
The problem for the left, and especially self-important windbags like Soros, is this is not a fight about message or money - its the IDEAS behind the message that matter. The left still doesnt get it: their IDEAS are wrong - they are broken, they do not work, and most of America rejects them no matter how you package them. You can put 3 stripes on a turd and call it "Gucci" but only the gullible types who already support Soros and his collectivist socialist pals are going to buy it.
And all the money Soros wants to throw at this will be like pissing in the wind - his brand of collectivism is antithetical to "Red State" Americans. Always has been, always will be. And will be rejected the same way.
OK - onto the boycott list they go. I do not want ANY of my discretionary money going into the pockets of those who would use it curtial my liberty and detroy this nation with collectivism.
Somone got a web page set up to inform the many conservatives and libertarians who may be inadvertently contributing to people who would like to see conservatism (and libertarianism) destroyed and outlawed?
#29
"Money is not a problem". They at least got that right, although I don't think they understand the actual meaning of the statment. Its not money, its about ideas. Basic human freedom.
The problem for the left, and especially self-important windbags like Soros, is this is not a fight about message or money - its the IDEAS behind the message that matter. The left still doesnt get it: their IDEAS are wrong - they are broken, they do not work, and most of America rejects them no matter how you package them. You can put 3 stripes on a turd and call it "Gucci" but only the gullible types who already support Soros and his collectivist socialist pals are going to buy it.
And all the money Soros wants to throw at this will be like pissing in the wind - his brand of collectivism is antithetical to "Red State" Americans. Always has been, always will be. And will be rejected the same way.
OK - onto the boycott list they go. I do not want ANY of my discretionary money going into the pockets of those who would use it curtial my liberty and detroy this nation with collectivism.
Somone got a web page set up to inform the many conservatives and libertarians who may be inadvertently contributing to people who would like to see conservatism (and libertarianism) destroyed and outlawed?
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the government's no-fly list of terror suspects barred from boarding airliners.
U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Zilly threw out the bulk of the case for lack of jurisdiction, saying that most claims brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of people with names identical or similar to those on the list must be taken directly to a federal appeals court.
He dismissed the rest of the case on the merits, saying the no-fly list had resulted in no "tangible harm" to the plaintiffs' lives.
The ACLU has yet to decide whether to appeal, spokesman Doug Honig said Wednesday.
He noted that the federal intelligence overhaul bill, which President Bush recently signed into law, includes a provision mandating that the Transportation Security Administration improve its process for protecting people such as those involved in this case.
Federal prosecutors had argued that airport searches and no-fly lists are the price Americans pay for safety after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The ACLU named as plaintiffs seven people who have been repeatedly stopped at airports and questioned for as long as an hour before being allowed to board.
Heavily edited for length and handwringing.
The U.S. prison camp for terror suspects is taking on a look of permanence as the mission marks its third year Tuesday, with plans for a new $25 million prison facility, $1.7 million psychiatric wing and a permanent guard force. Since the first 20 shackled and blindfolded prisoners arrived at Guantanamo on Jan. 11, 2002, open-air pens likened to animal cages by rights activists have been replaced by prefabricated cells where prisoners can communicate through steel-mesh doors.
Right now, about 50 detainees are held in a maximum security prison that has room for 100 prisoners of high intelligence value. There are plans for a similar facility with a capacity for 200 at a cost of $25 million, Hood said. If Congress approves, the camera-equipped facility could reduce the number of guards needed, Hood said. Also planned are a $1.7 million psychiatric wing — there have been 34 reported suicide attempts since the prison opened — and a $4 million security fence that could reduce the need for some 300 infantry troops.
A full-time, 324-member Military Police Internment and Resettlement Battalion will also replace the temporary, mostly reserve force at Guantanamo. Some soldiers will have experience in prisons such as the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., or guarding prisoners of war, said Army Lt. Col. Kevin Burk, who will lead the 525 Brigade. Some soldiers already are being trained.
#1
There are two fed pens in Leavenworth. One on Metropolitan Avenue run by the Bureau of Prisons and the other on Fort Leavenworth, the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks. The USDB is manned by uniformed military personnel, military police, carrying the military occupational specialty for correction officers. Their overage force structure had been reduced with the closure/downsizing of facilities in Europe and Asia. This will be an increase in their numbers. I suspect these are the personnel who are going to take over the mission in Gitmo. Its just a matter of increasing the training population in the normal personnel pipeline.
Posted by: Don ||
01/12/2005 10:06 Comments ||
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Did Saddam Hussein loot a fund to compensate victims of the 1990 invasion? From the Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal.com. Free, but registration req'd, so here's the whole thing.Who needs Paul Volker's report, when Claudia has got the whole thing taped? More facinating stuff, clearly analyzed and cleanly laid out for the reader. Let's be honest. Along with United Nations secrecy, Saddam Hussein's perfidy, and the general coyness of the bribed, one of the big obstacles to getting to the bottom of the Oil for Food scandal is the sheer horror of actually having to read the reams of U.N. documents tied to the program--on the occasions when documents do turn up. It's a step forward that on Sunday Paul Volcker's U.N.-approved inquiry finally released the program's 55 secret internal audits, which Congress and others had been requesting for months. But among those who have been asking, in some cases for years, to see such documents and are now slogging across the acres of bureaucratese therein, I dare say there's a certain feeling of "be careful what you wish for." Beyond the highlights already reported, including waste, abuse and maladministration costing hundreds of millions, maybe billions, in money that belonged to the people of Iraq, it may take a while before the ramifications have been fully explored.
Let us pluck from the stack, however, one item that deserves especially urgent attention, because it involves an $18.8 billion flow consisting largely of Oil for Food funding, which until now, in all its opaque complexity, has too much escaped notice. Among the audits just released by Mr. Volcker are 19 that shed some light on yet another troubling trail in the labyrinth that was the Oil for Food program. That trail belongs to the U.N. Compensation Commission. Based in Geneva and set up in 1991 to channel some of Iraq's money into compensation for the victims of Saddam's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, the UNCC was folded into Oil for Food when that relief program swung into operation in late 1996. Under Oil for Food, Saddam was allowed, under U.N. supervision, to sell oil in order to buy humanitarian aid for Iraqis. A percentage of those oil earnings was hived off for the UNCC. It was Oil for Food, with oil sales totaling some $65 billion, that produced the bulk of the money disbursed to date by the UNCC, which got 30% of Saddam's U.N.-approved oil revenues through 2000; and 25% thereafter, until the fall of Saddam in March, 2003 put an end to the bonanza.
That's how it happened that the UNCC to date has dispensed $18.8 billion. To give some sense of scale, that's more than three times the donations pledged so far to help tsunami victims. In dealing with the tsunami money, the U.N. has been promising careful and open handling, though it is not obvious that there has yet been any alteration to the U.N. system deep enough to ensure even that will happen. But in the UNCC's case, there was no such pledge of transparent handling. The commission followed the usual Oil for Food practice of keeping confidential many of the details of its decisions, as well as the names of many of those receiving the money.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/12/2005 8:09:28 AM ||
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#1
TS you captured another gem. Claudia has the tenacity of a pit bull on a fresh bone. Senator Norm Coleman is right, Kofi must go.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/12/2005 10:32 Comments ||
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#2
probably one of the biggest scandals of all time, and Kofi remains.
#5
Claudia writes, "Itâs a step forward that on Sunday Paul Volckerâs U.N.-approved inquiry finally released the programâs 55 secret internal audits, which Congress and others had been requesting for months. But among those who have been asking, in some cases for years, to see such documents and are now slogging across the acres of bureaucratese therein, I dare say thereâs a certain feeling of "be careful what you wish for." Beyond the highlights already reported, including waste, abuse and maladministration costing hundreds of millions, maybe billions, in money that belonged to the people of Iraq, it may take a while before the ramifications have been fully explored."
Can the blogosphere help? Perhaps the docs can be scanned, put on the web and distributed to several virtual teams who will then comb through them? Am thinking of the teams of grad students who checked and debunked Michael Bellesile's bogus "sources" cited in his grand hoax, Arming America
#7
Lex, I believe at least three of the audits have been posted on the web...I think by AP.
Captain, while its true that I am indeed a trailing spouse, extensive testing has been done which demonstrates that I am a true XX female. Which is why I feel confident claiming the title of trailing wife. Thanks for understanding!
#8
TW, Given the proximity of the S and W on the keyboard, I suspect that was a typing error rather than anything else. Somehow I, jealously, suspect no one doubts your XX status.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 20:03 Comments ||
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... though the separatists, militants are certainly concerned about Australians...
Australia said on Tuesday it was satisfied Indonesia was providing adequate protection for its troops and aid workers in tsunami-ravaged Aceh, downplaying concerns about the separatist war and Islamic hardliners in the region. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the Indonesian military and the government had assured him that everything would be done to protect Australians providing aid in the province, which bore the brunt of the Dec. 26 tsunamis. Australia's Labor opposition has raised concerns about the level of protection of Australian doctors and aid workers helping tsunami victims in Aceh.
"I know from the government's point of view we have invested a good deal of time and energy into assessing the security situation, and my view is that, first of all, that the security situation seems okay," Downer told ABC radio. "We think it's unlikely the Free Aceh Movement will start attacking aid workers and, secondly, we think it's also pretty unlikely that Islamic extremists, some of whom may have moved into the area with a view to providing assistance ... will turn on other people providing assistance."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Downer sees right through the veiled threat. You know things are working well when the road blocks are pronounced.
Aussies = real allies
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/12/2005 10:57 Comments ||
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THE spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiah says he is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of Aceh's tsunami survivors because of the humanitarian assistance from Australian and US military forces. A spokesman for Abu Bakar Bashir said the Indonesian cleric, who is on trial for terrorism, regarded the relief operations by Australian and US military personnel as a dangerous development, overshadowing the role of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI). "We are suspicious of the presence of foreign soldiers and their show of force and the minimum publicity given to assistance from Arab states," said Fauzan Al Anshari, a spokesman for Bashir's militant Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia group. "It's dangerous, this idea by Acehnese that US and Australian forces are their guardian angels - more popular than the TNI." Mr Anshari quoted Bashir as warning against any long-term hidden agenda in the deployment of Australian and US troops, saying he feared their presence in Aceh was like that of colonial invaders. "If they establish a permanent base there, it will lead to trouble," he said.
Downplaying the mercy role of troops working to rebuild where more than a 100,000 people were lost when the tsunami struck on Boxing Day, Mr Anshari warned that they would promote prostitution and the consumption of alcohol in the devoutly Muslim region. John Howard announced last week a $1 billion, five-year program for relief and reconstruction in Aceh. More than 500 Australian troops are in Aceh, with another 400 due to arrive in Sumatra on HMAS Kanimbla tomorrow. They are part of a massive multinational force providing relief to the region engaged in a bloody separatist revolt, but both sides have attempted to maintain a ceasefire since the tsunami struck.
Bashir's appearance in a South Jakarta court yesterday on charges of heading a terrorist organisation was greeted by shouts of "Allah Akbar (Holy Shit! God is Great)" from scores of youthful supporters. Dressed more like members of an outlaw bikie gang, his supporters wore vests emblazoned with slogans such as "Taliban, Laskar, Mujaheddin and Brigade Al Ishlah", a reference to their allegiance with several home-grown militant Islamic groups. Mr Anshari also confirmed 19 Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) supporters had been ordered by Indonesian marines to leave their aid post at Banda Aceh's airport. The expulsion was ordered by Indonesian officials because their presence close to Australian and US troops was considered too provocative, "although we did nothing to provoke them", Mr Anshari said. He said TNI had apologised, and pointed out that MMI had another 200 volunteers in Aceh. MMI supporters were helping to provide aid and religious counselling to victims. In a related development, Indonesian Public Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab has ordered all foreign aid workers based in Aceh to register with the Government in order to carry on with their humanitarian relief work.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
01/12/2005 5:23:59 AM ||
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#1
"We are suspicious of the presence of foreign soldiers and their show of force and the minimum publicity given to assistance from Arab states," said Fauzan Al Anshari..."
What assistance from Arab States? Some donkeys? Perhaps some used berkas for the ladies? Arabs don't have much to give because they can't stop killing each other for a long enough period to create something worthwhile.
Quoting the witnesses, Ledesma said that on breaking into the center, the raiders immediately handcuffed 17 persons and pushed them to the floor. Police later brought in black helicopters and airdropped "big black bags" from which they took out guns and explosives, Ledesma claimed. "Then they called in the media to announce that they got the terrorists with evidence to show," Ledesma told reporters during his group's protest rally in front of Camp Crame, the PNP's general headquarters in Quezon City. The other witness was also at the center and saw the same thing, according to Ledesma.
Just before his lips fell off.
Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Mendoza curtly dismissed Ledesma's claim. "The evidence was not planted," the officer in charge of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group told the Inquirer in a text message. Mendoza, in a press statement later, defended the raid, saying it was triggered by "verified information gathered by the CIDG that the Islamic Information Center was being used as a front by radical Islam groups and individuals.
However...
In a statement issued in Marawi, the relatives of the Maranao Muslims who were arrested said the "finest thing the media could do is to verify or countercheck reports that tend to suggest that Islam or the Muslims themselves are anti-Christ, because this could fan animosity and it is not good for the communities and people who have spent the best of their times (doing) legitimate businesses."
"And you certainly don't want to fan our animosity, not if you know what's good for you..."
"How could anyone of them think of mass killing and on a big Christian fete when they know how Muslims revere Christ, whose miraculous birth is narrated in a whole chapter of the Koran?" said (detainee Afgani) Alonto's brother, Dr. Ahmad Domocao E. Alonto.
#2
Dont let the Taqiya fool you. Muslims are trained to lie to cover ther etrue goals. They will say anything to escape. They also say that Christ is not the true messiah...since mohammed was the last prophet.
The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has asked the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan to "help dismantle the terrorist LTTE."
Yeah. Kofi's gonna jump right in and help dismantle a terrorist organization. That has guns. Right.
All they want him to do is talk about it, right?
Have you looked at a tiger recently, pal? Tigers don't do horizontal stripes. Sheesh.
In a letter to Annan last Saturday, the JVP's Supremo, Somawansa Amarasinghe, said that the international community had an obligation to stand up for what it had been advocating, namely democracy, free elections, free speech, the rule of law, accountability, transparency and the rights of children. The LTTE had no such attributes, the Amarasinghe said. The LTTE was preventing relief from reaching the Tamil victims of the tsunami, sometimes by firing in the air to scare away the Good Samaritans, he said. "Help dismantle the terrorist LTTE," he urged.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
But the stripes will be vertical when his belly is on the ground... wait, where am I going with that?
#2
Poor disallusioned Somawansa, with respect to the rights of children (UN in Congo), free elections (no UN in Iraqi free elections), etc., he may soon realize that Kofi and crew are the problem, not the solution.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/12/2005 1:45 Comments ||
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#3
He looks like someone just poked him with a very sharp stick in a sensitive area. And those stripes are not his colour at all.
An Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would pose greater risks than benefits, a new report concluded.
The Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies said an Israeli attack on Iran would fail to either destroy all of its nuclear facilities or halt the program. The report said Teheran could retaliate by launching massive rocket and missile strikes on the Jewish state — from either Iran or Lebanon.
In 1981, Israeli F-16 multi-role fighters destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor in a single bombing mission, said to have set back Baghdad's weapons program about a decade.
"An overall assessment suggests that risks involved in an Israeli attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities outweigh the opportunities," the report, authored by Ephraim Kam, said. "An attack would have to take into consideration operational and other problems that are liable to impede success, while at the same time may spark an Iranian and international response, if only a limited one."
Kam, a reserve intelligence officer and regarded as a leading analyst on Teheran's strategic weapons programs, said a military operation to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities could exceed Israel's capabilities. He said such a mission could be conducted only by a superpower such as the United States.
[On Tuesday, Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash said Iran would need another six months to acquire full capability to enrich uranium, a major component in the assembly of nuclear weapons. Addressing a seminar at Haifa University, the military intelligence chief said Iran could produce nuclear warheads as early as 2007.]
Entitled "Curbing the Iranian Nuclear Threat: The Military Option," the report asserted that Israel has failed to locate all of Iran's nuclear facilities. In contrast to Iraq, Iran has built numerous underground facilities and could quickly reconstitute its nuclear program, the report said.
Israel must fulfill a range of requirements before considering a strike on Iran, the report said. The requirements include an "accurate intelligence estimate of the state of the Iranian nuclear program" and a determination that any attack would set back Iran's nuclear program for many years.
"Consequently, the conclusion is that Israel must permit the international community to make every possible effort to halt Iran's nuclear program by diplomatic means and to consign military steps to a last resort," the report added.
"If it transpires that following the attack the completion of the program is delayed by one or two years only, it is possible that the result does not justify the risks," the report said. "It will also be necessary to take into account that the circumstances will not permit a repeated attack on major facilities that were not damaged in the first attack or that were discovered later."
The report said any Israeli attack would also require coordination with the United States. Israeli warplanes on their way to Iran would probably enter U.S. military operation zones in the Gulf or Iraq.
"Coordination with the U.S. is itself problematic: there is no certainty that the American administration would agree to such coordination, which brings with it its own set of risks, and it is not certain it would favor a military operation against Iran," the report said. "Nevertheless, the possibility cannot be excluded that the administration would be interested in Israel doing the dirty work, in order to present it as an independent Israeli operation and thereby reduce the risks of association with this operation."
The report — in contrast to the assessment by Israeli military intelligence — said Iran appears to no longer depend on foreign suppliers for the acquisition of nuclear technology. Iran was also believed to employ engineers and scientists who could produce enriched uranium and plutonium.
"This means that even if several major Iranian nuclear facilities were attacked, such as the centrifuges facility for uranium enrichment in Natanz, Iran would be capable of constructing replacement facilities in a short time," the report said. "Furthermore, the possibility cannot be ignored that Iran has already secretly constructed additional nuclear facilities that have not yet been identified to back up those discovered."
The retaliatory options for Iran include the launching of its intermediate-range Shihab-3 missile and massive rocket attacks by Hizbullah from Lebanon. The report said Iran could also order mass-casualty strikes against targets outside Israel.
"Given the difficulties and risks involved in implementation of the military option, Israel must adopt the position that the major burden of dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat — by both diplomatic and military means — must be borne by the U.S. administration, and not by Israel," the report said. "In the final analysis, the handling of a problem of this magnitude must be the responsibility of a superpower and not a local country."
#1
This is not good. If Israel, with its intelligence prowess, can't determine the scope of Iran's activities enough to figure out which facilities need to be hit and where, then the U.S. surely can't be counted on to perform a strike that will do the job, as there is no way in hell our intelligence capability in that area is any better than Israel's.
#2
no need to take out ALL facilities - break the chain and as .com says, decapitate the willing leadership
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 22:03 Comments ||
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#3
It appears that Iran learned from the Israeli bombing of the Iraqi nuclear plant in 1981. They decentralized their nuclear capability with the idea that a repeat of 1981 might be prevented. I can't believe their facilities are so hardened as to not be vulnerable. Besides, as Frank G. says if you break enough links it takes awhile to get the chain back together again. The options with Iran (and Korea) have become somewhat limited.
#4
One link in the chain that needs to be broken is Kharg Island. Crippling Iran's influx of hard foreign currency is the best way of impeding their progress towards nuclear capability. China can suck hind tit if they continue to be so careless about contributing to the destabilization of the entire Middle East.
From the start, I've maintained that a full decap of the mullahs and revolutionary guard is necessary. This is the only lasting solution to averting a nuclear crisis in the region.
Disturbing reports were coming out of the Russian capital Wednesday, January 12, about Russian president Vladimir Putin's plan to accede to Syria's request for advanced weaponry during president Bashar Assad's visit to Moscow on January 24. DEBKAfile's US and Israeli security sources quickly contradicted reports that 18 Iskander-M or SS-X-26 surface-to-surface missiles were on the table. The items for sale, they revealed, are advanced SA-10 air defense systems of the type that protects Moscow and shoulder-held SA-18 anti-air missiles, whose transfer to the Hizballah and/or Iraqi guerrillas would move at least two sets of goal posts in the Middle East balance of strength.
The SA-10 is an effective defense against Israeli warplanes and missiles, including cruise missiles. Its presence in Syria would therefore knock a serious hole in Israel's deterrent ability against Assad and the Hizballah.
The Kremlin's willingness to sell these items to Israel's northern neighbor and backer of Iraqi insurgents is a rocket from the Putin to the White House in Washington, a declaration that he has had enough of sitting on the sidelines and watching US move the January 30 election pieces around the Iraq board and tilt the Palestinian ballot in favor of Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) as Yasser Arafat's successor. The Russian president's exasperation boiled over when he saw Washington's hand in the Ukraine presidential election stirring up the anti-Moscow Orange Revolution that brought opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko to office, and, again, in the sale of the Russian oil concern Yukos. The Russian leader felt he had been made the target of a well- orchestrated campaign for undermining him personally and politically.
Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon is also put on notice that Washington's backing alone does not lend him the status of unilateral player for disengagement in the Palestinian arena. The Russian leader has another large bone to pick with Sharon. He has complained often on the basis of intelligence received that Israel provides a backstairs rendezvous venue for Jewish Russian oligarchs conspiring against him, among them Berizovsky who lives in London, and Khodorovsky, founder of the oil giant YUKOS who sits in a Moscow jail.
Each of those moneyed plotters, he charges, maintains a representative in Israel to look after the transfer of his wealth to Israeli banks. More than once, the Russian president asked Sharon to put a stop to this activity. When the Israeli prime minister informed him that the Law of Return forbids prosecution or extradition unless laws are broken, Putin was disbelieving. He later sneered to his aides that he had not known that the Law of Return applied to members of the Russian Christian Orthodox Church, a veiled reference to the Russian oligarchs' hired personnel who relocated with them to Israel. The Kremlin's decision to supply advanced SA-10 and SA-18 missiles to Syria constitutes a direct threat to Israel. But it is also a shot across Washington's bows.
DEBKAfile's Russian and Israeli military experts described the SA-10 ("Grumble") as an advanced surface-to-air missiles system capable of seriously limiting Israel's aerial activity over Syria and Lebanon. It can engage more than one target and counter low and high-flying aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. "Grumble" can outperform the US Patriot anti-missile missile system supplied to Israel and counter the aircraft and most of the missiles in the Israel Air Force's arsenal, to the detriment of its deterrent capabilities The SA-18 "Grouse" is a highly effective shoulder-held missile. If it reaches Iraqi guerrillas it will constitute a direct threat to US troops. In Hizballah hands, it would add to US troubles in Lebanon.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, Putin and his top strategists can sit back and see how Washington and Jerusalem react.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/12/2005 1:27:34 PM ||
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#1
well, I guess I have crow to eat. I always thought Russia would be willing to work with the US to fight their own terrorist threat. Apparently, not.
#4
I don't trust Putin despite Bush saying he looked into his eyes and saw his soul. Bush didn't say exactly what the nature of Putin's soul was that he saw. Putin sounds and acts too much like old USSR. He is former KGB (or equivalent). He is consolidating power in Russia and trying to do so in some of the former satellites by proxy or puppet.
#5
Nice gear, if it really works. Also nice if the vaunted Syrian military can figure out the "on" button. If not, then Russia may have to supply "contractors" as well.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
01/12/2005 14:33 Comments ||
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#6
Sadly,not much has really changed since 9-11. Many,indeed most, of the "world players" think its still the 1970's and 1980's when Syria was a proxy for the old Soviet Union. Certainly Putin does.
Syria wants to buy advanced arms from Russia? Get 'em while their hot boys. You're gonna need 'em.
Posted by: Mark Z. ||
01/12/2005 14:39 Comments ||
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#7
Still hope he crushes the Chechens - Vlade the Impaler is still the lesser of two evils.
#10
I am strongly in favor of the US delivering advanced weapons to Syria -- especially JDAMs, Daisy Cutters, Tomahawks, MOABs, Hellfires, etc. All in favor say "Aye!"
Posted by: Tibor ||
01/12/2005 15:42 Comments ||
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#11
I don't trust Putin despite Bush saying he looked into his eyes and saw his soul.
Ever since I first saw Putin I always thought the guy looked a little shifty. It's always been said that a book is best not judged by its cover, but as far as I'm concerned, Putin doesn't inspire a lot of faith. Or trust, for that matter.
#12
Syria supports secular Pal groups, Hezbollah, and less directly Hamas and Islamic Jihad. NONE of which target Russia, or support the Chechen rebels, so this hardly shows they wont work with us to fight their own terrorist threat, just as France will work with us against AQ. Which it does, BTW. However like France, Russia is trying to establish its own role as a great power against us. Especially when they see us as not respecting their sphere of influence (there are very good reasons we havent in Georgia and Ukraine, but thats another thing) It natural that they will take it out on Israel. Israel has no possibility, and (for the most part) no inclination, to reconcile with Russia against US interests, despite some opinion in Israel (reflected here) on a natural confluence of interests. Esp with Peres in the govt, and the Pal election, Sharon is more firmly aligned with Bush admin policy than ever.
#13
Gee, with nuke technology to Iran and anti-GPS systems to Iraq, the funny thing is that y'all are again and again surprised at the fact that Putin is on the *side* of the Islamofascists, especially the Syria-Iran axis.
I keep on wondering whether if not for Bush's faith on what he saw in "Vladimir's" eyes (let's keep in mind Dubya keeps on referring to him with his first name), the whole conservative blogosphere would have stopped treating Putin with kidgloves a long time ago.
I always thought Russia would be willing to work with the US to fight their own terrorist threat
Russia's "own terrorist threat" has, if anything, been a blessing to Putin, as it let him consolidate his tyranny faster than he would otherwise have done. So I don't think he's really concerned about it. Why would he care about children dying in Beslan?
"Bush didn't say exactly what the nature of Putin's soul was that he saw."
Bush said: âI found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul.â
Anyway, if Bush *had* specified further that he'd seen happy bunnies flolicking in green meadows, that would have been okay and you'd trust Putin regardless of the things he's done?
#14
Bush said: âI found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue."
That'll teach him for using the French method.
Aris-Your comment of today, in which you imply that everyone on this site is a devotee of Putin, and of the other day, in which you said that only TGA and LH have views which diverge from one monolithic Rantburg view, is incorrect.
#17
ooh, did i get mentioned? And I wasnt even here. Thanks AK, though from time to time there is some diversity. It can be subtle, though. On Putin that is. On other things theres more diversity. In particular theres the division between an LGFish "hateIslam" viewpoint, and one closer to more mainstream neocon strategy. There are others who while supporting OIF, lean more traditional realpolitik than neocon. Etc, etc. If it was THAT monolithic I wouldnt stay here. I do think that we may have scared off some moderate voices, though (not that I have anyone in mind) and I wouldnt mind a tad fewer voices on the far right end, but this aint no LGF. Not that LGF isnt diverse in its own way, though the whole spectrum is rather farther over. There its not the HATE muslim crew thats the far right, Im afraid.
#18
Syria's bought Russian and Soviet gear before haven't they? How effective was it? With the one exception of the SA-6 batteries I can't think of a single example.... Wait! the early wire guided ATGM slowed down the IDF for a couple of days.
#20
Informational question re UK, Germany, France & Russia-do these same powers all officially recognize political parties with suicide squad "wings" as legitimate political parties?
#21
It's true, Putin, like Chirac, had no qualms about working with the likes of Sadaam, with black market deals that allowed the spigots of money and oil to flow into Russia, and you are right that terrorist activity in his back yard had the side effect of allowing him to consolidate his power.
But just as Stalin saw beneifts to cooperating with Hitler, it should be even more clear that Iran and other Islamist states, once empowered, will likewise turn on Russia.
You make a good point LH - about the Pals -but looking at the macro picture, it would be just wrong to think that once these arms make their way into the terrorist network, that they wouldn't make their way back to the Chechen rebels or to Iran.
Putin is acting small and short term. Ultimately - a nuclear armed Iran will be his biggest threat....but he, like Chirac, seems far more interested in the short term gains/profits that he obtains by dealing with despots. In the long term, it will bite Russia much harder than it will bite us. I completely underestimated that he cared more for the short-term blackmarket riches than he did for the long term health of his country.
#22
As the risk of lacking political correctness, Putty-Put is a rather vertically challenged male. Put him in a Napoleon suit and he is the spitting image.
The poor dear is also suffering from an inferiority complex. It doesn't surprise me that he consistently pisses on the leg of Uncle Sam.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/12/2005 17:07 Comments ||
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#23
Oh, and Putty's wife would stop a speeding locomotive at 500 yards.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/12/2005 17:09 Comments ||
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#24
Otherwise known as butt-ugly.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/12/2005 17:10 Comments ||
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#25
When the Israeli prime minister informed [Putin] that the Law of Return forbids prosecution or extradition unless laws are broken, Putin was disbelieving. He later sneered to his aides that he had not known that the Law of Return applied to members of the Russian Christian Orthodox Church, a veiled reference to the Russian oligarchsâ hired personnel who relocated with them to Israel.
The Russian oligarchs have indeed committed many felonies, among them fraud, larceny, tax evasion, and probably homicide. Berezovsky is widely believed to have ordered the murder of at least two of his rivals during the early 1990s, and it's very likely that one or more of Khodorkovsky, Guzinsky and Fridman also ordered hits on rivals during the first phase of "primitive accumulation" of assets in the years immediately after Yeltsin's privatization law was passed in 1992.
It would be extremely unwise for Israel to give shelter or support to these thugs, regardless of their jewish "faith."
#26
The ability of "advanced" SAMs like the SA-10 to fully neutralize opposing airpower has been trumpeted for 50 years. Except for brief periods like the opening stage of the Yom Kippur war, it has never really panned out.
In the 1950s, the ability of the new missiles to take down hostile aircraft was so widely accepted that the British government issued a White Paper in 1957 effectively ending the development of combat aircraft. This was one of the worst technological blunders in history, and the British industry never really recovered. At the same time, the new air-to-air missiles were regarded even by acknowledged expert to be so effective that fighters could safely dispense with guns. This policy proved to be lethally mistaken and guns were hurriedly put back into fighters after the AAMs failed to perform as advertised in Vietnam and the Middle East.
The Royal Navy, like its US counterpart, also bought into the missile fever, and their case wasn't cured until British SAMs failed to protect the fleet during the Falklands war of 1982, despite the Argentine Air Force's complete lack of advanced counter-measures.
The SA-10 itself is a fairly old system, dating back to the 70s and is one of the few Soviet-era weapons that was an acknowledged copy of a western original, the US Navy's Standard shipboard SAM in this case (though there have been many changes since). It suffers from the same defect as all radar-guided SAMs, vulnerability to jamming and curve of the Earth limitations.
Left-wing anti-military activists, including many otherwise stone-ignorant rank and filers, have a seemingly paradoxical habit of championing the infallibility of missiles, billing them as a counter to western air and seapower. We saw this recently on Rantburg when a visiting lefty asserted that it was impossible for Israel to attack Iran's nuclear facilities because Iran now had "advanced" Russian SAMs like the SA-10. Another example is a pro-doper student who recently told me that South American governments could no longer use aircraft against the cartels because the cartels now have shoulder-fired missiles themselves.
This requires an absurdly simplistic assumption about how, and how well, these systems work; but all military affairs must be reduced to simple terms when your self-image depends on maintaining the Hawkeye/Trapper John assumption of intellectual superiority.
Suffice to say, stories about Arab nations getting the latest Russian missiles have been a staple scare-tactic since 1955 and they have yet to put the IDF out of business.
#29
If it is the SA-10 and if Putin follows standard Soviet/Russian export traditions, those particular missiles are not much of a threat to either Israel or the US. Standard export practice in the old days was for the Sovs to ship out "export version only" makes of their equipment : thanks to efforts in the early 1990s, we have functional units of those missiles in hand. -Thank you Ukraine and Poland :)-
If they are the updated versions, still not much of a threat to integrated AA countermessures like the US and Israel field.
The shoulder-fired are more worrisome since they are ideal for taking out jet airliners during takeoff or landings.
#30
For obvious reasons I don't get fooled by Russia. I didn't comment too much when lex touted the new alliance US-Russia-India and was quick to cut the traditional transatlantic ties. Russia will never be an "ally" of the United States: It is way too big and despite its deep fall in the 90s it still considers itself a superpower. Russia is still able to wipe out the U.S. (same consequences apply as during the cold war).
But the most important thing: Russia has a lot more patience than the U.S. As you may know I have been involved in strategic NATO planning for a long time. There were two "schools". One school of thinking defended the view that the ultimate goal of the Soviet Union was to reach the Atlantic Ocean. I belonged to the other school that believed that the ultimate goal of the USSR was (and still is) to control... the Persian Gulf (with a weak, appeasing Western Europe that wouldn't have to be invaded).
I did bring up the subject in a meeting with Condi Rice in 1990 (she was involved in the 2+4 reunification talks in Germany).
She's of the Persian Gulf School.
Guess why she will be the next Secretary of State.
There are people who believe that we're in WW IV. No, I'm afraid we're still in the Cold War. Just the players are shifting places. In the future Iraq may be seen as one of those "proxy wars", in the line with Afghanistan, Vietnam, and the simmering African and Latin American conflict. Just the energy problem has become more virulent. And the stakes are higher this time. The U.S. must make decisive progress in Iraq this year.
The United States can't fight on all fronts. It's time to start with the obvious. Despite all those irritating policies coming from Paris, we need to renew and modernize the Transatlantic Union. I hope the upcoming Munich Security Conference (likely to be attended by Rumsfeld and Rice) and President Bush's visit in Europe (and Germany) will be important steps in the right direction. Don't listen too much to press coverage, you probably won't learn about what really is going on behind the scenes for years to come.
Russia has far more problems than most people imagine, its energy problems are bigger than you believe. Russia/China/Iran could develop into the biggest headache the West will face in the next years. Islamist terror, as dangerous as it may be, could just be a sideshow.
#31
Thanks, TGA, that was interesting. Do you think the Bush administration actually has unrealistically optimistic expectations about Russia's potential as an ally? Or is the "Vlad is our friend" talk we've heard from time to time just lip service? My own guess would be that Bush & Co. aren't really fooling themselves about Putin, but that's just my guess.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/12/2005 19:05 Comments ||
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#32
Excellent TGA. I spent a lot of time asking myself recently about the seemingly irrational French, Russian, Chinese, Arab behavior of the past few years. Because deep down I knew it _wasn't_ irrational behavior. Another big energy crunch is coming. The US is especially vulnerable. The behavior of Russia, China, France, and the Islamists all make sense when you assume that they are all maneuvering to get the best possible position with regard to the US during and after the next energy shortage.
#33
Agree. Thanks TGA. However, the Transatlantic union, as you call it, is mortally wounded. The French have simply sided with the enemy too many times. They cannot be an ally. They cannot be trusted. They yearn for our defeat.
We cannot fight on all fronts. The real issue is where Britain and Germany will end up. If they choose to go dhimmi, Europe may be an albatross. I am not optomistic.
It is WWIV. The cold war ended with the fall of communism; but we are back to the Great Game. And Russia must be denied Persia, you are correct. That is why India is now so important to us. That is the place Bush should visit. That is the important ally to be.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 19:38 Comments ||
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#34
Dave D, hold your enemy closer as the saying goes. Schroeder seems to be a rather stubborn "friend" and defender of Putin, but again, nobody is fooled by Russia's nature. I don't think the Bush administration is any dumber.
And yes 11A5S, there is nothing irrational about France: They know very well what they are doing. France often tries to "impersonate" the policy of the whole EU, which should fool no one. Germany will slowly shift away from France's close embrace. It only slowly dawns on people that France is not really our "friend". It was France that killed the German economic independence by killing the Deutschmark with the Euro (a price Kohl had to pay for reunification), it's France that's jeopardizing the ties between the U.S. and Germany. They might be a lot of irritation over Iraq, fueled by a leftist government, but most "sane" Germans think "transatlantic" rather than "trans-Rhine".
The islamists are probably just pawns in that bigger power game. But never forget, the pawn can endanger the King.
It's playing out right now in Iran. Extremely smart politics will be needed in the Iran gambit. This is about much more than a few Iranian nukes.
#36
"Dave D, hold your enemy closer as the saying goes."
As I thought. Thank you.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/12/2005 20:07 Comments ||
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#37
"This is about much more than a few Iranian nukes."
Huh? Wait a minute - only one Iranian nuke can ruin Israel's whole day existence. The health of the Trans-Atlantic relationship might be important, but it's a fluffy sigh in the wind relative to the Mad Mullahs making good on Rafsanjani's oft-repeated statement that they will wipe out Israel the very minute they have the delivery, guidance, and nuke to do it.
#38
Economically we are becoming joined at the hip with China. This is not the case with Russia. Initially, when the USSR fell apart, it looked like Russia was going towards a Western-like economy with a free market. The transition has been slow coming and awkward. I'm not certain where the allegiances of Russia lie with regards to the US. We have few to no ties to Iran since the days of the Shah. Iran is isolated--mostly self-imposed. I don't see China becoming an ally of Russia. A Russia-Iran nexus seems to be shaping but why? Is Russia simply extending its sphere of influence? Is it longing for the old days of world power and developing proxies a la Iran? Is Russia worried about US domination of the midEast? I see a world-wide energy pinch in the future which is going to strain a lot of oil-dependent countries. These strains could get very serious.
#39
.com, a single "rogue nuke" used by terrorists could wipe out Israel as well. The mullahs are not "mad". They may harbor an irrational hate of Israel but they won't send their missiles into Jerusalem or Tel Aviv just yet.
The mullahs play a big big game of chess right now. It's our duty to convince them that nukes will ultimately not foster their power but sink them.
#40
TGA - The stakes riding on this game are far higher for the Israelis than ever was true of the West vs Sov Union. It only takes one to destroy tiny Israel. Rafsanjani, who has better than fair odds of becoming the next Iranian "President" has been clear. The Not? Mad Mullahs have been clear.
I have faith in your judgement, but this is the ultimate chess game - for the Israelis, and they're not at the table.
That's the issue however, whether the Mullahs are mad or not. If they are mad (as you believe), then they'll nuke Israel, Israel will nuke the whole region to oblivion, fun will be had by all. Nobody wins.
If they aren't mad, just evil tyrannical imperialists, (as *I* believe), then the nukes are there to help them scare away intervention from near or abroad as they pursue their more patient power games in the whole Middle-east, and aim for the position of regional superpower. Whether consolidation of tyranny internally or organizing Islamofascist terrorism elsewhere, nobody dares invade them as long as they have nukes.
With the latter scenario, Russia's alliance with Iran would probably have to be seen in the context of the Nazi's alliance with Japan. Russia's hopes of giving them nukes is not in order to destroy Israel (why would Russia care about Israel's existence or lack thereof?), but rather so that USA won't topple its ally.
In the latter scenario, Iran and Russia win. Which is why it makes more sense to me than the "Mad Mullah" scenario of them nuking Israel.
#42
The monkey wrench in the gears of your machine, however, is that they must acquire the delivery system, the guidance system, and the nuke package... what makes you think the US, unlike the E3, will sit by and allow this to occur? Bush has said it twice: Iran will not be allowed to have nukes.
When comparing the statements of various political leaders, one may be forgiven for being skeptical. But Bush? Seems to me that he has kept his word in such matters for 3 solid years, without flinching or mincing or dancing around issues.
Want to reassess based upon the actual evidence available rather than speculation?
#43
so they're gonna nuke an "invading" SF ops, huh? In their own yard? I don't think so, Aris. Nukes are only useful if you're willing to use them, and against us - it will result in annihilation.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 20:48 Comments ||
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#44
When given the chance, Bush has not reiterated the no nukes for Iran policy lately. I think he's choked.
Iran need not have a conventional delivery system. Hezbollah via containership will do.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 20:48 Comments ||
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#45
not a chance they'll let it out - they need it at home to be all "big guy on the block"
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 20:55 Comments ||
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#46
Ãt"? You think they'll make only one?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 20:56 Comments ||
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#47
at first... I actually still don't think they'll get that far. IMHO
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 20:57 Comments ||
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#48
"what makes you think the US, unlike the E3, will sit by and allow this to occur?"
I make no predictions on what the US will "allow" to happen, I made prediction on what I believe Iran's and Russia's plans to have been.
And it's not a matter of whether Bush will keep his 'word' or not, it's also about what Iran believes Bull will be *able* to do about it. If they feel the US army won't be able to occupy Iraq at the same time as invading Iran, then they feel the game's theirs.
And ofcourse Bush won't be president for life. Some parts of their plans may be held off until a president which *hasn't* made such a promise.
#49
Interesting Mrs D - I won't get pissy and expect links, but I still take him at his word.
And one other major factor has been left out of the equation: Israel. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain in stopping the MAD? Mullahs. Who here really believes they will sit idly by? The evidence, again, suggest otherwise.
BTW, personally, I do believe they're mad. Mad as hell... Their "foreign relations" history speaks for itself and is a classic textbook case of unrelenting paranoia, schizophrenia, and megalomania.
#51
Aris, the Mullahs may be both not mad and willing to start the war. They may believe that they can actually pull off a first strike, thanks to the small size of Israel.
I personally have my doubts about the reports of Israeli subs armed with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles patrolling the Indian Ocean... and Israel doesn't have anything like Montana or the Basin and Range country to lock away a deterrent force in.
Mrs. Davis: Iran doesn't seem impressed enough with Hezbollah to stop work on ballistic delivery systems.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
01/12/2005 21:01 Comments ||
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#52
It's an open secret that should a nuke explode in Tel Aviv the last thing you'll hear in Tehran is.. "oh shit".
Because Israel will not bother to trace the nuke back and will take out any place where that nuke could have originated. Israel's submarines can operate even if no single Jew is alive in Israel.
I don't worry that much that Iran would use nukes against Israel or give them to terrorists (nukes are way too precious and important to lose control over them). But Iran could raise the political stakes and pursue a far more active hegemonial policy in the Gulf.
Of course, Iranian nukes will cancel any "first strike options" Israel may have had until now.
No Frank G, I disagree. Nukes are only "useful" if you are NOT willing to use them (but leave your enemy in doubt whether you would or not).
Only terrorists could "safely" use nukes. That's why I doubt that Iran would ever let a terrorist go near their nukes.
Nukes are an instrument of power and asymmetrical deterrence.
#53
TGA - The hegemony issue, per the regional "super" power desire, is rather significant, given the oil. Can any modern nation entertain the idea or allow such a thing to fall into the hands of the Iranians?
#54
Frank> "so they're gonna nuke an "invading" SF ops, huh?"
No, Israel will still be their target. Or ofcourse there's what Mrs. Davis suggested: "If you invade us, an all-ready nuke immediately goes to Hezbollah or Hamas or Al Qaeda".
The alternate scenario is utterly dependent on the mullah's supposed madness to use nukes even if their regime's not directly in danger. So, I think you're betting too much on their supposed sanity *not* to use nukes even if their country is in the process of invasion.
And either way it won't matter what they do, if their bluff *isn't* called. Mere intimidation may work to their advantage, without a need to actually nuke anything.
#55
Rhetorical idea to consider... Another aspect comes to mind, TGA. How will the Iranians know an Israeli first strike has been launched? They aren't the US or Germany, who can detect such things with some measure of accuracy and thus respond before impact. Russia might alert them, but once the nukes were flying, I would suspect Russia would realize that this particular game is up. No doubt the Iranians are just a convenient card to play, and not their whole hand. The Iranians are far far behind the curve in every respect save the offensive package.
Back to Iran acquiring a regional power hegemony over this major oil producing region, I do not believe this is acceptable to anyone except Russia.
#56
I'm agreeing with you TGA, so I must not have made myself clear (to myself? happened before....).
Israel has nothing to lose, will not allow it's annihilation to go unavaenged and the hajj will require protective suits. Tehran will be gone as well. It would be an all-out lashout, and who can blame them. We would obviously need to take over Venezuela for no-radioactive oil, and China can go fuck themselves. Sound extreme? Take Rafsanjani at his word, and start the overthrow now to prevent the scenario. "Kill a mullah for the Earth"⢠. BTW - New Jerusalem in New York would have few Paleo problems, wouldn't it?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 21:16 Comments ||
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#57
Stop using "invasion". Sigh. No one has suggested it, except you. It's a bullshit strawman.
#60
I doubt the rationality ascribed to the muslims in the midEast. If suicide bombers exist on an individual basis, why is it not possible to consider the equivalent on a nation basis?
And four years ago no one was suggesting the invasion of Iraq. So stop being shortsighted.
Not to mention that any threats against the prospect of invasion can be almost just as well made against the prospect of bombing in its entirety. You can wish them to forget Saddam, but perhaps they've not forgotten Milosevic either.
#62
To clarify, I think there are 2 strategic issues:
1) Iranian threat to Israel primarily, and secondarily to everyone else within range - which does beg the question of their sanity / policies. Their perfidy should be abundantly clear to everyone here - or is that also presumptuous?
2) Iranian hegemony over the region producing a majority of the world's exported oil.
#63
Aris, y'all wanna translate #61? I lost you there
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 21:26 Comments ||
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#64
why wopuld we invade? Incursions, yes, but invasion would likely turn the Iranian people nationalist/against us as the Mullahs try to whip up the fodder... got it (#61)now
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 21:28 Comments ||
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#65
If suicide bombers exist on an individual basis, why is it not possible to consider the equivalent on a nation basis?
It's always possible to consider the equivalent on a nation basis. North Korea I wouldn't trust not to be suicidal. Or Zimbabwe.
But (ignoring nationalistic rhetoric), from what I know, the Iranian mullahs never seem to have done anything *actually* insane and self-destructive in their whole quest for power. They've sought and extended power efficiently. Underestimating them by calling them "mad" is dangerous, I think.
[T]he president acknowledged that the United States does not have many tools to end Tehran's nuclear ambitions, now that Washington has imposed sanctions.
"We're relying upon others, because we've sanctioned ourselves out of influence with Iran," he said. "In other words, we don't have much leverage with the Iranians right now."
...
Mr. Bush said he expects Iran to listen to other countries in much the same way he expects North Korea to listen to its neighbors who are demanding nuclear disarmament.
But he cautioned that diplomatic pressure on Iran should be given time to work and noted major differences between the situation with Tehran and the lengthy disputes with Saddam Hussein over Iraq's weapons programs.
He had the chance to tell them no way and he didn't. I don't like the trend, but I don't think he's got much choice, and neither does Israel. We're back to MAD. And agreed the mullahs are mad. The difference was the Soviets were rational revolutionaries who believed history was on their side not irrational fanatics with Allan on theirs.
Once Tehran has multiple nukes, it can follow multiple strategies. There are certainly enough sources for terrorist nukes now that the Mullahs have plausible deniability of involvement in any attack. No one would believe U. S. evidence that it was their material.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 21:30 Comments ||
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#67
Many of you Americans are looking at nukes as if they are some evil genie in a bottle that has to stay there. I can't imagine why Iran would see it that way. I'll grant you that that is true when it is thousands of U.S. nukes vs. thousands of Russian nukes. But that's not what this is. Iran will have a small quantity if we don't act soon, and Iran will gain great leverage:
How will you respond if Iran tells you to remove a carrier group from the gulf or they will nuke it? Would you be willing to risk it? How would you retaliate if they did nuke a carrier group in the gulf? Nuke civilians?
What about if they threaten to destroy critical oil fields in Saudi Arabia? Would you be willing risk going without heat next winter? Would you risk an exchange that takes out both Saudi Arabian and Iranian oil -- drawing China and Europe into the conflict against you?
Are you willing to blockade Iran indefinitely to make sure that a nuke doesn't end up in an American port? If not, will you ever be secure.
If America is going to project power into the region and protect vital interests, America had better be willing to smack down anyone who wants to raise the stakes. That doesn't require an invasion, but you had better be willing to glass over any area that contributes to Iran's nuke capability. And considering Iran's stance toward The Great Satan over the last quarter century, you had better start lobbying for a pre-emptive strike.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/12/2005 21:40 Comments ||
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#68
I'm still lobbying for a strike over the '79 hostages.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 21:42 Comments ||
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#69
"And four years ago no one was suggesting the invasion of Iraq."
-was this blog site going before 9/11 2001? Since I was not here I cannot say. However, I do know the invasion of Iraq was in the works since about 1992. The actual plan itself as the one we have for N.Korea, Iran, etc. As far as any politicians mentioning invading Iraq four yrs ago I doubt it since Clinton would just be leaving office.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 21:43 Comments ||
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#71
Mrs D - Thanks for the link / snippet... Interesting, but certainly not conclusive. For one thing, I believe Bush was speaking within the issue of the E3 negotiations. True, in the venue of a negotiated end to the Iranian nuke program, we are out of ammo.
I mentioned it once before, but the gutting of the CIA, the wasted 8 yrs under Clinton, Tenet's incredible failure... Tenet and Clinton may someday be known best for their failures regards the Middle East in general, and Iran in particular. I say that simply because the Persian people are ready for a little decap strike of their own - and if our CIA was working for US interests, we would have much in progress to help them, including the decapitation needed to remove their largest obstacles (Mullahs, Rev Guard, the Council, and the Basij), and assistance at every turn and phase.
That aside, I still see nothing to dissuade me from believing Bush sees the threat an Iranian ascendancy over the oil region - and would be compelled to prevent it. Remember, he has already been given almost blanket permission from the US House to put Iran down (HR388, IIRC), it has been amended in the Senate, but there is no true dissension. Bush has a green light. If the CIA isn't utterly worthless, then he has an opportunity to coordinate with the Persian people, then this will have legs for a decap, SF opn, in conjunction with an internal revolution - a real revolution. If not, then stopping them via air strikes, as many and as often as needed, are effectively authorized.
#72
I worry about nation states such as Iran using stateless terrorists to implement the nuclear option--this goes to the issue of plausible deniability suggested by Mrs. Davis.
#73
As I said, should Israel be destroyed "plausible deniability" wouldn't help. I don't see the major players using nukes deliberately, but we're back to Cold War jitters. Things CAN go wrong. We will never know how close we were to total annihilation in the 80s.
What the E3 have been trying: Convince Iran not to enter that game. And Europe can only play the trade card.
Sanctions against Iran won't work since China, Russia and India (just signed a 60bn energy deal with Iran) will ignore them and nobody can afford to boycott the flow of oil anyway.
Post-mullah Iran will dominate the Gulf, that's for sure. If it's still around.
#74
TGA: Sanctions against Iran won't work since China, Russia and India (just signed a 60bn energy deal with Iran) will ignore them and nobody can afford to boycott the flow of oil anyway.
Post-mullah Iran will dominate the Gulf, that's for sure. If it's still around
heh heh - one word: Halliburton
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 21:52 Comments ||
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#75
Post-Mullah Iran.
There's a pleasant thought.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 21:57 Comments ||
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#76
We need to achieve energy independence from the mideast. There is a solution, invade Canada and take over their oil fields. Ease up Canadians, I was just joking.
#77
Fox News - breaking: US warns Russia not to supply arms to Syria....Back on Topic?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 22:10 Comments ||
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#78
Had we wandered far?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 22:12 Comments ||
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#79
LOL - not in my terms
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 22:15 Comments ||
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#80
Russia/China/Iran could develop into the biggest headache the West will face in the next years
I agree, True German Ally.
A Russia-Iran nexus seems to be shaping but why? Is Russia simply extending its sphere of influence? Is it longing for the old days of world power and developing proxies a la Iran? Is Russia worried about US domination of the midEast?
Putin and the russian generals are feeling very besieged right now. The US has allies or at least activity in many of the eastern european countries and now in former soviet states as well.
We are in Iraq, a client state of Russia under Saddam. We are clearly not happy with Syria, historically another client state.
Why *wouldn't* Iran and Russia work together?
Re: China, the relationship is multifaceted. Economic relationships can change quickly.
#81
A Russia-Iran nexus seems to be shaping but why?
It's all business...nothing to see here move along.
Posted by: Rafael ||
01/12/2005 23:14 Comments ||
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#82
There is a solution, invade Canada and take over their oil fields.
Unconventional oil supply. Extremely costly.
Ease up Canadians, I was just joking.
Some would say..."unfortunately".
Posted by: Rafael ||
01/12/2005 23:17 Comments ||
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#83
TGA, thank you for your stupendously useful posts in this thread. The pertinence of your observations are invaluable.
Aris, you too have made some extremely good points. Thank you.
Personally, I feel as though Iran, regardless of their intent to nuke Israel or not, must be neutralized. They will serve no good purpose as a potent mid-east power and can only exacerbate an already volitale situation.
Neutralizing Iran is the best message America can send to both Russia and China (the true global terrorists). The United States must protect, both itself and the remaining global nations, against ascendancy of totalitarian regimes. China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Syria all represent this sort of threat. All of them must go the way of the horse and cart.
#84
Fred, is there anyway to leave this thread open for further discussion or repost it on tomorrow's play list? This is one of the best threads of late and it needs a complete and total hashing out.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday stressed that "enemies of the Islamic Republic are trying to humiliate and diminish the value of martyrdom and the culture of jihad in the eyes of the youth, particularly students." In a message to the 8th Congress on Martyred Students held in the southeastern provincial capital of Kerman, the Iranian leader urged students to continue to promote the culture of jihad and "martyrdom" (To die for something you believe in) among themselves as "a source of national strength and foundation of pure worship."
Ayatollah Khamenei, in his message, cited by IRNA, called on the youth to honor the memory of their martyrs and to put their trust on the Almighty God.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/12/2005 1:23:28 PM ||
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#1
By all means go for martyrdom and jihad you dumb bastards.
#2
Sounds like a real winning campaign. Longterm which do you think will "win hearts and minds":
Iran: Culture of death
US: Culture of life
Iran-You might want to ponder whether WHAT you are dying for (a form of Islam that is not going to survive and is building up contempt for any form of Islam) is the best way to prove religious commitment.
#3
PLEASE go for martyrdom,you shitstained sand niggers.
Posted by: Me ||
01/12/2005 15:11 Comments ||
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#4
In a message to the 8th Congress on Martyred Students held in the southeastern provincial capital of Kerman, the Iranian leader urged students to continue to promote the culture of jihad and "martyrdom" (To die for something you believe in) among themselves as "a source of national strength and foundation of pure worship."
Yo Ayatollah...IF IT'S WORTH DYING FOR... THEN YOU DAMN WELL OUGHT TO LEAD THE WAY. THOSE POOR FREAKS YOU ARE BRAINWASHING HAVEN'T FIGURE THAT OUT. FREAKIN SUBHUMAN MONSTER.
#6
Too bad the USAF Space Command didn't have those GPS-guided tungsten rod platforms in orbit already. Khamenei's caravan traveling around the Iran countryside would be a perfect target for a literal bolt out of the blue.
Syrian Ambassador to Washington Imad Mustafa has ruled out a military confrontation with the United States despite extremely tense political relations. "I believe that neither the U.S. administration nor the American people are ready, both mentally and practically, to engage in a new military action against Syria after the invasion of Iraq," Mustafa said hopefully in an interview with the Saudi daily al-Hayat, monitored in Beirut. "Our relations with the United States are extremely tense but I don't think that tension will escalate to the point of military confrontation or invasion of Syria," he said. He rejected U.S. accusations Syria was fueling violence against U.S. forces in Iraq as "ridiculous." "Syria is equally worried and deeply concerned about mounting violence in Iraq," he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/12/2005 9:42:08 AM ||
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#1
Yeah, that wiolence has a tendency to spread. West.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 9:50 Comments ||
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#2
everybody now....'Cause wishing and hoping and thinking and praying - Planning and dreaming the bombing won't start'
#3
not a target but also not going to stop the activities causing them to be a target? Sounds like he doesn't understand opur relationship and cause=>effect thang...typically arab
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2005 10:07 Comments ||
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#4
Remember the Debka version of this? The US will send incursions into Syria, but *not* to fight the Syrians. Now if the Syrians wish to fight with the US visitors, *then* it would be a Syrian-US fight. But if the Syrians would just prefer to ignore the US arresting and killing Iraqi Baathist ex-leaders, well, far be it from the US to bother them at all. Peaceful coexistence and shit.
#5
Um, I'll rule it out when the US ambassador denies it out... maybe. The Syrians really don't have a say in it, other than to make their home-grown a**holes cut it out.
#8
Translated this means: "The Syrian ambassador and other diaper heads are shitting in their collective pants" hoping we will not turn our eyes on their terrorist-supporting asses. Don't underestimate the American people dip wad. We may decide to just bomb Syria into oblivion rather than expend good troops on scum. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be this subtle.
#11
How many personnel qualifies as an "invasion?"
Well, if they come in tanks four abreast, with American flags flying and and the national anthem playing, that might count. But if the border guards don't notice, why should we?
#13
The thing to remember, Imad, is that in Iraq we're interested in creating a democracy as an ally in the further rationalization of the area.
Syria, however, we don't need in that role. Which means that if we simply bomb you back into the stone age (which we're capable of doing without much trouble) and let the Israelis pacify Lebbanon, it's all good as far as we're concerned.
#14
Didn't Saddam rule out "a military confrontation with the United States" at some point too? Yeah, THAT stopped us!
I've got a list around here somewhere that lays out what THEY need to do in order to get US to "rule it out".
Then again, maybe what they're saying is that they've ruled out sending the VAST Syrian Navy steaming into NY Harbor to demand our surrender..for now! Dammit, I can't figure it out, just bomb 'em!
French Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said the EU partnership process with Syria is leading its way.
The Ministry Assistant Spokesperson Cicile Di Borgo said in a statement the association process between Syria and the EU was a long course of action which is held on the EU and the EC levels.
Our friends and allies helping us together throughout the region.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 9:42:21 AM ||
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"No! Your bribes are too small! Our Security Council vote is precious! Perhaps if you require all citizens to buy French wine for the next 100 years? No, we do not insist they drink it, just that they buy it..."
Presidential election hopeful Ali Akbar Velayati stressed here Tuesday that Iran should keep its nuclear achievements at any price. He made the remarks in a press gathering in IRNA headquarters on his programs for the upcoming presidential election which was attended by IRNA officials and correspondents. He approved of Iran's policies and tactics in nuclear negotiations and said Tehran should safeguard its nuclear technology and also continue its policy of cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) while going on with negotiations with European countries. He dismissed the remarks of some people who believe that Iran might gain new things in case it forsakes its nuclear achievements and stressed that nothing could ever compensate for the loss.
Touching upon the issue of human rights, the former foreign minister pointed to the fact that Iran and western countries looked at the topic from two quite different perspectives which were rooted in each side's traditions and beliefs and stressed that Iran would never surrender to pressures to admit their views. Saying that different societies judged the issue according to their beliefs, traditions and ideals, he said that Iran relied on religious teachings in dealing with many issues introduced as human rights topics by the west and even in many cases joined forces with Vatican against secular demands particularly in cases pertaining to family values. He stressed that the issue of human rights is presently manipulated by the U.S. as a means of pressing other countries which do not approve of American views and values. The Advisor to the Supreme Leader for International Affairs wondered why the countries that were providing military bases and financial support for the U.S. while lacking any form of democratic structure were not referred to the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
translation: we are going to make a bomb that can reach you, Europe. Whatcha gonna do about it? Human rights? You must respect our culture and diversity.
Bush administration hard-liners have been considering launching selected military strikes at insurgent training camps in Syria and border-crossing points used by Islamist guerrillas to enter Iraq in an effort to bolster security for the upcoming elections, according to former and current administration officials. Pressure for some form of military action is also coming from interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, these sources said.
Some former and serving U.S. intelligence officials who have usually been opposed to any expansion of U.S. military activities in the region are expressing support for such strikes. A former senior U.S. intelligence official told United Press International, "I don't usually find myself in sympathy with the Bush neo-cons, but I think there is enough fire under this smoke to justify such action."
Referring to the escalating attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq by Iraqi insurgents, he added, "Syria is complicit in the (anti-U.S.) insurgency up to its eyeballs."
"Syria is the No. 1 crossing point" for guerrillas entering Iraq," Gary Gambill, editor of the Middle East Intelligence Bulletin, said. He added that Damascus "does nothing about it." An administration official said Syria has "camps in which Syrians are training Iraqis for the insurgency and others where Iraqis are training Syrians for the same purpose" which could be hit by U.S. air strikes. Gal Luft, a former Israeli military official with ties to Israeli and U.S. intelligence, said, "I have heard of the same thing about the camps."
Recently, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said that senior Baath Party officials from Iraq are operating from Syria where they provide financing and direction to the cells of Iraqi insurgents killing Americans, sparking new discussions within the administration about possible measures against Syria. "There are all sorts of discussions going on, the White House, the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs," said former CIA counterterrorism chief, Vince Cannistraro. He felt the talk of strikes "is part of a general plan of intimidation." The White House did not return phone calls.
U.S. officials told United Press International that money, direction, weapons and personnel are flowing into Iraq from Syria, ending up in Iraqi cities such as Iskanderiya, Baqouba, Latafiya and Fallujah. Damascus is also home to associates of a top insurgency commander now affiliated with al-Qaida, Jordanian Abu Musab Zarqawi, who is responsible for many major suicide bombing attacks in Iraq, U.S. officials said. The presence of a Zarqawi branch in Damascus, discovered last summer, was said to have acted as a major spur in uniting France and the United States in supporting U.N. Resolution 1559 that demanded Syria withdraw from Lebanon and that elections be held in April 2005, U.S. officials said. Gambill charged that a major Zarqawi deputy lives in Damascus.
In addition to Syria being used as a rear area for insurgents, it is a key center of finance for former Saddam Hussein officials who are leading the insurgency, thanks to stashes of Iraqi cash that could run as high as $3 billion, which is all in the Syrian banking system, according for former and serving administration officials. There are also allegedly "many millions of dollars" from Palestinian groups flowing into Syria that are also being used to help finance anti-American guerrilla groups in Iraq, these sources said.
The Bush administration has applied increasing pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to halt the activities of militant groups inside Syria, and to arrest and extradite former Saddam Hussein officials who are the leading financiers, according to several U.S. government sources. So far there has been no positive response, they said.
What especially worries U.S. former and serving intelligence analysts is the seeming weakness of Assad to act against these groups. According to these sources, Assad is "well aware of the U.S. Army on its border to the east," and does not want to antagonize the United States, in the words of one. In fact, Bashar's inner circle of key advisers consists of reformist, "smart, streetwise young technocrats" who are urging Bashar to yield to U.S. pressure and begin to shut down some of the anti-U.S. activity, one U.S. official said.
But Bashar is also surrounded by "the old guard" -- rogue members of the ruling circle, "various people who are making millions and millions of dollars" by allowing former Baath officials to shelter in Syria, this source said. "If something goes wrong, they can pack up and go and live in Geneva," he said.
Because of the rogue elements, after the technocrats (who are also pro-reform) give Bashar their views, they often find themselves visited the next day by hard-line members of Syria's Mukhabarat, or secret police, who tell them to keep their mouths shut, according to this official. "Bashar is trapped," this U.S. government official said. "He's the prisoner of Zenda."
Luft agreed, saying, "The Mukhabarat and some of the old guard are known to be pressuring Bashar's senior confidents to ignore U.S. demands." One former senior CIA official, usually an administration critic, said, "We should send a cruise missile into south-side Damascus and blow the Mukharbarat headquarters off the map. We should first make clear to them that they are the target."
But are the hawks likely to get their strikes?
Former CIA Syria expert, Martha Kessler doesn't think so. "I don't think the administration can afford to destabilize another country in the region," she said. Kessler pointed out that Syria has tried, often in vain, to cooperate with the United States, only to be either snubbed or ignored. According to Kesssler, Syria offered to station U.S. forces on its soil before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The Syrians have also opened their intelligence books that identify assets in Europe, including front companies, to the administration in an attempt to help track down al-Qaida.
But Kessler said a chief reason for not moving against Damascus is that any strikes would "destabilize Lebanon," where the Lebanese Hezbollah movement awaits orders from Iran before launching retaliations against Israeli attacks.
"Damascus is not the heartbeat of this Iraqi insurgent movement," she said.
However, one administration official said, "We have got one hell of a problem."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/12/2005 1:00:15 AM ||
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I wonder which oil sheik is paying Ms Kessler's way.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/12/2005 9:38 Comments ||
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President Emile Lahoud of Lebanon renewed warning against the dangerous repercussions of the UN resolution 1559 as an intervention in the Lebanon's internal affairs. "Implementing this resolution now endangers security and stability in Lebanon.. Whereas what should be implemented is the UN relevant resolutions in order to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East," President Lahoud told Arab and foreign diplomatic figures accredited in Beirut in a meeting Tuesday. "Lebanese People is capable of confronting different pressures through the national unity," He added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Graig Crouch [sic], US embassy spokesman in Islamabad, rejected a statement by Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal's (MMA) deputy Parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, in which he demanded the expulsion of Ryan C Crocker, US ambassador to Pakistan, from the country.
Mr Crouch said Mr Hussain's claim of American interference in Pakistan's religious and constitutional affairs was incorrect. "The US ambassador is not concerned with the passport issue," he said. Mr Crouch added that the Pakistani government had issued passports without the religious column in October 2004, prior to Ambassador Crocker's arrival in Pakistan. He noted that the Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman had also stated that the passport issue was Pakistan's internal affair.
In response to whether he had demanded the expulsion of the US ambassador, Mr Ahmed said: "We maintain that anyone's interference in the religious and constitutional affairs of Pakistan will not be tolerated" and added that this diplomatic decorum was globally acknowledged. "The US follows a dual policy because on the one hand they term the uniform issue an internal matter of Pakistan and refuse to interfere while on the other hand they interfere in our religious affairs", Mr Ahmed noted.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2005 8:35:42 PM ||
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EFL
American troops will begin leaving Iraq this year as the Iraqi army, national guard and police force take on a larger security role, says Secretary of State Colin Powell. "But I cannot give you a timeline when they will all be home," Powell told National Public Radio in an interview released Wednesday by the State Department. Powell also ruled out any U.S. move to postpone elections scheduled Jan. 30 in Iraq to choose an interim legislative assembly.
#2
Jan 30 will end the first phase of the war. Phase II will be a confrontation between Iraqi democrats and Iraqi fascists, with the US gradually easing out of the conflict.
No wonder the MSM and the left are so desperate to paint Iraq as a failure. It's clear that the fascists have lost the battle for popular support (even Sadr's rabble have put down their weapons and are participating in the democratic process), Zarqawi's desperate, and democracy will soon take hold.
A fugitive accused of trying to assassinate Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has been confirmed as a member of the air force.
What a coincidence! He escaped from a Air Force jail.
Mushtaq Ahmed, who escaped from military detention in Rawalpindi, is a suspect in the failed assassination attempt on 14 December 2003. The president survived two attacks within days of each other, both on the road between Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Mr Ahmed, 26, is a "uniformed junior rank officer", the air force said. Some army sources say Mr Ahmed had been sentenced to death by a military court days before he escaped. But other sources say the trial was still going on and that no verdict had been announced. It has also not been confirmed when Mr Ahmed escaped. Some reports say he has been on the run since November. The authorities have accused him of being a member of a banned militant group. They say he escaped by smashing a bathroom window.
President Musharraf has been a target for Islamic militants since joining the US-led "war on terror" following the attacks of 11 September 2001. The BBC's Zaffar Abbas in Islamabad says the escape of a man regarded as a prime suspect in the attacks is a huge embarrassment for the authorities. Air force spokesman, Air Commodore Sarfraz Ahmad, confirmed on Wednesday that Mr Ahmed was a "uniformed junior rank officer". Commodore Ahmad said guards at the detention facility had been suspended. "This criminal escaped from custody and we hope that we will arrest him. He was a key figure in the 14 December 2003 attack on President Musharraf," Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told the AFP news agency on Tuesday. He said a huge manhunt was under way. All airports and other exit points have been put on high alert and Mr Ahmed's photographs have been despatched to border posts to foil any attempt by him to slip out of the country.
Have you checked the Officers Club?
Several other low-ranking officers of the air force and army were arrested along with Mr Ahmed and a number of other civilians following the attacks. Mr Ahmed and the other arrested armed forces officials were being tried by a field court marshal.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/12/2005 9:29:25 AM ||
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PakiwakiLand begs the question: "How deep can shit actually get?"
Khan, ISI, an alphabet soup of insane Islamic factions, madrassah jihadi factories, renegade Taliban, the lawless territories, ad infinitum ad nauseum. Hopeless.
The Power of Elections
Tuesday, January 11, 2005; Page A14 from The Washington Post
DESPITE LIMITED competition and a less than overwhelming turnout, the Palestinian presidential elections on Sunday must be judged a success: They gave a mandate to a new president, Mahmoud Abbas, who has opposed the use of violence against Israel and promised to reform Palestinian government. The prospect of democratic change in the Middle East, as well as an Israeli-Palestinian peace, has gotten a badly needed boost. Now the question is whether Iraq can similarly gain from the elections it has scheduled in less than three weeks, or whether those Iraqis and Americans who argue that a vote will do more harm than good and should be postponed are right. The question is not an easy one, but the arguments for sticking to a Jan. 30 election date are stronger.
Opponents of the election schedule frequently misstate the nature of the terrible violence that afflicts Baghdad and Sunni-populated areas of Iraq. The central conflict no longer lies, if it ever did, between a U.S.-led occupation force and a resentful population; nor is it mainly a battle between those who favor construction of a Western-style democracy and foreign and domestic Islamic extremists. The larger trouble is the resistance of much of Iraq's former elite to a political system that would have the effect of empowering the majority Shiite community and reducing the Arab Sunnis to an influence commensurate with the 20 percent of the population they probably represent.
Saddam Hussein's former Baathist cadres desperately fight that prospect and dream of restoring the old regime. But even nonviolent Sunni leaders seek to negotiate greater power for their community before any vote is held. In this they are supported by neighboring Sunni governments, which feel threatened by both Shiite rule and electoral democracy. Although they may not abet the insurgency, the Sunni proponents of postponement effectively use it as leverage on the United States and the emerging Shiite leadership. Their proposals are often disingenuous. For example, the influential Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars has offered to support elections provided U.S. troops withdraw from the country. This might please most Iraqis, but its main effect would be to strip the Shiite community of its main defense against a continuing Sunni insurgency.
Stability in Iraq will require the Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish communities to come to terms on a new national constitution. Shiite leaders will surely seek that accord even if Sunnis are underrepresented in the national assembly that the elections will create. Once the constitution is hammered out, it must be ratified by Sunnis as well as Shiites, and there will be another set of elections for a permanent government. The main effect of this initial vote will be to empower Shiite leaders and give Iraq for the first time a government supported by a majority of the country. If the balloting is postponed, Sunni insurgents will be the ones empowered, and violence will trump democracy as a means of influence. Seen in that light, it's not hard to conclude that the elections must go ahead.
Posted by: Bobby B ||
01/12/2005 8:23:21 AM ||
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#2
Amazing irony here... I love the allusions to misreporting and misrepresentation of the situation in Iraq - coming from WaPo, it is simply precious... especially while they continue to pound the "peace process" meme. Is anything in this world deader than the "peace process", I wonder? Can any of us even say "Road Map for Israeli-Palestinian Peace" without laughing aloud?.
This is seriously funny stuff. The article requires Reg'd access, and I'm not in the mood for it, but the author of this piece is so unintentionally over the top it brought to mind the following Twain quote...
"I tried him with mild jokes, then with severe ones."
And then he went to work at WaPo and tried his hand at hard news stories. Alas, the result was the same.
Senator John Kerry, the republican candidate to the American presidency who lost it to president George Bush, said that Mahmoud Abbas, the newly elected PA president, would be tested according to his acts in fighting what he called "terrorism" in reference to Palestinian resistance against Zionist occupation. Kerry, who is currently visiting occupied Palestine, said that Abbas should also stop incitement against "Israel", according to his terms. He said that such acts on the part of Abbas were pre-conditions for receiving any additional assistance from the USA. Kerry, who was attending a session for the Zionist parliament's foreign and security affairs committee yesterday, said, "We back the road map plan," which the Bush administration had proposed as a settlement for the Palestinian-"Israeli" dispute.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2005 00:00:00 ||
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OK.... If they think Kerry was a Republican, what party do they think Bush belonged to? Or are they saying that they are all the same? Or just ignorant?
Posted by: Mark E. ||
01/12/2005 9:43 Comments ||
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#4
Heh... I think what Kerry said is actually ok.
Keep in mind, it's been run through a paleo filter.
If Kerry feels comfortable saying this, they might want to pay attention.
#5
I guess they now have a limit on how many times they should say "Zionist" and "Occupied Palestine" now in their MSM?
Posted by: BA ||
01/12/2005 11:45 Comments ||
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#6
Love the pic of skerry. Eeet ees is so french--such a cabbbage head. Must be the teresa influence. By the way what ever happened to teresa? I miss her hoof-in-mouth disease gaffes. What evil is she and Soros plotting?
#7
Q, I heard she's in the new remake of 'clash of the titans' - she'll be playing the part of medusa, you know since she has the right hair for it & all.
On a street corner in Sadr City, one of the poorest slums in all of Iraq, men gather to argue politics. The smell of raw sewage is overpowering. Trash is strewn over muddy roads.
Abdul Salam Radhi Hussein, 50, walks out from the flour mill he's closed three times because of the fetid conditions. "We need strong government to help us in facing our problems," he tells a neatly dressed man, who's something new in Iraq, a political candidate. Fatah al-Sheikh, who's running for the National Assembly, promises to help clean up Sadr City.
Street-level politics like this is what the United States envisioned when it invaded Iraq. But it's not happening everywhere.
Forty miles west of Baghdad, in Fallujah, there are no such arguments, no political candidates, scarcely any people. Nearly every building and public service was destroyed or damaged when U.S. forces rolled through the city in November to drive out insurgents. The offensive in Fallujah, touted as a prerequisite to a safe election, is now a potent symbol for those Iraqis calling for a nationwide boycott of the election scheduled for Jan. 30. The mostly Sunni Muslim population of Fallujah, scattered in refugee camps and relatives' homes, is sullen and skeptical.
Sadr City and Fallujah illustrate both the hopes and risks of Iraq's march toward democracy. One place embraces the politicking; the other ignores it. One sees how a new government could benefit it; the other fears elections will lead to oppression or worse. As the vote approaches, one sees itself as a potential winner. The other's already lost.
Ironically, through much of the U.S. occupation of the past 21 months, Fallujah and Sadr City have followed parallel paths. Although Fallujah is a Sunni Muslim enclave, a stronghold of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein, and Sadr City is dominated by the rival Shiite sect, both exploded into rebellion against the occupation.
Last April, there was open warfare in both places. Skirmishes raged into the early fall in both. U.S. military convoys regularly were ambushed and troops were killed in both. But then Sadr City's and Fallujah's paths diverged. The Shiites have begun embracing elections; many Sunnis fear them.
Fallujah has always been a tough, independent town, run by sheiks, imams and tribal law. Saddam kept control by buying off the sheiks and placing Fallujans in high-level positions in his military and intelligence services.
But Usama Rhadhi, 27, says he still was shocked when the American force attacked in November. For two days, his family hunkered down as resistance fighters battled back in his neighborhood. Then they fled to an aunt's house in Baghdad. Now, like 90% of the city's 250,000 residents, he can't move back. When he visited for the first time last week, he was shocked by the wreckage of the family home.
Elections? "I need somebody to give me what I need, then I can elect him," he says. "Give me my house. Give me the gas, electricity. The water. Whom shall I elect?" These are elections "in which there is no possible victorious party," he adds. Without significant Sunni participation, "all are losers."
Fallujah is mostly empty now. The U.S. military is trying to lure people back with promises of up to $10,000 per house for rebuilding.
But many moderate Sunnis are both frightened about returning and humiliated as a result of the Fallujah offensive, says Rand al-Azzawi, a Baghdad University researcher. "If I go participate (in the election) now, conservatives will tell me, 'You are joining a process by the occupier,' " she says.
The U.S. military counts Fallujah as a success. "The insurgents who had a psychological grip on that city are no longer there," says Lt. Col. Dan Wilson, operations officer for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
But it came at a political cost. Sunnis across Iraq cite Fallujah as one of the reasons to boycott the elections.
The influential Association of Muslim Scholars, a powerful Sunni organization, has demanded a timetable for U.S. withdrawal before it will participate. U.S. Embassy spokesman Bob Callahan says the demand cannot be met.
The Iraqi election commission has set up special procedures, allowing residents in Anbar province to register and vote on the same day. In the case of Fallujah, they can vote in the refugee camps still operating two months after the end of major combat there.
Sadr City is part of Baghdad province but is much like a city unto itself. Separated from most of Iraq's capital by a canal, the area was known as Saddam City during the previous regime. It was an odd name: Its 2 million people, mostly poor Shiite Muslims, received little in the way of public improvements while other areas of the capital benefited from Saddam's rule. As its streets deteriorated, it became a hotbed of anti-Saddam activism and a dangerous area to visit. Residents weren't happy to see Americans either. When they tried to pursue civic projects, U.S. troops were attacked.
Last April, men in Sadr City took up arms en masse as part of an uprising against the occupation. The rebel militia was loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, son of the revered Shiite Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, for whom Sadr City is named.
Now a U.S. officer, Brig. Gen. Jeffery Hammond of the 1st Cavalry Division, says Sadr City is the safest place in or around Baghdad. About 18,000 people have reconstruction jobs, he says, earning about $6 a day. "Sadr City is what the future of Iraq can look like," he says.
Those who were once taking up arms are now talking democracy. "Before, the men were buying black cloth for their (martyrs') banners. Now for the election, we are buying white cloths" for posters, says candidate Fatah al-Sheikh.
Al-Sheikh, 37, rounds up a camera crew and a couple of reporters and heads out for a bit of campaigning. He presses the flesh — both cheeks and hands — and points to the failings of the current, American-backed administration, including high fuel prices and frequent power outages.
"This is what will bring the people to vote for us," he says, pointing to trash and sewage along al-Falah Street, a main drag. "This kind of collapse of the services will make the people vote for us and not for the government."
People who were afraid to speak up during Saddam's era voice their opinions now. Al-Sheikh touts his slate as one made up of people who stayed under Saddam, unlike many senior Shiites who fled to Iran. "I believe he is honest, clean and completely patriotic," says Dhiyah Hussein, 37, who runs a food market and supports al-Sheikh because he is on the al-Sadr ticket.
Others say they'll back a more conservative Shiite ticket backed by the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the senior Shiite cleric in Iraq who has issued a fatwa, a religious decree, making it the religious duty of every Shiite to vote.
Abdul Nabi Faraj, a baker, says he'll support Sistani's ticket because he likes mature leadership. Regardless of whether the winner "is Sunni or Shiite, we want someone who will help us," he says.
One obvious difference between Fallujah and Sadr City today is that one was invaded and largely destroyed, while the other was not. The other is that new-to-Iraq element, electoral politics.
Shiites, such as those in Sadr City, represent about 60% of Iraq's population. They know they're in the driver's seat as Iraq picks a new government. The Sunnis who controlled Iraq for so long would capture 20% of the electorate, if votes follow religious and ethnic lines.
Professor Abdul Ahab al-Qassab, a political scientist at Baghdad University, says that, before Fallujah, Sunnis thought of themselves as Iraqis and were ready to share power. Now, they see the move to democracy as a game of winners and losers that they will surely lose.
"The Sunni community understands that the same future is waiting for them whether they're in Samarra, Mosul, Ramadi or Fallujah," Qassab says, listing other restive cities with large Sunni concentrations. The calls for boycott are their last-ditch response, he says.
Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz, commander of the U.S.-led multinational corps in Iraq, says a boycott is something he can't stop. "If people choose to boycott the election, that's a choice," he says.
But he and other leaders hope that Iraqis of all stripes will find the chance to vote too good to pass up.
Clearly savoring her first bite of democracy, Nihayah Adnan, 24, a Sadr City housewife, says she has one simple hope for all Iraq. "We want our problems to end," she says. So whom will she vote for? She gives an answer familiar to Americans: "I haven't decided yet."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/12/2005 12:34:02 AM ||
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"Professor Abdul Ahab al-Qassab, a political scientist at Baghdad University, says that, before Fallujah, Sunnis thought of themselves as Iraqis and were ready to share power."
I call BULLSH*T on this one. They were NOT ready to share power - the only way they can concieve of usign power is to suppress and abuse. The Batthists and Sunnis ahve been doing it that way fdor a generation in modern Iraq, so thats why they are behaving the way they are - they think the Shia and Kurds are going to do to the Sunnis, what the Sunnis have been doing to them for 30+ years.
#3
Elections? "I need somebody to give me what I need, then I can elect him," he says. "Give me my house. Give me the gas, electricity. The water. Whom shall I elect?" These are elections "in which there is no possible victorious party," he adds. Without significant Sunni participation, "all are losers."
Sorry bud, but nobody gets something for nothing. And just to be sure, without significant Sunni participation, it is the Sunnis that will lose, not "all".
But many moderate Sunnis are both frightened about returning and humiliated as a result of the Fallujah offensive, says Rand al-Azzawi, a Baghdad University researcher...
Humiliated? Cry me a phuquing river.
.."If I go participate (in the election) now, conservatives will tell me, âYou are joining a process by the occupier,â " she says.
Why should you give a rat's ass about what someone else says (most likely a cleric, or fundie)? How about thinking for yourself for once?
But it came at a political cost. Sunnis across Iraq cite Fallujah as one of the reasons to boycott the elections.
A price, however high, that was worth the expenditure. Phuque with the U.S. long enough, and you'll reap the consequences. Don't wanna participate in the elections? Oh well. Your loss.
#6
I wouldnt have expected support for elections in Fallujah, and dont much care. OTOH it would be VERY helpful to have SOME Sunni Arab participation somewhere. Earlier poll said about one third of Sunni Arabs will vote. Looks like almost none in Anbar province, or in Mosul/Ninevehe province. But probably a significant number in Baghdad will, and some other areas.
Likely this will be enough to keep some positive momentum going, but not nearly as much as we would have hoped. The new govt will have acceptance from much of the world, including the Shia popu of Iraq, and even from the Euros i think, but not much from Sunnis around the arab world, or in Iraq. However as the train pulls out of the station some Sunni Arabs may start trying to get on board. It will be worthwhile to let them do so, even if they were obstructionist earlier.
Its gonna be a long hard slog, but I do think the elections will help.
#7
"Professor Abdul Ahab al-Qassab, a political scientist at Baghdad University, says that, before Fallujah, Sunnis thought of themselves as Iraqis and were ready to share power."
I call BULLSH*T on this one. They were NOT ready to share power - the only way they can concieve of usign power is to suppress and abuse. The Batthists and Sunnis ahve been doing it that way fdor a generation in modern Iraq, so thats why they are behaving the way they are - they think the Shia and Kurds are going to do to the Sunnis, what the Sunnis have been doing to them for 30+ years.
#8
"Professor Abdul Ahab al-Qassab, a political scientist at Baghdad University, says that, before Fallujah, Sunnis thought of themselves as Iraqis and were ready to share power."
I call BULLSH*T on this one. They were NOT ready to share power - the only way they can concieve of usign power is to suppress and abuse. The Batthists and Sunnis ahve been doing it that way fdor a generation in modern Iraq, so thats why they are behaving the way they are - they think the Shia and Kurds are going to do to the Sunnis, what the Sunnis have been doing to them for 30+ years.
PRIME Minister Iyad Allawi has acknowledged that some parts of Iraq would not be able to take part in this month's election as new attacks killed at least 25 people, six of them in a car bombing in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. "There are some pockets that will not participate in the election but they are not large," Mr Allawi said. The US-backed premier vowed to spend $US2.2 billion ($2.9 billion) this year to bolster the security forces fighting a bloody insurgency in central Iraq that has cost thousands of lives. "When our forces are capable of taking over the war against the insurgents, we will be able to begin discussions with the multinational forces on the Iraq army taking over the lead role in maintaining security in Iraqi towns," he said.
Mr Allawi said the insurgency had cost Iraq more than $US10 billion in sabotage against oil and power infrastructure alone. In the latest assaults on Iraq's oil distribution network, two pipelines near the northern oil centre of Kirkuk were set ablaze, officials said. As the clock ticked down to polling day on January 30, sectarian tensions entered the campaign, as the premier's Iraqi National Accord party cried foul over the alleged use of religion by Shiite politicians. The INA lodged a formal complaint against the joint Shiite list, the Unified Iraqi Alliance (UIA), for violating state law by allegedly using religion in its advertising. It also accused Shiite militias of intimidating voters ahead of the poll.
Yesterday's bombing in Tikrit targeted a police station and came a day after Baghdad's deputy police chief was assassinated. All of the casualties were police, the US military said. Militants loyal to Iraq's most wanted man, al-Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said they carried out the bombing, in an Internet statement. In the Sunni belt immediately south of the capital, dubbed the triangle of death because of the frequency of rebel attacks, three Iraqi civilians were killed and three wounded in a roadside bombing near Yussufiyah, witnesses and a hospital source said. The bombing apparently targeted a US military convoy but the casualties were on a passing minibus.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/12/2005 12:19:59 AM ||
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Why would I even talk about something like that?" I guess that means, "yes".
When our forces are capable of taking over the war against the insurgents, we will be able to begin discussions with the multinational forces on the Iraq army taking over the lead role in maintaining security in Iraqi towns," he said. hmmmm. And when would that be?
A protective windshield coating that improves visibility for NASCAR drivers is getting a new application - on the windshields of U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters flying combat missions over Iraq. The clear plastic film, which race teams have been using for several years to keep flying debris from ruining drivers' view of the track, was pioneered by Pro-Tint Inc., a 14-person operation headquartered in a small building in the heart of Nextel Cup racing country.
Pro-Tint pioneered tear-away windshield film for racing teams in the late 1990s. The multilayer product is now used by virtually all Nextel Cup teams to protect windshields from small rocks, car parts and other debris that can reduce vision at speedways like Darlington and Bristol. Instead of replacing a scratched and pitted windshield, race teams merely peel off a layer of the protective film to reveal a new, clear layer of film underneath. Recently, Pro-Tint teamed up with United Protective Technologies, another tiny firm, to produce a thicker and more complex Mylar protective film for military helicopters.
Starting this month, the companies will start shipping the coating, which is to be installed on hundreds of Blackhawks that are being flown on combat missions overseas in war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. In normal use, Blackhawk windshields last about two years. But the harsh conditions of the Middle East - where choppers are pelted with gritty sand and other debris, particularly during takeoffs and landings, have reduced the average durability to under a year, the military has told Pro-Tint. Scratched and damaged windshields are having to be replaced in a matter of months, at a cost of up to $15,000 for all three front windows of a Blackhawk, plus downtime for installation.
The Army hopes to save millions of dollars with windshield films, which have been given the decided military moniker ASSALT - Advanced Screen Saving Aviation Layered Tear-away. ASSALT kits aren't cheap - about $1,000 - but they're a bargain compared to replacing a windshield, said Pro-Tint vice president Steve Fricker.
"This will double the life of a Blackhawk's windshield," Fricker said of the technology, which resulted from a three-year-long development effort with United Protective Technologies, which employs five people and is based in the Charlotte suburb of Mint Hill. "We had to prove ourselves over the years with our work for NASCAR racing teams," Fricker said in a recent interview at Pro-Tint's headquarters, which about the size of an automotive repair garage. "Then we started getting inquiries about whether this kind of technology could be used by the Army."
Too small to be able to finance the cost of developing and testing a product that would suit the military's needs, Pro-Tint got help from the government, including $500,000 from the Defense Logistics Agency. Nate Bordick, a test engineer at the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate at Fort Eustis, Va., said windshield films were tested under rigorous conditions in the Arizona desert, which demonstrated the product was a potential solution.
"We were doing 'brownout' runs, which are takeoffs and landings," he said. "The windshields were being pelted with rocks an inch in diameter and lots of sand and dust. ..."The pilots told us they really liked it and they were not affected by it," he added.
United Protective's Brent Barbee said that when the project began, the developers hoped to use essentially the same kind of technology used for the racing teams. But United Protective's engineers soon learned the film needed by the Blackhawks would be similar in appearance only. "We thought we could use their (Pro-Tint's) technology, but we could not," said Barbee. "There were a million things that needed to be changed."
For example, the adhesive material that holds the film onto the windshield had to be much stronger because the Army did not want the film detaching in mid-flight and hitting the chopper's blades or being sucked into the engine. And the film needed to work even when the pilots used night-vision goggles. Some plastic coatings can distort their vision. "Any pits in the window really interferes with the pilot's ability to see" with night-vision goggles, Barbee said.
The film also had to be considerably thicker than that used on race cars - 7 millimeters instead of the NASCAR-standard 4 millimeters. And to maintain a clear view through the windshield, the engineers determined that only one layer of film could be installed on helicopters at a time, instead of the multiple layers used in NASCAR.
Both Barbee and Fricker are confident the product will soon become a staple in the U.S. military, which relies heavily on agile and powerful choppers like the Blackhawk for critical missions. "We know how to make it and we have shown we can make it work," Fricker said. "NASCAR racing teams tend to be perfectionists. And we also are perfectionists, just like our friends in the military."
Once the military sees how well ASSALT works on the Blackhawks, Barbee predicted it won't take long for other branches to start calling about using it on Chinooks and other military helicopters. Already, he's getting inquiries from officials in foreign countries that purchase Blackhawks for their military needs. "I got a call last week from military officials in South Korea," Barbee said.
Posted by: tipper ||
01/12/2005 2:49:23 AM ||
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Imagine, Blue Staters, ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit coming out of knuckle-dragger Red State territory, Who'da thunk it? Lol!
Hmmm... Soros should give them more money. That'd fix it, I'm sure...
'AIR AMERICA' RATINGS TURBULENCE IN NY CITY: Surprising many observers who expected it to shine during election season, all-liberal upstart WLIB (1190 AM) -- base station for Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo -- actually headed south, shedding 15% of its summer audience to finish fall at 24th place in just-released ARBITRONS... Gee you mean people can't listen to hate radio for a long period of time? Anyone who knows anything about radio knew this was going to fail. Look for an Air America 'fire dale' soon. Afterwards they will claim they were robbed by them 'evil neocons' that hate everyone.
#1
Well it's lasted about 6 months longer than I had thought when they went on the air. I've tried to listen to Air America, but about 5 minutes is all I can handle at one time.
#6
Never really listened to franken much--couldn't stand it. Listened long enough to realize he is dingy-one of the self-annoited arbiters of American values.
I wouldn't mind replacing franken with Pink Floyd music.
#9
No wonder Al Franknbeans was donning a garbage can lid while "entertaining" the troops in Iraq.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/12/2005 17:32 Comments ||
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I could listen to them occasionally if they were funny or surprising, but Franken and Co commit the worst radio sin of all: they're boring. That nasal high-pitched Brooklyn bitch is the worst of the lot. No amount of cash infusions can save these losers.
Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, one of the Hamas Movement prominent leaders in the Gaza Strip, has affirmed that the newly elected PA president, Mahmoud Abbas, had no authorization to halt anti-occupation resistance.
Zahhar, besides being a big fat guy, is one of the intact members of Hamas' politburo, so this'd be pretty authoritative...
Zahhar, in a press statement yesterday, said if Abbas was in need of such authorization he should ask the Palestinians in the diaspora and not only in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. "More than half of our people are living in the diaspora," Zahhar explained, arguing that the PA presidential election was meant to choose a president for that Authority, and not for the Palestinian people, in order to run internal affairs. The Hamas official affirmed that his Movement would table with the elected president the honor charter, which it drafted over the main questions of Jerusalem, refugees, occupied lands and relations with the Zionist entity and the Arab countries in addition to certain questions on fighting corruption, media campaign against resistance, educational issues and evacuated settlements. Zahhar denied that Hamas was planning to surrender its arms to the PA, adding that his Movement would ask Abbas who would protect Palestinians in face of the recurrent occupation incursions.
I'd guess that when there's a Paleostinian state, there'd also be a Paleostinian army, which would also be capable of crushing Hamas.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2005 00:00:00 ||
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This ass clown gets no say. Hammas boycotted the election. Beat your chest some more. I hope you get an explosive enema. I have a suggestion for Abbas. Send a large group of police out to get AL Zahhar and make sure he gets killed in the cross fire. As long as Hammas is active and attacking Isreal there will be no Palestine.
As for his asertion that the "diapora" needs to be consulted. What a joke. Anyone who can prove to have been born in Palestine might have something to say. The large percentage of "Palestinian diaspora" actually have never been palestine ever. They are just Arabs and semitic tribes people to stupid to pull their heads out of their asses and move on. Palestininans are not some magic seperate race. AL Zahhar can scream and shout all he wants. The right of return is a non starter. The whole idea is like me saying I have a right to return to German because my great grandmother was from there and by the way I have rights for compensation to the property she lived in too.
#2
Y'know, SPoD, because my mother was a German Jew disenfranchised by the Nazis, I could actually claim citizenship and right of return if I wanted to. Daddy would have a heart attack and die on the spot if I did so, but I could.
Not that it affects the obvious merit of your argument...
Palestinian presidential adviser for national security brigadier Jabril Rajoub has resigned to give president-elect Mahmoud Abbas the opportunity to restructure the security apparatus. Earlier, a reconciliation meeting was held between Al-Rajub and former security minister Mohammad Dahlan following an 18-month rift.
They kissed — no tongues! — made up, and nobody pulled a rod. This time.
Fred, this popcorn is getting stale.
The meeting was attended by a number of senior officials at the Palestinian National Authority, Aljazeera has learned. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Security Council completed the draft of a long-awaited bill to merge the 11 various Palestinian security forces into three, local officials said Tuesday. The bill is expected to be presented to the Palestinian parliament in the coming days, the officials said. Reform of the Palestinian security forces is a long-standing demand of the international community. Work on the bill has been ongoing for months. The security council headed by Palestinian Premier Ahmad Quraya convened two days after the Palestinians voted overwhelmingly for incoming president Mahmoud Abbas to succeed late Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat. The Palestinian Legislative Council is expected to study the bill for several weeks before voting on it.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2005 00:00:00 ||
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my sense is that rajoub and Mo Dahlan have bigger enemies than each other - namely A. Hmas and Islamic Jihad. B. Hardliners within Fatah, AAMB, etc C. Residual Arafat loyalists within the Pal "security" forces, especially, whatizname, Mustapha Arafat? A Rajoub-Dahlan reconciliation in no way means no popcorn, its just slighly different flavor. Of course it remains to be seen if Abbas has sufficient cojones to take on the above (A, B and C). If not, Dahlan could be an alternative, but would certainly need Rajoub on his side to make any move.
From JPost. Shaath, who has been in the cabinet since the establishment of the PA more than a decade ago, will be replaced by Nasser al-Kidwa, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations and a nephew of Yasser Arafat, the sources revealed.
The second most significant change will be in the Interior Ministry, where Hakam Balawi is expected to be replaced by Maj.-Gen. Nasser Youssef, who is closely associated with Abbas.
Both Shaath and Balawi were regarded as Arafat's men in the cabinet and were among his strongest allies. Arafat had twice refused to appoint Youssef as interior mster in charge of the Palestinian security forces â the first time when Abbas was prime minister and later when Qurei was entrusted with forming a new cabinet.
Former information minister Nabil Amr is expected to return to his post as part of the new cabinet reshuffle. A longtime critic of Arafat, Amr served as information minister in Abbas's cabinet in 2003. Last July he was shot and seriously wounded in his Ramallah home after criticizing Arafat's performance in a television interview.
Another Arafat critic tipped to join the new cabinet is Rakif al-Natsheh, a former minister who briefly served as speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council before he was ousted by Arafat. Natsheh, a member of a large clan from Hebron, had repeatedly angered Arafat by demanding drastic measures against senior officials implicated in financial corruption.
Moammar just called. He wants his sheriff badge back.
President Pervez Musharraf on Monday condemned fighting between Shiite and Sunni Muslims that left 14 people dead, and said he was trying to make Pakistan a moderate Islamic state and not one controlled by terrorists. His comments came after gunmen on Saturday attacked a car carrying Shiite leader Agha Ziauddin, wounding him. But one of his bodyguards and one of the assailants was killed in an exchange of fire. Angry supporters of Ziauddin then went on a rampage, setting buildings on fire and clashing with rival Sunni Muslims in Gilgit, about 250 kilometres north of the capital. The violence left some 14 people dead.
Authorities imposed a curfew in Gilgit with police, army and paramilitary troops patrolling the city. "We shall not allow the extremists to take the society as hostage," the military-run Inter-Services Public Relations department quoted Musharraf as saying in an address at a military college in Islamabad. He said was making efforts to make Pakistan a "moderate and enlightened Islamic welfare state."
As far as I can tell, Pakland has been held hostage to religious extremists for years and years. Religious extremism is to Pakistan as disco was to the U.S., only more deeply entrenched and not as wholesome. Pakland will never get rid of religious extremism until it stops concentrating on being Islamic and starts concentrating on being a state.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2005 00:00:00 ||
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"moderate and enlightened Islamic welfare state."
They could be what Jinnah wanted, a secular state FOR muslims, who in India have a distinct cultural history and identity from Hindus. Just as Ben Gurion envisioned Israel as a SECULAR state FOR Jews.
Has worked out less well in Pakland than in Israel (not that its worked perfectly in Israel, mind you) Possible reasons 1. The nature of Islam 2. The nature of Israel as an immigrant state freed it from certain kinds of tribalism Pakland was subject to. 3. The intense poverty and illiteracy of Pakland at independence. 4. Jinnah died shortly after independence, while Ben Gurion had time to set the state on the right path. 5. Pick the right enemies. Contests with Arabs gave the state of Israel reinforcing successes, while contests with India left Pakland with failures, which led to a turn away from secularism, which led to MORE failures, and MORE Islamism, in a downward cycle (till 9/11, and its been pretty touch and go since then)
The investigation process in the sensational case of the assassination attempt on Awami League (AL) Chief Sheikh Hasina on August 21, 2004 has stopped halfway being severely influenced by a powerful quarter of the government. To save a political quarter and its 'God father", the Government allegedly is not showing any interest to continuing the inquiry into the incident anymore, said a confident source.
At least 21 Awami League (AL) leaders and workers including Women Affairs Secretary Ivy Rahman were killed and over 200 received injuries in a chain of grenade blasts and gun attack on a rally in front of the AL Central Office on August 21, 2004. AL Chief Sheikh Hasina was addressing the rally standing on a mini truck narrowly escaped the deadly attack. Several journalists and police personnel were also injured in the incident. Eight grenades exploded on the AL rally were all ARGES-74/84 model anti-personnel grenades usually produced in several countries such as China, Austria and Pakistan. Suspicion as been created among the concerned circle, when it was learnt that same type of grenades are also produced in the Ordnance Factory in Bangladesh.
Sources said, several heads of states and governments around the world specially the USA, UK, Canada and India expressed their deep dissatisfaction when the government failed to detect the mastermind even after five months of the incident. They also urged the Khaleda Zia's government to nab the real culprits as it would encourage the fundamentalist and extremists groups active in this part of the globe. An intelligence official requesting anonymity told The Bangladesh Observer that backed by a globally known Islamist outfit, a couple of Bangladeshi nationals staying abroad might have designed the well-planned assassination mission from a foreign country with the help of local operatives. Terming the 'August 21-2004' incident as a 'test case', the Intelligence official also said that a hardcore fundamentalist group getting patronisation from an international Islamist extremist outfit has been trying to create anarchy by launching grenade attacks on the prominent figures".
Echoing the Government's intention, a senior official of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told The Bangladesh Observer on Sunday that the case is still "under-investigation". They could not make any headway to detect the mastermind behind the grenade attack on Hasina and her associates, he added. According to reliable sources, the local and foreign investigators including the CID, INTERPOL and FBI have got sufficient clues about the 'racket' along with the 'God father' involved in the assassination attempt. The main investigating authority CID being advised by a quarter of the government has already sent the sensational case to 'deep fridge'. And for that reason CID has taken a time-passing technique by suppressing the facts.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Good Lord Fred, did you make that graphic? Very nice! But don't pay more than 3 if you tap that sucker! Rabbits just aren't worth it.
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.
Saudi Arabia's crackdown on al Qaeda militants has seriously eroded their forces and capabilities but the network will remain a threat in the world's biggest oil exporter for years, a U.S. research group said. The 
A senior business figure has been appointed to MI6 to improve the running of the intelligence agency. A long-serving officer has also begun heading an internal watchdog monitoring the quality of intelligence gathered by the Secret Intelligence Service. The appointments were a response to 2004's Lord Butler report that said intelligence on Iraqi weapons had been unreliable, the Foreign Office said. It confirmed the appointments after reports appeared in newspapers. 
The teaching of traditional Islam is introduced in Chechnya's schools beginning from Tuesday, Chechen President Alu Alkhanov told reporters. He said the teaching of traditional Islam was very important, as terrorists act under slogans of extremist religious doctrines. "They try to distort Islam, while it professes peaceful coexistence and tolerance to other religions," Alkhanov said at a ceremony of opening a new school in the village of Alleroi. The new school has been named after Chechnya's late president Akhmad Kadyrov, who died in a bomb attack in Grozny in last May. Kadyrov visited Alleroi a year and a half ago and promised that another school would be built in the village.
AUSTRALIA will offer no apology or compensation to former terror suspect 
Guantanamo Bay inmate 
They said hundreds of police swooped addresses - including apartments and mosques - in five states. The detained are alleged to be members of a radical Islamic network suspected of aiding terrorists through money laundering and falsifying documents. The raids - which are still ongoing - were the culmination of a long-term inquiry, the authorities said. Germany has made fighting alleged Islamist terror cells a key security priority, says the BBC's Ray Furlong in Berlin. He said the country was shocked to find that some of the suicide hijackers in the 11 September attacks were based in the northern city of Hamburg. 
A group of billionaire 
Let's be honest. Along with United Nations secrecy, Saddam Hussein's perfidy, and the general coyness of the bribed, one of the big obstacles to getting to the bottom of the Oil for Food scandal is the sheer horror of actually having to read the reams of U.N. documents tied to the program--on the occasions when documents do turn up. It's a step forward that on Sunday Paul Volcker's U.N.-approved inquiry finally released the program's 55 secret internal audits, which Congress and others had been requesting for months. But among those who have been asking, in some cases for years, to see such documents and are now slogging across the acres of bureaucratese therein, I dare say there's a certain feeling of "be careful what you wish for." Beyond the highlights already reported, including waste, abuse and maladministration costing hundreds of millions, maybe billions, in money that belonged to the people of Iraq, it may take a while before the ramifications have been fully explored. 
Australia said on Tuesday it was satisfied Indonesia was providing adequate protection for its troops and aid workers in tsunami-ravaged Aceh, downplaying concerns about the separatist war and Islamic hardliners in the region. Foreign Minister 
THE spiritual head of 
A Muslim group said yesterday it had two witnesses who would swear that police planted the explosives and guns to be supposedly used in an 
The Sinhala nationalist 
Presidential election hopeful 
Graig Crouch [sic], US embassy spokesman in Islamabad, rejected a statement by 
A fugitive accused of trying to assassinate Pakistani 
Senator John Kerry, the republican candidate to the American presidency who lost it to president George Bush, said that Mahmoud Abbas, the newly elected PA president, would be tested according to his acts in fighting what he called "terrorism" in reference to Palestinian resistance against Zionist occupation. Kerry, who is currently visiting occupied Palestine, said that Abbas should also stop incitement against "Israel", according to his terms. He said that such acts on the part of Abbas were pre-conditions for receiving any additional assistance from the USA. Kerry, who was attending a session for the Zionist parliament's foreign and security affairs committee yesterday, said, "We back the road map plan," which the Bush administration had proposed as a settlement for the Palestinian-"Israeli" dispute.
PRIME Minister Iyad Allawi has acknowledged that some parts of Iraq would not be able to take part in this month's election as new attacks killed at least 25 people, six of them in a car bombing in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. "There are some pockets that will not participate in the election but they are not large," Mr Allawi said. The US-backed premier vowed to spend $US2.2 billion ($2.9 billion) this year to bolster the security forces fighting a bloody insurgency in central Iraq that has cost thousands of lives. "When our forces are capable of taking over the war against the insurgents, we will be able to begin discussions with the multinational forces on the Iraq army taking over the lead role in maintaining security in Iraqi towns," he said.
'AIR AMERICA' RATINGS TURBULENCE IN NY CITY: Surprising many observers who expected it to shine during election season, all-liberal upstart WLIB (1190 AM) -- base station for Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo -- actually headed south, shedding 15% of its summer audience to finish fall at 24th place in just-released ARBITRONS...
Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, one of the 
Palestinian presidential adviser for national security brigadier 
President Pervez Musharraf on Monday condemned fighting between Shiite and Sunni Muslims that left 14 people dead, and said he was trying to make Pakistan a moderate Islamic state and not one controlled by terrorists. His comments came after gunmen on Saturday attacked a car carrying Shiite leader 
The investigation process in the sensational case of the assassination attempt on 
