The UN mission welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire and the cessation of military operations by the parties in Libya. hopes that the parties will strictly abide by the ceasefire and make room for efforts to resolve differences through a Libyan-Libyan dialogue. @GhassanSalamepic.twitter.com/jtrlWuA13U
#AlSarraj: We welcome the Russian-#Turkish armistice initiative, provided that the forces of #Haftar, the aggressor against #Tripoli, are completely withdrawn because he and the deception are in complete harmony. Joint press conference in Rome with the Prime Minister of #Italypic.twitter.com/SoEZrbkva1
It’s so funny that they practically beg for a cease-fire , and #alSarraj pays billions for it ,Andy hen #Erdogan begs #Putin ,and Putin calls #SISI and Bin Zaid calls Putin ,then itlay calls Erdogan. Then they all call #Hafter Then the militias violate the cease-fire. Viva #LNApic.twitter.com/3GteVJ9XRR
The reason of the war The #GNA was a body created by the United Nations to fix a conflict between to parliaments in 2014 one old dominated by the #MuslimBrotherhood#GNC that refused to hand over power to a new parliament #HoR with only 7/200 sets for the MuslimBrotherhood. pic.twitter.com/4M55AXsAA1
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu There is no problem for Turkey with the participation of #Haftar with a political solution .. We look forward to Russia convincing him of the ceasefire. #Libya 😂 pic.twitter.com/ibP5XczCxA
[Zarif-Oman] Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Oman’s new sultan, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, held talks in the capital, Muscat, on issues of mutual interest.
Posted by: 3dc ||
01/12/2020 06:31 ||
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#1
Be interesting to see if the new guy keeps up his predecessor's policy of engaged neutrality.
[Arutz 7] - More than a dozen Saudi servicemen training at US military installations will be expelled from the United States after a review that followed the deadly shooting last month at a Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, multiple sources told CNN on Saturday.
The Saudis in question are not accused of aiding the 21-year-old Saudi Air Force second lieutenant who killed three American sailors in the December shooting, two sources said, but some are said to have connections to extremist movements, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment.
The US Navy paused the training of hundreds of Saudi Arabian aviation students at several training locations following the deadly shooting.
#1
....not accused of aiding the 21-year-old Saudi Air Force second lieutenant who killed three American sailors in the December shooting, two sources said, but some are said to have connections to extremist movements
On the FBI's radar for months, years, even decades by our top men.
[Libya Observer] The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov has expressed appreciation to the Government of National Accord (GNA) for welcoming the joint statement of the Ottoman Turkish and Russian presidents regarding the call for a ceasefire.
Bogdanov expressed, during a phone call with Foreign Minister, Mohammad Sayala on Thursday, his desire for Khalifa Haftar ...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... to respond to this call.
Earlier, the Presidential Council issued a statement welcoming the Ottoman Turkish-Russian initiative while Haftar announced that combat operations will go on.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[Libya Observer] The Russian President Vladimir Putin ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... has admitted that Russian mercenaries are fighting in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , saying they don't represent the interests of Moscow and are not getting paid by the government.
In a joint presser with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel ...chancellor of Germany and the impetus behind Germany's remarkably ill-starred immigration program. Merkel used to be referred to by Germans as Mom. Now they make faces at her for inundating the country with Moslem colonists... on Saturday, following their meeting in Moscow, Putin said there are many mercenaries in conflict zones including several fighters, according to him, who were transferred from the deesclation zone in Syria's Idlib to Libya.
Putin added that he hopes the warring parties in Libya would commit to a ceasefire at midnight on January 12 as per the proposal he and Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... made days ago.
He added that after the ceasefire starts in Libya, there will be more talks with the two sides of the conflict.
Meanwhile, ...back at the revival hall, the congregants were being herded into the paddy wagon... German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Berlin will host peace talks on Libya amid calls by Russia and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... for a ceasefire, hoping calls will receive positive cooperation from the Libyan parties.
Likewise, Putin said it's about time to hold peace talks on Libya in Berlin, saying the conflict in the country should end and the fighting in Tripoli should be ceased.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2020 00:00 ||
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Lots more than the few key points here. Grab a cup of coffee and curl up in a comfortable chair, dear Reader — there’s much to ponder and links to read even more.
[GatestoneInstitute]
Current conditions in Hungary are ripe for a repeat of the migration crisis in 2015 and... the country is now in a "state of crisis".... More than 100,000 migrants are now gathered in the Western Balkans and although "the situation is still under control," it is "beginning to look like the big crisis in 2015." — Szilárd Németh, a senior official at Hungary's Defense Ministry, December 1, 2019.
Illegal immigration throughout Europe continues unabated. In France, for instance, nearly 20,000 migrants have been arrested so far in 2019, according to the police website France Bleu, which also reported that 189 people smugglers have been arrested since January 1.
In Britain, The Telegraph newspaper reported that Albanian people smugglers were posting advertisements on social media platforms, including Facebook, promoting their ability to get people into Europe. The ads are accompanied by TripAdvisor-style feedback comments from "satisfied" customers.... people smuggling gangs generate profits of up to £6 billion (€7 billion; $8 billion) a year, with migrants often paying more than £10,000 ($13,000) .
The light sentences reflect the leniency of the Spanish justice system, which appears to encourage, rather than deter, people smuggling gangs.
Hungarian police recently discovered two tunnels used to smuggle migrants into Hungary from Serbia. The tunnels were found at the same time that Hungarian police reported a five-fold increase in the number of migrants attempting to enter Hungary.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/12/2020 00:59 ||
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#1
Whatever happens,
you have got the machine guns,
and they have not!
#2
^ Thanks for making me look this up. I had a vague idea of where it came from, having somehow picked up as a kid the idea that Collum was a genius, but... wow, who knew he was this good? Everyone but me, as usual? Something to live for, for sure.
Posted by: Phomoger Protector of the Ostrogoths3285 ||
01/12/2020 14:06 Comments ||
Top||
[Libya Observer] Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio has said that he did not sign the final statement of the foreign ministers meeting of the states of Egypt, La Belle France, Cyprus, and Greece in Cairo last Wednesday because it was "unbalanced" and against the Government of National Accord and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... Di Maio underscored in an interview with the Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera" that Turkey is still a major ally of his country.
On what do you base that conclusion, Foreign Minister?
He called on all parties, especially the Europe ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... an Union countries, to be moderate in dealing with the Libyan crisis.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[3 views]
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#1
In other words, Italy's foreign minister channels Roman Virgil and his pro-Turkish Trojan boy Aeneas:
I stand before you,
Trojan Aeneas, torn from Libyan waves.
O you who were alone in taking pity
on the unutterable trials of Troy,
who welcome us as allies to your city
and home- a ruin left by Greeks, harassed
by all disasters known on land and sea."
To which Libya? There are at least two parties warring over the name.
[Libya Observer] Executive Vice President-Designate of the Europe ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... an Commission, Frans Timmermans said Friday that the EU is considering appointing the former Italian Interior Minister, Marco Minetti as a European envoy to Libya.
The EU official explained that the nomination of Minetti as a special envoy to Libya shows the geopolitical dimension of the European Commission, as he put it.
He emphasized that Minetti's experience would serve to build a reasonable European policy that would make Libya a major priority for the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... as a whole, and not just in immigration issues.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
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[DAWN] India's new army chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane on Saturday said that the Indian army will move to claim Azad Jammu and Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... (AJK) if it is given orders in this regard by the parliament, Indian media reported.
His statement was dismissed by the Pakistain Army's media wing as "routine rhetoric for domestic audiences to get out of ongoing internal turmoil".
"Pakistain Armed Forces are fully prepared to respond to any act of Indian aggression," a tweet by the Inter-Services Public Relations director general said.
Speaking to media in New Delhi, Naravane claimed that a parliamentary resolution stated that the "entire erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir" ‐ a reference to the region including AJK ‐ is part of India.
" [...] there is a parliamentary resolution from several years ago about this that the entire erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir is a part of India," he said, according to Hindustan Times.
[Rudaw] The UN Security Council voted Friday to renew cross-border aid to Syria but under pressure from Russia scaled back the program, which has been helping millions in the war-ravaged country since 2014.
The assistance is being prolonged for only six months, whereas it had been extended yearly previously.
And deliveries will now be made from only two points, which are along Syria's border with The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... , down from four.
After a series of concessions by Western countries since late December, the resolution extending the aid was passed by 11 votes in favor and four abstentions which came from Russia, China, the United States and Britannia.
The existing mandate was to expire Friday.
Belgium and La Belle France expressed disappointment over the scaling back of the aid.
"Eleven million Syrians need humanitarian assistance," said Belgian Ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve.
The US ambassador, Kelly Craft, meanwhile said "Syrians will die with this resolution."
Russia, a key backer of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now... , saw international authorization of cross-border aid shipments as a "breach of illusory sovereignty" a western diplomat said.
The diplomat said Russia wanted to force recognition that Damascus had largely retaken control of territory inside Syria a year ago, admitting that Moscow was in a "strong position" in the face-off with western countries.
The western concessions to Russia keep the program alive but on a reduced scale.
The aid is vital for almost three million Syrians living in the northern Idlib region, where fighting and bombardments have increased in recent weeks.
The resolution extends cross border aid until July 10. It does away with two entry points, one along the border with Turkey and the other on the frontier with Iraq. The latter helped 1.3 million people in northeast Syria.
At the insistence of Germany and Belgium, the council asked Secretary General António Guterres ...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years... to compile a report by the end of February on finding an alternative to the aid point on the Iraqi border, which is the town of Al Yarubiyah.
On December 20, Russia -- backed by China -- vetoed a proposal to extend aid for a year from three border spots: two along the border with Turkey and the Iraqi one.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the Russian and Chinese veto as "shameful" and told Moscow and Beijing "you have blood on your hands."
Washington's negotiating position had been less than subtle however, one diplomat told AFP, starting out with a demand for five crossing points that could be bargained down to its desired number of three, then two.
The United States also wrongly assessed that Moscow would not resort to a veto, which it did, the same source said.
The British ambassador to the UN, Karen Pierce, said the council's vote Friday let down the people of Syria.
"It's an inadequate response for the Syrian people. And it's an inadequate response to what the UN have been asking for," she said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Friday four million Syrians are being supported by cross-border operations, 2.7 million of them in the northwest and another 1.3 million in the northeast.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/12/2020 01:05 ||
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[7 views]
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Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[1 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
#1
During the first Intifada I often thought longingly of shooting journalists - foreign ones, Israeli ones (IMO) should've been skinned alive and thrown on an ants nest.
[DAWN] The United States on Friday rejected a request by Iraq to start talks on pulling out its 5,200 troops, notching up the discord after Washington killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad.
Angry at an attack seen as violating Iraqi illusory sovereignty and enmeshing the country again in war, Iraq's caretaker prime minister asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo late Thursday to send a delegation to begin withdrawal arrangements.
The State Department said it was ready for "a conversation" ‐ but not about removing troops.
"At this time, any delegation sent to Iraq would be dedicated to discussing how to best recommit to our strategic partnership ‐ not to discuss troop withdrawal, but our right, appropriate force posture in the Middle East," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
Calling the United States "a force for good," she said: "We want to be a friend and partner to a sovereign, prosperous and stable Iraq."
President Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... has described the 2003 US invasion of Iraq as a mistake and in the past criticised US troop deployments, in Iraq and elsewhere, as wasteful.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[3 views]
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iranian authorities are yet to contact the families of the victims of the Ukrainian plane shot down by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) earlier this week, according to families of the victims.
"Not a single official or government entity" has been in contact with the families of the victims since the Ukrainian plane was shot down on Wednesday, Shahram Molani, brother of one of the victims, told exile-run broadcaster Radio Farda on Saturday. "We asked for an apology and all we got was a ticket for littering the hillside"
Molani’s brother, Hiva, was killed alongside his wife Evin Arsalani, and daughter Kurdia in the plane crash.
Molani also said officials have not returned the bodies of his brother and his family, adding that he was hoping the reports that the plane was shot down were untrue.
"Following the news today, we are in a very bad state and in shock, I cannot describe it," he told Radio Farda.
After days of denying any involvement, Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... admitted to shooting down flight PS752. All 176 passengers on board were killed.
The sister of another victim, Ghanimat Azhdari, also spoke to Radio Farda, quoting her father as saying: "We will never forgive this crime."
"For 40 years, the Islamic Theocratic Republic has done nothing but kill and bring misfortune to Iranians," she said. She inferred that had it not been for international efforts, the Islamic Theocratic Republic would have gotten away with this incident "like the rest of their crimes."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
But.. but... it was "accidental." "Unintentional."
Therefore no apologies are required.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/12/2020 7:49 Comments ||
Top||
#4
It's a good thing in a way. It'll foment citizen revolt and anti-regime rebellion. Almost everyone on the plane was an Iranian citizen I think ? Even the Canadians were dual citizens. The last statement by the sister of a victim encapsulates Iranian angst against their own theocrats.
The U.S. is sanctioning eight senior Iranian officials, including Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the Commander of the Basij, responsible for killing 1,500 Iranians. We will continue to hold #Iran accountable. pic.twitter.com/lZnZuE3eN8
#4
they sent the broken heart emoji. all is forgiven
Posted by: Bob Grorong1136 ||
01/12/2020 9:05 Comments ||
Top||
#5
One story I saw said the on-scene air defense commander tried to contact Mullah HQ but was unable to get thru due to jamming (that would be Iranian jamming, right?) or because comms were down. In either case, he made the decision to pull the trigger, with the now familiar consequences.
[PRESSTV] Prime Minister Boris Johnson ...pro-Brexit British prime minister, succeeding no-Brexit Theresa May. BoJo is noted as much for his sparkling personality and his hair as for his Conservative policies.... is trying to politically capitalize on the accidental shooting down of the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752.
In a statement, the PM has called for an "independent investigation" and the "repatriation of bodies", apparently oblivious to the fact that Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... is already committed to both.
The tone of Johnson’s statement appears to indicate that he wants to carve out a leadership role on the matter and to somehow use the tragedy to increase pressure on Iran.
Adopting a condescending tone, Johnson’s statement calls for a "comprehensive, transparent and independent" investigation, before adding that the UK would work with other "affected nations", notably Canada and Ukraine.
Critics might accuse Johnson of overreach considering the fact that only four people on the doomed flight had connections to the UK.
Besides the PM, the British royal family has also seen fit to comment about the tragedy. In a statement the Queen said "our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Canada, which has suffered such a devastating loss".
Strangely, the Queen didn’t mention Iran, considering the fact that all of the people listed as "Canadians" were in fact people of Iranian descent.
The British state’s politicization of this human tragedy is expected to further complicate already strained Anglo-Iranian relations.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
I'm hearing from people who know this stuff that the Iranian govt wasn't all that upset to see Soleimani gone. That there were tensions between the Ayatollahs and the IRGC over 2 things: the IRGC's economic power, and Supreme Leader succession.
[DAWN] Hours after Tehran admitted on Saturday that she had unintentionally downed a Ukrainian commercial plane, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded that Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... punish those responsible for the downing and pay compensation.
"We expect Iran [...] to bring the guilty to the courts," the Ukrainian leader wrote on Facebook, calling also for the "payment of compensation" after Tehran admitted accidentally downing the plane which resulted in the killing of 176 people who were on board.
Similarly, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North... said closure and accountability were needed. He also demanded "transparency, and justice for the families and loved ones of the victims," of whom many were Canadian dual nationals.
"This is a national tragedy, and all Canadians are mourning together," Trudeau's office said in a statement.
Russia also reacted to the admission as the chairman of the Russian parliament's foreign affairs committee said that Iran must "learn lessons" from the disaster.
"If decryption of the black boxes and the work of the investigation do not prove that the Iranian army did this intentionally, and there are no logical reasons for this, the incident must be closed.
"Hoping that lessons will be learned and action taken by all parties," said Konstantin Kosachev, quoted by the Interfax news agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Volodymyr Zelensky requests an official apology as Tehran says it accidentally shot down Ukrainian passenger jet after repeatedly denying responsibility.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded Saturday that Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... punish those responsible for the downing of a Ukrainian airliner and pay compensation.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/12/2020 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
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#1
As in "We're sorry we hit the airliner we shot at?"
[IsraelTimes] Robert O’Brien’s close relationship with Trump has been on display as tensions have risen, a sign of the rapid rise of the ’deal guy’ known for his direct and diplomatic style.
While former national security adviser John Bolton spent decades as a conservative iconoclast in the public arena, O’Brien is far from a household name. While Bolton had strong opinions he shared loudly in the Oval Office, O’Brien has worked to establish an amiable relationship with Trump. And while Bolton’s trademark mustache was a target of Trump’s mockery, the president is drawn to O’Brien’s low-key Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, vibe and style.
For all the differences between the two men, though, O’Brien ended up signing off on the same course of action that Bolton had long endorsed: a strike to take out Iran’s top general, Qassem Soleimani . The decision drew retaliatory missile strikes from Tehran.
"He’s a deal guy and the president’s a deal guy," said Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser. "A lot of people inside the foreign policy establishment are good at explaining why things are wrong but are petrified to put things in play and take calculated risks."
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.
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all...
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it 
...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years...
...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
...hereditary prime minister of the Great White North...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
