Cameron and Sarkozy in Benghazi
Aircraftman Cameron and Sarkozy are in Benghazi taking the applause of cheering tribal warriors. Sarkozy looks a bit nervous, as though scared he might meet the English rugby team at a dwarf hurling evening. Cameron looks a bit dazed, probably not sure what applause is. Aaah, that heady moment of triumph! Just like George Bush and Mission Accomplished!
Now those delightful oil contracts to sort out.
Elsewhere, Libyans who foolishly fail to agree with them are being bombed to pieces by NATO. Presumably, once anyone who might hold a different view is dead, it will be safe to hold a democratic election.
Cameron looks increasingly nervous, red-faced and stupid – sometimes he looks quite caught in the headlights. I wonder if he’s coming to realise he’s not up to the job.
I see Colonel Gadaffi has asked NATO, since they’re so eager to protect civilians, please could they stop the demolition of Sirt. Some hope. I wonder why Sarkeron didn’t go there to canvass views, maybe set up a few focus groups.
not too long before pakistan it appears :
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http://www.presstv.ir/detail/199322.html
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“US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Wednesday that the United States would do whatever it took to defend American forces in Afghanistan from Pakistan-based militants, indicating that Washington could give a go-ahead to a military operation inside Pakistan.”
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“I wonder if he’s coming to realise he’s not up to the job.”
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his job is to be a neo con. he’s managing that without any problems.
“I wonder if he’s coming to realise he’s not up to the job.”
his job is to be a neo con. he’s managing that without any problems.
And let’s be both fair and straight about this – if my own circle of neighbours and aquaintances is anything to go by (please tell me it isn’t) – he operates with the full and gullible support of a tragic proportion of the British electorate. A recent conversation with one of my own relatives, asking what he thought about the NATO role in Libya – “Well, yer can’t let the f..ing towelheads go around blowing us up, can yer?”
Profound and culpable ignorance will always get the government it deserves. Unfortunately for the rest of humanity.
These two, Sarkozy and Cameron, remind me of two crooked vultures circling over a carcas in the desert, and then landing to gorge themselves before they fly off looking for their next victim/meal.
“Washington could give a go-ahead to a military operation inside Pakistan”
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wendy, why are they saying that. they have been doing just that for a very long time, and not only in Pakistan.
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Jack, sadly, your post mirrors my own experiences.
Published on Thursday, September 15, 2011 by Foreign Policy In Focus
Libya, Oil, and the New Scramble for Africa
by Conn Hallinan
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Is current U.S. foreign policy in Africa following a blueprint drawn up almost eight years ago by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, one of the most conservative think tanks in the world? Although it seems odd that a Democratic administration would have anything in common with the extremists at Heritage, the convergence in policy and practice between the two is disturbing.
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Heritage, with help from Joseph Coors and the Scaife Foundations, was founded in 1973 by the late Paul Weyrich, one of the most conservative thinkers in the United States and a co-founder of the Moral Majority.
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In October 2003, James Carafano and Nile Gardiner, two Heritage Foundation heavyweights, proposed a major shift in U.S. military policy vis-à-vis the African continent.
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In a “Backgrounder” article entitled “U.S. Military Assistance for Africa: A Better Solution,” the two called for the creation of a military command for the continent, a focus on fighting “terrorism,” and direct military intervention using air power and naval forces if “vital U.S. interests are at stake.” Such interventions, they wrote, should include allies and avoid using ground troops.
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Almost every element of that proposal has come together over the past year, though some pieces, like the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Initiative, were in place before the Obama administration took office.
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Libya and Oil
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contd/….http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/09/15-12?print
Under the guise of describing the rise of facebook and the part it played in the ME revolutions, the BBC are attacking Gaddafi and comparing his regime to that of Bahrain. On now.
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‘he story of how the Arab world erupted in revolution, as a new generation used the internet and social media to try to overthrow their hated leaders.
In the last of this two part series, Mishal Husain meets those who spread the revolt to Libya and Bahrain, and those who are still fighting the Syrian regime.’
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014s261
“Russian general urges Central Asia to stay alert”
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/09/12/56040825.html
“Strategic Culture Foundation”
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2011/09/03/revolt-in-libya-a-message-to-chavez.html
Apposite metaphor Writerman.
Jack: I haven’t met one single person with a good word to say about him. Not at work; not at the gym; not down the pub; not within my family; not within my neighbours.
From dislike and mistrust to boiling anger and visceral hatred, fit to hang him from a lamppost should he come within hanging distance.
Of course, I live in Scotland where he managed to secure one seat out of 59 in elections for London’s parliament. And in our own parliament, even with a very popular leader in Annabel Goldie (even I like her) the Tory share of the vote decreased. With boundary changes they should have achieved 20 seats, but instead got 15.
His Respect Agenda for our country translates to talking us down on visits to America and making cheap nasty Flashman-type jokes about us in his house of commons.
He promises to come with his po faced wife to promote the UK against Alex Salmond’s independence. I say let him install himself for 6 months here. We’ll be independent after the first three.
Vile man; vile party; vile policies.
Fuck it. Job done.
“wendy, why are they saying that. they have been doing just that for a very long time, and not only in Pakistan.”
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true the usa/uk have been fighting inside of pakistan via proxies (some of the so called pakistan taliban) , blackwater-xe (et al) and cia operatives (helpfully enabled by husain haqqani the pakistan ambassador in the usa who “let” through 7000 US operatives (claimed ngo’s) without the usual vetting from islamabad and the isi).
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possibly the US is acting because of the lack of progress in afghanistan, importantly they need to de-nuke pakistan and pakistan is hindering their expansion (region of direct influence) due to the lack of control of logistics / access to gwadar (afghanistan is land locked it needs the balochi terrorists backed by uk/usa to gain access to this deep water sea port) and karachi. of course the long term interest is iran , russia and china .. and china has strategic and infrastructural commitments to pakistan (gwadar was one such project)
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balochistan important for its oil, coal and gas reserves. pakistan is negotiating the iran pipeline deal , and the nwfp has important minerals/resources , access to china and the caspian region.
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potentially pakistan economic power if handled correctly is very great.
Gulnara Karimova on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8yhSgtQ7DY&feature=player_embedded
I didn’t watch it all the way through.
300 cheering supporters by admission only, apparently. No doubt with boards held up to tell them when to applaud madly.
There are much deeper points about the flagrant illegaity and criminal conduct of this attempt at a Libyan oil grab.
I quote from an article entitled, Libya’s Finest Hour….As NATO Presses Conquest, from the Black Star News Editorial.
“The newspapers of the day including The New York Times celebrated “Italy’s Great Victory” in Africa, saying the defeat of the Abyssinians meant “civilization” had prevailed over “barbarity.” Africa would now be opened up to profitable Western commerce, the Times opined.
Then in 1896 Menelik II, together with his wife Empress Taytu leading the charges, struck with ferocious power and courage. Menelik II destroyed an entire Italian army of an original 10,000 troops, vanquishing nearly half, including most of the leading officers and capturing half of the army.
That was Ethiopia’s greatest hour and indeed Africa’s finest moment against European imperial aggression.”
Moving forward to what is actually happening in Libya, I quote from the web site,
http://www.globalresearch.ca
Massive bombing of residential areas in Tripoli over the last three days
Nearly 20,000 sorties, and 7459 strike sorties since March 31st
Global Research, August 22, 2011
“Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 06.00GMT) a total of 19,751 sorties, including 7,459 strike sorties, have been conducted.
Sorties conducted 20 AUGUST: 105
Strike sorties conducted 20 AUGUST: 36”
These figures do not include the extensive bombing raids directed against civilian targets conducted on the 21st and 22nd of August.
Realities are twisted and turned upside down.
The bombing is part of NATO’s mandate to “protect the lives of civilians”
Make no mistake, NATO is involved in extensive war crimes. The media has been involved in a coverup operation.
The military alliance is supporting an insurgency which in large part is integrated by Islamist death squads which have been set loose in the streets of Tripoli.
While some on this thread may see the events that are unfolding in Libya as some sort of “liberation”, for my part I beg to differ. The issue here is not whether one wants to gloss and excuse any transgressions of Gadaffi, but whether one wants to adhere to the most fundamental principles of international law and the conduct of international relations in a “civilized” and humane manner.
The questions to my mind are these:-
1. When the ANC opposed Apartheid there were well established voices in leadership, such as Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela. These men were termed “terrorists” by the white racists and by the West. The likes of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan wanted to prolong the “civilized” rule of Apartheid while Mandela and Sisulu wanted to ensure that the people’s rights were recognised and the benefits of the economy reached the majority. These men had a history of leadership and commitment to a political cause when they had pursued a political path for the betterment of their country. Question 1 – where is the recognised leadership in the NTC in Libya with a record of dedicated opposition and a political or any vision of where Libya will be taken post-Gadaffi?
2. When Menelik 11 defeated the Italians and when the Italians had their prior incursion into Libya one could discern a colonialist mission of occupation and domination of the foreign territory. Question 2 – By way of the US and NATO’s violation of Resolution 1973 in its pursuit of a war aggression and directing the war of aggression against a sovereign government – does anyone not discern the colonialist and imperial design of the whole operation, that bears comparison to the historical record in Ethiopia and previously in Libya?
3. When the models of the results in Afghanistan and Iraq beam in one’s eyes – is it that we are brain-dead in not discerning in Libya and or the future of Africa – the process afoot:-
i) Breach international law and become an active participant in a war of aggression against Libya by supporting the rebels with bombing and supply of arms.
ii) Use a fig-leaf of “democracy” and “freedom” to cover naked aggression.
iii) Commandeer Libyan funds in the billions and use same to fund the rebellion.
iv) Steal Libyan resources once the Gadaffi government is ousted and enjoy the stolen fruits of oil, gold and water in abundance. If anyone complains about the mayhem that will undoubtedly unfold, then simply blame it all on Libyan ineptitude.
v) Post-rebellion – send in contracted parties to rape Libya’s resources with contracted security officers; consultants; a manipulated grab of the oil, the gold bullion, the water resources and use all t he Libyan national resources to repay for the “aid” and “help” that the benevolent is giving. Recall the process with Mossadeque in Iran and where that finally led to?
Maybe the wheel of history and the whole cycle it turning gain from Libya to Syria to Iran – yet again.
Question 3 – If I am not right in all I have stated – only subsequent events will assuredly prove me wrong – are all agreed on that?
When this process is all over – tell the Libyan people, as has been told to the Iraqis – “ you are liberated and free to choose your leader”, but continue to occupy to ensure that they make the right choice for leader.
Anyone ever read the AU roadmap to peace? Anyone ever questioned that if the people did not want Gadaffi as a leader –then by permitting a Western style election which Gadaffi is agreed to – then the result just might be that the people freely choose Gadaffi? But, the US and NATO won’t permit that process to operate, because it must install its own puppets to control the Libyan political process.
I am simply saying that before our eyes this is hypocrisy, criminality and banditry at the highest levels in the world, involving the UK, France, the US and the perpetrators of crimes against the Libyan people done and yet to be done by Cameron, Sarkozy and Obama.
Gadaffi provided money for his people, health care, housing, educated women and has a highly educated population, water via the aquifer in abundance, gold in abundance for the nation’s on-going development, infrastructure – and of course the US/NATO having bombed the said infrastructure, the West will now be providing the consultants, road builders, engineers, security officers and a wonderfully sound and democratic government compliments of a truly “civilized” process of rebuilding a Libya destroyed by the bombing and overthrow of established government. My – isn’t “democracy” in these circumstances a wonderfully violent and desirable process?
Of course, there will be those who disagree with my views – but I am only too happy to hear their facts and reasoned argument – why Libya will be better post-Gadaffi?
CB ( http://www.globaljusticeonline.com)
Even the semblance of rational, curious thought seems missing from our media. I have looked in vain for some mainstream outlet – any mainstream outlet – to tell us, for example, something about who the rebels are, or what our goals are, even some historical context, some explanation of our complex relationship with Gaddafi – and there has been little, if any. This has been, genuinely, a surprise. Like other posters here, and I’m sure the thread host, I am not unaware of Chomsky’s propaganda filters, nor entirely naive about how our spooks use the media, but I have been quietly astonished at timidity of our brave independent media. They simply aren’t asking any questions. They aren’t doing their job.
Iraq was terrible. However, we have a new factor in play – Libya is legal. We have granted ourselves immunity from war-crimes. How a brave, independent media can be anything but disturbed by this dark development is beyond my little mind.
And Cameron? He’s a nobody, acting under orders from the Coalition of the Drilling (TM)- oilmen and the US State Separtment. Sarkozy is well known to be a US pet, too. And Obama? Well, he’s a pathological and gifted liar, it looks to me; who does that remind us of?
“I am not unaware of Chomsky’s propaganda filters, nor entirely naive about how our spooks use the media, but I have been quietly astonished at timidity of our brave independent media. They simply aren’t asking any questions. They aren’t doing their job.”
Questions such as :-
1. Once a no-fly zone is declared via UN Resolution and by reference to Resolutions 1970 and 1973 – how does one arrive from there to a “humanitarian bombing mission”?
2. When a UN Resolution prohibits the importing of armaments into Libya – how do the French and others bring arms into Libya and support one faction against another while professing to uphold the UN Reslution?
3. Since Libya is in Africa and the African Union had designed a peaceful path and roadmap for resolution of the differences – how is it that the AU roadmap is not embraced, which within it had a path to Western style elections with Gadaffi as a candidate?
4. How does one find a leader with over a million people coming out in his support and then in purporting to implement a democratic form of government ignore the over million Libyans publicly demonstrated wishes and exclude that potential candidate from any election that the bombers might design?
5. How does one bomb the remaining city bastions of support for Gadaffi – and profess that the bombing is in support of the “humanitarian mission”? because they are non-humans and NATO is focused on the oil and hegemony on a mad march to Syria, Algerian and Iran?
I could go on – but this is simply criminal, raw, ugly, unmitigated and unmasked imperialist aggression. It is the Berlin Conference in the 21st Century.
Strange type of “democratic” process – where an evidently still popular leader, whose country has been bombed for 6 months, still finds within his country sufficient base of support, despite the combined efforts of the “rebel alliance”, such that there is no total ouster and defeat of that leader. Even stranger, when the African Union has presented a plan where the professed Western style elections are endorsed by the AU, and the leader accepts the plan to present himself for election accordingly, but the bombing continues, and the “democratic process” is one of bombing into power an opposition rebel faction, while simultaneously denying a choice to the Libyan people whether they want that leader to continue in power, or vote in the “bombed in” faction.
Strangely “democratic” process indeed, where bombs literally supplant any balllot, vote, referendum or yardstick of Libyan popular will.
What is the true cost of the Afghanistan war?
Narrated by Tony Benn. Music by Brian Eno
StoptheWarCoalition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0Bkg8zgoYQ&feature=youtu.be
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A pity that Benn canvassed for Bliar by telephone in 2005.
@Brendan
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There might be a reason for the silence on who the rebels are. Read this:
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http://consortiumnews.com/2011/09/15/on-libya-now-they-tell-us/
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Quote:
“The New York Times and the Washington Post on Thursday finally acknowledged that radical Islamists, including some with links to al-Qaeda, are consolidating their power inside the new regime in Tripoli.”
OT: No, it’s not a joke. Workers at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant will no longer receive free lunches as there are no more boil-in-the-bag meals.
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http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/09/no-more-free-lunch-at-fukushima-i.html
So, this catnip snorting party has landed with a culpable hooray, now for business.
The omission by our coporate media to delude us about Lockerbie and delude us about Gadaffi’s aims, tell us porkies about the spanking new weaponry dished up to these rebells and more untruth as to the long term aims in Libya, are now becoming so open, they can’t be covered up again.
If an election decides that islamists are to be part of a democratic Libya, so be it! Who are we to keep this country in chaos…. or was that the goal? looks like it was planned some time ago, to first schmooze up and [pretend to be friends, who you then discard and make your enemy once you reached your initial goals. Soon the media will question the particiaption of islamists in the Libyan Government, whatever next, Muslims governing themselves? tut tut…
PS. no offence Anno et al.
Mary, Benn foresaw the relacement of the nation-state by global business and the subsequently by the Zionist New World Order.
What he may not have foreseen is that Blair was going to be part of that scheme. In retrospect old-fashioned political loyalty turned out to be inappropriate.
What interests me is that this form of treachery is now dominant inside political Islam as well. Non-treacherous, non-deception, non-violence, non-theft and for all I know, non-respect for other people’s family honour, are now pidgeon-holed as weak Islam,or Sufism. Macho-Islam has no respect for any of the tenets contained in the 10 commandments. Those tenets are for imposition on the ordinary Muslims, not for the leaders.
So if chiyanat or treachery is the modus operandi of Macho-Islam, is it surprising that it is the modus-operandi of the Zionists, or that we discover that the Zionists and the macho-Islamists are working together in partnership to prevent the peaceful emergence of non-interest banking for Africa through Gaddaffi’s oil funds.
The strategy of the Zionists for Africa is to use macho-Islam to slash and burn the continent as it has already done in Pakistan, Indonesia, Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan.
The long-standing association between UK politicians like Straw and the UK Muslim clerics, and the association between Usama bin Laden and George Bush, now looks more of a synthesised strategy for the New World Order. When the West and Zionism has completed its destruction of the existing nation-state system, macho-Islam will be given a stake in the New World Order, which will be infinitely larger and looking more like the potency of a chaliphate, than what they can achieve by doing what we are doing, reporting, condemning and tearful-hand-wringing.
Will I be placing my allegiance to the Macho-Islam leadership when they present this new chaliphate to us serfs?
No, I will be standing shoulder to shoulder with atheists, socialists, Christians, Jews, maybe even Hindus who condemn the use of violent political distress to win power. This was not the way of the prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace be upon him.
If the Muslim leaders transgress the rules of Islam, there is no listening and no obedience. They have been deceived by the Zionists and Shaytan, that they can build an Islamic Power through murder, spying, treachery, and political alliance with the enemies of Islam. They think that if they behave badly enough, the Zionists will be deceived into giving them a break at chilafah. Piffle. They like chiyanat/treachery and power for their own egos and Allah doesn’t like it, and nor do I. They egg will be on their faces, not mine.
Long may they, usurping , ignorant, self-appointed enemies of Islam who have hijacked Islam for their personal priveledge and importance, long may they continue in their misguidance, or, if He wills, may Allah forgive them and change them back to Islam.
Struggling to get anything past the machine today. No problem will re-post later. Friday prayer time.
Meanwhile the war criminals from Tel Aviv get welcomed here with open arms.
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http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420649
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UK amends law to protect Israelis from prosecution
Published yesterday (updated) 16/09/2011 10:20
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Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni [MaanImages]
LONDON (Reuters) — A British law limiting citizens’ rights to seek the arrest of foreign politicians for alleged war crimes took effect on Thursday, removing a thorn in British-Israeli relations.
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The law amends legislation which Israel had protested about, saying it exposed its high-profile officials to the threat of arrest for alleged offenses if they visited Britain.
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Under the old law, private individuals could start criminal prosecutions, including for international war crimes, by applying to a magistrate for an arrest warrant.
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Israel demanded Britain change the law in late 2009 after reports that former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni would have risked arrest on war crimes charges over the 2008-9 Gaza offensive, had she not canceled a visit to London.
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Last year, Israel said it had stopped sending delegations to Britain for routine strategic talks out of fear pro-Palestinian activists would seek their arrest for alleged war crimes.
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/…. contd
Not off-topic, but all-topic: We do a great deal of complaining here about how awful everything is, but few seem minded to do anything about it – can anything be done?
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I’ve been interested for many years in the idea of ‘local currency’ and it now looks as if we might find ourselves in a position (if we’re not there already) where it is not just desirable but inescapable. There’s a good study here (which interestingly links the withdrawal of a local currency with the outbreak of WW2):
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http://anz.theoildrum.com/node/4633
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It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has first hand experience of operating such schemes.
Guest
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“Russian general urges Central Asia to stay alert”
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/09/12/56040825.html
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Hi Guest
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Arab spring is very unlikely scenario in Central Asia, There are number of very big differences between regimes in Central Asia and those in North Africa. ‘Ice breaks in places where it is thin’ and in Central Asia regimes are in control. Plus Russia and China are in a very close proximity that would make any kind of NATO strikes impossible at least.
Livni is even uglier than Hilary. Tell ’em, if they want to come to London, they’re going to have to wear a veil.