While the UK media focused on bunting, NATO announced the substantial deepening of its most shameful alliance with the vicious Uzbek dictatorship. As long prefigured in this blog, NATO is forced to retreat from Afghanistan through Uzbekistan, after cutting yet more deals to support the World’s most vicious torture and slave labour regime. The irony of this when the Afghan “Mission” still pretends to be about bringing democracy and human rights to Afghanistan, is apparently lost on the entire western media. I cannot find a single article critical of the NATO deal.
NATO have not announced what specific sweeteners the governments of Uzbekistan, Kirghizstan and Kazakhstan are going to get. It is worth noting that they will have to pass through either Uzbekistan or Kirghizstan first to reach Kazakhstan, and the transport logistics are such over 80% of this will have to be through Uzbekistan.
Doubtless large official payments are being made to the governments for transit rights, while in both Uzbekistan and Kirgizhstan there is a track record of using transport, fuel etc suppliers owned by the ruling families, and I have no doubt that will be a major continuing part of the operation. Other intrinsic parts of the deal have officially been conducted outside of NATO, such as the lifting of EU and US arms embargoes imposed after the 2005 Andijan massacre by the Uzbek government of over 800 pro-democracy demonstrators. The UK and USA have resumed military training of Karimov’s soldiers and the USA has resumed large subsidies to his notorious secret police.
Less tangible but more prized still by Karimov is the political support, the ending of pressure over Uzbekistan’s appalling human rights record and the high level visits in both directions with major capitals to pander to Karimov’s thirst for official acclaim. I heard again today from an Uzbek source that part of the deal is for Gulnara Karimova to become Uzbek Ambassador in London. The FCO continues to deny this; but take my word for it, by the end of next year we will have seen both Karimov and his daughter parading the streets of London.
I would like to hope that this will backfire, that the transit of NATO past 12,000 political prisoners in gulags will not be silently passed over by the western media and political class. But I fear I am wrong.
I highly recommend this series of videos compiled thematically from clips of the various speakers at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights‘ High Level Hearing on Uzbekistan in Berlin. It is all the more powerful as it juxtaposes without comment the official German government (and NATO) view with that of human rights and democracy campaigners
The State of Human Rights in Uzbekistan
State-sponsored Child Labor in the Uzbek Cotton Fields
The Responsibility of Economic Actors
The Role of Germany and the EU
Termez, NATO and the Conflict of Democratic Values
Karimov Regime: The World’s Largest Family-Owned Business
What Should the West Do?
Hi, I had noticed this, and had meant to comment on it but do not know much about the region. The reason I wanted to comment on it, is that I felt that this came in the middle of an enormous restructuring of energy resources and I had wondered if the Afghanistan exit, while obviously this the reason- was not also sat alongside the question of our energy resources, and whether that had not been at the core of why our government were being so er…friendly to this regime? I would be interested in your thoughts as I do not know much about this. I will reblog this as well.
Thank-you Craig , I will also reblog.
Sidebar links to the media war on Syria your readers may find of interest. I am disgusted with Channel 4 news warmonger Alex Tomo who is not listed here but his work I am sure you are well aware of.
http://syriathemediawar.blogspot.com.es/
I am writing to the BBC for failing to discuss and educate young people on the human rights abuses in Uzbekistan.
Gulnara will be able to go shopping in Bond Street with Tzipi Livni without fear of arrest since the ConDems changed the law on impunity.
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http://electronicintifada.net/content/uk-rewrites-war-crimes-law-israels-request/10446
Yes, we don’t really hear about it in the MSM. People such as yourself, and others, choose a very difficult path by continuing to bring forth a constant stream of information. For that you have my gratitude. Your work opens up a dark cellar and casts light upon it. For those persecuted I can only imagine the horrific experiences they endure, there is no one to help them, we truly live in dark times.
Briefly;
Those influences that brought you the Afghan war, are now squeegeeing the last of the profits from their venture/scam of choice. Therefore the Pakistan route is made improbable by increases in drone attacks, as well as the open encouragement of the Indians to get involved in Afghanistan, this later point is the proverbial red rag to the bull. These efforts are in aid of leaving behind most of the kit hauled into the Afghan theater, that makes room for a renewal, and replacement program back at the mainlands of the belligerents. Nice business plan if you can get away with (they have).
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The political theatrics of incorporating Karimov et al, into the newest of the New World Orders, is based on many facets, some of which include the transit route that is made available for NATO retreat, as well as the additional factors such as safe guards getting deployed against the Chinese intentions to move in, on Afghan resources.
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The notion of setting in place a bulwark against the enemy has always played a role in the US foreign policy, hence the additional measures such as Gulnara’s ambassadorship. The absurd fact underlying this macabre tango is the notion that; a compromised and despotic leader can be easily persuaded to carry on the bidding of his “new best friends” (masters) without much of a difficulty. These factors are also further reinforced with the presence of oil and other geopolitical factors in the said countries currently embraced as the saviors and friends of humanity!
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Finally, given the fact that Syrian Free Army has been murdering Assad supporters and passing these as the handiwork of the Syrian Army, further, the ghoulish reputation of the Free Syrian Army for torture, that includes injections of fuel oil into the bodies of their victims, as well as the supply routes for weapons and ammunitions set up from various neighboring countries by the sponsors of the mercenaries posing as Free Syrian Army, that is practically public domain.
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Yet we find the “media” stenographers’ willful ignorance of these mundane and universally known facts, it is with little surprise to find none of the said stenographers are prepared to even acknowledge the NATO retreat aided and abetted by dastardly torturing murderer such as Karimov.
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What was that song? “sixty thou a year buys lots of bear…….” The stenographers endowed with very little talent and a huge ego, verily are aware which side puts the butter on their bread. Hence Craig do not despair, the “media” has only reverted to type.
Note how Panetta is still using the 9/11 meme.
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Pentagon chief Panetta defends Pakistan drone strikes
There have been eight US drone strikes in Pakistan over the past two weeks
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US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has backed the use of drones to target militants in Pakistan, two days after a missile strike reportedly killed al-Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi.
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Mr Panetta said the US had made it “very clear that we are going to continue to defend ourselves”. He made the comments while attending a conference in neighbouring India. On Tuesday, Pakistan summoned the US deputy ambassador to reiterate its “serious concern” about drone strikes.
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There have been eight US drone strikes in the past two weeks despite Islamabad’s demands for them to be stopped.
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“We have made it very clear that we are going to continue to defend ourselves,” he said. “This is about our sovereignty as well.”
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Mr Panetta argued that al-Qaeda leaders who had orchestrated the 11 September 2001 attacks were located in Pakistan’s north-western Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), which border Afghanistan.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-18343142#
“Conservative peer Baroness Scott”
http://politicalscrapbook.net/2012/06/close-protection-uk-molly-prince-companies-struck-off/#comment-196765
Guest It is Lady Stedman-Scott of Tomorrow’s People.
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http://www.tomorrows-people.org.uk/about-us/senior-management-team/debbie-scott.html
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{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Stedman-Scott,_Baroness_Stedman-Scott}
{http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/21/work-programme-wasted-opportunity-charities-baroness-stedman-scott}
{http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/news/content/11516/charities_highlight_financial_risk_of_work_programme_to_mps}
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It’s about time all these pretend do-gooders and profit takers got the hell out and the DWP work was put back into state hands. Surely the A4E experience gives enough evidence that privatising the management of unemployment does not work.
Mary, it was as the article said, it was a quote!. Here is another quote “Gove”
http://politicalscrapbook.net/2012/06/more-evidence-gove-mislead-leveson-wireless-generation-joe-klein/?utm_source=politicalscrapbook.net&utm_medium=psbook_featt&utm_campaign=psbook_featt4
“Karimov Regime: The World’s Largest Family-Owned Business”
There is a parallel. The King of Belgium back in the arse end of Victoria’s reign, “owned” what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He gained immeasurable wealth from this arrangement, using slave labour under pain of death and dismemberment, to harvest rubber for the nascent tyre industry. It took a remarkable person to bring about change.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._D._Morel
Who will do the same for Uzbekistan?
NATO is US global military projection. US congress is controlled by Israel therefore the executive office is compromised by Israel. Hence we have NATO fighting in wars against Islamic countries far removed from the North Atlantic in an attempt to isolate, surround and ultimately attack Israel’s main regional competitor, using the exact same discredited excuse they used the last time a regional competitor was taken out – failure to prove the non-existence of a provably false supposition, like trying to prove that you don’t beat your wife – it’s impossible.
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The media, bankers and politicians are frantically doing their well rehearsed war-dance at the behest of the pied piper of the BIS because ‘Israel’ demands that the West no only attacks Iran but is prepared to attack any country that is protecting Iran.
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The people of the West have been fooled by a deliberately created economic depression into accepting the slashing of their living standards and the looting of the public purse for generations to come in order to give people a sense that there is nothing left to lose.
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The events in Syria are inextricably linked to Israel’s desire to attack Iran and is the only reason that Western backed armed gangs of mercenaries and terrorists are committing atrocities and goading the Syrian army into civilian areas where the dutifully compliant media can fill in the rest of the details.
US AID, a front set up which we have talked about before, lists Afghanistan and Pakistan in its ‘Locations’.
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Overview
Afghanistan and Pakistan, USAID’s two largest assistance programs, reflect the United States’ commitment to the region’s long term stability and human progress. USAID’s Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs brings together vast technical support, analysis and resources to enhance reconstruction and development.
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USAID plays a critical role in President Barack Obama’s national security strategy to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and to prevent its capacity to threaten the United States. USAID programs in agriculture, democracy and governance, economic growth, education, energy, health, and infrastructure provide Afghans and Pakistanis with the tools, technical support, capacity building and institutions for stability, sustainable development and self-sufficiency. The report USAID in Afghanistan: Partnership, Progress, Perseverance demonstrates the results achieved by USAID’s programs in Afghanistan over the past decade.
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{http://www.usaid.gov/locations/afghanistanpakistan/}
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They have a Twitter campaign saying that every child should have a 5th birthday. No irony there if the child escapes being shredded and burned by a drone.
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No irony also when who else but Blair could make this contribution complete with a pic of himself at that young age. A smiling little git then too.
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CEF USA@unicefusa
“I wish for a world free of preventable child deaths.” – Tony Blair; Every child deserves a #5thBDay http://pic.twitter.com/SMwdc8gi
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The US AID page for Uzbekistan leads the reader to believe it is some sort of paradise. {http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia/countries/uzbekistan/}
The 5th birthday campaign is UNICEF’s.
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http://order-order.com/2012/06/06/tony-blair-spent-jubilee-weekend-in-maldives-four-seasons/
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Is he not vile, revolting, unprincipled, greedy, etc etc?
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Excuse the source.
O/T but still Nato.
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NATO’s Slow Genocide in Libya: Syria is Next
What the world has to look forward to if NATO and the UN gets its way in Syria.
by Tony Cartalucci
April 19, 2012 – While Qatari government propaganda outlet Al Jazeera is busy whitewashing the NATO-led terrorist take-over of Libya with “documentaries” like “Gaddafi: The Endgame – State of Denial,” depicting the evisceration of one of Africa’s most developed nation-states as a pro-democracy revolution yielding a promising tomorrow – Libya in reality has been plunged into perpetual violence, destabilization, and division. And as militants battle each other while carving the once unified Libya into a myriad of fiefdoms, genocidal death squads continue a campaign of extermination nationwide.
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http://landdestroyer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/natos-slow-genocide-in-libya-syria-is.html
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Truer now than when written two months ago.
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PS Why is Miliband suddenly talking about the Scottish referendum and attempting to undermine the SNP.
HM QEII Diamond Jubilee celebrations hide over 700 million Commonwealth avoidable deaths
Dr Gideon Polya June 7, 2012, 8:05 am
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http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/thread/1339052732.html
Re. the disgusting picture on Blair’s Maldives break, I hope the breast implants were cheap industrial silicone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gynecomastia Read only if you have not had your dinner recently. Wonder which condition he has?
This may not be news to some people.
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NATO Special Forces in Syria now Official.
SAS and other NATO Special Forces Reported in Syria. The Daily Star is reporting that SAS Special Operations Forces as well as agents of the United Kingdom´s Foreign Intelligence Service MI6 are operating in Syria. That makes it official, what nsnbc and other not state or corporate sponsored media have reported for months. The Daily Star also reports that other countries, including Turkey, France, and “possibly” the USA are operating in Syria.
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https://nsnbc.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/nato-special-forces-in-syria-now-official/
re: NATO Special Forces in Syria now Official.
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who can forget this little fiasco? SAS faked up as Arabs with a car full of bomb making equipment a.k.a. another ‘suicide bomber’ designed to create headlines and justification for military occupation.
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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/sep2005/basr-s28.shtml
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Guess we shouldn’t be looking too hard for who is behind the massacre of Syrian women and children, we’ve seen it all before.
Kofi Annan must be disabused of his belief that ‘Libya imploded’. It did not. It was invaded and attacked in a vast NATO onslaught named Unified Protector.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_military_intervention_in_Libya
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Syria will ‘explode’ as he puts it as the forces outside its border, and some inside, increase the supply of weapons and support to the ‘activists’. A powder keg.
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What a world.
The mere fact of wall-to-wall UK MSM coverage of Syria is evidence enough that we’re in it up to our necks. Project For A New American Century….continued.
The BBC version.
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11 June 2012
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US puts supply route talks with Pakistan on hold
The talks had been aimed at re-opening routes which oil tankers used to supply Nato troops
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Continue reading the main story
Taliban Conflict
Life after Nato in wild east
Rogue soldiers
Nato’s exit strategy
Taliban strength
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The US has temporarily pulled out of talks with Pakistan over re-opening vital supply routes to the Nato-led forces in Afghanistan.
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“The decision was reached to bring the team home for a short period of time,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said.
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Pakistan said the talks had not broken down – they were “still on”.
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Islamabad shut a Nato supply route in November after a Nato air strike near the Afghan-Pakistani border which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
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Part of the US team left Islamabad over the weekend, and the rest will return to the US shortly, Mr Little said.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18401465
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No mention of Karimov there of course who I see is keeping all the balls in the air by reinforcing his alliance with China with a visit.
{http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-06/03/c_131628597.htm}