The problem with the Geneva Communique from the first Geneva round on Syria is that the government of Syria never subscribed to it. It was jointly chaired by the League of Arab States for Syria, whatever that may mean. Another problem is that it is, as so many diplomatic documents are, highly ambiguous. It plainly advocates a power sharing executive formed by some of the current government plus the opposition to oversee a transition to democracy. But it does not state which elements of the current government, and it does not mention which elements of the opposition, nor does it make plain if President Assad himself is eligible to be part of, or to head, the power-sharing executive, and whether he is eligible to be a candidate in future democratic elections.
Doubtless the British, for example, would argue that the term transition implies that he will go. The Russians will argue there is no such implication and the text does not exclude anybody from the process. Doubtless also diplomats on all sides were fully aware of these differing interpretations and the ambiguity is quite deliberate to enable an agreed text. I would say that the text tends much more to the “western” side, and that this reflects the apparently weak military position of the Assad regime at that time and the then extant threat of western military intervention. There has been a radical shift in those factors against the western side in the interim. Expect Russian interpretations now to get more hardline.
Given the extreme ambiguity of the text, Iran has, as it frequently does, shot itself in the foot diplomatically by refusing to accept the communique as the basis of talks and thus getting excluded from Geneva. Iran should have accepted the communique, and then at Geneva issued its own interpretation of it.
But that is a minor point. The farcical thing about the Geneva conference is that it is attempting to promote into power-sharing in Syria “opposition” members who have no democratic credentials and represent a scarcely significant portion of those actually fighting the Assad regime in Syria. What the West are trying to achieve is what the CIA and Mossad have now achieved in Egypt; replacing the head of the Mubarak regime while keeping all its power structures in place. The West don’t really want democracy in Syria, they just want a less pro-Russian leader of the power structures.
The inability of the British left to understand the Middle East is pathetic. I recall arguing with commenters on this blog who supported the overthrow of the elected President of Egypt Morsi on the grounds that his overthrow was supporting secularism, judicial independence (missing the entirely obvious fact the Egyptian judiciary are almost all puppets of the military) and would lead to a left wing revolutionary outcome. Similarly the demonstrations against Erdogan in Istanbul, orchestrated by very similar pro-military forces to those now in charge in Egypt, were also hailed by commenters here. The word “secularist” seems to obviate all sins when it comes to the Middle East.
Qatar will be present at Geneva, and Qatar has just launched a pre-emptive media offensive by launching a dossier on torture and murder of detainees by the Assad regime, which is being given first headline treatment by the BBC all morning
There would be a good dossier to be issued on torture in detention in Qatar, and the lives of slave workers there, but that is another question.
I do not doubt at all that atrocities have been committed and are being committed by the Assad regime. It is a very unpleasant regime indeed. The fact that atrocities are also being committed by various rebel groups does not make Syrian government atrocities any better.
But whether 11,000 people really were murdered in a single detainee camp I am unsure. What I do know is that the BBC presentation of today’s report has been a disgrace. The report was commissioned by the government of Qatar who commissioned Carter Ruck to do it. Both those organisations are infamous suppressors of free speech. What is reprehensible is that the BBC are presenting the report as though it were produced by neutral experts, whereas the opposite is the case. It is produced not by anti torture campaigners or by human rights activists, but by lawyers who are doing it purely and simply because they are being paid to do it.
The BBC are showing enormous deference to Sir Desmond De Silva, who is introduced as a former UN war crimes prosecutor. He is indeed that, but it is not the capacity in which he is now acting. He is acting as a barrister in private practice. Before he was a UN prosecutor, he was for decades a criminal defence lawyer and has defended many murderers. He has since acted to suppress the truth being published about many celebrities, including John Terry.
If the Assad regime and not the government of Qatar had instructed him and paid him, he would now be on our screens arguing the opposite case to that he is putting. That is his job. He probably regards that as not reprehensible. What is reprehensible is that the BBC do not make it plain, but introduce him as a UN war crimes prosecutor as though he were acting in that capacity or out of concern for human rights. I can find no evidence of his having an especial love for human rights in the abstract, when he is not being paid for it. He produced an official UK government report into the murder of Pat Finucane, a murder organised by British authorities, which Pat Finucane’s widow described as a “sham”. He was also put in charge of quietly sweeping the Israeli murders on the Gaza flotilla under the carpet at the UN.
The question any decent journalist should be asking him is “Sir Desmond De Silva, how much did the government of Qatar pay you for your part in preparing this report? How much did it pay the other experts? Does your fee from the Government of Qatar include this TV interview, or are you charging separately for your time in giving this interview? In short how much are you being paid to say this?”
That is what any decent journalist would ask. Which is why you will never hear those questions on the BBC.
President Maduro requests US ‘diplomats’ to leave Caracas. A US plot exists to destabilize Venezuela.
Same old. Same old.
Maduro Expels Three U.S. Officials from Venezuela for “Conspiracy”
Feb 17th 2014
http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/10362
Venezuelan Intelligence Official Arrested in Connection with 12 February Violence in Caracas
Feb 17th 2014
http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/10357
False images and information are widespread.
Constructing “Venezuela” Protests: a Photo Gallery
http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/10360
Stay strong Maduro. ‘Venceremos’.
Ben at 12:59
“What does a civilized society do with it’s psychopaths (not to conflate the former) who choose to persist in anti-social behavior?”
Elect them to president and prime minister, if you mean what historically do we do.
If you mean what should we do, that’s a more difficult question. I don’t like labels but RAD means reactive attachment disorder, where a child cannot attach because of mistreatment in babyhood or early years. Psychopathic tendencies come from neglect in babyhood and childhood, particularly in the first year. Babies cry for three main reasons. They need feeding, they need changing or they need comforting. Crying is their way of letting parents know that something needs to be done. Neglected children, those whose parents go to the pub and leave them alone also cry. When they get no attention eventually they stop crying. On top of this some of them get abused, sexually, physically or psychologically or any combination. All these warp the mind of a helpless child. As soon as they are old enough to start doing things for themselves their philosophy is one of nobody helped me when I needed it most they end up with no conscience. They can be highly intelligent.
Tory and other future politicians sent away to prep-school and public-school in their childhood also suffer neglect. They miss out on family love. They don’t care. But because they can see that there are people in society who do care they pretend to care. Their intelligence and background has taught them that to succeed they must subjugate others. Remember what Nick Rockefeller told Aaron Russo about people that would suffer under the proposed 9/11 attacks. “What do you want to concern yourself with them for?” or words to that effect.
To answer the question then the problem must be addressed in childhood. Parents who cannot give their children the love and attention they need are not fit to have children. As to the politicians – close the prep-schools, public schools and smother them in love when they are children. It’s not their fault. It’s the fault of society.
http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/Facts_for_Families_Pages/Reactive_Attachment_Disorder_85.aspx
Some further thoughts on Glenn Greenwald.
Jonathan Cook
18 February 2014
One does not criticise Glenn Greenwald, one of journalism’s true heroes, and not expect to create a mini-firestorm, at least in my own little corner of the blogosphere. So the criticism that rapidly followed my post last night was not unexpected. I want to address the two types of criticism levelled at me to better explain my own position, which has been misunderstood by some – and possibly, if I have read his initial reaction correctly, by Greenwald himself.
The first criticism is easy to dismiss. Some have stated that they are on Greenwald’s “side”, thereby suggesting that I am not. Greenwald is under constant fire from the right; and he rightly receives wild acclamation on the left. Do critics really think I am with Fox News on the subject of whether Greenwald is a force for good?
But at the same time I can imagine it is very easy in these circumstances of extreme and conflicting reactions to one’s work to lose one’s bearings a little. My post was meant as a nudge to Greenwald in an area where I think his perspective is most susceptible to becoming skewed by his own exceptional experiences.
The second criticism is that I have misrepresented or exaggerated Greenwald’s arguments. I don’t think I have, and I will use an analogy to help clarify my position.
– See more at: http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2014-02-18/some-further-thoughts-on-glenn-greenwald/
What a morning! A lazy sun-disc cresting the Paps, sparkling the meadow grasses and away to the south a pinky blanket of cloud falling slowly over the lip and melting away among snowy crags of the Glen.
hanks Brian, I thought it might be good yoga music. I was wrong. Savour those three words! Now I’m wide awake.
Guano.
Re God and all. I feel some ambivalence re the concept. Shaman says the Wathafeks banished their gods when they realised they gave them permission to be cruel.
It brought to mind Bakunin’s observation. “A boss in Heaven is the best excuse for a boss on earth, therefore If God did exist, he would have to be abolished.”
I’m not so sure, but I’d love to see more religious people using beleif God to inspire kind thoughts and actions.
As James Petras was saying last October……..
US-Venezuela Relations: A Case Study of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism
by James Petras / October 20th, 2013
US relations with Venezuela illustrate the specific mechanisms with which an imperial power seeks to sustain client states and overthrow independent nationalist governments. By examining US strategic goals and its tactical measures, we can set forth several propositions about the nature and instruments of imperial politics, the shifting context and contingencies influencing the successes and failures of specific policies, and the importance of regional and global political alignments and priorities.
/..
http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/10/us-venezuela-relations-a-case-study-of-imperialism-and-anti-imperialism/
Good comment John. I thought of Blair and Bush who are more of the pure psychopath than RAD victims I think. Remember the young Bush putting firecrackers inside frogs and watching them explode.
Don’t know where you are Sofia, but here it’s damp and overcast after heavy rain in the night.
Mary Blair and Bush fit the sociopath profile brilliantly. Thatcher too.
http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html
What a lovely time of day it is before the disruptive morons hit the blog. Wonder where they are based?
Lol Sofia… Loud n Proud But MEGA talent
It always taunts me…what We are capable of – MINUS WARS – And the freeing of Tesla’s Stolen Secrets
Top Six Reasons to Stop Fighting Wars
(1) .War is immoral.
Murder is the one crime that we’re taught to excuse if it’s done on a large enough scale. Morality demands that we not so excuse it. War is nothing other than murder on a large scale…….
(6) .We need $2 trillion/year for other things.
aid
It would cost about $30 billion per year to end starvation and hunger around the world. That sounds like a lot of money to you or me. But if we had $2 trillion it wouldn’t. And we do…..
The rest is of this piece is @
http://www.globalresearch.ca/top-six-reasons-to-stop-fighting-wars/5369290
Mary.
I’m well to the WNW of you in Troikaland.
Seems like our sunny morning won’t last either.
A wonderful animation here of the last 2 hrs from mid Atlantic to Odessa, http://www.sat24.com/en/eu
I must make the most of it. Have a good day everyone.
Brian, thanks for the link. I think the author could have done more with:
4. War erodes our liberties.
especially since it has allowed the introduction of acts like the anti-terrorism acts, banging people away indefinitely, but the article says it as it is.
Regardless of whether -probably not – the ‘carpet of bombs/gold’ conversation ever took place, this piece confirms that the Unocal pipeline was well on the way to being a done deal before 2001, and still under serious consideration in 2002. The entry for Oct 1998 is of particular interest.
http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=unocal
One interpretation of the shenanigans may be that Unocal hoped to beat the BTC pipeline to the market, which makes it even stranger that the US invaded. Perhaps they genuinely thought that it would be easy and feasible to swing Af from the Taliban to the equally corrupt opposition? A last ditch attempt to progress the pipeline? The politics are too byzantine to call.
Anon
17 Feb, 2014 – 9:59 pm
“Fred, forgive me if I’m wrong, but are not respect for human rights, freedom and a functioning democracy some of the basic requirements for international recognition of a state?”
Yes they are Anon but those things are missing in Israel because of Zionism.
Why do you support Zionism Anon?
Ba’al Zevul (La Vita è Finita) 18 Feb, 2014 – 10:17 am
Thanks for the link, an interesting perspective.
Doug Scorgie
The bog was enjoying a bit of a pleasant reprise and you mention one of hackle-raising names which lowers the tone, Anon.
Sofia Kibo Noh, 18 Feb, 2014 – 10:06 am
My guess is you’re heading for Sochi. Great weather perspective of Europe. Thanks.
Enjoy yourself. You haven’t got that fork-tongued, scaly-backed lizard with you have you?
Resident Dissident
17 Feb, 2014 – 10:24 pm
To Doug Scorgie
“Face palm – it has already been explained to you many many times – since I very much doubt that you will be standing up in court any time now challenging the right of Israel to exist in international law (or Fred for that matter) might you give everyone a rest – as far as I am concerned you can and probably do believe in Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy and the Bogeyman.”
ResDis, as I have said before I will recognise the legitimacy of Israel if pulls back to the 1967 borders and becomes a democracy for its entire people: not a Jewish state, run by Jews for the benefit of Jews.
As to Father Christmas et al you’re not suggesting they don’t exist are you?
The al Hilli case
Apparently a 48-year-old man has been arrested in France
http://news.sky.com/story/1213468/man-arrested-over-alps-murder-of-british-family
“The arrest is being linked to the release in November of an artist’s impression of a motorcyclist seen near the scene of the massacre.”
“ResDis, as I have said before I will recognise the legitimacy of Israel if pulls back to the 1967 borders and becomes a democracy for its entire people: not a Jewish state, run by Jews for the benefit of Jews.”
Oh well the State of Israel will just have to manage with recognition from the UN and most world powers in the absence of your personal recognition – how will they cope.
And what exactly is your position on the Hamas Charter?
Anon
17 Feb, 2014 – 10:11 pm
“A world map of racism has been produced and English-speaking Western countries, along with much of South America, top the charts in easy-going attitudes towards foreigners.”
“A lot of work to be done in Russia, Iran, China and India, mind you!”
Anon,according to that map, the worst offending countries are coloured pink through to red. China and Russia are not in that range so why did you cite them?
Also you cite Iran but not Saudi-Arabia which seems to be just as bad, why the omission?
I have my doubts about the validity of the survey anyway because one of the worst offenders, Israel, is not in the pink to red category.
Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!
17 Feb, 2014 – 11:02 pm
Doug Scorgie said:
“I repeat Israel unilaterally declared its independence a year before those resolutions.”
Habbabkuk said:
“Yes, and I repeat that its declaration of statehood followed on from another UN Resolution, which has already been referred to further up on this thread. Scroll back and you will find it.”
Doug Scorgie said:
I don’t need to scroll back Habbabkuk because it’s not true.
“I have my doubts about the validity of the survey anyway because one of the worst offenders, Israel, is not in the pink to red category.”
I don’t think the people of Israel are any more racist than anyone else. The map is a survey of people not politics. The figures are based on one question in a larger survey, “Would you mind someone of a different race living next door to you??” So long as they were Jews I don’t think most Israelies would mind what race their next door neighbour was and would certainly know better than to admit it if they did.
Well, that was Unocal. Since then, Unocal was taken over by Chevron (missing the rather larger price being offered by the Chinese, due to US protectionist policies). And Chevron has inherited the project.
Despite much innocent fluttering of eyelashes by the US administration, the TAPI pipeline is still – Nov 2013 – very much alive.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/625900/transnational-project-chevron-exxonmobil-keen-on-running-tapi-pipeline/
Exxon’s involvement will make it almost mandatory. Exxon effectively runs the right wing in the US.
And here’s how the Azeri News sees (Mar 2013) those altruistic folks at Exxon, Chevron and perhaps Gazprom –
http://www.azernews.az/analysis/51220.html
‘TAPI to guarantee stability in Asia’
*rolls on floor until carpet burns force cessation*
Hey, they could build a pipeline through Syria while they’re at it, couldn’t they?
Scroll back, Doug. There’s a sting in the tale. The 1947 UN Resolution supported partition between Arabs and Jews. See here –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Partition_Plan_for_Palestine
The Zionists actually favoured this plan. As President Truman later said (op. cit.) ” The persistence of a few of the extreme Zionist leaders—actuated by political motives and engaging in political threats—disturbed and annoyed me.”
And –
THE STATE OF ISRAEL is prepared to cooperate with the agencies and representatives of the United Nations in implementing the resolution of the General Assembly of the 29th November, 1947, and will take steps to bring about the economic union of the whole of Eretz-Israel. (The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, 1948, The Jewish People’s Council; signatories include David Ben-Gurion)
“My guess is you’re heading for Sochi.”
WNW of Surrey?
Is map reading another one of your strengths?
In 1949, the UN admitted Israel as a member, thereby acknowledging it to be a peace-loving state -stop sniggering at the back, there -. One of the undertakings given by Israel was this –
5. The Government of Israel reaffirmed its obligation to protect the persons and property of all communities living within its borders. It would discountenance any discrimination or interference with the rights and liberties of individuals or groups forming such minorities. The Government of Israel looked forward to the restoration of peaceful conditions which might enable relaxation of any restrictions on the liberty of persons or property.
UN General Assembly, A/AC.24/SR.45, 5 May 1949
Oh dear.
That BDS thing is really winding up the apartheid thugs. Squeeming and squeeming they are:
“On Tuesday the BDS movement hailed news that Germany’s largest bank, Deutsche Bank, had listed Israel’s Bank Hapoalim as an unethical investment, and that two European port operators had dropped plans to build new ports in Israel over fears about a boycott.”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/18/israel-boycott-movement-antisemitic-netanyahu
So that Netanyahu’s bluster. The Israeli finance minister is much more realistic:
“Israel, says Yair Lapid, Israel’s finance minister, is approaching the same “tipping point” where South Africa found itself in opposition to the rest of the world in the dying days of apartheid. “Let’s not kid ourselves,” he told a conference of security boffins recently in Tel Aviv. “The world listens to us less and less.””
http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21595948-israels-politicians-sound-rattled-campaign-isolate-their-country
Black Jelly/English Knight/Larry/whoever.
I addressed a post to you yesterday. I’ve copied it below. I’d be obliged if you would comment on it. Thank you.
You have been around this blog for long enough to know that the majority of contributors are critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestine. A lot of issues are aired here which Israel’s supporters would like to suppress. It has already been closed down once because one contributor threatened to inform the police about anti-semitic comments.
If you are what you seem to be, you will wish this blog to continue. Your comments are deliberately provocative and are putting this blog at risk. Please stop.
ESLO
Nothing wrong with my geography. What’s wrong with yours?
http://www.propwall.my/klcc/the_troika
Trying to point score again instead of having an intelligent conversation like taking up my point about RAD and the Tory or other elites.
Bankers jumping out of windows.
What does it mean. Does it matter. Does anyone care, and most importantly of all, is it anti-semitic:
http://theinternationalforecaster.com/International_Forecaster_Weekly/What_To_Do_When_Bankers_Start_Jumping_Out_of_Windows