The greatest boost ever received by Islamic fundamentalism was the invasion of Iraq. Closely followed by extraordinary rendition, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and drones, and Israeli bombings of Gaza. All of those things lead some Muslims to believe a violent response by terrorism is required to defend themselves. So for Tony Blair, who has promoted huge hatred and caused unnumbered deaths through a career of deceit and self-enrichment, to warn about the dangers of Islamic terrorism is something nobody but a few Guardian and Murdoch acolytes wish to hear.
Blair of course has many tens of millions stuffed into his capacious back-pocket by oligarchs from the ex-Soviet space, so it is unsurprising to hear him call for understanding between Russia and the West. It is even more to form that this understanding should be based on joint hatred of Muslims.
There is an alarming failure by many in the UK to understand that Russia is an Empire. Russia’s Asian possessions were taken by invasion from their indigenous and Muslim populations in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, at precisely the same time Britain was taking its own colonies. The Russian conquests were no less colonial from the accident of geography that they were contiguous. Dagestan and Chechnya were only conquered in the 1830’s. Most of Tartarstan later. The “Islamic fundamentalist threat” Russia faces jointly with the UK, is actually the struggle of colonized peoples for their freedom.
Blair includes China, which likewise is the colonial occupier of the Uighurs and other suppressed Muslim populations. To conflate the struggle for freedom from colonial occupation of these people with an over-reaching monster of “Islamic terrorism” is part of Blair’s trick. His examples in Africa are again born of despair from the consequences of centuries of colonial and now neo-liberal exploitation. I find his pronouncements on Boko Haram ironic, given that Blair’s single biggest legacy is to move the United Kingdom close to Nigerian standards of equality of wealth distribution.
The extraordinary thing is that Blair is somebody so hate-filled he wants to see yet more hatred, killing and violence. It is worrying that the establishment media are so happy to promote his view without providing any balancing opinion. I comfort myself that the real motive of this silly speech was that, other than his media acolytes, absolutely nobody cares what he is saying. It wasn’t so much a speech as a public display of ADD.
O/T freely translated and just the guist of it. Shan’t translate the lot, but have not read anything of the incident here. Japan has also protested last week after having two Bears fly up and down their coastline.
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/ukraine-russische-tu-95-bomber-testen-nato-luftabwehr-a-965866.html
Two Bears, Tupolev 95 Russian Bombers have tested the air defences of the UK, the Netherlands and Germany yesterday, with two jets being scramled from Leuchars in Scotland and Volkel in Holland to ensure that they did nbot stray.
The UK will send three fighter jets on permanent watch to Lithuania next week.
Never a week used to pass during the Cold War without a Tu-95 ‘Bear’ testing our defences, or perhaps just having a nice day out abroad. Contrary to someone’s assertion yesterday that we never let them into UK airspace, they could sometimes be seen near the Scottish coastline, I recall. Shots were never fired.
Agreed Baal, except that when they appeared on forward radar, they were already greeted by fighter jets before they breached airspace, ideally, not after they have already scanned your defense reactions.
what I’m saying is that we have become a tad slow and they would have picked that up.
Correction. Thats 4 Typhoons that are being shifted to Lithuania next week.
BZ,
Tony Blair doesn’t interest me much except for the living lesson that he serves wrt delusional careerists who leave destruction in the wake of their ambitions.
Certainly Muslims interpret and/or claim that anti-Islamic sentiments are inherently anti-Muslim, they would, wouldn’t they? And there will be people who purport to be only anti-Islam while secretly harbouring enjoyment of attacks against innocent Muslims. However, the distinction between anti-Islam and anti-Muslim must be made and defended.
In regards to “dog whistling”, this is always a suspect, unproven/unproveable charge against critics of XYZ. It is conveniently self-serving to translate literal X into inaudible Y in order to tarnish an opponent with imaginary offences. Having said that, you have my blessings to cut Phoney Tony off at the legs by any means fair or foul.
Hi Nevermind
got your message the other day…
yes be good to catch up again… i was at the Rest and Be Thankfull …having a wee rest Lol..after having come back from isle of Seil..on sunday… look forward to it 🙂
…suspect, unproven/unproveable charge against critics of XYZ….
Really? You only have to look at what the dogs do to see if someione is using a dogwhistle, inaudible as it may be to you.
F’rinstance (now cached, so readable without a Paypal account):
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:UQacKscs-v4J:http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.586925%2Bblair+netanyahu+haaretz&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb&gfe_rd=cr&hl=en&ct=clnk&gws_rd=cr
“Tony Blair just endorsed Benjamin Netanyahu’s worldview”
This will of course be seen as great news in the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. For those around the world who despise either (or both) of the two men, this is further proof – if needed – that Blair has long ago crossed over to the dark side. It’s not only his dichotomy of the forces of enlightenment fighting the forces trying to plunge the world into a new dark age – but also his policy prescriptions proposed that tally with official and unofficial Israeli policies.
Eh? What?
Canspeccy,
There’s really no point in attempting to argue rationally with posters like you.
Genocide??
You are deranged.
Fucking Heartbreaking video….and they have been / are / want to ..be doing it all over the fkn place….
From Iraq, With Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDbuFVyFMsk&feature=share
It’s all kicking off in Eastern Ukraine right now. According to RT, 5000 Right Sector brownshirts are doing most of the attacking.
Here are the latest neocon lies exposed. Robert Parry wrote a lot of the Iran/Contra stories in the 1980s. This one’s on another dodgy dossier:
http://consortiumnews.com/2014/04/23/nyt-retracts-russian-photo-scoop/
So looking forward to some civilisation Brian…..
Rasmussen has/is ramp/ing/ed up NATO’s responses, by air and sea, so he says, Germany is sending 6 Eurofighters and a ship into the effort and Minesweepers are having a manouvre in the Baltic and all sorts of ships are being dispatched into the eastern Med and the Baltic.
Putin knows this game well from his KGB days, tit for tat will be the response. Sachalin might be a focus again, manouvres in Ossetia, who knows. Equally, China’s interests in some coral reefs in the south China sea, not to mention Taiwan, might also be tested.
Blair sits on the sidelines egging and goading everyone on to have a go at fundamentalism globally, when, by his example, this involves lying to public and Parliament just as fundamentalists do.
China’s relaitions with Russia, one could argue, are at the most cooperative friendly and most mutually beneficial today, dare I say this, more than they have ever been in past history. There still is the continuously oozing pustule of North Korea, but since they now have bought Ushers brewery, lock, stock and barrels and are producing proper beer, Hope is eternal….
The US is thoroughly scared of such mutuality and its lack of access to Russia’s riches, its hopping mad that China will use Russian gas to become greener and possibly ever more dominant as global power brokers and large scale developers, as we can see from their African fervour.
We should not allow NATO to be used to scare us into another cold war with Russia, its relevance, aims and objectives, has no meaning in a powerful South east Asia, US promises to support Japan militarily are not NATO promises, afaik.
This sabre rattling could be detrimental to all our health.
nevermind Fukushima
Mike
“According to RT, 5000 Right Sector brownshirts are doing most of the attacking.”
Really? what a surprise from RT. I find those that can see through the mainstream media propaganda to which we are subjected, only to swallow wholesale every morsel of propaganda from an equally evil imperial power, not merely sad but puzzling.
Those of us who know Eastern Europe well, realize that there are unpleasant drunken nationalist macho men of very far right views on both sides of the barricades. And special forces of rival imperial powers helping them on.
Canspeccy
What you are spouting is racism pure and simple – your claim that your views are supported by evolutionary biology are just laughable. if anything the evidence shows that those with mixed race backgrounds are more intelligent and beautiful than those with more pure ethnicity, and actually the evidence points to the fact that nearly all of us have rather mixed up DNA. Mixing of races as opposed to the in breeding you are so keen on is actually what evolution is about. Please return to your Neolithic cave.
“I find those that can see through the mainstream media propaganda to which we are subjected, only to swallow wholesale every morsel of propaganda from an equally evil imperial power, not merely sad but puzzling.”
Confirmation bias. They hate the West and support its enemies, and are prepared to believe anything that supports their views.
Would it be fair to say that this is the first time since Vietnam that US hegemony has been challenged? All the intervening wars have been somewhat one-sided.
Vietnam was at China’s backdoor, and Ukraine is at Russia’s. Vietcong… China v South Vietnam… US. Surely they don’t want another 10 years war ending in stalemate. Plus ca change…
Peacewisher,
I don’t think they did a bad job of resisting in Afghanistan, to be fair!
Which “they”, Craig, and which war?
Afghanistan mark 1: US obliquely resisting Russian hegemony (Charlie Wilson’s war..)
Afghanistan mark 2: NATO, but very much US-led. Didn’t Russia keep well out of that one? Wouldn’t have seen Putin as a fan of the Taliban.
I meant the Afghans did a good job of resisting the Yanks and their servants.
True enough, Craig. I suppose it wasn’t a full scale war with half a million troops like Iraq. As ever, though, a tragic and needless orgy of heinous wounding and loss of life. I was amazed by the Enron connection, dated 1997, on the cover of “Murder in Samarkind”. Another war for oil?
after having come back from isle of Seil..on sunday
Hope you gave our regards to the weird shade of the late C.John Taylor, highland ‘artist’ and bampot extraordinaire –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clyBXE6K6WU
5.11 in…includes poem containing traces of nuts.
Craig, Russia may well have imperial ambitions (more likely a desire to dominate its “backyard”) but “equally evil”? I can think of a very long list of countries whose inhabitants might take a different view.
Obomber, the hollow man, is running down aircraft steps and striding around Asia. China excepted. Cosying up to Abe. Wonder if Fukushima has been discussed. There should be a mahor international action to deal with it. Instead the pollution is spreading far and wide even to US Pacific shores.
Obama says US will defend Japan in island dispute with China
President on state visit to Japan warns against challenge to Tokyo’s administration of Senkaku islands
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/24/obama-in-japan-backs-status-quo-in-island-dispute-with-china
He really is pathetic.
…major international action….
Pathetic and very dangerous, Mary, like all psychopaths.
I get the feeling that the US is gearing up for something big. The “pivot to Asia” inevitably means neutering Russia and China’s ability to project power beyond their own borders. Ukraine is the new frontline in that strategy.
And I don’t think the psychos care how it might escalate.
@Mike: Is this to be Tony Blair’s “rapture”?
Ha. I;m sure he’s watching the live feed on RT and drooling at the prospect…
Mary, Mike,
Obama shows his true colours. Japan and the US allies. How touching – just like WW2.
BZ – “Really? You only have to look at what the dogs do to see if someione is using a dogwhistle, inaudible as it may be to you.”
Well, there is a difference between stating something benign and observing a reaction on the one hand and subtly encouraging behaviour on the other.
Accusers of ‘dog-whistling’ paradoxically (and comically, in my view) refer to the silence as proof that an inaudible message is being sent.
“Can you hear that?”
“What?”
“The dog-whistle.”
“No!”
“That’s because the dog-whistle is only audible to dogs, not us humans.”
“Oh, yeah. Now I can hear it.”
“What?”
“The silence of the dog-whistle.”
Some politicians appear to hint at sympathies, disingenuously I suspect, and cautiously avoid more direct language that would prevent them from an embarrassing backdown in the event of a political backlash. But vague wording by politicians and self-serving interpretations by both supporters and opponents do not give us any clarity or certainty as to what is and what is not being communicated.
I am not suggesting that Phoney Tony is not subtly communicating his preparedness to supply his services to big-cheque-writing fans. I take that for granted.
Can you name some of the oligarchs of the former Soviet space who have put tens of millions into Blair’s back pocket?
A few more: (And see David @ 0856 above)
Viktor Pinchuk, Ukraine, £500K to TB Faith Foundation*
Oleg Deripaska, Russia, £300K to TB’s Breaking The Climate Deadlock* (moribund since 2011)
Nizami Piriyev, Azerbaijan £100K (est) for single TB speech
*Reminder: these charities don’t have separate transparent accounts – donations go through Windrush Ventures Ltd, LP and LLP and evaporate unaccountably. This may partly be to avoid inheritance tax –
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/dec/01/mystery-tony-blair-finances
No outside “angel” investing cash in Blair Enterprises appears in the records. The structure is so artificial that in one part of it, Blair is, in effect, forming partnerships with himself.
As David says, don’t talk about the Berezovsky. Or the Saudis, for that matter.
Mr Goss
“I think most people who contribute here are aware of US imperialistic aims for world domination, but there are one or two, paid and unpaid, who are in denial.”
__________________
Well, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m not one of those “most people”.
BTW, you could drop the cheap “paid or unpaid” business. You effing Communist.