Dear President Ahtisaari,
I had the pleasure of meeting you on a number of occasions over the years, including when I was British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, and I recall your genuine concern for democracy and human rights in a region where they are sadly neglected.
Like a great many people in Scotland I was shocked that CMI is employing Jim Murphy. Of course, in a democracy there are always losers as well as winners in elections, and both are genuine and valid participants in public life. It is not the fact that CMI employs a politician who has been so recently, comprehensively and humiliatingly rejected by his national electorate that will do any damage to CMI. In a sense I think it does you credit.
What shocks many people here is that Mr Murphy is by any standards a dedicated warmonger. He was a major and important proponent of the invasion of Iraq, and is the strongest of supporters of the massive increase of Britain’s nuclear arsenal, in breach of the Non Proliferation Treaty.
Mr Murphy is a member of the Henry Jackson Society, which as you know is a body which exists to promote United States neo-conservative foreign policy in its most aggressive sense, and openly and actively supports and condones extraordinary rendition and the use of torture by the CIA. It has supported every single military action by the USA since its formation, and defends United States exceptionalism in international law, including US non-membership of the International Criminal Court.
Mr Murphy’s belief set is therefore fundamentally at odds with the stated aims of CMI. Indeed, his employment by you can only lead to the suspicion that CMI’s stated objectives are not its real objectives, and that like Mr Murphy and the Henry Jackson Society your overriding goal in the regions where you operate is to promote the interests of the United States.
As you are funded by charitable donations and by governments, I think some explanation of your employment of Mr Murphy is in order, particularly when you have employed him as a conflict resolution expert in the Caucasus and Central Asia when he has no relevant experience of conflict resolution at all, virtually none of the Caucasus, and absolutely none of Central Asia.
I was the Head of the UK Delegation that negotiated the Sierra Leone Peace Treaty, and certainly under no circumstances would I let Jim Murphy anywhere near that kind of negotiation.
With All Best Wishes,
Amb (rtd.) Craig Murray
Well said.
November 14, 2015
The Age of Despair: Reaping the Whirlwind of Western Support for Extremist Violence
Chris Floyd
We, the West, overthrew Saddam by violence. We overthrew Gaddafi by violence. We are trying to overthrow Assad by violence. Harsh regimes all — but far less draconian than our Saudi allies, and other tyrannies around the world. What has been the result of these interventions? A hell on earth, one that grows wider and more virulent year after year.
Without the American crime of aggressive war against Iraq — which, by the measurements used by Western governments themselves, left more than a million innocent people dead — there would be no ISIS, no “Al Qaeda in Iraq.” Without the Saudi and Western funding and arming of an amalgam of extremist Sunni groups across the Middle East, used as proxies to strike at Iran and its allies, there would be no ISIS. Let’s go back further.
Without the direct, extensive and deliberate creation by the United States and its Saudi ally of a world-wide movement of armed Sunni extremists during the Carter and Reagan administrations, there would have been no “War on Terror” — and no terrorist attacks in Paris tonight.
Again, let’s be as clear as possible: the hellish world we live in today is the result of deliberate policies and actions undertaken by the United States and its allies over the past decades. It was Washington that led and/or supported the quashing of secular political resistance across the Middle East, in order to bring recalcitrant leaders like Nasser to heel and to back corrupt and brutal dictators who would advance the US agenda of political domination and resource exploitation.
The open history of the last half-century is very clear in this regard. Going all the way back to the overthrow of the democratic government of Iran in 1953, the United States has deliberately and consciously pushed the most extreme sectarian groups in order to undermine a broader-based secular resistance to its domination agenda.
/..
http://www.chris-floyd.com/Articles/2531-age-of-despair-reaping-the-whirlwind-of-western-support-for-extremist-violence.html
This red, white and blue light show looks too coordinated to me.
As President Hollande has stated, the response will be ruthless and swift. The authorities will do everything in their power to stress that this has nothing to do with Islam, that Islam is a ‘religion of peace’, and close down everything in Paris except the mosques.
Interesting fact:
In the time since the attacks began last night, Germany has admitted a further 2,000 ‘refugees’.
Big clap for Chancellor Merkel.
Rob Royston
14 Nov, 2015 – 8:46 am
“This red, white and blue light show looks too coordinated to me.”
___________________
You’re right, Rob. I should think there’s more to it than just a simple flick of a switch. For a start, someone is going to have to decide on a colour scheme and then relay that information to an engineer. A visual check might even be required to check the colours are in the right order. We’re definitely looking at a coordinated event here.
What should Norway have closed to stop Brevik?
I award the Habbabkuk Prize for the most stupid remarks of yesterday evening to Mary, RobG and Ben Weed-Smoker for their
“Sadly Paris tonight resembles Baghdad.
Any thoughts Messrs Blair, Bush and your evil cabals?”
and
“More, those who ‘contrive terror events’ will be brought to trial.”
and
““French frontiers closed”
The refugees are the losers again. Is this deliberate in it’s { sic }intent and affect?”
**************************
Where are the men in the flapping white coats?
I find the blue rinsed hair, the outstretched arm and the distorted facial image of Anon’s gravatar very disturbing. Is it a selfie?
More on the hypocrisy, nay chutzpah, of the spiv currently in residence at No 10. While the rest of us witness the diminution of the police service and even asked for subs to the council tax to prevent more reductions in the numbers, CameraOn slyly goes behind the scenes to plead a special case for his constituents and county. What a tosser.
On the BiBiCee!
Police cuts: David Cameron tried to save constituency stations
By Nick Hopkins
Investigations correspondent, BBC Newsnight
13 November 2015
David Cameron privately lobbied to stop the closure of police stations in his constituency as the force tried to find £60m of savings, the BBC has learnt.
The disclosure has prompted Labour to accuse him of “jaw-dropping hypocrisy”.
Number 10 said Mr Cameron had acted in his capacity as a local MP who believed Thames Valley Police could make savings without affecting front-line services.
This week it emerged Mr Cameron, MP for Witney in Oxfordshire, is involved in a row over cuts with the county council.
The PM had written to Oxfordshire council leader Ian Hudspeth saying he was “disappointed” at proposed cuts to elderly day centres, libraries and museums.
The Tory-run council said it had little choice because its grant had fallen sharply – from £194m a year in 2009/10 to £122m this year.
/..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34815792
“You’re right, Rob. I should think there’s more to it than just a simple flick of a switch. For a start, someone is going to have to decide on a colour scheme and then relay that information to an engineer. A visual check might even be required to check the colours are in the right order. We’re definitely looking at a coordinated event here.”
Not these days. Many public buildings have installed colour changing LED flood lights which work on a remote control. You can get them for £10 on ebay.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-20W-RGB-Color-Changing-LED-Flood-Light-Outdoor-Spotlight-Lamp-Remote-Control-/221938682071?hash=item33ac9388d7:g:j8AAAOSw~bFWF5MI
Just needs one man and a remote.
The Lord Mayor’s Show is about to start. Security status is ‘severe’.
Strange that he is named as ‘Jeffrey Mountevans’ by City AM but ‘Jeffrey Evans’ by the FT.
Ship broker Jeffrey Evans named Lord Mayor of London – FT …
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5c779264-669c-11e5-97d0-1456a776a4f5.html#axzz3rSf4l6j4
29 Sep 2015 – Ship broker Jeffrey Evans named Lord Mayor of London. A Sweden-born ship-broking executive has been named the new Lord Mayor of London, a key ambassadorial role for the UK’s financial sector.
The BiBiCee have appropriately chosen the Duke of Westminster’s son-in-law, USUKIsNATO stooge Dan Snow, to provide the commentary.
LBC Ken & David show, interviewing Admiral Lord West former Naval Intelligence supreme & Broon security minister. He denied that GCHQ/NSA overcollection of citizens’ data is irrelevant against determined & trained opponents, he justified this by saying that fortunately in UK we steal much more citizen data than the French do, so we would and have caught these types of attacks.
What twaddle! What dangerous made-up propaganda
France has long been taking everything available, post-Snowden they did have a few debates and passed some intrusive surveillance laws – but this was just legitimizing their historic kleptomania!
Oh I see he is Baron Mountevans!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Evans,_4th_Baron_Mountevans
http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-mountevans/4539
I have the same sense of foreboding as I had as 911 unfolded – a dread certainty that the Paris attacks will be translated into attacks on our liberties.
I find the blue rinsed hair, the outstretched arm and the distorted facial image of Anon’s gravatar very disturbing. Is it a selfie?
http://politicalscrapbook.net/2014/12/bunny-la-roche-farage-question-time/
I’ve noted, since Viner took over, that the Guardian BTL section has become much more, well, Daily Mail. It’s impossible to know if it’s paid trolls, or reflective of opinion, though I strongly suspect the former. Either way, I have been truly disturbed today over some of the fascist hate-speech I’ve been reading BTL. A lot of Muslim bashing, for one. Lots of criticism of Corbyn for his (entirely reasonable) stance on ‘Jihadi’ John. Basically, lots of hate and ignorance, and mockery of ‘naive’ opinions. Very, very disturbing.
I personally would trust Hollande and Sarkozy as far as I could throw them, and I’m no Olympian. Cameron I basically laugh at. However, Hollande used the word ‘pitiless’, which, again, I fund utterly disturbing. Pitiless? Not language becoming a leader, no matter the grievious circumstances.
Regardless of whether this is a false flag or not – we’ll never know, so I personally don’t like to dwell on the subject too long – the neocons will use this to up the ante in Syria. I’ve long ago stopped trying to figure out exactly which side we are on, or who we are backing. I think we are both anti-Assad and and anti-ISIS, but fund and train ISIS because we are slightly more anti-Assad, though ISIS will become drone-fodder soon enough, when they’ve completed their mission. But that’s a mere guess, because the lunacy of neocons is rather hard to follow. What I do know is that we are in troubled times, and what used to be an absurd idea – a massive conflagration – is no longer so absurd.
Reading that book Political Ponerology has aided my understanding though, worth a read for those who haven’t, and I know I often recommend. Basically, people with serious mental disorders are running the show, and until we understand this, we understand nothing.
“In the time since the attacks began last night, Germany has admitted a further 2,000 ‘refugees’.
Big clap for Chancellor Merkel.”
Yes indeed.
It wasn’t the refugees who committed the atrocities in Paris, it was the people the refugees are running away from. Further evidence of how much they need our help.
Some good links there Mary, I’ve plagiarised and posted them elsewhere, thanks.
I see the EU multi cultural dream is working out oh so well in France today.
I recall ISIS once made the threat that they would export into Europe millions of refugees and a strong dose of terrorism with it, seems like they’ve kept to their word.
Of course the establishment were not interested at the time, they were too busy bombing an ‘enemy’ they had created armed and generally supported via their brutal Gulf state proxies.
The liberals went along with it all and could be relied on with the help of some gruesome pictures dead babies washed up on beaches to embrace the inevitable wave of human misery pouring across their borders.
Well you ain’t seen nothing yet as this staged tragedy has barely begun.
“Europe’s nations should be guided towards the superstate without their people understanding what is happening. This can be accomplished by successive steps, each disguised as having an economic purpose, but which will eventually and irreversibly lead to federation.”
― Jean Monnet (1951)
Any fledgling conspiracy theories emerging yet? Perhaps a shadow in the wrong place or some off-coloured blood? I hope we’re all scouring the news footage looking for “anomalies” in the “official account”. Has anyone checked Aangirfan, Jeff Rense or the preposterously named ‘Global Research’?
Were they “patsies”, or was the whole thing staged as a “false flag” using “crisis actors”?
Where’s John Goss?
So, the West swarms to proclaim solidarity with France. I don’t remember any such messages when over 200 Russians died in that air crash, just a lot of gloating about “blowback” and hopes that Putin would be destabilised. Such hypocrisy.
Fred
Most of them are not refugees, and having thrown away their documents we don’t know anything about them or where they come from. Even of the so-called refugees, thousands have obtained forged Syrian passports so that they can claim refugee status.
Merkel has massively screwed up and potentially invited thousands of jihadists into Europe.
‘grenade found at Gatwick’
https://twitter.com/search?q=gatwick%20evacuated&src=rela
“Any fledgling conspiracy theories emerging yet?”
Yes, Fred’s got one at 11.25. It was done by people from whom refugees are fleeing and they need our help, or something.
@ Fred.
Are you really invoking the immigration spell? That would seem a shame, given your previous paragraph, which notes accurately that we have been bombing an enemy we created. From what I can discern, we are in Vietnam territory again: lots of powerful people can see and understand the massive fuck up we’ve made, but refuse to withdraw because communism, or perhaps just to save face.
I’ve no idea what our interest in Iraq, Syria, etc really is, Moonbat wrote a rather interesting article suggesting that The Rapture is taken seriously be key neocon players, and that this was the motivation. Fuck knows. But when reasonably intelligent people – and there are millions of us – have no clue wtf we are doing, there is a clear and evident problem with our foreign policy. Smiting the Nazi’s made a lot of sense, nothing about the last 10 years makes any sense at all.
Anon1 : “Any fledgling conspiracy theories emerging yet? Perhaps a shadow in the wrong place or some off-coloured blood? I hope we’re all scouring the news footage looking for “anomalies” in the “official account”. Has anyone checked Aangirfan, Jeff Rense or the preposterously named ‘Global Research’? “
You’re the only one here who’s gloating and trying to score cheap racist* points, eg :
“The authorities will do everything in their power to stress that this has nothing to do with Islam, that Islam is a ‘religion of peace’, and close down everything in Paris except the mosques. “
and
“Interesting fact: In the time since the attacks began last night, Germany has admitted a further 2,000 ‘refugees’. Big clap for Chancellor Merkel. “
*yes, racist.
It’s pretty grim to observe the glee with which some will use this horror to promote their own points of view. Why, it’s all our fault! Wait, it’s letting in all these wretches calling themselves refugees that’s caused this! No, no, no, you fools – the whole thing is clearly a False Flag™ operation!
In other words, business as usual. Just as it will be for our governments – more of the same is obviously called for, but in greater measure.
Has there been talk of ‘boots on the ground’ in Syria yet? If that is the outcome then it would be entirely rational to keep an open mind about who is behind this. As so often, the terrorists are conveniently generating the moral outrage needed by our leaders to do what they wanted to do all along.
France next month is going into local elections, so obviously we already know who will be winning these!
Very true Node let’s watch and see how the unfolding events will play into the hands of the securocrats?
Also you observations 14 Nov, 2015 – 11:56 am are indeed correct, as the racist entity posting these seems to be on a roll, churning out bile as per the directives of cybersettlers in a frenzy of glee.
Yet again Mary and friend demonstrate their deep hatred of Western democracies.
Solidarity with the French people!
Regarding Global Research, Michel Chossudovsky has an article already, though it may be a bit scholarly for some tastes:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-paris-terrorist-attacks-911-french-style-le-11-septembre-a-la-francaise/5488896
It includes Hollande’s speech, made at around midnight last night, when he declared a state of emergency and closed the borders. He also said:
“We know where it comes from, who these criminals are, who these terrorists are”
Which is pretty clever given that the event wasn’t even over at the time. Perhaps he’d been talking to Fred.