#3
When a government starts murdering its citizens over thought crimes, the citizenry has no choice but to respond by killing the government.
The way to do this today is by using the "assassination pool" idea to take out those select members of the government responsible for the abuses.
Simply put, the pool is hosted internationally, with anonymous bets made on the day the target might die. The bet closest to the date of actual death is the winner. Improbable bets are used to raise the total pool going to the eventual winner.
Therefore, those who wish to put out a contract bet a bunch of money on dates up front, on that individual, kicking the pool up to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. The assassin places the minimum bet on the day he intends to kill the target. As the winner of the pool, he is then paid anonymously.
Thus nobody ever meets or can identify the assassin. There is no need to even use a real bank to hold the money. The pool website is high security, but otherwise looks like an ordinary business site. It is reliant on word of mouth for its customers and credibility.
Stratfor, so pinch of salt
Iran confirmed on March 26 that it will accept a US invitation to participate in a UN conference at The Hague on March 31 regarding the future of Afghanistan. The conference, originally proposed by the United States, will be attended by delegates from more than 80 countries.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said that Iran still has yet to decide who it will send to the meeting on behalf of Tehran.
The acceptance of the US invitation follows a televised address by US President Barack Obama on the occasion of the Persian New Year, in which he offered a new diplomatic beginning with the Islamic Republic.
The United States is not only publicly recognising the staying power of the clerical regime, but is also acknowledging an Iranian sphere of influence that spreads to Southwest Asia in Afghanistan.
While Iran is pleased to be in this diplomatic spotlight, it must also tread carefully. The Iranians made it clear in their response to Obama that the mere offering of talks is insufficient. Iran has geopolitical interests in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan, and Iran is motivated to develop its nuclear program, all of which clash with US interests. If the United States is unwilling to shift its position on any of these issues, then Iran will not exhibit much eagerness to go beyond the talks and actually deal.
Still, Iran is not about to pass up an opportunity to show the world that it carries significant influence beyond the borders of the Islamic Republic. The United States and its NATO allies could use Irans assistance in Afghanistan, specifically in regard to the wealth of intelligence the Iranians have on Taliban and al Qaeda movements in the country.
There is also potential for discussions over a supplemental supply route for coalition forces in southern Afghanistan that could run through Iran.
Although Iran is willing to play the diplomatic game, tangible cooperation will come at a high price, particularly as the United States is building a strategy to engage 'moderate' Taliban.
On a tactical level, the Iranians might offer support to certain Taliban factions in Afghanistan with an aim of keeping US and NATO forces tied down on its eastern frontier. But on a strategic level, the Iranians do not want to see their Taliban rivals back in power in any shape or form. This is just one of many core disputes that will complicate any new 'diplomatic beginning' between Washington and Tehran.
BRUSSELS - An Iranian diplomat and a NATO official have had informal contact for the first time in 30 years, holding discussions in Brussels which touched on Afghanistan, NATO officials confirmed Thursday.
A NATO official said the visit last week by the diplomat, who was not identified, was the first 'since the regime of the Shah' of Iran, which collapsed in 1979. He noted that 'the Iranians are interested in possible cooperation on Afghanistan' to better confront the problems posed by opium production there and an influx of Afghan refugees across their border.
'There were exploratory contacts recently. Nothing of substance was discussed. It was a first informal contact between an Iranian diplomat and a representative of the secretary general,' a second NATO official added.
Earlier Thursday, Iran announced that it would attend a major international meeting on Afghanistan in The Hague in Netherlands next week.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- The Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah said Wednesday that the United States is the "top terrorist state" which supports terrorism in the world, local Elnashra website reported.
"Hezbollah is honored to be accused of terrorism by the U.S. administration, which is the top terrorist state," the group said in a statement. It added that statements of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman are "desperate and empty."
Earlier on Tuesday, Feltman told the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia that Hezbollah remains a terrorist group unless it renounces terrorism both in Lebanon and abroad, referring to Britain's decision to start contacts with Hezbollah.
On March 5, Britain's Foreign Office said it has reached out to Hezbollah in order to coax the militant group to lay down its arms and take part in the recovery of the war-torn country. "It is not strange for Feltman to interfere in Lebanese affairs, which he got used to since he was once an ambassador to Lebanon," Hezbollah added.
The group also accused the United States of supporting Israel which it describes as a "terrorist state" as well.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#6
I'm beginning to need to be intoxicated in order to read these kinds of stories anymore. 2 oxycontin, a cup of NyQuil a joint and two Reds outta about do it.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
03/27/2009 20:20 Comments ||
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A Russian official says Moscow is not planning to provide Tehran with S-300 air defense systems despite previous reports.
Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee said that sending S-300 missiles to Iran was out of the question, the Press TV correspondent reported on Wednesday. The top Russian parliamentarian added that the Russian Defense Ministry had announced that supplying Iran with the advanced anti-aircraft system was not on the country's agenda.
Kosachev added that military and technical cooperation between Russia and Iran is fully in line with Moscow's commitment to the international community.
The head of the Russian State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee welcomed the US new policy of engagement with Iran; however, he believed there would be no major development in the near future. "The signals from Washington to Tehran are aimed at supporting those political forces in Iran which Washington believes are more progressive and open to cooperation, but I can not call it a far sighted policy, because Iran is a very independent state, insusceptible to outside influences," Kosachev added.
The news come as the Russian President and his newly elected US counterpart are preparing for their first meeting amid speculations that they will try to coordinate their policies towards Iran.
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Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The Russians only took the money and trained the crews.
Posted by: ed ||
03/27/2009 1:10 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A Russian official says Moscow is not planning to provide Tehran with S-300 air defense systems despite previous reports. 
