KABUL - The world must remain engaged in Afghanistan until the country manages to stand on its own feet or terrorists will strike again, President Hamid Karzai warned on Tuesday. Talking to reporters after holding talks with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Karzai said the world, and in particular the West, needed to stay in Afghanistan to help Afghans, but also for its own security.
Let us complete the job as hard as it may look at times, Karzai commented when a Canadian journalist asked the two leaders about rising opposition among Canadians to having their troops in Afghanistan. It is a necessary price that we have to pay; the Afghans are paying that price, the rest of the world is paying that price together with us... and let us complete it and not abandon it half way, Karzai said.
He said the world should bring much-needed help for the Afghan people and enable government forces to stand on their own feet to prevent the return of the militants. There are still the remnants of terrorism that if we leave half the way, will re-emerge and will haunt you back home whenever they want, Karzai said, citing the Sept. 11 attacks.
Harper said Canadas engagement in Afghanistan, its biggest foreign deployment in the world, was the right thing to do. He said bringing security to Afghanistan could not be achieved through military means alone and added there was need for developing Afghanistans economy, social and government infrastracture.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/23/2007 00:00 ||
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Sounds like Karzai isn't ready to give up his palm leaf fans and juicy grapes fed him on the incline.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has appealed for an end to the increasing attacks on food convoys in the southern parts of the country. "The UN has been working in Afghanistan for half a century to help people in need, and these food supplies are destined for some of the country's most vulnerable people in some of the most vulnerable communities," UNAMA spokesperson Adrian Edwards said in a statement on Tuesday.
Over the past 11 months, there have been 16 incidents in which convoys of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) have been attacked and food and vehicles damaged or stolen, with seven of the attacks occurring since the start of April. "We call upon those responsible to immediately halt these acts, which are robbing Afghanistan of badly needed aid," Edwards said.
#1
Ok, then give us permission to ARCLIGHT Quetta without notice. I'm sure that would put a stop to most of the activity in the area, and send a nice, unambiguous message to Perv and the madrassahs. We can also hit all the roads leading from Pakistan into Afghanistan except the ones the UNWFP is going to use, and run armed convoys up and down to protect your trucks. Otherwise, FO.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/23/2007 15:00 Comments ||
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May 22, 2007 (NEW YORK) China must do more to stop the Darfur conflict in Sudan, said former U.N. aid chief Jan Egeland, while the United States should focus on trying to build peace between the Palestinians and Israel. Egeland, now a special adviser to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, also said he spent too much time in Washington instead of Beijing as he tried to draw attention to Darfur while he was U.N. emergency relief coordinator.
Call the Chicoms "stingy", Jan. I double-dog dare ya.
"Darfur I dont think the United States can unlock. In the Palestinian conflict I think they can," he told the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Tuesday. "The U.S. and the U.K. did all the right things on Darfur and it had little effect. We should have had a wider coalition in the beginning and I blame myself for not going to Beijing more and less to Congress."
"The Merkins bow and scrape. The heathen Chinee just stare at me inscrutably. Of course I like going to New York and London!"
He said public campaigns for action should have earlier targeted countries who invest in Darfur, like China and India, to push them to pressure Sudan to resolve the four-year-old conflict in Darfur. The U.N. Security Council last year adopted a resolution to deploy a "hybrid" U.N.-African Union force of more than 20,000. But Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has only agreed to the deployment of 3,000 U.N. police and military personnel to aid the African Union force of about 7,000.
Egeland said when China began to pressure the Sudanese government in 2006, it was too late, saying: "It is much more difficult to roll back a tremendous war rather than stop it from brewing." He also said the Group of Eight the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia were failing in a promise to boost aid to poor countries. The G8 pledged in 2005 to double aid by 2010.
#1
Uh, China is up to its earlobes in causing the Darfur Devastation. As each new oil field is discovered there, the militia and irregular army forces are sent in to clear out and/or subdue the locals, and then the Chinese and Malaysian oil firms move in and begin drilling. The locals may get tiny amounts of spinoff for a while, but basically they're just in the way.
The oil is trucked to be offshored or refined in isolated new Chinese refineries in the north.
So, just what was it Egeland wanted the Chinese to do?
Posted by: Brian H ||
05/23/2007 4:45 Comments ||
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#2
Nothing will be acceptable to the Death Cult. There is no way to reason with them. This has to be absorbed and understood by the elitists. They are not going to make nice with this crowd. You never should have allowed them in. The only hope you have is to remove them. Otherwise, the indigenous population will be fighting them in their neighborhoods and markets in a fight to the death. Just a matter of how long it takes for Muzzies to build their numbers to where they fell safe in starting open warfare.
#3
The christian count of Barcelona married the two years old ophan daughter of the christian king of Aragon. And this was not an isolated case. The differnce is that it was never question of the marriage being consumated before she attained sexual maturity. But when a baby girl has a husband who despite his "low rank" was in fact more powerful and had a larger army than even the King of Aragaon it helps for her not being unthroned or murdered by some ambitious noble.
#4
A pity that there is no question like: what do you think of the hypocrisy of muslims who make a fuss when a Muslim dies at the hands of the infidels and their silence when a hundred thousand Muslims were killed by the Taliban or a million infidels are killed by the Janjaweeds in Sudan?
Iran could be able to build a nuclear bomb in less than a year and confronts the world with one of its most "urgent" threats, David Cameron said yesterday. In his first detailed statement on Iran, the Conservative leader urged the Government to mobilise the United Nations Security Council and the European Union to impose tougher sanctions on Teheran.
"Every week, every month that goes by brings Iran closer to possessing a nuclear weapon," said Mr Cameron. "We have to recognise that the next Government of this country could face continuing violence in Iraq and Afghanistan and the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran." Mr Cameron declined to rule out supporting military action against Teheran's nuclear facilities. But he stressed the drawbacks, saying that "Iran having a nuclear weapon would be calamity but military action could be calamitous".
Iran is defying three United Nations resolutions by continuing to enrich uranium at its nuclear plant in Natanz. This highly sensitive process could be used to manufacture weapons-grade uranium. Once it has enough of this essential material, Iran could build a nuclear bomb. The Government's efforts to stop Iran from reaching this point were not working, said Mr Cameron, and a new package of "penalties and incentives" was needed. In particular, he said that an arms embargo should be imposed on Iran. The key figures running its nuclear programme should be banned from travelling and their overseas assets frozen.
But the measures suggested by Mr Cameron would take years to impose real costs on Iran. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime plans to complete its nuclear facility in Natanz by the end of this month.
#1
But he stressed the drawbacks, saying that "Iran having a nuclear weapon would be calamity but military action could be calamitous".
Quit mincing about you deficient pusillanimous git! How could any military action be remotely as "calamitous" as the mad mullahs acquiring nuclear weapons?
But the measures suggested by Mr Cameron would take years to impose real costs on Iran.
In other words: Non-military measures are certain to be ineffective. Perish the thought that they might have to admit such a thing to themselves. Heaven forfend that America might actually be right. [gasp]
#2
You know, sometimes things are simpler that they seem on the surface. Of course, an awesome military strike is, ..., eh, awesome, and usually discouraging to the recipient to pull off further shit. But if there's no will for that, how about some Rod from God? Or about as many as neded to reduce the Natanz centrifuge facility to smithereens. Probably 5-10 could do it.
#3
David Cameron knows all he has to do is just talk big and sit back, in his 'Catbird Seat' while Israel stews over it's options in the near future. The Brits are indeed 'poodles' top down, And I take any pronouncements out of that nation, with a grain of salt. Lets just see how many brits go to Israel to help the valiant country ward off the 'dogs of war'. Yea...I thought so!
#4
You have one option - military intervention - that "could" be calamitous (15-35%), and another option that is 100% guaranteed to be calamitous. Yet using the first option to prevent the second option is considered "unacceptable". YJCMTSU - these people are total idiots. Unless something drastic happens, the West will slowly crumble, like the Roman empire, and for the same reason - the inability to make hard decisions and stand by them (spilling blood and treasure to ensure a future for our children). They're not traitors - that's being too nice to them. They are mindless jellyfish, unable to do anything but be carried along by the waves of self-generated "wisdom".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/23/2007 15:17 Comments ||
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Signatures by 100,000 petitioners are needed in Switzerland for a referendum - including a possible one on banning the construction of minarets on mosques. Deputies from the far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP) and Federal Democratic Union (EDU), who are pushing for a vote, are confident they can collect the signatures by November 2008.
Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey voiced opposition this month, saying efforts to impose a ban were harmful to the country's security interests and potentially dangerous to the Swiss themselves. Her spokesman confirmed she considered a referendum a bad idea. Calmy-Rey feels it is too risky to dismiss the campaign for a referendum as a vote-getting tactic ahead of Swiss parliamentary elections in October.
Memories are still fresh of protests in the Muslim world following the publication in Denmark of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
Continued on Page 49
CFD DUNDURN, Saskatchewan A weapon that's been in our arsenal for a long time but is often overlooked is making a strong comeback on deployed operations.
Although many soldiers have trained with the Remington 870 pump-action shotgun in the past, they rarely saw it again. That has changed.
From breeching locked doors and compounds to providing lethal and non-lethal protection in crowds, the shotgun is seeing a lot of use in Afghanistan. Most sections on patrol keep a shotgun in their vehicle, and it's not unusual to see at least one air sentry carrying one in a convoy.
The shotgun is not normally carried as a personal weapon. But it is used in specific situations to make use of its capabilities. Three types of shells are used: a slug, 00 buckshot consisting of 12 large pellets and a non-lethal beanbag load. The latter leaves an ugly circular bruise that is sometimes called an "Oakland hicky," in honor of that city's estimable police department and its allegedly frequent use of such loads against peace hypocrites and other urban varmints.
#1
For a reasonably strong adult, a 12 g with 00 is a terrific close up weapon in those types of situations. There is some risk of through and through penetration to someone/something behind the target. However, in the types of situations that these guys face, the advantages outweigh the risk of that.
Shotguns were used a lot more heavily in WWII and Vietnam, particularly in jungle situations, than we've been led to believe. An uncle of mine was in SE Asia in WWII and said that for many guys the weapons of choice were a 12 g and a Colt .45 rather than an M1 or a Thompson.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
05/23/2007 6:10 Comments ||
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I imagine that the soldiers also get very creative in their shotgun loads. For example, the "prospector's load", where you drip paraffin over your shot, which narrows the spread, making it much more vicious. (Invented in the old West, hence the name.)
#3
The 870 with a recoil suppressor stock is a great weapon to fire. 90% of the recoil is eliminated. With sights, slugs are effectively shot at targets 75 yd away. And with regular maintenance, the shotgun is very reliable.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/23/2007 11:18 Comments ||
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You just can't go wrong with a Remington 870. One of the world's great firearms.
#5
I have a Browning "Sweet-16" semi-automatic with a full-choke barrel I used for varmit-hunting and birding as a kid. Great range - a 9' spread at 75 yards using #6 birdshot, 120-yard kill range with a slug (super-X). Not much kick, and fairly accurate even in a running-shooting environment. Great stopping power - I shot a 6-point buck at 20 feet with #6 birdshot, and put wadding and all 20 inches into his chest. Of course, for REAL stopping power, there's nothing like Grandpa's 10-gauge double-barrel. Maybe that should be an alternative weapon for the Bradleys. Sure keep people at bay, but would need a STRONG recoil mechanism - da$$$$ thing kicks harder than an Army mule.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/23/2007 15:29 Comments ||
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Mossberg Persuader 500 or 590 are decent shotguns also. I have the 500--works very well.
#7
winchester defender - 18" barrel, 12 Ga, pistol grip, pump. Nice thing is the kick from .00 shot causes you to auto-rack a new round (if you can keep the barrel from kissing your forehead)
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/23/2007 18:36 Comments ||
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Liberal Democrats who reluctantly have backed House leaders on the Iraq spending bill may defect due to the leaderships decision to eliminate any timeline for withdrawal from the legislation. That could force the leadership to rely on Republican votes to pass the war-spending bill, which is expected to come to the floor as early as Thursday.
The anti-war Democrats have reached their tipping point, said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), a leader of the Out of Iraq caucus. Its going to take Republican votes to pass it. Woolsey has voted consistently against Iraq supplemental spending bills, saying they dont do enough to get the U.S. out of Iraq.
Her observation is backed by comments by members like Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.). He was a surprise vote in favor of the original supplemental this year, but he said yesterday he cannot back the bill again without a timeline. Grijalva said: Ive supported it all the way to this point. I understand the work that went into it. But if the goal is accountability, I dont think this gets us closer to that goal.
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) said he expects enough Democrats to switch that leadership vote-counters will lose the margin of victory they have enjoyed so far. Im on the edge, he said. Im not liking this. A lot of people have bought into the notion that you have to fund the troops. Funding the troops means more troops are going to die.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) indicated that just because he has voted for it before does not mean he will vote for it without a timeline. Probably not, Nadler said. If it doesnt have some sort of timeline, its going to be tough for me to vote for it.
Freshman Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.), who ran against the war and enthusiastically supported the first supplemental and its call for withdrawal, is also wavering. Asked whether he could support the new plan, he shook his head and said, I dont know.
If Democrats are looking for Republican votes, Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) thinks they can find them. He says he would be surprised if the proposal cannot garner 10 to 15 GOP votes. If the bill is without timelines, there would be a few Republicans who have bases and military retirees in their districts who feel the need to support the troops, Jones said.
[At a caucus meeting at press time, House Democratic leaders outlined their plan to get around liberal defections. The supplemental spending bill will be brought to the House floor as two amendments to the Senate bill. The first will be President Bushs original Iraq supplemental request. It is expected to pass with the votes of many Republicans and conservative Democrats. The second, a domestic spending bill to include money for childrens health insurance, Gulf Coast hurricane relief, minimum wage and other items. They will be combined procedurally without a vote and sent to the Senate. Its a concession to reality, said Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.).]
The timeline for withdrawal of troops fell to the cutting-room floor as leaders sought to fashion a bill that President Bush could sign and that could be passed by the Memorial Day break. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the House will not leave for that recess until a bill is sent to the president.
Democratic Caucus briefings on the bill were delayed twice this week. A Monday night caucus meeting was canceled, and the regular Tuesday meeting ended before Iraq came up, after a long discussion on trade.
The legislation is expected to include minimum-wage provisions and money for Gulf Coast hurricane relief and childrens health insurance, but it will exclude agricultural relief spending. There will be an awful lot of things in the supplemental that members will consider very important, Hoyer said.
In the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) predicted that the final war-funding measure would incorporate the benchmarks-based provision authored by Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) and cosponsored by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.).
Supporters of the plan to remove timelines say it takes the question of whether Democrats will fund the troops off the table and opens the door to an uninhibited debate on Iraq policy in upcoming bills like the regular defense appropriations bill. Moran, for example, said he intends to vote for the supplemental under the assumption that there will be stronger language in future bills. This bill will get us to funding the troops, said Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.). Were going to come to an accommodation on funding the troops and keep the process going. Eventually, there will be a date certain.
Lawmakers say they have to work with President Bush on this bill to keep moving towards ending the war, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) said. In the end, the president has the last say, Ruppersberger said. The most important thing is the endgame getting our troops out.
#1
Liberal Democrats who reluctantly have backed House leaders on the Iraq spending bill may defect due to the leaderships decision to eliminate any timeline for withdrawal from the legislation.
Well the Commies are gone in Russia, so I guess it'll have to be Cuba or Venezuela. They've got nicer beaches then China or North Korea.
Have a nice trip...
Hosseini made the remarks in an interview with Austrian daily `Der Standard' on upcoming talks at ambassadorial level between Iran and the US on Iraq security, slated to be held on June 28.
Asked about Iran's expectations from Iran-US talks on Baghdad, he said, "We will hold the meeting because we regard ourselves as duty-bound to remind the occupying forces of the necessity to correct their performance.
"Occupiers of Iraq should know that the time is ripe for them to give more power to the Iraqi people and leave them free to determine their own fate."
May 22 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, says his disagreement with the Democrats over the Iraq war won't prevent him from working with his former party. For now. ``I hope the moment doesn't come that I feel so separated from the caucus'' that he decides to shift allegiance to the Republicans, he said in an interview. Asked what Democratic actions might cause such a break, he invoked Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's famous 1964 definition of pornography: ``I'll know it when I see it.''
The 65-year-old lawmaker is the margin of difference in the Democrats' 51-49 control of the Senate. A switch to the Republicans, which he won't rule out, would create a 50-50 tie that would allow Vice President Dick Cheney to cast a deciding vote for Republican control. Lieberman has ``gone from being dispensable to essential for the Democrats,'' said Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Lieberman said he already has seen much he doesn't like from the Democrats, particularly Majority Leader Harry Reid's decision to co-sponsor, and then allow a vote last week on, legislation cutting off war funding by March. Leiberman said Reid's recent remark that the war is lost undermined troop morale and left him ``terribly'' bothered. ``I just have a fundamental disagreement,'' he said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/23/2007 00:00 ||
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53% approval is not so bad for a state-wide official - and in these astoundingly whiny times, it's downright solid. Nice to see Joe finally finger the holster a bit, though. Of course he doesn't need to change his caucus lunch plans to vote against his party on their worst initiatives - though it would be sweet to see the Senate change hands. Downside would be losing Reid and Durbin's prominence as political bunglers and jerks of the first order, which is about the best thing the Senate GOP has going for it (saying a lot about that generally sorry group).
Presidential hopeful John Edwards said Monday that Americans should speak out against the war in Iraq this Memorial Day weekend, renewing an anti-war call that has been criticized by the leader of the American Legion.
"There's another thing we need to do as patriots, to serve the men and women who are serving this country in Iraq, and that is to speak out this weekend," said Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina and 2004 vice presidential nominee. He said ending the war is key to repairing the damaged U.S. reputation abroad.
"America desperately needs to reclaim our moral position in the world, which has been so devastated," he said. "America has to be a force for good. ... The world thinks we're a bully and we're selfish." At a later campaign appearance in Claremont, Edwards repeated his frequent call for the next president to promote patriotism beyond war. He also said the next president should be prepared to be a realist when dealing with the conditions in Iraq, even after U.S. troops leave.
Continued on Page 49
#2
"There's another thing we need to do as patriots, to serve the men and women who are serving this country in Iraq, and that is to speak out get my hair done this weekend,"
#6
Article in today's SF Chonicle is bashing Edwards' lavish lifestyle while still campaigning as stanchly against poverty. i think he is against his poverty, but it was interesting to see even the S-F-ies get it.
Democrat John Edwards Wednesday repudiated the notion that there is a "global war on terror," calling it an ideological doctrine advanced by the Bush administration that has strained American military resources and emboldened terrorists.
In a defense policy speech he planned to deliver at the Council on Foreign Relations, Edwards called the war on terror a "bumper sticker" slogan Bush had used to justify everything from abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison to the invasion of Iraq.
"We need a post-Bush, post-9/11, post-Iraq military that is mission focused on protecting Americans from 21st century threats, not misused for discredited ideological purposes," Edwards said in remarks prepared for delivery. "By framing this as a war, we have walked right into the trap the terrorists have setthat we are engaged in some kind of clash of civilizations and a war on Islam."
In the first presidential debate last month in South Carolina, Edwards was one of four Democratsincluding Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravelwho said they did not believe there was a global war on terror. Front-runners Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama indicated that they did.
Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, voted in 2002 to authorize the invasion of Iraq but has since become a harsh critic of the conflict. In his speech, he reiterated his call to remove American combat troops from Iraq within a year and vowed to "restore the contract we have with those who proudly wear the uniform to defend our country and make the world a safe and better place."
Edwards outlined several steps he said he would pursue as president to strengthen the military, including using force only to pursue essential national security missions, improve civilian-military relations, and root out mismanagement at the Pentagon.
He said he would created a "national security budget" to include the activities of several agencies, including the Pentagon, Energy Department, and Homeland Security. He also said he would boost the budget for military recruiting.
But Edwards saved his toughest words for the Bush administration, whom he accused of engaging in wrongheaded military adventures while abandoning U.S. "moral leadership" in the world. Because of the administration's poor stewardship, Edwards said troops were exhausted, overworked, and potentially ill-prepared for future threats.
"Leading the military out of the wreckage left by the poor civilian leadership of this administration will be the single most important duty of the next commander in chief," Edwards said.
The Democratic Party simply does not want to accept reality: that we are at war against a fanatical, totalitarian ideology that is absolutely determined to force us to bow down to their hateful deity. They simply refuse to accept it.
May God have mercy upon us if we're stupid enough to elect one of these idiots; because the Muslims sure won't.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/23/2007 17:09 ||
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How in the hell can we expect democracy to ever work in the Middle East, when it only barely works here?
And what are our enemies thinking when they read stuff like this? What do they conclude, about that American "grim resolve" that Admiral Yamamoto once said he feared he'd awakened with the attack on Pearl Harbor? Where are they figuring the resolve of the American "sleeping giant" went, whatever became of it?
And most importantly, what are our enemies concluding they can now get away with, after hearing the torrent of defeatist rhetoric coming out of our Democrats?
Which of our cities will be the first to be turned into a puddle of radioactive slag by an Iranian or North Korean nuclear weapon?
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/23/2007 17:44 Comments ||
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My new name for Edwards is "Pretty Po Boy" But I really do hope his campaign takes off becuase he is easiest of the "top tier" candidates to defeat.
The Bush administration is developing plans to "internationalise" the Iraq crisis, including an expanded role for the United Nations, as a way of reducing overall US responsibility for Iraq's future and limiting domestic political fallout from the war as the 2008 election season approaches.
The move comes amid rising concern in Washington that President George Bush's controversial Baghdad security surge, led by the US commander, General David Petraeus, is not working and that Iran is winning the clandestine battle for control of Iraq.
"Petraeus is brilliant. But he is the captain of a sinking ship," said a former senior administration official who questioned whether Iraq's divided political leadership could prevent a descent into chaos. "Iraq's government is a mobile phone number that doesn't answer. Iraq probably can't be fixed."
...The US plan is expected to call for:
· Expanded UN involvement in overseeing Iraq's full transition to a "normal" democratic state, including an enhanced role for UN humanitarian agencies, the creation of a UN command, and possibly a Muslim-led peacekeeping force
· Increased involvement in Iraq policymaking of UN security council permanent members, Japan and EU countries - in particular, the new conservative government of French president Nicolas Sarkozy
· A bigger support role for regional countries, notably Sunni Arab Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, and international institutions such as the World Bank and IMF
· Renewed efforts to promote Iraqi government self-reliance, including attainment of national reconciliation "benchmarks"
· The accelerated removal of US troops from frontline combat duties as the handover to Iraqi security forces, backed by an increased number of US advisers, proceeds.
...If all else failed, the US might seek an arrangement with Mr Sadr, if only to secure an orderly transition, the official claimed. "Cutting a deal with the Mahdi army is [vice-president] Dick Cheney's deep fallback option."
Four years after bypassing a hostile security council, the Bush administration is expected to take the Iraq question back to the UN at the annual opening of the general assembly in September.
..."The blame game has already begun. The Democrats want to run against a 'chaos in Iraq' scenario. The Republicans will want to keep extending it [the surge] past next February. The White House may offer a schedule for a drawdown - but what does that really mean?... The only policy Republicans have is a policy of delaying the inevitable."
In a sign that personal as well as governmental damage limitation is under way, key Bush administration figures appear to be distancing themselves from current policy. National security adviser Stephen Hadley is expected to hand over many Iraq-related duties to Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, who some in Washington are already describing as a fall guy.
...Thinktanks in Europe and the US have also recently urged "international solutions" for Iraq. "An energetic international political effort with focused mediation under the auspices of the UN is required to complement military deployments to Iraq," said Carlos Pascual, of the Brookings Institution in Washington in a recent study of US options. UN agencies should become more closely engaged, he said.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) recently proposed establishment of an "international support group" for Iraq comprising the five permanent members of the security council, Iraq's neighbours and the UN. The ICG also called for the appointment of a special UN envoy to lead a national reconciliation process.
Much snippage, including many detailed quotes from this "former senior administration official". Not sure what to make of this article: just more wishful thinking by the Lefty internationalists at al-Guardian? Reflections of a genuine giving-up by the Administration? One more drop in the steady drip-drip-drip of doom-and-gloom failure advocacy by opponents of the war? Dunno. You decide.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/23/2007 06:49 ||
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Sure. Whenever I need international "solutions", I'm frantically looking up UN in the Yellow Pages...
#2
What's he going to say to this bunch of International Con Artists - that there's missing cash and bearer bonds to be found? That he'll call off Claudia Rosett?
ISLAMABAD - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has given a strong indication that he will seek re-election rliament while still serving as armed forces chief, saying he is inseparable from his uniform, the BBC reported on Tuesday. Uniform has now become my skin, how could I separate myself from it? the general told the broadcasters Urdu service in an interview.
The military had not entered Pakistani politics of its own will but was invited to tend civil administration, said Musharraf, who is under pressure from the opposition, rights groups and foreign governments to step down as army head before seeking a further five- year term from the current loyal assembly this autumn. The armed forces had consolidated Pakistan but the opposition was now creating negative propaganda against them, said Musharraf, who came to power with the bloodless overthrow of prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999.
In a recent interview with a Pakistani television channel, the president said that if a two-thirds majority of parliament approved his retention of power as army chief, that is the spirit of democracy and will of the people - and is in accordance with the Constitution.
"The people need me!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/23/2007 00:00 ||
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ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Prime Minister's charm failed to work its magic on the steely US Secretary of State, according to a new biography of Condoleezza Rice. The Pakistani newspaper Dawn reports that the book describes in excruciating detail how Shaukat Aziz allegedly tried to impress Dr Rice when she visited South Asia in March 2005.
Mr Aziz "tried this Savile Row-suited gigolo kind of charm: 'Pakistan is a country of rich traditions,' staring in [Dr Rice's] eyes," the biographer Marcus Mabry writes, according to Dawn. "When Rice sat down with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who fancied himself as a ladies' man, Aziz puffed himself up and held forth in what he obviously thought was his seductive baritone. He bragged - to Western diplomats, no less - that he could conquer any woman in two minutes."
Mr Aziz, who is married with three children, was out of luck. "There was this test of wills where he was trying to use all his charms on her as a woman, and she just basically stared him down," the newspaper quotes Mabry, a senior correspondent with Newsweek, as writing.
"By the end of the meeting he was babbling. The Pakistanis were shifting uncomfortably. And his voice visibly changed."
Government spokesmen were not immediately available for comment on Monday.
Mr Aziz, 58, had a successful career in international banking before moving into politics. He had postings around the world, including in London, Athens and New York, and rose to be vice-president of Citibank in 1992. He became Pakistan's prime minister in 2004, serving under the country's military ruler, President Pervez Musharraf.
Mabry's biography of Dr Rice, Twice as Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power, was published this month.
This article starring:
Shaukat Aziz
Posted by: John Frum ||
05/23/2007 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Glusomble Oppressor of the Welsh9195 ||
05/23/2007 0:59 Comments ||
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#2
I think AC/DC did a song about this sorta thing; 'Shot Down In Flames'...
A YOUNG love, two ancient religions ... a woman dying in a pool of her own blood after a very public stoning. This is the modern Iraq, for which we sent our troops to fight.
This is the freedom that exists ... and the reminder of how much more work there is still to be done.
For some, such as Du'a Khalil Aswad, this was the price of the so-called new freedom.
Of course, whether Du'a believed in the new freedom promised by the coalition forces will never be known.
All that we do know is that Du'a, young and in love, tested its limits only to see her new world come up terrifyingly, tragically, short. Her crime was to fall in love with a Sunni boy when her family practised the Yezidi religion, which does not allow marriage outside her faith.
The difference between her murder and the many other "honour" killings that also take place was that Du'a's death was captured by camera phone and sent around the world via the internet.
Never has the old world and new world come together more savagely.
A simple Google search will find the vision on any number of websites but it must come with a warning.
This is no Hollywood production. A woman dies before your eyes.
The blurred vision shows a crazed mob, jostling and crowing and jockeying for position, the cameraman struggling past the thousand-odd men who waited for Du'a to be dragged from the house of a tribal leader in a headlock so they could begin the killing.
More than anything the men are excited, which is as sickening to write as it is to accept.
In the mad scramble the cameraman finally gets close to Du'a, by which time she is already on the ground, her body sagging and struggling to stay strong.
Stones rain down on her. Her screams can be heard.
One stone, the size of a good Bessa brick, is catapulted with full force into her body.
As she tries to protect herself Du'a's hair is matted and strewn across her face. Again she screams.
To complete the shame somebody has ripped off her skirt, another man kicks her in the crotch.
For 30 minutes this goes on, until finally a stone knocks her unconscious and a deep, dark blood stream begins to run across the earth.
Du'a is dead.
This young woman, just 17 years old and whose crime was to fall in love, is now lost from this world forever.
If this is upsetting, then apologies. But this is the reality of our world, far from political spin, far from the lies of this "peaceful religion" we are force fed whenever racial tensions rise up.
It is abhorrent at every level. It must be stopped.
Du'a and her boyfriend, whose identity is still not known, had a plan to run away together.
Clearly aware that theirs was a forbidden love, it is uncertain whether their plan to elope was a result of having asked permission to marry and been denied or whether they planned it anyway, knowing how the answer would fall.
Regardless, they fled to Bashika but were betrayed by Du'a's family, whose "honour" had been besmirched.
They needed to cleanse the family and could do so only with Du'a's death.
Her parents did not want her to be stoned but, according to Diana Nammi, a leading Kurdish rights campaigner who fled to England, it is not certain whether they agreed to another form of death.
What is certain is that rather than a one-off, or a fading remnant of an old world that is thankfully disappearing, "honour" killings are on the rise in Iraq.
Nobody knows exact figures because exact figures are at best uncertain, at most shady, when it comes to happenings in Iraq.
But campaigners such as Ms Nammi say there is an "epidemic". The evidence is in the growing number of autopsy reports in Baghdad signed off with a simple verdict: "Killed to wash away her disgrace."
After Du'a's murder two men were arrested by Iraqi police but, according to Ms Nammi, were later quietly released.
Then last Saturday, 42 days after Du'a's murder, Iraqi authorities arrested four men in relation to the killing.
On the surface, at least, the arrests have been applauded.
"They (the crowd) brutally killed a young Yezidi girl in pursuit of out-of-date tribal rites," Tahsin Saeed Ali, the Yezidi religious leader known as the emir of the Yezidis in Iraq, said.
Is this a hope? Is this a sign of change, that maybe the coalition is making some headway, or merely a false dawn?
It is difficult to get too excited. The death came to light only after the image was released on the internet, after all, when the rest of the world had begun to vent its outrage. It forced the authorities to act.
Elsewhere the rise in "honour" killings suggests a descent into localised law, indicating it is getting worse rather than better. Maybe it has to before things are finally righted, which gives no comfort.
#1
This story has been kicking around the intertubes for about 2 weeks now, and again I note that while honour killings happen damn near every day across Arabia and the Arabized world, the only one to get global attention was an infidel girl who was killed for lovong a Sunni boy. Her story is tragic, but AFAIK the yezidis do not routinely murder their wimmenfolk.
A pro-US Sunni tribal leader made a rare visit to the Iraqi capital's Shiite bastion of Sadr City on Tuesday in a bid for national reconciliation. Sheikh Hamid al-Hayis, the armed wing chief of an alliance of Sunni tribes fighting Al-Qaeda alongside US forces in Anbar province of western Iraq, visited supporters of hard-line Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. "This meeting is a message to Iraqi politicians to get rid of their differences and to seek real reconciliation," Hayis said. "We are trying to pressure [the government] to make political changes for the sake of the Iraqi people who are drowning in the blood of their sons," he added.
The Anbar tribes are hoping to turn their alliance into a national political movement and are fierce rivals to the main Sunni political party, the Iraqi Islamic Party. Sadr's movement, meanwhile, has withdrawn from the government.
Sadr, who has been hiding behind Dinnerjacket's petticoats not been seen in months, was represented by three MPs from his 30-strong parliamentary bloc, a senior leader in his political office, and the heads of major families living in the neighborhood. "This visit shows that Iraqi tribes are standing side by side and they are the nail in the coffin of the abhorrent sectarianism which has split our country," said Shiite Sheikh Malik Sewadi al-Mohammadawi.
The head of one of Sadr City's most influential tribes, Mohammadawi blamed the country's sectarian strife on "occupation forces and foreign [Sunni religious extremists]." Sunni insurgents, once supported by the Anbar tribes, continue to stage dramatic bombing attacks against Shiite civilians while militias, including Sadr's Mehdi Army, exact their revenge on Sunnis. In recent weeks, however, Sadr's movement has made moves to reach out to the Sunni community and build on its nationalist, rather than just Shiite, credentials.
Participants at Tuesday's meeting called for improved national security services, for holding internationally monitored provincial council elections, and for "calling any killer of Iraqis a terrorist who has to be fought."
The participants said they hoped to arrange future meetings involving Sadr himself.
"Abu Risha said he would visit Sadr soon," said Abdel-Mehdi al-Muteiri of Sadr's office, referring to Abdel-Sattar Baziyya of the Abu Risha tribe, the leader of the Anbar Awakening coalition. "There will be a meeting soon in the holy city of Najaf. The Sayyed [Sadr] liked and welcomed the idea of the visit," he added.
This sounds promising but I'd like to see just how many dumptrucks full of dollars changed hands...
#1
I know I'm sort of harsh about the whole thing but I still prefer Sunni submission to Sunni cooperation. Real nifty and leverage-y now, nearly certain to result in more serious sectarian nonsense the instant the foreigners are routed. And to punk on the article a bit, Mookie has made ostentatious if dubious appeals across sectarian lines (anti-Coalition in tone) for a long long time, at least as far back as First Fallujah (spring '04).
The majority of Iraqis were once in favour of American troops withdrawing, but the situation now seems to be changing with residents in Baghdad growing concerned about the aftermath of a possible US withdrawal in September.
Saleh Ahmad, who works at a carpentry shop in Baghdad, told Gulf News, "I was waiting eagerly for American forces to withdraw, but now my neighbours and I are growing increasingly concerned about this matter. We can imagine an excess in blood and corpses in the streets if they pull back the forces."
Many Iraqis believe that seeing the American occupation change from a curse to a blessing, is in order to convince Iraq to retain permanent American military bases as an alternative solution to an early withdrawal.
Faten Ali, a secondary schoolteacher, told Gulf News, "In light of sectarian tensions and the frailty of the Iraqi government as seen in political and security situations, I believe Baghdad will be a scene of fighting, kidnapping, looting and revenge between criminal gangs."
What Iraqis need is a provisional and effective military force to prevent internal fighting, especially in light of weaknesses seen in the Iraqi forces. In the mixed Shiite and Sunni neighbourhood of Al Bai'aa, the eruption of internal clashes between gunmen from the two sects has made it necessary for Iraqi and American troops to be present in the area.
Abi Thamir who lives in the neighbourhood said, "We have lived through a frightening sectarian situation over the past days to the extent that we were pleading with the Americans to rescue the neighbourhood. The Americans did not ask the Sunni and Shiite extremists to fight one another. The defect is from us and there is no need to blame others for what is taking place here," he added.
Many Iraqi families have decided to leave Baghdad in the coming months, if the Americans confirm that they will start withdrawing early from the country. The Iraqi Ministry of Immigration issued a report recently that indicated the Iraqi exodus has increased by 35 per cent in the previous weeks. The report pointed out that this percentage could rise to 100 per cent.
#2
"...if the Americans confirm that they will start withdrawing early from the country. The Iraqi Ministry of Immigration issued a report recently that indicated the Iraqi exodus has increased by 35 per cent in the previous weeks. The report pointed out that this percentage could rise to 100 per cent."
Good. Then we can nuke the place...
Posted by: Caesar Angavimp6523 ||
05/23/2007 0:46 Comments ||
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#3
"I was waiting eagerly for American forces to withdraw, but now my neighbours and I are growing increasingly concerned about this matter. We can imagine an excess in blood and corpses in the streets if they pull back the forces."
"The defect is from us and there is no need to blame others for what is taking place here," he added.
A bit late aren't you guys
Posted by: Glusomble Oppressor of the Welsh9195 ||
05/23/2007 0:54 Comments ||
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#4
It actually is in our favor right now that the Iraqis become very afraid of what will happen if we withdraw. I have suggested that our long term goal should be to create a Status of Forces agreement with them for several large military bases, much like we had with Germany.
Half a dozen of our top strategic interests are immensely helped by our staying in Iraq. They include:
1) Protecting the world oil supply.
2) Countering Iranian and other ME aggression and nuclear proliferation, while spreading democracy in the region. Helping to safeguard Israel.
3) Forward deployment of forces for operations throughout the Middle East, northern and eastern Africa, and Central Asia, as well as the Indian Ocean. Including ABM operations.
4) Countering Chinese operations.
5) Partnering with several important new allies such as Iraq, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc.
6) Pursuing the WoT.
For all of these, having bases in Iraq puts us in the cat-bird's seat, like having the equivalent of three supercarriers on permanent station there.
We would be foolish indeed to give up such an amazing strategic opportunity.
I just thought this was a great quote.
Israels UN ambassador on Monday accused moderate Muslim and Arab leaders of standing by in eerie silence while Islamic extremists terrorize people around the world.
"We live in a world where when Christians kill Muslims, its a crusade. When Jews kill Muslims, its a massacre. When Muslims kill Muslims, its the weather channel."
#1
The quote is priceless, even if incorrect. On 9-12 the silence was "eerie". Almost six years later, the silence is deafening. Between taqiyya and Islam's wilfull refusal to recognize its own glaring shortcomings, the intellectual dishonesty displayed by the vast majority of this world's Muslims renders their opinions and objections moot. Islam is a non-contender for anything except swift dismantling to prevent it from doing further harm. As Winston Churchill said:
#2
While I agree with everything said by the ambassador and Zenster I think the greater silence by far is from the ersatz leftists, feminists, socialists, environmentalists and the rest of the do-gooders of the West. When a gay couple is prevented from marrying in Texas it is a tragedy, when a gay man with the misfortune to be born Arab - and not an Arab-Israeli - is thrown to his death in the local septic tank it is not even the Weather Channel. To the left their brothers and sisters are unpersons until they they are caught in the crossfire and a BBC camera is in the area.
Nine U.S. warships carrying 17,000 personnel entered the Gulf on Wednesday in a show of force off Iran's coast that navy officials said was the largest daytime assembly of ships since the 2003 Iraq war. U.S. Navy officials said Iran had not been notified of plans to sail the ships, which include two aircraft carriers, through the Straits of Hormuz, a narrow channel in international waters off Iran's coast and a major artery for global oil shipments.
Rear Admiral Kevin Quinn, who is leading the group, said the ships would conduct exercises as part of a long-planned effort to reassure regional allies of U.S. commitment to Gulf security. "There's always the threat of any state or non state actor that might decide to close one of the international straits, and the biggest one is the Straits of Hormuz," he told reporters on board the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier. "What is special about this is that you have two strike groups. Everybody will see us because it is in daylight."
Most U.S. ships pass through the straits at night so as not to attract attention, and rarely move in such large numbers.
Navy officials said the decision to send a second aircraft carrier was made at the last minute, without giving a reason. The group of ships, carrying about 140 aircraft scheduled to participate in the exercises that will take place over the next few weeks, crossed at roughly 0355 GMT.
Highlighting the dangers of accidental escalation, a Navy official said the USS Stennis had received nine enquiries from nearby countries, two from Oman and seven from Iran, including one from an Iranian vessel that sailed close by.
On the way to the straits, a public announcement called on crew to witness "some of the most powerful ships in the world", whose tight formation against a backdrop of the setting sun created a dramatic image of American naval might. Last month, the U.S. Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain conducted its biggest crisis response drill and in March, the U.S. navy conducted its biggest war drills in the Gulf since 2003.
#1
I've always wondered why some smart person doesn't run a big honkin' crude oil pipeline from Basra to Kuwait City and down the coast, then across the Emirates and the flat part of Qatar to a loading terminal on the Arabian Sea. There's a bay that looks like a good natural harbor in the middle of Qatar's east coast, about 300 miles from the nearest Iranian territory; the "big" town there is called Khaluf. It would be expensive, to be sure, but probably an easier engineering problem than the Alaska pipeline. Load all the tankers on the coast of Qatar, and the Straits of Hormuz are no longer a choke point--and the mad mullahs lose their leverage.
Posted by: Mike ||
05/23/2007 8:44 Comments ||
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#4
Snerb, not standing up for Fox, but that article is from the Associated Press. No Fox contributors to it. 'Course, Fox should have read and edited it before posting.
Got a neighbor whose young Marine son on the Bonhomme Richard. They had 3 days in Singapore. Marines were told, buddy system, and one Marine gets into trouble, you all come aboard! He and a bud were renting a hotel room for $320! But, were excited about it.
Great pic --
The USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), USS Nimitz (CVN 68), and USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) strike groups steam through the Gulf of Oman.
NAHR Al BARED, Lebanon - Thousands fled a Palestinian refugee camp at the centre of three days of ferocious fighting between Islamists and the Lebanese army after the truce was reached. Thousands of refugees -- men, women and children -- started fleeing on foot or by car from Nahr Al Bared camp from early evening to take shelter in the nearby Beddawi camp, said Hajj Rifaat, an official there of the mainstream Palestinian faction Fatah. Nahr Al Bared residents have taken advantage of the truce in the fighting to escape the besieged and heavily bombarded camp, said Rifaat.
Getting evicted from yet another country, eh, Paleos?
Hundreds of others were making their way to the nearby city of Tripoli, an AFP correspondent reported.
The exodus to Beddawi, some 12 kilometres (seven miles) away, began several hours after the Al Qaeda-inspired Sunni Muslim group Fatah Al Islam declared a unilateral ceasefire. That came early in the afternoon, with fighting already at a lull at the squalid camp, transformed into a war zone by army shelling aimed at wiping out the group.
Around four hours later, spokesmen for both sides said the truce was holding, but a UN official said two Palestinian civilians were shot dead when aid trucks moved in with food, medical supplies and generators. We dont know the source of the fire, and we had to leave the camp immediately, said United Nations Relief and Works Agency spokeswoman Hoda Samra. All the food and medical supplies were successfully offloaded, but the water was hit and spilled.
We will try to deliver more supplies tomorrow, she said, although it was unclear how many of the 31,000 residents would remain there on Wednesday following the exodus.
Preferably none.
Hajj Rifaat said those who had fled Nahr Al Bared would be offered refuge in the 16,000-resident Beddawi camp, but we will certainly be quickly overwhelmed if the flow of refugees continues at this rate.
The problem will quickly become one of being able to provide extra food.
In Tripoli, 10 kilometres (six miles) from Nahr Al Bared, local residents were taking in refugees from the camp, putting them up in schools, an AFP correspondent said.
Mauritania is nice this time of year -- how 'bout Mauritania?
The problem is, the Paleos are a problem wherever they go. They tried to overthrow the government in Jordan. They caused a civil war in Lebanon. They've made Gaza unlivable. They beat on the Kuwaitis during the occupation. They suppressed Iraqis for Saddam. The Saudis certainly don't trust them. And we're supposed to give them a country?
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/23/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
If all the citizens are fleeing Nahr Al Bared, why is the UN bringing in supplies? Can't Fatah al Islam fend for itself?
#4
Nahr Al Bared residents have taken advantage of the truce in the fighting to escape the besieged and heavily bombarded camp,
And they're demanding the right to return, no doubt.
#5
note 1 - lots of the guys in Fatah Islam were apparently NOT Pals, but the usual AQ international assortment
note 2 - whatever you think of the Pals, this wont have any direct effect on where they live, other than shifting from one camp in Leb to another
note 3 - Whats really at issue here is Leb sov over Leb territory, and the strengthening of the Leb state. OTOH, if Leb asserts itself over the camps, do they have to give the Pals full citizenship (as the jordanians do?) what does that to Lebs precarious electoral balance? Pals are Sunnis, but are likely mainly to be pro-Syrian.
#6
As soon as the Leb Army gets serious and shells them, they hightail it to the next ein hellhole. Get em' moving and establish a nice momentum that shoves them right into Syria. Let Asshat feed them, since he's so happy to support them in Leb land.
#7
Level Our Ass Bared to the ground and declare it closed as a refugee camp. Tell the Paleos that the next time they let some bank-robbing criminal scumbags operate from a refugee camp that one will be closed too. Repatriate any who complain to Gaza.
Posted by: Mac ||
05/23/2007 22:49 Comments ||
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Syria has agreed to supply Iran with at least 10 out of 50 air-defense systems that Damascus is in the process of buying from Russia, Jane's Defense Weekly reported in this week's edition. Jane's quoted a source close to the deal as saying that while most of the Pantsyr-S1E systems were earmarked for Syrian Air Defense Command, "the end-user for 10 of the systems is Tehran." It said Iran would take delivery of them in late 2008. To reward Syria for its middleman role, it added, Tehran will part-finance Syria's Pantsyrs as well as paying for its own.
Jane's said Syria struck a $730 million deal with Russia earlier this year for some 50 Pantsyr-S1E self-propelled short-range gun and missile air-defense systems. Its source said Moscow had not been officially notified of the reported Syrian arrangement with Tehran, which flowed from a November 2005 strategic accord between the two countries on military and technological cooperation.
Cuz, they still can't see our stealth fighters and bombers with these contraptions, which should be able to take out the radar components, making them nothing better than ack, acks.
Posted by: Caesar Angavimp6523 ||
05/23/2007 0:44 Comments ||
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#2
Don't kid yourself. The Russians intend to sell their authoritarian "friends" any technology they can develop that they hope can be used against the US, to include nuclear proliferation.
I know it sounds asinine, but they *prefer* dealing with dictatorships and tyrannies to dealing with liberal democracies, going all the way back to the days of the Tsars. By convoluted logic, they see them as less threatening.
#3
Not much of a threat for F-16s dropping JDAMs and LGBs at 30,000 ft. Of more concern, Russia sold Iran a few S-300MPU systems. Expect more to come.
Posted by: ed ||
05/23/2007 8:48 Comments ||
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#4
So... Syria regifts part of its purchase from the Russians years before taking delivery and this somehow means the Russians are not selling the equipment to Iran.
The chief commander of the Iranian army's Ground Force, Brigadier General Mohammad Hossein Dadras, said on Tuesday that Iran's armed forces are prepared to defend the country's territorial integrity against foreign invasions, Iran's state-run Press TV website reported. Dadras made the remarks in the southern province of Fars where a new war game was underway to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation of the southern city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqi occupation in 1982, the report said.
"Our forces make the ultimate sacrifice to further strengthen the Islamic Republic in the country," the Iranian army commander said.
Iran's local Fars news agency on Monday quoted Deputy Commander of Iran's army for Education Dawood Agha-Mohammadi as saying that Iran's army was scheduled to stage war games in the province of Fars on Tuesday morning. The three-day maneuvers, codenamed "Beitolmoghaddas 19," would be attended by students and instructors of 17 ground force faculties, Agha-Mohammadi told Fars. The general also said that the ground force educational strategies and doctrines would be exercised during the war games and a large number of army officers would practice theories to gain valuable technical, tactical and operational experiences.The maneuvers would comprise five different stages, including surface defense, night and day combat and anti-heliborne operations.
During the maneuvers, the army will use new weapons innovated by Iranian experts, including anti-helicopter weapons, shoulder launchers and projectiles as well as different types of anti-armor weapons and explosives and new types of weaponry. All the participating units have already been deployed in the region, waiting for hour zero to start launching the war games, the general said.
#5
This is actually amusing, because Iran has forward deployed much of its army for years. For those of you who are prior service ground-pounders, imagine the condition of your personnel and equipment if you had been in a field garrison for a couple of years.
In a nutshell, maintenance, administration, morale and discipline, even a lot of training would be just a mess. When a unit forward deploys, the clock is ticking.
The scale of Iran's economic crisis became clear yesterday when the regime increased petrol prices by 25 per cent overnight and prepared to introduce fuel rationing. These measures may damage President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's popular standing still further. In a country with 70 million people - at least half of whom are under 25 - the economy is stagnant and failing. High unemployment means that millions of students are unable to find jobs while prices of basic goods rise every month.
This has combined to undermine Mr Ahmadinejad's authority. Four newspapers in Teheran are now openly critical of his performance and recent local elections saw a heavy defeat for his allies. Parliamentary elections are due next year and the president's party is expected to face a new alliance of moderate opposition forces. Yesterday's fuel price rise could affect the outcome of this election.
Although Iran has the second largest oil reserves in the world and produces 4.2 million barrels per day, it cannot refine enough of this crude oil into petrol. Due to the parlous state of its refineries, Iran must import about 40 per cent of its petrol. Importing petrol and then subsidising it costs the authorities about £2.5 billion last year. To reduce this cost and bear down on consumption, Mustafa Pourmohammedi, the interior minister, announced that prices would rise from the equivalent of four pence a litre to five pence. Formal fuel rationing is expected to be introduced on June 5. From then onwards, Iranians will be able to buy only three litres per day at the official price. Anything above will be supplied at 10 times the fixed price.
#2
a country with 70 million people - at least half of whom are under 25
How did that happen - is that possible? What's the life expectancy in Iran? That must be 35 million youngsters who just love to dress modestly and live devout lives.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
05/23/2007 4:00 Comments ||
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#3
a country with 70 million people - at least half of whom are under 25
How did that happen - is that possible?
Of all people, I'd have thought a Brit would understand how that happens. Perhaps that is the reason for the declining birth rates in the UK.
In the usual way I imagine, Howard dear. ;-) Plus all the oldsters who died or emigrated in the course of establishing the Khomeini revolution, died clearing minefields and similar warlike maneuvers against Iraq in the 1980s, died during various uprisings put down with a strong hand over the years, died of drug overdoses and suicides by the desperate...
For life expectancy, check the CIA Factbook on Iran (for some reason the direct link isn't working for me right now, but this link works).
#6
Thanks TW - On reflection , that was a pretty thick question :)
Posted by: Howard UK ||
05/23/2007 8:22 Comments ||
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#7
To cut Howard UK some slack, the great demographic divide between aging developed countries, and booming "developing" countries (even with birthrates falling) is like comparing two different realities. For instance, the median age in gaza is 15. The third world is young, young, young, and will be for some time, and they will have to either dramatically improve their societies to give outlets to that young population, or export the surplus somewhere.
#8
When Khomenei took power he urged the Iranians to have many children. As TW mentioned emigration and war took their toll. Still in the 1980s, even with horrendous war losses, Iranian population was growing at 3%/year, near fastest in the world. Currently population is growing at 1%, but that is because of the huge bulge in the population under 30, and masks the fact that fertility is now 1.8/woman, below replacement levels.
Posted by: ed ||
05/23/2007 8:36 Comments ||
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#9
Ed, that why "Spengler" from Asia Times posits that iran has to act now, while it has the demographical possibility to create its persian empire, and before it crumbles under the weight of the now soldier-age youths turned retired old people. The same is true form the muslim world in general, they have a "window" of a few decades to act decisively, before demography catches up with them and they become giant retiremnt homes, without say the facilities and developed society of Japan.
#11
This is really fuel on the fire. There is an even bigger social problem for the Iranians.
What is happening in Iraq is filtering to them and that is cell phones, laptops and satelite dishes. The more infomation that flows the worse is gets for the revolutionary counsel.
The Kurds are exercising a lot of physical pressure from the north.
So the "secret" directive from President Bush being reported on may be somewhat dated.
And as a side bar for ed, give me the MICH helmet anyday. It is easier to wear and it doesn't wobble. If you add a couple of extra pads it gets even better. The one draw back is you can't put idiot cards in it...
Posted by: Top Mac ||
05/23/2007 8:45 Comments ||
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#12
The scale of Iran's economic crisis became clear yesterday when the regime increased petrol prices by 25 per cent overnight
Sounds like a typical summer holiday weekend mark-up in Canada.
#14
One interesting bit of data from TW's link is the imbalance in number of males vs females. There are 3 million more males than females in the child bearing ages.
Normally the number of females outnumbers males by the time they reach adulthood. This suggests a systematic elimination of unwanted females.
It almost certainly implies a large number of unemployed, horny and frustrated young men. I would expect these men to revolt against the regime or engage in a Jihad.
Either way, very explosive.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
05/23/2007 14:22 Comments ||
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#15
How did that happen - is that possible?
Some half a million Muslim males died in the Iran-Iraq war. Iran took particularly heavy losses due, not just to Saddam's use of poison gas, but other niceities like running high tension lines from the Basra hydro plant and sinking them in the marshes to cook alive Iranian soldiers who waded in. Additionally, Iran's army has always been heavy on manpower and light on armor or artillery. Human wave assaults of the sort not seen since WWI were commonplace Iranian strategy.
Most horrific of all was Iran's use of children less than ten years old to clear the way as human mine sweepers. With a lick and a promise of paradise whose doors would be opened by the plastic key on a chain around their necks, Iran sent the flower of their youth straight to Hell. Add in some 300,000 (mostly male) political prisoners, constant executions and disasters like Bam, and Iran's male population takes it in the shorts. Of course, this is supposed to be made up by so many rich mullahs having several brood mares wives.
Claude Monniquet's website (some material in english). HT No Pasaran!
Iran is attempting to draw up plans to strike targets in Europe and has reconnoitered European nuclear power stations, a security analyst told a meeting at Britain's parliament.
Claude Moniquet, president of the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Centre, a private think-tank in Brussels, said his organisation also had evidence Tehran has increased the number of its intelligence agents across Europe. "We have serious signals that something is under preparation in Europe," Moniquet said. "Iranian intelligence is working extremely hard to prepare its people and to prepare actions."
The centre, which he said deals directly with European intelligence agencies, believes Iranian operatives have carried out "reconnaissance of targets in European cities, including nuclear power stations," Moniquet said. He mentioned no other specific targets. Preparations to target Europe's nuclear energy plants could be tied to the diplomatic standoff over Tehran's contested nuclear program, he told a meeting of MPs and analysts in London's House of Commons.
Iran appeared to be preparing to target "British citizens on the streets of London," Moniquet said. "Just as they kill British soldiers in the south of Iraq."
Conservative parliamentarian Patrick Mercer told the meeting that Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, in a debate in December, had acknowledged worries about Tehran backing terrorist activity inside Britain. There were "concerns about the scale and nature of terrorism in this country, and about whether some of that is inspired or funded in any way by forces in and around Iran," Beckett told MPs.
Parliament's intelligence and security committee, a panel of MPs which reviews the work of Britain's MI5 and MI6 domestic and foreign spy agencies, also warned last year of an "increased threat to UK interests from Iranian state-sponsored terrorism".
A government security official said Iran was active in espionage and likely interested in compiling information on European military and industrial targets. However, the official could not verify Moniquet's claim that Tehran had conducted reconnaissance against power plants or increased numbers of agents in Britain. "There was a lot of anticipation the number of agents would increase when President (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad came to power," the official said. "But I'm not sure whether that has actually been the case."
#1
I take this with a grain of salt, but just a note. This is what appeasing these monsters gets you. More hits. More death. More demanding you surrender.
#2
And don't call us (U.S.) when the going gets harry.
We've busy.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/23/2007 13:58 Comments ||
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#3
At some point the Europeans are going to have to get up on their hind legs and deal with Islam. Unfortunately, about all we can expect of them is the usual slaughterhouse once things really have gone over the edge.
#4
The Iranians are bigger dumbasses than I give them credit for if the above is true. Truly, mesmerized by delusions of grandeur. They may end up with their incinerated a*ses handed to what's left of them on a platter.
#5
Iran is sounding more and more like Dr. Howard Dean every day. "We'll fight them in Milwaukee! We'll fight them in Ste Tropez! And Algiers! and Canberra! and Cape Town! Aieeeeeeee!
#6
Nah, that's silly! Why would they attack their collaboraters?
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/23/2007 17:14 Comments ||
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#7
Europe is the natural next target zone for the Muzzie horde. They've struck lightly in Spain to great effect. Now they'll probably hit Germany or France next, because they see them providing small resistance to muzzie demands already. Al-Shiraq did threaten to nukem', though, if they damaged Frawnce didn't he ?
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.
KABUL - The world must remain engaged in Afghanistan until the country manages to stand on its own feet or terrorists will strike again, President Hamid Karzai warned on Tuesday. Talking to reporters after holding talks with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Karzai said the world, and in particular the West, needed to stay in Afghanistan to help Afghans, but also for its own security.
Signatures by 100,000 petitioners are needed in Switzerland for a referendum - including a possible one on banning the construction of minarets on mosques. Deputies from the far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP) and Federal Democratic Union (EDU), who are pushing for a vote, are confident they can collect the signatures by November 2008. 
CFD DUNDURN, Saskatchewan A weapon that's been in our arsenal for a long time but is often overlooked is making a strong comeback on deployed operations. 
May 22 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, says his disagreement with the Democrats over the Iraq war won't prevent him from working with his former party. For now. ``I hope the moment doesn't come that I feel so separated from the caucus'' that he decides to shift allegiance to the Republicans, he said in an interview. Asked what Democratic actions might cause such a break, he invoked Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's famous 1964 definition of pornography: ``I'll know it when I see it.''
Presidential hopeful John Edwards said Monday that Americans should speak out against the war in Iraq this Memorial Day weekend, renewing an anti-war call that has been criticized by the leader of the American Legion.
ISLAMABAD - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has given a strong indication that he will seek re-election rliament while still serving as armed forces chief, saying he is inseparable from his uniform, the BBC reported on Tuesday. Uniform has now become my skin, how could I separate myself from it? the general told the broadcasters Urdu service in an interview.
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Prime Minister's charm failed to work its magic on the steely US Secretary of State, according to a new biography of Condoleezza Rice. The Pakistani newspaper Dawn reports that the book describes in excruciating detail how 
A pro-US Sunni tribal leader made a rare visit to the Iraqi capital's Shiite bastion of Sadr City on Tuesday in a bid for national reconciliation. Sheikh Hamid al-Hayis, the armed wing chief of an alliance of Sunni tribes fighting Al-Qaeda alongside US forces in Anbar province of western Iraq, visited supporters of hard-line Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. "This meeting is a message to Iraqi politicians to get rid of their differences and to seek real reconciliation," Hayis said. "We are trying to pressure [the government] to make political changes for the sake of the Iraqi people who are drowning in the blood of their sons," he added.
NAHR Al BARED, Lebanon - Thousands fled a Palestinian refugee camp at the centre of three days of ferocious fighting between Islamists and the Lebanese army after the truce was reached. Thousands of refugees -- men, women and children -- started fleeing on foot or by car from Nahr Al Bared camp from early evening to take shelter in the nearby Beddawi camp, said Hajj Rifaat, an official there of the mainstream Palestinian faction Fatah. Nahr Al Bared residents have taken advantage of the truce in the fighting to escape the besieged and heavily bombarded camp, said Rifaat.
The chief commander of the Iranian army's Ground Force, Brigadier General Mohammad Hossein Dadras, said on Tuesday that Iran's armed forces are prepared to defend the country's territorial integrity against foreign invasions, Iran's state-run Press TV website reported. Dadras made the remarks in the southern province of Fars where a new war game was underway to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation of the southern city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqi occupation in 1982, the report said.
The scale of Iran's economic crisis became clear yesterday when the regime increased petrol prices by 25 per cent overnight and prepared to introduce fuel rationing. These measures may damage President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's popular standing still further. In a country with 70 million people - at least half of whom are under 25 - the economy is stagnant and failing. High unemployment means that millions of students are unable to find jobs while prices of basic goods rise every month.
