The article discusses the cuts planned by the Air Force and being pushed onto the Army.
My two favorite quotes are,
"Irony: the Pentagon waits to cut the Air Force after fighting a decade of land wars; and the Armys reward for surviving them is major shrinkage."
Plans with Iran would rely predominantly on air and naval power. Libya was mostly air power, and the Pacific is clearly a naval and air arena, says Dunn. I would note that my naval friends say the Pacific is 75 percent covered by water but its 100 percent covered by air.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
01/04/2012 13:51 ||
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#1
I think the eventual winner here will be cheaper non-combat planes, that are not modern battlefield players, but work fine in support roles in lower intensity conflicts.
For example, B-52s have been used extensively in Afghanistan as CAS, which sounds ridiculous except that they are the most available aircraft for that mission. In many cases, we could have even used prop aircraft for all sorts of things.
We desperately need cheap aircraft with efficient engines that can stay aloft for a long time. If they carry a few bombs it would be great, but put the high tech in the bombs, not the planes. All they should have to do is "Fly around and drop your bombs on request in the right grid square. The bombs will find their targets by GPS. Otherwise just fly in a big circle until somebody calls you."
The AF needs to hunt up "Honest Al's Used Planes".
#2
Absolutely moose. The complexity of every system out there is mindboggling. The Pentagon is going to have to learn the hard way how to control spending.
#5
Pappy. Lock-mart needs to produce excellence. At $153 million a copy (double that if you include development and maintenance costs) the grounded F-22's are currently very expensive paperweights.
The F-35 is not shaping up any better.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
01/04/2012 17:00 Comments ||
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#6
No profit for defense contractors for Honest Al's idea. They like gold-plated equipment that requires lots of repairs and spare parts.
#8
All of this will be moot soon. Perhaps as early as 5 years from now we may well have the technology for unmanned combat air vehicles of significant autonomous capability against opponents more sophisticated than Iran or Libya.
In addition to not putting crew lives in danger, UCAVs will be unhindered by ergonomic factors, allowing air performance that significantly outdoes manned craft.
The question is, how to maintain air superiority between now and when such capabilities come on line. That will probably mean some degree of expense for 22s/35s, but with much of the projected production quantities actually not every ordered.
#9
Shrinking the Army? Not smart. It always comes down to boots on the ground. If not ours, then the THREAT of ours needs to still be there and be credible.
#10
I'd like to point out... more F-22's and 35's would at least be built here... at least defense spending would actually have a multiplier effect, unlike a whole lot of other government spending.
(I'm thinking of a bridge in CA that got subcontracted to China, in particular).
[An Nahar] The Taliban announced on Tuesday that they had come to an "initial agreement" to open their first political overseas office, possibly in Qatar, as part of peace talks with the United States.
In a statement on their purported website "Voice of Jihad," the Islamists said they had held "preliminary talks with relevant sides including Qatar" to open an office outside Afghanistan, without confirming where it would be.
One of their demands would be for a prisoner exchange to include the release of inmates from the U.S.-run detention facility Guantanamo Bay, they said.
"We're now prepared, while having a strong presence inside (Afghanistan) to have a political office outside (Afghanistan) for negotiations," the statement said, reiterating the stance that all foreign troops must leave to end the war.
The jihad boy group, now into an 11th year of fighting President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... 's Western-backed government, said: "The occupation of the country must be ended and Afghans must be allowed to create an Islamic government of their choice that would do no harm to anyone."
But it rejected some media reports that negotiations with the U.S. had begun.
The comments come two days after Karzai made a public statement to welcome remarks by U.S. Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body... that the Taliban "per se is not our enemy," saying it would help bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.
Biden's comments to Newsweek magazine triggered controversy in the U.S. but reflected an increasing focus on finding a political settlement.
Karzai has agreed that if the United States wants to set up a Taliban address in Qatar to enable peace talks he will not stand in the way, as long as Afghanistan is involved in the process.
The September liquidation of Karzai's peace envoy, former president Burhanuddin Rabbani ... the gentlemanly murdered legitimate president of Afghanistan... , appeared to have derailed any prospects of progress in talks.
In the interview with Newsweek Biden emphasized the need for the Taliban to cut ties with al-Qaeda.
As it pushes for a political settlement, the Afghan government has changed its tone towards the jihad boys, referring to "terrorist" rather than "Taliban" attacks.
But many Afghans fear if the Taliban is allowed into mainstream politics, their influence will see the undermining of human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. and freedoms.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Ethiopia's oldest armed rebel group, Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) has announced the end of its long held agenda of secession. The group has said it will now fight for unity and freedom.
Whatever that means. Will the fighting look any different to the outside observer?
Political commentators say this is a remarkable move in Ethiopian politics and can potentially reduce opposition against Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government.
OLF was established in late 1960's and was recently designated as a terrorist organization by Ethiopian government along with Al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban... and Al-Qaeda.
"The new OLF political programme will accept the new federal democratic republic of Ethiopia that will work for the betterment of all of its citizens, neighbouring countries and international communities," a statement released by the OLF National council reads.
"The OLF National Council also focused on the timely demand of working with other democratic forces in forming the new Ethiopia that will guarantee and protect the fundamental rights of all peoples in Ethiopia" statement added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
A group so dumb they would trick-or-treat in Jeffery Dahmer's neighborhood. Why would they not understand that armed insurrection will certainly not "guarantee and protect the fundamental rights of all peoples in Ethiopia"?" Can't they smell what is happening next door when the wind blow the right direction? Not only are they insipid, but they are incompetent as well. How can you fail in creating bloody turmoil when you live in Africa? They've been trying to create revolution in Africa since 1960 and still failed. How can that happen?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/04/2012 21:07 Comments ||
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[Dawn] The Moroccan state news agency reports that the king has accepted the cabinet proposed by the country's new prime minister.
The Islamist Justice and Development Party, that won most of the votes in the November poll, took 11 of 31 cabinet posts, including foreign affairs, justice, and transportation and communication.
The party has long been in the opposition and won the most votes in the election on a platform to combat corruption and bring social justice.
While a new constitution gives the new Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane unprecedented powers, the king still holds final veto over any of his decisions.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Goody.
If the King ever excercises his supposed 'final veto power', he may find himself the victim of 'head displacement'.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
01/04/2012 16:45 Comments ||
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[Yemen Post] A senior ruling family official threatened Nasr Taha Mustafa, the former secretary general of the Yemen Journalist Syndicate, and vowed to make him regret writing against President-for-Life Saleh. ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... Tareq Mohammed Saleh, the head of the Special Forces, and nephew of President Saleh, was not pleased with the writing style of Mustafa and thought that he must be given a direct message.
Hundreds of journalists participated in the protest in support for Mustafa and called on world rights organization to protect the basic rights of Yemeni journalists.
From its side, the Yemen Journalists Syndicate is holding the Ministry of Interior responsible for the safety of Mustafa and called on officials to arrest and punish those who try to limit the authority of media.
Over the last year, journalists are in more danger in Yemen due to their reporting on the situations in country.
Authority have numerous times threatened and attacked journalists over the last month.
Elite Republican Guards also attacked this week Khaled Alsoofi, a local journalist, as they assaulted him and terrified his family.
Rights organizations have condemned the crackdown against journalists and called for transparency and protection of journalists.
Its common in Yemen that journalists are given called by national security forces warning them to stop attacking the government and members of the ruling family.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Sources confirmed to Yemen Post that President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... was put under immense pressure from the west and gulf nations to leave the country and give it a chance to succeed.
Saleh will be leaving Yemen within the next two weeks and will not be allowed back into the country anytime soon.
Sanctions are threatening Saleh is he rejects the proposal to leave the country. His financial assets will be frozen.
His inner circle will be hit with sanctions as well.
Saleh is worried that his ruling family will be toppled if he leaves the country for a long period of time.
"Saleh has two options left: he either leaves the country or risk be sanctioned and have his assets frozen. Yemen cannot see positive change if he remains in the country," a source familiar with the details told Yemen Post.
President Saleh was issued a visa to enter the United States and will be his next destination to receive medical treatment.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... was not happy when Vice President AbduRabu Hadi would answer his calls earlier this week and was angered at the VP excuses for rejecting his calls.
Sources confirmed to Yemen Post that Saleh then complained to Jamal Ben Omar, the UN envoy to Yemen and complained to him the latest treatment from Hadi.
The latter then called the VP and informed him of Saleh's complaints.
"Saleh is now part of the past, but he insists on remaining part of the future. Hadi has strict orders to take charge and Saleh is scared of being sidelined," a bigwig familiar with the event told Yemen Post.
VP Hadi is seeking not to anger Saleh until he leaves office, though Saleh is currently stripped of most authorities.
International observers warned that Saleh will try to still be in control even after leaving power and are pushing for sanctions if he plans to do so.
President Saleh signed a power transfer deal and will be forced to step down from power by February 21. In return Saleh will be granted immunity from the crimes and violations he committed during his time in rule.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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Will he will now play second bill to a puppet show or will he still be the headline act.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/04/2012 20:57 Comments ||
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[Yemen Post] Sources within President-for-Life Saleh's ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... ruling family confirmed to Yemen Post that US authorities have issued Saleh an entry visa, but will not be allowed to enter US soil using a Yemen plane. He'll fly commercial just like any other deposed thug...
The procedure takes place to ensure that President Saleh will upon departure of the US, head back to the country where he departed from and will not be heading back to Sana'a.
"Saleh will have other options to enter the US, he will have to go to the Emirates or Ethiopia then head to the United States," the ruling family official told the Yemen Post.
The source added that Saleh will be travelling to the US very soon, and before January 12th.
He added that Saleh will not be allowed to stay in the US for more than two months, and will be forced to leave and head to a gulf nation where he will live there for good.
"The most likely destination for Saleh to live in after departing the US will be the Emirates, where Saleh is well established there," he concluded.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] A prosecution witness yesterday told the International Crimes Tribunal that Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi ...Islamic orator and politician. He was a former Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2008, and is one of the most prominent leaders of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami... had ordered the killing of Bisha Bali in Parerhaat of Pirojpur in 1971.
After consulting with Pak soldiers, Sayeedi told collaborators, "Shala ke guli kor! [shala means brother-in-law, which is also used as a term of abuse in Bangla, and 'guli kor' means shoot him]", said Altaf Hossain Hawlader in his testimony.
A collaborator then shot Bisha Bali, who had been tied to a coconut tree, Altaf said.
Mahbubul Alam Hawlader and Mahtabuddin Hawlader, the first and fifth prosecution witnesses, had also narrated how they saw Sayeedi order a collaborator to shoot Bisha Bali.
Altaf Hossain Hawlader, 58, the ninth prosecution witness, yesterday completed his deposition in a case filed against Sayeedi in connection with crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
Sayeedi, Nayeb-e-Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, is among five Jamaat and two BNP leaders who are facing war crimes charges at the tribunal.
After the deposition, the three-member tribunal headed by its chairman Justice Md Nizamul Huq, began recording the cross-examination of Altaf.
His cross-examination will continue today.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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Kim Jong-un's visit to a historically important armored division on New Year's Day can be interpreted as a warning to South Korea, pundits believe. When his father Kim Jong-il last visited the tank division on Jan. 5, 2010, North Korean state TV showed drills simulating an invasion of the South.
Like father, like son...
A South Korean intelligence official said, "Two months after Kim Jong-il's visit to the 105th Seoul Ryu Kyong-Su Guards Division in 2010, North Korea sank the Navy corvette Cheonan. We should watch carefully what the result of Kim Jong-un's visit on Sunday will be."
Pundits also believe the visit to the unit, which is seen as the birthplace of the regime's disastrous "military-first" doctrine, was a message to both the domestic and international public that the policy will remain unchanged.
Others say the new leader wanted to proclaim to all and sundry that his regime is stable. An Unification Ministry official said, "It seems he is trying to dispel doubts surrounding his inexperience and lack of charisma."
Three out of the "gang of seven" who walked alongside Kim Jong-ils hearse also accompanied Kim on Sunday -- Jang Song-taek, the vice chairman of the National Defense Committee and widely thought to be the power behind the throne, Ri Yong-ho, vice Chairman of the Workers Party's Central Military Commission, and Kim Jong-gak, the senior deputy director of the North Korean Army's General Political Bureau.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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Which is why they rallied for Fat Boy today. Remember this when some progressive mope tells you that the revolution is all about looking after the proletariat...
Some 500,000 core members of the Pyongyang elite are thought to be the North Korean regime's last bastion of power. A South Korean government official last week said, "We believe that about 500,000 people in Pyongyang are high-ranking members of the Workers Party, military and the government. Their destiny is really bound up with the Kim Dynasty because they live in special quarters and benefit from special rations."
I'm only surprised that Kimmie and the generals could buy that many with the lousy economy they have had this past decade...
According to a source, senior members of the Workers Party headquarters in Pyongyang live in some 30 high-rise apartment buildings there.
Which makes it really easy to bottle them in case there is trouble. Or to take out if you don't want to be bothered with them any more. That's just an observation, of course...
Chief military personnel live near the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, and Cabinet members near the Kyoro Hotel. Kim Jong-il's closest aides live in an exclusive quarter of luxury homes called Eundeokchon, meaning Village of Blessing, built by Kim.
A high-profile North Korean defector said, "Pyongyang is a city of privileged people, and there is saying that only those who give orders live there, not those who actually work. Those 500,000 people will support the Kim family until the end." That is why some experts believe Suet Face Kim Jong-un may well succeed in taking power.
Does Pyongyang have enough lampposts? Starving people should have their revenge at some point...
A South Korean intelligence official said, "The elite have enjoyed lavish privileges for their loyalty to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. They show incredible solidarity." They tend to marry within the same class, amass great wealth from trade, eat imported food and use foreign currency. As long as their loyalty to the Kim Dynasty remains unwavering, they can get away with murder." "For them, North Korea must be a paradise," one defector said.
Not compared to the average worker in Seoul, but compared to the starving peasants in the North, yes...
Since Kim Jong-il appointed his son Fatso Jong-un as his successor in January 2009, he focused even more on pampering the elite. He carried out a series of plans that would benefit only them to prevent his own regime from crumbling. In February, he opened a department store that exclusively sells imported goods, and in August a large water park with a capacity of 4,000 people.
The fact that he entrusted his brother-in-law Jang Song-taek, who is also Jong-un's patron, to build 100,000 housing units in Pyongyang shows how much Kim cared about the capital. Out of 50,000 tons of food aid from Russia in August, 40,000 tons are said to have been distributed to Pyongyang residents.
A South Korean government official said, "Although North Korea is begging for food around the world, it's liberally spending money on Pyongyang to consolidate the elite." The Kim Dynasty seems to have learned a lesson from the popular uprisings in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where small scale riots from provinces snowballed on a massive scale in the capital.
It's the classic demonstration of how to run a totalitarian state: create an 'elite' of apparatchiks and nomenklatura who will implement the evil in exchange for a slightly larger rice bowl.
A former intelligence official said, "The Kim family probably think they can maintain the regime as long as they can keep Pyongyang under control." But not all Pyongyang people are enjoying such benefits, and those people are thought to feel relieved about Kim Jong-il's death although they pretend to cry. A defector said, "Who would dare to refuse to cry when there are cameras watching?"
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
I guess this means Kim Jong-il the ELites had McDonalds, etc. specially flown in for the Elites as well.
* OTOH TOPIX > SAMURAI RULES [Japan, + also Chinese historical experience] SAY THE NORTH KOREAN SUCCESSION MAY FAIL.
Of [failed]Emperors-Shoguns = sudden opportunities to rule.
* WORLD NEWS > A MAJOR CONFLICT [power struggle] BREWING BEHIND THE SCENES IN NORTH KOREA.
Pudge had better his lessons fast, before his Relations or Other get the up on him.
North Koreans took part in a massive rally in the capital, Pyongyang, Tuesday to show support for their country's policies and new leader Suet Face Kim Jong-un.
Pumping their fists and chanting, tens of thousands of people beat drums and carried placards and large national flags as they paraded across Kim Il-sung Square. North Korean officials called on people to rally behind the young Kim and protect him as "human shields," while working to solve such pressing problems as food shortages by upholding the policies of late leader Kim Jong-il.
State media broadcast video showing party leaders on a balcony overlooking the multitude of people gathered on the square. It was not clear whether Kim Jong-un was at the rally.
The rally coincided with the traditional publication on New Year's Day of policy-setting editorials in North's three main newspapers. State television also broadcast Tuesday a video of Pugsley Kim inspecting a major army tank division and meeting with soldiers, his first known public activity as supreme commander.
The campaign to install the third-generation Kim as leader has hastened since his father, Kim Jong- il, died more than two weeks ago.
North Korea's neighbors and the United States are keeping close watch on the younger Kim's rise amid uncertainty about how the reclusive country will manage a change of leadership during a time of sensitive negotiations over Pyongyang's nuclear program.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
I favor "Fat Boy" as a rule, it fits so well.
For their Nation, he's FAT.
Abd definitely a very young Boy, Inexperoenced and untried.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/04/2012 6:33 Comments ||
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I favor "Piglet" myself, though there are options galore in this case. What a nasty little piece of work.
The US has agreed in principle to release high-ranking Taliban officials from Guantanamo Bay in return for the Afghan insurgent's agreement to open a political office for peace negotiations in Qatar, UK paper the Guardian has learned.
According to sources familiar with the talks in the US and in Afghanistan, the handful of Taliban figures will include Mullah Khair Khowa, a former interior minister, and Noorullah Noori, a former governor in northern Afghanistan. More controversially, the Taliban are demanding the release of the former army commander Mullah Fazl Akhund.
Washington is reported to be considering formally handing him over to the custody of another country, possibly Qatar. The releases would be to reciprocate for announcement from the Taliban that they are prepared to open a political office in Qatar to conduct peace negotiations "with the international community" the most significant political breakthrough in ten years of the Afghan conflict. The Taliban are holding just one American soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, a 25-year-old sergeant captured in June 2009, but it is not clear whether he would be freed as part of the deal.
Michael Semple, a former EU envoy in Afghanistan who has maintained contact with senior Taliban figures, agreed that the deal represented a critical moment. Negotiations over the opening of a Taliban political office and the release of prisoners have been underway for more than a year in secret contacts in Germany and in the Gulf between US and Taliban officials, but have been continually held up by political obstacles on all sides. The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, had preferred Saudi Arabia or Turkey to host the Taliban political bureau, but dropped his opposition to Qatar under heavy US pressure. Paging Lucy to the white courtesy phone. Charlie needs you to hold the ball.
Posted by: Barbara ||
01/04/2012 12:44 Comments ||
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#5
Obamas Surrender of Afghanistan Continues Apace? Great job on Obamas ridiculous Afghanistan policy and attempt at negotiations with the Taliban. Just FYI: Ive profiled the five Taliban commanders who the U.S. is reportedly considering repatriating, or transferring to a third country, to meet the Talibans demands. The key fact about the five is that they all have extensive al Qaeda ties. One of the Obama administrations key goals with respect to talks with the Taliban is to get them to renounce al Qaeda.
At least 2 of the 5 are wanted for war crimes by the UN, by the way. The dossiers of these men do not inspire confidence that they are interested in peace, or could play any constructive role if freed.
[Iran Press TV] A Pak parliamentary committee is reviewing the country's relations with the United States after recent tensions between the two countries.
A senior government official said on Tuesday that the committee is reviewing the state of ties with the US and the kind of relationship that Pakistain should have with Washington in future.
"The relationship in future will be transparent and there will be new terms of engagement with the US in counterterrorism," the unnamed official said.
Washington-Islamabad relations entered a new phase after US-led Arclight airstrikes killed at least 24 Pak troops and injured dozens of others in northwest Pakistain in November. The raid prompted several anti-US demonstrations in Pak cities.
The Pak government has shut vital supply routes for US-led foreign soldiers in Afghanistan following the attack.
NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... has expressed hope for a quick reopening of the border, arguing that the blockade is damaging the economies of both Afghanistan and Pakistain.
The US claims that the drone strikes target bad boys, although casualty figures indicate that the aerial bombings have led to the loss of hundreds of Pak civilian lives.
The country has lost more than 35,000 people in bad boy attacks and bomb kabooms since 2007, according to independent estimates.
Millions more have been displaced by the wave of violence and militancy across the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] New details have been discovered by an Iraqi fact-finding mission about a November 2011 car booming in Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... that apparently targeted Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... a military official says.
Iraqi military spokesperson in Storied Baghdad Major General Qassim Atta said on Tuesday that the mission would be announcing the results of its findings in the coming days.
On November 28, 2011 security officials said two people were killed in a car booming at an Iraqi parliament parking lot inside Storied Baghdad's Green Zone.
Following the car booming, Iraqi officials accused Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi of involvement in the attack. They also said that the target of the bombing was Parliament Speaker Osama Abdul Aziz al-Nujayfi.
However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... on December 3, 2011 the Iraqi premier revealed that he had been the target of the bombing.
"The preliminary intelligence information says that the car was due to enter parliament and stay there and not to explode. It was supposed to explode on the day I entered parliament," Maliki said.
On December 19, 2011 the Iraqi Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for Hashemi after three of his bodyguards made confessions of taking orders from him to carry out terrorist attacks in the country, including the car booming in the parliament, over the past years.
Hashemi flew to Iraq's Kurdistan region after his arrest warrant was issued. He has called for the referral of his case to the Kurdistan region, but Iraq's judiciary has rejected his request.
Maliki has demanded President of the Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani ... hereditary head of the Kurdish Democratic Party, maybe a little too close to the Medes and the Persians for most people's tastes... and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to hand Hashemi over to the Iraqi judiciary.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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There are growing signs that the Syrian opposition is stabilizing and will succeed in the coming months in toppling President Bashar Assads regime, a top IDF officer predicted on Tuesday.
According to the officer, the IDF has learned of the defection of thousands of Syrian soldiers, including dozens of officers, among them a number of high-ranking colonels. The officers prediction came a day after Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Knesset that Assad was expected to fall in the coming weeks.
The officer said that the IDF was increasingly concerned with the possible fallout from Assads downfall and particularly the possibility that Syrias chemical arsenal would fall into terrorist hands.
#2
In truth, Bashar Assad never had much real support. His daddy, Hafez, took power after decades of coups and counter-coups, and methodically crushed all opponents, becoming dictator by default.
But this never eliminated the internal divisions, just cowed them. Bashar was such a weakling that his daddy set up a power sharing agreement with about 4 others to keep him from completely fouling up until he could figure out how to be a ruthless dictator himself.
He really just doesn't have "the gift", despite endless help from his little cabal and foreign powers. So the big question is how quickly he will fold, and what happens to Syria after that?
It will likely turn into a proxy war between Sunni and Shiites, with the few Alawite tribes that support Bashar aligned with Hezbollah imported from Lebanon, and any Iranians they can bring over, versus a lot of very pissed off Sunnis. And the Kurds in the north will take any opportunity to secede and join Iraqi Kurdistan.
So it's pretty ugly on a stick.
His building himself a "Castle Blackskull" Fuhrerbunker shows that he has run out his string and plans to evacuate from Damascus.
#3
the various regional powers as well as all the asyrian factions are now negotiating and planning for a post Assad era.
not all of this is gentle either; the Moslem brotherhood hopes to take control of syria in a few years, Hezbollah hopes to retain influence, the Alawites hope to retain their lives, the Turks expect effective control of the northern border and the Kurds expect a defacto Kurdish province or two.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/04/2012 9:43 Comments ||
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#4
He is certainly a pencil-necked a-hole...but he has a very pretty wife. Wonder what will become of her in all of this.
[Iran Press TV] The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces says any aggressive measure against Tehran will have serious consequence due to the country's outstanding military might.
Speaking at a Tuesday parade of naval units that participated in the Velayat 90 naval drills near the Strait of Hormuz, Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said any party that threatens the Medes and the Persians "will have to pay a heavy price."
"Every month, we witness the growth of the military technology and scientific progress of Iran and every new maneuver presents a new and powerful weapon proportionate to the threats," he added.
The top commander pointed to the conclusion of Iran's 10-day naval drills, and emphasized that the key message of the maneuver was the demonstration of the dynamism and efficiency of our naval forces as well as their state of the art weapons and the expansion of the Navy's range of operation in defending the Iran and the country's national interests.
"Iran's defense doctrine and strategy are defensive and preventative and this shows that the Medes and the Persians cannot be threatened," he added.
The 10-day Velayat 90 naval drill was launched on December 24, 2011.
The naval exercises took place in line with a recent directive by the Fearless Leader of the Islamic Revolution ...Iran's doddering head theocrat... Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei ...the successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the actual dictator of Iran... , instructing Iranian Armed Forces to maintain total readiness to defend the nation against any potential threats.
Iran maintains that the maneuvers are defensive in nature and intend to convey a message of peace and friendship to regional countries. It has also extended a public invitation to regional states to conduct joint naval drills with Iranian forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
WORLD MIL FORUM > PLA MGEN. YIN ZHUO: IRAN BLOCKADE OF STRAIT OF HORMUZ WILL LEAD ONLY TO ITS OWN ECONOMIC COLLAPSE.
and
* WORLD NEWS > IRAN INCREASES PRESSURE ON KUWAIT OVER DISPUTED GAS FIELD [Arash].
1990's OPER DESERT STORM = future OPER PERSIAN STORM, as per US-led liberation of Kuwait???
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > OBAMA SIGNS NEW IRAN SANCTIONS INTO LAW.
* SAME > IRAN PROPOSES NEW ROUND OF NUCLEAR TALKS WID SIX WORLD POWERS [UNSC Big 5 + Germany] AS SANCTIONS HIT HARD.
VARIOUS MILBLOGGERS = opine that Iran's most reliable weapons agz the US remains NAVAL MINES + SUICIDE NAVAL OPS + REGIONAL, INTERNATIONAL TERROR + ULTIMATELY "GREAT POWER" CONFRONTATIONISM = BRINKMANSHIP.
IIUC, IOW ITS NOT WHAT WEAPONS IRAN HAS FOR USE AGZ THE US NAVY-DOD, BUT WHAT THIRD-PARTY REGIONAL COUNTRY(S) IT WILL ATTACK.
#3
Somebody ought to send their military commanders penis pumps in the mail, along with sincere letters asking if they are troubled by feelings of inadequacy?
#5
DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > IRAN RAMPS UP THREAT TO US NAVY IN GULF, in response to US Govt-DOD statements that US CVNS + Warships will continue to sail in the Persian Gulf despite Iran's demand that the USN get its permission first.
ARTIC > Tehran Official insists that Iran WILL NOT GIVE OR REPEAT ITS WARNING AGAIN.
[An Nahar] Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... stated on Tuesday that history has proven that popular movements cannot slow down, but they only gain momentum.
He said citing late Czechoslovakian President Vaclav Havel: "If only Russia and Iran would consider the 'power of the powerless' in their approach towards the Syrian crisis."
"They should admit that the situation cannot be resolved through security measures, but by introducing a radical change to the ruling regime," he stressed in a statement.
"The regime must accept the rotation of power and halt the bloodshed," the MP said.
"Didn't Russia revolt against the oppressive Czarist regime in the past?" he asked.
"If only the Islamic republic would remember the 'power of the powerless' and the revolt that overthrew the Shah," added Jumblat.
"The revolution confirmed that bare-chested protesters demanding freedom and democracy are capable of confronting the strongest regimes," he stated.
Furthermore, he noted that the "powerless bare-chested" demonstrators in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen successfully overthrew their regimes and history will repeat itself in other countries.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Syria's ruling Baath party said Tuesday that it will hold its 11th party congress next month as it faces an unprecedented popular uprising demanding its leadership resign.
"The regional command of the Baath Arab Socialist Party has decided to hold its 11th regional congress during the first week of February," the official Al-Baath newspaper reported.
The congress, the first for the Baath party since June 2005, comes after the Syrian authorities delayed indefinitely "free" parliamentary elections that were also planned for February.
The announcement came on the same day that French President Nicolas Sarkozy ...23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. Sarkozy is married to singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, who has a really nice birthday suit... demanded his Syrian counterpart Bashir al-Assad step down for overseeing a "disgusting" crackdown on dissent.
It also comes with the Assad government trying to prove to Arab states that it is implementing a peace accord to end the crackdown on a pro-reform protest movement that has since turned against his rule.
In response to the protests that erupted in mid-March, Assad has announced a series of reforms, including the appointment of a committee in October to draft a new constitution.
The Baath party, in power since 1963, is declared as the "leader of the state and society" under the current charter.
Among other reforms Assad has promised are free elections and limiting the number of terms that a president can serve.
In April, Assad issued decrees to lift the state of emergency in force since 1963, abolish the State Security Court and authorizing peaceful demonstrations under certain conditions
However, there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... Western governments and human rights ...which often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... groups accuse his government of continuing the crackdown which the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... estimates has killed more than 5,000 people since March.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/04/2012 00:00 ||
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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.
Joe 
A senior ruling family official threatened Nasr Taha Mustafa, the former secretary general of the Yemen Journalist Syndicate, and vowed to make him regret writing against 
rmed to Yemen Post that 
[Yemen Post] 
[Yemen Post] Sources within 
[Bangla Daily Star] A prosecution witness yesterday told the International Crimes Tribunal that 
Kim Jong-un's visit to a historically important armored division on New Year's Day can be interpreted as a warning to South Korea, pundits believe. When his father Kim Jong-il last visited the tank division on Jan. 5, 2010, North Korean state TV showed drills simulating an invasion of the South.
North Koreans took part in a massive rally in the capital, Pyongyang, Tuesday to show support for their country's policies and new leader 
The US has agreed in principle to release high-ranking Taliban officials from Guantanamo Bay in return for the Afghan insurgent's agreement to open a political office for peace negotiations in Qatar, UK paper the Guardian has learned. 
[Iran Press TV] A Pak parliamentary committee is reviewing the country's relations with the United States after recent tensions between the two countries.
Nouri al-Maliki,
Massoud Barzani
Walid 
[An Nahar] Syria's ruling Baath party said Tuesday that it will hold its 11th party congress next month as it faces an unprecedented popular uprising demanding its leadership resign.
