WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hailed as an American hero for his role in pulling Iraq back from the brink of all-out civil war, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus takes on an even more challenging job on Friday as the head of U.S. Central Command. The warrior-scholar with a doctorate in international relations from Princeton University takes responsibility for U.S. military operations in a volatile swathe of the world that includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran and the Gulf.
As the top commander in Iraq, Petraeus presided over a surge of 30,000 extra U.S. troops into the country and implemented a strategy focused on protecting the Iraqi population, which contributed to a steep decline in violence. The turnaround in Iraq was also due to other factors -- including Sunni former insurgents turning against al Qaeda and a ceasefire by radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr -- but Petraeus has deservedly received widespread credit for his leadership.
His work earned lavish praise from President George W. Bush and both candidates to take over in the White House, particularly Republican Sen. John McCain, and a promotion to the post at Central Command, based in Tampa, Florida.
But while Iraq was regarded by many as a lost cause when he took command there in February 2007, Petraeus could at least concentrate on one country and had as many as 170,000 U.S. troops under his direct command. In his new post, he has responsibility for an area that includes 20 countries and less direct control.
He also has good officers who take orders ...
Afghanistan will demand much of his attention. Insurgent violence has risen sharply there this year and both McCain and his Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama, who leads in the polls, have pledged to send more U.S. troops.
"You have a leader who's become, obviously, well known because of his role in Iraq and the public perception is driven by that," said Peter Singer, a military analyst at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "Yet I think, with his Centcom hat on, it's going to be Afghanistan that defines it."
But the fight against the Taliban is led by a 50,000-strong NATO force with troops from more than 40 nations that reports to U.S. Army Gen. John Craddock, the Atlantic alliance's top commander, based in Belgium, rather than Petraeus. Petraeus will only have a direct line to about 19,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan engaged in missions ranging from training Afghan forces to conducting counterterrorism operations.
However, analysts say the authority of his office -- the head of Central Command is one of the top posts in the U.S. military -- and his own personal reputation will give Petraeus substantial influence across the region and in Washington.
In Pakistan, no one is seriously suggesting a large influx of U.S. troops to fight militants there so Petraeus will have to focus largely on persuading and assisting the Pakistani military to carry out effective operations.
Military leaders in Pakistan, where al Qaeda has regrouped in areas bordering Afghanistan, will be keen to learn from Petraeus, said Shuja Nawaz, the author of a book on the Pakistani army called "Crossed Swords." "The knowledge that he's acquired in fighting ... militancy in Iraq is going to be listened to," Nawaz said. "Also, Gen. Petraeus' knowledge of political systems and working with politicians is something that would be valuable."
The Pak military will be keen to learn from us so that they can advise their brother Talibs how to stay alive ...
Petraeus always argues that defeating insurgencies requires much more than military force and stresses the importance of political deals and economic development.
With his intellectual air and high media profile, Petraeus is not universally loved in the U.S. military. Some believe he regards himself too highly and nickname him "King David."
But Singer said there was no question that Petraeus was well-suited to the Central Command post. "He's obviously been proven to be ... besides a distinguished leader, a pretty creative thinker and a great motivator," he said.
Taliban leader Mullah Omar should not be involved in Afghan reconciliation efforts despite a renewed interest in talks with members of the Taliban movement, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. "Mullah Omar has the blood of thousands of Americans on his hands, based upon the support that he provided Osama Bin Laden," Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said. His comments contrasted with an appeal by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who called last month on Mullah Omar to come home and work for peace.
Aaj TV adds: US Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Patrick S Moon said the US Congress had expressed the willingness to drop Mullah Omar's name from the list of terrorists.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
But the state department can't wait to get the SOB on board...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/30/2008 9:51 Comments ||
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#2
Even PressTV Iran is debunking it.
So...does Patrick S. Moon have his ass in a sling now? Or has he just punched his ticket for a job in the Obabma administration?
(SomaliNet) A Canadian oil company that says its exploring for oil in northern Somalia's Puntland province has hired foreign security guards to protect oil workers after a botched kidnapping earlier this month, sources said.
The foreign guards hired by Africa Oil Corp. are reportedly from Western countries, including the U.S. and Australia. Security forces freed a British national working for Africa Oil in the port city of Bossaso after he was kidnapped for a few hours by locals hired as security.
Bossaso residents said heavily-armed foreigners have been seen sitting guard at the Africa Oil office in recent days.
Meanwhile, many Somali militiamen who were part of a security team hired to safeguard Africa Oil personnel and equipment have been dismissed, the sources added.
This is the first time a foreign company has brought armed foreigners to Somalia since the country's last national government collapsed in 1991.
Africa Oil's "contract" in Puntland faces legal and security challenges emanating from unstable political conditions in Somalia and local clans' opposition to exploration without consent.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2008 00:00 ||
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An Egyptian security official said on Thursday that police have discovered eight missiles in an underground bunker in the northern Sinai desert.
The official didn't provide more details about the discovery. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.
It is not uncommon for police to find explosives, light weapons and mines in the Sinai. But they rarely report discovering missiles. Most of the weapons are believed to be intended to be smuggled into the Gaza Strip.
Momin Khawaja remained silent throughout his 4-and-a-half-year-long case, but dozens of e-mails he wrote prior to his arrest reveal how and why this quiet Canadian, with a nice family from a nice Ottawa suburb, dedicated his life to terrorism and destroying the West.
#1
For some months now I have been telling you that he would be found guilty - of something - one way or another. I keep telling you that us nice and polite Canadians are way more Nazi under the surface than anyone wants to believe.
Next, this would-be jihadist will be sentenced to whatever term happens to be convenient . . . BUT . . . his every action, breath and word in prison will be analyzed and dissected for intelligence purposes. If he even sighs, his noises will be checked out for extra meaning.
This jihadist wannabe was living at home with his parents and I'm sure he thinks that he is one of the smartest human beings ever to walk the planet, just unlucky to have been caught. If so, he will have a very interesting life in a Canadian prison. And afterwards.
#2
I hope by "interesting" you mean "painful," CS.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/30/2008 13:54 Comments ||
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#3
Worse, they mock and ignore Allah and the Prophet and plunder the wealth of the Muslim nation, the Ummah.
It is much better to keep the oil in the ground? It is much better to not sell oil to others in the world and live in squalor and kill each other. Go figure.
ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the Pakistani government cannot afford the tough conditions linked to likely financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Boy howdy there's a surprise. Paks can't do anything tough, be it for their economy or their internal security.
Time is running out and there is an urgent need for the Friends of Pakistan (forum) to extend a helping hand, he told Adviser to the British Prime Minister Simon McDonald who met him at the Presidents House on Tuesday.
Friends? Did you say you had friends?
But Pakistan wanted trade rather than just aid, Zardari said, adding the country was looking for economic opportunities and international investment.
According to a Foreign Office statement issued after the meeting, McDonald said the British prime minister had sent him to assess the situation in Pakistan.
The British side is highly appreciative of the unanimous resolution adopted by the (Pakistani) parliament on the governments policy towards tackling the international phenomenon of terrorism, the statement said. (Zardari) underscored that the war on terror, which has its roots in other regional events, had now become Pakistans war, it said, and Pakistan and its people are paying a very heavy price that needed to be acknowledged by the international community.
Zardari also stressed the need finding out who was funding the Taleban, saying he was not convinced that drug money could be the only source.
No, really? Maybe you should check the books over at the ISI ...
But Adviser to the government of Finance Shaukat Tareen said on Tuesday that Pakistan had 12 days until it would have to ask the IMF for assistance. If I do not get a comfortable indication (from the Friends of Pakistan forum) by November 10, there is no other option but to go to the IMF, he told the Associated Press. I have already pointed out that we have to hurry to secure assistance to avoid the monetary fund.
Asked about visiting German Foreign Minister Dr Frank Walter Steinmeier remarks on timing, Tareen said: He is saying six days, and I am saying 12 days. What is important is that we need quick assistance.
In a meeting with Steinmeier, the President said the government would steer Pakistan out of the economic and political crises it is passing through at the moment.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/30/2008 00:00 ||
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President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the Pakistani governmentGood Ol' Boys running that patch of land cannot afford the tough conditionsoversight linked to likely financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund because it would reduce their cut of the action.
#2
The IMF only have a $US250 billion fund.
But they've got all these moochers, Iceland, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Pakistan, Serbia, not to mention the permanent bums from Africa all with their mitts out.
The historical sucker sugar daddy, Uncle Sam, is flat on his back with his pockets hanging out, after going on a bender on the South Side.
His prognosis is not good unless he can get a money transfusion from good old Mr Hu when the auctions for bonds come up next year.
Yesterday Mr Hu lowered interest rates due to a slowing economy, so the IMF may have to wait a while for another hand out from the only one left with their head not under water.
Pakistan's government summoned the US ambassador yesterday to urge an immediate halt to missile strikes on suspected militant hide-outs near the Afghan border.
Missile strikes have killed at least two senior al-Qaida commanders in Pakistan.
Missile strikes have killed at least two senior al-Qaida commanders in Pakistan, putting some pressure on extremist groups accused of planning attacks in Afghanistan and perhaps terror strikes in the West.
However, a marked uptick in frequency of the missile attacks has badly strained America's seven-year alliance with Pakistan, where rising violence is exacerbating economic problems gnawing at the nuclear-armed Islamic republic's stability.
Having called in U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson on Wednesday, "a strong protest was lodged on the continued missile attacks by US drones inside Pakistani territory," a Foreign Ministry statement said.
"It was emphasized that such attacks were a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and should be stopped immediately."
The attacks have led to the loss of "precious lives and property" and "undermine public support for the government's counterterrorism policies," the statement said. "It was emphasized that such attacks were a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and should be stopped immediately," it said. A US embassy spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
American commanders complain that Pakistani forces have not put enough pressure on militants in its remote and impoverished border regions, an area considered a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri. Reflecting that frustration,
US military and CIA drones that patrol the frontier region are believed to have carried out at least 15 strikes since mid-August.
US military and CIA drones that patrol the frontier region are believed to have carried out at least 15 strikes since mid-August, including one that killed about 20 people at the home of a Taliban commander on Monday. The United States rarely confirms or denies involvement.
Lawmakers on Monday pass a resolution condemning the attacks and calling on the government to take "more effective measures" to stop them. The Foreign Ministry said it gave a copy of the resolution to Patterson yesterday.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
It's not that they mind the deaths and destruction of these border strikes; it's that they are afraid success will push the thugs closer to the parts of Pakistan the government cares about and thinks it controls.
Pakistani schoolchildren who donated money for US presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign are demanding an end to bombings in the Tribal Areas, calling for the Democrat to "provide us education instead of bombing our land".
"Uncle Obama, we expect peace from you," read a placard held by the group of nine children who donated $261. The children -- six boys and three girls aged between eight and 13 -- told journalists at the Peshawar Press Club that their small donation for Obama's election campaign was meant to highlight the unrest in NWFP and FATA.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
PT Barnum's axiom applies even to Peshawar:
There is a sucker born every minute.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Sitka, AK ||
10/30/2008 0:11 Comments ||
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#2
Um, did anyone remember that it's illegal for American politicians to accept donations from foreign nationals, no matter how cute and cuddly?
This is almost as repugnant as that story about Obama's indigent aunt in Boston sending him money she can't afford, while the bastard hasn't done a goddamn thing for her. This is one of the prime figures of his self-discovery of himself through his extended Kenyan family, living in public housing, crippled and apparently alone, wasting what money she has on paper-hope lottery tickets and her nephew's political campaign.
I mean, think about this. The Pakistani children are trying to literally pay Obama tribute. You know what tribute is, right? It's a bribe offered in exchange for sparing a land from the hard hand of war.
Meanwhile, a woman whose exploitation was part of Obama's financial success with Dreams of My Father is wasting what few pennies she has to help finance her miserable, selfish shit of a nephew's campaign to become God-King of the world.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
10/30/2008 8:21 Comments ||
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#3
Consider it an investment. Just like the $100K wired to Mohammed Atta resulted in $10 billion (so far) in US aid to Pakistan + $billions more in logistics fees.
Posted by: ed ||
10/30/2008 12:33 Comments ||
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President George W. Bush on Wednesday said he was hopeful and confident an agreement on the future of U.S. troops in Iraq would be approved and that the United States was analyzing changes Baghdad wanted.
Iraq last week said that it wanted changes to a final draft hammered out after months of negotiations with the United States.
The draft agreement called for a drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2011 and dictated how cases in which U.S. troops breached Iraqi law would be handled.
The United States was reviewing amendments to the status of forces agreement (SOFA) that were received from Iraq on Wednesday, Bush said, seated next to Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, after they met at the White House. "I informed the president we received amendments today from the government, we're analyzing those amendments, we obviously want to be helpful and constructive without undermining basic principles," Bush said. "And I remain very hopeful and confident that the SOFA will get passed," he said.
Bush praised Barzani for being a "strong advocate" of the Iraqi government passing the agreement.
Amendments to the pact
Amendments sought by Iraq to the security pact with the United States would ban U.S. forces from striking neighboring countries from Iraqi territory, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Wednesday.
U.S. negotiators began on Wednesday to scrutinize the changes demanded by Iraq to the stalled security pact which sets the conditions under which American troops could operate in the country after this year.
The Iraqi cabinet proposed the changes on Tuesday and sent them straight to the Americans. U.S. embassy spokeswoman Susan Ziadeh said: "We got them. We are looking at them."
Both sides were working hard to reach an agreement before the existing U.N. Security Council mandate for the roughly 150,000-strong U.S. force expires at the end of the year, U.S. military spokesman Brigadier-General David Perkins said.
"Nobody wants to turn the clock back. Nobody wants to lose the security that has been hard fought and gained."
Striking on neighbors
Iraq irked Washington by announcing last week that it wanted changes to the pact, which was hammered out by top U.S. diplomats and a team of Iraqi negotiators hand-picked by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Failure to seal the pact or renew the U.N. mandate would mean U.S. operations would have to be halted. The draft agreement calls for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011, and allows Iraq to prosecute them for crimes committed while "off duty".
Dabbagh told Reuters the amended pact would prevent the United States from using Iraqi territory to launch attacks on Iraq's neighbors, like a strike on a Syrian border village U.S. forces launched on Sunday, which Damascus says killed eight people.
The United States and Iraq have already agreed a separate security framework agreement which says Washington would not use Iraqi territory to strike neighboring states. Dabbagh said the amendment would introduce that ban into the pact, making it clearer and "more binding".
"If we sign the pact with the United States and then it hits any neighboring country using Iraqi territory, Iraq will no longer be bound by the agreement," Dabbagh said.
Iraq's neighbors Iran and Syria, both at odds with Washington, oppose the pact because they fear U.S. forces will operate against them. That has made it difficult for some Iraqi politicians to support it.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Prepare for whining from the Iraqi government about how the US shoved the agreement down their throats sans the part about not attacking Iraq's neighbors.
Posted by: Oscar Clomosing5032 ||
10/30/2008 5:20 Comments ||
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#3
Neighbors being Syria and Iran. And the one of significance to this agreement is Iran. Not sure if it means Iraqi government is 'owned' by Iran as much as that they are afraid of what would happen if they were to be dragged into another war with Iran.
#4
All part of the dance, folks. Notice how calm Bush and Rice are. They understand Arab culture and the need for Iraqi pols to win 'concessions' from us. We still have some of the song and dance left to do but in the end we'll have an agreement.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/30/2008 8:15 Comments ||
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#5
[With fingers crossed] I, state your name, promise not to attack Iraq's neighbors from Iraq. Now, please pass the feather pen and hummus.
Yep, the deal is done. Just a little posturing and an attempt to get some free sprinkles on top. The media, of couse, will spin it as a breakdown/quagmire/catastrophe.
Only a few days ahead of the American presidential election, Iranian parliamentary speaker 'Ali Larijani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah 'Ali Khamanai have launched harsh verbal attacks against the United States.
Referring to the US army's attacks in Pakistan and Syria, Larijani said they would not be answered with diplomatic protests. "The US method and conduct, expressed by this aggression, will only be stopped by a clear-cut and unexpected response, whose grounds were set by the martyr Hussein Fahmida," Larijani said during a parliamentary session on Wednesday.
Senator McCain thanks you for your honesty ...
Fahmida was 13 when he detonated an explosive device he carried on him, destroying an Iraqi tank during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
"America should be aware not to put its huge body on top of the suicide boomers' explosive devices," Larijani said.
On the same day, Khamanai said the differences between Iran and the US were far beyond differences of opinion. "The Iranian people hate the US... [because of] the various plots the US government has hatched against Iran and the Iranian nation for the past five decades," Khamanai said.
The Supreme Leader added that any nation that would not honor Iran's identity and independence would have its "hands cut off."
Meanwhile, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday to set up a joint UAE-Iran committee. The MoU was signed during UAE Foreign Minster Sheikh 'Abdullah Bin Zayyid Al Nahyan's visit to Teheran. "We shall push the relations toward a horizon that will serve the interests of the two peoples," Bin Zayyid told reporters after the signing ceremony.
The MoU may facilitate the setting up of a joint security organization between Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), of which the UAE is a member. The GCC's secretary general, 'Abd A-Rahman Bin Hamad Al-'Atiyya, is currently holding a series of meetings with Iranian officials in Teheran.
#3
Its important for Radical Islam + pan-Islamist Nuclearization that the US stay put in Iraq + Afghanistan, no matter whom becoms POTUS in January 2009. THIS WILL ALLOW IRAN TO INEVITABLY GET ITS NUKES, AND ALSO ALLOW THE [Nuclear-ambitious]ISLAMIST MILITANTS, ETC. + JIHAD TO CONTINUE AGZ EURASIA, espec vee the COLD WAR NUCLEAR CLUB = RUSSIA, CHINA, + INDIA, AND ULTIMAT INDUCE THE DESTABILIZATION ANDOR BREAKUP OF SAME.
Again, in the near term, the MAP OF ASIA as we know it from the 20th Century, Cold War, + Post- Cold War/USSR, even as per 9-11, MAY BE DIFFERENT AFTER 2015-2020.
A weekend 5.0 Richter earthquake in Iran was actually a nuclear bomb test, says an Iranian nuclear scientist claiming to be working on the project.
The report is an Israel Insider exclusive.
This past Saturday night, southern Iran experienced what was reported as a significant earthquake - a seismic event measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was just north of the strategic Straits of Hormuz, which separates Iran from Abu Dhabi and Oman and which is the gateway to the Persian Gulf.
The report quotes an Iranian nuclear scientist who claims to be working in uranium enrichment for the project, and who said that the "quake" was acutally an undergound nuclear bomb test.
Israel Insider adds that the test/quake was actually the second in a series. Nine days ago, a 4.8 Richter scale event occurred, with its epicenter only five kilometers away from the weekend tremor.
The Israel Insider source reports that two nuclear rockets are currently ready - and are intended for use against Israel in the coming months.
If the report is correct, it would belie previous speculation that Iran would not begin nuclear testing until it had more nuclear-bomb production capability.
The geographical location of the test has several advantages. It is exposed to significant seismic activity, which could serve to mask nuclear tests; it is believed to be close to Iran's nuclear development facility; delivery and transport of material and personnel can be effected easily through the Hormuz Strait; and Iranian enemies would hesitate to bomb the area because that would threaten the flow of a substantial percentage of the world's oil.
Rooters reports Thursday morning that Iran has begun building a line of naval bases along its southern coast and up to the Straits of Hormuz.
#3
"If the report is correct, it would belie previous speculation that Iran would not begin nuclear testing until it had more nuclear-bomb production capability."
Flawed statement, because it relies on estimations of Iranian production capability. If they were indeed tests, then the assumption must be that the Iranians have long had production capability.
And that, in turn, means that they got uranium or plutonium from North Korea.
#5
"How long does it take to build a naval base?"
TW, we already have 11 of them, complete with air wings, that can be there in about 3 weeks or less.
Stationary ones take a bit longer, and don't turn into the wind.
#9
ION CHINESE MILITRYA FORUM > INDIA, MALAYSIA, AND THAILAND AT HIGHEST POLITICAL AND SOCIAL RISK IN ASIA, mainly due to INTERNAL UNREST AND INSTABILITIES. CHINA at lower - better threat ranking, but is also expected to have difficulties in 2009; + IHT > INDIA'S STRUGGLE TO FIND ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE. India slowly becoming more and more STRATIFIED = VIOLENTLY ANTI-DEMOCRATIC DESPITE ITS SEEMINGLY PLURALIST MULTI-ETHNIC/RELIGIOUS DEMOCRACY, as due to PAN-SECTAARIANIST MILITANTS' STRUGGLE FOR RIGHTS + IDENTITY.
TEHRAN - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ahead of the US elections and anniversary of the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran, said on Wednesday that hatred of Washington was deep-seated.
Turns out many of us Americans feel the same about you, pal. And I suspect that out in the countryside of your country, you don't speak for as many of your people as you think ...
This conflict goes far beyond having differences over a few political issues, Khamenei told students in a speech, quoted by state television ahead of the 29th anniversary of the 1979 hostage-taking at the embassy.
The supreme guide said his country's hatred towards the US government is deep-seated because of its plots against the Iranian people over the past 50 years. Iran holds the United States responsible for a 1953 coup that deposed the administration of its then prime minister Mohammad Mosaddeq and restored the shah.
Mosaddeq was in league with the Tudeh communists in Iran and would have handed the country over to the Russians. That we helped remove him is a mark in our favor.
Besides, they have not apologised yet and rather keep on their arrogant attitude, he said ahead of the November 3 anniversary of the embassy seizure that the Islamic republic marks with nationwide demonstrations.
Khamenei praised the great move of students... to take over the centre of espionage.
The two countries have had no diplomatic relations for close to three decades after Islamist students took US diplomats at the mission hostage for 444 days.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/30/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
OK. We hate each other. Now we have some common ground to build upon. Opportunity knocks.
/heh
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Sitka, AK ||
10/30/2008 0:13 Comments ||
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#2
Might be time for a peace offering. Send them Jimmy Carter. Tell them they can do whatever they want to him.
#4
Four Hundred and Forty Four days, you sumbitches. We have not forgotten.
If anyone needs an intro to the story, read Mark Bowen's "Guests of the Ayatollah". WARNING: reading this book will both raise your blood pressure AND increase your contempt for Jimmy Carter. Really.
Freshly evaluated soil and air samples from a Syrian site bombed by Israel on suspicion it was a covert nuclear reactor provide enough evidence to push ahead with a United Nations probe, diplomats said Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I could have told them that from where I sit for a lot less fuss and money.
#2
Why is pencil neck yielding to pressure from IAEA to examine the site and thus embarrass him? Maybe there is something to the speculation that he might be preparing to flip. Would be nice. He and Gadafi could start a new club of "Bad Boys Gone Good". BBGG
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
10/30/2008 4:53 Comments ||
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#3
The IAEA is on the job, many, many months after it might have done some good. Par for course.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
10/30/2008 8:22 Comments ||
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#4
You know that was really a crappy cleanup if even the IAEA could find suspicious samples.
#5
The irony here is that a bad economy means less money for al Qaeda funders. Fewer people in the developed economy can afford oil and heroin - two of the Muslim world's leading exports, which means prices crash.
#7
In the absence of a clear or decisive winner in the WOT bwtn the US + Radical Islamism and aligned, A PRAGMATIC WAY TO IMPOSE "JUSTIFIED/
VALID" SOCIALIST ORDER UPON THE US-WORLD IS VIA PROTRACTIVE ECONOMIC CRISES-CHAOS, AND BEYOND THE JAN. 2009-2016 POST-DUBYA POTUS PERIOD.
The Cleric likely thinks that the US may only be economically able to conduct LIMITED-SCALE MILOPS
Jan 2009-2012 [2016].
GORBACHEVISM > PCORRECTLY BRINGING DOWN THE SUPERIOR US-NATO/WEST TO THE LEVEL(S) OF THE INFERIOR USSR-COMMIE BLOC/EAST. Perfectly consistent wid the anti-Capitalist-Bourgeosie warfighting premises of Commie-Socialist beloved
"PEOPLE'S WAR", i.e. LET THE ENEMY FIGHT YOUR WAY OF WAR, NOT YOU FIGHTING HIS WAY OF WAR.
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.
ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the Pakistani government cannot afford the tough conditions linked to likely financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Pakistan's government summoned the US ambassador yesterday to urge an immediate halt to missile strikes on suspected militant hide-outs near the Afghan border.
Only a few days ahead of the American presidential election, Iranian parliamentary speaker 'Ali Larijani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah 'Ali Khamanai have launched harsh verbal attacks against the United States. 
A weekend 5.0 Richter earthquake in Iran was actually a nuclear bomb test, says an Iranian nuclear scientist claiming to be working on the project.
