Filed under: Empire, Middle East, Russia / Caucacus, War | Tags: china, iran, medvedev, nuclear, obama, putin, russia, War
The Russians understand that the U.S is attempting to placate them into supporting new sanctions by offering hollow conciliations like the “moving” of European missile shields and the EU recognizing Georgia as the aggressors of the 2008 conflict— and thus far they are not participating.
Space War: Washington readies fresh Iran sanction
The United States is ready to slap fresh sanctions on Iran in the event international negotiations over its suspected nuclear weapons program fail, a senior US Treasury Department official said Tuesday…
At the same hearing, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said efforts to rally other veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council behind fresh sanctions, most notably Russia and China, were making progress.
“The Russians seem to be more open to additional sanctions,” Steinberg said pointing to recent comments made by President Dmitry Medvedev.
“You’re seeing a coming together of countries around the world to recognize that this is Iran’s last opportunity and if they fail to take it there is a greater openness to this.
Washington Times: Russia resisting Iran sanctions
Russian FM Lavrov: “At the current stage, all forces should be thrown at supporting the negotiating process,” he told reporters at a joint news conference with Clinton. “Threats, sanctions and threats of pressure in the current situation, we are convinced, would be counterproductive.” …
….U.S. officials said they were disappointed that Lavrov had come out against even the threat of new penalties.
AP: Russian general challenges US on missiles
Pressing Russia’s position on another prickly issue, Shvaichenko criticized plans aired during the Bush administration to fit some U.S. strategic missiles with conventional non-nuclear warheads, saying the launch of such missiles could provoke a mistaken nuclear strike in retaliation.
A state that detected such a missile heading in its direction “would determine the risk it faced according to a worst-case scenario,” RIA Novosti quoted Shvaichenko as saying — meaning that it would likely respond with nuclear weapons. He said such a shift “would seriously undermine … international security as a whole.”
Filed under: Arctic, Central Asia, China / SE Asia, Empire, Latin America, Middle East, Resource Wars, Russia / Caucacus, War | Tags: afghanistan, Arctic, china, iran, NATO, obama, russia, War
The United States is continually expanding the presence of their forces to several points throughout the globe. The locations of these engagements form a “belt of conflict” which stretches the length of the globe. Now, the conflict in these areas is escalating to a point at which, some time in the future, the possibility of an international conflict with nuclear overtones can be seen. From military bases in Colombia, destabilization of Bolivia and Venezuela, funding and arming separatist groups in Africa, manufacturing humanitarian precepts for Sudanese involvement, the continuing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, NATO expansion in Eastern Europe, strategic maneuvering in the Caspian basin, attempts to gain control of the “string of pearls” and the escalating competition over Arctic resources– the U.S is pursuing a policy of confrontation for the sole purpose of gaining access to natural resources, subverting potential international coalitions and securing freedom of international military deployment.
RIA Novosti: U.S. could deploy missile shield in Arctic – Russia’s NATO envoy
Ice News: US could launch missiles from the Baltic Sea
GeoPoliticalMonitor.com: U.S weapons end up in al-Qaeda hands
Telegraph: NATO commander warns of conflict with Russia in the Arctic Circle
Rick Rozoff: U.S., NATO Poised For Most Massive War In Afghanistan’s History
Filed under: Empire, Middle East, War | Tags: afghanistan, left, obama, protests, War
It’s time to make anti-war protests a non-partisan issue. This involves engagement of anti-war groups to keep them moving forward regardless of Obama’s rhetoric or their own dellusions. Many of these groups are now putting their energy behind supporting the latest health care reform instead of continuing agitation of the war issue. Attacks from the left rather than the “no big government–no taxes–no safety net–no market regulation” sector are far more effective and could see substantial results if applied correctly.
Anti-war groups turn against Barack Obama after Afghanistan surge
Telegraph
There is rising disillusion among liberals and peace activists that a president who built his campaign on his opposition to the war in Iraq now views America’s other conflict as a “war of necessity”.
Mr Obama has already added 21,000 extra troops to the 38,000 stationed there by George W Bush. In the next few weeks, he is likely to receive requests from the Pentagon for more when Gen Stanley McChrystal, the US commander in Afghanisan, submits a report on the progress of the war…
…On Friday the Pentagon confirmed that August was the deadliest month for US troops since the start of the war in October 2001 to remove the Taliban government, which had refused to hand over Osama bin Laden after the September 11 attacks.
Filed under: Empire, Latin America | Tags: bolivia farc drugs latin america morales chavez empire
NY Stock Exchange head Richard Grasso and FARC narco-guerillas exchange pleasantries. “Just keep those payments comin’ and we won’t have any problems.”
FARC is the best instrument of U.S Empire: Morales
Colombia Reports
The FARC are “the best instrument of the U.S. empire” as the fight against the guerrillas has become the pretext for U.S. military presence in Colombia, Bolivian President Evo Morales said Monday.
“The U.S. is using the fight against the FARC to justify their military presence in Colombia. I regret to say: they are the best instrument of the empire at the moment,” Morales said at a press conference.
The Bolivian President reiterated his rejection of the military agreement between the U.S. and Colombia allowing the United States to use at least seven Colombian military bases. Morales announced he will defend his position at the next UNASUR meeting to be held in Bariloche, Argentina, on Friday.
Morales said the U.S. military presence in South America will lead to a “political presence” of the United States to “conspire” against other governments, as he believed happened with the coup in Honduras. According to the Bolivian leader, the U.S. Southern Command encouraged the ousting of President Manuel Zelaya Rosales.
Brazil, Spain question US Colombia bases
The Age
Brazil, Chile and Spain challenged the United States’ decision to use and expand military bases in Colombia, saying they feared the move could heighten simmering tensions in Latin America…
Duty Now For The Future 