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Filling the FATCA void

“The overwhelming consensus back in the early days of the last century, was, ‘Why would an American want to leave their country?’ Yet out of today’s seven million US expats who are abroad, over one thousand this year alone have also chucked away their national identity. They have done so due to the impending FATCA rules which threaten their own financial planning continuity, cutting off access to channels of advice and financial management. The reporting restrictions to the American taxman – the IRS – that FATCA places on all non-US companies dealing with US clients are now deemed far too complex and costly for large institutions to comply with.” Continue reading →

Syria strike may hinge on Nancy Pelosi

“While Boehner backs military action — a rare point of agreement with Pelosi in the hyper-partisan House — it’s unclear how many votes he will deliver from his party members. Passage may well rely on strong support by the president’s own party. Pushing for military action against Syria, even in a limited way, would seem an awkward position for Pelosi, whose party won control of the House in 2006 by tapping into public frustration with President George W. Bush over the war in Iraq. Her view that Obama could order a strike on Syria without congressional approval also puts her at odds with a number of fellow Democrats.” Continue reading →

Amash: Syria strike supporters ‘might as well start cleaning out your office’

“Federal lawmakers who plan to vote in favor of a U.S. military strike against Syria ‘might as well start cleaning out’ their office, U.S. Rep. Justin Amash said Thursday. Amash, R-Cascade Township, tweeted that the ‘unprecedented level of public opposition’ to military intervention in the country should beg for dissenting votes. Amash garnered national attention for hosting 11 town hall meetings this week to gauge opinion on President Barack Obama’s request for Congress to approve a Syria strike. The sophomore lawmaker, whose mother was born in Syria, estimated 95 percent of those who turned out at meetings throughout his district were opposed to intervention.” Continue reading →

Kucinich: Top 10 Unproven Claims for War Against Syria

“In the lead-up to the Iraq War, I researched, wrote and circulated a document to members of Congress which explored unanswered questions and refuted President Bush’s claim for a cause for war. The document detailed how there was no proof Iraq was connected to 9/11 or tied to al Qaeda’s role in 9/11, that Iraq neither had WMDs nor was it a threat to the U.S., lacking intention and capability to attack. Unfortunately, not enough members of Congress performed due diligence before they approved the war. Here are some key questions which President Obama has yet to answer in the call for congressional approval for war against Syria.” Continue reading →

Obama on Verge of Historic Rebuke Over Syria

“Pundits on both sides of the aisle say losing the high-stakes bid for congressional authorization would make Obama an instant lame-duck, and might well endanger his entire second-term agenda. On Thursday afternoon, as the whip counts were being tallied, the realization dawned in the nation’s capital that President Obama is perilously close to what would be an historic, humiliating international rebuke. To date, no major military power or international organization has supported Obama’s stated intention to launch a cruise-missile barrage at Assad, the so-called ‘shot across the bow.'” Continue reading →

Iran’s foreign minister condemns Holocaust on Facebook

“‘We condemn the massacre of Jews by the Nazis, and we condemn the massacre of Palestinians by the Zionists,’ Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Facebook page, where he published the text of an interview he gave to the Tasnim news agency. [On Twitter, Zarif said]: ‘Iran never denied it (the Holocaust). The man who was perceived to be denying it is now gone. Happy New Year.’ The controversial Ahmadinejad was succeeded as president by Hassan Rowhani, who won a surprise election victory over five conservatives on June 14.” Continue reading →

Report: China Sends Warships to Coast of Syria

“China has reportedly sent warships to the coast of Syria to ‘observe’ the actions of US and Russian ships as tensions build in preparation for a potential military strike on Syria which could come as soon as next week. According to the Russian news outlet Telegrafist.org, the People’s Liberation Army dispatched the Jinggangshan amphibious dock landing ship and the vessel was seen passing through the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal, the waterway in Egypt that leads to the Mediterranean Sea and waters off the coast of Israel, Lebanon and Syria. According to the report, the ship has not been sent to engage in any aggressive actions but is merely there to ‘observe’.” Continue reading →

If Congress says no, can Obama strike Syria?

“Initiating airstrikes in Syria would undermine rather than uphold the credibility of the UN Charter, which generally permits the use of non-defensive force only with Security Council authorization. That has not been granted. The charter’s purpose is in fact to prevent individual states from engaging in the sort of international policing the US is proposing to undertake in Syria. Ultimately, it isn’t clear where the administration could turn for legal justification in the event of a no vote in Congress. Even without a strong legal foundation, if the administration decides to proceed with airstrikes, there isn’t much Congress could do to stop it.” Continue reading →