Imperial Hubris

U.S. denies alleged plot against Venezuelan government

"The United States on Monday emphatically denied it was involved in any plot against Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles ahead of the April 14 presidential vote. 'Let me say it here extremely clearly… the United States categorically rejects allegations of any US government involvement in any plots to destabilize the Venezuelan government or to harm anyone in Venezuela,' State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. Capriles, whom the late president Hugo Chavez defeated in October elections, is running in the upcoming election against Vice President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez’s handpicked successor." Continue reading →

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Is The CIA Trying to Kill Pro-US Venezuelan Opposition?

"That is the claim made by Acting President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, who served as vice president under the late president, Hugo Chavez. Maduro claims that the US is plotting to assassinate the opposition candidate for president, Henrique Capriles Radonski, who polls suggest has almost no chance to win, and then pin the blame on the Venezuelan government. This, Maduro asserts, will bring about the kind of instability and public protest that the US has encouraged numerous times from the Color Revolutions to the Arab Spring." Continue reading →

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Is The CIA Trying to Kill Pro-US Venezuelan Opposition?

"That is the claim made by Acting President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, who served as vice president under the late president, Hugo Chavez. Maduro claims that the US is plotting to assassinate the opposition candidate for president, Henrique Capriles Radonski, who polls suggest has almost no chance to win, and then pin the blame on the Venezuelan government. This, Maduro asserts, will bring about the kind of instability and public protest that the US has encouraged numerous times from the Color Revolutions to the Arab Spring." Continue reading →

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Appeals Court Ruling Throws Wrench in Maritime Drug Prosecutions

"Four foreign nationals were arrested after their fishing vessel with 760 kilos of cocaine was seized off the Panamanian coast three years ago. The ruling reversing their convictions has called into question current US war drug tactics on foreign territory and territorial waters. If upheld, the decision in US v. Bellaizac-Hurtado, could prevent the US from prosecuting suspected smugglers caught within the 12-mile territorial waters of South and Central America countries, and it may hinder US authorities from entering the 12-mile limit themselves while carrying out anti-narcotics operations. That would wreak havoc with US drug enforcement offensives." Continue reading →

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Read more about the article ‘Thanks For Your Help, Sorry About The Drone’

‘Thanks For Your Help, Sorry About The Drone’

“The US administration believes it can actually determine who is or is not a radical Islamist and kill those people by drone, leaving only smiling democrats ready to welcome Western NGOs to help them write a nice new constitution. It is a delusion. It has never worked yet.  It probably means the US is planning to enter a much more active phase in the conflict. In preparation for a US invasion of Syria, which will no doubt continue on into Iran, some of the more dangerous and difficult to control elements must be gotten rid of.” Continue reading via LRC blog https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/thanks-for-your-help-sorry-about-the-drone-2/ ----- Summary via FreedomWatch →

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CIA may target Syrian extremists with drones: LA Times

"The US Central Intelligence Agency is collecting information on Islamic radicals in Syria for possible lethal drone strikes against them at a later stage. CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, which runs drone programs targeting militants in Pakistan and Yemen, had recently shifted several targeting officers to improve intelligence gathering on militants in Syria. The agency is working closely with Saudi, Jordanian and other regional spy services active in Syria. The State Department believes that one of the strongest Syrian opposition militias, Al Nusra Front, is a terrorist organization that is indistinguishable from the group Al-Qaeda in Iraq." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA may target Syrian extremists with drones: LA Times

Iraq’s pain has only intensified since 2003

"Ten years on from the shock and awe of the 2003 Bush and Blair war – which followed 13 years of murderous sanctions, and 35 years of Saddamist dictatorship – my tormented land, once a cradle of civilisation, is staring into the abyss. Wanton imperialist intervention and dictatorial rule have together been responsible for the deaths of more than a million people since 1991. And yet, according to both Tony Blair and the former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright, the 'price is worth it'. The Iraqi people are fully aware that Saddam committed all his major crimes while an ally of western powers." Continue reading →

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Drones 101

"Reapers feature a maximum payload of 3,000 pounds, or 1.5 tons. That means they can carry a combination of Hellfires and larger 500 pound bombs like the GBU-12 Paveway II and GBD-38 JDAM. Those have an 'effective casualty radius' of about 200 feet. That means that about 50 percent of people within 200 feet of the blast site will die. Those odds improve — or worsen, depending on how you look at it — the closer you get, obviously. So imagine if you took a football field and shrunk it by a third. A Reaper attacks one endzone with a GBU-12. If you’re on the field, you have a 50 percent chance of dying." Continue reading →

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The Guns of Zagreb

"None of this is exactly shocking, particularly given Croatia’s history in the 1990s of being a conduit for secret arms shipments with American backing. Zagreb’s military took a significant cut of the weapons – funded by Iran and Saudi Arabia – destined for Bosnia’s Muslims during that country’s civil war, which were routed through Pleso airport as well. America’s deep involvement only emerged later, when no one was really interested any longer. Similarly, no one wanted to ask too many questions back in 1995 when mysterious 'black flights' were dropping weapons to Bosnian Muslims, in violation of the UN arms embargo." Continue reading →

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How Can the U.S. be at War with Al-Qaeda and Support It?

"How can the U.S. be at war with al-Qaeda and be providing material support to it in overthrowing governments in Libya and Syria? It cannot. How can the U.S. be at war with al-Qaeda and maintain Saudi Arabia as a close ally, when that country is a major source of al-Qaeda people and teaching? The idea put forward by two administrations that the U.S. is at war with al-Qaeda is a 'Big Lie' that is designed to provide cover for other motives for their military actions. It is a very simple and convenient cover story that sells to the public as a rationale for all sorts of U.S. military activities in many countries, all of which have other explanations." Continue reading →

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