Imperial Hubris

America Is Setting A Dangerous Precedent For The Drone Age

"Micah Zenko of the Council of Foreign Relations makes this argument in a new report: 'A major risk is that of proliferation. Over the next decade, the U.S. near-monopoly on drone strikes will erode as more countries develop and hone this capability. In this uncharted territory, U.S. policy provides a powerful precedent for other states and nonstate actors that will increasingly deploy drones with potentially dangerous ramifications.' Jim Michaels of USA Today reports that 75 countries, including Iran and China, have developed or acquired drone technology in the wake of America's prolific program." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica Is Setting A Dangerous Precedent For The Drone Age

Turkish gold exports rise 800 pct on demand from Iran

"Turkey is Iran's biggest natural gas customer but Western sanctions prevent it from paying Tehran in dollars or euros. Iran is instead paid in Turkish lira - of limited value on international markets but ideal for buying gold in Turkey. Couriers carrying millions of dollars worth of gold bullion in their luggage have been flying from Istanbul to Dubai, where the gold is shipped to Iran, industry sources with knowledge of the business told Reuters last year. New sanctions are due to take effect in February and could include measures to try to curb the trade." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTurkish gold exports rise 800 pct on demand from Iran

America’s tactical interests cannot dictate Britain’s sovereign destiny

"The White House does not want to be distracted by internecine European disputes as it switches its main focus to the Pacific Rim – the 'Asian Pivot' – and deals with the really dangerous issue of China’s maritime conflict with Japan and South East Asia. But at the end of the day, the British people cannot let America’s taste for tidy structures in Europe determine policy on matters that go to the heart of our democracy and sovereign self-government. For me the snapping point was the disgraceful saga of the European Constitution, which I covered in minute detail as it wended its way through the Convention." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica’s tactical interests cannot dictate Britain’s sovereign destiny

Britain should stay in European Union, says Obama administration

"The Obama administration issued a direct challenge to David Cameron over Europe, on Wednesday when it warned of the dangers of holding a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU. A senior US official questioned the merits of holding a referendum as the prime minister's campaign to reset the terms of Britain's EU membership also came under assault from Brussels and Dublin. With just weeks to go until Cameron delivers a landmark speech in which he is expected to promise to hold a referendum on a 'new settlement' for Britain in the EU, the US assistant secretary for European affairs warned that 'referendums have often turned countries inwards'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritain should stay in European Union, says Obama administration

Critics object to Obama nominating ‘Mr. Drone’ John Brennan to CIA head

"The nomination of President Barack Obama’s top counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan to head the CIA has sparked outrage and concern about America’s growing drones programme and its use for targeted killings of suspected Islamic militants. Brennan has been a key architect of drones policy under Obama and many experts believe that the use of the unmanned robot planes in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia is likely to increase if he becomes America’s top spy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCritics object to Obama nominating ‘Mr. Drone’ John Brennan to CIA head

‘We can no longer afford to be American citizens’

"Well, you could always move to Canada, right? Think again. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) comes more fully into effect this year, and as The Globe and Mail's Barrie McKenna explains, 'FATCA will force the hand of many Americans in Canada, making them choose between compliance or giving up their U.S. citizenship.' Here's why." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘We can no longer afford to be American citizens’

White House wins fight to keep drone killings of Americans secret

"A federal judge issued a 75-page ruling on Wednesday that declares that the US Justice Department does not have a legal obligation to explain the rationale behind killing Americans with targeted drone strikes. United States District Court Judge Colleen McMahon wrote in her finding this week that the Obama administration was largely in the right by rejecting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and The New York Times for materials pertaining to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to execute three US citizens abroad in late 2011." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House wins fight to keep drone killings of Americans secret

Swiss bank Wegelin, founded in 1741, to close after US tax evasion fine

"Switzerland's oldest bank is to close permanently after pleading guilty in a New York court to helping Americans evade their taxes. Wegelin, which was established in 1741, has also agreed to pay $57.8m (£36m; 44m euros) in fines to US authorities. It said that once this was completed, it 'will cease to operate as a bank'. Wegelin, based in the small Swiss town of St Gallen, started in business 35 years before the US declaration of independence. It becomes the first foreign bank to plead guilty to tax evasion charges in the US." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSwiss bank Wegelin, founded in 1741, to close after US tax evasion fine

Case Against Kim Dotcom Copyright Infringement Continues to Weaken

"This is the man US and Hollywood officials decided to make an example of. Interestingly, they were victims of the same persona that Dotcom has used successfully throughout his career. A man who so thoroughly advertised his affection for fast cars, large yachts, beautiful women and military video games was someone who surely could not be taken seriously. It was inconceivable to these intelligence agents and military men that someone as obviously undisciplined as Kim Dotcom would pose a 'hard target.' Surely he would fold immediately on feeling the boot upon his neck. And this misjudgment was only one of a series." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCase Against Kim Dotcom Copyright Infringement Continues to Weaken

Saudis aiding U.S. drone attacks in Yemen: report

"Saudi Arabia has provided fighter jets to assist the United States with its drone strikes against Al-Qaeda targets in Yemen, the London Times reported on Friday. US drones are backing Yemeni forces combating militants of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The group’s Yemen branch is considered by Washington to be the most active and deadliest franchise of the global jihadist network. The Times cited a US intelligence source as saying that 'some of the so-called drone missions are actually Saudi Air Force missions'. US drone attacks in Yemen nearly tripled in 2012 compared to 2011." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSaudis aiding U.S. drone attacks in Yemen: report