Imperial Hubris

Can America Win A War In Syria?

"In 2006, Israel was powerless to impose its rules of warfare on Hezbollah. Israel’s model of victory was expelling Hezbollah, but Hezbollah’s model of victory was simply surviving; their victory they achieved to Israel’s shame. In 2013, America risks being put in Israel’s pre-conflict position, except for one great difference. Assad is the Syrian state. He is not a shadowy nation in a host state, like Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, like the Summer War of 2006, America is in no position to accomplish the objective of stopping Assad’s use of chemical weapons on all three levels of military campaign planning: the (1) Tactical, (2) Operational, and (3) Strategic levels." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCan America Win A War In Syria?

United States military deployments – Wikipedia

"The military of the United States is deployed in more than 150 countries around the world, with 172,966 of its 1,372,522[1]active-duty personnel serving outside the United States and its territories. Most of these overseas personnel are deployed in combat zones in the Middle east, as part of the War on Terror. The following are countries, listed by region, in which U.S. military personnel are deployed. The most current numbers are based on United States Department of Defense statistics as of December 31, 2012.[1] These numbers do not include any military or civilian contractors or dependents. Countries with fewer than 75 U.S. personnel deployed are omitted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUnited States military deployments – Wikipedia

Bern’s backing of FATCA ‘hits financial sector’

"Walter Boss, a tax lawyer with Poledna Boss Kurer AG in Zurich, said uncertainty was 'one of the worst enemies in the financial world.' But more clarity could come at a steep price, even for banks that maintain they have done nothing wrong. Forced to cough up US client records, they are basically being 'deemed guilty until proven innocent,' Boss said. Hornung was even more critical. 'It's not really an agreement, but more of a dictate from the United States,' he said. And after suffering the onslaught from Washington, the biggest danger could lie ahead if European tax authorities decide to take the same route as their American counterparts, Hornung warned." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBern’s backing of FATCA ‘hits financial sector’

Swiss MPs endorse US tax compliance deal

"FATCA only addresses current and future accounts held by Americans, but Bern also recently agreed to a controversial deal focused on making amends for past wrongdoings by the banks. That deal offers individual Swiss banks the opportunity to avoid US prosecution if they agree to pay 'substantial fines', and provide details on US citizens' accounts, including the sources and destinations of funds transferred to and from the accounts. The agreement, which is expected to erode Swiss bank secrecy laws, has come under widespread criticism, tempered by recognition that without a deal the country's all-important financial sector could lose access to the US market." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSwiss MPs endorse US tax compliance deal

Obama’s rogue state tramples over every law it demands others uphold

"For 67 years successive US governments have resisted calls to reform the UN security council. They've defended a system which grants five nations a veto over world affairs, reducing all others to impotent spectators. They have collaborated with the other four permanent members (the UK, Russia, China and France) in a colonial carve-up. Through this tyrannical dispensation – created at a time when other nations were either broken or voiceless – the great warmongers of the past 60 years remain responsible for global peace. The biggest weapons traders are tasked with global disarmament. Those who trample international law control the administration of justice." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s rogue state tramples over every law it demands others uphold

CIA Begins Weapons Delivery To Syrian Rebels

"The CIA has begun delivering weapons to rebels in Syria, ending months of delay in lethal aid that had been promised by the Obama administration, according to U.S. officials and Syrian figures. The shipments began streaming into the country over the past two weeks, along with separate deliveries by the State Department of vehicles and other gear — a flow of material that marks a major escalation of the U.S. role in Syria’s civil war. The arms shipments, which are limited to light weapons and other munitions that can be tracked, began arriving in Syria at a moment of heightened tensions over threats by President Obama to order missile strikes to punish the regime of Bashar al-Assad." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA Begins Weapons Delivery To Syrian Rebels

Why the US is Really Chasing War With Syria

"Global markets rallied overnight on hopes that a conflict may be avoided if Syria gives up its chemical weapons. If that’s the case, it’s a rally that will fade later in the week. That’s because the ongoing Syrian conflict has nothing to do with chemical weapons. It’s all about regime change, which is all about natural gas and pipelines. But this is not just ‘another’ Middle Eastern conflict. It’s much deeper, subtler, and potentially far more dangerous than preceding conflicts. As we’ll attempt to explain, the situation in Syria is a direct result of the relative decline of US imperial power." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy the US is Really Chasing War With Syria

What Putin Has to Say to Americans About Syria

"It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan 'you’re either with us or against us.' But force has proved ineffective and pointless. Afghanistan is reeling, and no one can say what will happen after international forces withdraw. Libya is divided into tribes and clans. In Iraq the civil war continues, with dozens killed each day. In the United States, many ask why their government would want to repeat recent mistakes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat Putin Has to Say to Americans About Syria

Iran’s new U.N. nuclear envoy gets harsh reception

"Western envoys gave Iran’s new ambassador to the UN atomic agency a frosty welcome Wednesday, saying Tehran’s new government should waste no time proving to the world it does not want the bomb. Speaking at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors, US envoy Joseph Macmanus said Iran was refusing to comply with UN Security Council and IAEA resolutions demanding it suspend key parts of its nuclear programme. Iran denies seeking or ever having sought nuclear weapons and argues that the six UN Security Council resolutions passed against it since 2006 — four with sanctions attached — are illegal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIran’s new U.N. nuclear envoy gets harsh reception

Paul Craig Roberts: Too Many Years Of Lies, From Mossadeq to 9/11

"On August 19, 1953, the democratically elected government of Iran was overthrown by a coup instigated by the US government. Sixty years after the event declassified CIA documents detail how the secret CIA operation overthrew a democratic government and imposed Washington’s puppet on the people of Iran. If 60 years is the time that must pass before Washington’s crimes can be acknowledged, the US government will admit the truth about September 11, 2001 on September 11, 2061. In 2013, on this 12th anniversary of 9/11, we only have 48 years to go before Washington admits the truth. Alas, the members of the 9/11 truth movement will not still be alive to receive their vindication." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Too Many Years Of Lies, From Mossadeq to 9/11