"The New York Times has confirmed that Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Quatar and Jordan are arming anti-Assad factions in Syria. The CIA is participating too. U.S. air bases are also implicated. These actions violate the U.N. charter. So, will anyone in the U.S. government raise the issue of sanctions against Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Quatar and Jordan? Don't hold your breath." Continue reading →
"Russia warned that the alleged chemical attack could have been a staged “provocation” by the Syrian opposition forces and said US rhetoric recalled the allegations preceding the invasion of Iraq. 'All of this makes one recall the events that happened 10 years ago, when, using false information about Iraqis having weapons of mass destructions, the US bypassed the United Nations and started a scheme whose consequences are well known to everyone,' the Russian Foreign ministry said in a statement. 'Once again we call not to repeat past mistakes, not to allow actions that contradict international law,' the ministry said." Continue reading →
"US officials said Washington wanted to cultivate military ties with Malaysia and other governments in Southeast Asia to ensure stability in the region and to encourage a peaceful resolution of territorial disputes in the South China Sea. China’s assertive stance over the waterway has raised concerns in Washington. Beijing claims virtually all of the South China Sea and has stoked rising concern among rival claimants, particularly the Philippines, of a gradual takeover of disputed islets. The Pentagon is offering help to Southeast Asian countries with ships, aerial reconnaissance, joint training and other initiatives as they try to better monitor their coastal waters." Continue reading →
"Their propaganda doesn't work on us anymore. They can't hide behind political labels anymore. They can't hide behind geopolitical unions and corporations anymore. They can't hide behind religions or 'humanitarian' organizations anymore. By their actions we shall know them. A Reuters poll released today said only 25% of Americans would support military intervention in Syria if, and only if, it was proven that Assad used chemical weapons. There is virtually no support for this war. If it happens, please know that it is not the will of the American people. We stand with you - our human brothers and sisters - for peace, liberty, and justice against this global threat." Continue reading →
"When I read this news item, I was shocked at the flimsiness of it as a justification for the US to attack Syria. What the nation’s political leaders are saying is so irrational, so superficial, so hasty and so ill-considered. I feel as if the country is being run by people lacking in stability of temperament, emotional control, judgment, patience, experience, understanding and maturity. I don’t think they understand how to do good via neutrality. They are men of power, action, and intervention, who do not understand the consequences of their actions. They seem to have made up their minds and now do not want to be bothered by anything that might possibly paint a different picture." Continue reading →
"Though I’d been a frequent critic in the past of Benazir and her corruption-embroiled relatives, in recent years I’d drawn close to the embattled leader at a time when she was down and out in exile. Some readers accused me of being 'bewitched' by Benazir. Not bewitched, just deeply impressed by this brilliant, intense, regal woman. I’d just finished drawing up a proposed new political platform for the People’s Party that emphasized independent policy, an end to feudalism, and reconciliation with tribal and Islamic militants on the Northwest Frontier. Two days before her killing, we had been exchanging emails in which I warned her not to appear in public except behind bullet-proof plexiglass." Continue reading →
"Historical trends exhibit the danger that newly poised al Qaeda affiliates are posing to American safety, rivaling or even eclipsing the original sects in place before U.S interventions. These militant groups have primarily local interests, and are best left alone if the United States wants to avoid making new enemies or to attenuate existing plotting against U.S. targets. Yet instead, the U.S continues to form 'partnerships' with often questionable factions to fight terrorism, many times resulting in the exchange of one extremist government for another. This policy can incite blowback." Continue reading →
"The United Nations will approach the US government over a report by a German magazine that US intelligence spied on video conferences by top UN officials, a spokesman said Monday. 'We are aware of the reports, and we intend to be in touch with the relevant authorities on this,' a UN spokesman, Farhan Haq, told reporters, adding that this meant the US administration. Haq told reporters the 1961 Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations has become 'well established international law, therefore member states are expected to act accordingly to protect the inviolability of diplomatic missions.'" Continue reading →
"Around 50,000 Christians now live in Wadi al-Nassara, where they have formed 'popular defence committees' with the blessing of the authorities. Christians account for only five percent of the population in Syria, and many back the Assad regime because they fear the growing strength of jihadists whose aim is to set up an Islamic state in Syria. The majority of rebel fighters — like the population — are Sunni Muslims, while Assad belongs to the Alawite community which is an offshoot of Shiite Islam. Though it started in mid-March 2011 with peaceful protests calling for the fall of Assad’s regime, Syria’s war has grown increasingly sectarian and jihadists have flooded the battlefields." Continue reading →