Imperial Hubris

Iran Tanker Owner Seen Expanding Fleet by IHS Amid Sanctions

"NITC, Iran’s biggest tanker company, increased the capacity of its supertanker fleet by 23 percent this year amid sanctions related to the nation’s nuclear program that bar most of the world’s ships from carrying Iranian crude, according to IHS Maritime. NITC has 37 supertankers and its entire fleet can hold about 86 million barrels of oil, equal to 65 days of the nation’s exports, IHS data show. European Union sanctions that started in July 2012 prevent most non-Iranian tankers from hauling the country’s crude because almost all ships are insured under the 28-nation bloc’s laws." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIran Tanker Owner Seen Expanding Fleet by IHS Amid Sanctions

‘Slipping Back Into Cold War Thinking’

"Russia's loss is Sweden's gain: On Wednesday, the White House revealed that US President Obama will visit Stockholm on September 4-5, on his way to the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg. 'Sweden is a close friend and partner to the United States,' said the press secretary in a statement. And right now, Russia isn't. Obama was originally planning to be in Moscow on these dates for talks with President Vladimir Putin -- but the Russian leader has been given the brush-off. It seems the Kremlin's decision to grant asylum to fugitive US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden was the final straw." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Slipping Back Into Cold War Thinking’

BRICS emerging economies to expand co-operation on internet & security

"Edward's Snowden's revelations about US cybersnooping appear to be pushing its rivals closer together as China and other major emerging economies agree to expand co-operation on internet security. The consensus to emerge from a meeting of senior security officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa shows a broad desire to carve out their own turf in cyberspace and reduce reliance on American technology. The bloc is already collaborating on the BRICS cable, a US$1.5 billion marine fibre optic cable linking the BRICS countries and the US with 21 countries in Africa. It is due to begin service in mid-2015." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBRICS emerging economies to expand co-operation on internet & security

Fox News host demands escalation of nuclear hostilities with Russia over Snowden

"Fox News host Gregg Jarrett on Thursday suggested that President Barack Obama should pull out of nuclear treaties and send missiles to Europe after Russian President Vladimir Putin granted asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden. Earlier this year, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that the U.S. was cancelling plans to put long-range missile defense interceptors in Poland. Moscow had refused to move forward with additional nuclear arms cuts unless the system was scrapped. Three other phases, including short-range missiles in Poland, were expected to be rolled out as planned." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFox News host demands escalation of nuclear hostilities with Russia over Snowden

What Egypt Tells Us About U.S. Foreign Aid

"What do Angola, Cambodia, Chad, Haiti, Laos, Somalia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe have in common? They all receive U.S. foreign aid and, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, boast some of the most corrupt governments in the world—strong-arm governments in most cases. If money can’t buy the United States influence, it’s also not buying America a lot love. According to a recent Pew poll, in Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan only 16, 14 and 11 percent of their respective populations have a favorable view of the United States. Egypt is a clarion call to stop throwing good money after bad." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat Egypt Tells Us About U.S. Foreign Aid

Michael Scheuer: Obama, Rice, Kerry, McCain, and Graham intervening for more war

"Today there are only two parties in the United States: (a) the bipartisan and interventionist elite and their ideological, fifth-column, and globalist supporters and funders (AKA: The Tyranny), and (b) the rest of us who are taxed to death for the privilege of paying for, and seeing our children die in their unnecessary, intervention-caused wars. How can Americans change this reality? It seems clear that intervention cannot be stopped at the ballot box. On the issue of options, there are many to consider. But one can get off to no better start than to reread the works of John Dickinson, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine written in 1775 and 1776." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichael Scheuer: Obama, Rice, Kerry, McCain, and Graham intervening for more war

Yemen: American Foreign Policy in Action

"Yemeni security forces have been put on high alert amid warnings of an imminent attack by al-Qaeda in Sana’a, as the US and Britain withdrew embassy staff and urged their citizens to leave the country. BBC Arabic quoted a Yemeni security source as saying 'extraordinary and unprecedented' security measures had been taken, with armoured vehicles deployed at the presidential palace and other sensitive government and foreign installations in Yemen’s capital. Dozens of al-Qaeda operatives were said to have streamed into Sana’a in the last few days, apparently to take part in a terrorist attack, the BBC said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingYemen: American Foreign Policy in Action

Get Ready for Endless Bogus Terror Alerts

"It didn’t take long for the pushback following outrage over revelations that we live in an all-encompassing high-tech Stasi police state. Edward Snowden made his revelations known exactly two months ago today . The government has responded by concocting yet another vague and unsubstantiated terror threat it describes as the most serious since the September 11 attacks. The latest terror alert is a precursor of things to come." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGet Ready for Endless Bogus Terror Alerts

Snowden’s father says Putin will continue to stand firm

"Lon Snowden’s comments came on the day that President Barack Obama canceled a summit meeting with Putin planned for next month in retaliation for Russia giving refuge to Edward Snowden. “These games of ‘Well, I’m not going to go to this meeting,’ or ‘I’m not going to go to that meeting,’ … I do not believe that President Vladimir Putin will cave to that,” he said. The older Snowden, who was in the Coast Guard for about 30 years before he retired in January 2009, said he 'wouldn’t take the unauthorized release of classified information lightly, and I did not initially either. The fact is, is now I have a much greater understanding of what has occurred.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden’s father says Putin will continue to stand firm

Pepe Escobar: Al-Qaeda to the rescue

"Doctor Evil and the Orwellian/Panopticon complex are on the same side - and that explains why he'll be allowed to be a motor mouth fatwa machine for as long as he wants, and won't be nabbed like some patsy in the underwear bomber mould. The complex is back in offense. Reform the NSA? Interfere with our metadata? What for? We have just alerted the US government to 'pre-9/11' levels of terrorist chatter! AQAP might well decide not to participate in this worldwide 'pre-9/11' script. Real jihadis, after all, are not foolish enough to be caught by XKeystroke." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: Al-Qaeda to the rescue