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Top general: Syrian rebels do not support U.S. interests

"US armed intervention in Syria would not resolve the civil war and rebel forces cannot be relied on to back American interests, the top military chief said. Pushing back against calls for air strikes and other action, General Martin Dempsey said in a letter to one lawmaker that US military leaders were not 'reticent, weary or risk averse' but rather mindful of the costs of war and 'pragmatic about the limits of military force.' He said knocking out Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s air force was an option but it could drag the United States into an open-ended war. 'Syria today is not about choosing between two sides but rather about choosing one among many sides,' Dempsey wrote." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTop general: Syrian rebels do not support U.S. interests

US photojournalist recounts horror of captivity after escaping al-Qaeda in Syria

"A US photojournalist who escaped from Syrian rebels after seven months in captivity revealed details of his ordeal Friday and spoke of his anguish at leaving a fellow hostage behind. Matthew Schrier, 35, fled the clutches of a rebel group aligned to Al-Qaeda in July after being kidnapped while leaving the Syrian city of Aleppo on December 31 last year. Schrier is one of 15 Westerners who have been kidnapped or who have disappeared this year. The experience of Schrier illustrates the increasing dangers for foreigners and moderate Syrians in the country, which has been ravaged by a vicious civil war for more than two years, with mounting numbers of heavily armed extremist groups on the ground." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS photojournalist recounts horror of captivity after escaping al-Qaeda in Syria

United Nations to question U.S. over spying allegations

"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 →

Continue ReadingUnited Nations to question U.S. over spying allegations

U.S. tech sector feels pain from NSA PRISM revelations

"An industry group, the Cloud Security Alliance said last month that 10 percent of its non-US members have cancelled a contract with a US-based cloud provider, and 56 percent said they were less likely to use an American company. A separate report this month by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, or ITIF, a Washington think tank, said US cloud providers stand to lose $22 billion to $35 billion over the next three years due to revelations about the so-called PRISM program. Daniel Castro, author of the report, says a loss of trust in US tech firms could lead to 'protectionist' measures that hurt the fast-growing cloud sector." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. tech sector feels pain from NSA PRISM revelations

Syrian Christians fear rise of jihadist rebels

"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 →

Continue ReadingSyrian Christians fear rise of jihadist rebels

Tony Blair supports intervention against Assad regime in Syria

"Tony Blair has called on the west to stop 'wringing our hands' as he endorsed intervention against the regime of Bashar al-Assad and warned governments against ostracising the military dictatorship in Egypt. In his first intervention since the chemical weapons attack last week, the former prime minister said the west should not be neutral in protecting Syrians from the Assad regime and 'affiliates of al-Qaida' seeking to exploit the instability. Blair, who was humiliated by Assad during a trip to Damascus after the 9/11 attacks, when the Syrian president likened Palestinian suicide bombers to the Free French, said it was time to intervene against the regime." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTony Blair supports intervention against Assad regime in Syria

George Galloway to turn to Kickstarter to fund anti-Tony Blair film

"Galloway is teaming up with documentary-maker Greg Ward to make The Killing of Tony Blair, which, according to Ward, 'will bring together many of the things George has been fighting for during his long political career'. In Ward's words, The Killing of Tony Blair 'details how Blair killed the Labour Party, killed hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq and how he made 'a killing' out of doing both'. Galloway, currently the Respect MP for Bradford West, was expelled from the Labour party in 2003 after clashing with the leadership over the Iraq war. In a 2012 interview with GQ magazine he argued that Blair's assassination would be 'logical and explicable'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGeorge Galloway to turn to Kickstarter to fund anti-Tony Blair film

Ron Paul: Bradley Manning Promotes Peace More Than Obama

"Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, who is [convicted] of providing an enormous stash of classified government documents to WikiLeaks for publication, deserves a Nobel Peace Prize more than President Barack Obama, according to former Texas Rep. Ron Paul. 'While President Obama was starting and expanding unconstitutional wars overseas, Bradley Manning, whose actions have caused exactly zero deaths, was shining light on the truth behind these wars,' the former Republican presidential contender told U.S. News. 'It's clear which individual has done more to promote peace.' Manning was nominated for the award in 2011, 2012 and again earlier this year. Obama won the award in 2009." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul: Bradley Manning Promotes Peace More Than Obama

Obama moves towards sending military weapons to Somalia

[April 2013] "President Barack Obama took the first step Monday toward providing US military assistance to Somali forces battling Islamist militants, after the easing of a UN arms embargo last month. Obama signed a determination stating that having the legal capacity to offer defense equipment to Somalia was in the national interest of the United States and could promote peace and stability in East Africa. The move allows the US Secretary of State to consider the provision of arms to Somalia but does not signal a decision to provide specific assistance. Since 2007, the United States has provided $133 million in security sector assistance to Somalia." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama moves towards sending military weapons to Somalia

Pentagon sends troops to Jordan to counter Syria chemical weapons threat

[April 2013] "The Pentagon's decision to send a contingent of US troops to Jordan, announced by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during a congressional hearing this week, raises the question of whether the Obama administration has now moved one step closer to a military intervention in Syria. Mr. Hagel told lawmakers that he green-lighted the deployment last week in order to 'improve readiness and prepare for a number of scenarios.' These troops, a unit from Fort Bliss in Texas, will bring the number of US forces in Jordan to more than 200. The plan is for the US troops to help train their Jordanian counterparts in the finer points of defending their border with Syria." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPentagon sends troops to Jordan to counter Syria chemical weapons threat