Middle East

Costly Iraq war left U.S. no stronger in Middle East

"The US-led invasion of Iraq overthrew a dictator, but 10 years on the war is seen to have destabilized the Middle East, exposed the limits of military power and left America no stronger than before. With US forces having withdrawn after the deaths of almost 4,500 American troops and an estimated $1 trillion outlay, there is little soul-searching in Washington today about a war that has faded from public consciousness. And 10 years after the 'shock and awe' that launched Operation Iraqi Freedom, removing Saddam Hussein from power, most analysts and diplomats agree the Iraq war did nothing to improve the US position in the Middle East." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCostly Iraq war left U.S. no stronger in Middle East

MI6 and CIA were told before invasion that Iraq had no active WMD, claims new documentary

"British and US intelligence agencies were informed by top sources months before the invasion that Iraq had no active WMD programme, and the information was not passed to subsequent inquiries. Naji Sabri, Saddam's foreign minister, told the CIA's station chief in Paris at the time, Bill Murray, through an intermediary that Iraq had 'virtually nothing' in terms of WMD. Three months before the war an MI6 officer met Iraq's head of intelligence, Tahir Habbush al-Tikriti, who also said that Saddam had no active WMD. The meeting in the Jordanian capital took place days before the British government published its now widely discredited Iraqi weapons dossier in September 2002." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMI6 and CIA were told before invasion that Iraq had no active WMD, claims new documentary

MI6 and CIA were told before invasion that Iraq had no active WMD, claims new documentary

"British and US intelligence agencies were informed by top sources months before the invasion that Iraq had no active WMD programme, and the information was not passed to subsequent inquiries. Naji Sabri, Saddam's foreign minister, told the CIA's station chief in Paris at the time, Bill Murray, through an intermediary that Iraq had 'virtually nothing' in terms of WMD. Three months before the war an MI6 officer met Iraq's head of intelligence, Tahir Habbush al-Tikriti, who also said that Saddam had no active WMD. The meeting in the Jordanian capital took place days before the British government published its now widely discredited Iraqi weapons dossier in September 2002." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMI6 and CIA were told before invasion that Iraq had no active WMD, claims new documentary
Read more about the article ‘Thanks For Your Help, Sorry About The Drone’

‘Thanks For Your Help, Sorry About The Drone’

“The US administration believes it can actually determine who is or is not a radical Islamist and kill those people by drone, leaving only smiling democrats ready to welcome Western NGOs to help them write a nice new constitution. It is a delusion. It has never worked yet.  It probably means the US is planning to enter a much more active phase in the conflict. In preparation for a US invasion of Syria, which will no doubt continue on into Iran, some of the more dangerous and difficult to control elements must be gotten rid of.” Continue reading via LRC blog https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/thanks-for-your-help-sorry-about-the-drone-2/ ----- Summary via FreedomWatch →

Continue Reading‘Thanks For Your Help, Sorry About The Drone’

Russia warns UK against arming Syrian rebels

"The UK and Russia remain at odds over the supply of arms to Syria's opposition, with Moscow suggesting that any move by the British government to give the rebels military equipment would breach international law. The foreign secretary, William Hague, last week announced that Britain was stepping up its support for Syria's opposition National Coalition and would be providing non-lethal equipment to rebel fighters. The government is inching towards arming the rebels, with David Cameron indicating on Wednesday that the UK might be prepared to bypass an EU arms embargo as events on the ground unfold." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia warns UK against arming Syrian rebels

CIA may target Syrian extremists with drones: LA Times

"The US Central Intelligence Agency is collecting information on Islamic radicals in Syria for possible lethal drone strikes against them at a later stage. CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, which runs drone programs targeting militants in Pakistan and Yemen, had recently shifted several targeting officers to improve intelligence gathering on militants in Syria. The agency is working closely with Saudi, Jordanian and other regional spy services active in Syria. The State Department believes that one of the strongest Syrian opposition militias, Al Nusra Front, is a terrorist organization that is indistinguishable from the group Al-Qaeda in Iraq." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA may target Syrian extremists with drones: LA Times

Drones killing innocent Pakistanis, U.N. official says

"The study concludes that the strikes have killed far more people than the United States has acknowledged, and traumatized many more innocent people. That trauma is destroying a way of life, Emmerson said. 'The Pashtun tribes of the ... area have suffered enormously under the drone campaign.' And tribal law prescribes revenge for the killing of a tribe member, which serves to radicalize more young men against the United States, he said. Pakistan considers the strikes counterproductive, illegal and a violation of its sovereignty." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDrones killing innocent Pakistanis, U.N. official says

Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Flees Currencies Tainted by Stimulus Addiction

"Norway’s $713 billion sovereign wealth fund is turning away from the world’s biggest currencies and their debt-laden governments as policy makers undermine their exchange rates through unprecedented stimulus measures. The Government Pension Fund Global, the world’s largest wealth fund, cut its holdings in French and U.K. government bonds by almost half last year as it raised its share of government bonds in emerging-market currencies to 10 percent of its fixed-income holdings by adding investments in Turkey, Russia and Taiwan." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNorway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Flees Currencies Tainted by Stimulus Addiction

Rep. Walter Jones: Dick Cheney is going to hell for the Iraq war

"Republican Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina said Saturday that former Vice President Dick Cheney would likely end up in hell because of his role in the Iraq war. At a Young Americans for Liberty conference, Jones said it was impossible under current law to prosecute a president for intentionally manipulating intelligence reports to make the case for war. He co-authored a bill to change the law, but the legislation was killed in committee by Lamar Smith of Texas. The conservative Christian turned against the war after witnessing American causalities and once it became clear Iraq was not building any weapons of mass destruction." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRep. Walter Jones: Dick Cheney is going to hell for the Iraq war

Iraq’s pain has only intensified since 2003

"Ten years on from the shock and awe of the 2003 Bush and Blair war – which followed 13 years of murderous sanctions, and 35 years of Saddamist dictatorship – my tormented land, once a cradle of civilisation, is staring into the abyss. Wanton imperialist intervention and dictatorial rule have together been responsible for the deaths of more than a million people since 1991. And yet, according to both Tony Blair and the former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright, the 'price is worth it'. The Iraqi people are fully aware that Saddam committed all his major crimes while an ally of western powers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIraq’s pain has only intensified since 2003