Clipmarks | Foreign policy Clips

The sleazy advocacy of a leading "liberal hawk"

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:43:15 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: What Galbraith kept completely concealed all these years was that a company he formed in 2004 came to acquire a large stake in a Kurdish oil field whereby, as the NYT put it, he "stands to earn perhaps a hundred million or more dollars." In other words, he had a direct -- and vast -- financial stake in the very policies which he was publicly advocating in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and countless other American media outlets, where he was presented as an independent expert on the region. As Cobban wrote:

Galbraith has never expressed any such regrets, and last November, he was openly scornful of Bush's late-term agreement to withdraw from Iraq completely. The revelation that for many years Galbraith had a quite undisclosed financial interest in the political breakup of Iraq may now further reduce the clout, and the ranks, of the remaining liberal hawks.

Clip Source: www.salon.com

The New York Times today details the unbelievably sleazy story of Peter Galbraith, one of the Democratic Party's leading so-called "liberal hawks" and a generally revered Wise Man of America's Foreign Policy Community. He was Ambassador to Croatia under the Clinton administration in the mid-1990s and, in March, 2009, the Obama administration (specifically, Richard Holbrooke, Galbraith's mentor) successfully pressured the U.N. to name Galbraith as the second-in-command in Afghanistan. The NYT does a good job today of adding some important details to the story, but it was actually uncovered by Norwegian investigative journalists and reported at length a month ago in pieces such as this one by Helena Cobban. In essence, this highly Serious man has corruptly concealed vast financial stakes in the very policies and positions he has spent years advocating while pretending to be an independent expert.

Tags: iraq, war, empire, conquerst, neomercantilsim, theft, hawks

Ahmadinejad tells US: Ditch Israel and Fulfill Your Promises

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:41:59 GMT

clipped by: lakotahope
clipper's remarks: Not yet! I don't think abandoning Israel to Iran is in the interests of the Middle East. The World isn't ready for what may happen to Iran, etc.....

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd, two of the three US hikers accused of espionage after crossing Iran’s border with Iraq. Photograph: EPA/Courtesy of Shourd Family

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, effectively spurned Barack Obama's offer of renewed ties between Washington and Tehran last night by making it conditional on the US abandoning support for Israel.

He told a press conference in Istanbul that Obama had failed to deliver his promise of change in US foreign policy and said he had to choose between Israel and relations with Iran.

Ahmadinejad's comments came hours after Tehran's prosecutor announced spying charges against three Americans in a move that threatened to plunge US-Iranian relations to a fresh low.

But Ahmadinejad suggested a less drastic outcome by voicing hope that they would not be jailed and sidestepping questions over whether he believed they were spies.

Tags: iran, israel, 3 hikers held

When Muslims Commit Violence

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:30:14 GMT

clipped by: Jacob173

Clip Source: jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com

When Muslims Commit Violence

It seems, though, that when an American military officer who is a practicing Muslim allegedly shoots forty of his fellow soldiers who are about to deploy to the two wars the United States is currently fighting in Muslim countries, some broader meaning might, over time, be discerned, especially if the officer did, in fact, yell "Allahu Akbar" while murdering his fellow soldiers, as some soldiers say he did. This is the second time this year American soldiers on American soil have been gunned down by a Muslim who was reportedly unhappy with America's wars in the Middle East (the first took place in Arkansas, to modest levels of notice). And, of course, this would not be the first instance of an American Muslim soldier killing fellow soldiers over his disagreements with American foreign policy; in 2003, Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar killed two officers and wounded fourteen others when he rolled a grenade into a tent in a homicidal protest against American policy.

Barack "Houdini" Obama

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:38:31 GMT

clipped by: mountainpalm
clipper's remarks: Promises were broken with no apology, the same creative legalese that infested the Bush administration, in the form of John Yoo and Alberto Gonzalez, was again used to deny justice to the inmates of Guantanamo, It was used to justify more torture, more destruction of the Constitution and more illegal surveillance of U.S. citizens

Clip Source: globalresearch.ca

America's Nightmare: The Obama Dystopia

Manipulation, propaganda, imagery & PR wizardry

by Andrew Hughes

After 8 years of the Bush-Cheney nightmare during which we saw the wanton destruction of Afghanistan and Iraq, the cynical negation of centuries of Law designed to protect the most basic human rights and a foreign policy worthy of Genghis Khan, there came along the "Great Black Hope" in the persona of Barack Obama. The collective world consciousness turned uncritically to what was presented as a new era for peace, change and trust in Government.

Never before had one witnessed such an accomplished use of manipulation, propaganda, imagery and public relations wizardry to sell the public a man who was to take the baton from Bush and run with it in the race to destroy the economy, the rights of the people and help birth a nation totally controlled by those who have always lurked in the shadows of power.

Nidal Hasan Bought A Para-Military Automatic Pistol With Armor-Piercing Capabilities

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:15:43 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: The FBI dispatched agents from Austin, San Antonio and Waco to the scene, and pressed into service a 15-member forensic unit to help military police collect evidence. Agents from the bureau's Washington field office interviewed relatives, neighbors and friends who knew Hasan during his years in the Washington area. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also are on hand to help with weapons analysis.

Investigators also focused on Guns Galore, a firearms store just down the highway from the mosque. Store owner David Cheadle said federal agents interviewed him about the sale of a FN Herstal Five-Seven pistol that was used in the shootings. "It is a popular choice for personal defense," Cheadle said, pulling one from his case, "but it's expensive" -- more than $1,100 at his store.

The officials said a continuing search of Major Hasan’s computer indicates that he had logged on to Web sites that celebrated radical Islamic ideologies and that he had....

Clip Source: americanpowerblog.blogspot.com

Suspect Had Logged Onto Radical Islamist Sites

The preliminary results from the investigation into the Fort Hood shooting show that Nidal Malik bought a para-military automatic pistol with armor-piercing capabilities. The Washington Post has the story, "

Pictured above is a FN Five-Seven single-action autoloading pistol at the Fabrique Nationale

website, a Belgian manufacturer with production and sales units in the U.S. (not necessarily the same weapon used by Hasan)

The gun, made of lightweight polymer, can handle magazines with 20 or 30 rounds. It is a controversial weapon among gun control advocates because it can penetrate body armor when used with more powerful, but restricted, ammunition employed by law enforcement and the military.

An Army official said the suspect had fired more than 100 rounds before he was felled by two Army civilian police officers, Sgt. Kimberly Munley and Sgt. Mark Todd.

New York Times

"Preliminary Inquiry Finds No Link to Terror Plot":

Tags: democratic party, islam, nidal hasan, obama administration, political correctness, radical left, terrorism, u.s. foreign policy, war on terror

Noam Chomsky: 'US Foreign Policy is Straight Out of the Mafia'

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:46:14 GMT

clipped by: pennyserenade

Clip Source: www.commondreams.org

Noam Chomsky is the west's most prominent critic of US imperialism, yet he is rarely interviewed in the mainstream media. Seumas Milne meets him

Noam Chomsky is the closest thing in the English-speaking world to an intellectual superstar. A philosopher of language and political campaigner of towering academic reputation, who as good as invented modern linguistics, he is entertained by presidents, addresses the UN general assembly and commands a mass international audience. When he spoke in London last week, thousands of young people battled for tickets to attend his lectures, followed live on the internet across the globe, as the 80-year-old American linguist fielded questions from as far away as besieged Gaza.

List of countries unilaterally invaded by America

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:48:09 GMT

clipped by: aperiozar
clipper's remarks: This is a list of 70 countries unilaterally invaded by America since WWII - killing countless civilians in the process.

Clip Source: www.thirdworldtraveler.com

A Brief History of U.S. Interventions:
1945 to the Present

by William Blum

The engine of American foreign policy has been fueled not by a devotion to any kind of morality, but rather by the necessity to serve other imperatives, which can be summarized as follows:

* making the world safe for American corporations;

* enhancing the financial statements of defense contractors at home who have contributed generously to members of congress;

* preventing the rise of any society that might serve as a successful example of an alternative to the capitalist model;

* extending political and economic hegemony over as wide an area as possible, as befits a "great power."

This in the name of fighting a supposed moral crusade against what cold warriors convinced themselves, and the American people, was the existence of an evil International Communist Conspiracy, which in fact never existed, evil or not.

The United States carried out extremely serious interventions into more than 70 nations in this period.

Tags: us, war on terror, us invasions

'US Foreign Policy is Straight Out of the Mafia'

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:19:33 GMT

clipped by: katsteevns

Clip Source: www.commondreams.org

Noam Chomsky: 'US Foreign Policy is Straight Out of the Mafia'

by Seumas Milne

But he is surprised so many people abroad, especially in the third world, are disappointed at how little Obama has changed. "His campaign rhetoric, hope and change, was entirely vacuous. There was no principled criticism of the Iraq war: he called it a strategic blunder. And Condoleezza Rice was black - does that mean she was sympathetic to third world problems?"

The veteran activist has described the US invasion of Afghanistan as "one of the most immoral acts in modern history", which united the jihadist movement around al-Qaida, sharply increased the level of terrorism and was "perfectly irrational - unless the security of the population is not the main priority". Which, of course, Chomsky believes, it is not. "States are not moral agents," he says, and believes that now that Obama is escalating the war, it has become even clearer that the occupation is about the credibility of Nato and US global power.

Apocalyptic Literature

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:40:14 GMT

clipped by: kareval
clipper's remarks: the greatest country in the world. Help me change everything about it!"

And the people said, "Hallelujah! Change is good!"

clip_image003

Then He said, "We are going to tax the rich fat-cats." And the

people said "Sock it to them!" "And redistribute their wealth." And

the people said, "Show us the money!" And then he said,

"redistribution of wealth is good for everybody."

clip_image004

And Joe the plumber asked, "Are you kidding me? You're going to

steal my money and give it to the deadbeats??" And 'The One'

ridiculed and taunted him, and Joe's personal records were hacked and publicized.

One lone reporter asked, "Isn't that Marxist policy?" And she was

banished from the kingdom!

clip_image005

Then a citizen asked, "With no foreign relations experience and

having zero military experience or knowledge, how will he deal with

radical terrorists?" And 'The One' said, "Simple. I shall sit with

them and talk with them and show them how nice w

Clip Source: 8538monrovia.blogspot.com

How's this for apocalyptic literature. This was written by a pastor's wife in biblical prose as a commentary of current events. It is brilliant.

And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity that the people of the land

called America, having lost their morals, their initiative, and their

will to defend their liberties, chose as their Supreme Leader that

person known as 'The One.'

He emerged from the vapors with a message that had no meaning; but He

hypnotized the people telling them, "I am sent to save you. My lack

of experience, my questionable ethics, my monstrous ego, and my

association with evil doers are of no consequence. I shall save you

with hope and Change. Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the

land that he who proceeded me is evil, that he has defiled the nation,

and that all he has built must be destroyed." And the people rejoiced,

for even though they knew not what 'The One' would do, he had promised

that it was good; and they believed. And 'The One' said, " We live in

Venezuela Exerts It's Right To Make Own Policies

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:05:45 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: The Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela stresses that the relationship between Venezuela and Iran is longstanding, peaceful and of no threat to the national security of the U.S. or of any other country.

It is not that the relationship between Venezuela and Iran poses a real threat to the United States; it is instead that some in Washington cannot move beyond viewing Latin America as part of its “backyard.” Contrary to the opinions of these policymakers, Venezuela’s foreign policy is made in Caracas – not in Washington.

At the end of his opening statement today Rep.Engel called for a reengagement of U. S. foreign policy with Latin America. We applaud his efforts, but they should be based on mutual respect. We reject the notion that Washington should have veto power over the decision of Latin American countries to engage with the rest of the world.

Clip Source: www.embavenez-us.org

The Keyboard Commandos want Obama to be tough

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:20:18 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: To Brooks, the big question is whether Obama possesses "the trait that is more important than intellectual sophistication and, in fact, stands in tension with it." That is, whether the president is "a very manly, virile, manful person, and a firm believer in strict discipline, corporal punishment, and nude apartment wrestling."

Oops, never mind. That last bit was Captain Ned. But it does get old hearing this cohort of Ivy League toughs -- most of whom one suspects haven't had even a fistfight since third grade -- describe every U.S. foreign policy issue as a testosterone test. One suspects it may not be Obama's virility they're worried about.

Next came Cheney's devoted daughter. After President Obama paid a 4 a.m. visit to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to salute the flag-draped caskets of 18 American servicemen arriving home from Afghanistan, and to console their families, Liz Cheney appeared on -- where else? -- Fox News radio to suggest a cheap political stunt.

Clip Source: www.salon.com

President Obama participates in the dignified transfer of U.S. Army Sgt. Dale R. Griffin at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Oct. 29.

"All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written 'al-Qaida' in order to make generals race there, and we cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses -- without their achieving anything of note!" -- Osama bin Laden, November 2004

One sign of a movement that's lost touch with reality is its preference for political melodrama. Out on the ragged edges of America's misconceived "war on terror," events in Afghanistan daily dramatize the awful situation confronting President Obama. He appears to have no good options. To be sure, Obama invited trouble, telling an audience at a VFW convention last August, "This is not a war of choice. This is a war of necessity."

Tags: the (unmaly) men, want, obama, to, be tougher, than they

Hillary Clinton: US Wants Israel To Stop Building West Bank Settlements 'Forever'

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:06:40 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: But Clinton has had to do a lot of explaining since last Saturday, when she stood with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and praised his offer to limit settlement construction without halting it.

Clinton has since tried to clarify the remarks, saying that the Israeli offer does not got far enough. Still, she has indicated that the Palestinians should resume negotiations with Israel without a full settlement halt as they demand.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

CAIRO — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton defended the U.S. stance toward Israeli settlement building to worried Arab allies on Wednesday, saying Washington does not accept the legitimacy of the West Bank enclaves and wants to see their construction halted "forever."

Still, she said an Israeli offer to restrain – but not halt – construction represents "positive movement forward" toward resuming Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

Clinton met for an hour with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during a hastily arranged stopover in the Egyptian capital to soothe Arab concerns that Washington is backing off demands for an Israeli settlement halt.

Egypt appeared reassured by Clinton's visit, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit called for a resumption of negotiations.

Tags: israel, palestine, obama, clinton, foreing policy, settlers, peace, war, occupation, empire

Brutal and repressive regime: our ally Uzbekistan

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:39:20 GMT

clipped by: beanz
clipper's remarks: It shows Western criticism of Iran to be the load of crap that it is.

Clip Source: www.rferl.org

Uzbekistan: Interview With Former British Ambassador Craig Murray

Craig Murray may be one of Britain's least diplomatic diplomats in recent memory. While ambassador to Tashkent, he spoke publicly about repression and the lack of democratic freedoms in Uzbekistan. Last year he accused the United States and United Kingdom of using intelligence gained from people tortured in Uzbekistan. And in a widely published speech in November, he criticized the United States for helping prop up what he called President Islam Karimov's "brutal" regime.

He now plans to run against British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in Britain's Parliamentary election

I think that under this government Britain has moved away from the basic principles that governed foreign policy for many years, in particular support for the United Nations, support for the role of international law.

people didn't approve of us entering into an illegal war against Iraq without the sanction of the UN Security Council.

Tags: uzbekistan

Creating False Scarcity To Drive Up Demand For H1N1 Vaccine?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:13:44 GMT

clipped by: WhatAreWeDoing

Clip Source: www.pandemicfluonline.com

CFR Recording Suggests Creating False Scarcity To Drive Up Demand For H1N1 Vaccine

Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Tuesday, Nov 3, 2009

A recording of a recent Council On Foreign Relations symposium reveals attendees discussing ways and means of getting the public to take the H1N1 flu vaccine in spite of the mass resistance that has arisen due to questions over it’s safety.

The recording dates from October 16 when the CFR held a Symposium in New York entitled Pandemic Influenza: Science, Economics, and Foreign Policy.

The meeting was held in order to encourage a consensus for policy to present to the federal government concerning the so called swine flu pandemic.

In attendance were professors and doctors from several influential universities and medical schools, along with media representatives from Science Magazine, The Canadian Press and The Financial Times.

Protests flare in Iran's capital ....

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:32:04 GMT

clipped by: jatfla
clipper's remarks: "....opposition protesters warned the Obama administration -- which is seeking to engage Iran to defuse a confrontation over Tehran's nuclear program -- that now's not the time for a deal."

Hmmm....and this: "...Protesters chanted, "Death to the dictator" and "Russia is the den of espionage,".....

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

Protests flare in Iran's capital as demonstrators, security forces clash

Large areas of Tehran are in chaos as troops fire tear gas and beat antigovernment protesters on the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy's seizure. Demonstrations erupt in other cities as well.

Large stretches of the Iranian capital erupted in chaos and violence today as antigovernment protesters and security forces clashed on the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy by radical students.

As Ahmadinejad's allies blasted U.S. foreign policy during an official rally attended by tens of thousands of schoolchildren bused in the for the event and government supporters, a leading reformist cleric and architect of the Islamic Revolution issued a provocative statement describing the storming of the U.S. mission in Tehran as a mistake.

"Obama, Obama!" the protesters chanted, according to footage posted on the Internet. "Either you're with them, or with us."

Clipmarks | Foreign policy Clips

The sleazy advocacy of a leading "liberal hawk"

Ahmadinejad tells US: Ditch Israel and Fulfill Your Promises

When Muslims Commit Violence

When Muslims Commit Violence

Barack "Houdini" Obama

Nidal Hasan Bought A Para-Military Automatic Pistol With Armor-Piercing Capabilities

Noam Chomsky: 'US Foreign Policy is Straight Out of the Mafia'

List of countries unilaterally invaded by America

A Brief History of U.S. Interventions: 1945 to the Present

by William Blum

The engine of American foreign policy has been fueled not by a devotion to any kind of morality, but rather by the necessity to serve other imperatives, which can be summarized as follows:

* making the world safe for American corporations;

* enhancing the financial statements of defense contractors at home who have contributed generously to members of congress;

* preventing the rise of any society that might serve as a successful example of an alternative to the capitalist model;

* extending political and economic hegemony over as wide an area as possible, as befits a "great power."

This in the name of fighting a supposed moral crusade against what cold warriors convinced themselves, and the American people, was the existence of an evil International Communist Conspiracy, which in fact never existed, evil or not.

The United States carried out extremely serious interventions into more than 70 nations in this period.

'US Foreign Policy is Straight Out of the Mafia'

Noam Chomsky: 'US Foreign Policy is Straight Out of the Mafia'

Apocalyptic Literature

Venezuela Exerts It's Right To Make Own Policies

The Keyboard Commandos want Obama to be tough

Hillary Clinton: US Wants Israel To Stop Building West Bank Settlements 'Forever'

Brutal and repressive regime: our ally Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan: Interview With Former British Ambassador Craig Murray

Creating False Scarcity To Drive Up Demand For H1N1 Vaccine?

CFR Recording Suggests Creating False Scarcity To Drive Up Demand For H1N1 Vaccine

Protests flare in Iran's capital ....

Protests flare in Iran's capital as demonstrators, security forces clash

Large areas of Tehran are in chaos as troops fire tear gas and beat antigovernment protesters on the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy's seizure. Demonstrations erupt in other cities as well.

A Brief History of U.S. Interventions:
1945 to the Present