Is A World War Possible (Again)?
Posted: 27 September 2012 Filed under: Foreign policy, International Situations, News, Observations, War | Tags: Armed Conflict, International Tensions, Postaday 2012, World Affairs, World Politics 2 Comments »Inkwell Institute
Putin is a dick! China cheats! Arabs hate us! Chavez wants a war! Iran wants to nuke New York! You have heard it all, right? All this posturing among the politicos…..especially among conservs who seem to want a war with Iran or maybe it is ALL Arabs…….war hawks are beating their chests like sex crazed baboons over the protests in the Middle East….but with all this colorful speech….what is the chance of another world war?
Here is a summary of where the world stands:
- Unable to reach a compromise over the weekend, South Africa is now in an all out labor strike, with the police again firing rubber bullets at miners with lethal escalation guaranteed
- Back from vacation, the once again penniless citizens of Spain, Greece, and Portugal have resumed protesting austerity
- US embassies attacked, in many cases with numerous casualties, in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Lebanon, India, Balgadesh, Indonesia, and others.
- Japan “appropriating” China-contested islands provoking a firestorm of retaliation including demands for “war with Japan“
- The Japanese ambassador to China dying mysteriously
- Netanyahu telling Meet the Press Iran will have a nuke in six-seven months and must be stopped beforehand
- Warships from more than 25 countries, including the United States, Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, launching a military exercise in the Straits of Hormuz
- A third US aircraft – the CVN-74 Stennis – carrier is en route to Iran with an ETA of about 10 days
- And finally, a potential catalyst to light this whole mess on fire, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announcing that its troops are now on the ground in Syria.
The economic crash and the Arab Spring have pushed the world hard…..all the frustrations are coming to the surface and with outrageous politics it could push the whole global into another war. I do not think the world wants this….but it seems they are doing little to avoid it.
Take Me To Your Lawyer!
Posted: 11 May 2011 Filed under: International Situations, News, Observations | Tags: Al-Qaeda, International Tensions, Lawsuits, Legal Issues, Osama, Postaday2011 13 Comments »We have all seen all the razz-a – ma-tazz (what a great word) that has been flying all over the media…the back slapping by the Prez and his boyz and all the pouting and whining by the past prez’s gang of 10 or more…..everyone is taking credit for the death of Osama….or everyone WANTS the credit for the death, to be used as a political weapon later….which strikes me as humorous anyway…but what about the Reppubs in the House that REFUSE to issue an commendation to the unit that actually killed the man? You see it would have to acknowledge that it was on Obama’s watch that we tasted success and the GOP cannot have that!
All that is just intro to a story….a lawsuit may well be in the making over the death of OBL….this from Jonathan Turley’s blog……
Omar bin Laden, bin Laden’s fourth eldest son, has allegedly issued a statement that calls the killing of his father as a “criminal” act and a humiliation for his family. Notably, he indicated the possibility of a lawsuit against the United States.The letter stated, in part: “We hold the American President (Barack) Obama legally responsible to clarify the fate of our father, Osama bin Laden, for it is unacceptable, humanely and religiously, to dispose of a person with such importance and status among his people, by throwing his body into the sea in that way, which demeans and humiliates his family and his supporters and which challenges religious provisions and feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims.”
There are international principles that could be raised, including the statements by Pakistan that (despite conflicting statements from Obama Administration officials) they never approved the attack on Pakistani territory. Under U.S. common law, there are also obvious legal principles, including the mistreatment of corpses. However, the success of such a lawsuit in the United States is extremely doubtful. Since this was a foreign operation and involved foreign citizens, the jurisdiction of the courts would be hard to establish. Moreover, there is no legal requirement under U.S. law for the retention of these bodies and the disposal would be viewed as reasonable.
See…if this continues….then maybe they should have taken Shakespeare’s advice and “Kill All The Lawyers”……
OK, people sound off!
We Have Our Fall Guy
Posted: 6 May 2011 Filed under: Foreign policy, International Situations, News | Tags: International Tensions, Osama, Pakistan, Postaday2011 10 Comments »There has been lots of speculation flying around the web and the airwaves on just how Osama could have been in a large compound not an hour from the Pakistani capital and NO one knew he was there….as I said lots of speculation….and the world is waiting to see who will take the fall for this oversight…..wait NO longer….a fall guy has been found!
To allay both domestic and international anger and dismay over the presence of Osama bin Laden in a military cantonment town close to the capital, senior Pakistani officials have told The Daily Beast they recognize that an important head has to roll and soon. They say the most likely candidate to be the fall guy is Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the director general of the country’s spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate. These high-level sources, who refused to be quoted or named, say that it’s nearly a done deal. Savvy Pakistani analysts who have close connections to the military agree. “It would make a lot of sense,” says retired Pakistani Lt. Gen. Talat Masood. “It’s in his (Pasha’s) personal and the national interest to take the heat off.”
Now the media has something or should I say someone they can fixate on the blame game….let us see how it plays out!
How Not To Have A Lasting Peace
Posted: 20 October 2010 Filed under: International Situations, Observations, War | Tags: International Tensions, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians, Peace Process, Peace Talks 6 Comments »International Studies Group
Subject: Middle East
There are ways to go about negotiating for a peaceful end to hostilities….and these are NOT on that list anywhere….a couple of things have occurred since the collapse of the latest attempt at a peaceful solution on the Pal/Israeli conflict that has gone on and on and….for over 60 years….
First, from the mouth of a Fattah (that is Palestinian group, if you were confused)….
Mahmoud Aloul, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, said that Israel’s “racist policies” were meant to undermine the peace process.
“The Palestinian Authority made every effort to avoid reaching this conclusion, but Israeli racist policies led to the failure of the peace process,” he added.PLO negotiators Saeb Erekat and Nabil Sha’ath also reiterated their refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Another PLO official, Yasser Abed Rabbo, accused Netanyahu of seeking to destroy the image of US President Barack Obama in the Middle East by raising such a demand
Then the president of the Pal Authority made this comment:
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that under no circumstances would the PA sign an agreement with Israel which required the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state or a land swap.
“The PA recognized Israel’s existence in 1993, and now Israel needs to recognize the Palestinian state in line with the 1967 borders,” Abbas said during a meeting in Ramallah with Knesset members from the left-wing party Hadash.
Abbas clarified that the PA would exhibit flexibility regarding the nature of the negotiations, but added that they would not negotiate on issues the Palestinian people consider principal matters. (where does he get his figures?)
After all the jaw flapping by both sides and so far we got nothing! Pals die….Israelis die….and all the time they play a blame game……this makes me want to ask….ARE YOU F*CKERS REALLY WANTING PEACE?
France Is Cool….UK Is Corrupt
Posted: 28 July 2010 Filed under: International Situations, Politics | Tags: Corruption, European Union, France, International Tensions, United Kingdom 6 Comments »From the VOMITORIUM
I thought that one of my more ardent readers would appreciate this piece…..Quin of Quintessential Havoc (my blogroll will get you to this insightful blog)…….I could not resist….sorry
There seems to be accusations flying around Europe about corruption and government…..a tried and true defense against corruption is point the finger elsewhere……the malignant midget speaks….
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has defended himself against allegations of corruption by bringing up the Westminster expenses scandal.
“France is not a corrupt country,” he said.
“The political class, left and right alike, is in general honest. French public officials are people of great rigour.
“The most recent political scandal took place in Britain, not France.”
But apparently Sarkozy missed the latest news….
Police are questioning France’s richest woman, her lawyer told CNN Monday, as they investigate claims one of her advisers gave envelopes of cash to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Labor Minister Eric Woerth.
Bettencourt’s former book-keeper, Claire Thibout, elaborated on the allegations in an interview this month with a French investigative website.
She said she prepared envelopes of cash that were to be given to Sarkozy and Woerth, who previously worked in the Budget Ministry and was in charge of reforms to France’s retirement system.
There you have! There is NO corruption in France, but in the UK it is another story altogether…….kinda rules out the theory of the EU as one big happy family, huh?
God, I love this stuff!
Tap Dance At The G20
Posted: 29 June 2010 Filed under: Economics, Government, International Situations, Observations | Tags: Diplomacy, Financial Reform, G20, International Tensions 8 Comments »Inkwell Institute
International Studies Group
Recently in Toronto there was a meeting of the mindless…a group called the G20……a meeting of the top leaders from 20 different countries that meet to plan the world economy and here is what they decided:
The communiqué called for governments to halve their budget deficits by 2013 and for the ratio of national debt to gross domestic product to be stabilised by 2016. This was seen as a win for Germany and other countries backing deficit reduction. But the document made clear that these targets were not binding and, in a concession to the US, expressed the hope that governments would follow “growth-friendly fiscal consolidation plans”.
In a further bid to walk both sides of the street at the same time, the communiqué declared: “There is a risk that synchronised fiscal adjustment across several major economies could adversely impact the recovery. There is also the risk that failure to implement consolidation where necessary would undermine confidence and hamper growth.”
The G20 resolution on fiscal consolidation allowed all sides to claim a victory even as the differences widen. German chancellor Angela Merkel said the outcome was “more than I expected”. She claimed that the views of continental Europe had prevailed. German officials noted that the US had learned its lesson about writing public letters that sought to change the position of others. In the lead up to the summit, Obama issued a letter to G20 participants warning that too rapid fiscal tightening could impede global recovery. He noted that earlier G20 agreements had pointed to the need for export surplus countries—a reference to Germany and China—to increase domestic demand.
As usual this meeting was nothing more than a photo op for the leaders to appear to be working on solutions when all they were doing is a slow tap dance. The reality is that the world cannot solve these problems it is up to the individual countries to find the answers and to pretend any thing else is just absurd.
Is Korean Story A Blowjob?
Posted: 2 June 2010 Filed under: International Situations, News, Observations | Tags: Armed Conflict, International Tensions, N. Korea, S. Korea 9 Comments »Inkwell Institute
International Studies
Asian Desk
We have all heard the horrible story of the dastardly N. Koreans that torpedoed a S. Korean ship…the world exploded in a wealth of condemnation and pure pissed off-ness. My loyal reader and friend over at Quintessential Havoc (blogroll will get you to an excellent and insightful site) have had a few exchanges on the situation….we have agreed that if true N. Korea should be made to pay for this break in international protocol.
But since our original exchange took place not all the info had been made public and I would like to pass unto everyone interested in the unfolding of this story…..this from New America Media (I am NOT claiming this is what happened only that there is a bunch of questions)….
There’s yet another possibility, that a U.S. rising mine sank the Cheonan in a friendly-fire accident.
The first telltale sign of an official smokescreen involves the location of the Choenan sinking – Byeongnyeong Island (pronounced Pyongnang) in the Yellow Sea. On the westernmost fringe of South Korean territory, the island is dominated by a joint U.S.-Korean base for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations. The sea channel between Byeongnyeong and the North Korean coast is narrow enough for both sides to be in artillery range of each other.
Anti-sub warfare is based on sonar and acoustic detection of underwater craft. Since civilian traffic is not routed through the channel, the noiseless conditions are near-perfect for picking up the slightest agitation, for example from a torpedo and any submarine that might fire it.
North Korea admits it does not possess an underwater craft stealthy enough to slip past the advanced sonar and audio arrays around Byeongnyeong Island, explained North Korean intelligence analyst Kim Myong Chol in a news release. “The sinking took place not in North Korean waters but well inside tightly guarded South Korean waters, where a slow-moving North Korean submarine would have great difficulty operating covertly and safely, unless it was equipped with AIP (air-independent propulsion) technology.”
Once again….I am NOT claiming to have all the answers just that there are a few things that are not being said in the media or by the admin…
A Fresh START!
Posted: 14 April 2010 Filed under: Foreign policy, International Situations, News, Observations | Tags: International Tensions, International Treaties, Nuclear Weapons, Russia Leave a comment »Inkwell Institute
International Studies Group
European Desk
Our president, Barack Obama, is in Prague to meet with the prez of Russia to sign the latest incarnation of the Start treaty……the AP is reporting:
Seeking to end years of rancor, President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday signed the biggest nuclear arms pact in a generation and envisioned a day when they can compromise on the divisive issue of missile defense.
The pact will shrink the limit of nuclear warheads to 1,550 per country over seven years. That still allows for mutual destruction several times over. But it is intended to send a strong signal that Russia and the U.S. — which between them own more than 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons — are serious about disarmament.
We can all sleep better at night knowing that the START Treaty has been signed…or can we?
Before I give my analysis of the latest treaty we need to do a little history lesson…in the beginning were the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks)…..meetings between the US and USSR over the amounts and elimination of nukes…..SALT I was signed in 1974 by Pres. Ford and Breshnev…it froze the number of missile launchers at the present number and dimantle some of the ICBMs….and we slept better…
SALT II was signed in 1979 by Pres, Carter and Brezhnev….this treaty was NOT ratified by the US Congress so it was a non-player…..why?….six months after the treaty USSR invaded Afghanistan and as they say, the rest is history….
Then came the first START Treaty which was signed by Pres. Reagan and Gorbachov among others….and this treaty expired on 08 April 2010…hence the new signing ceremony……
Now for the analysis of the treaty….after almost 40 years of negotiations and there is still 5000+ nukes somewhere in the world is just plain pathetic…all this signing and all the signings were is just a political game to make the players look more statesman-like…the fact that after such a long time and countless negotiations, NO one is serious about getting rid of any nukes….why?….it is the perfect bargaining tool…..why do you think that Iran and North Korea are busting their butts tryinbg to get a nuke? The device will give them a bargaining position that they did not have in the past….it is just that simple.
The latest signing in Prague was NOTHING more than smoke….both leaders made a speech and looked very statesman-like which, as I have said, is the sole purpose of this political exercise……it also gives the US a shield against criticism that the rest of the world has laid on it….saying that the US can have nukes but no one else can….the US can now say, “look we are doing our part to eliminate the need for nukes”….while actually doing NOTHING…..
The Middle East Tap Dance
Posted: 24 March 2010 Filed under: Foreign policy, International Situations, News | Tags: Armed Conflict, International Tensions, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, Secretary of State 4 Comments »Professor’s Classroom
Subject: Middle East Conflict
Paper #2
I have written a piece last week about the “Institutionalization of Conflict” and how it MUST continue…too much depends on the longevity of the conflict…..
We have seen this scenario play out countless times in the recent past, but they will try it again and again and……..
News out of the Middle East has it that the US will play shuttle diplomacy (yet again) between Israel and the Palestinians…..and everyone is hopeful (yet again) that this time “real” progress will be made for a settlement of the hostilities between the two parties….as ALWAYS a monkey wrench of a problem as arisen……
During the recent visit to the region by VP Biden was hailed as a new beginning to the peace process…..but before the words were even cool in the ears of people a rocket of insulting actions were fired by PM Netanyahu when he announced the building of more settlements on the West Bank…..and the prospect of HOPE was dashed on the rocks of conflict (yet again)……..
The timing of the announcement could not have been timed more poorly than it was…..the announcement is stupid and may damage relations with Washington and possibly the whole world……this whole scenario has been played over and over and over for the last 30 years, probably more, just when we think that progress will be made….then…BAM!….somebody does something stupid and then the talks are off for another year…..with promises that next there will be progress…..and still NOTHING has changed…..
For instance back in the late 80′s and early 90′s, the Palestinians had the first Intifada, where Palestinians kids were throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers with guns….they got whole world’s attention and lots of support internationally….but then some a/hole introduced guns and everything went to sh*t……
Since those days it has been one promise after another and what has been accomplished? A lot of damn talking and NO action, with the except of rockets being fired, minor armed conflicts and settlements being built…..
Somebody needs to find a way to shut the politicians the f*ck up and let the people talk for themselves….bet we could find a solution then…..but as it is today…no one really wants peace….especially the damn politicians….so this scenario will play out again and again……with politicians there is NO end……..
Disgruntled Clerics Challenge Iranian Leader
Posted: 10 July 2009 Filed under: International Situations, News | Tags: Civil Disobedience, International Tensions, Iran, Political Power, Protests Leave a comment »We have all seen the protests and violence that has happened in Iran as an aftermath of a questionable election and its results. Many have said it is the beginning of the end of the Supreme Council and yet others have said that it will survive and continue its confrontational ways.
I found an interesting perspective written by Jason Ditz:
Iranian opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi has vowed to continue his campaign against the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which he has maintained is illegitimate in the wake of last month’s contested elections. Still, it seems the violent demonstrations have subsided, and Iran has returned to relative normalcy.
At least superficially. Privately many members of Iran’s powerful clergy remain dissatisfied with the reaction of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and a growing number are willing to publicly criticize both the vote and Khamenei.
In the end, the resentment and growing opposition in the clergy could prove a serious threat to Khamenei’s grip on power, and may well be a problem for him to deal with long after the contested presidential election is nothing more than a memory.
Still, it remains unclear just how far opposing ayatollahs will be willing to go against Khamenei’s rule. Nevertheless, the Iranian government appears to be facing one of the worst domestic crises of confidence since the 1979 revolution.
I feel that if there ever is going to be a shake up in Iran, that it will have to come from the clerics, as of today, they hold all the power. But is any of them strong enough to challenge the cleric now in charge?
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