Day: July 9, 2014

Ukraine: “A Nasty Surprise”

Since my stay in the Army and having to participate in a war I have been fascinated with what causes war…..the conditions, the actions and the words…….so after Vietnam I returned to university and studied international relations…….now I read a lot and am always looking for a situation that could deteriorate into an armed conflict…..or a full scale war……..

Syria is smoldering…..Iraq is a flame and Gaza is waiting the next BIG attack……..and all the while the Ukraine/Russia confrontation is continuing….few are noticing because the media has them jerking off about some poor kids that need help……

The Ukraine thingy has been back and forth…in word and in actions….it seems that Ukraine has gotten the upper hand on the separatist….for now……and of course all the false bravado is just mind numbing but I read a piece that made me feel uncomfortable for the future of that conflict……

Having taken Slovyansk earlier this week, Ukrainian officials are increasingly bellicose about their ongoing civil war, demand unconditional, unilateral disarmament by the rebels before any future discussions.

“There will be no more unilateral ceasefires” by Ukrainian troops, announced Defense Minister Valeriy Heletey, while other officials promised a “nasty surprise” for any of the eastern rebels that continue to resist their takeover.

Since the takeover of Slovyansk, most of the rebels in Donetsk Oblast have moved into the city of Donetsk itself, and have been barricading themselves in pending a Ukrainian military invasion.

Defending the city is likely to be difficult, as the Ukrainian military is increasingly using not only airstrikes, but armored vehicles in its offensives. Donetsk and Luhansk remain the two major strongholds of the ethnic Russian rebels, who seek increased autonomy.

 

A nasty surprise?  That sounds like a threat to me…..but what type of threat and what would the “nasty surprise” consist of…..is it just chest thumping or could it be more to it than bravado?

Please tell what you think this could mean…….

Red Sun Rising? (Again)

I know my interests are usually in the Middle East……but I monitor all international situations and post on issues that I see could be a major incident in the making………and I found a good one that leaves many questions unanswered…….

I have out of school for too many years but I do not know how much of WW2 they actually teach these days…..before the start of WW2 Japan was moving militarily into China mainly for the natural resources that the island nation did not have…then once they had built up their stocks they expanded into more of China, then into SE Asia and the Dutch East Indies….their empire expanded and it became a major military power during WW2.

Then the US nuked them into submission and we took over the island…..we gave them a constitution and we limited their military….kinda like like the allies did to Germany at the end of WW1….but now there seems to be an attitude that Japan has had enough Western interference…….in a piece written by Jason Ditz……….

Reflecting the long-time ambition of the Abe Government, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has announced a “reinterpretation” that effectively spells the end to nearly 70 years of constitutional ban on overseas warfare.

Abe has been outspoken in his desire to turn the Japanese Self-Defense Forces into a proper military, and has cited the “threat” of China in his new policy, while arguing the military buildup would mean the nation is paradoxically “less likely” to go to war.

Yet it seems centered on sending Japanese troops into overseas operations coordinated with the US and other allies, and to more aggressively join “peacekeeping” operations under the UN.

From the start of the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s military buildups have com primarily at the behest of overseas allies hoping to using them as a proxy. The nation fought only a brief war with China over Japan prior to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, and in fairly short order Japan was fighting British rival Russia in a major war. By World War 1, Japan was sieging German possessions in China at Britain’s behest, before graduating to an aggressive military empire in the wake of that war.

After the massive destruction of World War 2 left much of Japan in ruins, the US sought to prevent them from rebuilding their military. The pacifist constitution served Japan quite well, as not only has the nation not gotten sucked into a single war since, but became a global economic powerhouse with the savings from ending their runaway military spending.

Though the US was the one that pushed the clause on Japan, for years the US has been fighting to get Japan to ditch the concept, and join as a “full partner” in America’s overseas adventures.

While in part this would return Japan to the status of military proxy for a larger power, as it was during the Anglo-Japanese era, America’s status as a massive exporter of military equipment is likely also part of the equation, as President Obama’s determination to increase exports abroad has had US diplomats urging re-militarization the world over.

Is Japan planning to do what Germany did in the 1930’s……..rearm and looking for a fight?

Might be a good idea to keep an eye on Japan….there is more going on there than meets the eye of the media……..

“Israel Has Shown Amazing Restraint”

Sorry but I cannot let the international stuff go unreported……..I could do like so many of my right wing brethren and pick the subject of the day, according to the a/holes they look up to and pick it like an irritating scab……but my readers deserve better.

It looks like Israel has found a way to invade Gaza yet again……..

Those words were written by Sen. Rand Paul when he wrote in the national Review pushing his crappy piece of legislation to defund the Palestinians………his written word…….writing about Israel’s response to the kidnapping and deaths of the three teenagers in Israel……..

I think it is clear by now: Israel has shown remarkable restraint. It possesses a military with clear superiority over that of its Palestinian neighbors, yet it does not respond to threat after threat, provocation after provocation, with the type of force that would decisively end their conflict.

Nearly six weeks ago, I proposed a bill called the “Stand With Israel Act.” Its purpose was to cut off the flow of U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian Authority if it allied with Hamas — the same Hamas that just murdered these three teenagers.

So let’s be clear: U.S. taxpayer money may soon be going to an entity kidnapping and murdering Israeli and U.S. children.

Restraint?  What has this yo-yo been smoking?  Would you like to see the extent of their “restraint”?

Palestinians Killed & Injured

  • Since the start of the large-scale crackdown on June 13, 2014, at least nine (as of June 27) Palestinians – mostly unarmed civilians – have been killed by Israeli soldiers or died as a result of their operations in the West Bank and Gaza, and scores more have been injured.
  • Palestinian fatalities:

    Military Raids & Arrests

    • Hundreds of military raids have been launched across the occupied West Bank, although the missing Israeli teens were last seen near Hebron in the southern West Bank and are believed to still be in the area. Raids have targeted more than 1000 private homes, the offices of political parties, refugee camps, and the campuses of Birzeit University near Ramallah and the Arab American University in Jenin, resulting in the detention and arrest of students and staff.
    • More than 500 Palestinians have been detained and/or imprisoned. Those arrested include at least seven members of the Palestinian legislature and many individuals who were recently released by Israel as part of a prisoner swap. There are currently more than 5000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons.
    • Israeli soldiers have also targeted children for arrest, bringing the total number of Palestinian children imprisoned by Israel to more than 250 according to news reports.
    • In conducting the raids, Israeli soldiers have caused widespread damage to private property, ransacking homes and offices, and confiscating computers, files and other property. They also raided the offices of journalists in Ramallah, including Russia Today television, damaging and removing computers, equipment, and hard drives.
    • On June 22, 2014, Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem issued a press release announcing a letter sent to Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon from a coalition of human rights groups, including Amnesty International, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, and Physicians for Human Rights – Israel. The press release read in part:“The large number of raids and arrests over the last week raises concerns that some of these operations are not the result of pressing operational needs. Overall, the measures adopted and their extent do not seem to serve a military need that can justify the damage they have caused. This is the case in terms of the military activity that has taken place in city centers as well as the sweeping and arbitrary travel restrictions. These actions have caused, and continue to cause, disproportionate harm to the basic rights of Palestinians, including the right to safety, health, freedom of movement and the right to earn a living.”Imprisonment Without Trial & Torture & Abuse of Palestinian Prisoners
      • On June 23, Israeli media reported that the Israeli government was preparing to double the number of Palestinians being imprisoned without charge or trial, a procedure known as “administrative detention,” from approximately 200 to 400. The use of administrative detention has been harshly criticized by human rights organizations as a violation of the right to due process. On June 17, Amnesty International issued a statement reiterating that it “has repeatedly condemned the practice of administrative detention, and urged the Israeli authorities to release [administrative detainees] unless they are promptly charged with internationally recognizable criminal offences.”
      • According to Israeli media reports, on June 18 the Israeli government issued orders classifying prisoners detained in the current crackdown as “ticking bombs,” which allows the use of aggressive interrogation techniques, known as “moderate physical pressure,” that amount to torture.
      • Israeli authorities have taken measures to worsen the conditions of Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails, including denying family visits, including to prisoners who have been on a hunger strike in protest at being held without trial.
      • The Israeli government is currently in the process of advancing legislation allowing for the force-feeding of hunger strikers, even though Israeli and international medical associations and human rights experts have decried the practice of force-feeding as a form of torture.
    • Increased Limitations on Movement & Collective Punishment
      • Since the start of the crackdown on June 13, Israel has further tightened its restrictions on the movement of Palestinians within the occupied West Bank, particularly the southern West Bank in and around Hebron where the missing teens were last seen, collectively punishing the entire Palestinian population of the occupied territories. These restrictions are in addition to the already severe Israeli restrictions imposed on the movements and freedoms of Palestinians living under Israel’s 47-year-old military rule.
      • According to a statement issued by Amnesty International on June 17:“Israeli authorities have imposed a number of measures that clearly constitute collective punishment on Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These include the imposition of a complete closure on the Hebron district of the West Bank, which prevents some 680,000 Palestinians from moving between villages and the city of Hebron, as well as within the city. Thousands of residents of the Hebron district who have permits to work inside Israel or in Israeli settlements cannot reach their places of employment. Residents of the Hebron district under the age of 50 have also been prevented from leaving the West Bank via the Allenby Crossing to Jordan.”“These latest measures of collective punishment come on top of many prolonged punitive measures against Palestinian civilians imposed by the Israeli authorities, including Israel’s seven-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which Amnesty International and many other organizations have repeatedly condemned as a flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

      How is that for RESTRAINT?

Apparently Paul has the same problem as McCain…….cannot see past the wallets of the Israeli donors…….

If we have to defund anyone then defund both sides……I am sick of Israel being held up as some sort of idyllic state where all people are treated fairly…..that is bullshit and the world needs to know that it is BULLSHIT!

I have heard people that say the Israel is doing what they can…….does that include lawmakers like this…………

A day before Palestinian teenager Muhammad Abu Khudair was kidnapped and burned alive allegedly by six Israeli Jewish youths, Israeli lawmaker Ayelet Shaked published on Facebook a call for genocide of the Palestinians.

It is a call for genocide because it declares that “the entire Palestinian people is the enemy” and justifies its destruction, “including its elderly and its women, its cities and its villages, its property and its infrastructure.”

It is a call for genocide because it calls for the slaughter of Palestinian mothers who give birth to “little snakes.”

If Shaked’s post does not meet the legal definition of a call for genocide then nothing does.

If you want to condemn then condemn all sides…..an attitude like this does NO one any good and drives the hate…….