Saturday 4 July 2015

America's Multinational Ramadan Assault

 July 1, 2015 (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - It is not hard to fathom who on Earth possesses both the resources and the motivation to coordinate multiple, horrific militant attacks, ending scores of lives and provoking both fear and anger on a global scale such as seen during the recent Ramadan attacks that unfolded in France, Tunisia, Kuwait, and reportedly in China's western Xinjiang region.


Only a few nations on Earth possess the operational capacity to run coordinated, multinational operations such as this. Only one axis among them has the motivation to do so.

The Attacks 

In Tunisia, nearly 30 were killed in a brazen attack targeting British tourists with assault rifles. Tunisia, which had been for years a bastion of stability in an otherwise troubled region, saw street demonstrations and violence during 2011 amid the wider US-engineered "Arab Spring" which sought to overturn regional political orders in favor of those selected by Wall Street and Washington. After briefly ousting Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power, his allies appear to have made a comeback. With their rise back to power, Al Qaeda and now the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS) have conveniently stepped up operations within the country to match.

Tunisia is in close proximity to Libya, a nation destroyed by NATO's intervention in 2011, and one that has become a hotbed of terrorist activity, particularly in the nation's eastern most region where the US has been literally running weapons to Al Qaeda militants both in Libya and as far as Syria via NATO-member Turkey. With US-backed terrorists flowing from Libya to as far as Syria, it is clear that this terrorist nexus possesses the necessary logistics to carry out operations in neighboring Tunisia as well.

Another 27 were killed when a Saudi national with a bomb strapped to himself detonated it at a Shia'a mosque in Kuwait. This fits a recent pattern where what little Al Qaeda/ISIS activity that exists in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf autocracies, is aimed not at the ruling regimes - all stalwart, long-standing allies of the United States and Great Britain - but against Shia'a targets in what is a clear escalation of a proxy war targeting Iran and its regional allies.

A bizarre murder unfolded in France as well, with a suspect apparently decapitating his employer and leaving the severed head at a chemical plant he attempted to crash a vehicle into. The suspect had been well known to security agencies for previous terrorist activity, but allowed, perhaps even coaxed to carry out this latest, fatal attack - a familiar pattern that fits nearly all terrorist attacks carried out in Europe and North America, including the most recent attacks proceeding this latest episode in France itself.

And finally, in China's Xinjiang region, the US State Department's "Radio Free Asia" reported at least 18 were killed in an attack carried out by Uighur terrorists. As a side note, the US State Department added in a tasteless attempt to justify the terrorism, claiming that:
Turkic-speaking minority Uyghurs have complained about pervasive ethnic discrimination, religious repression, and cultural suppression by Chinese authorities.
Despite this, it is confirmed that Uighur terrorists have joined the ranks of ISIS in Syria, have received training, and are returning home to China to carry out terrorist attacks. The Lowy Institute's Interpreter magazine in an article titled, "Tough choices for Beijing following execution of Chinese ISIS militants," admits:
The involvement of Chinese citizens in ISIS is increasingly under scrutiny. Just two weeks ago, Malaysia's Home Minister confirmed that 300 Chinese militants had used his country as a transit point to join ISIS. Three weeks ago, Chinese authorities arrested 10 Turkish nationals for providing false passports to alleged terrorists from Xinjiang.
And once again, US support can be found throughout the region in which these terrorists are based in western China. The US State Department's National Endowment for Democracy (NED) even goes as far as listing China's Xinjiang region as "East Turkistan," a fictional name for the client state the US and its terrorists hope to carve out of Chinese territory.

The Motivation 

It is clear that ISIS is not carrying out these attacks in the hopes of "winning" its war, but instead, to seemingly perpetuate it, expand it, and even push it into so-far spared regions of the planet. The attacks in France and Tunisia served only to anger and frighten European populations who will in turn, only support further foreign wars aimed at "fighting ISIS" but conveniently accomplishing all of Wall Street and Washington's other goals along the way.

The attack in Tunisia in particular, was another stroke aimed at the ruling government. The attacks in Kuwait were aimed directly at the only viable opposition that threatens the US-backed regime in Kuwait City. Similar attacks have been made in Saudi Arabia itself, aimed not at the US-proxy regime, but at its opposition.

In China it is clear that the United States supports Uighur terrorists and their ambitions to carve off a large portion of China to create a client state the US can further strengthen its encirclement strategy versus Beijing. The US State Department openly funds the political wings of these terrorist groups and fully backs their separatist rhetoric.

It appears that only the United States and its hegemonic ambitions stood to gain from the otherwise senseless violence perpetrated this Ramadan. Its enemies have been directly attacked, and its allies given further justification for military adventures abroad. And not coincidentally, it is only the United States and its vast, criminal intelligence community that possess the operational capacity and network of proxies necessary to organize and execute such large scale and conveniently timed attacks.

The Ramadan attacks serve as a warning that modern-day imperialism is alive and well. Its methods of projecting hegemony are both direct and indirect. With terrorism so potent a weapon, it is assured that this modern empire will continue employing it for as long as it is profitable.

Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazineNew Eastern Outlook”.


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Terrorist Blast Kills Grand Mosque Imam in Damascus

Local Editor

Syria: Imam Sheikh Salman al-AfandiA terrorist explosive device planted inside the Grand Mosque in Syria's Damascus went off on Friday, killing the Imam Sheikh Salman al-Afandi, state-run TV reported.

Local sources told SANA news agency that a terrorist group planted the IED under the platform of the mosque and detonated it during the Imam's speech.

Sheikh Afandi was martyred at once, and five other worshippers were wounded.

The explosion caused much destruction inside the mosque.

In a statement issued afternoon, the Ministry of Awqaf announced the martyrdom of Sheikh Afandi, stressing that the blood of the martyrs "will only increase our determination to defeat the takfiri terrorism and forces of darkness and evil anytime, anywhere."

In June 23, a group of terrorists blew up a car bomb in front of Maath bin Jabal mosque in Baydar al-Sultana neighborhood in central Damascus, at the time when worshippers were getting out from Taraweeh prayers, killing several people and injuring several others.

Source: Websites
03-07-2015 - 19:00 Last updated 03-07-2015 - 19:00

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Saudi-US Warplanes Strike Yemen Provinces, Kill 16


Local Editor

Yemen: Sanaa after Saudi_US aerial raid on July 2, 2015 (Reuters)The Yemeni army and the Popular Committees bombarded on Friday the Saudi al-Hothaira military post in Najran province, forcing all its soldiers to flee away with their military vehicles.

Warplanes from a Saudi-US aggression bombed civic targets in Yemen on Friday, residents said, and sources in the country reported at least 16 people were killed.

Local witnesses said six people including a woman and a child were killed and six wounded in a dawn air strike on the al Jaraf neighborhood of the capital Sanaa.

The state-run Saba news agency reported 10 people were killed by Saudi-led aerial attacks on a building in Bayt al-Faqih city in the southwestern province of al Hodeida.

Moreover, air strikes were also carried out on Faj Attan mountain overlooking Sanaa.
In the dawn attack, warplanes also hit the ministry of communications building, Saba added, setting it on fire and destroying nearby buildings.

The warplanes staged a further attack on the capital around noon, but there was no immediate word on casualties or damage.

In retaliation for the Saudi-US daily massacres in Yemen, the Yemeni army and the Popular Committees bombarded on Friday the Saudi al-Hothaira military post in Najran province, forcing all its soldiers to flee away with their military vehicles.

Earlier on Thursday, Saudi-led air strikes killed eight people in Sanaa, and launched 35 raids on the northern Saada province.

Explosions were heard throughout the city as the aerial bombardment concentrated on infrastructure and vital civic facilities in its south and west.

The attacks also targeted a house owned by the leader of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's General People's Congress party.

The Saba agency said two people were killed and 15 wounded in the latest air strikes on Saada.
More than 2,800 people have been killed since the Saudi-US military campaign began on March 26. The United Nations says more than 21 million people, over 80 percent of the population, are now in need of some form of humanitarian aid.

The UN on Wednesday designated the war in Yemen as a Level 3 humanitarian crisis, its most severe category.


Source: Websites
  03-07-2015 - 21:17 Last updated 03-07-2015 - 21:17


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Max Blumenthal on Alison Weir

July 03, 2015  /  Gilad Atzmon

On June 30th 2015, I attended a book signing and talk by Max Blumenthal presenting his newest book

The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza   I arrived about halfway through his talk, being familiar with what Max has said in the past, I didn’t feel the need for a lecture, but I was up for the Q and A.  His lecture and the questions that followed really hammered home how barbaric and racist Israeli “Jewish” culture has become.  Max did not seem to pull any punches; in the Q and A he emphasized how in control of the politicians the Jewish/Zionist money had become of both Republicans and Democrats.  He talked about the renewed efforts to smear and defame Palestinian Solidarity Activists especially on campuses, and how big money has been brought into this fight and how the risks of being called an anti-Semite and defamed had increased.

One questioner asked why Israel had let him back in the country especially after he had written Goliath.  His response was that it was probably because he was Jewish.  Most of the questions were fairly soft ball and no rabid Zionist was in the audience.

I am aware of the smear campaign being launched by Jewish Voices for Peace against Alison Weir.  Knowing her work well, as well as personally knowing her, I found this attack beyond outrageous.  While Max was signing books I approached various activists I knew in the audience talking up Alison Weir and denouncing the attacks against her.

Finally the last book was signed, the line was through.  I approached Max and said I had perhaps a controversial question.  I asked what he thought about the JVP attack on Alison Weir.  His response was vitriolic, he said that he had signed on to denounce Alison Weir and that having sat on panels with her he had concluded that she was anti-Semitic!  I said “what are you talking about, she is not racist”  He said that her book was full of fables and conspiracy theories about Zionist control of the US way back, and that the Zionists were even to blame for getting the US into WWI;  also Alison has defended the worst of the worst; Gilad Atzmon!.   I said “Do you deny the existence of Parushim?”  He said “I don’t want to talk about that”  Then he went on to say he knew my type and that I was a white supremacist, American firster and that I was anti-semetic.  I said you don’t know anything about me, that is slander and bullshit”

With that our discussion was over and Max packed up his books on the way to Berkely where according to his twitter feed, Rabid racist Zionist awaited to call him the anti-semite! http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/eve/5090971830.html

My analysis is that Atzmon and Weir represent Max's worst fear, the fear of losing control of the "narrative".  Atzmon's decision to leave Israhell and drop being Jewish represents the sort of reaction that most of the world would expect.  Why do these Israeli's insist on being such assholes?  Why don't they just join the human race?  Why don't they realize that the Palestinians are the best part of Palestine and that their Liberation is far more important than this outdated notion of "Jewishness".

Why do I get into these arguments when I really already know how they will go?  I go, because I realize that cracking this nut depends on splitting up this "Identity"  It is starting to happen Atzmon freaks them out others now have joined him, I invite still other "self identified Jews" to become whistle blowers and truth tellers like Gilad Atzmon.

Scott Free

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Iraqi Voices Are Screaming from Far Away. Are We Listening?

Posted on July 2, 2015 by 

By David Swanson

Iraqis were attempting the nonviolent overthrow of their dictator prior to his violent overthrow by the United States in 2003. When U.S. troops began to ease up on their liberating and democracy-spreading in 2008, and during the Arab Spring of 2011 and the years that followed, nonviolent Iraqi protest movements grew again, working for change, including the overthrow of their new Green Zone dictator. He would eventually step down, but not before imprisoning, torturing, and murdering activists — with U.S. weapons, of course.
There have been and are Iraqi movements for women’s rights, labor rights, to stop dam construction on the Tigris in Turkey, to throw the last U.S. troop out of the country, to free the government from Iranian influence, and to protect Iraqi oil from foreign corporate control. Central to much of the activism, however, has been a movement against the sectarianism that the U.S. occupation brought. Over here in the United States we don’t hear much about that. How would it fit with the lie we’re told over and over that Shi’a-Sunni fighting has been going on for centuries?

Ali Issa’s new book, Against All Odds: Voices of Popular Struggle in Iraq, collects interviews he’s done of key Iraqi activists, and public statements made by Iraqi activist movements, including a letter to the U.S. Occupy Movement and similar messages of global solidarity. The voices are hard to hear because we haven’t been hearing them all these years, and because they don’t fit with lies we’ve been told or even with overly simplistic truths we’ve been told.

Did you know that, at the time of the Occupy Movement in the United States, there was a larger, more active, nonviolent, inclusive, principled, revolutionary movement holding major demonstrations, protests, permanent sit-ins, and general strikes in Iraq — planning actions on Facebook and by writing times and places on paper currency? Did you know there were sit-ins in front of every U.S. military base demanding that the occupiers leave?

When U.S. troops eventually and temporarily and incompletely departed Iraq, that was due, most Americans imagine, to President Barack Obama’s peaceful ways. Other Americans, aware that Obama had long since broken his withdrawal campaign promise, had done everything possible to extend the occupation, had left behind thousands of State Department troops, and would be back in with the military as soon as possible, give credit to Chelsea Manning for having leaked the video and documents that persuaded Iraq to stick with the Bush-Maliki deadline. Few note the efforts of Iraqis on the ground who made the occupation untenable.
The Iraqi media has been shut down when it has covered protests. Journalists in Iraq have been beaten, arrested, or killed. The U.S. media, of course, behaves itself without much prodding.

When an Iraqi threw his shoes at President Bush the Lesser, American liberals giggled but made clear their opposition to shoe-throwing. Yet the fame the act created allowed the shoe-thrower and his brothers to build popular organizations. And future actions included throwing shoes at a U.S. helicopter that was apparently trying to intimidate a demonstration.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with opposing throwing shoes in most contexts. Certainly I do. But knowing that the shoe throwing helped to build what we always claim to want, nonviolent resistance to the empire, adds some perspective.

Iraqi activists have regularly been kidnapped/arrested, tortured, warned, threatened, and released. When Thurgham al-Zaidi, brother of shoe-thrower Muntadhar al-Zaidi, was picked up, tortured, and released, his brother Uday al-Zaidi posted on Facebook: “Thurgham has assured me that he is coming out to the protest this Friday along with his little son Haydar to say to Maliki, ‘If you kill the big ones, the little ones are coming after you!’”

Mistreatment of a child? Or proper education, far superior to indoctrination into violence? We shouldn’t rush to judgment. I’d guesstimate there have been perhaps 18 million U.S. Congressional hearings lamenting the failure of Iraqis to “step up” and help out in the killing of Iraqis. Among Iraqi activists there seems to have been a great deal of stepping up for a better purpose.

When a nonviolent movement against Assad in Syria still had hope, the “Youth of the Great Iraqi Revolution” wrote to “the Heroic Syrian Revolution” offering support, encouraging nonviolence, and warning against co-option. One has to set aside years of U.S. neocon propaganda for the violent overthrow of the Syrian government, in order to hear this support for what it was.

The letter also urges a “national” agenda. Some of us see nationalism as a root cause of the wars and sanctions and abuse that created the disaster that now exists in Iraq, Libya, and other liberated lands. But here “national” is apparently being used to mean non-divisive, non-sectarian.

We talk about the nations of Iraq and Syria as having been destroyed, just as we talk about various other peoples and states, back to the nations of the Native Americans, having been destroyed. And we’re not wrong. But it can’t sound right in the ears of living Native Americans. So, for Iraqis, talk of their “nation” also seems to be a way to talk about returning to normalcy or preparing for a future not torn apart by ethnicity and religious sectarianism.

“If not for the occupation,” wrote the president of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, in 2011, “the people of Iraq would have ousted Saddam Hussein through the struggles of Tahrir Square.

Nevertheless, U.S. troops empower and protect the new Saddamists of the so-called democracy who repress dissent with detainments and torture.”

“With us or against us” idiocy doesn’t work in observing Iraqi activism. Look at these four points in a statement made in June 2014 by Falah Alwan of the Federation of Workers’ Councils and Unionists in Iraq:
“We reject U.S. intervention and protest President Obama’s inappropriate speech in which  he expressed concern over oil and not over people. We also stand firmly against the brazen meddling of Iran.

“We stand against the intervention of Gulf regimes and their funding of armed groups, especially Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

“We reject Nouri al-Maliki’s sectarian and reactionary policies.

“We also reject armed terrorist gangs and militias’ control of Mosul and other cities. We agree with and support the demands of people in these cities against discrimination and sectarianism.”

But, wait, how can you oppose ISIS after you’ve already opposed U.S. intervention? One is the devil and the other the savior. You must choose . . . if, that is, you live thousands of miles away, own a television, and really — let’s be honest — can’t tell your ass from your elbow. The Iraqis in Issa’s book understand the U.S. sanctions, invasion, occupation, and puppet government as having created ISIS. They’ve clearly had as much help from the U.S. government as they can stand. “I’m from the government and I’m hear to help” is supposed to be a terrifying threat, according to fans of Ronald Reagan who resent anyone trying to give them healthcare or an education. Why they think Iraqis and Libyans hear those U.S. words differently they don’t explain — and don’t really have to.

Iraq is a different world, one the U.S. government would have to work to understand if it ever attempted to understand it. The same goes for U.S. activists. In Against All Odds, I read calls for “retaliation” framed as calls for peace and democracy. I read Iraqi protesters wanting to make clear that their protests are not all about oil, but principally about dignity and freedom. It’s funny, but I think some of the U.S. war’s backers claimed the war wasn’t all about oil for the similar reason that it was about global domination, power, “credibility.” Nobody wants to be accused of greed or materialism; everyone wants to be standing on principle, whether that principle is human rights or a sociopathic power grab.

But, as Issa’s book makes clear, the war and the “surge” and its aftermath have been very much about oil. The “benchmark” of a “hydrocarbon law” in Iraq was Bush’s top priority, year after year, and it never passed because of public pressure and because of ethnic divisions. Dividing people, it turns out, may be a better way to kill them off than to steal their oil.

We also read about oil workers taking pride in controlling their own industry, despite its being — you know — an industry that is destroying the earth’s climate. Of course, we may all die from war before the climate gets us, especially if we fail to even begin to understand the death and misery our wars inflict. I read this line in Against All Odds:

“My brother was one of those taken in by the U.S. occupation.”

Yeah, I thought, and my neighbor, and lots of Fox and CNN viewers. Many people fell for the lies.
Then I read the next sentence and began to grasp what “taken in” meant:

“They took him around 2008, and they interrogated him for an entire week, repeating one question over and over: Are you Sunni or Shi’a? . . . And he would say ‘I am Iraqi.’”

I’m also struck by the struggles recounted by advocates for women’s rights. They see a long multi-generational struggle and great suffering ahead. And yet we hear very little from Washington about the need to help them. When it comes to dropping bombs, women’s rights always seems to appear as a great concern. Yet when women are organizing efforts to obtain rights, and to resist the radical removal of their rights by the post-liberation government: nothing but silence.

David Swanson is director of WorldBeyondWar.org and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org. Swanson’s books include War Is A Lie.


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