Syria's Kurds are discouraged from participating in the uprising, due to Turkey’s role in supporting the Muslim Brotherhood'

Via FLC

"Paris - ... As for relations between the Kurdish community and the SNC, they are not as good as they could be. For example, when activist Suhair Atassi announced that she was joining the SNC, she saluted many Syrian cities by name, while not mentioning any cities with a Kurdish majority. Therein lies the importance of Tammo, who represented Kurdish youth in the SNC. He was able to effectively reach out to Syrian Arabs, while also mobilizing the Kurdish youth to protest. Indeed, members of his Future Movement were put off by the SNC’s failure to properly honor Tammo following his assassination...
A number of Kurdish activists also think that many Kurds are generally dissatisfied with the plan laid out by the SNC. Tammo understood the depth of this problem and tried to convince his Kurdish compatriots that “if we do not participate in the revolution, we will have no right afterwards to demand our rights, based on the principle that ‘the land belongs to those who liberate it.’”
But Tammo’s Future Movement also faces political competition from other Kurdish groups in Syria. The Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is considered the largest Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has its own take on Tammo’s murder. They claim that Turkey is behind the assassination of the Kurdish leader and they call the murder a message from Ankara to Damascus saying that Turkey is more than capable of spreading chaos in Syria. This allegation presumes that Turkey calculated Kurdish outcry against the Syrian regime.
But Arab members of the Syrian opposition suggested that the PKK may have killed Tammo, perhaps on behalf of the regime. This claim is fuelled by rumors that the PKK is under the direction of the Syrian military intelligence, given the regime’s ability to play the “Kurdish card” in its cold war with Ankara....... not many people attach great importance to the nominal participation of Kurdish parties in the SNC.
Kurds may also be discouraged from participating in the uprising, due to Turkey’s significant role in supporting the opposition, with many opposition meetings taking place within Turkey. According to one opposition activist in Paris, the Turkish government has been preventing Kurdish delegates from entering the country to participate in the meetings, as Ankara is wary of Syria’s Kurds."

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

Qaddhafi could have got on a flight to Cuba; but he died fighting in defence of Libya

"There can be little doubt that he was as sincere in his original visionary and revolutionary spirit as a Lenin, Mao, or Castro. As an Arab nationalist he was more Nasserite than Nasser himself. And there can be little doubt that he truly believed in Islām.....he went astray in his Islām and in his ideology -- a curious mixture of Islam, socialism, and political anarchism rooted in the free bedouin spirit from which he sprang. Finally he fell victim to his own hubris and pride which, in perfect harmony with that famous law of life, was at its greatest just before his fall.

In the first half or so of his rule there can be little doubt as to how much he did to develop Libya as an independent nation. He gave Libyans the best standard of living in Africa. Unlike Tunisia and Egypt, poverty had nothing to do with his overthrow -- indeed, many of Libya's most poor fought the hardest for him. He threw out the multinationals, wrested Libyan oil -- the best in the world -- from greedy Western hands, and used the money to build Libya and to stick finger after finger into the interests of the Euro-American Empire.

On the international front Qaddhafi supported anti-Western liberation struggles around the world, from Nicaragua to Northern Ireland to the Philippines..."

"For his struggle and vision, with all the flaws of its ideological basis and practical implementation, to free Africa, Arabs, and other oppressed peoples from the shackles of European colonialism and imperialism; for this he earned the eternal hatred of the Euro-American Empire. Although he often cooperated with the same Empire for reasons of expediency after 9/11 -- Libya after all is a small country in terms of human resources to defend against an American or NATO attack -- in this particular regard it would be grossly unfair to merely lump Qaddhafi along with quisling rulers such as Mubarak and Ben-Ali,.......Along with Syria, he continuously supported Iran throughout the Iran-Iraq war and against the rest of the Arab world....."

"In their love and grief for the Imām Sadr, many Shīʿīs will cheer the fall and death of Qaddhafi. Many in the progressive Sunni Ikhwan movement will also cheer the death of someone who eradicated that movement from Libya. But that will be very shortsighted. The impact of the short-term -- and perhaps even mid-term -- victory that the Euro-American Empire has won in recolonizing Libya .......The Mediterranean Sea is now a NATO lake: Full spectrum dominance has been achieved. The richest and most independent country in Africa has been reconquered by the Euro-America."

"Finally, the death of Qaddhafi himself: After his convoy is bombed by NATO, first they say he was wounded and captured; then they say he died of his wounds; then they say he was found hiding in a ditch ... But now we know: He was captured alive, tortured, and brutally killed on live mobile camera moments after being caught, in violation of any and all civilized norms"

Qaddhafi could have got on a flight to Cuba; his friend Hugo Chavez of Venezuela would have been happy to send him a private jet so Qaddhafi could save himself.

======
"In the future it is going to be your turn too,"

"Today, Adel Abdel Ghafar, a graduate student in Australia, surfaced one more gem: a video of Qaddafi warning Arab leaders at a 2008 summit in Syria that they might soon suffer the same fate as Iraq's Saddam Hussein and be overthrown by foreign powers. "A foreign force occupies an Arab country and hangs its leader while we are looking and laughing," he declares, according to the video's English translation. "In the future it is going to be your turn too," he adds, to laughter from the audience. An Al Jazeera report at the time noted that some of the Arab officials "looked stunned" by Qaddafi's words "while others broke into laughter at his frankness."

=========

French MOD Longuet: 'A US Predator & a French Mirage 2000 finished Qaddafi off!'
Lefigaro

"Un drone américain Predator a également tiré un missile contre le convoi attaqué par un Mirage 2000 français, et dans lequel se trouvait Mouammar Kadhafi selon le ministre français de la Défense, a affirmé aujourd'hui un responsable américain.
Le drone a tiré son missile Hellfire à proximité de Syrte "contre le même convoi" que celui attaqué par l'avion de chasse français, selon ce responsable. Le ministre français de la Défense, Gérard Longuet, a assuré que l'ancien dirigeant libyen se trouvait dans ce convoi, une information que le responsable américain de la Défense n'était pas en mesure de confirmer."

It is believed that Gaddafi was holed up with a few of his armed followers in the adjacent buildings in Sirte. When the fighting intensified, they came out in a convoy of about 80 cars.

A French aircraft targeted a car and suspended the convoy.

Then the rebels arrived on the scene exchanged fire with gunmen in several cars.

 

Now Who is next??

Hariri: '"Tyrants" across the region would face the fate of Qaddafi!'

Al-Mustaqbal: Third Dictator Fallen ...Kadhafi died were killed in the hands of fighters," the National Transitional Council, "the ruler of Libya, which was first recognize the legitimacy of the "Syrian national council" the legitimate" representative of Syria, as if he determined compass "the fall of the dictator," next.

With the first

With the second

The Third

Alnahar:

It is believed that Gaddafi was holed up with a few of his armed followers in the adjacent buildings in Sirte. When the fighting intensified, they came out in a convoy of about 80 cars.

A French aircraft targeted a car and suspended the convoy.

Then the rebels arrived on the scene exchanged fire with gunmen in several cars.

 

=======

I thought itsto send my condolences, to my "friend" Dr. Mazin, for losing a great suppoter of Sharing the Land of Canaan - Isratine, but on checking my mail i found his a fresh piece of shit.

My inside information tells me that Syria would be next
so that it will be two for two:
I, a Palestinian from occupied Palestine,
want to share my homeland with Zionist colonizers"

"Congratulations to the Libyan people.But we must be cautious.The US government considers this its first victory in getting a government moved from an erratic despotic western stooge to a government that will be (at least they (I) hope) more reliably dominated and subjugated."

"Let us not forget that Bashar Assad (and before him his father) ......were not bastions of support for Arab causes...... (Sharing the land)

"The Syrian regime was also an ally with the US in the destruction of Iraq (including the genocide of over 1 million civilians). "

Abbas is greeted by Muammar Gaddafi on September 4, 2010 in Libya, following
a trip to the U.S. for Mideast peace talks in which he met alone with Israeli Netanyahu.

( September 3, 2010 - Photo by Handout/Getty Images Europe)

Kudos Mr. Abbas‏, Abbas would "now implement quickly the reconciliation agreement...would act quickly and decisively to really promote popular unarmed resistance throughout Palestine.(put an end to armed resistance throuhout palestine"

So what "But there are still thousands of Palestinian political prisoners". Thus Commenting on Hamas historical Shalit deal

• Gaddafi: How a Despot’s War Was Lost
• Will Seif al Islam Gadhafi survive to have his day in court?
• World Leaders Hail nato ordered assasination
• Gaddafi: Dead or Alive?

Doubts About Gaddafi's Reported Assassination -

by Stephen Lendman

NATO, Washington, Western media, Qatar-controlled Al Jazeera, Saudi-controlled Al Arabia, UK-controlled BBC, and other mainstream sources reported his death. More on that below.

On October 20, Mathaba.net disputed official accounts, saying:

"Green Committees have confirmed that the leader is alive, and that the enemy is seeking to take advantage of his being currently out of communications."

On October 21, Mathaba headlined, "Mainstream Media: 'Gaddafi Captured' - 'Gaddafi Dead;' But Yet Again No Proof Provided," saying:

After its fake Tripoli liberation report was exposed, it was cautious about Gaddafi's reported death in one report, saying:

"NATO and the US state department said it cannot confirm any reports. Meanwhile in Benghazi, crowds gathered in the streets to start celebrating the reports of Gaddafi's death."

Nonetheless, other accounts headlined:

"Muammar Gaddafi killed as Sirte falls"

"Accounts emerge of Gaddafi's final moments"

"Footage shows Gaddafi's body"

"Libyans celebrate Gaddafi's death"

Fact check

Jamahiriya loyalists control most parts of major Libyan cities, including Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata, Bani Walid, and Sirte, though territory shifts back and forth.

Celebratory video footage showed rebel mercenaries, not Libyan patriots loyal to Gaddafi. Well over 90% of Libyans support him.

Images of Gaddafi's alleged body are indecisive, jumbled, and unclear. Could be anyone.

Saudi Arabia-controlled Al Arabia reports propaganda, not real news and information. It "seems to confirm Gaddafi's dead, as if they themselves saw (him) captured" and killed.

Its reports even said he "was found hiding (in) a hole and begg(ed) rebels not to shoot him."

Recall unconfirmed similar reports about Saddam. "This is totally false and is aimed at undermining Gaddafi's revolutionary image! They want people to be disappointed by this coward(ly) attitude and to reject any feeling they had for him...."

Gaddafi's no coward. He could have cut a deal months ago like other former government officials who sold out for big bribes. He refused, stood his ground, and if alive, still does, despite large parts of Libya ravaged, tens of thousands murdered, many more injured, and unknown numbers now homeless, destitute refugees.

Reports of Gaddafi's death indeed may be fabricated. Recall earlier ones claiming his son Khamis was dead. Each time, he turned up alive. His sons Saif Al Islam and Moatassem were reported abducted and/or killed when, in fact, they were alive and free.

Gaddafi spokesman Moussa Ibrahim was falsely reported captured while being interviewed live on air.

Bin Laden's reported assassination was fabricated. In December 2001, he died of likely kidney failure. All subsequent videos and audios were fake.

Official and major media reports lack credibility. Believe only reliable independent accounts. Some claim Gaddafi's alive. Hopefully others will confirm it. Putting this story to bed depends on their verifiable assessments.

On October 20, NATO waited until evening to announce anything. Saying Gaddafi's "rule of fear has finally come to an end," it stopped short of definitively confirming his death. Why not if they know!

Perhaps they fear he'll show up and discredit them. It wouldn't be the first time. Last summer, he was bogusly reported killed. A fabricated image was shown. Perhaps again now.

"Let's wait and see if (current) information about his death is confirmed or not. And I don't mean by (NATO, Washington, or) Western media! But by Libyan Resistance sources!"

On October 20, Algeria-ISP headlined, "Libya - Only the spokesman Ibrahim Moussa is aware of the state of Gaddafi," saying:

"After an unprecedented campaign of misinformation by Al Jazeera and Al Arabia, (as well as major) media worldwide, we announced" Gaddafi's death "and death of his son" Moatassem.

However, Libyan loyalists provided no confirmation.

"No confirmation from....Moussa."

"No confirmation of the journalist and Dr. Hamza Touhami."

"No confirmation of the journalist and Dr. Youcef Ibrahim."

A Libyan source believes Gaddafi's still alive. Major media video images were "a farce invented biensur by Western intelligence agencies to make a great cocktail of shit (excuse us for this word) to show the world that the war is over...."

A same day Algeria ISP report headlined, "The Libyan leader is still alive and he said TOZ FI CNT/NATO," saying:

"....Gaddafi is in excellent health and has an excellent moral." His alleged capture "is simply a lie spewed by the nth CNT/NATO....broadcast through the media lies.."

Its purpose is to weaken and demoralize brave resistance fighters.

"The Libyan leader is still alive and still determined to cleanse the country of these traitors and mercenaries..."

Another October 20 Algeria ISP report headlined, "Libya - CNT/NATO/ELJAZEERA/ELARABIYA announce three lies: The death of Gaddafi, son Moatassem and his defense minister," saying:

"Arab media reported or lies vomited three lies in one day. This is the historic day (of) lies....The Libyan people are not fooled and free people around the world know..."

"The Libyan leader and his son are....well-protected against traitors and mercenaries...."

"The Libyan leader lives in the heart and body of any Libyan who wants to free his country from the clutches of traitors and NATO."

On October 21, NSNBC noted how media manipulators condition readers and viewers to accept "premeditated murders as acts of humanity."

Human Rights Organizations corrupted by power elite funding play important roles in feeding the narrative about "targeted governments or heads of state as villains."

It's irrelevant that Libya had "the most direct and participatory form of democracy...." Gaddafi's role was mostly "honorary."

So-called revolutionaries are led by former regime traitors bribed to sell out and Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) Al Qaeda elements.

Key NATO partners America, Britain and France want total control of Africa. The African Union "is financially dependent on" EU countries. France "control(s the economies and finance of) eight African CFA nations."

Gaddafi's plan to establish a Pan-African currency represented an anti-colonialist threat and reason enough to topple him.

Under a corrupted Secretary-General, UN member states largely "degenerated into an international (cartel lending) legitimacy" to imperial wars by failing to enforce their own Charter.

In Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya alone, millions of deaths resulted. Millions more are occupied, oppressed and impoverished. America plays the lead role. Its first ever Black President is responsible for murdering "tens of thousands of Black African" civilians wanting only to live free in peace.

Whether or not Gaddafi's alive or dead, his political leadership and governing method motivate "hundreds of thousands" to replicate them. Long ago, so-called Western civilization lost all credibility, especially America's corrupted model.

Major Media Scoundrels Hail Gaddafi's "Death"

A Wall Street Journal op-ed headlined, "After Gadhafi's Fall," saying:

"Grotesque political careers usually end grotesquely, and (Gaddafi's) end proved to be no exception....For 42 years, (his) bizarre rule terrorized his people....For the better part of that era, (he) was also a global menace. Only (bin Laden) killed more noncombatant Americans and Europeans through acts of terror."

Fact check

Well over 90% of Libyans support Gaddafi, and why not! He provided free healthcare, education, housing assistance, electricity and water, as well as practically free gasoline and much more.

Americans and Europeans would welcome such "bizarre" rule. A global menace? Libyans, regional neighbors, and independent analysts know otherwise.

Bin Laden was a CIA creation, used strategically as both asset and enemy. Neither he or Gaddafi killed Americans. Claiming it doesn't mean it's so. Murdoch Journal editorials and op-eds are as disreputable as Fox News commentaries reporting everything but the truth.

On October 20, New York Times writer Neil MacFarquhar headlined, "An Erratic Leader, Brutal and Defiant to the End," saying:

"....(T)he erratic, provocative dictator who ruled Libya for 42 years, crushing opponents at home while cultivating the wardrobe and looks befitting an aging rock star, met a violent and vengeful death Thursday in the hands of the Libyan forces that drove him from power."

Fact check

Instead of reporting accurately and dispassionately, MacFarquhar resorted to pejoratives, discrediting himself in the process.

The rest of his article taunted and besmirched Gaddafi with comments like:

"By the time he was done, Libya had no parliament, no unified military command, no political parties, no unions, no civil society and non nongovernmental organizations. His ministries were hollow, with the notable exception of the state oil company."

Fact check

After seven months of NATO terror bombing and rebel mercenary atrocities, much of Libya is ravaged. A year ago it functioned effectively and efficiently in peace. A humanitarian crisis didn't exist until NATO showed up.

At best, it'll be many years before normality returns. Achieving it depends on preventing tyrannical NATO colonization, exploitation and rule. Libyans won't quit trying until they're free.

An October 20 Times editorial headlined, "Colonel Qaddafi's End," saying:

Gaddafi "died as he lived - violently. We sympathize with the Libyans who suffered for so long at the hands of the ruthless dictator and are glad he can no longer hurt them."

Transitional National Council (TNC) leaders "promised to build a democracy in a country that has never had one."

"This was always the Libyan people's fight. But the United States and Europe were also victims of Qaddafi's terrorism." Now they can help build "a stable and peaceful democracy."

Fact check

Throughout the conflict, New York Times correspondents, commentators, and editorial writers fabricated reports about Libya, Gaddafi, and NATO's savage war of aggression against a nonbelligerent country.

With other major media scoundrels, they cheerled Libya's ravaging. They substituted managed new and information for truth and accuracy. They spread false rumors, misinformation, and brazen lies.

They manipulated public opinion, supported militarism and imperial lawlessness, and remain comfortable with America and NATO partners acting as judge, jury and executioner.

Media critic AJ Liebling (1904 - 1963) once said, "People everywhere confuse what they read in the newspapers with news."

Maybe he had The New York Times in mind.

An October 20 Washington Post editorial headlined, " For post-Gaddafi Libya, 'now the hard part begins,' " saying:

Gaddafi's "death....prompted jubilation in Tripoli and relief in Western capitals on Thursday.... (It) reduces the chance of a prolonged insurgency against Libya's new authorities, who have pledged to create a liberal democracy and hold elections in eight months."

Fact check

Libyan loyalists vow to continue their liberating struggle and resist occupation, colonization and exploitation. Western capitals know it and aren't celebrating.

America, Britain and France plan puppet rule. They won't tolerate free elections and democracy. They have none in their own countries, dominated by duopoly power serving privileged, not popular interests.

"Civil society groups, free media and political parties have begun to form in the eastern half of the country, which has been free since last winter."

Fact check

Loyalists control most of Libya. Colonizers never allow media freedom and legitimate multi-party formations. Libyans remain at war to free themselves from a predatory monster they won't tolerate.

"Libya's stabilization under a democratic government could help tip the broader wave of change in the Arab Middle East toward those favoring freedom."

Fact check

America's new Middle East project plans regional dominance across North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia to Russia's borders. Democratic freedom doesn't exist in its vocabulary and never did.

Like Iraqis, Afghans, Palestinians, and other oppressed people, Libyans know they're in for a long liberation struggle. Courageous and committed, they won't quit until free.

A Final Comment

After watching video footage of Gaddafi's alleged assassination, a viewer named Tim Kelly made this comment:

"I had already watched this video…observations…line at neck where mask ends ? change of skin tone there too, no marks on upper body…tinges of grey at sides of hair in contrast with the still that was published where all hair black…must admit, it is a great mask, silicon hollywood style is my guess…plus from other footage,

1) no blood on trousers while reports say shot in both legs

2) wounds to face shortly after truck loading, then when on ground and turned over, no facial wounds at all, naked clean, no blood…so what ? the rebels strip and wash him ? If this were real there is no doubt the scum would all be having a bash, if not beheading, whereas instead it’s just a whole lot of jostling…you only have to see what atrocities have been comitted to know that if it were real it would be hard to identify the body…"

Like this writer and other independent analysts, Kelly's skeptical of Gaddafi's reported capture and assassination.

Wait for independent confirmations one way or other before deciding. If he's alive, he may show up on Syria's Arrai TV.

He's done it before prerecorded for his safety and may again. If so, his comments will confirm if made before or after October 20. Hopefully, he'll have the final say.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

posted by Steve Lendman @ 12:42 AM  

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

Origins of the 'great game' in Syria: Israel's failure in 2006 to seriously damage Hezbollah

Via FLC

This summer, a senior Saudi official told John Hannah [1], former United States vice president Dick Cheney's former chief-of-staff, that from the outset of the Syrian upheaval in March, the king has believed that regime change in Syria would be highly beneficial to Saudi interests: "The king knows that other than the collapse of the Islamic Republic itself, nothing would weaken Iran more than losing Syria," said the official.

This is today's "great game": the formula for playing it has changed; the US-instigated "color" revolutions in the former Soviet republics have given way to a bloodier, and more multi-layered process today, but the underlying psychology remains unchanged. The huge technical requirements of mounting such a complex game in Syria are indeed prodigious: but in focussing so closely on technique and on coordinating diverse interests, inevitably something important may recede from view, too. Europeans and Americans and certain Gulf states may see the Syria game as the logical successor to the supposedly successful Libya "game" in remaking the Middle East, but the very tools that are being used on their behalf are highly combustible and may yet return to haunt them - as was experienced in the wake of the 1980s "victory" in Afghanistan.
It will not be for the first time that Western interests sought to use others for their ends, only to find they have instead been used. In any event, the tactics in Syria, in spite of heavy investment, seem to be failing. Yet Western strategy, in response to the continuing cascade of new events in the region, remains curiously static,...
There seems to be little thought about the strategic landscape when, and as, that thread snaps. ...

What then is the new anatomy of the great game? In the past, color revolutions were largely blueprinted in the offices of the political consultancies of "K" Street in Washington. But in the new format, the "technicians" attempting to shape the region [2] , hail directly from the US government: according to reports by senior official sources in the region, Jeffrey Feltman, a former ambassador in Lebanon, and presently assistant secretary of state, as chief coordinator [3], together with two former US ambassadors, Ron Schlicher and David Hale, who is also the new US Middle East Peace Envoy. And instead of an operations center established in some phony "Friends of Syria" organization established in Washington, there is a gold-plated operations center located in Doha, financed, according to a number of sources, by big Qatari money. The origins of the present attempt to refashion the Middle East lie with the aftermath of Israel's failure in 2006 to seriously damage Hezbollah. In the post-conflict autopsy, Syria was spotlighted as the vulnerable lynchpin connecting Hezbollah to Iran. And it was Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia who planted the first seed: hinting to US officials that something indeed might be done about this Syria connector, but only through using the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, adding quickly in response to the predictable demurs, that managing the Syrian Brotherhood and other Islamists could safely be left to him.
John Hannah noted on ForeignPolicy.com [4] that "Bandar working without reference to US interests is clearly cause for concern; but Bandar working as a partner against a common Iranian enemy is a major strategic asset" (SEE FLC's top quote). Bandar was co-opted. Hypothetical planning suddenly metamorphosed into concrete action only earlier this year, after the fall of Saad Hariri's government in Lebanon, and the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak in Egypt: Suddenly, Israel seemed vulnerable, and a weakened Syria, enmired in troubles, held a strategic allure. In parallel, Qatar had stepped to the fore, as Azmi Bishara, a pan-Arabist, former Israeli parliament member, expelled from the Knesset and now established in Doha, architected a schema through which television - as various in the Arabic press have reported [5] - that is, al-Jazeera, would not just report revolution, but instantiate it for the region - or at least this is what was believed in Doha in the wake of the Tunisia and Egyptian uprisings.
This was a new evolution over the old model: Hubristic television, rather than mere media management. But Qatar was not merely trying to leverage human suffering into an international intervention by endlessly repeating "reforms are not enough" and the "inevitability" of Assad's fall, but also - as in Libya - Qatar was directly involved as a key operational actor and financier.
The next stage was to draw French President Nikolas Sarkozy into the campaign through the emir of Qatar's expansive nature and ties to Sarkozy, supplemented by Feltman's lobbying. An "Elysee team" of Jean-David Levite, Nicholas Gallet and Sarkozy, was established, with Sarkozy's wife enlisting Bernard Henri-Levy, the arch promoter of the Benghazi Transitional Council model that had been so effective in inflating North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into an instrument of regime change. Finally, President Barack Obama delegated Turkey [6] to play point on Syria's border. Both of the latter components however are not without their challenges from their own security arms, who are skeptical of the efficacy of the Transitional Council model, and opposed to military intervention.
The Turkish leadership, in particular, is pushed by party pressures in one direction [7] , whilst at another there are deep misgivings about Turkey becoming a NATO "corridor" into Syria. Even Bandar is not without challenges: he has no political umbrella from the king, and others in the family are playing other Islamist cards to different ends.

In operational terms, Feltman and his team coordinate, Qatar hosts the "war room", the "news room" and holds the purse strings, Paris and Doha lead on pushing the Transitional Council model, whilst Bandar [8] and Turkey jointly manage the Sunni theater in-country, both armed and unarmed.

The Salafist component of armed and combat experienced fighters was to have been managed within this framework, but increasingly they went their own way, answering to a different agenda, and having separate finances. If the scope of the Syria "game" - for let us not forget the many killed (including civilians, security forces, and armed fighters) make it no game - is on a different scale to the early "color" revolutions, so its defects are greater too. The NTC paradigm, already displaying its flaws in Libya, is even more starkly defective in Syria, with the opposition "council" put together by Turkey, France and Qatar caught in a catch-22 situation. The Syrian security structures have remained rock solid [9] through seven months - defections have been negligible - and Assad's popular support base is intact. Only external intervention could change that equation, but for the opposition to call for it, would be tantamount to political suicide, and they know it. Doha and Paris [10] may continue to try to harass the world towards some intervention by maintaining attrition but the signs are that the internal opposition will opt to negotiate. But the real danger in all this, as John Hannah himself notes on ForeignPolicy.com [11], is that the Saudis, "with their back to the wall", "might once again fire up the old jihadist network and point it in the general direction of Shi'ite Iran". In fact, that is exactly what is happening, but the West does not seem to have noticed.

As Foreign Affairs noted last week, Saudi and its Gulf allies are "firing up" the Salafists [12], not only to weaken Iran, but mainly in order to do what they see is necessary to survive - to disrupt and emasculate the awakenings which threaten absolute monarchism.

Salafists are being used for this end in Syria [13] , in Libya, in Egypt (see their huge Saudi flag waving turn-out in Tahrir Square in July ) [14] in Lebanon, Yemen [15] and Iraq. Salafists may be generally viewed as non-political and pliable, but history is far from comforting. If you tell people often enough that they shall be the king-makers in the region and pour buckets-full of money at them, do not be surprised if they then metamorphose - yet again - into something very political and radical. Michael Scheuer, the former head of the Central Intelligence Agency Bin Laden Unit, recently warned [16] that the Hillary Clinton-devised response to the Arab awakening, of implanting Western paradigms, by force if necessary, into the void of fallen regimes, will be seen as a "cultural war on Islam" and will set the seeds of a further round of radicalization. Saudi Arabia is America's ally. The US, as friends, should ask them if the fall of Assad, and the sectarian conflict that is almost certain to ensue, is really in their interest: Do they imagine that their Sunni allies in Iraq and Lebanon will escape the consequences? Do they really imagine that the Shi'ites of Iraq will not put two-and-two together and take harsh precautions? One of the sad paradoxes to the sectarian "voice" adopted by the Gulf leaders to justify their repression of the awakening has been the undercutting of moderate Sunnis, now caught between the rock of being seen as a Western tool, and the hard place of Sunni Salafists just waiting for the chance to displace them. 

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

Gilad Atzmon on Jeff Rense's Radio Show

Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 11:44AM

Gilad Atzmon

Jeff Rense discusses The Wandering Who with Gilad Atzmon- Jewish Identity Politics, Jewish Lobby, AIPAC, CFI, Liam Fox (and his 'friends'), Iran, Gilad Shalit, History, temporality and beyond

http://www.rense.com/

Gilad Atzmon on Jeff Rense's Radio Show by Gilad Atzmon

  You can now order The Wandering Who on

Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

الفيديو الذى ارعب اللاسرائيليين :: من شباب مصر

World Leaders Hail nato ordered assasination

As news broke that ex-Libya dictator Moamer Gaddafi had been killed, world leaders hailed what they called the end of "tyranny" in Libya. In this context, UN Chief Ban Ki-moon said the reported death of Gaddafi marked a "historic transition" for Libya. "The road ahead for Libya and its people will be difficult and full of challenges. Now is the time for all Libyans to come together," Ban said at the UN headquarters. "Combatants on all sides must lay down their arms and come together in peace. This is a time for rebuilding and healing." For his part, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that Gaddafi’s death was an occasion to remember his victims, while hailing it as a chance for a "democratic future" for Libya. "I think today is a day to remember all of Colonel Gaddafi’s victims, from those who died in connection with the Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, to Yvonne Fletcher in a London street, and obviously all the victims of IRA terrorism who died through their use of Libyan Semtex," he said in a statement. "We should also remember the many Libyans who died at the hands of this brutal dictator and his regime," Cameron said. "People in Libya have an even greater chance after this news of building themselves a strong and democratic future." French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe in turn hailed the "end of 42 years of tyranny" in Libya and said France was "proud" to have helped bring freedom to the country. "It's the end of 42 years of tyranny, of a military conflict that has been very difficult for the Libyan people," Juppe told reporters in New Delhi during a trip to the Indian capital. "It's a historic event. It's the beginning of a new period, of a democracy, freedom and the rebuilding of the country and the reconstruction of its economy," he said. "It's up to the Libyan people to decide what its (Libya's) future will be, but France is ready with other countries to support the efforts of the NTC (National Transitional Council) in implementing a road map and in developing the Libyan economy," he added. The death of Libya's Gaddafi "marks the end of an era of despotism," European Union president Herman Van Rompuy said. The news that Gaddafi died in a raid in Sirte means an end also to the "repression from which the Libyan people have suffered for too long," Van Rompuy said in a joint statement with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in turn hailed the fall of Sirte as "the end of the Gaddafi era" and said that "if confirmed" the death of Gaddafi brings closure to a tragic period in the lives of so many Libyans. "Libya is now under the full control of National Transitional Council forces," she said in a statement. "After 10 months of extraordinary sacrifices, the Libyan people can say with pride and confidence that they have shaken off a regime that terrorized and oppressed for more than 40 years." She urged the new leadership to build a democratic future in full respect for human rights, saying that "while the crimes of the past must be addressed, the leadership must also seek a path of national reconciliation." Meanwhile, US Senator John McCain said that the death of Gaddafi marked the end of "the first phase" of Libya's revolution and called for closer ties between Washington and Tripoli. "The death of Moamer Gaddafi marks an end to the first phase of the Libyan revolution. While some final fighting continues, the Libyan people have liberated their country," the Republican lawmaker said in a statement. "Now the Libyan people can focus all of their immense talents on strengthening their national unity, rebuilding their country and economy, proceeding with their democratic transition, and safeguarding the dignity and human rights of all Libyans," said McCain. "The United States, along with our European allies and Arab partners, must now deepen our support for the Libyan people, as they work to make the next phase of their democratic revolution as successful as the fight to free their country," he said.

Source: Agencies

Gaddafi reportedly captured, wounded and executed

The news came in this morning that Muammar Gaddafi was captured alive but wounded in both legs. Later, this was corrected and we were told that he also had a head-wound (which was not noticed the first time around?) and that he had been killed.

 

I guess killing him on the spot was easier than poisoning him in The Hague. Also, killing him as a wounded prisoner is probably less humiliating than being hanged by masked men screaming and making a video of it all.

God knows I was really no admirer of Gaddafi, but I am relieved see that he was spared some of the worst and most grotesque "victor's justice" meted out by the Ziocon Empire.

 

May God have mercy on his soul.

The Saker

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