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The War for Iran
NAJAF 2004
"From Iran's perspective, there is little question what
happens in
Najaf is its business. Any damage there
cannot leave a single Iranian
ruler the option of
remaining neutral, regardless of whether they are
among moderates or hard-liners. The Shiite religious
heritage is a
shared one between Iraq and Iran."
"Iraq's
interim vice-president on Wednesday called
on foreign troops to leave
the holy Shia city of Najaf, as
American commanders launched US forces
for a final push."
Mid-East
Realities - MER - www.MiddleEast.Org - 12 August 2004:
At Camp David in 1978 the U.S.
lied to and soon betrayed Egypt, humbling the greatest of the Arab
countries. By 1981 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated,
the Israelis were readying to invade Lebanon, and the Palestinians were
feeling increasingly sold out. It was in this historic crucible of
events that Dr. Ayman Zawahri, today's #2 in al Qaeda, decided what he
was going to do and that the Palestinian Intifada was born.
In Arabia in the 1990s uniformed
military forces of the United States -- not just secretive CIA
operatives and cash-hungry businessmen -- came to occupy the country
representing the heart of Islam. From this historic development on
top of those before came Osama bin Laden on the road to 9/11.
Now today in 2004 the Americans
are rampaging and pillaging Najaf in Iraq - the heart of Shiite Islam.
And as the very important article by Youseff Ibrahim that followed
explains, this is having and will have major reverberations on Iran and
Shiite Muslims worldwide now and in the future. No way to
specificially predict what this will lead to and when, but the general
direction of much more hatred, severe distrust, and future
revenge-seeking seems guaranteed.
And as difficult as it may be
for many to grasp provoking Iran and Muslims to defend and to
counter-attack may in fact be just what the neocon Americans and their
Israeli friends actually want so they can soon pursue their next
crusading military adventures.
Iraq's phase II: Deadlier than ever
By Youssef M. Ibrahim*
(GulfNews - Dubai - 10 August 2004) - Iraq entered a deadlier and murkier second phase of fighting and
bloodshed this past week. This is certain to deepen the American
quagmire, threaten the longevity of Prime Minister Eyad Allawi's
government and, unfortunately for Iraqis, usher in a new phase of
internecine killing via suicide and car bombings, such as the hideous
attacks in Mosul and Baghdad against Christian worshippers.
By far the most ominous new development could be a widening of the
conflict that draws Iran into it. Allawi has officially named his giant
neighbour, Iran, as trouble-maker-in-chief last week, accusing it of
standing behind the rebellious cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and the fighting
that left more than 300 dead in the holy city of Najaf.
This is a serious charge as grievous damage was done to innocent
people, their commerce, their homes and some of the holiest Shiite
sites there.
From Iran's perspective, there is little question what happens in
Najaf is its business. Any damage there cannot leave a single Iranian
ruler the option of remaining neutral, regardless of whether they are
among moderates or hard-liners. The Shiite religious heritage is a
shared one between Iraq and Iran.
It is possible to see Iran pushing a fight against American troops,
but standing behind damage to Shiite shrines is not credible. Yet,
Allawi, a feisty and tough customer, has now officially thrown the
gauntlet, as if he were asking for a fight at a time when he has yet to
demonstrate his government can protect all Iraqis against insurgents,
domestic and foreign alike.
Iran wasted no time pointing it out. In his toughest speech yet,
former Iranian President Ali Hashemi Rafsanjani, currently head of the
equivalent of the Iranian National Security Council - Majlis Tashkhis
Masaleh Al Nizam - minced no words in last Friday's sermon in Tehran,
when he warned the Americans and Allawi's government of a rise in the
number of suicide bombers targeting them inside Iraq in "defence of
Islam".
New turn of events
Iraqi nationalists are split over the meaning of the new turn of
events. Some argue that the Iranians and their various militias and
supporters started the trouble, taunting the Allawi government and the
Americans.
Other, equally sincere Iraqi nationalists say it is the Americans
who are encouraging the whole mess in order to turn Iraq into the one
area where they can trap all fundamentalist-inspired militant
movements, Iraqi or foreign, and kill their members.
The truth, as usual, lies in between, but the Bush administration
and Iran have been heading for a high-noon duel for some time now. It
is unfortunate that Allawi has chosen his camp with the Bush folks. It
may cost him, and the whole Gulf region, dearly.
One way or the other, "pandemonium" best describes what is coming.
The present mess has three components: American, Iraqi and foreign. It
would seem the new American occupation authorities wasted little time
repeating the same errors of the last administration of General Ricardo
Sanchez and Paul Bremmer III.
They waged yet another "final" battle to "finish off" the ragtag
Mahdi Army of Al Sadr, and this backfired. The Mahdi, as in the past,
will disappear now and re-appear later, inside Baghdad itself - in Sadr
City, home to two million Shiites, where an American helicopter was
shot down in this latest fighting. Such is the nature of guerilla
warfare.
Inside the Iraqi camp cards have been reshuffled too. The two
Shiite figures locking horns are Allawi and the young Al Sadr. Grand
Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, who until now presented the Americans with
some hope of boosting their views among Shiites, has conveniently left
Najaf just before the fighting began, for medical treatment in London.
Part of what he may have left behind too is his prestige and
influence. Great Shiite religious leaders do not go away when their
people come under attack.
The outsiders' card has also been thrown into the game. A real
nightmare would start if Iran makes the decision - which Iranian
officials assure me they have not yet done - to actively engage the
harassed, tired, demoralised and overstretched American troops trapped
behind their barbed wire enclaves in Iraq.
This would be a real war of attrition. It must be recalled that
Iran has long arms inside Iraq, which have supported over 20 years of
engagement ever since the eight-year-long Iraq-Iran war that started in
1980.
Iran has since built not one but several Iraqi militias, similar to
the Hezbollah in Lebanon. It has a huge intelligence apparatus deeply
penetrating the Iraqi army, police, security forces and government. And
it has open borders from where more men and weapons can pour into Iraq.
Above all, it seems not to be intimidated by American reprisals.
This is all reminiscent of the famous Ho Shi Minh trail in Vietnam
through which, some 40 years ago, North Vietnamese troops and arms
poured into South Vietnam to produce the first serious American
military defeat since World War II.
Know how to fight
Should Iran start moving its chess pieces inside Iraq what will be
America's and Allawi's counter-strategy? One is not aware of what more
the Americans can do (invade Iran?) or what Allawi has up his sleeve.
Some in the Bush administration talk of bombing 50 Iranian sites,
including the nuclear reactor. This would absolutely unite Iranians.
And these guys know how to fight long wars and take huge losses until
they prevail. As for Allawi, as tough as he is, we must remember he
remains untested.
* Youssef M. Ibrahim , a former Middle East correspondent for the New
York Times and Energy Editor of the Wall Street Journal, is Managing
Director of the Dubai-based Strategic Energy Investment Group.
US troops launch offensive in Najaf
By Mark Turner in Baghdad
 (Financial Times, London, 11 August) Iraq's
interim vice-president on Wednesday called on foreign troops to leave
the holy Shia city of Najaf, as American commanders launched US forces
for a final push against the rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Fighting
between the troops and militia broke out on Thursday, as US forces
headed towards the holy city’s Shia cemetery, a stronghold of the
militia.
Adding to international concern over the showdown,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, denounced the assault as
“one of the darkest crimes of humanity”, and a “dark blemish which will
never be wiped from the face of America”.
Ibrahim Jaafari, one
of Iraq's two vice-presidents, is a leader of the Islamist Dawa party
and has topped opinion polls as Iraq's most popular politician. “I call
for multinational forces to leave Najaf and for only Iraqi forces to
remain there,” he told al-Jazeera television. “Iraqi forces can
administer Najaf to end this phenomenon of violence in this city that
is holy to all Muslims.”
His demands were at odds with previous
government warnings that it did not have the capacity to stop Mr Sadr
alone. Diplomats suggested they could reflect political positioning
ahead of elections scheduled for January.
But the statement also
highlighted the disunity among Iraq's interim leadership, reflecting
growing Shia concern over recent developments, and rising tensions with
Iran. Sciri, the other major Iraqi Islamist Shia party, has also
condemned the excessive use of forcein Najaf, although it has called on
Mr Sadr to disarm.
Adding to the turbulence, Ahmad Chalabi, the
Iraqi National Congress leader who has restyled himself as a unifying
Shia politician, returned to Baghdad from Iran on Wednesday. The Iraqi
authorities have threatened to arrest him on counterfeiting charges.
The US military signalled on Wednesday that it was in no mood to back
down. “Iraqi and US forces are making final preparations as we get
ready to finish this fight that the Moqtada [al-Sadr] militia started,”
said Colonel Anthony Haslam, commanding officer of the 11th Marine
Expeditionary Unit in Najaf. He said his forces would take great care
to avoid disturbing holy sites.
Mr Sadr urged the Mahdi army to
stay firm. “Keep fighting even if you see me a prisoner or a martyr.
God willing you will be victorious,” he said. Clashes also broke out in
Baghdad's Sadr City slum, and in the southern towns of Kut and Amara,
while demonstrators in Nassiriya torched prime minister Iyad Allawi's
political party office and called for his downfall.
Falah
al-Mahani, the top health official in Najaf, warned of “a real
catastrophe” for emergency services. “Ambulances are prevented from
reaching the injured people by the clashing parties. We are paralysed,”
he said. There were reports of residents fleeing to the nearby city of
Karbala.
Analysts fear that even if the government makes an
example of Mr Sadr's forces, it will not ease tensions among Iraq's
disaffected youth, who are suffering from wide-scale unemployment and
poor services.
The violence also bodes ill for Iraq's national
conference, due to start this weekend. The conference was intended to
offer a peaceful forum for dialogue between Iraq's diverse communities.
|
Iran Tests Missile Capable of Hitting Israel
By Paul Hughes
TEHRAN
(Reuters - 11 August) - Iran's defense ministry said on Wednesday it had carried
out a field test of the latest version of its Shahab-3 medium-range
ballistic missile which defense experts say can reach Israel or U.S.
bases in the Gulf.
Defense
Minister Ali Shamkhani said last week Iran was working on improvements
to the range and accuracy of the Shahab-3 in response to Israel's moves
to boost its anti-missile capability.
A
defense ministry spokesman confirmed a state television report that the
test was carried out "to assess the latest developments implemented on
this missile." He declined to give any further details.
Iran
says its missile program is purely for deterrent purposes. Tehran also
denies U.S. and Israeli accusations that it is seeking to develop
nuclear warheads which could be delivered by the Shahab-3.
Based
on the North Korean Nodong-1 and modified with Russian technology, the
Shahab-3 is thought to have a range of 810 miles which would allow it
to strike anywhere in Israel. Shahab means meteor in Persian.
Amid
media speculation that Israel may try to halt Iran's nuclear program by
carrying out air strikes on some atomic facilities in Iran, Iranian
officials have said Tehran would retaliate promptly and strongly to any
such attack.
TOUGH TALK
"If
Israel behaves like a lunatic and attacks the Iranian nation's
interests, we will come down on their heads like a mallet and break
their bones," the ISNA students news agency quoted Revolutionary Guards
Commander Yahya Rahim Safavi as saying on Wednesday.
Israel
successfully tested its Arrow II anti-missile project in the United
States last month. It was the seventh time the Arrow II had worked but
the first time it had destroyed a Scud missile -- similar to the
Shahab-3 -- in flight.
"The
Israelis have recently tried to increase their missile capability and
we will also try to upgrade our Shahab-3 missile in every respect," the
ISNA students news agency quoted Shamkhani as saying last week.
He said the improvements to the Shahab-3 "will not be limited to the missile's range and will include all its specifications."
Iran
deployed the Shahab-3 missiles to its Revolutionary Guards last July
after preliminary field tests were successfully completed.
Six
of the sand-colored missiles, bearing slogans which said "We will stamp
on America" and "We will wipe Israel from the face of the earth," were
displayed at an annual military parade last September.
Iran
has not said how many of the missiles it has so far manufactured.
Military analysts say questions remain about its reliability and
accuracy.
A
senior Israeli defense source said Israel believed Tehran was
developing a Shahab-4 missile with a range of 1,700 km capable of
reaching Europe. Iran has denied this.
"This
'new and improved' Shahab-3 could well be Iran's way of producing the
extended-range missile while avoiding the Mark-4 label which would draw
international concern," he said. (Additional reporting by Amir Paivar
in Tehran, Dan Williams in Jerusalem)
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2004 Mid-East Realities, All rights reserved
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August 2004
MER Exclusive - Listen to Douglas Feith about Israel and the Middle East
(August 30, 2004)
MER EXCLUSIVE - Listen to Douglas Feith while Bill Clinton was still President and a year before 9/11 even happened. For some time in Washington Feith himself has been a prominent member of the extended Israeli-Jewish lobby speaking at times as harshly and unrelentingly as any Israeli propagandist. Persons in the media should contact MER for more extensive information and additional audio and video comments by Feith - 202 362-5266 and press@MiddleEast.Org
Pointing the fingers at Douglas Feith
(August 29, 2004)
Feith has been mentioned in most of the major media stories this weekend in Washington -- but not nearly with the emphasis he should have been. For Feith has played a central role in just about every scandal that has beset the Bush Administration -- from the faulty 'intelligence', to the mistaken 'assumptions', to the prison torture scandals, and now the latest Israeli/Jewish lobby spy scandal right in his own office.
Sharon's Wars, Israel's Future
(August 28, 2004)
This major New York Times feature about Ariel Sharon could have, and should have, been far more harsh. But Ariel Sharon is at the top of his game now. And though the future he may have molded more than any other may be bleak and potentially catastrophic, now is his time and few in the Jewish world -- and in an oblique way that includes not only the New York Times but much of the contemporary American media -- dare to take him on directly.
Israeli Spy Scandal Erupting in Washington
(August 28, 2004)
Many, most no doubt, of these kinds of things relating to Israel never get out into the public domain; they are buried and sucked up into official Washington where so many have so many reasons for always wanting to hush such things up. But there should be no doubt that the Israelis have infiltrated at many levels and greatly influenced in many ways U.S. policies in the Middle East, especially of late the decision to invade and occupy Iraq.
The following quick list of past Israeli spy scandals all of which were covered up or sucked in one way or another include:
* Israeli Attack on U.S.S. Liberty - 1967
* Steve Bryent Israeli Spying Scandal - 1982
* Jonathan Pollard Arrested outside Israeli Embassy - 1985
* AIPAC infiltration scandal, President forced to resign - 1991
* Mossad bugging of Clinton and Monica - 1997
* Martin Indyk's Security Clearances 'temporarily' suspended - 2000
America's 'Iraqi Police' and the now impending Iraqi Elections
(August 27, 2004)
And it's clear that if it's a competiton between Negroponte and Allawi, against al-Sistani and al-Sadr, the Americans and their regime are in big trouble. Just how the U.S. occupation is going to attempt to either further delay the election or not-too-blantantly manipulate and control it now looms ahead -- just as soon as the American election is behind us all.
(August 26, 2004)
U.S. and Regime Bombing and Killing throughout Iraq
(August 26, 2004)
Chaos, confusion, death, and destruction -- that's the description of American occupied Iraq as the country virtually rebels and explodes. Even as Ayatollah al-Sistani heads back to Najaf protected by British occupation troops American occupation troops are ferociously attacking Najaf, Fallujah, Sadr City as never before and American armed and paid Iraqi mercenary troops are massacreing their own.
Daily Articles Summary - 25 August 2004
(August 25, 2004)
Daily Articles Summary - 25 August 2004
MER Articles
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Sistani Returns and March on Najaf Looms
(August 25, 2004)
Now on this very day in history there is another Ayatollah in and at the heart of the Middle East at a crucial moment in time. The very term 'Ayatollah' was hardly known in the West before the Iranian revolution just 25 years ago now. But in the immediate days ahead it now appears Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is to have his and maybe modern on-its-knees Iraq's 'rendevous with history'. And then what this is really all about now is the future rather than the past, especially with Iraqi 'elections' supposed to take place just 5 months from now. What will the American Empire with its arsenal of planes, tanks, and shock troops now do to deter, deflect, or stop him? What will the U.S.-installed and protected Allawi regime in Baghdad now do to attempt to co-opt or twist him?
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani Returns to 'Save the Burning Holy City'
(August 25, 2004)
The Mahdi Army defeated the British Empire in Sudan in 1885. Now a Mahdi Army battles the American Empire in Iraq in 2004. Today the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani returns to Najaf to "Save the Burning Holy City".
IRAQ, IRAN and ISRAEL Stories -- 24 August 2004
(August 24, 2004)
Crusades II - Iraqi Cities Bombed and Tanked
(August 24, 2004)
Bush's views and ongoing rhetoric -- and then came top Pentagon General Boykin telling the world that 'my god is bigger than their god' -- may come to define this period in 'modern' history.
Imperial America
(August 23, 2004)
Provocative thinking and writing from one of Great Britain's most prolific, most outspoken, most humanistic, and most insightful 'activist' journalists writing this cover article in the current issue of the New Statesman. It's too hard and probably wrong in fact to agree that 'Bush may be the lesser evil'. But it is very important to understand how and why John Pilger is speaking out in this way.
Palestinian Struggle Fully Justified
(August 22, 2004)
Because of the huge propaganda war in which the U.S. and Israel also have overwhelming firepower at their disposal, what leading Professors like Charles Black and now Ted Honderich have to say is in fact of critical importance.
Weekend Reading: Iran, the U.S., and Israel
(August 21, 2004)
These four articles from the past few days, especially the first commentary by UPI Senior Analyst Martin Sieff, help put things in perspective and set the stage for what is now to come. Unpleasant and frightening weekend reading, we know...but necessary.
What the Americans have Really Done in and to Iraq
(August 20, 2004)
This is a brief but very important outline of what the Americans have really done in recent years in and to Iraq. All this has little to do with 'freedom' and 'democracy' -- those are the simplistic and deceptive front-words. What's really involved is an increasingly desperate and ruthless master plan to turn Iraq -- a country at the center of both the Arab and the Muslim worlds -- into an appendage of the American military, political, and economic machine trying to more totally control the Middle East region and continue to drain it of its wealth, resources, and heritage. It's the imperialism of old considerably reconstituted for the brave new world of worldwide television, the internet, and high-tech 'Star Wars' weaponry.
Iran Warns of Preemptive Strike Against U.S. and Israel
(August 19, 2004)
"We will consider any strike against our nuclear installations as an attack on Iran as a whole, and we will retaliate with all our strength. Where Israel is concerned, we have no doubt that it
is an evil entity, and it will not be able to launch any military operation without an American green light. You cannot separate the two."
Iranian Defense Minister
The World on Fire
(August 19, 2004)
Now in 2004 as a result of what the Bush/Cheney/Israeli regime insisted on doing the world is dangerously on fire -- passions, hatreds, and fears all now enraged and engaged in an escalating "clash of civilizations" full of crusading rhetoric essentially pitting the U.S., U.K., and Israel against Arab and Muslim countries and peoples everywhere.
U.S. Allawi Regime Should Go
(August 18, 2004)
here's a bottom line here and at a time of such major historic developments it should be said clearly. The American-installed, financed, armed, and protected Allawi regime has already totally disgraced and discredited itself. It cannot succeed in authoritatively and democratically governing Iraq. It should be ended immediately before it does even more historic harm to Iraq, to the Middle East, to the Arab and Muslims worlds, and to the whole fabric of international justice and order.
Al-Sadr and Allawi - The Struggle for the Middle East
(August 18, 2004)
Here then are two such voices speaking out, crying out, at this critical time. The first an American who was Director of The Islamic Center in Washington, the very venue in fact President Bush choose to visit soon after 9/11. The second is a Canadian who is President of the Canadian Islamic Congress. -MER
Sharon the 'Bulldozer', Sharon the 'Butcher'
(August 17, 2004)
These BBC and Guardian articles today look at how the Israelis are even now continuing to expand settlements in the occupied territories, as well as at the current situation in and around Gaza -- realities 'on the ground' that Ariel Sharon is more responsible for than any other single individual on any side of the barricades. MiddleEast.org
"They are cheating us, laughing at us" - MER FlashBack 7 Years
(August 17, 2004)
"In the end, so long as the U.S. continues to back Israeli occupation with ever greater amounts of money, guns, and political protection, little will change and the "peace process" will remain a grand deception breeding resistance, hatred, and yes, more terrorism."
U.S. Iraqi Troops Fire on Reporters
(August 16, 2004)
History is being made in these bitter bleeding days, in these very hours, and the world will have to live with the aftermath for some time to come. This report just published by the Daily Telegraph in the U.K. is the best so far to outline how the Americans are attempting to blind the world and mute the protests by threatening the few courageous journalists still in and able to report from Najaf. As for pictures of what is happening, cameras are now illegal and being confiscated by the Americans and their agents.
Iraq Exploding! The historic confrontation at the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf
(August 16, 2004)
Unless the Americans can find some way to get Muqtada Sadr and his forces out of the historic Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf without a firefight and without a massacre they themselves could become the victims of their own killing machine if the extraordinary rage and hatred in Iraq, Iran, and the Arab and Muslim worlds overall should erupt still further against them.
Americans Order Journalists, Cameras From Najaf
(August 15, 2004)
This is what police-states do; this is what dictators do; this is what the Israelis sometimes do; and now this is what the American 'democracy' does in the extraordinarily duplicitous name of 'freedom and democracy for Iraq.
Israel 'On The Eve of Destruction'?
(August 15, 2004)
His father long headed the National Religious Party. He himself has been the head of the world Zionist movement as well as the Speaker of the Knesset. And yet -- even as the Israelis appear to be victorious with the Palestinians everywhere surrounded, subjugated, dispossessed and controlled -- Avraham Burg dares to speak out loudly about how perverted Zionism has become and that all the militarism, racism, and arrogance could in reality have put Israel 'on the eve of destruction'.
Please tell friends and family about MER
(August 14, 2004)
Mid-East Realties (MER) commentary and analysis is exclusive, hard-hitting, and always directly to the point. The consistent incisiveness, expertise, and depth of coverage is not to be found anywhere else -- as these comments from readers around the world attest. Below is a summary with quick links to recent exclusive MER articles and FlashBacks. Please forward this summary complete to your friends and relatives encouraging them to also get MER just as you do. It's never been easier to subscribe to MER; and it's never been more timely and important to do so.
Occupied Iraq - Threats, resignations, killings, chaos all escalating
(August 13, 2004)
Reports from Iraq this morning indicate that Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr may have been injured today while meeting with supporters, and what's to happen next has everyone on edge as rarely before. Other reports from Iraq are of a wave of protest resignations against the American occupation and puppet government, with increased threats against the U.S. and its regime now coming in public even from other Iraqi officials approved by the Americans.
Nader vs. Israel
(August 12, 2004)
"The days when the chief Israeli puppeteer comes to the United States and meets with the puppet in the White House and then proceeds to Capitol Hill, where he meets with hundreds of other puppets, should be replaced."
Najaf 2004
(August 12, 2004)
"From Iran's perspective, there is little question what happens in Najaf is its business. Any damage there cannot leave a single Iranian ruler the option of remaining neutral, regardless of whether they are among moderates or hard-liners. The Shiite religious heritage is a shared one between Iraq and Iran."
Hidden History of the "Peace Process"
(August 11, 2004)
"It's not inordinate Chinese money and influence in American politics the Congress should be investigating, it's how Israel manipulates American politics with the help of some key Americans (most of them Jewish), who are in fact, however distasteful it is to say it, 'dually loyal'."
Jewish Washington Neocons Responsible for War
(August 11, 2004)
As the Iraq war escalates and creates still more disgust and hatred around the world, it is also threatening to expand. And a month or two from now if the Bush/Cheney/neocon regime is lagging in the polls no telling what kinds of political or military 'surprises' might come from Washington sooner rather than later.
Stumbling, Bumbling 'Arabist' Ambassadors Play to the Cameras
(August 10, 2004)
After all these now wasted years, and after all this now-squandered money -- and even with all that has happened including 9/11, the Iraqi war, and the Palestinian Intifada -- the 'Arabist' Ambassadors in Washington are weaker and more incestuous, less influential and less credible, then when they started. Yet oh how they continue to pretend otherwise so tragically continuing to mislead so many well-meaning naive people who simply don't know better the real details of what has been and what is now the real situation in today's Washington.
Neocons All
(August 9, 2004)
He sure didn't write this way when he worked for the old gray Zionist lady the New York Times. With language like 'neo-con vampires' he sounds a bit this time like MER in its regular tell-it-like-it-really-is mode... Maybe for his next installment Mr. Ibrahim will have more to say ...about his old colleagues at the New York Times starting with Tom Friedman, et. al.
Both Israel and Saudis working to elect Bush/Cheney
(August 8, 2004)
Now of course neither is going to admit it in front of the cameras, and of course it's also politically confusing for many, but both the Israelis and the Saudis are working hard now to help the election of Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld and the right-wing neocons.
U.S. and puppet regime boot Aljazeera from Iraq
(August 7, 2004)
Oh yes, the headline..."U.S. boots Aljazeera..." Let's not get confused by all the technical details and propaganda tricks. The regime in Baghdad was selected by the Americans and empowered by the Americans. It is financed by the Americans and the American military and CIA keep it in power. What it does is what the Americans want it to do. And the responsibility for what it does is American as well.
Target Pakistan
(August 7, 2004)
As tensions and fighting in Iraq and Palestine continue, and with new sanctions and attacks on Syria, Iran, and Lebanon quite publicly threatened, the situation in the greater Middle East could become far more tense and the 'crucial countries' of both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia could indeed 'fall' from the American grip setting off even more dangerous and unpredictable political and military explosions.
Target IRAN con't
(August 6, 2004)
"Exploiting the November US presidential elections and the European concerns, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could order a strike at Iran's nuclear facilities, similar to the ones Israelis executed in 1981 against Iraq's nuclear weapons program", the diplomats were quoted by the London-based newspaper Al Hayat on Wednesday, August 4.
'Revolution' in Iraq; No U.N. or Muslim Troops To Help Americans
(August 5, 2004)
Indeed, the Americans and the Israrelis have now created their own joint vicious geopolitical stew in the Middle East; and they are very much in danger of gradually boiling away in it regardless of all the tough talk and military onslaughts.
Kerry, Israel, Jews, and the Middle East
(August 4, 2004)
John Kerry's Middle East policies have already been heavily mortgaged, if not downright sold, to those who have the greatest interest and power in controlling what the U.S. does in the crucial Middle East region and in determining where American arms, monies, and covert actions flow in the future -- powerful American Jews closely associated with Israel.
10 YEARS and 1 MILLION+ DEAD and COUNTING - MER FlashBack
(August 3, 2004)
"Here we are in the middle of the millennium year and we are responsible for genocide in Iraq. All of us that live in the silent democracies are responsible for sustained genocide in Iraq."
Former Assistant Secretary General
of the United Nations Denis Haliday
'SECURITY' POLITICS - Para-military troops dressed to kill become props in political war
(August 3, 2004)
A large numbers of 'security forces' dressed to kill in paramilitary uniforms with big guns took to the streets in New York and Washington and are there to stay, say those in charge, 'as long as it takes'. Bush and his are in fact using all this fear, and all these images, as props in their own campaign to retain power.
America Vs America
(August 1, 2004)
"The Bush Administration cannot be trusted...
George W. Bush and his administration have taken normal mendacity to a startling new level far beyond lies of convenience... They traffic in big lies, indulge in any number of symptomatic
small lies, and ultimately, have come to embody dishonesty itself. They are a lie. And people, finally, have started catching on."
Ron Reagan
(August 1, 2004)
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