tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43999961142933628432024-02-20T02:52:04.190-04:00The Grendel ReportCutting-edge OSINT on Terrorism and the Islamic ThreatTheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.comBlogger7690125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-91299296490153455632014-03-04T19:08:00.001-04:002014-03-04T19:08:09.225-04:00Feds Searching for Friend of Boston Marathon Suspect, 'Concern' Over Chechnya Trip<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Feds Searching for Friend of Boston Marathon Suspect, 'Concern' Over<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Chechnya Trip<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>March 4, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>By MICHELE McPHEE<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>BOSTON<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/feds-searching-friend-boston-marathon-suspect-concern-chechnya/story?id=22708871&singlePage=true">http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/feds-searching-friend-boston-marathon-suspect-concern-chechnya/story?id=22708871&singlePage=true</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Investigators are searching for Heda Umarova, pictured here with Boston<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in an image on a Russian social<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>networking site, after she failed to return from a family trip to Chechnya<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>last year. The others pictured have been blurred out to protect their<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>identity. VK.com<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>U.S. counter-terrorism officials are attempting to track down a female<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>friend of the accused Boston Marathon bomber after she traveled to Chechnya<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>last year and is believed to have since posted "alarming" jihadi imagery<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>online, officials told ABC News.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Officials are concerned that Heda Umarova, 23, may have been radicalized to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Islamist violence -- allegedly just like her friend Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>charged in the April 15 bombings, and his brother Tamerlan, who was killed<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>in a police shootout -- and could pose a threat to Americans overseas<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>because her U.S. passport allows easy foreign travel.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Umarova left Boston with her family in July with a round-trip ticket to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>visit relatives in their native Chechnya, but she failed to return to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Massachusetts with her parents at the end of August. Her family told federal<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>authorities and ABC News she stayed behind to get married after she met a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>man there during Ramadan.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Her younger brothers, Adam, 20, and Junes, 18, were already under suspicion<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>by some investigators because of their online support for the Tsarnaev<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>brothers and social media postings that included tweets with Dzhokhar a day<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>before the blasts. A photo of Junes Umarov and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev lighting<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>fireworks appeared on one social networking site in January 2013, an ABC<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>News investigation found.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"No one is calling Heda a terrorist but her travel has certainly garnered<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>some attention. People are concerned that a 23-year-old is in Chechnya, a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>country that she fled from... and now she is deciding to stay on her own," a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>ranking law enforcement source involved in the Boston Marathon investigation<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>told ABC News. The source said that her decision to stay in Chechnya also<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>raised eyebrows because, at least until she is married, she didn't seem to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>have any "obvious means" of support.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"We were already concerned about the social media exchanged with her<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>brothers, who remain on the radar, especially the younger brother Junes, who<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>was Dzhokhar's best friend," the source added.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>And now, sources said, the FBI has been monitoring Heda Umarova's apparent<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Internet posts recently, which include depictions of Chechen jihadis<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>brandishing weapons and a photo-shopped image of a U.S. passport in a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>carry-on bag bearing the black flag of jihad.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Heda and her brothers did not respond to multiple attempts by ABC News to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>reach them through their parents and social media to comment on the sources'<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>allegations.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In a brief interview at his family's home last month, Heda's father Hamzat<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Umarov told ABC News that he spoke to the "FBI and CIA" about the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>photographs but refused to talk about whether he believes his daughter is<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>becoming radicalized.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"What does it mean, pictures? Pictures can be anywhere. It doesn't mean<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>anything, the pictures. We don't want to talk about it. We talk with the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>FBI, everybody. The FBI came, CIA, everybody's come,'' he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Umarova's trip back to the same country from which her parents fled as<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>refugees a decade ago to seek political asylum in the U.S. brought federal<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>agents back to her family's Chelsea home -- the same second-floor apartment<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>that armed agents searched last April during the manhunt for the accused<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>marathon bomber, several law enforcement officials told ABC News.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Heda Umarova has not been indicted for any offenses, sources said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>A spokesman for the Boston FBI field office declined to comment on Heda<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Umarova or any possible threat she may pose. "It is the FBI's policy not to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>confirm or deny whether or not an investigation is being conducted,'' said<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Special Agent Gregory Comcowich.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Heda Umarova's Sister: We Were Treated Like 'Terrorists'<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The Umarovs were questioned by immigration officials extensively about the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>reasons for the return trip to Chechnya when they left Boston last summer,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>scrutiny that only intensified when they returned without Heda, law<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>enforcement sources said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"They had a hard time getting out of the country and an even harder time<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>coming back when she [Heda] was not with them,'' said a law enforcement<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>official familiar with the Umarov family.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The questioning led Heda's sister, Hawa Umarova, 26, to complain to U.S.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Customs and Border Protection and Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>officials that her family was treated like "terrorists," the sources said,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>despite their constant cooperation with various local and federal law<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>enforcement agencies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Chelsea Police Chief Brian Keyes confirmed that Hawa Umarova was cooperative<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>with his officers last April after the identities of the suspected marathon<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>bombers became known and that her family submitted to a voluntary search of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>their home during the desperate search for Dhzokhar Tsarnaev.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Federal investigators were led to Chelsea initially by Twitter messages<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>exchanged between Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Junes Umarov a day before the twin<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>blasts exploded along the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and wounding another 260 others last April 15.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In addition to the social media exchanges between Junes and Dzhokhar,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>federal authorities are now also scrutinizing a Russian social networking<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>page using the name Heda Umarova that was linked to a fan page for Dzhokhar<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>on the same social networking site.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The page is sympathetic to Tsarnaev and his supporters, who insist on his<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>innocence. It features several pictures of the Umarov siblings with Dzhokhar<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Tsarnaev, including one with Heda, her brother Adam, and "Johar" as a boy,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>which is the Russian spelling of the accused terrorist's nickname.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>But the postings on the Heda Umarova VK page that have concerned federal<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>counter-terrorism officials include photographs of several women dressed as<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>jihadi fighters in Chechnya, taken probably about a decade ago, an expert<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In one photo, a woman in a black headscarf is toting an AK-47 rifle. Other<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>extremist postings support martyrdom and violence for Islam.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Days after ABC News spoke with Heda's parents, the images in question and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>the link to the fan page for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev disappeared from the Heda<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Umarova VK page.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The social networking page also included links to Kavkaz Center, which is a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>jihadist media portal linked to Doku Umarov, the jihadi leader of the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Caucusus Emirate who threatened to strike the Sochi Olympics last July.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>There is no familial relation to the terror leader and Umarov is a common<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>name, family members in Chelsea, Mass. told ABC News.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Investigators found a YouTube page created by Tamerlan Tsarnaev that<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>included a lecture given by a leader connected to Doku Umarov, law<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>enforcement officials said, but there is no evidence the North Caucasus<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>militant leader influenced the marathon attacks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Heda's Mother: I 'Love' the US<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>During another interview last week, Heda's mother, Raisa Umarova, became<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>emotional when asked why her daughter stayed behind in Chechnya, a country<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>that she and her husband desperately wanted to leave 10 years ago when their<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>five children were "babies."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"She is getting married. She doesn't speak good Russian. They [the Umarov<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>children] come to this country as babies. This is my home now. I love this<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>country. I love my children being here," the mother said through tears.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Raisa Umarova said her family came to Massachusetts as political refugees<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>but became proud U.S. citizens after seven years here.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The Umarovs as new immigrants became friendly with the Tsarnaevs in 2004,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>three years after the Tsarnaevs arrived, Hamzat Umarov told federal<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>officials, and acknowledged to ABC News that the families "knew each other."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Both families were natives of Chechnya -- though the elder Tsarnaevs now<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>live in neighboring Dagestan -- who successfully sought political asylum in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>the United States by citing the staggering violence in that region and "the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Tsarnaevs took them under their wing," an investigator said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>But despite her younger children's public support for Dzhokhar, Raisa<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Umarova insisted that she and her husband have no contact with the Tsarnaev<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>family.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"I don't like them. I like my country,'' she said, referring to America.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>No one in the Umarov family has been charged with a crime or named as a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>suspect complicit in the April 15 attack on the Boston Marathon.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Chelsea High School officials said federal investigators interviewed Junes'<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>teachers and classmates after the marathon bombings last year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Chelsea High Principal Joseph Mullaney told ABC News all five of the Umarov<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>children attended the public school and called them "bright students." Junes<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and Adam were in Advanced Placement classes, like their older sister Hawa,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>who speaks several languages, Mullaney added.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hawa went on to graduate from Mass College of Liberal Arts in North Adams,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Mass. Junes and Adam are roommates and students at MCLA now. Adam Umarov was<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>questioned on campus last year, officials said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Chelsea High School librarian Thelma Dakubu said the entire Umarov family<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>strongly identified with Chechnya. Adam even posted the Chechen flag of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Ichkeria - which symbolizes the ongoing conflict between the Russian<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>federation and nationalists there - on his Chelsea High School Yearbook page<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>in 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"They were fond of saying, 'We're not Russian. We're Chechen,''' Dakubu told<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>ABC News. "Heda was the quiet one."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Dakubu was also quick to add that the family appeared tight-knit and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>hardworking. The family patriarch, Hamzat Umarov, even performed a custom<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Chechen dance at a high school talent show with his daughters, she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"They seem to be a close family,'' Dakubu said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In his 2013 high school yearbook, Junes Umarov wrote, "I'm a stress free<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>kind of guy" -- which is the identical quote Dzhokhar Tsarnaev tweeted two<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>days after the bombings, one of several he sent during the chaotic search<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>for the attackers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Both Hamzat Umarov and his wife Raisa Umarova insisted in separate<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>interviews that Heda stayed in Chechnya to get married. Raisa Umarova said<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>that the future groom is "lovely" and that Heda met him during Ramadan<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>services during the family trip.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The family, however, would not provide details on the wedding and declined<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>to identify the groom to ABC News. Sources said law enforcement officials<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>were similarly stonewalled.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Tsarnaev has been held in a Massachusetts federal prison at Fort Devens<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>since his arrest and the Department of Justice has announced prosecutors<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>will seek the death penalty. Tsarnaev is also charged with the assassination<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, who prosecutors said was gunned down by<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on April 18.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>U.S. District Court Judge George A. O'Toole ruled last month that the trial<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>is slated to begin in November and allowed the defense team to add another<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>death penalty attorney to work on the case. Last week defense attorneys<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>complained in a court filing that the FBI is monitoring every file that they<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>review with Tsarnaev, endangering his right to a fair trial. 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I appreciate your bipartisan efforts to achieve that end.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>As talks between the P+5 nations and Iran over its nuclear program continue, we need to examine Iran's past and present, and determine how that will foreshadow its future.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>We are all well-aware of the threats and actions of the Islamic Republic over the past 30 years – including its failure to pay what is now $18 billion in judgments against it – which I will discuss later in my testimony. However, it is the future and evolving threat about which we must be most concerned. My intelligence background tells me that we need to be anticipating potential developments and asking the tough questions about where Iran may be heading. We know the past. How does that inform the future?<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>What are the potential dramatic developments that could transform the threat from Iran, and its proxy Hizballah? There are at least three areas that I believe will significantly magnify the threat that the United States will face from Iran. These go well beyond Iran's commitment to continue to use conventional terrorist tools, expand its sphere of influence, and develop its ballistic missile and nuclear program. Transformational areas include:<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> An increasing sophistication of Iran's cyber program and capability to conduct cyber warfare.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> A strengthening of the relationship between Iran and Russia.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> The possibility of more collaboration between Iran, Hizballah, Hamas, Al Qaeda, and the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as other Islamist groups.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The developments in these areas will profoundly impact America's security moving forward. Please allow me to discuss each of these in more detail.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Cyber Threat<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>First, cyber space is the new battlefield, and it is an especially difficult environment. It is hard to detect. It is difficult to identify attackers. It can do significant damage. It can reach globally and cross borders effortlessly. Press reports indicate that it has been used by Iran's enemies to disrupt its nuclear program.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The United States has established a Cyber Command headed by Gen. Keith Alexander. In recent congressional testimony he discussed a potential attack "that galvanizes some of these<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Islamic fundamentalists into a true fighting force...we don't have the proper footing...to stop that." He went on to state that regardless of the work at cyber command, "I worry that we might not be ready in time."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The Iranian regime is fully aware of our vulnerabilities, and it reportedly has grand ambitions for its cyber warfare capabilities. Only a few years ago most experts rated Iran at tier two or tier three cyber capabilities. Today many are surprised and believe that Iran has dramatically closed the gap and ranks closely behind tier one cyber powers such as the U.S., Russia, China, and Israel. They are not only surprised, but they wonder how Iran could have made up that much ground so quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>In March 2012, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, announced the creation a new Supreme Council of Cyberspace to oversee the defense of the Islamic Republic's computer networks and develop new avenues to infiltrate or attack the computer networks of its enemies, according to reporting by Shane Harris in Foreign Policy.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>As with many of its capabilities, Iran is not afraid to use them once they have them. Iran has infiltrated U.S. financial institutions through a computer network at the University of Michigan, and last year it hacked into an unclassified computer network used by the Navy. It also claims to have used cyber capabilities to take control of a U.S. drone and capture it.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Furthermore, an Iranian military official recently said that the Armed Forces are equipped with the most advanced information technologies and should be ready to confront enemies in the field of electronic warfare, reports the Iranian Fars News Agency.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The very nature of cyber warfare and Iran's increasing capability should be of major concern to the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Ties with Russia<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The relationship between Russia and Iran has always been a complex roller coaster. Recently it appears that both of its leaders see a mutual benefit in forging stronger ties in the economic and security spheres.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Cooperation in the security sphere is easy to understand, with both seeing the U.S. as their primary target.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Russian antagonism toward the U.S. and its ambitions of once again becoming a world superpower are well-documented.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>It is currently working to bring Ukraine back into its fold over the overtures from the European Union and other Western powers. It harbors a U.S. traitor who leaked secret documents while working as a contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>More relevant to today's hearing is that Russia is largely suspected of helping Iran to develop its advanced cyber capability. Both Russia and Iran are reportedly providing arms to the brutal Bashar al-Assad regime as it builds up its death toll in the country's civil war.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Will Iran itself serve as a proxy in Russia's aggressive posture against the U.S.? Just how much is Russia working with Iran to foment violence in areas like Iraq and Afghanistan and assert itself in other Middle Eastern affairs? Recent reports about Russian intentions for military basing in Central and South America should also be of concern.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>How far will a closer relationship between Iran and Russia go, and what will that mean to U.S. national security? Cooperation between these two U.S. antagonists creates a dangerous new dynamic.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Iran's Affairs with other Islamist Terror Groups<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>What is the prospect for Iran, Hizballah, Al-Qaeda, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other Islamist groups, to work together in the future to achieve their goals of destroying the U.S., the West, and Israel?<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Again, these are very complex relationships. The groups are deeply divided in the brutal and deadly Syrian conflict. There is the long history of conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Their differences are well understood and historically documented.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>However, in the past they have bridged their differences and have found opportunities to work together, successfully.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>In the multidistrict case in regard to the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, plaintiffs' attorneys demonstrated that Iran, Hizballah, and al Qaeda formed an alliance in the early 1990s. Experts testified that Iran had been waging an undeclared war on the U.S. and Israel since 1979, often through proxies such as Hizballah, Al Qaeda, and Hamas.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>For more than 20 years, Iran, via its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), provided training to Hizballah and Al Qaeda.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Furthermore, according to court documents, Iran's facilitation of the travel of at least eight of the 9/11 hijackers "amounted to essential material support, indeed direct support, for the 9/11 attacks."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>According to the 2012 State Department report on international terrorism that was released on May 30, 2013, "Iran provided financial, material, and logistical support for terrorist and militant groups in the Middle East and Central Asia. Iran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and militant groups to implement foreign policy goals, provide cover for intelligence operations, and stir up instability in the Middle East."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The United States needs to understand the capabilities of each of these organizations individually, as well as the threat that they pose in their totality. They share the same goals, as Senator Dianne Feinstein, the Chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, recently articulated on CNN. They want to engage in jihad, impose Sharia law, and establish the caliphate.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>They have much that separates them, but they also have much in common.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Developments in cyber, Russian/Iranian relationships, and cooperation among Islamic terror groups will do much to shape the nature of the future capabilities not only of Iran, but the totality of the threat that the United States faces. The developments in these areas will determine whether there is transformational change.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Reviewing Iran's Dark Past<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Sanctions against Iran<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran have never been limited in scope to its nuclear weapons activities.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Sanctions have always been used to target a wide range of Iranian actions.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>President Carter ordered a freeze on all Iranian assets in the first series of sanctions against Iran, which resulted from the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis in which the Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini held 52 Americans in the U.S. Embassy for 444 days. Nuclear weapons were not an issue at this time.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Additional sanctions were introduced in 1984 when Iran was implicated in the bombing of U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Since the attack, consecutive administrations have designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism and banned all foreign aid to Tehran.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>In 1992, the Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Act targeted the acquisition of chemical, biological, nuclear, or destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1995 imposed new sanctions on foreign companies that engage in specified economic transactions with Iran or Libya. It was intended to help deny Iran and Libya revenues that could be used to finance international terrorism, as well as limit the flow of resources necessary to obtain weapons of mass destruction.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>President Bush froze the assets of any entity determined to be supporting international terrorism following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 in New York and Washington. These included individuals, organizations, and financial institutions in Iran.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>In 2011, the United States designated the entire Iranian banking system as potentially supporting terrorist activities. In 2012, President Obama issued an executive order aimed at disrupting Iran's oil revenue.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The support for further strengthening sanctions in Congress is strong.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>There is in fact growing bipartisan support in the Senate for introducing new penalties related to its ballistic missile stockpiles – which are the ideal delivery systems for nuclear warheads – and are not included in current negotiations with Iran.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Ranking Republican Mark Kirk (R-IL) have introduced legislation, but President Obama has issued a veto threat citing the ongoing negotiations.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Iran's International Terror Network and Global Reach<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Iran continues to fund global terrorism unabated. The regime's relentless support of terrorists and terrorist-supported organizations since the horrific 1983 attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut is well-documented.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The current list of countries where Iran has significant outreach and sponsored terrorist activity is breathtaking.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>They include Afghanistan, Bahrain, India, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Nigeria, Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Comoro Islands, Djibouti, Tanzania, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, Ecuador, Venezuela, Yemen, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Surinam, Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico, USA, France, Germany, UK, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Thailand, Cyprus, and Bulgaria. (Chart 1)<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 5, 2013, outgoing Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis described Iran as "the single-most significant regional threat to stability and prosperity."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Over the years the Iran-controlled Shia terror network – comprising the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp- Quds Force and Tehran's proxy in Lebanon, Hizballah – have plotted numerous attacks on Western and Israeli targets.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Iranian Presence in South America, Latin America, and the Western Hemisphere<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Iran has an active presence and extensive network in Latin America and the broader Western Hemisphere. In addition to enjoying strong bilateral ties and state support from governments in Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela – and, we fear, El Salvador might be the next to roll out the welcome mat – the Islamic Republic "maintains a network of intelligence agents specifically tasked with sponsoring and executing terrorist attacks in the Western Hemisphere."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>A 500-page indictment released by Alberto Nisman, chief prosecutor of the investigation into the July 1994 bombing of the AMIA (Associacion Mutual Israelita Argentina) Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires corroborated evidence of Iran's infiltration into Latin America. "For the first time in the Argentine and world judicial history, it has been gathered and substantiated in a judicial file, evidence that proved the steps taken by a terrorist regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran, to infiltrate, for decades, large regions of Latin America, through the establishment of clandestine intelligence stations and operative agents which are used to execute terrorist attacks when the Iranian regime decides so, both directly or through its proxy, the terrorist organization Hezbollah," the report said.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>In addition to Argentina, where the AMIA bombing took place, the report named Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname as countries that had been deeply infiltrated by Iranian intelligence networks.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>An earlier indictment related to the AMIA bombing from 2003 referenced a document seized from the house of an Iranian diplomat that proposed a strategy to export the Iranian revolution and Islam from South America to North America. The document said that areas densely populated by Muslims "will be used from Argentina as [the] center of penetration of Islam and its ideology towards the North American continent."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>There have been reports of Iran and Hizballah militants working in collusion with Mexican narco-traffickers as part of their larger global, asymmetric warfare against the United States. A leaked 2010 Tucson police department report cited growing use of improvised explosive devices and car bombs by Mexican terrorist organizations signaling possible collaboration with Hizballah that specializes in such explosive devices. Hizballah is also helping Mexican cartels set up "narco tunnels" along the border to help get narcotics into the U.S. from Mexico.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>As national security expert Douglas Farah notes in his October 2011 testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, "There is growing concern that Hezbollah is providing technology for the increasingly sophisticated narco tunnels now being found along the U.S.-Mexican border which strongly resemble the types used by Hizballah in Lebanon."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Several cases of Hizballah activity in Mexico have been recorded in the past decade: Salim Boughder-Mucharrfille, a Mexican of Lebanese descent who ran a café in Tijuana, smuggled at least 200 "Lebanese nationals sympathetic to Hamas and Hezbollah into the United States" from Mexico. Boughder-Mucharrfille was sentenced to 60 years in prison on immigrant smuggling and organized crime charges.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Hizballah has engaged in a wide range of criminal activities in the U.S. itself, including cigarette-smuggling scams, procurement scams, intellectual property crime, tax evasion, counterfeiting, and drug trafficking to raise millions of dollars in the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Monetary judgments against Iran in U.S. courts<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Iran has been held liable and assessed judgments in excess of $18 billion to compensate victims of its terrorist activities, yet it has only paid out a pittance of that amount.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>In numerous cases brought in U.S. courts under the state-sponsored terrorism exception to jurisdictional immunity of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) after it was amended in 1996, Iran has defaulted and been found liable for acts of terror that have killed or maimed U.S. citizens, both domestically and internationally.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Iran generally does not fight against a judgment, but hires major U.S. firms to fight the collection of the award.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The plaintiffs in these cases include victims of: the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut; the 1996 bombing of the U.S. Air Force residence at Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia; numerous suicide bombings, rocket attacks and other assaults by Middle Eastern terrorist groups, financed and facilitated by Iran; the September 11, 2001 attacks, and other violent attacks on Americans. Award amounts have risen over the years, but judgments are largely unsatisfied.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The bombing of the U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut killed 241 American servicemen operating under peacetime rules of engagement. After a bench trial in March 2003, the district court found that Iran and the Iranian Ministry of Information and Security were liable for damages from the attack because they provided material financial and logistical support to Hizballah to carry it out. On September 7, 2007, the court entered a default judgment against the defendants in the total amount of $2,656,944,877.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The June 25, 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers residence in Saudi Arabia killed 19 U.S. Air Force personnel and wounded hundreds more. The Department of Justice announced the indictment in June 2001 of 13 members of the Saudi Hizballah group and one member of Lebanese Hizballah who assisted with the construction of the tanker truck, but the defendants were never tried in the U.S. on those criminal charges.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The indictment noted the linkage of entities:<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>"These Hizballah organizations were inspired, supported, and directed by elements of the Iranian government. Saudi Hizballah, also known as Hizballah Al-Hijaz, was a terrorist organization that operated primarily in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and that promoted, among other things, the use of violence against nationals and property of the United States located in Saudi Arabia. Because Saudi Hizballah was an outlaw organization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its members frequently met and trained in Lebanon, Syria, or Iran."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>A series of cases brought by victims and their families alleged that Iran, the Iranian Ministry of Information and Security ("MOIS"), the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp ("IRGC" or "the Pasdaran"), and "John Does" were "liable for damages from the attack because they<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>provided material support and assistance to Hezbollah, the terrorist organization that orchestrated and carried out the bombing."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The trial judge found that "'the Khobar Towers bombing was planned, funded, and sponsored by senior leadership in the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; the IRGC had the responsibility and worked with Saudi Hizballah to execute the plan, and the MOIS participated in the planning and funding of the attack.'" As of November 2013, the judgment awarded in these cases stood at approximately $591 million in punitive and compensatory damages, as plaintiffs continued to attempt to collect.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Similarly, numerous cases were filed in U.S. courts against Iran for damages from bombings, rocket attacks and other terrorist events by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hizballah. The courts found that Iran materially supported the terror groups, and was therefore liable for the damages from the attacks.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>As one court held:<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>"Iran funnels much of its support to Hamas through MOIS, a ministry with approximately 30,000 employees and a budget of between $100,000,000 and $400,000,000 [citations omitted]. With Iranian government funds, MOIS 'spends between $ 50,000,000 and $ 100,000,000 a year sponsoring terrorist activities of various organizations such as Hamas.'... The bombing also would not have occurred without Iranian sponsorship."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>At a hearing in 2009, after Congress modified the FSIA to include punitive damages, the federal district court judge presiding over a consolidation of cases brought by American terror victims against Iran noted:<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>"The cases against Iran that will be addressed by the Court today involve more than one thousand individual plaintiffs. Like countless others before them, the plaintiffs in these actions have demonstrated through competent evidence – including the testimony of several prominent experts in the field of national security – that Iran has provided material support to terrorist organizations, like Hezbollah and Hamas, that have orchestrated unconscionable acts of violence that have killed or injured hundreds of Americans. As a result of these civil actions, Iran faces more than nine billion dollars in liability in the form of court judgments for money damages. Despite plaintiffs' best efforts to execute these court judgments, virtually all have gone unsatisfied."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Of course, efforts to collect funds to satisfy the judgments have yielded almost nothing. The federal district court in Washington has "awarded more than $18 billion in judgments against Iran since 2008 for its support of terrorism." While award amounts have risen, judgments remain largely unsatisfied.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Iran has long been an outlaw state. For decades the United States has faced an Iranian threat consisting of brutal terrorist attacks. The United States has watched Iranian influence grow around the world. We have watched it develop networks near our borders and even within our borders. We have watched with great concern Iran's development of ballistic missile capabilities and its pursuit of nuclear weapons capability.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Iran in fact all but declared war against the United States when its agents attempted to assassinate a Saudi Arabian ambassador on U.S. soil in 2011. The threat is real and growing. The question is now whether the threat is entering a transformational phase.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The Investigative Project on Terrorism believes the Iranian theocracy has a very dark past and present, and in that context we are very concerned about its future. Iran will view cyber warfare, a closer relationship with Russia, and the possibility of closer cooperation with other Islamist terror groups as potential opportunities to radically change the national security equation for the U.S. and our allies. Just like the nuclear program, each of these will take some time to develop. But that's what it has always been about Iran: buying time.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Iran has skirted away from accepting responsibility for the regime's actions since the 1979 revolution. After billions of dollars in judgments against Iran, it is time for those who have suffered greatly from Iran's brutal actions to receive just compensation. Even Muammar Gaddafi in Libya was required to do so under the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Libya fulfilled its obligations under the bill by accepting responsibility for the 270 people who died in the 1988 bombing of PanAm 103, renouncing terrorism, and arranging for the payment of appropriate compensation to the families of the victims.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>The bill is now titled the Iran Sanctions Act because Iran has refused to do the same.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>We need to keep in mind that Iran is a ruthless killing machine, it is committed to creating a global Islamic caliphate ruled by Shariah law by any means possible, and it flagrantly makes a mockery of international laws and norms.<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>Can we really expect Iran to fulfill any of its unenforceable commitments reached during the ongoing negotiations over its nuclear program, especially keeping in mind that it has never really been held accountable for its actions prior to now?<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>It would be an incredible leap of faith to sign such a significant deal with a regime that has shown time and again that it cannot be trusted in the past to trust it in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></h1></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-86881085548565138882014-03-04T19:00:00.001-04:002014-03-04T19:00:51.605-04:00Suspected terrorist links to synthetic ID fraud are being 'ignored'<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/suspected-terrorist-links-to-synthetic-id-fraud-are-being-ignored-1.2557677">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/suspected-terrorist-links-to-synthetic-id-fraud-are-being-ignored-1.2557677</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Suspected terrorist links to synthetic ID fraud are being 'ignored'<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>'This is not a conventional crime. This is more towards terrorism,' expert<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>says<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>By Rick MacInnes-Rae, and Mark Gollom, CBC News Posted: Mar 04, 2014 5:00 AM<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>ET Last Updated: Mar 04, 2014 5:00 AM ET<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The growing problem of synthetic identity fraud is raising concerns that<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>terrorist cells could be linked to these schemes, experts say.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"This requires immediate attention. This is extremely serious, and it's been<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>ignored for way too long," said Kalyani Munshani, an expert in financial<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>crime.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Synthetic identity fraud is a scheme that procures new and genuine credit<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and identification cards using false names in order to create a fake<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>identity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Synthetic ID fraud investigations thwarted by 'information silos'<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> How 'synthetic' identity fraud costs Canada $1B a year<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Synthetic identities: Alarming trends<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Synthetic identity fraud: The anatomy of a scam<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Fraudsters have been able to obtain driver's licences, passports, phone<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>numbers and credit cards, as well as open bank accounts, take out bank loans<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and create companies, all under fake names. By the time police move in, many<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>of the fraudsters have vanished, leaving investigators trying to locate<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>people who never existed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>While domestic organized crime is certainly involved in these frauds,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Munshani has warned of the possibility of a terrorist link.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>She said synthetic identities are used for two purposes: revenue generation<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and logistical purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"And this is where the real concern lies," said Munshani, who has referred<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>to synthetic identity fraud as a "game changer."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"Using synthetic identities, safe houses can be established, cars can be<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>rented, heavy vehicles can be bought, international travel can be<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>facilitated, restricted goods can be bought without any flags being raised,"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>she said. "This is not a conventional crime. This is more towards terrorism,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>I believe, not just merely revenue generation."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The RCMP has also warned that terrorism may be a motivating factor in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>creating identity-related fraud schemes including synthetic identities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>John Russo, vice-president and legal counsel of consumer credit reporting<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>agency Equifax, said they've uncovered cases of people on do-not-fly lists<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>using synthetic IDs for travel purposes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"They've created these fictitious IDs to escape and avoid being caught at<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>airports, and being able to travel across the borders in terms of exchange<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>of materials. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"So it's not only financial gain, but for other criminal elements."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Police have also uncovered synthetic identity fraud involving airline<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>tickets between New York, Toronto and Pakistan, a high-risk state in the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>world of global security.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Toronto Police Detective Constable Mike Kelly, who has been investigating<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>synthetic identities for the past four years, said these schemes can be<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"very useful to anybody with bad things on their mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"Think of the potential of having an apartment and a vehicle and a phone,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>all registered in different names. That you can come and go as you please.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>You have the ability to open businesses and transport large volumes of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>materials in trucks with appropriate permits and licence designations," he<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"And then at the end of the day, when people like myself and police agencies<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>go to investigate who's behind it all, there's a puff of smoke and there's<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>nobody there."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Fraudsters didn't enjoy 'spoils of their efforts'<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> In a five-month investigation called Operation Mouse, Kelly and his<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>colleague discovered synthetic identities were responsible for $25 million<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>in fraud losses in which credit card bills and mortgages were never repaid.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>But Kelly said one of his concerns is that the vast majority of fraudsters<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>they've come across who are involved in these schemes are living modestly. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"Generally people do fraud for financial gain and most people get financial<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>gain so they can enjoy the spoils of their efforts. In this case, we never<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>saw that," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Instead, Kelly said he believes the money is going to "something overseas<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>that isn't anything positive."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"I don't think anything good comes from somebody in an organization<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>hoovering tens of millions of dollars out of our legitimate economy and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>feeding some form of organized crime. Particularly one that operates<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>overseas."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Mushani suggested that the ease with which identities can be created, the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>amount of money that can be raised and the destination of the funds should<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>be cause for concern.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"There are streams of money. We don't know where it's going. Hezbollah?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Perhaps, I can't say. Or any organization? I can't say.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"In your own backyard you have safe houses being put up by people you're not<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>aware of. You don't know the size of this group of individuals, but they're<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>highly financially- sophisticated," she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"They know how the departments work, government departments. Where the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>access points are. Where the weaknesses are. They seem to know a lot of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>things. I think it would worry anyone."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Terrorist finance laws brought in after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks are just<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>not effective to deal with this new type of crime, she added.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"The complete structure cannot appropriately address this crime," she said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-62884492241965765992014-03-04T18:56:00.001-04:002014-03-04T18:56:15.333-04:00These Are the American Forces That Could Fight in Ukraine<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="https://medium.com/war-is-boring/86604672f2a6">https://medium.com/war-is-boring/86604672f2a6</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h1>These Are the American Forces That Could Fight in Ukraine<o:p></o:p></h1><h2 name=subtitle>One carrier battle group, jets, Marines and paratroopers<o:p></o:p></h2><ul type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'>Robert Beckhusen in <a href="https://medium.com/war-is-boring" title="Go to War is Boring">War is Boring</a><o:p></o:p></li></ul><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></div><p name=f497>Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, characterized Russia’s intervention in Ukraine to be “as dangerous as it is destabilizing.” But Washington has so far stopped short of direct action beyond pulling out of June’s G8 summit in Sochi.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=866a>It’s a terribly unpredictable situation—and there are indications Ukraine and Russia are on the verge of open war. As the situation escalates, it’s important to take note of U.S. military forces in the region, just in case.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=f227>This summary is <em>not </em>to suggest these forces will actually deploy. There are <a href="https://medium.com/war-is-boring/a7d6639e5dcd">lots of good reasons</a> why the U.S. will not do anything militarily. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, for one. Second, American action could risk a disastrous war with a nuclear-armed state.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=c506>“We are strong enough to <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/28/ukraine-crisis-un-idUKL6N0LX3QA20140228" target="_blank">defend ourselves</a>,” Yuriy Sergeyev, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.N., said on Feb. 28. As if to hammer home the point, Sen. John McCain stressed to <em>The Daily Beast </em>on March 1 that there is <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/01/exclusive-mccain-tells-obama-how-to-punish-putin.html" target="_blank">no military option</a> the U.S. or NATO can use against to deter Russia from withdrawing its forces from Crimea or moving farther into Ukraine.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=7db1>But it’s worth keeping tabs on what nearby U.S. forces are up to. This is not a complete list, as we’ve focused on the forces most capable of projecting power: Navy ships, aircraft and ground units capable of rapid deployment.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter" /> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0" /> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" /> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t" /> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="Rectangle_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_s1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/1199/1*Lw93n0u6faCVYlwrMmpWwQ.jpeg" style='width:675.05pt;height:451pt;visibility:visible;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:char;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001'> <v:imagedata cropbottom="-1407374884f" cropright="-1407374884f" /> <w:wrap type="none"/> <w:anchorlock/> </v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmuW0TCLJ1o7bE5UShM6pX8tF80UqjD2FBwMvwKPolGHVtQg53aGJIt-4itaS98XypxnRNmpCgZ_Gw-thp4C55iyE04HYQOvV0OIZyA8N55JeA7UVIXEERmyQmQat-JYESNNcAbZ2E5_h/s1600/image001-775334.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmuW0TCLJ1o7bE5UShM6pX8tF80UqjD2FBwMvwKPolGHVtQg53aGJIt-4itaS98XypxnRNmpCgZ_Gw-thp4C55iyE04HYQOvV0OIZyA8N55JeA7UVIXEERmyQmQat-JYESNNcAbZ2E5_h/s320/image001-775334.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987071776948711618" /></a><![endif]>USS <em><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>George H.W. Bush</span></em> flight operations on Feb. 2, 2013. Department of Defense photo<o:p></o:p></p><h3>Naval ships<o:p></o:p></h3><p class=notes-source-hasnotes name=c565>By far the greatest U.S. firepower in the region belongs to the USS <em>George H.W. Bush </em>aircraft carrier and her accompanying strike group. Together, they boast dozens of aircraft and hundreds of cruise missiles. A carrier strike group might be <em>the</em> symbol of American military power.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=6c3f>The thousand-foot carrier left her base in Norfolk, Virginia on Feb. 15 and entered the Mediterranean on Feb. 27. She is replacing the carrier USS <em>Harry S. Truman</em>, which is in the final days of a nine-month deployment patrolling the waters near the Middle East.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=9f53>There are nine squadrons aboard <em>Bush</em>. Four are fighter squadrons—two flying the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and two with older F/A-18C Hornets. The exact number of fighters in a squadron varies, but typically ranges between 12 and 14 for the Super Hornet units and 10 and 12 for the Hornets. <em>Bush</em> could carry as many as 52 fighters, in all.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=15ef><em>Bush </em>also has a squadron of four EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare planes, another squadron with four E-2C Hawkeye early-warning aircraft, two squadrons of Seahawk helicopters—with 10 to 11 birds each—and two C-2 transport planes.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=affc>Aside from <em>Bush</em>, the carrier group includes the destroyers USS <em>Truxtun </em>and<em> </em>USS <em>Roosevelt </em>and the cruiser USS <em>Philippine Sea. </em>Combined, the three warships pack some 300 long-range air-defense missiles and land-attack cruise missiles.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=b1f2>U.S. carrier groups always have at least one nuclear-powered attack submarine nearby, although the subs’ identities and dispositions are usually secret.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=304f>Two other American destroyers are in the Med operating independently from the carrier group. These are the USS <em>Arleigh Burke </em>and USS <em>Donald Cook</em>, both based in Spain for ballistic missile defense.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=147f>In the Black Sea, the Navy has at least one ship—possibly two—initially tasked with helping provide security during the Sochi Winter Olympics.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=adde>One is the frigate USS <em>Taylor. </em>But on Feb. 12, <em>Taylor </em>ran aground during a stop in the Turkish port of Samsun, scraping its propeller. The Navy fired the ship’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Dennis Volpe. <em>Taylor</em>’s last known position was Samsun.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=f2c7>The other ship in the area is very, very interesting.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=8e3a>Accompanying the <em>Taylor</em> was the USS <em>Mount Whitney</em>, a high-tech command ship capable of hoovering up vast amounts of electronic communications. <em>Mount Whitney </em>was <a href="http://turkishnavy.net/2014/02/27/uss-mount-whitney-left-istanbul/" target="_blank">last seen</a> on Feb. 27 leaving Istanbul, heading <em>toward</em> the Med.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=2a74>It should come as no surprise if the ship turned around.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Rectangle_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/1200/1*Cx0YKvl-8i2TPQF4lvR3JQ.jpeg" style='width:675.05pt;height:449.85pt;visibility:visible;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:char;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001'> <v:imagedata cropbottom="-1407374884f" cropright="-1407374884f" /> <w:wrap type="none"/> <w:anchorlock/> </v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uCVA1H3lxJRrFY-HDcjvbm22ciw5cfF7ZbiyrYBdK3ouNGXhJ-WsqspHnfFNjLECsfmmKiY9aCFak-A-lWNaabQqyTpJ6q4oeEGK_4D0K7lP2F8DjVfIkAgfkaJgXFOEf9rVJEOGARlz/s1600/image002-777870.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uCVA1H3lxJRrFY-HDcjvbm22ciw5cfF7ZbiyrYBdK3ouNGXhJ-WsqspHnfFNjLECsfmmKiY9aCFak-A-lWNaabQqyTpJ6q4oeEGK_4D0K7lP2F8DjVfIkAgfkaJgXFOEf9rVJEOGARlz/s320/image002-777870.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987071790546798018" /></a><![endif]>Marines with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit train in Greece in June 2009. Marine Corps photo<o:p></o:p></p><h3>Marines, jets and paratroopers<o:p></o:p></h3><p name=9e0f>Then there are the Marines. In late February, the USS <em>Bataan</em> Amphibious Ready Group arrived off the coast of Spain for an eight-month deployment.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=699c><em>Bataan</em> is a helicopter carrier transporting 2,400 Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. <em>Bataan</em>’s group includes the assault ships USS <em>Gunston Hall </em>and USS <em>Mesa Verde.</em><o:p></o:p></p><p name=c512>The 3,300 soldiers of the Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy, are available on short notice. America’s rapidly-deployable ground response force for Europe, the lightly-equipped 173rd can parachute into a war zone from C-17 and C-130 airlifters.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=53f2>And there’s always the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The famed 82nd keeps a battalion on standby, ready to deploy anywhere in the world on short notice.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=0ee8>The Air Force also has a significant presence in Europe, with its largest forces based in Italy, Germany and Britain.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=0a25>The flying branch has three F-15 squadrons at RAF Lakenheath near Suffolk, England. Two F-16 squadrons are at Aviano Air Force Base in Italy. Another F-16 squadron flies from Spangdahlem in Germany.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=eb0b>The Air Force has transport planes at Ramstein Air Force Base, Spangdahlem and Stuttgart Army Airfield in Germany.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=a7d8>Lastly, the Air Force recently sent four F-15s to Lithuania as part of a rotating NATO air patrol for the Baltic. These fighters <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2014/02/26/estonia-flyby-delayed/" target="_blank">scrambled</a> on Feb. 24 to intercept an unknown Russian plane.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=c1cc>Again, this isn’t a comprehensive list. But these <em>are</em> the American ships, planes and soldiers that are close enough and sufficiently agile to go to Ukraine quickly, in the <em>unlikely</em> event the U.S. decides to meet Russian force with force of its own.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=d5d2>Russian forces in Crimea alone number at least <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/01/284345466/russias-parliament-prepared-to-authorize-crimea-intervention" target="_blank">15,000 soldiers</a>. In the event of a wider war in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin could send tens of thousands more. A U.S. carrier group in the Med and some Marines won’t stop them. And Putin knows that.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-10379157462664819062014-03-04T18:53:00.001-04:002014-03-04T18:53:11.195-04:00No War in Ukraine, Please, We're British<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="https://medium.com/war-is-boring/f2d4e1bbf4ec">https://medium.com/war-is-boring/f2d4e1bbf4ec</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h1>No War in Ukraine, Please, We’re British<o:p></o:p></h1><h2 name=subtitle>Memo reveals dangerous U.K.-Europe split<o:p></o:p></h2><ul type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'>Peter Vine in <a href="https://medium.com/war-is-boring" title="Go to War is Boring">War is Boring</a><o:p></o:p></li></ul><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></div><p name=8ced>British Foreign Secretary William Hague <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26405321" target="_blank">visited Kiev on Sunday afternoon</a> to show solidarity with the new Ukrainian government in its showdown with Russia.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=dee6>But a journalistic scoop on Monday seemed to prove that Hague’s demonstration was, in fact, totally hollow. The U.K. has no intention of backing Ukraine with force, if an internal government memo is any indication.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=c7b0>Russia <a href="https://medium.com/war-is-boring/af7a59ff4ad8">invaded</a> Ukraine’s Crimea region—without firing a shot—in the final days of February. The U.S. and Europe are scrambling to formulate some kind of coherent response. Amid this tumult, a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26426969" target="_blank">British civil servant</a> was photographed holding briefing notes for U.K. ministers.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=5562>The memo lists decision points. They include lobbying NATO <em>against</em> considering military action. The memo also advises ministers not to support trade and banking sanctions against Russia.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=689f>The British position on the Ukrainian crisis differs starkly from the strong message coming from Washington and other NATO members. The U.S. in particular is making an aggressive stand. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the West would “go to the hilt” to isolate Russia. He threatened Moscow with measures including booting Russia out of the G8 plus other economic sanctions.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=3ec9>NATO’s eastern European members are also calling for tough action. Poland especially feels threatened and has called <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=4&cad=rja&ved=0CD0QqQIoADAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2Fnews%2Fsns-rt-us-ukraine-crisis-nato-meeting-20140301%2C0%2C4929113.story&ei=G-8UU8ewPIjA7AattICIBQ&usg=AFQjCNER62EhS9GzsDw22sfaaGSoTxBl2g&sig2=xJkvifNquS02vwT24j4iRQ&bvm=bv.62286460,bs.1,d.ZG4" target="_blank">a snap meeting</a> for Tuesday under Article Four—the consultation clause—of NATO’s founding charter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter" /> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0" /> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" /> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t" /> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="Rectangle_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/1202/1*BwImGf9RFcPzgIlAZ_AskQ.jpeg" style='width:675.05pt;height:449.3pt;visibility:visible;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:char;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001'> <v:imagedata cropbottom="-1407374884f" cropright="-1407374884f" /> <w:wrap type="none"/> <w:anchorlock/> </v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoGGmGvhj6Jry7bDh07h0cevv2gxnhHNE_ikVG1zom0dvI5j7SO3f6PB8-IxbQqBW6Zrl149A1Jlr8-oORd0ONOfMYTEv3w_WTQVrlLPUpz3IQifEwZr_SPeqbeLZpFABu1mBYrYAzZuH/s1600/image001-791195.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoGGmGvhj6Jry7bDh07h0cevv2gxnhHNE_ikVG1zom0dvI5j7SO3f6PB8-IxbQqBW6Zrl149A1Jlr8-oORd0ONOfMYTEv3w_WTQVrlLPUpz3IQifEwZr_SPeqbeLZpFABu1mBYrYAzZuH/s320/image001-791195.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987070986259216066" /></a><![endif]>NATO-Russia council meeting in Sochi in 2011. NATO photo<o:p></o:p></p><h3><strong>Pragmatism</strong><o:p></o:p></h3><p name=749a>Britain’s position is now closer to Germany’s. Berlin is also reluctant to punish Russia. Chancellor Angela Merkel is against economic sanctions including ejecting Russia from the G8. Rather than take military steps, Germany has suggested sending an E.U. or <a href="http://www.channel4.com/news/ukraine-russia-european-union-usa-costs-lavrov-hague" target="_blank">OECD fact-finding mission to the Crimea instead</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=9dd5>E.U. foreign ministers held a crisis meeting on Monday. Their statement reflected the divisions within the bloc, as highlighted by <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10672417/Ukraine-live.html" target="_blank"><em><span style='color:blue'>The Telegraph</span></em>’s Bruno Waterfield</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=2f1f>Based on the U.K. government’s briefing notes, it may be that Britain joined Germany in trying to water down the E.U.’s statement—especially on the overall tone and what sanctions, if any, Europe might impose in an attempt to boot Russia out of Ukraine.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=41f9>The end result is a divided Europe, with the U.K. and some Western European nations reluctant to take action and Eastern European nations adamant about pushing back against Moscow’s aggression.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=d362>The U.K.’s new position could reflect regional pragmatism. The U.K. is relying more on natural gas imports—heavily from Norway and Qatar—as domestic production declines. A threat of force from London could tempt Russia to limit supplies to Europe. With prices <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CC0Q-AsoAjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fnews%2F2014-03-03%2Fu-k-gas-has-biggest-gain-since-oct-2011-amid-ukraine-tension.html&ei=KvAUU5GuDc707Aa-oYC4DQ&usg=AFQjCNEuFoToStKF-sdrZUIJizIc-SLpPQ&sig2=lisI1kc14roU5yvyT3l-3w&bvm=bv.62286460,bs.1,d.ZGU" target="_blank">already spiking by 10 percent</a>, that would tighten the market and hurt British consumers.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=1e26>Europe is diversifying its gas imports, but Russia <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26418664" target="_blank">still accounts for 30 percent</a> overall.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=7bea>The U.K. is also benefiting from an influx of capital from Russian businesses using London’s banks as a safe haven. Russian oligarchs now own English soccer teams as well as many well-known addresses in London’s upmarket areas. The crisis has already dented <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5e6e415a-a2c4-11e3-9685-00144feab7de.html#axzz2uvyqUfSM" target="_blank">several Russian companies’</a> plans to launch IPOs in London.<o:p></o:p></p><p name=c94c>The U.K. economy could suffer hard from rising commodity prices coupled with a fragile stock market shaken by events in Russia and Ukraine. London has adjusted accordingly, choosing money over a hard moral stance against the Russian invasion of a sovereign state.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-68744481951648504082014-03-04T18:52:00.001-04:002014-03-04T18:52:18.416-04:00Does Ukraine's Military Stand a Chance Against the Russians?<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="https://medium.com/war-is-boring/9497957ed240">https://medium.com/war-is-boring/9497957ed240</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Does Ukraine’s Military Stand a Chance Against the Russians?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Probably not<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><ul type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Michael Peck in <a href="https://medium.com/war-is-boring" title="Go to War is Boring"><span style='color:blue'>War is Boring</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Should Ukraine and Russia go to war, Kiev’s smaller, poorer and less organized army probably won’t last long.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Estimates of Russia’s active military enrollment are all over the place, but let’s assume an army of around 300,000 soldiers. Ukraine’s army has fewer than 150,000—not counting reserves, because neither side is likely to get much value out of those.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Russia has a 15,000 or 20,000 tanks versus perhaps 5,000 for Ukraine. How many tanks are <i>operational</i> is a wholly different matter.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Moscow possesses close to 2,000 combat aircraft versus only a few hundred for Ukraine—and let’s not even bother comparing naval strength.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Russia’s numerical superiority is significant enough, but countries such as Israel have managed to win despite being outnumbered. While Ukraine doesn’t have the very latest weaponry, it did inherit plenty of very capable systems from the late Soviet Union, including Su-27 jet fighters and T-80 tanks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>No, the real flaw in the Ukrainian army is its poor readiness. “Ukraine’s military suffers from a number of key structural weaknesses that severely undermine its nominal strength,” geopolitical analysis firm Stratfor asserts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Budget estimates vary, but Moscow’s 2013 military spending was probably close to $100 billion, compared to Kiev’s $2 billion. “Ukraine could not hope to adequately maintain its over-sized equipment inventory,” Stratfor notes. Constrained funding also limits training.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Thus most of Ukraine’s tanks are in storage and will stay there. As for the air force, Stratfor points out that “photos of the 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade stationed in the dual civilian-military airport of Belbek [in Crimea], which the Russians recently seized, show numerous mothballed fighter aircraft unfit for immediate service.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Though all militaries love to bewail their alleged budget woes, in Ukraine a first-year soldier is paid “two times below the national average salary,” according to the military’s 2011 <a href="http://www.mil.gov.ua/files/white_book/WB_Eng_final_2011.pdf" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>white book</span></a>. “This does not encourage the citizens of Ukraine to consider military service as a career.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>There is one more flaw—the most insidious of all—that could undermine Ukraine in a war against Russia. That is the possibility that Ukrainian troops could defect to Russia. While western Ukraine leans toward Western Europe, the eastern portion of the country is ethnically and politically Russian.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“The transitional government in Kiev understands that it cannot fully rely on the loyalty of the armed forces, so sending them into conventional battle against the Russians would risk substantial defections,” Stratfor warns. “Indeed, Ukraine’s military leadership has seen a number of changes over the last month, highlighting the lack of dependability even at its highest echelons.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Perhaps much of this sounds familiar? It should, because these same problems afflicted the Russian military after the break-up of the Soviet Union. In the wake of Russia’s disastrous invasion of Chechnya in 1994, the armed forces were a mess. Some of those problems—poor logistics and training, in particular—were still visible during the brief 2008 war with Georgia.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The Russian military appears to have recovered its effectiveness. In the event of war, the Ukrainians will probably be out-numbered, out-spent and possibly even out-motivated.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-47221106992675114762014-03-04T18:43:00.001-04:002014-03-04T18:43:02.933-04:00Hezbollah's Adapted Resistance<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hezbollah's Adapted Resistance<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.aawsat.net/2014/03/article55329654">http://www.aawsat.net/2014/03/article55329654</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hezbollah has adjusted its definition of "resistance" by claiming that fighting in Syria is part of its war on Israel<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>BACKGAMMON blog: A board game played in smoky cafes from Beirut to Baghdad.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Backgammon's earliest ancestor is five thousand years old and was unearthed<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>in southern Iraq. 'Backgammon' covers the state of play in the countries<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>spanning the Fertile Crescent: Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and Iraq.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In this picture taken on Friday, February 14, 2014, Hezbollah fighters march<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>in a parade during the memorial of their slain leader Sheik Abbas<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>al-Mousawi, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in 1992, in Tefahta<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>village, south Lebanon. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In this picture taken on Friday, February 14, 2014, Hezbollah fighters march<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>in a parade during the memorial of their slain leader Sheik Abbas<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>al-Mousawi, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in 1992, in Tefahta<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>village, south Lebanon. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"Our intervention in Syria has confused Israel and caused it a strategic<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>setback, because they were betting on the toppling of the regime in Syria<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and the weakening of the resistance in Lebanon after the Arab armies from<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Egypt to Iraq have been weakened, strengthening the power of the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>resistance," said the deputy chief of Hezbollah's Executive Council, Nabil<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Qawook, in late February. "These takfirists and terrorists have endorsed all<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>of Israel's goals."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hezbollah, through its various patrons, has made similar arguments in the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>past. Last spring, during the battle of Al-Qusayr, when Hezbollah and Assad<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>forces swept the Syrian town, the Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV channel, which<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>is said to be funded by Syria and Iran, aired footage of what it said was an<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Israeli army vehicle that had been captured from the rebels.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>That report later became the laughing stock of many Lebanese and Syrians,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>forcing Hezbollah and its loyalists to largely abandon the idea that Israel<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>was directly involved in the fight against Assad in Syria. At least, that<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>was true until last week, when Israeli fighter jets hit a Hezbollah target<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>along Lebanon's eastern border with Syria.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>While Israel has not officially acknowledged the attack, it is believed to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>be the seventh Israeli air strike targeting weapons bound for Hezbollah from<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Syria. The big difference this time was that the Israeli raid hit the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Lebanese, not the Syrian, side of the border, making it the first reported<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Israeli strike on Lebanese soil since the 2006 war.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>For all of its bravado, Hezbollah had to do, or at least say, something in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>response. For years, the party sent out messages to Israel that aggression<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>of any kind against Lebanon would not be tolerated. After the Israelis hit<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Lebanon, Hezbollah was expected to retaliate.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>But Hezbollah is bogged down in Syria, fighting alongside Assad, and is in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>the middle of invading Yabroud, a Syrian town close to the border with<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Lebanon that is believed to be a hotbed of rebels. So, in the middle of its<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>war in Syria, the last thing Hezbollah needs is to open a front with Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>To avoid embarrassment, Hezbollah eventually issued a statement-thirty-six<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>hours after the attack: "We will retaliate for this Israeli aggression, and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>the resistance will choose the appropriate time and place, as well as<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>appropriate means, to respond." But it looks as though one of the main ways<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>in which Hezbollah will retaliate is by expanding its operations in Syria,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>instead of directly targeting Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>According to the Lebanon Debate website, a Hezbollah source said that the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>target was not an arms shipment, but rather the site of heavy artillery that<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>was bombing Yabroud. "This [strike] was a message that Israel wanted to send<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>that the fall of Yabroud is a red line," he said. The source added that he<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>thinks that in retaliation for the Israeli airstrike on Lebanese territory,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hezbollah will amend its previous war plan. Instead of occupying the hills<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>surrounding Yabroud, the plan will be to seize towns and cities in Qalamoun,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>a mountainous stretch of land just north of Damascus, like it did in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Al-Qusayr.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In its new role, Hezbollah now argues that its fight in Syria is at the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>heart of its "resistance" against Israel, a logic that doesn't make sense to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>many.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hezbollah's latest change in strategy comes at a time when Lebanon's new<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>cabinet is struggling to draft a platform that all parties agree to. That<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>ministerial statement is required by the constitution for a confidence vote<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>in parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>While the anti-Hezbollah March 14 alliance and President Michel Suleiman<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>insist on including the Baabda Declaration-an agreement that stipulates<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Lebanon remain neutral on the Syrian crisis-Hezbollah and its allies have<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>opposed such a step and have requested the renewal of a clause included in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>previous platforms that stated Lebanon's right to liberate any of its<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>territories occupied by Israel under the "army, people and resistance"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>formula. Now that the "resistance" also includes fighting in Syria, cabinet<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>endorsement of such a position has proven to be more controversial than<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>ever.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The cabinet has thirty days to present its platform before parliament or it<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>risks being dissolved, returning Lebanon to a political vacuum.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>This article was originally published in The Majalla.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>==========================================<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>(F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The principle of "Fair Use" was established as law by Section 107 of The<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Copyright Act of 1976. "Fair Use" legally eliminates the need to obtain<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>permission or pay royalties for the use of previously copyrighted materials<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>if the purposes of display include "criticism, comment, news reporting,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>teaching, scholarship, and research." Section 107 establishes four criteria<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>for determining whether the use of a work in any particular case qualifies<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>as a "fair use". A work used does not necessarily have to satisfy all four<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>criteria to qualify as an instance of "fair use". Rather, "fair use" is<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>determined by the overall extent to which the cited work does or does not<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>substantially satisfy the criteria in their totality. If you wish to use<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>THIS DOCUMENT MAY CONTAIN COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. COPYING AND DISSEMINATION IS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNERS.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-27724573865780708142014-03-04T18:42:00.001-04:002014-03-04T18:42:07.210-04:00Dubai: Hezbollah trained bomber in Bahrain attack<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Dubai: Hezbollah trained bomber in Bahrain attack<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Dahi Khalfan Tamim. (AFP/Marwan Naamani)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/lebanonnews/537799-dubai-hezbollah-trained-bomber-in-bahrain-attack">https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/lebanonnews/537799-dubai-hezbollah-trained-bomber-in-bahrain-attack</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>BEIRUT - Dubai Police chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim said that a Hezbollah-trained<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>operative perpetrated the Monday blast that killed three police officers<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>outside Bahrain's Manama, including an Emirati national.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"The criminal who carried out the operation to assassinate the Emirati<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>martyr, First Lieutenant Tareq Mohammed al-Shehhi, used to go to Lebanon and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>was given explosives training by Hezbollah," Khalfan said in a message on<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>the social networking Twitter site.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The police chief went on to accuse the Bahraini opposition of taking sides<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>with Iran against Gulf States.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"The Bahraini opposition has become an enemy to the states of the Arabian<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Gulf and a close friend of the Persians [Iran]."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>An explosion on Monday killed three security troops in the Shiite-populated<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>town of Daih outside Bahrain's capital when security forces from the Gulf<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>state dispersed a demonstration.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>A Shiite-led uprising against the Bahraini kingdom was crushed in 2011,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>however security incidents and sporadic demonstrations have persisted.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>==========================================<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>(F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The principle of "Fair Use" was established as law by Section 107 of The<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Copyright Act of 1976. "Fair Use" legally eliminates the need to obtain<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>permission or pay royalties for the use of previously copyrighted materials<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>if the purposes of display include "criticism, comment, news reporting,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>teaching, scholarship, and research." Section 107 establishes four criteria<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>for determining whether the use of a work in any particular case qualifies<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>as a "fair use". A work used does not necessarily have to satisfy all four<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>criteria to qualify as an instance of "fair use". Rather, "fair use" is<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>determined by the overall extent to which the cited work does or does not<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>substantially satisfy the criteria in their totality. If you wish to use<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>THIS DOCUMENT MAY CONTAIN COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. COPYING AND DISSEMINATION IS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNERS.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-85506913106829019492014-03-04T18:41:00.001-04:002014-03-04T18:41:24.773-04:00L.A. Sureños Gangbangers, fighting alongside the Siria regime <div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2><a name=5648466142250355455></a><a href="http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2014/03/la-surenos-gangbangers-fighting.html"><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'>L.A. Sureños Gangbangers, fighting alongside the Siria regime</span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3'><![if !supportLists]><span class=post-author><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjMY5sr7ZbfA7kypfglAKBISURrfV-xWIZ1JOaYT0kDD1xd1BVCCxBTLqOOSHrsxLPjLdBRFmVDVjV6HeCoDGWfTU6IP5nuVfLTd1-GeNyFB8cRJsjjhtTSd5MOcjUvPzCkKQbjXb4jVw/s1600/image001-784774.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjMY5sr7ZbfA7kypfglAKBISURrfV-xWIZ1JOaYT0kDD1xd1BVCCxBTLqOOSHrsxLPjLdBRFmVDVjV6HeCoDGWfTU6IP5nuVfLTd1-GeNyFB8cRJsjjhtTSd5MOcjUvPzCkKQbjXb4jVw/s320/image001-784774.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987067954982285666" /></a><span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Monday, March 3, 2014 | <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCW1NXV1gIfPH_cJh4BoCQSYCWqNesZWjIHHFhyphenhyphenm1Gp6RbZ6NCSbR72nMDWuDMmfXIJHoBnkfgGZtY-5a6oyFQRJdmDUeV1hLpA0uLBZBnyf-RjNYEfMrRoS8pf8QcATRIYoin0eNn6A1C/s1600/image002-786599.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCW1NXV1gIfPH_cJh4BoCQSYCWqNesZWjIHHFhyphenhyphenm1Gp6RbZ6NCSbR72nMDWuDMmfXIJHoBnkfgGZtY-5a6oyFQRJdmDUeV1hLpA0uLBZBnyf-RjNYEfMrRoS8pf8QcATRIYoin0eNn6A1C/s320/image002-786599.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987067961431287282" /></a><span class=post-author><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Borderland Beat Reporter </span></span><span class=fn><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Chivis</span></span><span class=post-author><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjMY5sr7ZbfA7kypfglAKBISURrfV-xWIZ1JOaYT0kDD1xd1BVCCxBTLqOOSHrsxLPjLdBRFmVDVjV6HeCoDGWfTU6IP5nuVfLTd1-GeNyFB8cRJsjjhtTSd5MOcjUvPzCkKQbjXb4jVw/s1600/image001-784774.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjMY5sr7ZbfA7kypfglAKBISURrfV-xWIZ1JOaYT0kDD1xd1BVCCxBTLqOOSHrsxLPjLdBRFmVDVjV6HeCoDGWfTU6IP5nuVfLTd1-GeNyFB8cRJsjjhtTSd5MOcjUvPzCkKQbjXb4jVw/s320/image001-784774.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987067954982285666" /></a><span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2014/03/la-surenos-gangbangers-fighting.html"><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'>http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2014/03/la-surenos-gangbangers-fighting.html</span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNQse7y5Pq0uWgy42RAgTaAX3GGNXez1JPW9gfybv7Hwo6GBjpuzUqBwJaMh3zP6A7fyjezldAW_zjxHmKTpPqeNxW5o5FAxMRUP2kxjBe3GiUFKfROCTnM913PDCNpyctdAeSNBxuf8/s1600/suernos+in+siria.png"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%;text-decoration:none'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyYVPHn09XGCKSOTrZVl_l3dXvK2Nctd5fNtHIzapMSZVEcu6lSnsElYD4fiZkvj4O1XbOClDL2Va3QtyPZ1Cd5kWfeOE03qQPOjYfPTXn5pBai1KH_sKhx3Mr13oCKXx2GfMAAHrsuuu/s1600/image003-788969.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyYVPHn09XGCKSOTrZVl_l3dXvK2Nctd5fNtHIzapMSZVEcu6lSnsElYD4fiZkvj4O1XbOClDL2Va3QtyPZ1Cd5kWfeOE03qQPOjYfPTXn5pBai1KH_sKhx3Mr13oCKXx2GfMAAHrsuuu/s320/image003-788969.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987067972654890002" /></a></span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Two members of the Los Angles Sureños,(southerners as in southern California) the Mexican Mafia affiliated gang, Sureños, also have ties with Mexican cartels and MS-13, have transplanted themselves to the to the trenches of Syria , fighting alongside supporting forces of President Bashar Assad.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Sureños originated as a <a href="http://www.gangpreventionservices.org/MM.asp" target="_blank"><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'>prison gang</span></span></a> supporting the <a href="http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/27/2690534/families-moving-to-valley-brought.html" target="_blank"><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'>Mexican Mafia in its conflict with Nuestra Familia</span></span></a>, an organized criminal group in Northern California. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The gangs conduct the same types of criminal activity as Mexican cartels; drug trafficking, extortion, murder and racketeering. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUeqs1qtZ9t1l2p_q9_M2AO0FQgACFQocXtHxiBOCeEgiVBg0IGuhsZu2wD2oKYM2iugt95-TYHedHzwdYe75DHbMNml_BG2w7ecpLiSZ6aSfYNcDzc22jARnQZ8hOYh_USCnSXy700I/s1600/siria.jpg"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%;text-decoration:none'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8gpVMpZN7B8nfxS7FUaRAV6hsyRLAtfaXp-5InIp2K4pE8X6_VsRYv6ywyYEXBF1d5NJsiPJA90m-xLfBfQbybfstrZWWp84_QLL_aTOZykHIHN2vXUDSuKvJg4c5IyeXvLjqdKaxUUi/s1600/image004-791227.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8gpVMpZN7B8nfxS7FUaRAV6hsyRLAtfaXp-5InIp2K4pE8X6_VsRYv6ywyYEXBF1d5NJsiPJA90m-xLfBfQbybfstrZWWp84_QLL_aTOZykHIHN2vXUDSuKvJg4c5IyeXvLjqdKaxUUi/s320/image004-791227.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987067981775509410" /></a></span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>In this video dated March 1, 2014, the men introduce themselves as “wino” and “Creeper. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> The video begins:</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <b>“Wino”</b>: We still right here, homie. It’s fucking morning. Fucking... </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <b>“Creeper”</b>: We got the enemigos right there, homie. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> Let me represent myself, homie. It’s Creeper from the g'd up 13 gang, homie. Sun Valley gang, homie. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><br><b><span style='color:black'>“Wino”</span></b><span style='color:black'>: Fucking Wino, from Westside Armenian Power gang, homie. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <b>“Creeper”</b>: Still Puro Sureños putting it down, homie. In Middle East, homie, in Syria, still gangbanging, not giving a fuck, homie. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> Look, homie. Check this out. [<i>shows his tattoos</i>] The <em><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"Puro Sur-13",</span></em> homie. Still gangbanging this shit, homie. I got the GW, homie. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nvovpZuSqNdTKjwkR4VjRPI6fBeg1TbrMfU7YylLG3SfU2D-VyfORgI941U0Y6BLsCFKpBATx6Nfb5hpTHDv69iKa7r52tgrOxhyphenhyphenB-IwspeG3f24x6DwWrh9YfT88AoDF6ZzvgyJD08/s1600/wino.jpg"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%;text-decoration:none'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS15Y8Zxa4enH2cEEqUGIvD0nrzyFkQJtpmNkfXyWr7jiENQlKkQbRSN-ZIVxqB4BS8bMFtfl0BEuAZwtbv8Xxp6hyphenhyphend25WLZAodWoYH6QfmVzDdeLULInxAEuqbtncN52q58Pn0ply-Hia/s1600/image005-793440.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS15Y8Zxa4enH2cEEqUGIvD0nrzyFkQJtpmNkfXyWr7jiENQlKkQbRSN-ZIVxqB4BS8bMFtfl0BEuAZwtbv8Xxp6hyphenhyphend25WLZAodWoYH6QfmVzDdeLULInxAEuqbtncN52q58Pn0ply-Hia/s320/image005-793440.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987067995040499106" /></a></span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>[<i>calls over the photographer</i>] Come, Ali. Check out the enemigos right there, homie. They’re all right there, dawg. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>“Wino”</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>: But we don’t give a fuck, homie. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <b>“Creeper”</b>: As you know, homie, <i>inshallah</i>, homie, Capone, Mr. Criminal from Silverlake, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9jLDGwyWbw#t=93" target="_blank"><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'>Capone-e from the Cyclones,</span></span></a> and Crazy Loco from Pasadena, and Pink Lady... We still got love for you, girl. We still got love for all you homies, all the Sureños. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>“Wino”</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>: All you vatos. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> <b>“Creeper”</b>: Let’s put this shit down to all these motherfuckers, homie. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> [<i>The two gang members shoot their rifles</i>]</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> On his facebook page, "Wino" writes of missing his child on her birthday, and the loss of 4 "soldados", on the battlefield. (click to enlarge)</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFhwr5tTWbu8EVhCGHO1pxyD8rlIF_zxXg5zv5bvWbmeHL4pS2tKtMYQ7-p9zgUIt0byS3d7Qr7xoLjRGvYVUUHF2Wh9EWJY5d9hW6Uuz25BEbdVRvCwirbwDs6P0tEOkzh7F7o__6Jw/s1600/wino+facebook.png"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%;text-decoration:none'><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKDowPv0zLvo9AVLRT-W2p6Jha2w1rJV5aIOOK6NaxGLYbgmc2-3Bq_3G5ZxjfaUdKFmihQVUpHaSy0Rn3XWPHm9tDzga-Ayh7eIhuhAPCmeV8qokMEgvUdOMN9f19uQrADtQggFFeaLE/s1600/image006-795900.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKDowPv0zLvo9AVLRT-W2p6Jha2w1rJV5aIOOK6NaxGLYbgmc2-3Bq_3G5ZxjfaUdKFmihQVUpHaSy0Rn3XWPHm9tDzga-Ayh7eIhuhAPCmeV8qokMEgvUdOMN9f19uQrADtQggFFeaLE/s320/image006-795900.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987068001296106242" /></a></span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The citizenship of the two men, is not known in this source article, they are most likely both Armenian. According to Wino's FB page he intends to return to the US. For <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/03/foreign-fighters-los-angeles-gangsters-spotted-on-video-in-syria/" target="_blank"><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'><span style='color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-color:black;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:100.0%'>additional information link here.</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-30063409029262833502014-03-04T18:40:00.001-04:002014-03-04T18:40:38.648-04:00Ukraine: How it Got Harder for Snowden's Russia Story to Pass the Laugh Test<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Ukraine: How it Got Harder for Snowden's Russia Story to Pass the Laugh Test<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Spandan Chakrabarti March 3, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.thepeoplesview.net/main/2014/3/3/ukraine-how-it-got-harder-for-snowdens-russia-story-to-pass-the-laugh-test">http://www.thepeoplesview.net/main/2014/3/3/ukraine-how-it-got-harder-for-snowdens-russia-story-to-pass-the-laugh-test</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Russian forces are occupying part of Ukraine right now in clear violation of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>international law. And yet, America's self-proclaimed "anti-war" Left is<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>eerily silent. There is no petition on MoveOn.org to urge the US and the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>international community to do everything possible to end the Russian<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>invasion. Alan Grayson, the self-declared "Congressman with guts" evidently<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>lacks the guts to even call Russia out. The dogmatic left, known for their<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>propensity to scream and yell, is eerily silent. The screeching Left, best<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>known for hitting the United States for "imperialism", is barely even<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>breathing a word against Putin's moves to cease land from another sovereign<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>country.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Could the deafening silence be coming from wanting to avoid the discussion<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>of an inconvenient reality? Could it be because of Edward Snowden?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>No, I'm not simply talking about the reprehensible moral implications for a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>man the anti-government Left has joined the libertarian Right to sell as a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>hero to remain under the protection of the government running one of the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>worst surveillance states in the world. I am not even simply talking about<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>the scathing ethical implications for a man the anti-war Left has labeled a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>hero to continue to enjoy the protections of a government that just invaded<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>a neighboring country.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>I'm talking about credibility. For those who defend Edward Snowden - both<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>activists and publishers who are benefiting from his theft of critical<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>American intelligence information - an essential pillar of canonizing him<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>has been a steadfast rejection of the idea that Snowden may have (willingly<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>or under force) handed over US intelligence secrets to China (where he first<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>ended up after fleeing the US) or Russia (where he was finally granted<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>asylum).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The idea that Edward Snowden, in possession of a treasure trove of American<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>intelligence documents, would end up in the loving arms of Russia without<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>turning over his information always required a good degree of suspension of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>disbelief. Still, his defenders, along with the person profiting the most<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>from his revelations, Glenn Greenwald, argued that Russians couldn't get<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>anything from him because all the data he had stolen was highly encrypted,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and Russians did not have the capacity to break that encryption even if they<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>tried. They never answered the question as to why Russia would grant Snowden<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>asylum if there was nothing in it for them, however.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Just how much disbelief you are required to suspend in order to allow for<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>their argument to even pass the laugh test, however, has gone up by an order<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>of magnitude in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, simply because the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>invasion has proven Putin's willingness to be aggressive simply to achieve<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>political dominance. If you are to believe Snowden's devotees, you would<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>have to believe that the same country that just invaded a neighbor to expand<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>its political influence in startling violation of international law is also<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>protecting and sheltering a fugitive out of concern for his interests rather<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>than their own. Snowden's lackies would have you believe that the man<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>looking to re-establish the Russian empire would house the possessor of the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>largest US intelligence leak in history and ask for nothing in return.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In order to believe in the innocence of Edward Snowden (when it comes to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>revealing intelligence information to foreign governments), one has to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>believe in the innocence of the Russian government. In order to believe in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>the righteousness of Snowden's Russian hideout, one must also believe in the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>righteousness of Vladimir Putin.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>But the greatest of concerns is not that those who defend Snowden aren't<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>making these connections - though that is probably a large part of the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>story. The greatest of concerns is that the most virulent defenders of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Snowden's innocence are beginning to defend Russia - by the means of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>celebrating it as demise of "Pax Americana":<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The tweeter account emptywheel belongs to Marcy Wheeler, who is the Senior<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>policy analyst for Greenwald's new magazine.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>It is already happening. Instead of condemning Russia's aggression,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Snowden's chief defenders (and his chief benefactors) are already taking<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Russia's side, gleefully celebrating the Russian actions as indicative of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>waning American influence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The reason for this is simple. The people masquerading as the high priests<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>of the anti-war, dogmatic Left aren't liberals or leftists at all. What they<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>are is anti-American. They celebrate anything they view as embarrassing or<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>undermining to American influence and American power. Snowden's revelations<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and Russian actions aren't contradictory in their value system, since the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>only thing they value is the undermining of the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>==========================================<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>(F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. 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For more information go to:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>THIS DOCUMENT MAY CONTAIN COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. COPYING AND DISSEMINATION IS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>PROHIBITED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT OWNERS.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-35008847388537889492014-03-04T18:39:00.000-04:002014-03-04T18:40:00.042-04:00Afghanistan to Disband Crucial APPF Guard Force<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304585004579418730552246724?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304585004579418730552246724.html">http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304585004579418730552246724?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304585004579418730552246724.html</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><h1 style='vertical-align:baseline'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black;font-weight:normal'>Afghanistan to Disband Crucial Guard Force</span><o:p></o:p></h1><h2 style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#666666;font-weight:normal'>Elimination of Force Adds Security Concerns for U.S. Military, International Aid Programs</span><o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;vertical-align:baseline'><span style='font-size:3.5pt;font-family:Symbol'>·</span><span style='font-size:3.5pt'> </span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;vertical-align:baseline'><span class=intro><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#666666'>By</span></span><span class=apple-converted-space><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span></span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;vertical-align:baseline'><span class=c-name><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#0B3B76;text-transform:uppercase'>NATHAN HODGE</span></span><span class=apple-converted-space><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> </span></span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;vertical-align:baseline'><span class=c-aggregate><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#0A3773;text-transform:uppercase;background:white'><a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304585004579418730552246724?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304585004579418730552246724.html"><span style='color:#115B8F'>CONNECT</span></a></span></b></span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;vertical-align:baseline'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#999999'>Updated March 4, 2014 7:48 a.m. ET</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>KABUL-—The Afghan government is moving to dissolve a crucial guard force that protects military supply convoys, international aid programs and foreign installations, creating new uncertainty over security as the U.S. and its allies withdraw.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The Afghan Ministry of Interior said in a statement Monday that Kabul would disband the Afghan Public Protection Force.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>While APPF is a government enterprise, its services are paid for commercially by the clients, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development. It replaced a host of private security contractors.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Top Afghan officials recently issued a directive that would disband the force and fold it into the Ministry of Interior. But U.S. and coalition officials say it is unclear how, exactly, the Afghan government plans to implement this new order-—and who will take over the job of protecting internationally funded reconstruction projects.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior, said the Afghan National Police would take over some of the functions of the guard force.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>"The Cabinet Council had decided to dissolve the state-run enterprise," Mr. Sediqqi said. "It is dissolved, so APPF will remain within the scope and mandate of ANP to provide security."</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Added Mr. Sediqqi: "Salaries will be paid by the Afghan government."</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The Afghan Ministry of Interior said in its statement that Afghan officials would discuss the situation with international organizations "in order to find an acceptable solution for both sides" while the decision is implemented.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The move, however, presents a dilemma for the U.S. military and aid organizations that work for the U.S. government and its allies. At issue is a 17,000-strong force that is supposed to guard the gates of U.S. military bases and foreign installations and provide armed escorts for fuel convoys plying the country's dangerous roads.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Afghan President Hamid Karzai created the force as part of a plan for the Afghan government to exercise more control over the lucrative private security business in the country and rein in Afghan-run security companies, small private armies that were often deeply unpopular here.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Under a 2010 decree, the government phased out private security firms, but the change didn't sit easily with U.S. and international aid providers and other clients. According to a 2012 audit by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the shift "increased the uncertainty over security" for U.S.-funded projects and increased the cost of guarding them.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Clients of the force have long complained of poor management by the Afghan government company. Some clients say they are paying their guards directly because they haven't receiving their salaries from the APPF.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>U.S. Army Col. Jane Crichton, a spokeswoman for the U.S.-led coalition, said there had been no immediate impact on security.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>"We are not aware of any decisions or significant changes to support that affect the coalition in the near-term," she said. "We are evaluating possible courses of action, including providing our own security or using contract security, among others. At present, the APPF is still providing convoy security escorts with no plan to cease."</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The U.S.-led coalition referred questions about lapsed salary payments to the Afghan Ministry of Interior. The U.S. Agency for International Development didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>A person familiar with the issue said the move to shut down or disband the force raised serious questions about accountability. The U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force provided initial startup funds of $32.3 million to get the force up and running, but the APPF was supposed to be self-sustaining for the past two years.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>"This is a state-owned enterprise that is supposed to raise its own revenue to support its guard force," the person said. "The money that these implementing partners [aid agencies] have paid for the APPF…should be accounted for."</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The uncertainty over the force has raised ire on Capitol Hill, where patience has worn thin with Mr. Karzai, who must step down after elections this spring.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='vertical-align:baseline;outline: 0px'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Rep. Howard McKeon (R., Calif.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the Obama administration had "allowed APPF to take over the military's contracted security, at additional cost and risk to the U.S., and now is letting a floundering, outgoing leader use it as political leverage against us—again putting our forces at risk."</span><span style='color:white'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-51896351438246811562014-03-04T18:38:00.001-04:002014-03-04T18:38:13.276-04:00Obama Registered in School as Indonesian Citizen and Muslim<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/11/05/was-obama-once-an-indonesian-citizen-heres-what-we-found-when-we-went-there-looking/">http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/11/05/was-obama-once-an-indonesian-citizen-heres-what-we-found-when-we-went-there-looking/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h1>Was Obama Once an Indonesian Citizen? Here's What We Found When We Went There Looking<o:p></o:p></h1><p class=MsoNormal><span class=dateline>Nov. 5, 2012 7:51am </span><span class=author><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/author/charles-c-johnson/">Charles C. Johnson</a> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><em>As part of our series on President Obama's education and past, we interviewed Barack Obama's first ever principal, Father Bart Janssen. Our freelance correspondent, Charles C. Johnson, went all the way to Indonesia to find out more about Obama's past. </em><o:p></o:p></p><p>Editor's note: Writer Charles C. Johnson will joined TheBlaze Editor-in-Chief Scott Baker to talk about this story on today's BlazeCast:<o:p></o:p></p><p><br>–<o:p></o:p></p><p>Enrollment documents viewed by TheBlaze confirm that a young Barack Obama was listed as an Indonesian citizen and a Muslim on school registration in the 1960s. And while the document has been reported on before, albeit lightly, TheBlaze has compiled the most complete view thus far of the document and the circumstances surrounding it – including an interview with the president's first-ever principal while he was in Indonesia.<o:p></o:p></p><p>TheBlaze repeatedly photographed the document in the office of the current headmaster of Santo Fransiskus Assisis, a Catholic school that Obama attended from January 1968 to December 1970 in Jakarta. The record shows that Obama (or his parents) – at least for the period of his life – claimed to be an Indonesian citizen, that he took the last name Soetoro (the last name of his step-father, Lolo), that his religion was listed as Islam, and that he was born in Honolulu.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter" /> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0" /> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" /> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t" /> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="Rectangle_x0020_5" o:spid="_x0000_s1030" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Obamas Indonesian School Records Show He Claimed to Be Citizen, Muslim | Bart Janssen" href="http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/obamas-school-registration.jpg" style='width:420.5pt;height:508.6pt;visibility:visible;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:char;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001' o:button="t"> <v:fill o:detectmouseclick="t" /> <v:imagedata cropbottom="-1407374884f" cropright="-1407374884f" /> <w:wrap type="none"/> <w:anchorlock/> </v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><span style='mso-ignore:vglayout'><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/obamas-school-registration.jpg"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WJBbR5qkXyeAIJXyCM0JLI4qFRl9Q5FhzkBRlHOWS5WolEVt7AozI2glayhlMplLsaP2FbFiDy4sp1-FTO5SmPQFM7Cf9rHkbe5tPR3FT8dL45z_euDh-kAhOiXD7TWz6vi3qAgmlrOV/s1600/image001-793276.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WJBbR5qkXyeAIJXyCM0JLI4qFRl9Q5FhzkBRlHOWS5WolEVt7AozI2glayhlMplLsaP2FbFiDy4sp1-FTO5SmPQFM7Cf9rHkbe5tPR3FT8dL45z_euDh-kAhOiXD7TWz6vi3qAgmlrOV/s320/image001-793276.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987067135291251922" /></a></a></span><![endif]><o:p></o:p></p><p class=wp-caption-text>A picture of Obama's school registration at the Santo Fransiskus Assisis school in Jakarta, Indonesia. The first line notes his name, the second line shows where he was born, the third line notes his citizenship, and the sixth line shows religious affiliation. (Photo: Charles Johnson/TheBlaze)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Rectangle_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_s1029" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Obamas Indonesian School Records Show He Claimed to Be Citizen, Muslim | Bart Janssen" href="http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/obamas-school-registration-2.jpg" style='width:420.5pt;height:508.6pt;visibility:visible;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:char;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001' o:button="t"> <v:fill o:detectmouseclick="t" /> <v:imagedata cropbottom="-1407374884f" cropright="-1407374884f" /> <w:wrap type="none"/> <w:anchorlock/> </v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><span style='mso-ignore:vglayout'><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/obamas-school-registration-2.jpg"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WJBbR5qkXyeAIJXyCM0JLI4qFRl9Q5FhzkBRlHOWS5WolEVt7AozI2glayhlMplLsaP2FbFiDy4sp1-FTO5SmPQFM7Cf9rHkbe5tPR3FT8dL45z_euDh-kAhOiXD7TWz6vi3qAgmlrOV/s1600/image001-793276.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WJBbR5qkXyeAIJXyCM0JLI4qFRl9Q5FhzkBRlHOWS5WolEVt7AozI2glayhlMplLsaP2FbFiDy4sp1-FTO5SmPQFM7Cf9rHkbe5tPR3FT8dL45z_euDh-kAhOiXD7TWz6vi3qAgmlrOV/s320/image001-793276.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987067135291251922" /></a></a></span><![endif]><o:p></o:p></p><p class=wp-caption-text>Another view of Obama's school registration at the Santo Fransiskus Assisis school in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo: Charles Johnson/TheBlaze)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Rectangle_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_s1028" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Obamas Indonesian School Records Show He Claimed to Be Citizen, Muslim | Bart Janssen" href="http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Obama-school-thumbnail.jpg" style='width:398pt;height:204.5pt;visibility:visible;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:char;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001' o:button="t"> <v:fill o:detectmouseclick="t" /> <v:imagedata cropbottom="-1407374884f" cropright="-1407374884f" /> <w:wrap type="none"/> <w:anchorlock/> </v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><span style='mso-ignore:vglayout'><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Obama-school-thumbnail.jpg"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6lmokYSWxBy5tvCKr0Fc18fgSb1F0Hd2qPZP9uAtvvLQk1PQ71gVr_jRXseyLUD43gH_fcWELu2Ew81Ptyz791OQEvKnZzC6bXHRHuF-_P-YfGN2TOTpcmkBDN5n-8xnax4j_NCgDHE0/s1600/image002-796312.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6lmokYSWxBy5tvCKr0Fc18fgSb1F0Hd2qPZP9uAtvvLQk1PQ71gVr_jRXseyLUD43gH_fcWELu2Ew81Ptyz791OQEvKnZzC6bXHRHuF-_P-YfGN2TOTpcmkBDN5n-8xnax4j_NCgDHE0/s320/image002-796312.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987067144207819554" /></a></a></span><![endif]><o:p></o:p></p><p class=wp-caption-text>Arrows point to the relevant information on Obama's school registration. (Photo: Charles Johnson/TheBlaze)<o:p></o:p></p><p> <o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>Fastforward: Why the School Obama Attended After St. Fransiskus Is Just as Important</strong><o:p></o:p></p><p>While Obama's time at Santo Fransiskus is important (and we'll explore it in more detail shortly), it's just as crucial to fastforward to when Obama left the school.<o:p></o:p></p><p>According to records at Santo Fransiskus Assisis, Obama left after 1970 because his family moved. That move was due to Lolo leaving Dinas Topografi, a mapmaking survey company that contracted with the Indonesian army—which is listed in the document we viewed—to join Union Oil where he became a well-connected government liaison officer.<o:p></o:p></p><p>That job came with perks, among them access to some of the best schools for young Barry Soetoro. That's evident by the young Obama attending Besuki School, one of the three best public schools in Indonesia, after leaving St. Fransiskus. Besuki School is the sort of place the connected send their children when they are not already sending them to the pricy international school. (This is an important detail because once Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, got a job working for the Ford Foundation in 1980, and after she had divorced Lolo Soetoro, she began <a href="http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/lifeandtimes/for-obamas-sister-optimism-abounds-in-jakarta-homecoming/527363">sending</a> her daughter, Maya, to Jakarta International School.)<o:p></o:p></p><p>In a taped interview in Indonesian and subsequent email with Akhmad Solikhin, Besuki's current principal, he told my Indonesian translator and me that, other than Obama, there has only been one non-Indonesian at the school—a Dutch student. That's not surprising considering Besuki School, founded in 1934, was formerly Carpentier Alting Stichting Nassau School — a school run and controlled by the Dutch for the Dutch colonialists and the Indonesian elite. In 1962 — before Obama attended in 1970 — it was taken over by the Indonesian government. Besuki was then and is now a prestigious place where potential students sit on waitlists. In fact, in 2007 Besuki began using a mandatory admissions test to try and cut down on the number of Indonesian children trying to get in.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Why is this all important? Because given that history, it doesn't seem likely that the school would have wasted one of their prized seats on a student not claiming to be Indonesian, especially when it was the sort of place that educated the children of government officials and the well-to-do.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Rectangle_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_s1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Obamas Indonesian School Records Show He Claimed to Be Citizen, Muslim | Bart Janssen" href="http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/besuki-school-mosque.jpg" style='width:416.45pt;height:394pt;visibility:visible;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:char;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001' o:button="t"> <v:fill o:detectmouseclick="t" /> <v:imagedata cropbottom="-1407374884f" cropright="-1407374884f" /> <w:wrap type="none"/> <w:anchorlock/> </v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><span style='mso-ignore:vglayout'><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/besuki-school-mosque.jpg"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawyl8TORcbuNyN1OFOU1CDO0tgRd0AGyIaBPWSVJN21tHgRoVCJEP1Pe5Cc9HdRyi3uKHmFXRlgcfWYqGvK5cOPD8GsUDareuhUUUI2SxkUEdM6I0-svlXozFCZeNpGBuSLGBllQq4LQf/s1600/image003-798673.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawyl8TORcbuNyN1OFOU1CDO0tgRd0AGyIaBPWSVJN21tHgRoVCJEP1Pe5Cc9HdRyi3uKHmFXRlgcfWYqGvK5cOPD8GsUDareuhUUUI2SxkUEdM6I0-svlXozFCZeNpGBuSLGBllQq4LQf/s320/image003-798673.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987067157482784674" /></a></a></span><![endif]><o:p></o:p></p><p class=wp-caption-text>The mosque located at the Besuki school in Indonesia. (Photo: Charles Johnson/TheBlaze) <o:p></o:p></p><p><o:p> </o:p></p><p><strong>Could Obama Have Gone to a Public Indonesian School Without Claiming to Be a Citizen?</strong><o:p></o:p></p><p>Thanks to the political instability in Indonesia that took place between 1965-1967, public records for the 1960s are spotty, at best, for all levels of government. Only the Catholic school Obama attended – St. Fransiskus — had any records to speak of regarding claims of citizenship.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Nevertheless, my Indonesian-born translator and I were able to speak with several government officials about the policy governing adoptions and foreign nationals attending public school. Was it possible that Obama could have gotten into Indonesian public schools without claiming to be an Indonesian citizen?<o:p></o:p></p><p>"It is extremely rare that non-Indonesians go to Indonesian public school," Liperty Marpaum told us. He is a staff member of the department of Law & Labor (Hukum & Pegawaian), which handles education policies for the Indonesian government. Foreigners must apply and ask permission for the department of education before they may enroll and even must give a copy of their passport and reasons for wanting to go to school in the country. Most of the foreigners, he said, are Asians—Filipinos, Thai, and the like, not Europeans. And Americans? "No. All of the Americans go to international school."<o:p></o:p></p><p>We searched for any such permission document Obama may have submitted to the department of education by Lolo Soetoro or Ann Dunham, but came up empty. We also could not find records at Besuki School, despite requests.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So how did Obama get in?<o:p></o:p></p><p>It has been a source of speculation for some time that Obama was adopted by Lolo Soetoro. It is always a possibility, and it could explain at least the citizenship claim on the school form. However, it's important to note that even if Obama was adopted and became an Indonesian citizen, he would not have lost his American citizenship under existing constitutional law (<a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=307&invol=325">see the Supreme Court case Perkins v. Elg</a>). Indonesia then and now does not allow dual citizenship, but under American law he would not have lost his American citizenship until he reached the age of majority and chose himself to give it up.<o:p></o:p></p><p>(Think of it this way: Your parents cannot decide you are no longer a U.S. citizen if you are natural born. But if you make the decision yourself once old enough —join a foreign army, for example — you could very well lose your citizenship.)<o:p></o:p></p><p><a href="http://www.thefogbow.com/birther-claims-debunked1/three-theories/adopted-in-indonesia/">Defenders of the president</a> (and detractors of the adoption theory) point to <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,LEGISLATION,IDN,4562d8cf2,3ae6b4ec8,0.html">a 1958 Indonesian law</a> that says a child cannot be adopted if they are over five years old and that Barry and his mother arrived in August 1967—after he had turned six. But Lolo and Ann Dunham married on March 15, 1965, when Obama was three and half and Lolo left for Indonesia in June 1966 while Obama was still four, according to Washington Post editor David Maraniss's book, "Barack Obama: The Story<em>.</em>" Soetoro, then, could easily have filled out adoption forms, possibly in advance of the Indonesian school year that begins in July, in preparation of his wife and stepson's arrival. We know that Obama's mother suddenly reversed her previous position that her husband's departure to Indonesia would cause undue mental hardship (Maraniss, p. 201) so presumably she had settled on living in Indonesia with her husband and child. Under Indonesian law, when a man married a woman with children, the woman's children become Indonesian nationals, as well.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Additionally, the way Maraniss describes the relationship between Obama and his stepfather is like it were an adoption. "Like his mother, Barry took the Soetoro name. He called Ann <em>mamah</em> and Lolo <em>papah</em> and did not flinch when Lolo introduced him as his son." (Maraniss, p. 230) So complete was the view that Barack Obama was Barry Soetoro that Israel Darmawan, Obama's first grade teacher at Fransiskus Assisis, did not recognize who he was, according to one account.<o:p></o:p></p><p> <o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>A History of Mistruths </strong><o:p></o:p></p><p>While the current headmaster of Fransiskus Assisis did not know whose handwriting was on the form, she said it was safe to assume that the information on it was provided by Obama's mother — his stepfather visited only rarely during the three years Obama attended school. That raises another theory: Could Ann Soetoro, who was said to have been very interested in her son's education so much so that she tutored him in the morning, have lied or stretched the truth regarding her son's status to help him get into Besuki school, the best school she could? If so, it wouldn't be the last time that she did everything she could to have her son get the best possible education.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Maraniss describes Dunham as "tireless at working the system, even from afar" as one of the reasons Obama got into the elite Punahou prep school in Hawaii. Nor would it be the last time he and his family would lie about his origins. Indeed, Maraniss notes Obama came from a family of liars who told tall tales about his origins:<o:p></o:p></p><p>"His grandfather [Stanley] had told strangers that the boy was a descendant of ali 'i, native Hawaiian royalty. In Obama's later memoir, he recalled boasting at Punahou that his father was an African prince. Some classmates remembered it differently, that first he claimed his father was an Indonesian prince." (p. 268).<o:p></o:p></p><p>Maraniss is most likely referring to Kirsten B. Caldwell, who wrote in a 2008 collection that Obama had told her and her sister that he was an Indonesian prince:<o:p></o:p></p><p>"My sister and I remember Barry bragging about his father being an Indonesian prince (in his book, <em>Dreams From My Father</em>, he recalls telling people his father was an African prince, but we tennis court kids remember it the other way). We didn't know it, but at that point, he was a young boy who didn't know his real father, and had been living in Indonesia with his mother, stepfather, and half-sister, and had recently moved to a small apartment in Honolulu to live with his grandparents in order to attend a highly acclaimed private school on scholarship. What a culture shock! <strong>I can certainly understand how a new kid would want to seem more exotic when he was likely feeling a little insecure.</strong> I just figured he was an Indonesian prince who would go back for his legacy after graduation." ("Our Friend Barry," p. 69) [Emphasis added]<o:p></o:p></p><p>It doesn't end there. Obama's Occidental College classmate Amiekohel "Kim" Kimbrew of Los Angeles recalled rumors that Obama was a "Hawaiian prince" to the Chicago Tribune. ("Activism blossomed in college," <em>Chicago Tribune</em>, March 30, 2007).<o:p></o:p></p><p>We also know from reports in the student newspaper that Occidental, which prides itself on its diversity and international relations focus, was trying to bring more minority students to campus at the time. Might Obama have tried to pass himself off as still more diverse? Could he even have lied to "seem more exotic" to an admissions officer at Occidental or Columbia?<o:p></o:p></p><p>Add all that to the fact that Obama embellished in his book,<em> </em>Dreams from My Father, as Maraniss has noted, and that TheBlaze has also revealed in the past he lied about a "transfer program" he describes between Occidental and Columbia in <em>the same book</em> (no such transfer program exists).<o:p></o:p></p><p>That raises the question: Were Obama's parents lying when they told Fransiskus Assisis that he was an Indonesian citizen?<o:p></o:p></p><p>It's hard to say, but the answers to such questions matter.<o:p></o:p></p><p> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Rectangle_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Obamas Indonesian School Records Show He Claimed to Be Citizen, Muslim | Bart Janssen" href="http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/obamas-house.jpg" style='width:278.8pt;height:202.75pt;visibility:visible;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:char;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001' o:button="t"> <v:fill o:detectmouseclick="t" /> <v:imagedata cropbottom="-1407374884f" cropright="-1407374884f" /> <w:wrap type="none"/> <w:anchorlock/> </v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><span style='mso-ignore:vglayout'><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/obamas-house.jpg"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxLH51ygzGuGRu-XUuk3oS5BOLv8chxuEEql4UTbG0SztgAgBwn9BnWuDIuTEHgnn4I6jhxoUVEP-h54dCSVTUP6GvRNe7jn5M1Z2LI7mvVphMUsKO_MpSXanlPZbqWRC3WNkPQLoigFw/s1600/image004-700747.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxLH51ygzGuGRu-XUuk3oS5BOLv8chxuEEql4UTbG0SztgAgBwn9BnWuDIuTEHgnn4I6jhxoUVEP-h54dCSVTUP6GvRNe7jn5M1Z2LI7mvVphMUsKO_MpSXanlPZbqWRC3WNkPQLoigFw/s320/image004-700747.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987067162577338498" /></a></a></span><![endif]><o:p></o:p></p><p class=wp-caption-text>Author Charles Johnson pictured in front of Obama's house in Menteng Dalam, luxurious by local standards at the time. (Photo: Charles Johnson/TheBlaze)<o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>What the Founder of Obama's Indonesian School Told Us</strong><o:p></o:p></p><p>To find out more about Obama's time in Indonesia, TheBlaze tracked down Father Bart Janssen. He's the elderly founder of Santo Fransiskus Assisis who we found in a monastery in Den Bosch, The Netherlands. We asked him, through a Dutch translator, what he remembers of the young Barack Obama.<o:p></o:p></p><p>In the late 1960s, Janssen was sent by the Bishop of Jakarta to set up a church in the region, which at the time was a small village well beyond the city limits of Jakarta (though now sits practically in the middle of Jakarta due to the amazing growth of the city). And while his goal was a church, the school was a way to assimilate into the community.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"There were not Catholic churches or schools in that area at the time – it was quite remote, a little village, if you will. Offering a good education was a typical way to get the local people involved with the church and become part of the community," Janssen told us.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The school started in February 1967 and attracted about 50 students in the first years: "It was quite a challenge in the beginning, especially to attract children and grow the school and the church in such a remote area, but it became a success after a few years."<o:p></o:p></p><p>Obama was signed up for the school in 1968 as part of the second class of students entering the school. He was six years old at the time and attended first, second, and third grade there. Janssen doesn't remember who registered Obama, but he recalls that Obama's mother didn't speak Indonesian at the time, so he thinks that both the stepfather and the mother would have been there together to register their son. He also doesn't think the details in Obama's registration document should be considered official declarations of his faith or citizenship because it wasn't a government form and people played loose with such facts at the time. For example, it was typical to register as Indonesian and Islamic just because you were living there, so the religion indicated may just be what his father put down because it was the normal thing to do.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"That was just the norm," Janssen explained.<o:p></o:p></p><p>It was, Janssen added however, well known that Obama was American and came to the school from Hawaii. And Janssen said he also had an understanding that Obama was raised Christian, though not Catholic, because his mother and natural father were known to be so. Janssen also said he knew that Obama's birth father was from Kenya and that his mother was American.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And it wasn't a requirement to be Indonesian or Catholic to attend the school. Things were loose in terms of citizenship requirements in Indonesia, Janssen recalled. He himself had Dutch citizenship when he first set up the school in 1967 and it wasn't until 1982 that he changed his citizenship to Indonesian. He switched citizenship back to Dutch in 2005 when he returned to the Netherlands.<o:p></o:p></p><p> <o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>Obama at Age Six: I Want to Be President</strong><o:p></o:p></p><p>Though Indonesian citizenship wasn't required, courses were taught in Indonesian and Obama learned the language in three months. Father Janssen recalled that when Obama took his Indonesian speaking test for the school, the young student told the class that he wanted to be president some day.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"He said he would like to be president, but he didn't say president of which country," Janssen said. "It 's quite remarkable that he had that idea back then and now, in fact, he is president of the United States."<o:p></o:p></p><p>While Father Janssen didn't teach classes and has no direct recollection about Obama's performance as a student, he said Obama's teacher told him that Obama was a good student and received good grades.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"He learned Indonesian in 3 months, after all," he said.<o:p></o:p></p><p>He added that Obama's parents rented a house nearby so that their son could attend the school, and also remembers that Obama was quite a bit bigger than most other students there.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Obama wasn't the only foreign student in the school, but Janssen doesn't recall how many were Indonesian students and how many came from other countries. He said about half the students were Catholic and the rest were other religions, including many of Islamic faith.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"It wasn't a requirement to be Catholic, but they would be taught Catholic principles and values."<o:p></o:p></p><p>–<o:p></o:p></p><p>Where does all this leave us, then? Here's what we know:<o:p></o:p></p><ol start=1 type=1><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'>The document for the first-ever school Obama attended in Indonesia lists him as an Indonesian citizen (born in Hawaii) and a Muslim.<o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'>Those claims would have benefited a young Obama as he continued his schooling.<o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'>The Catholic priest who started the school, however, says it was not odd to lie about such things.<o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'>We know that Obama and his family have a history of mistruths.<o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'>But it's also not far-fetched to consider that Obama's step-father, Lolo, could have adopted him – thus making him an Indonesian citizen as a young boy.<o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2'>Even if he was adopted and was an Indonesian citizen at one time, though, it would not have affected his status as a U.S. citizen per the Supreme Court.<o:p></o:p></li></ol><p>Still, that leaves many questions. And the truth lies somewhere in those facts. Ultimately, only Obama knows for sure what that truth is. And depending on what happens on Tuesday we may or may not know anytime soon.<o:p></o:p></p><p>An exit after one term from the White House could act as a catalyst for more information more quickly. An Obama win, on the other hand, would likely keep any information – at least from the president himself — sealed for at least four more years.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Voters on Tuesday, then, may be deciding more than just who the next president is – they could help decide how much more we know about the one we have now.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-55569748522027623482014-03-04T17:12:00.001-04:002014-03-04T17:12:29.917-04:00Gun-grabbing cop goes ballistic: 'I'm the master!'<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>http://www.wnd.com/2014/03/gun-grabbing-cop-goes-ballistic-im-the-master/<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter" /> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0" /> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" /> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t" /> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="AutoShape_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="WND.com" style='width:100.2pt;height:38pt;visibility:visible;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:char;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001'> <v:imagedata cropbottom="-1407374884f" cropright="-1407374884f" /> <w:wrap type="none"/> <w:anchorlock/> </v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIDXiJAVMhxUYxGQlb2GmF4yjU1QUsav1gVbB7Qe7HuXlVd-J2uH-1-i0rz5LPOfBAH2SNeaChyphenhyphenyTnVL87pR277tSrvL7nJRN8Ve8sddJ00GHhV48hQUHV2DNEAdHKpM0YyuX-GStYOy0/s1600/image001-749918.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIDXiJAVMhxUYxGQlb2GmF4yjU1QUsav1gVbB7Qe7HuXlVd-J2uH-1-i0rz5LPOfBAH2SNeaChyphenhyphenyTnVL87pR277tSrvL7nJRN8Ve8sddJ00GHhV48hQUHV2DNEAdHKpM0YyuX-GStYOy0/s320/image001-749918.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987045043420231106" /></a><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>WND EXCLUSIVE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Gun-grabbing cop goes ballistic: 'I'm the master!'<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Officer: 'I don't want to talk about the Constitution at all'<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Published: 20 hours ago <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="AutoShape_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="author-image" style='width:24.2pt;height:24.2pt;visibility:visible;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:char;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001'> <v:imagedata cropbottom="-1407374884f" cropright="-1407374884f" /> <w:wrap type="none"/> <w:anchorlock/> </v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOJ8QE2ePeZh9VnisuOtUKWjNqgRp1EIk8airwywL1Ydf7L8wkNXiTQO5-CAz7XbW8FI1CUGKewg_umWzXZOyHX8rAbIve-IQuRpZ0UuJ_5xiINO2qdqm8UxZbMBPW6yK5uaZjohwxV3c/s1600/image002-752989.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOJ8QE2ePeZh9VnisuOtUKWjNqgRp1EIk8airwywL1Ydf7L8wkNXiTQO5-CAz7XbW8FI1CUGKewg_umWzXZOyHX8rAbIve-IQuRpZ0UuJ_5xiINO2qdqm8UxZbMBPW6yK5uaZjohwxV3c/s320/image002-752989.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987045053083888242" /></a><![endif]><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>by</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> <a href="http://www.wnd.com/author/anewman/"><span style='color:blue'>Alex Newman</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>A citizen’s phone call to Connecticut state police about a letter ordering gun owners to dispose of their unregistered so-called “assault” weapons and standard-capacity magazines is sending shockwaves through the national gun-rights community after being recorded and posted online.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The heated phone conversation over the document took place amid rapidly escalating tensions between gun owners and state authorities determined to impose more gun control on Connecticut residents.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>In the recording, state police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance – who did not know he was being recorded and told WND it was illegal to do so – can be heard telling the woman that anyone who refuses to dispose of their newly banned firearms in accordance with official instructions could face felony arrest.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Analysts believe the vast majority of Connecticut gun owners failed to comply with the controversial new law, with some suggesting that massive statewide civil disobedience may be at work.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Some accounts estimate that as many as 100,000 people or more could be in violation of the statute.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The woman on the call, who goes by the name Guerrilla girl Ashley and asked WND not to publish her last name, told Vance that her husband had received a letter from state authorities after failing to register his firearm by the statutory deadline.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The instructions say gun owners have the options of selling the weapon to a dealer, rendering it permanently inoperable, removing it from the state or surrendering it to law enforcement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“My question is this: What happens if my husband decides not to do this?” Ashley asks the officer, who responds by suggesting that she contact an attorney but that his understanding is that non-compliance is a felony.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“What will happen, then, if my husband refuses? Will you come to our home to arrest him?” she asks again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Sounding calm and composed, Lt. Vance explains that “we haven’t crossed that bridge just yet.” He says her husband could be subject to arrest and that he did not have a “good answer” to the question.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>In either case, Vance emphasizes that he would not personally be visiting gun owners, but lower-ranking officers might.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Ashley suggests that this was a “slippery slope”” that could potentially put the police in harm’s way if they go door to door in search of unregistered firearms and gun owners.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“We’re in harm’s way every day,” Vance responded without addressing the prospect of door-to-door gun confiscation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The caller then asks if the officer took an oath to the Constitution.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“Did I take an oath to the Constitution?” responds Vance, who earned national notoriety in the aftermath of Sandy Hook. “What bearing does that have on this conversation?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Ashley goes on to argue that enforcing unconstitutional laws, which she said are all “null and void,” would be a violation of his oath. He responded by saying that until the law was struck down by the courts, it was a “lawful law” that would be enforced.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“We’re not the Gestapo, and I don’t want the inference of that,” Vance says. “Your attorney can give you advice.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The officer also recommends contacting state legislators to express any concerns about the law.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“How we’re going to go about the mechanism of enforcing this law, that’s still being determined,” Vance continues.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“I don’t want to talk about the Constitution, Ma’am, at all, at all,” he adds before Ashley suggests that officials were threatening families into compliance with an unconstitutional statute.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“It sounds like you’re anti-American, it sounds like you’re anti-law,” Vance says, clearly becoming frustrated with the caller, who insists she is “pro-American.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Eventually, with both call participants getting riled, Ashley lashes out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“You’re going to speak to me this way, somebody that pays your salary?” she asks. “You’re a servant, you serve me. … You can refuse to follow unlawful orders!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“Just remember, you’re the servant, we’re the masters, OK?” she adds.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Vance responds by saying: “I’m the master, Ma’am, I’m the master.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Hear the recorded call: (Be aware of offensive language)</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Ashley Responds</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>In a subsequent interview with WND after posting the video online, Guerrilla girl Ashley, who works as a radio-show producer, said she merely wanted to find out about the letter sent out to gun owners and what the ramifications would be for those who ignore it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Three elements of the conversation with Lt. Vance that were most shocking to her, she said, were: His unwillingness to discuss the Constitution, his claim that she sounded “un-American” and “anti-law,” and his reply to her statement about his role as a public servant.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“I would say, call their bluff and ignore their unlawful law, and expose them for the jackboots that they are,” she told WND, urging gun owners to defy the controversial new gun-control regime. “I am a pro-Constitution loving American that wants my republic back, and they are the un-American ones.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Ashley told WND that the YouTube posting of the recorded phone call, which she insists was not illegal to record because Vance is a public servant, had received a “fab response” so far.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>As of March 3, more than 75,000 people had listened to the recording, which spread like wildfire through alternative media, gun-rights forums and blogs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“People are pissed that a public servant would have that type of tyrannical mindset,” Ashley added.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Vance Reacts</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Vance, however, saw the matter differently.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>After first telling WND not to record the phone call, he eventually agreed to allow it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>He said the remarks that sparked controversy were “taken out of context” and needed to be heard “in the entire context.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“If you listen to the conversation, I made every effort to provide the woman with the information she requested,” he said. “People just don’t understand that these were taken out of context.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Vance confirmed that the letters were sent out, but he said there were currently no plans to go door-to-door confiscating firearms, as some critics who heard the recording have suggested.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“It was just an information letter, that’s all it was,” he said about the document sent to gun owners who failed to register by the deadline.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>He also said the state of Connecticut was not planning to pursue Ashley for allegedly recording the call without permission, which he said was a violation of the law.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>All he was trying to do during the call, he emphasized, was answer Ashley’s questions and provide the best information possible.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“We’re still doing the paperwork,” Vance said when asked about whether there had indeed been massive non-compliance with the law.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>State Gun Owners React</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Connecticut residents who spoke with WND said the mood across the state was tense, especially after a major newspaper essentially suggested rounding up everyone who failed to comply with the new law.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“Authorities should use the background check database as a way to find assault weapon purchasers who might not have registered those guns in compliance with the new law,” the Hartford Courant said in an editorial.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The paper suggested that longtime fears among gun owners that background checks were being used as a tool to secretly and unlawfully create a weapons registry were not unfounded.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“A Class D felony calls for a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine,” the paper continued. “If you want to disobey the law, you should be prepared to face the consequences.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Connecticut Citizens Defense League President Scott Wilson Sr. told WND that he and other gun owners in the state are “very frustrated right now.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“We have all been put through the ringer, and the law is still not clear to many,” he said. “Many that own types of firearms that are now banned, simply still do not know about this law.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>He hopes the law will be repealed or overturned eventually, and CCDL is currently focusing on a federal lawsuit, Shew v. Malloy, which is now headed to the appellate level.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“If people choose not to comply, that is up to them,” he said. “I understand and believe this law will be decided as unconstitutional at some point down the road.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><a href="http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-sipsey-street-public-service.html"><span style='color:blue'>Contact information for state lawmakers</span></a> who voted for the gun ban have been posted online.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>National Gun-Rights Advocates Weigh In</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Gun Owners of America officials expressed serious concerns about the new gun-control scheme in Connecticut as well as the state government’s behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“Current efforts amount to little more than harassment of law-abiding citizens,” GOA legislative counsel Michael Hammond told WND.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>He said the notion of imprisoning unknown numbers of otherwise law-abiding citizens was “foolish.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“Connecticut was one of the five most anti-gun states on the day Newtown happened,” Hammond said. “Guns were prohibited in the school.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“It appears that all Connecticut succeeded in doing was advertising to Adam Lanza that he could walk in there, do whatever he wanted, and nobody could shoot back,” he added.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Asked whether fears of potential gun confiscation and door-to-door enforcement in Connecticut were overblown, Hammond pointed to other anti-gun states with troubling developments.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“They’re doing that in New York,” he said, “sending SWAT teams around to the homes of people who they thought had unlawful guns.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“In California they’ve even created a confiscation fund to seize guns from people who have mental disqualifiers, in many cases law-abiding veterans who came back after having a traumatic experience and sought counseling,” Hammond said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“We suspect that it is where this could all end up in Connecticut as well,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-58557286807865550122014-03-04T17:07:00.001-04:002014-03-04T17:07:25.197-04:00Russia's first targets in Ukraine: its cell phones and Internet lines<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Report <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hack Attack<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Russia's first targets in Ukraine: its cell phones and Internet lines. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> BY Shane Harris<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> MARCH 3, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/03/03/hack_attack">http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/03/03/hack_attack</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The Russian forces occupying Crimea are jamming cell phones and severing<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Internet connections between the peninsula and the rest of Ukraine. Moscow<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>hasn't succeeded in imposing an information blackout, but the attacks could<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>be sign that Russia is looking to escalate its military operations against<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>the new government in Kiev without firing a shot.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Russia has a history of launching cyber attacks on its neighbors with the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>aim of disrupting the countries' ability to communicate to their citizens<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and with the outside world. One attack in 2008, during Russia's war with<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Georgia, accompanied a ground-based military assault and was intended to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>disrupt government and media communications.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Although the efforts in Crimea so far have failed to choke the region's<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>communications lines, experts are concerned that the strikes could be a<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>precursor to damaging Russian cyber attacks on communications infrastructure<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>elsewhere in Ukraine, particularly if tensions escalate or Russian military<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>forces push beyond Crimea. Disrupting Internet service or knocking out<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Ukrainian government websites would allow Russia to flex its muscle without<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>necessarily drawing a military response from Kiev or its Western allies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The new strikes appear to have been conducted mostly by hand rather than by<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>hackers, but they have the same goal. On Monday, Reuters reported that<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Russian military forces were blocking mobile telephone services in some<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>parts of Crimea. Russian naval vessels were seen moving into and around the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>port at Sevastopol. Russian navy ships are known to carry jamming equipment<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>that can block phone and radio signals. Two Crimean government web portals<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>were also offline; it was unclear whether they'd been taken down by<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>government officials or had been hit with a malicious cyber attack.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The attacks have been escalating for days. On Friday, Ukrtelecom, the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>state-owned telecommunications service provider, reported that several of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>its offices in Crimea had been seized by unidentified individuals who cut<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>phone and Internet cables. As a result, customers across nearly the entire<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>region lost phone and Internet service, and the company said it was no<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>longer able to provide a link between the peninsula and the rest of Ukraine.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Two days later, armed commandos reportedly cut off power lines at the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Ukrainian navy headquarters in the port city of Sevastopol. Hours later,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Ukraine's UNIAN news agency said other teams of commandos broke into several<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Ukrainian navy communications stations and sabotaged communications lines in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>an attack similar to the one on Ukrtelecom.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Asked whether the administration was tracking any cyber attacks by Russian<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>forces against Ukraine or in the Crimea, White House spokesperson Caitlin<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Hayden said, "The United States is concerned with all aggressive actions in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Ukraine and expects all parties to abide by recognized international norms<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>that apply online as well as offline. We are closely monitoring the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>situation in Ukraine, including reports that the Internet and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>telecommunications have been disrputed in the Crimea."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>A spokesperson for the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>declined to comment about what steps the United States might take to defend<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Ukraine's computer networks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Still, there are clear parallels between the Crimea attacks and those in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Georgia and Estonia in 2007, which were widely attributed to hackers working<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>at the unofficial behest of the Russian government. Those attacks knocked<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>government and media websites offline, blocked Internet access, and in<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Estonia disabled ATMs. "Russia wants to degrade the ability of Ukraine to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>communicate inside and outside the country," said Adam Segal, a senior<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who tracks countries offensive<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>cyber capabilities. "If there is military conflict, cyber attacks will be<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>used to degrade the ability of conventional forces to operate," Segal said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>If history is a guide, any cyber attacks from Russia might not come directly<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>from military or intelligence services, but through mercenaries or so-called<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"patriotic hackers" Moscow quietly encouraged to strike Estonia and Georgia.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>This would give the Russian government the ability to deny that it was<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>behind any offensive.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"The U.S. president, NATO secretary general and European leaders could call<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>[Russian President Vladimir] Putin to warn that they are not fooled by his<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>use of nationalist proxies and will hold him to account," Jason Healey, the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>director of the Cyber Statecraft Initiative at the Atlantic Council, wrote<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>in a blog post Monday. "Since warnings won't sway Putin, they should be<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>backed with harder options. The U.S. Department of Defense could order its<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>muscular Cyber Command to prepare to disrupt the attacks if asked to do so<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>by Ukraine's government."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Healey said "the technical means and proxies used this time are likely to be<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>similar" as in past conflicts. He added that Western governments should make<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>clear to Russia that significant cyber attacks on Ukraine would cross a line<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and be regarded just like a physical strike. "There is no excuse for<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>surprise: the Kremlin's habit of routinely resorting to them in the past --<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>and in situations with far less existential danger for Putin's plans -- are<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>well known," Healey wrote.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Were Russia to launch a cyber attack on Ukraine, the country would not be<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>without defenses or the ability to strike back. As early as 2002, Ukraine's<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>government began to build up its cyber defenses to combat fraud and online<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>crime, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Studies. Under existing military doctrine, Ukraine's government considers<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>cyber attacks on vital infrastructure -- including nuclear facilities,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>chemical and defense industries, military facilities, and "economic and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>information entities" -- as grounds for armed retaliation, according to the<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>report. A national government agency guards against attempts to penetrate or<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>disable official computer networks and government communications systems.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"Ukraine has a strong and diverse Internet frontier," according to a recent<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>analysis by Renesys, a computer intelligence company that monitors Internet<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>service around the world. "The roads and railways of Ukraine are densely<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>threaded with tens of thousands of miles of fiberoptic cable, connecting<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>their neighbors to the south and east (including Russia) with European<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Internet markets. The country has a well-developed set of at least eight<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>regional Internet exchanges, as well as direct connections over diverse<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>physical paths to the major Western European exchanges. At this level of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>maturity, our model predicts that the chances of a successful single-event<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Internet shutdown are extremely low."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>For the moment, the defenses seem to be holding, with the attacks on<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>communications lines and mobile phone networks in Crimea causing only<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>limited damage. Ukrtelecom reported that it was able to restore service five<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>hours after the intruders cut its lines. Renesys reported that as of last<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Friday, traffic routes in Crimea appeared to be functioning normally. The<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>company doesn't track whether individual websites have come under attack,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>nor does it monitor whether telephone systems are working.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Most Internet service providers in Crimea route traffic through Russia,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>rather than countries in Europe, said Doug Madroy, a senior analyst at<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Renesys. That could give Russian forces easier access to computer networks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>But Crimea is not entirely dependent on one provider for its connections to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>the Internet. Some traffic is also routed through carriers in Europe. The<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>dispersed nature of the networks would make it more difficult for Russia to<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>knock large swaths of the country offline for long. "In that environment,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>it's very hard to have a national outage," Madroy said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-34015356316542915642014-03-04T16:49:00.001-04:002014-03-04T16:49:05.459-04:00Tunisia and Iran strengthen parliament relations<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><h1 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:16.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#333333'>Tunisia and Iran strengthen parliament relations<o:p></o:p></span></h1><div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://northafricapost.com/5159-tunisia-and-iran-strengthen-parliament-relations.html?utm_source=Active+Subscribers&utm_campaign=68c0de8f7f-LI_030314&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_35c49cbd51-68c0de8f7f-64124177">http://northafricapost.com/5159-tunisia-and-iran-strengthen-parliament-relations.html?utm_source=Active+Subscribers&utm_campaign=68c0de8f7f-LI_030314&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_35c49cbd51-68c0de8f7f-64124177</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><div style='margin-top:7.5pt;margin-bottom:4.5pt'><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#666666'>Posted by <a href="http://northafricapost.com/author/admin_nap" target="_blank" title="Posts by News Desk"><span style='color:#666666;text-decoration:none'>News Desk</span></a> on March 3, 2014 in <a href="http://northafricapost.com/category/features" target="_blank" title="View all posts in Features"><span style='color:#666666;text-decoration:none'>Features</span></a>, <a href="http://northafricapost.com/category/headlines" target="_blank" title="View all posts in Headlines"><span style='color:#666666;text-decoration:none'>Headlines</span></a>, <a href="http://northafricapost.com/category/headlines/tunisia" target="_blank" title="View all posts in Tunisia"><span style='color:#666666;text-decoration:none'>Tunisia</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:7.5pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:14.65pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Iran and Tunisia are making efforts to strengthen their parliamentary ties after the delegation from the Tunisian parliament arrived in Tehran. Iran is willing to share its technological advances, law making and supervision fields with Tunisia as a brother and Islamic country. Tunisia appreciated the gesture and thanked Iran for being present at the ratification ceremony of the newly adopted constitution.<br>Speaker Ali Larijani of the Iranian parliament presented several achievements that the country has reached in the previous past years. These achievements range from nanotechnology, steel industry, auto manufacturing, dam construction, and exporting technical and engineering services among others. Iran is willing to share its knowledge with the North African country in the interest of "broadening cooperation… in political, economic, cultural, and parliamentary fields."<br>The Tunisian delegation welcomed the move while hoping that the relationship between them will further "expand in various fields" especially after "the opening of a new chapter in the relations between the two countries." Tunisia is undergoing a political transition which started three years ago after the departure of President Ben Ali. Although the process has been less violent compared to other neighboring countries, the economy and the finances of the country have been dealt a heavy blow.<br>Speaker Larijani however believes that economic cooperation between countries should be encouraged under such circumstances and hopes that their bilateral relationship will offer them the opportunity.<br>In January, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Tunisian Ambassador to Tehran Khaled Zitouni voiced their countries' willingness to consolidate the bilateral relations between the two brotherly states. Tunisia is considered to be going through a democratic transition and the country was finally able to draft and approve a constitution after three years of debate.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-26743849688860564492014-03-04T16:48:00.001-04:002014-03-04T16:48:25.111-04:00Little Jane Fonda - Sappy To The Last<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:maroon'>Little Jane – Sappy To The Last<br>March 3, 2014<br>By Don Feder</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> <br><br> As she contemplates her mortality, at age 76 Jane Fonda is every bit as absurd as she was at 26, when she first picked up a protest sign and began babbling about issues of which she hasn't the slightest comprehension. <br><br> I used to think of Fonda as evil. But while she bears responsibility for much suffering, I now see her as more deluded, fatuous and, ultimately, banal. <br><br> After a baby shower for actress Kerry Washington, Jane wrote what <i>USA Today</i> described as "a long and thoughtful website note" (how the MSM adore her). The actress cum-anti-war-activist, cum-environmentalist, cum-socialist, cum-feminist, cum-population-controller confessed she often gets teary-eyed these days. <br><br> She cries at the drop of a National Geographic cliché (for which we are asked to admire her exquisite sensitivity). "I ache for unwanted children in the world, for polar bears, and elephants, whales and Monarch butterflies, and dolphins, gorillas and chimpanzees." But not for the 54 million children aborted since <i>Roe v. Wade</i>, thanks in part to her friends at Planned Parenthood, or the millions of Indochinese slaughtered after the Vietnam War by the communists she so admired. <br><br> What to do with her remains, after she shuffles off this mortal coil. She doesn't want to be cremated ("uses up too much energy and gives off too many toxins"), or interred in a coffin. "Just dump me in a hole and let me morph into whatever as quickly as possible." That way, "I will be in the earth, fertilizing some of the very things I look at now and tear up over." At least, at that point, she won't be spreading fertilizer over the political landscape. <br><br> Like the joke about the Buddhist ordering a hot dog, little Jane wants to be one with everything. <br><br> Fonda has no private life. Every experience (no matter how mundane or humiliating), every thought, every emotion must be shared with the world. This is the mark of the totally self-centered and self-absorbed. <br><br> At various times, the actress whose life is a series of revolving movie sets has revealed that: Her first husband, French director Roger Vadim (1965-1973), was into group sex. "Sometimes there were three of us, sometimes more. Sometimes it was even I who did the soliciting." <br><br> Her second husband, Marxist agitator Tom Hayden (1973-1990), told her he loved someone else on her 51st birthday, precipitating a nervous breakdown. Ted Turner, husband number three (1991 –2001), cheated on her a month after they were married, she disclosed. Everyone, let's thank Jane for sharing – or not. <br><br> For all of the endless discussions of her experiences and mental states, one wonders if the Gucci rebel has really lived at all. Her existence has consisted of causes strung together like a necklace, crafted over almost five decades. <br><br> In the beginning, there was Vietnam. <br><br> When her 2011 interview on the QVC shopping network to hawk her new "lifestyle" book was cancelled (due to protests by Vietnam vets and other patriots), Fonda insisted: "I love my country! I have never done anything to hurt my country or the men and women who fought and continue to fight for us" – a statement of breathtaking mendacity. Try to imagine Jack the Ripper, interrupted in one of his impromptu surgeries, protesting: "But I love women! I have never done anything to hurt them." <br><br> Jane Fonda loves America the way Barack Obama loves the Constitution. Fonda and the Obamas belong to a mutual admiration society. According to friends, Fonda predicted that there would be a civil war if Obama lost the 2008 election. Michelle Obama says the preening pinko is "a beautiful, engaged, politically savvy, sharp woman." <br><br> In the course of her July/August 1972 trip to North Vietnam (which, at that point, was responsible for the deaths of more than 50,000 Americans), she posed with an anti-aircraft battery and made no fewer than eight propaganda broadcasts for Hanoi, during which she said that the pilots who bombed the North were "war criminals," American troops were led by officers who were "incompetent, usually drunk….," Vietnam was a war of "U.S. imperialism" and a "white man's war," and we were fighting for Esso, Shell and Coca-Cola (the white man's beverage of choice). <br><br> She also said the U.S. POWs paraded before her – who were regularly brutalized and existed in appalling conditions in pits like the Hanoi Hilton – "appear to be healthy and fit." When ex-POWs described their torture, Fonda called them "liars, hypocrites, and pawns," smugly observing, "Tortured men do not march smartly off planes, salute the flag and kiss their wives." If they'd crawled off planes and collapsed, would that have convinced her?<br><br> In a <i>Wall Street Journal</i> interview, North Vietnamese Col. Bui Tin explained that the U.S. anti-war movement was essential to a communist victory. "Visits to Hanoi by people like Jane Fonda… gave us confidence that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses." <br><br> Fonda has apologized for one incident – the artillery photo-op – which she attributes to "bad judgment" – not for her slander of POWs, or the Vietnamese firing squads and internment camps, or the Cambodian killing fields or any of the rest. She refused to support Joan Baez's protest of the incarceration of 100,000 Vietnamese after the war, explaining that she didn't criticize revolutionary regimes. <br><br> Having become a cause-junkie, after Vietnam, Fonda moved on to other crusades: <br><br> • Along with then husband Tom Hayden, she organized the Campaign for Economic Democracy "to name – and publicly challenge the 'foul thing' known as Corporate Capitalism," alleged to be the source of "racism and sexism and joblessness and wars and inflation." A political cartoon of the period showed a CED office, loaded with IBM, Xerox and AT&T equipment. A man on a phone tells a volunteer to take the Chevy to the airport to pick up Tom and Jane, who are coming in on TWA to talk about how corporations are ruining our lives. <br><br> • Fonda is a zombie environmentalist who managed to derail the development of nuclear power in this country – with her sci-fi film, "The China Syndrome" – which in turn has promoted the use of fossil fuels. In 2005, coal-fired plants in the U.S. were responsible for 40% of energy-related carbon emissions. So, opposition to the use of nuclear power (which Fonda judges to be evil) has led to the use of more fossil fuels, which has led to more CO2, which allegedly has led to more global warming (evil, evil, evil). Ideologies in collision. <br><br> • Explaining why we need fewer humans, in a U.N. speech (Clinton appointed her "good-will" ambassador to the United Nations Population Fund), Fonda revealed, "Our species alone co-opts, consumes or eliminates 40% of the Earth's energy" – perhaps because snails don't drive SUVs and Bambi doesn't build affordable housing. Therefore, "We must fight to ensure universal access to family planning… backed up with safe abortion." Decline of the human population must be encouraged and unborn children must die so the precious polar bears may thrive. <br><br> • Fonda is to abortion what Lord Haw-Haw was to fascism. In 2003, she was the recipient of Planned Parenthood's Margaret Sanger Award, named for the organization's founder and advocate of eugenics, or – as she charmingly put it – "race hygiene." According to Protecting Black Life, though whites outnumber blacks by 2-to-1 in Mississippi, 72% of aborted babies are black. In New York City each year, the number of black abortions exceeds the number of births, due in part to deliberately locating most Planned Parenthood clinics in minority neighborhoods. In the '70s, Fonda gave money to the Black Panthers. Black criminals are so much cuter and cuddlier than black babies. <br><br> • She has also opposed the war on terrorism. After the 9/11 attacks that killed 3,000 Americans, Fonda urged us to reject self-defense and instead try to understand the "underlying reasons" for the carnage. No, not genocidal Islam and virulent anti-Americanism, the other underlying reasons, which probably have something to do with Esso, Shell, Coca-Cola and the uneven distribution of energy resources among the planet's species. <br><br> • In 2000, there was Fonda's much-hyped conversion to "Christianity," but not the stodgy, repressive Biblical Christianity. (For her, the New Testament is a "metaphor, written by people a long time after Christ died, and interpreted by specific groups.") Hers is a "feminist Christianity," as opposed to the "fundamentalist" variety practiced over the course of two millennia, Fonda explained. "In the beginning, She created the chimpanzee and the Monarch butterfly and gave them dominion over the earth." <br><br> Jane Fonda has an endless capacity for deluding herself. Rather than blame the three ex-husbands who all treated her appallingly, she blames society – the dreaded system – for the failure of her marriages. <br><br> "All these men loved me, I think, but they didn't know how to join me." Though talented, famous or rich, they couldn't escape the masculinity trap. <br><br> In a 2004 speech to the Smart Talk Women's Lecture Series, Fonda explained: "You see, while being 'male' and 'female' is innate <i>(it's difficult to deny anatomy)</i> 'masculinity' and 'femininity' are not. They're not states of being; they're acquired social constructs." Masculinity is "conferred, the way you confer membership in an exclusive club… men have to constantly prove, over and over again, through achievement (or, failing that, through violence), through being above someone else, that you are deserving of membership." <br><br> To believe otherwise, Fonda would have to admit that she failed miserably at making the most important decisions of her life. She behaved stupidly, not once or twice, but three times. If her judgment in personal matters is fatally flawed, what of the causes she has so passionately embraced? <br><br> If she lives so long, Fonda will spend the next 10 to 20 years involved not in self-reflection and reaching out to others, but in self-absorption. Then what? <br><br> "The wretch, concentrated all in self, living shall forfeit fair renown. And, doubly dying, shall go down to the vile dust from whence he sprung, unwept, unhonored, and unsung" – except by the polar bears and Monarch butterflies. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:center'><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Don Feder is a former Boston Herald writer who is now a political/communications consultant. He also maintains his own website, <u>DonFeder.com</u>.</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The following story can be found on the GrassTopsUSA website at <a href="http://grasstopsusa.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aca8d391b7110c56628ee19de&id=9b5addb889&e=c506d16e1c"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.grasstopsusa.com/df030314.html</span></a>.</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-40460002953272605782014-03-04T16:47:00.001-04:002014-03-04T16:47:32.607-04:00SHOCKING STATISTICS ON THE STATE OF OUR MILITARY<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><b>SHOCKING STATISTICS ON THE STATE OF OUR MILITARY</b><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b>What we have:</b><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>In 1990, the U.S. had a 546-ship Navy. Today we have 285 ships. China now has more ships in their Navy than the U.S.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>In 1990, America had 76 Army brigades. Today we have 45.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Twenty years ago (in the 1990s), the Air Force had TWICE as many fighter squadrons and bombers as today.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b>What shape it’s in:</b><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Most Navy ships and light attack vehicles were built 20 years ago. In the last 4 years, inspection failures for Navy ships have nearly tripled. 1 in 5 ships inspected are UNFIT for combat or severely degraded. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Bombers average 34 years in age. Our tankers are nearly 50 years old.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>A majority of the Navy’s deployed aircraft are UNABLE to accomplish their assigned missions.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Over 1/3 of Active Army units do NOT have sufficient personnel to perform their missions.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b>What we don’t need:</b><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>$600 billion in defense budget cuts.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>*From Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA): <a href="http://forbes.house.gov/news/documentprint.aspx?DocumentID=254787">http://forbes.house.gov/news/documentprint.aspx?DocumentID=254787</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b>What has happened to the once formidable United States of America?</b><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><b>AMERICA IS NO LONGER THE MOST POWERFUL NATION ON EARTH</b><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif";color:black'>Putin's projection of power seems to have surpassed that of the U.S. </span><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif";color:black'>If you don't agree, consider the folllowing:</span><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif";color:black'>1) Putin is sheltering Edward Snowden, who did untold damage to U.S. national security, perhaps in the service of the FSB. </span><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif";color:black'>2) Putin has protected Assad's Syria and got Obama to follow his lead.</span><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif";color:black'>3) The U.S. "reset" its relations with Russia and agreed to unilateral disarmament. We haven't even tested a nuclear weapon in 22 years! Our stockpile is diminished, old and untested. </span><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif";color:black'>4) Russia has ensured that Iran will NOT give up its nuclear capabilities. China is on board with that as well.</span><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif";color:black'>5) A Russian spy shipped is now docked at a Havana port. (Cuba is 90 miles off the coast of Florida).</span><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif";color:black'>6) Russia invaded the Ukraine and just declared the existence of the "Autonomous Republic of Crimea." "Autonomous," my (anatomical part)! </span><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal> 7) There are allegations that Putin “fixed” the scores at the Sochi Olympics as a testament to his rule.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif";color:black'>NOTE: With all of the budgetary cuts (and homosexual and feminist requirements) our military is extremely weak and operating with inadequate, aged equipment and weaponry. We now have sufficient troops to fight in only ONE war theater and lend support ONLY in a second war theater. </span><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-family:"TimesNewRomanPSMT","serif"'>Sadly (IMNTBHO), America is over as a world power and it didn't have to happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>Janet Levy,<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Los Angeles<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-60710644904979488222014-03-04T16:46:00.001-04:002014-03-04T16:46:45.063-04:00Obama’s Convoluted Priorities<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Obama's Convoluted Priorities<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Posted By <u>Ari Lieberman</u> On March 3, 2014 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>As President Obama greets world crisis after crisis with confused vacillation and impotence, a <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/167534/fewer-americans-think-obama-respected-world-stage.aspx">recent Gallup poll</a> unsurprisingly suggests that Americans no longer believe that their president commands respect from foreign leaders. And why should they? The President's foreign policy has proved to be an exercise in defeatist isolationism, where tyrants are appeased and allies are thrown to the wolves.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>In Ukraine, a nation where democracy advocates risk losing to the forces of extremism and where <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/gunmens-seizure-of-parliament-building-stokes-tensions-in-ukraines-crimea/2014/02/27/2539871c-9f83-11e3-9ba6-800d1192d08b_story.html?hpid=z1">Russia stands poised</a> to intervene militarily, our president remains mute while our defense chief expresses "concern." The same scenario is currently unfolding in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/world/americas/protests-swell-in-venezuela-as-places-to-rally-disappear.html?_r=1">Venezuela</a> where students and the middle class, fed up with rampant crime, autocratic rule and a tanking economy, have banded together against the Cuban- and Iranian-backed thuggish ruler of that country, Nicolás Maduro. Aside from expelling some Venezuelan diplomats, the administration has done nothing to bolster pro-democracy protestors.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>In the East & South China Seas, China, seeking to expand its maritime borders and engage in yet more land grabs, has embarked on a series of aggressive military deployments designed to intimidate our Pacific allies. One analyst noted that China might be gearing up for a <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/02/19/china-preps-military-for-short-sharp-war-with-japan-says-us-navy/">quick sharp war</a>, aimed at seizing Senkakus or southern Ryukyu islands. Yet the United States, the premiere Pacific naval power, has done virtually nothing to provide reassurance to our allies.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>And of course there is the administration's botched and near amateurish policies in the Mideast that have only served to embolden enemies, prolong conflict and alienate allies. In Syria, Obama drew his red line, warning Assad of the consequences of chemical weapons usage. That warning turned out to be nothing short of a fiasco, embarrassing the president and turning Russia's Putin into the savior. Moreover, the president's inaction severely weakened pro-Western elements in Syria and partly served as the catalyst that caused much of the rebel movement to fall under the influence of Islamic extremists.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>In Egypt, the administration backed the fascist Muslim Brotherhood over a more Western-oriented movement that had the backing of much of the country. So angered were the Egyptians over the U.S. betrayal that they recently turned to Russia for arms, signing a <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Report-Russia-and-Egypt-complete-2-billion-arms-deal-funded-by-Gulf-states-340847">two-billion dollar</a>, Saudi-financed deal.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Iran represents the administration's quintessential foreign policy failure. A strict sanctions regimen was not only <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/sanctions-have-cost-iran-130-billion-in-two-years/">taking its toll</a> on the Iranian economy, it was impeding Iran's ability to carry out proxy wars in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon. But the administration, desperate for a foreign policy success after prolonged failures, inked a lopsided deal that gave the Islamic Republic virtually everything it wanted in exchange for nothing more than vague Iranian assurances.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>The byproduct of this disastrous deal produced a badly needed instant cash infusion into the anemic Iranian economy. Iran then promptly transferred those funds to buttress its serial killer ally and war criminal, Bushar Hafez al-Assad as well as Hezbollah's arch terror chieftain, Hassan Nasrallah.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>While the administration's isolationist tendencies compel it to remain disengaged, even when our vital interests are at stake, the president and his secretary of state, John Kerry, remain strangely obsessed with Israel, besotted by the idea of dismembering that tiny nation. Indeed, in 2013 Kerry visited Israel 11 times and on each occasion, demanded concessions of America's closest ally in the region (and one of its closest in the world) while making veiled threats if the "peace process" failed. And it now comes to light that the president intends to take a <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/obama-to-meet-abbas-march-17-in-washington/">greater personal role</a> in an attempt to broker a deal, one in which Israel is forced to relinquish its ancestral heartland to genocidal Palestinian dictators who maintain that the <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/exposing-abbas-5335">Holocaust is a myth</a> and regard the peace process as a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Q86jQX6GJKA">tactical part of an overall objective</a> to obliterate Israel.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>In November 2009, Obama pressured Israel into <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/34151442/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/israel-approves--month-settlement-freeze/">freezing construction</a> in Judea & Samaria for a period of 10 months with the aim of coaxing the histrionic Abbas back to the negotiating table. That effort failed, largely due to Abbas' rejectionist shenanigans.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>In March 2013, Obama boxed Israel into a corner and <a href="http://www.frontpagemag.com/2013/caroline-glick/the-meaning-and-consequences-of-israels-apology-to-turkey/">pressured Netanyahu</a> to apologize to Turkey's autocratic, semi-delusional, Islamist leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for the deaths of 9 Turkish IHH terrorists killed by Israeli commandos while trying to break a lawful maritime blockade. Nearly a year later, despite Israel's apology and generously absurd offer of compensation to the families of those killed, conditions that Erdogan himself demanded in exchange for normalized relations, normalization appears as far off as ever with Erdogan issuing yet more <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/177372">new demands</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Twice Israel has succumbed to Obama's pressure and twice paid the steep price for failing to say "no," but the stakes this time around are much higher. Israel is now expected to cede the strategic Jordan Valley and the Samarian mountain ranges to sworn enemies while exposing its industrial and populated centers to Palestinian rocket and mortar fire.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>The world is plagued with other more pressing matters. From Eastern Europe to South America, Iran to the South China Sea, complete conflagration is a hair's breadth away. Mr. President, if you want yet another Nobel Prize there are more pressing matters at hand, so please look elsewhere and leave the only thriving democracy in the Middle East alone.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b>Freedom Center pamphlets now available on Kindle: </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref%3dnb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=david+horowitz&rh=n:133140011%2ck:david+horowitz&ajr=0#/ref=sr_st?keywords=david+horowitz&qid=1316459840&rh=n:133140011%2ck:david+horowitz&sort=daterank" target="_blank"><b>Click here</b></a><b>. </b><o:p></o:p></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Article printed from FrontPage Magazine: <b>http://www.frontpagemag.com</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>URL to article: <b>http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/ari-lieberman/obamas-convoluted-priorities/</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-58637024396675608612014-03-04T16:45:00.001-04:002014-03-04T16:45:30.419-04:00Lee Rigby Soldiers of Allah beheaders argue with judge: “We did not betray Islam. You don’t know what Islam is. You will never be safe.”<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/lee-rigby-murderers-argue-with-judge-we-did-not-betray-islam-you-dont-know-what-islam-is/">http://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/lee-rigby-murderers-argue-with-judge-we-did-not-betray-islam-you-dont-know-what-islam-is/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h1><span lang=EN>Lee Rigby Soldiers of Allah beheaders argue with judge: "We did not betray Islam. You don't know what Islam is. You will never be safe."<o:p></o:p></span></h1><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN>Posted on <a href="http://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/lee-rigby-murderers-argue-with-judge-we-did-not-betray-islam-you-dont-know-what-islam-is/" title="8:31 pm">February 26, 2014</a><span class=byline> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Mr Justice Sweeney said in court to the Muslims who decapitated soldier Lee Rigby in broad daylight in Central London last year that their crime was a "betrayal of Islam". Even when it comes from their own mouth people like Judge Sweeney refuse to believe what they say.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>This is the entire problem with the understanding of Islam by many people in Britain. These Muslim murderers never betrayed Islam. They HONORED Islam and followed the commands of mass-murderer prophet Mohammed. Why is it so hard for people to grasp<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>1) Why Muslims were banned from immigrating to the West before France's pact with the EU in the 1970′s,<br>2) Why nearly 1 billion Muslims around the globe is equally willing to "betray Islam" without any sense of remorse or fault,<br>3) Why hundreds of millions of Muslims (the overwhelming majority, not a minority) believe there will be a future when Muslims will start killing sprees in the West unless people bend to Islam, and the entire region will turn into an Islamic country.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>How can a man be a judge and have such poor grasp and knowledge about the "culture" and religion of a people he is passing a sentence on?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN style='color:white'>.</span><span lang=EN><o:p></o:p></span></p><h3><strong><span lang=EN>Lee Rigby murderers sentenced to life in prison</span></strong><span lang=EN><o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><strong><span lang=EN>Michael Adebolajo has been sentenced to a "life means life" prison term for the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby while Michael Adebowale was sentenced to life with a minimum of 45 years</span></strong><span lang=EN><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>By <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/david-barrett/" title="David Barrett">David Barrett</a>, and Claire Carter<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>5:47PM GMT 26 Feb 2014<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>The Islamist killers of Drummer Lee Rigby erupted into violence in an Old Bailey courtroom as they were sentenced for murder yesterday.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Michael Adebolajo, 29, and Michael Adebowale, 22, <strong>had to be manhandled out of court by security guards after being told by</strong> <strong>Mr Justice Sweeney that their crime was a "betrayal of Islam".</strong><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Adebolajo screamed at the judge as he was manhandled down the dock stairs in the historic Court No 2 but, in scenes lasting several minutes, his co-defendant was held to the floor and cuffed before being carried downstairs head first.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Relatives of Drummer Rigby, who were sitting just three feet away from the dock, stood up and cowered away from the violence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Eight dock officers wrestled with the killers, who hacked the 25-year-old soldier to death in May last year after running him over near his barracks in Woolwich, south-east London.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Drummer Rigby's widow Rebecca was left sobbing uncontrollably at the scenes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Angered by the judges' comments about Islam, Adebowale stood up and shouted: <strong>"That's a lie. It's not a betrayal of Islam. You don't know what Islam is."</strong><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span lang=EN>The struggle erupted as the murderer yelled: "I swear by Allah that America and Britain will never have any safety. Allahu Akbar [God is Great]."</span></strong><span lang=EN><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>After the defendants had been removed Mr Justice Sweeney resumed his sentencing to give Adebolajo a "whole-life" tariff, meaning he will spend the rest of his life in jail.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Adebowale was given life with a minimum term of 45 years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-81796066166749727012014-03-04T16:42:00.001-04:002014-03-04T16:42:23.896-04:00Ukraine and the 'Little Cold War'<div class=WordSection1><h1><span lang=EN>Ukraine and the 'Little Cold War' </span><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter" /> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0" /> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1" /> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth" /> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0" /> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight" /> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0" /> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" /> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t" /> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="Rectangle_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://www.stratfor.com/sites/default/files/styles/640_scale_width/public/main/images/geopolitical-weekly.png?itok=e3Jio6iv" style='width:292.6pt;height:161.85pt;visibility:visible;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:char;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:line;mso-left-percent:-10001;mso-top-percent:-10001'> <v:imagedata cropbottom="-1407374884f" cropright="-1407374884f" /> <w:wrap type="none"/> <w:anchorlock/> </v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE47SQq-6YQNW95XCwPtI15tEsg2s9J2Kc8omeGCdV3VB6GD7qpYG5WZM0PxSKXL7b3aQ-uhk4WT5e6-sTHpW4RHxVWbRiKvm0yfCC5KI-msiZeB9CU2MklGZlQr_iY_E5IjmEmP_O80Nv/s1600/image001-743897.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE47SQq-6YQNW95XCwPtI15tEsg2s9J2Kc8omeGCdV3VB6GD7qpYG5WZM0PxSKXL7b3aQ-uhk4WT5e6-sTHpW4RHxVWbRiKvm0yfCC5KI-msiZeB9CU2MklGZlQr_iY_E5IjmEmP_O80Nv/s320/image001-743897.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987037282442004626" /></a><![endif]><span lang=EN><o:p></o:p></span></h1><p class=MsoNormal><span class=field-content><span lang=EN>Stratfor</span></span><span lang=EN> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span lang=EN>Editor's Note:</span></strong><span lang=EN> <em>In place of George Friedman's regular Geopolitical Weekly, this column is derived from two chapters of Friedman's 2009 book, </em>The Next 100 Years<em>. We are running this abstract of the chapters that focused on Eastern Europe and Russia because the forecast -- written in 2008 -- is prescient in its anticipation of events unfolding today in Russia, Ukraine and Crimea.</em><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><strong><span lang=EN>By <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/about/analysts/dr-george-friedman">George Friedman</a></span></strong><span lang=EN><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>We must consider the future of Eurasia after the fall of the Soviet Union. Since 1991, the region has fragmented and decayed. The successor state to the Soviet Union, Russia, is emerging from this period with renewed self-confidence. Yet <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/geopolitics-russia-permanent-struggle">Russia is also in an untenable geopolitical position</a>. Unless Russia exerts itself to create a sphere of influence, the Russian Federation could itself fragment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>For most of the second half of the 20th century, the Soviet Union controlled Eurasia -- from central Germany to the Pacific, as far south as the Caucasus and the Hindu Kush. When the Soviet Union collapsed, its western frontier moved east nearly 1,000 miles, from the West German border to the Russian border with Belarus. Russian power has now retreated farther east than it has been in centuries. During the Cold War it had moved farther west than ever before. In the coming decades, Russian power will settle somewhere between those two lines.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>After the Soviet Union dissolved at the end of the 20th century, foreign powers moved in to take advantage of Russia's economy, creating an era of chaos and poverty. Most significantly, Ukraine moved into an alignment with the United States and away from Russia -- this was a breaking point in Russian history.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>The Orange Revolution in Ukraine, from December 2004 to January 2005, was the moment when the post-Cold War world genuinely ended for Russia. The Russians saw the events in Ukraine as an attempt by the United States to draw Ukraine into NATO and thereby set the stage for Russian disintegration. Quite frankly, there was some truth to the Russian perception.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>If the West had succeeded in dominating Ukraine, Russia would have become indefensible. The southern border with Belarus, as well as the southwestern frontier of Russia, would have been wide open.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h3><strong><span lang=EN style='font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif"'>Russia's Resurgence</span></strong><span lang=EN><o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><span lang=EN>After what Russia regarded as an American attempt to further damage it, <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/next-stage-russias-resurgence-introduction">Moscow reverted to a strategy of reasserting its sphere of influence</a> in the areas of the former Soviet Union. The great retreat of Russian power ended in Ukraine. For the next generation, until roughly 2020, Russia's primary concern will be reconstructing the Russian state and reasserting Russian power in the region.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Interestingly, the geopolitical shift is aligning with an economic shift. Vladimir Putin sees Russia less as an industrial power than as an exporter of raw materials, the most important of which is energy (particularly natural gas). He is transforming Russia from an impoverished disaster into a poor but more productive country. Putin also is giving Russia the tool with which to intimidate Europe: the valve on a natural gas pipeline.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>But the real flash point, in all likelihood, will be on Russia's western frontier. Belarus will align itself with Russia. Of all the countries in the former Soviet Union, Belarus has had the fewest economic and political reforms and has been the <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/russias-customs-union-eurasian-union-evolution-part-1">most interested in recreating some successor to the Soviet Union</a>. Linked in some way to Russia, Belarus will bring Russian power back to the borders of the former Soviet Union.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>From the Baltics south to the Romanian border there is a region where borders have historically been uncertain and conflict frequent. In the north, there is a long, narrow plain, stretching from the Pyrenees to St. Petersburg. This is where Europe's greatest wars were fought. This is the path that Napoleon and Hitler took to invade Russia. There are few natural barriers. Therefore, the Russians must push their border west as far as possible to create a buffer. After World War II, they drove into the center of Germany on this plain. Today, they have retreated to the east. They have to return, and move as far west as possible. That means the Baltic states and Poland are, as before, problems Russia has to solve.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Defining the limits of Russian influence will be controversial. The United States -- and the countries within the old Soviet sphere -- will not want Russia to go too far.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Russia will not become a global power in the next decade, but <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/topics/politics/russian-resurgence">it has no choice but to become a major regional power</a>. And that means it will clash with Europe. The Russian-European frontier remains a fault line.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>It is unreasonable to talk of Europe as if it were one entity. It is not, in spite of the existence of the European Union. Europe consists of a series of sovereign and contentious nation-states.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>In short, post-Cold War Europe is in benign chaos. Russia is the immediate strategic threat to Europe. Russia is interested not in conquering Europe, but in reasserting its control over the former Soviet Union. From the Russian point of view, this is both a reasonable attempt to establish some minimal sphere of influence and essentially a defensive measure.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Obviously the Eastern Europeans want to prevent a Russian resurgence. The real question is what the rest of Europe might do -- and especially, <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/more-assertive-german-foreign-policy">what Germany might do</a>. The Germans are now in a comfortable position with a buffer between them and the Russians, free to focus on their internal economic and social problems. In addition, the heritage of World War II weighs heavily on the Germans. They will not want to act alone, but as part of a unified Europe.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Russia is the eastern portion of Europe and has clashed with the rest of Europe on multiple occasions. Historically, though, Europeans who have invaded Russia have come to a disastrous end. If they are not beaten by the Russians, they are so exhausted from fighting them that someone else defeats them. Russia occasionally pushes its power westward, threatening Europe with the Russian masses. At other times passive and ignored, Russia is often taken advantage of. But, in due course, others pay for underestimating it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h3><span lang=EN>Geographic Handicaps, Energy Assets<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p><span lang=EN>If we are going to understand Russia's behavior and intentions, we have to begin with Russia's fundamental weakness -- its borders, particularly in the northwest. On the North European Plain, no matter where Russia's borders are drawn, it is open to attack. There are few significant natural barriers anywhere on this plain. Pushing its western border all the way into Germany, as it did in 1945, still leaves Russia's frontiers without a physical anchor. The only physical advantage Russia can have is depth. The farther west into Europe its borders extend, the farther conquerors have to travel to reach Moscow. Therefore, Russia is always pressing westward on the North European Plain and Europe is always pressing eastward.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Europe is hungry for energy. Russia, constructing pipelines to feed natural gas to Europe, takes care of Europe's energy needs and its own economic problems, and puts Europe in a position of dependency on Russia. In an energy-hungry world, Russia's energy exports are like heroin. It addicts countries once they start using it. Russia has already used its natural gas resources to force neighboring countries to bend to its will. That power reaches into the heart of Europe, where the Germans and the former Soviet satellites of Eastern Europe all depend on Russian natural gas. Add to this its other resources, and Russia can apply significant pressure on Europe.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Dependency can be a double-edged sword. A militarily weak Russia cannot pressure its neighbors, because its neighbors might decide to make a grab for its wealth. So <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/future-russias-military-part-1">Russia must recover its military strength</a>. Rich and weak is a bad position for nations to be in. If Russia is to be rich in natural resources and export them to Europe, it must be in a position to protect what it has and to shape the international environment in which it lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>In the next decade, Russia will become increasingly wealthy (relative to its past, at least) but geographically insecure. It will therefore use some of its wealth to create a military force appropriate to protect its interests, buffer zones to protect it from the rest of the world -- and then buffer zones for the buffer zones. Russia's grand strategy involves the creation of deep buffers along the North European Plain, while it divides and manipulates its neighbors, creating a new regional balance of power in Europe. What Russia cannot tolerate are tight borders without buffer zones, and its neighbors united against it. This is why Russia's future actions will appear to be aggressive but will actually be defensive.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>Russia's actions will unfold in three phases. In the first phase, Russia will be concerned with recovering influence and effective control in the former Soviet Union, re-creating the system of buffers that the Soviet Union provided it. In the second phase, Russia will seek to create a second tier of buffers beyond the boundaries of the former Soviet Union. It will try to do this without creating a solid wall of opposition, of the kind that choked it during the Cold War. In the third phase -- really something that will have been going on from the beginning -- Russia will try to prevent anti-Russian coalitions from forming.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>If we think of the Soviet Union as a natural grouping of geographically isolated and economically handicapped countries, we can see what held it together. The countries that made up the Soviet Union were bound together of necessity. The former Soviet Union consisted of members who really had nowhere else to go. These old economic ties still dominate the region, except that Russia's new model, exporting energy, has made these countries even more dependent than they were previously. Attracted as Ukraine was to the rest of Europe, it could not compete or participate with Europe. Its natural economic relationship is with Russia; it relies on Russia for energy, and ultimately it tends to be militarily dominated by Russia as well.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>These are the dynamics that Russia will take advantage of in order to reassert its sphere of influence. It will not necessarily recreate a formal political structure run from Moscow -- although that is not inconceivable. Far more important will be Russian influence in the region over the next five to 10 years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>The Russians will pull the Ukrainians into their alliance with Belarus and will have Russian forces all along the Polish border, and as far south as the Black Sea. This, I believe, will all take place by the mid-2010s.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span lang=EN>There has been a great deal of talk in recent years about the weakness of the Russian army, talk that in the decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union was accurate. But here is the new reality -- that weakness started to reverse itself in 2000, and by 2015 it will be a thing of the past. The coming confrontation in northeastern Europe will not take place suddenly, but will be an extended confrontation. Russian military strength will have time to develop. The one area in which Russia continued research and development in the 1990s was in advanced military technologies. By 2010, it will certainly have the most effective army in the region. By 2015-2020, it will have a military that will pose a challenge to any power trying to project force into the region, even the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-25902963770448102842014-03-04T16:40:00.001-04:002014-03-04T16:40:56.180-04:00"Moderate" Rouhani's Slaughterhouse for Young Men<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Rouhani's "Moderate" Slaughterhouse for Young Men<br></span></b><b><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The Case of Shahrokh Zamani</span></b><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:7.5pt'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>by <a href="http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/author/Shadi+Paveh"><span style='color:blue'>Shadi Paveh</span></a><br>March 4, 2014 at 4:00 am</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4199/iran-shahrokh-zamani"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4199/iran-shahrokh-zamani</span></a></span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>"In Iran, they hang innocent young people in groups in front of their families.... To stay in power, the Islamic Republic is killing so many people in one day that they have run out of <i>space</i> for them? My God!" — Shahrokh Zamani, Political prisoner, Iran<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Shahrokh Zamani, sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of "spreading propaganda" and "participating in illegal organizations" for attempting to build a Trade Union for him and his fellow painters, is presently serving his time in Rajai-Shahr prison, known for its devastating conditions and inhumane treatment of prisoners.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In October of 2013, without notice, the prison authorities decided to add six months to Mr. Zamani's existing sentence for the vague charge of "insulting the Supreme Leader-Ali Khamenei." As courts of the Islamic Republic largely ignore international legal standards, judges, mainly Islamic clergy with no training in law, do as they please, including arbitrarily extending prison sentences for perceived infractions, presumably just to punish a prisoner further. Mr. Zamani was most likely disciplined for contacting international human rights organizations and reporting the grotesque human rights abuses inside Iran's prisons.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In October 2012, Mr. Zamani wrote such a letter to Mr. Ahmad Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Iran. The following is an excerpt from that letter:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>My name is Shahrokh Zamani, and I am a member of Painters' Worker Union of Tehran. On June 5, 2011, in Tabriz to visit my parents, I was unlawfully arrested by the agents of the Ministry of Intelligence without any charges, evidence or documents. After forty days of both psychological and physical forms of harsh tortures, I was taken to the central prison of Tabriz. In those 40 days of my unlawful and illegal detention I was on a hunger strike to protest my situation. I lost 27 kg [59.5 lbs] but never gave a confession. Despite there being not a shred of evidence against me, or my interrogators never having gotten one line of a confession out of me, the First Branch of Revolutionary Court of Tabriz accused me of " spreading propaganda against the regime and forming Socialist groups," a charge that carries a mandatory prison sentence of 11 years. When I asked the judge what was the evidence against me and why he was justified in giving me such a long sentence, he replied, "Who do you think I am, Sir? I am just a small link in the chain of this system."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>More recently, on February 15, 2014, Zamani and his cellmate Rasoul Badeghi were transferred to solitary confinement for two days in Rajai-Shahr prison. From there Zamani wrote the following letter to International Committee Against Execution (ICAE):<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"My cellmate and I, Mr. Rasoul Badeghi [a labor activist], were sent to solitary for objecting to the crushing treatment by prison authorities and other restrictions forced upon political prisoners. The authorities kept me in solitary for only a few days, but instead, I would gladly exchange those days in the dungeons of hell for months in solitary in any other prison.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Four days ago, on February 18, 2014, in a solitary cell in Ward 5 of the prison, I was busy feeling sorry for myself -- thinking of all the abuses and oppression to which I have been subjected and the unimaginable circumstances forced on me -- when the voice of a guard, startled me; saying I was being moved to a new cell.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>I gathered all my belongings, which were two blankets, and followed him. In the corridor I saw eight young men; their eyes showed the sparkle of youth combined with a wave of panic -- absolute terror mixed with hope, hatred, love, and despair.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>They looked as if they were trying somehow to connect their past, present and future to this one horrifying moment. "Why were these boys brought to solitary?" I asked the guard. "For 'carrying out their sentence,'" he said. "You mean you are going to <i>hang</i> these boys?" I said. "Yes" he said. "That is what we have been doing for the last couple of days now…they are bringing more people for hangings tomorrow. We had to turn away people for hangings the other day due to lack of holding space. There are 40 people waiting to be hanged by the end of the month -- in the next two days…They are on the waiting list."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>What is this curse that has befallen us in Iran? What kind of slaughterhouse lines up young men for hangings? How much more blood does this regime need in order to simply stay in power -- with its increased wave of executions behind closed doors?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Next, I was awakened by lots of noise, slamming cell doors, sobs, hysterics, begging, and moans of the young men. I desperately waited for news that the young men were somehow spared. They were being sacrificed so their government could remain in power. You felt as if you had died hours ago, too, many times, with the noose around your neck. You even started to feel suffocated, as if you, too, were being pulled up by the noose.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Then you can hear other people, maybe the families or onlookers. Why, instead of these men's families, couldn't one have brought the families of the authorities -- Ayatollah Larijani [Head of Judiciary of the Islamic Republic] and others in power -- to this prison to make them watch these murders. Tell them to watch this butchery, these factories, that they, or their families, have created for killing young people.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In Iran, they hang innocent young people in groups in front of their families. This regime has sustained itself only by killing; to survive, it must continue killing. To stay in power, the Islamic Republic is killing so many people in one day that they have run out of <i>space</i> for them? My God! If you do not object to all these killings, you, too, are responsible; you, too, have blood on your hands.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Under a so-called "moderate" President, Hassan Rouhani, with his fictitious "Islamic Human Rights," these atrocities have not only continued, but have increased aggressively. Is it not true that no matter what these people have done, the Islamic Republic's very nature, its laws, rules and regulations, are also somehow responsible? Who among you is making a living from these killings? Who among you is helping this bloodshed grow?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Shahrokh Zamani, February 2014<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Update:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> According to HRANA News Agency's February 25, 2014 report; prison authorities are seeking new charges against Mr. Zamani and Mr. Badeghi for causing a prison riot and clashes with guards. Both are calling these new charges falsified and are denying them. When they were transferred to solitary confinement, eight prisoners started a hunger strike in support.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-52756112451708636552014-03-04T16:39:00.001-04:002014-03-04T16:39:50.353-04:00Fatah Infighting Jeopardizes Kerry's Peace Process<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Fatah Infighting Jeopardizes Kerry's Peace Process<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:7.5pt'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>by <a href="http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/author/Khaled+Abu+Toameh"><span style='color:blue'>Khaled Abu Toameh</span></a><br>March 4, 2014 at 5:00 am</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4196/dahlan-abbas-fatah-infighting"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4196/dahlan-abbas-fatah-infighting</span></a></span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>In recent weeks, Abbas has taken a number of measures that reflect his increased fear of Mohamed Dahlan's moves to discredit him and remove him from power. These measures include confiscating large sums of money transferred from the United Arab Emirates to Dahlan loyalists in Gaza.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Once the claim was that Abbas does not represent the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who are under the control of Hamas. Today it is not incorrect to argue that Abbas does not even represent his own party.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>As Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas continues to talk with Israel and the U.S. about ways of achieving peace in the Middle East, senior members of his ruling Fatah faction have stepped up their efforts to remove him from power.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>These efforts seem to be worrying Abbas these days more than anything else, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's proposed "framework agreement" for peace between the Palestinians and Israel – which has thus far been rejected by Abbas and the Palestinian Authority [PA] leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The internal squabbling in Fatah casts doubts on Abbas' ability or willingness to sign any peace agreement with Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>There are not mere tensions or disagreements among politicians. Rather, they mark the beginning of an inevitable split that could result in the creation of a rival, anti-Abbas Fatah group, headed by some of his arch-enemies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Sooner or later, Kerry and other Western leaders will have to ask Abbas which Fatah exactly does he represent – the one dominated by veteran leaders closely associated with Abbas and his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, or the new controlled by younger grassroots leaders.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Sources close to Abbas have accused former Fatah Central Committee member and former PA security chief Mohammed Dahlan of secretly planning a coup against the PA leader. According to the sources, Dahlan, who has been living in exile in the United Arab Emirates for the past four years, has his eyes set on the Palestinian Authority presidency and regards himself as a successor to Abbas. Recently, Abbas dispatched a high-level Fatah delegation to the Gaza Strip, prompting many Palestinians to speculate that the purpose of the trip was to achieve reconciliation with Hamas. But it quickly transpired that the Fatah delegation, headed by Abbas loyalist Nabil Sha'ath, was sent to the Gaza Strip as part of Abbas's attempt to crush a Dahlan-engineered rebellion against his leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Many Palestinians were initially convinced that Abbas had resumed his efforts to end the dispute between Fatah and Hamas. Reports in Palestinian and Western media outlets even suggested that the two rival parties had made progress towards achieving unity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Fatah leaders, however, have now admitted that the visit was primarily aimed at "restoring order" within their faction in the Gaza Strip. Abbas, they revealed, was now seeking the help of Hamas help in preventing Dahlan and other Fatah "rebels" from continuing to challenge his leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Some <a href="http://www.shfanews.net/index.php/2012-04-29-09-32-47/30831-i"><span style='color:blue'>reports</span></a> have suggested that Sha'ath and members of his delegation had to flee the Gaza Strip three days after their arrival following threats to their lives from Dahlan and his supporters. According to the reports, Sha'ath even appealed to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to beef up security at the hotel where he was staying in Gaza City, out of fear that disgruntled Fatah activists might assassinate him or members of his delegation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Upon returning to Ramallah, Sha'ath rushed to accuse Dahlan and his supporters of plotting to overthrow Abbas. Sha'ath <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVrCrZKc7Kw"><span style='color:blue'>said</span></a> that Abbas was worried about attempts to create a schism within Fatah. "All previous splits in Fatah ended in failure," Sha'ath said. "All those who did break away from Fatah were eventually forced to become agents for other countries."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>In recent weeks, Abbas has taken a number of <a href="http://www.albawaba.com/ar/%D8%A3-554827"><span style='color:blue'>measures</span></a> that reflect his increased fear of Dahlan's moves to discredit him and remove him from power. These measures include confiscating large sums of money transferred from the United Arab Emirates to Dahlan loyalists in the Gaza Strip.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>More recently, Abbas <a href="http://kofiapress.net/main/news/22478"><span style='color:blue'>spent</span></a> one million dollars on a "mass wedding" of 300 Palestinians after learning that the event had been originally sponsored and financed by Dahlan.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Last week Abbas went further by <a href="http://www.elsahefa.com/world/9061"><span style='color:blue'>threatening</span></a> to expel all Dahlan loyalists from Fatah. Dahlan himself was expelled (by Abbas) from Fatah in 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Palestinians in Ramallah said that the increased tensions in Fatah mean that Abbas is beginning to lose his grip over the faction -- a fact that Kerry and his team would not be able to ignore if and when they force Abbas to sign any agreement with Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Today it is more obvious than ever that the challenges facing Abbas are not coming only from Hamas, but from his own Fatah faction. The serious problems that have surfaced in Abbas's back yard are, of course, very bad news for any peace process with Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:11.25pt;margin-left:0in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Once, the claim was that Abbas does not represent the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who are under the control of Hamas. Today, however, it is not incorrect to argue that Israel's peace partner, Abbas, does not even represent his own party.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-7352091170783273062014-03-04T16:38:00.001-04:002014-03-04T16:38:47.403-04:00Defense Budget Perspectives: As Our Enemies Advance, What Should the United States Do?<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/defense-budget-perspectives-as-our-enemies-advance-what-should-the-united-states-do?f=must_reads">http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/defense-budget-perspectives-as-our-enemies-advance-what-should-the-united-states-do?f=must_reads</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h3>Defense Budget Perspectives: As Our Enemies Advance, What Should the United States Do?<o:p></o:p></h3><p class=MsoNormal>by <a href="http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/authors/detail/peter-huessy">PETER HUESSY</a> <span style='font-size:10.0pt'>February 27, 2014</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p>SEN. JEFF SESSIONS<o:p></o:p></p><p>The FY '14 budget request for the Department of Defense is at a challenging time with a diverse set of escalating threats and continued financial constraints, it's more important than ever that we try to get the situation on a sound path. In evaluating the present budget, I've found the most troubling aspect to be the treatment of sequestration.<o:p></o:p></p><p>For the second straight year the impact of sequestration has been really hidden from Congress and the American people. It's not been fully understood and surely the claims being made for the president's budget, that his budget replaces sequestration, but it really - he says he has a plan to get around it, but it's not a realistic plan. It's not going to work. That's the problem.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So we've got to get some certainly in the Defense Department. We hear that all the time from the private defense contracting world to the Defense Department. Everybody is worried about that. And uncertainty has been too much of our problem in recent months. So this is clearly seen looking at this chart.<o:p></o:p></p><p>We have a chart that the last four Department of Defense budget requests for 2014 spending levels. So if you would look at that, and the president's budget in 2011 called for $598 billion in 2014. In 2012 his budget dropped to $586. His budget in 2013 called for $534 (billion). And his budget for 2014 now calls for $527 (billion).<o:p></o:p></p><p>That's a big drop right there. But that doesn't count the sequester, does it? So sequester is another $50 billion that we've got to wrestle with there. We've had a pretty serious erosion.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Let's go to chart two. And 50 years ago the United States spent 46 percent of our budget on defense. Under the president's budget this year, just 17 percent of federal spending will go to defense. That's a pretty major reduction and alteration in the nature of the federal government that people have seen in this decade.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Now how about number three? People complain that the deficit we're suffering in America is a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both wars, Iraq and Afghanistan, over 10 years now amounted to $1.4 trillion.<o:p></o:p></p><p>In one year we had a budget deficit of $1.3 trillion. We've been averaging a trillion dollars a year for the last four years, and we'll be about $600 billion-plus deficit this year. So it's an improvement, but this is really a factor that we need to know. And the base defense budget has only been growing about three percent a year for the last three or four years, whereas food stamps have gone from $20 billion to $80 billion - four times.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Whereas Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security are increasing at five and six-plus percent; and those are the ones that are on an unsustainable course. You can't have an economy growing at two percent a year and have your spending increase at six percent a year. That's the very definition of an unsustainable debt course - financial course.<o:p></o:p></p><p>How about the next one, Joe? That's the percentage of defense and the percentage of GDP. Many of you are familiar with that.<o:p></o:p></p><p>From '46 to 2000, post World War II, we spent seven percent of GDP on defense. 2001 through 2013, four percent. 2014 to 2013, we're projected to be at three percent. And the number continues to decline. We'll be hitting in 2023, an all time World War II low of 2.4 percent of GDP. And so our commitment is below the commitment we've asked the Europeans to make, below our commitment - certainly our historical level. So we're trying to deal with the BCA and the sequester.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And we have another chart. This gives a further perspective. Under full sequestration the defense budget will actually shrink in inflation-adjusted dollars by 11 percent, whereas non-defense spending will increase 44 percent. One half of the sequester cuts are falling on one-sixth of the budget, the defense budget. It takes one half of it. And the non-defense budget is able to supplement their cuts and reduce the cuts they take by getting two percent of the non-defense cuts out of Medicare. In fact, the other government programs that we fund don't take as much of a reduction.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And let me tell you what's a really tough deal. In 2011, in August, we hit the debt ceiling again. That became the focal point of a national discussion about how to deal with our unsustainable debt course. And it was a national debate, a healthy national debate.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The conventional wisdom was this was horrible. You had a discussion about spending and you couldn't reach an agreement until the last minute and the country is going to sink into the ocean. But we made it out of the discussion, and there was a big disagreement. So what came out of it?<o:p></o:p></p><p>They agreed to raise the debt ceiling $2.1 trillion, which we've already hit again. So in August of 2011 we added that much to the debt already and we're already padding it to continue it a little longer. And we agreed to reduce spending over 10 years by $2.1 trillion - reduce the growth of spending by $2.1 trillion.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So we were spending $3.7 trillion a year at that time. So over 10, that would be $37 (trillion)[with no increase-editor]. We were projected to go to $47 trillion over 10. This cut the increase to $45 trillion instead of $47 trillion. So that's the perspective we're in.<o:p></o:p></p><p>They put in this committee that was supposed to find the cuts, but if they didn't have the cuts the sequestration would take place. And that was aimed at, I guess the Republicans. You guys - we don't care about defense, you guys care about defense - I guess is what they were basically saying. You'll have to agree because if you don't agree we'll cut defense, and you won't like that.<o:p></o:p></p><p>That's kind of the approach Jack Lew forced in there, and our guys agreed to it because they thought the committee would probably reach an agreement. And I remember being shocked as the Budget Ranking Member, to see that in there. And that was one of the reasons I didn't vote for the bill. You know, the committee will reach an agreement, don't worry, was the mentality.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And it passed, and so right now it's beginning to bite and we're beginning to feel it. So we had a Budget Committee hearing last week and General Dempsey and Secretary Hagel were there. And they were telling us the problems and we were commiserating with them.<o:p></o:p></p><p>I did tell him, I said gentlemen, you've been sharing this with Congress for some time. You have a lot of sympathy over here. But if you have the phone number of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I suggest you make a phone call to the commander in chief.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Because what he's saying is we'll take no more cuts anywhere else in the budget to smooth out the reductions and reduce the pressure on the defense cuts. The only thing they're demanding is more taxes. And they just got $600 billion in more taxes in January.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And this agreement that he signed in August of 2011 simply reduced the growth of spending by $2.1 trillion. It had no tax cuts, no tax increases, in it. So I think the president owes us a response. Are you just going to have it all fall on defense, as this chart shows, half of it on one-sixth of the budget? Or, as commander in chief, are you going to help us find some other reductions in areas that receive no cuts?<o:p></o:p></p><p>So you have no authorizations except the two percent on Medicare, and there's probably some other things that could be done there. No changes in Medicaid, which is surging at six or so plus percent a year. No changes in food stamps. No changes in a lot of other programs that could be altered and help balance the scales so we have a more logical way to reduce our growth of spending a little bit -- that I mentioned to you - and not do damage.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So I think the commander in chief owes it to the men and women he deploys in harm's way to do more than just say I'm not doing anything but raising taxes. That's the only way we're going to do this, because I don't think it's going to reach an agreement.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So, the problem is, you see the intensity of this disagreement. It's very real and it's very likely not to be settled by raising taxes. And the Republicans believe that they had an agreement to reduce spending without raising taxes. And they've been proposing other ideas about where we could spread the cuts around the government and make it more palatable, and we've gotten nowhere with that.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So I guess the White House just says, well, we've got a plan, raise taxes. But we're not together on that. And I'm afraid we may not get together.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So this is a really big problem and a lot of you understand it. But I wanted to share with you the intensity of the issue.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Mitch McConnell recently said it's a question of fidelity, I believe was the word, to the American people. We said we were going to cut spending $2.1 trillion. So when you eliminate the sequester and replace it with tax increases, you've increased spending. You eliminated the spending cuts that we proudly announced we had achieved.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So I don't have a problem with spreading them around the different agencies. I really think that we absolutely should do that. But to replace that and increase spending over the modest reduction that we had, I think it would be very, very difficult to achieve and I'm not prepared to support that.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So that's where we are. And I hope that all of you will be thinking about it. And I guess if you were a diabolical political "guru," and you were part of the "cut defense gang," and you could get defense cut and blame it on the Republicans, that would be a winner, wouldn't it? Wouldn't that be brilliant? It's too close to being the reality today.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So, four years ago on missile defense issues Senator Lieberman and I wrote Secretary Gates expressing concern about GMD cuts that were being proposed in the 2010 budget. And GMD suffered a 35 percent reduction from fiscal year 2009 levels. The deployments of GBIs, if you remember, were cut back from 44 in Alaska to 30. And I objected to that. And for good measure they cancelled the multi-kill vehicle, MKV.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So thanks to the efforts of Secretary Gates some of that GMD funding was replaced and restored. But for the most part GMD remained mostly on life support during the last four years and we're seeing some consequences today. Because threats advanced quicker than were expected, Secretary Hagel, I'm pleased to say, did reverse that decision and decided to restore the 14 GBIs we would emplace.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And, of course, they'll be more costly now because we didn't keep the program on pace. Admiral Syring is now on Capitol Hill with a briefing talking about the need to improve our radar discrimination capabilities for GMD, including a discussion of the X-band radar. And that is something that I certainly think we can do. And I think I would say to you we had a very good discussion in the Armed Services Committee, and have bipartisan support for doing a third site for a missile deployment on the East [coast]and with as many as 20 interceptors.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So I think that was good. But we did vote out the X-Band radar system. That was done. And we did not vote explicitly to advance the new site<o:p></o:p></p><p>But without the European site we really need an East Coast American site pretty surely. So we talked about it in committee and I felt pretty good about that. So it was a bipartisan group.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Now the House, the HASC version, includes $140 million for a third site. That's good for conference purposes. The House Appropriations Committee has $70 million in it. We put $30 million in, in our bill. So I think there are prospects for advancing that in the committee.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Everybody seemed to be understanding the need for a third site. The only question is in a tight budget time what can we do about it? We don't have enough money, they say, and that's true.<o:p></o:p></p><p>But if you look at what happened in the fiscal year 2012 to 2016 five year projections for Missile Defense Agency, we were projected to spend $43 billion over five years. The five year spending projections in this year's budget for 2014 is only $37.6 billion. So it's really a net drop of $5.9 billion in MDA funding over the next five years.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And that's what's putting us in a fix. If we had that money we could complete the third site pretty easily. Admiral Syring's spending power has declined by about a $1 billion a year before taking into account the sequestration.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Quickly, modernization. The Armed Services Committee fully funded the president's request for NNSA weapons activities. Unfortunately, the president's request fell short of the New START commitments that he made, rather significantly. To secure Senate support for New START, the president committed to increase funding for NNSA nuclear weapons activities by $4.1 billion between fiscal year '12 and fiscal year '16.<o:p></o:p></p><p>We need to do this. Everybody understands the need for it. Taking into account Congressional actions, sequester cuts and shortfalls, that increase will be scaled back by about $1.4 billion, or 34 percent.<o:p></o:p></p><p>In fiscal year '12, $385 million was cut by Congress. In fiscal year '13 the administration request fell short by $343 million, while an additional $600 million was cut due to the sequester. The fiscal year '14 request fell $285 million short. So this begins to add up over time and puts you in a position where it's difficult to accomplish what we've committed to do.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The life extension program for the B-61 nuclear bomb, which has got to be done, was delayed by two years in the fiscal year '13 request, and is now likely to be delayed another six to 12 months, pushing it back beyond 2019, which creates risks associated with a component in the bomb that is reaching the end of its life. So we've got to get that fixed.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The FY13 request: we were told in that request that we had a three year slip in the life extension program for the W-78 and W-88 bombs, the interoperable warheads. According to the FY14 stockpile stewardship management plan, the date for the W-78/88 interoperable warhead has slipped another year.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The nuclear triad. Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine replacement has been delayed by two years, leaving the Navy with no margin for further schedule slip. As a result of this delay, our SSBN force structure will decrease, it appears, below the operational requirement of 10 SSBNs at about 2031. Both Navy and StratCom believe there is moderate operational risk associated with this plan.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And the long-range standoff missile - a replacement for the 1980, 30-years plus missile, air-launched nuclear missile - has been delayed two years. The contractor award on that has been delayed. After three years of study, the next generation of bomber does appear to be ready to move forward with development, with the FY '13 [NDAA] requiring that the bomber be nuclear certified within two years after initial deployment. And the administration is conducting an analysis of alternatives for a follow-on ICBM.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So the gap continues to grow between what was committed to as part of the New START process, and where we're actually going to end up, and I'm worried about that. I was particularly uneasy about the president's announcement. We got an advance call about it.<o:p></o:p></p><p>But in Berlin the president said this, "So today I'm announcing additional steps forward. After a comprehensive review I have determined that we can assure the security of America and our allies and maintain a strong deterrent while reducing our nuclear weapons by up to one-third. And I intend to seek negotiated cuts with Russia to move beyond Cold War nuclear postures. At the same time, we'll work with our NATO allies to seek bold reductions in U.S. and Russian tactical weapons and forge a new international framework for peaceful nuclear power and reject the nuclear weaponization that North Korea and Iran may be seeking."<o:p></o:p></p><p>That's a big change, with 1,550 weapons today, and we've been reducing rather dramatically. And now we've just had our president announce that we're going to have another third reduced. And it causes me concern.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And I believe it's going to cause Congress concern because fundamentally this is not driven, it seems to me, primarily by a goal of reaching a level that's safe for America. But it seems to be more driven by an ideological vision of the president of a world without nuclear weapons.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And George Bush said, I think we can get to 1,500 nuclear weapons and I believe we can still defend America. That's one thing. But when you've got a commander in chief who's repeated, stated goal is a world without nuclear weapons - and we have very little analysis, it seems to me of this - and announce a further one-third reduction, I believe that has destabilizing effects worldwide. I believe it's likely to be misinterpreted worldwide. I think it's a dangerous policy. I see no need for us to take that big a reduction in our nuclear arsenal at this time.<o:p></o:p></p><p>For example, Senator Hagel - Secretary Hagel, signed on with a small group of folks - [for a] Global Zero report - to have zero nuclear weapons. And they agreed to pursue an aggressive nuclear disarmament regime. They proposed reducing 1,550 weapons to 900. Well, this will take us to about 1,000, almost what they asked for.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Of the remaining 900 total nuclear weapons, the Hagel report, Global Zero, said 450 would be deployed, 450 would be placed in reserve. That's only half actually deployed. Deployed weapons would be de-alerted, requiring 24 to 72 hours to launch. That was in their plan - the man chosen to be Secretary of Defense.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Our reserve warheads would require weeks and months to be placed in a launch ready position. Under their plan all land-based ICBMs would be eliminated. All tactical nuclear weapons would be eliminated.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The strategic bomber force would be reduced to 18. All B-52s would be decommissioned. They would re-structure or downsize nuclear modernization programs. [OHIO class] submarines would go from 14 to 10.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So this is the atmosphere in which we are operating. The Schlesinger-Perry report came nowhere close to recommending such a plan. And during the writing of their report it was quite clear that our allies around the world are very uneasy about us now. And so if your goal is to avoid nuclear proliferation, aren't you likely to incentivize many of our allies who have felt safe under the U.S. nuclear umbrella, to feel like they've got to have nuclear weapons now? And does anybody imagine that Iran or North Korea are going to see the example of the United States going to zero nuclear weapons and somehow that's going to cause them to not develop nuclear weapons? Unlikely.<o:p></o:p></p><p>I had an opportunity to meet with some Russian officials and individuals, and one shared with me, when I asked about their plans, and he said we're never giving up nuclear weapons. And we're far outnumbered in tactical nuclear weapons. So the Russians are willing to discuss the reduction of strategic nuclear weapons, but they have a massive lead in tactical nuclear weapons and won't discuss that. Yet apparently our Secretary of Defense in his report is prepared to consider the elimination of all tactical nuclear weapons in the United States.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So I would say to you sophisticated observers of the American scene, I really think we've got to be careful about this. I think this has ramifications far more than just a political dispute. We're talking about a fundamental alteration of the posture of the United States with regard to nuclear weapons. We haven't sufficiently talked about it. And to the extent to which it's based on a presidential goal and a Secretary of Defense goal to eliminate all nuclear weapons, I am deeply troubled by it, because I don't think that's realistic.<o:p></o:p></p><p>I can't imagine the world will be heading that way. What we've got to do is be mature, careful, responsible managers of our nuclear arsenal in a way that advances peace. I would suggest to you this kind of policy could endanger peace far more than maintaining a sufficient arsenal and being consistent and firm and clear in how we intend to use them.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Some of the things that are said about it, really, is it seems that nonproliferation and disarmament, rather than nuclear deterrence, now are the guiding powers and forces in our theory of nuclear weapons. Think about that. That seems to be it, pretty much.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So the number and the role of nuclear weapons is being reduced. And the president made clear the U.S. will not develop new nuclear warheads or pursue nuclear missions. And in Japan, not long ago, or South Korea - he goes to South Korea and says in March of last year, "As president I changed our nuclear posture to reduce the number and role of nuclear weapons in our national security. I made it clear that the United States will not develop new nuclear warheads and we will not pursue new military missions for nuclear weapons. We've narrowed the range of contingencies under which we would ever use or threaten to use nuclear weapons." Well I don't know how that made the South Koreans feel, or the Japanese, facing concerns that they face around their neighborhood. How could it make them feel more confident in the United States' reliability as a partner ? So that is an issue of significance.<o:p></o:p></p><p>I'm sorry to run on so long, Peter. Do you have time for questions? I'd be glad to try to answer any questions that you have. Thank you for your interest in American defense policy. It's important that we talk about these issues publicly. We can agree on a lot of things.<o:p></o:p></p><p>You know, last year our defense Armed Services bill was unanimous. This year we had almost unanimous, the no votes being basically on the concern over the sequester, I think, and how much money - whether we should mark to this full amount or current law. And so I think we shouldn't over-emphasize the disagreements. Senator Levin has done a good job, and Senator Inhofe, of keeping us on a pretty good bipartisan course.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Questions?<o:p></o:p></p><p>(Applause).<o:p></o:p></p><p>MR. SYDNEY FRIEDBERG: Senator, Sydney Friedberg from Breaking Defense News. I certainly agree with you that the Senators - the president's budget request is basically dead - (off mic). But I would say equally that the Senate and House budget resolutions are a fantasy - that the SASC and HASC have marked up - are fantasy.<o:p></o:p></p><p>If numbers are imaginary, this would make up negative one. And it seems like everybody is hand-waving and nobody is leaning towards compromises in this bicameral, bipartisan executive-legislative branch problem. Is there any island of reality and how do we get there? How do we paddle over the water there ?<o:p></o:p></p><p>SEN. SESSIONS: I was just telling you, I'm worried about it.<o:p></o:p></p><p>(Laughter).<o:p></o:p></p><p>And it is difficult to justify marking up to a number that is not likely to be the number we're going to appropriate. I voted for the bill in committee. Secretary Hagel has promised that he'll submit us a report on how he can manage these reductions better. That's supposed to be coming shortly.<o:p></o:p></p><p>But I'm uneasy about it. I made a floor speech that night saying that I was not going to be able to vote for a bill that didn't comply with the Budget Control Act, and part of which is the sequester, as a total number of cuts; and favored and advocated in that speech, as I did to you, that there are other places we can find savings. So I think we're in a very grim position.<o:p></o:p></p><p>MR. RICHARD WEISS: Richard Weiss, Hudson Institute. One of the issues that has come up recently is that the administration has reached an agreement finally on what to do with the Nunn-Lugar program in Russia. But the details (haven't been ?) leaked to the media. I don't know if you had any insights about the program?<o:p></o:p></p><p>SEN. SESSIONS: I do not. I should know, but Nunn-Lugar has done a lot of great work. And where we are in that, I don't know. We'll have a dispute, when we talk about Russia, over the power of the president to reduce nuclear weapons. We may have a floor vote and debate over whether it should be done by treaty or can it be done by executive negotiations. So the matter of the reduction of weapons is not firmly settled at this point.<o:p></o:p></p><p>MR. KEN FLEISHER: Kenny Fleisher with Nuclear Weapons and Materials Monitor. Given what you were saying earlier about the president backing away from commitments on modernization, is there anything he can do at this point to regain the trust of Republicans and show that he's willing to work with you? Or, has the well already been too poisoned to (set his teeth ?) on that?<o:p></o:p></p><p>SEN. SESSIONS: Well, I think we can definitely get that program back on track, and would like to see it so. I've made clear I was prepared to see if we couldn't do it in a more cost-effective way. The proposal to build two buildings at $12 billion - to build two buildings? I mean, I thought that was a bit excessive. That is a bit excessive.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And they built one of the biggest steel mills in the world in Mobile, Alabama - north of Mobile - in about two years time. And the whole plant and everything in it was $5.7. I can't imagine a physical plant to make weapons have got to cost that much money. I don't believe anybody else in the world is coming close to spending that much money.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So we've got to look at the budget. And I am concerned that Energy has less intensity of interest in containing cost than they need, because they just get the money and produce the weapons. And we say we want the weapons, and they say we need so much money. Somebody needs to say, you're going to produce the dad-gum weapons and you're not going to get that much money, it seems to me.<o:p></o:p></p><p>But it's hard to determine exactly what it takes. I'm not a nuclear engineer. So it is hard to know exactly, and it takes a lot of money to maintain and modernize nuclear weapons.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And I'm prepared to work with the president to try and do that in the most cost-effective way. We do not need to allow this issue to doddle without being put on a course that we can see completion at an appropriate time. And that's what's scaring a lot of us now.<o:p></o:p></p><p>MR. RICHARD BAINEY : Senator Session, I'm Richard Bainey with American Company. You've expressed some concern of what our allies might do potentially in Europe or Asia if we reduce our nuclear capability. This question is not directed to what Iran or North Korea might do, that's a separate issues. But is there any specific policy directives that have come out of either Europe or Asia that have shown a change in their defense posture because they are concerned about a reduction on the American side, any specific policy initiatives or developments?<o:p></o:p></p><p>SEN. SESSIONS: Well Japan has certainly begun to talk more openly about changing their historic policy, and you could see more of that. The Soviets are definitely advancing - the Russians are definitely advancing their capabilities for nuclear weapons. We're the only country in the world that has nuclear weapons that doesn't have an ongoing production capability. So it's an odd position we find ourselves in.<o:p></o:p></p><p>I think it has been going on so long that we can't wait much longer. We've got to alter that and have more clear policy so the whole world knows where we are. That stability, that constancy of purpose and clarity of purpose, bipartisan, that has been maintained for so long, I think has been a positive force for peace in the world. Others can disagree, but I don't think it's disputable. And I think altering that in a significant way, which I'm afraid the president's policies are doing, is likely to create more risk rather than less risk. That's what I'm concerned about.<o:p></o:p></p><p>MR. ROD KEEFER: Rod Keefer, I'm with Northrop Grumman. Unsaid in the president's announcement about the one-third cut in nuclear weapons was, what are the level of platforms? And by platforms I mean the Navy submarines, the Air Force bombers and the silo-based ICBMs. So what's your thoughts about maintaining the resilience, the stability, the nuclear deterrence capability of the nation as we go to lower warhead numbers; again, (unsaid were the platform numbers ?)?<o:p></o:p></p><p>SEN. SESSIONS: Well I've been worried that there's a subtle plan to, you know, alter the triad significantly. So I've supported - was it two years ago, Peter Huessy, we got language that the Defense Department has to notify Congress before any change in the triad occurs. That may have been why we got a preliminary call before this speech in Berlin.<o:p></o:p></p><p>You're right, if you just keep squeezing it down then you can crumble the triad without ever having to say I've eliminated this leg or that leg. It's a historic part of our defense posture that I think should be only changed with great care so the whole world knows if we were to make a change that we've got alternatives that would work just as well and effectively. I don't see us at that point yet. And the budget and policies could lead us to crumbling the triad, if not altering it, whether we want to or not, whether it's smart or not.<o:p></o:p></p><p>MR. HUESSY: Senator Sessions, let me ask you a question that one of our previous speakers, Clark Murdock from the Center for Strategic and International Studies said, that a survey of their group of left to right analysts concluded that further reductions in U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons is not going to be beneficial with respect to dealing with Iran, North Korea and other proliferators. You mentioned the Koreans and Japanese have said they think seriously about their own nuclear deterrent, which would increase proliferation. What's your sense as to the views of the Armed Services Committee and defense-minded Senators as to whether or not we should be pursuing further cuts in U.S.-Russian nuclear weapons, or whether we should be concentrating on dealing with the proliferation problem?<o:p></o:p></p><p>SEN. SESSIONS: Peter, I think that's an odd thing that we're doing. And implicit in your question is that we seem to think the only thing that's important is our relation with Russia. Well, we hope we're in a relationship with Russia that nuclear weapons aren't totally the dominant factor anymore.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And so, it's odd that you would think that somehow if we negotiate with the Russians this is going to set an example. And they use the word example frequently in their zero nuclear weapons theory, that this will send an example. To who?<o:p></o:p></p><p>Is it going to alter Pakistan's view, India's view, China's view, North Korea or Iran's view? I don't see it. I mean, it's baffling, to me.<o:p></o:p></p><p>It's a pretty serious weakness in their theory of this. But it's a theory of the left, you know, that somehow we've just got to get rid of nuclear weapons. And I wish we all could. Don't we all? But, maybe not, some would say.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Ronald Reagan said the same thing, you know? But I think we need to be prudent and responsible and ask ourselves very seriously, is this really going to help maintain peace in the world if the United States' nuclear capabilities are no greater than half a dozen countries in the world? And how many countries could get them and we'd cut again?<o:p></o:p></p><p>I mean, this is not the last reduction. The president's goal is to go to zero. So will he be promoting more cuts in the next year or two?<o:p></o:p></p><p>And at what point does it become rather easy for a potential adversary to say, we can be a peer competitor to the United States. We can build that many weapons. They won't push us around anymore. So they've got a big army, we've got a big bunch of nuclear weapons. We don't have to take anything.<o:p></o:p></p><p>You know, you can just see how the mentality could get into people's minds. It would be destabilizing, not peace enhancing, but danger enhancing actually, it seems to me.<o:p></o:p></p><p>One more and I'll wrap up.<o:p></o:p></p><p>MR. NICK CRAMER Senator, Nick Cramer with GAO. You talked about the need for increases in missile defense and nuclear spending. Are there any areas you see that are ripe for cuts in missions or are we kind of (at the bare bones where we need to be?)?<o:p></o:p></p><p>SEN. SESSIONS: Well, that's a good question. As I indicated, the budget has been slipping substantially for a long time. And you've got this huge long-term investment in missile defense that it would be a tragedy not to complete. In other words, we've spent all this research and development, we now can hit bullet-to-bullet and collide. We've proven it time and again. We'll continue to do so.<o:p></o:p></p><p>So if we had to go from 44 in Alaska and add 20 more and another site, I don't think that's too great a cost - out of the $500 billion that we spend on defense every year. And you've got it and you've got the ability to look one of these adversaries in the eye and say, if you launch a missile up here we're going to knock it out of the sky. We're not intimidated by you.<o:p></o:p></p><p>It enhances the power of the president to be confident in negotiations and the American people to be confident that we don't have to go, oh gosh, if the president says no to this country or that country they can lob a missile into Los Angeles. We need that confidence. And if it takes a little more than we're currently spending to get there, I think it's worth it.<o:p></o:p></p><p>But, on this, I don't think it's likely the end of the sequester is going to involve complete restoration of the entire amount. So you've got the $50 billion hit the Defense Department has taken, the $500 (billion) over 10 (years), and you've got this one, too. So there will still be some additional squeezing of the Defense Department and you'll have to continue to make more cuts.<o:p></o:p></p><p>And I think the Senate, bipartisan, is going to be far more intensely interested in managing contracts, containing cost over-runs. And GAO is a big part of helping us do that. It's critical in that process.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Thank you.<o:p></o:p></p><p>(Applause).<o:p></o:p></p><p>MR. DAVIS: I once had a boss who said a problem well stated is a problem half solved. And while we may not be walking out the door this morning with these massive problems solved, they have been well framed. Thank you very much. We also have an ROA coin. It's less than $20 so you can accept it.<o:p></o:p></p><p>SEN. SESSIONS: Maybe the ROA forgot when I was in the Army Reserves and I became a lifetime member, then they quit sending me - do I have to pay another $20?<o:p></o:p></p><p>(Laughter).<o:p></o:p></p><p>MR. : I've got it, Senator. Those were the days before computers.<o:p></o:p></p><p>SEN. SESSIONS: Thank you.<o:p></o:p></p><p>MR. : Thank you, sir.<o:p></o:p></p><p>(Applause).<o:p></o:p></p><p>MR. HUESSY: We are having a small break and then we'll have from 9:30 to 11 the Army War College will be here. Please stay here if you would like to attend. And also remember, Frank Rose is meeting with us tomorrow. Senator Sessions, thank you for your remarks. Thank you for your service. Good luck and God's speed in what you're trying to do.<o:p></o:p></p><p>SEN. SESSIONS: Thank you.<o:p></o:p></p><p>(Applause).<o:p></o:p></p><p> <o:p></o:p></p><p>THESE REMARKS OF SENATOR SESSIONS ARE FROM JUNE 20, 2013 BEFORE A SEMINAR HOSTED BY THE RESERVE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION, NATIONAL DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION AND AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION ON CAPITOL HILL AT A BREAKFAST FORUM "MISSILE DEFENSE AND NUCLEAR DETERRENCE FUTURES: A SENATE PERSPECTIVE." (For additional information on NDIA/AFA/ROA 2014 seminars contact Peter Huessy at <a href="mailto:phuessy@afa.org">phuessy@afa.org</a>). <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-59089668504207192352014-03-04T16:36:00.001-04:002014-03-04T16:36:52.649-04:00The "Iran deal," Washington's gravest mistake in Foreign Policy<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/the-iran-deal-washingtons-gravest-mistake-in-foreign-policy?f=must_reads">http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/the-iran-deal-washingtons-gravest-mistake-in-foreign-policy?f=must_reads</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><h3>The "Iran deal," Washington’s gravest mistake in Foreign Policy<o:p></o:p></h3><p class=MsoNormal>by <a href="http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/authors/detail/walid-phares">DR. WALID PHARES</a> <span style='font-size:10.0pt'>March 1, 2014</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p>The Obama administration, in its first and second terms, has committed strategic mistakes in the Middle East which will undermine U.S. national and security interests for many years, even under subsequent administrations after 2016.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The damage done is severe, and a remedy seems out of reach unless earth shattering changes are applied to Washington's foreign policy-either under the incumbent's administration or the next. The common core of U.S. strategic mistakes has been the perception of partners in the region since day one of the post-Bush presidency. While Bush's narrative on backing pro-democracy forces was right on track, the bureaucracy's actions betrayed the White House's global aim. By the time the Obama administration installed itself on Pennsylvania Avenue in 2009, little had been accomplished by the Bush bureaucrats in regards to identifying these pro-democracy forces and supporting them. When the current administration replaced Bush, however, civil society groups in the Middle East were systematically abandoned-aid to their liberal forces was cut off and engagement with the radicals became priority. The mistakes of the Bush bureaucracy became the official policy of the Obama administration.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Washington's "new beginnings" in the region moved American Mideast policy in a backward direction on two major tracks. The first derailment was to partner with the Muslim Brotherhood, not the secular NGOs, in an attempt to define the future of Arab Sunni countries. The second was to engage the Iranian regime, not its opposition, in attempt to define future relations with the Shia sphere of the region. These were strategic policy decisions planned years before the Arab Spring, not a pragmatic search for solutions as upheavals began. Choosing the Islamists over the Muslim moderates and reformers has been an academically suggested strategy adapted to potential interests-even though it represents an approach contrary to historically successful pathways. In June 2009, President Obama sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader asking for "engagement." This move, coupled with Obama's abandonment of the civil revolt in Iran that same month, sent a comforting message to the ruling Khomeinists: The United States is retreating from containment and will not support regime change in Iran. That undeniably emboldened Tehran to go on the offensive in the region after less than a decade of status quo.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The nuclear program was boldly defended despite American and UN economic sanctions; Iranian penetration of Iraq deepened; support to Hezbollah escalated with a presidential visit to Lebanon by Ahmedinijad; and aggressive backing of pro-Iranian elements in Arabia was sustained. The Arab Spring revealed more assertive Iranian behavior as Pasdaran and Hezbollah militias were dispatched to Syria in support of the struggling Assad regime. Across the region, the Ayatollahs increased their support to regimes and organizations bent on crushing civil society uprisings and also clamped down on their own oppositions-both inside the country and abroad. Tehran used Washington's unending search for dialogue with the Ayatollahs as an opportunity to attack the exiled Iranian community inside Iraq, one of the best cards in the international community's hands to pressure the Iranian regime. The tragedy of dismantling Camp Ashraf ran parallel to a systematic persecution of Iranian dissidents who rose in 2009 against the mullahs. U.S. retreat from Iran's containment led to an unparalleled bleeding of the political opposition, the only long term hope for a real change in Iran.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The Obama administration's abandonment of Iran's people was made complete through Washington's dangerous deal with Tehran. After months of secret negotiations and immediately after abandoning the Syrian opposition to vie for themselves against Iranian-backed Assad forces towards the end of the summer, the U.S. administration announced an interim nuclear agreement with Iran. To the astonishment of Iran's opposition, not to mention Arab moderate governments, European countries including France, and a majority in Congress, the Obama administration began easing sanctions on Iran in return for a promise by the Khomeinist regime that it would lower its uranium production to an internationally acceptable level. Without any significant leverage on Tehran, having sidelined the Iranian opposition, the White House has no guarantees that Iran's regime is backing off from nuclear strategic weaponry. Worse, Washington started almost immediately to transfer billions of dollars from "frozen accounts" back to the Iran regime's coffers.<o:p></o:p></p><p>From an initial conceptual strategic mistake, the Obama administration moved to implement the most dangerous component of the new policy: Not only ending economic and political pressure, but sending financial support to a terror regime still on the offensive in the region. The hundreds of millions of dollars already received by the Ayatollahs can be, and actually most likely are being, recycled through the Pasdaran into subversive operations against the country's liberal opposition, the Iranian exiles, Arab governments and U.S. interests worldwide. The "deal" will go down in history as one of the worst political acts in the West, second only to the signing of a piece of paper in Munich that claimed to be a deal to save the Peace. History has already taught the world, at a very high price, the consequences of dealing with devils.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4399996114293362843.post-63557447804693399042014-03-04T16:31:00.001-04:002014-03-04T16:31:25.045-04:00Ukraine crisis: UK prepares to rule out sanctions against Russia amid threat to global economy<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkz48UbhSrS4uqv9q0vr2_VCVzSxitfilxbKpl_WSoM0iIpYXXk5uPwTxe6L5JuRNnL6p8FmjEkW9qjbAJUWuLsG4yclW1zAQH1Fv9RVFH1aolZZB9Vb0goE1UBqqrkU3cTqxJVoJzeb9/s1600/image002-785046.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkz48UbhSrS4uqv9q0vr2_VCVzSxitfilxbKpl_WSoM0iIpYXXk5uPwTxe6L5JuRNnL6p8FmjEkW9qjbAJUWuLsG4yclW1zAQH1Fv9RVFH1aolZZB9Vb0goE1UBqqrkU3cTqxJVoJzeb9/s320/image002-785046.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987034455279888130" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtLHwEKKOC2UYFEz0C0v0LdbZHFnbeA-FJxzfu-t57GXnR64m2hhwl9ZoC70CnrUii1wnUk31R5tBSaNxT8JceqSUuPvspukD7LHCX52H6ewXnk_FDBohCfwby0FvczUXS1Mj7uNcmUzP/s1600/image003-787508.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtLHwEKKOC2UYFEz0C0v0LdbZHFnbeA-FJxzfu-t57GXnR64m2hhwl9ZoC70CnrUii1wnUk31R5tBSaNxT8JceqSUuPvspukD7LHCX52H6ewXnk_FDBohCfwby0FvczUXS1Mj7uNcmUzP/s320/image003-787508.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987034465382035826" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc-eMfqkBpSkAmdAzCFq6VHmmpaclm5bsXdvpXdTK4AALWZtbgRPq8pVzebUIgK0yGNrnWQqfo-7rLAoqXttW4n4q8KkDRGXwa5osjFAX5Y0pDRdWrcu5xLZN79eRKOXpSmsLfFNghF4r/s1600/image004-790257.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc-eMfqkBpSkAmdAzCFq6VHmmpaclm5bsXdvpXdTK4AALWZtbgRPq8pVzebUIgK0yGNrnWQqfo-7rLAoqXttW4n4q8KkDRGXwa5osjFAX5Y0pDRdWrcu5xLZN79eRKOXpSmsLfFNghF4r/s320/image004-790257.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987034475838232754" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRPY419RglAF9HvnsM3K9UQ-QkGKUZRNuQ036WVwnYf7pCWtcMucoJWYyCHfj9Ez7pIC9FEekzwIiorMagyuKO3BtIGdUM6UBulaHssmuZAjGH3Jw3MWKuQRaFIik_lxvSvI4qGD_Ktcn/s1600/image005-792759.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRPY419RglAF9HvnsM3K9UQ-QkGKUZRNuQ036WVwnYf7pCWtcMucoJWYyCHfj9Ez7pIC9FEekzwIiorMagyuKO3BtIGdUM6UBulaHssmuZAjGH3Jw3MWKuQRaFIik_lxvSvI4qGD_Ktcn/s320/image005-792759.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987034490320610066" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-Y5gFiOBbLuwNPUSDViDk7ild9fIuX_IHrBOIvEC02XLf0mCusOZx8VpSeUwF_8cgCjYDFXs3QSQqfeyD9KWeI2rBeyPmRpFaGaga200wPlapn66GZ400AHl_Q4478NR-s_K2qKkMtyn/s1600/image006-795169.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-Y5gFiOBbLuwNPUSDViDk7ild9fIuX_IHrBOIvEC02XLf0mCusOZx8VpSeUwF_8cgCjYDFXs3QSQqfeyD9KWeI2rBeyPmRpFaGaga200wPlapn66GZ400AHl_Q4478NR-s_K2qKkMtyn/s320/image006-795169.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5987034497044148482" /></a></p><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div id=ygrp-mlmsg><div id=ygrp-msg><div id=ygrp-text><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><a name=article></a><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:24.0pt'>Ukraine crisis: UK prepares to rule out sanctions against Russia amid threat to global economy</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:18.0pt'>Downing Street document indicates British concerns over economic impact of Crimea stand-off as Russian aggression intensifies </span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><img width=620 height=387 id="Picture_x0020_5" src="cid:image002.jpg@01CF377F.85E70D80" alt="ukraine live blog"><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Vladimir Putin, centre, watches military exercises at the Kirillovsky firing ground in the Leningrad region Photo: Kremlin/RIA Novosti/Reuters</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>By <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/steven-swinford/" title="Steven Swinford">Steven Swinford</a>, and Bruno Waterfield</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>10:10PM GMT 03 Mar 2014</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Britain is preparing to rule out trade sanctions against Russia amid fears that the <a href="http://preview.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/"><b>Ukraine</b></a> crisis could derail the global economic recovery. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Stock markets around the world fell sharply on Monday as Russian aggression intensified yet again following last month’s revolution in Ukraine. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10672417/Ukraine-live.html"><b>Ukraine crisis: latest news on our live blog</b></a> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>There are growing international fears that Vladimir Putin is preparing to launch an all-out invasion of eastern Ukraine and Crimea after military bases were said to have been given an ultimatum to surrender on Tuesday morning. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Russia sought to justify its action in Crimea by producing a letter from the Viktor Yanukovych, the deposed Ukrainian president, asking Mr Putin to intervene. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>The letter said: “Under the influence of Western countries, there are open acts of terror. I would call on the president of Russia, Mr Putin, to use the armed forces of the Russian Federation to establish peace and defend the people of Ukraine.” </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><img border=0 width=460 height=287 id="Picture_x0020_4" src="cid:image003.jpg@01CF377F.85E70D80" alt="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02840/russian-army-crime_2840987c.jpg"><sup><span lang=EN>Military personnel, believed to be Russian, walk outside the Ukrainian military base in Perevalnoye, Crimea (Reuters)</span></sup><span lang=EN> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Barack Obama and other senior American figures led a renewed round of international condemnation. However, the capacity of European leaders to react decisively has been hampered by the dependence of much of the European Union on Russian oil and gas. Any economic stand-off could derail Europe’s fragile economic recovery. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>On Monday the FTSE-100 index of Britain’s leading companies fell by 1.49 per cent and the German stock market by more than 3 per cent. The value of the pound also fell, while natural gas prices rose by almost 10 per cent. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Mr Obama said that Russia was on the “wrong side of history”, and David Cameron said that the West would use “diplomatic, political and economic pressures” on Moscow. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><sup><img border=0 width=460 height=287 id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image004.jpg@01CF377F.85E70D80" alt="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02840/obama-ukraine-russ_2840928c.jpg"></sup><sup><span lang=EN>Barack Obama speaks about the situation in Ukraine during a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters)</span></sup><span lang=EN> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>However, a document photographed in Downing Street suggested that Britain is concerned about the economic impact of any sanctions against Russia. The paper states that the “UK should not support, for now, trade sanctions … or close London’s financial centre to Russians”. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>The document also stated that Britain would not support any Nato military preparations and said that the United Nations rather than the EU should take the lead in sending observers to Ukraine. It suggested that ministers were instead considering a more cautious approach including visa restrictions and travel bans on key Russian figures. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>The document, which was being carried by Hugh Powell, the deputy national security adviser, is likely to prove embarrassing to the Prime Minister at a time when the Americans are seeking to increase pressure on the Russian president. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><img border=0 width=460 height=287 id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image005.jpg@01CF377F.85E70D80" alt="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02840/leaked-ukraine-dow_2840947c.jpg"><sup><span lang=EN>The secret briefing document (Steve Back)</span></sup><span lang=EN> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, is expected to travel to Kiev today. On Monday, Mr Obama said: “I think the world is largely united in recognising the steps Russia has taken are a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty; a violation of international law.” </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>The president said he had warned Russia that if it continued on its “current trajectory”, it would face “a whole series” of economic and diplomatic steps that would leave it isolated. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>However, there was little sign that the increased pressure was doing anything to deter Mr Putin, who continues to insist that he is acting to protect the rights of Russians in Ukraine. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><img border=0 width=460 height=287 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image006.jpg@01CF377F.85E70D80" alt="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02840/ukraine-army-trapp_2840993c.jpg"><sup><span lang=EN>A woman kisses a Ukrainian serviceman through the gate by a military unit near an airfield in Crimea (Reuters)</span></sup><span lang=EN> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Ukraine ordered full mobilisation of its forces as bases in Crimea were surrounded and airports and ports occupied by Russian troops. No shots were fired, but according to reports, Alexander Vitko, the commander of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, told Ukrainian forces in Crimea to surrender by 5am (3am GMT) or face a “storm”. The Russian defence ministry insisted that reports of an ultimatum were“nonsense”. Pro-Russian troops also took over Kerch, a ferry terminal on the easternmost tip of the peninsula, intensifying concerns that Moscow is preparing for a further military advance. The terminal is about 12 miles by sea from Russia and serves as a departure point for many Russia-bound ships. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Pro-Russian supporters also took over government buildings in several eastern Ukrainian cities and there were reports of Russian military exercises close to the border. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Despite the international outcry and the rouble hitting record lows, Moscow remained defiant. Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister, said that troops would remain in Ukraine until the “normalisation of the political situation”, adding: “Violence of ultra-nationalists threatens the lives and the regional interests of Russians and the Russian-speaking population. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>“This is a question of defending our citizens and compatriots and ensuring human rights and the right to life.” </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>In Moscow, the parliament on Monday began debating a law that would oblige the government to seek to annexe any neighbouring region with predominantly Russian ethnicity that votes to join Russia, a situation that may arise in Crimea after a planned referendum later this month. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>The EU condemned “acts of aggression” against Ukraine and called for troops to be ordered back to their barracks. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, told Mr Obama during a telephone call that after speaking with Mr Putin she was convinced that he was in “another world”. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>European leaders have called an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the crisis. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Baroness Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said: “We need to see a return to barracks by those troops who have currently moved [from where they have been staying]. There are serious concerns about reports of troops and armed personnel moving.” </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, described Russia’s aggression in Ukraine as the “biggest crisis” which has faced Europe in the 21st century. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Mr Hague, who is in Kiev, has urged Russia to back off from its intervention in Crimea. He said Moscow should be in no doubt that it faced “significant costs” for “taking control” of the Ukrainian region. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Mr Hague told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme there was a “constant risk” of a “flashpoint” in Crimea which could send the situation out of control. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>He praised the Ukrainian government for showing restraint despite the “provocation”, and said he was “very concerned” about action by Russia in other parts of the country. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>Late on Sunday, the G7 of major industrialised powers also condemned Moscow’s military build-up and condemned “the Russian Federation’s clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>It added: “We have decided for the time being to suspend our participation in activities associated with the preparation of the scheduled G8 Summit in Sochi in June.” </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span lang=EN>G7 finance ministers said they were ready “to provide strong financial backing to Ukraine”. </span><span style='color:white'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></div>TheBeowulfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10040385291032059208noreply@blogger.com0