Messages In This Digest (18 Messages)
- 1.
- Obama Announces Expanded U.S. Military Presence In Australia From: Rick Rozoff
- 2.
- Australia: Pentagon Builds "Security Architecture" In Asia-Pacific From: Rick Rozoff
- 3.
- U.S. Military Base In Australia: China On Notice From: Rick Rozoff
- 4.
- Philippines: Clinton Visits U.S. Guided Missile Destroyer From: Rick Rozoff
- 5.
- Afghan War: Three NATO Soldiers Killed From: Rick Rozoff
- 6.
- Pakistan: Opposition Condemns Latest Deadly U.S. Drone Attack From: Rick Rozoff
- 7.
- Pakistan: High Court Accepts Plea Against Drone Strikes From: Rick Rozoff
- 8.
- U.S. Drone Strike Kills 17, Wounds 67 In Somalia From: Rick Rozoff
- 9.
- Pentagon Chief To Meet Canadian, Israeli DMs, NATO Commander From: Rick Rozoff
- 10.
- U.S. Joins NATO Cyber Warfare Operations In Baltic From: Rick Rozoff
- 11.
- Pentagon Reserves Right To Bomb Countries Hosting Hackers From: Rick Rozoff
- 13.
- Russia: NATO Missile System Could End New START Treaty From: Rick Rozoff
- 14.
- Russian Military Chief Warns Of NATO Expansion, Nuclear War Threats From: Rick Rozoff
- 15.
- Opposition, Protesters Oppose U.S. Military Buildup In Australia From: Rick Rozoff
- 16.
- Pakistan: U.S. Drones Strikes Kill 543 So far This Year From: Rick Rozoff
- 17.
- Russia Alarmed By U.S. Military Plans In Central Asia, Afghanistan From: Rick Rozoff
- 18.
- Foreign Minister: Russia Understands Kosovo Serbs' Request From: Rick Rozoff
Messages
- 1.
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Obama Announces Expanded U.S. Military Presence In Australia
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:44 pm (PST)
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66098
U.S. Department of Defense
November 16, 2011
Obama Announces Expanded U.S. Military Presence in Australia
By Donna Miles
-"As of today's deal, U.S. Marines will be for the first time conducting exercises by themselves on Australian soil," Obama said..."But it also allows us to meet the demands of a lot of partners in the region" in terms of training, exercises and "the presence that's necessary to maintain the security architecture of the region," he added.
WASHINGTON President Barack Obama joined Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard today to announce expanded military-to-military relationships between the two countries as they commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Australia-New Zealand-U.S. alliance.
Speaking at a joint news conference in the Australian capital of Canberra, the leaders announced closer collaboration between the U.S. Marine Corps and Air Force and the Australian Defense Force.
Beginning in mid-2012, company-size rotations of 200 to 250 Marines will begin deploying near Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory for six-month rotations. Gillard said the presence will expand to a force of 2,500 over the next several years.
"As of today's deal, U.S. Marines will be for the first time conducting exercises by themselves on Australian soil," Obama said.
This rotational deployment is significant because it allows the United States and Australia to build capacity and cooperation, the president said.
"But it also allows us to meet the demands of a lot of partners in the region" in terms of training, exercises and "the presence that's necessary to maintain the security architecture of the region," he added.
Obama and Gillard also agreed to provide U.S. military aircraft greater access to Royal Australian Air Force facilities in northern Australia.
The expanded relationship will ensure "we're going to be in a position to more effectively strengthen the security of both of our nations and this region," Obama said.
...
The expanded U.S.-Australia military relationship also "sends a clear message of our commitment to this region, a commitment that is enduring and unwavering" the president said.
"I am making it clear that the United States is stepping up its commitment to the entire Asia-Pacific [region]," the president said, thanking Australia for its leadership role in the region.
"As it has been for six decades" he continued, "our alliance is going to be indispensable to our shared future, the security we need and the prosperity that we seek, not only in this region, but around the world."
The talks in Australia spanned a range of challenges that extend beyond the region, including the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, the president said.
...
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- 2.
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Australia: Pentagon Builds "Security Architecture" In Asia-Pacific
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:44 pm (PST)
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66119
U.S. Department of Defense
November 16, 2011
Australia Mission Reflects Asia-Pacific Commitment, Officials Say
By Karen Parrish
WASHINGTON: Defense officials detailed new military-to-military operations involving the United States and Australia that the two nations' leaders announced today.
President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that next year, groups of 200 to 250 U.S. Marines will begin rotational six-month deployments near Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory. Gillard said the presence will expand to a force of 2,500 over the next several years.
Obama is in Australia in part to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Australia-New Zealand-U.S. alliance.
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said the new agreement "is a very important initiative that we've been working with our Australian allies on for some time."
Both Obama and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta have emphasized during recent travels that the Asia-Pacific region is a U.S. top priority.
"We have a 60-year alliance with the Australians, and this is an effort to further our ties to the Australian military," Little said. "This is a training and exercise presence that will be based over time."
The focus of the Australia-based mission is to work closely with the Australian military on training and exercises, he added.
Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby said the announcement reflects the U.S. commitment to allies and partners throughout the Asia-Pacific and to that part of the world.
"This is about our broader point, too: building a security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region that provides for the protection of U.S. interests and the interests of … our allies," Little added.
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- 3.
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U.S. Military Base In Australia: China On Notice
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:45 pm (PST)
http://rt.com/news/us-troops-australia-china-471/
RT
November 16, 2011
US base in Australia: China on notice
Up to 2,500 US marines will be permanently stationed in Australia within the next six years under a new agreement between the two countries. The move comes as Pacific region's major player, China, is rapidly boosting its military might.
The news was announced jointly by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and President Barack Obama, who is on a nine-day diplomatic tour of the Asia Pacific.
"This region is of great strategic importance to us" said Obama. "We will make sure we are able to fulfill our leadership role in the Asia Pacific region."
"Our alliance has been a bedrock of stability in our region, so building on the alliance through this new initiative is about stability," said Julia Gillard.
...
Although Obama said he welcomed China's rise, he also issued a warning: "We will send a clear message to them that we think they may need to be on track, in terms of accepting the rules and responsibilities of being a world power."
...
Although the US has voiced no plans to construct its own base in Australia, and the initial marine contingent will be only 250, the agreement includes plans for a greater presence of US Navy and Air Force.
The marines are also expected to provide combat training not just for Australian soldiers, but those from other countries from the Pacific Basin.
In an interview with the Sidney Morning Herald, Hugh White, the former Deputy Defense Secretary labeled the deployment "very significant and very risky" for Australia.
[A]fter a decade where US attention has been absorbed by the Middle East and Afghanistan, this is yet another sign that the country is turning its eye to the Pacific Basin.
Obama has pushed for a greater role for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade alliance of mostly Western-leaning economies that has aroused the suspicions of China.
It has also beefed up its existing bases and naval presence, largely in anticipation of ever-growing disagreements around the lucrative shipping lanes in the South China Sea, which are subject to wrangles between China and other regional powers.
The marine deployment is merely the latest step in a strategy that has been termed the "Comeback to Asia."
...
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- 4.
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Philippines: Clinton Visits U.S. Guided Missile Destroyer
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:45 pm (PST)
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66105
U.S. Department of Defense
November 16, 2011
Clinton Visits USS Fitzgerald in Manila
By Donna Miles
-The United States and its Philippine allies are evaluating ways to update the alliance – like other alliances in the region - to ensure they are "nimble, adaptive [and] flexible" to "deliver results in this new world," [Clinton] said.
-"We must ensure that this alliance remains strong, capable of delivering results for the people of the Philippines, the United States and our neighbors throughout the Asia-Pacific [region]," Clinton said.
WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the crew of the USS Fitzgerald in Manila today as she commemorated the 60th anniversary of the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.
Clinton noted the vastly different world the two countries faced when the treaty was signed in 1951. Their soldiers had fought together in World War II, and the two countries again were united against the spread of communism.
"This treaty was a testament that we stood united against the challenges of a dangerous world," Clinton said...
The United States and its Philippine allies are evaluating ways to update the alliance – like other alliances in the region - to ensure they are "nimble, adaptive [and] flexible" to "deliver results in this new world," she said.
Clinton underscored the need as part of that effort for the treaty to provide the collective defense capabilities and communications infrastructure capable of deterring provocation from a full spectrum of state, as well as nonstate, actors.
She noted, for example, the need to support the Philippines in the maritime domain as it improves its territorial and interdiction capabilities. In August, the United States transferred a Coast Guard cutter to the Philippines and is considering transferring a second one, she said.
"We must ensure that this alliance remains strong, capable of delivering results for the people of the Philippines, the United States and our neighbors throughout the Asia-Pacific [region]," Clinton said.
The secretary paid tribute to the Fitzgerald crew as an example of the close relationship between the two countries' militaries.
The Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer transited with the Philippine navy's new flagship, Gregorio del Pilar, during its maiden voyage across the Pacific this summer, she noted...
"By the end of the exercises, the officers and crews onboard both vessels achieved new levels of proficiency and partnership," Clinton said.
...
Clinton called it an honor to meet the Fitzgerald crew and thank them on behalf of the American people.
"You protect us faithfully and courageously, often from faraway cities or remote corners of the ocean," she said...
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- 5.
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Afghan War: Three NATO Soldiers Killed
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:45 pm (PST)
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/210491.html
Press TV
November 16, 2011
Three US-led troops killed in Afghan war
Three soldiers serving with the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have been killed in two separate bomb explosions in troubled southern Afghanistan.
"Two ISAF service members died following an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in southern Afghanistan today," Xinhua cited a brief statement released by the Western military contingent on Wednesday.
Another ISAF soldier was killed in a similar incident in southern Afghanistan earlier in the day.
The military force, however, did not provide details of the incidents, and did not announce the name or nationality of the victims.
...
According to official figures released by the website icasualties.org, a total of 525 foreign troops have lost their lives in war-battered Afghanistan so far this year.
Last year, nonetheless, remains the deadliest year for foreign military casualties with a death toll of 711. The number eclipsed the previous record of 521 set in 2009.
The increasing number of military casualties in Afghanistan has caused widespread anger in the US and other NATO member states, undermining public support for the Afghan war.
Insecurity continues to rise across Afghanistan despite the presence of nearly 150,000 US-led forces in the Asian country.
A United Nations report on Afghanistan issued on September 28 said that the monthly average number of security incidents recorded for the year through the end of August has risen nearly 40 percent.
The report also said civilian casualties, already at record levels in the first six months of the year, rose 5 percent between June and August 2011 compared with the same three-month period in 2010.
Around 130,000 people were displaced by the conflict in the first seven months of the year, up nearly two-thirds from the same period one year earlier.
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- 6.
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Pakistan: Opposition Condemns Latest Deadly U.S. Drone Attack
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:45 pm (PST)
http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=185911
News International
November 16, 2011
Imran condemns US drone attack
ISLAMABAD: Chairman of Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan has strongly condemned the US drone strike in South Waziristan that has resulted in the death of thirteen people.
In a statement released from the Central Secretariat of the PTI in Islamabad, Imran Khan said that the attack reflected a continuation of the US belligerence in stark violation of the Joint Parliamentary Resolution and the unanimous All Parties Resolution that were adopted some time ago.
It also reflected the criminal duplicity of the government of Pakistan that had failed in bringing an end to these inhuman attacks that have killed scores of innocent civilians including women and children. It was also further proof of the government's complicity in facilitating these attacks, which were a serious infringement of Pakistan's security and sovereignty. He also said that the government, having lost its moral authority, had no rationale to continue.
Imran Khan reiterated his firm conviction that, once voted into power, he would undertake immediate steps to put an end to these inhuman attacks. He said that, for him, there was nothing more important than restoring Pakistan's sovereignty and safeguarding its security interests.
He called upon the people to demonstrate their feelings over these attacks and mount pressure on the government to change course.
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- 7.
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Pakistan: High Court Accepts Plea Against Drone Strikes
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:45 pm (PST)
http://www.sananews.net/english/2011/11/phc-accepts-plea-against-drone-attacks/
South Asian News Agency
November 15, 2011
PHC accepts plea against drone attacks
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) accepted an application against drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas for hearing.
The Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court asked the government to make public if any deal has been made with the United States.
A two-member bench comprised of PHC Chief Justice Ejaz Aslam Khan and Justice Yahya Afridi heard the petition on Tuesday.
After early hearing the plea the court issued notices to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary, Interior Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary over the petition filed by S.M. Sabir, Advocate.
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- 8.
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U.S. Drone Strike Kills 17, Wounds 67 In Somalia
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:46 pm (PST)
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/210237.html
Press TV
November 15, 2011
US drone strike kills 17 in Somalia
A US assassination drone strike has killed at least 17 people and wounded nearly 67 others in southern Somalia, Press TV reports.
The attack occurred in a civilian region near the town of Dhobley in southern Somalia on Tuesday.
Somalia is the one of the countries where the United States has used remote-controlled drones to launch deadly missile strikes.
In October, Washington admitted to flying unmanned aerial vehicles from Ethiopia over some North African countries.
The US military has used assassination drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq, and Yemen.
Washington claims the airstrikes, which are authorized by the Central Intelligence Agency, target militants, though most such attacks have resulted in civilian casualties.
...
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- 9.
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Pentagon Chief To Meet Canadian, Israeli DMs, NATO Commander
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:46 pm (PST)
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66116
U.S. Department of Defense
November 16, 2011
Panetta to Visit Groton Before Halifax Forum
By Jim Garamone
WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta will leave tomorrow to speak with sailors and civilians in Groton, Conn., and then move on to Halifax, Nova Scotia, for a defense ministerial conference.
In Canada, the secretary also will meet with Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Navy Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said during a news conference today with Pentagon Press Secretary George Little.
In Groton, the secretary will visit General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyards where Virginia-class submarines are built, Kirby said, where he will be briefed on submarine construction. His visit highlights the importance of a robust defense industrial base that can quickly meet future challenges, he added.
Panetta also will meet with the submariners of the pre-commissioning unit of the Mississippi, and will visit the forward engine room of another pre-commissioning unit, the North Dakota, where he will speak with shipyard workers and Navy personnel, Kirby said.
Following the visit, the secretary will fly to Nova Scotia for the Halifax International Security Forum, which brings together defense ministers from around the world to discuss key defense and security issues.
Panetta will discuss America's strong bilateral defense relationship with Canada, and meet with French Gen. Stephane Abrial, the NATO allied commander for transformation, Kirby said. The forum will allow Panetta to have his fourth meeting with Barak.
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- 10.
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U.S. Joins NATO Cyber Warfare Operations In Baltic
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:46 pm (PST)
http://www.stripes.com/news/u-s-joining-nato-s-fight-against-cyber-threats-1.160957
Stars and Stripes
November 16, 2011
U.S. joining NATO's fight against cyber threats
By John Vandiver
-Cyber security emerged as a central part of the NATO mission when it was included in the alliance's new "Strategic Concept," which was agreed to at the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon. And in June, NATO defense ministers approved a revised cyber policy with a more centralized approach to cyber defense...
STUTTGART, Germany: The United States will join the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence during a formal ceremony scheduled for Thursday at the center's headquarters in Estonia...
The cyber center, which was established [in 2008] now includes 10 nations. The center's objective is to help NATO's efforts to bolster defense capabilities in the face of cyber threats.
"Our vision is to be the main source of expertise in the field of cooperative cyber defense by accumulating, creating and disseminating knowledge in related matters within NATO, NATO nations and partners," according to the center's mission statement.
For the past three years, the center has aimed to accomplish that goal by hosting technical courses, workshops and cyber defense exercises.
In addition to the U.S., Poland also is a new partner at the cyber center. As one of the 10 sponsoring nations, the U.S. must provide experts to work at the center and contribute to a shared budget. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Spain also are contributors.
U.S. European Command has had one officer assigned to the center since 2008 on a voluntary basis, according to U.S. officials. However, now that the U.S. has officially joined, it is looking at ways to bolster its contribution.
...
Cyber security emerged as a central part of the NATO mission when it was included in the alliance's new "Strategic Concept," which was agreed to at the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon. And in June, NATO defense ministers approved a revised cyber policy with a more centralized approach to cyber defense...
As a result, the alliance plans to accelerate its efforts in training and education through its existing schools and the cyber defense center in Estonia, according to NATO.
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- 11.
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Pentagon Reserves Right To Bomb Countries Hosting Hackers
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:46 pm (PST)
http://rt.com/news/pentagon-report-hackers-retaliation-481/
RT
November 16, 2011
Pentagon could bomb enemy hackers
-One can only wonder what US officials would say if, say, Iran authorized its Revolutionary Guard to strike in retaliation to a Stuxnet worm cyber-attack.
A US Department of Defense report has outlined how the American military plans to respond to foreign hacker attacks. We're talking all-out retaliation, both in cyberspace, and in real life.
The 12-page document sent to Congress was made public on Tuesday. Legislators had wanted the Pentagon to deliver the report on new cyber-warfare policy by March 1 this year, but the top brass were a few months late.
"When warranted, we will respond to hostile attacks in cyberspace as we would to any other threat to our country," the report said as cited by Reuters. "We reserve the right to use all necessary means – diplomatic, informational, military and economic – to defend our nation, our allies, our partners and our interests."
The warrant for such an operation would come from the President, and he will decide what "use of force" in cyberspace will constitute. Stand-alone operations would not trigger a Congressional notification requirement under the War Powers Resolution, reports the Washington Post.
The biggest problem with reacting to a hacker attack is identifying the guilty. A number of security experts and intelligence have pointed to Chinese and Russians as the key perpetrators of cyber-attacks on American computers. However no accusations have been officially pressed against those governments.
The Pentagon plans to tackle the issue by employing behavior and cyber forensics experts, who would point to the individuals responsible.
The report also points out the need for an automated response to internet hostilities, which raised the alarm with some cyber security experts.
"The question is, how, and to what extent, are they thinking about automated responses?" Herbert Lin, a cyber expert at the US National Academy of Sciences, told the Washington Post. Such responses, he said, "are fraught with danger. Without people in the loop, you're much more likely to do unintended stuff."
One can only wonder what US officials would say if, say, Iran authorized its Revolutionary Guard to strike in retaliation to a Stuxnet worm cyber-attack. The virus crippled Iranian uranium enrichment facilities last year and is believed to have been created by highly skilled hackers. Some reports pointed to Israel and the US as being behind the malware.
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- 12.
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Genocidal Cynicism by Fidel Castro Now what is important is the
Posted by: "dan" res.181@rcip.com
Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:46 pm (PST)
Genocidal Cynicism
Part One Now what is important is the need to create clear awareness in the peoples about the abyss towards which humankind is being led.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/11/genocidal-cynicism-part-one/
by Fidel Castro / November 16th, 2011
No sane person, especially someone who has had access to the elementary knowledge acquired in primary school, would agree that our species, especially those who are children, teenagers or youth, should be deprived of the right to live, today, tomorrow and forever. Never have human beings, throughout their eventful history, as persons endowed with intelligence, ever heard of an experience like that.
I feel the duty to convey to those taking the trouble to read these Reflections the opinion that all of us, with no exception, are obliged to create awareness about the risks that humankind are running in an inexorable manner, towards a final and total catastrophe as the consequence of irresponsible decisions made by politicians who fate, rather than talent or merit, has placed the destiny of humankind in their hands.
Whether they are citizens of their country or not, whether they are followers of some religious belief or unbelievers, no human being in their right mind would agree that their children or closest kin should perish precipitously or as victims of atrocious and torturous misery.
On the heels of the repugnant crimes that are being increasingly committed by NATO under the aegis of the United States and the wealthiest countries in Europe, the gaze of the world focused on the G-20 meeting where the profound economic crisis affecting every nation today should have been analyzed. International opinion, especially in Europe, was awaiting an answer for the profound economic crisis that, with its serious social and even climatic implications, is threatening every inhabitant on the planet. At that meeting, it was being decided whether the Euro would be able to be kept as the common currency for most of Europe and even whether some of the countries would be able to remain in the community.
There was no answer or solution of any kind for the most serious problems of the world economy despite the efforts of China, Russia, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina and other emerging economies, anxious to cooperate with the rest of the world in the search for solutions for the serious economic problems affecting them.
What was unusual was that just when NATO concluded the Libyan operation – after the air attack that injured the constitutional head of that country, destroyed the vehicle carrying him and leaving him at the mercy of the empire's mercenaries who murdered him and exhibited his body as a war trophy, violating Muslim customs and traditions – the IAEA, a UN body and an institution that ought to stand for world peace, released the political, money-driven and sectarian report putting the world on the brink of war with the use of nuclear weapons that the Yankee empire, in alliance with Great Britain and Israel, has been meticulously preparing against Iran.
After the veni, vidi, vici of the famous Roman emperor more than two thousand years ago, translated to "I came, I saw and he died" broadcast for public opinion by an important television network as soon as the death of Gaddafi had been learned of, there are more than enough words to describe US policy.
Now what is important is the need to create clear awareness in the peoples about the abyss towards which humankind is being led. Twice our Revolution lived through dramatic dangers: in October of 1962, the most critical of all where humankind was on the brink of nuclear holocaust; and in mid-1987 when our forces were facing racist South African troops armed with nuclear weapons that the Israelis had helped them create.
The Shah of Iran also collaborated, along with Israel, with the racist and fascist South African regime.
What is the UN? An organization driven by the United States before the end of World War II. That nation, whose territory was considerably far away from the theatre of war, had incredibly increased its wealth; it accumulated 80% of the world's gold and under the leadership of Roosevelt, a sincere anti-fascist, it promoted the development of the nuclear weapon that Truman, his successor, a mediocre oligarch, did not hesitate in using against the defenceless cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
The world's gold monopoly in United States' power and the prestige of Roosevelt handed the US the Bretton Woods agreement, assigning it the role of issuing the dollar as the only currency to be used for decades in world trade, with no limiting factor other that it's being backed by the gold metal.
At the end of that war, the US was also the only country possessing the nuclear weapon, a privilege it did not hesitate in transmitting to its allies and members in the Security Council: Great Britain and France, the two most important colonial powers in the world at that time.
Truman had not even informed the USSR one single word about the atomic weapon before using it. China, at that time governed by Nationalist General Chiang Kai-shek, a pro-Yankee oligarch, could not be excluded from that Security Council.
The USSR, seriously stricken by the war, destruction and the loss of more than 20 million of its sons and daughters in the Nazi invasion, dedicated considerable economic, scientific and human resources to bring its nuclear capacity up to par with that of the United States. Four years later, in 1949, it tested its first nuclear weapon: the H-bomb in 1953; and in 1955 its first megaton bomb. France had its first nuclear weapon in 1960.
There were only three countries that had the nuclear bomb in 1957 when the UN, under the aegis of the Yankees, created the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA). Does anybody think that US instrument did anything to warn the world about the terrible dangers to which it would expose human society when Israel, unconditional US and NATO ally, located in the very heartland of the world's most important oil and gas reserves, would become a dangerous and aggressive nuclear power?
Its forces, cooperating with colonial British and French troops, attacked Port Said when Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, French property; this forced the Soviet premier to send an ultimatum demanding the ceasing of that aggression that the European allies of the US had no alternative other than to attack.
• To be continued tomorrow.
Fidel Castro was a revolutionary leader of Cuba from 1959 until 2008. Read other articles by Fidel.
This article was posted on Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 at 8:00am and is filed under China/Tibet, Currency, Economy/Economics, Iran, Israel/Palestine, Libya, NATO, Russia, South Africa, United Kingdom, United Nations.
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- 13.
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Russia: NATO Missile System Could End New START Treaty
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:06 am (PST)
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1675815.php/Kremlin-NATO-missile-shield-could-end-US-Russia-nuke-limits-treaty
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
November 17, 2011
Kremlin: NATO missile shield could end US-Russia nuke limits treaty
Moscow: A senior Russian general on Thursday said a missile shield planned for the NATO region could force Moscow to quit a strategic nuclear arms treaty with the US, possibly triggering a nuclear arms race.
Army General Nikolai Makarov, chief of Russia's general staff, made the remarks, which were reported by the Interfax news agency, in a Moscow speech.
'The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) has several points that allow us, if necessary, to quit the agreement,' Makarov said. 'And you know, the problem of the European missile shield is quite serious.'
Makarov's comments marked the first time a top Kremlin official has, in a public statement, linked a planned NATO missile shield with Russia's participation in a nuclear arms limitation treaty with the US.
...
The European missile defence network would give NATO the ability to shoot down elements of Russia's nuclear deterrence force, and so give Washington a dangerous advantage in a confrontation with Moscow, Russian officials have said.
The New Start treaty, signed in Prague in April 2010 by US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, established maximum numbers of nuclear-capable missiles and bombers both sides might keep in inventory, and set out a rigorous inspection regime to monitor compliance.
Article 14 of the agreement allows either signer to quit the agreement 'if extraordinary events related to the subject matter of this treaty have jeopardized its supreme interests.'
An abrogation of the New Start treaty would allow Russia and the US to field new nuclear weapons in unlimited quantity - a situation similar to the early years of the Cold War.
Other threatened Russian retaliatory measures for the NATO missile shield have included: deployment of nuclear weapons to the Baltic region; construction of a missile defence network across Russia; and an increase of conventional forces in Russia's western provinces.
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- 14.
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Russian Military Chief Warns Of NATO Expansion, Nuclear War Threats
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:06 am (PST)
http://rt.com/politics/makarov-nuclear-russia-nato-575/
RT
November 17, 2011
Border Alert: Nuke risk rising, Russia warns
By Robert Bridge
The danger of local armed conflicts along Russia's borders exploding into full-scale nuclear war has grown following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia's chief of staff said on Thursday.
General Nikolai Makarov told the Russian Public Chamber there is a dangerous level of mistrust with former Soviet states that border the country.
"The possibility of local armed conflicts virtually along the entire perimeter of the border has grown dramatically," Makarov said. "I cannot rule out that, in certain circumstances, local and regional armed conflicts could grow into a large-scale war, possibly even with nuclear weapons."
Makarov mentioned NATO's steady encroachment toward Russia's borders as one of the key reasons for the heightened level of mistrust in the region since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
"Almost all countries formerly belonging to the Warsaw Pact have become NATO members, and the Baltic States that were earlier a part of the USSR have also joined the alliance," Russia's top military official said.
Moscow has often criticized the western military bloc for going back on its word not to expand following the collapse of the USSR.
"At time of the withdrawal from Eastern Europe, the NATO Secretary General promised the USSR it could be confident that NATO would not expand beyond its current boundaries," Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in a past comment. "So where is it now?" I asked them [the NATO officials]. They have nothing to say. They deceived us in the rudest way."
Meanwhile, the comments by Chief of Staff Makarov did contain a silver lining in the nuclear cloud.
Speaking on the prospects of the New START treaty, signed by President Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama, Makarov was optimistic.
"The previous START treaty was flawed, but there were attempts to extend it," he said. "The new START is the first treaty that satisfies us."
On the US missile defense system planned for Eastern Europe, the Russian general said the new START gives Moscow the flexibility its new defense measures require.
"This treaty gives us the ability to secede in certain cases," he said, specifically mentioning the "European missile defense problem" as a national security threat that could force Moscow to breach the treaty.
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- 15.
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Opposition, Protesters Oppose U.S. Military Buildup In Australia
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:07 am (PST)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/17/c_131253614.htm
Xinhua News Agency
November 17, 2011
No need for American military buildup in Asia Pacific -- Australian Greens, protesters
By Vienna Ma
CANBERRA: U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday received warm welcome in Australia, but the Australian Greens and some protesters disagreed with his statement that there is a need for an American military buildup in the Asia-Pacific region.
In a joint media conference with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Obama and Gillard announced the two countries have agreed to increase joint military initiatives to enhance the alliance, which will see the U.S. boost its military activities in Australia from 2012.
Senator Robert Brown, Parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens, said such move means Australia has given up the alternative of an independent foreign policy and independent future in the region.
Brown said the president had served the United States well in his speech, but he said the agreement might not be in Australia's interest, as Australia as a middle-order power with growing influence had a "big potential for good" in the Asia-Pacific region and should not be "taking sides".
He said such move means Australia has given up the alternative of an independent foreign policy and independent future in the region.
"We have a need to get on well in our own neighbourhood," he told reporters in Canberra. "The United States is obviously doing what President Obama said himself is what he set out to do - that was to establish a very significant military foothold in Australia.
"That's what he's done in the last 48 hours and that's what the prime minister and the leader of the opposition have acquiesced to. "
Senator Brown said there should be a parliamentary debate on the expansion of joint training and exercises with U.S. forces and flagged a possible Senate inquiry.
Meanwhile, a small group of 12 Australians, holding signs include "No Bases" "Pine Gap is too much" and "Gillard is a puppet to the U.S. war machine", started a protest against U.S. military presence in Australia near Northern Territory Parliament, ahead of Obama's arrival.
According to former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) member Greg Chapman, there is already too many military personnel were seen in the city, and the rise in the number of U.S. troops would not help Australia.
It is all about American interests, Chapman said.
Lawyer Diana Rickard said an influx in the number of U.S. troops in Darwin would make the community less safe.
"We do not want American marines in Australia doing the same things they have done in the Philippines, in Japan, in Germany and probably in most parts of the world where they have a military base," she said. "We do not want the violence to spread."
...
Under an agreement signed recently by U.S. president and Australian leader, the United States will place some 2,500 mariner troops, military equipment and warplanes in its military base located in Australia's city of Darwin.
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- 16.
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Pakistan: U.S. Drones Strikes Kill 543 So far This Year
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:07 am (PST)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/17/c_131253723.htm
Xinhua News Agency
November 17, 2011
9 killed in U.S. drone strike in NW Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: At least nine people were killed in a U.S. drone strike launched Thursday afternoon in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of North Waziristan which borders Afghanistan, reported local Urdu TV channel ARY.
According to the report, four missiles were fired by U.S. drones at a house suspected of being a militant hideout in the Razmak area of North Waziristan, a haven of militants along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
This is the fourth strike by U.S. drones in Pakistan since this month and the 63rd of its kind (both counted on daily basis) in 2011. To date, a total of 543 people, most of whom are believed to be militants, have been killed so far this year.
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- 17.
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Russia Alarmed By U.S. Military Plans In Central Asia, Afghanistan
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:07 am (PST)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-11/17/c_131253687.htm
Xinhua News Agency
November 17, 2011
Russia concerned by U.S. military plans in Central Asia, Afghanistan
MOSCOW: Russia was concerned by U.S. plans to expand its military presence in Central Asia and to set up large military bases in Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday.
"It is still unclear how the (U.S.) troops' withdrawal scheduled in 2014 after the end of anti-terrorism operations corresponds to the U.S. plans to set up in Afghanistan quite big military bases," Lavrov told reporters after his talks with visiting Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna here.
Lavrov said Moscow had discussed the issue with Afghan and U.S. representatives, but "there are more questions than answers so far."
"Moreover, information comes in periodically that our American colleagues want to expand their military presence in Central Asia," he said.
Lavrov said, from the start of the operations against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Russia was told that the foreign presence in Afghanistan and its transit centers in central Asia would be used purely to fight that particular terrorism threat.
"Russia was told there were no long-term geopolitical calculations," Lavrov said, adding these principals should be respected in full.
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- 18.
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Foreign Minister: Russia Understands Kosovo Serbs' Request
Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff@yahoo.com rwrozoff
Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:09 am (PST)
http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=6&id=288044
Interfax
November 17, 2011
Russia understands motives behind Kosovo Serbs' request - Lavrov
MOSCOW: The Russian Foreign Ministry has familiarized itself with the request of several thousand Kosovo Serbs for Russian citizenship and it understands the reasons behind it, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"We have read this request attentively, of course, and we will have to act guided by a number of factors," Lavrov said at a joint news conference with his Indian counterpart Somanahalli Krishna on Thursday.
Concerning the legal aspect of this problem, we have a law in Russia which regulates instances when Russian citizenship is granted to foreign nationals, he said.
"From the political point of view, we very well understand the motives behind the Kosovo Serbs' request of this kind," Lavrov said.
It was reported earlier that more than 20,000 Kosovo Serbs had applied for Russian citizenship.
"They have found themselves in a desperate situation and they have the feeling of hopelessness in conditions when they are being forced to obey the Pristina dictate in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and when they can even lose the right to local self-government. Too bad that all this is happening with connivance and direct support from the Kosovo Force, led by NATO, and the European Union's so-called Rule of Law Mission," Lavrov said.
These "international presences" are operating in violation of the "neutral-status mandate they have," he said.
"We will be firmly opposing this in the future and we think that no one should usurp the role of ruler of the destinies of nations, especially Kosovo Serbs, wherever they live, using opportunities provided by international or Russian law," he said.
Russia has been actively assisting the Kosovo Serbs for the past few years in humanitarian programs and in saving their culture, ethnic identity and traditions. This work will be continued," the Russian foreign minister said.
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