Occupation by another name By Ran HaCohen

September 2, 2008Leave a comment

August 27, 2008
Source: http://jewishpeacenews.blogspot.com

Meron Benvenisti in an excellent article mentions the ‘success of the propaganda campaign known as ‘negotiations with the Palestinians,’ which convinces many that the status quo is temporary.’ There’s indeed no better way to describe the ongoing talks between the two politicians living on borrowed time – Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas – than as a pastime orchestrated by the Bush administration. In the past, peace talks were supposed to lead to a peace agreement, which would in turn lead to peace; now, not even that little is assumed. What the negotiations are expected to yield is at best a ‘shelf agreement’ to be implemented at some vague point in the future, or not. No one believes such an agreement can be reached, as agreed, by the end of this year, but even the shelf doesn’t really care.

But the show must go on. Last week the papers announced a great leap forward: Olmert’s Israel has submitted a detailed proposal for the final status. In true negotiations, one could have said: Now we know what Israel wants. This is not the case, since everybody knows Prime Minister Olmert is no longer relevant. So what’s the value of the proposal? We don’t really know what Israel wants, but at least we can see what Israel is willing to say.

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The End of the War on Terror and a new New World Order? By Ali Abunimah

September 2, 2008Leave a comment

Palestine Center Information Brief No. 165 (29 August 2008)

By Ali Abunimah
Palestine Center Fellow

Introduction

Since the 11 September 2001 attacks, United States foreign policy and national security doctrine have been organized around the concept of the “War on Terror.” This article argues that the U.S. security establishment will find it increasingly difficult to sustain this framework and, with the January 2009 change in administration, may begin to pursue its goals through a discourse that emphasizes a more flexible and multi-dimensional narrative. It also examines deeper geopolitical tectonic shifts that exploded to the surface with the Russia-Georgia war that will affect Palestine and the broader region.

Over the past eight years, critical challenges such as climate change, competition for energy, population growth, the economic emergence of China, Russia, India and Brazil and domestic economic problems have gradually superseded the “War on Terror” as primary public concerns. Conflicts in Palestine, Iraq, South Asia and Africa, which the U.S. hoped would be subsumed under the “terrorism” and “reform” agendas, have also proven persistent and resilient to such redefinition.

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Russian South Ossetians Continue to Bury Thousands Killed, as Russia Stands Down … Georgia Celebrates With Eastern European Allies … McCain and Obama the Same as the `New Cold War' Begins …

September 2, 2008Leave a comment

TMPress International Newswire

TMPress ™ – United News & Press Features

(TMPress International – New York – September 02, 2008) – From the set of new Obama/Biden foreign policy advisers … Zbigniew Brzezinski, Richard Holbrooke and Madeleine Albright … all former Carter/Clinton State Dept/NSA credentials to their side. (And all friends of Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and Richard Perle) – the Democrats continue their dream of replacing GOP NeoCons with Democrat NeoCons.

The political leaders of the New West, the UK, Poland, the Ukraine and the Baltic States may have all showed up in Tbilisi, Georgia last week to celebrate Georgia’s great military blunder under Misha Saakashvili and ‘so-called independence to wage war’ with invasion of the Russified Autonomous Republic of South Ossetia, but few of them – including the Western media paid very little attention to the thousands that died in South Ossetia. All that is but Russia, who is carrying the lion’s share of the humanitarian resuscitation of Tskhinvali and South Ossetia with regard to food, medical, water and power to help the WW2-like destruction in all areas of the regional capital Tskhinvali and throughout the entire South Ossetian Territory.

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US Gambles with Russia: Stoking a Global War? By Stephen Lendman

September 2, 2008Leave a comment

Russia prefers diplomacy to conflict and seeks alliances with the West and its neighbors. The United States wants conquest – the Eurasian vastness with its huge oil, gas and other resources.

Prior to entering WW II, US strategists had a clear aim in mind at its conclusion – to hold unchallengeable power in a new post-war global system: military, economic and political in a ‘Grand Area’ encompassing the West and Far East. Essentially most parts outside the communist bloc and exploiting it under disarming rhetoric like being ‘selfless advocates of freedom for colonial peoples (and an) enemy of imperialism.’ Championing ‘world peace (also) through multinational control.’

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The Dutch Connection By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

September 2, 2008Leave a comment

The Dutch Connection By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

01 September, 2008
Countercurrents.org

‘Without doubt, psychological warfare has proved its right to a place of dignity in our military arsenal.’ – Eisenhower

The recent De Telegraaf article[i] ‘revealing’ the Dutch intelligence cooperation with the CIA is a propaganda piece aimed at undermining the credibility of United Nations, its specialized agency, the IAEA, and its chief Mohammad ElBaradei. It also seeks to demoralize the Iranians and undermine their resolve in confronting outside enemies.

De Telegraaf would have the readers believe that the Dutch intelligence has been secretly operating inside Iran and the information gathered is being shared with the CIA. It is common knowledge that the American administration is frustrated with the lack of information it has on Iran and its civilian nuclear program. Equally frustrating is the Administration’s dissatisfaction at being in the dark about the complex Iranian society and its government. There are no or few Iran specialists; certainly few who are willing to cooperate with the CIA. Likewise, it is an open secret that the terrorist cult Mojahedeen-e Khalg which according to sources receives its information from Mossad, has been providing the CIA with — not reliable and accurate– information. There is no doubt that the Dutch are cooperating with the CIA – but the extent of their cooperation is limited to communication – disseminating rumors.

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