The New Dark Age

1 January 2012 — Information Clearing House

Arab League Mission to Syria
Becomes Focus of Demands for Military Intervention
By Chris Marsden
The Arab League monitors are clearly under orders from Washington to come up with a hostile report on the regime of President Bashir al-Assad. On Tuesday, the US State Department warned that “if the Syrian regime continues to resist and disregard Arab League efforts, the international community will consider other means to protect Syrian civilians.” http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30133.htm

A Funny Thing Happened on the Road to (Regime Change in) Damascus…
By Daniel McAdams
The Western press has dutifully – and uncritically – repeated harrowing tales of the Syrian government’s “siege of Homs” – the 4,000 government forces randomly shelling the city, the snipers everywhere killing anyone on the streets, even the troops’ digging trenches to prevent the people from escaping the mass slaughter of the innocents. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30128.htm

US Threatens War in the Persian Gulf
By Peter Symonds
Having provoked Tehran with legislation for what amounts to an oil embargo, the US is threatening Iran with military action if it retaliates by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30134.htm

An Act Of War
Obama Signs Iran Banking Sanctions
By Reuters
The bill, aims to reduce Tehran’s oil revenues Senior U.S. officials said Washington was engaging with its foreign partners to ensure the sanctions can work without harming global energy markets. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30124.htm

America’s Bloody Clipboard: Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Now Iran
By libbyliberal
A pending war with Iran has a lot to do with US unholy imperialism as well as the US’s unhealthy (INSANE) codependency with the leadership of Israel. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30135.htm

Urging Obama to Stop Rush to Iran War
By Ray McGovern and Elizabeth Murray
A torrent of war propaganda against Iran is flooding the American political scene as U.S. neocons and Israeli hardliners see an opening for another war in the Middle East, a momentum that ex-CIA analysts Ray McGovern and Elizabeth Murray urge President Obama to stop. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30122.htm

Muslim Haters Tie Iran to 9/11
By Gareth Porter
In the world of the right-wing Islam-hating extremists and others pushing for confrontation with Iran, reality is no obstacle to spinning tales of secret Iranian assistance to al-Qaeda. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30123.htm

The Decline of the American Empire
By Al Jazeera
The US has the world’s biggest economy, the most influential culture, and the most potent military machine, with a budget that equals that of all other nations combined. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30126.htm

Graphic: Mapping a Superpower-sized Military:
By Richard Johnson
The United States remains a superpower on a scale not seen since the days of the Caesars. With this in mind, the National Post’s Richard Johnson takes a look at the scale of America’s forces. http://natpo.st/v6EA4M

From The Archive
The Plan is for the United States to rule the world
By David Armstrong
The overt theme is unilateralism, but it is ultimately a story of domination. It calls for the United States to maintain its overwhelming military superiority and prevent new rivals from rising up to challenge it on the world stage. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1544.htm

Imperialism and the “Anti-Imperialism of the Fools”
By James Petras
One of the great paradoxes of history are the claims of imperialist politicians to be engaged in a great humanitarian crusade designed to liberate nations and peoples, while practicing the most barbaric conquests. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30127.htm

A World in Denial of What It Knows
By Geoffrey Wheatcroft
COULD there be a single phrase that explains the woes of our time, this dismal age of political miscalculations and deceptions. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30131.htm

Obama Signs Indefinite Detention Bill Into Law
By ACLU
“The statute is particularly dangerous because it has no temporal or geographic limitations, and can be used by this and future presidents to militarily detain people captured far from any battlefield. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30125.htm

R.I.P. Bill of Rights 1789 – 2011
By Mike Adams
We are now a nation living under military dictatorship, whether you realize it or not. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30130.htm

Why Ron Paul Challenges Liberals
By Matt Stoller
The intellectual challenge that Ron Paul presents ultimately has nothing to do with him, and everything to do with contradictions within modern liberalism. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30129.htm

Eight killed in Syria, Arab body urges monitors out: An Arab League advisory body called for the immediate withdrawal of Arab monitors from Syria, where eight more people were reported killed on Sunday, saying their mission was allowing Damascus to cover up unabated violence and abuses. http://bit.ly/vskFAp

Clashes between Syrian army and defectors, says opposition: – Syrian military forces clashed Sunday with army deserters in a restive area near the capital Damascus, opposition activists said. http://bit.ly/tdhzkw

Qatar invaded Libya, now invades Syria: The commander in chief of the anti-Syrian mission, based in Antakya, is Abdel Hakim Belhaj, a collaborator of Osama bin Laden, whose militia took control of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, in August with the total support of NATO. http://bit.ly/u27wB9

Iraq: 5 members of Al-Sahwa militias killed at checkpoint – Al-Sahwa militias are armed government-backed organizations that are fighting Al-Qaeda in central and western Iraq. http://bit.ly/ugvFCl

US says Afghan Taliban ‘not an enemy’: Reports say Washington will hold secret meetings with the group this year after statement by US officials. http://www.aljazeera.com/video/americas/2012/01/20121142512582882.html

Pakistan: Army forces claim seizing US, NATO military equipment: Pakistani security forces today claimed that they had seized and confiscated sensitive military equipment in around 250 containers belonging to the US and NATO forces. http://bit.ly/rKXzLz

Tensions Rising Over Drone Secrecy:
Tensions are quietly increasing between the White House and some congressional leaders over access to sensitive information about the government’s use of drones in Pakistan and Yemen, officials said. http://on.wsj.com/vTf8qP

Ron Paul slams Barack Obama on drone strikes: Ron Paul accused President Barack Obama on Thursday of offering suspected terrorists fewer legal protections than Nazi war criminals were given. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70958.html

US Civilians Are Now Helping Decide Who To Kill With Military Drones: Unless the military drastically increases its recruiting efforts, with the defense cuts a huge improbability, there is likely to be an increasing number of civilians, working for profitable corporations, helping make decisions on when to fire U.S. weapons. http://read.bi/uHjpHt

One killed as Bahrain riot police clash with protesters: One reportedly killed in anti-government demonstrations after last month’s probe revealed abuses by security forces. http://bit.ly/rPecAb

US imposes sanctions on banks dealing with Iran: The sanctions target both private and government-controlled banks – including central banks – and would take hold after a two- to six-month warning period, depending on the transactions, a senior Obama administration official said. http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article557127.ece

Ahmadinejad says Iran’s central bank will face new U.S. sanctions with ‘strength’: Under the measures, foreign firms will have to choose between doing business with the Islamic republic or the economically mighty United States. http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/01/185777.html

Iran currency slips to record low after new US sanctions:
Iran, the second-biggest producer in OPEC after Saudi Arabia, depends on oil sales for 80 percent of its foreign revenues. http://bit.ly/tbO1J5

Iran central bank to file motion in US court to unfreeze funds –
Bank Markazi, Iran’s central bank, is preparing to file a motion in a New York federal court early in February asking for the release of about $2 billion of its frozen funds at Citigroup’s Citibank unit, the Wall Street Journal said, citing attorneys for the bank. http://reut.rs/tYF4uM

Iran invites world powers to new nuclear talks: The country’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, said he has formally called on the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany to return to negotiations. http://bit.ly/vTLVsx

Iran denies fuelling EU, Arab airlines: – Iran is refusing to refuel some European and Arab airlines at its main international airport in a tit-for-tat move over major oil companies denying fuel to Iranian planes abroad, the airport’s chief said Saturday. http://bit.ly/sLxh6t

Rick Santorum says he would bomb Iran nuclear sites:
Santorum says President Barack Obama hasn’t done enough to prevent the Iranian government from building a nuclear weapon and has risked turning the U.S. into a “paper tiger.” http://bit.ly/sIcjP4

Paul Assails Rivals’ Criticism of His Policy on Iran: Mr. Paul, noted that others say Iran “might get a nuclear weapon someday, and wouldn’t it be good if we have a pre-emptive attack on Iran right now to make sure they never got a weapon.” “I would say no, I wouldn’t do that, mainly because right now there are no signs they are” seeking to build a bomb, Mr. Paul said. http://nyti.ms/vguGEU

Israel, Palestinian envoys to hold talks in Jordan on Tuesday:
Meeting in Amman will be hosted by Jordanian FM and is taking place ahead of a January 26 Quartet deadline for the resumption of direct Israel-Palestinian peace talks. http://bit.ly/tJh8RD

Hamas leader meets with Turkey PM Erdogan: Turkey visit is part of Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh’s official tour of the Muslim world; officials say discussions with Erdogan centered on Gaza and the Middle East. http://bit.ly/uWrQXf

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: Fate of Israel peace treaty may be decided in referendum: Deputy chief of Egypt’s largest party says the ‘people must have their say,’ rejects possibility that Muslim Brotherhood will recognize Israel. http://bit.ly/u2w8WD

Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protesters riot in flashpoint town of Beit Shemesh: The incident began as a small local gathering of about 20 people, who waved signs with slogans attacking Zionism. http://bit.ly/vyos0W

Gaddafi supporters ‘try to blow up Tripoli power grid’: Militia groups who helped oust Gaddafi last year still hold considerable power in Libya, and have taken the law into their hands in several areas, setting up road blocks and arresting suspects despite the presence of an official police force. http://tgr.ph/ug9T1G

Saleh to remain in Yemen in bid to retain control: Yemen’s outgoing president has decided to stay in the country, reversing plans to leave, his ruling party has said, in an apparent attempt to salvage his control over the regime, which has appeared to unravel in the face of internal revolts and relentless street protests. http://bit.ly/sgsf3W

Economics in 2012: no gain, just pain as austerity brings misery to all: With the eurozone on the brink of a new recession, this will be the year when millions of people bear the brunt http://bit.ly/sHXjQS

Occupy activists retake Wall Street while police focus on New Year’s Eve in Times Square:
The Occupy Wall Street movement made a surprise invasion of Zuccotti Park last night while the police focused on New Year’s Eve celebrations elsewhere in New York. http://bit.ly/uVgdNk