Dominos falling in the Middle East

[Stu Monty]

How many civilians have Nato killed now?

 

50?

100?

 

ANYTHING but send in ground troops eh? Once again, we (well, mainly America) fuck up another attempt to rescue the innocents.

 

That's not the purpose of the mission. If they cared about insignificances like that then they wouldn't sell arms to people to repress their populations or be drone bombing the shit out of Pakistan.

 

#Fog of war

[dennis tooth]

Haha no. But they could use the money to support their troops against him, and it would also make them look more legitimate.

 

Whether they actually are or not is yet to be seen I suppose.

 

I still don't see how money will help sorry?

[Mustangt125]

I still don't see how money will help sorry?

 

What?

 

They need food, medicine, guns, trucks, ammo, clothes, equipment.

 

They're fighting a war.

 

They will also need money if we are to believe the rebels are going to try and set up a government and a functional democracy after the war. They will also need something to export that they can base their economy on. Naturally they will use their, by far, most valuable asset.

[dennis tooth]

What?

 

They need food, medicine, guns, trucks, ammo, clothes, equipment.

 

They're fighting a war.

 

They will also need money if we are to believe the rebels are going to try and set up a government and a functional democracy after the war. They will also need something to export that they can base their economy on. Naturally they will use their, by far, most valuable asset.

 

They don't need money for any of that though do they?

 

Those things you are talking about, should be us supplying those not setting up a stall to sell them it.

 

Iit shouldn't be dependant on them selling us oil and them using the oil money.

 

Have you learned nothing?

[Mustangt125]

They don't need money for any of that though do they?

 

Those things you are talking about, should be us supplying those not setting up a stall to sell them it.

 

Iit shouldn't be dependant on them selling us oil and them using the oil money.

 

Have you learned nothing?

 

They need money for everything in that list I just gave.

 

Look how much a modern war costs.

 

Have you learned nothing?

[Beantown Red]

They want them to take the money from the oil and to buy weapons so that the Western nations don't get the blame for arming them.

[Stu Monty]

They want them to take the money from the oil and to buy weapons so that the Western nations don't get the blame for arming them.

 

But David Cameron was doing some part-time work for the arms industry the other week...soooooo.

 

Confusing isn't it?

[Anubis]

I see Cameron, Sarkozy and Obama are stepping up the rhetoric to pave the way for ground forces.

[Section_31]

I see Cameron, Sarkozy and Obama are stepping up the rhetoric to pave the way for ground forces.

 

In for the penny, in for the pound I suppose. It's like when they tried to cut off Mary Queen of Scotts' head and the axeman had a blunt axe. It was half hanging off and she was shouting 'dear God! dear God!' as he had to go back and sharpen it. Great stuff.

 

I also find it funny how virtually all the military assets being used by Britain in this whole debacle are due to be scrapped. The Frigate on station was on its way home to be broken up, and the Tornados are all destined for the scrap heap too. Perhaps next time - to quote Will Riker - 'you can find me some rocks to throw at them!'

[Beantown Red]

The New Cold War

 

Iran

 

Active troops: 523,000

Battle tanks: 1,613

Combat aircraft: 336

Regional allies: Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas

 

SAUDI ARABIA

 

Active troops: 234,000

Battle tanks: 565

Combat aircraft: 349

Regional allies: Gulf states, Egypt, Lebanese Sunnis, Fatah

 

 

For three months, the Arab world has been awash in protests and demonstrations. It's being called an Arab Spring, harking back to the Prague Spring of 1968.

 

But comparison to the short-lived flowering of protests 40 years ago in Czechoslovakia is turning out to be apt in another way. For all the attention the Mideast protests have received, their most notable impact on the region thus far hasn't been an upswell of democracy. It has been a dramatic spike in tensions between two geopolitical titans, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

 

This new Middle East cold war comes complete with its own spy-versus-spy intrigues, disinformation campaigns, shadowy proxy forces, supercharged state rhetoric—and very high stakes.

 

"The cold war is a reality," says one senior Saudi official. "Iran is looking to expand its influence. This instability over the last few months means that we don't have the luxury of sitting back and watching events unfold."

 

On March 14, the Saudis rolled tanks and troops across a causeway into the island kingdom of Bahrain. The ruling family there, long a close Saudi ally, appealed for assistance in dealing with increasingly large protests.

 

Iran soon rattled its own sabers. Iranian parliamentarian Ruhollah Hosseinian urged the Islamic Republic to put its military forces on high alert, reported the website for Press TV, the state-run English-language news agency. "I believe that the Iranian government should not be reluctant to prepare the country's military forces at a time that Saudi Arabia has dispatched its troops to Bahrain," he was quoted as saying.

 

The intensified wrangling across the Persian—or, as the Saudis insist, the Arabian—Gulf has strained relations between the U.S. and important Arab allies, helped to push oil prices into triple digits and tempered U.S. support for some of the popular democracy movements in the Arab world. Indeed, the first casualty of the Gulf showdown has been two of the liveliest democracy movements in countries right on the fault line, Bahrain and the turbulent frontier state of Yemen.

 

But many worry that the toll could wind up much worse if tensions continue to ratchet upward. They see a heightened possibility of actual military conflict in the Gulf, where one-fifth of the world's oil supplies traverse the shipping lanes between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Growing hostility between the two countries could make it more difficult for the U.S. to exit smoothly from Iraq this year, as planned. And, perhaps most dire, it could exacerbate what many fear is a looming nuclear arms race in the region.

 

Continued

.....

[Beantown Red]

Libyan official says Saif al-Arab, Gadhafi's sixth son, was killed during NATO attempt to assassinate the Libyan Leader at his Tripoli compound, adding both Gadhafi and his wife escaped the strike unscathed.

 

By The Associated Press and Haaretz Service

 

TRIPOLI, Libya—Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi survived a NATO missile strike Saturday that killed his youngest son and three grandchildren and wounded friends and relatives, Libya's spokesman said.

 

Gadhafi and his wife were in the Tripoli house of his 29-year-old son, Saif al-Arab Gadhafi, when it was hit by at least one missile fired by a NATO warplane, according to Libyan spokesman Moussa Ibrahim.

 

"The leader himself is in good health," Ibrahim said. "He was not harmed. The wife is also in good health."

 

"The attack resulted in the martyrdom of brother Saif al-Arab Gadhafi, 29 years old, and three of the leader's grandchildren," Ibrahim said. He described Saif as a student.

 

The one-story house in a Tripoli residential neighborhood was heavily damaged.

 

Saif al-Arab Gadhafi was the sixth son of Gadhafi. He had spent much of his time in Germany in recent years.

 

The attack took place following NATO's dismissal of a Gadhafi ceasefire offer earlier Saturday, saying Western air strikes on government forces in Libya will continue as long as civilians are threatened.

 

"We need to see actions, not words," a NATO official told Reuters.

 

Libyan rebels also rejected Gadhafi's offer on Saturday, saying "the time for compromise has passed."

 

"The people of Libya cannot possibly envisage or accept a future Libya in which Gadhafi's regime plays any role," Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, spokesman for the rebel's transitional national council, said in a statement. "Gadhafi's regime has lost all credibility."

 

In a speech broadcast on Libyan state television, Gadhafi offered to order a ceasefire and start negotiations provided that provided NATO stop its strikes against his forces but he refused to step down, which Western powers see as a precondition to peace in Libya.

 

"NATO will continue operations until all attacks and threats against civilians have ceased, until all of Gadhafi's forces have returned to base and until there is a full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all people in need of assistance," said the NATO official.

 

The military alliance, fulfilling a United Nations mandate to protect civilians during a bloody crackdown on an anti-government rebellion in Libya, has in the past rejected

Gadhafi's calls for truce.

 

"The regime has announced ceasefires several times before and continued attacking cities and civilians ... Any ceasefire must be credible and verifiable," the NATO official said.

 

He declined to comment whether NATO would be open to meeting Gadhafi's representatives for talks, if contacts for such talks were made.

[Anubis]

Foreign Office has just issued a warning for all UK nationals to leave The Yemen immediately, otherwise they will be unable to evacuate them or offer consular assistance. It sounds like its all about to go off quite heavily.

[WaltonRed]

WW3, see you all in the desert!

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Foreign Office has just issued a warning for all UK nationals to leave The Yemen immediately, otherwise they will be unable to evacuate them or offer consular assistance. It sounds like its all about to go off quite heavily.

 

Yeah, things seem to have been discussed today and they want to 'help' this Arab spring. Dangerous? Stupid? Noble? I don't know, I guess we'll see how it turns out and how it is handled. Like always, it needs to be done legally, and with support from inside the countries and from the surrounding states.

 

I wouldn't be against some sort of UN assistance in Syria. What is going on there is just horrific.

[Section_31]

The fuck, hadn't seen anything on this until I just clicked on Russia Today!

 

AFP: Israel protesters draft list of demands

 

JERUSALEM — Representatives of an Israeli social protest movement that has swept the country and rattled the government were meeting at Tel Aviv University Tuesday to draft a joint list of demands, activists said.

 

"I'm sure that we shall be able to reach agreement and formulate a joint document," protester Saguy Yaakobi told military radio, referring to the differing priorities in an ad hoc movement that includes students, housing activists and those seeking reforms in child care, health and education.

 

"The responsibility we bear is to unite all the players around one common document because this is an authentic struggle," national student union leader Itzik Shmuli told the radio. "I believe that we can create such a document."

 

On Tuesday morning, demonstrators kept up the pressure on the government, staging a protest in front of government offices in Tel Aviv, Israeli news site Ynet reported.

 

The protesters carried bales of hay to illustrate they are "the state's donkeys," the website reported, and chanted "Bibi it's over, my back is broken!" using the nickname for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

 

In Jerusalem, disabled people gathered near the Supreme Court to demand their rights, state radio said.

 

And at Tel Hashomer hospital near Tel Aviv, nurses staged a strike in sympathy with doctors who have stepped up their long-running protest in recent weeks, staging hunger strikes and work stoppages to call for better pay and conditions for more than three months.

 

Another demonstration was planned in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening in protest over a bill that would set up a national subcommittee to streamline planning procedures and housing construction.

 

Its opponents fear it will mainly encourage developers to build luxury projects rather than affordable housing.

 

The protest movement has snowballed since it leapt last month from a call on Facebook onto the streets of Tel Aviv and across the country, tapping into deep frustration over the cost of living and income disparity.

 

Local authority workers staged a one-day strike on Monday, and on Saturday, an estimated 100,000 Israelis took to the streets nationwide in some of the largest protests ever seen in the Jewish state.

 

The burgeoning protest movement, which is calling for reductions in the cost of everything from cheese to petrol, has stung Netanyahu's government into a response.

 

He has pledged to appoint a team of ministers and experts to meet protest leaders, listen to their grievances and come up with a plan to address them.

 

[Ian Beales Gut]

The fuck, hadn't seen anything on this until I just clicked on Russia Today!

 

AFP: Israel protesters draft list of demands

 

What they need is a distraction.

 

The Israeli airforce f16s have just taken off. Next stop Iran.

[Stu Monty]

On Twitter I follow an Egyptian journalist who does a lot of stuff for Democracy Now!, he was saying that the military were in the streets cracking skulls the other day and there were crowds cheering them on. Real sad shit.

[Anubis]

Looks like Libya is on the cusp, with reports of Gaddafi's son being captured, and fighting in Tripoli.

 

Some hilarious tweets from Louise Mensch, trying to claim it as a glorious victory for David Cameron. Suck his cock for a cabinet job love, and be done with it.

[Section_31]

I wonder how long before the 'rebels' become 'insurgents'.

[Phoenix]

Yay! cheaper petrol prices.

[lfcwonderboy1]

reports coming in on Reuters gaddafi is captured sky only saying one gaddafi there dont know who..has just been detained.

 

Press conference in a hour! I really thought he would put up a fight after all the talk? if it is him.. COWARD

[BCM]

Gadaffi's son Saif has been captured. Not the main man........... yet.

[Beantown Red]

It is two of his sons that have been captured according to Al Jazeera

[taliesin08]

It will all be over in a week like Iraq and Afghanistan...

[bobhorse]

OIl Oil oil that is all this is about with China and India hungry for every resource and the fact that we have past peak flow with regards to oil there are two things you can do increase production of crude or reduce the supply demand

seeing as there isnt anymore oil to find they have to reduce the supply demand America made it know along time ago that if its supply of oil was threatened then it would move in and take over the oil fields we saw this with Iraq Kuwait Lybia is another that will soon fall that will leave 3 others on the hit list Iran Nigeria and Venezuela of hostile oil producing nations take a look at the list from 2009

 

 

World

 

87,500,000[3]

 

100%

 

2011

 

 

 

1

 

Russia

 

10,540,000[4]

 

12.01%

 

2011

 

 

 

2

 

Saudi Arabia

 

8,800,000[5]

 

11.59%

 

2011

 

 

 

3

 

United States

 

7,800,000[6]

 

10.75%

 

2011

 

 

 

4

 

Iran

 

4,172,000

 

4.95%

 

2009

 

 

 

5

 

China

 

3,991,000

 

4.74%

 

2009

 

 

 

6

 

Canada

 

3,289,000

 

3.90%

 

2009

 

 

 

7

 

Mexico

 

3,001,000

 

3.56%

 

2009

 

 

 

8

 

United Arab Emirates

 

2,798,000

 

3.32%

 

2009

 

 

 

9

 

Brazil

 

2,572,000

 

3.05%

 

2009

 

 

 

10

 

Kuwait

 

2,494,000

 

2.96%

 

2009

 

 

 

11

 

Venezuela

 

2,472,000

 

2.93%

 

2009

 

 

 

12

 

Iraq

 

2,399,000

 

2.85%

 

2009

 

 

 

—

 

European Union

 

2,365,000

 

2.81%

 

2009

 

 

 

13

 

Norway

 

2,350,000

 

2.79%

 

2009

 

 

 

14

 

Nigeria

 

2,211,000

 

2.62%

 

2009

 

 

 

15

 

Algeria

 

2,125,000

 

2.52%

 

2009

 

 

 

16

 

Angola

 

1,948,000

 

2.31%

 

2009

 

 

 

17

 

Libya

 

1,790,000

 

2.12%

 

2009

 

with Russia and China no go areas for obvious reasons just work down the list and see those countries not on favoured terms with the USA seem to have been kocked off one by one oh but it isnt about Oil is it