to all ::::::::: i am looking for links and articles about the many global opinions about US foreign policy. here is one;;;; ~~~~~~~ The stupidity of US Foreign Policy 12.12.2012 There can be no doubt that in 2012, the foreign policy of the United States of America is no longer based upon diplomacy, but rather, skulduggery, bullying, blackmail, belligerence, interference, supporting terrorists and breaching every norm in the book of international law.... a demonic list which forms the political epitaph of Hillary Clinton. The United States of America has joined its FUKUS Axis partners France and the UK (together with wannabe Ottoman imperialist Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council) in recognising the Syrian opposition as the only "legitimate representative" of the Syrian people. For a start, how about asking the Syrian people? Secondly, the representative of the Syrian people under international law is the Syrian Government led by His Excellency President Bashar al-Assad. Thirdly who is the President of the United States of America to announce what is, or is not, the legitimate representative of a sovereign nation? Fourthly, why is the United States of America joining its FUKUS Axis allies in recognising terrorists? Terrorists? Yes, you know, like the LIFG, supported by the UK government in Libya while still on the proscribed list of the Foreign and Commonwealth office as pointed out in this column at the time, and as sent as documentary evidence to the FCO itself with the question why, if the Foreign Secretary William Jefferson Hague was aware that the LIFG was on the FCO's own proscribed list, and supporting this group knowingly, was he not summarily arrested for breaking his own, and British, law? The answer, predictably, was an extremely weak, red-faced rhetorical question for an answer, starting, "How about....?" and a stupid question attached. And why, in Syria, is the United States of America recognising terrorists? Does President Obama not know that the "legitimate representative" he supports has been responsible for the murder of thousands of people? Does President Obama not know that his "legitimate representative" has committed unspeakable and demonic acts of torture, kidnapping, summary executions and sodomy? Does President Obama not know that his "legitimate representative" attacked a school recently with military hardware? Does President Obama not know that his "legitimate representative" today launched a terrorist attack in the centre of Damascus? Does President Obama not know that his "legitimate representative" is conducting abductions and kidnappings and asking for ransom to finance its evil deeds? The list can go on and on and on as indeed it did in Libya, a country destroyed and thrown back into a quagmire of sectarian violence which is due to last for decades, and destabilise North Africa. The bottom line is, in a word, interference, not diplomacy and the philosophy is not one of claiming the moral high ground - that bull(*)(*)(*)(*) was exposed when NATO started lying to the Warsaw Pact - but rather, implementing the policies of the lobbies which control the NATO member states. The conclusion is that the United States of America is not a respectable member of the international community. The USA and its poodle states are cowardly pariahs acting in a pack for security and attacking sovereign nations imposing democracy from 30,000 feet and implementing it using terrorists. Like all playground bullies, they think they can dish it out but when it comes back and smashes them square in the face, they run sobbing like the snivelling cowards they are. The moral high ground in this way totally taken away from them, no longer can they complain about terrorists or terrorism when they themselves are part of the problem and not the solution. It becomes ever clearer that a New World Order is being formed around the cornerstone of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and like-minded nations which favour debate, discussion and dialogue as their modus operandi. What a disgusting comment on the likes of Obama, Hague, Cameron, Clinton, their revolting Napoleonic friends and the sickening cowards which implement their policies. Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey Pravda.Ru ~~~~~~~~~~~ more later; vlad
to all ::::::::: another similar article ;;; ~~~~~~~~ 86415100 America is a form of concentrated human tragedy 23.11.2012 "A bunch of stumped people, who can be held together only on the base of either the financial constituent, or war," well-known Russian writer Maria Arbatova said about the United States. The writer sat down with Pravda.Ru editor-in-chief Inna Novikova to share her opinion of the country that so eagerly tries to dictate its will to Russia. "You have recently returned from America. Do you think that the U.S. has the same problems, like in Russia, in the relations between people of different nationalities and different mentalities?" "In fact, I have a suggestion. Let's send everyone to America, so that people would return as patriots from there. America is positioned as a tolerant country, but, in fact, I realized its national idea: "You had no past." This is a gathering of stumped people, who can be held together only on the base of either the financial constituent, or the desire to wage war somewhere." "But immigrants are not at war with anyone. They are financially dependent, they have to be tolerant and to adjust themselves to the society? The talks about how tolerant and sweet immigrants are make any psychologist, psychiatrist or psychoanalyst laugh their heads off. They are tolerant, because they have the police net thrown over them. If you take the U.S., everything is built on completely feeble-minded laws there, which any immigrant comes across inevitably. For example, a friend of ours - by the way, a lawyer by education - gave us a ride about the country. He said: "Guys, I live in this schizophrenia. I was driving along the ocean the other day and I wanted to sit on the beach, and there is a special fishing area there and special fishing police (there are sanitary police, some postal police, and all sorts of other types of police). So fishing police in special fishing uniforms come up to me and say that I have to pay to go to the beach to fish. "Show us the fishing rod," they said. But I had no fishing rod with me. I just lied to them that the fishing rod was in the car. A police woman answered me, "I hope you have it in your car, because you understand that there are people fishing here, and if you just came here to sit down on the beach, you would commit a crime." "It's the specifics of America, isn't it?" "Yes, it is the specifics of the America that drives us all crazy. For example, when my friend's daughter came to live somewhere near Chicago, her husband bought a car, on which he was delivering pizza before. On the car, there was a sticker with some text on it. The man parked this car near the house, and in exactly minutes, a woman next door called the police. The man was fined 500 dollars, because, as it turned out, "business cars" could not be parked near the house. The police forced him to run for paint and paint the pizza text over quickly in their presence, not to take even more money from him." "In Russia, everything is different." "Yes, we have a different understanding of life ... Well, that would a Russian do? A man would come and say, Hey, you need to paint this over, otherwise you get fined." We call the police only when people can not agree on something, when they can not discuss a situation quietly. In America, this scheme works differently." "Perhaps we should behave like that too? For example, we begin to negotiate with noisy neighbors... or with workers who work with drills at night. We may settle the problem, but not always. Maybe it is better not to waste time and energy, but call the police, so that they settle it all down? There is something about it, isn't there?" "Then after a while, we will cease to be human beings. This police net, which covers the United States, in fact, catches almost nothing. I've just talked to a man who has been living in Brooklyn for 20 years, and knows very well how things work out there. I'm not talking about Chinatown, no one knows how many people live there, and, yet, in New York, there are seven Chinese areas). He says that there are no police at all. First, the police are scared. Second, everything is controlled by criminal mobs there, like we had it in Moscow during the 1990s. If someone stole your purse, you should go to a mob, and he will decide. There is a police net, but it is useless. This man in Brooklyn has been living without documents for 20 years, and so has his wife, and a half of the neighborhood." "So they do not go anywhere, they do not study and do not get any benefits?" "In fact, it's much worse, but it doesn't matter. Most of Brooklyn lives like that. There is also Brighton, where most miserable emigrants in the world live - the most miserable ones that I have ever seen." "But still, how can he live so long without documents?" "He does, for twenty years. He lives like that working, paying pension contributions and will receive a pension in the future. I asked him: "How does it work to live without documents?" He told me that in America, one system does not catch another. He said that two weeks after the 9/11 attacks, one of the Arabs, who hijacked a plane, received a work permit. How perfect is that?" "Still, there should be situations, especially during 20 years, when a person needs a passport." "Yes, I told him that. He said: "I was once ran over by a motorcycle, I woke up in an emergency room, and I thought that they would deport me. I've been living for so many years illegally, so I should be deported. But they just deprived me of my driver's license, opened a criminal case, and the story ended fine for me."" "It just so happens that America is populated by such people who live there illegally?" "Yes, and this is the problem of that country. All people who came there, could not live in their home countries normally, their life was unbearable there, they could not settle down in the country where they were born. This is a form of concentrated human tragedy." "Many of those, whom I studied with, left to America. Many later returned, but they had lost time and effort ... Some stayed, but with their university education they work as sales assistants or something. Yet, nowadays, young people talk about emigration again, many dream to leave. Does it mean that they do not learn wisdom by the follies of others?" "You know, the process of departure is not so scary. There are statistics for European countries, where 50 percent say they would like to emigrate - and yes, they are young people. We have 20 percent of such people. Of course, you can not love your country, if you have not seen it. Our country is huge, and the people, who have not been anywhere other than Moscow and St. Petersburg, they do not understand where they live and how lucky they are. I was once flying to Magadan and I thought that there were mountains, rivers, forests, bears on the ground during the six-hour flight... And you go to that city somewhere far away, and you meet people there, who speak your language, you meet the same audience that you have in Moscow, when you have book presentations, you eat the same Olivier salad ... and you realize that this huge machine - it's all yours." Inna Novikova Pravda.Ru
to all :::::::: this article is almost from a different source. ~~~~~~~~ Obama's Laughter 10.12.2012 By Xavier Lerma The last nail on America's coffin has been hammered while Obama and his comrades smirk over its grave. Meanwhile the majority of Amerikans keep laughing as though they are intoxicated or drugged. All those comedy shows they watched patterned their brains to find a joke in everything. These perennial adolescents have nothing to fear. They will dance and sing with their proclaimed savior who may be punch drunk as journalist Steve Kroft asked in this video. They cannot see that hope and confidence in their master is unavailing. Did Obama reduce the debt by even one dollar? Russia's national debt is the lowest of all G20 countries. Did he go to Jerusalem to kneel and pray at the Holy Sepulcher as President Vladimir Putin did? Putin knelt and prayed at Christ's Holy Sepulcher 2012 Action speaks louder than words. As Senator, Obama did pray at the Western Wall but I guess Christ's resurrection site was not on his agenda. I have not seen him there recently have you? I guess too many vacations for Obama. Perhaps he humbly went there in secret and I overlooked it. Maybe he wears a crucifix just like Putin. Maybe he crosses himself like Putin but is too shy to do it in public. Maybe Obama built Christian buildings like our Russian President. Last June, Putin built a guesthouse for Christian pilgrims in Jordan. It is run by the Russian Orthodox Church near the site of Jesus Christ's baptism shown in this video. No, Obama would never do that because the atheistic Communists outlaw such things. Oh, I know the Communist reply, "Putin faked everything in Jerusalem and at the River Jordan. It's all show for the masses. Religion is opium of the people!" However, Communists do not know how to pray. God does not exist for them so their souls are empty. They are maniacally blind in the land of hope and change. The true American Christian is not fooled by false prophets and can easily recognize prayer in a man's face. Their spirituality gives them wings to reach God. They can see Putin is real and Obama is anti-Christian. Obama's health care plan caused the Catholic Bishops to sue Obama after he forced abortions down their throats. Obama's Arab Spring opened the door for Christian persecutions in the Middle East. Obama's media portrays Assad as a devil, yet Assad protected the Christians. At least one priest was martyred as shown in this video. Thank Obama for his freedom. The priest was murdered by the US backed rebels and many Christians have been killed or have fled their homes all because the Amerikan Nero wants it. I received an email to my question, "How long will America suffer and to what depths?" Jon Hutto from Texas, USA, wrote: "Until the depths reach every American and hope appears lost. Then as a people they will rise in a chorus filled with blood and anger. This will not happen until the generations that have known freedom are gone." Unlike those similar to Mr. Hutto, most people in the US have been conditioned into thinking a certain way. Always seeking pleasures and avoiding pain. Some ignoring their children and even some letting them die. They actually have commercials in Amerika about how not to forget their baby in the back seat. Some of these parents grew up in day care centers while their parents worked. These modern Amerikans were a product of the women's movement that spurned Motherhood. I would advise one to read, "Ungodly Rage" as one example of feminism. Feminism is an unholy, evil rage. The word "sacrifice" no longer meant the husband and wife stayed together for the children but that the parent has to sacrifice their money to get a baby sitter so the parent can go out for a good time. The sexual revolution multiplied abortions and single parents exponentially in the West. These children were left unloved, misguided and with the TV and video games as parents. Unable to choose the best public schools in Amerika, some parents were left with no choice except the choice of abortion. Perhaps home schooling is the best, but for the most part Amerika's children were lost in Communist controlled schools and cyber space. The winds of change blew them to a controlled environment that was barren as any desert resulting in misery or suicides. Laughter is the best medicine they say in the West. So they laugh with the party in the White House like Nero laughed when Rome burned in his persecution of the Christians. Last century in a gulag, a prisoner lamented the fact that few in the beginning were willing to fight off these insane men who caused so much turmoil in Russia. He wondered what his ancestors would say. How ashamed they would be of him and others who ignored the Russian Patriarch's request to defend the Church and country. He had time to think now. He remembered how he was taught about the tortures and sufferings of the first Christian martyrs. They gave witness to Christ and welcomed torture and death rather than to worship Roman Gods and succumb to tyranny. It was easier to laugh and go along with everyone else he remembered. There were others who went to prison but not him. This would never happen to him he thought. Now he suffers in the gulag as he looks to the horizon hearing the echoes of laughter with family and friends. Later, his letters were sent home to his Mother. She tried to visit him but was told of his death. During the "thaw" of the Soviet Union under Khrushchev she was given some money in compensation for her son's misfortune as another letter she received proclaimed his innocence. She threw the money in the air, screamed and wailed in the Soviet office. Everyone around her could feel her torment from the depths of her agonizing soul. Her cries resonated into the bones of each person and no one could comfort her but only share in her grief. No money could replace her son. She flung her arms wildly in the air from side to side releasing her pain that would never end. Trotsky, Lenin and the Bolshevik revolution that shook Russia and the world in late 1917 gave birth to the Communist system of government which was the ugly flower of Marxism. They also promised freedom and equality like Obama. In Soviet Russia only death and misery were the fruits of their tree for almost 75 years. A Russian Civil War (1917-1921) split Russia dividing it into the Reds, who supported Bolshevism and the Whites who hated it and the evil it is. Amerika is also divided. Death labor camps called Gulags were later created in Russia. Amerika has big brother watching and listening to their citizens who routinely go to work. While Amerika partied last New Year's eve, Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act allowing him to arrest anyone without a trial indefinitely. Will the Communists and their followers in Amerika ever stop laughing? One joke after another; watching one show after another as Rome burns; going to the next movie as they turn the other way giving Obama a free pass. They are living in the early 20th century. The epicureans of the West will die away in spiritual poverty but generations later their children will learn the truth about how America really began and their faith will grow. Christianity will grow back and renew itself like nature after a raging fire. One thing is for sure. It will not happen anytime soon. Today, half of Amerika laughs insanely while the other half laments over America. In the meantime, the evil that spread from Russia in 1917 to the West will be destroyed by Russia's renewed faith that will heal the world. That is the "Good News" in the world seen as bad news by Amerikans. Today, the Communists who control the West fear Russia as though doomsday was tomorrow. It's not a nuclear threat but rather a spiritual renewal that threatens them. Their media tries to scare Americans with ideas of Putin as the evil KGB out to destroy the world. They "reason" KGB is bad. Putin is KGB. Therefore, Putin is bad. Amerika hides Russia's Christianity because it's not America but their Communist world that is in danger of being destroyed. Russia's destiny is to defend and renew Christianity, which has been allowed to grow under Putin. Xavier Lerma Contact Xavier Lerma at xlermanov@swissmail.org ~~~~~~~~~~~ more in the following posting; vlad
Well, yeah. But he is also aware that Assad is responsible for even more of the above. In the middle east it is almost always a choice between the lesser of two evils.
to all ::::::::::: this article seems late, but the comments are still timely enuf. ~~~~~~~ In the aftermath of Bin Laden's assassination 26.11.2012 ----- By Kamal Wadhwa Shortly after Osama Bin Laden's assassination and burial at sea, the leader of Pakistan's main opposition party broke all parliamentary decorum to offer prayers for Osama Bin Laden's departed soul. Other opposition leaders too joined in this spontaneous show of respect for the fallen Al-Qaida supremo. Who was Osama Bin Laden and what were his credentials for meriting this great respect in death? Was he a cheap, though deadly, terrorist as the West (led by America) portrayed him? By all accounts, Bin Laden had masterminded the heinous attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York - attacks so cunning in their conception and so deadly in their consequences! It was not the horrific terror strike and the loss of hundreds of innocent American lives that sparked off such a resounding uproar in America and across the Atlantic, but that America had been struck so devastatingly on its own soil as never before in its history by an Arab bandit so insignificant in build and so enigmatically old in age as to defy conventional description! We know that Osama had lived in America, that he had a large fortune from his native Saudi Arabia and that he was a devout family man deeply taken up with Islam and its protection. That this frail man was charged with masterminding virtually all the terrorist activities in the rest of the world after the attacks on the World Trade Center merits serious study and investigation by scholars and journalists across the globe. Pakistan - a loyal American ally - had seemingly acted against its own national interest by conniving to shelter Osama in a military compound within its borders for years together and yet used its military forces on the Pak- Afghan border to bomb Al-Qaida insurgents upon American request. This is ironic. Pakistan is not a banana republic but it can crumble and collapse into becoming one if American military and economic aid is discontinued to that ill-starred country. Therefore, it is difficult and even appalling to believe that Pakistan had acted in bad faith and duplicity by giving refuge to Osama within its own territory in a secure haven in Abbotabad! This apparently perfidious act showed that Pakistan was no longer in a position to please Washington because of a growing fear of its own people amongst who Bin Laden had struck a sympathetic chord that could not be easily silenced! In effect, an angry America had touched the very pulse of the Pakistani Muslim electorate that believed Bin Laden to be a true Muslim who had acted in Islam's defense by waging the very terror attacks that had the United States frantically looking elsewhere in the Muslim world for suspects. Pakistan's show of respect for this fallen criminal and acceptance of his Islamic credentials underscores the desperation of the Muslim world in seeking a confrontation with America even when such a stance would destroy the last hopes of its becoming a strong, sovereign and independent entity able to deal with the West on an equal footing! Everywhere Pakistan and other Muslim nations are put on the back foot because they cannot rationally and logically explain why they supported a criminal network such as Al-Qaida so covertly and yet so wholeheartedly! Islam is again put on the defensive in its great cultural encounter with the West as renegade and raunchy cultural forms and practices invade the Muslim home via television and satellite and destroy the quite paradise and peace of mind of the believers. How to escape this assault on the senses is increasingly the primary and dominant question posed to Muslims of all faiths and persuasions as their children defect from their homes to find jobs and employment opportunities elsewhere. It is the bitter crust of poverty and economic dependency that compels Muslims to watch the execution of a Bhutto or a Saddam in the media without showing any palpable emotion. Washington's carrot and stick approach towards its Muslim friends has worked well in the past and is expected to do so in the future also as evidenced by Islamabad's quick and eager acceptance of the US$300 million package awarded to it for supporting American counter-terrorism operations carried out by the Pak military and other security agencies. Apart from Osama's appeal as a Muslim zealot and crusader, Muslim youth everywhere had taken pride in his mechanical ingenuity and mastery of Western technology. That terrible and fateful tragedy in New York was mounted by Arab Muslim youths who had learned all about airplanes, navigation and sophisticated instruments. Those two jets crashing into the twin towers of the World Trade Center were clear pointers to Muslim youth that they too could do something with technology at a time when most Muslim nations are struggling with screwdriver technology to build anything at all! The very great cowardice shown by the Arab leaders in failing to protect Iraq from American depredations has tilted the balance of moral authority onto the fundamentalist Muslim camp. In almost all Muslim countries, even those with a long tradition of secularism and tolerance, the mullahs and clerics are assuming political power solely on the basis of moral credentials. Even with outdated and obsolete beliefs and a lack of proper education, the clerics are active proponents of resurgent Islam among Muslim youth. America's relentless and ruthless destruction of Iraq in the two Gulf wars on various excuses such as containing that country's non-existent WMD capability was watched on television by millions of Muslims right from Birmingham to Brunei! So great was the sense of helplessness felt by Muslims, particularly when Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other Muslim countries, with some military capability, did not do anything to prevent Iraq's systematic bombardment and elimination as a viable political and economic entity for generations to come! Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died in the Gulf wars along with a million or so infants and fetuses that could not be given life-saving medicines because of American sanctions mounted against that country! Could the loss of hundreds of civilian lives in the New York carnage ever equal the loss of the millions of deaths in Iraq brought on by savage, relentless, day and night American bombing? Did America, or indeed the rest of the West, express any sense of wrongdoing or remorse at these great crimes committed against Muslim humanity? King Hussein, Mubarak and the Saudi monarchs who were America's staunch allies in the Middle East lost all respect and legitimacy in the eyes of the Muslim Ummah because they had acted against their co-religionists by remaining silent over America's systematic destruction of Iraq. That these leaders were more or less been booted out from power underscores the Muslim belief that protection of the national interest is no longer important when Islam and its adherents are threatened by temporal powers of such great moral corruption as America!! Only the mullahs and their youthful supporters (such as the Taliban in Afghanistan) have shown the will and the conviction to fight America and the West even at the cost of their own lives. Again and again, wherever Muslim terrorists have successfully struck targets entailing loss of innocent lives, they have sacrificed their own lives in the act. In effect, they have paid for their crimes. No accusing fingers ever could be pointed at them by any civil authority because they have acted from high motives and died as good Muslims! Osama's burial at sea was a shabby act and an ill-considered one, though one motivated by great shrewdness and political cunning. Had Osama's body been handed over to his own family and relatives for a proper Muslim burial, there was just that possibility that his prospective grave would have become a hallowed Muslim shrine that in time would attract millions of Muslims to pay homage to this great Muslim warrior and soldier who had saved Islam from dishonor and desecration. To conclude, Washington simply cannot and must not tempt or bludgeon the Muslim world with money or force in order to further its own national interest because it would run up against extraordinary difficulties that would consume enormous resources fighting the moral purpose and integrity of the seemingly irrational mullahs and their supporters for most of whom life has no purpose or meaning outside the boundaries set by Islam. Kamal Wadhwa KAMAL WADHWA is Honors graduate in General Studies in the Humanities from the University of Chicago. He can be reached at wadhwa.kamal@ymail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~ vlad
to all :::::::::: here is a very interesting article about the end of the cold war. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Russian diplomats to US Senators: 'Your efforts are pathetic' 07.12.2012 On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed the bill to abolish the Jackson-Vanik amendment. At the same time, senators voted for the so-called "Magnitsky Act". The Russian Foreign Ministry called the introduction of visa and financial sanctions a "performance in the theater of the absurd." The Jackson-Vanik amendment was adopted in 1974. It linked the trade relations between the Soviet Union and the United States with the USSR freedom of emigration. As an obvious anachronism, the amendment formally remained in effect, even though the American administration was extending the moratorium on its action since 1990. Actually, Washington was going to abolish the amendment for quite a while, at least, verbally. Russia's entry into the WTO has accelerated the process: the United States worried that the amendment could affect the American businessmen doing business in Russia. Although, it is very likely that both the White House and the Congress were not much concerned about the abolition of the Jackson-Vanik amendment. They were trying to find a replacement for it. They found it in the so-called "Magnitsky Act." The act was called so after lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Moscow prison in November 2009. The act, in particular, provides for sanctions against members of the Russian security forces and judges, who were allegedly involved in the death of Magnitsky. Noteworthy, there is no court decision regarding the guilt of those people (about 60 of them on the list). One of the provisions of the "Magnitsky Act" requires the U.S. President, not later than 120 days after the enactment of the law, shall send the list of people involved in the death of Sergei Magnitsky to appropriate congressional committees. The list should also include those responsible for extrajudicial killings, tortures and other serious violations of human rights, ITAR-TASS said. Moreover, the President is obliged to inform legislators about updates in the specified list. It is allowed to add the text of the bill with special secret appendixes. The document gives the U.S. President the right to classify the names of the individuals subject to sanctions for reasons of national security. Note that the "Magnitsky Act" was passed in accordance with the law on the normalization of trade relations with Russia, supplementing it. Ninety-two senators voted for it, four voted against it. The House of Representatives approved the law three weeks ago. Russian authorities have repeatedly warned Washington that the adoption of the "Magnitsky Act" may have a negative impact on bilateral relations and trigger measures in response. So far, however, it is impossible to say whether the case will be limited to a list of U.S. officials who would be banned from entering Russia. It is quite possible that Russia may prepare a surprise for Washington too. The Russian Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, has responded swiftly to the adoption of the bill by the Senate. Senators' decision was called a "performance in the theater of the absurd." "It appears they have forgotten in Washington what year it is now - maybe they think that it is the Cold War now. US senators can also be so carried away with self-PR that they ignore the obvious: every country can close entry into its territory to whom it sees fit - there are no special laws required for it," officials with the foreign ministry said. It is no less strange and wild for Moscow to hear "human rights claims from politicians of the state, which in the 21st century officially legalized torture and kidnapping of people around the world." "Tragically, Russian citizens also became victims of such lawless acts," Russian officials added. "It seems that the ridiculously biased approach in the U.S. Congress shows only the vindictive desire to get even for the principled and consistent line of Russia in world affairs in favor of strict adherence to international law, - Russian diplomats said. - It is necessary to remind the hyperactive opponents of the normal development of the US-Russian relations: their efforts look pathetic. Nevertheless, the Russian side will have to respond." Russia does not want to "give up the positive things in the bilateral relations that have been achieved during the last few years." "But one should realize that the law approved by the Senate will have a very negative impact on the prospects of bilateral cooperation. The responsibility for this rests with the U.S. entirely, of course," Russian diplomats said. Anton Kulikov Pravda.Ru ~~~~~~~~~~~ the cold war was over in about 1984 to 1989 ---- and now finally they have decided to do this. vlad
This site monitors US foreign policy - with excellent comment from an American observer who speaks fluent Arabic, Farsi and English with integrity. http://www.juancole.com/
Don't you think it is somewhat pathetic for a Muslim to cling to the intellectual skirt of a white American?
Years ago my liberal friends telling me that when Obama was elected, the whole world would love us again. They even made Obama look like a saint on Doctor Who! Ah, what an innocent time we used to live in back in the good ol' days.
The world's progressives support each other, irrespective of nation, sex, colour or skill on the oud. It's a human social thang. Fascists, you'll find, are persona non grata .
The present US foreign policy under Pres. Obama is worth praising only the USA stand against the Islamist, the ultra nationalist and the dictators from succeeding in pushing their foreign policies of oppression, suppression and enslavement of humanity. USA foreign policy is better than those of Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Taliban, Hamas, Hezbollah, Somalia, or those of the Arab League.
to albert di salvo and moon ::::::::::::::::::::: i am not certain what it is that you two are discussing or are you actualy fighting about that web site. ??? is it this ??? http://www.juancole.com/ here is something from that web site;;; ~~~~~~~~ Philosophy and Mission of Informed Comment Years ago I decided that I did not want to put Informed Comment behind a firewall and charge a subscription fee for it. That just isnt who I am. In my own view, 9/11 kicked off a long crisis between the United States and the Muslim world that I felt a duty to attempt to interpret and analyze for both publics, not just for well-heeled elites. This is a democratic blog, for the people and in dialogue with the people, for the common weal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i have brief read a few of the articles there and i feel that they are all very middle of the road and typical north american major media. vlad
to mr. wan ren ::::::::::::: whenever russian foreign policy starts to support those same terrorists who have killed civilians in moscow and chechinskaya; please do let us all know about it. but as it stands, russian 'overt' foreign policy, in regard to the international islamist terrorists, is the same as US 'overt' foreign policy. please do note that i have no way to prove that US 'covert' foreign policy supports the very same alqueda terrorists who attacked the US consulate at benghazi. that is an special USA problem; since the US bankers hired hitler to fight communism in europe and the CIA hired benladin to fight communism in asia; US foreign policy has had this same special problem. vlad
to all ::::::::: don't just look at this, read it closely. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Hillary Clinton's career ruined in Libya 26.12.2012 The committee investigating the death of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens in Libya revealed serious violations in the work of the U.S. State Department, which caused the death of the diplomat. Three officers have already been dismissed, as well as Undersecretary of State for Diplomatic Security. Rumor has it that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will resign in early 2013. The U.S. State Department may see a major reshuffle of personnel. Hillary Clinton's assistant has already lost his job. According to independent analysts, the reason for that is the report from the special commission, which investigates the murder of the American ambassador to Benghazi, as well as attacks against U.S. diplomats in Libya. The report said that there were serious shortcomings and even failures in the activities of the Department of State. The news of the death of the American ambassador Christopher Stevens and his three colleagues came as a shock to the world. The U.S. ambassador was killed on September 11th during the attack of Libyan rebels of the United States consulate office in Benghazi. The attack on the U.S. office was arranged by terrorist group "Brigade of the Followers of Sharia" and "February 17 Brigade." At first it was thought that the attack was provoked by controversial film "The Innocence of Muslims." The victim's diary found some time later. Stevens wrote in the diary that extremism in Libya was gaining momentum, and that it was not safe to stay in the country. In addition, he was worried about his own safety in Libya, thinking that Al Qaeda had already included him in its "hit list." As noted in the report of the special committee, shortly before the attack, Stevens and his colleagues asked to strengthen security at the American consulate. However, the State Department did not pay attention to the requests of the diplomats, which eventually resulted in their death. In addition, the experts noted, the death of American diplomats was caused by disunity and poor coordination of work inside the U.S. State Department. The commission's report states that it was local power structures that were responsible for the security of American consulate officials. Their skills have not been tested in practice. The diplomats' requests to increase the number of guards and strengthen security systems were simply ignored by the State Department, as there was no specific information about possible threats. The investigation revealed that many State Department employees treated their duties negligently. Following the report from the commission, three officers have been dismissed, several others have received reprimands. Some publications claim that the next one to leave the big picture will be Assistant Secretary for Security of Embassies, Charlene Lamb. Another candidacy is an employee of the Bureau for the Middle East. It also became known that Deputy Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Eric Boswell has been dismissed. Some of world's leading media companies confirm the rumors saying that Hillary Clinton might also leave her post. The U.S. Secretary of State has not attended the public hearings for health reasons. The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry, said that Ms. Clinton would be able to make a public appearance in January 2013. According to him, by that time, she will most likely leave the post of the Secretary of State. The top contender for the position is John Kerry himself. Many politicians are at a loss. If State Department officials were aware of the danger for the U.S. diplomats in Libya, what prevented them from taking action? Republican Senator Bob Crocker noted that U.S. officials could not but know how dangerous it was to stay in Libya during the period of massive unrest. The protection of consulate offices from attacks conducted by Libyan extremists was the number one task, which officials successfully failed. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Thomas Nides, stressed that the government must find those responsible and punish them to the fullest extent of the law. In an attempt to justify themselves, some State Department officials say that the United States has always relied on the host states in ensuring the security of their embassies and consulates. Almost all countries of the world adhere to this practice. However, Nides noted, when every new day brings a new threat now, the United States can no longer rely on other countries in such issues. The basic information on the activities of the commission, the circumstances of the ambassador's death remains secret. However, according to Thomas Nides, Hillary Clinton agreed with all conclusions that were made during the reading of the report. Reportedly, Hillary Clinton has already given her staff the task to eliminate the shortcomings. She stressed that it was especially important for the Safety Bureau and the Office for the Middle East. Hundreds of U.S. marines were hastily deployed in the countries with unstable political environment, where U.S. embassies are located to carry out the additional protection of embassies and consulates. The chairman of the commission to investigate the events in Benghazi, Thomas Pickering, said that State Department officials had received instructions before to strengthen security of U.S. embassies in troubled countries, although it led to nothing. Two warships of the United States have recently arrived to the shores of Libya. Pentagon officials say that the ships have no specific mission, although some experts believe that the move is connected with the death of the American ambassador. Either way, it is clear that the U.S. State Department experiences a serious crisis, although there are no positive predictions being made. Some believe that a new person on Mrs. Clinton's position will change the situation for the better. Sergei Vasilenkov Pravda.Ru ~~~~~~~~~~~ i would say that it was clearly the foreign policy of the USA to pay alqueda (and others) as mercenaries and send them into lybia to fight the loyalists of ghaddafi. vlad
to all ::::::::::: here are a few more comments from other chat lines;; ~~~ Nguyễn Hà Nguyên Vũ · Top Commenter · Polytechnic University, Ho Chi Minh City Hillary Clinton at least has sunk deeply in PTSD mind by her husband that too hard for her to overcome with time-fly. She has expressed her diplomat of her truely angry & furious attitudes & voices that in turn she has drawn true face of bad US regime's. She is a bad one for US regime in diplomatic affairs nowadays when US regime is weakest ever in most aspects. Susan Rice is sort of Hillary Clinton. The failure of US regime on the deaths of US ambassador in Libya in 2012 Sep.11th comes from the aggression, illegal intervention hostilities of US regime into foreign territories & states; the failure of US oversea intelligence is another cause. After the collapse of twin tower in 2001, US regime blamed having reports advanced but put in "trash"; now, "after thought" they blamed having reports of Christopher Steven of his being in danger and also it was trashed. Passing the puck is the way the US system is. Since 2012 Sep.11 there have been 4 retaliations against US regime abroad that brought very damages to US. How it sounds "go around, come around" doesn't it? Reply · Like· Thursday at 6:27pm ~~~~~~~~ Candace Clemens · President and Founder at Walnut28 communications Strongly recommend watching two movies: "Rules of Engagement" and "Hotel Rwanda." Right now, we're stuck wondering how much to get involved in Syria. Seems like it's a lose/lose situation for the U.S. when it comes to the Arab Spring countries. IMHO, we should pull our ambassadors out of all Arab Spring countries. And, IMHO, Chuck Hagel is the best choice for Sec'y of Defense. He opposed the invasion of Iraq. As soon as brutal bad-guy, Suni leader Sadam Hussein was "taken out", the road was paved for Shiite Iran to take control of the Middle East. http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_22262107/thomas-l-friedman-give-chuck-hagel-chance Reply · Like· December 26 at 3:08pm ~~~~~~~~~~~ Ultimo Patriarch · Top Commenter · Patriarch at The New Church of the Great Old Ones You just have to love rabid republicans, the ever-ready bunnies of pig headed ignorance. Hope you enjoyed your loss in the elections and you have 4 more years of Obama before the next President who probably will be Hillary. hahah Reply · 1 · Like· December 26 at 10:33am ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ivan Ilic · Top Commenter · Union T.University N.J AL Qaeda is CIA-'Action Tim"So itis OPERATIONAL TIM! Looking for terrorist? Wer is Terrorist? Do you see? Reply · 1 · Like - Follow Post · December 14 at 12:34am ~~~~~~~~~~~~ more later; vlad
The good news is that most people outside the US don't really care about us one way or the other. Similarly, we don't care about them either. However, some would suggest that the more dominant we become, the more we're hated. In the end, trade is all that matters, and as long as the world depends on our consumption, they'll cry all the way to the bank.
It is this widespread lack of interest in foreign policy/international relations which makes me such an outcast. Not only is foreign policy/international relations my prime interest, but also my intended career path.
Well, honestly, considering how dumb the average person is, it's probably a good thing most don't take an interest in it. Even a lot of the people that do are idiots. Look at how more political participation has affected our system. Even when voter turnout goes up, a lot of it is engaged in a sheeplike manner. People don't really think their voting through -- they just buy into political commercials and rumors.
Most electors are of the low-information/false-information stock. A small portion of the United States electorate can be considered the political elite.
As long as the invaders that are being repulse are the Islamist, tyrants and other terrorist. The USA and allies are the only countries that dare to stand up to the Islamist, aid, protect and support the weak and the oppress especially women. regardless of religion the USA will intervene to protect and fight a just war just like they protected Bosnian Muslims from Christian Serbs.
More Americans are getting more involve in the political process because they are now more aware of the threat to their way of life.
