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War Clouds Darken: Russia Warns of US Strike on Iran
Ahmadinejad: 'Heartless capitalism is the root cause of war'
UPDATE: Robert Baer, the long-time senior CIA officer who spent 21 years working the Middle East, was on MSNBC's 'Hardball' this evening saying that he believes Israel is assassinating Iranian scientists in an attempt to provoke Iran to fight back and draw the US into a full-scale war.
The day after a young Iranian scientist was assassinated, US President Barack Obama and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone Thursday, January 12, 2012. The White House said Obama "reiterated his unshakable commitment to Israel’s security." (AFP/Menahem Kahana) Earlier today, Baer made the same case to the Guardian/UK:
Baer argues that the impact on the nuclear program itself is likely to be so minimal, it is unlikely to be the aim of the murder campaign.
"It's a provocation," he says. "My theory is that Israel couldn't get the White House to agree to bombing. It is not satisfied with sanctions, so the Israelis are trying to provoke the Iranians into launching a missile and starting a war."
* * *
UPDATE: The White House says President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked today amid tensions over the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran. Iranian authorities blame Israel for the attack on the scientist, who was killed by a bomb attached to his car. The U.S. has denied any role.
A White House statement on Thursday's phone call didn't say whether they discussed the scientist's death. It said Obama and Netanyahu "discussed recent Iran-related developments." Obama "reaffirmed his commitment to the goal of a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region" and "reiterated his unshakable commitment to Israel’s security."
* * *
Russia Warns of US Strike on Iran
Agence France-Presse reports:
Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev warned that military escalation is likely in Iran, with “real danger” of a US strike, in an interview published on Thursday.
He added that Syria, which has refused to break its ties with Tehran, could also be a target for Western intervention.
“There is a likelihood of military escalation of the conflict, and Israel is pushing the Americans towards it,” Mr Patrushev said in an interview published on the website of the daily Kommersant.
The USS Carl Vinson, a US nuclear powered aircraft carrier, is seen in Hong Kong waters in December, before heading to the Persian Gulf. (AFP/Aaron Tam) “There is a real danger of a US military strike on Iran,” the senior Russian security official said.
“At present, the US sees Iran as its main problem. They are trying to turn Tehran from an enemy into a supportive partner, and to achieve this, to change the current regime by whatever means,” he added.
“They use both economic embargo and massive help to the opposition forces.”
Mr Patrushev said that “for years we have been hearing that the Iranians are going to create an atomic bomb, (but) still nobody has proved the existence of a military component of Iran’s nuclear program.”
Iran said on Wednesday it had firm evidence that “foreign quarters” were behind the killing of four Iranian nuclear experts and demanded UN Security Council condemnation of the deaths.
Meanwhile, a second US aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, has arrived in the Gulf region, the Pentagon has said, calling the move "routine" and denying any link to mounting tensions with Iran.
Backed by a cruiser, destroyer and with almost 80 planes and helicopters on board, the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group "arrived in the US 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR)" on January 9," a Fifth Fleet statement said.
* * *
Assassination Blowback?
The Jerusalem Post reports:
Iran Warns of 'Cross-Border' Bombing Response
Iranian security official is quoted as saying those responsible for killing scientist "will never feel safe."
Iran's response to the assassination of a nuclear scientist in Iran Wednesday will be harsh and reach beyond borders, a website aligned with the regime in Tehran quoted a senior security source as saying Thursday.
Those who gave the order for the assassination, the source was quoted by "RajaNews" as saying, "will never feel safe," adding that Iran has a cross-border, cross-regional strategy for striking back. He said that the West and Israel were behind the attacks in Iran.
Agence France-Presse reports:
Furious Iran Wants Action over Scientist's Killing
The assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist sparked deep fury in Tehran on Thursday against prime suspect Israel and against the United States, which said it had nothing to do with the murder.
Some hardline newspapers even called for retaliatory action, with one, Keyhan, saying in an editorial that "assassinations of Israeli officials and military are achievable." [...]
The assassinated Iranian scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan posing next to his son.The latest attack dominated Iran's media on Thursday, with many outlets criticizing what they said was the silence of the West over the killings. More conservative titles urged tit-for-tat covert action against Israel.
"The only way to finish with the enemy's futile actions is retaliation for the assassination of Iran's scientist," said the newspaper Resalat.
"It is legal under international law to retaliate for the killing of the nuclear scientist," the daily Keyhan said. "The Islamic republic has gathered much experience in 32 years, thus assassinations of Israeli officials and military members are achievable."
* * *
Assassinations Won't Work
Debora MacKenzie writing in the New Scientist today:
Costs of Killing Iran's Nuclear Scientists
The Doomsday Clock – the famous gauge of the world's risk of nuclear annihilation, run by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) – moved a minute closer to midnight on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, another nuclear physicist was assassinated in Iran. Both events reveal a global nuclear situation that seems to be worsening fast.
On Wednesday morning a motorcycle rider stuck a magnetic bomb onto the car of Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan Behdast, a chemist at the Natanz uranium enrichment plant who was working on gas separation membranes. The scientist was killed by the blast.[...]
"Nuclear scientists are not terrorists," says Tobey in the BAS this week. Killing them at best delays bomb development, by removing key people and perhaps deterring young scientists from careers in nuclear science. But it will not stop bomb development.
These slim advantages are far outweighed, Tobey says, by the downsides: possible retaliation, reduced chances for diplomacy, tighter security around nuclear installations and a pretext for Iran to hamper IAEA monitoring.
Iran has already accused the IAEA of abetting the assassinations by publicizing confidential Iranian lists of key nuclear scientists and engineers.
The New York Times today quotes Gary Sick, a specialist on Iran at Columbia, who said he believed that the covert campaign, combined with sanctions, would not persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear work.
“It’s important to turn around and ask how the U.S. would feel if our revenue was being cut off, our scientists were being killed and we were under cyberattack,” Mr. Sick said. “Would we give in, or would we double down? I think we’d fight back, and Iran will, too.”
And John Hudson, writing for The Atlantic says:
The preponderance of evidence suggests Israel carried out the attack, with the possible assistance of the US. [...]
In an odd move, raising more questions than answers, Israel's chief military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai wrote on his Facebook page "Don’t know who settled the score with the Iranian scientist, but for sure I am not shedding a tear.” According to The Washington Post, the comment "sparked a debate on his page, with some readers saying he should be more discreet."
* * *
'Merely Targeted Killings' or Terrorism?
Glenn Greenwald writing today on Salon:
In the few venues which yesterday denounced as “Terrorism” the ongoing assassinations of Iranian scientists, there was intense backlash against the invocation of that term. Terrorism is the most meaningless — and thus most manipulated — term of propaganda; it’s always what They do and never what We do.That always happens whenever “Terrorism” is applied to acts likely undertaken by Israel, the U.S. or its allies — rather than its traditional use: violence by Muslims against the U.S. and its allies — because accusing Israel and/or the U.S. of Terrorism remains one of the greatest political taboos (even when the acts in question involve not only assassinations but also explosions which kill numerous victims whose identities could not have been known in advance). But the case of these scientist assassinations particularly highlights how meaningless and manipulated this term is.
The prime argument against calling these scientists killings “Terrorism” is that targeted killings — as opposed to indiscriminate ones — cannot qualify. After Andrew Sullivan wrote a post entitled “The Terrorism We Support” and rhetorically asked: “is not the group or nation responsible for the murder of civilians in another country terrorists?”, and then separately criticized the NYT for failing to describe these killings as Terrorism, numerous readers objected to the use of this term on the ground that a targeted killing cannot be Terrorism. Similarly, after I noted yesterday that Kevin Drum had denounced as “Terrorism” a right-wing blogger’s 2007 suggestion that Iran’s scientists be murdered and asked if he still applies that term to whoever is actually doing it now, he wrote a post (either coincidentally on his own or in response) strongly implying that this is Terrorism; thereafter, commenter after commenter at Mother Jones vehemently disagreed, on the same ground, with Drum’s suggestion that this is Terrorism (many agreed the term did apply). Meanwhile, Jason Pontin, the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Technology Review, actually claimed that my use of the term Terrorism to describe these scientist killings is “what turns sober, hardnosed people from the Left” (he’s apparently been elected the spokesman for “sober hardnosed people” turning away from the Left), and then proceeded to insist over and over that these are merely targeted killings, not Terrorism.
* * *
Iran Leader Rails Against 'Heartless' US Capitalism
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flashes peace sign while arriving in Managua January 10, 2012. Ahmadinejad was in Nicaragua on an official visit to attend Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega's swear-in ceremony for a second term as president. FoxNews Latino reports on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Cuba on Wednesday on the third leg of a four country Latin America tour.
At the university, the Iranian leader railed against the United States and its allies and said heartless capitalism is the root cause of war.
"Thankfully we are already witnessing that the capitalist system is in decay," Ahmadinejad said. "On various stages it has come to a dead end — politically, economically and culturally."
"You see that when it lacks logic, they turn to weapons to kill and destroy," he added.
143 Comments so far
Show AllDemand our govt stop subsidizing the Israeli warmongers. Sanction Israel for what they're doing to the Palestinians, not Iran, which has neither threatened nor done anything to harm us.
Obama's mentor Rahm Emmanuel made sure Obama was dialed in to the protect Israel drill no matter what Obama's base whom Rahm characterized as "f______ retards" opinion might be.
Rahm needs to be banned to some flea infested island on the equator. His arrogance is the markings of a short man with deep insecurity. This will catch up with him eventually.
I think he was placed there in the deal as the watch dog over Obama reporting to Aipac and Bibi and Hillary. Control mechanisms.
Our futures are in the hands of "Dr. Strangelove" --
An out of control MIC/National Security State --
Americans need to face the fact that capialism and MIC are suicidal.
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You took my comment. I'm sure these clowns feel important, always having 'talks'. I'm not sure how that is different from talking but I do believe they are going to continue with these threats and insults until somebody, somewhere, pushes the button; and I trust the USA least of all.
Oh Conscience !
Can't get much clearer than that - thanks. Although many Americans do kind of know what's going on, a frightening number still believe we're the good guys. Looks to me like we're really gonna have to sink even further down the moral ladder (pissing on the dead bodies of the enemy, stealing/wasting of taxpayer money, demanding $ refunds from Katrina survivors, comic/tragic Republican debates . . . just to name a few current examples) We're well on our way down the deep-shit hole with our justified world-wide Terrorism - all in the name of the red, white and blue. God bless.
conscience, to be more specific, Our futures are currently in the hands of a disguised corporate/financial/militarist (and media) Global 'Vichy Empire', which has fully 'captured' and now "Occupies" our former country by hiding behind the facade of the Empire's modernized TWO-Party 'Vichy' sham of faux-democratic and totally illegitimate government --- as surely as the Nazi Empire tried to hide behind its crude, first generation, and single-party 'Vichy' facade in France c. 1940-44.
But we can overcome this 'Vichy Empire' through non-violent means based on the Multitude of average, honest, middle/working-class Americans opening their minds to the truth of the Occupy Empire movement, and through the honest intellectual truth telling of many leading figures who are today turning away from a non-sustainable, deceitful, and corrupt 'Vichy Empire' model of distorted reality and turning toward, a sustainable model of democracy reigning in all sphere's of our lives; political, social, AND economic.
Best luck and love to the Occupy Empire educational movement.
Liberty, democracy, justice, and equality
Over
Violent/Vichy
Empire,
Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine
As I read this, I am listening to an NPR discussion concerning the "Heartbeat" bill, where once a heart beat is detectable, then a fetus cannot be aborted. As the US attacks country after country, killing thousands, no make that hundreds of thousands of humans with very detectable heartbeats, who are self aware, have loves, and fears, and hopes, but are of no concern to my fellow American "Christians", I cannot even begin to put into words the contempt I have for these hypocrites.
NC Tom:
I am a very senior citizen, and I can say that the only vicious people I have ever known were "Christians".
Many generals who move from the Pentagon via the "revolving door" into the boards of the "defense industry" loudly proclaim their Christianity. I am sick to death of Christianity, which seems to me to be a total perversion of what the good rabbi stood for. Nevertheless, it has such a hold on our society that even the most crooked of politicians are obliged to make some kind claim to "Christian faith".
I have met vicious people of many faiths and cultures. Perhaps you see so many vicious Christians because there are a lot of Christians here in the US. If you were in India you might find vicious hindus or vicious Moslems in Pakistan. Viciousness is not confined to Christians.
NC-Tom,
great comment. these fools need to be called out for their inconsistent moral beliefs. a friend of mine started a project during the build up to the iraq war 7 years ago called 'free to disagree'. the campaign, which purchased billboard space around our community, was designed to draw attention to the insanity of the impending war w/ iraq. one of the most popular billboards that sprouted up around olympia that year said, "war stops thousands of beating hearts". a message that goes straight to the heart of the matter - the inconsistent hypocritical position of so many fundamentalist christians who are fanatical about crushing abortion rights as they march toe to heal in sync to war.
...peace..
Back in 1965 there was a comedian named Tom Lehrer. His shtick was very satirical songs. The following is named "Send the marines" remember this is from 1965, not much has changed.
When someone makes a move of which we disapprove
who is it that always intervenes?
UN and OAS they have their place I guess
but when in doubt SEND THE MARINES!
for might makes right until they've seen the light
they've got to be protected, all their rights respected
'til someone we like can be elected
members of the corps all hate the thought of war
they'd rather kill them off by peaceful means
STOP CALLING IT AGGRESSION!
oh we hate that expression
we only want the world to know
that we support the status quo
they love us everywhere we go
so when in doubt SEND THE MARINES!
See what I mean not much has changed. Sad isn't it.
yes it's very sad, thank you for the reference - it is extremely prescient. if as a nation we would listen to our poets and musicians, instead of the corporate war mongers who dominate our society, the possibilities for humans to live dignified lives and experience happiness around are endless.
Tom Lehrer - Send the Marines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93n-EmGknEU
...peace...
The God of Abraham was/is a misogynistic, paranoid psychotic who apparently believes that it’s acceptable to have his favorite children kill his other children that aren’t as worthy. But apparently you have to believe in this guy to be considered ‘moral’. I tried to believe in Santa Claus instead, but there’s a rumor that he’s a capitalist.
I am a practicing Catholic and have to agree whole heartily with you.
If someone has to tell me they are a Christian it sends chills up my spine.
I am seriously thinking of leaving the Church.
The Catholic church sends chills down my spine, get out ASAP. You do not need an affiliation with this corrupt, immoral and sexist organization to "practice" being a good person. Just do it.
There always is the Anarchist Catholic Worker movement, the close the SOA movement, Pax Christi, Thomas Mertonites, etc.
The trouble is, Catholicism is similar to Judaism, it becomes part of a person's worldview and ethnic identy. I'm an athiest, but still consider myself "Catholic", just as zen-athiest Alan Ginsberg, and probable athiest/agnostics Abby Zimet or Rita (readytotransform) regard themselves as quite Jewish from their posts/articles here.
The heart of Catholicism to me is a sense of personal culpability in the injustices of a greater society and world, and only overt action, not covert faith, will morally redeem a person. This is in contrast to Protestants, and their "Jesus is my personal savior" nonsense. This is why Catholics tend to be second only to Jews in engagement in social justice. Perhaps Abby or Rita can explain why Jews dominate so many social justice movements - or at least used to.
I also was brought up Catholic and have been studying philosophy since I left. If you ever read Hans Kings "Short History of the Catholic Church" or any history that was real
you would drop it like a bad disease. Hans Kung is one of the great Catholic theologians that Ratzinger has gone after (todays pope) who also went after that great Jesuit Paleontologist Tiellard De Chardin and banned his books and forced him to move to the US where he was buried with 3 attending his funeral. It is all about control much like what we are facing here with our MIC, our politicians, Netanyahu, and the war mongers that float through our system untouched. Media control. PR Control. News Control and what we see on TV cooking shows and how to buy junk that contaminate the very fibre of our country. There is not a morning show to late night that doesn't have some big monster cooking up a storm and then we read about obesity in the US...really?? I wonder why.
The intellectual dissolution of the Jesuits was practically accomplished by the time Kung, one of the many dishonest people who want the prestige of the label without the obligations that go without, began spreading old falsehoods under new pretexts. Ratzinger was one of the young progressive theologians at the time of Vatican II who was appalled at the direction, and by the promiscuity and vileness of the personal lives that many of his cohorts were taking in the name of reform. As was the case with Rembert Weakland, the Church's reticence to air evils extends to her internal enemies. For many years, Catholics urged the Vatican to be rid of Weakland who was simply using the protection afforded by his office to maintain his promiscuous same sex relations, admitting only recently what many of the faithful knew before.
I hate the hypocrisy of Catho-Cons along the lines of Santorum, Scalia, Neuhaus, et al, but the anti-Catholicism of the left wing is simply sad. Kung is nothing more than a logorrheic liar whose hypocrisy, like that of Christopher Hitchens, grants him a wide audience and immunity from criticism.
It's millions Tom.
Really.
Millions.
"Winning Hearts and Minds Around the World!" U.S.A! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
Assassinating Muslim scientists, drone-bombing Muslim children, then pissing on the dead! It would seem that the American "Beacon of Freedom" has burned out and that we're now just another Evil Empire.
Perhaps massive economic collapse and a breakup of the Union is the only solution...
Stop parroting the scripts being fed by the international corporate elite. 'Americans' (or the 'US' or Israel) are not the culprit.
We are dealing with ancient programs for fomenting war and genocide to bolster and/or expand and consolidate elite rule. NEVER have the 'American people' had a say in events (or for that matter average Israelis or Iranians). What 'Americans' believe though is SCRIPTED by a controlled media and educational system... complete with false histories.
People who can't understand the structures and methodologies (many of both are clandestine) that continue to ensure elite global control end by wishing destruction of an entire people (in this case, even themselves, 'Americans').
This is idiotic. Don't think in terms of nationalities, even races. Think in terms of privilege. Who has it and how have they insured its continuation? Historical review is very helpful... go back a few hundred years.
The whole joke/deception called American democracy (why it was created and how it served the vested interests) needs to be better understood. I would say in terms of fooling the masses, even internationally... it truly has had no equal except possibly the Catholic Church.
Nice post. Thanks. We need to forget about national borders and look at who holds power and exercises the perogative to use it. Obama is only one player, not the conductor that leads the whole band. We need to link together the peoples from all countries to oppose the forces that try to manipulate our opinions. Your post recognizes this fact.
Warren Buffet succinctly articulated the world's #1 problem when he told the world that "my side is winning the class war", just as OWS did by establishing their 1% verses the 99% thesis.
drosera, "We need to link together the peoples from all countries". We already are! Around the world. Go to "interoccupy" or "occupy together". We are getting linked up everywhere. These elites are going to wish they left us in the public squares and encampments where they could keep an eye on us. Now they can't know who is doing what.....Well, except for all their illegal spying on us......I think you would be surprised at the way the movement is building. Just because you don't see encampments doesn't mean we have gone away or lost momentum.
Clarification:
The Conquistadors had the Catholic Church to help disguise their purposes.
The British Empire (and associated empires) has had the American Democracy to serve the same purpose.
I have been saying this for the past few years. Evangelism is the ruse of all ruses. It did take the form of missionaries who were the first strikers in the emperialist global enterprise. It is called 'democratization' in more recent years by the u.s. It means that 'we' will kill and occupy you for your own good! That last bit was invented by Constantine himself.
tellthetruth, you correctly say, "We are dealing with ancient programs for fomenting war and genocide to bolster and/or expand and consolidate elite rule."
And these ancient programs and structures are best described, UNDERSTOOD, and confronted by the name, EMPIRE.
The American people, and all world citizens, must and CAN understand 'empire' --- after all, its what the Multitude of average people throughout the world have been battling against for millennia, or since Christ confronted the Roman Empire.
The only problem today, in the post-nation-state 21st century, tellthetruth, is that this first truly global Empire has become very practiced, experienced, and guileful at disguising Empire behind the facade of democracy (as you rightly note).
However, there is still reason to be hopeful that the people, the Multitude, WILL parse this deceit of Empire and recognize that these propagandist "structures and methodologies" (as you say) are but the modern lies of Empire --- and that the people WILL expose, confront, and ultimately EXCISE the hidden cancerous tumor of this global 'Vichy Empire', which is the proximate lying, and underlying, cause of all the 'symptom problems' that we see, such as; imperial oil wars abroad, vast economic inequality at home (and abroad), domestic lying, spying and tyranny at home, environmental destruction throughout the world, racism, nationalism, fundamentalist religion everywhere, extremist economic ideology, etc. etc.
People everywhere can and will recognize Empire as the core cancer --- they just have to be educated to the deceits that Empire employs in its disguises. And that task of education about Empire's guileful lies is turning the corner with the intellectual honesty not only of long time truth tellers like; Chomsky, Wolin, Parenti, Korten, Stiglitz, Hardt and Negri, etc. etc. --- but now with leading figures whose previous work had been used by the Empire to disguise global Empire --- the premier intellectual of which is the former god-father of the neo-con movement, Francis Fukuyama, who now has turned to toward the light of truth about this disguised/Vichy Empire, and is reinforcing the people about "The Future of History" --- and that we have a future of history if we but take the reins from Empire.
There is indeed, "good news" about the future of history --- finally without EMPIRE.
Best luck and love to the Occupy Empire educational movement.
Liberty, (real) democracy, justice, and equality
Over
Violent/Vichy
Empire,
Alan
YES, the time is now! The greatest barrier to Worlds Peace is collapsing ;and all the kings horses and all the kings men cannot put the evil empire back together again !
Viva La Revolucion !
This is a grave moment in history. We seem to be standing on the precipice of WWIII, with all the ministers of state and propaganda chanting "jump, jump."
What CD is doing here, with this digest of late-breaking international news, is invaluable. Please keep it up.
The US murdered this young scientist, Dr. Roshan, even if Mossad paid the killer. By any measure of human decency, Iran holds the moral high ground in all the debates against the US. America became the Great Satan long ago and despises Iran for having called them out.
After the 2012 election, I think the US will attack Iran, no matter who wins. And we might lose really big time in a way that could make Iraq look like a major victory, because Iran will fight back with brains, not brawn, and will try to cripple our economy by shutting down the Straight of Hormuz and by lobbing short range missiles into the oil fields of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, etc.
A great Shia uprising could occur in Saudi Arabia and some gulf states, like Bahrain (with a majority Shia population but Sunni oppressive rule) and Saudi Arabia (with only about 15% Shia, but who make up the majority in the eastern oil province Hasa). Remember, the Shias in Bahrain know that the USA bought the weapons the Sunni soldiers from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia used against them for the last year. And the Sunni masses in a bunch of Arab countries have voiced their discontent in mass protests over the last year. They too know that their masters do the bidding of the USA.
China and Russia will do everything they can to stop the US from attacking Iran, but in they end if the US attacks they will acquiesce. They will try to dissuade Iran from retaliating, especially in the way I describe above, but I don't think they will succeed, because I think the proper play in a game theory sense is to attack the Paper Tiger. The US has immense power but a glaring weakness -- oil.
No one knows how much the US military spends on oil and gas for its vehicles, but estimates range from in the $20 millions to over $100 million. Even a short shut down of the oil supply would have disastrous consequences for the world economy, and the US would have to decide who gets the limited amount of oil available -- the citizens or the troops. Citizens haven't had to take such a stand before and I think their "heroes" might turn into their enemies pretty quick.
tomcarberry,
i agree w/ your analysis, except for this sentence.
"China and Russia will do everything they can to stop the US from attacking Iran, but in they end if the US attacks they will acquiesce."
i'm not so sure about this. russia is pissed about US plans to extend the missle shield into eastern europe (laying the ground work for an american first strike) and russia has stated that it wants to work collectively with the international community, when addressing international crises like the unfolding crises in iran. at some point the russians will recognize that their dealing w/ monsters (people w/out a conscience) and will respond accordingly. we're cornering them into a box (as we are the iranians) and eventually when cornered in a box most animals will strike back (as there is no place to run).
why do you think russia would back down or tolerate israeli/american military action against iran ?
concerning the US military's consumption of oil, i posted this excerpt earlier in the week on another thread - equally relevant here.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
http://www.dailyenergyreport.com/2011/01/how-much-energy-does-the-u-s-military-consume/
{The DoD accounts for less than 2 percent of the US energy consumption and more than 93 percent of the U.S. government energy consumption. Although this may seem small, the fact is that DoD is the largest single consumer of energy in the United States. Nigeria, with a population of more than 140 million, consumes as much energy as the U.S. military.
On average, mobility fuels (for aircraft, ships, vehicles and equipments) have accounted for three quarters of the DoD’s total energy use over the past two decades. Buildings and facilities have made up the rest.
The U.S. is the strongest military power in the world and just like any other military in the world, energy, in particular energy derived from oil, is at the heart of that power. Oil accounts for nearly 80 percent of total DoD energy consumption, followed by electricity (11 percent), natural gas and coal. DOD pays immense effort for reducing its dependency on conventional oil and seeks ways to use alternative and renewable energy sources. Despite all these efforts, less than 4 percent of the DoD’s energy consumption comes from renewable sources.
The above graph breaks down energy consumption by the U.S. Military in 2009 based on data from DoD FEMRFY2009.
The DoD uses 360,000 barrels of oil each day. This amount makes the DoD the single largest oil consumer in the world. There are only 35 countries in the world consuming more oil than DoD. The U.S. Air Force is the largest oil consumer within the DoD services.}
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Citizens haven't had to take such a stand before and I think their "heroes" might turn into their enemies pretty quick."
they certainly haven't been paying attention thus far.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
When War Games Go Live. Preparing to Attack Iran. "Simulating World War III"
by Michel Chossudovsky - Global Research, January 8, 2012
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28542
{Complacency of Western Public Opinion
The complacency of Western public opinion (including segments of the US anti-war movement) is disturbing.
No concern has been expressed at the political level as to the likely consequences of a US-NATO-Israel attack on Iran using US and/or Israeli nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state.
Moreover, public opinion is led to believe that the war will be limited to surgical strikes directed against Iran's nuclear facilities and that neither Russia nor China will intervene.
The war on Iran and the dangers of escalation are not considered "front page news." The mainstream media has excluded in-depth analysis and debate on the implications of these war plans.
The absence of public awareness, the complacency of the antiwar movement as well as the weakness of organized social movements indelibly contribute to the real possibility that this war could be carried out, leading to the unthinkable: a nuclear holocaust over a large part of the Middle East and Central Asia involving millions of civilian casualties.
It should be noted that a nuclear nightmare would occur even if nuclear weapons are not used.
The bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities using conventional weapons would contribute to unleashing a Chernobyl-Fukushima type disaster with extensive radioactive fallout.}
...peace...
"China and Russia will do everything they can to stop the US from attacking Iran, but in they end if the US attacks they will acquiesce."
i'm not so sure about this. russia is pissed about US plans to extend the missle shield into eastern europe (laying the ground work for an american first strike) and russia has stated that it wants to work collectively with the international community, when addressing international crises like the unfolding crises in iran. at some point the russians will recognize that their dealing w/ monsters (people w/out a conscience) and will respond accordingly. we're cornering them into a box (as we are the iranians) and eventually when cornered in a box most animals will strike back (as there is no place to run).
why do you think russia would back down or tolerate israeli/american military action against iran ? "
The Russians and Chinese have not shown that they will defend Iran militarily. They're wary of exercising a military option and potentially threatening a major showdown with the world's pre-eminent military power. I don't think the Russians and Chinese have recognized fully their newfound strength. Helping shore up Iranian defenses and providing military assistance to blunt the Americans and increase American casualties could show once and for all that there is an effective counter to American militarism and show that the world truly is multipolar again.
"why do you think russia would back down or tolerate israeli/american military action against iran ? "
Because:-
That is all they have done so far. With Libya, with Iraq, with Afghanistan.
They have not yet made a single noise that even hints that they will defend Iran.
All they would have to do is state that they will defend Iran. They are clearly not doing that. They, like the Chinese, will sit and watch as if helpless. And we, those not brainwashed by the TV about the pretext of the "threat" Iran poses, will helplessly watch.
P.S. To Ragavacharyar, Re: formatting and paragraphs:
In order to break paragraphs, you need to insert the following sequence between them:-
<br><br>
The above will be replaced by a blank line. Press preview to see your work, until you get it right.
Yeah, I know about the line breaks. Just forgot to do it in my last post.
Nobody replied yet. You can still do it.
"Because:-
That is all they have done so far. With Libya, with Iraq, with Afghanistan.
They have not yet made a single noise that even hints that they will defend Iran. "
Nothing lasts forever and the situation in Syria may be the turning point or may not.
I don't know about China but a stable Iran is to Russia's interest. It is probable that if ground forces are deployed in Iran, Russia will deploy their own forces to north of Iran in no time.
However, at this point an attack on Iran may only be aimed at destroying their infrastructure first without ground forces, followed by years of economic sanctions, similar to Iraq scenario. But my guess is that Iran will not be attacked before Syria and Hezbolah are neutralized.
But it's possible that the people who are engineering this situation do not know themselves what exactly will happen.
Good post Iowablackbird. Very true.
Somehow I would hope that if the public became aware there would be massive changes but I really don't think that the majority of people really care. Or they are so stressed on the wheel in the cage that they don't have time to care. There are those people that want to change things but they don't have the power of the media on their side. It is owned and controlled . Thank's to CD there is at least a dawn breaking on the horizon. It gives me good cheer as for I while I thought I was the only one that thought this way.
Yes, Russia and China would back down in a confrontation between Iran and the West.
Neither Russia nor China has any way to project power in Iran. They have no working carriers, no border with Iran where troops can pass. They have stopped delivery of modern weapons several years ago. If they were serious about helping Iran, they would be already.
As for US power, we have bases in Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait and all their air forces that would likely side with us. Each one of the gulf states has a larger and more advanced air force than Iran. On top of that there are now two US carrier groups in the gulf and a third on the way. (USS John C Stennis, USS Abraham Lincoln, and USS Carl Vinson) giving the US a numerical advantage of at least of 3:1 in aircraft alone without counting allies. If you count them, that ratio rises to somewhere around 6:1 not counting any qualitative edge which is also overwhelming.
Iran is out there all alone frankly, and if they do close the Straits, they are totally cut off from their own oil sales as they have no pipeline access (that wouldn't be instantly cut as they are geographically surrounded) and all the other neighbors do have pipelines to take the oil in case of a closure. In effect 100% of Iranian oil exports are dependent on an open Straits of Hormuz.
They won't start a war, they will simply threaten, they simply do not have the military power to withstand an assault of any duration. It is probably being done for internal consumption with their elections approaching. If the US and Israel struck, they would be advised not to respond, but to use that attack in the international community to gain support and even go to the ICJ. There is no possibility that there would be an invasion by the West so they would not face anything other than a bombing campaign.
FYI, Russia does border with Iran via Caspian Sea. They can also deploy troops to tiny Armenia without their objection, which borders Iran. There could be another war looming this year between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which could result in Russia deploying their troops to Armenia anyway, because Russia will never let Azerbaijan win this war as they didn't in the previous war in the 90's between these two Soviet era Republics.
As far as Iran being there all alone, you may be very well right, I don't know. I read that China will buy oil from Iran in 2012 and will pay them in Yuans. Also heard that South Korea, Japan and Turkey have asked US to be exempted from the sanctions. Yesterday, Geithner was in Japan asking them not to buy oil from Iran, and as a result Japan announced they will reduce their oil imports from Iran, but did not say they will stop.
The countries neighboring Iran (the ones that according to you have superior air force), don't want war. Turkey has already said that they won't allow their air space used for any attack on Iran.
To be honest, I don't even think US is too keen in a war just yet but is being pushed/rushed into it by Israel. I think US was in a much better position to attack Iran when Iraq war started but didn't.
In any case, I hope wars do not break out anywhere on Earth. Human race will be much better off without wars and has a better chance of survival.
Russia at this point, has still not developed the anti-missile missiles / air defence missile (S300) that it promised to Iran, that Iran PAID for. Russia ultimately cancelled the deal. Iran had to go through the backdoor to get its own anti-missile / air defence missiles, by developing its own, allegedly copied off S300 technology it might have gotten from China and Belarus.
Russia won't intervene militarily. In fact, chaos in the middle east might actually be in Russia's interest. If oil and gas production in the mid east goes down the toilet, the world will be more desperate to buy Russian oil and gas.
Why will Russia back down? Because there isn't all that much, or even anything, for Russia to gain.
If you think Russia will watch things from the sidelines you better check this out http://rt.com/politics/syria-iran-nato-rogozin-749/
Yes, Russia has a lot to gain from the chaos you mentioned by potentially selling more oil, but they have tons more to gain if Iran decides to sell its oil in ruples (or whatever their money is) instead of dollars.
israel has destroyed most of Iran's missiles with israel's sabotage of a number of Iran's munition depots. Amadinejad is of the 99%. Thanks again to John Shade for his detailed military reporting. His geopolitical analysis is speculation as are all such analysis. Russia might counter a zionist attack on Iran, China, I doubt. Kudos to CD for quoting Amadinejad. USA is a Fascist nation considering the lack of civil rights, hyper-nationalism, federal election contol media control and militarism. USA has always been a militaristic imperial empire, from it's genocidal onception.The USA military is greatly increasing its dependence on renewable energy. The USA and israel is at war with Iran,having violently attacked it many times.
I think another solution is that China, Russia, Iran, Latin America, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, all join forces to sanction and punish Israel and the U.S. for war crimes against humanity. Who else will stop this madness? U.S. citizens certainly won't.
if i believed in god i would pray for this everyday.
"What CD is doing here, with this digest of late-breaking international news, is invaluable. Please keep it up." (Aleph)
I sure hope you're right Aleph.
Can someone from CD enlighten me and all who post here? How about a graph over time of hits per day - something like that - maybe even broken down to display where the hits are from by country.?
On another thread I heard numbers between 100,000 and 200,000.?
It might really be valuable, and isn't it a commons right?, to know how many people are reading CD and from which countries, and how this has changed over say the last five years??
Manysummits
=======
Things are getting really ugly and we all may end up paying for the policies of the sociopaths whom we call our leaders.
The USA is rogue state number one.
The Germans had more accurate information from Goebbels regarding Poland, than we do about Iran and the movement of our own forces, from CNN et al.
9,000 U.S. troops, are being deployed permanently to Israel as we sit here, with the chief mission of targeting Iran and Syria with our best missile technology.
Mussolini's definition of Fascism as the merger of Corporations and State was Liberal, compared to this abject subjugation of Civilian Authority to Corporate Will. What offends ME the most is, that these Corporations are Mega-Transnationals, with no allegiance to the U.S. or her people. "Our interests," venal as they have historically been, bear no relationship to these treasonous machinations.
"The government doesn't control the media. Corporations control the government, and the media IS, the corporations." Noam Chomsky
Well there are about 1000 troops based in Israel, not 9000. The 9000 number is an exercise deployment, they are not going to stay there. Why would they? You state that they are targeting Iran and Syria with missiles? Why? We have our missiles sea launched or air launched, not ground launched. All we need in Israel is radar. What we do have on temporary deployment are Patriots (augmenting existing Israeli Patriots) that can intercept (mostly) incoming missiles FROM Syria or Iran.
Mussolini's definition of Fascism might have changed over the years, but he and the Fascists started from a split in the Italian Socialists, his side believing in socialism, but not the international proletarian movement which he replaced with a national proletarian movement. The defining feature of Fascism was not the marriage of corporations and the state any more than it was the marriage of the unions (syndicates) and the state. Rather, the central point of it was the creation of a nationalist super-identity with the state at the helm of society. Fascism is about the absolute centrality and leadership of the state, not the economic system it is based on. He famously said Fascists can be, "aristocrats or democrats, revolutionaries and reactionaries, proletarians and anti-proletarians, pacifists and anti-pacifists." What they could NOT be is separate from the state or working towards private leadership of society. In short, his world doesn't have a lot to do with the current corporate dominance.
political economy - inseparable .