Dictators and the cost of support from Imperialists

Ben Ali and Mubarak were willing allies of American foreign policy until their usefulness was retired by the popular unrest among people.

America stepped aside when the winds of change blew against the leaders, leaving them to the whims of their own people and their justice systems. If found guilty, 82-year-old Mubarak may face the death penalty, a possible outcome that is a reminder of Iraq and the execution of Saddam Hussein who was an ally, then enemy of America after he threatened to drop the U.S. dollar for the Euro as the currency of trade for Iraqi oil.

America's desertion of these autocratic rulers who she favored highlights a history of how imperialists have no loyalty on the world stage. In the high risk game of international politics and world affairs there is neither honor nor trust among the big global players like America, France, England and Germany when it comes to robbing the natural resources and wealth of smaller less powerful nations—and protecting their own interests.   Read more...

Why is US policy over North Africa and Middle East selective?

Earlier this month president Obama reiterated the role America will continue to play in North African political affairs. After decades of the US support for dictatorial regimes like those of Mubarak in Egypt and Bin Ali in Tunisia, President Obama made a strong point about promoting reform in the region.

As the NATO military action aimed at removing Gaddafi continue in Libya, this edition of Africa Today takes a closer look at the US policy in North Africa.

US selective policy over North Africa and Middle East-Africa Today-05-31-2011-(Part1)

Also watch:

• US selective policy over North Africa and Middle East Pt. 2

Muammar Gadhafi: Our First Real BLACK President

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan made it very clear to many of us who really didn't want to hear it: President Obama was selected before he was elected, and now it is clearer than ever who selected him and why. On June 15th the man of infinite patience and mercy went over to that warmongering world body of oil thieves and served an eviction notice. It was a tour de force of uncompromising clarity as The Minister—the voice of Allah in our midst—read the “final warning” to the 66-year-old body of terrorists known as the United Nations.  Read more...

What you don't know about Gaddafi

Also watch:

• Qaddafi in 1976 (BBC) 

   

A Memo For Zionists

Image via Wikipedia

First, for the record, no American president has done for Israel what President Obama has done. U.S. military aid to Israel will reach $30 billion between fiscal year 2009 and 2018, an annual average increase of 25 percent over previous levels. America, under the leadership of President Obama, has given Israel the most modern and up-to-date weapons, billions more in loans that are turned into grants, and over $3.09 billion a year in military expenditures a year. That does not include the cost of the transfer of technical knowledge to the Zionist state. It is estimated that the American taxpayer gives Israel an average of $7 million a day. (See The Final Call May 3, 2011 article titled The Unholy Alliance between The United States and Israel). In addition, with America's help, Israel has become a nuclear superpower.  Read more...

NATO dumping radiation on Libyan civilians

NATO launched nearly 3,200 attacks with depleted uranium bombs against civilians in Libya. This is the denunciation of the special envoy of Telesur, Rolando Segura. The total number of air strikes launched by the Atlantic Alliance against Libya is over 8,400 already. Almost 40% of these involved use of depleted uranium munitions, revealed the South American television journalist in his Twitter profile.  Read more...

CIA Building Secret Mideast Base to Launch Drone Attacks in Yemen

The CIA is building a secret air base in the Middle East to serve as a launching pad for armed drones to strike Yemen. Since December 2009, U.S. strikes in Yemen have been carried out by the U.S. military with intelligence support from the CIA. Now, the spy agency is preparing to carry out drone strikes itself alongside the military campaign. The Wall Street Journal reports the CIA, in coordination with Saudi Arabia, has been ramping up its intelligence gathering efforts in Yemen in recent months to support a sustained drone campaign. We speak with Gregory Johnsen, a former Fulbright Fellow in Yemen and now a graduate student in Near Eastern studies at Princeton University.  Read more...

US ruling elites silence the mainstream-media on the number of Libyan civilians reportedly being killed in NATO airstrikes

An increasing number of civilians are reportedly being killed in NATO airstrikes on Libyan cities.

Interview with Webster Griffin Tarpley, author and historian, Washington

Also read:

• NATO may have used uranium in Libya – ex-US congresswoman — RT

• Corporate Media’s Capital Crimes Against Libya – and Humanity

   

US shows it's hypocrisy with sponsored, NATO-led assault on Libya while supporting Human Rights violations in Bahrain & Israel

Iran stands as the biggest threat against "old world order" and the US imperialist domination of the Middle East and all its resources, says an analyst.

In an interview with Press TV, online columnist Allen Roland says the United States controls NATO and the United Nations, which have embarked on a joint campaign against the Islamic Republic.

He induces from the conflicts in Bahrain and Libya, and the West's dual approach to the crackdown of civilian revolutionaries in these two countries, that the US seeks to stave Iran's opposition to imperialist tendencies in the region.

'Iran threatens imperialist interests'

Also watch:

• Beware of US 'mission creep' in Libya

US imposes new sanctions on Iran for Human Right but continues to support repressive regime

The US has imposed new sanctions on Iranian officials over what it calls human rights issues related to the country's 2009 post-election events.

US imposes new sanctions on Iran

US backs Bahrain despite its Human Rights abuses

The US has once again backed the Bahraini regime -- despite international criticism over Manama's continuing human rights violations.

Also watch:

Saudi Arabia and Western Hypocrisy 9/11 and Who Rules Saudi Arabia Unemployment and Resistance in Saudi Arabia

Gold, Oil, Africa and Why the West Wants Gadhafi Dead

The war raging in Libya since February is getting progressively worse as NATO forces engage in regime change and worse, an objective to kill Muammar Gadhafi to eradicate his vision of a United Africa with a single currency backed by gold. Observers say implementing that vision would change the world power equation and threaten Western hegemony. In response, the United States and its NATO partners have determined "Gadhafi must go," and assumed the role of judge, jury and executioner. » FULL STORY

Also read:

• Ten reasons why the U.S. war in Libya is a CIA operation

Blacks and the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Over time, blacks have become more sympathetic to Palestinians, but they won't express their views loudly -- despite President Obama's plunge into the Middle East conflict.  Read more...

Also read:

The Black Civil Rights Movement And Zionism

The author explores Black America’s historical relationships with – and opposition to – Zionism, from W.E.B. DuBois to the demobilization of the Black Freedom Movement. “King’s April 4, 1968 assassination came at a crossroad in his relations with Washington and American Zionism. He was publicly pro-Israel but met with [Stokely] Carmichael against Johnson’s war and for King’s Poor Peoples Campaign.”  Read more...

Iran is Preparing the Way for the 12th Imam; Expecting Him Very Soon

From TCL: Looks like the Iranian government thinks the 12th imam is going to climb out of the well very soon.


H/T The Conservative Lady 

From TCL:

Go to A Time To Betray, where you can view the entire 28 minute video.  As reported at A Time To Betray:

Currently this movie is being distributed throughout the Basij and Revolutionary Guards’ bases. The producers are in the middle of translating it into Arabic with the purpose of mass distribution throughout the Middle East. Their intention is to incite further uprisings with the hopes of motivating Arabs to overthrow U.S. backed governments with the final goal of the annihilation of Israel and Allah’s governance of the world!

Middle East Uprisings 101

It is nothing short of remarkable to see the struggle for freedom sweeping across the Middle East, a region that, for quite some time, has been home to some of the most repressive regimes on the planet. We are witnessing incredible history unfolding before our very eyes on our television and computer screens, in our newspapers and magazines. Libyan rebels have captured the key strategic city of Ajdabiyah. More uprisings are planned for Syria. Protests are about to take place in Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan. It's all happening so fast, at such a dizzying pace. A new headline each day tells stories of demonstrations and violence. Crackdowns have become a regular occurrence. Meantime, a coalition of Western powers still strikes targets in Libya from the air. Where is it all going?

From the Right: From a realist perspective, Robert D. Kaplan offers an interesting analysis in the Wall Street Journal. Headlined "The Middle East crisis has just begun," the article is brooding analysis, a cautionary tale of seismic power shifts. You may not agree with everything Kaplan says, but his perspective is insightful. He is clearly worried about China's growing influence in the Middle East, which seems to increase each time the United States intervenes in the region. A highlight from Kaplan's piece:

In the background of the ongoing Middle Eastern drama looms the shadow of a rising China. China is not a "responsible stakeholder" in the international system, as we proclaim it should be; it is a free rider. We are at war in Afghanistan to make it a safe place for China to extract minerals and metals. We have liberated Iraq so that Chinese firms can extract its oil. Now we are at war with Libya, which further diverts us from concentrating on the western Pacific—the center of the world's economic and naval activity—which the Chinese military seeks eventually to dominate.

Every time we intervene somewhere, it quickens the pace at which China, whose leaders relish obscurity in international affairs, closes the gap with us. China will have economic and political problems of its own ahead, no doubt, and these will interrupt its rise. But China is spending much less to acquire an overseas maritime empire than we are spending, with all our interventions, merely to maintain ours.

From the Middle: From a slightly different P.O.V., Samia Nakhoul of Reuters offers a sweeping snapshot of events in the region in an analysis titled "Ground shifts as new Middle East order takes shape." This piece may be the best succinct overview of everything that has happened to date. Nakhoul tells us who the main players are, what they're struggling for, and reveals the common threads that tie all of these recent events together. Bottom line: It is a balanced assessment, with no axes to grind, and a very clear-eyed and lucid view of the region, grounded in a deep understanding of its politics, culture and history. Very well done.

From the Left: Gary Younge, a very eloquent and thoughtful British journalist who writes for The Guardian and lives in the United States, weighs in on the intervention in Libya in an outstanding column titled "The Innocence of the Liberal Hawk," which appears in the April 11 issue of The Nation magazine. As the headline indicates, Younge weighs in on the issue of folks on the liberal-left side of the spectrum who applaud this latest military intervention. The best thing about the column is that Younge sees the nuances and complexities very clearly in this issue. A highlight from the article:

This time around, however, there is no need for historical references, because the hypocrisy is playing out in real time. When protests started in Tunisia in January, the French foreign minister offered the Tunisian police training to “restore calm.” The day before Libya was attacked, dozens of protesters were shot dead in Yemen. Less than a week before, Saudi forces invaded Bahrain, where many protesters have been killed. These are American allies.

So while the West clearly has the power to intervene, given its history of colonialism and imperialism, it has no more credibility to do so on humanitarian grounds in this region than Iran would to bomb Bahrain in defense of the Shiites who are currently being killed there.

Falling.... Falling... Whose Next?

First Tunisia, then Egypt, which domino is next in line to fall? 

What's Next For Egypt?

The crowd in Cairo is jubilant!!  But, as much as they are wishing for democracy and freedom is this a be careful what you wish for moment?  The Egyptians have ousted Mubarak so what exactly lies in their future?  Does Egypt have the structure in place to be able to start a democracy?  Or is a Khumeini-like individual going to emerge to the forefront and misrepresent himself as being for the people like Khumeini did in Iran?   While I do see some signs of hope for the Egyptians' future I find it eerily similar due to the fact that this revolution and ousting of Mubarak the dictator happened on exactly the 32nd anniversary of the Shah falling in Iran.  Plus, we had a pro-Big Government president in 1979, named Jimmy Carter who royally screwed up our relations with the Middle East and now we have Obama who is an Ultra pro-Big Government president who is royally screwing up our Middle East relations again.  In addition, the way that both Carter interacted with the Middle East's leaders in the past and how Obama is interacting with Middle East leaders today, in screwing our allies while appeasing our enemies I wonder whose interests he's really looking out for?  It certainly doesn't look like Obama is looking out for America's best interests today.

I think that this is a momentous occasion which gives the people of Egypt the possibility of following the model of freedom and democracy, following in Iraq's footsteps.  As I was watching the news coverage of people shouting in the streets cheering in the streets shouting the word freedom in celebration of Mubarak having stepped down I saw in particular one person who said that he wanted democracy, that he wanted to follow the model of deomcracy in Iraq and I couldn't help but wonder whether Geroge W. Bush had a hand in today's events.  Without George Bush having the courage to stand up for freedom, not merely spouting words like other politicians,  would Iraq have become a beacon of democracy of freedom in the Middle East?  He was willing to walk the walk instead of just talking the talk and he toppled a ruthless dictator. Without Bush having initiated a democracy in Iraq would any of these uprisings in the Middle East and Africa have occurred?  Would they have had any hope to topple their leader who was oppressing them?  Hopefully, terrorist organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood and terrorist sympathizers won't take advantage of this chaotic situation and fill the vacuum.  Now the military holds the keys and the future of Egypt is in the palm of the military's hand.

I thought it would be a good idea to look up Egypt's background on history, government makeup, demographics, and resources so here is a brief summary from the CIA World Factbook:

Background:

The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty with the overthrow of the British-backed monarchy in 1952. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to meet the demands of Egypt's growing population through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure.

Natural Resources:

Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, zinc

Population:

80,471,869 (July 2010 est.) 

Religions: 

Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1%

Independence:

28 February 1922 (from UK protectorate status; the revolution that began 23 July 1952 led to a republic being declared on 18 June 1953 and all British troops withdrawn 18 June 1956); note - it was in ca. 3200 B.C. that the Two Lands of Upper (southern) and Lower (northern) Egypt were first united politically

Constitution:

11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980, 25 May 2005, and 26 March 2007

Legal system:

Based on Islamic and civil law (particularly Napoleonic codes); judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Executive branch:

Chief of state: President Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14 October 1981); Vice President Omar SOLIMAN (since 31 January 2011)  This has changed. 


Head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed SHAFIK (since 31 January 2011);Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein TANTAWI (since 1 February 2011) I believe he is the person in power now. 


Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - a new cabinet was sworn in on 31 January 2011

Elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (no term limits); note - a national referendum in May 2005 approved a constitutional amendment that changed the presidential election to a multicandidate popular vote; previously the president was nominated by the People's Assembly and the nomination was validated by a national, popular referendum; last referendum held on 26 September 1999; first election under terms of the constitutional amendment held on 7 September 2005 (next scheduled for 2011)
election results: Hosni MUBARAK reelected president; percent of vote - Hosni MUBARAK 88.6%, Ayman NOUR 7.6%, Noman GOMAA 2.9%

Legislative branch:

Bicameral system consists of the Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (Shura Council) that traditionally functions only in a consultative role (264 seats; 176 members elected by popular vote, 88 appointed by the president; members serve six-year terms; mid-term elections for half of the elected members) and the People's Assembly or Majlis al-Sha'b (518 seats; 508 members elected by popular vote, 64 seats reserved for women, 10 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)

elections: Advisory Council - last held in June 2007 (next to be held in 2013); People's Assembly - last held in November-December 2010 in one round of voting and one run-off election (next to be held in 2015)

election results: Advisory Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 80, Al-Geel 1, Nasserist 1, NWP 1, Tagammu 1, Tomorrow Party 1, independents 3; People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 419, NWP 6, Tagammu 5, Democratic Peace Party 1, Social Justice Party 1, Tomorrow Party 1, independents 71, seats undecided 4, seats appointed by president 10

Judicial branch:

Supreme Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders:

Al-Geel; Democratic Peace Party; Nasserist Party [Ahmed HASSAN]; National Democratic Party or NDP (governing party) [Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK]; National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu [Rifaat EL-SAID]; New Wafd Party or NWP [Sayed EL-BEDAWY]; Social Justice Party [Mohamed Abdel Al HASAN]; Tomorrow Party [Ayman NOURI]
note: formation of political parties must be approved by the government; only parties with representation in elected bodies are listed

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Muslim Brotherhood (technically illegal)
note: despite a constitutional ban against religious-based parties and political activity, the technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood constitutes Egypt's most potentially significant political opposition; President MUBARAK has alternated between tolerating limited political activity by the Brotherhood and blocking its influence (its members compete as independents in elections but do not currently hold any seats in the legislature); civic society groups are sanctioned, but constrained in practical terms; only trade unions and professional associations affiliated with the government are officially sanctioned; Internet social networking groups and bloggers.

In my next post on Egypt I will focus on why the Muslim Brotherhood must not be allowed to have a place in Egypt's government and expose just how dangerous the organization really is.


This is a tumultuous situation which calls for our thoughts and prayers.