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Libya: NATO Acquires Military Outpost In Third Continent
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Updates on Libyan war/Stop NATO news: August 31, 2011
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Voice of Russia
August 31, 2011
Libya: Another country for NATO to take root in
John Robles
Interview conducted on August 27 with Rick Rozoff, the manager of the Stop NATO website and mailing list and a contributing writer to Global Research.ca.
Can you shed a little light on the situation in Libya, in particular with NATO?
As you know, I’m in Chicago, not in Tripoli, so I’m observing events from afar. Yet there is an old Roman expression which says the game is best viewed by the spectator. So, what I have to say I think is trying to situate developments in Libya, whatever they are on the ground, within both a regional and an international context.
And, within that framework, we know that the African Union has refused recognition to the so-called Transitional National Council, consisting of what by all accounts is a fairly motley, heterogeneous grouping of anti-government forces in Libya, aided and abetted by major NATO powers like France, Britain, the U.S. and Italy and by Persian Gulf monarchies like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
So, the fact that the African continent, on which Libya is located, has collectively refused recognition to the new rebel regime is significant, as is the fact that the Russian Foreign Ministry has voiced its concerns and its opposition to any plans that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization may entertain for placing troops on the ground in Libya, ostensibly under the guise of a peacekeeping or stabilization force, but also more prominently voiced some concerns about the prospect of NATO military facilities being authorized by the forces opposed to Gaddafi.
Would you characterize everything that you have heard and seen as a true revolution of the people or is it some sort of a western-backed insurgency in your opinion?
The latter is acknowledged by universal accord, even by those celebrating the apparent overthrow of the government in Libya as a triumph of “people’s power” democracy or however they choose to phrase it. What is unquestionable is the fact that, whatever the nature of the rebel coalition is, it would never have succeeded in consolidating support outside of Libya, much less moving into the capital, if it had not been for over 21,000 NATO air missions since March 31 and almost 8,000 combat air sorties in the same period of time. Additionally, more and more information is emanating from sources in Europe, newspapers in Britain and elsewhere, that special operations troops, special forces, from several major NATO countries, including the CIA which is acting in the streets of Tripoli, are actively involved in combat operations on the ground.
Are they hunting Gaddafi or providing air support for the rebels?
There is no question about both. The intent of United Nations Resolution 1973 adopted in March to “use all means necessary to protect Libyan civilians” had been extended and in essence violated by France, Britain, Italy, the U.S., Canada and other major NATO nations to wage what can only be characterized as a war against the incumbent government in Libya, and this includes, according to NATO’s own statistics, over 21,000 air missions flown over Libya since March 31, of which almost 8,000 are combat sorties. And what is documented even in Western news sources, Western newspapers for example, is that as recently as today Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown has been attacked by NATO warplanes and earlier, a couple of days ago, the major governmental compound in Tripoli was attacked by as many as 64 missiles.
These attacks are coordinated with the military activities of rebel groupings, so that NATO basically bombs them into areas, including the capital and other cities in Libya. The coordination of NATO’s aerial bombing and naval blockade of Libya with rebel forces is unquestionably an act of participation on behalf of one of the belligerent forces against the other – the government of Libya. And in that sense it’s a perfect parallel to what happened in Yugoslavia in 1999, where NATO bombed the country mercilessly for 78 days in coordination and in conjunction with the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army.
You mentioned that some people from Global Research.ca are in Libya, in Tripoli, and they are trapped in a hotel there.
Actually, the international press corps is there. But there are particular concerns about Canadian-based journalist Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya of Global Research and French journalist Thierry Meyssan of the Voltaire Network, who have voiced concerns about their well-being. Their position is very well-known as not parroting the official line of the Western countries, and that information I’m sure has been passed on by establishment Western journalists within the hotel to rebel forces in Tripoli. And there is concern by the two journalists I’ve mentioned that their lives may be in danger.
What do you see as NATO’s role in Libya after Gaddafi is gone?
Time will tell. But assuming previous Yugoslav and Afghan precedents as a likely scenario, we have a lot to go on. We have the fact that the Turkish Foreign Minister announced yesterday that NATO’s role will continue in Libya after the installation of the rebel government, the so-called Transitional National Council.
And similar soundings have emanated from major figures and NATO countries that suggest, far from NATO’s role ending, it may in a certain sense just be beginning. And that parallels almost identically what happened in Yugoslavia in 1999 and what has happened in Afghanistan in the past decade, where NATO bombs itself into a country and sets up military bases and doesn’t leave. The U.S. still maintains Camp Bondsteel in the contested Serbian province of Kosovo, which is a large, expansive base, by some accounts the largest overseas military facility built by the US since the war in Vietnam. And it remains there over 12 years after the end of the 78-day bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.
Similarly, the U.S. has substantially upgraded air bases in Afghanistan, including those bordering Central Asian nations and close to the Iranian border, and there is no indication they are ever going to abandon them, as they are not going to abandon military bases in Iraq and other places. It’s a lot easier to bring NATO into one’s country or have it forced in than to get it out.
Updates on Libyan war/Stop NATO news: August 31, 2011
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France’s Military Reintegration Boosts NATO, Pentagon
Pentagon Sending Military Aid, Boats To Libya’s Neighbors
NATO’s Endless Air War In Libya: 20,980 Sorties, 7,886 Strike Missions
Canada Ready To Extend Libyan War Role To End Of Year, Beyond
Report: CIA Recruited 1,500 In Afghanistan To Fight In Libya
Former Nigerian President Condemns NATO’s Invasion Of Libya
Italian Oil Giant Signs Agreement With National Transitional Council
Pentagon Arms Azerbaijan, NATO Allies, North African Nations
Pakistan: NATO Blamed For Taliban Attack That Killed 37
“Hard Decade Of War” Obama Hails 5 Million “9/11 Generation” Troops
CSTO Troops Can Be Used To Thwart “Color” Coups: Belarus
Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
NATO Standards: Pentagon Holds Joint Military Drills In Bulgaria
Bulgarian NATO Experience Applied To Serbia
Bulgaria And Israel To Conduct Joint Military Exercises
Joschka Fischer: “Strong, United Europe” Must Ally With U.S. Against China
“Whites Unite”: Romanian President Calls For United States Of Europe
Ukraine: Polish, Ukrainian Troops Train For Global NATO Missions
Georgian, French Troops To Train Afghan Counterparts
AFRICOM: Security Threat To Namibia, African Continent
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France’s Military Reintegration Boosts NATO, Pentagon
Bloomberg News
August 30, 2011
French Embrace of NATO’s Power Is a Huge Step Forward for the World: View
-Acting through NATO gave France access to U.S. capabilities such as air-to-air refueling, intelligence collection and long-range drones that the French and other European allies lack. NATO’s partnerships in the Middle East made it easier for nations such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to join the anti-Qaddafi coalition.
The government of France has concluded that its national security can best be served through active leadership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. We agree.
With the U.S. displaying increasing ambivalence toward the alliance, the evolving French position couldn’t come at a better time. France had kept its distance from NATO since President Charles De Gaulle pulled out of the alliance’s unified military command in 1966. De Gaulle argued that NATO was dominated by the U.S. and the U.K., and that France needed an independent defense policy to maintain its status as a great power. Subsequent French presidents from both the Gaullist and Socialist parties sought to build a European Union defense capability as a competitor to NATO, free of U.S. influence.
President Nicolas Sarkozy’s decision in 2009 to rejoin NATO’s military structure was the first indication that policy was changing. It now appears that Sarkozy has concluded that NATO is central to the future of France and Europe.
Sarkozy, along with Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron [led] NATO’s successful support for the rebels who overthrew the regime of…Muammar Qaddafi. Acting through NATO gave France access to U.S. capabilities such as air-to-air refueling, intelligence collection and long-range drones that the French and other European allies lack. NATO’s partnerships in the Middle East made it easier for nations such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to join the anti-Qaddafi coalition.
Ironically, it was President Barack Obama’s decision to cede leadership of the Libya operation to the French and British that showed the government in Paris that it could use NATO to achieve its goals, much as the U.S. has done in the past.
The new French view of NATO could have enormous consequences for the West’s ability to act in concert…In an era of declining military budgets, Europe can no longer afford to waste money building an EU defense structure that duplicates NATO’s capabilities. Greater French involvement will have the added benefit of strengthening the trans-Atlantic partnership.
Libya demonstrated that the most important U.S. national security relationship is with Europe…From a U.S. perspective, the strengthening of Europe’s commitment to NATO is good news indeed.
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Pentagon Sending Military Aid, Boats To Libya’s Neighbors
Associated Press
August 30, 2011
Pentagon sending military aid, boats to countries neighboring Libya
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon is sending more than $25 million in military equipment, small boats and other support to Tunisia and Malta, two nations that flank Libya and are key allies in the tumultuous region.
The funding, detailed in documents obtained by The Associated Press, is part of a $44 million Pentagon aid package…
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NATO’s Endless Air War In Libya: 20,980 Sorties, 7,886 Strike Missions
http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_08/20110831_110831-oup-update.pdf
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
August 31, 2011
NATO and Libya
Allied Joint Force Command NAPLES, SHAPE, NATO HQ
Over the past 24 hours, NATO has conducted the following activities associated with Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR:
Air Operations
Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 06.00GMT) a total of 20,980 sorties, including 7,886 strike sorties, have been conducted.
Sorties conducted 30 AUGUST: 109
Strike sorties conducted 30 AUGUST: 38
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Canada Ready To Extend Libyan War Role To End Of Year, Beyond
http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2011/08/should-canada-extend-its-mission-in-libya.html
CBC News
August 31, 2011
Should Canada extend its mission in Libya?
Canada’s contribution to the NATO-led air mission in Libya is scheduled to end Sept. 27, although Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is keeping the option of extending Canada’s mission past that date.
“This is quickly coming to an end. It’s not over yet. Canada will obviously be there in theatre to support the Libyan people,” Baird told host Evan Solomon on CBC’s Power & Politics.
“Canadian Forces, as long as our NATO allies are on this UN-sanctioned mission, are there…,” he said.
Canada’s contribution to the mission was extended once before. In June, the House voted 294-1 to extend the mission, with Green Party Leader Elizabeth May being the lone member of Parliament to vote against.
At the time of the vote, then NDP Leader Jack Layton said his party would only support one extension to the mission.
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NATO continues to hit targets within Libya even after the deposition of Moammar Gadhafi. On Tuesday, NATO flew 38 strike sorties, hitting six tanks and more than a dozen armed vehicles, as well as radar installations and other facilities.
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Report: CIA Recruited 1,500 In Afghanistan To Fight In Libya
The Nation (Pakistan)
August 31, 2011
CIA recruits 1,500 from Mazar-e-Sharif to fight in Libya
By Azhar Masood
ISLAMABAD: The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States recruited over 1,500 men from Mazar-e-Sharif for fighting against the Qaddafi forces in Libya.
Sources told The Nation: “Most of the men have been recruited from Afghanistan. They are Uzbeks, Persians and Hazaras. According to the footage, these men attired in the Uzbek-style of shalwar and Hazara-Uzbek Kurta were found fighting in Libyan cities.”
When an Al-Jazeera reporter pointed it out he was disallowed by the ‘rebels’ to capture images.
Sources in Quetta said: “Some Uzbeks and Hazaras from Afghanistan were arrested in Balochistan for illegally traveling into Pakistan en route to Libya through Iran. Aljazeera’s report gave credence to this story. More than 60 Afghans, mainly children and teenagers, have been found dead after suffocating inside a shipping container in southwestern Pakistan in an apparent human smuggling attempt.
More than 100 illegal immigrants were discovered 20km from the border town of Quetta last week inside the container, which had been locked from the outside.
Aljazeera having a dubious record, gave a human touch to this story as most of the men who intruded inside Pakistan from Afghanistan were recruits for the Libyan rebels’ force.
The sources said: “The CIA funded Libyan rebels with cash and weapons.” In a report the New York Mayor’s TV Channel Bloomberg said, “Leaders of the Libyan rebels’ Transitional National Council flew to Istanbul seeking legitimacy and money. They will leave with the official recognition of the US and 31 other nations. As for the cash, they will have to wait.”
The decision to treat the council as the “legitimate governing authority” in Libya is a key step to freeing up some of the government’s frozen assets for rebels seeking the ouster of Muammar Qaddafi. Still, obstacles such as existing United Nations sanctions won’t disappear overnight.
“We still have to work through various legal issues, but we expect this recognition will allow the TNC to access various forms of funding,” said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
At stake are about $34 billion in frozen Libyan government assets that are held by the US institutions and as much as $130 billion more held around the world. Speaking via phone from Istanbul, Transitional National Council spokesman Mahmoud Shammam put the total in excess of $100 billion globally.
Qaddafi, in an audio message broadcast to supporters in the town of Zlitan, said the Libyan people “will never give up” in the fight to prevent him being ousted, the Associated Press reported. “The Libyan people will persevere,” he said.
In the coming weeks, US officials will consult with the TNC and international partners on the most effective and appropriate method of making additional significant financial assistance available, according to a Treasury official who was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.
Shammam said the TNC needs $3 billion to cover the budget for six months. The council is seeking loans secured by the Qaddafi regime’s assets abroad as a means of funding, he said.
Recognition may lawfully allow nations to buy state-owned oil from the TNC, which controls the oil-rich eastern part of the country. Italy’s Eni SpA and France’s Total SA are the top oil companies operating in Libya, a former Italian colony.
How much money the Benghazi-based government can get, and when, may be more tied to politics than the law.
“The legal issues are in the eye of the beholder,” said Gary Clyde Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. “If Obama and Clinton want to go slow in paying out the money, their lawyers can invent plenty of legal issues to justify the chosen pace.”
The US envisions a “short timeframe” for releasing some of the Libyan government assets frozen by the US, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
President Barack Obama signed an order on February 25 freezing any US assets of Muammar Qaddafi, his family and members of his regime in Libya. As a practical matter, most of the frozen $34 billion is tied up in complicated property interests, including ownership interests in non-publicly traded companies or real estate, according to the Treasury official.
The mechanics of how the US will unfreeze assets still has to be worked out. The United Nations sanctions against Libya remain in place, a hindrance to efforts to get money to the rebels.
The UK and France, which led the campaign to unseat Qaddafi, yesterday didn’t commit any financial contributions.
Recognition of the council “will allow some countries to unfreeze some money,” French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said. Libyan frozen assets in France total $250 million, he said.
Other nations have already found the means to act.
Italy will open a credit line to rebels using frozen assets as collateral, and will provide them with 100 million euros ($141 million), Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said yesterday. Another 300 million euros will be released in two weeks and in total, Italy will release 400 million euros, he said, describing the money as loans.
The council is expecting $100 million from Turkey within three days, Shammam said.
The main criterion for international law for the recognition of a rebel group as the government of a state is its effective control over the territory.
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The military campaign against Qaddafi will continue “indefinitely” until he steps down, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters yesterday in Istanbul.
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Former Nigerian President Condemns NATO’s Invasion Of Libya
http://allafrica.com/stories/201108301071.html
Concord Times (Sierra Leone)
August 29, 2011
Libya: Obasanjo Slams Nato Intervention in Libya
Mohamed Massaquoi
29 August 2011
Freetown: Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has strongly condemned the invasion of NATO forces in Libya, noting that the attack on “the brother, leader and former chairman of the African Union, Muammar Gaddafi” was wrong and uncalled for.
Mr. Olusegun Obasanjo was addressing newsmen at State House in Freetown last Friday during a snap visit to President Ernest Bai Koroma in acknowledgement of his Golden Jubilee Award presented to him during the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations on April 27, 2011…
Asked what he made of the current political predicament facing the people of Libya, Mr. Obasanjo said: “It is obligatory for leaders to respect their people and create an enabling atmosphere for good governance, but the NATO intervention in the conflict in Libya is wrong because it will take a long time to address the damages caused.”
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Italian Oil Giant Signs Agreement With National Transitional Council
http://www.ogj.com/articles/2011/08/eni-libyas-national-transitional-council-sign-agreement.html
Oil & Gas Journal
August 30, 2011
Eni, Libya’s National Transitional Council sign agreement
By Eric Watkins
Los Angeles:Italy’s Eni SPA said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) that aims at strengthening cooperation between them.
Under the terms of the agreement, Eni and NTC said they are committed to “creating the conditions for a rapid and complete recovery of Eni’s activities in Libya.”
The two sides also said they are committed to “doing all that is necessary to restart operations on the Greenstream pipeline, bringing gas from the Libyan coast to Italy.”
Eni and NTC, referring to the joint declaration signed on May 31 by the Italian government and NTC, said Eni has begun providing a first supply of refined petroleum products to NTC…
Eni also said it will also provide “technical assistance to assess the state of facilities and energy infrastructure in Libya and to define the type and extent of operations required to…restart activities.”
The agreement came as rebel-held Zawiya refinery near Tripoli, which has been shut down since the beginning of Libya’s rebellion in February, will soon resume operations…
“After tomorrow, it will be operational,” said Zawiya operations manager Mohammad Aziz, who added that the refinery will start processing stored crude first amid hopes of receiving new supplies from southern fields in two days.
Meanwhile, a tank at Waha Oil Co.’s Es-Sider oil terminal was reported to have been damaged during fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Libya’s embattled leader Moammar Gadhafi.
“One tank is on fire now, and we expect it will be damaged completely,” said an oil worker who added that no one was working in the terminal, which has a storage capacity of 6.3 million bbl of crude.
Waha Oil is owned by Libya’s National Oil Corp. in a joint venture of ConocoPhillips, Marathon, and Hess Corp. Waha Oil operates four main oil fields: Waha, Dahra, Samah, and Gialo.
The Es-Sider terminal stores oil produced from Sirte basin fields operated by Total SA and Eni.
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Pentagon Arms Azerbaijan, NATO Allies, North African Nations
http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/azerbaijan/1924738.html
Trend News Agency
August 31, 2011
Pentagon sending military aid to Azerbaijan
A $44 million Pentagon military aid package included nearly $10 million for Azerbaijan, The Associated Press reported with reference to documents obtained by the agency.
The aid aimed at improving the counterterrorism capabilities of the naval special forces includes small boats, engines, diving gear and training.
The Pentagon is sending more than $25 million in military equipment, small boats and other support to Tunisia and Malta.
Lithuania and Hungary were also included in the funding plan.
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The first package approved earlier this year was for about $43 million and was directed at NATO and other allies in the Afghanistan war. A second package for $145.4 million was directed largely at North African nations…
Initially, military leaders have planned to spend at least $150 million of the fund on aid to Yemen…
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Pakistan: NATO Blamed For Taliban Attack That Killed 37
http://www.dardistantimes.com/content/attack-chitral0-2scouts-backed-nato-local-residents23
Dardistan Times
August 30, 2011
‘Attack on Chitral Scouts backed by NATO’ local residents
Gul Hamad Farooqui
CHITRAL: The attack on the peaceful scenic Chitral valley of Pakistan, in which 37 people died, is now being hinted to be backed by NATO forces in Afghanistan. An eyewitness of the incident has revealed that the attack at Arandu on Saturday was monitored and supported by NATO and Afghan security forces. Sources told that gunship helicopters and jet fighters were seen around the area during the attack on Chitral Scouts. Some local residents claimed that they witnessed heavy shelling and bombardment. They claimed that helicopter gunships and jet planes were flying over the Pakistan side of the border and it was also revealed that the ammunition was dumped near the border by NATO forces.
“We have already informed the provincial and federal authorities that NATO fighter jets and helicopter gunships do tour our airspace over the border outposts.” A district official told this scribe in Chitral, on the condition of anonymity.
Local residents expressed their fear over the presence of NATO forces in the close proximity of the Arandu border.
Major Gen. Athar Abbas, the spokesperson of ISPR, while talking to a British media source, claimed that the TTP’s [Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan's] absconders from Sawat and Bajur have reorganized in the Kunar province of Afghanistan to hit back at the nearest Pakistani regions. He wondered why and who is putting them there. When asked why not a ‘hot pursuit’, he appeared to refrain, terming it ‘a delicate issue’. However, he clearly claimed that the insurgents in Kunar were getting support to carry out cross-border attacks.
It is pertinent to recall that Chitral is a very peaceful tourist region in Pakistan and bloodshed like that on Saturday has never been normal to the local residents.
Gul Hamad Farooqui has contributed to this story from Arandu, Chitral, Pakistan.
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“Hard Decade Of War” Obama Hails 5 Million “9/11 Generation” Troops
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-08/31/c_131085052.htm
Xinhua News Agency
August 31, 2011
Obama salutes “9/11 generation” of U.S. veterans to kick off 9/11 observance
WASHINGTON: U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday paid tribute to “9/11 generation” of veterans and service members, thousands of whom have died in the past decade of war…
“Today we pay humble tribute to the more than 6,200 Americans in uniform who have given their lives in this hard decade of war. We honor them all,” Obama said in a speech to the 93rd annual convention of the American Legion in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Most profoundly, we see the wages of war in those patriots who never came home. They gave their all, their last full measure of devotion, in Kandahar and the Korengal and Helmand, in the battles for Baghdad and Fallujah and Ramadi,” he said, referring to the wars the U.S. launched in Iraq and Afghanistan…
Obama said that the nation also salutes the 5 million American servicemen and servicewomen for giving what he called “the extraordinary decade of service” in the past 10 years.
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CSTO Troops Can Be Used To Thwart “Color” Coups: Belarus
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-08/30/c_131085032.htm
Xinhua News Agency
August 30, 2011
CSTO troops may be used to prevent coups: Lukashenko
MINSK: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Tuesday said that members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are weighing the possibility of using its troops to foil coups.
“What I mean is not only the use of the organization’s Collective Operative Reaction Force in the event of interference by states outside the CSTO, but also interference by other states within the CSTO,” he said at a meeting with CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha here.
“It will be important support for countries that are members of the CSTO because no one will unleash a war on us, but many people can’t wait to commit a constitutional coup,” Lukashenko said.
He stressed CSTO countries must protect integrity and independence of the CSTO member states.
The CSTO, founded in May 1992, is an intergovernmental military alliance, whose members include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
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http://news.belta.by/en/news/politics?id=653072
Belarusian Telegraph Agency
August 30, 2011
Astana summit adopts fundamental decisions on CSTO development
MINSK: The CSTO informal summit in Astana in August was a real breakthrough, CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha told media after his meeting with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on 30 August. Belarus is currently presiding over the CSTO.
Nikolai Bordyuzha praised the summit for adoption of important decisions on the future development of the organization.
In his words, the heads of state “agreed to use collective rapid response forces for the sake of protecting the constitutional order in a particular CSTO member state.”
The agreement to strengthen the collective rapid response forces both in quantity and quality is meant for the implementation of the collective rapid response forces armament program.
According to Nikolai Bordyuzha, the presidents agreed to enhance the level of joint cooperation against drug trafficking from Afghanistan.
The CSTO Secretary General also said that there are plans to set up a special coordination body “to analyze the situation with information security, information networks that were used for destabilization of the situation in
several CSTO member states.”
“We have discussed a lot of issues at today’s meeting. There have been certain instructions which are to be implemented by the time the next CSTO summit is held. In December the CSTO heads of state will consider draft
decisions on the positions outlined in Astana,” he added.
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Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
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NATO Standards: Pentagon Holds Joint Military Drills In Bulgaria
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=131625
Sofia News Agency
August 30, 2011
Ambassador, Defense Minister Watch US-Bulgaria Military Drills
-The Novo Selo Training Ground is one of the four Bulgarian military facilities used by the United States under an intergovernmental agreement, which also provides for the stationing of 2,500 US soldiers in Bulgaria, and up to 5,000 for up to a month during their rotation.
Bulgaria’s Defense Minister, Anyu Angelov, and the Defense Head, Gen. Simeon Simeonov, are watching Tuesday a stage of the Bulgaria-US military drills.
The Watchful Guard 2011 exercise is held between August 20th and September 2nd at the Novo Selo training ground. 104 servicemen from Military Police, instructors and military policemen from the Tennessee National Guard, and employees from the Special Police Forces Directorate at the Interior Ministry are taking part.
The joint drills of Bulgarian and American military police and special police forces will also be watched Tuesday by US Ambassador in Sofia, James Warlick, the Chief Secretary of the Interior, Kalin Geogriev, and the Land Forces Commander, General-Major, Stefan Vasilev.
The drills aim at better preparation and readiness of military police in carrying out standard operational procedures and compliance with NATO standards.
As part of the Bulgarian-US military cooperation and partnership, Bulgaria is paired with the state of Tennessee (which is similar to Bulgaria in size and population) under the State Partnership Program of the US Department of Defense.
The Novo Selo Training Ground is one of the four Bulgarian military facilities used by the United States under an intergovernmental agreement, which also provides for the stationing of 2,500 US soldiers in Bulgaria, and up to 5,000 for up to a month during their rotation.
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Bulgarian NATO Experience Applied To Serbia
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=131537
Sofia News Agency
August 26, 2011
Borisov, Tadic Cordially Excited by Bulgarian-Serbian Military Drills
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has promised to do all he could in order to get Serbia admitted to the EU after talks with Serbian President Boris Tadic during joint military drills.
The state leaders of Bulgaria and Serbia Borisov and Tadic attended together Friday the joint anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) drills of the Bulgarian and Serbian armed forces in Shabla (taking place August 24-26, 2011) together with Bulgarian Defense Minister Anyu Angelov and his Serbian counterpart Dragan Sutanovac.
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“These military drills are a sign of the close relations between the Serbian and the Bulgarian military. I want to congratulate Boyko Borisov on the results [Bulgaria] achieved as member of NATO and the EU,” Serbian President Tadic stated in Shabla, as quoted by BGNES.
“We would like to use Bulgaria’s experience about its NATO and EU achievements. I hope that with this military exercise we have contributed even more to the stability on the Balkans,” he added.
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The 2011 Bulgarian-Serbian anti-aircraft military training near Shabla is taking place for a second year in a row – after it first started in 2010.
The drills feature units from the Bulgarian Air Force, the Bulgarian Navy, the Bulgarian Army and the Bulgarian Border Police as well as an AAA brigade from the Serbian Air Force.
The weapons used and tested in the AAA drills included MiG-29 and Su-25 fighter jets and anti-aircraft surface-to-air missile complexes SA-2 Volhov, SA-3 Neva, SA-6 Kub, SA-8 Osa, SA-7 Strela 2M.
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Bulgaria And Israel To Conduct Joint Military Exercises
Sofia Echo
August 25, 2011
Bulgaria’s Cabinet approves Israel military co-operation agreement
The Cabinet in Sofia has approved a draft of an agreement between Bulgaria’s and Israel’s defence ministries on military co-operation in conducting joint military drills and training, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) said.
The agreement regulates the interaction between the two countries in the planning of the joint drills, the status of the armed forces on the territory of the host country…
It is expected that the conducting of joint military drills with Israel would improve the training of Bulgarian military units operating in multinational environments, BNR said.
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Joschka Fischer: “Strong, United Europe” Must Ally With U.S. Against China
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/30/the-world-needs-a-strong-united-europe/
CNN
Project Syndicate/Institute for Human Sciences
August 30, 2011
The world needs a strong, united Europe
By Joschka Fischer
Editor’s Note: Joschka Fischer, Germany’s foreign minister and vice-chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader in the German Green Party for almost 20 years.
BERLIN: Slowly, word is getting round – even in Germany – that the financial crisis could destroy the European unification project in its entirety, because it demonstrates, quite relentlessly, the weaknesses of the eurozone and its construction. Those weaknesses are less financial or economic than political.
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At the beginning of the crisis, in 2007-2008, the eurozone’s fundamental flaws could have been corrected had Germany been willing to support a joint European crisis response. But German officials preferred to maintain national primacy – and thus a confederational approach to Europe.
…
Across the Atlantic, America’s fiscal crisis and weak economic growth will force it to reduce its global military commitments. Moreover, the US will orient itself increasingly towards the Pacific rather than the Atlantic. For Europeans, with our turbulent eastern and southern neighborhoods, this presents an additional security challenge for which we are materially and intellectually unprepared. Even today, Europe’s military weakness is working to undermine the transatlantic relationship.
An additional threat to the transatlantic alliance arises from the emerging new world order. The coming years, indeed decades, will be characterized by an increasingly aggressive US-Chinese dualism as China becomes stronger and America’s weakness persists. While this rivalry will have a military component, as evidenced by China’s enormous military buildup, it will manifest itself primarily in terms of economic, political, and normative spheres of influence. East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific will play the central role here.
But China will try to draw Europe into this new global game. Indeed, it has already begun to do so. The recent visits by Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to Europe’s crisis countries, to which he offered generous loans and assistance, made this strikingly clear. And America’s weakness, the growing dependence of European (especially German) exports on the Chinese market, and the enticements of the Far East more generally, will nurture a new and promising Eurasian perspective as Transatlanticism declines.
European illusions about Asia will no longer be directed at Russia, which, apart from its natural resources, will simply have nothing to offer. No, this time, the temptation will spring from China, which well understands Europe’s significance in its emerging geopolitical contest with (and against) the US.
As with Germany vis-à-vis France, here, too, Europe must stand unwaveringly by its transatlantic partner to avoid putting itself in great jeopardy. The two foundations of Europe’s seven decades of peace are cracking. Repairing them requires nothing less than pressing ahead, at long last, toward a strong, united Europe.
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“Whites Unite”: Romanian President Calls For United States Of Europe
ACTmedia
Romanian News Agency
August 23, 2011
President Basescu on the United States of Europe: Crises call for bold measures
-’I am not sure that today’s politicians have the power to convince the people that setting up the United States of Europe will not affect their culture, traditions or the personality of each nation. I do not believe that the current generation of politicians could convince people. It sounds awful to say that the Value Added Tax will no longer be established by the national governments, but by some people in Brussels. It sounds extremely awful to any Romanian, and yet we will have to take this pill if we want Europe to be a viable construction against the globalisation process.’
-’Over the past ten years, the EU has been constantly losing competitiveness to China, the US and other big economic powers. When you have no economic power you cannot be a military power either. It would be useless to attack Libya because you will lose the war. Security is a fundamental thing but there is no providing security without money, which can only be generated by a highly performing economy.’
President Traian Basescu said on Monday evening that the idea of establishing the United States of Europe (USE) has already been discussed, pointing out that crises call for bold measures, and adding that he is not sure that today’s politicians can convince the people that a USE will not affect their culture or traditions.
‘The idea of the United States of Europe is no new solution. It has already been raised and discussed. Churchill is one of the last prominent politicians to suggest it, but even before him there were others. This is nothing original, nothing new under the sun. Yet, this is a time of economic crisis where there are risks of recession returning. I say risks because we have not reached that stage, but there are risks nonetheless, and I mean crises call for bold measures,’ Basescu told the TVR public television channel in an interview.
He added that a politician would be hard pressed saying how quick the United States of Europe could be established, but national governments have proved they can be ‘vanquished’ by markets, by the will of investors.
‘The global system will sweep away all that is lacking strength. The states now have to see how to put up with the negative effects of globalisation,’ Basescu added.
He pointed out in the same context that Romania does not give up on its objective to accede to the Eurozone in 2015.
‘We want to become a part of this European family, and the creation of a government of the Eurozone is something said differently than I said. It is clear that a government of the Eurozone will first of all take care of monetary policies, which will still be managed by the European Central Bank, and of the tax policies of each member state,’ Basescu explained.
…
‘I am not sure that today’s politicians have the power to convince the people that setting up the United States of Europe will not affect their culture, traditions or the personality of each nation. I do not believe that the current generation of politicians could convince people. It sounds awful to say that the Value Added Tax will no longer be established by the national governments, but by some people in Brussels. It sounds extremely awful to any Romanian, and yet we will have to take this pill if we want Europe to be a viable construction against the globalisation process,’ Basescu added.
Last week at Sulina, Basescu said that the European Union has been constantly losing competitiveness to China and the US and that a decision should be taken in the next two-three years whether or not the United States of Europe will be created.
‘Over the past ten years, the EU has been constantly losing competitiveness to China, the US and other big economic powers. When you have no economic power you cannot be a military power either. It would be useless to attack Libya because you will lose the war. Security is a fundamental thing but there is no providing security without money, which can only be generated by a highly performing economy. A fragmented economy with differing policies in 27 states does not make us economically competitive. As Europeans, we need economic performance and security, and these two fundamental things cannot be achieved otherwise than by fundamental political decisions. And I repeat the idea that we have to decide quickly, in the next two-three years, whether or not to create the United States of Europe,’ Basescu told a summer school camp of overseas Romanian students at the Danube Delta resort of Sulina.
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Ukraine: Polish, Ukrainian Troops Train For Global NATO Missions
http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/index.php?id=148&listid=151656
National Radio Company of Ukraine
August 30, 2011
Ukrainian-Polish exercises “Cossack Steppe – 2011″ start in Mykolaiv
Ukrainian-Polish exercises “Cossack Steppe – 2011″ start at a military training ground “Wide Field” in Mykolaiv. The aim of the exercises – organization of peacekeeping operations in the conditional conflict zone by joint Ukrainian-Polish units.
Training will continue to September 8, the press service of the Defense Ministry informs.
The idea of holding these exercises was initiated in 1996 during a meeting of Defence Ministers of Ukraine, Poland and the UK.
Since then exercises are alternately held in the territories of these countries.
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Georgian, French Troops To Train Afghan Counterparts
http://en.trend.az/news/politics/1924586.html
Trend News Agency
August 31, 2011
Georgian, French gunners to train Afghan counterparts
N. Kirtskhalia
Tbilisi: Eleven French gunners will leave for Afghanistan in a few weeks, where, together with Georgian militaries in the Georgian zone of responsibility, Afghan military will train to handle the 122 B30 guns.
Training will last for five months.
The French Embassy said this will be the second time that joint training of Afghan militaries will coincide with Georgian and French gunner training operations.
“This is an example of a successful cooperation between military departments of the two countries,” the Embassy said.
The Georgian soldiers’ company serves in Afghanistan in France’s zone of responsibility. Another battalion serves in the U.S. zone of responsibility.
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AFRICOM: Security Threat To Namibia, African Continent
http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=40385&title=Security%20threat%20called%20AFRICOM
New Era (Namibia)
August 31, 2011
Security threat called AFRICOM
by Kamati kaTate
You might not know or heard about AFRICOM. If you saw the name once, you might have dismissed it thinking AFRICOM is a new company to sell cement like Afrisam. Some might conclude that since it has a ‘com’ at the end, maybe it is something online.
These are wrong conclusions. At the end of this column, you will know what AFRICOM is, its activities and why it is a security threat.
AFRICOM, standing for Africa Command, was established by blood-covered former US President George W. Bush and his Secretary of Defence Robert Gates. You will notice that Robert Gates has continued with his duties under Obama who misled many of you except me. The idiots believed AFRICOM’s raison d’être is terrorism in Africa. I would not expect you to know AFRICOM’s mission statement since many of you don’t read.
Allow yourself an education as I make it known that the AFRICOM mission statement is “United States Africa Command, in concert with other U.S. government agencies and international partners, conducts sustained security engagements through military-to-military programs, military-sponsored activities, and other military operations as directed to promote a stable and secure African environment in support of U.S. foreign policy.” Meaning AFRICOM is a fundamental tool of US foreign policy.
We will return to it later. It’s ok that you didn’t know, even your leaders, many without education, didn’t know. AFRICOM is headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart in Germany and is led by General Carter Ham.
Why and how is AFRICOM a security threat to Africa? Firstly, its mission suggests so. In a 2009 journal article on Contemporary Security Policy, Laurie Nathan exposes four key fundamental principles as regards to AFRICOM. The author correctly argues that AFRICOM, in undermining state sovereignty, will “alter the regional balance of power, and be divisive and destabilizing…It would undermine the unity and collective decision-making.” AFRICOM was to be located in Africa, General Ham probably plans to locate it in countries such as Botswana and Namibia with pro-western leadership.
Locating AFRICOM in Africa is a military opportunity for America to overthrow African governments and to attack countries seen as anti-American. Since African and American interests never gel, it would mean that AFRICOM would pursue American interesta, on African soil, at the expense of African interests. Those with a sharp medulla oblongata know that AFRICOM is undermining the African Union (AU) and its Peace and Security Council which deals with peace and security on the continent. We might as well sell the AU to Americans.
I had mentioned American foreign policy. In this domain, Nathan (2009) sees American foreign policy in light of its “unsympathetic attitude to the liberation movements, its unwavering support for Israel despite the illegal occupation of Palestine, its exceptionalism in relation to the International Criminal Court, and its long history of unilateralism, aggression, and disdain for international law…pursues its own interests at the expense of others, and is willing to deploy force offensively to advance those interests.” So if AFRICOM is to achieve its mission statement we discussed earlier, Africa must support and embrace the above as discussed by Nathan.
As your teacher, I need to share recent information made available to us by Wikileaks.
A communication cable dated on Monday, 11 January 2010, at 17h30 UTC, indicates a meeting of AFRICOM Commander’s with French officials on Aqim and other African Security Threats. The meeting, held in Paris, was attended by President Sarkozy’s Diplomatic Advisor Jean-David Levitte, Sarkozy’s Military Advisor, Admiral Edouard Guillaud; they and others briefed then-U.S. AFRICOM Commander General William E. Ward. Wikileaks has also revealed to us how AFRICOM planned the assassination of legendary Robert Mugabe and the fall of his government through the so-called Operation Shumba. (Damn bastards, may God bless Zimbabwe.)
AFRICOM Commander General Ward visited Namibia in early 2010.
Reading his report was so disgusting in many ways. He referred to my country as “Southwest Africa.” Clearly Americans still use lenses of Cold War geopolitics.
General Ward met with Health Minister Dr. Kamwi, and they apparently discussed how AFRICOM “could help the Namibian military and U.S. country team efforts to assist in health related issues.” At a meeting with the Ministry of Safety and Security, they discussed supporting the then “upcoming Namibian police visit to Ramstein Air Base in Southwestern Germany.”
The American was dignified with a fifteen minute appearance on Good Morning Namibia, with Kazembire Zemburuka, in order to brainwash, hypnotize and shower us with American propaganda. General Ward met Education Minister Abraham Iyambo to discuss the school AFRICOM will build in northern Namibia. Lastly and shockingly, he met with the then-Defence Deputy Minister Lempy Lucas. He said “it was very gratifying to hear Ms. Lucas praise our bilateral relationship and her wish to see Africa Command play a greater role in military-to-military relations in the future.”(what?). A close friend said General Ward met significant others not mentioned.
These cosmetic initiatives are not genuine, the devil’s initiatives are never genuine. These are attempts to win the hearts and the minds of the Namibian people.
What is in it for them anyway? Also monitor and analyze the work of MCA very closely.
There is no good devil, the good devil is the dead one.
This is enough for today, add me on Facebook for a more robust engagement of these issues.
‘Shaamonathana omuti nomuti’ – We shall meet again
• Kamati kaTate is a Community Mobilizer whose area of interest is observing Politics as both an art of the possible and as a medium of distribution of resources as to who gets what, when, where and how. kamatikatate@gmail.com
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Updates on Libyan war/Stop NATO news: August 30, 2011
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NATO Coordinated, Commanded Assault On Libyan Capital: Russian Analysts
165 Days Of Bombing: 20,751 NATO Sorties, 7,848 Combat Flights
NATO Intensifies Bombardment Of Sirte
NATO To Continue Military Operations In Libya: Spokesperson
NATO Faces “Catastrophic Success” In Libya
NATO Libyan War Rhetoric “Beyond Most Cynical Propaganda”: Russian Envoy
Irene’s Devastation And NATO’s Bombs
NTC: NATO Ensured Victory, Must Stay In Libya
Obama Doctrine: U.S. Libyan War Tactics Model For Syria, Others
Under Fire From Atlanticist Forces, German Foreign Minister Endorses NATO Bombing
Report: Algeria Closes 1,000-Kilometer Stretch Of Border With Libya
European Union Imposes Oil Embargo On Syria
Iraq: NATO Trains Federal Police In Crowd And Riot Control, Oil Police
August Deadliest Month For U.S. In Ten-Year Afghan War
French, Lithuanian NATO Warplanes Collide During Training Exercise
Beginning Of New War: NATO Complicit In Attacks On Pakistani Posts
Thaci: New Deal With NATO “Biggest Success Since Independence”
Top NATO Military Commanders Inspect Kosovo Flashpoint
U.S. Establishes Squadron To Train Air Forces For African Conflicts
After Baltic States, Scotland: U.S. Warship Enters Arctic Circle
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NATO Coordinated, Commanded Assault On Libyan Capital: Russian Analysts
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/30/55396761.html
Voice of Russia
August 30, 2011
NATO help obvious in Tripoli assault
Konstantin Garibov
-[T]roops of the French Foreign Legion landed outside the Libyan capital 24 hours before the assault began. Those were professional mercenaries who survived Afghanistan and Iraq, with NATO commanders only needing Libyan rebels for a mob scene. The latter were instructed to fire in the air and gleefully wave flags of Gaddafi’s predecessor in front of Qatar TV cameras.
Advisers and military instructors from France, Great Britain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates started patronizing the Libyan opposition right after the coalition launched its campaign in that country. They trained up to 200 militants who helped task force soldiers occupy Tripoli. Now they are hunting for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, his family members and associates.
It took the coalition three months to prepare this campaign titled Operation Mermaid Dawn, according to Britain’s The Daily Telegraph. Writing that assault teams were trained in Benghazi by officers of the British MI6 Secret Intelligence Service, the newspaper confirmed the UK task force’s leading role in the Tripoli attack. British media also declassified the involvement of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in the operation. Dozens of bloggers, in their turn, said that troops of the French Foreign Legion landed outside the Libyan capital 24 hours before the assault began. Those were professional mercenaries who survived Afghanistan and Iraq, with NATO commanders only needing Libyan rebels for a mob scene. The latter were instructed to fire in the air and gleefully wave flags of Gaddafi’s predecessor in front of Qatar TV cameras.
Rebels would never have been able to seize Tripoli without the assistance of the NATO command, as well as European and Arab mercenaries, believes associate editor of the Independent Military Review Viktor Litovkin.
“The militarily inexperienced opposition force was poorly equipped, scattered and weakly governed. In other words, it appeared as a wild guerilla mass having no idea about tactics and strategy. Without NATO instructors in their ranks and the support of NATO aircraft and navy, the rebels would definitely have failed. So, we witnessed NATO member states engaged in military activities on one of the sides in the civil war,” Viktor Litovkin said.
Now it is known for certain that the hunt for Muammar Gaddafi is guided by servicemen of Great Britain’s 22nd Special Air Service regiment (22 SAS). Deputy Chairman of the military political analysts association Alexander Peredzhiyev does not rule out that the coalition resorted to every means available.
“A considerable role in the Tripoli occupation and the triumph of rebel forces was played by their negotiations with Gaddafi followers. I assume we are dealing with the corruption of top-ranking officials loyal to the Colonel. The lingering NATO operation in Libya prompted the need of taking specific measures. Therefore, I believe, Western instructors and advisers provided with much authority and financial assets decided to buy victory using the rebels’ hands,” emphasized Alexander Peredzhiyev.
This view of the Russian military expert confirms, in particular, confessions of an opposition member who said rebels were suddenly joined by a commander of troops defending Tripoli during the assault. Mohammed Eshkal, who has been harboring grievance against Gaddafi for some 20 years, is said to have come to terms with the National Transitional Council and yielded the city to the opposition.
The Western media also found information that Operation Mermaid Dawn was carried out not only in Tripoli but also in the Qatar-based special pavilions where the rebels’ triumphant entry into the capital city was shot, cut and edited. These videos were broadcast by Arab TV channels at a high price to veil the West’s direct involvement in the fall of Tripoli.
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165 Days Of Bombing: 20,751 NATO Sorties, 7,848 Combat Flights
http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_08/20110830_110830-oup-update.pdf
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
August 30, 2011
NATO and Libya
Allied Joint Force Command NAPLES, SHAPE, NATO HQ
Over the past 24 hours, NATO has conducted the following activities associated with Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR:
Air Operations
Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 06.00GMT) a total of 20,751 sorties, including 7,848 strike sorties, have been conducted.
Sorties conducted 29 AUGUST: 120
Strike sorties conducted 29 AUGUST: 42
…
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NATO Intensifies Bombardment Of Sirte
http://www.timeslive.co.za/africa/2011/08/30/nato-ups-strikes-on-sirte
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
August 30, 2011
Nato ups strikes on Sirte
Nato jetfighters have intensified strikes in Sirte, the hometown of the fugitive Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, says the alliance
In a daily briefing, Nato said its strikes targeted several military facilities in Sirte, as rebels are awaiting the result of negotiations to enter the city without fighting.
Nato said Tuesday it had carried out 120 sorties, including 42 strikes, over Sirte the previous day.
They targeted three command and control facilities, four radars, one surface-to-air missile system and 22 armoured vehicles.
…
Sirte is located on the Mediterranean coast between the capital Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi.
…
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NATO To Continue Military Operations In Libya: Spokesperson
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110830/166305234.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
August 30, 2011
NATO to continue Libya mission ‘to protect civilians’
Brussels: The NATO operation in Libya is still necessary and will continue as long as threats to civilians remain, NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu said on Tuesday.
“The NATO mission is important, it has been effective, and it’s still necessary…,” she said.
…
Once NATO’s job is done, it is for others to take over the lead in supporting Libya, she continued, adding that NATO expected the United Nations to take the leading role.
The NATO secretary general will travel to Paris on Thursday, September 1 to take part in a senior level meeting on Libya, Lungescu said…
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NATO Faces “Catastrophic Success” In Libya
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90780/7584150.html
Jiefang Daily
Translated by People’s Daily Online
August 30, 2011
NATO faces ‘catastrophic success’ in Libya
By An Huihou
-Going against the trend of the times, maintaining blind faith in the use of force, imposing the threat of force and even interfering militarily have not only become increasingly difficult but also do harm to others and themselves. As Western countries have repeatedly failed to take lessons from their blind moves, it is no wonder they has embarked on the path of decline.
The Libya war situation recently underwent dramatic changes. The French and British defense ministers stressed at the end of July that the Libyan opposition could not defeat the government forces or capture Tripoli, the capital of Libya, on its own. However, certain media outlets revealed in mid-August that the Libyan opposition was expected to capture the capital before the end of August, according to a NATO schedule.
As it turned out, the opposition forces entered Tripoli on Aug. 21. There are two main reasons for the sudden victory of the opposition forces. First, Western countries not only launched air strikes and provided a large amount of weapons to the opposition forces but also sent ground troops to Libya. According to recent media reports, France, the United Kingdom and Italy had dispatched special forces to Libya to help the opposition troops finally win the ground war. Second, Western countries reportedly bought out almost all senior officials of the Qaddafi regime. In brief, Western countries planned and directed the opposition forces’ capture of Tripoli.
However, the NATO’s victory in Libya is just a miserable victory. First, in order to reduce civilian casualties, the United Nations Security Council authorized NATO to establish a no-fly zone in Libya. However, the military operations of NATO have enlarged the civil war, led to tens of thousands of casualties of innocent civilians, made countless people homeless, and caused severe property damage and a huge humanitarian disaster.
NATO’s arming of the Libyan rebels and use of land forces in Libya both violated the Security Council’s resolution, which prohibited both actions. In order to overthrow the Qadafi administration, foster a pro-West government and further control Libya, western countries will use any methods. Fair or foul, they do not care. Therefore, they have already failed in morality and justice.
Second, several of the strongest Western countries joined forces, spent a lot of money and manpower, and bombed Libya for five months, but they ultimately still had to adopt illegal actions and command the Libyan rebels to take the capital. It could fully reflect the rudeness, brutality and selfishness of the Western countries. In addition, their actions not only failed to demonstrate their powerful strengths but also revealed their weakness, fragility and incapacity.
U.K.-based The Times reported that NATO is generally using the term “catastrophic success” to describe the opposition’s victory. The relationship among various factions of Libya’s opposition is indeed complicated. Although they have made collective actions to achieve the goal of overthrowing Qaddafi’s regime, it is very difficult for them to remain united in the post-Qaddafi era. Instead, they are very likely to divide and even cause new conflicts to arise. Furthermore, it is very difficult for Qaddafi’s tribes to accept the cruel facts, including the loss of their dominant position, authority and interests.
The international community is universally worried that Libya will likely become a second Iraq or Somalia, and some even forecasted that Libya would likely be divided into three parts. The war and the inevitable future chaos caused by war will make the Libyan people the biggest victim and affect regional and global peace and stability. The Western countries will unlikely obtain the rewards that they are coveting.
Western countries have launched the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq over the past decade and have participated in the Libyan war in 2011. Although they have all met the goals of regime change, have they really achieved victories? The Iraq war waged by the United States is not worth the costs and has become one of the major reasons behind the fall of the United States from its hegemonic position, which is already a consensus in the international community.
The Afghan war has lasted as long as 10 years, putting those who launched the war into a dilemma. The Libyan war is no exception and can never become a model for Western powers’ successful interference in the internal affairs of other countries. The “gunboat diplomacy” era has long passed, and resolving political differences through negotiations has become the trend of the times.
Going against the trend of the times, maintaining blind faith in the use of force, imposing the threat of force and even interfering militarily have not only become increasingly difficult but also do harm to others and themselves. As Western countries have repeatedly failed to take lessons from their blind moves, it is no wonder they has embarked on the path of decline.
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NATO Libyan War Rhetoric “Beyond Most Cynical Propaganda”: Russian Envoy
http://rt.com/politics/libya-cynical-propoganda-rogozin-425/
RT
August 30, 2011
NATO’s rhetoric on Libya ‘most cynical propaganda’ – Rogozin
The criticism of NATO voiced at an international conference in the Czech Republic is a sign of the growing discontent with the Alliance’s policy both in Europe and in the US, stated Russia’s NATO Ambassador Dmitry Rogozin.
“I think the ‘Prague wave’, which has reached us, I mean the wave of stinging commentaries regarding NATO, indicates that the Alliance is running a serious risk of undermining its unshakeable reputation as an honest broker in matters of war and peace,” Rogozin told Interfax on Tuesday.
His comments came at the end of a conference titled “Central Europe, EU and New Russia,” a forum organized by the independent Czech think-tank Fontes Rerom and the European movement, an international association aimed at promoting civil society. It was attended by representatives of ten European countries and the US. The Russian delegation was led by the lower house vice-chairman Aleksandr Babakov.
Rogozin said that during the conference many Europeans spoke of NATO as a “police” or even a “criminal” organization. The Russian politician noted that the current mood has been gaining ground since the start of the military operation in Libya.
“Western intellectuals are strongly disappointed with the Alliance’s actions in Libya, as well as the policies of some specific member states,” Rogozin stated, adding that the rhetoric of some NATO representatives concerning Libya is “absolutely outrageous, going beyond the most cynical propaganda.”
Their commentaries suggest that “dozens of thousands of bombs dropped on Libya hit the targets so accurately and gracefully that not a single hair stirred on the heads of ordinary Libyan citizens as the bombs flew over them,” Rogozin said.
The Russian ambassador to NATO believes that saying such things inevitably draws criticism in the West even from politicians who have been traditionally loyal to NATO.
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Irene’s Devastation And NATO’s Bombs
http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/Irene+devastation+NATO+bombs/5326725/story.html
Victoria Times Colonist
August 30, 2011
Letter:
Irene’s devastation, and NATO’s bombs
After watching Mother Nature’s wrath, in the form of hurricane Irene, wreak havoc on U.S. cities, I switched news channels to watch how NATO’s wrath, in the form of fighter jets, had wreaked havoc on ancient cites like Tripoli and Sirte in Libya.
Despite so many NATO member countries being in a steep economic decline, they are always financially willing and able to wage war and cause destruction in foreign lands – even while their own infrastructures crumble into neglectful disrepair due to lack of funds.
Parts of Tripoli, founded by Phoenicians in the seventh century BC, lie in ruins as the world’s press cameramen lead us through the rubble, with little said about NATO’s changing role. It had quietly and quickly morphed from implementing a United Nations and Arab League-sanctioned no-fly zone to protect anti-government rebels into a bombing onslaught to decimate all sites Moammar Gadhafi controlled. Tripoli and other cities weren’t devastated by the small machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades launched from the rebels’ pickup trucks; the depredation came from the military might of NATO.
Have things really changed that much since Phoenician times?
Bernie Smith
Parksville
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NTC: NATO Ensured Victory, Must Stay In Libya
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/163189-nato-must-extend-stay-ntc.html
Peninsula (Qatar)
August 30, 2011
Nato must extend stay: NTC
-“We effectively conducted 23,000 flights and destroyed 5,000 military targets in Libya. Nato forces participated in field operations which were accurately led round the clock and the week.”
DOHA: Libya’s National Transitional Council has urged Nato to continue with its presence in the country saying that it fears that a defiant Colonel Muammar Ghadafi might do something unexpected.
Nato is mandated by the UN Security Council to stay in Libya until September 27.
Addressing a meeting of chiefs of staff of the armed forces of the countries that participated in anti-Gaddafi military operations in Libya, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, NTC Chairman, said yesterday that…“Libyan rebels couldn’t have achieved victory without the support of Nato and international alliance forces,” Jalil said.
The rebels were no match for Ghadafi’s forces since he had massive wealth and military might, he added.
…
The meeting was held to discuss the current situation in Libya after the end of Gaddafi’s rule. Nato was represented at the meet.
Major general Hamad bin Ali al Attiya, chief of staff of the Qatari armed forces, the Libyan Minister of Defense Jalal al Digheily and the representative of Libyan rebels, Abdul Hakim Belhaj, were in attendance.
The meeting discussed Nato’s views and position on the ongoing events in Libya and the general military situation in the country.
Major-General Hamad bin Ali al Attiyah, also said that Nato’s stay in Libya was needed.
“The ongoing developments and field indicators in Libya require Nato to provide military and security support…,” he added.
The speech of Jalal al Digheily, the Libyan Minister of Defense, thanked Qatar, the Emirates, Jordan and Sudan for providing support to the rebels.
“War is still going on to defeat Gaddafi, his sons and aides and the sleeper cells, the so called “revolutionary committees”…,” he said.
“We are still in need of the Nato’s logistic and military support to achieve our goals,” he said.
Admiral Samuel Le Claire, commander of the Nato military operations in Libya, congratulated the NTC.
“We effectively conducted 23,000 flights and destroyed 5,000 military targets in Libya. Nato forces participated in field operations which were accurately led round the clock and the week,” he said.
“We are committed and authorized to continue the military operation till September 27, 2011. We hope the vision will be obvious during the upcoming weeks and we will discuss the suitable ways to support Libya after the end of military operation,” he said.
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Obama Doctrine: U.S. Libyan War Tactics Model For Syria, Others
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/world/africa/29diplo.html
New York Times
August 29, 2011
U.S. Tactics in Libya May Be a Model for Other Efforts
By Helene Cooper and Steven Lee Myers
-[T]he very fact that the administration has joined with the same allies that it banded with on Libya to call for Mr. Assad to go and to impose penalties on his regime could take the United States one step closer to applying the Libya model toward Syria…[A]dministration officials say that the coordinated approach to calling for Mr. Assad’s ouster and imposing financial penalties on the Syrian government show that they are already applying the Obama doctrine there.
WASHINGTON: It would be premature to call the war in Libya a complete success for United States interests. But the arrival of victorious rebels on the ***shores of Tripoli*** last week gave President Obama’s senior advisers a chance to claim a key victory for an Obama doctrine for the Middle East that had been roundly criticized in recent months as leading from behind.
Administration officials say that even though the NATO intervention in Libya, emphasizing airstrikes.., cannot be applied uniformly in other hotspots like Syria, the conflict may, in some important ways, become a model for how the United States wields force ***in other countries where its interests are threatened***.
“We’ve resisted the notion of a doctrine, because we don’t think you can impose one model on very different countries; that gets you into trouble and can lead you to intervene in places that you shouldn’t,” said Ben Rhodes, the director for strategic communications at the National Security Council.
Even so, he said, the Libya action helped to establish two principles for when the United States could apply military force to advance its diplomatic interests even though its national security is not threatened directly.
Mr. Obama laid out those principles on March 28, when he gave his only big address on the Libya conflict, in a speech at George Washington University that in many ways established the principles of the Obama doctrine.
During that speech, Mr. Obama said that America had the responsibility to stop what he characterized as a looming genocide in the Libyan city of Benghazi (Principle 1). But at the same time, he said, when the safety of Americans is not directly threatened but where action can be justified — in the case of genocide, say — the United States will act only on the condition that it is not acting alone (Principle 2).
And so, with Libya, the United States used its might — providing crucial cruise missiles, aircraft, bombs, intelligence and even military personnel — but it did so as part of the larger NATO coalition, led by the French and the British and including Arab nations.
…
In fact, American officials argued, the Libya strategy worked in large part because it was perceived as an international effort against a brutal dictator and “not a U.S. go-it-alone approach,” as one senior administration official put it.
“ ‘Made only in the U.S.A.’ would have risked it becoming Qaddafi versus the U.S.A.,” the official said.
…
For now at least, the administration and its allies in the Libya action have stopped far short of threatening military force in Syria. Still, the officials argue that creating the broadest possible diplomatic pressure — what Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton last week called an “international chorus of condemnation” — could ultimately have an effect and, if Mr. Assad continues his violent crackdown on dissenters, lay the foundation for more aggressive action.
…
[T]he very fact that the administration has joined with the same allies that it banded with on Libya to call for Mr. Assad to go and to impose penalties on his regime could take the United States one step closer to applying the Libya model toward Syria. While military intervention in Syria is highly unlikely, administration officials say that the coordinated approach to calling for Mr. Assad’s ouster and imposing financial penalties on the Syrian government show that they are already applying the Obama doctrine there.
…
====
Under Fire From Atlanticist Forces, German Foreign Minister Endorses NATO Bombing
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
August 29, 2011
Under fire over Libya, Westerwelle commends NATO bombing
Berlin: Facing calls to resign and derision in the media, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle slackened Monday his stubborn defence of Germany’s refusal to intervene militarily in Libya.
Through a spokesman, Chancellor Angela Merkel declared confidence in Westerwelle. But media suggested he might not last as minister, after a furore over Westerwelle’s refusal to concede that the ouster of Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi did require military force.
‘We are pleased that the reign of the Gaddafi regime is at an end,’ Westerwelle told a conference in Berlin of 200 German ambassadors.
‘Precisely because we assessed the opportunities and risks differently, we respect France and our allies for applying Resolution 1973.’ French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe was in the room as a guest at the Berlin meeting.
Germany’s UN ambassador abstained at Westerwelle’s direction on March 17 when the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1973, authorizing force to deny Gaddafi air superiority.
The abstention upset allies and was criticized by many Germans. A former foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, a Green, has called the abstention Germany’s biggest diplomatic blunder in six decades.
Last week, Westerwelle held fast, arguing that economic sanctions, not force, had been a major factor in ousting Gaddafi.
His refusal to admit that events had proved him wrong revived Westerwelle-bashing, which had gone quiet in the media after he gave up his leadership of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) in May.
Steffen Seibert, Merkel’s spokesman, said, ‘The chancellor and her foreign minister are working in full confidence with one another.’
Asked if she was now concerned about Westerwelle’s future, he said, ‘She is not worrying.’
In a newspaper guest article on Sunday, Westerwelle yielded a little, writing, ‘We are the glad that the Libyans managed, with help as well from the international military operation, to oust the Gaddafi regime.’
The new FDP leader, Philipp Roesler, disowned Westerwelle’s views by expressly praising the NATO intervention, but rebuffed calls to sack the minister. To avoid fanning the flames, the FDP cancelled a Berlin news conference set for Monday.
Media commentators said the FDP seemed concerned that dumping Westerwelle would hit its vote share in two state elections next month.
====
Report: Algeria Closes 1,000-Kilometer Stretch Of Border With Libya
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110830/166290016.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
August 30, 2011
Algeria partially closes border with Libya – paper
Cairo: Algeria has closed a 1,000-km stretch of its border with Libya and put troops and police there on high alert, an independent Algerian newspaper said.
Al-Watan newspaper said that troops, police and customs officials received relevant orders late on Monday.
The Algerian Foreign Ministry said earlier that wife and three children of fugitive Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi had arrived in Algeria despite the warning issued by Western powers that countries neighboring with Libya should not give refuge to Gaddafi family members or loyalists.
The whereabouts of Col. Gaddafi, who ruled the country for 40 years, remain unknown since rebels seized control over his headquarters in the capital, Tripoli, almost a week ago.
Algeria has not yet recognized Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) as a legitimate power in conflict-torn North African state.
Algerian authorities have repeatedly called against international interference in the domestic conflict in Libya.
Algeria fears that the instability in Libya may be used by al-Qaeda to strengthen its positions in the neighboring countries.
Algerian media have reported on several occasions that there were many criminals and members of radical Islamist groups among the Libyan rebels.
…
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European Union Imposes Oil Embargo On Syria
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/30/55396732.html
Voice of Russia
August 30, 2011
EU imposes oil embargo on Syria
The European Union member states have agreed to impose an embargo on imports of Syrian oil by the end of next week to mount pressure on President Assad for a tough crackdown on anti-government protests in Syria.
The move comes next after a similar decision was made by the US earlier this month.
Syria exports around 95% of its crude oil to the EU.
====
Iraq: NATO Trains Federal Police In Crowd And Riot Control, Oil Police
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Operations
August 30, 2011
NATO Training Mission-Iraq completes three courses for the Iraqi Security Forces in Camp Dublin and Taji
BAGHDAD: In the last week, the NATO Training Mission in Iraq scored three more achievements in its endeavour to assist the Iraqi Security Forces: the completion of the first Federal Police Crowd and Riot Control course, with all Iraqi instructors, and the fifth Oil Police Basic course, both of which took place at Camp Dublin, and the conclusion of the second Unit Instructor course at Taji.
One hundred policemen graduated from the first Crowd and Riot control course, 221 graduated the fifth Basic Oil Police course and 35 Army NCOs completed the second Unit Instructor course.
…
Background: The NATO Training Mission in Iraq (NTM-I) was established in 2004…The aim of NTM-I is to assist in the development of Iraqi security forces training structures and institutions…
The activities of the mission are coordinated with Iraqi authorities and the US-led Deputy Commanding General Advising and Training (DCG (A&T)) who is also dual-hatted as the Commander of NTM-I. NATO has an enduring commitment to Iraq.
NTM-I advises and supports the Defence University for Military Studies, National Defence College, War College, and the Defence Language Institute with the other institutions in Baghdad. Other cooperation projects for NATO in Iraq are out-of-country training courses for Iraqi nationals at NATO schools as well as the Iraqi Police (Iraqi Federal Police and Oil Police) training led by Italian Carabinieri.
Currently, NTM-I is a small tactical force of NATO/PfP personnel, representing 14 member nations (as at August 2011): Albania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine (Partner for Peace), UK, USA.
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August Deadliest Month For U.S. In Ten-Year Afghan War
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/30/501364/main20099087.shtml
CBS News/Associated Press
August 30, 2011
Deadliest month yet for U.S. in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan: Sixty-six U.S. troops have died in Afghanistan so far this month, making August the deadliest month for American forces in the nearly decade-long war.
Nearly half of the troops killed died on Aug. 6 when the Taliban shot down a Chinook helicopter in eastern Afghanistan. That was the single deadliest event of the war and sent the monthly total soaring, according to a tally by The Associated Press.
The 30 American service members — most of them elite Navy SEALs — were aboard the helicopter as it flew in to help Army Rangers who had come under fire. Most of the SEALs who died were from the same unit that killed bin Laden, although none of the men took part in that mission.
Aside from the 30 killed in the crash in Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, 23 died this month in Kandahar and Helmand provinces in southern Afghanistan, the main focus of Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces. The remaining 13 were killed in eastern Afghanistan.
The deadliest month for American forces until now was July 2010 when 65 were killed.
…
In addition to the 66 Americans killed so far this month, the NATO coalition suffered the loss of two British, four French, one New Zealander, one Australian, one Polish and four other troops whose nationalities have not yet been disclosed.
So far this year, 402 international service members, including 299 Americans, have been killed in Afghanistan.
====
French, Lithuanian NATO Warplanes Collide During Training Exercise
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110830/166300964.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
August 30, 2011
NATO’s French, Lithuanian warplanes collide in midair, no casualties
VILNIUS: A NATO French Air Force Mirage fighter and a Lithuanian L-39 Albatross trainer collided during an exercise in Lithuania on Tuesday, Defense Ministry spokeswoman Ruta Putnikeke said.
The Lithuanian plane fell and the pilot ejected safely on a lake, Putnikeke said.
The French fighter landed without further incident.
The crash took place around 7:30 GMT near Lake Rekyva not far from Lithuania’s Siauliai airbase.
“We regret the incident. We do not know all the circumstances yet. We can only say with relief that there have been no human casualties,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius said.
“Unfortunately, such things happen sometimes.”
Lithuania joined NATO in 2004.
====
Beginning Of New War: NATO Complicit In Attacks On Pakistani Posts
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=111606
Pakistan Observer
August 29, 2011
It was NATO’s raid not Afghans
The attack from across the border in Chitral on Saturday once again highlighted the fact that some sinister campaign is in the offing to further pressurize and destabilize Pakistan. Though different accounts of the casualties are being given, officials have admitted the killing of 25 security personnel and the capture of two border posts by militants who simultaneously attacked seven check posts.
The attack by about 300 armed men is being given a new colour in that it was carried out by Afghan-based militants but one thing is for certain, that this was done with the backing of occupation forces in Afghanistan.
NATO and US forces are deployed all along the border with Pakistan and with sophisticated intelligence gadgets it is not possible for a big group of people to cross the Durand Line without their knowledge.
Cross-border raids from Afghanistan started in April this year and so far about 75 troops and civilians have been killed in at least six such attacks. Some people argue that the incursions were planned and executed by militant leader Fazlullah who is reportedly hiding in Kunar and Nooristan provinces, but one is certain in saying that he cannot maintain a sanctuary there without the backing of anti-Pakistan intelligence agencies.
It was an organised military-like operation which one cannot be imagined conducted by a stray group of militants and it is also totally unacceptable that they have the capability to fight for long hours or capture Pakistani posts.
In the past, too, similar attacks were carried out and the matter was raised with the Afghan government and the NATO command.
We are of the considered opinion that this type of attack from the Afghan side are indicators to the beginning of a new war. It is therefore essential that the security posts along the Afghan border must be beefed up with the additional deployment of manpower and armaments so as to give a fitting response to the aggressor.
At the same time we would impress upon the government that the incident should not be taken as routine and a diplomatic protest is lodged because it hurt the sovereignty of Pakistan and President Asif Ali Zardari must raise it with President Obama, urging him to direct the American forces to stop all types of incursions from the Afghan side of the border.
====
Thaci: New Deal With NATO “Biggest Success Since Independence”
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n258123
Focus News Agency
August 29, 2011
Kosovo PM announces deal with NATO on border posts
-”This is a new beginning for Kosovo.”
Under the agreement, the disputed crossings would be named military security zones and manned by NATO’s KFOR troops, and would effectively remain closed for security reasons, [Thaci] added.
Pristina: Kosovo prime minister Hashim Thaci on Friday announced he had reached a deal with NATO over two disputed border posts, which could settle the crisis that has engulfed Kosovo’s majority Serb north, AFP reported.
The government in Pristina “has reached an agreement for preserving the newly established situation at the border,” Thaci said.
“Kosovo has finally managed to establish full control on its borders,” he added.
“This is the biggest success we have achieved since the declaration of independence of the republic of Kosovo,” he said of the deal, which he had initially rejected.
“This is a new beginning for Kosovo.”
Under the agreement, the disputed crossings would be named military security zones and manned by NATO’s KFOR troops, and would effectively remain closed for security reasons, he added.
====
Top NATO Military Commanders Inspect Kosovo Flashpoint
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Operations
August 30, 2011
Admiral Stavridis and Admiral Di Paola visit NATO Forces Headquarters in Kosovo (KFOR)
Admiral James G. Stavridis, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander U.S. European Command, together with Admiral Giampaolo di Paola, the Chairman of the Military Committee of NATO, visited KFOR Headquarters and troops in Kosovo on August 29, 2011.
Both Admirals were welcomed by Major General Erhard Bühler, Commander KFOR, at KFOR Headquarters in Film City in Pristina. Gen Bühler briefed them about the general situation in Kosovo and the developments in the North of Kosovo after the recent unrest in July when a Crossing Point in the North was attacked and part of the infrastructure destroyed.
When Admiral Stavridis was asked about this incident during a radio interview with Radio KFOR he said, “Anytime people resort to violence it’s a mistake and it does not move us forward. So I condemn the [ethnic Serbian] violence in the strongest terms. I am very happy that our KFOR forces were able to help restore order and I look forward to a continuing dialogue so that we can resolve problems like this without violence.”
After the visit to the Headquarters, the delegation went to the troubled Crossing Point to look at the situation on the ground and visit the KFOR and EULEX units who are now patrolling the area.
Major General Bühler, who is completing one year in Command of KFOR and leaving the mission in a few weeks, was thanked by the SACEUR for his outstanding commitment and expert crisis management during the last weeks. “I think General Bühler has done an excellent job. One thing that we look for always is that he has been able to maintain a safe and secure environment.”
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U.S. Establishes Squadron To Train Air Forces For African Conflicts
http://www.stripes.com/news/squadron-established-to-train-air-forces-in-africa-1.153604
Stars and Stripes
August 29, 2011
Squadron established to train air forces in Africa
By John Vandiver
-The formation of an Africa-focused squadron is yet another sign that the military is looking to do more in Africa. In recent months, AFRICOM has added an Africa-focused Navy Special Warfare Unit, and the Marines have authorized a task force focused on training militaries to counterterrorist groups across the northern part of the continent and around the Horn of Africa.
STUTTGART, Germany: A squadron of airmen with key skill sets, including air traffic control and civil engineering, is preparing for a mission to train air forces in Africa to deliver supplies and large numbers of troops into conflict zones.
The New Jersey-based 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadron was established in April and is expected to become operational later this year in support of U.S. Africa Command, according to Air Force officials.
The squadron, which operates under the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, will provide training in loading peacekeepers onto aircraft, setting up air traffic control and using aerial intelligence gathering tactics, officials said.
“It is going to be very useful. We’ve struggled in the past a little bit by not having assigned forces,” said Col. David Poage, director of plans and strategy for the 17th Air Force, based in Ramstein, Germany. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
While not formally assigned to AFRICOM, the squadron has been formed to conduct missions primarily in Africa, with a focus on building the air mobility capacity of African militaries, Poage said. The training, which doesn’t involve flight instruction, covers the support skills required to deliver resources and personnel to remote locations.
Though missions have yet to be doled out, the main focus will likely be on lending assistance to nations that have militaries taking part in United Nations and African Union peacekeeping missions, such as the current AU mission in Somalia, Poage said.
…
The formation of an Africa-focused squadron is yet another sign that the military is looking to do more in Africa. In recent months, AFRICOM has added an Africa-focused Navy Special Warfare Unit, and the Marines have authorized a task force focused on training militaries to counterterrorist groups across the northern part of the continent and around the Horn of Africa.
…
====
After Baltic States, Scotland: U.S. Warship Enters Arctic Circle
http://www.eucom.mil/english/fullstory.asp?article=USS-Carr-Departs-Edinburgh-Arrives-Tromso
United States European Command
August 30, 2011
USS Carr Departs Edinburgh, Arrives in Tromso
Ensign Brian T. Lance, USS Carr (FFG 52) Public Affairs
EDINBURGH, Scotland: The guided-missile frigate USS Carr (FFG 52) departed Edinburgh, Scotland, Aug. 26, concluding a four-day port visit that was part of U.S. 6th Fleet efforts to build maritime global partnerships with European nations, and improve maritime safety and security.
…
Following their visit to Edinburgh, Carr passed into the Arctic Circle and arrived in Tromso, Norway, Aug. 28, for a two-day visit…
For many Carr Sailors, this was their first visit north of the Arctic Circle…
Carr is homeported out of Norfolk, Va., and is on a three-month deployment supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.
====
Photo gallery: NATO bombs bring democracy to Europe, Asia and Africa
Conquests to date:
Bosnia 1995
Kosovo (Serbia) 1999
Macedonia 2001
Afghanistan 2001
Iraq 2003
Ivory Coast 2011
Libya 2011
The conditions currently obtaining in the above states are an indication of what faces the next targets of NATO intervention.
To come, either as attacks against “hostile regimes” or as counterinsurgency and pacification – “stabilization” and “peacekeeping” – operations (a by no means exhaustive list):
Algeria
Belarus
Bolivia
Central African Republic
Chad
Cuba
Congo (Kinshasa)
Cyprus
Ecuador
Eritrea
Iran
Lebanon
Madagascar
Mali
Moldova-Transdniester
Myanmar
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
Pakistan
Palestine
Somalia
South Caucasus (Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia)
Sudan
Suriname
Syria
Uganda
Venezuela
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zimbabwe
Pictured below are the new millennium’s preeminent representatives of the West’s commitment to democracy, freedom, human rights, transparency and Euro-Atlantic values, brought to power by cluster, thermobaric, bunker buster, “daisy cutter” and graphite bombs and Tomahawk and other cruise, Hellfire and Brimstone missiles.
Marie-Jeanne Roland (1754-1793): O Liberté, que de crimes on commet en ton nom!
Freedom, what crimes are committed in your name!
*****
Kosovo
“Prime Minister” Hashim Thaci and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Chinese embassy in Belgrade, 1999
*****
Afghanistan
Hamid Karzai and Rasmussen
*****
Libya
Mahmoud Jibril with Rasmussen
Updates on Libyan war/Stop NATO News: August 29, 2011
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Libyan War: NATO Uses And Abuses The United Nations
Sarkozy’s Libya War: Russia The Next Target?
NATO Commanders Prepared Capture Of Tripoli: British Daily
Western Troops In Libya “Since Day One”
Libya: 20,751 NATO Sorties, 7,806 Combat Missions
NATO Continues To Bomb Tripoli
NATO’s Dirty Plan In Libya: Another Nation Falls To Western Imperialism
Russia: Drug Transit In North Africa Follows Iraqi, Kosovo, Afghan Models
Russia Wants Action Against Afghanistan-Kosovo-Colombia Drug Nexus
Chicago: Conference Plans Mass Demonstrations Against NATO, G8 Summits
Meeting With Top Commander: NATO Trains Iraqi Navy
NATO Attack On Syria To Result In Quagmire: Iranian Foreign Minister
Washington Post: “Syrians Demand” NATO Intervention
Canadian Military: Boost U.S.-Led Surveillance Against Russia, China
Welcome To Colonialism 2.0
Three NATO Soldiers Killed In Southern Afghanistan
U.S.-Based NATO Command Implements New Strategic Concept Measures
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Libyan War: NATO Uses And Abuses The United Nations
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/29/55345487.html
Voice of Russia
August 29, 2011
Russia concerned over Libya
Konstantin Garibov
-From the very start, coalition countries made it no secret that they were aiming at Libyan oil reserves and at establishing spheres of influence in the region, bypassing the UN. Libya is seen as a valuable trophy, and it’s up to those who dropped bombs on it to distribute the trophies. For this reason, the UN is not something to reckon with…
-”NATO’s statements of the past two years suggest an attempt to replace the UN. By crushing Gaddafi, even though a complete victory is nowhere in sight, NATO is trying to reap the fruits of victory bypassing other countries and the UN Security Council…”
The recent developments in Libya have triggered a lot of speculation across the political spectrum in Russia with political and media circles alike offering wide-ranging opinions on Libya in recent weeks.
NATO air strikes, the civil war in Libya and the collapse of the country’s state system are seen as the demise of Libya as a state. According to recent surveys, up to 80 percent of Russians condemn air strikes against Libya. Sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky comments:
“Russian attitudes towards NATO are mostly negative,” the expert says, “which is fully in line with the global trend. While revolution and mass protests received widespread support in Arab countries, NATO’s intervention caused an outcry from the public.”
In Russia, NATO’s campaign against Libya was immediately compared to the bombardments of Yugoslavia and Iraq and the developments in Afghanistan. Russian bloggers described the Libyan campaign as barbaric and “a gang shootout in the style of Wild West”. Russians oppose the use of force and consider the West’s intervention an overt aggression, particularly since UN Security Council Resolution 1973 did not authorize coalition forces to bomb cities or take part in ground operations.
The Transitional National Council, which sees itself as the only legitimate body in Libya, is split and is highly unlikely to normalize the situation. Political analysts in Russia say that the civil war in Libya will go on and years will pass before the country sees peace, stability or effective leaders. While it tacitly watches coalition forces distribute Libyan oil and establish control over oil wells and export terminals, the Transitional Council says that Russia, along with China and Brazil, might face problems with energy contracts for “political reasons”.
From the very start, coalition countries made it no secret that they were aiming at Libyan oil reserves and at establishing spheres of influence in the region, bypassing the UN. Libya is seen as a valuable trophy, and it’s up to those who dropped bombs on it to distribute the trophies. For this reason, the UN is not something to reckon with. A statement to this effect came a few days ago in the run-up to an international conference on Libya in Paris. Russia was not invited. The Russian Foreign Ministry made it clear that the key role belongs to the UN and the UN Security Council.
Russia didn’t take part in the military campaign against Libya. Neither did China, Germany, South Africa or Brazil. Moscow didn’t stay indifferent either: it didn’t veto Resolution 1973 and it joined sanctions against Libya. In this respect, any attempts from NATO to exclude Russia and the above countries from discussions on Libya are shortsighted, Azhdar Kurtov of the Russian Strategic Research Institute says:
“NATO’s statements of the past two years suggest an attempt to replace the UN. By crushing Gaddafi, even though a complete victory is nowhere in sight, NATO is trying to reap the fruits of victory bypassing other countries and the UN Security Council, whose permanent members include Russia and China. This is why Russia was not invited to join the conference of so-called ‘friends of Libya’ in Paris.”
Russia warns all parties involved that post-war restoration of Libya should proceed under the aegis of the UN Security Council. Oriental expert Stanislav Tarasov is sure that the West will have to honor Russia’s position eventually:
“Russia maintains the status of a powerful regional power with its own interests in the region. Its position and tactics are explicit enough. Russia is among the leading global powers and the world’s top players will achieve nothing without Russia. Contact groups, or “Libya friends” groups will be useless without Russia.”
While keen on making the UN a key figure in a Libyan settlement, Moscow is helping NATO to see the deadlock it has driven itself into and to find a way out of it.
====
Sarkozy’s Libya War: Russia The Next Target?
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20110829/166283734.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
August 29, 2011
Sarkozy’s Libya war
Dmitry Babich
-[S]uch words are all too familiar. We heard such talk several times from Levy himself and other French left-wing intellectuals, who on March 17 signed an appeal to Sarkozy and heads of NATO nations, published in Le Monde, calling for military intervention in Libya. At least one-third of the people who signed this appeal also signed appeals in 1995, 2000 and 2004, also published by Le Monde, which supported the secessionist Chechen Republic of Ichkeriya and its governments led by “presidents” Dzhokhar Dudayev and Aslan Maskhadov. In those appeals, Levy, his fellow “philosopher” Andre Glucksmann, deputy of the European parliament Daniel Cohn-Bendit and others called on Western leaders to boycott the celebration in Moscow of the 50th anniversary of the victory in WWII, to revoke Russia’s membership in international organizations, and to provide assistance to Maskhadov. In 2011, the same group of people implored Sarkozy to help Mahmoud Jibril and the Libyan rebels.
Among the key issues that will emerge once the war in Libya inevitably ends will be the political future of the Western backers of the intervention in Libya, primarily, the French President Nicholas Sarkozy and his advisors. Will these politicians reap the benefits of victory, or will they be blamed for what still could be a protracted war? This is a big issue in Europe, as it was French planes that fired the opening shots in the NATO operation.
According to Le Monde, Sarkozy has made this war his own. He has staked his reputation on the Western intervention. For months, he spent hours poring over war maps and kept in constant contact with the Libyan rebels and his informal publicist, Bernard-Henri Levy, who humbly presents himself to the world media as a philosopher defending the cause of peace.
During his meeting in Paris last Thursday with Mahmoud Jibril, the number two in the rebel leadership, Sarkozy announced an international conference on assistance to Libya, to be held in France on September 1. Sarkozy says that the NATO military operation and the activities of the international contact group are winding down, and that Russia, China, India and Brazil – members of the UN Security Council who did not support the NATO military intervention – are invited to participate in the upcoming conference. “In this way, Sarkozy let Russia know that it can play a role in the new Libya,” believes former Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom Anatoly Adamishin.
But what does the invitation really mean? Does it show confidence in ultimate victory, or is it just a last-ditch attempt to get as many players as possible involved in this failing project? Was the NATO intervention a success or a failure? This question will be answered, to a large extent, by the actions by the new Libyan government, which will be formed by the National Transitional Council (NTC), the rebel government recognized by France in March in the run-up to the military intervention. Will the new government be able to prevent a bloodbath and brutal retaliation against loyalist forces? By bringing new people to power in Tripoli, Sarkozy and his advisors have assumed a great responsibility. Many in France wonder now if the decision made in March was the right one.
Bernard-Henri Levy played a pivotal role in the intervention. He is the one who called Sarkozy’s cell phone in early March and told him that he “absolutely must see the Libyan Massouds,” alluding to the leader of the Afghan mujahedeen.
Sarkozy agreed and 24 hours later, on March 10, 2011, France recognized the NTC. Foreign Minister Alain Juppe was informed about the meeting only after the fact – a testament to the influence of the “philosopher.” Today, Levy is convinced that he did the right thing. Answering a question on his website about the fate of Gaddafi, his family and supporters, he said coolly: “Let the Libyans decide…I’m not in the least bit concerned, because the leaders of the National Transitional Council have proved their political maturity. They are not motivated by a desire for revenge; we are now witnessing the laying of the first bricks of a nation of laws.” In all his interviews since March, Levy invariably says that the rebels managed to overcome “the temptation of Islamism” and have no connections with radical Islam. Regarding detractors of the rebel movement, Levy fancifully described them as “adepts of despotism hypnotized by a modern Medusa – the belief that
tyrants cannot be toppled.”
Alas, such words are all too familiar. We heard such talk several times from Levy himself and other French left-wing intellectuals, who on March 17 signed an appeal to Sarkozy and heads of NATO nations, published in Le Monde, calling for military intervention in Libya. At least one-third of the people who signed this appeal also signed appeals in 1995, 2000 and 2004, also published by Le Monde, which supported the secessionist Chechen Republic of Ichkeriya and its governments led by “presidents” Dzhokhar Dudayev and Aslan Maskhadov. In those appeals, Levy, his fellow “philosopher” Andre Glucksmann, deputy of the European parliament Daniel Cohn-Bendit and others called on Western leaders to boycott the celebration in Moscow of the 50th anniversary of the victory in WWII, to revoke Russia’s membership in international organizations, and to provide assistance to Maskhadov. In 2011, the same group of people implored Sarkozy to help Mahmoud Jibril and the
Libyan rebels.
When asked whether Maskhadov and his fighters were involved in global terrorism, Glucksmann and Levy answered with more fanciful metaphor. According to Glucksmann, the rebels “resisted the call of the radical Islamist sirens.” We had many chances to judge the veracity of this statement since 2002.
Lie just once and no one will ever believe you again. The objectivity of the intellectual force behind the Libya intervention is called into question by their support for the Chechen rebels. It is entirely possible that soon the world will see acts of vengeance and terrorism and the rise of radical Islam in Libya. In that case, it will be hard to say that Sarkozy won.
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NATO Commanders Prepared Capture Of Tripoli: British Daily
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/29/55336157.html
Voice of Russia
August 29, 2011
Capture of Tripoli prepared by NATO – Daily Telegraph
NATO commanders prepared the capture of Tripoli code-named Operation Mermaid Dawn for three months, the Daily Telegraph reports.
According to the newspaper, the personnel of the British MI6 service and special operations troops, and also officers from France, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates trained the Libyan opposition troops in Benghazi. Hundreds of guns and pieces of ammunition were smuggled into Tripoli and hidden.
Apart from that, the commander of the troops defending the city turned to the opposition’s side. He is said to have harboured resentment towards Gaddafi for 20 years, so he came to an agreement with the rebels and surrendered the city to them at the right moment, the newspaper points out.
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Western Troops In Libya “Since Day One”
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110829/166274046.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
August 29, 2011
NATO admits UK and France may have troops in Libya
MOSCOW: NATO has revealed its member countries may have troops on the ground in Libya.
In an interview with the EUobserver website, an unnamed NATO official admitted Britain and France may have deployed troops in Libya, but said that it would be “unfair to call them NATO forces.”
In comments carried by state news channel Rossiya 24 on Sunday, the Russian ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, said there was “direct evidence” that British and French special forces were carrying out ground operations in Libya in violation of UN Security Council resolution 1973.
The resolution, passed in March, authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and use of “all necessary measures” to protect civilians.
…
British Defense Secretary Liam Fox told Sky News last week the rebels were getting intelligence and reconnaissance assistance from NATO.
Last week, Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper claimed Britain’s elite Special Air Service regiment (SAS) were helping the rebels hunt down Col Muammar Gaddafi, whose forces have lost control of most of the country including the capital Tripoli.
Gaddafi’s whereabouts remain unknown, though the transitional government says he is still in hiding in Tripoli.
A former member of the SAS told RIA Novosti last week that UK special forces had been in Libya “since day one” of the insurrection.
The rebels, who seized Tripoli a week ago, have offered a $1.3 million reward and amnesty from prosecution for anyone who kills or captures Gaddafi.
Meanwhile, the rebels are trying to advance toward Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte east of Tripoli, but are continuing to meet resistance from the deposed leader’s loyalists.
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Libya: 20,751 NATO Sorties, 7,806 Combat Missions
http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_08/20110829_110829-oup-update.pdf
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
August 29, 2011
NATO and Libya
Over the past 24 hours, NATO has conducted the following activities associated with Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR:
Air Operations
Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 06.00GMT) a total of 20,751 sorties, including 7,806 strike sorties, have been conducted.
Sorties conducted 28 AUGUST: 118
Strike sorties conducted 28 AUGUST: 38
…
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NATO Continues To Bomb Tripoli
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/nato-warplane-flies-over-tripoli-20110829-1jh6p.html
Agence France-Presse
August 29, 2011
NATO warplane flies over Tripoli
A half dozen explosions were heard in the distance early on Monday in Tripoli just after a NATO warplane flew over the Libyan capital.
The blasts were heard just before 1am (0900 AEST)…an AFP correspondent reported.
…
The violence of the blasts indicated the presence of pro-Gaddafi forces near the capital…
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NATO’s Dirty Plan In Libya: Another Nation Falls To Western Imperialism
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=111418
Pakistan Observer
August 29, 2011
NATO’s dirty plan in Libya
Dr. Samiullah Koreshi
During Ramazan, I am not writing my columns and therefore this letter to the editor on the situation in Libya after NATO’s and Western powers surrogates have entered Tripoli is in lieu of a column.
The question arises what should be our attitudes towards these foreign puppets’ victory. I had no doubt at any stage in the past what would be the end result of this conflict. The power equations of Ghaddafi supporters and the rebels/traitors, mask of NATO, was not too difficult to understand and the end result of the NATO/Western surrogates was but expected.
That Ghaddafi stood against NATO’s filthy war so long should be an indication that Ghaddafi had the support of Libyan nationalists to the hilt and is sticking to the war because he has that even now, small as it may be, which is causing Ghaddafi’s heroic stand. Let no one glorify this Western proxy war. Sarkozy has bagged one of the richest oil fields of the world and that was what The Western game plan in Libya was.
It should be noted that despite NATO’s dirty game, and the rebels/traitors implementing the dirty plan, no one should at all give it any fancy name of liberation or any such high-sounding description. It is the obvious success of traitors promoting NATO’s interests, selling Libya to foreign powers. Many traitor regimes have established themselves by serving enemies’ interest. This is another such case. We should not be among the first fools to extend recognition to the NATO surrogates. Another country falls to Western imperialism.
Even as a diplomat I have stuck to my principles and I believe principles should be upheld in diplomacy also. This NATO war for foreign oil and resources must be viewed as what it is. All the usual false and sanctimonious statements that will come from Obama, Sarkozy, Ban Ki-moon, not withstanding all high-sounding concern for humanity and what not would be another blah, blah, blah.
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Russia: Drug Transit In North Africa Follows Iraqi, Kosovo, Afghan Models
http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=3&id=269023
Interfax
August 29, 2011
Russian chief drug enforcer affirms increased drug traffic through Africa
MOSCOW: Political destabilization in Africa has increased drug transit through that continent, Federal Drug Control Service head Viktor Ivanov told a Monday press conference at the Interfax main office.
“Events of the recent years have intensified the deliveries of Afghan heroin via African countries,” he said.
The drugs are smuggled through Iraq, where many criminal groups intensified their business amid the hostilities. Now they are smuggling drugs to East Africa through Somalia and to North Africa, where constant armed clashes cover up drug operations, he said.
“We are witnessing a significant increase of heroin transit from Africa across the Mediterranean Sea,” he said.
Russia is interested in stabilization on the African continent, in particular in Libya, Ivanov said.
“Russia is interested in the soonest end of the hostilities and stabilization. In that case Europe will have a good shield to protect itself from drugs transited through Africa,” he said.
Drug trafficking may have a negative effect on the political situation, Ivanov said.
“We can see that drug transit has entailed riots in Cote d’Ivoire and coups in Guinea and Guinea Bissau. Huge drug profits are larger than national budgets. Criminal groups are growing in number, merge and develop into structures, which have their own armies, armaments and budgets much larger than budgets of the countries of their operation,” he said.
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Russia Wants Action Against Afghanistan-Kosovo-Colombia Drug Nexus
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/29/55358104.html
Voice of Russia
August 29, 2011
Barrier against Kosovo drug route proposed
Nina Dmitriyeva
The current heroin output of Afghanistan is twice that of the entire world ten years ago. Afghan-produced heroin – an estimated 150 tons of it each year – flows to buyers in Russia and Europe by way of Central Asia and by way of Iran, Turkey and the Balkans. And in the latter area, Kosovo is the main conduit. Its 15 major drug cartels control some 70 percent of the heroin market on the continent, and close to 20 percent on the British Isles. The annual traffic amounts to 50 tons, generating 3 billion euros. This is twice the annual budget of the breakaway territory in southern Serbia. To make matters worse, Kosovo drug gangs also traffic South American cocaine, which reaches them by way of West Africa.
Although backed by the EU, Kosovo is powerless to get on top of the problem. Russia proposes a solution in the form of an international group for cutting the Kosovo drug route.
Mr Viktor Ivanov is Russia’s chief counternarcotics officer:
“The group should be a quintet bringing Russia together with four powers in the Balkans – Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and, of course, Serbia, which already acts as a shield against Kosovo-routed drugs. Joint action on the quintet would be aided by generous intelligence sharing. Russia, for instance, possesses vast drug intelligence from American and Afghan sources in Afghanistan. The reaction to the initiative so far gives rise to hopes that the proposed front can be in place before January. Security against drugs is part of the overall European security.”
Two members of the proposed quintet, Russia and Serbia, do not recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state. They hope, however, that this will not be an obstacle to cooperation against drug trade. Cutting the drug route across Kosovo would narrow the market for Afghan and South American drugs and bring forward a time when both are brought under international control.
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NATO Missile Shield: Russia To Upgrade ABM, Air Defense Strength
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/29/55349847.html
Voice of Russia
August 29, 2011
Russia to beef up ABM, air defence muscle
Oleg Nekhai
The American cruiser USS Monterey with Aegis interceptor rockets on board cruised the Black Sea in June, stirring Russian suspicions that the US is less than serious about honouring understandings at the NATO-Russia summit in Lisbon last November to develop anti-missile systems in and around Europe in close cooperation.
If NATO opts to go it alone, Russia will have to consider a serious beefing-up of its ABM and air defence muscle. We hear about this from Lower House deputy. Colonel General Igor Puzanov:
“Russia’s Air and Space Defence Force already possesses capabilities to knock out jets, ballistic and cruise missiles and even satellites. Now, it will also have to deploy systems for neutralizing anti-missile defenses, positioned close to its western and southwestern borders.”
Accordingly, there are plans for more and more S-400 air defence missile batteries and for a new constellation of missile-monitoring satellites. An integrated air and space defence force is taking shape, cemented by a single command chain.
We have more about this programme from Editor-in-Chief of the Natsionalnaya Oborona (or National Defence) journal Dr Igor Korotchenko:
“Integrating firepower, intelligence, communications and decision-making should dramatically boost the capability of Russia’s space and air defenses. An even further boost should come from putting S-500 batteries into service.”
…
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Chicago: Conference Plans Mass Demonstrations Against NATO, G8 Summits
Chicago Tribune
August 28, 2011
Local activists gear up for G8, NATO summits planned for city
By Andy Grimm
Activists are planning massive demonstrations to coincide with the G8 and NATO summits in Chicago scheduled for spring 2012, with crowds of protesters likely to reach “tens of thousands,” organizers said.
More than 160 members representing about 50 groups from across the U.S. and Canada gathered Sunday at the Chicago-Kent College of Law to discuss strategy and start planning two large-scale protests and a march that during the week-long joint summit, which is set for mid-May.
The G8 and similar economic forums have for more than a decade drawn thousands of demonstrators. With the world economy in turmoil and NATO leaders set to discuss Afghanistan war policy, the joint summit should draw protesters on behalf of a wide array of causes, activists said.
Chicago could see crowds of protesters similar to the 35,000 or so activists who descended on St. Paul, Minn., during the 2008 Republican National Convention, said Joe Lombardo, co-coordinator for the New York-based United National Anti-War Committee.
“With the war (and) the global economy as they are, and the (U.S. presidential) election in full swing next spring, I think it will have the potential to be bigger than the protests in Minnesota,” said Lombardo, a retired New York state government worker who has participated in demonstrations since the 1960s. “Those issues are not going to go away (by May) and Chicago is a larger city than some of the other places they’ve had these summits recently.”
Chicago activist Joe Iosbaker, who helped organize the RNC protests in 2008 and whose home was raided by FBI agents last October, said he applied for permits to hold demonstrations in Daley Plaza and Federal Plaza downtown the day the White House announced the city would host the summits.
So far, he has not heard anything about the status of the permits from the county about using Daley Plaza or the agency that controls Federal Plaza. City officials also have said organizers will not be able to apply for a permit for a planned march through the city until the first of the year, Iosbaker said.
“They told me they would get back to me in two weeks to let me know at least that we were in the process of getting the permit,” Iosbaker said. “That was nine weeks ago.”
Local activist Andy Thayer said demonstrations will be peaceful, despite a recent statement by police Superintendent Garry McCarthy that the department is preparing for “mass arrests” of protestors during the summit.
The remarks were especially galling given Chicago’s mixed history of dealing with large demonstrations, Thayer said. Police in 2003 arrested about 900 people who marched to protest the start of the Iraq war, with some protesters held for up to 36 hours. The arrests prompted a class-action lawsuit, Thayer said.
“Statements like that from McCarthy have a chilling effect,” he said. “The city has a history of attacks on civil rights.”
Iosbaker noted that events like the G8 and World Trade Organization summits have seen some violence in their host cities. Iosbaker attributed the clashes to aggressive police, and said his group is planning to do nothing to disrupt the city or the conferences.
“What we want is a safe, permitted, legal protest,” Iosbaker said. “Something that parents feel safe bringing their babies in strollers to, and we want our voice to be heard.”
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Meeting With Top Commander: NATO Trains Iraqi Navy
http://www.aco.nato.int/iraqi-navy-commander-meets-nato-training-mission-iraq-deputy-commander.aspx
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Transformation
August 26, 2011
Iraqi Navy Commander meets NATO Training Mission–Iraq Deputy Commander
Ali Hussein Al-Rubaye
BAGHDAD: NATO Training Mission-Iraq Deputy Commander, Maj. Gen. Giovanni Armentani, and NTM-I advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Defence, Col. Caimmi, met with the Iraqi Navy Commander, Rear Adm. Ali Hussein Al-Rubaye at the Iraqi Ministry of Defence for the first time Thursday.
The group discussed possible ways ahead with cooperation and assistance for the Navy training and education system.
During the meeting, the admiral said he was interested in courses on specific naval subjects that NTM-I could provide. Maj. Gen. Armentani said he would seriously consider the request and added that NTM-I is ready to offer advising and mentoring in the fields of training, maintenance and doctrine.
The Navy commander also expressed an interest in out-of-country initiatives conducted by NATO Nations and asked for a calendar of these activities in order to organize Navy participation. Armentani said NTM-I is also evaluating the possibility of supporting English language courses. General Armentani finally expressed his wish to visit the Iraqi naval base in Umm Qasr and the Arabian Gulf Maritime Academy in Basrah.
The NATO Training Mission in Iraq (NTM-I) was established in 2004 at the request of the Iraqi Interim Government under the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1546.
The aim of NTM-I is to assist in the development of Iraqi security forces training structures and institutions so that Iraq can build an effective and self-sustainable capability that address the needs of the nation.
NTM-I…is a distinct training mission, under the political control of NATO’s North Atlantic Council. Its operational emphasis is on training and mentoring. The activities of the mission are coordinated with Iraqi authorities and the US-led Deputy Commanding General Advising and Training (DCG (A&T)) who is also dual-hatted as the Commander of NTM-I. NATO has an enduring commitment to Iraq.
NTM-I advises and supports the Defence University for Military Studies, National Defence College, War College, and the Defence Language Institute with the other institutions in Baghdad. Other cooperation projects for NATO in Iraq are out-of-country training courses for Iraqi nationals at NATO schools as well as the Iraqi Police (Iraqi Federal Police and Oil Police) training led by Italian Carabinieri.
Currently, NTM-I is a small tactical force of NATO/PfP personnel, representing 14 member nations (as at August 2011).
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NATO Attack On Syria To Result In Quagmire: Iranian Foreign Minister
http://tehrantimes.com/index.php/politics/2061-syria-would-be-a-quagmire-for-nato-iran-says-
Tehran Times
August 28, 2011
Syria would be a quagmire for NATO, Iran says
TEHRAN: Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has said that NATO will get bogged down in a quagmire if it launches a military campaign against Syria.
Salehi made the remarks during an interview with IRNA published on Sunday in reference to the threats of military action against Damascus if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad does not step down.
“If, God forbid, such a thing happens, NATO will be drawn into a quagmire, which it will never be able to extricate itself from,” Salehi stated.
“Syria is in the forefront of resistance in the Middle East, and NATO cannot threaten this country with attack,” he added.
Salehi also said, “The threats being issued by the United States and the West will have no effect on the resolve of the Syrian people.”
“Regional nations have certainly woken up, and the awareness of nations will prevent the West from doing anything through launching a military campaign,” he stated.
Salehi also described the West’s military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan as “ineffective”, saying, “If the West continues this path, it will not reach a favorable result.”
…
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Washington Post: “Syrians Demand” NATO Intervention
Washington Post
August 28, 2011
Calls in Syria for weapons, NATO intervention
By Liz Sly
[Excerpts]
BEIRUT — The success of Libya’s rebels…is prompting calls within the Syrian opposition for armed rebellion and NATO intervention…
Protesters in recent days have carried banners calling for a no-fly zone over Syria akin to the one that facilitated the Libyan revolt. “We want any [intervention] that stops the killing, whether Arab or foreign,” said one banner held by protesters in…Homs.
Activists who have recently visited Homs say protesters there also have begun carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles…Videos have appeared on Facebook pages teaching activists how to make molotov cocktails.
…
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Canadian Military: Boost U.S.-Led Surveillance Against Russia, China
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Military+calls+boost+ocean+surveillance/5317051/story.html
Postmedia News
August 27, 2011
Military calls for boost in ocean surveillance
By David Pugliese
Canada’s military wants the Harper government to take part in rebuilding a Cold War ocean surveillance system, arguing that the country’s waters, including the approaches to the Arctic, are vulnerable to Chinese and Russian submarines.
The current system, overseen by the U.S., involves specialized vessels and underwater sensors scattered around the globe to detect submarine movements.
But with the end of the Cold War in the 1990s and the collapse of the former Soviet Union, that sensor technology, including systems called arrays, were not modernized. They now need to be upgraded or replaced. In some cases Canada shut down its facilities for monitoring underwater activities.
“The oldest portions of the global infrastructure were terminated without replacement – Argentia, Nfld and Shelburne, N.S. fixed arrays – creating gaps covering the Arctic approaches and major portions of the Eastern Atlantic,” reads a briefing note sent by defence chief Gen. Walter Natynczyk to Defence Minister Peter MacKay.
That September 2010 document was obtained under the Access to Information Act.
…
The military wants to become more involved in the U.S.-led underwater surveillance system, arguing that it would be too expensive to put its own sensors into the ocean.
The warning about Chinese submarines echoes similar concerns contained in a report issued Wednesday by the Pentagon. It pointed out that China’s military capabilities are growing and that could threaten stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
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Welcome To Colonialism 2.0
OpEd News
August 28, 2011
Welcome to Colonialism 2.0
By Rakesh Krishnan Simha
The assault on Libya by a coalition of mostly Western nations begs the question: Is colonialism making some sort of a comeback? While their economies are collapsing in slow motion, it is hard to picture Western countries prospecting for real estate across the globe, as they did 300 years ago. But as unreal as it seems, it is happening.
Few will shed tears for Gaddafi because it was his impetuosity that cost Libya its freedom; of more concern is the fact that after 40 years the country’s considerable oil wealth has reverted to Western control. Iraqi oil too is flowing west. Iran could very well be the next target of American and British warplanes.
Ironically, it is when the West is weak that the emergent nations of Asia and Africa have reason to worry. Colonialism 2.0 isn’t just a catchphrase; it is simple economics: the wealthy will always need to be vigilant against the desperate.
In the 18th and 19th centuries when the world was being colonized by the likes of Spain, Britain, France, Belgium, Portugal and the Dutch, India and China were the two richest countries in the world, together accounting for over 50 per cent of world GDP. And yet the two giant Asian nations ended up under colonial jackboots.
If you think colonization happened when the East was decadent and the West was rising or that India and China neglected their militaries and ignored the foreign threats lurking at their shores, you couldn’t be more wrong. Both countries had very powerful armies and naval flotillas led by able commanders.
Military edge
In the early 1700′s, India’s legendary Admiral of the Fleet, Kanhoji Angre, routed the British, Dutch and Portuguese navies on the high seas. For 33 years until his death in 1729, the Indian remained undefeated. The British were so pissed they called him a pirate.
Indian ships of that time were so advanced in design and durability that the British inducted them into their fleet. In the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Horatio Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory was an Indian built vessel.
According to the Indian Navy’s website, “This so agitated British shipbuilders on the River Thames that they protested against the use of Indian built ships to carry trade from England. Consequently, active measures were adopted to cripple the Indian shipbuilding industries.”
The southern Indian kingdom of Mysore was the first in modern history to use rockets in war, and they used it with deadly effect against the British in the Battle of Guntur in 1780. The literally shell-shocked British army fled from the battlefield. A few unexploded rockets were later shipped to the Royal Arsenal in London, where William Congreve, the British weapons expert, reverse engineered them to launch modern rocketry in Europe.
Most Indian rulers also possessed keen geopolitical awareness. For instance, they did not allow European merchants to keep garrisons or conduct inland trade. When Thomas Roe, the British monarch’s emissary, landed in western India in 1616, he was made to wait a year before the Indian emperor granted him an audience. Three years later, Roe despite many entreaties and considerable bowing before the grandees at Delhi, returned without a trade treaty because the emperor saw no point in trading with a country that had not one product or commodity to offer India.
Thin end of the wedge
However, one slip-up by a weak emperor let in the hordes. A hundred years after Roe’s exit, an English embassy had a stroke of luck when one of its members, William Hamilton, a physician of questionable medical skills, managed to relieve the figurehead emperor of severe pain in his groin. The emperor gratefully signed a decree giving the British inland trading rights, customs duty exemptions, and the right to keep a garrison. The rest as they say is history.
According to professor Rajesh Kochhar, emeritus scientist at the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Chandigarh, “These exemptions gave the English traders commercial advantages not only over other European companies but also over Indian traders. More importantly, the various official orders granting trade concessions gave the British a cause to defend, with military strength if needed.” Does that sound familiar?
Return of the East
Today, the east is rising once again. Economists are stunned by the unprecedented flow of manufacturing, finance and wealth to the east. Magid Igbaria, former professor of management information systems at Tel Aviv University, wrote in The Virtual Workplace: “For all but the last 500 years of human history, the world’s wealth measured in human capital and in goods was concentrated in Asia. During the past five centuries, the world’s wealth has been concentrated in the West. This era is coming to an end. Today, the great concentrations of human capital, financial power, manufacturing power, and informated power are once again accumulating in the East.”
Indeed, in 30 years India is predicted to overtake the US, even though it is only one-fourteenth the size of the US economy now. That is an incredible rate of wealth accretion.
The question is will the US and Europe simply watch the world go past? On the contrary, there is a concerted effort by a US-led coalition to stop this trend. Here are a few ways the West is trying to stay on top:
Base instincts: Today the US-led coalition has over 750 military bases across the globe. Despite the huge costs, this extension of military power is essential to their hegemony. A slew of European nationalities has followed the American military in its misadventures around the world. No empire in history has attempted such sweeping control. In Pliny’s days the Roman, Indian and Chinese empires co-existed in their spheres of influence and never attempted to destabilise each other. The good old days.
Divide and rule: The Americans are playing up India as a major “regional” power allied with the West. This is not only insulting to the Indians (why should India only be a regional power?), it also scares the hell out of the Chinese. The communists in Beijing, therefore, come out with kneejerk statements calling for India’s breakup, which in turn makes the Indians consider China a natural enemy. Amazingly, in the past 2500 years, China and India never had even a skirmish, until the British arrived on the scene and planted the seeds of border problems.
Climate bogey: After polluting the environment for more than a century, the West now wants India and China to reduce emissions. It’s a thinly disguised attempt to slow these rapidly growing economies. India’s Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has done an about turn and now his views seem to align with Western interests, which led to key Indian negotiators quitting in disgust. Newsweek, the Pentagon mouthpiece masquerading as journalism, was sufficiently pleased with Ramesh to label him the “global rock star of climate change”.
Dollar gambit: Wouldn’t you feel almighty if you obtained a license to print US dollars off your home printer? While the rest of the world has to earn a living the hard way, the Americans just print dollars to pay their bills. Need a few hundred billion dollars to pay for the war in Iraq? Want to buy Venezuelan oil? Russian titanium? No problem. The US mint cranks the lever and billions of dollars start rolling off the presses. In fact, in recent years even that pretense has been given the heave-ho – now trillions of dollars are generated electronically in the accounts of the US Federal Reserves. It’s as simple as that.
There is another way the dollar trade works against the interests of non-Western countries. Countries like China and Russia invest their earnings in US treasury bonds; these dollars are used by the Americans to maintain their global military supremacy, build increasingly modern weapons, and reward their allies with cash, weapons, and security umbrellas.
WTO: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called it “archaic, undemocratic and inflexible” and dominated by a small group of developed countries which indulge in protectionism. One of its aims is to pry open the agricultural markets of Asia, including India. Incidentally, India has the highest number of farmer suicides in the world.
Nixing nuclear tech: The 11th commandment: Thou shall not acquire nuclear technology. Indian and Japanese nuclear scientists perfected the fast breeder reactor (which generates more nuclear fuel than it uses) so they never have to look outside for hard-to-get uranium). However, most likely under US pressure, both nations have quietly shelved their technologies.
Space crunch: America’s space ambitions are currently grounded because of deep cuts. India has the world’s largest number (177) of satellites in space. NASA is aware of it; it is looking at joint ventures with the Indian Space Research Organisation which has reliable rockets and something like 20,000 engineers and scientists. Few are aware that during the 1990s, India requested the Russians for a role in the International Space Station, but the Americans said no. Now NASA wants a free ride on Indian rockets, and India’s feckless politicians are happy to oblige.
According to former Panama ruler General Manuel Noriega, who now languishes in an American prison despite doing decades of dirty work for the CIA, “if there is someone willing to buy a country, there is someone willing to sell it.” Worryingly for emerging nations, there are plenty of collaborators like Noriega in their amidst willing to sacrifice national interests for a few million dollars in a Swiss bank account and green cards for their families.
In the first era of colonialism, the then dominant Eastern nations opened up their economies and territories to comparatively backward Western nations over a span of several decades, finally ending up as their colonies. Under the guise of globalization and ‘free’ trade, Colonialism 2.0 could happen in much the same way.
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Three NATO Soldiers Killed In Southern Afghanistan
http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/08/28/3-nato-soldiers-killed-in-southern-afghanistan/
Voice of America News
August 28, 2011
3 NATO Soldiers Killed in Southern Afghanistan
NATO said Sunday three of its service members were killed in southern Afghanistan.
A NATO statement said the first soldier died in an insurgent attack, another one was killed by a roadside bomb and the third died during a military operation.
Also Sunday, a group of suicide bombers attacked a NATO reconstruction base in Qalat, the capital of southern Zabul province, but failed to breach its defenses.
Officials said that one of the assailants blew himself up outside the gate of the base, another one was captured and the third one managed to escape. Two civilians were wounded in the attack.
…
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U.S.-Based NATO Command Implements New Strategic Concept Measures
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Transformation
August 24, 2011
ACT designs measurements of NATO performance
Written by Ken Ruml, JALLC intern Wednesday
Allied Command Transformation (ACT) recently completed a report proposing a simple set of defence measurements to foster political will to improve defence capabilities that will form the basis of discussions by Defence Ministers during the October 2011 Ministerial Meeting.
In response to a tasking from the NATO Secretary General, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Stephane Abrial tasked the Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre (JALLC) in February 2011 to provide the NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning with a proposed set of metrics that would reflect the need expressed in NATO’s Political Guidance. The guidance was derived from the new NATO Strategic Concept agreed by heads of state in Lisbon to measure actual output to NATO from Nations’ defence capabilities.
…
The aim of the measurements is to identify principal capability shortfalls and to foster resolve among Allies at the political level to rectify them. A secondary aim is to encourage further discussion within NATO on Alliance defence capabilities.
The new measures complement the existing usability initiative, which measures deployability and sustainability of NATO land and air forces and sets targets for Allies to reach into those areas…
NATO International Staff in charge of Defence Policy and Planning based at NATO Headquarters, together with national defence counsellors, will staff the JALLC report and forward a final proposed list of metrics to defence ministers for approval at their October 2011 meeting. Ideally, the measurements will then form an integral part of the NATO defence planning process.
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Updates on Libyan war/Stop NATO news: August 28, 2011
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Libya: NATO Sorties Approach 21,000, Combat Sorties 8,000
Cyber Warfare, Armed Extremists, Bribery: Russian General Says NATO Makes Deals With Anyone To Promote Its Aims
NATO Provided Special Forces, Air Force For Regime Change
Iran Warns NATO Not To Enter Syria
Afghan War: At Least 413 NATO Soldiers Killed This Year
NATO Tankers Destroyed In Capital Of Balochistan
U.S. Soft Power Tactics Conceal Devious Strategy For Global Domination
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Libya: NATO Sorties Approach 21,000, Combat Sorties 8,000
http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_08/20110828_110828-oup-update.pdf
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
August 28, 2011
NATO and Libya
Allied Joint Force Command NAPLES, SHAPE, NATO HQ
…
Over the past 24 hours, NATO has conducted the following activities associated with Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR:
Air Operations
Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 06.00GMT) a total of 20,633 sorties, including 7,768 strike sorties,have been conducted.
Sorties conducted 27 AUGUST: 115
Strike sorties conducted 27 AUGUST: 36
…
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Cyber Warfare, Armed Extremists, Bribery: Russian General Says NATO Makes Deals With Anyone To Promote Its Aims
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/28/55272800.html
Voice of Russia
August 28, 2011
Libyan game over?
Ekaterina Kudashkina
Interview with Lieutenant-General Gennady Yevstafyev, expert in international security.
It appears that Libyan game is almost over and it gives us a chance to draw certain conclusions from what has happened in the last four months. Among those conclusions there are some very important ones. The first conclusion is that the victory for the West in Libya became possible only by creating a very unnatural coalition between NATO and extremist Muslim forces and a small amount of liberals that are very unnatural for Libya. So, it clearly shows that when there is a need NATO people can make deals with anybody in order to promote their aims and achieve the necessary results.
The second conclusion which we can draw from this situation is that there is a brand-new situation with cyber attacks. Maybe for the first time in recent history we see tremendous amount of cyber attacks and disorganization of the internal life of the whole state.
The states which are not very developed must take note of this because it appears that cyber attacks were extremely efficient and they really created a very explosive situation in the country, especially when you have a multinational country and you have all kinds of local tribes, and so on, and so on. So, you can use certain people to start the movements, then you spread it with cyber and internet facilities, and then you are taking over quite a big amount, quite broad layers of local population. This is quite clear and it will be very advised to think about it and to make certain decisions about the cyber attacks and the use of social media for internal and unlawful purposes. By the way, I think the British should be very susceptible to this after the events which happened in London recently.
The third conclusion is that the democrats in NATO are quite capable of rethinking international decisions. I mean the Security Council resolution which allowed the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya, but they have interpreted this to the extent that they made it a NATO-only fly zone in Libya and then they openly helped one party in the internal conflict and bombed the legally-formed government of Gaddafi with whom I do not sympathize but we have to admit that only recently the Western countries dealt with him like with an officially recognized political force. That means that when supporting certain UN resolutions we have to think in broader terms and look more carefully into the possible consequences of supporting certain resolutions.
One more conclusion which we can draw: the Libyan crisis on the surface is almost over, but we are only witnessing possible unpredicted, unexpected developments in the internal affairs of this country because the amount of extremist organizations, including al-Qaeda, in the ranks of Libyan opposition is very sufficient and it is very interesting to see how the West that is stating that they are enemies of Islamic extremists, how they are going to cope with this situation and what is going to happen there.
In this sense I believe that the position of Moscow as far as the other Islamic countries of the Middle East concerning Syria is very much justified because there is no use in these circumstances to support any UN resolutions which allow the use of force because we now see the way the resolution was interpreted by NATO and the way it was used to crush the unpleasant regime. We understand that it is not only the problem of atrocities (nobody speaks about atrocities though it was the reason why this resolution was taken), but it is now very clear that the war was for Libyan oil and in this sense we have to watch carefully because among the countries which suffered from this unprecedented use of force against the Libyan state is Russia, which lost about $4 billion of possible contracts with Libya.
This is the situation which brings us to a very calm conclusion that NATO has to be taken seriously as an organization that can not be really relied upon in certain situations and we cannot have confidence in this organization when it comes to its own interest.
But how would you assess the rapid progress which actually came in only week’s time? Just a week ago everyone was saying that the Libyan opposition is so disunited that during the previous six months of NATO operation they still failed to achieve any progress whatsoever, and now we see rapid progress just in a week’s time. Do you think that there could be some involvement from external forces?
I would make a point and this point has a historic parallel.
You must remember when Saddam Hussein was thrown out of power during the military operation, an open military operation by Americans; everybody was also surprised how fast it occurred, but there was no secret about that, the secret was in the first three-four days but then it came out in the open. It is a betrayal because the United States, the Western countries, operate not only by military force, but mostly they operate by buying certain crucial figures of the regime with which they fight, by giving them money and by allowing this money to be spread among their subordinates.
I am sure that in this particular case there was a tremendous amount of money thrown into last week’s operations through which they managed to buy a number of crucial military people in Gaddafi’s military establishment. The other reason was that they have intensified their bombardments and there is a suspicion that NATO units took direct part in attacking the vital installations of Gaddafi’s regime.
But one has to see parallels between Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi. It is not spoken very loudly about but there was a very influential military leader in Saddam Hussein’s regime who was famous for his atrocities against Kurds and Shiah. Then, he suddenly left the Saddam Hussein regime and escaped abroad; he landed in Denmark but there he was taken under house arrest, he was allowed to live in Denmark but he was not allowed to leave the country under any circumstances. Just about a month before Saddam Hussein was crushed this man disappeared from Denmark and Danish officials were saying: oh, we do not know how it happened and all this kind of funny explanations, but this man disappeared and he was taken by Americans and he was the instrument through whom the Americans bought a number of crucial Iraqi military people who betrayed Saddam Hussein. I am sure that the same thing happened here.
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NATO Provided Special Forces, Air Force For Regime Change
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/310878
Digital Journal
August 28, 2011
Op-Ed: Libya: How the West was won…by NATO and special forces
Stephen Morgan
[Edited]
Last week NATO shamelessly weighted in on the side of the rebels with the help of special forces on the ground. Without it the rebels would never have won. There is now much talk that NATO has broken international law. So what role did they really play?
“Subka and his unit waited at the rebel frontline, known as Kilometre Sixty, aboard a column of battered, black pickup trucks mounted with heavy machine guns and a few tanks recently captured from Gaddafi’s forces. “We are with the England team,” he told the Guardian “They advise us.”
Special forces from Britain and France are on the ground advising on strategy and tactics for the coming assault and pin pointing targets for NATO airstrikes, in order to clear the path for the rebel advance. Resistance from loyalists has been stiff, but Subka is confident. “We don’t worry about those units – they are Nato’s concern.”
However, on Friday NATO was quick to deny the crucial role it was playing. Al Arabiya reported a press conference at which its spokesperson Lungescu insisted that NATO was sticking to its United Nations mandate, limited to protecting civilians from any attacks. “There is no military coordination with the rebels,” she said.
When asked for his opinion on the statement Shashank Joshi, a Libyan war expert at the Royal United Services Institute in London, pulled no punches. The NATO denials are “absolute rubbish,” he said. “There’s overwhelming evidence that NATO was not only helping the rebels but that it was a decisive and critical partner to the rebels. It was really engaged in a close and intimate level of coordination and support, without which the rebels could not have won this conflict, so I don’t believe a single word NATO is saying,” he added.
More and more information is now coming to light on the decisive role played by NATO in the fall of Tripoli. Moreover, while kept secret until now, we are also learning more about how special forces from Britain, France, Qatar and Jordan helped pave the way for the victory. It is now clear that Gaddafi would probably still be in power without them.
In an op-ed on Saturday Andrew Rawnsley said “ I asked a member of the National Security Council whether there was any chance that the rebellion could have overthrown Gaddafi without outside assistance. He responded bluntly: “None at all. There’s no chance they could have done it without us.”
Just two weeks ago the situation was entirely different. Everything seemed bogged down in a protracted stalemate on all fronts. The assassination of General Younes had cast doubts over the opposition’s ability to remain united enough to overthrow the regime and conversely, Gaddafi appeared to be more durable than anyone had expected. All eyes were fixed on political efforts to find a negotiated settlement, which seemed the only plausible solution to end the conflict.
What broke the stalemate in Libya was the West’s decision to make a radical change in its strategy of regime change and the character of its military intervention through NATO. With fears about splits in NATO and even doubts about its very existence if the mission floundered, together with the overhanging fear that the West would again be held responsible for another failed state, envoys bent over backwards in talks with the regime to find a way out of the conflict, even to the point of offering Gaddafi the possibility of staying in Libya, exempt from ICC prosecution.
But Gaddafi wouldn’t budge and he evidently had the support of his inner circle, who gave no indication that they were likely to cave in. Caught between a clicking clock and a closed door, the West decided it had no choice but to launch a major military offensive, in the hope that it would force Gaddafi to surrender.
NATO swung into action quickly. Karen DeYoung and Greg Miller from the Washington Post reported that NATO and U.S. military and intelligence officials had revealed that, ”an opposition strategy (was) put in place two weeks ago with the advice of British, French and Qatari special forces on the ground”
Preparations for a possible attack upon Tripoli had, in fact, been going on much longer. British, French, Qatari and Jordanian special forces had spent months training rebels from the Western Mountains for a future attack on Tripoli. Eventually, they succeeded in organizing the raggedy groups of rebels into a cohesive force, which was prepared to follow an organized battle plan, under a central command.
On the key Saturday, August 13, when the rebel forces advanced on coastal and southern towns and rebels in Misrata made a determined push on Zlitan, TIME reported that NATO flew 105 sorties “including 36 strike missions against targets near Tripoli, Brega, Gharyan, Sirte and Zlitan. The targets included military facilities, command and control nodes, and both surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile sites.”
A reporter with the rebels described the scene around Zlitan, “Testimony to the deadly effect of Nato’s bombing was evident along the highway leading out of the city. Concrete buildings used as bunkers by Gaddafi’s forces were flattened, while tanks were ripped apart, their turrets and tracks strewn across the road. Further south, all that remained of an ammunition truck was a blackened carpet of splinters.”
When asked if NATO was acting as the rebel’s air force a NATO official acknowledged in a typically oblique way that “the effect of what we were doing was not dissimilar.”
Such precision bombing wasn’t possible without the profession expertise of special forces troops on the ground spotting targets and advising on tactics. This was underlined by another report in the Guardian, which explained that “the information from the ground gave British commanders the confidence to order RAF pilots to release laser and GPS-guided bombs and missiles on buildings identified as being used by Gaddafi forces. (Even including a Turkish restaurant!)
However, the Washington Post revealed that these special forces also involved undercover US intelligence units. “CIA operatives inside the country intercepted communications within the government” providing “a deeper understanding of just how badly Gaddafi’s command structure had crumbled.” The effect was devastating. The Wall Street Journal pointed out that NATO had destroyed Gaddafi’s military communications to such an extent that “he is forced to use the TV to send messages to his troops about where to attack and defend.”
Intelligence gathered was, in turn, passed onto the rebels on the ground to facilitate their advance. NATO “provided a lot of imagery on the locations of the Gaddafi forces, so, as the rebels were getting into their positions when they came around the south and up into the west side of Tripoli, (they) had a good sense of where (Gaddafi’s) forces were at.”
In this way, NATO obliterated Gaddafi’s defenses often in advance of rebels reaching each town and/or during key moments in the battles. The BBC reported that “Nato’s relentless pounding of armour and artillery east of Zawiya greatly softened up government units, breaking down much of the resistance that would otherwise have slowed the rebel path.”
Illustrating how effective the attacks were and how grateful the rebels were, the UK Independent printed an interview with a rebel soldier involved in the attack on Sabratha. “Mr Nato came and fired six missiles at seven o’clock in the morning. Boom, boom, boom and it was all over,” “Oh yes, we are all very grateful to Mr Nato here.” Asked why he thought they would win, another rebel replied “I believe in Allah – and Nato.”
…
Intoxicated with their successes, the rebels sights were fixed on one goal only – getting as quickly as possible to the center of Tripoli and hoisting the rebel flag on Martyrs’ Square. Once reports of uprisings in the capital came through, nothing was going to hold them back. neither NATO nor the NTC, nor even their own commanders.
Consequently NATO had no choice but to go the whole nine yards and hope for the best. As the rebels approached Tripoli, global intelligence agency STRATFOR described the scene “What is happening now is the movement of the forces into attack positions, logistical support being brought in, preliminary targeted artillery fire and air strikes with special operations teams already in place doing careful targeting, and psychological warfare against the defenders.”
…
Worrying pockets of resistance from Gaddafi forces remain, which suggest that the West is not quite won. Indeed, the Libyan “Wild West” will take a long time to be tamed. ‘Order first, then law will follow” was a motto of the earlier American frontier settlers. Bringing order to Libya’s “Wild West” is likely to be a difficult and bloody affair and, until such time as the multitude of different militias and tribes agree to lay down their arms, power and law may well continue to rest mainly in the hands of gunslingers.
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Iran Warns NATO Not To Enter Syria
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4114875,00.html
Reuters
August 28, 2011
Iran warns NATO against entering Syria
Iran warned NATO on Sunday against any temptation to intervene in Syria, saying that rather than the defeating a regime it would be bogged down in a “quagmire” similar to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Syria’s closest ally in the Middle East, Iran has in recent days tempered its strong support for President Bashar al-Assad with calls for him to respect the “legitimate demands” of his people.
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Afghan War: At Least 413 NATO Soldiers Killed This Year
http://wireupdate.com/wires/19728/roadside-bomb-kills-nato-soldier-in-southern-afghanistan-7/
BNO News
August 28, 2011
Roadside bomb kills NATO soldier in southern Afghanistan
KABUL: A roadside bomb killed a coalition service member in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Sunday.
ISAF said one of its service members was killed in southern Afghanistan as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack. As usual, the multinational force gave no other details about the incident, including the exact location.
The nationality of the service member was also not immediately disclosed by ISAF. “It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities,” a brief statement said.
Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply in recent years, with a total coalition death toll of 709 in 2010, making it the deadliest year for international troops since the war began in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
There are currently more than 132,000 ISAF troops in Afghanistan, including some 90,000 U.S. troops and more than 9,500 British soldiers…
So far this year, at least 413 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Most troops are American and are killed in the country’s south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians. The deadliest incident happened earlier this month when a U.S. helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 U.S. troops, seven Afghan troops and an Afghan interpreter.
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NATO Tankers Destroyed In Capital Of Balochistan
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C08%5C28%5Cstory_28-8-2011_pg7_8
Daily Times
August 28, 2011
Two NATO tankers destroyed in Quetta
QUETTA: Two NATO oil tankers were set on fire by unidentified armed persons in the Mithri area of the Bolan district on Saturday, Levies officials said.
According to the officials, the two oil tankers carrying fuel for NATO forces stationed in Afghanistan were on their way from Karachi to Kandahar when unidentified armed men on motorcycles intercepted the tankers and opened fire at them on the National Highway near Mithri. As a result, the tankers caught fire and were completely destroyed. The assailants managed to escape from the scene after committing the crime. No one had claimed responsibility for the attack until the filing of this report.
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U.S. Soft Power Tactics Conceal Devious Strategy For Global Domination
Global Times
August 28, 2011
Soft approach conceals devious new US strategy
By Zhu Bingyuan
The Chinese media have recently been excited about US Vice President Joseph Biden’s visit to an ordinary Beijing restaurant and Ambassador Gary Locke’s low-key arrival in Beijing. In fact, the public performances of the politicians didn’t come spontaneously, but have a certain political complexity.
What are the diplomatic objectives behind Biden and Locke’s low-profile visit? The US is having a tough time recently and it needs China’s lasting support on its national debt more than ever after Standard and Poor’s lowered its credit rating. To display the art of democracy and a low-key profile in front of its creditors is truly a highlight of US smart-power diplomacy – rebuilding the image of the “world leader” while dodging wide criticism.
It’s clearly much more powerful than a designated speech on special occasions or even the routine cruise of a carrier battle group in the South China Sea. Some believe that the smart-power policy could help US dump unilateralism and therefore ensure China’s peaceful rise. But I’m afraid things might never be as easy as people could imagine.
We shouldn’t refuse the “modest and friendly” approach of the US but keep in mind to see through the essence of the phenomena in order to stay alert on this technique. It’s clearly not a new diplomatic style that leads to the implementation of the smart power policy, but something more like a compromise against a globally complex background. George W. Bush’s addiction to hard power, reflected in the launching of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, saw the US trapped in a jungle of gunfire and its reputation ruined.
Economically, the US has been feeling weaker and weaker after the disastrous financial crisis, especially when seeing the rising power of the BRICS nations. Therefore a unique way forward must be found if the US wants to maintain the super-power status. The coherent reexamination of domestic and global situation of the US has made the smart power strategy possible.
The use of smart power was never only image oriented, but also diplomatically focused. The US cemented its partnership with South Korea and Japan via its position on the Yeonpyeong Island incident and let France and the UK lead in airstrikes against Libya in order to dodge critics.
The latest conflicts over South China Sea issue also saw smart diplomatic maneuvers by the US, which declared its neutrality but was virtually on the side of Vietnam and the Philippines.
All of the above proves that the use of smart power has nothing to do with building a more “friendly and modest” national image, but is aimed at long-term strategic goal. The US is determined that the maintenance of global dominance, which guarantees the security and prosperity of US, shall never be weakened.
It also believes that only by holding onto allies and friends can it survive current challenges, and believes that a non-military policy will improve the validity, effectiveness and persistence of US strategy, making it much easier to solve tough tasks with minimum casualties.
The most important thing is to make ourselves even stronger in order to stay powerful in regional disputes, leaving the US little room to play tricks. Next will be the diplomatic contest.
We can learn from the US government, blasting and coaxing other countries at the same time. This way, we can fend off the diplomatic offensive of US smart power.
Anyway, an iron hand is still needed when our core interests, such as sovereignty and territorial integrity, was infringed or violated.
The author is dean of the Institute of Marxist Philosophy at Suzhou University.
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Updates on Libyan war/Stop NATO news: August 27, 2011
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NATO Bombs Tripoli, Sirte; Marauding Mobs Ransack Libyan Capital
Libya: 20,518 NATO Air Sorties, 7,732 Combat Missions
Libya Falls Victim To NATO, Mailed Fist Of 21st Century Neo-Imperialism
Libya: NATO Proxies On Murderous Racist Rampage
CNN: Hundreds Of Pro-Al-Qaeda Extremists Released From Tripoli Jail
NATO Special Forces Pave Way For Al-Qaeda, Somalia/Iraq-Type Black Hole
Sanitized Slaughter: NATO Wages War But Avoids The Word
Reintegrated Into NATO, Frances Takes On Ivory Coast, Libya…Syria
Lesson Of Libyan War: Completely Capitulate As Soon As Possible Or Develop Sophisticated Weapons
Pentagon’s Horn Of Africa Task Force Hosts 11-Nation Gathering
Britain Boosts Military Ties With Azerbaijan Versus Armenia, Iran
Canada Expands Military Role In Arctic For Local, Global Missions
NATO Rejects Presidential Election In Abkhazia
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NATO Bombs Tripoli, Sirte; Marauding Mobs Ransack Libyan Capital
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/27/55259117.html
Voice of Russia
August 27, 2011
NATO planes bomb Tripoli, Sirte
In Libya British warplanes have struck a large bunker in Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte, and US aircraft keep swooping on Gaddafi-loyalists in the capital Tripoli as NATO focuses on loyalist forces trying to hold back advancing rebels.
Meanwhile marauding mobs are on a rampage in Tripoli ransacking foreign embassies and government offices and even the state museum.
Tensions remain high on the Tunisian border where the opposition forces, backed by British and French commandos, on Friday overran the major Ras-Djdir checkpoint…
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Libya: 20,518 NATO Air Sorties, 7,732 Combat Missions
http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_08/20110827_110827-oup-update.pdf
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
August 27, 2011
NATO and Libya
Allied Joint Force Command NAPLES, SHAPE, NATO HQ
…
Over the past 24 hours, NATO has conducted the following activities associated with Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR:
Air Operations
Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 06.00GMT) a total of 20,518 sorties, including 7,732 strike sorties,have been conducted.
Sorties conducted 26 AUGUST: 123
Strike sorties conducted 26 AUGUST: 42
…
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Libya Falls Victim To NATO, Mailed Fist Of 21st Century Neo-Imperialism
The Citizen (Tanzania)
August 27, 2011
Libya’s forced collapse: What does it portend for Africa?
By Amengeo Amengeo
-The coup was underway. The “rebels,” a motley band of weekend thugs were no match for the Libyan army which legally was bound to defend itself against armed insurrection, so Nato [the new mailed fist of 21st century neo-imperialism] unleashed its aerial might, special forces [French Foreign Legion commandos, SAS and US SEALS] against the legitimate government of Libya. It was inevitable that sooner or later this lopsided military power would take its toll as Nato bombed Tripoli and other parts of Libya on a daily basis.
-What happens in Libya is a harbinger of what the West has in store for Africa. True independence and African unity will not be tolerated. Africa is too rich in resources that the world needs to be allowed to control its own destiny. This war is not just about Gaddafi. It is an opening salvo in a war to reclaim the continent for foreign interests, just as it was in 1896 in the Scramble for Africa…[T]he West will set up permanent military bases to control the Mediterranean Sea and a bridgehead for the re-conquest of Africa will have been established.
By the time this article is published, the sovereign government of Libya would have been overthrown in a blatant Western armed, sponsored and supported coup by the striking arm of the new imperialism – Nato [North Atlantic Treaty Organization.]
Some six months ago, the French and British governments frantically sponsored a United Nations resolution to “protect the civilians of Libya from their own government.”
Never mind that this sovereign government was facing an armed revolt by a dissident region of the country; never mind that these “rebels” had no legitimacy whatsoever; never mind that the so-called “democratic protesters” were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of black Africans in xenophobic racist pogroms in the year 2000.
None of this mattered. What mattered was that in the turmoil of the so-called “Arab Spring” a heaven-sent opportunity presented itself to the West to get rid of a political thorn in its side, one that was leading the African Continent dangerously close to realizing a greater deal of autonomy than had been afforded under the pretence of Western “aid,” economic advice and structural development.
Gaddafi, his personal flamboyance notwithstanding, has consistently sought to involve his country in unity with first the Arabs and then the Africans. When Gaddafi proposed pan-Arab unity, he was scoffed at, ridiculed as an ambitious madman and insulted and ignored by the Arabs. He finally and sensibly gave up and turned his eyes to Africa, believing that Africa held out more hope for unity.
While under sanctions by the West, the Africans unswervingly supported Gaddafi. Neslon Mandela upon his release from apartheid’s prisons defied Western sanctions and went overland to visit and thank Colonel Gaddafi for his moral and financial support during the long struggle against apartheid. Other African leaders followed and regular visits with Gaddafi made the sanctions totally irrelevant.
After the Iraqi war of aggression by the Bush administration broke out, Gaddafi cut a deal with the West, relinquishing his weapons programs, which included nuclear weapons, for re-inclusion in the global economic system. Still Gaddafi sought to develop African unity and to this end relieved Africa of the burden of paying for satellite usage $500 million annually to Europe.
At his encouragement Africa bought its own satellites and now the continent communicates without relying on Europe. Gaddafi also proposed a single African currency backed by gold which would have sounded the death-knell for the CFA and removed much of France’s influence and power in Africa.
An African Monetary Fund was also in the works, which would have further set Africa on the road to true economic and political independence. Then there was the Libyan leader’s mooting of a million-man African army. This was the red line where the West decided to checkmate Libya.
Events surrounding the so-called “Arab Spring” seemed tailor-made for Western plans. Overnight, armed groups showed up in Benghazi and an organized pattern emerged for the overthrow of Gaddafi. First there was the “concern” for civilian life, always a good tear-jerker.., then the French and British stepped in, forcing a UN Security Council vote.
Despite senior officials in the US administration dismissing Libya’s strategic importance to US interests, the Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, pushed her hawkish agenda and dragged the US president on board for this war of blatant aggression.
The coup was underway. The “rebels,” a motley band of weekend thugs were no match for the Libyan army which legally was bound to defend itself against armed insurrection, so Nato [the new mailed fist of 21st century neo-imperialism] unleashed its aerial might, special forces [French Foreign Legion commandos, SAS and US SEALS] against the legitimate government of Libya. It was inevitable that sooner or later this lopsided military power would take its toll as Nato bombed Tripoli and other parts of Libya on a daily basis.
When this conflict was forced on the Libyan people, the African Union insisted that there must not be any military intervention, but was soon sidelined and completely ignored by the coup-makers and a compliant Western press. While a sovereign nation, a member of the AU was being attacked, African efforts to find a mediated solution were completely ignored and ridiculed.
The leaders of Africa who should have denounced with one voice the aggression against an African country cravenly acquiesced with the Nato war, making lame token protests.
What happens in Libya is a harbinger of what the West has in store for Africa. True independence and African unity will not be tolerated. Africa is too rich in resources that the world needs to be allowed to control its own destiny. This war is not just about Gaddafi. It is an opening salvo in a war to reclaim the continent for foreign interests, just as it was in 1896 in the Scramble for Africa.
African leaders lack faith in their own abilities and in the power of their people. Libya could have been saved, had Africans united and spoken resoundingly to the world, voicing their opposition to this war of aggression. The AU could have called for the expulsion of diplomats from the Nato countries taking part in the war, they could have urged their citizens into the streets to demonstrate for “hands off Libya.” The oil-producing countries could have slowed down their oil taps, driving up the price of gasoline, they could have protested more loudly.
The same forces which broke Sudan in half are continuing the process of fragmenting Africa into even more manageable, weaker pieces. What will happen after Gaddafi is overthrown? All progressive programmes that he had initiated will be dismantled and the idea of Africa unity repudiated as the dreams of madman.
Foreign economic interests will come in to carve up the pie, instability will take root as in Iraq under the guise of multi-party democracy [which should be anathema to Africans since it has brought more chaos than comfort in its wake] the West will set up permanent military bases to control the Mediterranean Sea and a bridgehead for the re-conquest of Africa will have been established.
This is no fantasy. The West is not prepared to relinquish its hegemony and go quietly into the night. The neo-colonializing of Africa had begun immediately after ‘independence’ with aid programs that created dependencies, French military bases that never closed, structural adjustments, missionaries dividing and spiritually confusing the people, dumping of toxic waste and the signing and enforcement of economic agreements that were never in the interests of the African peoples.
Many African leaders for selfish, mostly pecuniary, reasons collaborated with this plunder of Africa, ignoring the will of its peoples. Gaddafi’s removal from power should not be anything to celebrate for Africans, but to mourn, for we are being thrown back into eras when we were truly without freedom. As this neo-imperialism and neo-colonialism intensifies, it would be ironic if twenty years from now Africans would have to fight all over again the bitter revolutionary wars that ostensibly brought them freedom.
The author is a specialist in Spanish, Latin American, Caribbean as well as African history.
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Libya: NATO Proxies On Murderous Racist Rampage
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/rebels-settle-scores-in-libyan-capital-2344671.html
The Independent
August 27, 2011
UN urges restraint as the rebels wreak their revenge on ‘loyalists’
By Kim Sengupta in Tripoli
The killings were pitiless
[Excerpts]
They had taken place at a makeshift hospital, in a tent marked clearly with the symbols of the Islamic Crescent. Some of the dead were on stretchers, attached to intravenous drips. Some were on the back of an ambulance that had been shot at. A few were on the ground, seemingly attempting to crawl to safety when the bullets came.
Around 30 men lay decomposing in the heat. Many of them had their hands tied behind their back, either with plastic handcuffs or ropes. One had a scarf stuffed into his mouth. Almost all of the victims were black men. Their bodies had been dumped near the scene of two of the fierce battles between rebel and regime forces in Tripoli.
“Come and see. These are blacks, Africans, hired by Gaddafi, mercenaries,” shouted Ahmed Bin Sabri, lifting the tent flap to show the body of one dead patient, his grey T-shirt stained dark red with blood, the saline pipe running into his arm black with flies. Why had an injured man receiving treatment been executed? Mr Sabri, more a camp follower than a fighter, shrugged. It was seemingly incomprehensible to him that anything wrong had been done.
The corpses were on the grass verges of two large roundabouts between Bab al-Aziziyah, Muammar Gaddafi’s compound stormed by the revolutionaries [sic] at the weekend and Abu Salim, a loyalist district which saw three days of ferocious violence.
The United Nations issued an urgent call for restraint by both sides in the bloody and bitter endgame to the civil war yesterday. But the thirst for vengeance has been difficult to control, to which the morgues, hospitals and the urban killings fields of the Libyan capital bore testimony.
…
The atrocities have apparently not been confined to Tripoli: Amnesty International has reported similar violence in the coastal town of Zawiyah, much of it against men from sub-Saharan Africa who, it has been claimed, were migrant workers.
…
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CNN: Hundreds Of Pro-Al-Qaeda Extremists Released From Tripoli Jail
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/08/26/libya.militants.analysis/
CNN
August 26, 2011
Islamic militants among prisoners freed from Libyan jail
By Nic Robertson and Paul Cruickshank, CNN
“This is potentially a very dangerous development,” a former Libyan jihadist tells CNN
Moammar Gadhafi’s regime imprisoned thousands of suspected pro-al Qaeda militants
-Former members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) have assumed leadership positions in several rebel brigades, according to Benotman.
-The former leader of the LIFG, Abdullah al Sadeeq, now commands one of the most powerful rebel brigades in Tripoli, according to Benotman and, according to reports, took charge of successful rebel efforts earlier this week to storm Gadhafi’s Bab al-Aziziya compound…Sadeeq was a well-known figure in the jihadist movement. He fought the Soviet-backed government in Afghanistan and helped found the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group there.
-In the east, where radicalization has historically run highest, young Salafi jihadists have linked up with foreign militants and may even have started their own training camps to train volunteers to fight the Gadhafi regime, according to Benotman. A number of jihadists, he says, have entered Libya from other Arab countries.
Tripoli, Libya: Hundreds of Islamist militants were among the prisoners freed from a…Tripoli prison this week, according to a former Libyan jihadist.
The freed militants had been imprisoned in Tripoli’s Abu Salim prison by Moammar Gadhafi’s regime during the height of the insurgency in Iraq, according to Noman Benotman, once a senior figure in the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. Benotman said he believes as many as 600 militants may have been among the prison population at Abu Salim.
…
Benotman said many of the militants released are pro-al Qaeda.
“Nobody knows what these released prisoners are going to do next,” he said. “Will they take part in the fighting and if they do will they join pre-existing rebel brigades or form a separate fighting force?”
…
Gadhafi’s regime imprisoned thousands of suspected pro-al Qaeda militants after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq stoked radicalization in Libya, especially in its impoverished eastern provinces. According to Benotman, those rounded up by the regime included militants who had tried to travel to Iraq and some who had returned from fighting against U.S. forces there…
Internal al Qaeda in Iraq records seized by the U.S. military in 2007 indicated that proportionately more Libyans traveled to fight with al Qaeda in Iraq than from any other Arab country…
Wednesday’s prison release, which occurred as rebel forces took control of the Abu Salim area of Tripoli, comes as Islamists are taking on an increasingly prominent role in the fight against the Gadhafi regime…
Former members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) have assumed leadership positions in several rebel brigades, according to Benotman. Their current prominence, he said, was due to their quick mobilization – as armed opposition replaced peaceful protests in Libya – and their valued military skills.
The former leader of the LIFG, Abdullah al Sadeeq, now commands one of the most powerful rebel brigades in Tripoli, according to Benotman and, according to reports, took charge of successful rebel efforts earlier this week to storm Gadhafi’s Bab al-Aziziya compound, further bolstering his prominent position in rebel ranks.
Sadeeq was a well-known figure in the jihadist movement. He fought the Soviet-backed government in Afghanistan and helped found the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group there. In the mid-1990s the LIFG conducted a deadly campaign of attacks on Libyan security services, before a crackdown largely constrained the group’s ability to operate inside the country. After the fall of the Taliban, Sadeeq fled Afghanistan to Iran and was eventually arrested in Hong Kong in 2004…
LIFG members and the younger generation of Salafi jihadists were often incarcerated in the same wing of Abu Salim prison. Benotman believes the presence of former LIFG commanders in rebel front lines will enhance their credibility amongst the released prisoners.
But he says some among the younger generation of jihadists have already begun operating outside the orbit of the NTC. In the east, where radicalization has historically run highest, young Salafi jihadists have linked up with foreign militants and may even have started their own training camps to train volunteers to fight the Gadhafi regime, according to Benotman. A number of jihadists, he says, have entered Libya from other Arab countries. In June, the NTC detained two suspected Jordanian jihadists in al-Brega in eastern Libya and expelled them, according to Benotman.
Neighboring Algeria, which waged a long battle against Islamist insurgents in the 1990s, has already expressed concern about the instability in Libya being exploited by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and other jihadist groups. Algerian officials are also concerned that weapons such as ground-to-air missiles may have fallen into militant hands, a worry that has also been expressed by U.S. commanders.
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NATO Special Forces Pave Way For Al-Qaeda, Somalia/Iraq-Type Black Hole
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/27/55268402.html
Voice of Russia
August 27, 2011
Libya: contradictory recognition of new power
Boris Pavlishchev, Sergey Anisimov and Vladimir Fedoruk
-According to different reports, more than half of rebels who are now fighting against Gaddafi are members of Al Qaeda.
The League of Arab States has recognized Libya’s rebel Transitional National Council (TNС) as a legitimate representative of the Libyan people. At the same time the African Union says it won’t recognize TNC until the war is over in Libya and the new government including both supporters and opponents of Gaddafi is established.
…
Yuri Zinin, an expert in Oriental studies says that in the current situation he does not see any turning point back to reconciliation and stability.
“The opposition is not able to fill the political vacuum. In fact, we see a dual power in that country. No police in the streets, violence and looting in Tripoli. I fear that the country will be gripped by chaos like Iraq was. The spirit of guerrilla wars and regionalism keeps leaders of TNC from negotiating with each other. It is not a coincidence that the Council’s chairman threatened to resign if the situation does not change in the near future. That makes me fear for the future of Libya. According to different estimations, 2,000 to 5,000 people have been killed in this civil war and the bloodshed continues.”
It is too early to speak about the victory of the opposition, the head of the International institute of political expertise Evgeny Minchenko says.
“Considering the current chaos it looks more like Gaddafi’s victory. His location is still unknown but it is very likely he will be overthrown with the help of Western troops. The consequences will be catastrophic because if Gaddafi’s regime falls Libya will likely split into three parts and turn into a global black hole, something between Iraq and Somalia. Libya will pose a serious problem to the international stability.”
Evegeny Satanovsky, the president of the Institute of Middle East, shares this opinion but confirms it using different arguments.
“The most serious force in North Africa, in Sahara, today is Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the “classic” Al Qaeda too. If Western troops enter Libya, thousands of mercenaries from Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, Afghanistan and Iraq will come to kill European and American soldiers. There is a scenario of turning Libya into a democratic state of a European type but this is very unlikely.”
Earlier this week in an interview with BBC a military expert Robert Fox admitted that Tripoli was attacked by special troops from Qatar and United Arab Emirates with the support of the US, Britain and France. The elder son of Gaddafi Mohamed also confirmed that foreign mercenaries and NATO troops took part in combat for the Libyan capital. Earlier Muammar Gaddafi said that mercenaries from Iraq and Egypt were fighting on the side of the rebels and some of them had been taken prisoners.
Meanwhile, the US, Britain and France have asked the countries neighboring Libya to strengthen their border controls to prevent the move out of Gaddafi’s money, gold and weapons abroad. Western powers fear that all these resource as well as toxic substances can be appropriated by Al Qaeda. According to different reports, more than half of rebels who are now fighting against Gaddafi are members of Al Qaeda.
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Sanitized Slaughter: NATO Wages War But Avoids The Word
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/08/26/nations-sanitize-libya-lingo-for-the-war-weary/
National Post
August 26, 2011
Nations sanitize Libya lingo for the war weary
Charles Lewis
-“Apparently killing people and destroying property on behalf of one side in a civil war does not rise to the level of war for the purposes of the Obama administration, at least…This is the first case I know of where we’ve taken full-scale military action where the president has avoided Congress.”
On March 19, a coalition of nations allied with rebel fighters in Libya to help drive Muammar Gaddafi from power. NATO forces, including Britain, France, Canada and the United States began with sorties, a naval blockade and the firing of deadly Tomahawk cruise missiles.
On that day, all became participants in a bloody fight, putting their military forces at risk and adding to the carnage already taking place on the ground.
Yet, with rare exception, their leaders did everything possible to avoid the word that made it clear what they had got themselves and their citizens into — a war.
They have reached for every euphemism possible — “military action,” “use of force,” “mission,” “operation,” “conflict,” “intervention” and “responsibility to protect” have all acted as stand-ins for “war.”
Even the use of “no-fly zone” sounded benign enough, with its implications of clearing the skies in the manner of air traffic controllers. But as Robert Gates, then-U.S. Secretary of Defense, said early in March, “Let’s just call a spade a spade. A no-fly zone begins with an attack on Libya to destroy the air defences.”
The term “humanitarian mission” was also often used — a term that could mean anything from food aid to dropping medical supplies to bombing.
“Apparently killing people and destroying property on behalf of one side in a civil war does not rise to the level of war for the purposes of the Obama administration, at least,” noted John Samples, a director at the Washington-based Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.
Several days after NATO involvement began, he wrote, “War is commonly defined as ‘a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations.’ By that definition, the United States and its allies have been at war with Libya since late last week.”
The reasons for these kinds of obfuscations are complex, especially in the heated political climate of the United States. But several factors point to why Barack Obama, in particular, may have wanted to sanitize the risks of U.S. involvement.
After a decade of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, polls show Americans are war weary and increasingly hostile to playing the role of the world’s policeman.
Two days after the start of U.S. involvement, Gallup found 47% of Americans approved of Mr. Obama’s actions, the lowest level of support for the 10 military actions the country has been involved in since 1983; 37% disapproved and 16% had no opinion.
By June 22, support had dropped to 39%, with 46% disapproval.
Meantime, the Pew Research Center found the United States experiencing the highest level of isolationist sentiment in more than half a century. In May, 46% of Americans said the United States should “mind its own business” internationally a 16-percentage-point increase from 2002.
…
David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, has also avoided any mention of war, stressing his country’s role is to enforce the UN Security Council resolution. Britons, too, have endured engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan. Polls showed tepid enthusiasm for action in Libya, dipping recently to a mere 31%.
Stephen Harper has been a rarity among Western leaders when it comes to using direct language. When the attacks began, he said the action being taken by Canada and other NATO forces amounted to an “act of war.”
The avoidance of the word war is not something new. For example, despite the United States losing close to 37,000 troops in Korea, U.S. schoolchildren were taught for years the proper term for what took place was “a police action,” not a war.
Mr. Samples said there is another reason why Mr. Obama may not want to call the Libyan action a war.
The U.S. Constitution says a president must go to Congress to declare war. This has not happened since 1941, when the United States declared war on the Axis powers, but the normal protocol has been for the president to at least get some form of Congressional approval.
“This is the first case I know of where we’ve taken full-scale military action where the president has avoided Congress,” Mr. Samples said.
…
Roger Sarty, a professor of military history at Wilfrid Laurier University, in Waterloo, Ont., believes the vagueness of language is something that developed in the late 1940s when the meaning of war implied the potential for total annihilation.
“In our modern age the distinction between war and peace has become a whole lot less clear,” he said.
Because of the nuclear threat, the idea of all-out war became too much to contemplate. Still, any military action can quickly slip into something much larger and politicians need to make that clear.
…
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Reintegrated Into NATO, Frances Takes On Ivory Coast, Libya…Syria
http://euobserver.com/13/113408
EUobserver
August 26, 2011
Libya victory summit, warns Syria
By Andrew Rettman
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called a high-level meeting on Libya’s post-Gaddafi future and promised support – but no military action – for opposition forces in Syria.
The event is to take place in Paris on 1 September – the 42nd anniversary of the coup which brought Colonel Gaddafi to power.
It is to be co-hosted by British Prime Minister David Cameron and to include rebel leaders Mahmoud Jibril and Abdel Jalil, delegates from the 28-country-strong anti-Gaddafi coalition, the Libya Contact Group, as well as states hostile to Western intervention in Libya – China, India, Russia and South Africa.
Speaking with Jibril in the French capital on Wednesday (24 August), Sarkozy said Gaddafi’s defeat has brought the Western and Arab worlds closer and that he was right to put France fully back into Nato in 2009.
…
“The reintegration of France into the principle organs of Nato did nothing to weaken French independnce – on the contrary, since France was, naturally, in the front lines during the military operations [in Libya].”
Sarkozy ruled out military intervention in Syria due to the lack of a UN mandate. But he warned President Bashar Assad to draw lessons from Libya and the Ivory Coast, where France also used force this year.
…”We now have precedents – the Ivory Coast and Libya. This is not to say we will get involved in more conflicts. But we will not give up on our principles. Syrian people have the right to freedom.”
…
The TNC has asked the UN to unfreeze $5 billion out of the $110 billion of Gaddafi assets reportedly held in banks round the world. The US has so far drafted a UN text allowing for the unfreezing of $1.5 billion, with a vote at the UN Security Council expected by the weekend.
With Gaddafi still at large, Sarkozy pledged to keep up military support for the TNC…
Nato spokeswoman Oana Lugnescu told the AP news agency on Wednesday that an options paper for a potential joint UN-Nato mission will come up for discussion next week.
“The council provided Nato military authorities with a set of political guidelines for a possible future Nato supporting role in Libya … in support of wider international efforts,” she said, referring to the North Atlantic Council, the alliance’s political governing body.
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Lesson Of Libyan War: Completely Capitulate As Soon As Possible Or Develop Sophisticated Weapons
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90780/7580138.html
People’s Daily
August 25, 2011
Reflect on negative effects of Libya war
-The war seems to be a conflict between Libyan rebels and the governmental forces but is actually manipulated by the Western powers. Without NATO’s large-scale, long-lasting air strike, the war would not have lasted more than five months.
-The war has sent a strong signal to anti-West state leaders: once they become the enemies of the West, they should either completely capitulate as soon as possible, or develop sophisticated weapons to ensure their own safety.
The civil war in Libya will come to an end now that the opposition forces have entered into Libya’s capital Tripoli. However, the five-month regional war will pose a long-term impact on the situation in West Asia and North Africa.
…
The unexpected civil war cannot just be viewed as the democratic fight against tyranny and the suppression of freedom but a resistance against the unfair distribution of political and economic interests within the context of a “tribal war.” Tribal wars are characterized by their winner-take-all nature. As the opposition forces have incited deep hatred of Qaddafi’s tribes during the war, whether or not they can properly treat the pro-Qaddafi tribes after coming into power is still unknown. Some Western countries that have participated in the military operations against Qaddafi have also shown their concerns.
The end of the war does not necessarily mean that Libya will enter into a new era of democracy and freedom. Afterward, the country will face a very difficult test of how to avoid tribal retaliations and internal rivalries among opposition forces. Furthermore, issues such as restoring the infrastructure damaged by the war and dealing with the increasing number of refugees cannot be addressed without strong external support. History never repeats itself in a linear way, and it is still uncertain what is next in Libya’s next round of political changes.
The Libyan war forcibly changed many factors influencing the situation in West Asia and North Africa. The turmoil in West Asia and North Africa at the beginning of this year was mainly caused by internal factors: people there seek democracy and improvement of people’s livelihood as well as oppose dictatorship and unfair distribution.
The war cannot fully meet the demands of the Libyan people with Western interference, and the opposition is nothing more than a bargaining chip picked up by the Western countries to achieve their own strategic goals. For a considerably long period of time, NATO has had no idea of the constitution and political views of the rebels that they support, which did not stop NATO providing various kinds of assistances for the war-torn country. The external causes of the Libyan war have made the instability in West Asia and North Africa even more complicated.
The spillover effect of this war is more negative than positive. The proper operation of the international community needs all countries to abide by basic game rules, and the bottom-line rule refers to basic norms of international law. The Libyan war started under the banner of U.N. Resolution 1973, but whether NATO’s air strike has exceeded the power granted by the resolution has long been questioned by all parties. The war seems to be a conflict between Libyan rebels and the governmental forces but is actually manipulated by the Western powers. Without NATO’s large-scale, long-lasting air strike, the war would not have lasted more than five months.
Gaddafi gave up his weapons of mass destruction program and surrendered to the West in political and economic areas in 2003, but Libya still suffered military attacks from Western countries. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently said publicly that it has proved to be a right decision for Iran not to abandon its nuclear program.
Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has also said publicly that the Libya war shows it is absolutely necessary for Russia to build up its military forces and to enhance national security. The two leaders’ remarks have shown the negative effects of the war in Libya. The war has sent a strong signal to anti-West state leaders: once they become the enemies of the West, they should either completely capitulate as soon as possible, or develop sophisticated weapons to ensure their own safety. As more and more anti-West leaders preferring to the latter choice, the world is facing larger risk of re-entering a “political jungle.”
All parties involved should draw a lesson from the negative outcome of the Libya war. According to media reports, NATO is using the term “catastrophic success” to describe the victory against the Qaddafi regime. It would be much better to avoid the war than to achieve such “catastrophic success.”
Greater attention should have been paid to the political solution and other peaceful means that certain countries had suggested before and during the Libya crisis. Although history cannot be rewritten, a rethink is definitely necessary because it can prevent some Western countries from making the same mistakes when similar tough issues arise.
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Pentagon’s Horn Of Africa Task Force Hosts 11-Nation Gathering
http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=7117&lang=0
U.S. Africa Command
August 26, 2011
Building Esprit de Corps – CJTF-HOA Hosts Senior NCO Symposium
By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jarad A. Denton
CJTF-HOA Public Affairs
CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti: For the first time in its nine-year history, the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa hosted a senior enlisted conference, August 22 to 24, 2011, bringing together service members from 11 countries, spanning four continents, to enhance regional and international partnerships…
The CJTF-HOA 2011 Senior Non-Commissioned Symposium hosted representatives from Djibouti, Rwanda, Japan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Spain, Seychelles, Mauritius, Burundi, Uganda and the United States…
…
In addition to a familiarization with the mission and processes of CJTF-HOA, the conference focused on the importance of a unified military presence in the Horn of Africa.
…
With roughly 30,000 cargo ships and 11 percent of the world’s oil passing through the waters off the Horn of Africa every year, an increase in piracy has become a primary concern for the region’s military forces, said Mykoo.
…
Mykoo said CJTF-HOA is branching out into the region with a whole of government approach, utilizing the 3-D process, which is diplomacy, development and defense.
The goal is to create a unity among partner nations before strategic decisions are made by higher leadership. This is designed to foster collaboration, coordination and cooperation…
U.S. Army Sergeant Major Samuel Metzger, U.S. Africa Command East Africa Regional Engagements senior enlisted leader, said the discussions and questions raised during this symposium will serve to strengthen ties between enlisted service members, their commanders and partners from other nations.
…
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Britain Boosts Military Ties With Azerbaijan Versus Armenia, Iran
http://www.news.az/articles/politics/43022
AzerTAc
August 23, 2011
Azerbaijan, Great Britain boost military cooperation
It is time to sign an agreement on military cooperation, the Assistant Chief of the Defense Staff of Great Britain says.
Azerbaijan`s defence minister, colonel-general Safar Abiyev, met Mr. Graham Howard, Air Vice Marshall, Assistant Chief of the Defense Staff (Logistic Operations) of Great Britain.
Mr. Abiyev briefed the guest on the military-political situation in the Southern Caucasus and the 20-year occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia. He said talks carried out by the OSCE Minsk group didn`t yield any results and four resolutions of UN Security Council were not fulfilled.
Boosting cooperation in military sphere was also discussed at the meeting. Mr. Howard said it is time to sign an agreement on military cooperation.
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Canada Expands Military Role In Arctic For Local, Global Missions
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/canada-in-afghanistan/military+gone+north/5297447/story.html
Ottawa Citizen
August 24, 2011
Why the military has gone north
By Peter McKenna*
-Canada’s elite Special Operations Regiment…were engaging in specialized expeditionary training with their own equipment – testing their performance capability in austere conditions and rugged terrain (where it could come in handy in other parts of the world).
-[T]he senior military leadership views the Arctic (especially in a post-Afghanistan milieu) as a means of further justifying its reason for being…This is critical because it allows the military to make the case to political masters that the defence budget should be insulated from any deep cuts in the rush to balance the federal books….[T]he Canadian military is perfectly content to play around in the Arctic just as long as the money taps stay open and they can utilize their training there for other “hot spots” around the world.
Having just returned from Operation Nanook 11 – which involves roughly 1,100 Canadian Forces personnel from the navy, air force, army and even special forces in Resolute Bay, Nunavut – as an invited observer, it’s not hard to tell that both the Canadian government and the military are preparing for a larger presence in the North…
Canada’s elite Special Operations Regiment (probably a handful or so) in their tan berets could be spotted around the Resolute camp. Since they were basically operating on their own, not much was said about what exactly they were doing there. We were told that they were engaging in specialized expeditionary training with their own equipment – testing their performance capability in austere conditions and rugged terrain (where it could come in handy in other parts of the world).
While we didn’t actually observe the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in action, a Gagetown, N.B., regiment was gearing them up (five U.S.-manufactured ScanEagles and one nighttime version) for their first-time deployment in the windy North…
The UAVs (at a cost of roughly $200,000 each) were going to be used as part of the larger operation’s search and rescue simulation – feeding back video images of the mock disaster scene. But their chief functions or missions involve surveilling convoy and troop movements, detecting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and observing harbours (looking for fuel re-supply).
This raises an obvious question: Why is there this burgeoning military presence in Canada’s High Arctic – especially since, unofficially at least, many in the military dread a posting to the North?
Yes, there is the whole sovereignty question and symbolism, nationalistic Canadian sentiments about the Arctic and its domestic political import for federal politicians. Of course, it is also important to be sending out the right signals to our Arctic neighbours like the Americans, the Danes, the Norwegians and the Russians.
More significant, one could argue that the senior military leadership views the Arctic (especially in a post-Afghanistan milieu) as a means of further justifying its reason for being. Stated differently, it gives them a mission priority that has the firm backing of the Conservative government in Ottawa.
This is critical because it allows the military to make the case to political masters that the defence budget should be insulated from any deep cuts in the rush to balance the federal books. If anything, they will argue that military resources should be bolstered if the Harperites want the Canadian Forces to be meaningfully engaged in the Arctic, properly equipped for northern conditions, and operationally/strategically robust.
Indeed, the one thing that the Department of National Defence does not want to see happen is additional resources going to the Coast Guard instead of them. It would be better for the military to wrap itself in an Arctic mission (and to secure the requisite procurement) rather than have the Coast Guard squeeze out more money for sovereignty patrols, scientific investigation and a polarclass icebreaker.
In short, the Canadian military is perfectly content to play around in the Arctic just as long as the money taps stay open and they can utilize their training there for other “hot spots” around the world. And if this is the case, you can look for the CF. to deepen its military footprint in the Arctic going forward.
*Peter McKenna is professor of political studies at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown.
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NATO Rejects Presidential Election In Abkhazia
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110827/166230076.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
August 27, 2011
NATO refuses to recognize presidential elections in Abkhazia
BRUSSELS: NATO has refused to recognize presidential elections in Abkhazia, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Saturday.
Presidential elections held on August 26 in Abkhazia, which NATO refuses to recognize as an independent state and considers it part of Georgia, were won by Alexander Ankvab, who received 54.86% of votes.
“The holding of such elections does not contribute to a peaceful and lasting settlement of the situation in Georgia,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a statement.
“The alliance reiterates its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders,” he added.
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Marcel Proust: Every day war is declared anew
Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
Marcel Proust
From Time Regained (1927)
Translated by Stephen Hudson
“The war continued indefinitely and those who had announced years ago from a reliable source that negotiations for peace had begun, specifying even the clauses of the armistice, did not take the trouble, when they talked with you, to excuse themselves for their false information. They had forgotten it and were ready sincerely to circulate other information which they would forget equally quickly. It was the period when there were continuous raids of Gothas. The air perpetually quivered with the vigilant and sonorous vibration of the French aeroplanes. But sometimes the siren rang forth like a harrowing appeal of the Walkyries, the only German music one had heard since the war — until the hour when the firemen announced that the alarm was finished, while the maroon, like an invisible newsboy, communicated the good news at regular intervals and cast its joyous clamour into the air.”
“…Be frank, my dear friend, you yourself exposed the theory to me that things only exist thanks to a perpetually renewed creation. You used to say that the creation of the world did not take place once and for all, but necessarily continues day by day. Well, if you said that in good faith you cannot except the war from that theory. It is all very well for our excellent Norpois to write (trotting out one of those rhetorical accessories he loves, like ‘the dawn of victory’ and ‘General Winter’) ‘now that Germany has wanted war, the die is cast’; the truth is that every day war is declared anew. Therefore he who wants to continue it is as culpable as he who began it, perhaps more, for the latter could not perhaps foresee all its horrors. And there is nothing to show that so prolonged a war, even if it has a victorious issue, will not have perils. It is difficult to talk about things which have no precedent and of repercussions on the organism of an operation which is attempted for the first time…”
“Nevertheless, what may not happen after such an exhaustion as that induced by an uninterrupted war lasting for several years? What will the men do when they come back? Will they be tired out? Will fatigue have broken them or driven them mad? All this may turn out badly, if not for France, at least for the Government and perhaps for the form of Government.”
“To return to the war itself: did the Emperor William begin it? I strongly doubt it and if so, what act has he committed that Napoleon, for instance, did not commit? Acts I, personally, consider abominable but I am astonished they should inspire so much horror in the Napoleonic incense-burners, in those who, on the day of the declaration of war, shrieked like General X: ‘I have been awaiting this day for forty years. It is the greatest day of my life;’ Heaven knows if anyone protested more loudly than I when society gave a disproportionate position to the Nationalists, to soldiers, when every friend of the Arts was accused of doing things which were injurious to the Fatherland, when every unwarlike civilisation was considered deleterious. Hardly an authentic social figure counted in comparison with a general.”
“And yet Germany uses so many of the same expressions as France that one might think that she’s copying her. She never stops saying that she is fighting for her existence. When I read: ‘We are fighting against an implacable and cruel enemy until we have obtained a peace which will guarantee our future against all aggression and in order that the blood of our brave soldiers should not have been shed in vain,’ or ‘who is not with us is against us’, I do not know if this phrase is Emperor William’s or M. Poincaré‘s, for each one has used the same words with variations twenty times, though to tell you the truth I must confess that the Emperor in this case was the imitator of the President of the Republic. France would not perhaps have held to prolonging the war if she had remained weak, but neither would Germany perhaps have been in such a hurry to finish it if she had not ceased to be strong…”
Updates on Libyan war/Stop NATO news: August 26, 2011
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NATO Destroys Yet Another Country
160-Day Air War: 20,395 NATO Sorties, 7,681 Air Strikes
British Warplanes Fire Missiles At Government Facility In Sirte
CIA Operating In Tripoli
NATO Proxy War In Libya Far From Over: Expert
ALBA Condemns NATO For Assault On Venezuelan Embassy In Libya
Syrians Fear NATO To Attack Their Country After Libya
NATO: Canada Third Largest Contributor To Bombing Of Libya
Libya: NATO’s Long-Drawn-Out Bay Of Pigs
German General: NATO “Played Decisive Role” In Libyan War
International Expert Says NATO Fights Proxy War In Libya
Barely Independent: U.S. AFRICOM Commander In South Sudan
NATO Conducts Integrated Interceptor Missile Test In Europe
Lockheed Opens New Testing Ground For Advanced Interceptor Missile
Northrop Produces Viper Strike Missiles For U.S. Marine Corps
NATO’s International Killing Machine At Work In Afghanistan
Afghan Drugs Destabilize Political Situation In Balkans: Russia
U.S. Drone Crashes At Pakistani Military Facility
U.S.-India Military Partnership Priority For Pentagon, Obama Administration
European Union Appoints New South Caucasus, Georgian Crisis Representative
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NATO Destroys Yet Another Country
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=111013
Pakistan Observer
August 26, 2011
NATO destroys yet another country
Geopolitical notes from India
M D Nalapat*
-[I]n the 21st century the UN seems to have regressed into the period between 1919 and 1939, when the League of Nations awarded “mandates” to dominant countries that permitted them to rule weaker ones. In the past decade, similar mandates have been proferred in the case of Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan. In the case of Libya, President Sarkozy’s takeover of the Libyan state via the creation of the NTC has been similarly legitimized by the UN in an astonishing abdication of principle.
-Over the past decade, tens of thousands of civilian deaths have resulted from NATO operations, without even a mild protest from the International Court or the Human Rights Council. Such inaction is leading to the same loss of respect for the UN system as took place in the past with the League of Nations, which became seen as being controlled by a small group for their own purposes.
-The use of military power for commercial advantage ought to have vanished when the 19th century did. Its reappearance in Iraq and Libya is a worrisome sign that NATO has not learnt the lessons of history.
Some years ago, on the Indian site http://www.bharat-rakshak.com, this columnist had written of the NATO militaries as resembling an army of simians. Such a force – if let loose within a confined space – can create immense damage, but are unable to clean up the resultant mess.
This is precisely what the world has witnessed in Iraq. Despite more than a decade of sanctions that directly resulted in nearly a million extra deaths during that period (because of shortages created by the UN-approved measures), the regime of Saddam Hussein was able to provide food, energy and housing to the people of Iraq, whereas eight years after “liberation” by key NATO members, the country and its population are worse off than before the 2003 invasion that led to the execution of Saddam Hussein.
As for Afghanistan, after a decade of the world’s most modern military force fighting against a ragtag band of insurgents, more than a third of the country is back in the hands of the Taliban, while a fifth of the rest is on the brink of a similar fate. As a consequence of its failure to subdue this force, NATO is desperately clutching at plans for engaging the “moderate Taliban”, an oxymoron if ever one was created.
Serbia has yet to recover from its brief burst of battle with NATO, and now Libya has joined the lengthening list of countries devastated by the attentions of NATO.
Clearly, the top brass in a military alliance designed to do battle in Europe against the USSR were reluctant to close shop. They have therefore redesigned NATO as a military instrument with multiple uses, especially against “asymmetric threats”, a term which refers to countries that have ramshackle militaries.
Both Saddam Hussein and Moammar Gaddafy followed the dictates of the NATO powers in surrendering whatever WMDs were in their possession, unlike Syria and North Korea, two countries that have been left undisturbed by NATO as a consequence. Clearly, military planners within the alliance are ready for action only against those rivals that have had their conventional capabilities degraded to the point at which they do not represent any significant risk against the alliance. Had George W. Bush and Tony Blair truly believed their own rhetoric about Saddam Hussein having WMD, they would never have sent their armies into Iraq the way they did.
As mentioned in these columns, Gaddafy’s fate got sealed when he accepted the advice of his Europe-dazzled sons to disarm and place the survival of his regime in the hands of NATO. Since 2003, Muammar Gaddafy dismantled his WMD program, synchronised his intelligence services with that of NATO and generally accepted each of the prescriptions handed over to him.
Had NATO been an alliance that respects reciprocity, all this ought to have made NATO turn a blind an eye to his battle with sections of the population as we have seen in the case of Bahrain, where the ruling family has been given a free hand to sort out the situation.
Instead, the situation changed when Nicolas Sarkozy was informed by French banks that Colonel Gaddafy may withdraw the immense bank deposits of Libya from them to institutions in China, and when he learnt that several contracts that French enterprises were expecting to come to them would vanish because Gaddafy wanted to spend less on French military and other toys and more on social services. Libya had to be made an example of, lest other Arab governments think of shifting their money elsewhere than within the NATO bloc as a consequence of the loss of $1.3 trillion by the GCC and its people alone because of the financial fraud perpetrated in 2008 by banks and other financial entities headquartered within the NATO bloc.
These days, companies based within NATO are finding it difficult to retain the monopoly position they have enjoyed, sometimes for generations. In particular, Chinese companies are challenging them in numerous markets, as are companies based elsewhere in Asia, including within South Korea and India. As a consequence, they now rely on military force to retain their privileges. This has been illustrated with commendable transparency in the case of Iraq and Libya. In the latter case, even though the fumes of battle have not ceased (and are unlikely to), oil companies such as ENI and Total are hard at work figuring out the assets they can seize because of the local victories of the Sarkozy-appointed “National Transitional Council”.
Interestingly, even though the NTC is a creation of Paris, the UN has accepted it as the legitimate government of Libya. Indeed, in the 21st century the UN seems to have regressed into the period between 1919 and 1939, when the League of Nations awarded “mandates” to dominant countries that permitted them to rule weaker ones. In the past decade, similar mandates have been proferred in the case of Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan. In the case of Libya, President Sarkozy’s takeover of the Libyan state via the creation of the NTC has been similarly legitimized by the UN in an astonishing abdication of principle.
However, just as in other locations, facts on the ground may not follow the script favoured by NATO. In the case of Libya, this columnist has warned for five months that the NATO intervention would only result in civil war and in the steady destruction of the infrastructure that made Libya one of the more prosperous countries in the region.
All this is at risk today, as chaos descends in the form of armed gangs set loose by NATO across the country. Not that there is ever any chance of those responsible for such a catastrophe being held accountable by so-called “international” bodies, most of which are now firmly in the control of the NATO powers in a way that their own economies are not. Over the past decade, tens of thousands of civilian deaths have resulted from NATO operations, without even a mild protest from the International Court or the Human Rights Council. Such inaction is leading to the same loss of respect for the UN system as took place in the past with the League of Nations, which became seen as being controlled by a small group for their own purposes.
Whether it is Libya or any other country, each has the right to develop its societal dynamic in its own way. Unless a country poses a threat to others, the way the Talban-controlled Afghanistan did, it is not a legitimate target for international action.
In the case of Libya, since 2003 Colonel Gaddafy disarmed his military of WMDs and fully cooperated with the US-led War on Terror. His fate has become a lesson to others who may have been tempted to follow in his path of conciliation with NATO.
Small wonder that the other regimes in the sights of NATO – Syria and Iran in particular – are in no hurry to follow the Libyan example. Rather than seek to finish off a leader who buried the hatchet publicly and fully the way Gaddafy did, NATO would have been better advised to show its magnanimity and its willingness to keep agreements in good faith.
That would have acted as an incentive for Syria, Iran and even North Korea to follow suit, thereby making the globe a safer place. Today, all three states – understandably – have zero faith in the bona fides of the NATO powers, and as a consequence are each going their own way. Combine this with the economic desolation seen within NATO (much of which has been caused by the huge spike in military spending caused by foreign adventures), and overall even the medium-term prognosis for NATO is dim, despite the smiles of congratulation at the advance of NATO proxies into Tripoli.
Unlike during the Vietnam war, when the Pentagon extensively sourced its procurement from Asia, the Bush-Cheney team sought to give US entities a monopoly over the supply of the items needed, even items as militarily inconsequential as toothpaste. The result of such an autarchic policy has been a big increase in spending, with the US alone spending more than a trillion dollars in its wars with Iraq and Afghanistan.
Indeed, we have seen this use of the state machinery to block competition across several sectors. The EU, for example, has banned Indian pharmaceuticals from its market, despite the low cost and high quality of medicines produced in India.
Just now, the EU has banned Samsung hi-tech products. A time will come when Asia bans German cars and French defense equipment in retaliation for the frequent bans on Asian products on specious grounds. The US and the EU cannot protect their way out of economic trouble. They need to give their citizens access to the benefits of a global market, rather than break every canon that they have been preaching for decades.
As for NATO, it will soon become clear that while it may be possible to defeat a ramshackle force with the massive use of airpower, that may not translate into monopoly privileges over Libyan oil reserves. Should China or India come up with better terms than Italian or French companies, the people of Libya will ensure that their government act in a way that protects their interests, rather than only those of NATO. The use of military power for commercial advantage ought to have vanished when the 19th century did. Its reappearance in Iraq and Libya is a worrisome sign that NATO has not learnt the lessons of history.
*The writer is Vice-Chair, Manipal Advanced Research Group, UNESCO Peace Chair & Professor of Geopolitics, Manipal University, Haryana State, India.
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160-Day Air War: 20,395 NATO Sorties, 7,681 Air Strikes
http://www.nato.int/nato_static/assets/pdf/pdf_2011_08/20110826_110826-oup-update.pdf
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
August 26, 2011
NATO and Libya
Allied Joint Force Command NAPLES, SHAPE, NATO HQ
…
Over the past 24 hours, NATO has conducted the following activities associated with Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR:
Air Operations
Since the beginning of the NATO operation (31 March 2011, 06.00GMT) a total of 20,395 sorties, including 7,681 strike sorties, have been conducted.
Sorties conducted 25 AUGUST: 133
Strike sorties conducted 25 AUGUST: 46
…
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British Warplanes Fire Missiles At Government Facility In Sirte
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-08/26/c_131077605.htm
Xinhua News Agency
August 26, 2011
British forces fire missiles at Gaddafi stronghold
LONDON: British military officials on Friday confirmed that RAF Tornado GR4s struck a military facility in Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s stronghold of Sirte.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that “a formation of Tornado GR4s fired a salvo of Storm Shadow precision-guided missiles against a large headquarters bunker” in Sirte.
The bunker housed a command and control center. There is no indication that Gaddafi was in Sirte or in the bunker itself at the time of the attack.
…
As events in Tripoli continue to unfold, with reports of fighting continuing, as well as members of Libya’s National Transitional Council beginning to move into the city, it has been announced that an international conference on Libya co-chaired by British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will be held in Paris next week.
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CIA Operating In Tripoli
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/26/55186178.html
Voice of Russia
August 25, 2011
CIA joins search for Gaddafi
US intelligence has joined in the search for Muammar Gaddafi, a White House spokesman said in Washington on Thursday.
He said CIA operatives, reconnaissance planes and drones were all being used in the operation. The CIA believes the embattled Libyan leader may be hiding in one of an estimated 40 shelters in the capital Tripoli and elsewhere in the country.
The Americans share the obtained information with the opposition Transitional National Council.
Meanwhile, in a radio address on Thursday Gaddafi urged his supporters to take up arms and crush the rebels.
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NATO Proxy War In Libya Far From Over: Expert
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/26/55214837.html
Voice of Russia
August 26, 2011
Libyan conflict far from being over
Polina Chernitsa
Libya’s National Transitional Council has moved from Benghazi to Tripoli. Opposition members say that from now on, all political guidance will be provided from the official capital, which the rebel army would never be able to occupy without NATO assistance. This sensational statement may expose the alliance’s reputation to risk and is fraught with major political complications within the coalition, experts claim.
Colonel Fadlallah Harun, the official spokesman for the NTC’s armed force, said, in particular, that NATO’s role was generally limited to forming battle groups to be secretly redeployed to Tripoli. Another evidence of the alliance’s ground presence in Libya was established by British and French journalists. Such a scenario was rather predictable, according to deputy director of the Institute for African Studies Leonid Fituni.
“Three weeks ago, NATO claimed to be acting in compliance with the UN Security Council’s resolution banning it from direct interference in the conflict. Today we see that all conventions were discarded and NATO got involved in Libya’s confrontation as a third party, the rebel’s ally. This was obvious even before the assault of Tripoli when NATO instructors began to appear in the opposition ranks. Thus, Tripoli was attacked not so much by Libyan rebels as members of NATO security services disguised as Arabs. It was them who cleared the way for the opposition to enter a direct fight against Gaddafi troops. If the US now joins the search for the Colonel, this will mean an open phase of the ground operation,” Leonid Fituni said.
Despite the National Transitional Council’s official statements, video and photo evidence, NATO leaders keep insisting that its activity does not run counter to the UNSC’s mandate. On August 23rd, its spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said NATO had no troops on the ground and was not going to ever fall back on their help.
Such a course of events may have a negative impact on the Alliance itself. Experts say a number of UN Security Council’s member states are likely to express their condemnation over the situation soon. If it fails to prevent a split within its own ranks, NATO will be suspended from the power transfer process in Libya, which will inevitably demoralize the opposition, Leonid Fituni goes on to say.
“The opposition proclaimed that it had seized power. However, the absence of a common enemy during any revolution leads to the sides’ getting into an argument as to who was right and who was wrong. Eventually, a moment will come when one of the groups proves to be stronger than the others and starts sorting things out in its own way,” Leonid Fituni concluded.
According to some experts, both NATO and Libyan rebels drove themselves into a trap when occupying Tripoli. First of all, Gaddafi’s whereabouts and capacity are still unknown, with his followers still controlling a number of the capital’s districts. Analysts say Tripoli’s surrender could have only been a tactical move. Secondly, the NTC acknowledged the day before that it cannot put an end to marauding within its army, which may provoke a feedback from local residents who are still considered loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. In other words, the conflict in Libya is far from being over and may even linger for a long time in view of the new circumstances.
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ALBA Condemns NATO For Assault On Venezuelan Embassy In Libya
http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/6446
Venezuelanalysis
August 25, 2011
ALBA and Others Condemn Armed Assault on Venezuela’s Diplomatic Residence in Libya
By Juan Reardon
-“They have torn apart a country, and it wasn’t Gadafi who did it. They have set the country ablaze, and it wasn’t Gadafi who did it – no, it was precisely imperial madness and capitalism’s global crisis who did it,” said Chavez.
Reports estimate that recent NATO bombings of the Libyan capital have resulted in over 2,000 deaths in Tripoli alone, with the total number of dead expected to rise.
Chavez said he was concerned that the “tragedy in Libya has just begun” as rumors spread about a possible ground invasion by NATO special forces.
San Francisco: On Wednesday Venezuela’s ambassador in Libya denounced the looting of his official residence by armed men, calling the assault “a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty” by “NATO itself.” The governments of Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, among other ALBA nations, denounced the violent attack as a “breach of international law,” as did Venezuela’s ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV).
Speaking to TeleSUR on Wednesday, Venezuelan Ambassador to Libya Afif Tajeldine explained that “a group of armed men” had shot their way in to the official residence, “began searching the house and asking for me,” before “looting all things, including the vehicles, the entire house, leaving nothing in the residence and shooting in the air as they left.”
“This is an act that violates international law, since this site is part of our territory, Venezuelan territory, which they must respect as such,” said the ambassador.
This breach of international law, affirmed Tajeldine, “was carried out by armed groups supported by NATO, leading us to consider it a violation, by NATO itself, of our sovereignty.”
Venezuela’s Tajeldine pointed out that it was the official residence, and not the embassy, that had suffered yesterday’s attacks, clarifying conflicting reports including comments made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez that the country’s embassy had been ransacked.
“At the embassy itself nothing has yet occurred,” he said.
Condemnation of the Armed Assault
In response to the attack on the diplomatic residence, the countries that make up the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) released a statement “deploring” what they called another “violation of international law,” caused by the “the illegal military aggression by NATO governments and their allies.”
“The countries of the Bolivarian Alliance congregate votes so that this important African country (Libya) recovers the road to peace and harmony and so that the internal conflict in Libya find a political solution that preserves its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” read the statement.
The governments of Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines all signed the condemnation.
In Argentina on Thursday, the countries meeting at the Forum for Cooperation between Latin American and East Asia (FOCALAE) added their collective “condemnation” of the armed assault, calling it “a clear violation of the principles of international law.”
Venezuelan Vice Minister of Foreign Relations Temir Porras, present at this week’s FOCALAE summit, thanked his colleagues for the “show of solidarity” and said that the importance of the collective statement was that it “denounced the chaos sowed in Tripoli by these armed groups.”
Venezuela’s ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), the largest party in the country with some seven million members, also denounced the attack.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, International Affairs Secretary of the PSUV Rodrigo Cabezas denounced the attack on Venezuela’s representatives in Libya within the context of NATO’s war on Libya.
“That country (Libya), and our country (Venezuela), are members of the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) and we know that we will always face the transnational threat, the imperial outlook, because we are oil nations.”
Cabezas went on to affirm that the PSUV “demands compliance with international law as it relates to the Venezuelan embassy in Libya, and that our representatives in that country be given immunity.”
Cabezas explained that since NATO first began bombing Libya in March 2011, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez “had formulated proposals to the world with respect to finding peaceful alternatives, based on dialogue, a negotiated settlement of the conflicts that exist among the Libyan people.”
On Wednesday, Venezuela’s Chavez said NATO and its allies “are demolishing the country [Libya] for the entire world to see, cutting it into pieces” and affirmed that Venezuela had “fulfilled its moral commitment by denouncing [the NATO war] from the very first day.”
“Independent of the internal situation in Libya,” said Chavez, “nothing justifies this outrageous act, a disregard for the world, a threat towards the entire world.”
“They have torn apart a country, and it wasn’t Gadafi who did it. They have set the country ablaze, and it wasn’t Gadafi who did it – no, it was precisely imperial madness and capitalism’s global crisis who did it,” said Chavez.
Reports estimate that recent NATO bombings of the Libyan capital have resulted in over 2,000 deaths in Tripoli alone, with the total number of dead expected to rise.
Chavez said he was concerned that the “tragedy in Libya has just begun” as rumors spread about a possible ground invasion by NATO special forces.
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Syrians Fear NATO To Attack Their Country After Libya
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/26/55202767.html
Voice of Russia
August 26, 2011
Syria fears Libya’s fate
Oleg Gribkov and Natalya Kovalenko
Damascus fears that NATO may redeploy its forces to Syria after the termination of its military campaign in Libya. If this happens, Syria’s prospects for democratic development will be killed stone dead, according to both left-wing and liberal groups of that country’s moderate opposition.
Member of the Syrian Communist Party’s political bureau Najmeddin Khreit is sure the time is ripe for reforms in his country. Even though its economic situation is better than in other riot-stricken Arab countries, the life of ordinary people is becoming increasingly difficult. Yes, unemployment rates are not as high as in Egypt or Tunisia but they keep growing, especially among the youth, and have eroded the society alongside a simultaneous increase in corruption. Our frozen political system, Najmeddin Khreit says, prevented us from having a free discussion of all the problems and ways to solve them.
The last few months witnessed a launch of democratic changes but even leaders of the ruling Baath Party recognize that it was already late for reforms. The situation only escalated when the regime’s radical opponents appealed to arms, Najmeddin Khreit explains.
“For the sake of our homeland and its interests, all Syrians have to join efforts and help the country out of the crisis. The most urgent objective is to stop violence on both sides because it can only generate more violence in response. Of course, armed anti-government groups should cease their raids. The authorities need to promptly start a broad dialogue with the opposition and also cope with the issue of partially released political prisoners. These measures will create conditions for doing away with the crisis if taken without delay, in view of the world’s alarming situation,” Najmeddin Khreit said.
Nearly the same ideas were outlined by authoritative Syrian human rights activist Salim Kheirbek in his recent letter to President Bashar al-Assad. Kheirbek, who spent 13 years in prison for his beliefs, possesses quite a variety of awards for his activity. He said presidential administration officials were favorably disposed when receiving his letter and even met with him several times. Salim Kheirbek is sure reforms should not be delayed and shared his view with our correspondent. Being a graduate of the Moscow-based Peoples’ Friendship University, he has a good command of Russian.
“With Gaddafi’s rule about to end, NATO will most likely send its forces to Syria. Our president believes they are preparing for an attack against us, which will hardly facilitate democratic changes. I have no idea of what will happen to Syria in such a case,” Salim Kheirbek says.
Damascus is anxiously following the developments in Libya. Neither Syrian leaders nor constructive opposition want a repetition of the Libyan scenario which will cost a lot to ordinary citizens, like any of the NATO-masterminded campaigns.
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NATO: Canada Third Largest Contributor To Bombing Of Libya
National Post
August 25, 2011
Canada contributed a disproportionate amount to Libya air strikes: sources
Tom Blackwell
Canadian fighter jets were in the air again this week, striking at the Gaddafi regime’s tanks and artillery, part of this country’s surprisingly substantial contribution to the five-month-long NATO bombing campaign in Libya.
As one of three nations carrying out the bulk of the sometimes-controversial air war, Canada with its aging CF-18 fighters has made a contribution clearly disproportionate to the compact size of its air force, say alliance and academic sources.
While Britain and France have about three times as many fighter-bombers in the operation as this country and are usually credited with most of the fighting, Canada has been close behind in its role, said a NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
It has also provided three planes for air-to-air refuelling and two reconnaissance aircraft, all of the crews based in the Italian island of Sicily. Canada is among a handful of NATO members that took on the bulk of the mission after the U.S. withdrew its 50 or so fighter jets early in the campaign.
“The burden of the strike sorties fell on the shoulders of predominately the Canadians, the British and the French,” said the NATO official. “I must say that, Canada in particular, being the smaller of the three air forces, once again punched well above its weight.”
NATO was keeping up its campaign on Thursday — bombing Sirte, Col. Gaddafi’s birthplace. Meanwhile, fighting continued to rage over pockets of Tripoli…
Support for the operation among Canadians has been mixed, amid accusations of mission creep and controversy about civilian casualties; it seems clear, however, that for better or worse this country has well exceeded the peripheral role that many observers expected it to play.
The six CF-18s — backed up by one spare — have logged 733 bombing sorties above the North African nation, while the Canadian refuelling and reconnaissance aircraft have added hundreds more flights.
“The folks that are flying are flying hard and they’re flying a high tempo of operations,” said Brigadier-General Derek Joyce, commander of Task Force Libeccio, as the Italy-based Canadian team is called…
It is difficult to get a precise picture of who is contributing what to the campaign, said Prof. Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute, a British defence think-tank.
However, “the Canadians are reported to be doing a lot of [sorties],” he said in an emailed response to questions. “Only Canada, France and the U.K., among the allies, have kept up a constant high tempo of ground attacks. The other five who have done some attacking have been more variable. Also, Canada has the right aircraft for the role and has more appropriate weapons systems to deploy than some other allies.”
…
Critics complain that the campaign has morphed into an attempt to overthrow the Gaddafi regime, as targets have grown to include the ruler’s family compounds in Tripoli, and several of his family members were reportedly killed by NATO bombs.
The Canadian CF-18s conduct two types of missions — planned “air interdiction” attacks on static military infrastructure, including buildings used for command and control, plus “surveillance, co-ordination and reconnaissance” sorties where pilots hunt for government tanks and other mobile weaponry to bomb, said Brig.-Gen. Joyce from his Naples headquarters. There was an initial sense of “euphoria” among the Canadians this week when rebels started streaming into Tripoli, but the pilots have continued their strikes, as it became clear the regime was still alive, firing artillery and rockets into Tripoli and other cities, the commander said.
…
Civilian casualties have repeatedly sparked concern, with Italy at one point calling for a pause in bombing…
…
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Libya: NATO’s Long-Drawn-Out Bay Of Pigs
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20110826/166211240.html
Russian Information Agency Novosti
August 26, 2011
NATO troops in Libya: No entry, no exit
Konstantin Bogdanov
-Libya, of course, is not the “Bay of Pigs” where in April 1961 CIA-trained Cuban exiles, backed by the U.S. Air Force, landed on the island in the hope that they would overthrow the Castro regime. The European allies are getting bogged down in Libya much more slowly and therefore more deeply. All they can do is clench their teeth and try to push on through until victory can be proclaimed, if not actually achieved.
The Libyan rebels’ somewhat dubious success in Tripoli threatens to draw NATO into a ground operation while Washington is wondering whether the European coalition was right to rush into battle.
Who is fighting on the side of the rebels in Libya?
The saga of Tripoli’s fall and the toppling of the Gaddafi regime in Libya continues. The European allies seem to be launching a new phase of their Libyan operation, one that is marked by even greater military involvement. So far, only one thing is certain: increased activity in terms of technical intelligence gathering and on the part of the Special Forces.
“I can confirm that NATO is providing intelligence and reconnaissance assets to the NTC (National Transitional Council) to help them track down Colonel Gaddafi and other remnants of the regime,” Britain’s Defense Minister Liam Fox said Thursday in an interview with Sky News.
But all the signs are that this involvement is not limited to sharing intelligence with the rebels. Citing UK defense sources, The Daily Telegraph reported “the SAS has been in Libya for several weeks.” If the newspaper’s sources are to be believed, British Special Forces “played a key role in coordinating the fall of Tripoli” and that they were even to be found mingling in rebel ranks “dressed in Arab civilian clothing and carrying the same weapons as the rebels.”
The Special Forces being referred to are the elite 22 SAS Regiment comprising experts in air assault and counter-terrorist operations. The newspaper’s sources add that SAS men will now be re-oriented to hunting down Gaddafi. Reporting Liam Fox’s interview with Sky News, Reuters noted that he declined to comment on this Daily Telegraph story.
The French President Nicolas Sarkozy was less ambivalent than Fox, and on Wednesday he denied reports that French Special Forces were involved in the ground operation in Libya. This denial proved timely, considering the proliferation of unconfirmed reports online about French Foreign Legion fighters taking part in the operation around Tripoli. There are also reports of Arab mercenaries from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and members of private security firms being engaged in combat operations in Libya.
Earlier Gaddafi announced that his forces had captured Iraqi and Egyptian mercenaries who were fighting with the rebels. True, these individuals were never paraded before the journalists, and the fact that the alleged incident was not exploited to the max places a question mark over the initial claims.
NATO boots on the ground?
Despite the heavy media and blogger presence around Tripoli nobody has yet provided convincing evidence of direct European military participation in the ground operation, although it is probable.
First, the initial phase of the storm of Tripoli went so smoothly that raises the suspicion that it was carried out by well-trained units with a much broader tactical prowess than the ragtag rebel army can surely muster.
Second, the direct participation of NATO personnel on the ground is inevitable: coordinating air strikes within city limits required qualified people who were both familiar with modern battlefield reconnaissance systems and up to date on NATO target identification procedure.
The theory that these professionals could be trained up by NATO instructors locally within two to three months should be dismissed as totally unrealistic. That is barely enough time to prepare passable cannon fodder, i.e. to train people not so much to use modern military hardware and weaponry as to obey discipline and form combat units.
That is the most that can be achieved within such a short time. Such doubts seem to be reinforced by The Daily Telegraph reports that the British SAS embedded in the rebel ranks had effectively organized and conducted the storm of Tripoli and are now hunting Gaddafi.
One can issue any number of denials of the European commandos’ presence on the ground in Libya, but world practice of covert support for similar operations suggests that if the Special Forces are not present, it indeed would be such an extraordinary approach, so very much out-of-the-box, that it would require an explanation.
So, NATO is most probably involved in the ground operation. The strength and scale of this operation remain to be seen, and the exact functions it is performing (apart from the air support and intelligence transfers admitted officially) also require some clarification.
A short victorious war for the new Entente
The slow pace of the Libyan campaign may be in some way related to the thinking of those running the operation: just one little push and everything will come tumbling down all by itself. Perhaps “the Arab spring”, which swept away several regimes across North Africa and the Middle East, gave Paris and London a false sense that the Gaddafi regime was on its last legs.
But the Gaddafi regime is not crumbling yet. Force and perhaps even a full-scale invasion will be needed to finish it off. Everyone, except perhaps the euphoric rebels, oppose that scenario. However, NATO finds it hard to backtrack and will find it harder with every day the Libyan campaign lasts.
But is this talk of NATO correct? Looking at what led up to this Libyan adventure and considering how events unfolded, it should be called a Franco-British operation – of course with a sprinkling of other Europeans, Americans and Arabs from the Gulf States. Moreover, the secondary coalition members, who can hardly be described as having been enthusiastic from the start (not counting the Arabs), have been gradually scaling down their participation in the operation. This is especially true of the United States.
On Tuesday former U.S. NATO envoy Kurt Volker published a long, bitter and acerbic article in the journal Foreign Policy about the woeful lack of coordination between European countries and the U.S. in this joint NATO-led operation.
…
France and Britain have not been very successful in pursuing this complex campaign independently. Not that the European powers are lacking in ambition: last autumn Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron essentially committed themselves to forming a close bilateral military-political alliance. That included joint military deployment where it is in the two countries’ common interests as well as joint control and improvement of their nuclear forces.
The Libyan operation has become the first test of this “new Entente.” It seems to be punching above its weight.
Libya, of course, is not the “Bay of Pigs” where in April 1961 CIA-trained Cuban exiles, backed by the U.S. Air Force, landed on the island in the hope that they would overthrow the Castro regime. The European allies are getting bogged down in Libya much more slowly and therefore more deeply. All they can do is clench their teeth and try to push on through until victory can be proclaimed, if not actually achieved.
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German General: NATO “Played Decisive Role” In Libyan War
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15346089,00.html
Deutsche Welle
August 26, 2011
NATO has ‘played a decisive role’ in Libya
NATO has played and continues to play a decisive role in the Libyan rebels’ campaign to topple Moammar Gadhafi and his regime, says retired German General Egon Ramms.
NATO is continuing its air campaign in Libya and turning its attention to Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte. The alliance is also providing Libyan rebels intelligence so they can get a clearer picture about what is happening around the capital Tripoli, according to retired German General Egon Ramms.
Bettina Klein of Deutschlandfunk radio spoke to Ramms about NATO’s role in Libya and if it has stayed within the bounds of its UN-approved mandate.
Bettina Klein: In your estimation, what role have NATO countries played in the recent developments in Libya?
Egon Ramms: In considering NATO’s mission that began in March, I think the alliance has played a decisive role in helping the rebels push forward. If you remember, Gadhafi almost succeeded in pushing the rebels back to Benghazi at one point. I think that without NATO support, the rebels would not have been able to make it to Tripoli. NATO is still engaged in giving the rebels intelligence and, I’d say, clarifying the situation on the ground in Tripoli. You see now in the reporting on Gadhafi, his sons and the events in Tripoli that we are still faced with a very fluid situation.
…
British Defense Minister Liam Fox made statements, perhaps inadvertently, about the participation of NATO troops or troops from NATO member states in the hunt for Gadhafi. Would that be covered by NATO’s mandate?
No! That would clearly not be covered by the NATO mandate. Mandate 1973 from March talks about air support and the protection of the civil population – it does not allow for anything else. That means any additional actions or participation would have to be approved in a new mandate in the UN Security Council. I don’t see that happening right now. And the question of armed forces in Libya when Gadhafi is captured and the fighting is over is a difficult one, because you have a lot of different interest groups involved in the equation.
That means it look like troops there are acting without a mandate?
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What do you make of the German government’s position? It’s trying to draw attention to its own contribution by saying that its abstention on the Libya vote in the UN Security Council was right.
I don’t see it that way. The abstention in the Security Council was not right because it simply sent out the wrong message to NATO’s underlying principle of solidarity. The decision made at the time – where Germany sided with Russia, China, Brazil and India – sent the wrong message to the other NATO members in the Security Council as well as NATO member states in general. In retrospect, it has to be said that when you consider the critical situation in Benghazi in the latter half of March, the rebels’ progress was actually made possible by the British and the French who intervened very quickly.
The NATO mission is basically meant to protect the civilian population. Earlier this year, we had a debate about what protecting the civil population actually means – possibly that it means providing the rebels with weapons and intelligence to support them in their fight against Gadhafi. So we’re in a legal grey zone. Is it just a kind of interpretation that hasn’t been thought through or discussed to the end?
It’s certainly true that it hasn’t been discussed to the end. And I’d like to point out that due to different national laws in the individual NATO member states, different interpretations of the mandate are possible. Some countries such as France and Britain interpret it more offensively and some like the United States a bit more reservedly. And then there are states, for example like Poland and Germany, who interpret the mandate from a much more defense-oriented standpoint.
Interviewer: Bettina Klein
Editor: Rob Mudge
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International Expert Says NATO Fights Proxy War In Libya
http://gbcghana.com/index.php?id=1.358617.1.534850
Ghana Broadcasting Corporation
August 25, 2011
International expert on NATO and Libyan crisis
A Research Fellow at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy, Dr. Yao Gebe, says the end of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi has not come yet.
He thinks as long as Col. Gaddafi evades capture, the situation remains murky.
In an interview with GBC’s Radio Ghana, Dr. Gebe said the rebel forces could not have achieved the upper hand in the fighting without support from NATO and other Western powers.
He accused NATO of going beyond the UN mandate over Libya.
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Barely Independent: U.S. AFRICOM Commander In South Sudan
http://www.sudantribune.com/U-S-Africom-commander-starts-a,39944
Sudan Tribune
August 25, 2011
U.S. Africom commander starts a visit to South Sudan
JUBA, South Sudan: The Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Carter F. Ham arrived in South Sudan capital of Juba for talks on the government’s strategy to boost internal security in the newly established state.
South Sudan officially seceded from the rest of Sudan last month and countries around the world were quick to recognize the new nation.
North and South Sudan fought more than two decades of civil war that ultimately ended through a U.S. brokered peace deal which gave Southerners the right of self determination.
But daunting challenges are facing South Sudan, particularly the outbreak of several rebellions as well as tribal clashes.
Last week around 600 people were killed and hundreds other wounded in fighting that erupted between Murle tribe and the Lou-Nuer tribe.
In his meeting with Africom commander, President Salva Kiir commended the role being played by the US in facilitating peace and security to the people of South Sudan, according to a statement on the government’s website.
Kiir called for Washington’s help in building the military capacity of South Sudan.
Gen. Ham said in a press statement that the meeting discussed principle topics on military partnership between the two countries.
He added the partnership would provide the armies in both states a framework for close collaboration in addressing security concerns in the future.
…
The Africom chief also presented to Kiir a symbol of military partnership between the in form of a silver jar.
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NATO Conducts Integrated Interceptor Missile Test In Europe
http://www.mmdnewswire.com/nato-missile-defences-63696.html
Mass Media Distribution
August 25, 2011
NATO missile defences pass first field test
-”This is a very significant event for NATO. It has, for the first time, demonstrated that NATO ballistic missile defence capabilities from a number of Alliance members, including the US, can operate in a seamless manner under a unified command structure to accomplish this new NATO mission.”
-In line with the Lisbon Summit decision of November 2010, the ALTBMD capability will also be expanded to protect NATO European territory and populations as well as deployed NATO forces.
NATO has taken a significant step forward in providing its commanders the capability to defend deployed forces against attacks from ballistic missiles. The NATO Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence (ALTBMD) Interim Capability, which was made available to the NATO operational community at the end of last year, has been successfully tested in a realistic operational environment.
The test was the first of two field tests scheduled by NATO’s commanders prior to the missile defence capability being declared as having reached military initial operating capability.
Challenging scenario
The test took place between 22 and 24 August and was conducted in conjunction with a previously-planned test of the command and control network of the United States Ballistic Missile Defence System’s European Components. The test involved operational units from Germany, the Netherlands, United States systems and the NATO command and control headquarters in Uedem and Ramstein, Germany. The units involved include Patriot missile battalions from Germany and the Netherlands, US Aegis systems, as well as the command and control headquarters for the US and NATO forces.
The units involved in the test responded to a simulated attack. They received information from space- and land-based sensors about a simulated ballistic missile attack, and executed simulated interception missions against that attack, based on tactical information shared between all of the participating units under the direction of the NATO commander.
“This is a very significant event for NATO. It has, for the first time, demonstrated that NATO ballistic missile defence capabilities from a number of Alliance members, including the US, can operate in a seamless manner under a unified command structure to accomplish this new NATO mission,” said General Alessandro Pera, Programme Manager of NATO ALTBMD. “It is an excellent beginning for NATO’s growing capability in this new mission area.”
Under the ALTBMD Programme, NATO provides a command and control system that links sensors and interceptors from nations into a capability that can protect deployed forces from ballistic missile attacks.
The ALTBMD Programme Office will continue to upgrade the NATO Command and Control System for Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence in incremental steps from 2013 to 2018, to field a more robust operational capability. In line with the Lisbon Summit decision of November 2010, the ALTBMD capability will also be expanded to protect NATO European territory and populations as well as deployed NATO forces.
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Lockheed Opens New Testing Ground For Advanced Interceptor Missile
WAFF
August 22, 2011
Lockheed Martin announces new location for missile testing
By Kym Graves
Lockheed Martin announced they will be expanding local manufacturing to include testing on a new missile in Lawrence County.
Officials with the company said their Courtland facility will start testing the standard missile-3 Block IIB (SM-3 IIB).
It’s a 660-acre development facility that’s already up and running, It’s located 45 minutes outside of Huntsville.
The facility is now used to assemble, integrate and test ballistic missiles. Officials at Lockheed Martin said keeping more of these projects local is key.
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Lockheed Martin is a ***global security*** company that employs about 126,000 people worldwide.
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Northrop Produces Viper Strike Missiles For U.S. Marine Corps
http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2011/08/northrop_grumman_to_produce_vi.html
Huntsville Times
August 25, 2011
Northrop Grumman to produce Viper Strike missiles for Marines
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama: Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract to produce additional Viper Strike missiles for the Marines’ Harvest Hawk aircraft as well as the KC-130J refueling and cargo aircraft.
Under the terms of the contract, Northrop will deliver the missiles this year to the Joint Attack Munition Systems Project Office within the Program Executive Office Missiles and Space at Redstone Arsenal. The Viper Strikes are produced at Northrop’s facility in Huntsville. The company did not release the value of the contract nor the number of missiles it will deliver.
The Viper Strikes on Harvest Hawk have updated software to enhance their effectiveness against moving targets. During flight testing at China Lake, Calif., the missiles scored multiple hits against moving vehicles in a variety of scenarios.
The Viper Strike is a 3-foot long, unpowered glider. It can be launched from long distances using GPS-aided navigation and a laser seeker.
Its size, precision and high agility [make it] suitable for urban warfare.
The laser guidance also enables the missile to hit vehicles – moving or stationary – and small targets, Northrop said.
“In today’s irregular warfare environment, Viper Strike provides the right characteristics needed to support our warfighters in the current fight – high precision and agility to hit moving and stationary targets in complex terrain..,” said Steve Considine, programs director, Aviation and Weapons for Northrop Grumman’s Land and Self Protection Systems Division. “The KC-103J represents the latest military airborne asset to be equipped with Viper Strike’s formidable capabilities.”
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NATO’s International Killing Machine At Work In Afghanistan
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/26/55211935.html
Voice of Russia
August 26, 2011
NATO planes kill five Afghan civilians
NATO aircraft killed five Afghan civilians, including three women, when attacking the assumed positions of Taliban militants in the east of Afghanistan. This comes in a report by the Xinhua news agency with reference to the local authorities.
The planes attacked an area in the Logar province, about 60 kilometres south of Kabul…
Later on, three bodies of civilians were found on the site of the airstrike.
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Afghan Drugs Destabilize Political Situation In Balkans: Russia
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/26/55208108.html
Voice of Russia
August 26, 2011
Afghan drug production destabilizes political situation in Balkans
Afghan drug production is destabilizing the political situation in the Balkans, which serves as a transshipment point for some 70% of heroin, says the Chief of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service Victor Ivanov in an interview with the ITAR-TASS news agency.
According to the official, major cartels not only take care of shipping drugs, but draw extensively on their huge funds to set political objectives.
According to the United Nations, some 150 tons of heroin are shipped from Afghanistan via the Balkans.
Victor Ivanov says that the Balkan route got a second breath since NATO launched its military operation in Afghanistan, with subsequent drug production growing 40-fold.
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U.S. Drone Crashes At Pakistani Military Facility
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8419&Cat=13
News International
August 26, 2011
US drone crashes in Chaman
By Muhammad Ejaz Khan
QUETTA: An unmanned US spy plane crashed on the premises of the Frontier Corps (FC) Fort near the Pak-Afghan border in Chaman, some 120 kilometers from here, on Thursday evening.
Reports reaching here said that the drone crashed while flying over the FC Cantonment in Chaman and was completely destroyed. FC officials said that the cause of the crash might be some technical faults developed in the plane. Sources said the plane entered Pakistani territory near 5:30 pm and crashed around Iftar time. The Frontier Corps had taken away the debris of the plane and an investigation is under way. The sources said that the US or Nato officials have not yet contacted the Pakistani authorities concerning the crash.
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U.S.-India Military Partnership Priority For Pentagon, Obama Administration
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=65131
U.S. Department of Defense
American Forces Press Service
August 25, 2011
Routine Interactions Build U.S-India Defense Relations
By Cheryl Pellerin
-All three of the Indian military’s current service chiefs went to school in the United States during their careers, Scher noted.
“Air Marshal [Norman Anil Kumar] Browne graduated from the Air Command and Staff College, he said. “General [Vijay Kumar] Singh is a graduate of both the U.S. Army Ranger School and the U.S. Army War College. And Adm. [Nirmal Kumar] Verma is a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College.”
-India routinely has more exercises with the United States than with any other country, Scher noted. “Over the last six years, we’ve done nearly 50 major exercises with India…and our exercises are evolving in complexity,” he said.
-Defense sales to India increased from virtually no defense trade relationship in the 1990s to nearly $6 billion today in foreign military sales alone, Scher said.
WASHINGTON: The U.S.-India defense relationship is a natural partnership created by shared interests and values and driven by increasingly routine day-to-day interactions, a senior Defense Department official said here today.
Robert Scher, deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, spoke to an audience at the New America Foundation.
Day-to-day successes that lay the groundwork for the U.S.-India defense relationship are rarely in the spotlight, Scher said, “but they are an important factor in driving our relationship forward and helping us understand each other.”
The U.S.-India relationship is a priority for the Obama administration and the Defense Department, Scher said, one that President Barack Obama has called a defining partnership of the 21st century. In recent years, he added, high-level visits have cemented the commitment of both nations to the bilateral relationship.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the United States in 2009, and Obama traveled to India in 2010. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s July attendance at the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue was her second trip there as secretary of state.
“India is a major regional and global power,” Scher said. “We view our relationship with India as a partnership…with a commonality of security interests in the Indian Ocean region and beyond.”
…
Three key areas in the U.S.-India defense relationship are people-to-people ties, military engagement and defense sales, the deputy assistant secretary of defense said.
Examples of people-to-people ties include attendance by service members from both nations at U.S. and Indian military educational institutions, Scher said.
“In 2010, we had nearly 100 members of the Indian armed services at military schools or courses in the United States,” he said…
All three of the Indian military’s current service chiefs went to school in the United States during their careers, Scher noted.
“Air Marshal [Norman Anil Kumar] Browne graduated from the Air Command and Staff College, he said. “General [Vijay Kumar] Singh is a graduate of both the U.S. Army Ranger School and the U.S. Army War College. And Adm. [Nirmal Kumar] Verma is a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College.”
In the United States, Scher added, retired Navy Adm. Walter L. Doran attended the Indian Defense Service Staff College in Wellington, Tamil Nadu, India, in 1979. There, he formed a close relationship with Indian colleagues who included former Indian Chief of Naval Staff Adm. Arun Prakash and Adm. Sureesh Mehta.
…
The U.S. Naval Postgraduate School recently formalized a memorandum of understanding with India’s Defense Institute of Advanced Technology, he added.
“This September,” Scher told the group, “they will jointly conduct a defeating-terrorism workshop that will bring together senior leaders from both sides, including the director general of India’s Defense Research Development Organization and the [U.S.] chief of naval research to discuss ways to leverage research capabilities to contribute to the defeat of terrorism.”
A similar workshop on cybersecurity is planned for the near future, he said.
…
Military-to-military engagements are another element of the U.S.-India defense partnership, Scher said.
…
India routinely has more exercises with the United States than with any other country, Scher noted. “Over the last six years, we’ve done nearly 50 major exercises with India…and our exercises are evolving in complexity,” he said.
Over a decade, Malabar, a regularly scheduled bilateral naval field training exercise with India, has advanced from little more than a passing exercise to a full engagement that exercises all functional warfare areas, Scher said.
“Malabar allows our navies to work cooperatively in integrated air and missile defense, antisubmarine and naval special warfare scenarios, for example,” he said.
…
The major U.S. exercise with the Indian army, Yudh Abyhas, started in 2004 as the first conventional army-to-army training with India since 1962, Scher said.
“The exercise, in addition to sharing training and capabilities, promotes cooperation between our armies on partner readiness,” he said. “The first deployment of Stryker vehicles outside the United States other than to a war zone was to India [to support their participation] in Yudh Abyhas.”
…
Together, the United States and India have an important role in fostering multilateral cooperation in Asia and supporting the emerging regional security architectures, Scher said.
…
Defense sales to India increased from virtually no defense trade relationship in the 1990s to nearly $6 billion today in foreign military sales alone, Scher said.
“It is clear that the Indian military in the future will routinely use U.S. equipment and all services across a full range of mission areas,” he added.
…
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European Union Appoints New South Caucasus, Georgian Crisis Representative
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=153968
Azeri Press Agency
August 25, 2011
European Union appoints Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia
Philippe Lefort replaces Peter Semneby in this post
Baku: The European Union appointed a Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, APA reports quoting the EU’s website. Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, welcomed the appointment of Philippe Lefort as European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia.
…
Previously, Peter Semneby was the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Pierre Morel the EU Special Representative for the crisis in Georgia.
Philippe Lefort is a French diplomat of more than 20 years’ experience. He has devoted large parts of his career to the Caucasus and Russia, among other things as French Ambassador in Georgia (2004-2007) and as Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy in Russia (2007-2010). Since 2010, he has been the Head of Continental Europe General Directorate at the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
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William Faulkner: There is only the question: When will I be blown up?
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Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
American writers on peace and against war
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William Faulkner
Nobel Prize in Literature speech (1950)
Ladies and gentlemen,
I feel that this award was not made to me as a man, but to my work – a life’s work in the agony and sweat of the human spirit, not for glory and least of all for profit, but to create out of the materials of the human spirit something which did not exist before. So this award is only mine in trust. It will not be difficult to find a dedication for the money part of it commensurate with the purpose and significance of its origin. But I would like to do the same with the acclaim too, by using this moment as a pinnacle from which I might be listened to by the young men and women already dedicated to the same anguish and travail, among whom is already that one who will some day stand here where I am standing.
Our tragedy today is a general and universal physical fear so long sustained by now that we can even bear it. There are no longer problems of the spirit. There is only the question: When will I be blown up? Because of this, the young man or woman writing today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat.
He must learn them again. He must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid; and, teaching himself that, forget it forever, leaving no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed – love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. Until he does so, he labors under a curse. He writes not of love but of lust, of defeats in which nobody loses anything of value, of victories without hope and, worst of all, without pity or compassion. His griefs grieve on no universal bones, leaving no scars. He writes not of the heart but of the glands.
Until he relearns these things, he will write as though he stood among and watched the end of man. I decline to accept the end of man. It is easy enough to say that man is immortal simply because he will endure: that when the last dingdong of doom has clanged and faded from the last worthless rock hanging tideless in the last red and dying evening, that even then there will still be one more sound: that of his puny inexhaustible voice, still talking.
I refuse to accept this. I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet’s, the writer’s, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet’s voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.
