US Moves Missile Defences to Pacific after North Korea Nuclear Threat
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The US was last night preparing to send advanced missile defences to its Pacific territory, as North Korea further ratcheted up its bellicose rhetoric by approving "merciless" nuclear strikes on America.


Pledging a "measured" response to Pyongyang's aggression, Chuck Hagel, the US defence secretary, deployed anti-missile systems to Guam, the tiny western Pacific island and American military outpost.

"Some of the actions they've taken over the last few weeks present a real and clear danger," Mr Hagel said of North Korea, in remarks delivered at the National Defense University in Washington.

The $800m Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, which was slated to be installed in 2015, will now be sent within weeks, following warnings that Guam, Hawaii or the US west coast could be hit.

The land-based system, which comprises interceptor missiles, a truck-based launcher and radar tracking equipment, is capable of shooting down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

It will join two US guided-missile destroyers that have already taken position in the region to assist with defence against potential strikes ordered by Pyongyang. » | Jon Swaine in Washington and Malcolm Moore in Beijing | Wednesday, April 03, 2013

North Korea: US Sends Missile Defence System to Guam
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Pentagon is sending an advanced ballistic missile defense system to Guam, as Chuck Hagel, the defence secretary, warned of a "real and clear" danger from North Korea.

The Pentagon announcement came hours after China intervened in the deepening crisis by summoning the ambassadors of North and South Korea, as well as the United States, to warn tensions must be defused on the Korean peninsula.

North Korea has singled out US military bases in Guam, an American. territory in the Pacific, and Hawaii among its potential targets in threats in recent weeks that have put the Korean peninsula on edge.

“Some of the actions they’ve taken over the last few weeks, present a real and clear danger,” Mr Hagel told an audience at the National Defense University in Washington.

He said those actions had threatened the interests of South Korea and Japan, but he also cited their direct threats against Guam, Hawaii and West Coast of the United States. » | Malcolm Moore, Beijing, and Reuters in Washington | Wednesday, April 03, 2013

North Korea Enters 'State of War' Against South Korea
North Korea announced early on Saturday morning that it was entering a “state of war” against South Korea, hours after Kim Jong-un said he would “settle accounts” with Washington for threatening him with nuclear-capable stealth bombers.

Read the Daily Telegraph article here | Barney Henderson, and agencies | Saturday, March 30, 2013

Guttenberg-Auftritt in Washington: Gerüchte aus dem Schneegestöber
09.11.2012 - Ex-Verteidigungsminister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg spricht bei einem Auftritt in Washington über ein mögliches Comeback in der deutschen Politik.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Guttenberg nennt Comeback-Plan "Quatsch" » | Von Sebastian Fischer, Washington | Freitag, 09. November 2012

Three US States Poised to Legalise Cannabis and Defy 'War on Drugs'

THE OBSERVER: Washington, Oregon and Colorado set to allow recreational use

Three US states are set to legalise recreational cannabis use this week in votes that could have major implications for the country's war on drugs.

Alongside their choice for president, residents of Washington, Oregon and Colorado – a swing state – will be asked on Tuesday whether they want to decriminalise cannabis.

If the measures are passed, adults over 21 would be able to possess, distribute and use small amounts. Cannabis for authorised medical use is already permitted and regulated by each state, even though it is against federal law.

Support is particularly strong in Washington and Colorado, but a "yes" vote in any of the states would be interpreted by the Department of Justice as an act of defiance against the federal government's war on drugs – the national law enforcement programme that spends $44bn a year struggling to stem the tide of illegal drugs in the US.

In June 2011, however, the Global Commission on Drug Policy declared that the war on drugs had failed.

In a swing state such as Colorado, putting the liberal measure on the ballot could even help to keep the battleground state – narrowly won for Barack Obama in 2008 – on the president's side. Obama has taken a soft line on medical cannabis use. » | Joanna Walters | Saturday, November 03, 2012

My comment:

Absurd! For a country such as the USA which takes such a harsh line on smoking cigarettes, this is a ridiculous move. Cigarettes, whilst they may not be harmless, are certainly not in the same health-risk league as drugs, soft or hard. This is a retrograde step too far. The US will yet come to rue the day they legalised drugs. The Americans are going bonkers! – © Mark

Washington : Assad «perd le contrôle de la Syrie»
lePARISIEN.fr: La situation en Syrie «devient incontrôlable». Tel est le constat établi ce mercredi par les ministres américain et britannique de la Défense, Leon Panetta et Philip Hammond. «Il est extrêmement important de travailler avec les autres pays qui partagent cette inquiétude afin de mettre le plus de pression possible sur al-Assad pour qu'il quitte le pouvoir et permette une transition pacifique», a affirmé l'Américain. Sur place, des combats meurtriers touchent la capitale et un attentat-suicide revendiqué par l'Armée syrienne libre (ASL) a tué trois hauts responsables de la Sécurité syrienne, dont le beau-frère du président. Les deux hommes ont par ailleurs mis en garde Damas quant à la nécessité de préserver la sécurité de leurs armes chimiques. En fin d'après-midi, la Maison-Blanche estimait que Bachar al-Assad était en train de «perdre le contrôle de la Syrie». » | LeParisien.fr | mercredi 18 juillet 2012

Mitt Romney Wins Washington Caucuses Ahead Of Super Tuesday

THE GUARDIAN: Frontrunner in Republican race for presidential nomination takes fourth round of primaries in a row as big contest looms

Mitt Romney rolled to a double-digit victory in Washington state's Republican presidential caucuses on Saturday night, his fourth campaign triumph in a row and a fresh show of strength in the run-up to 10 Super Tuesday contests across America.

Rick Santorum and Ron Paul battled for second place, while Newt Gingrich ran a distant fourth.

Romney's victory came on the heels of twin primary triumphs over Santorum during the week in hard-fought Michigan and lightly contested Arizona, as well as a narrow win over Paul in Maine caucuses earlier in February. » | Associated Press in Washington | Saturday, March 03, 2012

L'État de Washington adoptent le mariage gai
LA PRESSE: La chambre des représentants de l'État de Washington a voté mercredi une loi légalisant le mariage homosexuel, qui doit être promulguée dans les prochains jours par la gouverneure de l'État, favorable au texte, a-t-on appris auprès des autorités.

La gouverneure de l'État de Washington, Christine Gregoire, a cinq jours pour promulguer le texte, qui ferait de Washington le septième État des États-Unis à autoriser mariage homosexuel. » | Agence France-Presse, Los Angeles | mercredi 08 février 2012

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Washington set to become seventh state to approve gay marriage: Washington state lawmakers voted to approve gay marriage on Wednesday, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh in the US to allow same-sex couples to wed. » | Thursday, February 09, 2012

Iran Oil Sanctions Spark War of Words between Tehran and Washington

THE GUARDIAN: Iran threatens to close strait of Hormuz after EU escalates sanctions, but US warns force could be used to keep it open

A war of words broke out between Tehran and Washington on Monday over Iran's nuclear programme after Europe struck at the Islamic republic's lifeblood by agreeing to impose an oil embargo on it.

Tehran threatened to respond by closing the strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil supplies pass, while a senior US official vowed that the west could use force to keep the route open.

The decision by EU foreign ministers in Brussels raised the stakes dramatically in the standoff between Iran and the west.

The EU decided that there could be no further oil contracts struck between its member states and Iran, but existing oil delivery deals would be allowed to run until July.

Sharply escalating the sanctions regime against Tehran, the EU also froze the Iranian central bank's assets in Europe and banned gold, precious metals and diamond transactions.

While the sanctions take effect from Tuesday, it will be the summer before the full impact is felt. Senior Iranian figures promptly upped the war of words with the west.

"If any disruption happens regarding the sale of Iranian oil, the strait of Hormuz will definitely be closed," warned Mohammad Kossari, deputy head of the Iranian parliament's foreign affairs and national security committee. Closing the strait would choke off global oil supplies and send international tensions soaring. » | Ian Traynor in Brussels and Nick Hopkins | Monday, January 23, 2012

Verwandt »

Iran Warns Arab States Against Alliance with West
THE GUARDIAN: As nuclear dispute intensifies, foreign minister tells neighbouring countries not to be dragged into dangerous position

Iran's foreign minister has warned Arab neighbours not to put themselves in a "dangerous position" by aligning themselves too closely with the US in the escalating dispute over Tehran's nuclear activity.

Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, used for a third of the world's seaborne oil trade, if pending western moves to ban Iranian crude exports cripple its energy sector.

Tehran, which denies it is seeking nuclear weapons, was riled earlier this week when Saudi Arabia asserted it could quickly raise oil output for key customers if needed.

"We want peace and tranquility in the region. But some of the countries in our region, they want to direct other countries 12,000 miles away from this region," the foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, said during a visit to Turkey.

The remark was an apparent reference to the alliance of Iran's Arab neighbours with Washington, which maintains a huge fleet in the Gulf and says it will keep the waterway open. » | Reuters in Ankara | Thursday, January 19, 2012

Washington’s Enemy ‘Doesn’t Exist’

Proteste sollen sich nach Europa ausbreiten
WELT ONLINE: Die Anti-Wall-Street-Proteste verbreiten sich von New York aus in viele amerikanische Städte. Auch in Deutschland rufen Aktivisten zu Demonstrationen auf.

Die Anti-Wall-Street-Bewegung breitet sich aus. Nach Protesten in New York versammelten sich auch in Washington und in zahlreichen weiteren US-Städten Demonstranten, um die anhaltend hohe Arbeitslosigkeit und eine ungleiche Verteilung von Wohlstand anzuprangern. In Deutschland riefen Bündnisse für Samstag kommender Woche zu Protesten unter anderem in Frankfurt und Berlin auf.

In der US-Hauptstadt Washington forderten die Demonstranten "Stoppt den Krieg gegen die Arbeiter". Andere verlangten, die Bürger wieder wichtiger zu nehmen als "die Gier der Unternehmen". In Philadelphia versammelten sich bis zu 1000 Menschen. In Los Angeles zogen Demonstranten vor die Filiale der Bank of America . Es wurden elf Personen festgenommen. "Ich glaube, der amerikanische Traum ist mächtig in Gefahr", sagte ein Teilnehmer in Tennesse. "Es gibt so viele Menschen wie mich, die genug haben von den Wall Street-Verbrechern." » | Reuters/smb | Freitag 07. Oktober 2011

Preisverleihung in Washington: Ganz entkrampft historisch

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Transatlantische Verstimmungen? Libyen längst vergessen, nichts mehr zu vergeben! Angela Merkels Washington-Reise war die glänzende Vorführung unerschütterlicher Eintracht mit Barack Obamas Amerika.

Vom warmherzigen Empfang in Berlin hat der Präsident gesprochen, von seiner Wahlkundgebung 2008 im Tiergarten dort, welchen er nun mit einem Dinner im Rosengarten erwidern wolle. Von Konrad Adenauer sprach er auch, dem ersten Kanzler Deutschlands nach dem Krieg, der auf dem Kapitol vom Freiheitswillen der Deutschen gesprochen habe. Und natürlich von dem kleinen Mädchen Angela, das von dieser Freiheit geträumt habe. Nun wolle er sie ehren, mit der „Medal of freedom“, auch für das, was sie aus ihrer Freiheit gemacht habe. Vormals geehrte Preisträger arrangierte Barack Obama zu einer politischen Hymne auf die Bundeskanzlerin: „Papst Johannes Paul II., Nelson Mandela, Helmut Kohl“.

In Washington neigte sich der Tag dem Ende zu. Die Leute im Rosengarten, sorgsam plaziert an fein eingedeckten Tischen im Geviert am Weißen Haus, erhoben sich. Zum Wohl, sprach der Präsident, und überreichte die Medaille. Vom Weinen ihrer Eltern beim Bau der Mauer sprach die Geehrte. Von Freiheit habe sie geträumt. Auch davon, fügte sie wieder einmal an, später, vermutlich erst als alte Frau, nach Amerika zu reisen. Niemals aber habe sie in ihren Träumen als Bundeskanzlerin im Rosengarten ein amerikanischer Präsident geehrt. „Glauben Sie mir, dieser Augenblick ist ein wirklich bewegender Moment“, sagte die Bundeskanzlerin. „Die Sehnsucht nach Freiheit lässt sich nicht dauerhaft einmauern.“ In Deutschland, daheim, war schon Mittwoch. Im Rosengarten spielte das Nationale Symphonie-Orchester auf. Ein wohliger Abend, die Herren in Schwarz, die Damen in Lang. » | Von Günter Bannas, Washington | Mittwoch 08. Juni 2011

Bahrain Escapes Censure by West as Crackdown on Protesters Intensifies
THE INDEPENDENT: Saudi troops' demolition of mosques stokes religious tensions

Bahraini government forces backed by Saudi Arabian troops are destroying mosques and places of worship of the Shia majority in the island kingdom in a move likely to exacerbate religious hatred across the Muslim world.

"So far they have destroyed seven Shia mosques and about 50 religious meeting houses," said Ali al-Aswad, an MP in the Bahraini parliament.

He said Saudi soldiers, part of the 1,000-strong contingent that entered Bahrain last month, had been seen by witnesses helping demolish Shia mosques and shrines in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

Mohammed Sadiq, of the Justice for Bahrain organisation, said the most famous of the Shia shrines destroyed was that of a revered Bahraini Shia spiritual leader, Sheikh Abdul Amir al-Jamri, who died in 2006. A photograph taken by activists and seen by The Independent shows the golden dome of the shrine lying on the ground and later being taken away on the back of a lorry. On the walls of Shia mosques that have been desecrated, graffiti has been scrawled praising the Sunni King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and insulting the Shia.

The attack on Shia places of worship has provoked a furious reaction among the 250 million Shia community, particularly in Iran and Iraq, where Shia are in a majority, and in Lebanon where they are the largest single community.

The Shia were already angry at the ferocious repression by Bahraini security forces of the pro-democracy movement, which had sought to be non-sectarian. After the monarchy had rejected meaningful reform, the wholly Sunni army and security forces started to crush the largely Shia protests on 15 and 16 March.

The harshness of the government repression is provoking allegations of hypocrisy against Washington, London and Paris. Their mild response to human rights abuses and the Saudi Arabian armed intervention in Bahrain is in stark contrast to their vocal concern for civilians in Libya. » | Patrick Cockburn in Cairo | Tuesday, April 19, 2011

On Libya Intervention, Obama Says US Is "Different"
US President Barack Obama laid out a rationale for military intervention against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in a nationally televised address on Monday night.
"Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries," he said. "The United States of America is different."
But in defending his order to launch air strikes on Libya, Obama appeared to be putting forward an argument that contradicts his defense secretary, Robert Gates, who has said the United States has no vital interest in the country.
Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports from Fort McNair, Washington

Libya: Washington’s U-turn the Return of the 'World’s Policeman’
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Washington’s U-turn is as swift as the reversal in Col Gaddafi’s fortunes.

Eighteen days ago, it seemed that the colonel’s 42-year rule in Libya was close to collapse. When David Cameron then suggested a no-fly zone, it was to protect the Libyan people from a last, vengeful exercise of force. The full weight of the American military establishment dismissed the idea as premature.

Then, suddenly, the White House came down on the side of even tougher action than Mr Cameron proposed. But the Libyan army’s swift advance on Benghazi means that the strategic purpose of a no-fly zone has changed dramatically. Even if Benghazi holds out longer than the other towns of the northern coast, the West and its allies will be coming to the aid of an enclave, not a population.

The ultimate purpose must be to drive Col Gaddafi out of power. » | Richard Spencer, Tripoli | Thursday, March 17, 2011

Flugverbot über Libyen - Dilemma für die USA
Auch in den USA wird heftig über eine Flugverbotszone über Libyen diskutiert. Der Druck auf US-Präsident Barack Obama steigt

America's Secret Plan to Arm Libya's Rebels
THE INDEPENDENT: Obama asks Saudis to airlift weapons into Benghazi

Desperate to avoid US military involvement in Libya in the event of a prolonged struggle between the Gaddafi regime and its opponents, the Americans have asked Saudi Arabia if it can supply weapons to the rebels in Benghazi. The Saudi Kingdom, already facing a "day of rage" from its 10 per cent Shia Muslim community on Friday, with a ban on all demonstrations, has so far failed to respond to Washington's highly classified request, although King Abdullah personally loathes the Libyan leader, who tried to assassinate him just over a year ago.

Washington's request is in line with other US military co-operation with the Saudis. The royal family in Jeddah, which was deeply involved in the Contra scandal during the Reagan administration, gave immediate support to American efforts to arm guerrillas fighting the Soviet army in Afghanistan in 1980 and later – to America's chagrin – also funded and armed the Taliban.

But the Saudis remain the only US Arab ally strategically placed and capable of furnishing weapons to the guerrillas of Libya. Their assistance would allow Washington to disclaim any military involvement in the supply chain – even though the arms would be American and paid for by the Saudis. >>> Robert Fisk, Middle East Correspondent | Monday, March 07, 2011

Gillard Arrives in US for Obama Talks

Washington brandit des sanctions contre Kadhafi
LE POINT: Le président Barack Obama a décidé le gel des avoirs aux États-Unis du chef d'État libyen.

Obama estime que "le gouvernement de Muammar Kadhafi a bafoué les normes internationales et la morale élémentaire et doit en être tenu pour responsable". Photo : Le Point
Décidé à faire plier le colonel Muammar Kadhafi et à mettre fin à sa "cruauté contre son peuple", le président des États-Unis, Barack Obama, a décidé vendredi le gel des avoirs aux États-Unis du chef d'État libyen et de ceux de sa famille, a annoncé la Maison-Blanche. Obama a signé un décret présidentiel gelant les avoirs et bloquant tous les biens aux États-Unis du colonel Kadhafi et de ses quatre fils, a-t-elle précisé. >>> Source AFP | Samedi 26 Février 2011