Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Dinesh D'Souza on How Obama Has Transformed the US
Former Navy SEAL Weighs US Options in Iraq
Irak : les insurgés prennent un poste-frontière à la frontière syrienne
Des rebelles syriens ont pris mardi le contrôle d'al-Qaëm, un poste-frontière entre l'Irak et la Syrie, ont indiqué des officiers de l'armée irakienne. Selon ces officiers, les insurgés sont fidèles à l'Armée syrienne libre (ASL, rébellion) et au Front al-Nosra, la branche syrienne d'al-Qaida, qui contrôlent déjà le côté syrien de ce point de passage. Al-Qaëm est l'un des trois postes-frontières entre l'Irak et la Syrie. Celui de Rabia, plus au nord, a été abandonné la semaine dernière par les forces irakiennes lors d'une offensive des djihadistes dans la province de Ninive. Il se trouve actuellement contrôlé par les forces kurdes. » | Source AFP | mardi 17 juin 2014
Radikale Buddhisten in Sri Lanka greifen Muslime an
Alutgama - Seit einigen Tagen greifen radikale Buddhisten in Sri Lanka die muslimische Bevölkerung an. Trotz einer Ausgangssperre in der Nacht zu Dienstag wurden erneut Geschäfte und Wohnhäuser angezündet. Das berichteten Polizei und Anwohner. Bei einem Angriff auf eine Farm in Alutgama starb mindestens ein Wächter. Seit Sonntagabend wurden damit insgesamt vier Menschen getötet. » | vek/AFP/dpa | Dienstag, 17. Juni 2014
Spanien: König Juan Carlos nimmt Abschied
Madrid - Für den Monarchen und seine Frau ist es das letzte gemeinsame Bankett: Spaniens König Juan Carlos und Königin Sofía nehmen Abschied vom Thron. Das Königspaar, 76 und 75 Jahre alt, lud am Dienstag die Repräsentanten der wichtigsten Institutionen des Staates zu einem Abschiedsessen in den Zarzuela-Palast. » | kes/dpa | Dienstag, 17. Juni 2014
Iraq Crisis: Fighting Moves Closer to Baghdad as Iraq's Biggest Oil Refinery Shut Down – Live
Impeach Tony Blair: As Iraq Burns, Parliament Should Put This Deluded Liar On Trial, Writes Simon Heffer
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| Tony Blair appeared a self-serving fantasist with blood on his hands when he was interviewed on Sky News |
Obvious to everyone, that is, except the man who ordered it.
Seven years after leaving office, and 11 years after British troops flooded across the southern border, Tony Blair continues to cause outrage and bewilderment over Iraq.
Noting the eruption of the jihad there, Mr Blair professes that ‘we have to liberate ourselves from the notion that “we” have caused this. We haven't.'
Only a handful of American neo-conservatives, most of them discredited and seeking to protect their reputations, too, would agree with him. To most people, he appears a self-serving fantasist with blood on his hands.
Saddam Hussein was evil and vicious. However, the mixture of repression and corruption with which he governed meant Iraq was spared the Sunni-on-Shia violence that is tearing the country apart now, threatening the entire region and, with it, the security and prosperity of the West.
Some would question Mr Blair's sanity. Indeed, a former close friend, the novelist Robert Harris, did so only recently, suggesting he had a ‘messiah complex'.
It takes a rare politician to admit any error, let alone one based on a lie — the sexed-up ‘dodgy dossier' Mr Blair put before Parliament in March 2003 to support his contention that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction — which cost the lives of 173 British servicemen and six servicewomen. Read on and comment » | Simon Heffer | Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Tony Blair Is A 'Tragic' Narcissist With A Messiah Complex, Says Former Confidant And Author Robert Harris »
Monday, June 16, 2014
Governor George Clooney? Oscar Winner to Begin Political Career
Democrats want the suave actor to succeed incumbent Jerry Brown in the 2018 race and believe he could emulate Republican Reagan by eventually becoming president.
Clooney, 53, who is reportedly planning to marry British barrister Amal Alamuddin this summer, is said to be “fired up” at the prospect of a political career.
He is a huge contributor to the Democratic Party and has funded drone spying missions to investigate Syrian war atrocities. » | Mike Parker | Sunday, June 15, 2014
Iraq News: Tony Blair Airbrushing Role in Creating Isis in Iraq, Nick Clegg Says
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| Members of the Islam State of Iraq and Shaam (ISIS) with senior commander Abu Waheeb |
Tony Blair is attempting to “airbrush” his role in creating the violence engulfing Iraq, Nick Clegg has said.
The former Prime Minister is engaged in a “pointless academic exercise” to “pretend” the 2003 invasion of Iraq did not contribute to chaos and bloodshed consuming Iraq today.
Jihadist fighters from ISIS, an al-Qaeda aligned force, have entered from Syria and seized a string of Iraqi cities, committing massacres of Iraqi Army prisoners.
Britain will not provide “frontline” military support to the Iraqi government but will provide "passive assistance" to the United States in the case of airstrikes, Mr Clegg indicated.
Asked at his monthly press conference whether Britain would allow the United States to use airbases or airspace, Mr Clegg said: “We will not be providing active, frontline military resources to any action taken.
"But of course we will talk to America about what can be done. We are not going to stand in the way of military action that is well-judged and well-targeted to try and reassert some semblance of order in Iraq. I am certainly not suggesting we rule out passive assistance, even if we are not going to embark on active assistance.”
Only the United States has the military capacity to strike in Iraq and Britain should not “pretend” that it can, Mr Clegg said. » | Matthew Holehouse, Political Correspondent | Monday, June 16, 2014
Obama Administration Weighs ‘My Enemy’s Enemy’ Foreign Policy with Iran
The possibility of partnering with Iran to deal with a common foe -- a radical Sunni militant group bent on regional domination -- has immediately divided some of the Obama administration's toughest critics.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called the idea of an alliance of convenience with Iran the "height of folly."
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who typically is in lockstep with McCain on national security matters, on Sunday, though, likened it to the U.S. aligning with Stalin during World War II, because he "was not as bad as Hitler."
"The Iranians can provide some assets to make sure Baghdad doesn't fall," Graham said. » | FoxNews.com | Monday, June 16, 2014
Do Desperate Times in Iraq Call for Desperate Measures?
Gottesstaat wächst: ISIL eröffnet Terrorzelle in Jordanien
Laut den ISIL- Quellen ist der jordanische Ableger bereits am Freitag eingerichtet worden. Die Zelle "Islamischer Staat in Jordanien" (ISJ) solle logistisch bei Waffen- und Truppenverschiebungen zwischen dem Irak und Syrien dienen. Sie soll rund 200 Mitglieder haben.
Ein ISJ- Mitglied verbreitete, es seien zunächst keine militärischen Aktionen gegen die jordanische Armee geplant. Aber "mit der Zeit" werde "Jordanien egal auf welchem Wege ein Teil des islamischen Kalifats", das ISIL in der Region anstrebt. » | AG/red | Montag, 16. Juni 2014
Bagdad attend avec angoisse l'assaut des djihadistes
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| De nouvelles recrues de l'armée irakienne paradent dans une rue de Bagdad, samedi. |
Dans la salle d'attente de l'hôpital Raphaël, au centre de Bagdad, Youssef fait comme si de rien n'était. «Pour l'instant, la situation est calme. Mais on est inquiet, on ne sait pas ce qui va se passer. On ne peut qu'attendre», confie ce jeune cadre, plutôt angoissé.
Comme lui, beaucoup d'habitants de la capitale, où le couvre-feu a été étendu de 22 heures à 6 heures du matin, retiennent leur souffle. Ils ont eu très peur de la fulgurante avancée des extrémistes sunnites, la semaine dernière dans les provinces du Nord. Ils ont maintenant le sentiment qu'un répit leur a été accordé avec la contre-offensive de l'armée régulière, qui contient les rebelles au nord de la capitale. Mais tous sentent confusément que ce n'est qu'une pause, avant l'assaut promis par les djihadistes sur Bagdad, centre de toutes les convoitises en Irak. » | Par Georges Malbrunot | lundi 15 juin 2014
Krise im Irak: Pentagon schließt militärische Kooperation mit Iran aus
Washington - Das US-Verteidigungsministerium lehnt eine militärische Zusammenarbeit mit dem iranischen Regime im Kampf gegen die Terrorgruppe Isis ab.
"Es gibt überhaupt keine Absicht und keine Pläne, um Militäraktionen zwischen den Vereinigten Staaten und Iran zu koordinieren", sagte Pentagon-Sprecher John Kirby. "Es gibt auch keine Pläne für Konsultationen mit Iran über militärische Aktivitäten im Irak."
Möglich seien jedoch allgemeine Gespräche mit Teheran über den Kampf gegen Isis. In dieser Woche treffen sich Vertreter der USA und Irans in Wien zu neuen Verhandlungen über das Atomprogramm der Islamischen Republik. "Es ist möglich, dass es am Rande dieser Gespräche Diskussionen um die Situation im Irak gibt", sagte Kirby. "Wir haben in der Vergangenheit mit Iran auch über Afghanistan debattiert." » | syd/Reuters | Montag, 16. Juni 2014
UK Outlaws Isis, the Militant Group behind Iraqi Attacks
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| An image appearing to show militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (Isis) with truckloads of captured soldiers |
The Home Office said it would be a criminal offence to associate with or give financial backing to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis).
The UK has ruled out a role in any possible military action but may give other support to the Iraqi government.
Nick Clegg has warned that the turmoil in Iraq and Syria is a "very direct threat" to the safety of UK citizens.
The deputy prime minister said the UK would not provide "active frontline military resources" to support any action taken against Isis forces but added that the UK would not stand in the way of "well judged, well targeted action to assert some semblance of order in Iraq". (+ video) » | Monday, June 16, 2014
Iraq Conflict: Militants 'Seize' City of Tal Afar
Militants led by ISIS - the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - captured key cities including Mosul and Tikrit last week, but some towns were retaken.
UN Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos said there were reports of "major human rights violations", including summary executions of civilians.
The US says it may use drone strikes to halt the militants' advance.
"They're not the whole answer, but they may well be one of the options that are important," said US Secretary of State John Kerry.
The Pentagon said US officials were also open to holding direct talks with Iran over Iraq, but there was "no plan to co-ordinate military activity" between the two countries.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani earlier said he would consider co-operation if the US took action. » | Monday, June 16, 2014
Obama Must Admit to Failure in Iraq
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| Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, in Washington D.C. Tuesday, June 10, 2014. |
The leader of the free world didn't look good after his statement to the media on Friday from the White House lawn. With the George H.W. Bush carrier group on its way to the Persian Gulf, U.S. President Barack Obama will soon have over 100 combat aircraft at his disposal around Iraq, including those based in Jordan and the Emirates, and close to 40,000 troops in various bases in the region. If needed, that number could be doubled at short notice. But when Obama admitted that "short term military action, including any assistance we might provide, won't succeed," he wasn't just making excuses.
The new situation in Iraq - where the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), along with local Sunni militias, have taken control of wide swathes of the country's north-west - symbolizes the total failure of the Obama administration's military strategy over the last five and a half years. Obama is effectively out of military options. » | Anshel Pfeffer | Monday, June 16, 2014
Should the US Rescue Iraq?
Did the Crisis in Iraq Catch Obama by Surprise?
US Weighs Alliance with Iran to Counter ISIS, Boosts Presence in Gulf
Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday the administration was "open to discussions" with Tehran if they can help end the violence. He told Yahoo! News he would "not rule out anything that would be constructive."
The deliberations come as the U.S. moved more assets into the region. According to U.S. Navy officials, the USS Mesa Verde is moving into the Persian Gulf with about 500 Marines on board, to help in the event of an evacuation. » | FoxNews.com | Monday, June 16, 2014
Inside Story: Is Maliki Behind Iraq’s Sectarian Divide?
The Slaughter That Shames Tony Blair: Outcry from All Sides over Former Prime Minister's 'Crusader' Call for a New Blitz on Iraq as the Country Descends into a Bloodbath
Iraq descended to new depths of savagery yesterday – as Tony Blair washed his hands of all blame for the bloodshed.
With Islamist jihadists now in control of large areas of the country, appalling pictures emerged showing the mass execution of government soldiers by masked fanatics.
Dozens of terrified men in civilian clothes lie in a shallow ditch before being executed in cold blood by Islamist extremists.
The Iraqi Army deserters, some wearing football shirts, were taken to scrubland where they faced a firing squad of Al Qaeda-inspired insurgents.
But, to derision from Left and Right, Mr Blair insisted that the sectarian violence tearing the country apart had nothing to do with his own actions in supporting the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Instead, he blamed the West’s failure to bomb Syria last year – and called for fresh Western military action against both nations.
‘We have to liberate ourselves from the notion that “we” have caused this,’ the former Prime Minister wrote in an extraordinary essay. ‘We haven’t.’ Read on and comment » | Jason Groves | Monday, June 16, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Edikt über den Gottesstaat: Mosul im Griff der Islamisten
Es sind Szenen, wie man sie im vergangenen Jahr in Syrien sah: Menschen feiern auf den Strassen den Einmarsch des Islamischen Staats im Irak und in Syrien (Isis). Jubelnd fahren sie in Autokorsos durch die Strassen der nordirakischen Millionenstadt und verteilen Süssigkeiten. Sehen kann man das in Videos, die im Internet zirkulieren. Dabei wissen auch die Bürger von Mosul, was auf sie zukommen dürfte. » | Inga Rogg, Istanbul | Sonntag, 15. Juni 2014
Iraq Conflict: Images Purport to Show 'Massacre' by Militants
The army personnel are pictured being led away and then lying in trenches before and after their "execution".
Iraqi military spokesman Lt Gen Qassim al-Moussawi said the pictures were authentic and depicted events in Salahuddin province.
But the images' authenticity has not been independently confirmed.
The BBC's Jim Muir, in northern Iraq, says if the photographs are genuine, it would be by far the biggest single atrocity since the time of the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Their emergence came as the Iraqi government claimed to have "regained the initiative" against the offensive by Sunni rebels led by ISIS - the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
Extremists captured key cities, including Mosul and Tikrit, last week, but several towns have now been retaken from the rebels. » | Sunday, June 15, 2014
'Islamists' Attack Kenyan Coastal Town
Witnesses reported seeing buildings on fire and hearing gunfire in the town, which is near Lamu island.
It is not yet clear if there are any casualties.
Kenya has suffered a number of militant attacks since 2011 when its forces entered neighbouring Somalia to combat al-Shabab fighters. » | Sunday, June 15, 2014
Albanians Could Be On Their Way to Britain as David Cameron to Agree EU Move
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| Government would back Albania's plans to enter EU |
Despite Cameron previously saying he didn't want poorer nations to join the EU, Government sources have confirmed Britain would back Albania's campaign to gain "candidate" status in a vote next week.
It comes after fresh unrest over Mr Cameron's pledge to get a grip on Europe.
Mr Cameron has previously said he wants EU rules in place to block movement from new EU countries until their average income is in line with western European nations.
During the last census, Albania had a population of 2,931,977, currently 17 per cent of whom are unemployed. The average monthly wage is £305. » | Helen Barratt | Sunday, June 15, 2014
Tony Blair Iraq Comments: Senior Labour Figures Distance Themselves from Former PM after He Refuses to Accept Blame for New Crisis
Senior Labour figures rapidly distanced themselves from Tony Blair after he supported airstrikes on Iraq and Syria – and refused to accept that he should accept any of the blame for the crisis engulfing the region.
He defended his Government’s backing for the US-led invasion of Iraq, insisting it had been right to oust Saddam Hussein and urging military intervention to halt the advance of extremist Isis forces across the north of the country.
The former Prime Minister’s comments, in a blogpost on his website and a series of television interviews, opened fresh wounds within the party over the 11-year-old Iraq war.
Sources close to Ed Miliband refused to endorse Mr Blair’s analysis. One told the Independent: “What matters now is making the judgements rather than seeking to make points about what happened in the past.”
The shadow Foreign Secretary, Douglas Alexander, echoed the Coalition Government’s view that military action is not contemplated. He said: “The truth is that it is the Iraqis themselves who hold the key to resolving this crisis.” » | Nigel Morris | Sunday, June 15, 2014
'Intervene in Iraq and Syria Or Britain Will Face Terror Attacks': Blair Warns UK Should Get Involved as He Defends Decision to Topple Saddam
Tony Blair this morning said Britain needed to take action in Iraq and Syria - or face terror attacks in at home.
The former Prime Minister said the UK needed to intervene to stop a 'total disaster'. He insisted that he was not calling for troops on the ground - but suggested the 'selective use of air power' was one option on the table.
Mr Blair said: 'If we don't deal with the Syria issue then the problems are not just going to be for Syria and for the region, the problems are actually going to come back and they are going to hit us very directly even in our own country.'
He added: 'If you talk to security services in France and Germany and the UK, they will tell you their biggest single worry today returning jihadists fighters - our own citizens by the way - from Syria.
'We have to look at Syria, and Iraq and the region in context. We have to understand what's going on there and engage.'
He said that didn't mean 'ground troops' but it we shouldn't 'wash our hands of it and walk away'.
Mr Blair's remarks this morning come as extremist fighters from the al-Qaida-inspired 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' bear down on Baghdad.
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show [sic] Mr Blair said an ISIS victory would be a 'total disaster and it mustn't be allowed to happen'.
He said: 'We are going to have to engage with it and if we don't then the consequences will come back on us.' » | Tom McTague, Mail Online Deputy Editor | Sunday, June 15, 2014
Iraq, Syria and the Middle East – An essay by Tony Blair: The civil war in Syria with its attendant disintegration is having its predictable and malign effect. Iraq is now in mortal danger. The whole of the Middle East is under threat. » | Office of Tony Blair | Saturday, June 14, 2014
Be More British Cameron Tells UK Muslims: PM Issues Powerful New Pledge To Combat Extremism
Muslim clerics in the UK who inflame terrorism by denouncing free speech, equality and democracy will be opposed in a ‘muscular’ new defence of ‘British values’, David Cameron has pledged.
In a powerful intervention clearly aimed mainly at ‘preachers of hate’, the Prime Minister says the failure to stand up to such firebrands has ‘allowed extremism – both the violent and non-violent kind – to flourish’.
He plans to use the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta – 12 months from today – to reassert British values in a ‘Magna Carta for Modern Britain.’
It is time to stop being ‘squeamish about Britishness’ and tell everyone who lives here that refusing to accept British laws and the British way of life is ‘not an option’, Mr Cameron argues.
The Prime Minister will emphasise the commitment by insisting that Magna Carta becomes part of the school curriculum.
Downing Street stressed the Prime Minister’s comments, which come in an article in today’s Mail on Sunday, are aimed at all sections of the community, not just Muslims. However, they appear to signal a key change in the stance of successive recent governments, Tory and Labour, on this sensitive issue. » | Simon Walters | Saturday, June 14, 2014
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Chris Wallace on Political Fallout over Iraq Chaos
Iraq Crisis: The Bare Faced ISIS Executioner Who Spreads Terror With His Open Killing
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| ISIS enforcer Shakir Wahiyib |
In an army full of masked, black-clad figures, he is the one man who is never shy to show his face. But for those unlucky enough to cross him, the face of Shakir Wahiyib, a feared enforcer for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, is often the last they will ever see.
The star of a series of grisly jihadist videos, including one in which three men are executed after failing his "Quranic quiz", Wahiyib is one of the few publicly-identified leaders of the shadowy jihadist group that has swept through northern Iraq.
The movement, otherwise known as ISIS, generally instructs its followers to keep their faces masked to minimise the chances of them being tracked down by the Iraqi government. But while its commander-in-chief, Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi, is even said to disguise himself while meeting fellow commanders, Wahiyib has no such reservations. Showing considerable relish for his work, he grins for the lenses of jihadi cameramen he goes on the rampage with his masked underlings. » | Colin Freeman | Saturday, June 14, 2014
Iran Will "Consider" Joint Action with US in Iraq, Hassan Rouhani Says
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| Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses a press conference in Tehran |
Iran will consider joining forces with the United States to combat Sunni militants in Iraq, Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president, said on Saturday in the clearest sign yet that the Islamic Republic is ready to set aside its decades-old enmity with Washington.
The Iranian leader's cautiously worded remarks came at a news conference in Tehran amid rising speculation that the recent gains of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could force the two adversaries to forge an alliance of convenience.
"All countries need to embark on joint effort regarding terrorism," Mr Rouhani said after being asked if Iran was prepared to cooperate with America in Iraq.
"At the moment, it's the government of Iraq and the people of Iraq that are fighting terrorism.
"We have not seen the US do anything for now. Any time the Americans start to take action against terrorist groups, we can consider that." » | Robert Tait, Middle East Correspondent | Saturday, June 14, 2014
Inside Story: What Future for the Monarchy in Spain?
Iraq Crisis Caught Obama Unprepared
US President Barack Obama was sitting in the Oval Office next to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and tried to come up with an alibi for the astonishing events in Iraq that caught the White House with its pants down.
"Just because you say a war has ended, doesn't mean it's over," Senator John McCain, who lost the 2008 presidential elections to Obama, said mockingly. The promise to end the war in Iraq was one of the main campaign pledges that led Obama to the presidency.
Red with anger, House Speaker John Boehner yelled into the TV networks microphones, "It’s not like we haven't seen over the last five or six months these terrorists moving in, taking control of Western Iraq. Now they've taken control of Mosul. They’re 100 miles from Baghdad. And what's the president doing? Taking a nap!" » | Yitzhak Benhorin | Friday, June 13, 2014
Iraq Govt Blamed for Rebel Advance
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| Prince Turki Al-Faisal |
“The situation in the Anbar area of Iraq has been brewing and boiling for some time and the Iraqi government seemed to be not only inactive in putting down the boiling temperature there but also in some cases seem to have been encouraging events there to spill over,” he told a meeting of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Rome. » | Agencies | Saturday, June 14, 2014
Amerika bleibt verantwortlich für den Irak
Was im Irak schiefgehen konnte, ist schiefgegangen. Vor dem Einmarsch der US-Truppen 2003 haben uns die Kriegsbefürworter einen «Leuchtturm der Demokratie» im Mittleren Osten versprochen. Inzwischen sind die pessimistischen Szenarien der Warner eingetroffen: Der Terrorismus à la al-Qaida breitet sich aus, ein Krieg zwischen Schiiten und Sunniten steht bevor, und die Nachbarmächte erwägen, militärisch einzugreifen.
Dafür tragen die USA eine Mitverantwortung. Der Sturz Saddam Husseins war das eine. Fatal war jedoch die inkompetente Planung für die Nachkriegszeit. Dazu kamen folgenschwere Fehler wie die Auflösung der irakischen Armee: Die damals gedemütigten Offiziere, mehrheitlich Sunniten, führen heute die Isis-Extremisten in die Schlacht – es bleibt einfacher, einen Krieg zu gewinnen als den Frieden. » | Von Christof Münger | Samstag, 14. Juni 2014
Deutschlands Außenpolitik: Gauck fordert größere Bereitschaft zu Militäreinsätzen
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| Gauck in Oslo: "Auf allen Ebenen ein Ja zu einem aktiven Deutschland" |
Berlin - Deutschland sollte nach Ansicht von Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck nicht pauschal die Beteiligung an Militäreinsätzen ausschließen. Zu einer aktiven Politik zur Konfliktlösung gehöre es auch, "den Einsatz militärischer Mittel als letztes Mittel nicht von vornherein zu verwerfen", sagte Gauck zum Abschluss seines Norwegen-Besuchs in einem Interview mit Deutschlandradio Kultur. » | dab/dpa/AFP | Samstag, 14. Juni 2014
Is It Possible for ISIS to Overrun Baghdad?
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