World Anti-militarism Newswire Archive

“Leaked memo shows regime intent on building atomic bomb”

“It looks like the smoking gun. This is smoking uranium.”

“Israel must decide within months on military strike.”


With the December 14th issue of ‘The Times’, the British media’s four-year-long propaganda campaign against Iran enters its final stage.

In fact, the tone and scope of this latest coverage is almost identical to those we were bombarded with in the months preceding the invasion of Iraq.

Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Monday, December 14th, 2009

"To date, the OTI still remains in Venezuela, with DAI as its principal contractor. But now, four other entities share USAID’s multimillion dollar pie in Caracas: International Republican Institute (IRI), National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), Freedom House, and the PanAmerican Development Foundation (PADF). Of the 64 groups funded from 2002-2004 with approximately $5 million annually, today the OTI funds more than 533 organizations, political parties, programs and projects, mainly in opposition sectors, with an annual budget surpassing $7 million. Its presence has not only remained, but has grown. Obviously this is due to one very simple reason: the original objetive has still not been obtained; the overthrow or removal of President Hugo Chávez.

DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVES INC. IS A CIA FRONT ORGANIZATION

This organization dedicated to destabilizing governments unfavorable to US interests has now made its appearance in Cuba, with millions of dollars destined to destroy the Cuban revolution. Ex CIA officer Phillip Agee affirmed that DAI, USAID and NED “are instruments of the US Embassy and behind these three organizations is the CIA.“ The contract between USAID and DAI in Venezuela confirms this fact, “The field representative will maintain close collaboration with other embassy offices in identifying opportunities, selecting partners and ensuring the program remains consistent with US foreign policy.” There is no doubt that “selecting partners” is another term for “recluting agents” and “consistent with US foreign policy” means “promoting Washington’s interests”, despite issues of sovereignty. Clearly, all DAI activities are directly coordinated by the US Embassy, a fact which negates the “private” nature of the organization.
The detention of a DAI employee is a very important step to impede destabilization and subversion inside Cuba. This episode also confirms that there has been no change of policy with the Obama Administration towards Cuba – the same tactics of espionage, infiltration and subversion are still being actively employed against one of Washington’s oldest adversaries."

In his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, US President Barack Obama reiterated his habitual threats against Iran as well as the Afghan resistance against the US occupation.

The following day, it was his foreign minister Hillary Clinton’s turn to tell the Latin American countries to toe the line…

"Let me add in the context of UN perception number three - that the Programmes, Agencies, bodies of the UN do good work everyday all over the world - WHEN not instructed by the Masters of the Universe to do otherwise - such as:

the unwillingness of the World Health Organisation to deal honestly with the appalling dangers of military usage of Depleted Uranium. I am sure you have seen the latest data from Fallujah? Where child mortality has sky rocketed and birth deformities – two heads, no limbs – are increasingly common. Women are now afraid to get pregnant. Believe me, the horrors of Fallujah today will be faced by the rest of us tomorrow - if we do not ban the use of Depleted Uranium. There is world movement afoot; the website is www.bandepleteduranium.org
OR the weak mandate and capacity provided for the UN Environmental Programme to anticipate, manage environmental/climate calamities world wide. We know about the disappointments of Kyoto, and now Copenhagen looks very tough going. Although we now see movement from China and the US, the UN – needs independent oversight authority re climate change policies and implementation if Copenhagen is to be different from Kyoto.

Or the IAEA – the Atomic Energy Agency - whose objective expert advice is too often set aside by the Security Council when military aggression is more politically attractive, or simply ideal for empire building. Or in respect of some nuclear states – such as Pakistan, Israel and India – IAEA is allowed no role at all!"

Ever since hectoring hegemons have existed, ever since oligarchs have existed wielding power from behind the scenes through their 'errand boys', ever since they discovered social engineering, and especially ever since Edward Bernays discovered and employed Public Relations which coincided approximately with the time that Nobel peace prizes started to be awarded, these accolades from the high and mighty serve the oligarchic agendas as needed.

www.bigcampaign.org

Welcome to This Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for December 5th, to 11th 2009

An estimated 10,000 protestors in Jerusalem on Thursday demonstrated the strength of opposition to any settlement freeze. Netanyahou’s announcement of a ten month partial freeze, which does not apply to East Jerusalem, was dismissed as ‘not enough’ by the PA. To the massed ranks in Paris Square it was nothing short of betrayal.

Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Thursday, December 10th, 2009.

The purpose of the Chilcot inquiry is to normalise an epic crime by providing enough of a theatre of guilt to satisfy the media so that the only issue that matters, that of prosecution, is never raised. When he appears in January, Blair will play this part to odious perfection, dutifully absorbing the hisses and boos. All “inquiries” into state crimes are neutered in this way.

Press Release

For immediate release: 9/12/2009

Photo opportunity: Infostall outside the council meeting at 4pm, Thursday 10th. For more information contact Andrew Beckett or Chloe Marsh: 07754135290.

Over the past ten years citizens of the United States and other Western nations, and unfortunately most of the world, have become accustomed to Washington and its military allies in Europe and those appointed as armed outposts on the periphery of the "Euro-Atlantic community" engaging in armed aggression around the world.

The bombing and the ground combat operations in Afghanistan continue since October 2001 and both will be intensified to record levels in short order. The combined U.S. and NATO forces in the country would represent a staggering number, in excess of 150,000 soldiers.

Welcome to Palestine Today, a service of the International Middle East Media Centre, www.imemc.org, for Tuesday, December 8th, 2009.

Copyleft artwork by Brazilian cartoonist Latuff, on behalf of brave Palestinian people and their struggle against US backed IsraHell's state terror.

"In Congress, a senate maneuver that only a few years ago was so rare that the response to it was nicknamed "the nuclear option" - needing a 60-vote majority to pass anything of significance - has, almost without comment, become a commonplace for the passage of just about anything. This means Congress is eternally in a state of gridlock. And that's just for starters when it comes to ways in which the US government, so ready to surge its military and its civilian employees into Afghanistan in the name of good governance, is in need of repair, if not nation-building itself."

and if this was not bad enough:

"Think of this as Obama's anti-MacArthur moment. In April 1951, in the midst of the Korean War, president Harry Truman relieved Douglas MacArthur of command of the American forces. He did so because the general, a far grander public figure than either McChrystal or Central Command (CENTCOM) commander General Petraeus (and with dreams of his own about a possible presidential run), had publicly disagreed with, and interfered with, Truman's plans to "limit" the war after the Chinese intervened.

Obama, too, has faced what Robert Dreyfuss in Rolling Stone calls a "generals' revolt" - amid fears that his Republican opposition would line up behind the insubordinate field commanders and make hay in the 2010 and 2012 election campaigns. Obama, too, has faced a general, Petraeus, who has played a far subtler game than MacArthur ever did. After more than two months of what right-wing critics termed "dithering" and supporters called "thorough deliberations", Obama dealt with the problem quite differently to Truman. He essentially agreed to subordinate himself to the publicly stated wishes of his field commanders. (Not that his Republican critics will give him much credit for doing so, of course.) This is called "politics" in our country and, for a Democratic president in our era, Tuesday night's end result was remarkably predictable.

When Obama bowed to the Japanese emperor on his recent Asian tour, there was a media uproar in this country. Even though the speech last Tuesday night should be thought of as bowing to the American military, there is likely to be little complaint on that score. Similarly, despite the significance of symbolism in Washington, there has been surprisingly little discussion about the president's decision to address the American people not from the Oval Office but from the US Military Academy at West Point."

Peace activism is growing inside Israel. The stalwarts of BT’Selem and Parents Circle have been joined by a new generation that seeks to engage with Palestinians, on a social level as well as political. Groups like Sulha preach tolerance through integration, encouraging Palestinians to take part in their events inside Israel and securing permits for them.

Within weeks of being awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, war maker, warmonger and war criminal Obama has announced a huge escalation of the Afghan War to West Point US Military Academy trainee US storm troopers in a speech littered with outrageous lying by commission and lying by omission.

from  http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=3470

Approximately 150-160 people have been detained as a means of terrorisation whilst also preventing and deterring others from participating in demonstrations marking the anniversary of the murder of a 15 year old youth in Athens. As a result the Polytechnic University of Athens has been Occupied and actions called.