La Nation Building du Jour

by Philip Giraldi, June 16, 2011

".......And the real irony is that the war party has little to point to in the way of success beyond killing Osama bin Laden after ten years of trying. If American soldiers overseas are truly endangering their lives delivering freedom, the proponents of a huge military to enable constant war should be able to demonstrate exactly how that has occurred, when and where, and what gain has come from it. Iraq? A dictatorship that was stable has been replaced by a corrupt one-party rule. A state that was the Arab bulwark against Iranian expansion is now one of Tehran’s best friends. Afghanistan? Nearly everyone agrees that it is insoluble and it is time to leave, but ten years have gone by and a trillion dollars wasted on a nation-building catastrophe that even the US government concedes has failed. When the US finally does leave the Taliban will return and the only unity in Afghanistan will be that everyone hates the Americans.

Libya, the latest cakewalk candidate, is already a money pit and is showing every sign of a failed policy. Yemen? Somalia? Are they better off due to US predator drone attacks? Are we Americans better off because we have the technology and will to carry them out? Are we safer or has stirring up the hornet’s nest in so many places actually placed us at risk?

If Washington cannot appreciate that we Americans are far worse off and even less safe now than we were ten years ago, there is definitely something wrong with the cognitive process that prevails in the White House and in Congress...."

Real News Video: Thousands of Greeks Say No to Austerity

Michael Spourdalakis: Greek debt caused by tax evasion and lack of investment in real economy

Real News Video: Strikes put Greece on the brink

EuroNews: Greeks have exercised their democratic right and practically closed the whole country down

Free Ayat now, Amnesty tells Bahrain regime

The Independent

"Amnesty International last night called on Bahrain to free Ayat al-Gormezi, the 20-year-old student who has become a symbol for those who have taken to the streets of the Gulf state to demand greater political freedoms.

Jailed for a year this week for protesting, Ms Gormezi was convicted after reciting poetry critical of Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the Bahraini regime. She was arrested on 30 March when security forces raided her parents' home and forced four of her brothers to the floor at gunpoint. As previously reported in The Independent, Ms Gormezi was whipped across the face with an electrical cable and held in a tiny cell.

Amnesty's Bethan Cansfield, said: "Ayat's imprisonment is an utter disgrace. The Bahraini authorities ought to release her immediately and investigate disturbing reports that she was horribly mistreated while in detention."...."

Video: Syrian helicopter targets military/state security building in Ma'rrat al Nu'man (10-Jun-2011)

ENJOY.......HASSAN NASRALLAH!

Under cover of darkness, Assad's enemies take up arms as their foe closes in

Kim Sengupta in Syria sees refugees desperately fleeing regime

The Independent
Thursday, 16 June 2011

".....The Independent had chanced across the group north of Ghassaniye after going into Syria through a smugglers' route from Turkey.

More than 12,000 people are now camped in a state of squalor and degradation on this side of the frontier. Another 8,500 had made it across only to be herded into camps and locked away with no access to the outside world, by the authorities in Ankara. Yesterday, these inmates held a protest demonstration during a visit by foreign minister Ahmet Davoutoglu to one of the holding centres.

But, for the desperate travellers on this dusty road, anything was better than the savage retribution they were seeking to escape. The violence, however, was never very far behind. The journey had been a perilous one with gunmen of the secret police, the Mukhabarat, and the Alawite militia, the Shabiha, tracking them and carrying out attacks.

"They had looted all they could and they had burnt our homes. But still they were not satisfied, they want blood," Issa Abdullah shook his head. "These men like killing, they are like wild dogs."....

The watchful man who appeared to be their leader, denied they were members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist organisation, which has strong roots in this region. He said: "We are protecting these routes because the [regime's] troops and the Mukhabarat had been carrying out ambushes. They are using snipers. We need to get our people away safely and that is what we are trying to do."

"I am a soldier. I used to fight for Bashar Assad, now I fight for the people. There are many of us and more are joining us. But we are soldiers and we are Syrians, we are not terrorists....

United Nations warns of mounting Syria casualty rate

Human rights office says most egregious reports concern use of live ammunition against unarmed civilians

Reuters
The Guardian, Thursday 16 June 2011

"Syria's security forces have used executions, mass arrests and torture to repress pro-democracy protests, the UN human rights office said in a report that could add to calls for a stronger global response. [No kidding!!]

Entire towns have been besieged, including Deraa, preventing civilians from fleeing and depriving many of food supplies and access to medical care, especially the wounded, it said.

More than 1,100 people are believed to have been killed, many of them unarmed civilians, and up to 10,000 detained since mid-March. The main activist group organising protests said on Sunday the crackdown has killed 1,300 civilians.

"The mounting casualty rate among civilians is alarming," said Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for rights, in a speech to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. "I am gravely concerned about the human rights and humanitarian crises."

In a report to the 47-member forum, her office said it had received numerous allegations, including "the excessive use of force in quelling demonstrators, arbitrary detentions, summary executions, torture" and a clampdown on assembly and expression.

"The most egregious reports concern the use of live ammunition against unarmed civilians, including from snipers positioned on rooftops of public buildings and the deployment of tanks in areas densely populated by civilians," the report said.

Helicopter gunships were reported to have been used during an assault on Jisr Al-Shughour, driving more than 7,000 Syrians into Turkey, it said......"

Syria: blood like fire

By Dylan Conner

The deceit of ageing Arab regimes won't stop al-Jazeera

Arab regimes' attempts to discredit al-Jazeera only highlight the honesty of the new people's media

Wadah Khanfar
(Director general of the al-Jazeera network)
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 15 June 2011

"When al-Jazeera and other Arab satellite TV services were launched in 1996, the intelligence agencies of Arab regimes began a campaign to create an atmosphere of doubt around us, including the rumour that al-Jazeera was established by a Mossad officer living in the Doha Sheraton. When you deal with this level of distortion, you know you are facing regimes that are too scared to confront you with facts....

And so in today's revolutionary atmosphere, with so much to play for, the people are our most valuable assets. We have our Twitter and Facebook followers, and we have the people on our side – people who marched in the liberation squares, people who risked their lives to send us pictures and videos – and we cannot let them down. We must stay close to the people and never let these glorious revolutions turn into a tool of dictators and murderers."

Syrians vow to overcome violent crackdown by Assad's troops'

The violence is keeping many at home but it is not breaking the movement' – demonstrators refuse to bow to government pressure

A VERY GOOD PIECE

Nidaa Hassan in Homs
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 15 June 2011

"....The brutal suppression of protests has left more than 1,400 people dead, including soldiers and security men, since Syria's uprising started, according to estimates by human rights groups.

But rather than deterring demonstrators, the violence has bolstered their determination, adding to their anger at the government that they say offers them no hope.

The crackdown has been particularly intense in Homs, Syria's third most populous city about 100 miles north of Damascus....

All around the country protests are dominated by young men such as Ahmed, lacking in work opportunities and dealing on a daily basis with corruption.....

His views are echoed by others of his age. Dressed in jeans and a checked shirt, a 50-year-old manual worker sitting on the balcony of one of many sandy-coloured block of flats in Homs says he has started a committee in his neighbourhood, trying to give a backbone to a spontaneous uprising not sparked by Facebook or any organised opposition. The committee draws posters and caricatures to take to the street and draws up slogans to emphasise unity between the religions.

The founder is trying to reach out to other small committees he knows have popped up in other areas of the city and in cities and villages beyond. "By showing we have a plan, more people, including doctors and professors, have come out," he says. "The violence is keeping many at home but it is not breaking the movement." Instead, he says, people are angry at citizens being shot dead.....

From towns and cities across the country come reports of doctors moving round houses and setting up field clinics to help people too afraid to go to hospital, and religious leaders who have spoken out and tried to smooth relations between Syria's sects. Families have opened their houses to protesters fleeing from security forces, who are bussed into areas where protests break out.....

Computer experts have been helping protesters upload videos to YouTube, which has become the primary way of getting out information. They have also made short films and cartoons mocking the regime. And, of course, activists have supported protesters by liaising with media and publishing information. This support is bolstering resistance to the regime and allowing protesters to go out on a daily basis....."

A GREAT VIDEO: طفلة تهتف لإسقاط النظام في ساحة العاصي بحماة 15-6-2011

A GREAT VIDEO
Contributed by Yasmin

طفلة تهتف لإسقاط النظام في ساحة العاصي بحماة 15-6-2011

Israeli spies target Egypt

It is incumbent upon us to alert the world that the Israelis are playing a major role in the counter-revolution in Egypt.

Abdel Bari Atwan

The Egyptian revolution launched from Tahrir Square in Cairo surprised the world not only with its victory and the efforts and patience of the youth, but also in the changes it brought to the political landscape of Egypt. It has altered the balance of power and allies in the Arab world and, more importantly, is starting to reshape the relationship with Israel.

Hence, it would be naive not to expect many parties to conspire against the revolution to take it off track. Top of the list of suspects would be Israel alongside those Arab regimes which oppose democratic change and wish to see Egypt remain subject to US domination.

It was not surprising, therefore, to hear that an Israeli has been arrested and accused of spying by the Egyptian authorities. Ilan Chaim Grapel is, it is claimed, an officer in Israel's Mossad intelligence agency and he has been charged with trying to recruit young Egyptians to carry out sabotage operations and sow the seeds of sectarian strife. Spending time in Tahrir Square under a number of aliases, Grapel is accused of inciting Egyptian Muslims to attack Coptic Churches and escalate clashes between the faith groups. All, it is alleged, with the intention of destabilising Egypt and destroying the nascent national unity of purpose.

Al-Jazeera Video: Egypt lifts nightly curfew

Al-Jazeera Video: Syrians seek refuge at Turkish border

Real News Video: Austerity in Greece Meant to Break Workers' Resistance

Leo Panitch: Greece will default on its debt, banks want to make Greek people pay a heavy price

آخر كلام .. د. عزمي بشاره

AN EXCELLENT INTERVIEW IN CAIRO
Don't Miss it!

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Wikileaks documents allege deep regional enmities and a surprising alliance

Al-Masry Al-Youm

"....According to the cable, Aboul Gheit felt it was a matter of honor not to improve relations with Qatar and that in fact, Egypt would “thwart every single Qatari initiative that Doha tries to put forward (during its current term) as president of the Arab League,” boasting that that had already been done.

Additionally, Aboul Gheit contended that former President Hosni Mubarak was himself adamant that Egypt should thwart all Qatari initiatives, even if they were in Egypt’s own interests....

Other cables involving Qatar dispatched from Tel Aviv in March 2009 in a meeting between US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman (he was the acting assistant then, officially assuming his role six months later) and Israeli Foreign Affairs Deputy Director General for Middle East and Peace Process Division Yacov Hadas-Handelsman and other Israeli officials.

The cables contained details of the Israeli relationship with many Arab countries, and at one point Hadas told Feltman that Qatari-Israeli relations were affected by the Qatari belief that Israel has secret and powerful ties with Saudi Arabia. Hadas admitted that communication between the two countries were through other channels.

Saudi Arabia has always been cautious not to have any direct communication or ties with Israel because of its position in the Islamic world. In 2002, Saudi Arabia proffered an initiative that it would normalize relations with Israel in exchange for Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders and an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The initiative was reaffirmed in 2007, but no headway has been made in that regard.

And because the initiative had never been overtly welcomed by Israel, Hassan discounted the notion that Saudi Arabia would open direct channels of communication with Israel, even if they were kept secret....."

Egyptian activists say No to military trials

From Hossam El-Hamalawy


"Anti-torture activists hold press conference following the meeting with SCAF representatives…"

Yemeni Deputy Governor: 130 Killed by US Drones This Month

More Than 15 Drone Strikes Confirmed

by Jason Ditz, June 14, 2011
Antiwar.com

"Officials with Yemen’s Defense Ministry have confirmed that the US has been launching drone strikes on a daily basis against the nation in June, with more than 15 confirmed strikes already this month. The deputy governor of Abyan Province reports at least 130 killed in those attacks.....

The announcement comes in the wake of several reports that the Obama Administration is looking to dramatically escalate its drone presence in the country, launching attacks against targets in the nation’s tribal dominated regions. It appears, however, that those strikes had already begun.

And may get worse yet. The Associated Press has a report that the US is building a secret CIA air base from which to launch drone attacks across the region. The site of the base was unclear, but reports that officials are concerned that the Yemeni regime may fall suggest it may be outside of Yemen.

The US has a history of launching strikes against Yemeni targets, with President Saleh shrugging off such attacks and even helping the US cover up past civilian casualties. Those attacks were major, but extremely intermittent. Now that the attacks are a daily part of life in Yemen, the concerns about the unreliablility of US targeting is bound to again become an issue."

Why the Pentagon Papers matter now

While we go on waging unwinnable wars on false premises, the Pentagon papers tell us we must not wait 40 years for the truth

Daniel Ellsberg
guardian.co.uk, Monday 13 June 2011

"....In other words, today's declassification of the whole study comes 36 to 40 years overdue. Yet, unfortunately, it happens to be peculiarly timely that this study gets attention and goes online just now. That's because we're mired again in wars – especially in Afghanistan – remarkably similar to the 30-year conflict in Vietnam, and we don't have comparable documentation and insider analysis to enlighten us on how we got here and where it's likely to go.

What we need released this month are the Pentagon Papers of Iraq and Afghanistan (and Pakistan, Yemen and Libya). We're not likely to get them; they probably don't yet exist, at least in the useful form of the earlier ones. But the original studies on Vietnam are a surprisingly not-bad substitute, definitely worth learning from....."

Angelina Jolie seeks to visit Syrian refugees

"Angelina Jolie wants to visit Syrian refugees who have fled violence and are camped out on the Turkish side of the border, Turkey said today.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal said an application to visit the refugees has been made on behalf of the Hollywood actress, who is a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.....

More than 8,500 Syrians are said to have fled to Turkey to escape a crackdown on an anti-government uprising.

In April, Jolie travelled to Tunisia during its refugee crisis as thousands fled from its war-torn neighbour, Libya....."

Bahrain 'to sue over Independent reporting'

"The government of Bahrain claimed yesterday to have commissioned a UK-based law firm to file a case against The Independent for its reporting on the crackdown on protests in the country.

Nawaf al-Mawada, a representative of the Information Affairs Authority, told Bahrain's state news agency that the action was being taken because The Independent had "deliberately published a series of unrealistic and provocative articles targeting Bahrain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". A correspondence from the Information Affairs Authority to The Independent cites an opinion piece by Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk (posted here), in which he criticises the Bahraini government for putting 48 surgeons on trial, as being "based on slanderous hearsay". It also claims that "using columns, features and news to publish misinformation in repeated attacks on our people and rulers amounts to libel and will be treated as such in accordance with the law".
At least 31 people have died in demonstrations against the 200-year rule of the Al Khalifa family, which began in February."

In Syria we need a revolution in our heads

It's not just the regime; Syrians need to change the intellectual culture that bolsters tyranny

Imad al-Rasheed
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 14 June 2011

"...The problem is not solely the repression by which the Ba'ath party has governed the Syrian people for nearly half a century. Syria's problem, shared by the whole Arab region, is represented by the Arab intellectuals who – either through conviction or surrendering to fear and torture – philosophised for oppression and were used to make dictatorship part of Arab political culture in the postcolonial era. They supplied all kinds of excuses for the regimes such as "facing the external threat is the only priority" or "the people are not ready for democracy so backward elements will win". They adopted the notion of "it's either the regime or chaos".

However, the course of the Arab spring offers a solution to this problem. The people are taking the initiative, leaving the intellectuals to follow. It places before all Arab intellectuals the task of reassessing the ideas that underpin their theories on dictatorship.

The revolution against oppression must achieve two things; changes of regime, and changes in the mindset that led to acceptance of dictatorship, in order to prevent revolutionaries from themselves turning into new dictators. The latter change must be the duty of genuine Arab intellectuals.

The Syrian regime disregards all demands for reform, whether from the people themselves, or from friends who have offered sincere advice. As far as the regime is concerned, it is the homeland, the state and the republic. This idea is rooted in the 1973 constitution, which states that the Ba'ath party is the "leader party" of the state, and that the president holds executive authority, has absolute power and can dissolve parliament when he so desires.....

With the exception of the republic – the symbol of national unity for Syrians – you will not find any other institution that Syrians feel represents them and their interests. Neither the presidency nor the ministries and the security services are real national institutions; on the contrary, they are rather like farms whose managers treat them as though they are their personal property.

However, it would not be far-fetched to say that if the brutal behaviour of the regime continues, this may lead to the fracturing of the republic and its eventual downfall......"

Arab League issues first condemnation of Syria violence

Comments 'unbalanced and politically motivated', says Syrian representative, as army's onslaught continues

Martin Chulov in Beirut
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 14 June 2011

"The Arab League has publicly criticised the violence in Syria for the first time, saying Arab states are "angry and actively monitoring" the crisis.

The comments from the outgoing secretary general, Amr Moussa, drew a bitter response from Damascus. Syria's representative at the league described them as "unbalanced and politically motivated".

Mounting international condemnation, however, has done little to slow the onslaught of the Syrian army as it pushes through northern border villages...."

التوق إلى الحرية ما بعد الثورات العربية..د.عزمي بشاره

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Emad Hajjaj's Cartoon in Al-Quds Al-'Arabi

(Click on cartoon to enlarge)

Mass Grave Discovered in Syria; Buried in it:

Mercy...
Humanity...
Camaraderie...
Arabism....
Honor!

"Secular" Syria Under the Butcher, With Help From.....The Ayatollahs!

COMMENT
By Tony Sayegh

One of the central lies of the bloody Syrian regime of the Rabbit is that it, and it alone, is the only guarantee that Syria remains secular. The regime blames the broad uprising on assorted "armed gangs," "outside conspirators," Al-Qa'ida-related Islamists, the Muslim Brothers, and what have you.

Yet, only two forces currently strongly support the Syrian butcher: the "Republic" of the Ayatollahs in Iran, and its proxy, the openly sectarian Hizbullah. Don't you find this a bit ironic? The Ayatollahs preserving a "secular" republican monarchy in Syria!

Turkey has distanced itself from its former ally and now is condemning its horrendous and brutal crimes against its own people. France (which hosted him at Bastille Day Parade, July 14, 2008) and other European countries, which not long ago were receiving the butcher as a hero and as a "reformer," are also beginning to speak out (albeit timidly) against the despot.

Needless to say, the vast majority of Arabs abhor the crimes of the Syrian regime. In a current poll by Al-Jazeera (Arabic), more than 85% of the respondents support condemnation of Syria by the UN.

Al-Jazeera Video: Syrian opposition speak to Al Jazeera

Video: Yemen protesters demand transitional council

Demonstrators in Sana'a threaten to take matters into their own hands if vice-president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi does not hasten moves to form a transitional council

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 14 June 2011

الشاعر ادونيس يدعو الرئيس السوري إلى أن يعيد الكلمة والقرار إلى الشعب

الشاعر ادونيس يدعو الرئيس السوري إلى أن يعيد الكلمة والقرار إلى الشعب

"بيروت- (ا ف ب): دعا الشاعر السوري "ادونيس" الرئيس السوري بشار الأسد إلى أن "يفتدي" اخطاء تجربة حزب البعث الحاكم وان "يعيد الكلمة والقرار إلى الشعب" السوري.
وقال ادونيس، وهو شاعر سوري من الطائفة العلوية اسمه الحقيقي علي احمد سعيد، في رسالة مفتوحة نشرها الثلاثاء في صحيفة السفير اللبنانية "حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي لم ينجح في البقاء مهيمنا على سوريا بقوة الايديولوجية وانما بقوة قبضة حديدية امنية".

واضاف "وتؤكد التجربة ان هذه القبضة (...) لا تقدر ان تؤمن الهيمنة الا فترة محدودة (...) ولا تقدم للشعب الذي تهيمن عليه الا التفكك والتخلف اضافة الى الاذلال واستباحة الكرامة البشرية".

وتابع ادونيس الذي يقيم خارج سوريا "لم يعط (الحزب) اية مكانة للانسان بوصفه انسانا (...) لم يبن الحزب جامعة نموذجية واحدة (...) عرقل نمو الثقافة المدنية الحرة، ودمر اخلاق البشر مقيما الثقافة على الولاء له وعلى معاداة اعدائه، وعلى الشعارات التبشيرية التي كانت في معظمها سطحية وساذجة".

وتطرق ادونيس إلى المادة الثامنة في الدستور السوري التي تنص على ان حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي هو "الحزب القائد للدولة والمجتمع"، وقال ان هذه المادة لم "تعد ترضي الاغلبية الساحقة من السوريين، ولم يعد للتشبث بهذه المادة أي مرتكز إلا العنف. وهو عنف لا يمكن أن يدوم، لا يمكن لأية قوة عسكرية مهما كانت مدججة أن تتغلب على شعب، مهما يكن أعزل".

واضاف "يبدو ان قدرك هو ان تفتدي اخطاء هذه التجربة، ان تعيد الكلمة والقرار الى الشعب".
...."

Al-Jazeera Video: Syrian protesters claim 'brutal treatment'

"In Syria, reports suggest security forces are widening their activities in the north of the country to round up more anti-government protesters.

But the crackdown is not stopping the demonstrations from taking place.

Al Jazeera's Caroline Malone reports now on video that has emerged, which claims to show government troops supporting thugs in tackling protesters."

Chavez’s Right Turn: State Realism versus International Solidarity

By James Petras

"...
Conclusion

In contrast to Chavez policy of handing over leftist and guerrilla exiles to a rightist authoritarian regime, President Allende of Chile (1970-73) joined a delegation that welcomed armed fighters fleeing persecution in Bolivia and Argentina and offered them asylum. For many years, especially in the 1980’s, Mexico, under center-right regimes, openly recognized the rights of asylum for guerrilla and leftist refugees from Central America – El Salvador and Guatemala. Revolutionary Cuba, for decades, offered asylum and medical treatment to leftist and guerrilla refugees from Latin American dictatorships and rejected demands for their extradition. Even as late as 2006, when the Cuban government was pursuing friendly relations with Colombia and when its then Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque expressed his deep reservations regarding the FARC in conversations with the author, Cuba refused to extradite guerrillas to their home countries where they would be tortured and abused. One day before he left office in 2011, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva denied Italy’s request to extradite Cesare Battisti, a former Italian guerrilla. As one Brazilian judge said –and Chavez should have listened: ”At stake here is national sovereignty. It is as simple as that”.

No one would criticize Chavez efforts to lessen border tensions by developing better diplomatic relations with Colombia and to expand trade and investment flows between the two countries. What is unacceptable is to describe the murderous Colombian regime as a “friend” of the Venezuela people and a partner in peace and democracy, while thousands of pro-democracy political prisoners rot in TB-infested Colombian prisons for years on trumped-up charges. Under Santos, civilian activists continue to be murdered almost every day. The most recent killing was yesterday (June 9,2011): Ana Fabricia Cordoba, a leader of community-based displaced peasants, was murdered by the Colombian armed forces. Chavez’ embrace of the Santos narco-presidency goes beyond the requirements for maintaining proper diplomatic and trade relations. His collaboration with the Colombian intelligence, military and secret police agencies in hunting down and deporting Leftists (without due process!) smacks of complicity in dictatorial repression and serves to alienate the most consequential supporters of the Bolivarian transformation in Venezuela.

Chavez’ role in legitimizing of the Honduran coup-regime, without any consideration for the popular movements’ demands for justice, is a clear capitulation to the Santos – Obama agenda. This line of action places Venezuela’s ‘state’ interests over the rights of the popular mass movements in Honduras. Chavez’ collaboration with Santos on policing leftists and undermining popular struggles in Honduras raises serious questions about Venezuela’s claims of revolutionary solidarity [This is consistent with Chavez' support of the butchers Gaddafi and Assad!]. It certainly sows deep distrust about Chavez future relations with popular movements who might be engaged in struggle with one of Chavez’s center-right diplomatic and economic partners.

What is particularly troubling is that most democratic and even center-left regimes do not sacrifice the mass social movements on the altar of “security” when they normalize relations with an adversary. Certainly the Right, especially the US, protects its former clients, allies, exiled right-wing oligarch and even admitted terrorists from extradition requests issued by Venezuela, Cuba and Argentina. Mass murders and bombers of civilian airplanes manage to live comfortably in Florida. Why Venezuela submits to the Right-wing demands of the Colombians, while complaining about the US protecting terrorists guilty of crimes in Venezuela, can only be explained by Chavez ideological shift to the Right, making Venezuela more vulnerable to pressure for greater concessions in the future.

Chavez is no longer interested in the support from the radical left: His definition of state policy revolves around securing the ‘stability’ of Bolivarian socialism in one country, even if it means sacrificing Colombian militants to a police state and pro-democracy movements in Honduras to an illegitimate US-imposed regime.

History provides mixed lessons. Stalin’s deals with Hitler were a strategic disaster for the Soviet people: Once the Fascists got what they wanted they turned around and invaded Russia. Chavez has so far not received any ‘reciprocal’ confidence-building concession from Santos military machine. Even in terms of narrowly defined ‘state interests’, he has sacrificed loyal allies for empty promises. The US imperial state is Santos primary ally and military provider. China sacrificed international solidarity for a pact with the US, a policy that led to unregulated capitalist exploitation and deep social injustices....."

Gaza Border 'Opening' is Just Rhetoric

The New Egyptian "Boss" Does What the Real Boss Tells Him to Do: Keep Gaza Strangled!

By Ramzy Baroud in Gaza
Palestine Chronicle

"For most Palestinians, leaving Gaza through Egypt is as exasperating a process as entering it.

Governed by political and cultural sensitivities, most Palestinian officials and public figures refrain from criticising the way Palestinians are treated at the Rafah border.

However there is really no diplomatic language to describe the relationship between desperate Palestinians - some literally fighting for their lives - and Egyptian officials at the crossing which separates Gaza from Egypt. "Gazans are treated like animals at the border," a friend of mine told me.....
Having crossed the border myself just a few days ago, I could not disagree with her statement......

..... the Rafah border was opened for two days of conditional operation in late May and then closed again for four days. Now it has once more "reopened." All the announcements are proving to be no more than rhetoric......

I was one of the very first Palestinians who stood at Rafah following the announcement of a "permanent" opening.....

A tangible feeling of despair and humiliation could be read on the faces of the Gaza passengers.
No-one seemed to be in the mood to speak of the Egyptian revolution, a favourite topic of conversation among most Palestinians.....

All Palestinians are treated very poorly at the Rafah crossing and they continue to suffer even after the toppling of Mubarak, his family and the dismissal of the corrupt security apparatus. The Egyptian revolution has yet to reach Gaza....... "

I saw these brave doctors trying to save lives – these charges are a pack of lies

Eyewitness: Bahrain didn't invite the Saudis to send their troops; the Saudis invaded and received a post-dated invitation

By Robert Fisk

"Has the Khalifa family gone mad? Yesterday, the Bahraini royal family started an utterly fraudulent trial of 48 surgeons, doctors, paramedics and nurses, accusing them of trying to topple the tin-pot monarchy of this Sunni minority emirate. The defendants in this flagrantly unfair military court are, of course, members of the majority Shia people of Bahrain. And since I was a witness to their heroic efforts to save lives in February, I can say – let us speak with a frankness that the Bahraini rulers would normally demand – that the charges are a pack of lies.

Doctors I saw, drenched in their patients' blood, desperately trying to staunch the bullet wounds of pro-democracy demonstrators shot in cold blood by Bahraini soldiers and police, are now on trial. I watched armed policemen refusing to allow ambulances to collect the wounded from the roads where they had been cut down.....

The subsequent destruction of ancient Shia mosques in Bahrain was a Saudi project, entirely in line with the kingdom's Taliban-style hatred of all things Shia. Could the Bahraini prime minister be elected, I asked a member of the royal court last February? "The Saudis would not permit this," he replied. Of course not. Because they now control Bahrain. Hence the Saudi-style doctors' trial.

Bahrain is no longer the kingdom of the Khalifas. It has become a Saudi palatinate, a confederated province of Saudi Arabia, a pocket-size weasel state from which all journalists should in future use the dateline: Manama, Occupied Bahrain. "

'They shot people who were trying to get away'

A dispatch that reveals the brutal truth about regime's crackdown (Video included)

Exclusive by Kim Sengupta and Justin Vela in Idlib, Syria
The Independent

"The haunting memories of savage violence and loss are fresh in their minds. Now, with the vengeful forces of the regime closing in, the terrified and exhausted stream of the dispossessed fleeing Syria's strife await an uncertain fate. More than 10,000 people have headed for the Turkish border in an attempt to escape the onslaught unleashed by Bashar al-Assad. They were living in squalor with little food and water and no shelter. But they were prepared to suffer that to reach a place of relative safety away from the tanks, artillery and helicopter gunships, and the death they bring.

It is not known just how long this respite will last. The regime's forces are less than 15km away, and yesterday Damascus announced that the current offensive in Idlib province, which saw the storming of Jisr al-Shughour – a city which had become a symbol of militant opposition – will continue to roll on until the "criminal gangs" are crushed.

The Independent met some of these victims of a war waged on them by their own state by crossing over from Turkey across valleys and ridges on a smugglers' route. Our guides were young men carrying in meagre supplies by hand: bottles of water and loaves of bread. This is the only aid of any kind getting through to a humanitarian crisis which worsens by the day....."

Bahrain: Stop Military Court Travesty of Justice

Tribunal Tries Opposition Politicians and Defense Lawyer, Convicts Peaceful Protesters

"(Beirut) - Bahraini authorities should immediately halt all proceedings before the special military court and free everyone held solely for exercising their rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, Human Rights Watch said today. Civilians charged with genuine criminal offenses should be tried in an independent civilian court that meets international fair trial standards, Human Rights Watch said.

The special military court, the Court of National Safety, on June 12, 2011, held initial sessions in politically motivated cases against opposition members of parliament and a prominent defense lawyer without notifying lawyers or family, and sentenced a young writer to a year in prison. These developments came several days after the Crown Prince, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, met with US President Barack Obama in Washington, DC, to solicit support for a "national dialogue" with opposition forces....."

Today's Cartoon by the Syrian Cartoonist Ali Ferzat

(Click on cartoon to enlarge......OR ELSE!)

Bashar.....The Eye Doctor!

Syrian troops target villagers near Turkish border

Assad's forces use scorched earth policy to round up hundreds they claim to be in armed gangs in area north of Jisr al-Shughour

Martin Chulov
guardian.co.uk, Monday 13 June 2011

"Syrian troops have moved closer to the Turkish border as they sweep through villages north of Jisr al-Shughour, rounding up hundreds of people they claim are linked to armed gangs.

Turkey was on Monday assembling a fifth refugee camp in its southern border towns, but with the number of Syrians who have crossed the boundary topping 7,000, these camps may not be sufficient to deal with the fast-increasing number of people in need of help.

"There are 7,000 people across the border, more and more women and children are coming towards the barbed wires," said Abu Ali, one of those who left Jisr al-Shughour. "Jisr is finished, it is razed," he told Associated Press....

Residents who fled the army onslaught on Jisr al-Shughour said soldiers were pursuing a scorched-earth policy, pouring petrol on farmlands and setting them alight [This should delight Hassan Nasrallah!.]. All men who had stayed behind aged between 18-40 were being arrested, reports said....

Analysts in Beirut said a turning point for Ankara may come if the uprising in northern Syria spreads to Kurds in the country's north-west, who share a border with south-east Turkey, where Kurdish rebels have fought a protracted insurgency against the government.

Assad has not accepted Erdogan's calls over the past week, according to reports from the Turkish capital. Nor has he been prepared to deal with the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon. However, Assad did find time to congratulate the Lebanese president.... "

Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll

This new poll asks:

Do you support a UN resolution condemning Syria?

With over 3,000 responding so far, 86% said yes.

Syrian Troops Pursue “Scorched Earth” Policy; Videos Document Children Tortured to Death

"The Syrian army has taken control of the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour following what state media has described as heavy fighting by "armed groups," who residents say are mutinous soldiers defending the town. Our guest Neil Sammonds, Syria researcher for Amnesty International, is interviewing refugees who have fled the violence by crossing into Turkey. They tell him Syrian military forces have destroyed houses, burned crops, slaughtered livestock and contaminated water supplies. We speak with Razan Zaitouneh, a lawyer and human rights activist based in Damascus. She has documented that children are among those killed by snipers, or kidnapped by security forces, tortured and killed...."

Maher Arar: My Rendition & Torture in Syrian Prison Highlights U.S. Reliance on Syria As An Ally

A VERY GOOD SEGMENT!
Don't Miss it.



"As Syria continues its brutal crackdown on demonstrators, we speak to a Canadian citizen who was repeatedly tortured by Syrian authorities after he was rendered to Syria by the United States in 2002. Maher Arar was seized at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in September 2002 and sent to Syria, where he was tortured and interrogated in a tiny underground cell for nearly a year. He now works as a human rights advocate in Canada. “The cooperation with the Syrian government, as well as other dictatorships post-9/11, gave some legitimacy to those dictatorships,” says Arar. He calls on the United States and the United Nations to declare the Syrian regime illegitimate, and refer the matter to the International Criminal Court...."

Al-Jazeera Video: Al Jazeera speaks to Bahrain human rights official

"Al Jazeera speaks to Adel al Mo'awda, the deputy chairperson of Bharain's parliament and Nabeel Rajab, the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights in light of the trial of 48 medical workers accused of attempting to topple the monarchy by assisting injured protesters."

Al-Jazeera Video: Military trials begin for Bahrain medics

"Bahrain has begun the trials of 48 medical professionals accused of attempting to topple the monarchy.

Those on trial include some of the country's top surgeons, accused of supporting weeks of pro-democracy protests in the country.

Human rights organisations have condemned the trials, saying Bahraini medical staff are being targeted for treating hundreds of wounded protesters.

Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports."

Al-Jazeera Video: Move threatens homes of Israel's Bedouins

"Human rights groups have denounced an Israeli government plan to destroy 35 Bedouin villages that it has declared illegal in the Negev desert.

The move - reportedly planned to enable the building of homes for 10,000 people - threatens the livelihoods of Bedouins who have been living in the area for 60 years.

Although compensation will be on offer, the government's decision has for the most part angered villagers, who are Israeli citizens.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reports from the Negev desert."

Al-Jazeera Video: US government funding 'shadow' networks

"The Obama administration is funding so-called "shadow" internet and cell phone networks, which allow activists to operate independently of government controls.

The "shadow" networks are portable kits that fit in suitcases, which could maintain ad-hoc computer networks useful to activists in places where internet is either inaccessible or being monitored.

One team of technologists in Washington, DC, has received a government grant to build a portable network.

Al Jazeera's Monica Villamizar had the opportunity to meet them. She reports from the US capital."

Real News Video: Palestinian Political Prisoner: 'I reject Israel's laws'

Bassem Tamimi of Nabi Saleh delivered a court statement at the start of his trial last Sunday saying 'I reject [these laws] and cannot recognize their validity.'

Syria: Butchery, while the world watches

The world urgently needs to get its response in order. As of last night it was abjectly failing to do so

Editorial
The Guardian, Monday 13 June 2011

"....As one act of repression follows another, it is hardly surprising that Syrians are redefining the battle with a despotic regime in terms of both creed and ethnicity. The Iraqis did the same after they were invaded. If sectarian strains spill over into the army then Assad's capacity to turn his forces against the people from which they are drawn will come into question. Besides, the crisis is fast translating problems of the Syrian people into problems of the world. Where until recently the great flow over Syria's border was of chilling words about random executions, today's flow is of thousands of desperate people, seeking sanctuary in Turkey.

The world urgently needs to get its response in order. As of last night it was abjectly failing to do so. In step with the Americans, the foreign secretary said yesterday he was working to secure UN condemnation of the unfolding cruelties. But these talks about talk only underline how limp the response is: the mere threat of the helicopter gunships and tanks that Assad is now actually wielding was enough to unleash Nato's firepower against Muammar Gaddafi.

Military action is not realistic, but the full range of diplomatic, financial and legal sanctions should come into play. Instead, there is nobody directly calling for Assad to go, and China and Russia disgracefully absent themselves from the security council in order to avoid even airing disquiet. Turkey, a member of Nato, could yet drag the west in, if it decides its own interests require action to defend its borders from the refugees. The world would then pay a high price indeed for having pretended that Assad was somebody else's problem."

Video: Syrian refugees pour into Turkey

More than 5,000 Syrians have fled their country into Turkey, according to the UNHCR

guardian.co.uk, Monday 13 June 2011

Kuwait: Stateless ‘Bidun’ Denied Rights

Fifty Years of Waiting, but Government Offers Only Handouts

June 13, 2011

"(Kuwait City) - Kuwait has not made good on its decades of promises to address citizenship claims for more than 106,000 stateless Bidun residents, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 63-page report, "Prisoners of the Past: Kuwaiti Bidun and the Burden of Statelessness," describes how in Kuwait, one of the world's richest countries, the Bidun live under the radar of normal society, vulnerable and without protection. Many live in poverty. Kuwait considers the Bidun "illegal residents." The government has denied them essential documentation, including birth, marriage, and death certificates, as well as access to free government schools and legal employment opportunities.

"Like the rest of the Arab world, the Bidun have had enough and are demanding reforms the government should have made years ago," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The government responded to peaceful demonstrators with promises of reform, but it needs to go further and tackle their citizenship claims."....

International human rights law requires governments to provide certain civil documentation for all residents, whether legal or illegal, including a child's right to registration upon birth, and the right to marry and found a family. The Kuwaiti government should ensure the Bidun's right to civil documentation, including birth certificates, marriage registration, death certificates, and travel documents.

"Denying Bidun basic identification documents on the basis of secret evidence that they have other nationality is as arbitrary as it is unfair," Whitson said. "The Kuwaiti government's policy to make Bidun invisible doesn't make the Bidun problem go away, but it does bring suffering and exclusion to vulnerable people." .....

For 50 years, Kuwait has dawdled in reviewing Bidun citizenship claims, while creating a straightjacket of regulations that leave them in poverty and extreme uncertainty. Kuwait has every resource it needs to solve this problem, but chooses to stall instead......"

Download The Report (pdf, 63 pages)

Bahraini activist jailed for reading poem

12 June 2011

"A military court in Bahrain has sentenced a poet to one year in prison for reading out a poem criticizing the country’s King.

Ayat al-Qarmezi, 20, a poet and student was sentenced in a Manama court today following her arrest in March for reading out a poem at a pro-reform rally. She has reportedly been tortured while in detention.

She was charged with taking part in illegal protests, disrupting public security and publicly inciting hatred towards the regime.

"By locking up a female poet merely for expressing her views in public, Bahrain’s authorities are demonstrating how free speech and assembly are brutally denied to ordinary Bahrainis,” said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“The Bahraini authorities must drop the unfair charges against Ayat al-Qarmezi, and release her immediately and unconditionally."...."

SCAF to meet anti-torture activists, receive reports of abuses

From Hossam El-Hamalawy

"I did not blog about my summoning to the military tribunal coz this issue was already covered extensively in the mainstream and social media circles, and I did not have more to say about that day.

But just few quick points, since there are new developments:

- I went to the military prosecutor initially as an “accused” person and Rime Maged was a “witness,” based on a complaint from General Hamdi Badeen, the head of the military police, about my “torture allegations” against his men. The tone completely changed after roughly 20 mins into the conversation with General Adel el-Morsi, the head of the military judicial branch, and the situation became different: Rime and I were invited for “coffee and chat,” and I was asked to hand in whatever information I had on abuses by the military police to the military prosecutors to investigate.

- I made it clear when I appeared on Rime’s OnTV talk show, that my accusations against the military police were based on evidence already documented by local and international rights watchdogs, activists and is available online on several websites. Testimonies of the victims, I also explained on TV and during my “chat” with General Morsi, were already available on Youtube. Moreover, requests for investigating a number of these cases had already been filed to both the public and military prosecutor, but nothing ever came out.

- In all cases, we left the military prosecutor’s office, with a promise that the lawyers were to return again with a file of violations that needed to be looked into re military police and military courts. My lawyers, whom I want to thank again, were from a number of human rights organizations, some of whom have been working closely with the awesome activists of “Against Military Trials of Civilians” group.

- As the lawyers continued to work on the file to be handed to the military prosecutors, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, surprisingly asked for a meeting with representatives from the Against Military Trials of Civilians group, to discuss the violations the activists have been exposing and campaigning against bravely for months.

- The activists will meet the SCAF representatives this morning, with a set of clear demands including investigating the abuses committed by the military police. Whatever information about MP abuses I’ve been gathering in the past period of time has been passed to the group, in addition to the tons of cases they’ve already been documenting.

- The activists will issue a statement as soon as the meeting with the military council is over to let us know what went on.

- It is my own personal conviction and that of many others that SCAF is already familiar with the ongoing abuses, since they are clearly systematic. But the only reason I was released the day I was summoned, and the only reason those generals are meeting the anti-torture activists, is that they are coming under heavy pressure at the moment. And that pressure needs to continue till the military tribunals come to halt and those military police officials involved in torture are held accountable. "

Analysis: A victory, but a qualified one

Election result obstructs Erdogan's plans to change the face of Turkey, says Al Jazeera's senior political analyst.

Marwan Bishara
Al-Jazeera

"Al Jazeera's senior political analyst examines the consequences of Turkey's parliamentary elections as Recep Tayyip Erdogan is elected to a third term as prime minister.....
....
What are the implications of this election for the wider region?

Whatever Arab policy the AKP has had over the past decade - including the so-called "zero problems with neighbours" policy, and especially the state-to-state relations that included normalising relations with Arab dicators - clearly the Arab awakening has put a wrench into all of that, and put a stop to the normalisation of Turkey’s relations with its southern neighbours.

The Arabs have seen Turkey move swiftly on asking Hosni Mubarak to step down in Egypt, but also react with serious hesitation when it came to the bloody policies of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

It was clear that Turkey had put its interests above its declared principles. It disappointed many in the Arab world, in that it did not act swiftly and categorically to condemn the Libyan and Syrian leaders, and ask them to step down.

Now, in the last few days, we have witnessed Erdogan taking a far more principled stand - perhaps a bit late, but late is better than never. But clearly it is not enough for Turkey to turn over a new page with the Arab world.

I spoke with foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu extensively this week about Turkey’s relations with the Arab world.

I think we should expect that Turkey will make a major foreign policy stand or statement that will underline and clarify future Turkish policy with its neighbours, and make it clear that it stands with change and will not stand with those who are indifferent to, or resistant to, change in the Arab region."

Al-Jazeera Video: Egypt's military clamp down on bloggers

Features Hossam El-Hamalawy

Al-Jazeera Video: Heavy fighting reported in northern Syria

"The Syrian army has moved into the nortern town of Jisr al-Shughur.

State TV said troops were fighting armed groups, but activists said mutinous soldiers were clashing with soldiers.

Most of the town's residents have fled towards the Turkish border.

Al Jazeera's Imran Khan reports."

Al-Jazeera Video: Al Jazeera talks to a resident in Jisr al-Shughur

Syrian infighting suggests Assad's grip on power is slipping

Army may be calling the shots as Syria slides towards civil war or an intervention by Turkey

A Good Comment
Simon Tisdall
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 12 June 2011

"....Such accounts of mutiny and defections recall similar stories told in other towns, including Homs and Daraa in the south. Writing in Foreign Policy, Syria expert and author Robin Yassin-Kassab noted that, despite the fact that most anti-regime demonstrations remained non-violent, soldiers were undoubtedly being killed.

"Firm evidence is lost in the fog, but there are reliable and consistent reports, backed by YouTube videos, of mutinous soldiers being shot by security forces," Yassin-Kassab said.

The fact that Assad has not been seen in public for weeks, that his army commander brother, Maher, is leading the offensives in the north, and the fact that the president seems to be hiding from the world – Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, says he is refusing to take his calls – all suggests Assad may not only have lost the initiative but has also lost control of the reins of power....

Two disturbing scenarios are now coming into closer focus. One is the prospect of civil war, possibly along sectarian lines. The other is the possibility of direct Turkish intervention in a country with which Ankara has a long history of disputes over territory, water and other matters.

Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a key but very recent ally, is increasingly publicly critical, decrying the "savagery" and "inhumane" behaviour of the Syrian armed forces. He is said to be angry that promises made to him personally by Assad at the onset of the protests have been broken. And he is facing a growing refugee crisis on Turkish territory at a sensitive political moment.

Yassin-Kassab said: "Turkish military intervention remains unlikely but if the estimated 4,000 refugees who have crossed the border thus far swell to a greater flood, particularly if Kurds begin crossing in large numbers, Turkey may decide to create a safe haven in north or north-eastern Syria.

"This territory could become Syria's Benghazi, potentially a home for a more local and credible opposition than the exile-dominated one that recently met in Antalya, Turkey, and a destination to which soldiers and their families could defect. A council of defected officers might then organise attacks on the regime from the safe haven."

If that happened, then Turkey, a Nato member, would be entitled to request help from the US and other alliance members. Which is how, despite all assurances to the contrary, Britain could yet end up at war in Syria."

Egypt: a constitution first

We must get back to the true path of democratic transition and reform the constitution before, not after, we have elections

Issandr El Amrani for arabist.net
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 12 June 2011

"A group of Egyptian NGOs, echoing calls from various political parties and youth groups, have issued a statement backing the Tunisian model of transition, namely that a new constitution should be drafted before parliamentary and presidential elections take place. This is a position that is gaining traction among a lot of people, reflecting in part a lack of trust in the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and in part the fear of an Islamist-dominated parliament in the next elections.

Although it might still be a minority opinion, I think this activism on the question of when a constitution should come is gaining momentum, and the reasons below make a persuasive case.....

The Tunisian revolution, in fact, has pursued this natural course, starting by forming a constituent assembly to write a constitution that embodies the goals and aspirations of the revolution and that will regulate and organise the new system of governance and its institutions. The same course was recently adopted by revolutionary forces in Yemen as well. Tunisians and Yemenis have put the horse in its proper place, before the cart."

Al-Jazeera Video: Yemen activists continue calls for change

Al-Jazeera Video: World community condemns Syria violence