Thinking the Recolonisation of Africa: US, UK Counter-terrorism Forces Storm Nigeria

A Nigerian news portal, 'Abusidiqu' once reported a wikileaks revelation on how an Algerian-based CIA-sponsored agency gave $40 million to members of the Boko Haram sect promising them more if they continue in their acts. This claim cannot be dismissed considering the act of the CIA in Syria too. The French military also was also financing the rebels in Mali before they grew out of hand. French forces also airlifted and dropped sophisticated weapons for rebels in Libya, especially in Misrata, during the no-fly-zone turned regime-change war. These weapons were unaccounted for but today as always and usual, terrorists roving West Africa are said to get their weapons from Gaddafi and as an aftermath of his fall. Boko Haram also began kidnapping after France paid it N500 million to free some French nationals held hostage.

Africa still continues to be their chessboard, a continent they can always penetrate when the need arises. United States has expanded its African-based forces in the name of AFRICOM. The rate at which terrorists are roaming the continent is giving the foreigners the desired outcome. Terrorism and foreign dominance in Africa seem to be working hand in hand. Kenya rushed to beckon on Israeli storm-troopers as well as American and British 'experts'. Terrorism is weakening and showing the weakness of Africa which the leaders have allowed and bolstering and strengthening those who led the continent to the state of torpidity and massive quagmire.

In what looks or appears more like a continuously established situation, the Nigerian Navy Chief of Training and Operations, Rear Admiral Babalola Ogunjimi disclosed that foreign Special Forces have arrived Nigeria for counter-terrorism operations which specifically will be for operations against the deadly and dreaded Boko Haram sect. This is coming after the United States raided Libya and Somalia to prove its reach, capacity and capability. the Nigerian Navy Chief stated that the Nigerian military, in conjunction with Special Forces from the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (US), Spain and Netherlands have begun a joint training to combat terrorism in the country.

He said 150 of them were drawn from units of the Nigerian Armed Forces-Army, Navy and Air Force- while 739 are from the foreign Special Forces. Ogunjimi said the training called "African Winds", began on October 3, and was expected to last for 14 days and would be followed by four days' exercise. He said the exercise would be conducted by Mobile Training Teams (MTTs) of the Special Forces in Lagos and Calabar, respectively.

"It is expected that the "African Winds" training and exercise will further improve the capacity of the Nigerian Armed Forces to deal with numerous security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea", adding that some of the challenges include crude oil theft and attacks on merchant ships. Ogunjimi said the programme was in furtherance of the Chief of Defence Staff's drive to promote effective joint services operations among Nigerian Armed Forces and friendly military from other countries.

According to him, the exercise in Lagos will take place between October 15 and 18 at Ibeshe Beach and the Navy Ordinance Depot (NOD) Waterfront. The exercise that will be conducted in Lagos include Amphibious Raid, Maritime Counter Terrorism, Vessel Boarding Stop and Search in an opposed environment and Hydrographic survey," he said. He  further said the Calabar exercise would hold between October 21 and 24 at the Tinapa and Muddy Beach in the state and Oron Beach in Akwa Ibom State.

Ogunjimi further revealed that the exercises to be conducted in Calabar include Riverine and Jungle operations which would be carried out by a combined force from US., UK and the Netherlands marines. He said an amphibious raid exercise planned and executed by troops from the Army, Navy Special Boat Service and the NNS Jubilee, would be conducted at Oron Beach to end the exercise. "African Winds" is the nickname for a maritime capacity building training programmes for the Armed Forces of Nigeria in conjunction with the Netherland Maritime Forces under the US sponsored African Partnership Station. Other countries covered by the programme are Morocco, Senegal, Ghana, Benin and Cameroon.

Under the programme, the Netherlands Maritime Forces is providing an amphibious logistic support ship, the HMNLS Rotherdam, to support the training and exercise," he said. He said the ship contained 688 troops, four helicopters and six special boats called Landing Craft Utility (LCU) and Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP). He said  other facilities in the ship included Fast Raid Interception Special Forces Craft used in inserting small number of specially trained troops from sea to land, particularly in the creeks. Rather than build their military bodies and forces to a sophisticated level to be able to combat modern demands and challenges, African leaders prefer to be notoriously corrupt; dwindling their nations' wealth while genuflecting for aid from those who destroyed and continue to destroy the continent.

"African Winds" is really a perfect title considering how systemic and systematic the wind of recolonisation is blowing. It is blowing so fast and speedy that African leaders pretentiously act as if they are unaware of the rising trend. Spain is a country notable for its American colonies built by African slaves. The Netherlands too is another notorious country of slave raiders and traders. The United Kingdom did hers too and its even the most versed in the act which she transferred to the 'Almighty' United States of America today. Africa seems to have accepted its destiny to 'forever' be backward and relegated to the background always while feeding the highest percentage of those it kowtows for.

One begins to wonder when ignorant African leaders will begin to see the relationship between Western push into the continent and their financing of terrorism thereof. The situation is extremely appalling. Many Africans rush to accept the incursion on the ground that terrorists are perpetuating heinous crimes yet most of the weapons used are Western-manufactured. A pertinent question was once asked: 'Why has terrorists not attacked Israel on the scale they do elsewhere?' Al Qaeda was created during Soviet incursion into Afghanistan. Today, the US finances Saudi Arabia which automatically finances the radical Sunnis and Salafists. When they attack any country, America and the foreign powers will be the best for such a country.

The Thinkers, Leaders and their War of Words; Washington versus the Kremlin

Either President Putin is fervently hated or mildly loved, he has done what the world continues to wish since the demise of the Soviet Union; reduction in wars especially Washington-led and backed wars. He has successfully dissuaded the United States from the usual 'no one can question me' nature. He has moved the thinking of the US away from 'I can strike any nation at will if it does not comply with Washington-imposed standards and red lines'.

Putin might be hated really based on Western fabrication and portrayal of him but he is currently ensuring all rational humans have the best rest of minds as possible. Had the US struck Syria, the world would currently be moving closer to an Iraq and a Libya by now. It is natural of Washington and NATO to strike, leave the country in disarray and stylishly exit such. Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya are ready-made illustrations.

Putin has finally completely changed the perception of the powers in Washington that everything is not all about war-war; it could be a case of word-word too and he is succeeding in that. No American leader would naturally have written an op-ed in any Russian Times long before now because to them, the US is too powerful and no one can challenge it in all spheres of life. Putin just did and basically through Snowden, Syria and his op-ed in the New York Times. In response, Senator McCain, the seemingly most 'powerful' war-hawk today retorted in kind.

Republican Senator John McCain has slammed President Vladimir Putin’s polices in an op-ed headlined “Russians deserve better than Putin,” written for Russia’s online newspaper Pravda.ru. McCain accused Putin and his associates of corruption, punishing dissent and creating an economy “based almost entirely on a few natural resources.” The US senator also singled out the case of Russian lawyer Sergey Magnitsky, who died in prison. McCain, who says he is often referred to as “an active anti-Russian politician,” described himself as “pro-Russian” and said he was not an antagonist of that country’s citizens.

McCain apparently refused to link the case of Edward Snowden and Sergey Magnitsky as well as failed to grab the tenets of Putin's op-ed which was primarily to tell Obama not to create fundamentalist ideology in the Americans through his 'Exceptionalism Stance'. What Putin is simply saying is that sensible countries of the world are tired of over-dependence on brute force by the US to force nations to bow at its feet and the message in guise to the Americans is that their nation is hated because it is God's own. Which nation is Devil's own?

Pentagon Prepares to Overtly Arm Syrian Rebels

All options are always and still are on the table to get Bashar al Assad out at all cost. The apparent frustration of the United States in exploring all options are evident in its continued, consistent and constant policies in raising one dust or another each time Assad seems to be knocking it off. Around April, John Kerry categorically stated that Assad has no place in the future of Syria.

When defending the aborted US strike on Syria during the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, he mulled the same note that President Obama has said and stood on his words that Assad must go. The United States has been training the rebels covertly since 2012 in Turkey but it looks more like they are no match for Assad's military.

The US has also explored the sarin gas option since April, all moving towards stalemate and maybe an incoherent end with Russia's stance. Now Pentagon is about to do what it knows how to do best in situations like this; arm the rebels directly under the guise and cloth of 'moderates'. Does it mean radicals and terrorists like Al Nusra have been armed before and are losing; hence new ones must be joined in the nomenclature of being 'moderates'?

RT reports that Pentagon has put together a plan to equip and train “moderate” Syrian rebel forces, marking the first instance of the American military having direct contact with the opposition. Information regarding the new plan was relayed by two Obama administration officials to CNN. The idea has allegedly been under consideration since the first evidence of a massive chemical weapons attack outside of Damascus on August 21 emerged, which the US maintains was carried out by Assad’s government.

Though the two officials did not cite many specifics on the proposal, the effort would involve training which would take place in a country near Syria. However, weapons would not be directly supplied as the Pentagon has no authority to do so.

"We have any number of options under development that could expand our support to the moderate opposition, but no decision has been taken at this point," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey told reporters on Wednesday in response to questions on the proposal. The Pentagon’s plan would involve US troops training selected rebels on the use of small arms, along with command and control and other military tactics.

No matter how diplomatic Washington tries to package and cook its intervention, it is seemingly glaring to most objective observers that the benefits and utmost advantages would serve the radicals in the Syrian war. The oppositions are disjointed, disoriented, disorganized and disunited. All attempts to bring them together by Washington, the house of Saud in Makkah, Turkey, some selected EU countries, Qatar among others have always ended in a more disconnected mission.

As Russia and the US Agree to Destroy Syria's Chemical Weapons; Opposition Tries to Raise its Stake

Russia and the United States have agreed on a framework to destroy Syria's chemical weapons. John Kerry says Assad must hand over all details of the locations of the chemical weapons stockpiles within a week while Sergei Lavrov has confirmed that both the US and Russia have contacted Damascus directly on the issue.

The United Nations stated that it has received all official documents from the Syrian government to join the Chemical Weapons Convention and Damascus would be a full member by October 14; 30 days after its application to join the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov have both been seriously brainstorming on possible ways to end the Syrian crisis. The European Union on its part said it is satisfied with the progress made and would be willing to render its own assistance to effect all the terms of the agreement.

President Obama and the Pentagon are however still mulling that all options are still on the table and the American military is still standing on same posture despite the deal.

Meanwhile the Syrian opposition is also planning 'a future' for itself. The opposition to President Assad, an umbrella group led by the Syrian National Coalition, has elected the moderate Islamist Ahmad Tumeh as their provisional prime minister.Tumeh, a 48-year old former political prisoner from the east of Syria, received 75 votes out of the 97 cast in a ballot in Istanbul.

The move is seen by analysts as an attempt to raise its credibility as high stakes diplomacy plays out between the US and Russia to try and resolve Syria’s two year civil war. Tumeh is an independent Islamist and has been appointed to run rebel-held areas where a slide into chaos has threatened to undermine the opposition to President Assad.

Poll Reveals American Soldiers Do not want Strikes in Syria

As John Kerry of the United States and Sergei Lavrov of Russia battle for the soul of Syria diplomatically in Geneva while the two Presidents, Obama and Putin trade jabs with Obama's 9/11's speech and Putin's counter-voice in the New York Times, American soldiers have simply been showing their disapproval for any involvement and mission in Syria.

The irony of any disapproval though is that it would not stop any recalcitrant American President bent on war and directed by his war-hawks but it goes a long way to show the awkward madness of what democracy is in the United States.

The US service-members oppose military strikes in Syria by a three-to-one margin, according to a poll by Military Times. An online survey of more than 750 active-duty troops found 75 percent of respondents were not in favour of airstrikes against the Assad regime.

A slight percentage more said it is not in the US national interest to get involved in the country’s civil war. Military Times said money and a war-weary isolationist streak were top reasons for the soldiers’ disapproval. Despite this disapproval, Senator McCain still wants nothing other than military strikes. One definitely wonders what would be happening in the world by now as regards wars if he were the President.

The United States and its Hypocritical Democracy

The United States prides itself as the most democratic nation on earth today. It continues to tell the world that democracy entails freedom in its multidimensional facets, debates, the theory of 'we disagree to agree' with real and genuine understanding of the role of the majority in the polity. That is democracy.

The world cannot deny the influence of the United States politics and elections in the scheme of things. Almost the entire world usually stands still when the American election is the offing. We compare and analyse in line with out various local and indigenous politics and democracy.

If this act is not hypocritical, how come the number one democratic nation in the world finds it hard to debate on the floor of the United Nations Security Council? How come unilateral action like that of the DICTATORS whom America love to hate has become the exclusive preserve of Washington? How come Washington cannot provide evidences as demanded by Russia on the use of chemical weapons in Syria? How come Washington has always been so defiant on collective UNSC action and prefers to always do things alone like autocrats? Is democracy not a farce through all these?

Obama even refused to meet with Putin or really discuss Syria at the G20 summit when others were furious and want a real way out but was meeting one by one with his American puppets; Japan and company. Democracy also endorses the idea of the majority, in fact that is the most crucial factor in democracy; game of numbers. How come the United States believe so much in sidestepping the majority at the United Nations who have expressed concern over attacks or is the US mightier than majority of nations on the floor of the UN General Assembly?

Americans says they do not want their government to spend taxpayers cash irrelevantly nauseously based on some specious speculations. The government simply smiles at their ignorant foolery. They hardly control it; the corporations need to sell, test new weapons and get oil whenever and wherever necessary. Israel has a list of countries that must be off in the Middle East to ensure its full hegemony. After Syria, it will be a case of ratcheting up rhetoric on Iran and the ultimate will be best imagined. It is a planned agenda and everything seems to be falling in place.

If democracy recognises disagreement for agreement, how come Washington refused to accept Kremlin's stance that if the UN can confirm Assad used CW, it would support military action under the authority of the UNSC? Internal democracy of the United States suits the US. It is not different then from what is obtainable really elsewhere since its external track records have no iota of genuine democracy. America is a country where whoever the majority of the people want might not win at the end of the day or what is electoral college? The same US will always condemn Iran. The Ayatollahs of the US are the big corporations determining the outcome of elections.

What is the difference between an America that breeds a Snowden of massive worldwide cyber espionage and a China it loves to condemn about human rights abuses and limitation of freedom? The Occupy movements were brutally suppressed too just like in every other sphere. The only luck was that there was no Russia and China to penetrate and interfere, making some elements so recalcitrant to the extent of picking up arms because they know a Washington-like power will come to aid them. It hates their government, hence will do all to help them destroy their country in the name of humanitarian intervention.

Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya have lost all legitimacy. They are now at best abattoirs for humans and graveyards. One needs not talk about the deaths of millions in the wars from Kabul to Baghdad to Tripoli. Washington continues to violate international law and that needs to mention again too because it has become a norm and a tradition. It is constant and consistent. International law is meant for developing nations not the powerful ones. Africa should be pitied here. In fact, only two nations can successfully violate international law without the world winking but with noises from the United Nations; Israel and the United States. They are simply above all laws.

Russia Warns of Nuclear Disaster in Syria ahead of America's Military Push

A military strike on Syria could lead to a nuclear catastrophe if a missile were to hit a reactor containing radioactive uranium, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman warned. The remark comes as the US continues to push for a military strike on Syria. "If a warhead, by design or by chance, were to hit the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) near Damascus, the consequences could be catastrophic," Aleksandr Lukashevich said in a Wednesday statement.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry urged the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to complete a risk evaluation as the US continues to seek support for military action. It asked the agency to “react swiftly” and carry out “an analysis of the risks linked to possible American strikes on the MNSR and other facilities in Syria.” Lukashevich stated that the region could be at risk of “contamination by highly enriched uranium and it would no longer be possible to account for nuclear material, its safety and control.” He added that such material could fall into the wrong hands.

The IAEA said that it is aware of the statement, but it is waiting for a formal request asking the agency to complete a risk evaluation. “We will consider the questions raised if we receive such a request," Reuters quoted an IAEA spokesperson as saying. The agency said in a report to member states last week that Syria had declared there was a “small amount of nuclear material” at the MNSR, a type of research reactor usually fuelled by highly enriched uranium.

Although this type of a reactor would not contain a lot of nuclear material, it would be enough to cause "a serious local radiation hazard" if the reactor was hit, nuclear expert Mark Hibbs from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told Reuters. The United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on Wednesday to approve President Obama's plan to strike Syria in retaliation against the alleged use of chemical weapons by President Bashar Assad’s regime.

Should Congress move to approve the president’s request, the US could soon initiate a limited strike on Syria. On the other hand, Moscow needs convincing proof – not rumours - from UN experts that chemical weapons were used in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with AP and Channel 1 on Tuesday.

“We believe that at the very least we should wait for the results of the UN inspection commission in Syria,” Putin said. He added that so far there is no information regarding exactly which chemical agent was used in the attack in the Damascus suburb, or who was behind it.

RT

Al Qaeda-linked Rebels Unleashed Mayhem on a Christian Village in Syria as the United States Plans to Attack

The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations passed the Syria Authorization endorsing military action against Syria. The resolution will now be transferred to the full house of the Senate for debate and vote.

Meanwhile, Washington's new found friend, al Nusra, previously labelled a terrorist group by the State Department but became a rebel group because it is fighting Assad, Russia's last ally in the Middle East is busy unleashing its beastly acts after killing both Christian and Alawite clerics and its member even ate the heart of a captured soldier.

The Al-Qaeda-linked group attacked a predominantly Christian village sympathetic to the Assad regime in western Syria while rebel and government forces clashed in Damascus.

RT reports that the attack began at dawn when a Jabhat al-Nusra fighter blew himself up at a government checkpoint near the entrance to Maaloula – a village of 2,000 residents - according to a Syrian official and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collects information from anti-regime activists.

Following the suicide bombing, al-Nusra rebels and government forces traded fire, with the rebels eventually seizing the checkpoint and taking over a hotel on a mountain overlooking the village, according the Observatory and a local nun.

Rebels also disabled two tanks and an armoured personnel carrier and killed eight regime soldiers during the fighting. From the mountaintop hotel, rebels fired shells into the village, forcing around 80 people to take refuge in a convent, the nun said.

A Syrian government official has confirmed the attack, AP reported. Rebel mortar fire hit a sports hall in Damascus, killing Mohammed Ali Neimeh, a member of the national taekwondo team, state news agency SANA reported.

Syria and Obama's Nobel Prize: Bush's Clone Prepares for War in Syria; 'unreliable' Russia takes on Saudi

Who gave President Barack Hussein Obama, the presumed first 'man of colour' to rule America a Nobel Prize? The bribe is not working. It will never work. He is a clone. This is just like giving George Walker Bush the prize of a 'man of peace'.

The world is again been fooled by some microscopic warmongers who see wars as the only cards to be played once a government refused to dance to their nefarious whims and caprices. Logically, Bashar al Assad made the mistake earlier of embarking on such massive crackdown of protesters and in the other angle, Syria's earliest responses to the protests were better and satisfactory compared to Mubarak's Egypt and Gaddafi's Libya. Assad's government kept on making concessions on Thursdays.

He kept on paving the way for peace and peaceful resolutions but the recalcitrant elements among the protesters, probably belonging to al Qaeda, bolstered by NATO elements through Turkey or maybe waiting to catch in on Western hatred of al Assad refused to mellow down and allowed for peace. They chose to go so nauseously militaristic beginning from Homs and the government cannot just fold its arms watching. The crackdown though affected a lot of unarmed protesters but where two elephants fight, the grass suffers.

Almost all governments on earth employ the same tactics to silence protesters but that of a government not on the same page with western diktats are usually blown beyond proportion otherwise was Bahrain better than Syria when Damascus' protests started? Syria was much reasonable. It did not order for thousands of Iranian troops to silence and kill its citizens.

Saudi sent over one thousand soldiers into Bahrain to crush all peaceful protests. That will be allowed because Bahrain must not fall because of Iran. America's fifth fleet is there, Saudi needs a buffer zone and an ultimate 'destruction' of Iran to eliminate its most potent rival. Israel needs that too as Iran is a formidable bone on its throat. It is a real Middle East of confusion. America continues to claim al Qaeda is its enemy, that is just another slap on the world. People are taken to be morons. Al Nusra was listed by the State Department as a terrorist group but when its actions and bestial acts are needed in Syria, it became a rebel group. Who is fooling who?

Al Qaeda was created through Osama bin Laden in the nomenclature of a Mujahideen to oust the Soviet Union from Afghanistan but became a terrorist group after accomplishing the CIA-led mission and decided to bite its master a little. That is the same way the Free Syrian Army will be tagged in some few years. The world is in real mess. Libya knows no peace again. Gaddafi like Assad was about completing the job; hence, the rebels would have surrendered and Libya would be stabilized. Those who took up arms against a government should fight their wars to the last not when a monster comes in and turns the whole country into a continuous 'graveyard'. That is what Iraq is today. That is what Libya is now.

North to West Africa is now suffering from the outcome of NATO's involvement in Libya. Islamist militants parade the territories blatantly, causing mayhem and havoc. Russia has centrally been an unreliable partner, hence it is really usually better and safer to dance to the tune of the United States who can flex its muscle than depend on a country with much noises and less action but cries. If the news making the round is anything to go by, which revealed the Kremlin has ordered massive strikes on Saudi Arabia because it was threatened by Makkah to hands off Syria and allow Assad to fall, then Moscow is not taken seriously because the powers know it is not ready to act, hence the bombs would likely rain on Syria.

Tentative UN report proved the rebels not Assad may have likely used the sarin nerve gas. NO! The powers do not want any conclusion again and they will never go through the UN. Going through the UN means Russia will stop them. How can that be? They want wars. They have been able to save a little after the depression and financial meltdown. They need to charge world's tension. They need to strike and create pandemonium. It is not about regime change but 'humanitarian'. Yes! We know how Gaddafi was deposed and Libya is now left naked.

It is always 'humanitarian' with bombs. The same government that encouraged Saddam Hussein to gas Iran is now the police against such weapons. The same government that refused to apologise on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is the alpha and omega. Soon, another declassified document of the CIA will come out in some years and it will be revealed that Israel, Saudi Arabia or even Turkey with the backing of the United States pushed the rebels to use or knew the rebels will use the gas on 'children' like it happened in the Iraq-Iran war of 1980-88. The world is full of noises; no actions. They know Russia and China will not risk wars, so they behave like injected dogs everywhere.

The war on Iran has begun. President Morsi who has a soft side for Hamas has been sent packing. Syria will soon be out. Russia should be ready, it will be left naked. Iran is the main target. Arabs like Africans are the problems of their lands now. They blame Israel but refused to think and settle disputes among one another. The greed of the leaders has destabilized their region. Saudi Arabia does not allow Israelis into its territory but it is working for Israel by allowing Washington to continue to invade any nation Israel wants out of the 'map'.

Assad is winning the war; no doubt. They want the table overturned like in the Iraq-Iran war. Syrian opposition says it will not not attend Geneva-2 peace conference if does not gain militarily. It needs a leverage to force Assad out on the negotiating table. It has happened before, it is happening and will likely continue. They control and determine it. The shi'ites are going down. Saudi wants that. The sunnis must 'rule'. It is a planned agenda. Sunni monarchies; Saudi Arabia and Qatar primarily have committed to the war in order to ensure their own continued hegemony, especially in terms of energy production. A renowned author and geopolitical analyst F. William Engdahl has noted, Israel’s new gas discoveries off the Mediterranean coast add a new dimension to the struggle for dominance in the region.

The real terrorists are the police of the world. They are the ones who determine what terrorism is and label anyone not working in their favour as a terrorist. Everything looks like a planned agenda. President Obama spoke and said categorically: 'I have told Assad to leave so we can have a transitional government'. Obama, the president of another country ordering another sovereign head to leave. Will they not use all means even if sarin gas is the key? How come it is all coming after Obama's 'red line' speech? He was so bold because he knew they control the world. This is no real joke. That is just it. Bahrain and all repressive regimes on Washington's good book can kill their citizens with smile but once your act are against Washington, just try not to touch even a criminal.

It is the Balkan wars all over again. Balkanization of the Middle East has been effected. The wars must keep coming like it led to the first world war (WWI). Like the Balkans almost exactly 100 years ago, Syria has become the proverbial powder keg in which Western leaders play with matches. Almost all the players and powers in the Balkan wars are still present today. America did not join the start but joined in the larger war (WWI). The world should brace up once again.

American Public Rejects War in Syria; Obama Urges Restraint, Iran Warns of Consequences

The American public has expressed real unwillingness to get involved in another costly conflict in the Middle East, a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests. Only 9 percent of the surveyed believe President Barack Obama should take action on Syria, while some 60 percent of Americans said the United States should not intervene in Syria's bloody civil war.

According to the poll taken on August 19-23, 25 percent of Americans would back intervention if it is proven that the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons against civilians, while almost double that number – 46 percent – would still oppose such a move. Iran has also lent its voice against any intervention in Syria.

Obama has discussed the latest developments in Syria with British PM David Cameron and both expressed grave concern over the alleged chemical attack. "They reiterated that significant use of chemical weapons would merit a serious response from the international community and both have tasked officials to examine all the options." President Obama has received the awaiting intelligence report with no specific details of the options but the emphasis on responses in the event of confirmation of chemical attacks.

US Secretary of Defence, Chuck Hagel, while speaking at a conference in Malaysia indicated that the US military is ready to exercise options on Syria, should Obama choose military action. “President Obama has asked the Defence Department to prepare options for all contingencies. We have done that and we are prepared to exercise whatever option - if he decides to employ one of those options," Hagel told reporters.

President Obama himself, however, has been cautious about intervention in Syria. In an interview with CNN, the president said the United States should be wary of “being drawn into very expensive, difficult, costly interventions that actually breed more resentment in the region.”

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said that nearly 3,600 patients with neurotoxic symptoms were treated in three Damascus hospitals on the day a toxic gas attack was reported, while 355 patients were reportedly pronounced dead. Moscow has commented that it was monitoring events surrounding the alleged attack. “We’re getting more new evidence that this criminal act was of a provocative nature,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Aleksandr Lukashevich, said in a statement.

“In particular, there are reports circulating on the Internet that the materials of the incident and accusations against government troops had been posted for several hours before the so-called attack. Thus, it was a pre-planned action,” he said.

The revelation by MSF happened within a week of a UN investigative team entering the country to examine three different sites of alleged chemical weapons usage. It was also just hours after UN disarmament chief, Angela Kane, arrived in the Syrian capital of Damascus to apply pressure on the Syrian government to grant access to the site of the reported attack in the Damascus suburbs.

Professor of International Law at Georgetown University, Daoud Khairallah, told RT that the US would not act without verifiable evidence.

“The US can’t take any action without verifiable evidence about who is the party who is responsible. If it turns out that it was the rebels that used this poisonous material, the US will be embarrassed because it will be the allies of US, the opposition the US has been supporting and claiming that these are people who are seeking democracy and rule of law in Syria.”

“The US would like to prove that it was the regime who has done this, but it has not been independently proved or verified and without independent verification I doubt that Obama will act. Obama did say that ‘we need to be sure who has used these weapons, evaluate the costs to the US both financially and morally, we need international approval.’”

"We are ready to go into Syria" ~White House. Do not venture into Syria; Iran warns

Syrian state media accused the rebels of attacking regime's soldiers with chemical weapons while the rebels said Assad's forces were behind the Damascus chemical massacre that occurred in Damascus. The UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane is in Syria to try to get access for the team of international inspectors to work at the site in the Damascus suburbs.

The rebels earlier assured the UN officials of their safety in rebel-controlled areas and told them they need to get to the site before 48 hours. Russian foreign ministry also assured the UN experts that the Syrian government is ready to guarantee them maximum cooperation in their quest to verify the truth; separate facts from fictions.

Some western nations seem not to be satisfied with whatever arrangement is going on. The United States, France and the United Kingdom, the three traditional supporters of wars and unrest in countries not in support of them, not on the same page with them and not in tandem with whatever principles they purport to project have blamed the attack on the regime solely. Earlier UN report speculated the regime as well as the rebels have used toxic agents on the populace.

White House says:

"We have a range of options available, and we are going to act very deliberately so that we're making decisions consistent with our national interest as well as our assessment of what can advance our objectives in Syria," the White House official said. "Once we ascertain the facts, the President will make an informed decision about how to respond."

President Obama is set to meet with his national security team later on in the day to discuss possible options.

Tehran says:

"Iran has announced several times that there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis, these provocative measures and moves make regional issues more complicated and fuel tensions. The Syrian problem could be resolved only through a peaceful solution and there is no international permit for military meddling in Syria." ~Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Abbas Araqchi.

The Foreign Ministry said there is evidence showing that terrorist groups and rebels have been using chemical weapons against Syrian civilians.

Commentaries from RT on the developing story of chemical attack in Syria:

"According to US press reports the US government is preparing to launch attacks on Syria using the Kosovo intervention as justification. A route that lies outside the UN. The Russian government should note this will reduce the UN to the same status as its forerunner the League of Nations. It is clear that Western Imperialism will not be deflected by any treaties it has signed with Russia. Look to your military preparations. " ~Babeouf

"Putin and all the Russian citizens must realise that if they success to take down Assad, Iran is their next target and then they will come after the Russian empire. It's not time to play the waiting game, it's time to get ready for all the consequences of the Syrian proxy-war." ~Corbis

"Well it seems like the western warmongers want to have there war no matter the cost. The people of Syria are just a pretext for the war you only have to look at Iraq and Afghanistan to see the concern the US and UK had for its civilians. A negotiated peace was the only solution but the west doomed it from the start. If they succeed this will have ramifications for Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and could well spread to Saudi. If the west wants to see the entire region in flames they are going about it the right way." ~Carlos

"Bingo. What both sides fail to ralize is that neither West, nor East, nor anyone in between is squeaky clean. Media and government from both sides lie through their teeth. Be they Russian, be they Syrian, be they British, French or American; none are to be trusted. Furthermore, I pray the my own government (the US) keeps a level head and chooses inaction until every last detail is uncovered in undisputable fashion. Even then I would recommend the US does nothing." ~Shark McCallister (sic).

"It is horrific to see there is an anti-Assad faction willing to murder the women & children of their erstwhile allies to provide pretext for Western Humanitarian Intervention, that, or the Assad regime is willing to wage unlimited & criminal warfare to assure the survival of his Ba'athist Dynastic Dictatorship. With the information currently at hand it is impossible to definitively determine. Humanity can not allow this Internecine Civil War to ignite WWIII. It is encumbant upon Russia, the United States, the European Union member States & China to work cooperatively as possible to prevent Global Armageddon." ~Paris Nicolaides

"William Hague will wish he never had a Twitter account if this keeps up.. Have you noticed it is the French and British demanding "action" whilst the other enablers stay strangely quiet ? What is it about these subservient countries and their fake concern for humanity who fund terrorists in the name of democracy? From where i am standing they are all criminally insane and i wonder who they get that from shhh from that little terrorist haven in the Middle East.." ~Jubba

Israel vs Palestine: 'New alliances in the Middle East.' ~Livni. 'No peace visible' ~Israeli citizens

Israel’s top peace negotiator said newly resumed talks with the Palestinians have provided an opening “to change the allies and alliances in the region.” There are parts in the Arab world that, “for them, re-launching the negotiations can be an opportunity… to work together against the extremists,” Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said, referring to the turmoil in Egypt and the Syrian conflict.

Livni, speaking after meeting with visiting UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon declined to say whether any progress at the talks had been made.

The caricature peace negotiation between Israel and Palestine has been going on for decades with both sides always accusing each other of breaking the agreements or sabotaging the negotiations. Israel has been releasing Palestinian prisoners she can always easily get any time while constructing settlements she cannot easily dismantle.

Washington has told Palestinians not to be worried over the settlements for the sake of the peace negotiation which John Kerry brokered but it seems the Israeli citizens and the triads - Israeli authorities, Palestinian authorities and the United States' officials - are not on the same page. The Israeli citizens already have the intuition owing from past experiences.

Nearly 80 percent of Israel’s Jewish population believe a peace deal with the Palestinians is impossible, an opinion poll said. Asked whether “a final agreement” would be reached “that will put an end to the conflict,” 79.7 percent of respondents said no, and only 6.2 percent said yes. The poll was carried out by Israeli research institute Hagal Hahadash among a representative sample of 500 people, AFP reported.

Of all respondents, 77.5 percent said they opposed the Israeli government's decision to release long-serving Palestinian prisoners alongside the resumed peace talks. Just 14.2 percent said they were in favor of the prisoner release.

Pressure from US and EU, On the Road to Genuine Peace or Enclosing Iran?: Israel to Release 104 Palestinian Prisoners

With the activities of Hezbollah in the ongoing war in Syria, Israel has continued to feel uncomfortable and did not bother to hide it. Israel, according to Middle East experts, is looking for ways to obliterate Hezbollah from its list of potential threats because it seems the only better armed 'liberation movement' in the Arab World.

The Syrian war would have been the best bet for Israel but the complexity of the war on a daily basis is giving it a kind of restraint. At a point, Iran which Israel knows is backing Hezbollah stated that it will send 4,000 soldiers to Syria; sending a strong message to Tel Aviv that Syria is a real chess board where every player plays its part and outcome not to be determined by one state or a group of states opposed to the regime.

The latest twist to making Iran and Hezbollah irrelevant and remove their certificate of relevance in the scheme of things is the new John Kerry-brokered resuscitation of direct negotiation and peace talks between Israel and Palestine. The currency both Iran and Hezbollah spend in the Middle East as vital players largely comes from the unending support for Palestinians. If this currency is removed, then Iran and Hezbollah can be faced squarely, almost leaving no room for solidarity for them.

Israeli cabinet approved the release of 104 Palestinians; a move sponsored by Prime Minister Netanyahu ahead of expected resumption of peace talks with the Palestine Authority. Many of the Palestinians to be freed have spent over 20 years behind bars. Thirteen ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet have authorized the release of the detainees, with seven voting against and two abstentions, a government official revealed.

Netanyahu addressed his Facebook followers on Saturday, urging support for his plan to release Palestinians serving long prison terms gradually, including those sentenced for attacking and killing Israelis. “An open letter to the citizens of Israel” was also said to have been published on the Prime Minister’s website.

“From time to time prime ministers are called on to make decisions that go against public opinion; when the matter is important for the country,” Netanyahu wrote, stressing that the decision he made “is painful for the bereaved families, it is painful for the entire nation, and it is also very painful for me.” "This conclusion will be possible only on condition that the security of Israeli citizens and our vital national interests will be ensured," Netanyahu promised.

No identities of Palestinian prisoners that might be included in the amnesty have been made public. Netanyahu had secured support on the issue from 10 ministers of his cabinet ahead of the vote, Haaretz reported. The release of prisoners is interlinked with the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations which are to start in Washington on Tuesday. “The goal here is to augment the political dialogue with confidence-building measures,” an unidentified Israeli official told the New York Times.

“This is the biggest achievement we will have had this year,” an anonymous Palestinian official involved in negotiations told the NYT. Netanyahu will have to use all of the persuasion he’s got to make Israelis believe that what he’s doing is right and serves the common cause. Families of Israelis killed by Palestinians over the last 30 years are not likely to take it lightly. In their turn, Palestinians consider their compatriots convicted before the 1993, when the Oslo Peace Accords were signed, as political prisoners that should have been released long time ago.

Israel’s dramatic shift comes quite unexpectedly, with experts wondering if this the final effect of pressure from Brussels and Washington which has been mounting to push Israel towards negotiation table. EU is against the continuous establishment of settlements in occupied lands. The Israeli-Palestinian talks have been organized by the US and Secretary of State John Kerry has put great effort into make it happen. For Kerry, in office for six months now, a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations reflects on his performance.

"There is no alternative. It is also difficult for me," Netanyahu told one of the ministers, according to Haaretz. "We must renew the peace process.” Israel is used to freeing Palestinians from prisons only in exchange for kidnapped soldiers or the return of their bodies. The last great exchange took place in October 2011 during PM Netanyahu’s previous term, when 1,027 Palestinians were exchanged for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held captive in Gaza for five years.

Al Qaeda is Expanding and France is its most Significant Foe

Al-Qaeda’s resilience, ideological strength and expansion in the midst of escalating sectarian struggle has increased the threat it poses - and it will take decades to win the ideological struggle against it, according to a new report.

“There has been a net expansion in the number and geographic scope of al-Qaeda affiliates and allies over the past decade, indicating that al-Qaeda and its brand are far from defeated,” said author of the study and RAND corporation analyst, Seth Jones.

Jones noted that what was once a highly organized group with a strong base in Afghanistan has now reaped affiliates, allied groups, and inspired networks of groups harboring a “hatred of the West” and its allied regimes across the Middle  East.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the suspected ringleader of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, was given as an example of an “inspired” individual who was not a member of al-Qaeda.

The core group itself has seen a general ascendance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), for which a number of possible reasons were given. Four separate subsectors or groups of the militant block were identified: Central al-Qaeda, al-Qaeda allies, al-Qaeda affiliates, and al-Qaeda ideological sympathizers.

The Arab uprisings, which have “weakened regimes” in the region, were given as a primary cause for al-Qaeda’s spread. According to the report, the uprisings created an “opportunity” for al-Qaeda affiliates and allies to consolidate a footing in the regions.

Increasing sectarian struggles in the same areas means that resources available to Sunni Islamic militant groups have also grown, allowing weaponry to spread and be more accessible to militants. Meanwhile, the movement has become “more diffuse and decentralized” as a result of the expansion, Jones stated in a testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week.

Al-Qaeda members “largely run their operations autonomously, though they still communicate with core leadership in Pakistan and may seek strategic advice.”

Because of this diffusion and lack of solid organizational structure to the militant movement, the study found that despite an increasing availability of weapons, the group as a unit is becoming less of a threat to the US. However, ideologically, it is still growing stronger.

“The growth in social media and the terrorist use of chat rooms, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other sites has facilitated radicalization inside the United States,” the study says, outlining how the increased dissemination of ‘propaganda’ information and instructions on how to create bombs has played a key role.

Despite being less of a threat to the US on its home territory, affiliates and allies of the group continue to threaten US and foreign outposts overseas, such as those in Tunisia in 2012.

“Jabhat al-Nusrah’s access to foreign fighters, external network in Europe and other areas, and bomb-making expertise suggest that it may already have the capability to plan and support attacks against the West,” wrote Jones, adding that there seems to be a “growing contingent of foreign fighters – perhaps several thousand – traveling to Syria to fight in the war.”

Most pressing Al-Qaeda threats

Although posing a certain ideological threat to the US, it materialized that the most pressing concerns of the group were considerably more localized than any international ‘end-game,’ the report claimed.

“Most Al-Qaeda leaders are not interested in establishing a global caliphate and do not seek to overthrow regimes in much of the world,” Jones wrote, adding that “they tend to have rather more parochial goals,” focusing predominantly on countries or regions rather than a global jihad.

The study found that their primary international target was, surprisingly, France. “France, rather than the United States, is the most significant foreign enemy,” the report stated.

For al-Qaeda’s current leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, both a “near enemy” and a “far enemy” are identifiable.  For him, “the primary goal is broader: to overthrow regimes in key Muslim countries,” while attacking far-off countries is seen as a means to an end rather than an end in its own right.

However, the document goes on to advise the US on how to counter any direct threats. It encourages the country to implement a “light footprint strategy that focuses on covert intelligence, law enforcement, and Special Operations Forces,” adding that the US should withdraw Afghan forces and instead focus on conducting low-intensity operations in the area as they do in Colombia.

A double-pronged approach would be most effective, combining the ground strategy with an undermining of al-Qaeda’s ideology, the report said, adding that today the US plays no lead role in attempting to do so.

“The struggle against the al-Qaeda movement will be long – measured in decades, not months or years. Much like the Cold War, it is also predominantly an ideological struggle,” Jones concluded.

Russia Today

United States braces up for Military Action in Syria

President Barack Obama is considering using military force in Syria, and the Pentagon has prepared various scenarios for possible United States intervention. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Obama administration is deliberating whether or not it should use the brute of the US military in Syria during a Thursday morning Senate hearing.

Gen. Dempsey said the administration was considering using “kinetic strikes” in Syria and said "issue is under deliberation inside of our agencies of government,” the Associated Press reported from Washington.

Dempsey, 61, is the highest ranking officer in the US military and has been nominated by Pres. Obama to serve a second term in that role. The Senate Armed Services Committee questioned him Thursday morning as part of the nominating process when Dempsey briefly discussed the situation in Syria.

Last month, the Obama administration concluded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons during the ongoing battles. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes said, “The intelligence community estimates that 100 to 150 people have died from detected chemical weapons attacks in Syria to date; however, casualty data is likely incomplete.”

Pres. Obama said previously that the use of chemical weapons would cross a “red line” and likely trigger American intervention. When the White House concluded Assad had relied on chemical warfare, Rhodes said, “both the political and the military opposition . . . is and will be receiving US assistance."

That claim was met with skepticism, though. The Syrian Foreign Ministry called Obama’s claims a “caravan of lies.” Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, later presented to the UN evidence supplied to his government that suggested the Syrian opposition fighters used chemical weapons.

With regards to foreign intervention, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said, “Providing arms to either side would not address this current situation.” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) and his father, former congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) have also cautioned the White House against aiding Syrian rebels.

“You will be funding today the allies of al Qaeda” by aiding Syrian rebels, Sen. Paul said in May.

On his part, the retired lawmaker from Texas insisted that the administration’s lead up to possible intervention is “identical to the massive deception campaign that led us into the Iraq War.”

That isn’t to say the GOP is entirely opposed to taking any action. Although directly using the American military — either through boots-on-the-ground or unmanned aircraft — has been rarely discussed in public, Sens. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), two long-time leaders within the Republican party, have been relentless with efforts to equip opposition fighters.

"I don't care what it takes," Graham told Foreign Policy’s The Cable earlier this year. "If the choice is to send in troops to secure the weapons sites versus allowing chemical weapons to get in the hands of some of the most violent people in the world, I vote to cut this off before it becomes a problem."

Other US officials have previously said Washington is considering implementing a no-fly zone above Syria, and last month the Pentagon left a fleet of F-16 fighter planes and its Patriot anti-missile system on the border of neighboring Jordan following a routine military drill.

Russia Today

The Model Continues: Tunisia frees former regime members from jail

The Arab Spring has known today began in Tunisia after the hero of the Spring, Mohammed Bouazizi's self-immolation. He was a cigarette seller who out of frustration of unemployment, despite being a graduate took to selling cigarette to keep body and soul together.

The Tunisian street vendor set himself on fire on 17 December 2010, in protest of the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation that he reported was inflicted on him by a municipal official and her aides.

The public's anger and violence intensified following Bouazizi's death, leading then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step down on 14 January 2011, after 23 years in power. The success of the Tunisian protests inspired protests in several other Arab countries, plus several non-Arab countries.

Soon, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt fell. Yemeni President, Abdullah Saleh fell too and Maummar Gaddafi was killed. Syria is still battling its own and Bahrain is yet to have a bearing.

Egypt among others that followed Tunisia is still inconclusive. Egyptian President, Mohammed Morsi was recently ousted through popular uprising concluded by the military to save the country. Since then, the situation has deteriorated with the Muslim Brotherhood, the party backing President Morsi defiant on any negotiation and vow to continue mass protests.

Though the former Prime Minister of Tunisia, Hamadi Jebali resigned too but it has largely avoided the resultant effects noticeable elsewhere in Egypt, Yemen, Libya and in Syria, probably because it was the origin of the spring and a model others must watch out for.

The authorities on Thursday released from jail,  two former figures from the toppled regime who were arrested following the 2011 uprising for abuse of power, according to the justice ministry. Mohammed Ghariani, ex secretary-general of the Rally for Constitutional Democracy party and former interior minister of now ousted dictator Zine El Adidine Addallah Kallel were freed by a Tunisian Appeals Court.

In 2012 a military court sentenced Kallel to two years in jail for the arrest and torture of army officers who were accused in 1991 of trying to topple Ben Ali, while Ghariani was arrested in April 2011 for abuse of power and embezzlement.

Tunisia is quietly charting its future, at least in a peaceful fashion though fighting al Qaeda-linked militants in the mountainous region. It is recording successes which if compared to others who took the spring can be regarded as giant strides towards a dynamic future if all things remain the same and go on with the present panache.

The CIA has been training Syrian Rebels since 2012 in Turkey and Jordan

The announcement by President Barack Hussein Obama that the United States will arm Syrian rebels is somewhat making an already existing act official with the latest reports on the Syrian crisis.

According to US media reports, the CIA and US special operational troops and have been training Syrian rebels secretly at bases in Jordan and Turkey since November 2012. Up to 100 from all over Syria have gone through courses in the last month alone.

At the two-week courses trainees were taught to use Russian-designed 14.5-millimeter anti-tank rifles, anti-tank missiles, as well as 23-millimeter anti-aircraft weapons, Los Angeles Times reported citing anonymous US officials and rebel commanders. 

One of such US covert training session, conducted by American, Jordanian and French forces, has allegedly been taking place in Jordan for the last month or so, the newspaper cited Brig. Gen. Yahya Bittar, the head of intelligence for the Free Syrian Army. 

The exact number of rebels given instruction in both countries since the training began at a new American base in southwest Jordan could not be determined. But according to a different rebel commander the training in Jordan involves 20 to 45 insurgents at a time.

The training reportedly started months before President Obama approved sending arms to anti-Assad rebels for the first time in mid-June. The secret courses have involved fighters from the Free Syrian Army, according to US official, who spoke to the newspaper anonymously. They have been selected when US military set up supply lines to provide non-lethal assistance to rebels, according to the official.   

So far, about 100 rebels from Dara have attended four courses, while rebels from Damascus have attended three courses, according to a rebel commander in the Syrian province of Dara. 

“Those from the CIA, we would sit and talk with them during breaks from training and afterward, they would try to get information on the situation inside” Syria, said the commander, who helps oversee weapons acquisitions. 

Graduates are sent back across the border to re-join the fight, Brig. Gen. Bittar said.  The rebels have been promised supplies of armour-piercing anti-tank weapons and other arms to resist President Assad’s army, the Dara commander said. 

Since last year, the weapons sent through the Dara military council, apparently from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, have included four or five Russian-made heavy Concourse anti-tank missiles, 18 14.5-millimeter guns mounted on the backs of pickup trucks and 30 82-millimeter recoilless rifles, the commander told the newspaper.

“I’m telling you, this amount of weapons, once they are spread across the province [of Dara] is considered nothing,” the rebel commander was quoted as saying. “We need more than this to tip the balance or for there to even be a balance of power.” 

The White House and CIA officials have declined to comment on the alleged training programs while other US officials have confirmed the training, though disputed details provided by rebels. 
Jordan and Turkey also appeared in another recent report by the Washington Post citing US officials said that CIA is preparing to deliver arms to rebel groups in Syria through its bases in these two countries. 

“The bases are expected to begin conveying limited shipments of weapons and ammunition within weeks,”the report read. “We have relationships today in Syria that we didn’t have six months ago,” the WP quoted Benjamin J. Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, as saying.

Meanwhile, Syrian rebels have confirmed the shipment of new weapons from “friendly countries” to battle the government forces, according to spokesman for the opposition fighters, Loay Al Mikdad. The shipment, the representative assured, did not come from the US. Earlier this month the Associated Press also learned that the Gulf States delivered new anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft missiles to the opposition. 

The surge in weapons shipments follows US claims earlier in June that it had strong evidence that the government has used chemical weapons against opposition forces contrary to an earlier finding the UN in May, with lead investigator Carla Del Ponte concluding that the rebels were behind at least one chemical weapons attack. 

Following the announcement, US officials claimed that President Obama authorized sending weapons to Syrian rebels, without providing much detail. The Syrian insurgent are awaiting the US shipment. “We believe that the United States will implement its commitments to us very soon," Al Mikdad said on Friday. 

Speaking at the Russian economic forum on Friday, President Vladimir Putin has once again said that the West should not arm the rebels because they include “terrorist” groups. “If the United States ... recognizes one of the key Syrian opposition organizations, al-Nusra, as terrorist ... how can one deliver arms to those opposition members?” Putin said, adding “where will (those weapons) end up? What role will they play?” 

“It's clear that without deliveries from abroad, what is happening in Syria now would simply be impossible. Money is going in, weapons are going in, and well trained armed groups are going in,” Putin said. 

The escalation of tension around the Syrian conflict coincides with an international effort, agreed by US and Russia in May to bring all parties and major regional player to the negotiating table. The date for the Geneva 2 conference has not been set. But in light of recent developments Russia is beginning to doubt US intentions. 

“The [West’s] message the opposition is getting: ‘Guys, don’t go to Geneva. Don’t say that you are going to negotiate with the regime. Soon things will change in your favour,’” Russia’s FM Sergey Lavrov told Bloomberg on Friday. “So, that’s what we want to clarify. It’s either the conference or the instigation of the opposition not to be flexible. I don’t think it’s possible to do both at the same time.” 

Courtesy: Russia Today

Obama-Putin agree to settle scores in Geneva. Obama to boost aid to Syria and Neighbours

After the two leaders; Putin and Obama, central from the outside to the conflict in Syria met, they made the pledge after a 2 hour meeting at the G8 summit to push the sides of the conflict to the negotiating table in Geneva.

“We have agreed to push the sides of the Syrian conflict to come to the negotiating table at the international Geneva conference,” Putin said.

“On some points, we still have a different stance, but we are united by an aspiration to prevent violence, to put an end to the growing number of victims, to solve the problem by peaceful means, including through negotiations at the international conference at Geneva,” the Russian President added.

President Obama also conceded that he has a “different perspective” on Syria than his Russian counterpart, but confirmed that both countries have a shared interest in stopping the violence and “securing chemical weapons” in Syria.

“We do have differing perspectives on the problem but we share an interest in reducing the violence, securing chemical weapons and ensuring that they're neither used nor are they subject to proliferation,” Obama said. “We want to try to resolve the issue through political means if possible.”

President Obama is set to announce a further $300 million in new humanitarian aid to Syria, which will bring the total of US aid during the two-year civil war there to over $800 million. A little less than half of the new aid package will go to Syria itself, with the rest being sent to neighbouring countries harbouring Syrian refugees, the White House said on Monday.

The Obama administration had already declared that Assad’s government had crossed a red line when it looked like Assad was winning the war despite all efforts to pull him down. Obama claimed new classified evidence showed chemical weapons use by government forces. As a result, American officials went on the record supporting the idea of military aid to the Syrian insurgency.

US officials had already told Reuters that Washington was also reviewing the possibility of setting up a no-fly zone in Syria that would extend 40km into its territory and would be used as a safe haven for refugees and a platform to train rebels. Moscow spoke out against the US plan to aid the rebels, saying Kremlin officials were “unconvinced” by the US claim of evidence.

Apart from Syria, in the course of their nearly two-hour-long talks the presidents touched on a number of sensitive issues including Iran, nuclear security and the prevention of nuclear arms proliferation, as well as cyber security and cooperation in fighting terrorism.

“We spoke in detail about strategic security between the two countries and the world in general. I think that we have opportunities to move forward in the most sensitive areas,” Putin said.

'West fighting al Qaeda in Mali and Supporting same in Syria. Syria needs Reforms’ ~Putin

Speaking about the conflict in Syria, President Vladimir Putin said it was possible to avoid the civilian war by conducting reforms in due time.

“Syria as a country was rife for some kind of change. And the government of Syria should have felt that in due time and should have undertaken some reform,” Putin said. “Had they done that, what we’re seeing in Syria today would have never happened.”

However, he added, one should take into account that the entire Middle East is currently finding itself in a state of uncertainty and conflict – and it’s wrong to try and interfere from outside.

"From the outside some people think that if you bring the entire region in compliance with someone’s specific idea of democracy, things will settle down, and everything will be all right in that region. But that’s not true. Considering that region’s background history, culture, religion – you cannot interfere with it from the outside.”

Putin pointed out that the West is supporting some certain organizations that are fighting Assad in Syria, and they are countering "those very same groups" in Mali.


“Where is the logic in that?” he said. “Our Western counterparts often tell us that the Al-Nusra is one of the key organizations in the Syrian military opposition. But it has been dubbed terrorist by the US Department of State, and it doesn’t even hide its links to Al-Qaeda. So will you let this organization join the future government of Syria? Our Western counterparts say no. Are you going to just make them go away once you have victory in Syria? They don’t know. It’s totally unclear.”

Putin reminded that the quality of life in Libya was one of the highest in the region before the regime change.

“What do you have there now? There is a war of everybody against everybody among various tribes, there is war for resources, and, I’m afraid, if we go the same way in Syria, there will be same havoc in Syria that we’re now witnessing in Libya,” he concluded. “Isn’t that enough from what we’re seeing in Pakistan and Afghanistan right now, where there’re terrorists that are not controlled by anyone, except for terrorists?”

Speaking about mass demonstrations, the president stressed that the government should control protesters, “put them put them in the legislative field,” if they “violate the law.”

“This is what happening both in the US and in Russia,” Putin said.

“Russia doesn’t try to influence Occupy activists, yet foreign agents try to do this in Russia,” he said, referring to the Occupy movement that initially started from protests in New York and then spread worldwide.

Middle East Dilemma: Washington calls on France and Britain to arm Rebels; Iran to send troops to Assad

The Middle East is edging closer to a more precarious situation with the recent turn of events. The announcement by Washington to arm Syrian rebels and the recent meeting of Sunnis in Cairo have all added fuel to the Syrian crisis. The Sunnis vow to end the regime of Bashar al Assad.

The prompt result of this was the severing of diplomatic and political ties by the Egyptian President, Mohammed Morsi, with President Assad. President Morsi said there is 'no space or place for Hezbollah is Syria'. He made it resoundingly clear that Hezbollah must leave Syria. Morsi went further to demand a no-fly zone be imposed over Syria.

All this events happening barely 24 hours before the Iranian election (that of Washington) and within 24 hours after the election (that of President Morsi). Within 24 hours after Morsi's declaration, reports came out from Iran that the Islamic Republic will be sending 4,000 soldiers to Syria to help Assad.

Russia too is to go ahead in supplying his S-300 missile batteries to Assad. The US also calls on France and Britain to supply weapons to Syrian rebels thus creating a cold-war-like conflict in Syria. Syria definitely represents one of the last bastions of Cold War alongside North Korea and Cuba.

Hezbollah's involvement and its seemingly rising power after the Qusayr victory seems to have 'alarmed' Israel and its powerful lobby group in Washington. Hassan Nasrallah has vowed that Hezbollah will not leave Syria because it cannot afford it falling into the hands of Israel, the US and al Qaeda.

Washington upon the imposition of a Shi'ite regime in Iraq saw it bolstered Iran, hence, roughly calculates to counter-balance the trend by supporting rebels (Sunni and al Qaeda-linked rebels in Syria) while overlooking the brutality in Bahrain for fear of losing it to another Shi'ite group. Saudi, Bahrain and 'Syria' together will be a great buffer zone to cage Iran for the benefits of oil and Israel.

In now looks as if the main targets of the US and Israel are now becoming full participants; Iran and Hezbollah. This will definitely be a bad, catastrophic and colossal precedent for the Middle East as Washington and Israel have 'effectively' used the Sunni-Shi'ite divide well to their advantage. Arabs are the epitome of their own failure, instability and regional chaos with so-called Sunni-Shi'ite divide.

Their wall has cracked beyond repair to the advantage of Israel and Washington. Palestine is on its own once Iran is taken off the radar. Other Arab nations will only make much noise and Washington cum Tel Aviv can easily pocket them. Iran has been a kind of 'rational' player Israel finds hard to 'effectively' get off the table and the Syrian war looks pretty good for the job to be done. In all these calculations, it is the people that will get to suffer.