Category Archives: International

What Econommic Recovery? SAAB officially bankrupt, will affect GM sales

SAAB is now officially bankrupt.  The company filed for bankruptcy after two Chinese companies changed their minds about buying the Swedish automaker.

There was talk that General Motors was concerned about the Chinese getting their hands on U.S. technologies, because GM supplied those parts to SAAB.

The demise of SAAB will now hurt GM’s parts sales.

Napoleonic Library burns in Egypt, hundreds of thousands of priceless books, and their knowledge, destroyed. Egyptian Revolution yet to begin

“I don’t think there actually has been a revolution yet. I think that what’s happened is that the figurehead of the military regime has been deposed very dramatically. Certainly that was a hugely significant event, it was an earthquake….Until then I think the two sides are stuck in their current positions, fighting it out through a range of ways. And one of these ways is street battles between the military security forces and the people.”-Yaakov Lappin, Jerusalem Post

On December 17, Egyptians protesting the pro-U.S. military government of Egypt, set the Shura Council building on fire.  Unfortunately the fire spread next door, to the oldest science library in Cairo.

Egyptian Scientific Institute burned, destroying more than 150,000 books going back to the late 1700s.  It was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798, and first called L’Institut d’Egypte.

Among the books, maps and charts destroyed is the first edition of the Description de l’Egypte, started under Napoleon Bonaparte by French scientists.  Egyptian officials say they still have two other editions located at two separate libraries.

Egyptians have been protesting the U.S. backed military government, mainly because of the thousands of people who’ve been rushed through military court trials, something the protestors were against from the beginning.  The military court trials convinced many Egyptians that they were not getting a new government, but just more of the same after the resignation of U.S. backed Hosni Mubarak.

 

 

Government Incompetence: The 12 (Big) Lies of Xmas 2011

1. “The war in Iraq is finally over after nine years.”

Rothkopf notes the U.S. has been militarily engaged in Iraq since the early 1990 and this will likely be just the end of another installment in the long running series of U.S. warmongering policies in the region.

2. “America’s mission in Iraq was a success.”

He expresses astonishment at such a claim while Iraq is divided, undemocratic, corrupt, and the U.S. invasion has cost U.S.$1 trillion, thousands of U.S. lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and its national reputation. U.S. war in Iraq bears greater semblance to a full-scale “fiasco”, he says.

3. “We are winning in Afghanistan.”

Rothkopf describes this one as a hot from the oven “howler” by the U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Washington has strengthened the region’s extremists and the threat of instability in nuclear Pakistan is now actually higher than it was when U.S. went in, he says.

4. Tie: “Pakistan is America’s ally” and “Afghanistan is America’s partner.”

Neither Pakistan nor Afghanistan can by any “credible definition” be called a U.S. ally. This is attested to by the animosity of Islamabad towards Washington and Kabul’s belittling of the U.S. on the world stage, Rothkopf says.

5. “America is unthreatened by China’s growth.”

A “prayer” by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rothkopf says. “It should be true. But it’s not,” he adds.

6. Tie: “Republicans are the problem” and “Democrats are the problem.”

Rothkopf dubs this one as “the great lie of American politics.” He says the problem with U.S. politics is not the parties, but the money. “The system is so resolutely corrupt that recent scandals have only resulted in more money flowing into the system and past reforms being undone,” he notes.

7. “Cutting the taxes of millionaires helps create U.S. jobs.”

There is not even one single solitary shred of evidence to support this “idiotic” suggestion, Rothkopf notes.

8. “This next summit of European leaders will be decisive …”

Rothkopf says despite the fact that this claim has been made every few weeks for the past months, the “supposedly sophisticated financial markets” of the United States continue to fall for it.

9. “The Obama administration is committed to serious financial services reform.”

The U.S. financial system is still plagued by all the threats that instigated the 2008 recession. “Not an inch of progress,” Rothkopf says.

10. “Only nine percent of Americans approve of Congress.”

“This can’t possibly be true. There can’t possibly be that many,” Rothkopf says in a stinging sarcastic tone.

11. “The operation in Libya will be over in a matter of days or weeks.”

Rothkopf says the operation was wrong to begin with, “and then wrong and then wrong again for months.”

12. “I love Israel.”

Even though everyone in U.S. politics makes such an assertion, nobody really means it, Rothkopf notes. What the politicians really mean, however, is that “I want American Jews to think I love Israel enough to vote for me and give me money,” he says.

“Those are just a few of a bumper year for duplicity, mendacity, and craven misstatements.”-David J. Rothkopf, Foreign Policy

North Korea: Kim Jon Il dies, South Korea puts military on alert

North Korean government media reporting that North Korea’s leader Kim Jon Il has died.  He was 69 years old (some reports say he as 70).

North Korea’s state-run KCNA says he died of “great mental and physical strain” and a heart attack.  He was on a train touring North Korea.

South Korea has put their military forces on alert.

 

 

World War 3: Israel forms new commando unit, to attack Iran

“We have no intention of acting for the moment …We should not engage in war when it is not necessary, but there may come a time or another when we are forced to face tests…Our position has not changed on three points: a nuclear Iran is unacceptable, we are determined to stop that and all options are on the table.”– Ehud Barak, Defense Minister of Israel

Israel has formed a new commando unit called Depth Corps.  “Depth” refers to commando raids that will be carried out over long distances: “The primary task of the corps will be to extend joint Israeli army operations into the strategic depth.”-Israeli military statement

Unnamed sources inside Israel’s military say the Depth Corps is also known as Iran Special Operations Command.

 

World War 3: Lawsuit gives U.S. government ammo to attack Iran

“We are dealing with fabrications whereby a war agenda, which has been on the Pentagon’s drawing board for many years, is now seeking justification to go live, and we’ve seen the drone attacks, we’ve seen the sanctions.”-Michel Chossudovsky, Center for Research on Globalization

On December 15, a lawsuit supposedly brought by victims of the September 11th, 2001 attacks, won a default judgment (default means the accused didn’t show up).  The problem is that it blames Iran and Lebanon for the World Trade Center attacks!  Analysts believe the leaders of the United States could claim this court case as ‘proof’ that Iran is part of anti-Shia/pro-Wahhabi al Qaeda (Iran is majority Shia Muslim).

“There is absolutely no evidence that Iran aided the 9/11 attacks. There is ample evidence after collection that there was conspiracy and the complicity of the U.S. government…There is absolutely no evidence that al Qaeda or the Taliban were involved in the 9/11 attacks. In fact, if there is anyone behind al Qaeda, it was the Central Intelligence Agency, going back to the Soviet Afghan war!”-Michel Chossudovsky, Center for Research on Globalization

Analysts say the U.S. government is setting the stage, just like they did prior to invading Iraq: “What we are seeing now is this strange self-fulfilling prophecy process. This is exactly what we saw with Iraq. This is a campaign to go to war.”Jamal Abdi, National Iranian American Council

Iran even helped the U.S. topple the Taliban (who had executed Iranian diplomats): “Immediately afterwards Iran condemned the attacks. There were candlelit vigils on the streets of Tehran in solidarity with the Americans who lost their lives. You saw Iran cooperating with the United States in helping to topple the Taliban, the enemy of Iran.”Jamal Abdi, National Iranian American Council

Here’s the real reason the U.S., and the United Kingdom, want to attack Iran: “…Iran has 10 per cent of the world’s oil reserves, four or five times the amount of the United States; it’s in a crucial region, it doesn’t accept U.S. hegemony and it’s an ally of Russia and China.”-Michel Chossudovsky, Center for Research on Globalization

Global Economic War: Argentina moves to discourage immigrants from the United States

Argentinians are saying no more to immigrants fleeing the United States.

Lawmakers in the lower House have passed a bill that would limit the amount of Argentine land foreigners could buy. But don’t worry, it means you rich immigrants fleeing the U.S. will have to settle for only 2,500 acres.  Yes, under the bill you can still buy up to 2,500 acres of Argentine land, so I think the bill is just symbolic.

In a recent survey Argentinians proved to be just as xenophobic as people in the U.S.  Many Argentinians surveyed said they were tired of the growing number of people coming from the United States, and taking their jobs!

What Economic Recovery: EU official says saving Europe is like throwing money down the toilet. $3.9 trillion already spent trying to save Europe!

“I never understand when market participants say authorities haven’t put enough money up…I don’t share the view that only the European Central Bank can solve the crisis.”-Klaus Regling, European Financial Stability Facility

The boss of the EFSF, Klaus Regling, said when you combine what has been spent, what is currently being spent, and what is about to be spent to save troubled European governments, it equals three trillion Euros (U.S.$3.9 trillion)!

This is more evidence that the economies of Europe and the United States are much worse than what we’re being told!

Russia finally an official member of the WTO. Is that Why Russia suddenly reversed course on Syria, bailing out Europe?

“Russia is the world’s 12th largest trading nation and until we have this important country among our members, we cannot truly be the World Trade Organization.”-Pascal Lamy, World Trade Organization

After 18 years of trying to join the WTO, Russia was finally allowed in on December 16.  Just the day before Russia surprised many people in Europe and the United States, by announcing they would help bailout Europe, and, they would work with the United States to present a resolution to the UN Security Council concerning Syria.

Up until December 15 Russia had kept mum about bailing out Europe, and had opposed any UNSC resolution on Syria.

Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Lukashevich, did admit there were conditions for Russia’s joining the WTO, and conditions for maintaining  membership: “Russia is joining the WTO on conditions answering its national interests. There are preconditions for further improvement of our business climate, for attraction of foreign investmens, for expanding of Russia’s export with simultaneous keeping of key industries of the national economy.”

WTO officials put another condition on Russia’s joining the global organization; they have to be well behaved for at least six more months, then, in the summer of 2021 they will be considered a full member of the World Trade Organization.  Even then there will be a “transition period” up to seven years.

The WTO members, including the United States, voted unanimously to let Russia finally join.  There are now 154 WTO members, which control 98% of global trade.

What Economic Recovery? One step closer to One World Government, IMF proposes international co-op, hints at Global Great Depression

“It’s not a crisis that will be resolved by one group of countries taking action. It’s going to be hopefully resolved by all countries, all regions, all categories of countries actually taking action.”-Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

The director of the International Monetary Fund made that comment in a U.S. State Department conference on December 15.  Christine Lagarde also used the word “retraction” which is another way of saying economic depression.

Lagarde said she is greatly concerned because recent efforts to ‘save’ Europe have failed, and there is growing economic protectionism, and political isolationism, which will only make the global economy worse.  These are all things that helped cause the Great Depression of the 1920s-1930s.

She is calling for a new global financial co-operative system to prevent the coming Global Great Depression.