As much as people keep highlighting the dangers of other countries developing the same technology, the US is advancing the same technology at a far greater rate. The new drone war is no different to nuclear weapons, the only difference is unlike nuclear weapons the US has no power to stop others from obtaining that technology. Nonetheless, the US currently has a drone army, unlike other countries and with drone technology currently in development, such as microdrones, or anti missile laser technology currently being developed by Lockheed Martin the US will probably still retain dominance of drone technology and the air, must I say for the worst.
To add Israel has been continuing to violate Lebanese territory. In the past couple of weeks their has been at least 3 airspace violations and 2 land violations by the army. The most recent violation was yesterday in which Israeli jets violated Lebanese airspace three separate times: link to nna-leb.gov.lb
Israel has also rejected US settlement plans for the border of the Lebanese/Israeli economic zone block 9: link to english.al-akhbar.com.
What with the air strike against a Palestinian tunnel, and the recent air strike again in Syria, it seems quite clear that Israel has no plans for Palestinian, or regional peace and instead just wants to carve out a greater Israel.
I find it interesting that all five members of congress to turn up to the hearing, happened to be democrats. Despite this endless anti war rhetoric from some of the libertarian, non-necon members of the Republican party, they still seem to support the US covert means of warfare.
Additionally one of the members of congress who did show up to the hearing, John Conyers, I have huge respect for. The only member of congress I could truly describe as progressive.
It would be nice to see reports like this. It's shame I never do since the Israeli Lobby blocked Press TV's Youtube account. Maybe it's reports like this, accurate news on Palestine that got it blocked.
It's a shame the media, both mainstream and independent did not pick up on Mamnoon Hussain speech at the United Nations. Pakistan's international voice is being silenced.
These drones strikes have done nothing more that create more terrorists that what they have killed and the irony is, they are seeking peace with the Taliban, the same people the keep killing. A peace treaty, no matter how bad the enemy is, is the only solution. The region needs development, not drone strikes.
Ironically like Mamnoon Hussain, President Jammeh from Gambia also made a plea at the UN and an open letter. The State Department laughed of his accusations as "pure insanity" and the media reporting on his "anti-homosexuality" and a few misinterpreted lines of his open letter. After watching and reading it myself with an open mind, I saw a very insightful warning of what is becoming a dangerous US exceptionalism. The media and the State Department failed to pick on the most important line "Our relationship with the West deteriorated when we refused to accept royalties of 5% for our petroleum resources and less than 3% for our mineral resources." It seem's to be a recurring theme, in which the US can do anything that threatens it's "national interest," no matter how many laws they break, or countries they destabilize. Until the UN, or another Western state speaks out and condemns these actions, US exceptionalism and their drone policy will inevitably continue.
I'm still waiting for the response on spying on the United Nations, being it's against international law. I'm surprised the UN has been so quite about it, which just goes to show the organization has not only lost vast amounts of power, but is purely controlled by the US.
I thought at least in academic circles, outside the far right, or at least policy analysts al Qaeda was always seen Fringe movement. Like lets face it outside the radical Taliban government he had no political support, even Sudan didn't like Osama Bin Laden after the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation was abolished. Al Qaeda hated the Arab states for their US support, he hated Iran and Syria for their Shia government and well Saddam was seen as the un-Islamic bastard of the Middle East.
I always viewed Osama and Al Qaeda as that radical fringe movement that was born out of a revolutionary Wahhabi movement, e.g they had support from their like minded Wahhabi compatriots that was created in the Afghan-Soviet war and the Afghan civil war, forged in the brotherhood of war, and a dying breed of radicalism.
Even though the support for Israel, the Lebanese Civil War, Yugoslavia and the Golf War created this environment for anti-Americanism, it was never pivotal enough for most Muslims to support a radical Wahhabi group such as al Qaeda.
However, the current war on terror has created a paradox were this revolutionary brand of Wahhabism has resurfaced. Iraq created a new brand of al Qaeda, gained new support and revitalized the movement and now the US and Arab States are doing the same thing in Syria as they did previously in Afghanistan. On the other hand, despite the majority of Pakistanis detesting the Taliban and al Qaeda, years of drone strikes have equally caused enough anti-Americanism to become a problem in the future. Often forgotten by Western Media that Pakistan currently has a polio-endemic, mainly caused through fear of vaccination.
I'm surprised they only mentioned China, especially as they showed Manmohan Singh walking in. India has the same concerns, but India's concerns, unlike China's also affects the US. Due to the Rupee increasing in recent weeks, they have had to turn to Iran for cheaper oil, something the US has been fighting against for the past few years.
The drone strikes in Yemen seem to be nothing about an ‘elevated threat,‘ or at least not in the conventional sense, as in an Imminent threat against Western target, or foreign nationals/embassies. But, more so about preserving the Arab dictatorships and protecting the oil pipelines. While the 10 years of drone attacks in Waziristan, seems have little more affect, than creating more terrorists, than it kills. I'm assuming the Trans-Afghan pipeline is planned to pass through Waziristan instead of Jammu and Kashmir, which would explain why the keep on tirelessly droning the region.
Isn't the US just creating the condition of global anarchy, that further progresses the realist and neocon ideology so dominate in US foreign policy.
Personally even though the US foreign policy seems so illogical and clearly always unsuccessful, or at least on the surface unsuccessful. I do believe worryingly its very successful. As Orwell would probably agree, it's very hard to predict the final outcome of what seems to be a complicated game of checkers.
Syria is only one step away from the end goal Iran. If the US can overthrow the Iranian regime they basically dominate the vast political space of the Middle East and North Africa. Controlling that region they have the ability to control the oil supply, Caspian oil and gain greater influence over the caucasus and Central Asia.
On the other hand, the US has influence over every Southeast and East Asian nation, other than China, Cambodia, Laos and North Korea. All of Southeast and East Asian nations are militarising at a rapid rate and the US has surrounded China by land and sea.
Russia's oil reserves are in decline, were Chinese oil demands are growing and both countries are becoming increasingly vulnerable to political opposition.
The overthrow of Syria and Iran would result in both Russia and China being completely surrounded and their oil demands easily controlled.
For this reason I think in the long term you either get the zero-sum outcome of the Russian-Chinese axis against the US, or you get the none zero-sum game of Russia and China submitting to US imperialism.
Being that China, Russia and the US seem to still follow the nuclear deterrence theory, I think in the long term its a none-zero sum game. As no nation would risk direct war.
I'm still interested in the results of spying on the United Nations. Being it violates international law, can you imagine the fall out if it was China, or Russia, or even Syria spying on the security council. I'm shocked that not only has the media, but the United Nations themselves seemed to swept under the carpet two clear violations of the Vienna Convention. The US should be being sanctioned.
Anyway the Thai newspaper The Nation, did an article on the location of the X-Keyscore facility located in Thailand (I think the only one to do so):
Anyway the Thai government are puzzled at were the location of the X-Keyscore facility is.
"Information and Communications Technology Minister Anudith Nakornthap yesterday said relevant agencies need to investigate the report about the existence in Thailand of the X-Keyscore operation"
"According to Twitter's latest report on information requests from January 1 to June 30, 35 governments made 1,157 requests for user information about 1,697 specific Twitter accounts. The Thai government was not among the 35 that had made the requests. The United States made 902 requests about 1,319 specific Twitter accounts. (link to transparency.twitter.com)"
"The US leads the way with 78 per cent of all requests received. The second-largest number of requests came from Japan with a total of 8 per cent of overall requests, up from 6 per cent in July-December 2012."
I am assuming other governments are just as pissed of as Thailand, but just keeping it a little more hush, hush.
Interestingly their is a X-Keyscore facility in Southeast China, I think around Guangzhou. Being the spying is probably related to economic espionage you have to wonder whether the resent case against GlaxoSmithKline, and the arrest of British corporate investigator Peter Humphrey, has anything to do with US spying on China and the X-Keyscore facility.
Like most opposition in Southeast Asia they tend to be manipulated by Western influences and the International Republican Institute. Its just like good old racist Sam Rainsy in Cambodia and his regular Youn speeches (racist term for Vietnamese), something never mentioned in Western Media. Its not the first criticism of Aung San Su Kyi, who has given a lot of support for foreign companies, such as the Chinese copper mine and I hardly think it will change since Burma is now opening to the West.
However, in reference to the Rohingya, I am think their is more behind the violence than meets the eyes. Like much of the region you have to dig a little bit deeper to find the root causes. But, one is the Chinese-Myanmar pipeline which I think probably attributed to ethnic tensions in the region.
On the other hand, to be slightly critical, despite condemning the violence I do agree somewhat with Aung San Su Kyi and Thein Sein. Many of the Rohingya have always been viewed as illegal citizens from Bangladesh, which Bangladesh denies and the West has often sided with Bangladesh's opinion. This is the same way the Lhotshampa in Bhutan which have been viewed as Nepali citizens, yet Nepal denies. Just like in the West, you will always get the radical right exploiting these issues and during times of upheaval will result in sectarian violence. Although Aung San Su Kyi is wrong for not condemning the violence, she is standing on the safe side of politics, avoiding become embroiled in an argument between the nationalists and reformists.
Nonetheless, the issue is not something the international community should be calling the Burmese government to resolve, but instead get directly involved. Personally the best solution would be a UN to fund the Burmese government to recognise the Rohingya and resettle them, because as long as there is development in the region and an unresolved citizenship issue, there will always be violence.
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As much as people keep highlighting the dangers of other countries developing the same technology, the US is advancing the same technology at a far greater rate. The new drone war is no different to nuclear weapons, the only difference is unlike nuclear weapons the US has no power to stop others from obtaining that technology. Nonetheless, the US currently has a drone army, unlike other countries and with drone technology currently in development, such as microdrones, or anti missile laser technology currently being developed by Lockheed Martin the US will probably still retain dominance of drone technology and the air, must I say for the worst.
To add Israel has been continuing to violate Lebanese territory. In the past couple of weeks their has been at least 3 airspace violations and 2 land violations by the army. The most recent violation was yesterday in which Israeli jets violated Lebanese airspace three separate times: link to nna-leb.gov.lb
Israel has also rejected US settlement plans for the border of the Lebanese/Israeli economic zone block 9: link to english.al-akhbar.com.
What with the air strike against a Palestinian tunnel, and the recent air strike again in Syria, it seems quite clear that Israel has no plans for Palestinian, or regional peace and instead just wants to carve out a greater Israel.
I find it interesting that all five members of congress to turn up to the hearing, happened to be democrats. Despite this endless anti war rhetoric from some of the libertarian, non-necon members of the Republican party, they still seem to support the US covert means of warfare.
Additionally one of the members of congress who did show up to the hearing, John Conyers, I have huge respect for. The only member of congress I could truly describe as progressive.
It would be nice to see reports like this. It's shame I never do since the Israeli Lobby blocked Press TV's Youtube account. Maybe it's reports like this, accurate news on Palestine that got it blocked.
It's a shame the media, both mainstream and independent did not pick up on Mamnoon Hussain speech at the United Nations. Pakistan's international voice is being silenced.
These drones strikes have done nothing more that create more terrorists that what they have killed and the irony is, they are seeking peace with the Taliban, the same people the keep killing. A peace treaty, no matter how bad the enemy is, is the only solution. The region needs development, not drone strikes.
Ironically like Mamnoon Hussain, President Jammeh from Gambia also made a plea at the UN and an open letter. The State Department laughed of his accusations as "pure insanity" and the media reporting on his "anti-homosexuality" and a few misinterpreted lines of his open letter. After watching and reading it myself with an open mind, I saw a very insightful warning of what is becoming a dangerous US exceptionalism. The media and the State Department failed to pick on the most important line "Our relationship with the West deteriorated when we refused to accept royalties of 5% for our petroleum resources and less than 3% for our mineral resources." It seem's to be a recurring theme, in which the US can do anything that threatens it's "national interest," no matter how many laws they break, or countries they destabilize. Until the UN, or another Western state speaks out and condemns these actions, US exceptionalism and their drone policy will inevitably continue.
I'm still waiting for the response on spying on the United Nations, being it's against international law. I'm surprised the UN has been so quite about it, which just goes to show the organization has not only lost vast amounts of power, but is purely controlled by the US.
I thought at least in academic circles, outside the far right, or at least policy analysts al Qaeda was always seen Fringe movement. Like lets face it outside the radical Taliban government he had no political support, even Sudan didn't like Osama Bin Laden after the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation was abolished. Al Qaeda hated the Arab states for their US support, he hated Iran and Syria for their Shia government and well Saddam was seen as the un-Islamic bastard of the Middle East.
I always viewed Osama and Al Qaeda as that radical fringe movement that was born out of a revolutionary Wahhabi movement, e.g they had support from their like minded Wahhabi compatriots that was created in the Afghan-Soviet war and the Afghan civil war, forged in the brotherhood of war, and a dying breed of radicalism.
Even though the support for Israel, the Lebanese Civil War, Yugoslavia and the Golf War created this environment for anti-Americanism, it was never pivotal enough for most Muslims to support a radical Wahhabi group such as al Qaeda.
However, the current war on terror has created a paradox were this revolutionary brand of Wahhabism has resurfaced. Iraq created a new brand of al Qaeda, gained new support and revitalized the movement and now the US and Arab States are doing the same thing in Syria as they did previously in Afghanistan. On the other hand, despite the majority of Pakistanis detesting the Taliban and al Qaeda, years of drone strikes have equally caused enough anti-Americanism to become a problem in the future. Often forgotten by Western Media that Pakistan currently has a polio-endemic, mainly caused through fear of vaccination.
I'm surprised they only mentioned China, especially as they showed Manmohan Singh walking in. India has the same concerns, but India's concerns, unlike China's also affects the US. Due to the Rupee increasing in recent weeks, they have had to turn to Iran for cheaper oil, something the US has been fighting against for the past few years.
The drone strikes in Yemen seem to be nothing about an ‘elevated threat,‘ or at least not in the conventional sense, as in an Imminent threat against Western target, or foreign nationals/embassies. But, more so about preserving the Arab dictatorships and protecting the oil pipelines. While the 10 years of drone attacks in Waziristan, seems have little more affect, than creating more terrorists, than it kills. I'm assuming the Trans-Afghan pipeline is planned to pass through Waziristan instead of Jammu and Kashmir, which would explain why the keep on tirelessly droning the region.
Isn't the US just creating the condition of global anarchy, that further progresses the realist and neocon ideology so dominate in US foreign policy.
Personally even though the US foreign policy seems so illogical and clearly always unsuccessful, or at least on the surface unsuccessful. I do believe worryingly its very successful. As Orwell would probably agree, it's very hard to predict the final outcome of what seems to be a complicated game of checkers.
Syria is only one step away from the end goal Iran. If the US can overthrow the Iranian regime they basically dominate the vast political space of the Middle East and North Africa. Controlling that region they have the ability to control the oil supply, Caspian oil and gain greater influence over the caucasus and Central Asia.
On the other hand, the US has influence over every Southeast and East Asian nation, other than China, Cambodia, Laos and North Korea. All of Southeast and East Asian nations are militarising at a rapid rate and the US has surrounded China by land and sea.
Russia's oil reserves are in decline, were Chinese oil demands are growing and both countries are becoming increasingly vulnerable to political opposition.
The overthrow of Syria and Iran would result in both Russia and China being completely surrounded and their oil demands easily controlled.
For this reason I think in the long term you either get the zero-sum outcome of the Russian-Chinese axis against the US, or you get the none zero-sum game of Russia and China submitting to US imperialism.
Being that China, Russia and the US seem to still follow the nuclear deterrence theory, I think in the long term its a none-zero sum game. As no nation would risk direct war.
I'm still interested in the results of spying on the United Nations. Being it violates international law, can you imagine the fall out if it was China, or Russia, or even Syria spying on the security council. I'm shocked that not only has the media, but the United Nations themselves seemed to swept under the carpet two clear violations of the Vienna Convention. The US should be being sanctioned.
Anyway the Thai newspaper The Nation, did an article on the location of the X-Keyscore facility located in Thailand (I think the only one to do so):
link to nationmultimedia.com
I wrote an article on why people are not question the X-Keyscore map, as it seems to be ignored:
link to greenanreport.wordpress.com
Anyway the Thai government are puzzled at were the location of the X-Keyscore facility is.
"Information and Communications Technology Minister Anudith Nakornthap yesterday said relevant agencies need to investigate the report about the existence in Thailand of the X-Keyscore operation"
"According to Twitter's latest report on information requests from January 1 to June 30, 35 governments made 1,157 requests for user information about 1,697 specific Twitter accounts. The Thai government was not among the 35 that had made the requests. The United States made 902 requests about 1,319 specific Twitter accounts. (link to transparency.twitter.com)"
"The US leads the way with 78 per cent of all requests received. The second-largest number of requests came from Japan with a total of 8 per cent of overall requests, up from 6 per cent in July-December 2012."
I am assuming other governments are just as pissed of as Thailand, but just keeping it a little more hush, hush.
Interestingly their is a X-Keyscore facility in Southeast China, I think around Guangzhou. Being the spying is probably related to economic espionage you have to wonder whether the resent case against GlaxoSmithKline, and the arrest of British corporate investigator Peter Humphrey, has anything to do with US spying on China and the X-Keyscore facility.
Like most opposition in Southeast Asia they tend to be manipulated by Western influences and the International Republican Institute. Its just like good old racist Sam Rainsy in Cambodia and his regular Youn speeches (racist term for Vietnamese), something never mentioned in Western Media. Its not the first criticism of Aung San Su Kyi, who has given a lot of support for foreign companies, such as the Chinese copper mine and I hardly think it will change since Burma is now opening to the West.
However, in reference to the Rohingya, I am think their is more behind the violence than meets the eyes. Like much of the region you have to dig a little bit deeper to find the root causes. But, one is the Chinese-Myanmar pipeline which I think probably attributed to ethnic tensions in the region.
On the other hand, to be slightly critical, despite condemning the violence I do agree somewhat with Aung San Su Kyi and Thein Sein. Many of the Rohingya have always been viewed as illegal citizens from Bangladesh, which Bangladesh denies and the West has often sided with Bangladesh's opinion. This is the same way the Lhotshampa in Bhutan which have been viewed as Nepali citizens, yet Nepal denies. Just like in the West, you will always get the radical right exploiting these issues and during times of upheaval will result in sectarian violence. Although Aung San Su Kyi is wrong for not condemning the violence, she is standing on the safe side of politics, avoiding become embroiled in an argument between the nationalists and reformists.
Nonetheless, the issue is not something the international community should be calling the Burmese government to resolve, but instead get directly involved. Personally the best solution would be a UN to fund the Burmese government to recognise the Rohingya and resettle them, because as long as there is development in the region and an unresolved citizenship issue, there will always be violence.