 |
EnMasse
This place is all that is left.
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Tehanu
More or less, more or less
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 17641
Location: Seceded from the Ford Nation
|
 Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 3:16 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
Tensions are up again in Lebanon. Parliament is deadlocked on the selection of a new president.
| Quote: | ... The session was boycotted by most lawmakers from Hezbollah, the Shiite party, and its allies, who were determined to stop a presidential vote from taking place until the governing majority agrees to put forth a compromise candidate with wider support.
Still, faction leaders showed some willingness to negotiate with one another on a day that was carefully choreographed to quell popular fears of civil strife.
Legislators from the pro-Western governing majority entered Parliament carrying photographs of several of their number who have been killed in a string of bombings aimed at anti-Syrian lawmakers. The most recent one, a week ago in a Christian neighborhood east of Beirut, claimed the lives of a Christian lawmaker, Antoine Ghanem, his bodyguard and five bystanders.
... A political crisis has been brewing for nearly a year over whether Lebanon will make a more conclusive break with Syria, which occupied the country until 2005, and force Hezbollah to disband its militia, which currently functions as a second army beyond government control.
The struggle has peaked over the selection of a new president to replace the pro-Syrian head of state, Émile Lahoud, whose term ends Nov. 23.
... Beirut was tense as security forces sealed off almost every major road through the center of the city. |
NY Times. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Tehanu
More or less, more or less
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 17641
Location: Seceded from the Ford Nation
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:14 am Post subject: |
|
|
Lebanon's president just declared a state of emergency, which may or may not be constitutional, as his term ended with no successor yet chosen. Not boding well ...
| Quote: | ... President Emile Lahoud asked the army to keep security in the country starting at midnight, when his presidency officially ended, according to his spokesman.
... The president cannot declare a state of emergency without approval from the cabinet, but Lahoud's spokesman said Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government is considered unconstitutional.
... The emergency rule declaration comes as Lebanon's sharply divided parliament has been struggling for months to agree on a candidate to replace Lahoud. |
CBC. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 14585
Location: Toronto, ON
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
Is it just me or have the number of "states of emergency" being declared in US ally states kicked up recently?
In the past month or so Pakistan, Georgia and Lebanon have all declared states of emergency and given the army control of the country.
I wonder if Bush is practicing for something.
_________________
"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sparqui
Dog tired
Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Posts: 5154
Location: Winnipeg
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 5:58 am Post subject: |
|
|
Maybe some of the people in those countries are starting to question and react to being a satellite US state.
_________________
“If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a tractor.”
-- Gilles Duceppe |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rufus Polson
Purple Library Guy
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 3483
Location: SFU and/or the college of Riddlemastery at Caithnard
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 7:35 am Post subject: |
|
|
| TS. wrote: | Is it just me or have the number of "states of emergency" being declared in US ally states kicked up recently?
In the past month or so Pakistan, Georgia and Lebanon have all declared states of emergency and given the army control of the country.
|
Georgia? Aren't they supposed to be all pristinely democratic after their Chartreuse Revolution (or whatever colour Mr. Soros' PR firm liked that week) against the previous, approaching-as-corrupt-as-the-US type democracy?
So how could they *possibly* have declared a state of emergency and given the army control of the country? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sparqui
Dog tired
Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Posts: 5154
Location: Winnipeg
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 7:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
More on Soros and his connection to these "colour revolutions":
| Quote: | ...Opponents of the color revolutions often accuse the Soros Foundation and/or the United States government of supporting and even planning the revolutions in order to serve western interests. It is noteworthy that after the Orange Revolution several Central Asian nations took action against the Open Society Institute of George Soros with various means -- Uzbekistan, for example, forced the shutting down of the OSI regional offices, while Tajik state-controlled media have accused OSI-Tajikistan of corruption and nepotism. [4]
Evidence suggesting U.S. government involvement includes the USAID (and UNDP) supported Internet structures called Freenet, which are known to comprise a major part of the Internet structure in at least one of the countries - Kyrgyzstan - in which one of the color revolutions occurred.
The Guardian claimed that USAID, National Endowment for Democracy, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and Freedom House are directly involved. [5] Information on these organizations' websites (of which the first four are funded by the US federal budget) is consistent with these claims.
Activists from Otpor in Serbia and Pora in Ukraine have said that publications and training they received from the US based Albert Einstein Institution staff have been instrumental to the formation of their strategies... |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_revolution
Another interesting read:
| Quote: | Requiem for the 'Colour Revolutions'
Georgia's troubles provide the nail in the coffin
By Rob Annandale
Published: November 9, 2007
...Lebanon’s Cedar Revolution may well be in the worst shape as the possibility of two rival administrations looms if the country’s main factions fail to agree on a replacement for pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud when his term ends later this month.
As these revolutions followed each other in rapid succession, Western politicians and media applauded the arrival of democracy in the former Soviet Union and the Arab world. There were even whisperings of possible NATO and European Union memberships for Ukraine and Georgia.
Although U.S. President George W. Bush stuck to his message of spreading democracy this week, he acknowledged some of the difficulties his world view has encountered over the past two years... |
http://thetyee.ca/Bigstory/2007/11/09/ColourRevolutions/
_________________
“If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a tractor.”
-- Gilles Duceppe |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
al-Qa'bong
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 6042
Location: A monistic vulgarity in which nobility and wisdom have been exchanged for a pale belief in progress
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 4:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Here they come again...
| Quote: | Gunboat diplomacy: The U.S. sets sail for Lebanon
In the giant chessboard that is the Middle East, the United States has just made a fascinating if unexpected move.
When the U.S. military announced on Feb. 28 that it is mobilizing (at least) the USS Cole toward the coast of Lebanon, officials stressed the move isn't aimed at anyone in particular. Further, it is intended, officials said, solely as what was called a "show of support for regional stability."
It immediately became top news in this region. And no one is buying the explanation.
...This is the same ship that was nearly destroyed by a bomb-laden speedboat off the coast of Yemen in 2000. The attack killed 17 people and was carried out the behest of al-Qaeda.
|
Nahlah Ayed
Is there an isolationist candidate running for POTUS this year. I ask because the world needs one.
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi
"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 14585
Location: Toronto, ON
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 4:39 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I was kinda surprised by the tone of that piece. Nahlah Ayed has not usually been so critical of American Mid-East policy.
_________________
"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
al-Qa'bong
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 6042
Location: A monistic vulgarity in which nobility and wisdom have been exchanged for a pale belief in progress
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I don't know if it's so much a case of Nayed being critical of any policy, but rather she isn't buying the BS put out by "official sources" and blithely repeating it, as is too often the case among those who call themselves "journalists" today.
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi
"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Legless_Marine
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 05 Jun 2007
Posts: 575
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
| al-Qa'bong wrote: | Here they come again...
| Quote: | Gunboat diplomacy: The U.S. sets sail for Lebanon
In the giant chessboard that is the Middle East, the United States has just made a fascinating if unexpected move.
When the U.S. military announced on Feb. 28 that it is mobilizing (at least) the USS Cole toward the coast of Lebanon, officials stressed the move isn't aimed at anyone in particular. Further, it is intended, officials said, solely as what was called a "show of support for regional stability."
It immediately became top news in this region. And no one is buying the explanation.
...This is the same ship that was nearly destroyed by a bomb-laden speedboat off the coast of Yemen in 2000. The attack killed 17 people and was carried out the behest of al-Qaeda.
|
|
Stats from Wiki combined with measurements from Google Eartn show the Cole has missiles capable of striking as far as Tehran, and everything in between. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
elmateo
sleepy.
Joined: 19 Apr 2006
Posts: 4978
Location: socialist corner, ottawa
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 4:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| TS. wrote: | | I was kinda surprised by the tone of that piece. Nahlah Ayed has not usually been so critical of American Mid-East policy. |
Not so sure about that, I remember her being one of the few very critical voices during the invasion of Lebanon (especially when it came to Canadian press). She may not approach the political issues as we might here, but she takes her reporting seriously and has been a lot more passionate about the victims of Israeli violence than most reporters for major news broadcasts in North America. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
elmateo
sleepy.
Joined: 19 Apr 2006
Posts: 4978
Location: socialist corner, ottawa
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 4:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| al-Qa'bong wrote: |
Is there an isolationist candidate running for POTUS this year. I ask because the world needs one. |
I don't know how Obama could extricate himself from the politics of the middle east. I don't think he does. I don't think he has really come up with a plan, and just talks about it. This is potentially dangerous because he may be victim of US inertia, and the people of the middle east will bear the brunt of this.
Isolationist isn't the best strategy either. It could be like tearing the serrated blade out of the body, tearing everything up inside. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
al-Qa'bong
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 6042
Location: A monistic vulgarity in which nobility and wisdom have been exchanged for a pale belief in progress
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 5:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Obama? Are you kidding?
He already sold his soul to the Israel Lobby.
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi
"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
elmateo
sleepy.
Joined: 19 Apr 2006
Posts: 4978
Location: socialist corner, ottawa
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 5:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Thats what I mean that he can't extract himself from the inertia of US foreign policy - mostly because he hasn't thought through a lot of fundamentals behind what he says (NAFTA is another example). So he doesn't really present as much "change" as people think/pretend. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tehanu
More or less, more or less
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 17641
Location: Seceded from the Ford Nation
|
| Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 10:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Time to resuscitate this thread, alas, as it appears that the simmering trouble in Lebanon is starting to boil up again.
| Quote: | The Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah said on Thursday the U.S.-supported Beirut government had declared war by targeting its communications network.
Hezbollah launched a new street campaign on Wednesday, piling pressure on the government after it declared the network illegal and removed the head of airport security, a figure close to the group, from his post.
Supporters of Hezbollah and its allies have blocked roads leading to the airport -- Lebanon's only air link to the outside world -- and other main streets, paralysing much of the capital.
... Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the group's leader, said the only way out of the crisis was for the government to rescind the decisions and to attend talks aiming to end a 17-month-long political conflict with the Hezbollah-led opposition.
"This decision is first of all a declaration of war and the launching of war by the government... against the resistance and its weapons for the benefit of America and Israel," Nasrallah told a news conference in reference to the government's move.
... Hezbollah has led a political campaign against Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's anti-Syrian cabinet. Friction has already led to bouts of violence.
... Hezbollah has deemed Siniora's cabinet illegitimate since its Shi'ite ministers resigned in 2006 after he rejected demands for veto power against government decisions.
The crisis has paralysed much of the government and left Lebanon without a president for five months. |
Globe and Mail
BTW dontcha just love the "Iranian-backed Hezbollah" and "U.S.-supported Beirut government" ... strikes me that both probably think of themselves as being somewhat more independent than that! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
gunnar gunnarson
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 549
Location: The Arena of the Unwell
|
| Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 2:30 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Yeah, but we have to keep drumming it into people's heads who the Goodies and Baddies are, now, don't we. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tehanu
More or less, more or less
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 17641
Location: Seceded from the Ford Nation
|
| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 3:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
Things are calming down in Beirut, but it's still looking pretty edgy ...
| Quote: | Hezbollah-led opposition forces will withdraw all of their gunmen from Beirut in compliance with an army request, a television station run by the Shia militia group said Saturday.
An opposition statement says the move comes after the army called on gunmen to get off the street and reopen the roads.
But the statement said that a "civil disobedience" campaign will continue until its demands are met.
Hezbollah gunmen seized most of the capital's Muslim sector Friday in the worst sectarian strife since a 15-year civil war ended nearly two decades ago.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora described the takeover as an "armed coup" aimed at destablizing democracy.
The Lebanese army had remained out of the fighting on Friday, but military commanders Saturday moved to restore calm by conceding two of Hezbollah's demands. Army commanders ordered troops Saturday to establish security in the capital of Beirut and is calling on all parties in the city to withdraw gunmen from the streets and reopen roads. |
CBC. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tehanu
More or less, more or less
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 17641
Location: Seceded from the Ford Nation
|
| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 2:27 am Post subject: |
|
|
Spoke too soon, maybe.
| Quote: | Fierce clashes broke out on Sunday in the mountains east of Beirut between supporters of the Western-backed government and followers of Hezbollah, the militant group backed by Iran.
The fighting, in the Shouf and Aley districts in the mountains overlooking the capital, Beirut, followed overnight clashes in the northern city of Tripoli that left at least two people dead and five wounded, according to security officials.
Beirut, where there had been heavy fighting between Sunnis and Shiites since Wednesday, was calm on Sunday. Hezbollah and its allies began withdrawing their gunmen from the capital on Saturday evening, raising hopes for a truce after four days of street battles there.
But with the underlying political crisis still unresolved, the worst violence since Lebanon’s 15-year civil war ended in 1990 seems to have shifted to the eastern villages.
Security officials put the toll of five days of fighting at 44 dead and 128 wounded. |
NYT. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rufus Polson
Purple Library Guy
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 3483
Location: SFU and/or the college of Riddlemastery at Caithnard
|
| Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 8:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
http://www.counterpunch.org/lamb05162008.html
| Quote: | According to US Senate Intelligence Committee sources, the Bush administration initially green lighted the intended May 11 Israel 'demonstration of solidarity with the pro-Bush administration militias, some with which Israel has maintained ties since the days of Bashir Gemayal and Ariel Sharon.
In the end, "the Bush administration got cold feet", a Congressional source revealed. So did Israel.
. . .
The plan involved Israeli air strikes on South and West Beirut in support of forces it was assured would be able to surprise and resist Hezbollah and sustain a powerful offensive for 48 hours.
. . .
The Hezbollah rout of the militias in West Beirut plus the fear of retaliation on Tel Aviv, ruining 60th anniversary celebrations, forced cancellation of the supportive attack.
. . .
Various militias, including the smartly outfitted Hariri "Secure Plus" with its distinctive maroon tee-shirts and beige trousers, (now know locally by some as "Secure Minus") a hoped for future Blackwater operation in Lebanon disintegrated surprisingly quickly because many of its green recruits brought down from Tripoli felt misled and betrayed regarding their job description as they were handed weapons an instructed to fight Hezbollah. |
The general impression I've been getting on all this, mainly from various Counterpunch articles, is that the pro-US side in Lebanon tried to push, and Hezbollah in pushing back kicked so much tail as to demonstrate that they are utterly in control of the situation, emerging even stronger.
A quote I found interesting:
| Quote: | “If we wanted to stage a coup, you would have woken up this morning in prison, or in the middle of the sea. We do not want that. It is a political issue, with a political solution through early elections.”
- Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, in comments directed tothe U.S.-backed Lebanese government, Al-ManarTV, 8 May 2008. |
That was at the beginning of this article from May 10:
http://www.counterpunch.org/amiri05102008.html
Other possibly useful articles from around the same time:
http://www.counterpunch.org/lamb05092008.html
http://www.counterpunch.org/lamb05102008.html
What Hezbollah is after near as I can make out is a functioning Lebanese state, ideally fairly nationalist. Strategically, a coup will not get it such a result. So they don't use their military superiority to take over, just to help extend the influence of their nonmilitary services and prevent interference. This in turn gives them strong credibility. If they can hold to their course and continue to make few mistakes, I wouldn't be surprised if Hezbollah can win their objectives in Lebanon. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 14585
Location: Toronto, ON
|
| Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 3:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
A political solution has been reached in Lebanon.
| Quote: | BBC Rival Lebanese leaders have agreed on steps to end the political deadlock that has led to the country's worst violence since the 1975-90 civil war.
The Western-backed government and the pro-Syrian opposition arrived at the deal after days of talks in Qatar.
Under the deal, the opposition - led by the Hezbollah political and militant group - will have the power of veto in a new cabinet of national unity.
It also paves the way for parliament to elect a new president.
The post has been empty since November.
Correspondents say the agreement is a major triumph for Hezbollah, whose key demands have been met. |
More at the link.
_________________
"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ronb
mocker
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 2627
Location: Blackroof country, no gold pavement, tired starling
|
| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 3:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Interesting to watch the results of waning US power in the region. Israel and Syria in talks, Lebanon getting its act together. What's next, I wonder, democracy in Egypt perhaps? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rufus Polson
Purple Library Guy
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 3483
Location: SFU and/or the college of Riddlemastery at Caithnard
|
| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 4:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Mind you, I don't think we can ascribe everything going on simply to the negative event of waning US power. Seems to me the positive fact is that Hezbollah have put together a very impressive military force with relatively little money. They're very well organized, they have a strong popular support base, and they've made strong use of things like portable antitank rockets to negate the heavy equipment edge of their opponents.
The result is that US proxies in the area up to and including the whole Israeli army have been unable to successfully take them on. The typical model in the past for resistant or revolutionary groups in US-dominated areas is that they grow in power and influence until the US gets worried enough to spend some money on military toys for their chosen proxy, at which point the resistant group gets mashed, has to go back underground and pretty much start from scratch. Of course the world is big, and the US inevitably misses once in a while in this game of whack-a-mole; Venezuela would be a case of not smacking properly with that hammer when they had the chance.
But Hezbollah represents a fundamental shift in the whole dynamic. The US has gotten proxies to try to go after them on a number of occasions; in the Israeli case there's maybe a question of just who is whose proxy, but the force levels and imperialist approach are the same. The point is that when those proxy forces have gone after Hezbollah, it isn't Hezbollah that's been mashed. Lebanese proxy forces that attack Hezbollah have tended to just disintegrate. The Lebanese army just won't attack them by and large. And even the Israeli army got a bloody nose.
Seems to me that Hezbollah isn't successful because US influence is waning. Hezbollah is successful because they're really effective. In that particular area, it is arguably the other way around--US influence is waning because of their demonstrated impotence to stop Hezbollah. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ronb
mocker
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 2627
Location: Blackroof country, no gold pavement, tired starling
|
| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 6:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Sure, but that has been the case for quite awhile now, while the US has only very recently seemingly lost the ability to dictate to their proxies.
Specifically, how pissed must they be that in the same week Israel disregards their "Do not talk to Syria" memo, while their Lebanese proxies capitulate to Hezbollah. This week the story seems to be "US proxies start acting independent of US policy." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 14585
Location: Toronto, ON
|
| Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 6:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
After 19 months, Lebanon has a president: General Michel Suleiman, the commander of the Lebanese army. He was elected by a 119 - 9 vote of the Lebanese parliament. The second stage of the political deal is the constitution of a national unity government, and that process can start now that a president has been sworn in.
| Quote: | BBC Lebanon's parliament has elected army commander General Michel Suleiman as president, ending deadlock which has left the post vacant since November.
The Western-backed government and Hezbollah-led opposition had agreed the army chief as a compromise candidate as violence raised fears of civil war.
Gen Suleiman called for "the beginning of a nation that is starting to wake up from self-destruction".
But correspondents say his powers are limited after recent Hezbollah gains.
As he was sworn in, the new president called for a "new phase", and a "quiet dialogue" on some of Lebanon's thorniest issues, including the role of Hezbollah as an armed movement.
The agreement that paved the way for his election, reached in Doha on Wednesday, ended some of the worst violence since the country's 1975-1990 civil war.
An 18-month stalemate between the Christian, Sunni Muslim and Druze governing coalition and the pro-Syrian opposition - led by the Shia Hezbollah political and militant group - had brought the country to crisis point.
The army chief, who was standing unopposed, is widely seen as a trusted figure who has managed to maintain the army's neutrality among Lebanon's complex mix of factions.
Applause broke out in the chamber as speaker Nabih Berri announced that Gen Suleiman had won 118 votes out of 127.
Trumpets played and supporters waved flags in the streets, while celebratory gunfire resounded around the capital, Beirut.
"Let us unite... and work towards a solid reconciliation," Gen Suleiman said after he was sworn in. "We have paid dearly for our national unity. Let us preserve it hand-in-hand." |
More at the link.
_________________
"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Rufus Polson
Purple Library Guy
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 3483
Location: SFU and/or the college of Riddlemastery at Caithnard
|
| Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 5:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| ronb wrote: | Sure, but that has been the case for quite awhile now, while the US has only very recently seemingly lost the ability to dictate to their proxies.
Specifically, how pissed must they be that in the same week Israel disregards their "Do not talk to Syria" memo, while their Lebanese proxies capitulate to Hezbollah. This week the story seems to be "US proxies start acting independent of US policy." |
Point. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 14585
Location: Toronto, ON
|
| Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 3:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
The Lebanese parliament has re-appointed Fouad Siniora, incumbant prime minister and American proxy, to head the "national unity government" agreed to in the recent political settlement.
| Quote: | BBC Lebanon's parliamentary majority coalition has agreed to nominate incumbent Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to lead the country's new government.
Newly-elected President Michel Suleiman has to appoint the prime minister nominated by a majority of his MPs.
The group will brief Mr Suleiman on their choice in parliament later.
The late-night agreement means Mr Siniora will head a cabinet in which Lebanon's Hezbollah-led opposition is guaranteed effective veto power.
"March 14 leaders agreed unanimously to nominate his Excellency Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to form the new government in line with the Doha agreement," the coalition said in a statement. |
More at the link.
_________________
"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
al-Qa'bong
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 6042
Location: A monistic vulgarity in which nobility and wisdom have been exchanged for a pale belief in progress
|
| Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 4:14 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | Khaled Meshaal, the leader of Hamas, has said that more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons will be released in exchange for the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Hamas reached a deal with Israel on Tuesday for the release 1,027 prisoners in exchange for Shalit, who was captured in 2006 and has since been held in the Gaza Strip, Meshaal said in a televised address.
"This is a national achievement that we should be proud of," said Meshaal who was speaking from Damascus, the Syrian capital |
I looked around a bit more and found a thread that's more closely related to this.
Link
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi
"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
al-Qa'bong
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 6042
Location: A monistic vulgarity in which nobility and wisdom have been exchanged for a pale belief in progress
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
This, from the Hezbollah website, is fairly weird, even as propaganda. It's either giving away their plan for the next war, or being needlessly provocative:
Galilee: where Resistance Confronts Enemy Next
Christianofascists might be a little confused by the description of Nazareth as "the birthplace of the Messiah (Jesus; Peace be upon him)."
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi
"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
al-Qa'bong
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 6042
Location: A monistic vulgarity in which nobility and wisdom have been exchanged for a pale belief in progress
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 4:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
This story is all over the news today. Oh wait...
| Quote: | Monday at dawn February 4, 2013 l Israeli soldiers kidnapped 21 Palestinians, including three legislators, in several districts in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestine News & Info Agency (WAFA) reported that the soldiers kidnapped, in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, legislator Ahmad Attoun, a Jerusalem legislator who was forcibly exiled to Ramallah, in addition to legislator Hatem Qfesiha from the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and legislator Mohammad At-Till from Ath-Thaheriyya nearby town.
Also in Ramallah, the soldiers kidnapped a resident identified as Falah Nada.
The soldiers also kidnapped a Zein Ed-Deen Shabana, a university teacher from Hebron. |
In related news, The Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that, two days ago, the Israeli army started a large-scale arrest campaign in the West Bank, and kidnapped more than 40 Palestinians, including several legislators.
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi
"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Slumberjack
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Posts: 923
Location: squelch~~big waves and high smiles from the stomach and intestine of capital.
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 5:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The rationale behind this constant need to arrest people already confined behind walls and barbed wire, while being guarded against with machine guns, drones, attack helicopters, F-16 launched bombs, and tank cannons, etc, is beyond me.
_________________
There is this old notion, Bolshevik, a little frigid for sure; the building of the Party. I think that our present war is about giving new content to this depopulated fiction. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sparqui
Dog tired
Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Posts: 5154
Location: Winnipeg
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 5:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I wonder how long before those Palestinian legislators are described as "Islamists"?
The AQ related militants in Mali are now referred to as Islamists by western media. The other day, CBC referred to Hezbollah as Islamists when reporting on the Israeli air strike in Syria. According to unofficial US state department sources, the strike was on a convoy of military equipment (anti-aircraft) destined for Islamists in Lebanon.
http://timesofap.com/politics/syria-threatens-retaliation-for-israe...
_________________
“If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a tractor.”
-- Gilles Duceppe |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
al-Qa'bong
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 6042
Location: A monistic vulgarity in which nobility and wisdom have been exchanged for a pale belief in progress
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 6:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Slumberjack wrote: | | The rationale behind this constant need to arrest people already confined behind walls and barbed wire, while being guarded against with machine guns, drones, attack helicopters, F-16 launched bombs, and tank cannons, etc, is beyond me. |
It's called "terrorism." That, and the need to show the weak who's the boss.
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi
"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Slumberjack
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Posts: 923
Location: squelch~~big waves and high smiles from the stomach and intestine of capital.
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 6:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| al-Qa'bong wrote: | | It's called "terrorism." That, and the need to show the weak who's the boss. |
Well, I tend to agree that its terrorism, and that it's usually the weak who resort to such things. Terrorism and the weak minded pretty much defines the actions of the zionist state.
_________________
There is this old notion, Bolshevik, a little frigid for sure; the building of the Party. I think that our present war is about giving new content to this depopulated fiction. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
al-Qa'bong
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 6042
Location: A monistic vulgarity in which nobility and wisdom have been exchanged for a pale belief in progress
|
| Posted: Fri May 17, 2013 4:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | Two months ago, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) reported that the Israeli army is subjecting the detained Palestinian children to widespread and systematic abuse in direct violation of International Law.
The UNICEF said that approximately 700 Palestinian children, between the ages of 12 and 17, are kidnapped, detained and interrogated by the Israeli army, the Police and security agents in the West Bank every year, Reuters said.
It further stated that the detained children are subject to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and are punished in direct violation of the Convention on the Right of the Child, and the Convention against Torture. |
293 Palestinian Children Kidnapped In The First Quarter Of 2013
_________________
"The purpose of government is to protect the weak from the powerful" Hammurabi
"We can't all be Sam the Sham; some of us have to be Pharoahs" Larry, brother of Darrel, and his other brother Daryl |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Voting Centre
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
Front Page
Links
Acceptable Use Policy
Donate
Today's Active Topics