Tag Archives: war

War on Terrorism – the Forgotten War?

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september-11-attack-building-explosion

Former US President George W. Bush will always be remembered for the War on Terrorism, a war he brought America and the rest of his allies on after the September 11 attacks. Whether what it brought was good or bad is still is for debate and probably will never be answered unless it’s in hindsight. The question is, when will we be starting to look at it on hindsight? Where are we in the War on Terror? Are we winning? What does winning look like? When will it end?

Much of these questions were brought about by the fact that the end was never defined to us by those who propagated it. Up to now we don’t know what the final goal is and where we are right now in our quest to reach it. If you ask people down the street what successes of the War on Terror they know of they would probably mention Saddam Hussein’s capture and subsequent execution. This is exactly the convoluted thinking we are in right now. The War on Terror should not be equated with the War in Iraq but the two have been so intertwined that everybody has been confused.

Since Bush left office, things became clearer in the sense that it is clear that we do not know where we are. The scheduled pull out from Iraq shows that Iraq is not the be all and end all of the War on Terror. While it is welcomed that things in Iraq are being cleaned up, we still need to know what the ending should look like. If they do not define it soon, people will soon be thinking that the goal is actually to totally eradicate evil in this world which would mean that there is no end save for Judgment Day.

The question in the beginning of the war was that the war is not properly defined. In fact, at that time, Terrorism itself was not defined. So if you are confused about things, don’t worry because it has always been confusing from the beginning. Where are we in the War on Terror? I can tell you, but it wouldn’t do much help.

A New War

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Unity

A different war should be won…there is this war that is entirely good and can save as many lives – a war against the disturbing realities that prevent us from living harmoniously and peacefully as human beings. (photo: liberalforum.org)

A new war should be won. A new perception should explode like the nuclear bombs we always talk about. We have heard the statement that war is never good no matter how reasonable it is. Seeing hundreds or thousands of people dying of war is never good no matter how valid such a war is. But there is this war that is entirely good and can save as many lives – a war against the disturbing realities that prevent us from living harmoniously and peacefully as human beings.

War on Race Discrimination

No skin color is ever superior to another. Racial or Color discrimination still exists in the United States today and in many other countries. Many lives have died of violence caused by racist ideas, principles, and statements. Needless to say, many hopes and dreams too have died of the same. Racism or any form of human discrimination certainly is an intangible weapon of mass destruction. This is the other war that we continue to ignore as we stick to the things that we touch and see.

Hands of Peace

Above: No skin color is ever superior to another… (Photo: www.ihmsisters.org)

War on Religious Discrimination

The best thing that a religion can have is respect to the other faiths. A relationship to a mystical or supernatural being is an extremely personal thing and should be highly regarded. The basic premise of a religion is to make the self and others better. Thus a religion that destroys does not have a place in this world. At times people who belong to a religion do awful things in the name of their faith, but we should just count them out and never judge the religion itself.

The Pope

The basic premise of a religion is to make the self and others better. Thus a religion that destroys does not have a place in this world... (Photo: faithfulmilwaukeecatholic.blogspot.com)

War on Hunger for Power

Everybody knows that everything here is fleeting. Bonaparte, Hitler, Alexander the Great, and many others only seemed invincible but they couldn’t last. Like most of us, they lived the average life span and only witnessed the futility of their will. In the end, the more powerful a person is, the more difficult it is for him/her to accept the powerlessness of dying.

Adolf Hitler

Bonaparte, Hitler (above), Alexander the Great, and many others only seemed invincible but they couldn’t last. Like most of us, they lived the average life span and only witnessed the futility of their will.(Photo: www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org)


Ethiopia and Eritrea: Another War?

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Ethiopian Soldier

Above: Ethiopian troops marching (photo: www.militaryphotos.net)

The International Crisis Group (ICG) of Brussels warns of a catastrophic war between the African neighbors Ethiopia and Eritrea. The two countries waged war against each other from 1998 to 2000 which killed more than 70 thousand people.

An independent boundary commission has settled the territorial dispute between the countries through its “virtual demarcation” in November 2007. As a consequence, most of the 1, 700 peacekeepers were withdrawn from the border. However Ethiopia still has troops in areas belonging to Eritrea, creating a tension that can worsen over time.

“Neither regime wants war at present. Both prefer to keep tensions simmering, giving them an excuse to maintain authoritarian rule. But a minor border incident or miscalculation could produce a disastrous return to conflict,” the ICG report stated.

According to Ethiopia, Eritrea is illegally deploying troops in a supposedly demilitarized zone as it wants to further discuss the border demarcation.

In April, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed apprehension that the withdrawal of most of the 1,700 peacekeepers on the border may result to hostilities on the border and start another war between the two countries.

UN Soldier

Above: U.N. Peacekeepers in Eritrea (photo: www.militaryphotos.net)

“The departure of the Boundary Commission and the U.N. peacekeepers has made this conflict much more dangerous, removing the means both for dialogue between the parties and for stopping small problems from escalating,” the ICG said.

Female Soldier

Above: Female Eritrean soldier (photo: www.militaryphotos.net)


Drawdown of Iraq troop is likely to stop in July

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Soldier in Iraq

Above: US Soldier in Iraq

Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are the two top officials in Iraq located on Capitol Hill this week to report on the know about in the Iraq war, thou there is not much to expect that the US policy will probably have so little change before the year ends and before the arrival of America’s next president.

It is not due to the reason that General Petraeus has pointed out he will recommend regarding further drawdown of US forces that surpasses the level that they were supposed to be programmed to hit at midsummer. This is the same case due to despite security gains of the past year, Iraq is expect to be stagnant in a fragile state for as long as President Bush’s term.

There are several factors that can lead to unstable conditions on the ground:

  • US and Shiite-dominated government was a disappointment to Sunni over the rate which Sunni are being incorporated into the Iraqi Army with the jobs provided.
  • There had been a power struggle amongst militias and Iraq’s dominant Shiite groups, most probably in the south. Recent in Basra can also be a matter in the case.
  • Not being ready to take over military operations coalition forces and US on the side of Iraqi security.
  • Diversifying political jockeying un the run-up to provincial elections that is being readied for fall.
  • There’s a strong hold in the north where signs that Al Qaeda in Iraq and affiliated Islamic extremists are standing and established. There are also expectations especially on the side of that Al Qaeda in Iraq will make or announce violent statement that will occur during and within the US elections.
  • As Iraq and the US cross electoral periods, questions had been raised regarding how Iran will make use of its influence in Iraq.

An Iraq specialist at the National Defense University by the name of Judith Yaphe said, “We’re definitely going to hear a lot from [Petraeus and Mr. Crocker] about what our military strategy has accomplished and how there still needs to be more political progress,”

“But there’s a lot of risk and uncertainty – for the Iraqis, for our role in Iraq, for our elections, so I don’t see it as a period when we’re going to see much change in the way of strategy.”

With Congress, the status quo may not be as well, but the Democrats may not have that much ability then they did compared to fall when to force changes with the last Patraeus-Crocker hearings. Some Democratic strategists are also expecting so little to come out in this upcoming week’s Iraq hearings since the focus is more on the next administration.

Even though Iraq was America’s top concern, the holding for the next 10 consecutive months is not acceptable for US interests, for the region, for Iraq, or for the troops as some lawmakers state.

Mocratic Sen. Joseph Biden asks, “What is the policy from here?”, a chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee that will take not of Petraeus and Crocker’s announcement. “Is [the Bush administration] intending to bind the next administration? … I truly believe the president’s plan is to muddle through and to hand it off to the next president,” he adds. “I don’t think they know what to do.”

There are over 35,000 US troops is pointing out on what the US should do in Iraq, some experts say that it protects civilians even more and sway them from militias, in example. However, even if there are those who implement troop reduction due to the term note and political climate pertaining that the US is not going to be involved in it for that long.

A former National Security Council Persian Gulf expert by the name of Ken Pillack who is not located at the Brooking Institution says that the US having had stabilized the north and the Sunni Anbar Province, should to in where Iraq’s dominant Shiite communities are in great flux which is in the south.

He says, “The surge has actually encouraged a fair percentage of the Shia population,” Quietly, the Shia communities have begun to come over and are saying, ‘We don’t really like’ ” the multiply political-party-affiliated militias that have divided them. If the US does not grab hold of the moment with the Shiite population he says, it will only weaken as it does not try to be associated with the same powerful militias.

Any act of pushing at Iraq’s south would bring the US close feud and confrontation with Iran, where the Iran’s influence there are growing strongly. Some analysts say that the US would do well to addressing the issue in a larger and more context manner. Ms. Yaphe said, “If you want peace in Iraq, if you want America to be able to have an exit strategy, the road goes through Tehran,” former CIA Middle East analyst.

Still other analysts say, the gesture was supposed to inflict and facilitate a political reconciliation in Iraq, and so far it has not done that.

An example of this would be 90,000 Sunnis may now be armed to help fighting againsts AL Qaeda in Iraq, However most of these had not been integrated in the Iraq security forces by the Shiit-led government.

Wayne White , a former Irraq expert together with the State Department Policy Planning Staff and is now in the Middle East institute says, “If you are on the fence as a tribal sheikh …, wondering if you want to join in on this movement, what the government has been doing in terms of who they are and aren’t taking into the security personnel has not been encouraging,”

Some experts that are more on the Provincial rather than the national level and not according to US “benchmarks”, in Iraq share a little hope of any reconciliation to be occurring.

But other share the fine points and advantages of a political reconciliation, whether or not it is happening and how fast it can occur, are not at all in connection with the US political context.

Ivo Daadler who is a US foreign-policy specialist at the Brookings instituted shared, “The realistic timetable for [stabilizing Iraq] may be 10 years, but the political timetable is 10 months,”. Believing that the congressional effort wont be as strong as to push in changing Iraq policy.

Mr. Daalder added, “The political debate will no longer be on the Hill, but what you do in ’09.”

Fingers from 5 Hostages Were Delivered to U.S. officials

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American Hostages

Above: American Hostage

BHAGDAD- U.S. authorities that are located in Baghdad had received severed five fingers that are supposedly the finger of the 5 hostages that were taken for more than a year ago in Iraq, as U.S. officials had informed media last Wednesday.

Notifying the families of the 5 captives as FBI is thorough in their investigation for development, U.S. officials however stressed to media that sources should be remained unknown since leakage of information to the public is not allowed.

The fingers had been verified as belonging to the following American hostages in Baghdad:

Jonathan Cote of Florida

Joshua Munns of California

Paul Johnson Reuben of Minnesota

Bert Nussbaumer of Austria

Ronald J. Withrow, an American who was kidnapped separately from others.

Information leading to where, when and how the fingers had been obtained by the U.S. officials had not been available. The relatives of the missing Americans said that they have been informed weeks ago confirming the DNA of the hostages but had not the details had not been given.

The first group of hostages that were held captives were composed of 4 persons which one of them was John Young, authorities had confirmed that the not one of the DNA found was from Young.

Young mother Sharon DeBrabander said, “I certainly don’t understand why my son’s wasn’t found. What does that mean?”

The other hostage, Withrow is a computer specialist that was kidnapped at a fake checkpoint are near southern Iraqi of Basra on the 5th of Janauary 2007. There was very little data pertaining to details of the said abduction however Withrows translator and driver was found dead the next day of the abduction.

The father of Joshua Munns had said, “All we have right now is prayers. I don’t know how to make head or tails of what’s going on. Are they still alive? A whole bunch of stuff goes through your head.” Joshua has spent his past 2 birthdays in captivity.

Every Monday there’s a telephone conference to update the relatives of the hostages about the subject matter. Although relatives sometimes complain that they have sometime been kept in the dark regarding ongoing investigations, authorities of the FBI told them that confidentiality is needed to bare the integrity of the investigation.

The hostages had made hostage videos in December 2006 and January 2007 in which they pleaded to U.S. to set free the Iraqi prisoners and to pull out all troops from Iraq. In both videos the hostages were in good condition saying that they have been treated well in their place of captivity.

There was no information pertaining that there was demand for money, and the group that held the hostages had remained to be unclear.

Authorities and the people involved in the case are trying to see the positive of what the fingers meant. Saying that the fingers symbolized that the captives are still there and that they are ready to make deals soon in negotiation in excanhge of the captive’s release.

Russia, Starts Cold War with 2 preemptive missile strike tests

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Russia New Missile Test

Above: Russia Missile Test

It was only a matter of time before we started seeing a response to the American expansionism into the middle east. Now we are going to see the Cold war begin again except now Russia and China and various others have much better bonds and communication formed by the fact that America has close to the population of a small country in troops, manouvering around the middle east. We have seen Iran developing Nuclear “POWER”, China already has some of the most sophisticated missiles developed and have been in discussions with Russia over nuclear power and weapons and various other topics.

We are going to see an increase in the bonds of the middle eastern countries who have not already been invaded by the States with Russia. Russia have no problem with this as they will buy these countries resources and stockpile them for when the winter of the new Cold war hits.

US moving more troops into Afghanistan – 200,000 surrounding Iran – Can anyone see a pattern?

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Countries Surrounding Iran

Above: Map of Middle East

The US already with 26,000 troops in Afganistan are moving in roughly another 3,000 troops. This brings them close to 30,000 troops. This back in Roman times would have been considered an amazing force let alone in todays modern warfield. There are around 170,000 troops in Iraq. Whilst there is still violence, it’s not open warfare anymore simply occupation. What will these troops be doing in 2 years? Take a look at a map. It’s all very obvious. Israel, Palistine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt. Pick a surrounding counrty and America is there building bases. Did you ever play a strategy game, The American government sure are.

US going to invade Iran, Iran Know Americas 3 pronged attack strategy. Propoganda then International involvement then WAR

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Bush advises that Iran have been provocative in their manouvers. They have released shaky footage of speed boats approaching their Gunship. Sounds a lot like “Weapons of Mass Destruction”. Iran spokespeople advise that these things happen in international waters. So let’s remember that American rulers spent a year and a half getting the American public behind them before they invaded Iraq. Whilst Bush is going to Israel to visit his extremely large and productive base which he is going to use to invade Iran, under the guise of peace talks. When in Americas history have they ever brokered peace talks?

Below: Demo against Bush ‘War’ Policy

Bush LIES!!!!!!!

(Opinion)

We’ll have to think what America gain from the peace talks? More time for finishing whatever project is going on there? No better way to avoid attention than putting it in plain site under a spot light. At least Iran has some Nuclear material from Russia and China which they could at least use as a “WMD”.

Isreali Police Boat

Above: Israeli Boat

War, Eh? What’s it all about?

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Historically, the just-war tradition—a set of mutually agreed rules of combat—commonly evolves between two similar enemies. When enemies differ greatly because of different religious beliefs, race, or language, war conventions have rarely been applied. It is only when the enemy is seen to be a people with whom one will do business in the following peace

War, Peace, Why ?

Above: War, Peace Logo

that tacit or explicit rules are formed for how wars should be fought and who they should involve. In part the motivation is seen to be mutually beneficial—it is preferable to remove any underhand tactics or weapons that may provoke an indefinite series of vengeance acts. Nonetheless, it has been the concern of the majority of just war theorists that such asymmetrical morality should be denounced, and that the rules of war should apply to all equally; that is, just war theory should be universal.

The just-war tradition is as old as warfare itself. Early records of collective fighting indicate that some moral considerations were used by warriors. They may have involved consideration of women and children or the treatment of prisoners. Commonly they invoked considerations of honour: some acts in war have always been deemed dishonourable, whilst others have been deemed honourable. Whilst the specifics of what is honourable differ with time and place, the very fact of one moral virtue has been sufficient to infuse warfare with moral concerns.

That is all well and good but what is it in us that makes us aggressive, why must fight or flight be the controlling aspect of our nature. It is clear through the ages both through things as large as Colonisation and as simple as a fight in a playground that we are more vicious than any other animal out there. We feed on our own species misery and depravation, using each other as tools for material self gain and psychological egocentric expansion. Ulitmately this leads to both our advancement as a race and the destruction of each others people. No expansion can be sustained ulimately. It is the true reflection of the human species, we are never satisfied and always end up burning out either ourselves or the environment around us.

Look at the Congo, Rwanda all these places subjected to terrible, terrible Imperialism exploited by European conquest for hundreds of years only to be then exploited by their own people, worse than any invading force. You have to wonder why? Well, you don’t but we probably should. Why, is it that the savages are able to sweep in and take power from the people and subvert all resources away from where they are needed to ultimately strengthen and enrich the land and people around them? How come even when they arm the people from the region, these same people will go out and kill friends and family who they grew up with? MONEY!!!! Starvation fear of retribution on themselves and their own families.

Money and fear making war happen and the world, go around.

Ahh, money. The greatest and worst curse the world has ever endured. Money is another reflection of the warring human soul. It clearly shows the Split personality that we all face every second of every day. Millions of people dying every second because they have no money and millions of people making millions of dollars every second because they have so much but cannot see outside their own limited world of excess. The billionaires are the same as the soldiers killing their own people, except they are doing it through inaction. They cannot, do not or will not see the madness with which we are all warring through.

Most leaders who are out war mongering, you can take your pick from any of them, are either genuinely crazy or are being controlled by the people who want more money. Hopefully, as time goes by over this blog we will be able to start linking one place to another place and show what’s happening in the world from another skewed point of view, the one of ignorance to what is actually happening in reality. To believe any news that is being reported to us from regions we cannot see or communicate with is another form of madness that has been around for years. People have asked in the past of the German people, how were they able to let the things that happened happen. Simple, propaganda, misinformation,selfishness and fear is the answer. This could happen anywhere to any people or race and is happening as you read this right now but we are just not being effected by it and so not being bombarded with images and imformation of these crimes. The information is out there but we are not being force fed it, which means it might as well not be happening.