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NEWS FROM IRAQ 26 Sept 2008
A deadly ambush near Baghdad has left at least 20 dead 25 Sept 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7633837.stm
For further information and regularly updated news on Iraq, including
our RSS feed, visit: http://www.ourworldoursay.org/iraq.php
LETTERS
FROM THE ISRAELI PEACE ACTIVIST URI AVNERY REFLECTING ON SOME OF THE RECENT
EVENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. Tim
Spicer, who runs the mercenary company Aegis, is trying to block
the publication of Craig Murray's new book "The
Road To Samarkand. Intrigue, Corruption & Dirty Diplomacy"
which exposes the activities of these "Private Security Companies".
10 July 2008 UK
tops world table of weapons sales. By Rob Evans & Richard
Norton-Taylor 21 June 2008. Ex-UK Army Chief in Iraq Confirms
Peak Oil Motive for War; Praises Fraudulent Reconstruction Programmes.
By Nafeez Ahmed June 17 2008. Britain
obstructs global ban on use of cluster bombs By Kim Sengupta 19
May 2008. A letter from the West Bank May 2008. While Isreal celebrates 60 years of it's existance Palestinians find it is no time to celebrate 60 years of occupation. A letter from Ecumenical Accompanier, Sultana Begum, who has just completed three months' service in Hebron, West Bank working for Quaker Peace and Social Witness. BAE
paid too little heed to ethics, says report. April 6 2008. As well as running an £800,000 advertising campaign, the company has been paying Woolf £6,000 a day to head the review committee with a brief "to ascertain whether "BAE's ethical standards are irreproachable". Meanwhile, political moves are being floated that could extricate BAE
from corruption investigations in the US, in return for a financial settlement
without admission of liability. Such a deal would be highly attractive
to the British government and the arms company, South African union workers block Chinese arms shipments to Zimbabwe. April 17 2008. An example to everyone as to how the arms trade can be stopped when good people do what is right and not what their government wants. SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) general secretary Randall Howard said: "Satawu does not agree with the position of the South African government not to intervene with this shipment of weapons. Our members employed at Durban container terminal will not unload this cargo neither will any of our members in the truck-driving sector move this cargo by road." NOT THE NEWS.
Two articles by John Pilger. WE ARE NOT ALONE AS THE WORLD DEMONSTRATES AGAINST WAR. UK ATTACKED IRAQ
FOR OIL POLL SHOWS 10 March 2008 THREAT OF PRE-EMPTIVE
NUCLEAR STRIKES BY NATO DRIVES INSECURITY. Jan 22nd 2008. The
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament today reacted with alarm to a manifesto
for a new NATO by five senior military strategists which explicitly
calls for the alliance to be the first to use nuclear weapons in a situation
of severe international tension. The first strike policy,
along with other suggestions including deploying military force without
UN security council authorisation are expected to be discussed at a NATO
summit in April 2008. WHAT BUSH DIDN'T SEE ON HIS VISIT TO ISRAEL JAN 2008. From The Other Israel. "INFORMED
CHOICE? ARMED FORCES AND RECRUITMENT PRACTICE IN THE UK."
Informed Choice? concludes that the armed forces: - Largely fail to inform recruits about the risks of a forces career
Why is it that, all too often, the children of the poor end up fighting the wars of the rich? BRITAIN'S
AFGHAN MISSION IS A FRUITLESS AND FAILING PURSUIT. By Simon Jenkins Dec
12, 2007. WHERE DOES THE PEACE
MOVEMENT GO IN THE MIDDLE EAST? A review by Avishai Margalit of
David Shulman's book "Dark Hope: Working for Peace in Israel and
Palestine" CIA
SECRET RENDITION FLIGHTS ORGANISED BY UK FRIM IN CRAWLEY Ian Cobain CND PRESS RELEASE
25th NOVEMBER 2007 "Why the US is targetting Russia and Iran" by Alan Mackinnon. Download this Scottish CND pamphlet from thier website. If Russia and Iran start to sell oil and gas using a currency other than the dollar this will threaten the United States superpower status which is based on the dollar being a reserve currency. How will they react to this threat? When Saddam Hussein was given permission by the UN to sell Iraq's oil in euros in 2000 it was not long before he felt the repercussions. Remember, oil can be bought from OPEC only if you have dollars. Non-oil producing countries first have to sell their goods to earn dollars with which they can purchase oil. If they cannot earn enough dollars, then they have to borrow dollars from the WB/IMF, which have to be paid back, with interest, in dollars. This creates a great demand for dollars outside the U.S. In contrast, the U.S. only has to print dollar bills in exchange for goods. A strong euro would also lead to a devaluation of the pound which might explain some of Tony Blair's reason for going to war in Iraq. Exploding the Myth. A CND
report, Trident & Employment explodes the myth that non-replacement
of the UKs current nuclear weapons system, Trident, will have a
detrimental impact on employment. Written by Dr Steven Schofield and funded
by the UNISON General Political Fund, the report is being launched at
the TUC Congress. Follow the link above to see this report. Stop the War Coalition Newsletter No. 1025 - 31 October 2007 Two articles by Gabriele
Zamparini. "Considering a war with Iran: A discussion paper on WMD in the Middle East" A summary of the paper written by Dan Plesch and Martin Butcher from Raw Story 28th Aug 2007. Plesch and Butcher examine "what the military option might involve if it were picked up off the table and put into action" and conclude that based on open source analysis and their own assessments, the US has prepared its military for a "massive" attack against Iran, requiring little contingency planning and without a ground invasion. British Army deploys new weapon based on mass-killing technology By Richard Norton-Taylor Aug 23rd 2007. Parliament not told, minister says. Bush knew Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction. By Sidney Blumenthal 6th Sept 2007. Two former CIA officers say the president squelched top-secret intelligence, and a briefing by George Tenet, months before invading Iraq. Blair bought it." "Blair was duped," said the other CIA officer. Need
Iraq Suffer More If We Pull Out? By Johann Hari Aug 27, 2007 The
Independent. UK
DECLASSIFIED FILES MILITARY ARMS EXPENDITURE This is not a joke, but BAE systems have been awarded an environmental award for their use of less ecologically destructive paints on the Type 45 destroyers they are building. These ships will be capable of carrying Cruise Missiles. It would be interesting to see if their new warheads are environmentally friendly. To quote "This has resulted in significant cost savings to the business and environment." It's thriving, but lethal. Britain's decade of arms exports puts the lie to any notion of an ethical foreign policy under Blair. May 2007 Hands Off Iraqi Oil is a UK coalition opposing any foreign exploitation of Iraq's oil reserves that rips off the Iraqi people. Members include Corporate Watch, Iraq Occupation Focus, Jubilee Iraq, Naftana, PLATFORM, Voices UK, and War on Want. Hassan
Jum'a, head of the Iraqi oilworkers' trade union, has commented
that the Iraq war takes place in two phases: first, the military invasion
and occupation, and second, the economic war. The first phase has brought
death and destruction to Iraqis for nearly four years. But right now,
the economic war is being fought, which risks leaving Iraqis with nothing,
even when the violence eventually comes to an end.
The
redirection. Is the Bush Administrations new policy benefitting
our enemies in the war on terrorism? By Seymour M. Hersh Feb
25, 2007 Iraq's
death toll is far worse than our leaders admit. The U.S. and
Britain have triggered an episode more deadly than the Rwandan genocide
by Prof. Les Roberts Global Research, February 16, 2007 Bush
Iran War Agenda: Trigger an "Accidental Conflict,"
as a pretext to justify "Limited Strikes" - by Deniz Yeter
- 2007-02-13 Brian Haw wins the 'Channel 4 News Most Inspiring Political Figure Award 2007' with 54% of the vote, while Tony Blair was lucky to get 8%. Even Henry Kissinger thinks we should get rid of nuclear weapons. Read this Wall Street Journal article about the futility of nuclear deterence in today's world. BAE Arms Sales Enquiry. SNP
MSP Michael Matheson will begin the process of introducing a
Member's Bill in the Scottish Parliament which will seek to criminalise
those responsible for the preparations needed to use nuclear weapons
based in Scotland, while protecting the rights of Scottish workers at
the Faslane base. Fairfordcoachaction On 13 December the House of Lords ruled that police acted unlawfully in turning the Fairford anti-war protestors away from a demonstration and detaining them on their coaches for 2½ hours without arrests, violating their right to freedom of speech and assembly and freedom from arbitrary detention. Who is Afraid of the Iranian Bomb? Thought-provoking
thank-you from the USA
A Bath SWC supporter has emailed us this note written by an American friend to her brother: We celebrated Veteran's Day [11 November in the USA] by first going to the Naples Depot where USO dances were held during WWII. There was a tribute to all the Veterans followed by 40's swing music. Everyone danced and was happy. Then we went to the Naples pier to see the protest to the war: Crosses on the Beach is a protest installation: a cross in the sand for each US soldier killed in Iraq. Australia,
China, India, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United
States refuse to support an international treaty aimed at banning land
mines and cluster bombs. Ted
Honderich and David Aaronovitch: US
naval war games off the Iranian coastline: A provocation which
could lead to War?" Corporate
Mercenaries These private "security" firms have been luring British soldiers with fat pay cheques, and our own government, who trained these soldiers at public expense, has had to respond by spending more taxpayers money on increasing the pay of our elite SAS in order to retain them. Similar parallels exist with the private health sector and consultants pay. Clearly these mercenaries are not protecting the Iraqi population but they are protecting the interests of greedy investors who are looting the country. It is important to realise that some of these security firms are listed on the stock market and as such are open to being taken over by whoever has the largest bankroll. These private armies should be closed down before they become a greater threat to the democratic process. Henry VII recognised this problem years ago when, during the Wars of the Roses, private armies were rented out to the family that paid the most. He responded by banning them and taxing the rich barons to limit their influence. Why can't our political leaders learn the lessons of history, or is it that they are becoming the rich barons? "Only a little more than a century ago, the East India Company ignored the explicit orders of the British government and attacked Portuguese garrisons in India to secure its own commercial interests. Is it so hard to imagine, a few decades from now, the likes of private-army-hiring Halliburton doing the same? Phillip Bobbit, a former advisor to presidents Nixon and Reagan, warns in his book The Shield of Achilles that this is a serious security risk." Quoted from an article by Johann Hari. Who
are the War Criminals? The
secret Whitehall telegram that reveals truth behind controversial Saudi
arms deal Bush's
Petro-Cartel Almost Has Iraq's Oil Are
new weapons being tested in Gaza? Israel
admits using phosphorus bombs during war in Lebanon. Aluminium,
terrorism and war The
Pope stirs up more anger in his alliance with "Emperor Bush". THE STORY about "spreading the faith by the sword" is an evil legend, one of the myths that grew up in Europe during the great wars against the Muslims - the reconquista of Spain by the Christians, the Crusades and the repulsion of the Turks, who almost conquered Vienna. I suspect that the German Pope, too, honestly believes in these fables. That means that the leader of the Catholic world, who is a Christian theologian in his own right, did not make the effort to study the history of other religions. Why did he utter these words in public? And why now? There is no escape from viewing
them against the background of the new Crusade of Bush and his evangelist
supporters, with his slogans of "Islamofascism" and the "Global
War on Terrorism" - when "terrorism" has become a synonym
for Muslims. For Bush's handlers, this is a cynical attempt to justify
the domination of the world's oil resources. Not for the first time in
history, a religious robe is spread to cover the nakedness of economic
interests; not for the first time, a robbers' expedition becomes a Crusade. In this sense, the quote serves exactly the requirements of the present Emperor, George Bush II. He, too, wants to unite the Christian world against the mainly Muslim "Axis of Evil". Moreover, the Turks are again knocking on the doors of Europe, this time peacefully. It is well known that the Pope supports the forces that object to the entry of Turkey into the European Union. Bad
Faith and the Destruction of Palestine by Jonathan Cook. Sept
30th 2006. War
on Terrorism or Fight for Social Justice? Bush and Latin America by LAURA
CARLSEN. Sept 16 th 2006. Where
are America's liberals? Tony Judt on the Strange Death of Liberal
America. "The contradictions to which this can lead are striking. There is, for example, a blatant discrepancy between Bushs proclaimed desire to bring democracy to the Muslim world and his refusal to intervene when the only working instances of fragile democracy in action in the whole Muslim world in Palestine and Lebanon were systematically ignored and then shattered by Americas Israeli ally. This discrepancy, and the bad faith and hypocrisy which it seems to suggest, have become a staple of editorial pages and internet blogs the world over, to Americas lasting discredit. But Americas leading liberal intellectuals have kept silent". Israel
acts with impunity in South Lebanon. Sept 20th 2006. Meanwhile, an Israeli bulldozer
carried out digging work on Tuesday before laying water pipes in the Wazzani
River in Marjayoun in a bid to funnel water to the town of Ghajar, the
National News Agency (NNA) reported this week. Five Israeli tanks were
seen in Tallat Mahames inside the eastern sector in the South, the NNA
added. "Sometimes they were punched or kicked for no apparent reason," Mr Bevan said. "Sometimes, it seems, it was for the entertainment of others". "One civilian, Baha Musa, died as a result, in part, from the multiple injuries he had received there being no less than 93 injuries on his body at the post mortem stage, including fractured ribs and a broken nose," Mr Bevan told the court. Another detainee had such serious kidney injuries that he suffered renal failure which could have killed him but for medical intervention, the prosecutor said. A third also suffered serious kidney problems which, when examined, were found to be caused by injuries consistent with being punched and kicked. Conduct
Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentlemen: Sept 19th 2006 Central
Asia declares nuclear free zone. Sept 8th 2006 The
Failure of Total War against Palestine and Lebanon The 19th century Prussian general
Carl von Clausewitz described attacks on the enemys territory, property
and citizens as total war. With the horrors of World War II, total war
became associated with war crimes. The Israeli attacks on the Palestinian
people and on Lebanon contain all the elements of total wars. In the war
against Lebanon, the Israeli strategy of total war was also associated
with war crimes. In it's report released on August 3, 2006, and entitled:
Fatal Strikes: Israels Indiscriminate Attacks Against Civilians
in Lebanon, Human Rights
Watch analysed two dozen Israeli air and artillery attacks against
civilian homes and vehicles and reported that "In some cases, the
timing and intensity of the attack, the absence of a military target,
as well as return strikes on rescuers, suggest that Israeli forces deliberately
targeted civilians". Total war against Palestine and Lebanon has failed to resolve the perennial contradiction of Israeli policy: proclaiming a desire for peace and yet, pursuing a policy of dispossession, occupation, expansionism, regional hegemony, and lawless forcible imposition of its will. Israel must choose: either peace of equality or Paxa Hebraica. When will they learn? For once give peace a chance. Cluster
bombs. Deaths
in Iraq are not due to invasion, says Blair Africa.
Suffering in the Congo The Lancet recently took greater notice of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A group of physicians reported that about four million people have died since the official outbreak of the Congolese war in 1998. However, experts working in the Congo, and Congolese survivors, count over 10 million dead since war began in 1996not 1998with the U.S.-backed invasion to overthrow Zaires President Joseph Mobutu. War in the Congo is driven by the desire to extract raw materials, including diamonds, gold, columbium tantalite (coltan), niobium, cobalt, copper, uranium, and petroleum. Mining in the Congo by western companies proceeds at an unprecedented rate and it is reported that some $6 million in raw cobalt alonean element of superalloys essential for nuclear, chemical, aerospace, and defense industriesexits the DRC daily. Also, heterogenite, a cobalt ore, was departing the DRC in 2004 at a rate of 6,000 tons per month at about $20 per pound or $268 million per month. Therefore, any analysis of the geopolitics in the Congo requires an understanding of the organized crime perpetrated through multinational businesses to see why the Congolese people have suffered unending war since 1996. With exports such as these why is the general population impoverished? Read the full article for more detail. Inquiry
Opened Into Israeli Use of U.S. Bombs Comment It really is about time the UN was reformed and became truely democratic. The current situation, where a handful of countries can veto proposals that are supported by the vast majority, makes a mockery of the democratic process which the "great and the good" want to export throughout the world. US
War Crimes Act Changes Would Reduce Threat Of Prosecution
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