StormWarning’s Counterterrorism

New in the news…Christians to host dinner for Ahmadinejad on September 25th in New York. Interesting to me after all of the “chatter” about Christians for Israel. I guess it proves that you can’t generalize about anyone or anything or any group.

Lago Vista priest protests religious dinner honoring Ahmadinejad

Religious leaders, possibly including the Episcopal Church, are reportedly planning to host a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner that honors Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Thursday in New York City. A group planning to protest the event features the invitation on its Web site. Among the hosts is the World Council of Churches, to which the Episcopal Church belongs.

UCC Renewal Leader Calls for World Council of Churches to Cancel Dinner for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Today, United Church of Christ renewal leader David Runnion-Bareford, Exec. Dir. of the confessing movement in the UCC and President of the Association for Church Renewal, called for the World Council of Churches and The Episcopal Church to cancel their plans to host Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a celebrative dinner in New York City on Thursday.

Christian Groups to Host Ahmadinejad and UN Head for NY Dinner

The president of the United Nations General Assembly, Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, will be attending a dinner in New York at which Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a featured guest, according to The Forward, a Jewish-American weekly newspaper published in New York City. Brockmann, a Catholic priest from Nicaragua who publicly criticizes the United States’s anti-terror war in Iraq and Afghanistan, will attend the dinner on September 25th, an event which was organized by five American Christian organizations and will be co-hosted by the Iranian mission to the U.N.

Christian Groups have hosted Ahmadinejad in America. Have we lost our minds?

Wow! Light the candles and set off the fireworks. Pour the drinks and start the band playing. We have celebrating to do. Ahmadinejad is in the U.S. again to talk to the very important U.N. and enlighten New York and its dignitaries. Naturally as respect and the generous American Spirit would do, several of our Religious organizations and leaders are formally welcoming him, The American Friends Service Committee, Mennonite Central Committee, Quaker United Nations Office, Religions for Peace and the World Council of Churches. Did I say just welcoming him……no, they are actually HOSTING the event held in New York on Sept. 25th. Isn’t that Precious?

Well, isn’t that an amazing thing?

Ahmadinejad, Christians

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Once again, there is a spreading (and almost hopeful) rumor that an attack on Iran is impending. The source? Primarily the Dutch newspaper, De Telegraaf. More “stuff” is here. Who knew that the Dutch had spies.

Let’s deal with a few “pointers.”

1) As noted “elsewhere” by one of our readers, AC McCloud, “It would be stupid for Bush to authorize an attack before the election with the Dems tying McCain to his belt loop at every chance.” Note however that the NRO article (below) does argue that an attack while under the new President (regardless of who it is) would be unlikely and that, therefore, an attack with GWB still in office to “clean-up” business could occur (I still don’t think so - but I could be wrong).

2) Despite the “cheering and rooting section” who somehow believe that an attack against Iran would be a good thing (I also read that a pre-emptive strike against Iran would leave Iran powerless to retaliate), it should be remembered that extreme heat will turn desert sand into glass (actually this hapens at approximately 3,600°F which is 1,982°C).

3) I submit that the linkage of the newly emboldened Russian bear with Iran makes a pre-emptive strike against Iran a “poor choice.”

4) About 3 weeks ago, Haaretz (הארץ) published an article detailing how the US had rejected an Israeli plan to attack Iran and denied Israel war materiale for the attack.

5) The regional and Global implications of such an attack are, in my opinion, beyond comprehension.

A little less than a year and a half ago, this was discussed here, Sneak Attack Against Iran This Friday! and yet, it is still “predicted.”

What’s the truth? I suspect that James Robbins of National Review (Another Rumor of War) is pretty close to objective when he writes:

Is an attack along the lines of that reported by De Telegraaf feasible? Critics say our forces are stretched thin, but not the air and naval strike assets that would be used in this type of limited operation. The targets would be hard to hit, but not impossible to take out. The Iranian nuclear program would be delayed, not destroyed — but isn’t delay better than just letting them go ahead? Iran might seek to escalate the crisis in a number of ways — an Iranian general recently said World War Three would break out while being a bit unclear on who would be on what side — but there is no scenario in which the U.S. would not be able to maintain escalation dominance. Iran can do many things to hurt the United States, its allies, and its interests — in fact is already active in Iraq and elsewhere. But Iran will have to calculate whether a demonstration of their unconventional power will be worth the risk of a full scale demonstration of U.S. conventional force. In this vein, witness Syria’s response to Israel’s raid on their nuclear facility last September. We’re still waiting for it.

I have no idea whether any of these reports of imminent action are true. But as the various clocks keep ticking, the strategic logic of active counter-proliferation against Iran becomes more compelling. The U.S. may act, Israel may act, or not. We will know soon enough, one way or the other.

What do I really think? Armageddon is still a way off, regardless of what some of the cyber-sabre rattlers think.

Armageddon, attack Iran, De Telegraaf, Haaretz

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With the release of papers of former DCI Richard Helms, we learn that before the 1973 Yom Kippur War (and after the Munich Massacre), Henry Kissinger instructed the CIA to maintain contact with Arafat, even after the kidnapping and murder of the U.S. Ambassador and his deputy in Khartoum, Sudan.

The released documents cover the period of 1973-1976 when Helms was the U.S. Ambassador to Iran (following his six year stint as Director of the CIA) and show:

● an Egyptian effort to have the U.S. through Iranian channels plead with Israel to withdraw to 1967 boundaries

● a proposal by the Shah of Iran for Egypt to limit their actions to an artillary barrage on Israeli positions in the Suez rather than an invasion

In a telegram Helms sent Kissinger - then Richard Nixon’s National Security Advisor - on July 5, 1973, Helms reported that King Hussein of Jordan told him that Jordanian intelligence had learned of a Syrian attack to recapture the Golan Heights originally planned for June, that had been delayed but could take place at any time soon. One of the Jordanian intelligence sources was the commander of a Syrian armored brigade, and the Jordanians had obtained a copy of the battle plans, which had been coordinated with Egypt and Iraq.

Additionally, Ali Hassan Salameh who was head of the Fatah security apparatus and commander of the Black September group, apparently met with Robert Ames of the CIA, knowing of Salameh’s involvement on the Sudan assassinations. Salameh asked about Nixon Administration intentions toward the PLO, and told Ames that they were planning to remove Jordanian King Hussein and establish a Palestinian homeland in Jordan. The Nixon government response was that it would assist in negotiations but not support the toppling of existing governments. Arafat also threatened Lebanon, apparently claiming that he would burn Beirut to the ground if Lebanon acted against the Palestinians.

Not negotiate with terrorists? But no one can know how the World would have evolved if…

Black September, Egypt, Fatah, Kissinger, Lebanon, Nixon, Richard Helms, Yom Kippur War

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Considering the US Navy exercise (Exercise Stake Net Protects Persian Gulf) it should come as no surprise that the Iranians test fired missiles.  The situation in the Gulf is unquestionably tense and dangerous…the real question is what happens next (”who blinks”).

One day after threatening to strike Tel Aviv and United States interests if attacked, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were reported on Wednesday to have test-fired nine missiles, including one which Tehran claims has the range to reach Israel.

Everyone, STAND-DOWN! Stand-down, especially those who desire the “end-game” scenario to play out. It is not “the” time!

end game scenario, Exercise Stake Net, missile test fire, Persian Gulf, Straits of Hormuz

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I’m interested how those who claim that the economy isn’t “so bad” can explain the following (and still deflect blame). The myopic view of the conservo-pseudo-patriots misses the interplay of economic policy (weak dollar), geo-politics (Israeli-Iran conflict), and the economy (unemployment at 5.5%).

The unemployment rate rose a half of a percentage point to reach 5.5% in May (hasn’t been that bad since 1986).

Understandably, the DJIA lost almost 400 points, but then the price of oil rose dramatically.

Other bad news:

● Oil jumped nearly $11 to close at a record $138.54 a barrel today (there is one source indicating that today’s price jump is a result of a senior Israeli politician raising the specter of an attack on Iran (one of Olmert’s deputies called an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities as “unavoidable“) and the dollar falling sharply against the euro.
● Home foreclosures reached a record high in the first quarter of 2008 to nearly 1% of all homes.
● Lehman is looking to raise another $5 billion to shore up a teetering balance sheet.
● The dollar dropped to a weekly low on speculation that the Fed will not hike interest rates due to the weak employment data.

The recession is here and now. World events play a big role in the price of oil. Federal policy contributes (just like Alan Greenspan played a role in bringing on the last recession, Bernanke’s “efforts” are working hard to pull the economy further into a hole including his statement that the FED won’t be reducing interest rates further). This is bad news, especially for anyone who doesn’t want to see Obama become President.

economy, Iran Israeli, oil price, Olmert

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This is just a short post to comment on a post from another corner of the blogosphere.  My comment:: “In anticipation of their ultimate redemption?” By that you mean that as the prophecy is played out and we enter the “End of Days,” people of the Jewish faith will convert to Christianity, right? Don’t hold your breath. At least this post admits that the purpose of the Christian Zionist support of Israel by is to preserve Eretz Yisrael to enable the return of Jesus prior to Armageddon.

The truth is in the words…actually the “truth” is alot bigger and more obvious.

Armageddon, Christian Zionist, Revelations

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UPDATE: There is now apparently a denial by Hagee that he didn’t really say what prompted John McCain to disavow Hagee. I haven’t seen it in print, and I only caught the tail end of the broadcast of the statement on the radio. In typical fashion, the self-professed talk radio host here has automatically taken Hagee’s denial as a statement of fact (”because Pastor Hagee said…”). I’ll see what I can find on this, and then perhaps we will learn the truth. Known by “some” as the “pig farmer,” here is a link to the Windows Movie File of his statement this afternoon. Having listened to the statement, I see no reason to accept out of hand this man’s statement (and that he appeared with a kippah-wearing beared Rabbi makes this even more amusing). Why should I accept this statement??? Because? Come’on Joe, you can do better than that! (Ooops, no you can’t!).

“Let me be clear,” he said. “To assert that I, in any way, condone the Holocaust or that monster Adolf Hitler, is the most vicious of lies.”

And not a moment too soon! Whether or how much this will affect McCain’s attempt to win the White House remains to be seen…but, Pastor John Hagee has finally been unmasked for what he is…a sorrowfully misinformed, dangerous zealot! While I am not in any way intending to be disrespectful of anyone’s religious beliefs, I believe that it is essential to understand the thinking of a person like John Hagee. I am appalled by Hagee’s beliefs. I am afraid of those who believe in him, and equally fearful of their collective “wisdom” that somehow, the prophecies are played out only if Israel continues to exist. IMPORTANT UPDATE SHOWN BELOW.

Sen. John McCain on Thursday repudiated the presidential endorsement of the Rev. John Hagee after learning about a sermon in which the megachurch pastor from San Antonio declared that God allowed the rise of Adolf Hitler because it resulted in returning Israel to the Jewish people.

It is, of course, troublesome that McCain almost stumbled over his own feet when he realized how important it might be to his chances of winning the Presidency that he have the support of the Evangelical right. Hagee became that support. A mistake for sure. I have always wondered of the evangelical support of Israel until I counselled with a well educated (especially in matters religious)…with that understanding (a deeply religious education), I learned that there are some who believe that the Messiah will return, only to Israel, and at that point, Jewish people will convert to Christianity. It is also apparent that “the return” also signals the onset of the “end of days” (or “Rapture”)…essentially the obliteration of Earth. You don’t have to accept my view on this subject as you might also read this explanation: Hagee`s apocalyptic support of Israel. Indeed!

Hagee’s predictions are very clear. Armageddon, the final battle, could begin, he wrote in his 2007 book “Jerusalem Countdown,” “before this book gets published.”

The Antichrist “will be the head of the European Union,” he writes.

Using geographical calculations based on the Book of Revelation, he writes that Israel will be covered in “a sea of human blood” in the final battle.

The Jews, however, will survive the battle, Hagee says, long enough to have “the opportunity to receive Messiah, who is a rabbi known to the world as Jesus of Nazareth.”

However, to be somewhat “fair” and somewhat “balanced” here is another view from another Reform Jewish Rabbi, David Saperstein writing about Hagee’s Jewish Endorsers.

Other Storm posts referencing Hagee:
Keeping Religion Out of Foreign Policy
Syria Demands Golan Heights Withdrawal

Also see a letter from Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie is the President of the Union for Reform Judaism, the congregational arm of the Reform Jewish Movement in North America here. Further, while I do not know of the validity of this website, imagine the meaning of the words, Israel is the key to all end-time prophecy, found at Rapture Ready.

Indeed, although McCain praised Hagee’s stance on Israel, he doesn’t appear to share it. Hagee has written that Israel’s plan to give up the West Bank and Gaza — a two-state solution backed by President Bush and Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well as McCain — “violates the word of God.”

“McCain can say he’s a great friend of Israel, but he clearly doesn’t understand Hagee’s position on Israel,” said Ira Forman, the executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, a partisan group. “Hagee’s opposed to McCain’s own policy — he opposes the peace process.”

What I have written is not in any way intended to be disrespectful of anyone’s religious beliefs. But I also believe that it is essential to understand the thinking of a person like John Hagee. However, beware those whose motives are not apparent. Hagee supports Israel…not the Jewish people.

Does the World end on Dec. 21, 2012 as predicted by the Mayan Calendar (that has no provision for December 22, 2012)?

UPDATE: In following up on my friend, American Phoenix’ reference that Hageee “must be a pre-millennialist” (by the way AP, your link doesn’t work because the < a > html that you used here isn’t correct). Anyway, I came across this revealing summary of Washington’s Fundamentalist Fraternity. IMO, if you consider the importance of Hagee in the overall scheme of the American Evangelical movement, then this is required reading.

end of days, Joe pags, John Hagee, John McCain, Rapture

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A day later (than others), and short (because of time). It appears that the talks between Israel and Syria being brokered by Turkey at the behest of the Bush Administration could well require a shift in U.S. policy toward Syria. This may be delayed until after GWB leaves office in January 2009 (who will be left holding that bag?). There should be no mistake that this is an Earth moving development, and one that clearly illustrates what I have written before (and which is ignored by many others), that Foreign Policy and National Security decisions are not discretely isolated to one Administration. It must be remembered that there is a fluidity of events that occur across the transition of power in this country. And a successor government will, often by necessity, inherit “issues.”

The U.S. government had asked Turkey to increase efforts to advance negotiations between Israel and Syria, according to a report published by the London Arabic daily Al-Hayat on Saturday.

According to the report, the U.S. request comes in light of the recent political crisis in Lebanon, and U.S. assessments that peace between Israel and Syria will help distance the country from Hezbollah.

This, of course, also comes at a time when Hezbollah has taken control over the Lebanese parliament.

In what is seen as a major victory for Syria and Iran, Hezbollah and its allies are being guaranteed a two-thirds majority in Lebanon’s parliament, just as Israel and Syria are announcing talks concerning the fate of the Golan Heights.

Not surprisingly, anti-Olmert Israeli factions are alluding to the Syrian talks as a “wag the dog” to divert attention from the potential fundraising scandal. But it is hard to believe that the Golan will remain in Israeli hands if these talks progress. On the other hand, there is historic reason to believe that if the “talks” breakdown for any reason that armed conflict could flare up. There is certainly enough room for a breakdown in the talks to occur.

Ankara would like both sides to commit to a signed declaration as a starting point for talks. According to the report, Turkey decided to postpone the proposed sit-down after the Syrians revealed Jerusalem’s stated willingness to withdraw from the Golan Heights in exchange for peace.

No one is going to be happy with this. Two-thirds of the Israeli people are against yielding the Golan Heights. This is not the first time that talks between Israel and Syria have occured. It could well be the last. Further, the “no negotiation” and “anti-appeasement” crowds are going to be rip roaring pissed off-f-f-f about this.

Of course, I don’t have any real inside information, and I’m only projecting a guess or two.

Olmert, peace talks, Syria, Turkey

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EDITORIAL

What’s the truth? With all of the “slosh and slobber” around the Internet about Barack Obama, I thought this might be interesting to the frenzied feeders. Of course, since I’m a happy McCain supporter, my interests in this matter are solely as a public service. Did you hear???

● that Barack Obama once said there has to be “an end” to the Israeli “occupation” of the West Bank “that began in 1967.”

● that Barack Obama said that not only must Israel be secure, but that any peace agreement “must establish Palestine as a homeland for the Palestinian people.”

● that Barack Obama once said “the establishment of the state of Palestine is long overdue. The Palestinian people deserve it.”

Truth or rumors???

Reality is that there is bipartisan support for the two-country solution. I don’t vote for President solely on who will be best for Israel. Neither does the author of the referenced article. Fact is that Israel is a country that shares America’s core democratic and free-market values. What does our Middle East strategy today have to do with any of this? Plenty. Some of you may not agree or like it, but the author of the referenced article is correct in his assessment (my opinion). As the author notes, Israel sometimes pushes the envelop a bit further than perhaps it should. Often, too, their Arab neighbors are given too much leeway. Either way, the perto-dictators of the Middle East have us by our short hairs paying almost $4 per gallon of gasoline (yeah! I’ve heard everything about how the Democrats won’t allow us to drill for oil in N. Dakota or Alaska - what about off the shore of Florida???).

And now, the referenced article written by Thomas Friedman. By the way, at least according to Friedman, the above rumors are actually statements made by President Bush.

obama and jews

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It was started by David Ben-Gurion. Today, May 1, was Yom Hashoah, or the Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Shoah, which means catastrophe or utter destruction in Hebrew, refers to the atrocities that were committed against the Jewish people during World War II. This is a memorial day for those who died in the Shoah.

The Shoah (also known as the Holocaust, from a Greek word meaning “sacrifice by fire,”) was initiated by the members of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party, which seized power in Germany in 1933. The Nazis believed in a doctrine of racial superiority, centering around the idea that that people of Northern European descent were somehow better than members of all other races – especially the Jews, who were “unworthy of life.”

Sadly: יום השואה

Yes, sadly, anti-semitism, despite the hopes and prayers of many, even those who are not Jewish (see comments below, please), remains a reality in this world. Please note that in an article, The New Anti-Semitism, written by Denis MacShane, a Labor member of the British House of Commons and who has served as Britain’s Europe minister: Anti-Semitism today is officially sanctioned state ideology and is being turned into a mobilizing and organizing force to recruit thousands in a new crusade. In this article, he wrote:

Hatred of Jews has reached new heights in Europe and many points south and east of the old continent. Last year I chaired a blue-ribbon committee of British parliamentarians, including former ministers and a party leader, that examined the problem of anti-Semitism in Britain. None of us are Jewish or active in the unending debates on the Israeli-Palestinian question.

Our report showed a pattern of fear among a small number of British citizens — there are around 300,000 Jews in Britain, of whom about a third are observant — that is not acceptable in a modern democracy. Synagogues attacked. Jewish schoolboys jostled on public transportation. Rabbis punched and knifed. British Jews feeling compelled to raise millions to provide private security for their weddings and community events. On campuses, militant anti-Jewish students fueled by Islamist or far-left hate seeking to prevent Jewish students from expressing their opinions.

Alas, but the sincere good tidings of the Christian supporters of Israel do not reduce the reality that Jewish people around the Globe are subjected to overt, but often “under the hushed sounds” of whisper, the New Anti-Semitsm. It is not just in Europe, but also here in the United States.

יום השואה

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It is important this week leading to the beginning of Passover that some of the unique history, and in fact, some of the unique modern day practice of Judaism be brought to mind. Especially when race seems to have become once again an overriding topic, this post will provide some interesting insight to the descendents of the Lost Tribe of the Israelites. To do this, we will simply show a series of videos. I believe that it is important, if you have the time, to actually watch all of these selected videos. There are others related. One of my friends pointed me to the one listed last below, but after watching it to the end, I noticed other videos of relevance:

It is through knowledge and understanding that we all learn. Learn if you can.

Beta Israel, Ethiopian Jews, Lost Tribe

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Addressing the upcoming Annapolis meetings, al Qaeda, speaking through its Al-Fajr Media Center calls the conference a media circus, ridicules the Sept. 11th conspiracy theorists.  Then, calling the World Trade Center the “Metropolis,” warns that they hope that they will learn a lesson before Dubai’s ‘Burj al-Arab’ becomes the next World Trade Center.” 

The statement condemned the upcoming Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in Annapolis, Maryland, as a bid to “declare war against the Muslims and to cleanse the desire for jihad from each and every believer.” It further boasted of Al-Qaida’s role in “the collapse of Manhattan’s metropolis.

From the Nine-Eleven Finding Answers (NEFA Foundation) site, Al-Fajr Media Center: “We’ll Do It Again: Annapolis Shall Not Rescue Their Metropolis.“:

“The infidels are in denial about the well-known fate of the World Trade Center…We thank Allah for enabling Muslims to destroy it.  Humanity will set itself free from slavery and oppressive regimes only through fighting in jihad.  The Annapolis Conference will not save the Metropolis because jihad will forever be instilled in our hearts.”

Note the important inclusion of Dubai as an extension of the United States, its inclusion with the infidels, and the pretty real, but thinly “veiled threat to the Arabian Gulf emirate of Dubai, labeling it “merely another state in the United States, a base for information and intelligence-gathering, a technological and media center, and a center of corruption. The Jews can be found there in the same way they can be found in Tel-Aviv… We hope they will learn a lesson and change before ‘Burj al-Arab’ becomes [the next World Trade Center].” 

There are those who take tactical victories as signs of ultimate victory.  Sadly. these sabre-rattling, Internet patriots refuse to see the resolve of the enemy, of al Qaeda, and contrary to their beliefs, actually increase the danger and make our country more vulnerable.

Thanks for stopping in to read this entry.  If you’d like, please take a moment to click on this post over at Real Clear Politics, but even if you don’t, please read my recent, previous entries:

White House - “Limited Progress” in Deteriorating Afghan War

al Qaeda Rolodex Reveals…

Lebanon Plunges into Uncertainty

Losing Afghanistan - Redux

The truth is out there…sometimes you just have to wade through misconceptions to find it.  Thank you for spending sometime here.

Al Fajr Media Center, Burj al Arab, Dubai, Metropolis

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Its time to look at the big picture again and comment on a few of the intriguing chess moves being played out on the World’s stages: Russia and Iran, Turkey-Iraq, China and Tibet.  There is alot of stuff going on in the World these days and “All the World’s a Stage.”  The answer to the real question lies in figuring out who is bluffing and who isn’t. 

But first, lets observe that radical Muslims have announced that they are now in control of the Public Broadcasting Station in the Netherlands.  Its time to pay attention to the Islamification of middle Europe.  Its been coming for some time now, especially in places like the Netherlands and Denmark where demography has shown a dramatic increase in Muslim population.

Radical Muslims have taken control of the Dutch Muslim Broadcaster (NMO). At least three of the public broadcaster’s eight directors are extremely controversial, according to TV programme Nova.

Until recently, the Netherlands had two Islamic public broadcasters: the moderate NMO and the orthodox Dutch Islamic Broadcasting Organisation (NIO). Media watchdog Commissariaat voor de Media demanded that the two would merge so that the Islamic faith would have a single representative body in the public system. But according to Nova, this resulted in NIO staging a coup of NMO.

Note the European Muslim Populations by Country shown here.

So, let’s see.  How about Russia and Iran…Putin Warns Against Attacks on Iran

Vladimir Putin issued a veiled warning Tuesday against any attack on Iran as he began the first visit by a Kremlin leader to Tehran in six decades _ a mission reflecting Russian-Iranian efforts to curb U.S. influence.

He also suggested Moscow and Tehran should have a veto on Western plans for new pipelines to carry oil and natural gas from the Caspian Sea, using routes that would bypass Russian soil and break the Kremlin’s monopoly on energy deliveries from the region.

Putin is not bluffing.  He goes to Iran in spite of the assassination threat?  I’ve been making the point for quite some time now that Putin is tired of the U.S. being the only Superpower…he is reasserting the Russian Bear…and frankly, in his plans of installing his own man as his replacement, and leaving the path open for his own return, possibly even laying the groundwork for another “long term” Russian leader (read that “dictator”).  I have made it very clear that I believe we are the verge of a new Cold War.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrives at Mehrabad International airport in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2007. Putin arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for a historic visit to hold talks on Iran’s nuclear program and attend a Caspian sea summit. The visit, the first by a Kremlin leader since World War II, is taking place despite warnings of a possible assassination plot and amid hopes that a round of personal diplomacy could help offer a solution to an international standoff on Iran’s nuclear program.(AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian) (Hasan Sarbakhshian - AP)

Check out previous posts:

Cold War - Perception versus Reality (UPDATED - I started writing this post a few days ago before “my day job” created its own furor. One man’s perception is another’s reality. It is thus difficult for me to accept a blanket statement by President Bush that “the cold war is over” considering the continuing rhetoric spewed by Vladimir Putin. Saying that “we don’t believe in a zero sum world,” President Bush was on his way to the G8 meeting where he would have a meeting with Vladimir (because George calls him Vladimir.

Cold War? What Cold War? - Just what is happening in Russia these days, and why is it that Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, clearly a very intelligent and qualified person, can actually state “I have a difficult time explaining that speech. It doesn’t accord with either the world as we see it nor with the character of our interactions with the Russians.” Something just doesn’t make sense, and I believe that it goes beyond the subtlety of Anne Applebaum’s article in the Washington Post, Our Strange Devotion to the Kremlin.

The Second Coming - Cold War II - Not unnoticed in some circles was the bombast of Vladimir Putin’s speech last week denouncing the U.S. as “overstepping its boundaries” worldwide. The question being posed, dear readers, is whether this White House understands the implications of Putin’s outspokenness…

Turkey-Iraq… Erdogan Plays Down Threat to Iraq

With tensions high along the Iraqi-Turkish border as the Turkish government seeks parliamentary approval for military raids into northern Iraq, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said today that the approval would not necessarily immediately be followed by military action.“I sincerely wish that this motion will never be applied,” Mr. Erdogan told his ruling AK Party in a speech, Reuters reported. “Passage of this motion does not mean an immediate incursion will follow, but we will act at the right time and under the right conditions.”He also called on Iraq and the Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq to crack down on the Kurdish rebels, who launch attacks into Turkey from the Kurdish region of Iraq…

Clearly, there is still a chance of a diplomatic solution to this, but I have serious doubts.  I don’t think that Turkey is bluffing here.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressing the AK Party in Anakara today.   Adem Altan/AFP-Getty Images

My belief is that Turkey has been seriously concerned about the developments in Iraq, and in its own country, including the Kurds in Iraq and the PKK.  It has been clear that Turkey would not be happy if Kurdistan was given it independence…not a lot different if Iraq becomes a decentralized federal government.

Check out previous posts:

Turkey Fears Kurds, Not Armenians - …or the Americans for that matter.  Despite a major U.S.-based investment in a Turkish shipping company, reports are that Turkish shells fell on the Kurdish Autonomous Region in N. Iraq yesterday.  And still, Pelosi’s Democrats press on with the Armenian genocide bill.  It is clear to anyone (else) that Turkey fears the Kurds alot more than the Armenians or the Americans

Battle Ground in Northern Iraq (Turks vs Kurds) - The Next Conflict - The remanant shards of ethnic and religious distrust of the lost Ottoman Empire, complicated by Britain’s arbitrary nation-creating and a Congressional vote on Armenian genocide leads to an eventual outbreak between Turkey and Kurdish rebels in Northern Iraq (Turkey is considering what they call an incursion after this weekend).  This spreading of instability can do nothing to help the region…

So that’s two “no bluffs.”  Next, China and Tibet…Dalai Lama’s US award not to affect Tibet’s stability

The planned award to the Dalai Lama by the US Congress will not affect Tibet’s stability, an official of southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region said Tuesday.

“It will only be an injection of cardiotonic to secessionist activities,” Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the regional government of Tibet, told reporters at the ongoing 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The Dalai Lama is to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, a top US civilian award, on Wednesday at the US Capitol. The ceremony is said to be attended by US President George W. Bush.

“The award won’t have much influence on the stable development of Tibet,” said Qiangba Puncog, a delegate to the Party congress.

Also,  China Issues Warning on Dalai Lama Trip

Chinese officials warned the United States on Tuesday not to honor the Dalai Lama, saying a planned award ceremony in Washington for the Tibetan spiritual leader would have “an extremely serious impact” on relations between the countries.

Speaking at a Foreign Ministry briefing and on the sidelines of the Communist Party’s 17th National Congress, the officials condemned the Dalai Lama as a resolute separatist and said foreign leaders must stop encouraging his “splittist” mission.

“Such a person who basely splits his motherland and doesn’t even love his motherland has been welcomed by some countries and has even been receiving this or that award,” Tibet’s Communist Party boss, Zhang Qingli, told reporters during the congress.

“We are furious,” Mr. Zhang said. “If the Dalai Lama can receive such an award, there must be no justice or good people in the world.”

OK, this is a bluff all the way, and I especially like the part about “there must be no justice or good people in the world.”  China has obligatory power over Tibet…and since it invaded in 1951.  The Dalai Lama has been in exile in India since 1959.  Also see:  Q&A: The Dalai Lama, Tibet and China.  They met, but from what I understand, the meeting wasn’t even on President Bush’s official calendar.

There is alot more going on in the World this week.  I may add to this post later on when I have the time (if I remember).  One of the real questions, is whether I’m right or puffing smoke…then again…anyone else???

Crossposted at Real Clear Politics - please “vote”  Please also read Wake Up America,  Armenian Genocide Bill Splits Democrats.  Please also see and read “Hello Dalli” at Right Truth (I don’t understand the “play on words”).

China. Tibet, Cold War, Dalai Lama, Dutch Muslim Broadcaster, Kurdistan, Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, Washington Post

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“If there is one national lesson that we learned in the Yom Kippur War, it is that we should not be deceived by misleading periods of calm,” said Defense Minister Ehud Barak at his National Remembrance Ceremony speech.  A reminder, if one was needed, was the capture of Hamas terrorist  Nihad Shkeira who had his suicide belt in his apartment in Tel Aviv. 

  Photo: Dudi Vaknin

“Even the Yom Kippur War was a war of soldiers and commanders who provided cover for the leadership’s failures with their hearts and their heroism. We must not follow the vision of a fictitious moment, the spirit of Israel must be prepared at every moment as if the next war is around the corner,” Barak added.

Lessons learned in the Yom Kippur War are still relevant today, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen Gabi Ashkenazi said at the opening of the main ceremony in honor of soldiers who lost their lives defending the country 34 years ago.  

“A lesson of war for me is an order to look sensibly at reality and not to follow the heart’s wishes… Even at the beginning of Israel’s sixtieth year of independence, we knew that we were fighting for our existence and our right to achieve independence in the state of Israel,” said Ashkenazi at Mt. Herzl on Sunday.

The lesson is one that is very clear.  Whatever or whoever Palestinians may be, they are linked in their desire to eliminate the sovereign State of Israel.  Perhaps it is because of my spending 10 hours praying this Yom Kippur that the imperative of the unwavering support for Israel must remain intact.  This, despite deniers who both claim that Israel as a Jewish state shoudl not exist, as well as those blind fools who continue to deny that the Holocaust ever happened.

So it is that Israeli police foiled a suicide bomber on eve of Yom Kippur in Tel Aviv.

An army spokeswoman said Mahd Ashur was arrested in the occupied West Bank town of Nablus on Friday as the result of intelligence following the capture there earlier in the day of a leader of the Islamist movement Hamas.”

Hamas identified that man as Nihad Shkeirat, 35.

A military official described him as the Hamas military commander in the Ein Beit Elma refugee camp and said he was connected to a local cell that was plotting an imminent suicide attack in Israel.

“After his capture, the terrorist who was to have carried out the attack, Mahd Ashur … took police to an apartment in Tel Aviv where an explosives belt was stored,” the army spokeswoman said.

It is typical, is it not, that the Arabs, in the form of Hamas, would think nothing of attacking Israel on Judaism’s most Holy Day. And yet, as I mentione drecently, were anyone to attack a Muslim city or place on Ramadan, the entire world would be in uprising and outcry. As long as this double standard is allowed to exist, then there can be no Peace in Israel, or the Middle East.  “Do not be deceived by periods of misleading calm.”  The risk exists each and every day.  Never forget!  This point is made clear by the discovered Hamas plan to sabotage a peace summit scheduled for November.

Hamas is under orders to perpetrate a large terrorist attack in an Israeli city to undermine the peace summit scheduled for November, senior defense officials said Saturday, hours after a Yom Kippur suicide attack was thwarted by an arrest and the capture of an explosives belt in Tel Aviv.

Security officials said intelligence on the imminent attack was obtained by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) from the head of Hamas in Nablus, Niad Shakrit, who was arrested late Thursday night by the IDF’s Duvdevan undercover unit, ending a four-day operation in the West Bank city.

Check out related post at Take Our Country Back,  ISF Thwart Mass Kidnapping In Nineveh Province

As usual, this post is cross posted on Real Clear Politics.

Hamas, Yom Kippur War

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