Friday, June 08, 2007
Bolton on Newsnight
BBC Newsnight's Jeremy Paxman interviews former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton in March 2007, and gets under his skin.
No Improvement
Lt. General Douglas E. Lute, President Bush's nominee Iraq war czar, said yesterday that conditions in Iraq have not improved significantly, despite the so called "surge" of U.S. troops in recent months.
General Lute went on to say that, absent any major political reform, violence will continue to rage over the next year.
General Lute, asked by Bush to serve as a new high-powered White House coordinator of the war, told senators at a confirmation hearing that Iraqi factions "have shown so far very little progress" toward the reconciliation necessary to stem the bloodshed.
If that does not change, he said, "we're not likely to see much difference in the security situation" a year from now.
The war is unwinnable, the only reason that Bush keeps the troops there is so that he does not lose face before his term of office expires.
General Lute went on to say that, absent any major political reform, violence will continue to rage over the next year.
General Lute, asked by Bush to serve as a new high-powered White House coordinator of the war, told senators at a confirmation hearing that Iraqi factions "have shown so far very little progress" toward the reconciliation necessary to stem the bloodshed.
If that does not change, he said, "we're not likely to see much difference in the security situation" a year from now.
The war is unwinnable, the only reason that Bush keeps the troops there is so that he does not lose face before his term of office expires.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
British Army Moral Falls
Not surprisingly the unwinnable war in Iraq is sapping the moral of the British army.
BBC Newsnight reports that sources within the army have stated that the only reason that they and the US troops remain in Iraq, is to ensure that Bush is not seen to "lead" the withdrawal before the next presidential election.
Bush prefers to save face rather than lives in this unwinnable conflict.
The Newsnight video report can be watched via this link Newsnight.
BBC Newsnight reports that sources within the army have stated that the only reason that they and the US troops remain in Iraq, is to ensure that Bush is not seen to "lead" the withdrawal before the next presidential election.
Bush prefers to save face rather than lives in this unwinnable conflict.
The Newsnight video report can be watched via this link Newsnight.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Leave Now
Sir Christopher Meyer, the UK's former ambassador to Washington, has told the Iraq Commission in London that the British and American military presence in Iraq is worsening security across the region and should be withdrawn quickly.
Quote:
"I personally believe that the presence of American and British and coalition forces is making things worse, not only inside Iraq but the wider region around Iraq. The arguments against staying for any greater length of time themselves strengthen with every day that passes.
I think the Iraqis are in fact sorting themselves out - often bloodily - independent of what we're doing."
This comes at the same time that the Americans themselves have realised that the security "surge" in Baghdad is failing.
As per the New York Times:
"Three months after the start of the Baghdad security plan that has added thousands of American and Iraqi troops to the capital, they control fewer than one-third of the city's neighborhoods, far short of the initial goal for the operation, according to some commanders and an internal military assessment.
The American assessment, completed in late May, found that American and Iraqi forces were able to 'protect the population' and 'maintain physical influence over' only 146 of the 457 Baghdad neighborhoods."
Mission accomplished!
Quote:
"I personally believe that the presence of American and British and coalition forces is making things worse, not only inside Iraq but the wider region around Iraq. The arguments against staying for any greater length of time themselves strengthen with every day that passes.
I think the Iraqis are in fact sorting themselves out - often bloodily - independent of what we're doing."
This comes at the same time that the Americans themselves have realised that the security "surge" in Baghdad is failing.
As per the New York Times:
"Three months after the start of the Baghdad security plan that has added thousands of American and Iraqi troops to the capital, they control fewer than one-third of the city's neighborhoods, far short of the initial goal for the operation, according to some commanders and an internal military assessment.
The American assessment, completed in late May, found that American and Iraqi forces were able to 'protect the population' and 'maintain physical influence over' only 146 of the 457 Baghdad neighborhoods."
Mission accomplished!
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Call For Release of Detainees
The defence team of Saddam Hussein and his assistants, have called for the release of all the Former Army Officials accused in Al Anfal case.
The attorney of the defence, Khalil Al Dulaymi, called in a statement to release the detainees in Al Anfal case and to issue a decision in order to close all the investigations and the trials. He added that Iraq didn't witness such investigations and trials even in the times of Inspection Courts.
The attorney of the defence, Khalil Al Dulaymi, called in a statement to release the detainees in Al Anfal case and to issue a decision in order to close all the investigations and the trials. He added that Iraq didn't witness such investigations and trials even in the times of Inspection Courts.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Turkish Invasion?
As if Iraq were not already in a complete mess,it seems that things might get worse.
Turkey is becoming increasingly impatient at continued attacks made against it by by the Kurdish guerrilla group PKK (Kurdish Workers' Party), which is based mostly in Northern Iraq. Turkey, in response, has moved troops and tanks close to the border with Iraq.
Iraqi newspapers have expressed concerns that Turkey may be planning to cross the border in pursuit of the PKK guerrillas.
How bad can things get for the Iraqi people?
Turkey is becoming increasingly impatient at continued attacks made against it by by the Kurdish guerrilla group PKK (Kurdish Workers' Party), which is based mostly in Northern Iraq. Turkey, in response, has moved troops and tanks close to the border with Iraq.
Iraqi newspapers have expressed concerns that Turkey may be planning to cross the border in pursuit of the PKK guerrillas.
How bad can things get for the Iraqi people?
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Indefinite Presence?
Following on from my earlier article about the US staying in Iraq for an indefinite period of time; White House spokesman, Tony Snow, attempted to explain the concept of "indefinite" more clearly.
He failed!
Clearly no one has a clue as to what they are doing.
He failed!
Clearly no one has a clue as to what they are doing.
Indefinite Presence
The Wall Street Journal quotes White House spokesman Tony Snow saying that President Bush envisions an indefinite American military presence in Iraq, that would resemble the one in South Korea.
The US would be in a support role, able to "react quickly to major challenges or crises."
The question is, has anyone asked the Iraqis or the American people?
The US would be in a support role, able to "react quickly to major challenges or crises."
The question is, has anyone asked the Iraqis or the American people?
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
The Spoils of War
AWB Ltd, the Australian wheat exporter caught up in the oil for food scandal in Iraq, will survive losing its position as the monopoly wheat exporter.
That at least is the view of its chief executive officer, Gordon Davis.
A new grower-controlled, single desk wheat exporter will take over from AWB next year.
This change is as a result of AWB having been found to have paid Saddam Hussein's regime about $300M in bribes.
AWB's export arm, AWB International, could still regain full control of the single desk if grower lobby groups cannot form a new desk structure by March next year.
Mr Gordon said AWB began weaning itself off income from the single desk some time ago.
"When the company was privatised in 1999, 100 per cent of its income was from managing the single desk."
He said the aim had been to reduce this to 20% by 2010.
However, not everyone is convinced by AWB's publicly stated change of purpose.
Liberal backbencher Sophie Mirabella has AWB of trying to blackmail an Australian grain company.
Ms Mirabella has told parliament the grain company Silo Bags developed a revolutionary way of handling storing and trading grain around the world.
She says the AWB saw this innovation as a threat to its lucrative market, and tried a boorish takeover which Silo Bags knocked back.
Ms Mirabella says that the unethical vultures of the AWB have now forced the smaller company onto the sidelines, with blackmail and legal manoeuvres.
Seemingly, AWB has some PR issues that it needs to address!
That at least is the view of its chief executive officer, Gordon Davis.
A new grower-controlled, single desk wheat exporter will take over from AWB next year.
This change is as a result of AWB having been found to have paid Saddam Hussein's regime about $300M in bribes.
AWB's export arm, AWB International, could still regain full control of the single desk if grower lobby groups cannot form a new desk structure by March next year.
Mr Gordon said AWB began weaning itself off income from the single desk some time ago.
"When the company was privatised in 1999, 100 per cent of its income was from managing the single desk."
He said the aim had been to reduce this to 20% by 2010.
However, not everyone is convinced by AWB's publicly stated change of purpose.
Liberal backbencher Sophie Mirabella has AWB of trying to blackmail an Australian grain company.
Ms Mirabella has told parliament the grain company Silo Bags developed a revolutionary way of handling storing and trading grain around the world.
She says the AWB saw this innovation as a threat to its lucrative market, and tried a boorish takeover which Silo Bags knocked back.
Ms Mirabella says that the unethical vultures of the AWB have now forced the smaller company onto the sidelines, with blackmail and legal manoeuvres.
Seemingly, AWB has some PR issues that it needs to address!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Bush Ignored Warnings
The Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday released declassified pre Iraq war intelligence reports, and summaries of others, that warned that establishing democracy in Iraq would be "long, difficult and probably turbulent."
The committee's chairman, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, said:
"These dire warnings were widely distributed at the highest levels of government, and it's clear that the administration didn't plan for any of them."
The documents also said that while most Iraqis would welcome elections, the country's ethnic and religious leaders would be unwilling to share power.
President Bush and then Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ignored the warnings; they decided not to deploy the major occupation force that military planners had recommended.
They instead planned to reduce U.S. troops rapidly after the invasion, in the naive belief that toppling Saddam Hussein would ignite a democratic revolution across the Middle East.
The administration also instituted a massive purge of members of the Baath Party, and disbanded the Iraqi army. This misguided policy sparked the Sunni Muslim insurgency.
The committee's chairman, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, said:
"These dire warnings were widely distributed at the highest levels of government, and it's clear that the administration didn't plan for any of them."
The documents also said that while most Iraqis would welcome elections, the country's ethnic and religious leaders would be unwilling to share power.
President Bush and then Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ignored the warnings; they decided not to deploy the major occupation force that military planners had recommended.
They instead planned to reduce U.S. troops rapidly after the invasion, in the naive belief that toppling Saddam Hussein would ignite a democratic revolution across the Middle East.
The administration also instituted a massive purge of members of the Baath Party, and disbanded the Iraqi army. This misguided policy sparked the Sunni Muslim insurgency.
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