Alies and Enemies
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The ties that bind China, Russia and Iran By Jephraim P Gundzik The military implementation of the George W Bush administration's unilateralist foreign policy is creating monumental changes in the world's geostrategic alliances. The most significant of these changes is the formation of a new triangle comprised of China, Iran and Russia.
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China-Iran-Russia axis
The China-Iran-Russia axis has been dubbed "that other axis" by Asia Times ' Jephraim P. Gundzik, who wrote June 9, 2005, that "Beijing's increasingly close ties with Moscow and Tehran will thwart Washington's foreign policy goal of expanding US security footholds in the Middle East, Central Asia and Asia. However, the primacy of economic stability will most likely prevent a proxy-style military confrontation, in Iran or North Korea , between China and the US." [1] "Initially, Moscow supported Washington's ' war on terrorism '. However, the US invasion of Iraq changed this support into resistance, and later into active efforts to counterbalance the US. In the past two years both Washington and Moscow have sought to strengthen their influence in Central Asia and the Caucasus. ...
Obama promises 'toughest sanctions' on Iran over alleged bomb plot | World news
Obama on Iran Link to video: Obama on Iran: 'We don't take any options off the table' The United States will apply the "toughest sanctions" to further isolate Iran over the alleged plan to murder the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Barack Obama said on Thursday, despite growing scepticism over the amateurish nature of the plot and the apparently shambolic background of the main suspect. Obama insisted that the US had evidence to back up the allegations, as he said he would not take any options off the table in dealing with Iran - diplomatic code for the possibility of military action. Tehran has vehemently denied any involvement in the plot. US authorities said on Tuesday they had evidence of a plot by two men linked to Iran's revolutionary guard to kill Saudi Arabia 's ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, by setting off a bomb in a Washington restaurant.Sudan and South Sudan sign border agreement - Africa
Sudan and South Sudan have signed a border security agreement, marking a step towards improving ties after tensions built up for weeks over violence in border areas and the sharing of oil revenues. The agreement was brokered by the African Union mediation panel led by South Africa's former president Thabo Mbeki, who labelled it as "successful". Violence has flared up in two northern border states where the Sudanese army is fighting armed opposition groups. Khartoum has accused South Sudan of supporting the rebels, a charge the South denies. But in the highest-level bilateral meeting in Khartoum since South Sudan's independence in July, both sides struck a conciliatory note and vowed to improve security in the ill-defined border area where many people just walk across or smuggle goods.
This was a disturbing and dangerous week at the United Nations. After all the drama leading up to this session of the General Assembly, we come away with three troubling facts clearly established: the Palestinians, despite a valiant effort, are no closer to a state; the Israelis are more isolated, yet more emboldened than before; while the United States emerges from the week weaker and less trusted as a world leader. It was a week of speeches and exhausting meetings and deliberations over what to do about the Palestinian bid for statehood.
James Zogby: A Disturbing and Dangerous Week at the U.N.
This week Sir David Frost presents the programme from New York, where the UN is convening to vote on the Palestinian bid for statehood. He discusses the regional ramifications of the vote and the Arab Spring with Qatar's prime minister. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, is not only prime minister, he is also the foreign minister of the tiny Gulf nation. Sheikh al-Thani speaks to Sir David about Palestine's bid for statehood; frustrations in the Middle East leading to the Arab Spring; and Qatar's role in negotiations.
Palestine's reality - Frost Over the World
ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON - Pakistan warned the United States it risks losing an ally if it continued to accuse Islamabad of playing a double game in the war against militancy, escalating the crisis in relations between the two countries. Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar was responding to comments by US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, who said Pakistan's top spy agency was closely tied to the Haqqani network, the most violent and effective faction among Islamic Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan. RELATED : Opinion: Triple trouble Afghanistan: 6 Taliban killed as 20-hour assault quelled It is the most serious allegation levelled by the United States against nuclear-armed and Muslim-majority Pakistan since they began an alliance in the war on terror a decade ago. "You will lose an ally," Khar told Geo TV in New York in remarks broadcast on Friday. "You cannot afford to alienate Pakistan, you cannot afford to alienate the Pakistani people.
As sparks fly, Pakistan warns US: 'You w... JPost - International
Russia ready to help Iran build N-plants Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko says Russia will continue its nuclear cooperation with the Iranian government and is ready to assist Tehran in the construction of other nuclear power plants, Press TV reports. Speaking at a press conference with Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) Chief Fereydoun Abbasi in the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr on Monday, Shmatko said Russia is willing to cooperate with Iran in the nuclear energy sector in the future. He stated that Russia has considerable experience in the construction of nuclear power plants, and the deliberation process for a new nuclear plant in Iran will be underway once Bushehr nuclear power plant reaches its full capacity.
Russia ready to help Iran build N-plants
Palestinians: we are already recognised as a state by two-thirds of the globe | World news
Palestinians have taken to the streets throughout the West Bank to express their support for Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas's UN mission Link to video: Palestinians voice hopes for statehood mission at UN Almost two-thirds of the UN's member states – representing more than 75% of the world's population – already formally recognise the Palestinian state in some form, according to analysis by the Guardian. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas , is pressing forward with plans to formally request UN membership this Friday, despite attempts at a diplomatic compromise by many western states and a US pledge to veto the membership bid. Raising Palestine to full statehood would need to pass the UN security council – where it is subject to veto – and then a vote at the general assembly, comprising all 193 UN member states.
Eurasian Project a Threat to New World Order
Eurasian Project a Threat to New World Order Elena PONOMAREVA Strategic Culture Foundation 09.10.2011 One might be tempted to regard Russian premier V. Putin’s paper “A new integration project for Eurasia: The future in the making”, which saw the light of day in Izvestia on October 3, 2011, as the presidential front-runner’s sketchily laid out program, but upon scrutiny that appears to be only one part of a wider picture. The opinion piece momentarily ignited wide-scale controversy in and outside of Russia and highlighted the ongoing clash of positions on global development…
Afghan security forces search a building after a gun battle with militants close to the US embassy in Kabul. Photograph: KeystoneUSA-ZUMA / Rex Features As the 20-hour assault by Taliban insurgents on Kabul's diplomatic and military enclave drew to a close on Wednesday, insurgents and coalition forces decided to prolong the battle the modern way: on Twitter. If the continued insurgency in Afghanistan represents a failure of dialogue, the spat between the Taliban and the press office of the international security assistance force (Isaf) on Wednesday proved that they are ready to exchange words directly, even if their comments offered little hope of peace being forged anytime soon.
Taliban and Nato-led forces engage in war of words on Twitter | World news
By Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya and Julien Teil Introduction by Cynthia McKinney: “Operation Gladio”, Then and Now... I will begin with the scandal of Operation Gladio that climaxed in the murder of former Italian Prime Minister, Aldo Moro, who on the day of his kidnapping, was to announce an Italian coalition government that would include the Italian Communist Party.
America's Conquest of Africa: The Roles of France and Israel
Russia and China Block United Nations Resolution on Syria
Nine nations, including the United States and its Western allies, voted for the measure, while Brazil, India, South Africa and Lebanon abstained. Russia, whose main ally in the Middle East is Syria, had said it would not accept a resolution that included even a hint of sanctions. The wording had been heavily watered down in the hope of averting the veto. “This does not support a move toward democracy that we have seen in the Arab Spring,” Gerard Araud, the French ambassador, said after the vote, noting that some members of the Council would try again to get a resolution approved. The resolution was a diplomatic failure for the West in its attempt to pressure the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The American ambassador, Susan E.Doug Mills/The New York Times President Obama addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday. “Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the U.N.,” Mr. Obama said, in an address before world leaders at the . “If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now.” Instead, Mr.