A News Aggregator That Covers The World's Major Wars And Conflicts. Military, Political, And Intelligence News Are Also Covered. Occasionally We Will Have Our Own Opinions Or Observations To Make.
U.S. Looks To Build Alternative Syrian Opposition Leadership -- Washington Post
The Obama administration has spent the past several months in secret diplomatic negotiations aimed at building a new Syrian opposition leadership structure that it hopes can win the support of minority groups still backing President Bashar al-Assad.
The strategy, to be unveiled at a Syrian opposition meeting next week in Qatar, amounts to a last-ditch effort to prevent extremists from gaining the upper hand within the opposition and to stop the Syrian crisis from boiling over into the greater Middle East.
It is hard to understand why Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, in discussing the US response to the attacks on two US facilities in Benghazi, Libya, offered this novel principle as a guide for US action – or inaction – during that crisis: “A basic principle is you don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s going on.”
Of course, no such “basic principle” governs the conduct of US military personnel in Afghanistan and elsewhere, who regularly go “into harm’s way” without “knowing what’s going on,” particularly when they know that American lives are in danger.
My comment: His analysis on the lack of militaryresources available when the attacked occurred is probably right. Africom has always been on the bottom of the priority list for the military .... a mistake that Benghazi has shown to be bothdeadly and costly.
A video from activists an eastern suburb of Damascus showed smoke rising. BBC
Syria's Rebels Need To Strike At The Regime's Backbone -- Hassan Hassan, The National
What if the Syrian regime crumbled today? Did the government lose control - at least briefly - when at least four of the regime's top figures were killed in a bomb attack in Damascus in July? In my opinion, it probably did.
Those officials, including the dictator's brother-in-law Assef Shawkat, linked the regime's top echelons with the security apparatus in overseeing the daily repression. That chain was probably broken, for a brief period, before the embattled regime reasserted its control and the violence continued as usual.
Obama, Republican Christie Tour Storm-Hit New Jersey, Trade Praise -- Reuters
(Reuters) - Putting aside partisan differences, President Barack Obama and Republican Governor Chris Christie toured storm-stricken parts of New Jersey on Wednesday, taking in scenes of flooded roads and praising each other for their response to superstorm Sandy.
Riding in the Marine One presidential helicopter, Obama and Christie got an aerial view of some of the hardest-hit areas of the New Jersey shoreline, and afterward the president promised to cut through red tape to help storm victims.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Armed Palestinian factions opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad may join the fight against pro-government forces, observers say.
There are an estimated half-million Palestinians living in Syria and both sides in the 19-month-old conflict have been courting their support, the Financial Times reported Wednesday.
"The regime has been trying to enlist the Palestinians, and the rebels have been trying to do the same," Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at American University of Beirut, told the newspaper in a report from Abu Dhabi. "As the civil war in Syria continues to unfold, I think the Palestinian fratricide will be a chapter."
China Raises Stakes Over Disputed Islands -- Financial Times
China has started making concerted efforts to chase Japanese ships out of waters surrounding the disputed Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, ratcheting up tensions between Asia’s two largest economies.
The Chinese State Oceanic Administration – which enforces the nation’s maritime interests – said four of its ships on Tuesday tried to expel Japanese vessels out of waters where they were operating “illegally”.
Japan controls the Senkaku islands, but they are also claimed by China – which calls them the Diaoyu – and Taiwan. The Japanese coastguard in recent months has been playing cat and mouse games with Chinese vessels sailing near the Senkaku, and sometimes entering waters that Japan says are its territory.
My Comment: China is deliberately escalating .... almost daring Japan to do something knowing that the U.S. .... because of next weeks Presidential elections .... will stay out of this dispute. What's my take .... this is dangerous geopolitics .... Japan must now respond .... or else it will lose face and be confronted with even more Chinese efforts to assert its authority over these disputed islands.
If these pictures are real, then China has flown two new types of stealth fighters in less than two years. You're looking at what's supposedly the newly unveiled Shenyang Aircraft Corporation's J-31 jet flying in the skies over China on Oct. 31.
Chinese military blogs claim these extremely grainy photos (above and below) show the jet taking a 10-minute test flight accompanied by a J-11 fighter (a reverse engineered version of the Russian Sukhoi Su-27).
The first photos of the Shenyang J-31 emerged on the Chinese Internet forums last month.
Myanmar 'Rejects talks' On Ethnic Violence -- Al Jazeerea
ASEAN chief says offer turned down, even as tension between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims simmers in Rakhine state.
Myanmar has rejected an offer by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to open talks aimed at quelling deadly communal violence there, according to the regional bloc's chief.
Surin Pitsuwan said on Tuesday he proposed setting up tripartite talks between ASEAN, the UN and Myanmar's government to prevent the violence from having a broader regional impact.
But he said Myanmar turned down the offer to discuss the bloodshed in the western Rakhine state that has led to about 180 deaths since June.
The bloodshed has pitted Buddhists against minority Rohingya Muslims.
Ex-Envoy Says U.S. Stirs China-Japan Tensions -- New York Times
HONG KONG — A longtime Chinese diplomat warned Tuesday that the United States is using Japan as a strategic tool in its effort to mount a comeback in Asia, a policy that he said is serving to heighten tensions between China and Japan.
The retired diplomat, Chen Jian, who served as an under secretary general of the United Nations and as China’s ambassador to Japan, said the United States should restrain Tokyo and should focus its diplomatic efforts on bringing about negotiations between China and Japan over the disputed islands in the East China Sea known as the Diaoyu by China and the Senkaku by Japan.
Read more ....
More News On Chinese - Japanese Territorial Disputes
U.S. Military Intel Spending Dips $2.5B -- Defense News
The U.S. military’s intelligence spending fell $2.5 billion in 2012, continuing its decline as operations in Iraq finished and operations in Afghanistan wind down.
In all, Congress appropriated $21.5 billion for the military intelligence program [MIP], according to the Defense Department. The figure includes funding in the base budget and war spending accounts.
“The department determined that releasing this top line figure does not jeopardize any classified activities within the MIP,” DoD said in an Oct. 30 statement. “No other MIP budget figures or program details will be released, as they remain classified for national security reasons.”
U.S., Allies Marshaling African Proxies For Fight Against Terrorism -- L.A. Times
"A quarrel in a far-away country between people of whom we know nothing."
That was how British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain saw the Nazi threat against the Czech Sudetenland in 1938, a sentiment freshly evoked among war-weary citizens as the United States and its allies ponder moves to oust Islamic extremists from northern Mali, a country most Americans couldn't find on a map.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and diplomatic counterparts from France have been shopping around a plan to train and equip West African troops to drive out the Al Qaeda-aligned militants who hold sway over a swath of northern Mali the size of Texas. Ultraorthodox Muslims this year hijacked a long-simmering rebellion by ethnic Tuaregs and began imposing an extreme version of Islamic law once in power. In July, they took axes to "idolatrous" cultural treasures in Timbuktu, provoking worldwide horror at the destruction.
Read more ....
More News On U.S. And Allies Preparing For A Military Intervention In Mali
No matter who wins in November, America should get ready for 10 more years of drones.
Nov. 3 marks the tenth anniversary of America's Third War -- the campaign of targeted killings in non-battlefield settings that has been a defining feature of post-9/11 American military policy as much as the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Unlike other wars, there won't be any ceremonies at the White House or Pentagon, parades down Main Streets, or town square rallies to acknowledge the sacrifices made by the countless civilian and military personnel involved. There won't even be a presidential statement since targeted killings cannot and will not be recognized by the U.S. government. The war is conducted by both the CIA -- covert and totally unacknowledged -- and by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) -- described without any specificity as "direct action" by the White House. Whether the CIA or JSOC is the lead executive agency, the Third War is marked by the limited transparency and accountability of U.S. officials.
My Comment: Not only should we be ready for 10 more years of drones, but an even greater escalation in the use of drones (and other robotic means of warfare) as research and development proceeds in the production of even more effective and lethal killing machines.
UN Report: Opium Cultivation Rising In Burma -- BBC
Opium growing has increased in Burma for a sixth year running despite eradication efforts, a UN report says.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said land used for opium had risen by 17% this year, from nearly 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) to 51,000 hectares.
Burma is the second largest opium grower in the world after Afghanistan.
Almost all of the opium it produces is grown in Shan and Kachin states, which have seen longstanding conflict between the military and ethnic rebel groups.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Thanks to Henry for these links from Drudge. But considering the sources .... Gingrich here and Sean Hannity here .... I need more collaboration from independent sources and not from partisan Republicans (like Hannity and Gingrich) who have their own agenda. Unfortunately .... and this is what gets me mad .... is that the media networks that have the resources to pursue and investigate these reports appear to not be interested.
An Afghan soldier watches a coalition force member use his radio during an Afghan-led security patrol to deny the enemy freedom of movement in Khak-E-Safed in Afghanistan's Farah province, Oct. 30, 2012. Afghan forces have been taking the lead in security operations, with coalition forces as mentors, to bring security and stability to the country's residents. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau
Taliban Hits Region Seen As ‘Safest’ For Afghans -- New York Times
BAMIAN, Afghanistan — The war has finally found Bamian, a remote corner of Afghanistan that for a decade had enjoyed near immunity to Taliban violence.
As the American troop surge peaked over the past two years, Taliban insurgents began contesting parts of this central province, flowing in from more embattled areas of the country. And now, a series of deadly strikes in recent months has intimidated residents and served notice that roads are unsafe and government officials are targets.
That it has happened in Bamian — known for its rugged beauty, nascent skiing industry and the ancient Buddha statues that once kept vigil here — has added to the sense that nowhere in Afghanistan can be considered safe. And that, Afghan and Western analysts say, is a crucial part of the Taliban’s strategy in coming here.
East Coast Starts To Recover After Sandy Leaves Death, Destruction In Wake, 4M Still Without Power -- FOX News
Twenty-four hours after millions on the East Coast awoke to their first glimpse of the devastation from monster storm Sandy, they now are left to ask: What do I do now?
Residents of the areas pummeled by Sandy began to look towards rebuilding efforts Wednesday, though many remain without power, neighborhoods remain strewn with debris and many transportation systems remain closed. At least 55 people have been reported dead as a result of the storm, which one economic firm predicted caused up $20 billion in damage.
Read more ....
Flooded areas: Highlighted areas show flooding in New York. An unprecedented 13-foot surge of seawater - 3 feet above the previous record - gushed into Gotham. Daily Mail
After Sandy, Intelligence Agencies Scramble To Feed Maps, Data To Rescuers -- Aol Defense
WASHINGTON: As FEMA, firemen, police and the National Guard wade into the devastation visited upon us by Hurricane Sandy, many of them are using maps and other information made available to them by intelligence agencies.
While intelligence analysts and their technical specialists usually spend their time targeting bad guys and helping troops plan to get them, some of them have gotten the rare and welcome chance to help their countrymen at home several times since Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans.
More than 36,000 people have been killed since the outbreak of Syria's anti-regime revolt in March 2011, with an average of 165 people killed a day since August 1, a watchdog said on Wednesday.
Civilians, at 25,667, represented the vast majority of those killed, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which includes non-military people who have taken up arms against President Bashar al-Assad's regime in the category.
The rest were from the military – 9,044 government soldiers and 1,296 who defected to join the rebellion.
"In addition, we have documented the deaths of 439 other people whose identities we were unable to verify," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
Lingering Questions About Benghazi -- David Ignatius, Washington Post
The attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi has become a political football in the presidential campaign, with all the grandstanding and misinformation that entails. But Fox News has raised some questions about the attack that deserve a clearer answer from the Obama administration.
Fox’s Jennifer Griffin reported Friday that CIA officers in Benghazi had been told to “stand down” when they wanted to deploy from their base at the annex to repel the attack on the consulate, about a mile away. Fox also reported that the CIA officers requested military support when the annex came under fire later that night but that their request had been denied.
My Comment: David Ignatius has numerous contacts in the military and intelligence communities .... I suspect that he is getting an earful from these sources on Benghazi. The only question that comes to my mind is .... why did he take so long to finally comment on it.
Emergency: President Barack Obama has declared a 'major disaster' in New York and Long Island. Pictured, he receives an update on the ongoing response to Hurricane Sandy, in the Situation Room of the White House, via teleconference
FIFTY DEAD...And It's NOT Over: Obama's Grim Warning As He Prepares To Visit Scenes Of Hurricane 'Major Disaster' Tomorrow -- Daily Mail
* Storm damage projected at £12bn // Ten people in New York among the dead // Many killed by falling trees
* President Barack Obama has declared a 'major disaster' in New York and Long Island
* President announces that he will visit New Jersey on Wednesday and warns that the crisis 'is not yet over'
* At least 7.4m properties across US East have lost power // New York City could be without power for a week
* NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg: 'Tragically we expect that number to go up' referring to New York death toll
* Record 13ft storm surge threatening lower Manhattan and howling winds left crane hanging from high-rise building
* Over 15,000 flights across the globe grounded due to Superstorm Sandy
* NYU Hospital loses backup power and evacuates patients // Nuclear power plant on alert
* More than 190 firefighters battled blaze destroying more than 80 homes in Breezy Point
* Stock trading is closed in the US again for a second day running - last time it was closed for two days was 1888
* Classified as a post-tropical cyclone, Sandy is expected to turn north and track back into New York state tonight
The scale of the devastation left by Superstorm Sandy is mounting today as the death toll continues to rise - currently 50 people across the US and Canada have been reported dead, but the final figure is expected to be significantly higher.
President Obama declared a 'major disaster' in New York and Long Island as flooded streets were littered with cars, homes were razed to the ground and tankers washed up on shore.
The President warned that Sandy 'is not yet over' and announced that he would visit New Jersey on Wednesday to visit the scenes of the destruction.
Censored? The SOS post was taken down by Facebook twice... but not before it had been shared online by thousands
Facebook Censors Navy SEALs Who Said Obama Denied Them Backup As Forces Overran Benghazi And Killed U.S. Ambassador -- Daily Mail
* Message was taken down by Facebook TWICE
* SEALS claim it was attempt to 'quietly squelch' opposition to President Obama's alleged failures
A message posted on Facebook by Navy SEALS claiming that President Obama denied them backup as forces overran Benghazi was taken down twice by the social networking site.
The move has stoked accusations that Facebook was censoring the SEALs’ message to ‘quietly squelch opposition’ to President Obama’s alleged failures.
The message contained in a meme suggesting that Obama relied on the SEALS when he wanted to get Osama bin Laden, but then turned round and denied them back up when they called for it in Benghazi.
Read more ....
Deutsche Bank May Have Violated Iran Sanctions -- Jerusalem Post
German financial giant reportedly confirms US investigation against it over financial transactions in US dollars with Tehran.
BERLIN – Flagship German financial institution Deutsche Bank appears to be embroiled in violations of Iran sanctions, the German television channel n-tv reported Tuesday on its website.
According to the report, Deutsche Bank confirmed in its quarterly business report on Tuesday that US investigators were probing the banking giant for violating the trade embargo on Iran.
My Comment: What are they thinking? Is doing banking business with Iran more important than the U.S.? My hope is that if they are found guilty ..... the fines run into the billions and those responsible face jail time.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak, right, meets with Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey in Tel Aviv on Sunday (photo credit: Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry/Flash90)
Iran Pulls Back From Nuclear Bomb Goal: Israeli Defense Minister -- Reuters
(Reuters) - Iran has drawn back from its ambitions to build a nuclear weapon, Israel's defense minister was quoted as saying on Tuesday, while warning that his country may still have to decide next year whether to launch a military strike against it.
Tehran denies its nuclear work has any military dimensions but governments in Europe and the United States are increasingly concerned over its intentions.
Diplomacy and successive rounds of economic sanctions have so far failed to end the decade-old row, raising fears of Israeli military action against its arch-enemy.
To Live And Die In Benghazi, Libya Without Leadership From America -- By Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer (ret.), FOX News
What is it like to spend your last moments on earth fighting for your life?
To have devoted your life, and your life's work, to a great nation -- to serve it well and honorably -- and serve for it with courage and distinction, to all come down to a last, frantic few seconds, spent defending you and your fellow Americans and call for the cavalry to come help, and no cavalry comes--and you die.
This is what the two former Navy SEALs, under the employment of CIA, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, faced in their final moments in Benghazi on September 11, 2012.
My Comment: So far it has only been FOX news, conservative pundits, and most milblogs that have raised questions on what happened during and after Benghazi. As for the main stream media .... all of them have ignored and/or given conflicting information on the attack and its aftermath .... followed by their pundits who have interpreted and/or try to justify the administrations positions .... Jay Bookman probably speaks for most of them.
As to what is my position ....I just want to know what happened. Why did the administration peddle the line that it was an anti-Islamic video that spurred this attack .... and who in the administration told everyone to peddle this line. When did the President learn of the attack .... what did he do .... and what was his analysis on what was happening .... during and after. Who hired and sign the contract for a British security office to provide security for a U.S. consulate in an extremely dangerous environment. Why was security not enhanced after repeated attacks on diplomatic posts in Benghazi, repeated requests for more security from the U.S. Ambassador, as well as credible terror threats directed at U.S. interests in the region. Were their any protocols in the State Department to protect a consulate should it come under attack .... were they followed .... and if not .... why. If there were no protocols in place .... the question again needs to be asked as to why. Why was the Pentagon late to respond .... and why were there no assets nearby to respond. Who is to be held accountable. Who needs to be fired.
Sighhhh ....
Forgive me for rambling .... but I have a hundred and one questions .... and no one in the U.S. government wants to answer them .... or worse .... obfuscate the reasons why someone like myself wants to know. It is moments like this that I sometimes wonder if anyone cares.
Incredible Pictures Of Storm Damage In New York City -- Business Insider
Superstorm Sandy left a devastating impact on New York City.
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are without power, but that's just a small portion of the 7.5 million customers without electricity throughout the East.
Multiple New Yorkers died, again only a portion of the 16 confirmed deaths across the country. More will likely be identified soon.
The MTA has "never faced a disaster as devastating as this," according to chairman Joseph Lhota.
Russia: Friend or Foe? -- Anya Schmemann, National Interest
In last week's foreign-policy debate, while many countries and regions were left unmentioned, Russia was invoked ten times.
GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney defended his assertion that Russia is America’s “number-one geopolitical foe.” He added, “I'm not going to wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to Russia, or Mr. Putin.”
President Obama, whose administration considers the “reset” of relations with Russia one of its signature foreign-policy successes, accused Romney of being stuck in the Cold War mentality of the 1980s.
Read more ....
My Comment: What's my take ... Russia is neither. If it was not for their nuclear forces, their input on the world stage would be minimal at best. As to what is the mindset in Russia itself .... the priority is to look inward and to solve the many chronic problems that Russia has .... i.e. demographic decline, economic decline, infrastructure problems, Islamic militancy, corruption ... coupled with growing political unrest and general unease for the future. As to what is the Russian view of the U.S. .... most do not care, and those who do care are the ones who want to immigrate to the U.S..
Corruption In China Isn’t Just a Local Story -- Max Boot, Commentary
Wen Jiabao, China’s prime minister, must have felt like he was hit by a political hurricane last week when the New York Times published a front-page story claiming that he and his family control a fortune of at least $2.7 billion.
While it has been generally known that the Communist Party elite were acquiring considerable wealth, that is still an eye-popping amount. All the more so because it is hardly an aberration. As my Council on Foreign Relations colleague Elizabeth Economy notes in a trenchant blog post on the Wen scandal, “the annual 2011 Hurun report on the wealthiest Chinese reveals that the top seventy members of the National People’s Congress are worth a combined total of $89.8 billion; in contrast, the net worth of the top 660 U.S. officials is only $7.5 billion.”
My Comment: Everyone who is familiar with China knows that the country is essentially ruled by about 800 - 1,000 families .... and that much of the "real wealth" is controlled by this group. By publicizing this news, The New York Times went into an area that is never broached in China and rarely abroad .... and naturally .... the Chinese leadership (who are all culpable with this greed) .... are reacting in the only manner that they can .... condemn and threaten.
Suicide car bomber attacked St. Rita Catholic Church in Kaduna, Nigeria. Credits: Reuters
Christians Persecuted Throughout The World -- Rupert Shortt, The Telegraph
The latest bombing in Nigeria shows how Christians are increasingly suffering for their faith – and how their plight is being ignored.
Imagine the unspeakable fury that would erupt across the Islamic world if a Christian-led government in Khartoum had been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Sudanese Muslims over the past 30 years. Or if Christian gunmen were firebombing mosques in Iraq during Friday prayers. Or if Muslim girls in Indonesia had been abducted and beheaded on their way to school, because of their faith.
Such horrors are barely thinkable, of course. But they have all occurred in reverse, with Christians falling victim to Islamist aggression. Only two days ago, a suicide bomber crashed a jeep laden with explosives into a packed Catholic church in Kaduna, northern Nigeria, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 100. The tragedy bore the imprint of numerous similar attacks by Boko Haram (which roughly translates as “Western education is sinful”), an exceptionally bloodthirsty militant group.
My Comment: I completely agree. There are many stories that much of the media prefers to ignore .... Christian persecution has always been on top of that list.
Syria's Phoney Ceasefire Gives Way To Its Phoney War -- Richard Spencer, The Telegraph
It wasn't the biggest fight of the war, but it was typical. The four tank shells thumped into the rebels' position one by one. Its occupants were safe, though, having already fled fifty metres back down the road.
The next day a fighter jet came in and finished the job.
"The regime's troops had been there three days ago," said Mohanad standing next to the remnants of the three houses in Karem Jabal, a district Aleppo. "Then we pushed them out." This was the regime's response.
No deaths, no injuries, just another street reduced to dust and shattered breeze blocks, another family in tears as their home followed so many others. It was not much of a battle, but then this was not much of a ceasefire, either.
Millions of terrified Americans wake to life after Sandy: Homes all along the East Coast Are Under 'Six Feet' Of Water, Torn Apart By Winds Or Smashed By Trees, Leaving at Least 33 Dead -- Daily Mail
* The 1,000-mile-wide superstorm lashed towns and cities up and down the New Jersey shore
* Thousands are clinging to their roofs as at least six feet of water has flooded their streets and homes
* 8.1million people left without power after Sandy hit the coast at 8pm last night
* Estimated cost of repairs stands at $20billion, meaning this could be the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history
* 500 people trapped in their homes in Atlantic City after it became too late to evacuate
* The town's fabled boardwalk was partially ripped up after the 80mph winds hit the New Jersey shoreline
* Deaths reported in New York, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut
* A woman was killed by a falling sign in Toronto as high winds closed in
* Sandy is a monstrous hybrid superstorm consisting of rain, high wind and snow
* Part of a nuclear power plant shut down and another put on alert
* Replica 18th-century sailing ship HMS Bounty goes down off North Carolina
* Critically ill patients evacuated from hospitals after backup generators fail and the power goes out
America has woken to scenes of death and absolute devastation after its East Coast was hit with the full force of the biggest storm in U.S. history, leaving at least 33 people dead and more than 8.1 without power.
Sandy has swept away and millions of people are now counting the cost of this natural disaster that has wrecked homes, infrastructure and the lives of those unlucky enough to be in its relentless and violent path.
The people of Atlantic City have been badly hit, as it went under water after the ferocious winds hit its shores. Dozens of people have been rescued from the roofs of their properties because many areas are flooded with at least 6ft of seawater.
I have been involved in numerous computer science projects since the 1980s, as well as developing numerous web projects since 1996.
These blogs are a summation of all the information that I read and catalog pertaining to the subjects that interest me.
