…from beneath the crooked bough, witness 230 years of brutal tyranny by the al Khalifas come to an end

The events that we have experienced since August 21 (announcement of the Allied bombing of Syria rejected by the House of Commons ) are not a competition between major colonial powers, but mark the Western peoples’ revolt against their leaders. For Thierry Meyssan, Westerners now face their contradictions: exploiting the rest of the world under their rule or live in peace under the rule of reason.

Enlightenment against colonialism
by Thierry Meyssan – Voltaire Network – 2 September 2013

As in a Greek tragedy, Westerners who announced they would bomb Syria within the hour have done nothing but tear each other apart. “Those whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad,” said Euripides.

On one side, the leaders of the permanent member states of the Security Council, Barack Obama, David Cameron and Francois Hollande; on the other, their peoples. On the one hand, hubris (ὕβρις), the excesses of the last great colonial powers, on the other, the Light of Reason. Facing them, the Syrians, quiet and enduring, and their allies, Russians and Iranians, on watch.

The piece being played is not just another episode of world domination, but is a pivotal moment in that history has not known since 1956 and the victory of Nasser at the Suez Canal . At the time, the United Kingdom, France and Israel had to give up their colonial dream. Certainly, there were still the wars in Algeria, Vietnam and the end of apartheid in South Africa, but the momentum placing the West at the head of the world had collapsed.

This dream, however, was revived by George W. Bush’s conquest of Iraq. Seeing their economies falter and believing in the imminent disappearance of crude oil (according to the theory of “peak oil”), U.S. multinationals used Allied armies to re-colonize the East. During one year, a private company, the Coalition Provisional Authority, ruled and plundered Iraq. This dream was to continue in Libya, Syria and Lebanon, then Somalia and Sudan, before culminating in Iran, according to the revelations of General Wesley Clark, former commander of NATO.

However, the Iraqi experience will have shown that even after years of war against Iran and years of sanctions both draining the lifeblood of a nation, it is not possible to colonize an educated people. The difference in status between the occidental powers knowing to read and write and mastering gunpowder, and the rest of the world has disappeared. And even the most ignorant people watch television and think about international relations.

This paradigm has a corollary: the Western peoples are not bloodthirsty. Sure of their superiority they set out to assault the world and came back bruised. Today, they refuse to reembark upon this criminal adventure for the sole benefit of their captains of industry. This is the meaning of the vote in the House of Commons rejecting a motion to attack Syria submitted by David Cameron.

Do the people have a clear awareness of their actions? Certainly not. Rare are the Westerners, Europeans and North Americans who have figured out how NATO caused the secession of Benghazi, making it pass for a revolution against Muammar el- Qaddafi, before crushing the country under a deluge of bombs. Rare are those who recognized the green, white and black flag of the Free Syrian Army as that of the French colonization. Yet everyone knows that this is what it is.

The communication from Downing Street and the White House is stupefyingly arrogant. In their note on the legality of the war, the services of the British Prime Minister stressed that the United Kingdom can intervene outside of a mandate from the Security Council to prevent the commission of a crime, provided that this intervention be directed exclusively towards this goal and be proportional to the threat. But how can we claim to prevent an army’s use of chemical weapons by bombing their country?

The White House, for its part, issued a memorandum from its intelligence services assuring they have “certainty” of the use of chemical weapons by Syria. Was it necessary to spend more than 50 billion dollars a year to give birth to a conspiracy theory devoid of the slightest tangible evidence? In 2001 and 2003, accusation was law. Colin Powell could attack Afghanistan by promising to provide further evidence of the involvement of the Taliban in the attacks of September 11, and never transmit it to the Security Council. He could have it listen to false telephone interceptions and brandish a vial of fake anthrax before razing Iraq and apologizing for his lies. But the West today faces the contradictions between supporters of colonization and the Enlightenment .

What is playing out in Syria is really the future of the world. The leaders of Western states, ever in pursuit of profit and power, are no longer able to exploit their people and are turning their ambitions outward. They are disowned by the representatives of their people. The vote of the British would no doubt also be that of the French, if the National Assembly was called upon to decide, and will perhaps be that of the United States, when Congress is consulted.

Meanwhile, rather than resolving their internal economic problems, Washington, London and Paris rivalize with bombastic and bellicose statements, devouring each other on the ruins of their extinguished glories. …source

Syrian army ambushes Nusra-linked ‘terrorists’: SANA
2 September, 2013 – The Daily Star

BEIRUT: The Syrian army has ambushed a group with links to the Nusra Front on the outskirts of Damascus, SANA, quoting a security sources, said Monday.

“A brave unit of the Syrian army ambushed most members of a terror group affiliated to the Nusra Front that was trying to cross into Eastern Ghouta on the Al-Dumay Adra Mayda’a road on the outskirts of Damascus,” the source told the Syrian state-news agency.

…source

HM King Hamad Congratulated on Arab Honour
2 September, 2013 – BNA

Manama, Sep 1 (BNA) –The Kingdom of Bahrain will officially host the headquarters of the Arab Human Rights Court. The Arab League Council today approved in its evening session the Kingdom Bahrain to host the permanent HQ of the pan-Arab rights tribunal.

Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa congratulated His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa on the Arab honour. Shaikh Khalid paid tribute to HM the King for his farsighted initiative which keeps pace with the aspirations of the Arab peoples. He hailed the pan-Arab court as a quantum leap forward and major step for human rights in the region and the Arab World.

He underscored the importance of the Royal initiative in promoting human rights to keep pace with other developed nations which boast major strides in this field.

“The initiative to establish the court stems from HM the King’s firm belief in the importance of human rights and basic human liberties”, Shaikh Khalid said. He described the endorsement of Bahrain to host the permanent HQ as a positive step on the right path to disseminate and protect human rights in the Arab World. He stressed Bahrain’s firm resolve to spare no effort for the court to achieve its goals and promote the protection of human rights in the Arab World. …more

Obama, Cameron climbed a tree, don’t know how to get down : Al-Jaafari
1 September, 2013 – Shia Post

Syria’s permanent representative to the UN Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari said that US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron “climbed to the top of the tree and don’t know how to get down,” which is why they resorted to the House of Commons and the Congress to seek a way out of the trouble they got themselves into, or were placed in by others.

In a phone call with the Syrian TV on Saturday, al-Jaafari said that Obama is under a lot of pressure from the hardline right wing, neo-Zionists, Israel, Turkey and some Arabs, and that he did well by emulating Cameron by referring the decision of waging an aggression on Syria to the congress, which is how Cameron “got down from the tree.”

He said that the western media has become a very negative war media, pressuring for aggression against Syria more than military personnel who seem hesitant, citing the example of CNN which began to criticize Obama immediately after his speech, saying that he hesitated and changed his mind.

Al-Jaafari said that civilians at the US State Department, the Pentagon and the White House who are pushing Obama to wage an aggression, which is ironic because military figures are the ones who are usually enthusiastic about military action, yet the US Chief of Staff, Defense Secretary and top officers seem very hesitant when it comes to attacking Syria. …more

Arab states urge international action against Syrian government
2 September, 2013 – Shia Post

Arab states on Sunday called on the international community to take action against the Syrian government over a chemical gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians.

The final resolution of an Arab League meeting in Cairo urged the United Nations and international community to “take the deterrent and necessary measures against the culprits of this crime that the Syrian regime bears responsibility for”.

The Arab League foreign ministers also said those responsible for the attack should face trial, as other “war criminals” have.

The head of Syria’s opposition National Coalition on Sunday urged Arab countries to back US-led Western strikes on the Damascus regime over an alleged chemical weapons attack.

“I am here before you today to appeal to your brotherly and humanitarian sentiments and ask you to back the international operation against the destructive war machine” of the Syrian regime, Ahmad al-Jarba told a Cairo meeting of Arab League foreign ministers.

Saudi Arabia on Sunday called on the world community to take all necessary steps to deter Syrian government violence.

“The time has come to call on the world community to bear its responsibility and take the deterrent measure that puts a halt to the tragedy,” Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told an Arab League meeting in Cairo. …more

The first Photo below is a “Car Bombing” in Bahrain, MOI blames Democratic Opposition, though they only have confession coerced though torture to corroborate their allegations.

The second is a recent “Car Bombing” in Turkey. Note: images of Bahrain “Car Bombings”, if you can even find them in the Western Media, are often “close up(because no debris field) and resemble a “Car Fire”. Much of the “crime scene” is arranged and the small amount of debris obviously staged. Note the Bahrain “Car Bomb” picture, there is a tent within ten feet unfettered by the blast or the fire and what’s up with the door in the bed of the truck?

News Stories Published to the West seldom have images, but have a picture of a MAp showing where in the world Bahrain is… The “Car Bomb” in Turkey, well that’s “bloody car bomb”.

Saudi King Abdullah Lavishes Hillary Clinton With N81 Million ($500K) Worth Of Jewels
1 September, 2013 – by naijamayor
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This file photo shows, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, right, holding a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Riyadh. Photo: AP

This file photo shows, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, right, holding a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Riyadh. Photo: AP

Foreign leaders gave lavish gifts to a number of US officials last year, including the Saudi Arabian king, who gave Hillary Clinton diamond-and-ruby-encrusted jewels worth half a million dollars.

Clinton’s gifts from King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz – which included a necklace, bracelet, earrings and a ring – were by far the most expensive items among the hundreds of gifts given to US officials in 2012.

A complete list of the gifts received last year, as well as a couple dozen from previous years, were disclosed by the State Department on Thursday.

The gift-giving continues a long-held tradition of international diplomacy, in which dignitaries show their appreciation for one another by exchanging artwork, jewelry, electronics and other presents.

Most of the items are required to be donated to the national archives, though a few may be bought by the recipients. The Hill newspaper first reported on the gifts.

In addition to her jewels from Saudi Arabia, Clinton also received wine from Algeria; a two-piece bronze sculpture of a red chili pepper from Singapore; a cuff bracelet, necklace and earrings from Kazakhstan; caviar and a wool carpet from Azerbaijan; Cognac from Russia; and gold, sapphire and diamond jewelry worth $58,000 from Brunei.

Among President Obama’s gifts were: Christmas mugs, coffee, and steak knives from Brunei; a basketball autographed by Chinese President Xi Jinping; a ‘silver figure representing [an] oversized coffee bean’ from Colombia; a leather wallet and tote bag from France; a porcelain vase decorated with images of the White House and Kremlin from Russia; a chest of liquor and a Coca-Cola bottle decorated with beads from Mexico; and a 41-inch saber from Mongolia. …more

Siding With A Tyrant: British Policy Towards Bahrain And Its People
By Daniel Wickham – 2 September, 2013 – The left foot forward

In early August, David Cameron met with the King of Bahrain in Downing Street for the third time since he took office in 2010. The Prime Minister was keen to “reiterate the UK’s support for ongoing political reform in Bahrain”, though according to Human Rights Watch “no progress” has actually been made so far by the government. Hours later, King Hamad had banned protests in the capital city of Manama in preparation for pro-democracy demonstrations planned for the 14th of August- a move described by Amnesty International as an “outrageous” violation of international law.

Over the next few days the Bahraini authorities arrested lawyers, denied human rights activists the right to enter the country and began erecting barbed wire around villages to prevent protests. The Bahraini Prime Minister warned that illegal demonstrations would be met with force, echoing his earlier remarks that the regime would “burn to a cinder all those who seek to tamper with its security and stability.”

Despite the warnings, thousands took to the streets on the 14th of August, the anniversary of Bahrain’s independence from the United Kingdom (an event not celebrated by King Hamad, who insists that “for all practical and strategic purposes the British presence has not changed” since it was a protectorate). As promised, the authorities responded violently, beating and arresting over a dozen protesters and firing tear gas and birdshot at many more.

Political repression of this kind is now a daily reality for many Bahrainis. Since the uprising began in February 2011, the security forces have killed around eighty civilians, among them children who were gassed to death in their own homes. Thousands more have been arrested for taking part in protests, and hundreds are reported to have been tortured in state custody.

The regime has sought to justify the crackdown as part of a larger war on terror, using the pretext of Iranian aggression to smear the Shia-led pro-democracy movement as some sort of proxy for Tehran. But Bahrain’s own Independent Commission of Inquiry and diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks have shown that there is no evidence of Iranian involvement in the unrest.

Yet still Britain continues to reiterate the regime’s propaganda about a “foreign plot.” Ambassador Ian Lindsay has “condemned Iran’s meddling” in Bahrain, accusing Tehran of “providing support to people who are bent on violence” and even going as far as publishing pro-regime smears about the protesters on the British government website.

But the clearest example of foreign “meddling” has come not from Iran, but from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which in 2011 sent its National Guard in to support the crackdown, using British armoured vehicles to do it. Naturally this warranted no such criticism from Ambassador Lindsay, despite the findings of the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Arms Exports Controls that the vehicles “facilitated extreme violence against civilian demonstrators and very serious human rights abuses” in Bahrain.

Later that year, birdshot pellets made by the British arms company Gamebore were found to have been used against Bahraini protesters, eleven of whom have been killed by birdshot since 2011 (though it is not clear what make of pellets were responsible). Britain has also supplied the country with FinFisher spyware which was then used to target pro-democracy activists in London, Washington and Manama.

Throughout the crackdown Britain has loyally remained one of the regime’s closest allies and biggest military suppliers, while the Bahraini people have reportedly suffered the single largest decline in political freedom of any Middle Eastern nation in the last five years. The tear gassing, torture, house raids and jailing of dissidents continues unabated. Britain had the chance to condemn these practises at the UN Human Rights Council in 2012 along with 28 other countries, but chose to remain silent (as did the United States). …more

Saudi Prince Bandar delivered Israeli chemicals to Syrian terrorists – official
31 August, 2013 – The Voice of Russia

A high-level anonymous official with the Libyan Ministry of Defense granted an interview to the Voice of Russia and discussed matters of intelligence surrounding the chemical attack in Syria. After recent threats by Saudi Arabia against Russia for supporting Syria, this area was focused on. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, when asked if he could verify admissions by Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan that he controlled the terrorists groups in Syria, including Chechen terrorist formations, stated that this was true. The official then stated that there were rumors in the Libyan Defense Ministry that it was actually Bandar who delivered the chemical weapons from Israel to the Syrian insurgents and that it was Israel who was pushing the United States for a military attack on Syria.

Hello! This is John Robles, I’m speaking with an anonymous member of the Libyan Defense Ministry.

Robles: Hello Sir! How are you?

Source: I’m fine, thank you.

Robles: I’d like to ask you some very serious questions regarding, first, the Saudi involvement in the Middle East, in particular with regard to terrorist organizations and formations. Can you tell me anything that you might know about US and Saudi involvement with terrorist formations in Libya and how they might be operating in Syria?

Source: Well, most of the organizations that have been working here have been; not eradicated, but rather exiled to the eastern part of Libya. That’s where they are most active.

In the western part of the country criminal activity is very low, but in the eastern part – Benghazi, Derna, Tobruk – the criminal activity is quite high and most of these are extremist groups, funded mostly by Qatar, more than by Saudi Arabia.

Robles: I see. Would you say these are US-backed groups?

Source: It is possible that they are backed by the United States because these groups do not operate without their consent. Saudi Arabia does not operate without the consent of the United States, because they consider any move from Middle Eastern countries to be a threat to their national interests. So, they ask first advice and then permission.

Robles: So, all the countries in the Middle East, they ask the United States for permission before they do anything, is that what you say?

Source: Exactly! Especially after the invasion in Iraq most Arab countries have felt they are under threat. In fact I remember in 2004 there was a meeting between Arab countries and we were present there, it was near Tripoli. At that time there was Gaddafi and he received a letter during the meeting and jokingly he said “the fax from America just arrived”. But it was more a confession than a joke, I think.

Robles: Do you know the contents of that fax?

Source: No, we weren’t allowed to see any of those documentations.

Robles: I see. But this happened all the time?

Source: It happened all the time. In fact, most of the meetings were attended even by foreigners, non-Arabs.

Robles: And these were meetings between Libyan defense officials and who else? Who was present?

Source: Libyan defense officials, interior ministries of all Arab countries. In fact, all the Arab countries have a unified protocol in case of protests, in case of “cracks”in their governments. The recent Saudi aid in Bahrain and the recent financial support by Qatar to Kuwait under crisis, this shows that they are unified. And most of the Gulf countries have been pressuring for Hosni Mubarak to be released. And Saudi Arabia gave no support for our liberation from Gaddafi, nor to the Tunisians against Ben Ali.

Robles: Saudi Arabia gave no support.

Source: Absolutely no support and in any case.

Robles: What I’ve heard, I’m very concerned about reports that Saudi Prince Bandar, he threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would release Chechen terrorists at the Sochi Olympics. And during part of the conversation which was released, which I’m sure he thought would be secret, he admitted and he said that they control Chechen terrorists, they control the terrorists in Syria, according to his words. Is that true?

Source: Yes, I believe that is true. Some rumors were spoken here in our Defense Ministry that the nerve gasses, that the chemical weapons used against Syrian civilians were brought by Bandar from Israel and given to the rebels. I don’t believe that Assad used chemical weapons against his own people.

Robles: I don’t think so either. So, the rumors have it there that the chemical weapons that were used in Syria, that actually Bandar was involved in this and they came from Israel, originally?

Source: Yes, those are the rumors. And who benefits from this? Mostly Israel. They are the ones which would want it in fact more than the United States.

Robles: What about Saudi Arabia? What is Saudi Arabia’s role then in the Middle East? What are their goals? Is this religious or is this oil?

Source: It is neither, I think. They just follow the orders. From the oil’s they give only 11 million barrels. They have no natural gas resources. And from the religionthey are mostly conservative closed in their areas.

And as the continuing Shia fight, Syria is now 85% Sunni. So, there is absolutely no role. They just provide what the American and British governments want, that’s all.

Prince Bandar is just under something that’s been in force for many years, I think for all his life. He wants the throne for himself and maybe he thinks that allying with the United States that they might help him to become the king of Saudi Arabia. But it is very difficult because there are about 5,000 princes,and only 40 are eligible and he is out of the race for that part.

Robles: So, Prince Banda, his ambition was to become the king?

Source: Exactly! His father, late father, was the heir to the throne, but he passed away a year ago, Prince Sultan. But because his mother is from a legitimate background, not from a royal background, he is not eligible to take the throne, even if he is the eldest son. …more

American Interests in Bahrain – U.S. Military and Strategic Interests Overshadow Human Rights and Oppression

American interests in Bahrain are vast, expensive and strategic. While an American embassy opened in Manama, Bahrain’s capital, in 1971, relations between the two countries date back to 1958, when the U.S. Navy first established a presence in Bahrain. Those relations grew significantly during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm–the 1991 American-led counter-attack on Iraq after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait–and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Bush administration’s invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Unlike most Arab nations, Bahrain allowed the Pentagon to fly combat missions from its territory during those wars.

The 20-some ships of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet–a fleet representing tens of billions of dollars–are based there, with responsibility for 7.5 million square miles of seas from the Arabian Gulf to the Red Sea to the Gulf of Oman. Some 2,300 American personnel are stationed on the Fifth Fleet headquarters’ 100-acre base, and thousands of the fleet’s 15,000 sailors land in Bahrain on and off throughout the year.

The Pentagon requested $258 million in fiscal year 2011 to build several additional facilities on its base there, including $45 million for an expansion at Shaykh Isa Air Base.

Bahrain’s strategic value to the United States is the result of geography: Bahrain is a naval complement to Qatar’s peninsular thumb sticking up the midsection of the Persian Gulf, across from Iran, providing quick access to the gulf’s sea lanes and protecting the disgorging oil pipelines of Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and, further south, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Bahrain has almost no oil. But it has large natural gas reserves (5.3 trillion cubic feet). And it is a major exporter of aluminum and other manufactured goods to the United States. In 2009, Bahrain exported almost half a billion dollars worth of goods to the United States. The United States exported $668 million to Bahrain.

Bahrain’s own military is small: just 13,000 soldiers and 1,200 members of the national guard. But Bahrain uses most of its annual $20 million in assistance from the United States to buy American weaponry and maintain a small fleet of American-made F16s and Abrams tanks. The sum is nowhere near what Bahrain actually spends on American weaponry from its own budget ($5.6 billion in 2008). Bahrain bought the 10 F-16s in 1998 for $390 million. The small nation has bought 70 Stinger missiles since 1990, and in 2007 it bought nine Blackhawk helicopters worth $252 million and six Bell search and rescue helicopters worth $160 million. .

Because of the United States’ close relations–and dependence–on Bahrain, successive administrations in the White House have mostly looked away from Bahrain’s poor human rights record and chronic oppression of the majority Shiite population by the minority Sunni ruling Al Khalifa family, in power since 1783–predating the adoption of the American Constitution.

Bahrain is one of the Arab world’s dictatorship: freedom of speech, of assembly and of religious practice is limited to non-existent if it does not abide by the ruling family’s precepts. And religious education in school denies the validity of Shiite teachings. Nevertheless, the United States calls Bahrain a friend and an ally. …source

Bahrain: Rihanna Al-Mosawi, an example of violations practiced against women as a punishment for claiming their legitimate rights
21 July, 2013 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses it concern due to the continued targeting of women for demanding their legitimate rights

On Tuesday, 11 July 2013, the Fourth Criminal Court held its first session in the case of the 14 February Coalition cell where a group of political, human rights and field activists are accused. They are 49 in total, in including one woman, who is the detainee Rihanna Abdulla Al-Mosawi (38 years old)[1]. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights issued a statement clarifying the legal breaches and violations practiced against the detainees and which violated their right in getting a public fair trial. Rihanna started a hunger strike two days ago in protest of her ill-treatment.

The detainee Rihanna Al-Mosawi, and for the first time, revealed to the Judge Ali Al-Dhahrani herself that she was stripped off her clothes twice while she was being interrogated at Riffa police station, however, the Judge merely noted down the complaint as a ‘morally improper treatment’. Al-Mosawi’s family stated that she had decided to end the silence phase after being shocked by the developments of the Ministry of Interior. After being accused of assembling and questioning her about that, the case turned into plotting a terrorist bombing that targets the Bahrain International Circuit for Formula One building, then it turned into contributing in establishing an organization that aims at disrupting the provisions of the Constitution which is the 14 February Coalition. The lawyer Manar Makki mentioned that those present at Court cried when they heard Rihanna speak about the violations she faced, especially being interrogating by masked men and reaching up to stripping her off her clothes and threatening her with rape. …more

Bahrain: Award Winning Photographer Ahmed Humaidan Kidnapped and Detained
30 December 2012 – Bahrain Center for Human Rights

The Bahrain Center for Human Rights condemns the continued harassment and arbitrary arrest of journalists in Bahrain. Renowned and award-winning photographer, Ahmed Humaidan, (25 years-old) was kidnapped by 15 security officers, in civilian clothing, and is currently being detained. On the 29th of December, 2012, at approximately midnight and while Ahmed Humaidan and his friends were entering the city center shopping mall, 15 men in civilian clothing, who are believed to belong to the security forces, surrounded Humaidan and abducted him without declaring the location where they were going, nor identifying themselves. His family sought information about him in different police stations and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) without receiving any information. After 19 hours without news on his whereabouts, Humaidan called his family for 20 seconds to inform them that he is alive, and that he is at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) being interrogated without the presence of his lawyer.
…more

Syria expects U.S.-led military attack ‘at any moment’
31 August, 2013 – Agence France Presse

DAMASCUS: Syria expects a military attack “at any moment” and is ready to retaliate, an official said Saturday, hours after UN experts probing a suspected gas attack blamed on the regime quit the country.

The departure of the inspectors has opened a window for a possible US-led strike after President Barack Obama on Friday gave his clearest indication yet that a military intervention was imminent.

“We are expecting an attack at any moment. We are ready to retaliate at any moment,” the security official told AFP, asking not to be named.

The 13 UN inspectors, led by Ake Sellstrom, left their Damascus hotel in a convoy before dawn and crossed into Lebanon a few hours later, AFP reporters said.

They are due to report straight back to United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon and detail their conclusions on whether a poison gas attack actually did take place in Damascus suburbs on August 21, based on samples collected on site.

Obama’s administration says it has no need to wait for the results of the probe, claiming its intelligence gives firm evidence the regime launched a chemical onslaught that killed 1,429 people, including at least 426 children.

That brought a contemptuous response from Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country is a close ally of Syria, saying claims the regime had used chemical weapons were “utter nonsense.”

Obama said on Friday: “We cannot accept a world where women and children and innocent civilians are gassed on a terrible scale.”

“The world has an obligation to make sure we maintain the norm against the use of chemical weapons,” the president said, slamming the failure of the UN Security Council to agree on action.

Obama said he was looking at a “wide range of options” but had ruled out “boots on the ground” or a “long-term campaign.”

“We are looking at the possibility of a limited, narrow act,” he said, while stressing no final decision had been taken on unleashing military strikes against Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

France gave its backing to the US plans, saying a “strong message” should be sent to the Assad regime, but British lawmakers have voted against any involvement in military action and other close US allies said they would not sign up.

Syrian has denied responsibility for the alleged incident and has pointed the finger of blame at “terrorists” — its term for rebels ranged against Assad’s forces.

In Damascus, the mood was heavy with fear, and security forces were making preparations for possible air strikes, pulling soldiers back from potential targets.
…more

Syria, Iran Threaten Retaliation; Russia Sends Warships
29 August, 2013 – by Oren Dorell – USA TODAY

Syrian allies Iran and Russia are working together to prevent a Western military attack on Syria, the Iranian president said, as Russia said it is sending warships to the Mediterranean, where U.S. ships are already in position.

Both Iran and Russia would work in “extensive cooperation” to prevent any military action against Syria, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in statements carried by several Iranian state-controlled media outlets. Western military action against Syria would be an “open violation” of international laws, he said.

“Military action will bring great costs for the region,” Rouhani said, and “it is necessary to apply all efforts to prevent it.”

Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, chief of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, told the Tasnim news website, that an attack on Syria “means the immediate destruction of Israel.”

The statements came as Russian state-owned media reported that two Russian warships were sailing for the eastern Mediterranean Sea to protect Russian interests as tensions escalate in the region.

The ships, a missile cruiser and a large anti-submarine vessel, are traveling from the North Atlantic and will arrive in a number of days, Reuters reported.

Middle East analysts say weapons and terrorist networks at Iran’s disposal mean the threats should be taken seriously.

“Iran is a huge threat,” said Ariel Cohen, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation.

Both Iran and Syria have threatened to retaliate against Israel and other U.S. allies in the Middle East in the event of a U.S. attack on Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians. Hundreds of Syrians in a region held by rebels were reported killed in an Aug. 21 attack.

Iran’s ruling mullahs are Syria’s main ally in the region and view the survival of the Assad regime as important to their aims. Mehdi Taeb, confidant of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said Syria is Iran’s “35th province. … If we lose Syria we won’t be able to hold Tehran,” writes Karim Sadjapour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Syria provides Iran a port on the Mediterranean Sea and a transit to Iran’s terrorist proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Iran is suspected of helping Syria evade U.S. and European sanctions by selling its oil on the international market, according to a report from Reuters. Iranian military leaders view an attack to topple Syria’s Assad regime as an opening salvo in a Western campaign to topple their own regime in Iran, Sadjapour said. …more

Silent Bombs and Tortured Victims
by Sayed Yousif – 29 August, 2013

The 27th June 2012 will not be erased from memory of many Bahrainis and their families. On that day Major General Tariq Al-Hasan announced discovery of 5 tons of highly-explosive bomb and 3 suspects were being sought, who were subsequently arrested, and convicted in public without any trial. Al-Hasan did not explain how such bomb works, and from what materials it is made of, because as he said “Unfortunately, due to the Ongoing investigation we are still limited in the amount of information we are able to release”, however, all suspects name and photos were published on Bahrain TV, without any consideration to their families, and to the principle that they are innocents until proven guilty.

Just like tens of other bomb discovered by Interior Ministry, this 5 tons bomb seems to be silent too, and with additional unique features that cannot be seen in any other bombs, it is, as photos suggest, made of very traditional components such as cooking utensils, plastic pipes, plumber tools and some stationary items.

Radhi Ali Radhi, 27, was one of those arbitrarily arrested citizens, who did not expect to spend his honeymoon behind bars for allegedly making this bomb. His family did not hear about his arrest until state media published his photo as criminal. Later on, on the first visit he could not speak any word because of torture he was subjected to. Masked security forces stormed his home 12 times, all without arrest warrant, during predawn period, at which his sisters got cursed with obscene words.

The second prisoner who was jailed on this issue was Jaffer Eid, whose suffering began in the early stages of the crackdown, when he had been dismissed from work on political background. Eid was thrown from the top of the stair, and his head was hit to the wall before being stabbed with knives on his leg, and now he cannot walk because of that. Before being arrested, his house was frequently stormed, and many of its belongings were vandalized and others were confiscated.

Mohammed Al-Mughanny was arrested from the airport returning from Dubai on the same charges, and received the same treatment of his mates. His family filled 26 complaints for Interior Ministry, Supreme Justice Board, Justice Minister, and many other people and entities, but he is still mistreated.Hussain Al-Aali, 27, was on the wanted list for illegal gathering charges, and both his house and his neighbors’ were stormed for more than 25 times. After his arrest, and because of sever torture he had been subjected to, he was transferred to the military hospital. Al-Aali did not get an access to a lawyer during his interrogation, and even his family did not see him during first month of detention. He is suffering from disk disease, and after being held in solitary confinement (2m x 2m) he is now suffering from psychological troubles.

On 29 May 2013, the judge Ebrahim Al-Zayed decided to arrest one of the witnesses in this case and fine him. The ruling authority does not face any pressure from influencing countries such as the United Stated and United Kingdom. On the contrary, British Metropolitan Police had sent team to help the dictatorship investigate the so-called “advanced bomb-making material”. …source

Nobel Committee Asks Obama “Nicely” To Return Peace Prize
By NORM DE PLEUME – TFE

Thorbjorn Jagland, chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, said today that President Obama “really ought to consider” returning his Nobel Peace Prize Medal immediately, including the “really nice” case it came in.

Jagland, flanked by the other four members of the Committee, said they’d never before asked for the return of a Peace Prize, “even from a damnable war-criminal like Kissinger,” but that the 10% drawdown in US troops in Afghanistan the President announced last week capped a period of “non-Peace-Prize-winner-type behavior” in 2011. “Guantanamo’s still open. There’s bombing Libya. There’s blowing bin Laden away rather than putting him on trial. Now a few US troops go home, but the US will be occupying Afghanistan until 2014 and beyond. Don’t even get me started on Yemen!”

The Committee awarded Obama the coveted prize in 2009 after he made a series of speeches in the first months of his presidency, which convinced the Peace Prize Committee that he was: “creating a new climate of…multilateral diplomacy…an emphasis on the role of the United Nations…of dialogue and negotiations as instruments for resolving international conflicts…and a vision of world free of nuclear arms.”

“Boy oh boy!” added Jagland. “Did we regret that press release!”

But, he revealed the committee members were all “legless drunk” the day they voted, as it was the start of Norway’s annual aquavit-tasting festival. The “totally toasted” members listened over and over to replays of Obama’s Cairo speech, tearing up and drinking shots to the glorious future: a black man leading America and the world into a new era of peace, hope and goodwill. “For a few hours we were all 18 year-old students again at the beautiful, occasionally sunny University of Bergen! Oh, how we cried for joy!”

The chairman said the committee weren’t “going to be pills” about getting the Prize back because they still “basically really liked” Mr. Obama and that sending it back in a plain package by regular mail would fine if it would save him the embarrassment of a public return. But added Jagland, “things could get nasty” if the committee didn’t see it by the time they announce the new Peace Prize winner in the fall. He and the committee then excused themselves to resume their celebration of Norway’s annual aquavit-tasting festival.

The White House had no comment. It later announced an aggressive new covert CIA initiative to identify and apprehend Al Qaeda operatives in Scandinavia. …source

Obama slams ‘incapacity’ of UN Security Council on Syria
30 August, 2013 – The Daily Star Petulent

WASHINGTON, District of Columbia: US President Barack Obama on Friday slammed the “incapacity” of the UN Security Council to act on Syria and warned the world must not be “paralyzed” on responding to a chemical weapons attack.

“What we have seen so far at least is an incapacity at this point for the Security Council to move forward in the face of a clear violation of international norms,” Obama said, as he met Baltic leaders at the White House.

…more

Bahrain urges nationals to leave Lebanon immediately
31 August, 2013 – The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Bahrain late Friday urged its citizens against travel to Lebanon and for those in the country to leave immediately, citing concerns of the growing impact the Syrian war is having on its tiny neighbor.

“The Foreign Ministry calls on Bahraini nationals to avoid travel to Lebanon at the present time given current events in the region and urges nationals currently [in Lebanon] to leave immediately,” according to the Bahrain News Agency.

“This warning comes based on the ministry’s concern for the safety of citizens and urges everyone to abide by the [original] call in May which is being renewed today with the growing concern of the impact from the Syrian crisis on Lebanon,” the agency added.

In May, Bahrain was among several Arab states to issue travel advisories for Lebanon in light of deadly clashes in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

On Friday, Kuwait took measures to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon and the United Kingdom warned against traveling to the country amid a deterioration of the security situation.

The security situation in Lebanon, linked to the crisis in Syria, has been deteriorating, with a recent spate of car bombings in Beirut’s southern suburbs and Tripoli.

The measures also come as the U.S. stepped up threats against the regime of President Bashar Assad over an alleged chemical weapons attack outside the Syrian capital last week.
…source

The risks of Saudi oil consumption
By Adam Rasmi – The Daily Star – 10 June, 2013

According to a Chatham House report, Saudi Arabia’s surging domestic oil consumption – coupled with its inadequate supply growth – could turn the kingdom into a net oil importer by 2038. Guzzling more than a quarter of its 11.1 million barrel per day production in 2011, Saudi Arabia is the fifth-largest oil consumer in the world. The kingdom even recently surpassed Germany’s consumption level, despite having less than one-third of Germany’s population and one-fifth of its economic output. Continued consumption growth, if left unchecked, could devastate the country’s economy in the coming years.

Demography partly explains this growing use of oil. The population has doubled since 1985 and demand has risen accordingly, but the main culprit is the kingdom’s growing economic prosperity tied with its reliance on oil-fired power generation. Almost all of Saudi Arabia’s energy needs are met by oil and gas – and burning crude oil to overcome gas shortages has increasingly become the norm. Given that oil in particular accounts for nearly 90 percent of the country’s exports and state budget, it is no wonder that Saudi officials hope to rein in consumption as the kingdom continues to eat up more and more of its own export wares.

Rising consumption will have other impacts beyond the country’s energy-led economy. Although close to half of the Saudi economy is derived from the oil and gas sectors, less than 1 percent of the workforce is employed in these industries. To increase employment, the kingdom has become a very bureaucratic nation with over 80 percent of its workforce in the public sector. Similar to other Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia has responded to the Arab Spring with generous public-sector pay increases, highlighting how the country relies on oil revenues to deter political unrest. But diminishing oil revenues in the future could hinder Saudi Arabia’s ability to use its elaborate public sector and welfare system to combat political turmoil.

Saudi Arabia must therefore reduce its oil consumption so it can maintain large state revenues. The first step will require subsidy reform. The price of oil ranges from $5 to $15 per barrel, compared to a global market rate averaging over $110 since 2011. The kingdom’s decision to set the price of oil far below export price is a significant opportunity cost in foregone state revenue – one that also encourages a culture of overconsumption and waste. Saudi Arabia’s poor or unemployed mostly do not benefit from subsidies as the biggest consumers of oil tend to be high-income groups and heavy industries (including the petrochemicals sector) – both of whom are paying unnecessarily bargain rates for oil and gas.
…more

Saudi Arabian crude output soars to 24-year high: Survey
by Bloomberg News
August 30, 2013 , 11 : 00 pm
New York: Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) crude production climbed in August as Saudi Arabia pumped oil at the fastest pace in at least 24 years, a Bloomberg survey showed.

Output by the 12-member Opec increased 116,000 barrels a day, or 0.4 per cent, to an average 31.04 million from a revised 30.924 million in July, the survey of oil companies, producers and analysts showed on Thursday. The gain was the sixth in seven months.

Saudi output climbed 150,000 barrels to 9.95 million barrels a day in August, the sixth straight gain and the most for Opec’s biggest supplier in monthly data going back to 1989. It was the largest gain of any Opec member this month.

“The amount of oil the Saudis are pumping is impressive,” said Sarah Emerson, managing principal of ESAI Energy in Wakefield, Massachusetts. “We could be looking at an historic bull trap. Market sentiment may turn bearish by October and November. ”

Brent crude for October settlement dropped $1.45, or 1.2 per cent, to $115.16 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange on Thursday. Brent is the benchmark for more than half the world’s oil. West Texas Intermediate for October delivery fell $1.30, or 1.2 per cent, to settle at $108.80 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

July production
The July production total was revised higher by 262,000 barrels a day because of changes to estimates for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Ecuador.

The kingdom will probably keep crude production in September at similar levels to this month and July, according to a person with knowledge of Saudi oil policy, who asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Output won’t vary much unless market conditions change, the person said. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) increased its crude output by 120,000 barrels to 2.92 million barrels a day, also the highest level since at least 1989, the survey showed. It was the second- biggest production increase.

Libyan output tumbled 225,000 barrels to 575,000 barrels a day this month, the survey showed. It was the fifth straight decline, sending production to the lowest level since October 2011. Two years after the war that swept the late Muammar Qaddafi from power, Libyan government efforts to revive the oil industry are being stymied by feuding militias and protests.

“It’s clear that the Saudis and Emiratis have deliberately raised production to make up for the massive shortfall from Libya,” said Julius Walker, global energy markets strategist at UBS Securities in New York.

Libyan decline
Libya pumped 200,000 barrels of crude today as negotiations continued with striking workers and guards, state-run National Oil Corp. Measurement Director Ibrahim Al Awami said in telephone interview from Tripoli.

The North African country pumped 1.4 million barrels a day in March, according to Bloomberg estimates.

“The Libyan issues will probably ease before long because the government will send in troops if all else fails,” Emerson said. “If they are back up at even 800,000 barrels a day in a few months, there will be a huge impact on the market.”

Angola production cut
Angola reduced production 40,000 barrels a day to 1.74 million this month, the second-biggest decline in the survey.

The BP-operated PSVM project declared force majeure, a legal clause that excuses companies from delivery obligations because of events beyond their control, on August 18 because of equipment failure.

Nigeria’s production rose 100,000 barrels to 2.02 million barrels a day in August, the third-biggest increase, according to the survey. The country’s oil industry is frequently disrupted by sabotage and unrest in the Niger River Delta, the main crude-producing region.

Iran produced 2.57 million barrels a day in August, up 10,000 from the previous month and down 180,000 from a year earlier. The country pumped 2.5 million barrels a day in May, the least since February 1990. Iran was Opec’s second-biggest producer as recently as June 2012 and is now in sixth place. …more

America Totally Discredited
By Paul Craig Roberts – 30 August, 2013 – OpEdNews

A foolish President Obama and moronic Secretary of State Kerry have handed the United States government its worst diplomatic defeat in history and destroyed the credibility of the Office of the President, the Department of State, and the entire executive branch.

Intoxicated with hubris from past successful lies and deceptions used to destroy Iraq and Libya, Obama thought the US “superpower,” the “exceptional” and “indispensable” country, could pull it off again, this time in Syria.

But the rest of the world has learned to avoid Washington’s rush to war when there is no evidence. A foolish Obama was pushed far out on the limb by an incompetent and untrustworthy National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, and the pack of neoconservatives that support her, and the British Parliament cut the limb off.

What kind of fool would put himself in that vulnerable position?

Now Obama stands alone, isolated, trying to back away from his threat to attack without authorization from anyone — not from the UN, not from NATO, not from Congress, who he ignored — a sovereign country. Under the Nuremberg Standard military aggression is a war crime. Washington has until now got away with its war crimes by cloaking them in UN or NATO approval. Despite these “approvals,” they remain war crimes.

But his National Security Advisor and the neocon warmongers are telling him that he must prove that he is a Real Man who can stand alone and commit war crimes all by himself without orchestrated cover from the UN or NATO or a cowardly US Congress. It is up to Obama, they insist, to establish for all time that the President of the United States is above all law. He, and he alone is the “decider,” the Caesar, who determines what is permissible. The Caesar of the “sole superpower” must now assert his authority over all law or Washington’s hegemony over the world is lost.

As I noted in an earlier column today, if Obama goes it alone, he will be harassed for the rest of his life as a war criminal who dares not leave the US. Indeed, a looming economic collapse could so alter the power and attitude of the United States that Obama could find himself brought to justice for his war crimes.

Regardless, the United States government has lost its credibility throughout the world and will never regain it, unless the Bush and Obama regimes are arrested and put on trial for their war crimes.

Obama’s destruction of US credibility goes far beyond diplomacy. It is likely that this autumn or winter, and almost certainly in 2014, the US will face severe economic crisis.

The long-term abuse of the US dollar’s reserve currency role by the Federal Reserve and US Treasury, the never-ending issuance of new debt and printing of dollars to finance it, the focus of US economic policy on bailing out the “banks too big to fail” regardless of the adverse impact on domestic and world economies and holders of US Treasury debt, the awaiting political crisis of the unresolved deficit and debt ceiling limit that will greet Congress’ return to Washington in September, collapsing job opportunities and a sinking economy all together present the government in Washington with a crisis that is too large for the available intelligence, knowledge, and courage to master.

When the proverbial hits the fan, the incompetent and corrupt Federal Reserve and the incompetent and corrupt US Treasury will have no more credibility than Obama and John Kerry.

The rest of the world — especially Washington’s bullied NATO puppet states — will take great delight in the discomfort of “the world’s sole superpower” that has been running on hubris ever since the Soviet collapse. …more

Syria Attack, Pipeline Politics, OPEC & the U.S. Dollar
By: Jim Willie – 31 August, 2013 – The Market Oracle

Syria is about the last gasp for the Petro-Dollar, the emergence of energy pipeline geopolitics, the rise of the NatGas Coop, the new dominance of Russian Gazprom, the eclipse of OPEC, the fall of the house of Saud, and a grand adjustment process in global commerce and banking. Refer to trade settlement outside the USDollar and diversification away from USTreasury Bond reserves management. It took some time to realize it, but the Cyprus bank incident was a misdirected attack against Gazprom. It failed. The entire Arab Spring movement, an ambitious disruptive project waged with foolhardy ambitions, has turned on itself. Egypt fell, its US puppet discharged. The entire North African region will be in flames soon. The USGovt interfered with a grand industrialization project for European industry, to be placed on North Africa intended to take advantage of cheaper labor, available minerals, nearby resources, and easy shipping. The resentment of Europe will show up in the future. The Middle East and Persian Gulf region is shifting its salute to Russia & China, as the noisy sectarian battles have been a common fixture since long ago. Bahrain has erupted. Saudi is clamping down and converting into an Islamic police state to create the Iran-Saudi repressive bobsey twins. Chaos is the longstanding objective of the USGovt in foreign policy infection, no change in decades.

Syria is about a lot of things, most of which are volatile, many unsolvable. To be sure, the naval port of Tartus is valuable for the Russian Military, always eager to wrest a seaport. Like Lebanon, Syria is a hotbed stronghold for HezBollah, never to be taken lightly. They are mortal enemies to Israel, whose nations have exchanged covert violence for years. Syria might have tight relations with the Shiites of Iran, even some in Iraq. However, Syria represents the crossroads of many important shifting geopolitical roadways that pertain to the global financial structure and commercial systems. Syria is the tipping point for a Grand Global Paradigm Shift. It is the last stand for the Anglo Banker world. Syria will not go easily into the Russian camp, into the Gazprom fold, into the European energy market sphere. For if it does, the entire USDollar system of commerce and the USTreasury Bond system of reserves management will fall by the wayside and open a new era with Eastern dominance. But the Western powers cannot stop it. Clouds of whatever type do not halt pipeline flow, nor pipeline geopolitics. …more