Without remorse, Your sincerely, America 

It so happened during 1971 that South Asia got pulled into the centre of a vortex created by forces released by major realignments in the Cold War line-up.

The US was aware China was dissatisfied with the Soviet Union because China felt the Soviets wanted its dependency. The US wanted to take advantage of the situation not only to improve its stance in the ongoing Cold War, but also to fulfil its more enduring aspirations in the geopolitical context. So it set about prising China from the Soviets with fixity of purpose. What tied South Asia to the emerging courtship is a mix both of design and intent on one hand, and coincidences on the other.

It is well known the US showed remarkable consistency in backing Pakistan throughout 1971, in face of mounting domestic and international criticism and prevailing public opinion in the US itself. This came to be known as the 'US tilt' because it was difficult to explain it without giving up the secrecy associated with the cherished project of establishing workable contacts with China at the highest level.

A lot more has surfaced recently that helps to understand the US tilt towards Pakistan in the days following March 25, 1971. On that day, the then President of Pakistan, General A M Yahya Khan, on his way back from Dacca, asked Lieutenant General Tikka Khan to 'sort out' the Bengalis in East Pakistan.

Tikka Khan and his successor Lt Gen A A K Niazi went about their task in a manner that was widely condemned all over the world. Pak atrocities and genocide have been well recorded.The US consulate in Dacca started sending earnest reports about the killing in East Pakistan. The first report of March 28 speaks of a 'reign of terror' unleashed by the Pakistan army; the report of March 31 estimates the dead between four and 6,000.

US Ambassador Kenneth Keating in New Delhi showed his concern as early as March 29 that the US military equipment was being used by Pakistan. The happenings in what is now Bangladesh were so horrendous the Pakistan envoy in Washington was required to plead special circumstances -- civil war-like situation -- in mitigation of what was on.

All this left the US administration unmoved. What were the inputs that went into US policy and what were the consequences of that policy need to be reviewed in the light of the latest revelations.

Besides the all-encompassing Cold War compulsion of containing the Soviet Union and diminishing its support base, what really inspired President Richard M Nixon, and his National Security Adviser Dr Henry A Kissinger in their China initiative has been summed up later by Kissinger:

'Geo-politically, America is an island, off the shores of the large landmass of Eurasia, whose resources and population far exceeds those of the United States. The domination by a single power of either of Eurasia's two principle powers -- Europe or Asia -- remains a good definition of strategic danger for America, Cold War, or no Cold War...

'Of all the great and potentially great powers, China is the most ascendant...

'As the nation with the longest history of independent foreign policy and tradition of basing its foreign policy on national interest, China welcomes American involvement in Asia as a counterweight to its feared neighbors, Japan and Russia -- to a lesser degree -- India.'

Establishing contact with China was such an important strand of US policymaking that during their meeting with chairman Mao, Kissinger emphasized, 'It was the President who set the direction and worked out the plan.' 

This was in February 1972. Before that, in July 1971, Kissinger had made his initial trip to China in great secrecy with Pakistani assistance. He also held several secret meetings with Chinese representatives in Paris before that. Since secrecy was one of the fundamental preconditions till the deal was struck, the US seems to have been particularly beholden to Pakistan. 

As early as April 6, 1971, the US consulate at Dacca addressed a cable to the Secretary of State, inter alia mentioning the following:

'We as professional public servants express our dissent with current policy and fervently hope that our true and lasting interests here can be defined and our policies redirected in order to salvage our position as a moral leader of the World .' 

This obviously produced no dent, and a decision was taken by Nixon on April 28 not to pressurize Yahya Khan. If the US interest in South Asia was Pak-centric, the Chinese interest had strong anti-India dimensions: the first was derived from the residue of the 1962 conflict, or unsettled border dispute; and the second was on account of Indian sanctuary to the Dalai Lama.

In the context of the Cold War, China looked upon India as pro-Soviet, and by implication, anti-China. The US policy formulation that backed Pakistan, in opposition to India, was music to Chinese ears, particularly as it represented a turn around after 1963. 

'Gratitude is not the outstanding quality of India, as Moscow will learn,' said Kissinger, during the October 22, 1971 meeting with Chou-En-Lai. Even shorn of the bantering tone, the meaning is clear. Earlier Chou had pointed out India does not believe in the existence of Pakistan, and, 'We understand the traditions of India.' The US and China had expected India to go to war, so it seems. 

The possibility of war between India and Pakistan was foreseen by the US as early as end May 1971, but the thrust of the US policy was never directed towards avoiding it. It was to partially compensate India for expenditure on account of refugees, and justify the US position by saying if the US were to bear heavily on Pak it would lose such influence as it had. 

Kissinger also assured India, just before going to China, the US would 'not encourage' China against India. Later this also changed, and by December 9, 1971, he was virtually coaxing China into some small actions in the mountains. The Chinese connection seems to have become an obsession with the Nixon-Kissinger team to the exclusion of many other considerations.

The predilections of Nixon and Kissinger both seemed to have influenced US policy to a great extent, initially to hold back action, and subsequently to intervene. Yahya Khan was 'indulged,' so it seems, because he was 'a good friend; Kissinger is more than aware of Nixon's special feeling for Yahya; Kissinger emphasized 'it was a fact of life.'

Perhaps, 'sometimes stupid' Pakistanis were to be preferred to the 'devious' Indians. Without such an assumption, it is difficult to share the US policymakers' perception it was Yahya who needed sympathy because he was anguished over decisions which he had to take, namely the orders he had issued to Tikka Khan to sort out the Bengalis. Rarely does one come across such a transformation in which the perpetrator is viewed as the victim. This attitude of the principle policymakers explains quite a lot that is otherwise difficult to understand.

The US decided to reward the perpetrators, namely, Pakistan's ruling army oligarchy. The scale of wanton killing and barbarities by the Pakistan army was staggering.

Since the US faced no grave danger at the time, and such a threat could not be pleaded in defence of the total lack of compassion it displayed, it must be presumed it was walking in the footsteps of Cardinal Richelieu, believing universal values are inconsistent with raison d'etat. This conviction of Nixon and Kissinger seems to have been the guiding light of the US administration.

China certainly was a beneficiary of US policy. Subsequent developments have vindicated Chinese wisdom in accepting the olive branch proffered by the US. But it spelt disaster even for Pakistan, the beneficiary of US sympathy and consideration. It ended up by losing its eastern wing.

By equating the interest of the Pak military junta with that of Pakistan, the US supported Yahya Khan itiated the natural checks and balances that operated within the two wings of Pakistan, and also between India and Pakistan. Yahya drew all the wrong conclusions, possibly because he basked in the sunshine of US support. He declared, 'If that woman wants war...' etc. Had he not been given to understand he could continue to draw upon US support, no matter what he did, for so long as he served as a catalyst, he might have been more prudent and less cavalier in challenging 'that woman.'

US policymakers in 1971 opted for the hardnosed raison d'etat as conceived and practiced by Cardinal Richelieu and Father Joseph the Grey Eminence, and set aside all humanitarian considerations.

Understandably, Indian protests might have been devalued by the US because of the well-acknowledged animosity between Pakistan and India, but what about the public opinion all over the world and in the US? What about US laws? The Nixon administration had defence equipment delivered to Pakistan through subterfuge. There was clearly an assumption by the US that it knew best what was good for the US.

This assumption of infallibility in judgement and action by the US is frightening; and it was not even the only superpower then. It is well known Nixon at the time toyed with the idea of using nuclear weapons in the subcontinent. These indeed are disturbing reminders, particularly in the charged atmosphere of today. Being the only surviving superpower no international body or the UN are in a position to restrain the US from wilfulness. The world community would rather rely on the internal checks and balances in the US constitution for this purpose.

To a certain extent, public opinion in the US matters, but not directly and immediately. How the administration functioned during the tumultuous days of 1971 is interesting and instructive also from this point of view.

The famous checks and balances, a significant part of the US constitutional fabric, did not seem to work in 1971; nor was the value-based policy much in evidence. In so far as the interests and aspirations of Bangladesh and India were concerned, the US administration might as well have signed off 1971 with, 'Without compassion or remorse, yours.'

No Endgame in Afghanistan

Although effectively obscured the Second Bush Administration's "any pretext will do" determination to go to war against Iraq, the U.S. military is still fighting in Afghanistan. Rather than winding down, the number of U.S. troops in Operation Enduring Freedom doubled to roughly 10,000 over the last year and the numbers of attacks against them by Taliban and al-Qaeda guerrillas have been increasing. There were 55 attacks on U.S. troops in November alone. 

Operation Enduring Freedom may have had a brilliant opening and a good middle game, but there is no endgame in sight. Part of the problem is that while the U.S. won a rapid victory 14 months ago using precision aerial bombardment by the Air Force, precision bribery of local warlords by the CIA, and the less than precise soldiering of the Northern Alliance, it hasn't reconstructed the Afghan economy or constructed a client regime with political authority that extends beyond the capital city of Kabul. Billions of dollars in international aid that was pledged for reconstruction arrived late and the largest share went to meet immediate needs like food rather than for long term economic development. 

'President' Hamid Karzai, recognized as little more than a figurehead ethnic Pashtun in a government entirely dominated by Tajiks, is only in power because Kabul is patrolled by 5000 International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) peacekeepers. Karzai may have declared private armies illegal, but in the rest of the country power is controlled by warlords with ethnic militias as formidable than the largely Tajik national army under the control of Defense Minister Mohammad Qaseem Fahim. Tajik warlord Ismail Khan controls 5 western provinces with an army of 5000. 

Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum controls five northern provinces with 8000 troops. Hazara warlord Mohammas Karim Khalili controls much of central Afghanistan with an army of 8,000. Across the southern and eastern provinces of Afghanistan where the Taliban drew its support, former Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is mobilizing Islamist and Pastun nationalist rage against the U.S.. In effect, Afghanistan is in the same chaotic state that preceded the Taliban seizure of Kabul back in 1996. Only now Afghanis have someone to target besides other Afghanis. 

Pakistan is the other part of the problem. U.S. and other allied military personnel face constant attacks because the wobbly military regime of strongman Pervez Musharraf is unwilling or unable to control movement across Pakistan's 2430 kilometer long border with Afghanistan. The Pashtun North West Frontier Province of Pakistan is a virtual "no go" area for the Pakistani Army. As a consequence, Taliban and al-Qaeda guerrillas can stage attacks in Afghanistan and then flee to safe havens in Pakistan. Before 9/11, Pakistan had alienated Washington because of it nuclear and ballistic missile proliferation, support for the Taliban, state sponsorship of terrorism in Indian Kashmir, and human rights violations. 

After 9/11, however, all was forgiven. Pakistani geography was simply too useful in the U.S. war against the Taliban to quibble about the niceties. But the U.S. alliance with Pakistan meant the adoption of rules of engagement that respect the territorial sovereignty of Pakistan, however notional. Thus the safe havens across the border in Pakistan. 

What all this means is that the military brass running Operation Enduring Freedom have a nearly impossible mission. First, they are expected to eliminate the remaining Taliban and al-Qaeda guerillas with limited numbers of soldiers who may be withdrawn for the next scheduled war with Iraq in early 2003, while also respecting the territorial sovereignty of Pakistan and keeping U.S. casualties at or near zero so as not to alert the American public back home that they are still at war in Afghanistan. 

Second, they are expected to help consolidate the authority of the government in Kabul. Frustration is leading the military brass to consider both new rules of engagement that would permit hot pursuit across the border into Pakistan and deployment of civil affairs units responsible for the kind of rural social and economic development projects that conservatives derided as inappropriate "nation building" during the Clinton Presidency. Neither is a solution. Hot pursuit would widen the war, but not end the guerrilla attacks. Civil affairs projects might improve the lives of the population, but will not win the government in Kabul political legitimacy that it doesn't have. At best they are stopgap measures. 

At the current cost of a billion dollars a month and a handful of U.S. dead and wounded, Operation Enduring Freedom is an inexpensive war. At this rate the U.S. could continue to fight in Afghanistan for years. But the trends suggest it is going to get more expensive. Rather than focus on winning this war, however, the Second Bush Administration has decided to fight a second war with an equally uncertain endgame. Surely it is time for official Washington to start worrying. 

German Writer Says USA Threatens World Peace 

Germany is not unanimous, when it comes to the coming attack on Iraq. Everybody knows about Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s negative attitude to the USA’s position about Iraq. Schroeder completely excluded Germany’s participation in the attack. Gerhard Schroeder’s close friend, a Nobel literature laureate in 1999 Gunter Grass went even further in his criticism against Washington. The writer claimed that he considered the American president as a "threat to world peace." 

In one of his latest interviews to the German newspaper Welt Grass said that the combination of family, economic and political interests made Bush a threat to world peace. Paul Spiegel, the leader of the German Jewish community, sticks to another opinion. Spiegel said in his interview to the German newspaper Bild that the American military attack on Iraq can be justified at certain circumstances. Spiegel believes that one should not proclaim the discontent with the actions of another country in advance. He definitely meant German chancellor’s position on the issue. 

It seems that the USA does not pay any attention to the position of European pacifist allies. The Pentagon is more preoccupied with weather conditions in the Persian Gulf as well as with the deployment of US troops there. Nobel literature laureates’ opinions do not count. 

Panama Invasion: The Story of a People's Tragedy 

The secret plot behind the US attack 13 years ago.

"Traitors", might cried the chief of the Panamanian Armed Forces, Manuel Antonio Noriega, when the US Army invaded his country on December 20th 1989. But why he might cried that? Noriega used to stay in the CIA payroll since 1972, when his links with drug trafficking where very well known by Nixon's administration. However, another Republican President, George Bush, decided to take him to the US courts, with a balance of 2.000 Panamanians dead. 

Panama obtained its independence from Colombia on November 3rd 1903, with the help of the United States of America. Before that date Panamanians did not take very seriously their will for independence. However, Colombian opposition to the US construction of a Canal on the thin piece of land where today Panama is, surprisingly revived their "National Spirit". When Panama declared independence, Washington was the first country in recognizing it and the new Panamanian authorities thanked this attitude by handing over the territory where the Canal was finally constructed, only fifteen days after. By that time, Panama did not even had a Constitution to state how this new country was supposed to be named. 

Since then, Panama's internal affairs started being handled from its Capital, Washington and controlled by its tiny European elite, less than 10% of the population. As Noam Chomsky states on his book "What Uncle Sam Really Wants", that changed in 1968, when Omar Torrijos, a populist general, led a coup that allowed the black and mestizo [mixed-race] poor to obtain at least a share of the power under his military dictatorship. In 1981, Torrijos was killed in a plane crash. By 1983, the effective ruler was Manuel Noriega, a criminal who had been a cohort of Torrijos and US intelligence. 

On December 15, 1989, Noriega sought and was given by the legislature the title of chief executive officer of the government. The Noriega-led assembly declared that a state of war with the United States existed. The next day Panamanian soldiers killed an unarmed U.S. Marine officer dressed in civilian clothes. Retaliation by the United States was quick and decisive. On December 17, U.S. President George Bush, who was blamed on being a weak President by American Falcons, ordered troops to Panama, with the subsequently announced aims of seizing Noriega to face drug charges in the United States, protecting American lives and property. Of course, nobody cared about Panamanian neither property nor lives. 

As Noriega helped CIA with the US war against Nicaragua, training contras in the 80's, he was indicted all the charges that took place before 1984, year when Noriega started serving US interests in Nicaragua, satisfactorily. It is notorious that even 1986 the US Government considered Noriega's work a "vigorous anti-drug trafficking policy" and welcomed the closed association with him. 

Suddenly, two years later, Noriega - as many other formers CIA friends: Osamma Ben Laden and Saddam Hussein, among them - became a villain. What happened? In May 1989, Noriega again stole an election, this time from a representative of the business opposition, Guillermo Endara. Noriega used less violence than in 1984. But the Reagan administration had given the signal that it had turned against Noriega. (Noam Chomsky, 1993) Noriega was trying to legitimate the illegal victory by approaching the enormous majority of poor. A few months later, invasion toppled him after a frustrated coup masterminded from Washington. 

Bush administration had a big problem, according with the treaties was supposed to handing over canal handling to Panama in 1990. Washington wanted to be sure that a friendly Government would administrate it, and Noriega's no longer was. 

Then, the invasion and the condemn of millions to poverty, destruction, insecurity and hunger. However, the main reason of money laundering, the lack of control on banks and financial corporations, remained untouched. 

As a homeless woman, widow of a Panamanian soldier killed by US Army in 1989 said one year later: "I do not wish this year of suffering to anybody, neither President Bush nor his sons." However, Bush's son, George W., is now ready to attack another CIA's friend, for the second time. 

The American Bloodhounds

Nineteenth Century was the century of Great Britain and the twenty-first century appears to belong to the United States of America. Great Britain ruled Asia, Africa, America and Europe, since the dawn of history till the dismemberment of the British Empire. Those were the times when the British use to boast that sun never sets in the British Empire. The Americans as every nation would, resented the economic policies of Britain, particularly the right of parliament to tax the colonies, and by the exclusion of the colonists from participation in political decision affecting their interests. This awakening spread all over the British Empire till it caught the imagination of political leaders all over the British Empire. 

The two World Wars in the twentieth century gave America the life time chance of minting money by supplying arms to the warring nations in the great war of 1914. As luck would have it, Herr Hitler the dictator of Germany imposed another war on Great Britain in 1939, which continued till 1945, this war also gave the American nation, basically a nation of Money Mafia to mint money. 

The Americans participated in this war with Great Britain under a lend-lease agreement, had Japan not bombed Pearl Harbor, Americans would never have joined the war, as an American is not a fighter, he mostly believes on technological fight for which he should be grateful to Herr Hitler. Had Hitler not drove the Jews out of Germany, which also included the famous scientist Albert Einstein, the father of Atom bomb, the war would have carried out for much more years, through guerrilla warfare in which the Americans are least capable of entering into. 

These two wars 1914-18 and 1939-45 gave the Americans the taste of blood and power, crippled by the 2nd World War, 1939-45, Great Britain is satisfied with its position of a subsidiary power in the world comity of nations and is contended with its position as a second fiddler to the United States of America who has got money, resources, scientific knowledge and any thing and every thing, which God bestows upon. 

The great American President Abraham Lincoln, who defined the theory of democracy, is no more and his theory is also no more, all the beautiful epithets found in political dictionary are now only subservient to the pleasure of the American President. There is no democracy anywhere on the surface of the earth. America is now trying to introduce a system, which they call, the New World order, which only means the new American order. So to say, there is a United Nation Organization founded by the collaboration of the two partners and Mr. Franklin Roosevelt, the President of the United States. 

This organization was mainly founded to settle the differences between the member nations, but what is the UNO for now? Palestine and Kashmir are hanging fire on the desk of successive Secretary-Generals of the United Nation without any result. America is easily able to bulldoze a Secretary General to confirm to the actions of the President of United States, right or wrong. Having tasted blood and power the merchants of America have turned into a ferocious lion, who requires more blood, which requires more power and more territories for himself. It is time now that the subservient nations should unite, like the famous wild buffalo and kill the King of the Jungle of the world. Otherwise no nation would be left with any iota of self-respect, and sovereignty to rule their country. 

It is Iraq’s turn today, tomorrow it is going to be Iran and Saudi Arabia, after having control over the oil power there is nothing much effort left to control the rest of the world with the vast American fleet and than sun would not set in the American Empire, may be during the 21st Century but the laws of God are different. As sun now sets in the British Empire, it would again set in the American Empire, may be in 22nd Century. History is full of wrath of God inflicted upon the arrogant rulers. America is now out to change the map of the world and has started day dreaming in their star war program through reactivating nation missile defense system, in violation of Anti-Missile Treaty of 1972, which President Bush thinks would save America from any future threat from terrorists and rogue states, who oppose American world order plan. So far the Middle East is concerned, it is an irony of fate that the most peace loving Arabs are considered as the terrorist in the world, who are alleged to finance the terrorist activities all over the world. 

The American fundamentalist in their ignorance do not like to change their policies towards persons who are outside the fold of Christendom and since they are two billion in number, they have given the Muslims, the title of fundamentalist, one of the greatest tenet of Islam is unity, unity and unity, which has been aptly described in the following couplet of Allama Iqbal: "Aik hoon Muslim Haram ki Passbani key liyey, Neel key sahil sey laiker Taabakhakey Kashgher." Meaning thereby that Muslims must unite from the shores of River Nile to the land of Kashgher in China to protect the sanctity of Harem. 

On the eve of Christmas the message of the Muslim world to their Christian brethren is to avoid clash of civilization and deal with the situation arising out of the personal war against the so-called terrorism with wisdom, dexterity and firmness. World can not afford another holocaust, which will be grimmer and more devastating than the 2nd World War, which has caused 200 million human lives, it is now up to the so-called civilized western world to chose, what is good and what is bad for them, the law of nature will work in its own order, whether one believes or does not. It is therefore imperative that all nations outside the fold of America, namely Russia, India, China, Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Korea, Iran and Turkey should unite and become a force against the American aggressor. Probably this may become a reality in 22nd Century. 

Want Peace Get Ready For a War says America

The US president published a foreign political program for the next year. In his interview to U.S. News and World Report, George W. Bush named several international problems which are especially important for the incumbent American administration. These are the problems which are perfectly known to everyone. The top priority problem is struggle with terrorism and with Al-Qaeda particularly. Nothing new was also declared with respect to George Bush’s attitude toward Iraq. In his words, Iraq will become "the second stage of the struggle with terrorism." However, the US president immediately adds that if Iraq disarms, a war can be avoided. 

There is one more regime disagreeable for George W. Bush, the North Korean one. According to the US president, the situation concerning North Korea is "the moment when we can establish new relations with the countries that used to be our enemies, Russia and China mainly, and strengthen our alliance with South Korea and Japan." 

As for America’s foreign policy on the whole, in 2003 it will be "active in its striving for peace; it will cover a wide range of problems and settle them depending upon the situation." 

The Bush’s December statements drive to the only conclusion that the USA isn’t going to change the methods of its foreign policy. It still counts on problem solution by force, no matter where problems arise, in Iraq, North Korea or somewhere else. To tell the truth, the present-day situation cannot offer anything different: the US resources are such that there is no need to radically reconsider the methods for solution of regularly emerging problems. Why not settle political and economic problems by force if it’s possible? At the end, this is the easiest way for problem solution, which by the way produces an adequate effect. 

The main problem is how to transform the tactic success into a strategic one. Certainly it’s possible to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s regime and appoint some other government in Baghdad which would be friendly toward the USA. But unfortunately this doesn’t mean at all that the life of Iraqis will be better after such measures. By the way, it is only the US army which may help Saddam’s successors to retain the power. By the way, it was mentioned several times already that a war campaign against Iraq will give rise to a new hail of anti-American attitudes in the Moslem world, where the war will be surely treated as a new evidence of US’s aggression against all Moslems. It’s hardly likely that Washington doesn’t take this variant of the situation’s development into consideration at all. Nevertheless, President Bush persistently wants to do away with Saddam Hussein. 

By the way, it is not quite clear how the White House plans to settle its problems in the relations with North Korea. It’s obvious that no military operation against Pyongyang can be launched at all, as in this case the USA’s allies, South Korea and Japan, will be in danger as well. Moreover, Russia and China will hardly like a war with unpredictable results to be waged near their borders. Probably this is the reason why George Bush mentioned some "new relations" with Moscow and Beijing. What are these relations? 

So, the main point of the US Administration’s foreign policy can be described with the old saying: "If you want peace, get ready for a war." You may like it or not, but the USA follows this concept. It’s still a problem whether other countries will be able to suggest an alternative to it. 

Iraq to USA: Put Up or Shut Up!

Iraq has told Washington to produce evidence that it has weapons of mass destruction or else to cease its constant insinuations that Baghdad is hiding them away from the inspectors as it calls up reservists and prepares for a unilateral military attack on Iraq next January, contrary to international law. 

General Amer Al-Saadi declared at a press conference on Saturday that Iraq’s document on its arms programmes is "accurate, comprehensive and truthful". He added that the size of the document "is irritating certain quarters", a reference to the declarations by the White House that the declaration, 11,807 pages in length and written in a mixture of English and Arabic, was purposefully so long so as to stall investigations. The document will now be analysed at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna and at the UNO headquarters in New York while copies are sent to heads of state around the world for a detailed investigation. 

He added that if any source has any information to the contrary, this evidence should be presented officially. Admitting that Iraq had a nuclear programme before the Gulf War, General Al-Saadi stated that "We have the complete documentation from design to all the other things. We haven’t reached the final assembly of a bomb nor tested it". 

Washington keeps up the pressure not only on Iraq but on the United Nations Organization which it hosts. Although the leader of the UNMOVIC team, Dr. Hans Blix, is not going to issue a full statement on the contents of the document until the end of January, Washington intends to bully the other members of the Security Council into taking a firm decision before Christmas. The notion is absurd, since any such decision would be hastily made, based on conjecture and not upon fact. 

Washington’s slanderous and arrogant conducting of its foreign policy yet again shines through. Instead of accepting a multi-polar new world order, based upon the rule of international legislation and using the UNO as the proper instrument for conducting global policy, which would bring friends from all countries ruled by law and properly elected governments, Washington conducts its foreign policy as if there were a fundamental disrespect for the rest of the world by the administration. 

The message that this type of foreign policy conveys is that of an administration that could not care less how many people are antagonized, how many civilians in foreign sovereign states are killed, or how many governments are manhandled, bribed and trampled into compliance with a unipolar global policy dictated by Washington alone, in pursuing its obsessive quest for domination of the world through ownership of its resources. 

This is not diplomacy. It is a disgrace not only to the government of the United States of America, but mainly to its people, who are being let down, cheated and mismanaged by a clique of people who appear, at best, to have no idea how to conduct foreign policy, which is unfortunately the administration of the United States of America today. If the White House allowed the State Department to do its job and ceased to interfere with the considerably able work of Colin Powell, the USA would find that it has many more friends than it imagined. 

Afghanistan: Phoenix Bird with the name Al-Qaida

The terrorist group Al-Qaida is a real danger for the world. It has recreated in Afghanistan some training camps while the Americans feel that they have destroyed the Al-Qaida once and for all.

In Afghan capital, security measures are being hardened after in the city centre, a car with two US militaries and their interpreter was shot from grenade cup discharge. All the tree were seriously injured. The teenage attackers were detained and accused of being connected with Al-Qaida. In almost all crossroads of Kabul, military and police patrols check up every car as for arm and explosives. 

US military staff representative to Bagram, Helene Kramer reported the two injured militaries had trained Tuesday recruits for Afghan national army. It should be noticed that this is not the only attack on US militaries in Afghanistan. So far, most of them resulted in injuring the US militaries. According to official information, since the beginning of the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan, 15 US militaries were killed, while non-official figures make 150 to 200 dead. 

Al-Qaida has not been annihilated, vice versa, it becomes more powerful every day. Americans feel it very clearly. Apropos, the same conclusion was made by UN inspectors who occupy themselves with monitoring of terrorist activities since October 11, 2000. Their recent report reads that this group could account at the moment on support of about 10 thousand activists all over the world.

Although the terrorist organization was seriously injured, it still has no difficulties with recruiting new gunmen. According to the report, the Al-Qaida structure has been seriously hit, though it continues to be a real danger for the world and global security, so without wide-raging exchange of information, without cooperation of police structures, without full finance control at the world level, Al-Qaida still will be able to act, to recruit its supporters and to rearm. 

Michael Chandler who presented the report said Al-Qaida continues to train its gunmen. In particular, according to his information, new military camps were created, situated in East Afghanistan, not far from Khaiber passing and Pakistan border. Reports also indicate that Pakistani terrorist agency ISI and tribesmen living in the frontier offer support to Al-Qaida and many extremists seek for contact with this terrorist group, he said. According to Chandler, Al-Qaida concludes unions with different "national and regional extremists groups, which are ready to use terrorism to achieve their aims."

America silent over Pakistan-North Korea Nuclear Nexus

It appears that the U.S. has to suffer a huge loss of face to keep Pakistan as its ally. President George Bush’s advisors are at their wits’ end on how to react to the news of Islamabad’s help to North Korea’s illegal nuke programme that violated a 1994 pact with the U.S. But that is not the end of it. Much to the American anguish, there are more skeletons in the closet, as reports indicate. The really shocking news is that some of Pakistan’s nuclear scientists were in constant touch with the dreaded Al-Qaeda network, against which the U.S. is waging a war, a report by ANI said. Interestingly, Pakistan is supposed to be US’s close ally in that war against terrorism. 

Startling revelations by North Korea about its nuke programme forced US act, but only partly. Washington appealed to Pyongyang to disarm and has scraped a 1994 deal, which in effect was "nullified" by that country long back by going ahead with its nuclear weapons plan with the help of Pakistan. President George Bush has kept mum on its trusted ally’s assistance to a clandestine plan of a country he has classified as an "axis of evil".

The American silence is attributed to its expectations from Islamabad to fight terrorism. That is the main reason why they have time and again rejected the demand by nuclear-armed rival India to name that country as a terrorist state. So, the news that Islamabad assisted North Korea in its nuclear programme came as a tight slap on the face for US administration that was silent on President Pervez Musharraf doing nothing to flush out Al-Qaeda militants who fled Afghanistan and took refuge in his country as well. Top US officials have revealed that Islamabad helped North Korea, in its nuclear weapons plan, which violated the pact with Washington in 1994. Under that agreement, North Korea was promised 500,000 tons of oil to honour international non-proliferation agreements by US. Pyongyang in return, provided Pakistan the missile technology that gave its rocket forces the capability of striking India. 

Reports quoting top officials said that A.Q. Khan, the father of Pakistan’s bomb was instrumental in engineering the deal between the two countries. Khan visited North Korea 13 times between 1992 and 1994 to sew up the deal that was finally signed by former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto during a clandestine visit to Pyongyang in 1995. News of the involvement of Pakistan’s top scientist in the secret pact comes on the heels of North Korea’s admission that it has been pursuing nuclear weapons in violation of its pact with US. Americans will now have a tough time explaining the logic of its continuing alliance with Pakistan that hostile neighbour, India, calls is the nerve centre of terrorism, to fight terrorism.

Though it is still silent on Pakistan’s link, the US, stung by North Korea's admission, has called on Pyongyang to reverse the course of its nuclear programme and abide by promises to renounce development of these armaments. Meanwhile, Musharraf has denied any Pakistani assistance to North Korea in its nuke plan, terming the reports as "absolutely baseless".

Study Finds US Popularity Down in the World

A study of public opinions in 44 countries showed that the image of the United States in the world has deteriorated sharply over the past two years, especially in Muslim nations. 

"Since 2000, favorability ratings for the United States have fallen in 19 of the 27 countries where trend benchmarks are available," local press reported Thursday, quoting a newly-released study results. 

The study, conducted by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press between July and October, surveyed more than 38,000 people in 44 countries with questions on issues such as nuclear weapons, AIDS, environment, ethnic and religious strife, anti-terrorism and the Iraq issue. 

Under a title of "US losing popularity in world", the Los Angeles Times said that anti-American sentiment is most profound in most Muslim nations, despite US attempted efforts to improve its image in those nations. 

On the issue of anti-terrorism, the International Herald Tribune, headlined "A rising anti-American tide", reported that the people of nearly every Muslim country surveyed opposed the war on terrorism. 

The study also found that in Turkey, a key US ally in a possible war on Iraq, 83 percent of the Turks surveyed are opposed to using the country's base to strike Iraq. In addition, a majority believe that a US attack on Iraq would be prompted not by security concerns but part of a broader US war on unfriendly Muslim countries. 

Reports from Asian Countries like The Philippines, Brunei, India, Thailand and Malaysia which are generally believed to be neutral countries over 80% voted against America and strongly criticized its Double Standard Policies. 

The report of the study, with a cost of 4 million dollars, was delivered to the White House on Wednesday by Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew center. 

It's Coming! New Attacks on US Passenger Planes

American Senators appealed to George W. Bush to do everything possible to protect civilian planes from surface-to-air missiles. The new threat for the USA was first mentioned last week, after unidentified terrorists fired two surface-to-air missiles at an Israeli Boeing-757 taking off the airport of Mombasa, Kenya. 

Both missiles missed, narrowly, and the plane continued its flight with 261 passengers and ten crew members on board. Several minutes after the attack on the plane, Kenyan terrorists attacked a hotel belonging to Israelis; three Israelis and ten Kenyan citizens were killed in the attack. The USA believes that the attacks in Kenya were committed by a so-called Somali-Kenya group related to al-Qaeda, which has been in operation for ten years already. 

American congressmen and senators immediately understood the awful danger of the new methods employed by terrorists. Like during the 9/11 tragedy, there is once again a real danger to passengers of US air liners. 

Senator Richard Shelby voiced these apprehensions: "There are thousands of surface-to-air missiles in the world. You can buy and transport them. This is one methods to deliver a blow against the USA." The US Department of Transportation reports that it has been working on the problem together with law enforcement authorities for several months already. But will all this work be a successful? American congressmen understand that the Kenya attacks are just another wave of struggle against the USA and Israel, and new technologies are being employed at that. 

Neither the US Congress nor the Senate know how to struggle against surface-to-air missiles, which can be launched right from the shoulder. The problem is under the jurisdiction of special services fighting with terrorism. President Bush won’t need any special approval for the organization of special measures for the security of civilian planes. What can Americans do? 

New agencies report statements of several Israeli experts. These Israeli experts say that the Boeing that took off from Mombasa was probably protected with special equipment fixed to planes for anti-missile protection. 

Israeli politician Hirsh Goodman says with reference to a publication made in America’s Aviation Week ten years ago, that El-Al planes were equipped with anti-missile systems. The measure was taken by the Israeli national airline after an attempt of terrorists to launch a missile against a passenger plane in the mid-1970s. Goodman told the France Presse agency: "I cannot guarantee that the Akria plane was equipped with this system." 

Israel Air Force Major General Dan Halutz says, "several commercial planes" in Israel are equipped with such systems. This information was also confirmed by the former minister of transport of Israel, Efraim Sneh. In his words, Israel appealed to Boeing and Airbus for the installation of anti-missile systems similar to those ones produced for war planes on Israel’s commercial planes. No information can be obtained from Boeing in this respect yet. 

The systems installed in war planes detect approaching missiles launched from the surface. In order to lead the missiles astray, the systems sends its own signal flares, which are placed on the plane’s wings. Installation of this system on a plane may cost even 3 million dollars more than the plane itself. 

It is not clear how the US Administration will protect the US civilian planes. After the 9/11 attacks, measures were taken to protect passengers from attacks from the air. Currently, terrorists once again threaten civilian planes; however, from the surface this time. 

Who's Next After Iraq?

"If there is no actual threat to the interests of the USA and the West, they will never seriously consider Russia’s interests as well," said famous Russian economist of Armenian origin Migranyan. This sounds like the only sound estimate given within the past twenty years. 

Amicos Bush, magis amica veritas. And the truth is that the better relations are between Russia and the USA, the less there is for Russia. The more the American president taps the Russian president on the shoulder, the more America’s "friendship" resembles the strangle of a serpent. Why did George W. Bush visit Russia? Did he come here just to admire Katherina Palace of Tsarskoye Selo or to ask Russia not to interfere with the USA’s affairs when it decides to attack Iraq? Do we actually need Iraq? Who is to become an object for forced democratization, Belarus or China? 

After the seventy Soviet era years when the USSR resisted America, after the arms race, ideological contest and lots of different threats, we still cannot come to our senses for 17 years already, because of the happiness that America is no longer afraid of Russia. However, we missed the fact that the USA at the same time ceased to take Russia into consideration at all. 

But why? Russia has always behaved very nobly: we returned the German Democratic Republic to Germany, Eastern Europe to Europe, Nicaragua to the United States. Whatever was asked for, Russia always returned. We didn’t save our Serb brothers from a blood-thirsty Uncle Sam. We even gave the plan of the bugging the US Embassy building in Moscow to the CIA. What did we get in exchange? Sarcastic notes of US diplomats about the drunk courage of Tsar Boris. 

However, Russia wasn’t allowed into Europe completely; instead, we were reproached for the war in Chechnya. It was even mentioned that Russia must also give Chechnya back. 

By the way, in the Soviet times, a new building of the Soviet Embassy was built in Washington. However, for the next 14 years, Soviet, and later Russian authorities were not allowed to use the building. Americans feared that Russia would be able to bug the vice-president’s residence and the center for submarine control from the new building of the embassy. It is strange, because Americans themselves allotted the area for construction of the Soviet Embassy building in Washington, but later they found some reasons not to let Russians into the building. Why? Was it a fault of those people who allotted the area for the construction? No, it seems to be America’s tendency to always find reasons to press for more and more concessions from rivals. 

From the totalitarian world, Russia plunged into the world of countries with market economies. Democracy is just a consequence of this market; the principles of market and democracy are said to be identical. A complete triumph is when you manage to bring your rival to ruin, bankrupt him, outbid him, and close him down. Modern Westerners don’t understand what noble doings and gratitude mean. They don’t know how it is possible to give something back with the hope to receiving gratitude and nobleness from those who receive. 

Westerners are taught that before you give something, consider carefully what you may get in exchange. They are used to carefully weighing their advantages, bargaining about the advantages, and fixing the liabilities of the opposite side in official contracts. Stalin was the only Soviet leader who could bargain with the Western world: he restored everything that Russia had lost after the 1917 Revolution, and even added something, Koenigsberg and Tuva for instance. 

As it was written in the 1943 Cairo Declaration by WWII allies, the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition "were not striving for any conquests for themselves and had no intention to expand their territories." But Americans wanted the Soviet Union to join the war with Japan. And in the Crimea, in 1945, Stalin was paid his price for war with Japan, the Kurile Islands. However, to get the Kurile Islands, the Soviet leader also asked for Manjuria (present day Manchuli) and Hokkaido. Americans should be given credit: after WWII, they discovered some items in official documents allowed them to say that Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and Habomai were not parts of the Kurile Islands and must belong to Japan. 

After the 9/11 attacks in the USA, Washington was buying the loyalty of allies for its revenge action in Afghanistan. The USA lifted sanctions from Pakistan and India. America also acquitted Pakistan and Jordan of a part of their debts. However, Russia in that situation acted ingenuously and nobly: we allowed Americans to bring their troops to the military bases in the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan and supplied the NATO with weapons. Russia dreamt that for those actions, it would be admitted into the alliance, and there would be no more differences between Russia and Europe. 

What was the result? Russia is not a NATO member; moreover, it gets no concessions concerning the Kaliningrad problem.Russian citizens will have to get visas to visit Russia’s Kaliningrad region and get back to Moscow. After the hostage taking crisis in the Moscow theatre, Denmark didn’t extradite Chechen terrorist Zakayev to Russia. 

The document that Russian diplomats call the "Venik Amendment" is still in force in the USA: the law punished the Soviet Union for resistance to immigration of Soviet Jews. The problem is not topical any more, as most Jews who planned to leave are already outside the country, but Russia is still punished in accordance with the Venik Amendment. 

I don’t know the details the Iraqi government, but Russia and Iraq have one thing in common: both are oil producing and selling countries. If the Americans smash Iraq but don’t seize it, oil prices will go up. If they seize Iraq, oil prices will drop. 

The higher the oil prices, the better the situation is for Russia, as it exists at the expense of oil exports. Will Russia profit from the US conquest of Iraq? It won’t. What shall we get from the USA in exchange? Gratitude. Bush will call Putin not only his friend, but the noblest of his friends. Certainly, both the American and the Russian presidents like to pretend; the US president likes to pretend he is clever, and the Russian president likes to pretend to be a fool. However, the time will come when Putin will be demanded to explain for what interests of the nation and former allies were exchanged. 

Historical Descions in World War 2: A Critical Study

On the dawn of September 1, 1939, Hitler sent more than 1,500 airplanes and 56 divisions of military forces to invade Poland. On September 3, England and France declared war on Germany. World War II broke out comprehensively, and it was the most tragic war in human history, lasting 6 years. The total worldwide death toll was over 9 million and property loss amounted to four trillion U.S. dollars. Though the war ended when Germany was finally defeated, the misery, hardship, and spiritual trauma on peoples minds was incurable. In recalling this period in history, we cannot help but ask whether it was true that this war was unavoidable? Why had the democratic countries nourished the aggressions of Germany, Italy, and Japan, and silently watched these three countries prepare for invasions until they had finally attacked the democratic countries during World War II?

In 1951, as one of the policy makers of the allied nations, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, published a historical masterpiece, The War Speeches, which took him six years to finish. In the preface, he wrote, (paraphrasing) "The tragedy of World War II could have been easily avoided. Kind-hearted cowardice promoted the vicious malignancy." Everybody knows that World War II was a war against Fascism. England, France and even Russia were all victims of Fascism. But when we focus our attention on the "Munich Agreement" of 1938 by England, France, German and Italy, and take a look at the "Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact" which was signed one week before the wars broke out, as well as the following series of economic agreements; when we seriously examine the responses of Poland and Hungary when Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia; or when we consider that at the beginning of the war, the Soviet’s invasion of Poland in a perilous state and its massive munitions support to Germany, we have to conclude that to compromise with and to give free rein to the evil, hoping that one day the evil will find a conscience in it’s heart and abandon its butcher knife is very naive thinking. 

To associate themselves with evil forces is the same as dancing with the wolves. These countries are subject to deadly attacks from the evil at any time. On August 19, 1934, Hitler was appointed as the Chancellor of Germany. One month later, he issued an order to establish the air force, as well as to expand the marines, and the navy. That was the first sign of a war. In March 1935, Germany introduced the military conscription in violation of Versailles treaty. It also declared that its air power was equally competitive to that of the England’s. In 1936, Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland non-military zone in violation of Versailles treaty and invaded France from the border of Germany. It was a daring risk. Hitler’s militant power was significantly inferior to that of France at that time. Even without any backup from England, France alone had enough power to drive Germany away from the Rhine River and give arrogant Hitler a deadly punch, leading to the collapse of his regime in Germany. However, England and France chose to tolerate the evil which promoted evil deeds later. Due to the fear of war, they found an excuse of not provoking one with a belief that Hitler was only leading his army into our backyard. This cowardly concession helped Hitler significantly increase his prestige and power in the high level of the German government.In March 1938, Germany invaded Austria and started to aggressively prepare for the invasion of Czechoslovakia.

1. Appeasing and Giving Free Rein to the Aggressors

Czechoslovakia is a country of multiple peoples. There were 3 million Teutons in Czechoslovakia, most living in Sudetenland between the northwest of Czechoslovakia and Germany. Hitler instigated the local Nazi partisans to propose autonomy in Sudetenland and proposed a merge with Germany. The president of Czechoslovakia firmly rejected the proposal. While 1.5 million fully armed Czechoslovakians were standing by for a war with Germany behind the most solid defense line in Europe, Chamberlain, the Prime Minister of England, and the French President, chose to pacify Germany at the expense of Czechoslovakia, in order to maintain the so-called "peace and order."In September 1938, Germany, England, France and Italy refused the presence of Czechoslovakia, and signed the notorious "Munich Pact" in Munich, a city in southern Germany. The four countries agreed to give the Czech Sudetenland and a southern Czech territory adjacent to Austria to Germany. In return, the four countries would guarantee that Germany would not invade the rest of Czechoslovakia. Hitter declared that he would have no more interest in Czechoslovakia once the issue on Sudetenland had been settled. Hitler said, (paraphrasing) "This is my last requirement for territory in Europe." The leaders of England and France easily believed his words and believed that the wolf would become a vegetarian after he devoured Czech Sudetenland.A few hours after the Munich Conference, Chamberlain met Hitler in his apartment. Chamberlain produced a draft declaration, which he had prepared, as follows:

"[…]we regard the Agreement signed last night, and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again."Hitler read and signed it without demur.

Chamberlain returned to England. At Heathrow where he landed, he waved the joint declaration which he had got Hitler to sign and read it to the crowd of notables and others who welcomed him. From the windows of Downing Street he waved his piece of paper again and used these words, "This is the second time there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honor. I believe it is peace in our time."Ungrounded trust of people with evil intentions caused his unrealistic optimism. It was that very paper that appeased and gave free rein to the aggressors and dragged the whole world into the abyss of the war. Just as Winston Churchill told Chamberlain later, (paraphrasing) "When you were asked to make a selection between war and humiliation, you chose the latter, whereas, you will have to be in war sooner or later." While Czechoslovakia was about to collapse, Poland and Hungary also took advantage of the Czech misfortune. Immediately after the Munich Agreement, the Polish Government sent a 24-hour ultimatum to the Czechs demanding the immediate hand-over of the frontier district of Teschen. Hungary also put forward its own request.

In fact, the Munich Agreement sentenced Czechoslovakia to death. Czechoslovakia not only lost 1/5 of its territory, as well as 1/4 of its population, but also lost its solid fortress. All of its railways, roads, and telephone and telegram systems were demolished. In less than six months, Hitler’s troops marched into Prague, assuming absolute control over the rest of defenseless Czechoslovakia. Meanwhile, Hungarian troops, backed surreptitiously by Poland, occupied the eastern province of Czechoslovakia, or Carpatho-Ukraine, which they demanded. The League of Nations certainly suffered a loss through the fall of Czechoslovakia equivalent to some thirty-five divisions of troops. Skoda Works, the second most important arsenal factory in Central Europe, was also lost to Germany. The production volume of Skoda Works between August 1938 and September 1939 alone was nearly equal to that of all British arsenal factories in that period. The adverse loss of Skoda Works to Germany drastically increased Hitler’s military power.

2. Taking Advantage of Others' Misfortune and Dancing with the Wolf.

Winston Churchill said, "The Poles gained Teschen by their shameful attitude towards the liquidation of the Czechoslovak State. They were soon to pay their own forfeits." Soon after he occupied Czechoslovakia, Hitler demanded territories from Poland. Poland firmly rejected Germany’s demand. Then Hitler launched a blitzkrieg on Poland, which opened the curtain of World War II.

German troops started the blitzkrieg on September 1, 1939. Polish troops fought valiantly despite the fact that they were out-numbered, less prepared, and less equipped. A week later, exhausted Polish troops were defeated and fell into such pieces that they could no longer be called an army. While the majority of the Polish troops were defending the western border against the onrushing German forces, Stalin could take advantage of Poland’s perilous state! On September 17, 1939, the Red Army crossed Poland’s virtually defenseless eastern border and swept toward the west. On the 18th, the Soviets and Germans joined forces in Breszc Litewski where Russian Communists made peace and shook hands with Hitler.

Long before the war broke out, Stalin decided to abandon Britain and France after weighing the best interests of the Soviets and signed a ten-year Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact with Hitler. When Czechoslovakia was lost to Germany, England and France was already furious at Germany. Hitler was pressuring Poland this time. Stalin knew that Poland stood no chance fighting the German troops but England and France would definitely interfere with his invasion once he began to attack Poland. Cunning as Stalin was, he decided to ally with Germany after his cautious calculation. Stalin expected to reap rewards from the war among Germany, England and France. If Germany were fighting in the west of Poland, he would have ample time to route the Red Army to the eastern border.

A dirty treaty was thus born. With the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact and an additional protocol in September 1939, east Poland and Bessarabia were annexed to Moscow. This meant that Stalin had a free hand in invading the Baltic States. Meanwhile, in a secret agreement, Germany stated that it had no political interest in Latvia, Estonia or Finland. Two months after the secret agreement, German invaded Poland, while the Red Army attacked Finland. The Finns fought heroically to defend their country to the last bullet, inflicting severe casualties on the Red Army. However, in March 1940, Finland chose to sign a peace treaty with the USSR, giving it 10% of its land.

The Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact on August 1939 ignited World War II. Hitler was assured in the Pact that the Germans would be free from any interference from the Red Army since Stalin would focus his attacks on the Baltic States. Therefore, Hitler began to attack Finland without reserve a week after signing the Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact. At the time, Stalin supplied Hitler with plenty of raw materials for the war. In 1938, the Soviets sold 33,143 tons of petroleum to Germany and increased the sale to 7 million tons in 1940. In January 1941, the Soviet Union and Germany signed 6 major cooperative agreements where the Soviets would supply Germany with 62 to 64 million dollars’ worth of war supplies by August 1942. Later, Stalin ordered to increase exports by 6,000 tons of copper, 1,500 tons of nickel, 500 tons each of tin, tungsten and molybdenum. 

General Thomas, the head of Economy Affairs at the Warfare Ministry of Nazi Germany, recalled the economic situation during the wartime, (paraphrasing) "The Russians have been shipping materials to us till the eve of the German attack upon them. To the last few days before the attack they were still shipping rubber to us via their Far East Express." Stalin doubtlessly made a foolish decision to support Germany on the assumption that it would be impossible for the Germans to concurrently battle on both the east and the west lines. Besides, the British were staggering the Germans with air raids. Despite a pile of intelligence briefings revealing that Germany was planning to invade the USSR, Stalin still refused to believe that Hitler was really capable of waging a war against him in such a short period of time.

At that time, Hitler stood no chance advancing toward the west because he could not pass the English Channel. He did not have the upper hand on sea or air battles. In addition, England kept receiving an increasing amount of war supplies from, and joined forces with, America. If Hitler could not defeat England, his enemy on the western front, he had to defeat Russia on the eastern front. Otherwise, he would one day risk fighting with both countries at same time.

During the 1930’s, Stalin executed around 12 million people during the revolutionary movement. Of all the members of the Politboro in the previous two terms, all but Lenin and Stalin himself, were executed. Three of five marshals were executed. Three of five military regime commanders were executed. All of the second rank of military regime commanders, totaling ten commanders were executed. Among eighty-five army commanders, fifty-seven army commanders were executed. Among 195 division commanders, 110 commanders were executed. In 1937 and 1938 alone, a total of 35,000 army officers were executed. Almost all essential officials were lost in a series of executions. At the same time, the remainder of the Red Army displayed an inferior quality in its invasion of Finland, leaving Hitler the impression that Russia was not as powerful as before. 

That was when Hitler decided to stop fighting with England and turn the gunpoint to Russia. German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joachim Vom Ribbentrop, told the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gian Galeazzo Ciano, (paraphrasing) "If Hitler can defeat Russia within eight weeks, he will not have any fear of a stab in his back." After Hitler acquired food, petroleum, metals, machines, and manpower from Russia, he would be ready to fight with England again. The evil is not always smart and the dictator is not always correct. Stalin’s meticulous plan led him astray and ended up hurting him in the end. Until June 22, 1941, only 22 months after the Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact, Stalin and millions of Russians paid the disastrous price. If a government does not have any moral standard, it might seem that it always gains an upper hand and can do whatever it wants to do. "But at the end of the day, things will even out. When the end day comes, everything will have evened out," said Winston Churchill [Paraphrase].

3. There is No Middle Ground between Good and Evil

It is necessary to describe how France was lost to Germany. As we all know, France built a 400-mile fortress on its border with Germany. The fortress was robust enough to take the impact of attacks from tanks and cannons. England and France decided that if Germany planned to invade France, it would not stand any chance of success if it tried to bypass Switzerland to enter France, or tried to conquer the fortress along the French border. The only option left would be to invade Holland and Belgium first in order to invade France from the north.

That being the most probable invasion plan, Belgium’s attitude toward Germany’s invasion would be decisive to the preservation of France. Winston Churchill wrote in The War Speeches, (paraphrasing) "On January 10, 1940 a major of the seventh German air force was ordered to deliver some documents to the main commanding unit in Cologne. Because he missed the train, he decided to fly to Cologne instead. However, the plane flew past Cologne and was forced to land in Belgium. Belgium arrested him and confiscated the documents. These documents were Hitler’s plans for the invasion of Belgium, Holland, and France." If Belgium decided to fight with Germany at the time, England and France would naturally have dispatched their troops to help with the defense of Belgium. However, at this decisive moment Belgium chose to observe Germany’s attitude, hoping that it would let go of Belgium if it remained neutral in the war between Germany and France. Germany’s combat aircraft and tanks that launched attacks upon Belgium proved Belgium’s expectation to be ignorant. From the evening of May 9th into the 10th of 1940, Germany launched a blitzkrieg, right after its intensive air raids on Belgium’s airports, transportation lines, military command centers, and arsenals, without a trace of warning or any excuse for the invasion. On May 28 Belgium surrendered to Germany. Soon afterwards German troops marched southbound quickly from Souillon, a city on the border between France and Belgium. On June 14, German troops occupied Paris.In hindsight, Belgium’s passive attitude toward the threat of Germany does not justify Hitler’s crimes. However, the initial peace policy initiated by France and England, combined with the Soviet communists and German Nazis' aggressiveness, together resulted in World War II. 

The League of Nations refused to believe the aggressiveness of Germany until they had been attacked. Because these invaded countries chose to appease, give free reign to, and help the aggressive countries with their invasion plans, their supreme military forces collapsed quickly. What followed were increasingly stronger enemies and defeats that they were forced to face. The short-term profits that England and France reaped from assisting or encouraging the invasions were quickly lost to the invaders at the beginning of the wars declared upon them. Churchill said, (paraphrasing) "If you refuse to fight for righteousness even when it only takes a small war, or a war that you are guaranteed to win, one day you will find yourself falling into a worse situation where you will be forced to defend yourself. It may be even worse. You might be forced to fight a losing war, in which there is no other choice for you except to die defending yourself or live to be a slave."

4. At the Juncture of A Historical Transition

Sixty years has elapsed since the outbreak of World War II. The smoke from gunpowder had long disappeared. The whistle and explosion of the bombs seem to be from a generation ago. Much of the vestiges of the war have turned to dust. Just as the people of the world become fascinated with the peaceful environment, singing and dancing to extol the good times, a war that challenges virtue and morality, and targets the kindhearted people of the world is lurking in. The most sinister aspect of this war is that there is no smoke from gunpowder. People are unconsciously dragged by the turbulent undercurrent into a fathomless danger, entering a trial of the heart and soul where their decisions determine their survival or complete annihilation!

Is this just a sensational statement to scare people?

Two thousand four hundred years ago, Plato, a Greek philosopher who set forth the philosophical foundations of the ancient Greek civilization, introduced the world to Atlantis, an ancient and advanced civilization dated nine thousand years previously, in his dialogues, Timaeus and Critias. Plato described in his books that Atlantis was "an amazing island empire located on a landmass the size of Libya and Asia put together, in the Atlantic Ocean west of the Mediterranean Sea. It possessed a cosmopolitan metropolis, with palaces and royal courts, adorned by gold and silver ornaments, as well as harbor works and waterways that constantly received sea-going vessels from afar. It manufactured a brilliant and shining metal. It had passenger vehicles that could fly. Its influence even reached the African continent." 

Later the people of Atlantis gradually degenerated. "They were blinded by greed, and only knew how to scramble for power and profit." [Note: That was when the empire set its sights on controlling the lands inside the Mediterranean basin. It was at this point that the fair race of Athens rose up against the Atlantean aggressor and in a decisive naval battle defeated its enemy.] Some time afterwards the god Zeus decided to punish them and "convened a meeting of the gods at his divine palace. When the gods were all assembled there, Zeus said […]"Plato stopped his writing abruptly here. There is no telling what Zeus said, but the tragic ending of Atlantis is well known --- "The god Zeus unleashed earthquakes and floods that drowned the Athenian navy and submerged the island of Atlantis in one terrible day and night."All the religious scriptures in history and timeless legends have always taught that the virtue and morality of the human race determined its safety and danger. If a war destroys lives and properties, then the ban on the cultivation of compassion is doubtlessly a massacre of the soul, and the biggest threat to the continuation of our human civilization. 

A Murder Can Be Forgiven 

This is what the American justice believes 

It seems that South Korea has forgotten about the mystical danger that was coming from the nuclear program of North Korea. Tens of thousands of South Korea citizens, mainly students, started burning American flags, chanting anti-American slogans around American army bases. The Seoul government had to get the help of 4400 police officers in order to defend the deployment sites of "American defenders." 

Here is the story that happened before this event. Two 14-year-old Korean schoolgirls were heading to their friend’s place for a birthday party on June 13th. An American tank ran them over and killed the girls. This tragedy definitely caused indignation amid the people of Korea. The indignation only increased during the dispute regarding the trial on the two members of the tank’s crew. The legal bodies of Korea insisted that the trial was supposed to take place in a Korean court. Yet, the Americans announced that the military men would be judged by American court martial. They claimed that the incident happened when the American soldiers were fulfilling their duty of service. It was also said that the soldiers were doing a training. 

The USA was confused with the growing wave of protests. On June 27th the military command of the United States stated that it would be an "honest trial." On November 22nd, a court martial ruled that the American military men were not guilty of the death of two Korean little girls. As it was explained in the verdict, the tank's driver had his view blocked, whereas the navigator’s communication equipment was out of order. 

Since then, every step of the American authorities added more fuel to the fire. An American general released a statement for journalists, in which he expanded on the differences between the legal norms of the USA and Korea. President George Bush was four months late with his official apologies for South Korea. All those statements from American officials were perceived as scorn by the Koreans. 

There was a campaign launched to collect signatures for the reconsideration of the legacy for the "American defenders" to stay in the country. A million of signatures has been collected already. The Korea Herald newspaper wrote that the Korean government was allowed to deal only with 69 of one thousand two hundred and forty six crimes, that were committed by the American military men in South Korea during 1999-2001. Those 69 crimes comprise only 5.5% of that, in spite of the fact that there was about 30% of serious crimes in that number. 

In other words, 94.5% of crimes that were committed by the American military men in South Korea, were committed in the course of their "service of duty." This is what the American command has acknowledged. This should be taken into consideration by all East-European countries that are going to become NATO members, as well as by all Central Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern countries that opened their doors for the American "fighters against the international terrorism." Better late than never. 

Shhh! American Prisoners Being Held in Afghanistan 

Guerrillas have captured five more American soldiers in Afghanistan. This is an extension to the list of 40 American soldiers who have been missing for more than a year now. This information was published in the Pakistani newspaper Frontier Post, with reference to Afghani resources. 

The above-mentioned newspaper did not inform where and when the five American soldiers disappeared. The newspaper reported that the group of soldiers that disappeared in late September of the year 2001, consisted of commandos, Afghan interpreters, and guides. The group was conducting a secret operation against the Taliban and Al-Qaida, somewhere deep in Afghanistan. 

Despite search operations with the use of up-to-date technology, including satellites and huge bribes for Afghan commanders, it was not possible to find any traces of the missing military men. American efforts to conduct negotiations regarding a possible exchange of Guantanamo captives yielded no results either. 

The information from the newspaper Frontier Post concerning the exchange of American soldiers for prisoners held on the Guantanamo base was indirectly confirmed with another piece of information. The Americans released four prisoners (three Afghanis and one Pakistani national) at the end of October. It was a big surprise for everyone. The official wording of the release was as follows: the prisoners no longer posed any threat. 

In addition, a piece of news arrived from Pakistan today, which is not likely to be good news for the Americans. The leaders of an alliance of six religious parties of Pakistan intend to prohibit further operations in search of Al-Qaida terrorists in the north-west border province of the country. The alliance intends to prohibit any operations with the participation of American CIA agents. Furthermore, the religious parties want to stop the use of Pakistani airbases by foreigners to launch military operations in Afghanistan. 

Washington: Fear or Simple Arrogance?

As Congress calls for a tougher stance on organizations funding global terrorism, the spotlight turns towards Riyadh, considered by Washington as not doing enough to combat the scourge but also a crucially important ally if a pretext can be found to launch the much-vaunted attack on Iraq. 

In a diplomatic message which was carefully sculpted to be as direct as possible but to also not antagonize what is seen as an important ally in the region, Washington declared that Riyadh "could do more" in the fight against the financiers of terrorist organizations. 

The message was delivered by White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer, who declared that "We are very serious about making sure that nations do their level best in the fight against terrorism", while the National Security Council went further, discussing contingency plans for a direct intervention in the country. 

According to The Washington Post, the US Intelligence Agencies have a list of nine people, seven saudis, a Pakistani and an Egyptian, who they suspect of being at the centre of the funding to Al-Qaeda. The NSC suggested that Saudi Arabia be given 90 days to act against the individuals named in the list before "direct action" was taken. 

Although the report did not state what form of action, it can be assumed without any exaggeration that there would have been an intrusion by Washington into the affairs of Saudi Arabia, whether by sending in "snatch squads" or by applying unbearable diplomatic and financial pressure. 

Only Washington has the ability to systematically get itself into diplomatic tangles with outbursts of arrogance of this magnitude. Were Washington to take a more pragmatic, softer line, paying what it owes to the UNO, adhering to the terms of the ecological protocols it signs, not interfering in the internal affairs of practically every country on the planet, while its institutions spread their tentacles around the social and economic fabric of their prey, life would be so much easier for the United States. 

Not only would there never have been a September 11th but the spectre of another one looming menacingly on the horizon would not be the depressing reality it is today. 

New Hawkish Lovers: America and the Islamic World

US Secretary of State participates in Ramadan

US Secretary of State Colin Powell participated in iftar, the ceremony of breaking the fast after sunset held in connection with the end of the holy Moslem month of Ramadan in the US State Department in Washington Monday evening. Powell was deeply touched by the ceremony and said, "I learnt to respect Ramadan as a tense religious period, the month of prayers, meditation, and self-renovation of Moslems of the world." The Secretary of State addressed representatives of the US Moslem communities who were present at iftar and said, the US Administration wants to "increase cooperation with Moslems on all levels." At that, he added that such cooperation includes scientist exchange programs, commercial expansion, and personal contacts of all kinds with a view "to strengthen mutual understanding between the USA and Islamic countries of the world." 

Personal contacts mean financial aid to the Iraqi opposition, which plays a top-priority in the prospective war campaign in Iraq. At that, no account is taken of protests of the Islamic world saying that anew war in the Gulf area will inevitably destabilize the region. Concerning the Palestine-Israel conflict, Washington’s mediator role is more than ambiguous. The situation is unlikely to change until January 28, when elections to the Knesst are to take place. 

When we touch upon mutual understanding in the Arab world, we should remember that in August, President Bush decided to transform an information center of the anti-terrorist coalition, created for a propaganda war with Taliban last autumn, into a permanent structure. The new organization is expected to create an attractive image of the USA in the eyes of foreigners, citizens of the Arab nations first and foremost. 

US services to lose 3.3 million jobs to India and China

Over the next 15 years, 3.3 million US services industry jobs and $136 billion in wages will move offshore to countries such as India and China, a leading research firm, Forrester Research, said. Forrester research group director John McCarthy said the numbers will easily double when the rest of G7 countries such as Japan, UK, and Germany are included. 

He said a growing base of companies are shifting a range of IT, back office, customer service and sales operations' offshore to cut their costs by up to 50 per cent. McCarthy said because of the huge amount of services' trade, India will become the US' primary trading partner in South Asia. 

This will raise India's profile in comparison with traditional US allies such as Pakistan. Forrester Research identifies and analyses emerging trends in technology and their impact on business. McCarthy said a key input into financial performance and shareholder return will be a company's ability to project manage remote services providers. 

Lack of project management expertise already hinders businesses' ability to take advantage of lower-cost IT solutions from firms in India and Russia. IT executives, who successfully manage the offshoring of their technology operations, will make the case that they can tackle outsourcing of other corporate operations. 

By the end of the decade, executive stature will be measured by the size of the outsourcing contracts that they manage, not the number of employees. McCarthy said over 10 to 20 years, there will be a tiers in the services' industry similar to the manufacturing sector. 

"Simple, base-level back-office payroll and data entry will go to rock-bottom-wage countries such as Vietnam and Uruguay over time and countries such as India will move up the chain and take on more complex software and product development services," he said. 

As a result, firms will have to take a portfolio approach and not rely on a singe vendor or country to receive the maximum cost savings. 

As call and processing centers shift from rural America to Africa, South America, and Asia, governments will jockey for IMF money to boost their telecom and services-enabled infrastructure. Telecom deregulation will become a key economic development debate. 

Without a cheap pipe, firms will not tap into the low cost labour pool. And with the services jobs will come further investment from the likes of Wal-Mart to tap into the emerging middle class. He said multinationals will push for consistent intellectual property protections, clear property rights, tariff reductions on services, and supportive liability laws in order to maintain control of their dispersed services network. 

McCarthy said the economies will increasingly favour the use of overseas services' staff because of cheaper labour rates, low cost bandwidth, standardized business application and net-based collaborative tools such as instant messaging. 

Afghanistan: America's Bleeding Wound 

The international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda resumed the work of its camps used to train terrorists in Afghanistan. This was informed by Newsweek magazine, which conducted its own probe in Afghanistan. According to the information from the magazine, there are more than a dozen of terrorist camps operating on the territory of Afghanistan. Yemen and Chechen nationals are reportedly working there as instructors. 

The magazine informed that hundreds of terrorists have trained in those camps by experienced instructors. The terrorists were taught how to handle grenade launchers, fire guns, lay mines, and use various kinds of bombs. The magazine wrote that terrorists basically disappear among the local Afghan population after two weeks of training. The magazine predicts a growth in the number of terrorist acts and armed attacks in Afghanistan. 

The report of this respectable magazine would not cost a thing before. However, the humanity is counting the last days of peace at the moment, so the revelation costs a lot. The Americans failed to conduct a blitzkrieg in Afghanistan. They defeated the Taliban forces, but then they got stuck in a guerrilla warm, and it must be confessed that they are losing the latter. 

Here is a short quote from our recent article "Unlucky Americans in Afghanistan": "Numerous operations like Anaconda or Harpoon brought no considerable results (just few ammunition depots were discovered, and several dozen fighters were liquidated). As the operations proved ineffective, they were given up in the end. From now on, if operations of this kind are to be held, they will be carried out by the Afghans themselves under the US’s strict guidance." 

Until recently, information about Americans’ situation has been concealed by the American press. What’s going to be next? This is a natural question to ask for the average American tax payer. There has not been any answer given to it yet. The Pentagon is busy with Iraq, and the American leadership doesn't really care about Afghanistan now, yet American can't get out of Afghanistan that easily. 

U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill is coming to Afghanistan. The official goal of his visit is to conduct negotiations with the leadership of Afghanistan. Senior American official is to discuss the restoration of economy and infrastructure of the country, which has been devastated by a civil war that lasted 23 years. Furthermore, O'Neill is intends to determine the efficiency of the international financial help for Afghanistan and its distribution in the country. This help is provided by the United States, first and foremost. As the US embassy in Kabul informed, Paul O'Neill will go to see the reconstruction of a highway between Kabul and Kandahar. The USA has assigned some $80 million for that project. Go figure. 

"It’s Time to Do Away With the USA Once and For All"

It’s easy to guess that the 9/11 tragedy in New York and Washington is meant. These words were said not by Bin Laden, but an American this time, 11th World chess champion Bobby Fisher. 

Fisher is a mysterious figure. He was born in Chicago, March 9, 1943. Although he learnt to play chess at the age of six and was a professional chess player at 16 already, there were few people who supposed that he would be one of the most famous grand masters, especially since the future champion left school because of his poor grades. 

This time, we would like to speak not about Fisher’s chess achievements, as are already perfectly known to the whole of the world. As with majority of geniuses, Bobby Fisher is inclined to eccentric behavior. For this very reason, special services, the FBI to be more precise, have given the champion their close attention. On the one hand, this is not a surprise at all, as Bobby Fisher has been always known for his criticism of the US political system and of the commercialization of chess in particular. 

On the other hand, the US authorities were probably highly disappointed that the American champion, who had put an end to the monopoly of the Soviet chess holders of the champion title, treats his motherland with so little respect. It was really very problematic to use Fisher’s name in the ideological struggle against the Soviet Union. 

Journalists from the Philadelphia Inquirer discovered that the Fishers had been under the watch of the FBI for a very long period. Bobby himself and his mother, Regina Fisher, who lived in the Soviet Union from 1933 to 1938, were suspected of collaboration with the KGB. The mother of the chess champion never concealed her left-wing convictions; it was alleged that she was recruited by the KGB while living in the USSR. It was supposed that the KGB enlisted Bobby in 1958, when he stayed in Moscow for some time. 

In fact, like in many other cases, these suspicions were basically caused by the fact that the Fishers have always openly criticized the US political system. However, no evidence has been found to prove any connection of Bobby Fisher and his mother with the KGB. To tell the truth, this is quite natural, especially since the chess champion himself wasn’t delighted with the USSR either. 

In 1975, after his refusal to play chess with Russian Anatoly Karpov for the world chess champion title, Fisher retreated into the shadow. The mass media discussed the champion’s strange conduct for some time and gradually lost interest in him. 

Bobby Fisher showed up in 1992 at the chess tournament in Yugoslavia. Britain’s Sunday Telegraph reported that he was allegedly searched for by the KGB because of his participation in the tournament, as he broke the UN prohibition of sports events in Yugoslavia. 

However, another statement made by Fisher last year in an interview to Philippines’ Radio Bomba concerning the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA was even more scandalous. Here is his statement word for word: "It’s wonderful news. It’s time to do away with the USA once and for all." The chess champion said that at first he didn’t believe that it really happened, that all the crimes America had committed all over the world returned to haunt it. He said: "I applaud the terrorist act. The USA and Israel have been killing Palestinians for many years. Now they get what they deserve." Therefore, it is no wonder that the FBI has always kept an eye on the Fishers. 

Geographically Challenged Americans 

The majority of Americans don’t know where Israel is located

Many people living in developed countries, and in the USA first of all, don’t know geography, and just a few of them know where Iraq, Iran, Israel, or Afghanistan are located, although much is published about these countries of late. This is the conclusion of research conducted by the US National Geographic Society in nine countries. Only 13% of young Americans subject to the draft could point to Iraq on a map (and this is at a time when the White House plans to start a war campaign), and 83% of Americans failed identify the location of Afghanistan, where the US-led campaign has been carried out since October 2001. 

Americans didn’t have any better luck pointing to the locations of Israel or Iran on a map. Three out of ten people questioned failed to find the Pacific Ocean, which covers 33% of the planet’s surface and straddles the US’s West Coast. It is astonishing, but only 89% of Americans even know where their country is located. The majority of the Americans questions did, however, manage to point to two American states: California and Texas. Here’s the kicker: those questioned had no problem answering where the popular TV show Survivor is taking place. 

It was also funny to know that many Americans think that one billion people live in the USA (in fact, the US population makes up only 281 million). On the whole, as the research in the nine countries has demonstrated, only Mexicans know geography worse than Americans. The Swedes demonstrated the best knowledge of geography: on average, they gave correct answers to 40 of the total number of 56 questions. Germans and Italians follow them with 38 correct. Everywhere, the research revealed that men are better at geography than women, with the exception of France only. French women turned out to be the only women who answered more questions correctly than their male countrymen. 

The that Americans don’t know the geographical location of Israel isn’t so awful as the fact that some Americans don’t know Canada’s location, which sounds like complete nonsense. You don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. 

The War That Entailed Another War: World War 1

Eighty four years ago, on November 11, 1918 an armistice was signed in Compiegne, which put an end to an unprecedented conflict, WWI. On the whole, the word "conflict" isn’t quite suitable here as WWI death toll was ten million people, and 20 million more were wounded in the military operations. 

It may sound blasphemous but in 84 years these figures are not so much impressive at all. And it’s probably clear why it happens this way: the much time passes since even the most tragic incident and less witnesses of it remain alive, the less the incident is recollected. And the matter in this case concerns just common people, national enterprise are not counted. If you try to stop any Russian, French, Turk, German or Englishman right in the street and ask him about November 11, 1918, there will be just few who mention the Compiegne armistice. 

Meanwhile, the WWI was one of the key reasons why the four empires, the Russian, the Ottomon, the Austro-Hungarian and the German, broke up. It is still a moot point whether the break-up was predetermined, or it’s no use to dispute who was right or wrong in that situation. Currently, these disputes are of any interest to scientists only. It’s much more interesting to know what consequences WWI brought to the humanity on the whole and to Europe in particular. 

The first idea is rather trite: as soon as WWI was over, preparation for the second world was immediately started. It is quite natural that defeated Germany, that aspired at the world’s leading role, couldn’t reconcile itself to the humiliation it suffered. The winners, England, France and the USA, were so much excited about the triumph that they couldn’t predict further activities neither of their own, or the actions of defeated Germany for several next years. And the result of it was quite natural: in fifteen years Germany got a new chancellor which it elected itself, that was Adolph Hitler. And Russia, although it was one of the key participants of the WWI, in fact remained aloof from decision-making in the after-war period. The 1917 revolution struck Russia out of the international affairs for some period. 

Another consequence of WWI was that the European community became accustomed to the idea that contemporary wars bring lots of victims, even including the civil population. Certainly the idea was shocking, and it took quite a lot of time to reconcile to it. And upsurge of the Pacifist movement is a good example to it. But was anything done to prevent incidents of this kind in the future? Nothing, in fact. All kinds of declarations on weapons restrictions and disarmament on the whole remained just declarations, as they had no considerable backing. No effective mechanisms were created to avoid mass victims among the civil population during military operations. That is why Europeans remained indifferent when the Fascist aviation bombed Spanish cities in 1936-1939. And they remained so until the bombs started dropping in Holland, France, Great Britain. 

To tell the truth, currently there are no guarantees at all that civil population won’t suffer during military operations. As it turned out, all conventions reached in this connection are effective only in peaceful time. 

We inherited one more thing from WWI: there is no hope that nothing of the kind won’t happen in the future. Certainly, the world has considerably changed over the past years. Until now, nobody, including the civilized countries, has invented a more effective way for defending its own interest, with the exception of usage of military force. The phraseology used at that hasn’t considerably changed as well: the slogans on protection of freedom and democracy always go first. To tell the truth, German Kaiser Wilhelm II wasn’t an active supporter of democracy when he waged the war. But he spoke so much about freedom that it bored even patriotically inclined Germans. 

So, the old saying comes to memory: history teaches us that it teaches nothing. And the WWI history isn’t an exception here as well. 

Biological Blame Game: USA in First Place

The 21st century has inherited a number of unsettled problems from the 20th century: terrorism, which has already gained an incredible scale; the countless number of hot spots on the planet; and the threat of a biological war. The world isn’t ready for a biological attack, and the anthrax scare in America was an obvious confirmation of this. The mass media were so focused on the problem, which in its turn caused a mass psychosis among the population. A biological weapon is an instrument for big-scale politics, and the USA openly demonstrates it (Washington thinks that the notorious "axis of evil" countries hold biological weapons.) 

No evidence is required; accusations are hurled at a country, and then its up to this country to prove its innocence. This is happening to Iraq, North Korea, Iran, and Cuba. This phobia is actively exploited not only by the political establishment, as Hollywood is also playing the game. You’ve probably also heard about the new fashion trends: people have started wearing ties with the biological cultures of anthrax, smallpox, plague, etc. 

The threat (or pseudo-threat) of a biological war is actively discussed on the top level. Talks designed to protect the world from the supposed increasing threat of biological war are to be recommenced in Geneva. About a year ago, consultations on the problem were suspended because Americans refused to participate in them. The countries that signed the 1972 Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention have been trying for several years already to make the convention prohibiting development and production of biological weapons work. The convention signed during the cold war was a mere declaration in fact: no measures for the realization of the convention were mentioned in the document at all. In December 2001, after many efforts spend on making the convention effective, Americans abandoned the negotiations, which shocked the world community. The USA says that the system suggested by the convention for control over enterprises in the biological sphere is ineffective and may entail violations, and these violations in their turn will endanger America’s national security, the BBC reports. 

The USA won’t sign the convention because it would have to open its laboratories to inspection, which very undesirable for America. Instead, Washington follows the trite principle that the best defense is an offense and accuses other countries of holding biological weapons. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday with reference to sources in the US special services that Iraq, North Korea, Russia, and France hold secret smallpox viruses. 

The American military is developing new-generation bacteriological weapons, which is a serious violation of international agreements on the prohibition of these kind of weapons. The Guardian informs that the statement was made by respected experts on both sides of the Atlantic. Professor Malcolm Dando, from the University of Bradford, and microbiologist Mark Wheelis, from the University of California, are sure that the USA is continuing to develop cluster bombs with biological components, with anthrax cultures for instance. The Guardian reports that the scientists point out the obvious contradictions in the domestic and foreign policies of the USA, which is ready to wage a war with Iraq with the supposed goal of stopping the production of the very same kinds of weapons that it is developing itself. Professor Dando says that secret military laboratories are working on the following. 

1. Attempts are being made to develop a bacteriological weapon using bacteriological materials open to all; this is being done to prove that terrorists might also do this as well. 

2. Research projects are be conducted with the goal of genetically engineering dangerous cultures, including an anthrax resistant to modern antibiotics. 

3. These laboratories are also working on the production of dry anthrax spores. However, the scale of these research projects disagrees with the declared goals; it is impossible to find out how the spore surplus is being used. 

Specialists in biological and chemical weapons also say that the USA is developing so-called "non-deadly" kinds of weapons, similar to the narcotic gas used during the storm of the theater in Moscow occupied by Chechen terrorists. The American military is also developing new generation biological weapons, which is a serious violation of international agreements prohibiting the production of these kind of weapons. 

The US’s double-dealing in the production and usage of biological weapons brings to nothing to all the efforts of the world community to gain control over the usage of such deadly weapons. Moreover, currently, members of the 1972 convention don’t speak in support of international inspections. They just hope that countries that had signed the document 30 years ago will agree to hold annual, non-committal discussions. The main objective they pursue is to constantly remind the world about the necessity to be on the look-out. Isn’t this funny? It’s obvious that the USA is laughing at the whole of the world: Washington wants to postpone the talks on the 1972 convention until 2006. Observers say that new suggestions are ineffective and are unlikely to be approved of by the White House. The principle often used by the USA, " Quod liced Jovi non liced bovi," is still in force. 

Unlucky Americans in Afghanistan 

Afghanistan for Americans is something like Chechnya for Russian Federation, Kashmir is for India and Sinkiang is for China. There is only one real difference: Chechnya is Russia’s domestic problem so is Kashmir and Sinkiang for India and China respectively ,some kind of a cross Russia, India and China have to bear to the Calvary, and Afghanistan for America is a symbol of the struggle with international terrorism, a symbol they would be happy to give up, but cannot. Everything started as a pleasure trip ( massive bombings followed by the invasion of the North Alliance, which brought the military campaign to its logical end, who seized Kabul). However, the operation wasn’t concluded, and America entered the next stage, a partisan war. To tell the truth, the Americans were evidently not ready for it: indeed, American losses considerably increased after the active stage of military operations was over. 

Numerous operations like Anaconda or Harpoon brought no considerable results (just few ammunition depots were discovered, and several dozen fighters were liquidated). As the operations proved ineffective, they were given up in the end. From now on, if operations of this kind are to be held, they will be carried out by the Afghans themselves under the US’s strict guidance. 

The current position of the liberators is rather lamentable: they stay on military bases and don’t even venture to leave. However, the Taliban’s bullets and missiles reach them even there. Last Saturday, sixteen American soldiers were killed during a missile attack on an air base near the city of Host. Five missiles were fired against the troops’ position. The missile attack spread panic among the soldiers. A special search operation conducted after the attack proved ineffective. It was decided to immediately transfer 500 soldiers from Kabul as reinforcements. 

Information closely connected with Saturday’s events was received from Afghanistan today. US warplanes bombed targets located in the Pakistani region close to the Afghan border where the Pashtun tribes live. US warplanes bombed targets in the regions of Damasar and Lowar Mandi in North Waziristan. Officers from the Pakistani military HQ visited the sites; they say there were no victims. 

However, the US operation caused a hail of protests from the local population, which is known as an ardent opponent to the US campaign in Afghanistan. It is not clear yet what motivated US aviation to carry out the attack. It is possible that the warplanes pursued terrorists hiding on the Pakistani territories. It’s not ruled out as well that the raid was a kind of revenge for the deaths of the American soldiers near Host. 

America, Open Your Eyes! 

A stranger has been terrorizing the American capital for several days in a row already. A sniper is killing innocent people. Americans are afraid to go outside of their houses or offices. No one wants to become the next victim of the invisible terrorist. Washington authorities recommended that people move in zig-zags, not to stand on one and the same place motionless. 

The sniper has reportedly killed nine people and wounded four. It has just been informed that a sniper has started shooting again. The British television network Sky TV said that there a man was wounded in the chest. The incident happened around the same area where the sniper has already "appeared" five times. FBI agents and police officers are trying to find out if it was the Washington sniper who struck again. 

Nevertheless, it does not really matter what the police are determine. It was rumored that the sniper was a cadet from a French school. Those rumors are not relevant either. We won’t talk about the details of the whole mystery – how someone sends notes to the police or gives more threats of more murders. News agencies and the television will tell you all about it. 

We would like to point out the fact that the American capital is now living in fear. Everyday living has been broken, completely destroyed. The United States has to deal with the fruit of its misanthropic policy against the rest of the "second-best" world. Will the sniper turn out to be a fanatic Arab Muslim or just a European radical (who went crazy over the "welfare" of Western democracy). This is very significant. 

The United States and its population gradually realize, what pain, fear, and horror are. These are not the feelings that Hollywood has been exploiting in its movies. This is the real life. 

It is impossible to force people cry, to spread panic, and to leave. The things that are currently happening in Washington have a metaphysical, even a religious significance. The American government does not understand anything, and this is the funniest thing of all. They are too preoccupied with another armed aggression against the long-suffering Iraq. It is clear that all the proclamations and pathetic statements about the liquidation of Saddam Hussein’s regime are nothing but a screen to hide the true interests and to establish a New World Order. 

Forget about Saddam, let him go. They’d better to ask those gray-haired Serbs and their children who survived the spring of 1999. They will tell Americans everything. This is another anti-human campaign of the United States, and it is obvious to anyone. One should assume that September 11th and the Washington sniper are just the beginning. 

A Russian radical newspaper (one that does not exist anymore) wrote: "After the explosions in New York, the United States could not understand why the world does not like it, such a wonderful and good country. A year later, America realized that the USA has all these problems because of its bad image. After the USA won the Cold War over the communist USSR, the United States settled down and started cranking out propaganda about the all-American life to the rest of the world. As a result, Osama bin Laden’s men are playing kamikaze games with the Yankees now. One shall expect more of American propaganda on television and so on. The promotion of the US image will definitely create more Osamas, his friends, and his fans." 

This is an evil and cynical quote. However, there were reasons for it. Don’t treat others you in a way that you don’t want to be treated yourself. 

It is a paradox, but a country with a very powerful military is trembling in front of its home enemy now. This enemy cannot be either detected or stopped. Evil cannot root out evil. There are no excuses for any violence. Yet, the reasons why can be understood, further bloodshed can be prevented. Probably, we will witness the "anti-terrorist campaign" in Iraq by November. 

Large-Scale Theft in US Navy

About 600 computers were stolen, including those which contained classified information Another grand scandal broke out in the US Army. It has become a tradition that such scandals are connected with computers, to be more precise, with the way computers are used and stored. 

The US Navy Auditing Service decided to audit the US Pacific Fleet. Results of the auditing shocked the Navy auditors and inspectors. Following them, Reuters news agency became shocked as well. As the agency reports, the auditing revealed that about 600 PCs were missing. Some of them had been used in work with classified information (it’s interesting, but are there any other kinds of materials that Navy officers might use on PCs?) 

Right after the unhappy discovery, suspicion arose that the classified information kept in the stolen PCs could be used against the USA. What is more important is that US security will suffer seriously in both cases, no matter if the classified information falls into the hands of terrorists or of the intelligence service of another country. As news agencies report, the US Pacific Fleet command didn’t want to publish the results of the auditing. It is clear that the Navy admirals didn’t want to look idiots in the eyes of the public, as the auditing wasn’t conducted of the whole of the US armed forces or the Navy, but only of the Pacific Fleet. 

However, one question arises: what if computers with classified information disappear not only in the US Pacific Fleet, but in the whole of the US military as well? If this is so, it is going to develop into an even bigger scandal. In any case, it is too early for military commanders to fear losing their jobs. Let’s remember that 3-4 months ago, two computers with classified information disappeared from the US Military Intelligence; however, they were later found. One of the PCs was at the home of an Intelligence officer. Isn’t it possible that seamen also took a few PCs home and now don’t dare to confess?

Western Chaos Mongers Have Armed 'Axis of Evil'

Not content with bringing India and Pakistan to the brink of nuclear war, it is documented that the Globalists, via the Anglo-American Establishment, have armed and continue to arm Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

These 'rogue states' compose George Bush's infamous 'Axis of Evil' and yet all have been transferred material that could be used to build weapons of mass destruction. In a wave of new threat assessments, war hawks are pointing to Senate reports that state Saddam Hussein has a whole catalogue of nasty biological agents that threaten the security of the Western world. While this may be true, what is swept under the rug is the fact that these biologicals were handed to Saddam by the UK and US, even after the end of the Gulf War.

The Sunday Herald of Scotland recently reported that under the successive administrations of Ronald Reagan and George Bush Snr, Anthrax, VX nerve gas, West Nile germs, botulism, along with a host of other biologicals, were sold to Hussein right up until March 1992.

The fact that Hussein gave the order to nerve gas the Kurdish town of Halabja in March 1988, killing 5000 people, did not seem to phase the US. A month later, weapons of mass destruction continued to arrive in Baghdad.

Bush has described North Korea as a nation arming with missiles of mass destruction while starving its citizens. Again, this can't be questioned. What can be questioned is why the Bush administration hand delivered hereditary dictator Kim Jong Il two nuclear power reactors capable of producing enough weapons-grade plutonium to make dozens of atomic bombs a year.

Officials argue that the $95 million reactors are proliferation proof. They content that the reactors will merely be used to supply North Korea's population (the same one being starved to death) with cheap energy. However, experts like Henry Sokolski of the Non-proliferation Policy Education Center in Washington beg to differ, "These reactors are like all reactors, They have the potential to make weapons. So you might end up supplying the worst nuclear violator with the means to acquire the very weapons we're trying to prevent it acquiring."

Every other month the media report on how the US continues to transfer highly sensitive material to North Korea, all the while fear-mongering about how it's not a matter of if but when a city gets nuked. This isn't merely a case of double standards, it's absolute lunacy.

It gets worse. Sources for the BBC and the Scotsman newspaper recently disclosed that the UK government rubber stamped the shipment of key nuclear weapons-grade material to Iran, who have publicly stated their desire to build an atomic bomb.

Many questioned why, in late September 2001, UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was suddenly dispatched to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Khomeini. Behind the public facade of 'diplomatic discussion' it is now clear that Straw was bartering for the sale of metal beryllium, a key component for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. This, despite a ban on the sale of arms to Iran under international protocol. Metal beryllium has virtually no conventional use and is exclusive to the development of nuclear weapons.

The Labour government is awash with dirty defense contracts and weapons deals with countries of highly questionable character. Labour cabinet members are prone to making regular 'diplomatic relations' trips to fundamentalist countries when in reality they are hawking illegal arms deals. Their strings are being pulled by the Carlyle Group, one of the biggest defense contractors on the planet, which counts amongst its members former leaders John Major and George Bush Snr. The bin Laden family were also members up until October 2001.

Carlyle money poisons the UK by way of British Aerospace Systems, which it partly owns. BAE has been funneling arms to unstable regions across the globe, most notoriously Pakistan and India, bringing these two nuclear capable powers to the brink of war in early 2002. BAE has also recently been pushing jet fighter sales to Saudi Arabia, another country with clear links to international terrorism.

The sale of metal beryllium to Iran completes this insane jigsaw puzzle. All three 'axis of evil' members have acquired their weapons of mass destruction from the US and the UK. While proclaiming that wild dictators are liable at any second to slaughter us, George Bush and Tony Blair have been using our tax money to empower these same dictators to do just that.

Moslem Terrorist Organizations are based in USA

Even those who know nothing about web sites have probably heard about the kavkaz.org site. In short, this is the official web site of Chechen separatists, a stronghold of terrorism on the Internet. 

In the light of the universal struggle with terrorism, it is quite natural to suppose that all civilized people in the world would want the terrorist site to be closed. However, it still exists. And this happens at the time when the police in the USA and Great Britain track visitors of the kiddies porno sites down and put them in jail. Specialists can identify the home address of these people using the IP-address only. A simple Internet investigation allows one to determine the domain host, the IP-addresses of the server supporting the site, and the name and address of the provider where the server is located. This takes just several minutes. 

Here are the results our programmers obtained. 

The information given below is specific enough for those who understand computers. 

Who is Kavkaz.org

Domain Name: KAVKAZ.ORG 

Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, INC. 

Who is Server: whois.networksolutions.com 

Referral URL: 

Name Server: ATRIVO.BASSINTER.COM 

Name Server: ATRIVO2.BASSINTER.COM 

Updated Date: 23-feb-2002 

Registrant: 

Udug, Movladi (KAVKAZ14-DOM) 

10 Bird Lane 

Orlando, FL 32860 

USA

Domain Name: KAVKAZ.ORG 

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact: 

Udug, Movladi (ZWWPQJQEGI) salatag@hotmail.com 

Udug,Movladi 

10 Bird Lane 

Orlando, FL 32860 

US 

+1-9745572730 123 123 1234 

The address and telephone number of the domain host are also available. However, more interesting things are the following. The server address on the Internet is 66.28.38.232 

who is -a 66.28.38.232 

OrgName: Cogent Communications 

OrgID: COGC 

Net Range: 66.28.0.0 - 66.28.255.255 

CIDR: 66.28.0.0/16 

Net Name: COGENT-NB-0000 

Tec Handle: ZC108-ARIN 

TechName: Cogent Communications 

TechPhone: +1-877-875-4311 

TechEmail: noc@cogentco.com 

What is the company Cogent Communications, and where is it located? 

who is -a COGC 

OrgName: Cogent Communications 

OrgID: COGC 

Address: 1015 31st Street, NW Washington DC 20007 

Country: US 

Our investigation revealed that an American company with the legal address in the US capital provides the service for terrorists. It would take five minutes to close the server down. However, despite numerous requests from Internet users and Russian state structures asking for the server to be closed, nothing is done. 

From now on, before taking the USA’s statements on its struggle against terrorism into consideration, remember please who breaks the laws on international terrorism and provides hosting for this terrorist site. According to the latest information, the Internet site kavkaz.org doesn't exist any more. 

America: The World's Worst Enemy 

OPEC is unable to restrain the greediness of its own members. It seems that the "holders" of the world oil market are very concerned about the forecasted reduction of prices in connection with the beginning of the military war against Iraq. It seems that the American administration imperils the welfare and freedom of all regions of the world for the sake of its own selfish interests. 

OPEC headquarters in Vienna published a statement that was released by its president, Rilwanu Lukman (also Nigeria’s top oil official). Lukman met with journalists in Qatar and delivered a speech. The speech was a piece of sensation. Rilwanu Lukman said that OPEC might actually allow some of its members to increase oil output quotas. The OPEC president added that it could be done only under the assumption that this action would stabilize world’s raw materials markets. 

It should be reminded here that OPEC members do not really pay much attention to such quotas now. The countries produce and sell more oil than it is stipulated by the quotas. Analysts from international energy agencies believe that Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Iran exceed OPEC’s quotas daily by 2.2 million barrels. Surprisingly, Lukman stated that OPEC welcomed the initiative of some of its members. In his opinion, the mentioned countries were overproducing due to their wish to balance oil exchanges. He added that it did not really matter to what extent OPEC members increased the crude output. He added that the main thing was the fact that the world market was positively withstanding the increases. 

Yet, as the situation of world’s leading oil exchanges shows, the extra volume of oil is still not enough. It is not enough to stabilize the market and reduce the prices down to a level that would be good for developed countries, the major oil and gas consumers. OPEC ministers claimed that an increase in oil prices (higher than was virtually set by OPEC) is the price to pay for the threat of a new war against Iraq. However, it seems that this is not quite true. 

The USA is currently ready to completely undermine the world economy and the political system for the sake of its goals. The consequences of the new war against Iraq will have a disastrous influence on all parts of the world. As a result, it will not occur to anyone to compete with the USA one way or the other. This will be the time for American business to "recapture" the world economy. 

Every country in the world has already realized that it could become America’s work-hand. Russia is trying to become an energy partner, hoping to get a leading position in the future. The European Union is still being sulky with the United States, but everyone realizes that it is time to capitulate. 

OPEC countries are in the hard position in this respect. It is obvious that OPEC’s days are numbered, no matter what they might do. The USA is going to be the one and only. This is, probably, the reason why the USA and the Arab world stand against each other so much at the moment. 

Arab sheikhs have nothing but oil. However, they managed to gain control over the developed countries of the world. This monopoly is about to be crushed. Therefore, the USA is the prime enemy both for the Muslim world and for anyone else who does not want to be a part of the "New World Order" There is no way out for the "axis of evil," but to get rid of the Americans, to back terrorists, and perform acts of terrorism. 

There used to be the USSR in opposition to the USA. All other countries felt carefree. Some of them received financial help from the USA, while others were getting "friendship loans" from the USSR. Uncle Sam did his best to get rid of the "evil empire." However, America did not even notice how it became the "evil empire" itself. 

Americans Afraid of the Whole World 

Qiao Liang, a Chinese national, who wrote the book Unlimited War (the book was written when the NATO aggression against Yugoslavia was in full swing), said the following after the tragic events of September 11th. Qiao Liang said that it was rather sad to realize that the USA would not determine who was actually to blame for the attacks on the WTC. He wrote that the USA was making too many enemies for itself in the world. 

There is a point in recalling this ancient saying against the background of the recent act of terrorism on the island resort of Bali. The "civilized community" has been nourishing the above mentioned truth for 13 months with its subversive activities in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine. 

The expulsion of UN observers from Iraq was preceded by provocative acts by some of the observers, namely, Americans. The attacks by Palestinian suicide bombers were preceded by Sharon’s public desecration of Muslim sanctuaries in combination with Israel’s attacks on Palestinians. 

Indonesia’s crisis has its roots in the Asian financial crisis of 1997, which was artificially caused by a group of international financiers with George Soros at the head. To put it shortly, this "civilized community" with America in front has been making a lot of efforts to intimidate the whole world. As a result, this community is a very good example to illustrate the mentioned sayings from a Roman philosopher and a Chinese writer. 

Americans are afraid of everyone now. The USA has recently shut down its embassy in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital. This is rather suspicious indeed. If Bush does not change his policy, then he will, most likely, be forced to dissolve the US State Department. There will be no need for it. There will be no safe place for American diplomats in the whole world. American travel companies are to experience a debacle as well. American tourists will be afraid to visit the nations that they have intimidated. 

America, the 'Very Special' Country 

Americans are not happy the military domination that they have now. The USA is going to document this domination. The present national security strategy of the USA seeks a new geopolitical reality as the White House sees it. The policy of containment is currently being exchanged with pre-emptive military strikes.

Containment was good for opposition with the Soviet Union. Yet, most nations like The Former USSR were running the same policy. Both the Kremlin and the White House realized that a nuclear conflict could only have a terrible end. Now, Americans have other enemies: international terrorists. Terrorists are not going to contain themselves. They do not feel sorry either for their victims or for their own lives. That is why the USA announced to the whole world that it has a new national security strategy. 

The USA alone will decide in which part of the world terrorists obtained the requisite possibilities for attacking America. Then, the United States will strike that part of the world several months (weeks, days, hours, seconds) before anything dangerous might happen. 

This new national security strategy stipulates that preventive strikes will be conducted only if it helps to avoid a large number of victims. Yet, it is not clear whether those strikes will be cancelled if they cause a large number of victims themselves. 

Bush’s national security advisor Condoleezza Rice expressed her total support of the new strategy during a television broadcast on PBS. Her major argument was basically that the USA is a "special country." Rice claimed that the USA is supposed to maintain its military predominance. She also added that America should not allow other countries to challenge it, because of the fact that the USA is a "special country." Most likely, this is the peculiarity that attracts terrorists. 

The USA documented in its new strategy that it is not going to allow any other country obtain military domination over the US. After that, Condoleezza Rice declared that America was not going to act alone in this respect. The USA graciously invited other "like-minded" countries to contribute to the cause. Rice recalled the nuclear parity between the USA and the USSR as a nightmare. She assured everyone that the USA was not going to let anything like that happen again. As she said, predominance does not belong to those who keep a part of the world in tyranny. Predominance belongs to the power of freedom, i.e., to the USA. This is what makes the USA so "very special." 

USA to Erase Iraq off the Map 

Negotiations between the delegations of Iraq, the UN, and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna ended. Chief U.N. arms inspector Hans Blix stated that Baghdad agreed to provide immediate and unlimited access to all sites. 

Iraq handed over four compact disks to the UN Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission, known as UNMOVIC. The disks contain information pertaining to military and civil nuclear sites. A spokesman for the Iraqi president stated that the information on the disks reflect Baghdad’s activity the last four years. 

When Washington learned about the agreement between Iraq and the UN, it was enraged. The USA forced UN inspectors to delay their return to Iraq. According to Washington’s condition, the Iraqi government is supposed to present a complete declaration of its "weapons of mass destruction" and related programs. 

America does not think that the information on the compact disks is enough. Colin Powell stated on October 1 that the White House was determined to settle the Iraqi issue for good. Therefore, if Iraq is not going to accept all its sins, if it is not going to present a complete list of its weapons of mass destruction, then it will have big trouble. 

For Iraq, this list is like a grave in which it will be buried later. However, the United States has its own logic, and it is hard to argue with against it. There is no way out for Saddam: there will be a war one way or the other. 

However, the new resolution is supposed to be approved by the UN Security Council. Three of its five permanent members (Russia, France, China) are not willing to approve of any additional resolutions. They would rather prefer to see how old resolutions are being implemented. 

If there is a war against Iraq or not, Washington plans to get rid of Saddam. The latest speech from Vice President Dick Cheney is a good indication. Cheney initiated the development of a plan to unite Iraq and Jordan. This single kingdom would be subordinated to incumbent Jordanian King Abdullah II. The city of Amman will be the capital of the kingdom. The plan stipulates the unification of Jordan and the part of Iraq where Sunnite Arabs live. The plan was discussed in London between Jordan emissaries and representatives of the Iraqi opposition. 

Well....that's not all future adventures are being planned on many more whom The USA thinks as enemies of world peace and security or rather its enemies.

America's Shock on October 4, 1957 

It is definitely pleasant to be the king of the world, a great title for the Western world. The United States cannot cope with the idea that there might be someone else in the world who wants the throne as well. A throne is meant only for one. The Soviet Union was one of those who sought this throne. The USSR was doing its best to catch up with the United States. 

America's shock came in 1957, when the USSR launched the first satellite into space. Several years later, in 1961, Yury Gagarin, a Soviet national, became the first man in space. The Americans tried to understand how it could be possible, and they studied a lot of old Soviet newspapers and technical magazines. 

Everyone was sure that the center of the world science was the USA. There were rumors that the USSR stole its A-bomb technology from the USA. As far as the intercontinental missile is concerned, the Soviet Union could not steal it from anyone, since no one had it. The USSR had the A-bomb and a way to deliver it to any place on the planet. The cost of a Soviet missile was much lower than anyone else’s. 

Needless to mention that the Americans became very excited about that. They increased their scientific, designing, and research works. The scientific personnel increased in its number from 460 thousand to 750 thousand people during the period 1960-1982. Spending on military scientific research was increased from nine to fourteen billion dollars. 

The Soviet Union spent ten billion rubles on science; including defense research, 49 million. The prime cost of Soviet scientific research was much lower than what America had spent. Each scientific discovery in the West was basically evaluated with by number of dollars spent. In Soviet Union, it was not about the money; it was about the level of intellectual satisfaction. The Soviet people had an idea they believed in. They were ready for anything. 

The Americans ought to be grateful to the USSR for the launch of the first satellite. The USA rushed forward, leaving the Soviet Union behind in certain aspects. Therefore, the American miracle, which is a common theme of western propaganda, was actually made by Russians. Hence American agents are spread all over the globe to twist the facts and hence suit their desired Hawkish purposes.

No Support for USA in Arab World

Preparation for the war against Iraq is underway in the USA; however, the Arab nations refuse to join the anti-Hussein coalition. In addition to the Arab solidarity, each of the countries has its own reasons for this. Kuwait, which still remembers the Iraqi occupation that caused the previous war against Saddam Hussein, remains America’s most reliable ally in the Arab world. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf said a month ago that as long as Saddam Hussein held Kuwaiti captives and kept on threatening Kuwait, the country would consider the war unfinished. Therefore, if America wages a new war in Iraq, this will mean the continuation of that previous war for Kuwait. Kuwait believes that no stability can be expected in the region until Saddam Hussein is overthrown. The country still fears that Iraq might attack. In spite of the ideological support that Americans enjoy in Kuwait, the Kuwaiti defense minister, al-Mubarak, said that the country would allow the USA to deploy troops on its territory only if the UNO agrees. He said in an interview last month that there was no increase of US troops in the country, just an ordinary rotation of the armed forces. 

The US contingent in Kuwait makes up over 4,000 soldiers; training missions are held there annually. Last year, a demonstrative exercise was held in Kuwait, where Desert Storm veterans George Bush and General Schwarzkopf were present. This November, the USA plans to hold a joint exercise together with three Arab countries in Jordan. These will be Jordan, Egypt, and United Arab Emirates. The Jordanian information minister talked about the exercise, but he didn’t mention the exact time and place. He said that the exercise would be ordinary, having nothing to do with the US’s campaign against Iraq. Until now, Jordanian King Abdullah protested against any operations against Iraq. He thinks that the Palestine-Israel conflict should be settled first. At the same time, King Abdullah stresses that if war begins, it is Saddam Hussein who is to be blamed for it. Jordan claims it would keep its neutrality in a possible armed conflict between the USA and Iraq. The country is completely dependent upon Iraqi oil supplies. Bahrain, where the 5th fleet of the US Navy is situated, is one of USA’s key allies in its military campaign. The Pentagon is likely to give a key role to this country. Bahrain monarch sheikh Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa objected to any military operation by the USA in Iraq. The USA wants to involve many countries in the action. 

Qatar may become another basis for the US war. Although Qatar is currently speaking in support of diplomatic regulation of the problem, it allowed the USA to use its air force bases during the previous war. In 1991, the USA used the Saudi territories as a beachhead for its attacks. This time, it won’t. However, Saudi Arabia has recently relaxed its opinion and said it would allow the USA to use its bases if the Americans have an UN mandate. As well as Jordan, Egypt thinks that the USA should settle the Arab-Israeli conflict first. At the same time, Egypt, which receives gets 2 billion dollars per year from the USA, called upon Iraq to use the chance it has to avoid great problems. 

Syria has always been in opposition to Hussein, but will hardly send its troops to war as it had done in 1991. Syria thinks that this war will favor the USA and Israel, as well as establish a puppet regime in Iraq. Syria is worried about quite a different problem; it dreams of regaining the Golan Heights. However, the USA will hardly help it in this case, even if Syria joins the coalition. The opinion of Arab leaders concerning an armed conflict against Iraq depends not only upon their sympathies toward their Arab neighbors. Kings and sheikhs fear that their countries will also boil over and that not only the Iraqi regime will be changed after this war.