by Ali Jawad for the AhlulBayt Islamic Mission (AIM). In its coverage of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the language of the West is indelibly coloured with imperial hubris and Euro-centric prejudice. Ever since the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in February of 1979 under the leadership of the late Imam Khomeini, Iran has transformed into an object of hate and contempt within the elitist political classes of Western capitals;
by Pyotr Iskenderov for Strategic Culture Magazine The contours of the Kosovo separatists’ plan to suppress the Serbian resistance in the northern part of the province with the help of the US and the EU are getting increasingly visible. The statements emanating from Pristina and the intensifying international debates over the Kosovo theme do not only show that the Albanian separatists are preparing an attack against their opponents but also
In Russia, Turkey and the Great Game: Changing teams the new line-up of the players in the Great Game was set out. Here, Eric Walberg considers the implications for the Middle East. A vital playing field in today’s Great Game is Palestine/Israel, where again there is a tentative meeting of political minds between Russia and Turkey. In defiance of the US and much of Europe, both endorsed the Goldstone report
Call my paranoid (I am). Call me distrustful (I am). Call me cynical (I am). But I still smell a rat and the stench of that rat is getting stronger every minute. Take a look at this BBC article about the election results in the Ukraine. Observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) were unusually blunt, warning the country’s political leaders they should listen to the
by Lisa karpova and Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey for Pravda.Ru How things have changed. The People Power colour revolutions have spluttered and now faded away as reality starts to bite, as it becomes increasingly apparent that people are not easily duped by pie-in-the-sky promises and crucially, as it becomes blatantly obvious that each nation occupies a cultural space that has to be respected. It therefore comes as no surprise that Viktor Yanukovych
(Thanks for Truthseeker for a pointer to this wonderful video! VS)
(I just saw this on Gilad’s blog and it’s too good to pass) Note: the full movie can be downloaded from the Pirate Bay here: http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5247499/American_Radical___The_Trials_Of_Norman_Finkelstein_-_AVI_-_GCJM It is worth noting that unlike some pseudo-progressives or anarcho-capitalists, the producers of this movie are not threatening lawsuits about the so-called “illegal” downloads of their movie. Instead, they posted this message on The Pirate Bay: Hello torrenters. I’m the owner of the film
It has been about 6 months now since I wrote my first post here about the 9/11 Truth movement. Following this initial article, I posted another one trying to encourage my readers to go and dig for the facts by themselves. Hoping to encourage independent research, I have now posted some 9/11 links on this blog, and an RSS feed from 911Truth.org. So far, the reactions to the new “truther”
Democracy Now reports: In Michigan, explosive details have emerged from the long-awaited release of the autopsy report for a Detroit-area Muslim imam slain by the FBI in October. The imam, Luqman Ameen Abdullah, headed a Sunni Muslim group called the Ummah. He was shot dead during an FBI raid shortly after being indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit federal crimes. Local Muslim leaders have questioned if authorities are trying
by John Pilger for The New Statesman The theft of Haiti has been swift and crude. On 22 January, the United States secured “formal approval” from the United Nations to take over all air and sea ports in Haiti, and to “secure” roads. No Haitian signed the agreement, which has no basis in law. Power rules in a US naval blockade and the arrival of 13,000 marines, special forces, spooks
By Carolyn Baker for Information Clearing House It’s the end of the affair, and the stale taste of limerence stays on your tongue. You were promised the sun, moon, and stars, and you desperately wanted to believe it was real, especially after the betrayal of your former relationship of eight years. You had considered escaping-riding off into the sunset to another country where he couldn’t find you, or so you
DemocracyNow reports: US to Expand Missile Defense System in Persian Gulf In a move expected to heighten tension in the Middle East, the Obama administration is quietly expanding its land- and sea-based missile shield system in the Persian Gulf region. The US is dispatching Patriot defensive missiles to Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait. In addition, the US is keeping two ships in the Gulf capable of shooting down
The Internet is being flooded with all sorts of claims about 4+ and 5th generation fighters and I think that some reality needs to be re-injected into all this. Thankfully, Air Power Australia, which always has very good technical analyses, published an excellent comparative chart which is very helpful in getting some sense of the real capabilities of the various 4+ and 5th generation fighters currently in existence: Ok. I
Check out this high res photo taken below the PAKFA which clearly shows the 4 weapon bays (between the engine nacelles) and the 4 additional external mounting points (external wings). This is *a lot* of firepower. Found this one on the excellent militaryphotos.net site (again) (Click on the photo for the high res.)
I just found these pictures at militaryphotos.net: You can clearly see from these photos that the US F-22 and the Russian PAK-FA are dramatically different aircraft. As as aside, militaryphoto.net is a very decent place to get some good discussions on military topics. Unlike so many other fora, the jingoistic flag-waving trolls usually get rapdly denounced because a lot of competent folks post there.
Make sure to click on the photo for the high-res original!
Some of you have expressed interest in the new Russian 5th generation multi-mission combat aircraft known as the PAK-FA or T-50. There is a lot of nonsense written about this aircraft, but in this sea of crap, I found one analysis which is so good that I decided to re-print it here in-extenso. This is something I found on the Aviation Week Ares blog and it is written by Bill
