Global Paradigms

Check out my: Expanding the War to Iran: Another “Urban Legend?” Leon Hadar | January 26, 2007 IRC Right Web Rejecting the notion that the United States was planning to attack Iran and Syria, White House Spokesman Tony Snow called it a myth or an “urban legend.” “I want to address [a] kind of a rumor, an urban legend that's going around,” Snow told reporters at a White House briefing two days after President George W. Bush vowed to go after Iranian terrorist networks involved in Iraq violence. “What the president talked about in his speech on Iraq strategy is defending American forces within Iraq,” Snow insisted. In his January 11 televised speech on U.S. policy in Iraq, Bush had accused Tehran and Damascus of fueling the insurgency in Iraq and expressed disagreement with proposals, including from the Iraq Study Group (ISG), to negotiate with both countries as part of an effort to reach peace and stability in Iraq. He said: “We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We'll i...

In the New York Times today. The writer, Michael Oren seems to be a bit confused. I don't recall that Syria was placed on the "axis of evil." But never mind.. And of course he is actually opposed to Israel-Syria talks but doesn't say so. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 24, 2007 Op-Ed Contributor What if Israel and Syria Find Common Ground? By MICHAEL B. OREN ISRAEL’S newspapers are rife with reports of a peace agreement secretly forged between Israeli and Syrian negotiators. Though both the Syrian and Israeli governments have denied any involvement in the talks, past experience shows that such disavowals are often the first indication of truth behind the rumors. Certainly, there is nothing new about the details of the purported plan, which involves a staged Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, occupied since 1967, and the full normalization of relations between Damascus and Jerusalem. Nor is there a preced...

(original lyrics by Natalie Cole): Gimme some time [ like six months or more ], Baby I know you're thinking that I'm playing [ neocon games;politics ] But I'm saying that I wouldn't hurt you for the world, oh no [ did I ever lie?] I'm not so blind, Baby [ I see we're like winning in Iraq ] I need your lovin' and you know it (yes, I do, well) 'cause I'll show it, well I don't wanna be hurt you [ and I'll love you in the morning ] If you want me to I'll keep it a secret [ we're good in that ] But please let me get through your door [ or I'll use the Patriot Act ] 'Cause I guarantee that once we get started You'll soon be begging for more [ troops ] We want the whole world to know that we are one [ spreading freedom everywhere and stuff ] So why don't you gimme some time, Baby [ please...] Let's take advantage not for granted for the good things [ mess in Iraq ] (We got for the good thangs) I don't want to be hurt...

I've learned from the Israeli press that my old friend, Alon Liel (seen above), a former Israeli diplomat, has been conducting secret negotiations with Syrian representatives: Last update - 21:57 18/01/2007 Alon Liel: Israel rejected Syrian bid for wartime talks By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press Syria is serious about resuming peace talks with Israel and even proposed holding secret high-level talks during the war in Lebanon last summer, which Israel rejected, retired diplomat Alon Liel said Thursday. Israel's leaders quickly distanced themselves from reports leaked by Haaretz earlier this week that former Foreign Ministry director general Liel held unofficial talks with a Syrian. Liel, going public for the first time Thursday, said he briefed government officials every step of the way. He said he believed his counterpart, Syrian-American businessman Ibrahim Suleiman, also had channels to the Syrian government. "Our testimony is that it is very...

I liked The Children of Men about a fascist world of the future in which all women are infertile and and in which there is a lot of violence as groups fight against the government and against each other. The movie is based on a book by P.D. James which was published in the 1990's. For James who is politically conservative and is opposed to abortion that the human sperm count went to zero is a metaphor for the collapse of the family structure, loss of faith and the dying western civilization. But in the movie the end of the human race is leading to violence, terrorism and wars, with the world looking like a huge Baghdad/Gaza Strip. So... here is my problem: According to the popular Youth Bulge theory "one of the strongest indicators of whether a country will be prone to military conflict, general destabilization or revolt, is its demographics. More specifically, if it has a large proportion of generally poor and dissatisifed, young men, the likelihood increases by a landsli...

(Stimulate a hormonal surge that drives high concentrations of certain nutrients, deep into the muscle cell. Biotest Surge is designed to switch on anabolism and halt catabolism when its absolutely most important, post workout. Speed up your bodys ability. Check here for info. It says that "this product was discontinued." We wish...) On a serious note. I'll be posting something longer on the topic in the next day or two. But in a way my earlier post on Iran-Israel-U.S. ties, including my Osirak Redux? tie neatly into what Bush is proposing. If you read his comments on Iran and Syria, it's becoming clear that the administration is preparing to escalate the war and expand it to Iran and Syria. The Cambodia analogy was raising by many pundits today, including by Senator Hagel during Condi's testimony on Capitol Hill : Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., a twice-wounded Vietnam veteran, called Bush's speech "the most dangerous foreign policy blunder since Vietnam - ...

Please read my new analysis in The American Conservative on how An Israeli strike on Iran would pin the U.S. down in Iraq and resuscitate the neocons.

Check-out my Brace Yourself for 2007.