The Origins of Imperial Israel - Part I

Source: Boiling Frogs Post
Andrew Gavin Marshall

Israel: A Buffer against Arab Nationalism

 

Israel emerged in the post-War period due to a great many complex domestic and international political reasons: to provide a place to direct the Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, to allow the British to formally end the Mandate over Palestine which they held as their empire was crumbling, and to serve as a ‘buffer state’ for Western nations in the Middle East, a region of the world which was identified as a necessity to control in order to secure its vast oil resources and strategic position in relation to the East. America in the post-War period, however, was deeply divided in its strategic-imperial circles on whether or not to support the State of Israel, which did not become a stated and strong policy until the later 1950s. The State Department, in particular, full of individuals who were familiar with the politics and changes in the Middle East, were worried that support for Israel would threaten America’s interests in the region by antagonizing the Arab states and ruining America’s good reputation following the War. Others, however, won out in the end, largely by arguing that such a state in the Middle East would be a significant support to American interests, acting as a powerful ‘buffer’ against the spread of Arab nationalism and Pan-Arabism. In its first years, Israel walked a balance of receiving support from both the United States and the Soviet Union. With the rise of Nasser in Egypt, however, America saw its imperial interest in supporting Israel.

 

The notion of a “Jewish State” as a ‘buffer’ for the West had been a long-held desire among imperial strategists and was even a popular means of promoting the Zionist cause from leaders within the Zionist movement. In the early 20^th century, the Zionists, keenly aware of the British and French imperial rivalry in the Arab East, “knew how to convince London of the value of a British-controlled Jewish buffer-state in Palestine for the protection of the Suez Canal and imperial communications to India.”[1] In 1907, the London Colonial Conference emphasized the increasing interest in establishing a ‘buffer state’ for British imperial interests in the Near East. The Conference agreed “to establish a strong but alien human bridge in the land that links Europe with the Old World which would constitute, near the Suez Canal, a hostile power to the people of the area and a friendly power to Europe and its interests.”[2]

British imperial strategists were increasingly alarmed with the growing “Arab Awakening” emerging in the context of Arab indigenous nationalism. These fears of a growing and developing Arab nationalism informed British Prime Minister Campbell Bannerman when he stated at the 1907 Colonial Conference:

Empires are formed, enlarged and stabilized so very little before they disintegrate and disappear… Do we have the means of preventing this fall, this crumbling, is it possible for us to put a halt to the destiny of European colonialism which at present is at a critical stage?[3]

Escobar: US, Iran... 2012 Will Be Hardcore

Source: RT

Iran has been holding naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz since December 23, and has threatened to close the key oil supply route if new US sanctions hit its exports. It later backed down. However, in an escalating war of words, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said that closure of the Strait would not be tolerated.

Pepe Escobar, Asia Times correspondent told RT the year 2012 would be a hardcore one, mainly because of the US-Iran tensions.

Police State 2012: No Need To Wait, It's Already Here

Source: Boiling Frogs Post and Cobett Report

CONTINUE WATCHING: Boiling Frogs Post

TRANSCRIPT AND SOUCES:

A TV station in Boston airs a story about a library that sent a police sergeant to collect overdue library books from a 5-year-old girl.

The Associated Press reports on a 70 year old woman in Utah who was wrestled to the ground and arrested for failing to maintain her lawn in accordance with city standards.

The Auto-Tech blog of MSNBC runs a public interest story about the latest must-have gadget for local police stations around the country: 10-person, 16,000 pound armor plated tanks that are paid for by the federal government.

One of the greatest problems in talking about the police state is that all such discussion of the subject is hampered by the lack of a clear-cut definition.

Given the public’s own ignorance of the true nature and function of a police state, story after story after story of intolerable levels of official oppression, secret illegal surveillance, and increasingly sophisticated technology for tracking, apprehending, incapacitating and even killing dissenters can be dismissed because these stories are reported one at a time, in a contextless and therefore meaningless way that invites the interpretation that these stories are only warnings of what is to come instead of sign posts of a reality that is already here.

Twisted Logic Of Using Violence To Achieve Peace

Source: Eurasia Review
Ramzy Baroud

‘Sooner or later, there will be no escape from conducting a significant operation [in Gaza],’ said Israeli army Chief of Staff Lieutenent General Benny Gantz on December 27, the third anniversary of Operation Cast Lead.

Gantz’s chillingly casual remarks were cited as just another nonchalant declaration of war against a besieged, impoverished, overcrowded and routinely bombarded stretch of land. From the Israeli military and political point of view, Gaza merely exists as an opportunity for the Israeli army to test its latest weapon technology and send political messages to Israel’s foes in the region.

As if to validate Gantz’s logic, the ardently rightwing Israeli Jerusalem Post elaborated on December 28: “The Israel Air Force, working with the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency], fired a missile at Gaza terrorists [fighters] involved in recent attacks on Israel, killing one and injuring two others.” They were ‘terrorists’ because Israel has designated them so. There was no due process and none was expected. When it comes to reporting on Israel/Palestine, corporate media largely relies on Israeli lies and propaganda. And one moral crisis begets another. The Israeli propaganda is predicated mostly on racism, not just in its view of Palestinians in Gaza, but of all Arabs.

Let’s examine the curious logic of Yuli Edelstein, Israel’s Propaganda and Diaspora Minister. In a recent talk in Or Yehuda, the man laid out his understanding of how peace can be achieved. “As long as the Arab nation continues to be a deplorable nation, which continues investing in infrastructure for terrorism, education to hate, and welfare for the families of shaheeds [martyrs], there will be no peace,” he said, according to Yossi Gurvitz in +972 online magazine.

Gurvitz further wrote: “I phoned the minister’s office for comment, and asked his spokesman: ‘Are you aware of the fact there are some 80 million Arabs in the world, from Sudan to Syria?’ He replied: ‘Yes, there are — and the minister meant them all.’”

I must admit that cogent political analysis becomes difficult when a country’s foreign policy and military strategy are constructed on unabashed racism, ignorance and a reproduction of 19th century Orientalism. How is one to forecast the possibilities of a just peace in Palestine when a well-regarded Israeli minister places a condition on the ‘Arab nation’ to become less deplorable? How can Gaza avoid another ‘Operation Cast Lead’ if its fate has already been sealed, with the ambiguous timeframe of ‘sooner or later’?

China Wants to Set Up Bases in Pakistan, Reveals Intelligence Report

Source: India Today

China might be allowed to use Pakistan's military facilities, a secret intelligence report accessed by Headlines Today has revealed.

The intelligence report has set alarm bells ringing in the government circles. Moreover, all this is being done without any public announcement.

China has been keen on building military bases in federally administered tribal areas (FATA) in the northwest region of Pakistan. In the last few months there have been several high level meetings of Pakistani and Chinese officials.

The intelligence report says: "China's desire for a military presence in Pakistan has been discussed by the political and military leadership of that country in the recent months. China's deepening strategic penetration of Pakistan and joint plans to set up... oil pipelines/rail/roads as well as naval and military bases are a matter of concern."

According to the assessment report, Chinese presence in this area might enable People's Liberation Army (PLA) to counter the Muslims separatists operating from this part of Pakistan for terrorist activities in its Xinjiang province.

Leaked: US To Start 'Trade Wars' with Nations Opposed to Monsanto, GMO Crops

Source: Activist Post
Anthony Gucciardi

The United States is threatening nations who oppose Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) crops with military-style trade wars, according to information obtained and released by the organization WikiLeaks.

Nations like France, which have moved to ban one of Monsanto’s GM corn varieties, were requested to be ‘penalized’ by the United States for opposing Monsanto and genetically modified foods.

The information reveals just how deep Monsanto’s roots have penetrated key positions within the United States government, with the cables reporting that many U.S. diplomats work directly for Monsanto.

The WikiLeaks cable reveals that in late 2007, the United States ambassador to France and business partner to George W. Bush, Craig Stapleton, requested that the European Union along with particular nations that did not support GMO crops be penalized. Stapleton, who co-owned the Dallas/Fort Worth-based Texas Rangers baseball team with Bush in the 1990s, stated:

Country team Paris recommends that we calibrate a target retaliation list that causes some pain across the EU since this is a collective responsibility, but that also focuses in part on the worst culprits. The list should be measured rather than vicious and must be sustainable over the long term, since we should not expect an early victory. Moving to retaliation will make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices.

The Leaked Political Agenda Behind Monsanto’s GMO Crops

The ambassador plainly calls for ‘target retaliation’ against nations who are against using Monsanto’s genetically modified corn, admittedly linked to organ damage and environmental devastation.

Amazingly, this is not an isolated case. In similar newly released cables, United States diplomats are found to have pushed GMO crops as a strategic government and commercial imperative.

The Strait of Hormuz Heats Up - False Flag Possibility Increasing

Source: Corbett Report and RT

Iran has warned the United States it will take action if an American warship returns to the Persian Gulf. It left the area when Iran started its 10-day naval war games, during which they successfully test-fired a number of different missiles. But Russia’s defense ministry says that despite the latest military exercise, the Iranians don’t have the technology to make intercontinental ballistic missiles. Meanwhile France is pushing for stricter sanctions as it says it’s sure Tehran is developing nuclear weapons. It’s urged EU countries to follow the U.S. in freezing Iranian central bank assets and imposing an embargo on oil exports. Tehran has been threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most important oil routes – if the West stepped up sanctions. RT talks to James Corbett, editor of the Corbett Report website.

Final Curtain: Obama Signs Indefinite Detention of Citizens Into Law As Final Act of 2011

Source: Global Research
Jonathan Turley

President Barack Obama rang in the New Year by signing the NDAA law with its provision allowing him to indefinitely detain citizens. It was a symbolic moment to say the least. With Americans distracted with drinking and celebrating, Obama signed one of the greatest rollbacks of civil liberties in the history of our country . . . and citizens partied only blissfully into the New Year.


Ironically, in addition to breaking his promise not to sign the law, Obama broke his promise on signing statements and attached a statement that he really does not want to detain citizens indefinitely.

Obama insisted that he signed the bill simply to keep funding for the troops. It was a continuation of the dishonest treatment of the issue by the White House since the law first came to light. As discussed earlier, the White House told citizens that the President would not sign the NDAA because of the provision. That spin ended after sponsor Sen. Carl Levin (D., Mich.) went to the floor and disclosed that it was the White House and insisted that there be no exception for citizens in the indefinite detention provision.

The latest claim is even more insulting. You do not “support our troops” by denying the principles for which they are fighting. They are not fighting to consolidate authoritarian powers in the President. The “American way of life” is defined by our Constitution and specifically the Bill of Rights. Moreover, the insistence that you do not intend to use authoritarian powers does not alter the fact that you just signed an authoritarian measure. It is not the use but the right to use such powers that defines authoritarian systems.

The almost complete failure of the mainstream media to cover this issue is shocking. Many reporters have bought into the spin of the Obama Administration as they did the spin over torture by the Bush Administration. Even today reporters refuse to call waterboarding torture despite the long line of cases and experts defining waterboarding as torture for decades. On the NDAA, reporters continue to mouth the claim that this law only codifies what is already the law. That is not true. The Administration has fought any challenges to indefinite detention to prevent a true court review. Moreover, most experts agree that such indefinite detention of citizens violates the Constitution.

Faking It: How the Media Manipulates the World into War

Source: GRTV and Corbett Report
James Corbett

TRANSCRIPT AND SOURCES:

As the drums of war begin to beat once again in Iran, Syria, the South China Sea, and other potential hotspots and flashpoints around the globe, concerned citizens are asking how a world so sick of bloodshed and a population so tired of conflict could be led to this spot once again.

Israel Threatens Gaza After Panetta Signals Green Light for Attack on Iran; More Imperialist Moves Against Syria; Wall Street Faction Seeks Closure of Hormuz to Stave Off Dollar Collapse

Source: PressTV
Dr. Webster Tarpley

In this edition of News Analysis we will examine the possibility of another war on the Gaza strip by Israel and whether this latest threat underlies deeper worries by Israel due to changes in the regional landscape from the Arab Spring in which parliamentary results from different Arab countries show a break from the past with Israel.

Establishment Candidates and Mainstream Media Ridicule Ron Paul for Telling the Truth

Source: Infowars

Editor's Note:

Sadly, the mainstream depends on viewer ignorance of actual facts and history in order to discredit and ridicule the one candidate who actually addresses the glaring corruption of the corporately controlled American establishment.

Inside The Media Assault Against Ron Paul and Independent Liberty

Source: Activist Post
Anthony Gucciardi 

Corporate media talking heads simply cannot admit that the Ron Paul 2012 campaign, along with the inexorable momentum of the liberty movement as a whole, has now soared high enough to shatter the false political paradigm -- even crushing opponents in a wide array of corporate-backed polling results.

Of course so-called 'conservatives' cannot talk about the success of the Ron Paul 2012 campaign on air, and it's steadily becoming impossible to use their favorite tactic from the 2008 elections: pretend it doesn't exist.

Whether you are a radio insider, or the average listener, it is easy to see that a great deal of deception goes into formulating the best way to present the Ron Paul campaign to ignorant radio listeners that are not fully aware of the truth surrounding the campaign and the liberty movement as a whole. Instead of speaking the truth, or even slightly discussing the success of the Ron Paul campaign, it seems that a virtually unanimous decision has been made among mainstream reporters. Mainstream 'conservatives' are now rallying their steadily-declining listener base to vote for the best chance of 'winning', not the best candidate.

Fake Conservatives Urge Listeners to Abandon Morals, Vote for 'Best Chance'

It is easy to hear this rhetoric from the majority -- if not all -- phony conservative talk show hosts. Whether they're sounding the alarm to donate and support Romney for the 'best chance to win and take the House', or discussing the 'experience to win' that Gingrich has, they're ordering listeners to throw what's right to the wind and continue the current left/right paradigm charade for another 4 years. Of course this will simply lead to more of the same, a new face and the same anti-constitutional policies that we have seen for countless years.

Nonetheless, these fraudulent conservative preachers cling to the concept of getting a republican in the White House over anything else. It could be Adolf Hitler, but as long as he's running as a mainstream Republican with a 'good chance' of winning, powerhouse 'conservative' figureheads will say it is the nation's only chance. What the talking heads fail to tell you is the fact that Ron Paul has the best chance of winning the 2012 elections.

If these talking heads were into telling the truth, they would tell you that Ron Paul is achieving major success throughout a number of powerful mediums including social media and networking -- the purest form of news and communication. Within social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, which are absent of political overlords, Ron Paul is seeing the most growth of any political candidate.

In fact, Ron Paul has grown in his number of followers by 30.05% on Twitter in the month of December alone, while Gingrich improved by only 1.79%. In a medium where the dissemination of truthful information is prevalent, Ron Paul simply comes out on top.

Despite the massive smear campaigns and media deception, the most intriguing factor in the war against Ron Paul and independent liberty is the call to disregard morals, conscience, and intellectual integrity. Even if Ron Paul was not crushing opponents in mainstream polls and online presence, it does not mean that voters should send their support over to the 'best chance' regardless of their policies or intentions.

The entire mindset of 'best chance' voting displays how backwards the moral compass of the nation truly is, where simply 'winning' -- regardless of repercussions or consequence -- trumps any form of moral or ethical considerations.

Anthony Gucciardi is an accomplished investigative journalist whose articles have appeared on top news sites and have been read by millions worldwide. A health activist and researcher, Anthony’s many articles on wellness and vaccine safety information can be found by visiting his site NaturalSociety.

China Prepares for Lift-off With Mission to Land on the Moon

Source: The Independent
Clifford Coonan

China has released plans for a five-year space programme, including building a space station and manned missions.

Its ambitions reflect those of the US more than 40 decades ago, and have similar goals. Just as the US space programme came at a time of major economic expansion, so China's drive comes as it grows in economic power and global influence.

Details of the programme include building space labs and manned spaceships, launching high-tech satellites and space freighters as well as deep-space exploration.

"China will work together with the international community to maintain a peaceful and clean outer space and endeavour to make new contributions to the lofty cause of promoting world peace and development," a government white paper called China's Space Activities in 2011, says.

The US has barred China's participation in the 16-country International Space Programme because it is concerned about military espionage.

China is now looking to other partners to help meet its ultimate goal – putting a Chinese taikonaut, or astronaut, on the moon.

It is thought Beijing is keeping in close contact with their Russian counterparts on the Yinghuo-1 Mars orbiter.

Satellites play a big part in China's space plans. It will build a space infrastructure composed of Earth observation satellites, communications and broadcasting satellites, as well as navigation and positioning satellites.

It plans to complete 100 launch missions and send 100 satellites into space over the next five years.

Beijing is keen to ease fears that China is planning to expand its presence in space for military reasons. The white paper specifically states that it opposes any kind of arms race in space.

"The Chinese government has made the space industry an important part of the nation's overall development strategy and adhered to the exploration and utilisation of outer space for peaceful purposes," the paper says.

In the next five years, the country plans to launch spacecraft that will make a soft landing on the moon.

They will then rove and survey to implement stage two of lunar exploration, before beginning the third-stage project of gathering samples of the moon's surface matter and getting those samples back to Earth.

10 New Year's Resolutions for Non-violent Activism

Source: Activist Post

As the United States edges closer to becoming a third world country; anger, frustration, and cynicism continue to mount in the minds of the American population.  Americans are no longer optimistic about the direction of their country.  This pessimism seems warranted as authentic political solutions appear to be in short supply in our corporate state.

The democratic political system is now clearly run by crony cartelism.  The multinational banks have hijacked the economy and are openly looting the public. Mounting and impossible-to-pay off debt is crippling local governments. The entire spectrum of our rights continues to degrade as the close of 2011 saw the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, which declares America itself to be a war zone, and its citizens potential enemy combatants. Meanwhile, crimes that would land regular citizens in jail are now openly being committed by the elite and their organizations with no justice. Perhaps most telling, the power structure is establishing a control grid to eliminate Internet freedom, and even to use cyberspace in offensive acts of war.  Given the current situation, it can seem impossible to affect real change. However, the exact opposite is the case.

The only reason the system is maintained is because the majority still acquiesce to it. However, change won't come by electing new establishment politicians, because no matter how noble they may be they still must play the corrupt game. Change won't come through violent protests or offensive cyber hacktivism, as that only invites and justifies the creeping police state.  We must stop accepting and supporting the system, individually, in order to change it.

Because our representative democracy has become a fraud, and the media and courts are clearly shills for the oligarchs, our only action appears to be non-violent rebellion; one person and community at a time. We can expose the crimes and immorality of the corporate state through civil disobedience and conscientious objection. We can punish multinational companies who commit flagrant fouls on humanity and the environment by boycotting them. Additionally, we can peacefully regain our liberty by becoming less dependent on the system for our basic needs. 

Here are ten solutions through non-violent activism:

Celebrities For Ron Paul

Source: Adam Kokesh

New World Next Year - 2011/2012

Source: Corbett Report and Media Monarchy


Welcome to http://NewWorldNextWeek.com - the video series from Corbett Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news. This week:

Chossudovsky: West tries to discredit AL report on Syria

Source: Press TV
Prof. Michel Chossudovsky

Arab League monitors investigating the unrest in Syria say they have found nothing frightening during their initial visit to Homs, the epicenter of the unrest.

Interview with Professor Michel Chossudovsky, director of Center for Research on Globalization

Syria Update: U.S. Government Gives Green Light to Mainstream Media

Source: Boiling Frogs Post
Sibel Edmonds
 

MSM News, 6 Months Late: “Obama Secretly Preparing for Syria Intervention”

 

This morning I woke up to the following news headlines. Let me correct myself: This morning I found the US media and their quasi extension reporting on stale, at least 6-month old US operations on Syria. Now, that’s much better. I think it is safe to assume that the media has been given a ‘green light’ by the White House and Pentagon to report on long-ongoing war preparations, aka ‘intervention’ plans, on Syria while making it sound as fresh-new-recent. Let’s read together:

Obama Administration Secretly Preparing Options for Aiding the Syrian Opposition

As the violence in Syria spirals out of control, top officials in President Barack Obama‘s administration are quietly preparing options for how to assist the Syrian opposition, including gaming out the unlikely option of setting up a no-fly zone in Syria and preparing for another major diplomatic initiative.

…

And here is the almost comical egregious part:

After several weeks of having no top-level administration meetings to discuss the Syria crisis, the National Security Council (NSC) has begun an informal, quiet interagency process to create and collect options for aiding the Syrian opposition, two administration officials confirmed to The Cable.

…

Right! According to these ‘reporters’, up until now our imperialistic hawks have been sitting on their butts and doing absolutely nothing on Syria’s months-long prewar crisis! Just read the following by MSM’s favorite source WINEP, and please try not to laugh:

Andrew Tabler, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that the administration was caught off-guard by how the opposition became militarized so quickly. The administration’s message had been to urge the opposition to remain peaceful, but that ship has now sailed, he said.

Arab League in Syria: A Pre-Ordained Conclusion

Source: RT
James Corbett

The Syrian government has released 755 detainees as Arab League monitors continue their mission to stop nine months of violence that has killed thousands. However, doubts remain on both sides that the observers can provide a neutral verdict.

­The release of the detainees Wednesday follows the three-pronged Arab League plan that will see Damascus withdrawal government troops from residential areas, release prisoners and begin talks with the opposition.

The report comes as Sudanese General Mustafa Dabi, the head of the Arab League mission, said he saw "nothing frightening" in the city of Homs, the epicenter of the nine-months of the anti-government rising and the first stop on the month-long monitoring mission that kicked off Tuesday, Reuters reports.

"There were some places where the situation was not good," Dabi told Reuters by telephone on Wednesday. "But there wasn't anything frightening, at least while we were there. Things were calm and there were no clashes."

Meanwhile, some members of the opposition believe the Arab League will prove ineffective by concluding that the violence is being generated from both sides.

The opposition also says Dabi's military background disqualifies him from being a neutral witness, while the Arab League's mission is nothing more than a stalling tactic to put off a foreign military intervention.

However, political analyst James Corbett told RT that while the observer mission is in fact lacking in credibility, it is only because conclusions will unlikely be based on facts on the ground.

America Threatens China: What Lies Behind the U.S. "Return to Asia" Strategy?

Source: China Military Online
Lin Zhiyuan

What is behind US 'Return-to-Asia' strategy?
Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

-The American overall strategy toward China is giving the same priority to cooperation and prevention, but intensifying "security rebalancing" efforts on China, taking comprehensive measures to suppress China, and instigating its allies to pay, contribute and appear to restrain China.

-Some thinkers of the U.S. Navy are quite interested in the English geographer Halford Mackinder's "Heartland" theory. Mackinder said "Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland; who rules the Heartland commands the World Island (Eurasia)."

Mackinder's followers have applied this strategy to Asia, and believed that controlling South China Sea will make the U.S. air force and navy command East Asia, and consequently command the "World Island".

-Currently, the situation in Europe is under American control, and the situation in the Middle East is beneficial to the United States. The world's geographic center is transferring from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and the Asia-Pacific region has become the world's political and economic center.

Recently, the PLA Daily interviewed Lin Zhiyuan, an expert on U.S. issues at the Department of World Military Research under the Academy of Military Sciences on the U.S. strategy to "return to Asia."

Reporter: While talking about Asia recently, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "The United States is back," making it clear that the United States has paid more attention to the Asian-Pacific region than ever, and it will shift its strategic focus to Asia in the future. What do you think of the move?

Lin Zhiyuan: It aims to fully restore U.S. influence in the Asia-Pacific region. The United States implements a global strategy, which has respective focuses on deployment.

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States started to shift its strategic focus to Asia. However, the American focus on Asia was always interrupted by some major events, such as Asia’s financial crisis and the war on terrorism. Especially over the past 10 years, the United States paid all attention to anti-terrorism and got entangled in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but made slow progress in Asia.

The Federal Reserve Is Secretly Bailing Out Europe

Source: Washington's Blog

Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke told Congress that the Fed would not bail out Europe.

But he might have been less than forthcoming.

Former Vice President of the Federal Reserve bank of Dallas, Gerald ODriscoll, says that the Fed is secretly bailing out Europe:

O’Driscoll wrote in a Wall Street Journal editorial:

America’s central bank, the Federal Reserve, is engaged in a bailout of European banks. Surprisingly, its operation is largely unnoticed here.

The Fed is using what is termed a “temporary U.S. dollar liquidity swap arrangement” with the European Central Bank (ECB). There are similar arrangements with the central banks of Canada, England, Switzerland and Japan.

Simply put, the Fed trades or “swaps” dollars for euros. The Fed is compensated by payment of an interest rate (currently 50 basis points, or one-half of 1%) above the overnight index swap rate. The ECB, which guarantees to return the dollars at an exchange rate fixed at the time the original swap is made, then lends the dollars to European banks of its choosing. 

***

The two central banks are engaging in this roundabout procedure because each needs a fig leaf. The Fed was embarrassed by the revelations of its prior largess with foreign banks. It does not want the debt of foreign banks on its books. A currency swap with the ECB is not technically a loan.

Preparing to Attack Iran with Nuclear Weapons: "No Option can be taken off the Table."

Source: Global Research
Prof. Michel Chossudovsky

The World is at a Dangerous Crossroads. America is on a War Path. 

World War III is no longer an abstract concept.

The Pentagon’s global military design is one of world conquest. 

The military deployment of US-NATO forces is occurring in several regions of the world simultaneously. 

War pretexts and "justifications" abound.  Iran is heralded as a threat to Israel and the World.  

The war on Iran has been on the drawing board of the Pentagon for more than eight years. In recent developments, a renewed set of threats and accusations directed against Tehran have been launched. 

A "war of stealth" has already commenced. Mossad intelligence operatives are on the ground. Covert paramilitary formations are being launched inside Iran, CIA drones are being deployed. 

Meanwhile, Washington. London, Brussels and Tel Aviv have launched specific destabilizing initiatives "to choke Iran diplomatically, financially and economically".

A stepped up economic sanctions regime has been formulated by the US Congress: 

"a bipartisan consensus has emerged in Washington in favor of strangling the Iranian economy."  The latter consists in implementing "an amendment to the 2012 defence authorisation bill, designed to "collapse the Iranian economy"... by making it virtually impossible for Tehran to sell its oil." (Tom Burghardt, Target Iran: Washington's Countdown to War, Global Research, December 2011). :  

This new wave of diplomatic hype coupled with the threat of economic sanctions has also contributed to triggering an aura of uncertainty in the market for crude oil, with potentially devastating consequences on the global economy. 

Meanwhile, the corporate media has embarked on a renewed propaganda stint pertaining to Iran's alleged nuclear program, pointing  to "activities related to possible weaponization." 

The March to War: Iran and the Strategic Encirclement of Syria and Lebanon

Source: Strategic Culture Foundation and Global Research
Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya

The encirclement of Syria and Lebanon has long been in the works. Since 2001, Washington and NATO have started the process of cordoning off Lebanon and Syria. The permanent NATO presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Syrian Accountability Act are part of this initiative. It appears that this roadmap is based on a 1996 Israeli document aimed at controlling Syria. The document’s name is A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm. 

The 1996 Israeli document, which included prominent U.S. policy figures as authors, calls for “rolling back Syria” in 2000 or afterward. The roadmap outlines pushing the Syrians out of Lebanon, diverting the attention of Damascus by using an anti-Syrian opposition in Lebanon, and then destabilizing Syria with the help of both Jordan and Turkey. This has all respectively occurred from 2005 to 2011. This is also why the anti-Syrian March 14 Alliance and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) were created in Lebanon.

As a first step towards all this the 1996 document even calls for the removal of President Saddam Hussein from power in Baghdad and even alludes to the balkanization of Iraq and forging a strategic regional alliance against Damascus that includes a Sunni Muslim Arab “Central Iraq.” The sectarian nature of this project is very obvious as are its ties to opposing a so-called “Shiite Crescent.” The roadmap seeks to foment sectarian divisions as a means of conquering Syria and creating a Shiite-Sunni rift that will oppose Iran and keep the Arab monarchs in power.

The U.S. has now initiated a naval build-up off the Syrian and Lebanese coasts. This is part of Washington’s standard scare tactics that it has used as a form of intimidation and psychological warfare against Iran, Syria, and the Resistance Bloc. While Washington is engaged in its naval build-up, the mainstream media networks controlled by the Saudis and Arab clients of the U.S. are focusing on the deployment of Russian naval vessels to Syria, which can be seen as a counter-move to NATO.

Al-Ramtha in Jordan is being used to launch attacks into Daraa and Syrian territory. The Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications, Rakan Al-Majali, has even publicly admitted this and dismissed it as weapons smuggling. For years, Jordanian forces have successfully prevented weapons from reaching the Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank from Jordanian territory. In reality, Amman is sending weapons into Syria and working to destabilize Syria. Jordanian forces work as a frontline to protect Israel and the Jordanian intelligence services are an extension of the C.I.A. and Mossad.

According to the Turkish media, France has sent its military trainers into Turkey and Lebanon to prepare conscripts against Syria. The Lebanese media also suggests the same. The so-called Free Syrian Army and other NATO-GCC front organizations are also using Turkish and Jordanian territory to stage raids into Syria. Lebanon is also being used to smuggle weapon shipments into Syria. Many of these weapons were actually arms that the Pentagon had secretly re-directed into Lebanon from Anglo-American occupied Iraq during the George W. Bush Jr. presidency.

Media Monarchy Episode 244

Source: Media Monarchy
James Evan Pilato

"mystery is a source of leverage & power" on episode244 of media monarchy w/ last rites, korean war & a false dawn - payroll predictions, neti plots, saab stories & the work on christmas newspurge - pagan celebrations, solstice shrouds & abuse scandal updates on holy hexes - planets, patents & manning up on cyber/space\war - pecan thieves, salt babies & the fanta santa soda on food world order + seasonal sounds by harvey danger, caetano veloso, hawkdogg, sloan & so much more...

Corbett Report Radio - Don't Trust The Media

Source: Corbett Report
James Corbett

We often make the point on Corbett Report Radio that the corporate media is not to be trusted; they spin, lie, deceive, dissemble and confuse to further the political agenda of the powers that shouldn’t be. But that doesn’t mean that the alternative media is always right. Join us on tonight’s broadcast as we confront the corporate media lies about “Ron Paul’s Racist Newsletters” and correct a false alternative media report that missiles are raining down on Iran. We also go over the latest food, health and environment stories with regular guest James Evan Pilato of FoodWorldOrder.com and take your calls.

Works Cited:

US missiles hit Iranian village…in 2003
Rockets hit Iran!…in 2003
The Atlantic smears Ron Paul
Salon smears Ron Paul
CNN smears Ron Paul
Ron Paul’s only vote ever for something not authorized by the constitution: honouring Martin Luther King Jr.
US food aid for north korea would bring nuclear talks a step closer
Food for thought in North Korea
The good food news of 2011
food & beverage companies hedge fund managers love
Max Keiser on boycotting Coke
flame retardant chemical found in US soft drinks
how coca-cola shaped the modern-day santa

Military Buildup Across The Globe

Source: Corbett Report

The world's attention is increasingly focused on Syria and Iran as the region continues to move toward military confrontation. Less noticed, however, is that the pieces are being put into place for a truly global conflict, with military buildup taking place in every region and threatening to draw in all of the world's major powers.

Corporate-State Media Creating a Fool's Paradise

Source: Activist Post
William Bowles

Are we living in a fool’s paradise?

A question keeps nagging at me: Are all of us, including the left, reacting to an entirely engineered reality, fed to us via an all-embracing media? We get blown this way and that, all of it being determined by whatever ‘event’ the globalized media decides to feed us with. Then, just as ‘mysteriously’, the ‘event’ disappears to be replaced by yet another ‘event’.

The old Anarchist cry of ‘Do not adjust your mind, there’s a fault in reality’ takes on an entirely new kind of import given the power of the media to determine what’s ‘real’ for us.

What this means is that the media effectively acts as an agent provocateur for the state and big business as it decides for us what is actually going on in the world. In turn, progressives make decisions based not on what needs to be done, but as a reaction to the ‘news’ in a weird political version of the Heisenberg Effect.

Press coverage of the Summer Riots is a perfect example of this process in action whereby the media, by focusing solely on the violence and destruction, not only transformed it into a ‘riot without a cause’ but in doing so actually incited even more violence and destruction, just as ASBOs (Anti-Social Behaviour Orders) are worn as ‘badges of honour’ by alienated youth who actually go out of their way to get one (or two).

Aside from anything else it demonstrates just how out-of-touch the political elite is with the reality of life as it is really lived by a goodly chunk of the population; the so-called underclass.

Life as supplied to us is now an endless succession of ‘crises’ or public spectacles (the lines between the two often blur):

‘Ground-to-air missiles ‘may protect’ London 2012 games’ — BBC News, 14 November 2011.

In fact, the very nature of BBC’s headlines headlines betray the essence of how to report the ‘news’ as a succession of dramas to be played out, not in the real world that you and I live in but in the world created by a globalized, corporate media machine.

‘Crises’ are played out in the TV equivalent of ‘flaming’ (shooting off at the mouth without thinking). Dictators come and go… All but the dramatic essence is removed and along with it real meaning disappears. This is the triumph of television, the ability to be able to cut and paste reality in its entirety.

Upon Release of Martial Law Documents, The Plan For America's Destruction Becomes Apparent

Source: The Excavator
Saman Mohammadi

The top news story of 2011 is not the assassination of Osama Bin Laden (a CIA psyop), but the advancement of the Martial Law agenda in America under the public radar.

On Wednesday, December 21, Infowars.com published a brand new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) document dated November 18, 2011, that "that show military involvement in a FEMA-led takeover within the United States under partially-classified Continuity of Government (COG) plans," and designate "the American people as ‘enemies’ under a live military tracking system known as Blue Force Situational Awareness (BFSA)."

The FEMA document, appearing under the headline "National Continuity Programs (NCP) Program and Mission Support Services (PAMSS)," ask contractors to assist FEMA in national emergencies. But don't let the bureaucratic language fool you. This is really a Martial Law document. FEMA is not interested in emergency preparedness, but in establishing a military dictatorship in the United States.

Ordinary Americans are classified as the enemy in this FEMA document, and similar Martial Law documents, such as this one from Halliburton/KBR that Infowars.com published on Tuesday, December 6, 2011. The militaristic language that appears in these Martial Law documents, and in the draconian NDAA bill that the treacherous Congress passed last week, suggests that the hijacked U.S. government desires that there be insurgents and domestic terrorists in the United States.

The traitors in Washington need enemies, both foreign and domestic, in order for the politically and morally bankrupt National Security State to remain relevant and powerful in American society. This is a militarist and secret system that is led by the most evil personalities in the 21st century who create fake enemies (Al-Qaeda) and stage false flag terrorist attacks (9/11) just to remain in power. The word restraint does not exist in their vocabulary.

The day will come when the traitors in Washington, led by President Obama, will issue orders to the military and police to fire on Americans and enforce Martial Law. At that point, even the most blind and ignorant people will probably come to the obvious conclusion that it is not Al-Qaeda who desires the destruction of America, but the hijacked and treasonous U.S. government.

Unidentified Fallen Object Found In African Country of Namibia

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

A large metallic ball has fallen out of the sky on a remote grassland in Namibia, prompting baffled authorities to contact NASA and the European space agency.

The hollow ball with a circumference of 1.1 metres was found near a village in the north of the country some 750km from the capital, Windhoek, according to police forensics director Paul Ludik.

Locals had heard several small explosions a few days beforehand, he said.

With a diameter of 35cm, the ball has a rough surface and appears to consist of "two halves welded together".

It was made of a "metal alloy known to man" and weighed six kilograms, said Ludik.

It was found 18 metres from its landing spot, a hole 33 centimetres deep and 3.8 metres wide.

Several such balls have dropped in southern Africa, Australia and Latin America in the past 20 years, authorities found in an internet search.

The sphere was discovered mid-November, but authorities first did tests before announcing the find.

Police deputy inspector-general Vilho Hifindaka concluded the sphere did not pose any danger.

"It is not an explosive device, but rather hollow, but we had to investigate all this first," he said.

Cold War Style Confrontation: Russia Warns Anti-Missile Issue May Cause "Ice-Age" in Relations With U.S.

Source: Xinhau News Agency

The U.S.-led anti-missile defense shields in Europe may seriously damage relations between Russia and the United States if the two sides could not reach agreements on the issue, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday.

"We hope problems in the anti-missile defense shield will not escalate and cause our relations move backward to the ice age. We hope to avoid this," Ryabkov told the Voice of Russia radio in an interview.

Ryabkov said that Moscow did not rule out the possibility of withdrawing from the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) it signed with the U.S. in 2010, if no solution would be reached on the issue.

According to Ryabkov, these problems could be solved on the ground proposed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in November, when the president asked again legally-binding guarantees from the U.S. and NATO that the missile defense shield is not targeting Russia.

Medvedev also warned in November that Russia might station missile defense systems, including the Iskander, in western and southern sections of the country if there were any additional U.S. missile deployments in Europe.

Moscow has long opposed the deployment of U.S.-led NATO missile defense facilities near its borders and intends to seek legally- binding guarantees from the U.S. and NATO.

Korean War, Manning Up, Funding Terror - New World Next Week

Source: Corbett Report and Media Monarchy

Welcome to http://NewWorldNextWeek.com – the video series from Corbett Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news. This week:

Officials Warn of Weaponized H5N1 Bird Flu Pandemic Amid Debate

Source: Activist Post
Anthony Gucciardi

As predicted, government advisory board officials are warning of bioterrorist attacks that could result from the full release of a study detailing how virologist Ron Fouchier mutated the bird flu virus to potentially transmit quickly between humans.

If the findings are released, scientists are warning that the virus could mutate to mimic past pandemic flu outbreaks such as the Spanish flu of 1918-1919 which killed 50 million people.

Virologist Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands seeks to publish his work in the journals Science and Nature, though United States government officials from the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity have asked the journals to exclude the specific details of the study that could lead to the replication of the experiments. So far the editor of Science has agreed to withhold some data under the circumstance that the government sets up a medium to provide the withheld data to scientists around the world who ‘need’ it. 

Sparking Bioterrorist Pandemic Attacks, Disregarding Public Health

Revealing the entirety of the study would allow for individuals to reproduce the results of the study – he heavy weaponization of the H5N1 bird flu virus. Rare in humans, the 5 mutations performed by Fouchier may allow for the deadly virus to transfer freely from human to human similar to the seasonal flu.

What is quite different than the seasonal flu, however, is the fact that since 1997 the H5N1 bird flu virus has killed more than 1 in every 2 people that it infected.

This is an extremely fatal virus that if weaponized and released on the public could create a major pandemic taking millions of lives.

Why are some scientists and organizations pushing for this mutated bird flu strain blueprint to be released to the public?

Amazingly, the very individual who released the bioweapon would not even be able to fully control the outcome. Paul Keim, chair of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, explained how volatile of a weapon the mutated bird flu could become:

'This is such a dangerous biological weapon, it would not be controllable. Whoever used it would doubtlessly decimate their own people as well,' Keim said.

Dr. Joseph Farrell's Thoughts on the US Drone that Crashed in Iran

Source: Giza Death Star
Dr. Joseph P. Farrell

Well, I depart from my usual practice of talking about a particular article or video today, to present some thoughts about the drone that recently “crashed” in Iran. Let’s back up to the story via the context. First we had the death of Osama Bin Laden, whose body, let us recall, was quickly buried at sea. That’s called tampering with the evidence. We are simply asked to take the government’s word for it, not to mention there were stories in the media long before that he may have died. Then there was the matter of the Iranian used car salesman plotting with the Iranian government to commit acts of terrorism. Well, that one was in my opinion designed to beat the war drums for a strike on Iran. Don’t get me wrong here. The government of Iran is nuts. What other country has as a component of its very national constitution the mandate to export jihad and to annihilate an entire nation? But the car salesman story was a non starter. It quickly fizzled in its utility for hyping the war fever.

Then came the drone, which let us recall was first reported as having crashed, until the Iranian government showed off its “crashed drone” which looked to be in pretty fine condition. Then we were fed the cock-and-bull story that it had a malfunction and “glided” to a landing.

Now, I am having difficulty with all this and I hope you are too. It seems silly to me that such advanced technology would not have some sort of self-destruct mechanism. Now maybe it doesn’t. I don’t know. The military has done stupid things before, and it wouldn’t surprise me. Maybe it does, and it “malfunctioned.”

But all this is merely prelude, for however the drone got there, the fact of the matter is that it is there, and there under circumstances that are all too suspicious, in my humble opinion. The question is, why, and who is behind it, for it seems to me that someone wanted Iran to have this drone. So, working with that hypothesis, the question is, who and why?

Corbett Report Radio - "Iron Man" and the OBL Cover Up wih Dr. Jeffrey Kaye

Source: Corbett Report
James Corbett

In the run-up to 9/11, a little-known military intelligence unit was tracking the movements and actions of Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. In late 2000, the military brass called off that work, and later the DoD lied to Congress about the unit and its work. Find out more about this underreported piece of the 9/11 cover up puzzle on tonight’s edition of the broadcast with our special guest Dr. Jeffrey Kaye.

Works Cited:

Report: Intelligence Unit Told Before 9/11 to Stop Tracking Bin Laden
EXCLUSIVE: New Documents Claim Intelligence on Bin Laden, al-Qaeda Targets Withheld From Congress’ 9/11 Probe
New Documents Suggest DoD Watchdog Covered Up Intelligence Unit’s Work Tracking 9/11 Terrorists
Episode 199 – 35 Reasons to Question 9/11