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Thomas Paine

To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Rumours of War - Destroyers of Peace

the exterminating angel (1939-1945)
Deadly tsunami strikes in Pacific
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8281616.stm
A tsunami triggered by a strong quake in the South Pacific has killed more than 100 people in several islands.

EHealth operation bled $1B
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/703083

Auditor's report slams Ontario's bungled push for e-records and cash it threw at the problem.
Sources said McCarter also criticizes:
  • A $30 million untendered contract to IBM approved by cabinet ministers on the government's management board.
  • Unnamed senior health bureaucrats for thwarting his efforts to get investigators into eHealth for a routine audit in the summer of 2008. McCarter's staff did not gain the desired access until last February – just a few months before Health Minister David Caplan ordered a special audit once the eHealth spending scandal erupted.
  • Unnamed consulting companies for driving up each other's fees, artificially creating a higher going rate for their services.
  • Too much power in too few hands in awarding of contracts, which did not get enough oversight from top officials in the health ministry.
  • The $647 million spent, with little to show for it, by SSHA, set up by former premier Mike Harris's Conservative government.
  • What one source called a "war" between SSHA and the health ministry over how to manage and accomplish a complicated endeavour like creating electronic health records.
Another insider privy to McCarter's findings said "the auditor really took everybody to task. It's a very bad report, it's not sugar-coated."
Consultants hired by eHealth were paid up to $3,000 a day and, meanwhile, billed for expenses like tea and cookies.
As well, lucrative contracts were granted without competitive bidding in a rush to get a system of records running as promised by 2014.
But haste made waste – and, as a result, eHealth chief executive officer Sarah Kramer left the agency amid a political firestorm in June with $317,000 in severance after less than a year on the job.

UN recalls envoy from Afghanistan
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8281934.stm
Peter Galbraith fell out with top UN envoy Kai Eide and angered Afghan President Hamid Karzai by reportedly calling for a complete recount.
The election has been overshadowed by widespread allegations of fraud.
A UN statement said Mr Galbraith was being removed from his post "in the best interest of the mission". It reaffirmed support for Mr Eide.
Two weeks ago Mr Eide, who leads the UN mission in Kabul, said his deputy had left the country after a row between them. But he denied he had ordered him to go.

PETER GALBRAITH: KEY DATES
1979-1993: Senior adviser to US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
1993-1998: First US Ambassador to Croatia, and co-author of Erdut Agreement that ended the war in Croatia
2000-2001: Director of Political, Constitutional and Electoral Affairs for the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor
2003: Resigns from the US government to write The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End

Profile: Peter Galbraith
UN mission split over Afghan poll
UN sources say Secretary General Ban Ki-moon decided to end Mr Galbraith's mission after it became clear he was no longer able to carry out his work in Afghanistan, says the BBC's Lyse Doucet.
Some Afghan cabinet ministers had said they no longer wanted to work with him.

A Range Of Opinion On Afghanistan.
http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=09&year=2009&base_name=a_range_of_opinion_on_afghanis&1
A few days ago on Twitter, Marc Lynch sarcastically noted that the Washington Post had managed to publish a strategic debate on Afghanistan in which all of the people participating basically agreed with each other.

What I found most interesting though, is that every one of them was focused on a different aspect of counterinsurgency strategy. Jane Harmon argued that the U.S. needed to "focus on better governance as the way to persuade Afghans to side with NATO forces against the Taliban." Kurt Volcker said that "the whole notion of "killing terrorists" without supporting a responsible society in their place is fallacy." Gilles Dorronsoro focused on the importance of institution building. John Nagl emphasized the importance of a shift in strategy that placed an emphasis on protecting the Afghan population rather than just killing the enemy. Carl Levin also focused on institution-building, particularly the Afghan army and police. You get the idea.

So everyone agreed COIN was the way to go, which isn't much of a "debate," but their emphasis on different aspects of COIN inadvertently shows how difficult it will be for this strategy to work. There are so many difficult objectives that need to be achieved, and the whole COIN strategy falls apart if the U.S. fails to achieve any one of them. With no legitimate government, there's nothing for COIN to strengthen. With no strong civil society, the Afghan government will collapse. If the U.S. can't persuade the Afghan population to see American soldiers as being on their side, there's no way for a U.S. backed government to gain the trust of the Afghan people. Without functioning police and army, there's no one for the U.S. to hand over the job of protecting the Afghans over to. And so on and so forth.

Rather than convincing people that COIN will work, this "debate" really just showed how small the bull's-eye actually is.

-- A. Serwer

( I was heard from in comments. Wonkery tends to reveal something else also : how small the 'debate' really is.
Quipping with vets and reading conflicting ideas finally gives one an idea how much 'coverage' is absolute drivel.
Rather than go into how much time and effort is spent dispensing koolaid to Americans - laws against that being honoured more in the breach than the observance ... a simple quip : I am reminded of a 'Rule of Thumb' that used to be promulgated for Canada's participation in 'Peace Keeping' missions.
There had to be an actual country, government... and peace; especially the last. Anything else was a failed state, civil war, etc. : a mess which would eat up resources which were best at violent short term intervention - raiding Ranger style - although emergency response was another possibility.
The British Empire gave up on that geographical locus after 2 centuries of colonialism.
They 'know the ground' : and it knows them too.
Search out "1842 Khyber Pass : British Army History". They lost 12,000 in one week.)

Those Foreign Wars, No. 29
http://www.greenparty.ca/blogs/34/2009-09-30/those-foreign-wars-no-29

In the Arghandab incident on Wednesday, as is so often the case, NATO and the local citizen disagree about who was targeted and how many of the victims were Taliban.

 

Redesign Canada's role in Afghanistan


http://www.greenparty.ca/en/policy/visiongreen/afghanistan

 Tomorrow, the Green Party will put Canada back into the business of peace keeping in Afghanistan and around the world. We will seek to replace current NATO-led forces with a United Nations force. We need to immediately expand aid to the Afghan people and bring our combat troops home.

The Green Party respects the professionalism and sacrifices of Canadian forces personnel, and we aim to bring more Canadian lead initiatives into our military tomorrow.

Canada’s 3D (Diplomacy, Defence, Development) mission to Afghanistan needs significant change. Despite some recent adjustments, it still continues to be heavily weighted to combat and combat-training operations in Kandahar Province and seriously under-weighted in appropriate development assistance and creative regional diplomacy. Canada has committed $1 billion in development assistance for the period 2001 to 2011, but this pales in comparison with the projected $6 billion plus military investment over the next four years.

The overall political and security situation in Afghanistan continues to worsen despite increased International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) strength. Notwithstanding statements to the contrary and attempts to "win hearts and minds", the heavy emphasis by the NATO/U.S command to military tactics and operations stimulates rather than dampens the insurgency. In response, greater insurgent recruitment and activity further unbalances the 3D mission. The Taliban benefits from and intends this self-perpetuating cycle of violence because their strategic time frame is much longer and their month-to-month operational costs substantially lower.

Domestically, the Karzai government is increasingly viewed, even by former members of President Karzai's cabinet, as a failed administration. Extensive bureaucratic corruption undermines public confidence and support, and, illegal poppy production expands yearly providing a valuable source of funding for the Taliban and corrupt elements within the government. Most disturbing, there is less and less real difference between the oppression of women and abuse of power by some powerful factions within the Afghan government and the Taliban they replaced.

News


http://www.greenparty.ca/en/news

Press Releases

more >>

GPC News

more

In the News

more >>



Blogs

 Beijing flaunts its 'peaceful' might
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/703017
It will all be over in 66 minutes: 5,000 soldiers, 500 weapons – including never-before-seen nukes – and a dozen formations of powerful, screaming jets overhead.
Former diplomat with knowledge of Afghan torture gagged
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/703017
Washington Capitals gung-ho for nuclear power
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/703017

Afghan soldiers quitting Kandahar province
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/703017 

World powers turn up heat on Iran
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8283400.stm
World powers have increased pressure on Iran, urging the country to reveal the nature of its nuclear programme during six-party talks in Geneva on Thursday.


Iran insists on 'nuclear rights'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8280200.stm

Iran has said it is not willing to discuss its "nuclear rights" during an upcoming meeting with the five permanent UN Security Council members.

The head of the country's atomic energy body also ruled out a suspension of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme.

But Ali Akbar Salehi said he would set out when and how inspectors could view Iran's second uranium enrichment plant.

The US has demanded "immediate and unfettered access" for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.

Iranian representatives will meet in Geneva on Thursday for talks with the five permanent Security Council seat holders - the UK, China, France, Russia and the US - plus Germany; the so-called P+1.

Mountain site

Mr Salehi said there would be no bargaining about Iran's rights to nuclear technology and said Tehran had no plans to abandon its nuclear activities, "even for a second".

"We are not going to discuss anything related to our nuclear rights, but we can discuss about disarmament, we can discuss about non-proliferation and other general issues," he said.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Proliferation_Treaty

Third pillar: peaceful use of nuclear energy
The third pillar allows for and agrees upon the transfer of nuclear technology and materials to NPT signatory countries for the development of civilian nuclear energy programs in those countries, as long as they can demonstrate that their nuclear programs are not being used for the development of nuclear weapons.

( How does one demonstrate 'proof' when absence of proof is not proof of absence ? The case of Iraq and unilateral action violating group consensus looms large : as does the manipulation of that consensus by programs of deliberate and organized Psyops. The Net result ? Gutting of the NPT by discrediting it as a functioning agreement : with all that implies for future trends of action by international actors. There is more at stake here than the 'threat' of Iran : rather, that international agreements are valuable only as tissue papers.
Thank you; UN,NATO,EU,France,USA,UK and Israel. )

Since very few of the states with nuclear energy programs are willing to abandon the use of nuclear energy, the third pillar of the NPT under Article IV provides other states with the possibility to do the same, but under conditions intended to make it difficult to develop nuclear weapons.

The treaty recognizes the inalienable right of sovereign states to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, but restricts this right for NPT parties to be exercised "in conformity with Articles I and II" (the basic nonproliferation obligations that constitute the "first pillar" of the Treaty). As the commercially popular light water reactor nuclear power station uses enriched uranium fuel, it follows that states must be able either to enrich uranium or purchase it on an international market. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has called the spread of enrichment and reprocessing capabilities the "Achilles' heel" of the nuclear nonproliferation regime. As of 2007 13 states have an enrichment capability.[11] Because the availability of fissile material has long been considered the principal obstacle to, and "pacing element" for, a country's nuclear weapons development effort, it was declared a major emphasis of U.S. policy in 2004 to prevent the further spread of uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing (a.k.a. "ENR") technology. [12] Countries possessing ENR capabilities, it is feared, have what is in effect the option of using this capability to produce fissile material for weapons use on demand, thus giving them what has been termed a "virtual" nuclear weapons program. The degree to which NPT members have a "right" to ENR technology notwithstanding its potentially grave proliferation implications, therefore, is at the cutting edge of policy and legal debates surrounding the meaning of Article IV and its relation to Articles I, II, and III of the Treaty.

Countries that have signed the treaty as Non-Nuclear Weapons States and maintained that status have an unbroken record of not building nuclear weapons. However, Iraq was cited by the IAEA and sanctioned by the UN Security Council for violating its NPT safeguards obligations; North Korea never came into compliance with its NPT safeguards agreement and was cited repeatedly for these violations,[13] and later withdrew from the NPT and tested multiple nuclear devices; Iran was found in non-compliance with its NPT safeguards obligations in an unusual non-consensus decision because it "failed in a number of instances over an extended period of time" to report aspects of its enrichment program;[14][15] and Libya pursued a clandestine nuclear weapons program before abandoning it in December 2003. In 1991 Romania reported previously undeclared nuclear activities by the former regime and the IAEA reported this non-compliance to the Security Council for information only. In some regions, the fact that all neighbors are verifiably free of nuclear weapons reduces any pressure individual states might feel to build those weapons themselves, even if neighbors are known to have peaceful nuclear energy programs that might otherwise be suspicious. In this, the treaty works as designed.

Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has said that by some estimates thirty-five to forty states could have the knowledge to develop nuclear weapons.[16]

URANIUM IN SITU RECOVERY TECHNOLOGY
http://www.uraniumproducersamerica.com/situ.html
Promoting the viability of domestic uranium production
Many U.S. uranium deposits can be recovered commercially by modern, low cost in situ recovery (ISR) technology.


Uranium One Americas; Antelope and JAB Uranium Project New Source Material License Application; Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

Fri. August 14, 2009; Posted: 09:26 AM

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2479972

( The 'Uranium' post has been updated today, including the following Link )


Yellowhead Ecological Association
http://www.yellowheadecological.org/uranium/links.htm
Important Links and Resources
- World Information Service on Energy (WISE) Uranium Project
- Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
- Uranium Free BC Coalition
- EarthCare Society
- Green Party of Canada
- Known Facts and Hidden Dangers of Uranium
- David Suzuki Foundation
- Ban Terminator Seeds
- The Friends of Buck Hill







ALTERNATIVE ENERGY.COM


http://alternativeenergy.com



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