4 Dec - Wars without Armies

 War in Context - with attention to the unseen

How many Muslims has the U.S. killed in the past 30 years? 

Contrary to what Friedman thinks, our real problem isn’t a fictitious Muslim “narrative” about America’s role in the region; it is mostly the actual things we have been doing in recent years. To say that in no way justifies anti-American terrorism or absolves other societies of responsibility for their own mistakes or misdeeds. But the self-righteousness on display in Friedman’s op-ed isn’t just simplistic; it is actively harmful. Why? Because whitewashing our own misconduct makes it harder for Americans to figure out why their country is so unpopular and makes us less likely to consider different (and more effective) approaches.

Editor’s Comment — After 3,000 Americans died on 9/11, the event was universally described as “an attack on America”.
After several hundred thousand Muslims have been killed, it should cause no dismay that many of the survivors would likewise call this “a war on Islam”.

Obama’s war of necessity

By Paul Woodward

Among the many unanswered questions about President Obama’s approach to the war in Afghanistan, there is at this point one thing about which we can be certain: He does indeed regard this as a war of necessity.

But necessary for what?

Necessary for defeating al Qaeda?

Nah. Much as Americans have been indoctrinated to believe that eradicating terrorism might be akin to eradicating smallpox — an endeavor which if engaged with sufficient thoroughness could actually have an end — it should by now be clear to all but the most simple-minded that the kernel of the episodic terrorist threat to America is contained in dangerous and highly contagious ideas. It is not confined to a particular group of people confined to a particular location. The war in Afghanistan is doing more to cultivate the conditions for a continuation of that threat rather than being an instrument for its removal.

Necessary for ending the war in Iraq?

In part, yes — at least this was the presidential campaign logic. The war in Iraq needed to be wrapped up as quickly as possible because that war was a distraction and the war in Afghanistan was a necessity.

Obama’s opposition to the war in Iraq could only be sold in a campaign against hawkish Republicans if he could prove he was not an opponent of war per se — just an opponent of that particular one.

Comment from opit
Time: December 4, 2009

Commenting on what passes for ‘foreign policy’ in the U.S. is always dysfunctional - as the reasons for those policies usually are arrived at to serve domestic interests - not pressing concerns. ‘Perception is All’ : that, and fitting into the advertising campaign putting a righteous face on naked mass murder.
But expansion into AfPak from Iraq is implicit in the derailing of Saddam’s function as a stabilizing influence in the region : jealous of his authority, with an intimidating military capacity and a pipeline to U.S. tech and intel, he suppressed dissent ruthlessly.
Since that was not allowed to continue, the reasons why must bear some relation to Cheney’s summation - available on YouTube - as to why Iraq was NOT invaded under Bush’s father during the Gulf War. Obviously, those considerations have changed under prodding from Big Oil to destabilize the governments who might interfere with the rape of oil resources and American control of them : also a denial to Russia and China. Another cute idea that has surfaced is that the initiative can be used to supply Israel with strategic energy capacity : something hinted at by the proliferation of American military bases. But it would not be astute to make that the sole reason : multipurpose utility in denying infrastructure of water,oil,energy ,medicine and more underly a policy which evicts people from their homes in droves and cause deaths by the million.
I kept referring to the War Game which Pentagon planners mysteriously were not allowed to replicate under Rumsfeld : Post-Saddam Iraq : Desert Crossing. Years later I heard it referred to as ‘the Bible’ for Iraq. State added its own take a few years later.
http://opitslinkfest.blogspot.com/2009/07/documents.htm  has them both listed for easy reference.
 ( From 'Collections Forwarded to Blogger' )

 Huffington Post

The Afghanistan parenthesis
 By David Bromwich
… who exactly are Al Qaeda now, and where are they located? In many ways the Vietnam War, though of an atrociousness the Afghanistan War has not yet approached, was pursued by the U.S. obedient to a much sounder theory than any offered for the present war. The theory was that World Communism was all one thing and its spread to a single country would lead inevitably to its spread to a continent. The theory turned out to be false; and its falseness was perceived as early as 1964 by critics of the war such as Hans J. Morgenthau. But what are we doing in Afghanistan but following an inferior and less persuasive version of a similar theory: namely that World Terrorism is all one thing, that its heart is in Afghanistan (because that is where we found it), and that if we don’t “defeat” it soon by “completing the mission,” the terror will stay and spread.

Omitted is the fact that Afghanistan is not our country.

Desertions undermine Afghan army  ( 9 videos )
An exclusive Al Jazeera investigation has found that the number of existing security forces in Afghanistan has been greatly exaggerated with widespread desertions by members of the army and police.

Senior officials in the Obama administration say US troops will start to return home from July of 2011.

That is when Afghan forces are supposed to be ready to take over.

But an investigation by Al Jazeera's James Bays shows that may not be feasible.

Victory at Last! Monty Python in Afghanistan 
Tom Engelhardt - Editor of TomDispatch.com 
 Finally American war commanders have effectively marshaled their forces, netcentrically outmaneuvering and outflanking the enemy. They have shocked-and-awed their opponents, won the necessary hearts-and-minds, and so, for the first time in at least two decades, stand at the heights of success, triumphant at last.

And no, I’m not talking about post-surge Iraq and certainly not about devolving Afghanistan. I’m talking about what’s happening in Washington.

Finish the job in Afghanistan? Based on the plans of the field commanders to whom the president has bowed, on the administration’s record of escalation in the war so far, and on the quiet reassurances to the Pakistanis that we aren’t leaving Afghanistan in any imaginable future, this war looks to be all job and no finish.

 If 'Americans are bees and Arabs are spiders,' what are Israelis?
In an article in the December issue of Army Magazine, Steed, a military historian and strategist, attempts to soften the blow of U.S. soldiers' encounters with Arab armies. Steed writes that the differences struck him as he sat among senior Jordanian officers. They would sit, drink tea, exchange pleasantries and leave. "What a waste of time! They did not do anything," he wrote.
Steed deduced that an American officer functions like a bee, which will "assess the day in terms of how many flowers it collected pollen from, the amount of pollen collected, the distances flown and so on. The bee is concerned with accomplishment of agenda items or task lists ... The bee accepts the premise that it is better to share more information with the greatest number of members of the community in the fastest way possible."

 The spider is not interested in sharing information.

Turkey PM: My people rejected Israeli participation in NATO drill 


The invisible children of Yemen
Children as young as 3 years old wander between cars at traffic lights.
According to UNICEF Goodwill ambassador Mahmoud Kabil after he visited the Mazrak camp in Hajja for displaced persons, victims of the Sa’ada war on October, the situation for children there is worst than Gaza. It is even worse than Darfur.


 Houthis accuse Yemeni, Saudi troops of Using excessive force 
 By: Mohammed Bin Sallam - Yemen Times

An estimated 175,000 people have been affected by the conflict in Yemen since 2004, including those displaced by the latest surge in fighting between Government forces and Al Houthi rebels that began in August.
Saudi fighter jets continue to hit Houthi strongholds in Hasama, Malahidh, Dhahyan, Razih and Ashaeesh areas, local sources from the Sa’ada governorate said, adding that the airstrikes coincide with heavy mortar and rocket shelling by both Yemeni and Saudi armies in other areas.
In a statement distributed to the various media outlets, Houthi followers said that Saudi forces began on Monday advancing toward Yemeni lands from various border fronts, using all types of ground and aerial weapons. Houthis accused both armies of using excessive force against citizens.
The statement added that the Saudi army uses tanks, heavy mortars, Apache helicopters and F-15 jets in the operation, pointing out that “clashes are still going on in various fronts at the Yemeni border in Malahidh, Shadha and Hasama districts.”
Spokesman for the Houthis, Mohammed Abdussalam said in a telephone conversation with the Iranian Al-Alam channel that Saudi jets launched 35 raids Monday on various Sa’ada villages, confirming that dozens of civilians were killed in the raids, particularly in the Yemeni Najain city, which is 200 km away from the border of Saudi Arabia. He noted that the situation was calm in the majority of fronts.
A Saudi military source said from the battleground that “offensives launched by Houthis are direct suicide operations, which makes it impossible to achieve a military victory.
The source added that Houthis attempt to cause human losses among the Saudi troops.
Another Saudi senior military official told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Houthis have no fixed plans, adding they most often change them. “They sometimes hide among internally displaced persons (IDPs), fire bullets from behind IDPs or hide inside homes in border villages and launch offensives overnight.”
Somalis involved
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper published a report revealing that Somali fighters have been involved in supporting Houthi rebels in their fight against the army. It said that those Somali fighters receive money in exchange for their support for Houthis.

.....Regional director for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Tomas Devin, warned against worsening malnutrition and potential cholera outbreak in the Mazrak IDP camp in Hajja governorate, which hosts over 10,000 people. According to Devin, another 20,000 IDPs are living outside the camp.

( Sounds rather like Palestine: armed forces against civilians - ooops-  'insurgents' )

The third industrial revolution: Alternative energy 

We in the Arab world, or rather the West Asia North Africa region have missed out on the steel and the oil industrial revolutions. Now as the third industrial revolution based on alternative energy looms in the horizon, it is should come from here.
In this region, we have not invested millions of dollars in factories and industries, because we import everything from everywhere else. Therefore, in essence, we don’t have to replace oil based or carbon industry, because we don’t have it. e could simply leapfrog into the future, taking a shortcut and utilizing the local resources and technologies of the developed world.
Only crazy people who dare to dream can change the world. The WANA region needs some champions who dare to be seen as crazy and are not afraid to dream. When you come to think of it, many of the problems in our developing nations are because of energy- or rather the lack of it. If power can be generated from solar cells, hydro-plants, or windmills then it would become so available, and so cheap. We need some intelligent and courageous business leaders who are willing to invest in alternative energy industry.

1,700 jobs to go as Corus mothballs plant 
The steel industry overall has suffered an unprecedented fall in demand in the global recession.

New GM-China tie-up to make small cars for India 

US car giant General Motors plans to form a new venture with its Chinese partner, SAIC, to focus on the small car market in India.

It aims to produce the vehicles within India itself, making SAIC the first major Chinese company to so do.

GM has said it wants to use India as a small car production base for export.

At the same time, GM announced it would turn over 1% of its biggest Chinese joint venture to SAIC - which would give the Chinese majority ownership.


 Wither the US dollar?
The fact that the Fed does not have a war chest big enough to intervene credibly in the foreign exchange market on behalf of the dollar, paradoxically, discourages short and swift "shark attacks" - the massive selling of dollars by speculators in a very short span of time.

Speculators need some entity to bet against, and typically such opposition is provided by a central bank, such as the role the Bank of England played in its defence of the pound in 1992.

In fact, the Fed is at present much more interested in supplying dollars than in buying them. It has committed itself to providing liquidity to the banks at rates closer to zero per cent.