U.S. Peace Laureate wages war on 11 countries

Compiled and edited by Carolyn Bennett

Insight, casualties, U.S. violent aggression

WEEK’s insight — Reflections on wars and occupation from Pravda

Africa west — peace laureate president

Journalist Thomas C. Mountain writes at Pravda: The most likely ex-president of Liberia has received “a share of one of the western world’s most prestigious awards, the Nobel Peace Prize,” yet residents of Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, have been without “running water for the full 6 years of her term in office.

“Think about it. If the residents of the capital have no running water after six years and hundreds of millions of dollars of western aid, how desperate must the situation be in the rest of Liberia?

“… One hell of a peace builder wasn’t she, but then it may be unfair to blame her for everything gone wrong in Liberia, for many claim that she is little more than Mayor of Monrovia and its environs — that warlords, paramilitary militias and bandits actually control most of the country.

“Crisis Management is the USA’s preferred policy in Africa: create a crisis, then manage the subsequent chaos — the better to loot and pillage West Africa’s resources. Liberia has long been a poster child for murder and mayhem, though much hope had been placed in Africa’s first ‘democratically elected woman President.’”

However, “after 6 years, beaucoup millions of dollars, and still no running water in the capital of the country, one should expect a Nobel Prize — for a job well done… at least as far as the western banksters, Firestone Rubber and their minions in the media are concerned. So it’s a No-bel Prize for Liberia’s President and No-water for Liberia’s residents — all thanks to an unhealthy dose of western style ‘democracy.’”

  

AFRICA east—NATO destroys Libya

“The lesson from Sirte is an example in how low an evil invasion force (NATO) can become,” Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey writes… “It uses military hardware to strafe anything that moves. It bombs civilian structures. It mows down Libyan heroes defending their homeland against foreigners, defending their homes and families against terrorists and rapists.

“It shows the connivance of NATO and Islamist terrorists (yet again visible since Afghanistan, since Kosovo, since Iraq). It shows the callous cold-blooded disregard for human life demonstrated by a faceless and grey organization that thinks nothing of signing up desperate young men from across the Arab world and beyond and sending them to their deaths for a sign-on fee of 10,000 U. S dollars.

“…The lesson from Sirte is today one of resilience and resistance, as it stands defiant against NATO’s indiscriminate bombing and the hundreds of rockets unleashed by the terrorists it aids. Where is the glory and valor in imposing the rule of the mob from 30,000 feet and from a helicopter gunship?

“The lesson from Sirte will continue to be taught tomorrow: as you cannot win an election by banning the most popular party, you do not win a battle by destroying a city, by massacring thousands of people and by killing the defenders[of their homes] to unleash on that city thousands of terrorists.

“The hearts and minds of humankind are with the people of Sirte, heroes who dare to stand … The lesson from Sirte is that despite all this, Sirte is still green. The lesson from Sirte is that by now it is crystal clear where NATO stands … It is strafing defending civilians and trying to impose a government of terrorists from the air. …”

NATO Summit Prague 2002

Asia west — U.S./NATO destroy Afghanistan

One of the main consequences of the Afghan war is the considerable increase in the production of heroin, Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey again airs his opinion at Pravda. This war continues with seemingly no end in sight. Allied troops have lost by some reports an estimated 4,600 people. More than 21,000 have suffered injuries. The USA has lost 1,800, Britain 382, Canada 157. … “One of the main failures committed by the USA and its allies has been the inability to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Anti-American sentiments in the country have been growing steadily.

“The allied troops repeated nearly all of the Soviet mistakes and aggravated the situation even more.

“The local population supports the Taliban because of the occupiers’ actions, for example attacks on wedding and funeral services. … The Americans and their allies say they promote democracy but it appears that they cannot fully understand the meaning of ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do.’ The majority of the Afghans were infuriated with attempts to have Afghan women involved in the public life of the country. Local people take such moves as intending to destroy their family values and are therefore occupying their land to destroy Islam.”

UN Ban Ki-moon accepts Secretary General

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY discredited

International law exists but fails to be applied equally, Bancroft-Hinchey writes. It is twisted, manipulated and insulted.

“Under international law, the Libya Question was an internal affair of the Jamahiriya government of Libya; it was a rebellion sponsored from abroad (illegal), financed aided and armed from abroad (illegal), planned and programmed well in advance by the French, British and Americans (illegal) whose selfish interests were being blocked by Colonel Qaddafi and his African projects.

The North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) received the go-ahead by the United Nations after a false-flag event. The international organization took sides in an internal conflict (war crime), strafed civilian structures with military hardware (war crime), targeted the water supply (war crime), interrupted electricity and food supplies (war crime), murdered civilians (war crime), placed troops on the ground (breach of international law), armed the ‘rebels (breach of international law) and used mercenaries (breach of international law).

“It matters not whether the majority of the members of the international community shrug and look the other way, accept bribes and trade influences and interests, allow themselves to be bullied and pushed into accepting the new status quo. The law is the law. What is right is right. What is wrong is wrong.”

The notion, “‘What is done is done, it is now too late’ is a sniveling excuse for cowardice and those who follow this rule have lost all vestige of respect.”

Libya’s ‘rebel’ terrorists committed to “ethnic cleansing, murdering the Negro population, raping women, torching buildings, killing children, destroying public and private property who have taken up arms against their government and sided with foreigners — these are the scum the international community recognizes as the new Government of Libya.”

However, “under international law, this community has no right to recognize them as the government of anything, therefore the United Nations together with this community has lost all its legitimacy.”

USA peace laureate president 

upholds high crimes, protects high criminals

The ‘Nobel Peace Prize Winning’ [Barack] Obama and his cronies have also done everything in their power to promote illegal detentions, torture and the extrajudicial executions of American citizens. 

“Attorney General Eric Holder, a self-professed paragon of ‘integrity’ who demonstrates far too little of it, refused to prosecute corrupt CIA officials who, in defiance of a court order, destroyed videotapes that depicted the torture of detainees. 

Discovery has shown also that “[President Barack] Obama’s government strong-armed foreign governments not to file torture and/or war crimes charges against [former U. S. President George W] Bush and or his minions.”

“In at least one respect, Obama may exceed the extremes of his predecessor. A recent Associated Press article notes that Obama is the first U. S. president intentionally to target an American citizen for extrajudicial execution.”

THIS WEEK AT WAR

U.S. at war with the peoples of eleven (11) possibly 14 countries

Afghanistan	Bahrain
Iran	Iraq
Libya	Pakistan
Palestine	Saudi Arabia
Somalia	Uganda [Possibly South Sudan, CARC and DRC]
Yemen

AFGHANISTAN — U.S. allied against

This country’s lawmakers have called on the government to break off diplomatic ties with Pakistan after release of a report indicating that Pakistani forces have fired 40 rockets into Afghanistan over the past two days.

The Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent policy research organization, has released a report indicating that NATO may be exaggerating the success of its operations in Afghanistan to show the ten-year U.S.-led campaign in the war-torn country has been successful. The report shows that data released by NATO about raids designed to kill or capture alleged ‘militant’ leaders between December 2009 and September 2011 lack transparency.

Today, three U.S.-led foreign troops died in different incidents of violence in eastern and southern Afghanistan. The deaths reportedly resulted from “militant” attacks and explosion of an improvised explosive device.

neighboring

PAKISTAN — U.S. allied against

Aerial attacks initiated by former U.S. President George W. Bush have escalated under President Barack Obama and relations between Islamabad and Washington have soured over the unauthorized attacks, with Pakistan insisting that the airstrikes violate its sovereignty.

A drone attack today by U.S. forces near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region is the third drone attack in 48 hours. A non-UN-sanctioned U.S. drone strike left at least four people dead in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border.

These killings have fuelled anti-U.S. sentiment among the Pakistani people and Pakistan’s Ministry of Human Rights reportedly has asked the government to complain to the UN and other international bodies about the ‘extra-judicial killings.’

BAHRAIN — U.S. allied (with monarchy)

Scores of people have died. Hundreds have been arrested in the brutal crackdown of Saudi Arabia-backed Bahraini regime forces on peaceful protesters since anti-government protests began in the Persian Gulf kingdom in mid-February. Several demonstrators have been arrested in towns and villages around Bahrain’s capital, Manama.

Today a woman protester was seriously wounded in the town of Nuwaidrat where regime forces in Bahrain engaged in heavy clashes with anti-government protesters. Several peaceful demonstrators were arrested. The protesters were chanting anti-regime slogans when targeted with tear gas and sound grenades. Regime forces in the village of Karzakan have also attacked women protesters.

SAUDI ARABIA — U.S. allied (with monarchy)

In March, Saudi Arabia deployed military equipment, soldiers and police personnel to Bahrain to help the Al Khalifa regime quell mounting protests. Eyewitness reports and footage revealed the brutality of Saudi forces against Bahraini activists and Saudi involvement in the demolition of mosques and holy sites in Bahraini towns.

Amidst demonstrations within Saudi Arabia, the government has imposed a strict ban on anti-government rallies in the Kingdom; yet protests continue. Today, anti-government protesters took to the streets of an eastern Saudi Arabian town demonstrating against the Kingdom’s ruling family and condemning violations of human rights by the Saudi regime.

Human Rights Watch accused Saudi Arabia of arbitrarily arresting civilians and called on Riyadh to ‘immediately stop arbitrary arrests of relatives, rights activists, and peaceful protesters.’

YEMEN —U.S. allied (with government under protest)

Reports say hundreds of Yemenis have died and thousands injured since the January start of the popular uprising against the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh. After sustaining wounds in an attack on the presidential palace in June and being treated in Saudi Arabia, Saleh returned to Yemen on September 23.

Today, Yemenis again poured into the streets of Sana’a, calling on the United Nations Security Council to take swift measures to topple the Ali Abdullah Saleh regime.

On Thursday tens of thousands had taken to sixty streets in the capital, one day after the Security Council convened to discuss the overall situation in Yemen. Protesters chanted slogans saying Yemenis want a new beginning.

A woman protester is reported saying, “‘We call on the UN security council to meet the revolution’s demands.…

 “‘We Yemeni people are being oppressed and killed. We call on the UN to take immediate measures to prosecute Ali Abdullah Saleh and his regime.’”

PALESTINE — U.S. allied against

 

The Bureau of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People in an August communiqué expressed concern over Israel’s approval in August alone of 5,200 new settlement units in occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

Today, Israel announced plans to build thousands of new settler units in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) showing disregard for agreements reached with the Palestinian Authority.

Israel’s Lands Administration has released a plan to construct 2,610 new residential units, two-thirds of which, according to today’s reports by Ha’aretz, are designated for Israeli settlers in Givat Hamatos to create a settlement belt around al-Quds (Jerusalem).

The international community considers all settlements built in the occupied West Bank to be illegal.

IRAQ — U.S. occupied (Baghdad)

More than a million Iraqis have died in the U.S.-led war and occupation that began in 2003. This week, Moqtada al-Sadr, the senior Iraqi cleric, accused U.S. officials of plotting chaos and sectarian strife in Iraq in order to prolong their stay in the already-war-scarred country. On Wednesday, 28 people died in attacks across Baghdad.

Today, multiple bomb blasts killed at least 18 people, including women and children, and injured scores others in northeastern Baghdad in the latest round of violence to hit Iraqi capital.

Attacks yesterday took place in the impoverished Sadr City district against the office of Moqtada al-Sadr. The senior cleric opposes any form of U.S. military presence in Iraq beyond this year’s agreed upon withdrawal deadline.

IRAN — U.S. allied against

Deputy Chairman of Iran’s Majlis (parliament) Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy Ismail Kowsari is reported saying, “U.S. conspiracies today show they are struggling against the tide of the Islamic Awakening in regional nations.”

The lawmaker’s comments came after the U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday accused Iran of involvement in a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Washington Adel Al-Jubeir, with help from a suspected member of a Mexican drug cartel.

Iranian authorities have dismissed Washington’s accusation as a smear campaign aimed at fueling ‘Iranophobia’ in the world and diverting attention from the ongoing wave of Islamic Awakening in North Africa and the Middle East as well as popular anti-Wall Street protests under way across the United States.

The senior Iranian lawmaker said the Islamic, European and American Awakenings have raised international awareness, ultimately foiling the U.S. and Zionist conspiracies against Iran. The emergence of the Islamic Awakenings has been the result of the ineffectiveness of the Zionist and American conspiracies.

Today Iran’s Permanent Ambassador to the UNESCO Mohammad-Reza Majidi told the Iranian News Agency in Paris, “President Barack Obama entered the White House with a slogan of ‘change’ but like his predecessors he is dependent on different lobbies.” He described Washington’s latest allegations against Iran are part of the U.S. Iranophobia project and “a major insult to the intelligence of ordinary people in the U.S. and the world.”

The Iranian envoy said the U.S. administration has created the recent media hype in an attempt to cover up its failures in Afghanistan and Iraq and to divert attention from the nationwide protest rallies against poverty, unemployment, corporatism, social inequality, and other shortcomings.

LIBYA — U. S. allied against previous ally

Serious fighting for the first time has broken out between pro- and anti-government factions reportedly since the alleged fall of the capital city two months ago.

To date in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, thousands of people reportedly have died and more wounded in intense fighting between government troops and revolutionary forces.

Today's incident occurred after Qaddafi loyalists held a demonstration. The National Transitional Council (NTC) reported gun battles between forces loyal to the Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi and revolutionary fighters.

SOMALIA — U.S. allied against

Every day, cholera claims the lives of dozens of Somalis.

The United Nations estimates that a quarter of Somalia’s 9.9 million people are either internally displaced or are living outside the country as refugees.

Even so, U.S. drone attacks pound the country, adding to Somalis’ fears and concerns and forcing many to flee for their lives.

Today, in a 12-hour period, at least 116 Somali children have died in southern Somalia due to an outbreak of cholera.

Poor sanitary conditions, scarcity of clean drinking water and overpopulation have resulted in the spread of waterborne diseases in this country. Hundreds of children have been rushed to hospitals and medical centers in Lego Town and Balad Town in southern Somalia.

Somalia is the sixth country where the U.S. military has conducted drone strikes. The U.S. has employed drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Iraq and Yemen to launch aerial bombings.

Today, an attack by a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) killed at least 78 people and injured 64 others in southern Somalia.

In a different incident on Friday, another U.S. drone attack killed 11 civilians and wounded 34 more in Hoosingow district in the south of the country.

UGANDA — U.S. unallied

Tens of thousands of people have died in a 20-year war with security forces in northern Uganda.

This week — in another declaration of “humanitarian warfare” — U.S. President Barack Obama announced that his government is deploying 100 ‘combat-equipped’ troops to Uganda to help efforts against rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Washington has accused the group of grievous human rights abuses.

In a message to Congress, the U.S. president said U.S. troops “subject to the approval of national authorities could also deploy from Uganda into South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

USA — 2012 RACE FOR WHITE HOUSE

Cholera claims Somalia's children

A criminally shameful display of waste in the face of worldwide suffering and want for even basics of survival 

Campaign fundraising tallies continued to dribble out Thursday, the LA Times reported, “with President Obama's effort announcing a $70-million haul in the third quarter …”

OpenSecrets.org highlights candidates’ totals in the previous quarter ending in June

U.S. drone
Press TV image

Candidate	Raised	Spent	Debts	Cash on Hand	Large Indivs	Small Indivs	End Date
ObamaBarack Obama (D)	$48,662,185	$80,235,455	$412,878	$37,110,346	$11,158,236	$21,220,058	Jun 30, 2011
RomneyMitt Romney (R)	$18,284,223	$5,575,690	$0	$12,715,495	$17,130,766	$1,103,457	Jun 30, 2011
PaulRon Paul (R)	$4,514,166	$1,547,989	$0	$2,966,177	$2,258,984	$2,259,452	Jun 30, 2011
PawlentyTim Pawlenty (R)	$4,473,673	$2,472,583	$1,915	$2,001,090	$3,964,958	$460,880	Jun 30, 2011
BachmannMichele Bachmann (R)	$3,636,523	$257,456	$364,120	$3,379,067	$546,804	$1,092,919	Jun 30, 2011
CainHerman Cain (R)	$2,552,835	$2,070,941	$0	$0	$903,765	$1,146,571	Jun 30, 2011
GingrichNewt Gingrich (R)	$2,094,866	$1,772,644	$1,030,628	$322,222	$1,154,630	$921,286	Jun 30, 2011
SantorumRick Santorum (R)	$582,098	$352,983	$0	$229,115	$442,261	$139,587	Jun 30, 2011
KargerFred Karger (R)	$266,511	$264,208	$0	$2,304	$23,280	$13,222	Jun 30, 2011
JohnsonGary Johnson (R)	$180,237	$174,230	$227,360	$6,007	$135,751	$44,485	Jun 30, 2011
RoemerBuddy Roemer (R)	$95,635	$76,577	$10,000	$19,058	$60,560	$0	Jun 30, 2011
McCotterThad McCotter (R)	$33,055	$54,636	$0	$478,780	$3,250	$6,520	Mar 31, 2011

Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center.

U.S.-led

WAR DEAD

Casualty sites reporting October 14, 2011

(Accurate totals unknown)

Anti-war dot com Casualties in Iraq since March 19, 2003

[U.S. war dead since the Obama inauguration January 20,

2009: 249] Information out of date

•

Wounded 33,151-100,000

U.S. veterans with brain injuries 320,000

Suicides estimated: 18 a day

Iraqi deaths due to U.S. invasion: 1, 455,590

Latest update on this site: October 9, 2011

http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/

•

Iraq Body Count

The worldwide update on civilians killed in the Iraq war and occupation

Documented civilian deaths from violence

102,953 – 112,504

Full analysis of the WikiLeaks’ Iraq War Logs may add 15,000 civilian deaths.  http://www.iraqbodycount.org/

•

ICasualties figures:

AFGHANISTAN:

1,806 United States

2,761 Coalition

IRAQ: 4,478 United States

4,796 Coalition

http://icasualties.org/

Sources and notes

WEEK’s insight

“Liberia; No-bel for President, No-water for residents,” October 13, 2011, http://english.pravda.ru/world/africa/13-10-2011/119314-Liberia_President_No_water_for_residents-0/

Thomas C. Mountain is the only independent western journalist in the Horn of Africa, living and reporting from Eritrea since 2006.

“The lesson from Sirte: NATO protects civilians from terrorists by murdering them” (Pravda.Ru Opinion Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey), October 12, 2011, http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/12-10-2011/119311-sirte_nato-0/

“NATO repeats all Soviet mistakes during Afghanistan’s occupation” (Sergei Balmasov, Pravda.Ru, October 7, 2011, http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/conflicts/07-10-2011/119265-afghanistan-0/

“The sickening filth our international community has become” (Pravda.Ru Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey), September 9, 2011, http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/21-09-2011/119110-sickening_filth-0/

Not many nations slammed their fist on the table and said ‘No! We will not recognize the NTC because its governance has not been legitimized by the Libyan people, we will not back a government that has been imposed by foreign powers.’

Countries that do not accept the status of the NTC [National Transitional Council (NTC)] as the legal representative of the people of Libya at present: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cameroon, Cuba, DR Congo, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guyana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs summed up their reasoning: ‘Cuba does not recognize the National Transition Council or any provisional authority; and will only recognize a government that is established legitimately and without foreign intervention via the free, sovereign will of the Libyan people.’

“Twenty-seven nations upheld international law and stood up against terrorists and racists. It remains to be seen what sort of free and fair democratic elections are to be held in Libya. The Jamahiriya government offered to hold elections and NATO and the NTC refused so we see, finally, who is democratic and who is not.”

“America is still dead,” October 3, 2011, http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/03-10-2011/119205-america_still_dead-0/

WEEK at WAR

1. Afghanistan

“Afghan MPs want Pakistan ties severed,” October 14, 2011, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204589.html

“Three U.S.-led troops killed in Afghan war,” October 14, 2011, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204511.html

2. Pakistan

“U.S. drone strike kills four in Pakistan,” October 14, 2011, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204567.html

3. Bahrain

“Bahrain forces attack, arrest protesters,” October 14, 2011, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204568.html

4. Saudi Arabia

“Saudis stage new anti-regime protest,” October 14, 2011, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204548.html

5. Yemen

“Yemenis urge end to Saleh rule,” October 13, 2011, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204357.html

6. Palestine

“Israel to build 1,000s more settler units, October 14, 2011, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204536.html

7. Iraq

“Multiple blasts kill 18 in Baghdad,” October 14, 2011,  http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204446.html

Also October 13: “Baghdad bombings claim 15 lives,” http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204429.html

8. Iran

“‘Awakenings foil anti-Iran U.S. plots,’” October 14, 2011, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204598.html

“‘U.S. after fueling Iranophobia in world,’” October 14, 2011, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204572.html

9. Libya

“Fighters, Qaddafi forces battle in Tripoli,” October 14, 2011,  http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204600.html

10. Somalia

“Cholera kills 116 children in Somalia,” October 14, 2011, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204579.html

“U.S. drone strike kills 78 in Somalia,” October 14, 2011,  http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204501.html

11. Uganda

“Obama sends U.S. combat troops to Uganda — U.S. president says he is deploying 100 combat troops to Uganda to help efforts against Lord's Resistance Army rebels,” October 14, 2011, http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111014174712102972.html

USA — 2012 RACE FOR WHITE HOUSE

 “Obama campaign raises $70 million in third quarter — the total exceeds the campaign's goal, but it is less than what was raised in the previous quarter. New fundraising totals for his GOP challengers also are emerging,” October 13, 2011, http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-1014-campaign-finance-20111014,0,4966791.story?track=rss

OpenSecrets.org

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