Articles (Oct – Dec 2008)
THE GAZA CONFLICT
Oxford Research Group, International Security Monthly Briefing – December 2008
by Paul Rogers
Introduction
The monthly ORG International Security Briefings normally relate precisely to the months in question, but this briefing is concerned with the sudden outbreak of fighting in the Gaza Strip which commenced with Israeli air strikes on Saturday 27 December and escalated with a major ground assault starting in early January. While this analysis seeks to look at the wider context of the current conflict it therefore does so in terms of the first two weeks of the war. At the time of writing (9 January 2009) there are several mediation efforts in progress but with the United States unexpectedly abstaining at the last moment in a significant UN Security Council Resolution calling for a ceasefire. The Israeli government insists, meanwhile, that it has the right to continue to protect its security interests. A ceasefire may still be called in the coming days but, whatever the eventual outcome of the conflict, the manner of its development so far already has long-term significance. …
Call for Action to Stop Nuclear Arms Buildup in Europe
December 2008: OpEdNews – Newtown,PA,USA
Plans for a Missile Defense System in Europe, located in Poland and the Czech Republic have become too dangerous to continue by the U.S. and it’s European allies because of possible Russian retaliation including the threat of nuclear attack. Russia now is threatening the U.S. and making plans for missile deployment in their territories while the U.S. is sitting back and refusing to change course on their plans to “defend” Europe against Iran. Military aggression is on the march. …
www.opednews.com/articles/Call-for-Action-to-Stop-Nu-by-arn-specter-081227-549.html
Was US anti-missile test aimed at Russia and China?
Russia Today 9 December 2008
A consultant to the head of Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces has said that a simulated anti-missile test by the U.S. was not aimed at stopping a North Korean threat as Washington had claimed.
Colonel-general Viktor Yesin said last Friday’s test had China and Russia in mind.
He said: “To avoid agitating public opinion, U.S. Missile Defense Agency officials say the test was aimed at intercepting North Korean and Iranian rockets. But we missile specialists understand that it was in fact aimed at stopping Russian and Chinese intercontinental missiles.” …
During the test last Friday an interceptor rocket was launched from California to knock down a missile launched from Alaska.
America spends some $US 10 billion a year on an anti-missile network claiming it’s necessary to counteract growing threats from ‘rogue nations’ such as North Korea and Iran.
www.russiatoday.com/news/news/34443
The SWISH Report (13) – parts one and two
Paul Rogers
Barack Obama’s administration-in-waiting has invited the SWISH management consultancy to offer advice on United States strategy towards the al-Qaida movement and the global war on terror. This is part one of its report, read it in full on openDemocracy.
Part 1 [published on 8 December 2008]
This is the thirteenth report openDemocracy has published from the South Waziristan Institute of Strategic Hermeneutics (SWISH). Nine have advised al-Qaida, two the British governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and one the United States state department …
www.opendemocracy.net/article/the-swish-report-13-part-one
Part 2 [published 15 December 2008]
Our first report was produced when the United States presidential election campaign was still underway, although George W Bush already seemed to be the likely winner. You have now asked us to produce a follow-up report in the light of the result of that election and of developments elsewhere, not least in Iraq.
We propose to start by summarising our own understanding …
www.opendemocracy.net/article/the-swish-report-13-part-two
Fate of missile defense shield left to Obama
Stars and Stripes – Washington DC, USA
December 8, 2008
Adding to an already formidable to-do list, President-elect Barack Obama will face a host of concerns as he plots the future of a European missile defense shield touted by President Bush as a necessary measure against potential Iranian missile attacks.
Technically known as the Ballistic Missile Defense European Capability, the shield involves radar stations in the United Kingdom and Czech Republic, as well as missile interceptors in Poland. Essentially, the system would use radar in the Czech Republic to detect and track an Iranian missile, with interceptor missiles fired from batteries in Poland to stop such an attack.
www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=59274
Polish fears over US defence shield
Aljazeera.net December 4 2008
By Mark Seddon in Slupsk, Poland
[Mark Seddon was formerly editor of Tribune and a member of the Labour Party NEC.]
“A small and disused former Warsaw Pact air base in a remote corner of northwest Poland may soon become the focus of a new conflict between Russia and the US.
George Bush, the US president, and his administration have chosen the Redzikowo Base as the site of Washington’s new missile defence shield, which the Americans say is designed to intercept incoming rockets from “rogue states” such as Iran. ” …
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/12/2008123174615133151.html
Obama’s National Security Adviser Gen. James L. Jones (at a glance)
SOURCE:
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
PO Box 652, Brunswick, ME 04011 (207) 443-9502
http://www.space4peace.org
globalnet@mindspring.com
http://space4peace.blogspot.com
Retired General James L. Jones has been appointed by President-Elect Barack Obama as National Security Advisor. James is a four-star general who served as senior military assistant to Defense Secretary William Cohen during President Clinton’s second term. Clinton also appointed Jones as 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps, and he served as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO from January 2003 – December 2006.
He has a reputation as “one of the best-connected officers in the Pentagon,” and he is no stranger to the arenas of corporate capitalism or the think-tank world. He is Trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think-tank chaired by Sam Nunn. He is also chairman of the Atlantic Council of the United States.
Further, Jones is President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce affiliated, Institute for 21st Century Energy. Check out their open letter to the 44th President, which calls for immediate expansion of domestic oil and natural gas exploration and production, commitment to expand nuclear energy use, and commitment to use clean coal: http://energyxxi.org/reports/Open_Letter.pdf
Jones sits on the Board of Directors of both Chevron Corporation (also with Sam Nunn) and The Boeing Company, which manufactures military aircrafts, defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. Jones is also on the Board of Directors of Invacare Corporation, a leading US manufacturer and distributor of medical equipment for use in homes.
Additionally, he is on the Board of Directors of Cross Match Technologies, Inc., a provider of “identity management solutions” including, “fingerprint and palm scanners, facial recognition solutions, [and] iris capture devices.”
In an interview with Sea Power Magazine in November 2002, Jones praised the role of technology and transformation in the advancement of military supremacy: “We will truly be able to accomplish missions like Afghanistan without breaking a sweat,” he said. www.navyleague.org/sea_power/nov_02_11.php
Jones is an advocate of a “Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Initiative,” an “interagency plan to combat terrorism in trans-Saharan Africa using a range of political, economic and security tools.” The bulk of this strategy is aimed at funding, training, and supplying arms to a professional African security force, which will take directions from the United States and NATO.
“Africa’s vast potential makes African stability a near-term global strategic imperative,” Jones said. “Development of effective security structures in Africa will establish the foundation for future success.” http://osd.dtic.mil/news/Mar2006/20060308_4428.html
By Adrian
What should Obama do about missile defense?
Washington Times
Daryl G. Kimball
Sunday, November 30, 2008
President Obama will have to quickly make many tough foreign policy judgment calls. Among the most important is whether to proceed with the Bush administration’s crash effort to install untested anti-missile interceptors …
A more balanced, nonideological approach to U.S. missile defense policy is long overdue. For more than a decade, proponents of missile defense have hyped the threat of long-range missiles from the likes of Iran and North Korea …
www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/30/kimball-what-should-obama-do-about-missile-defense
What Next? The Elections, the Economy, the World
PressTV Fri, 28 Nov 2008
Speech by Noam Chomsky
“America’s most influential public intellectual Naom Chomsky gave a speech to a packed house in Boston on November 24th, his first public address since the US presidential elections. What follows is the full text of his remarks.”
“Well, let’s begin with the elections. The word that the rolls off of everyone’s tongue is historic. Historic election. And I agree with it. It was a historic election. To have a black family in the white house is a momentous achievement. In fact, it’s historic in a broader sense. The two Democratic candidates were an African-American and a woman. Both remarkable achievements. We go back say 40 years, it would have been unthinkable. ”
Read the full article: www.presstv.ir
Putin Offers to End Stand-Off Over Missiles in Eastern Europe
Russia | 24.11.2008
Putin Offers to End Stand-Off Over Missiles in Eastern Europe Deutsche Welle – Germany Russia is prepared to make plans to deploy missiles in its Kaliningrad exclave “disappear” if the US drops plans to base part of its missile defence system …
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3817848,00.html
U.S. would control profits from Iraqi oil exports under agreement
By Jeremy R. Hammond
Online Journal – Silver Springs, FL, USA
Nov 24, 2008, 00:24
There’s been no shortage of controversy surrounding what has been termed the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the governments of the United States and Iraq. … Use of such bases would be granted to the U.S. for the purpose of the ongoing foreign military presence within Iraq. The agreement states that its implementation must be “consistent with protecting the natural environment and human health and safety” …
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4046.shtml
Now is the Time to Say, “Cut the Pentagon Budget”
Smart Defense by Katrina vanden Heuvel: The Nation 11/18/2008
Last month, Congressman Barney Frank called for a 25 percent cut in the defense budget–approximately $150 billion in annual spending–saying, “We don’t need all these fancy new weapons. I think there needs to be additional review.” … Even a senior Pentagon advisory group–the Defense Business Board –recently concluded that the current budget is “not sustainable.” … the budget is “nearly equal to all of the rest of the world’s defense budgets combined.” …
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut/384300
US Strategic Weapons Policy Memorandum
An article by Martin Butcher – independent international security analyst
Subject: The Obama Administration On European Missile Defences
Date: November 14, 2008
The Obama administration will differ from the Bush administration in a number of areas. National security policy is one area where there are likely to be significant difference. One important area for future relations with Russia, and therefore for the prospects for disarmament in Europe, is the US strategic missile defence system, and in particular the Obama administration’s policy on deployment at the European sites in Poland and the Czech Republic. During the campaign, the President-Elect told ABC News that “I just want to make sure if you put up a missile defense system then it better defend against missiles. If it doesn’t then that creates greater insecurity and instability not more.” This nuanced position is mirrored in his transition website’s policy statement on the issue:
… US Strategic Weapons Policy Memorandum – Download/read the entire article.
Pentagon board says cuts essential
Tells Obama to slash large weapons programs
By Bryan Bender
Boston Globe: November 10, 2008
WASHINGTON – A senior Pentagon advisory group, in a series of bluntly worded briefings, is warning President-elect Barack Obama that the Defense Department’s current budget is “not sustainable,” and he must scale back or eliminate some of the military’s most prized weapons programs.
… the nation’s recent financial crisis makes it imperative that the Pentagon and Congress slash some of the nation’s most costly and troubled weapons to ensure they can finance the military’s most pressing priorities. …
Pentagon insiders and defense budget specialists say the Pentagon has been on a largely unchecked spending spree since 2001 that will prove politically difficult to curtail but nevertheless must be reined in. …
www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/11/10/pentagon_board_says_cuts_essential
President-Elect Obama and a Nuclear Weapons-Free World
By David Krieger
Dear Friends,
The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States is a great moment for America and the world – a time of celebration and tears. The American people have chosen hope over fear, unity over division. In doing so, we have repudiated policies of violence, lawlessness and closed-door rule. We have restored hope and made possible the restoration of America’s credibility in the world.
President-elect Obama has already made many statements about US nuclear policy during his long campaign for the presidency. The one I like best is: “A world without nuclear weapons is profoundly in America’s interest and the world’s interest. It is our responsibility to make the commitment, and to do the hard work to make this vision a reality. That’s what I’ve done as a Senator and a candidate, and that’s what I’ll do as President.” ….
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (www.wagingpeace.org)
Now he must declare that the war on terror is over
Jonathan Steele
The Guardian, Thursday November 6 2008
A day of joy but also another day of horror. Even as American voters were giving the world the man whom opinion polls showed to be the overwhelming favourite in almost every country, his predecessor’s terrible legacy was already crowding in on the president-elect. … Even if much of this force remains on bases and is barely visible to Iraqi civilians (much as the 4,500 British at Basra airfield are), it cannot avoid symbolising the fact that the occupation continues. Obama should seize the opportunity to withdraw the US from Iraq with dignity.
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/06/barack-obama-war-on-terror
Russia to move missiles to Baltic
Iskander missiles have a range of up to 248 miles
BBC News November 5th 2008
Russia is to deploy new missiles in a Baltic enclave near Nato member Poland, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says.
Short-range Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad region would “neutralise” the planned US anti-missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, he said.
The US says its shield is a defence against missiles from “rogue” nations, but Moscow sees it as a direct threat. …
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7710362.stm
Pentagon Study Lambasts Missile Defense Agency
Victoria Samson
October 21, 2008
A recently released Pentagon report has made some very criticial recommendations for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Citing MDA’s priority to deploy weapons at the cost of careful research and development, the study recommends that many of the weapon programs be handed over to the military branches, writes Victoria Samson in an analysis published in the Oct. 21, 2008 issue of the Huffington Post.
www.cdi.org (Center for Missile Defense Information
Iraqi Politicians Ponder Status of Forces Agreement
Nazar Janabi*
October 27, 2008
After months of rigorous debate, U.S. and Iraqi negotiators submitted a draft Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to Iraq’s cabinet and political leadership last week. …
The status of U.S. military trainers in Iraqi military units is unclear. Regarding the most contentious issue, immunity, the agreement gives legal jurisdiction to the United States over its personnel when they are inside designated bases and while performing duties off base. …
… This is a critical time for Iraq; its political leaders have to consider Iraq first and make tough decisions regarding their country’s future. …
*Nazar Janabi is a Next Generation fellow at The Washington Institute focusing on Iraqi and Middle Eastern security issues and democratization in the region.
Read the entire article on “Doc’s Talk” (docstalk.blogspot.com)
A crisis-opportunity moment
By Paul Rogers
The response of political elites to the global financial shock should take account of two previous chances to create a fairer world economy, says Paul Rogers
23 October 2008
The world’s financial nervous breakdown is far from over. The stock-market turmoil continues, the huge debt issues left by the collapse of major institutions remain potentially destabilising, and there could still be major shocks to come (not least in east-central Europe). The reverberations of a crisis that began in the global north are working their way across the global south. These trends indicate that the convulsions of September-October 2008 – from the fall of Lehman Brothers to the emergency bailout-investment model of British prime minister Gordon Brown – are only the prelude to a worldwide economic recession. … more..
From Open Democracy: www.opendemocracy.net
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