The One Graph That Sums Up Why We’re Going to War With Syria
by Chris Miles
policymic
August 30, 2013
The One Graph That Sums Up Why We’re Going to War With Syria
If ever there was a sign of the military industrial complex in America, this graph is it.
Reports that the United States is very near to launching an attack against Syria to punish Damascus for the use of chemical weapons sent Raytheon’s stock price to a 52-week high this week.
Who is Raytheon? The manufacturer of the BGM-109, more commonly known as the Tomahawk missile, the weapon of choice of the Obama administration in any strike against Syria.
Raytheon stock has surged over the past two months, coinciding with the biggest U.S. military build-up America has mounted since it launched an assault against Libya in 2011.
Raytheon is a Cambridge, Mass.,-based American defense contractor with total employment of 72,400 people. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of guided missiles and produces such widely used weapons as the AIM-7 Sparrow missile, the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile and the BGM-109 Tomahawk. The company is also responsible for the Air Warfare Simulation program used by the Air Force. According to the Wall Street Journal, in 2010, the company had nearly $23 billion in arms sales, more than 90% of its total revenue for the year.
[hat tip: What Really Happened]
Syria: World reacts to Britain’s decision
America was shocked, Israel outraged and Russia gleeful – here is how the world’s press reacted to Thursday night’s defeat of David Cameron’s motion on Syria in the House of Commons.
7:22PM BST 30 Aug 2013
Pensive looking, his face creased into a frown, President Barack Obama was pictured on the front page of Thursday’s New York Daily News with the headline “The British aren’t coming!”
“President Obama is starting to look more like the Lone Ranger than Paul Revere,” the paper said. “England joined Germany Thursday in abandoning the US march to war.”
Their consternation at the United States having to “go it alone” was echoed across the American press – albeit in a more refined manner.
The Washington Post headline read “Obama can go it alone on Syria. More lawmakers clamour for vote. British cooperation seems unlikely.” The Los Angeles Times said “US willing to go solo on Syria,” and in an editorial the paper expressed its own reservations about military action.
[hat tip: What Really Happened]
VIDEO — ‘Obomba, don’t drone Syria!’ Protesters rally against attack
RT
August 30, 2013
People across the world have protested against the Western powers’ possible military action against Syria. Demonstrators with anti-war and pro-Syrian placards marched in the US, Jordan and Venezuela.
Follow LIVE UPDATES on Syria ‘chemical weapons’ crisis: http://on.rt.com/0yh5ju
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VIDEO — Syria Is a Lie
by Melissa Melton
Activist Post
August 30, 2013
Wars are crimes of the elite.
U.S. says it will take action against Syria even if the United Nations and allies do not back the operation
By Madison Ruppert
Editor of End the Lie
August 28, 2013
Signs with portraits of Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo in 2009 (Image credit: oliverlaumann/Flickr)
In a statement that brings to memory the attack on Iraq, the United States said that it will take action against Syria even if allies and the United Nations do not support the operation.
The attack would be a response to alleged chemical weapons use. Despite the lack of published findings by the UN investigators, Western nations have been calling for a response to the alleged attack and one report claimed that U.S., Israeli and Jordanian commandos are already on the ground in Syria.
Today the Syrian government called for an immediate UN investigation into three new alleged attacks, reportedly carried out by the rebels.
Yet the United States’ rhetoric has become increasingly bellicose today, with the Associated Press reporting that the U.S. will simply ignore the backing – or lack thereof – of the UN and allied nations.
Note: The Washington Post changed the AP story entirely. Here is the original version posted on another site.
On Wednesday, Britain proposed a draft resolution that would authorize a military operation against Syria but that effort was stymied by the continued opposition of Russia.
The Associated Press rightly notes that if the draft resolution was put to a vote, it “would almost certainly be vetoed by Russia and China, which have blocked past attempts to sanction President Bashar Assad’s regime.”
Indeed, Russia and China have presented the most significant obstacle to Western intervention in Syria for quite some time now.
Marie Harf, deputy spokeswoman for the State Department, said that the U.S. cannot be delayed in responding to the alleged attack by Russia’s opposition in the United Nations.
Russia maintained that a military strike on Syria without the approval of the UN Security Council would be a “crude violation” of international law, something which doesn’t seem to bother the U.S.
In the United States, “No War With Syria” rallies are scheduled for Saturday, August 31 in cities across the United States.
“The movement in no way support the actions of the Assad regime, but we recognize that US intervention will instigate more violence and suffering in Syria,” organizer Nick Bernabe said in a statement.
“As the U.S. is already hurting from a recession and perpetual wars, becoming involved in Syria will only create further destabilization in the Middle East and strip the people of the United States of desperately needed resources,” he added.
Opposition has also been voiced by former Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who said that a strike on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces would mean the U.S. was supporting al-Qaeda.
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Iran considers lawsuit against US over 1953 coup
Conscious Life NewsThe Guardian | Aug 29 2013
Iran’s parliament has given preliminary approval to a bill requiring the government to sue the US for its involvement in the 1953 coup that overthrew the country’s democratically elected prime minister.
The bill follows the release of formerly classified documents offering more details of the CIA’s role in orchestrating the overthrow of Mohammed Mossadegh 60 years ago.
It calls for the creation of a committee to study the issue and provide a report within six months before legal action is launched against the US government in an international court.
Of the 196 MPs attending the session of parliament, which was broadcast live on state radio, 167 voted in favour of the bill and five opposed it.
The MP Mahdi Mousavinejad said Iran should take legal action to ensure the US take responsibility for its actions. “America’s oppressive behaviour [in 1953] shows that the Iranian nation has to stand up and pursue its trampled rights,” he said.
But Mohammad Mahdi Rahbari, another MP, opposed the bill, saying it would not bring anything tangible for Iran. “Pursuing this bill has no benefits for our country. It will waste the parliament’s time,” he said.
The coup restored the despotic regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was later overthrown in the 1979 Iranian revolution.
MPs said the documents proved that the US had a history of malevolent intervention in Iran and that the admission was sufficient evidence to demand compensation.
In a document revealed this month entitled The Battle for Iran, the CIA reveals the coup plan was called Operation TPAJAX.
VIDEO — Obama see through excuse to bomb Syria. Pepe Escobar part 1 of 4
Ryan Dawson
August 28, 2013
longer version on vimeo https://vimeo.com/73375033
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