Thailand’s Upcoming Sham “Elections”
Like tyrants throughout history, Thaksin will use “elections” to lend himself legitimacy he otherwise doesn’t have.
December 25, 2013 (Tony Cartalucci) – Elections alone do not make any given regime legitimate. Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, held regular elections – of course, Hussein was the only viable candidate running and easily was returned to power, time and time again (See BBC’s “Saddam ‘wins 100% of vote‘”). He enjoyed immense popularity especially as he stood up against the unwarranted aggression of the United States, however no one would describe his government as particularly “democratic.” Of course, the West had no problems saying so.
A similar tale can be told of North Korea’s elections – with its one-party government enjoying “landslide victories” as reported in the Telegraph’s “Elections declared a success in one party North Korea.” Similarly, the West has no problem making a mockery of the process
Image: In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to vote (or even drive for that matter). Despite this gross injustice, the autocratic feudal regime is one of the West’s closest allies and exists in a media black-hole of immunity and self-censorship. This reveals that what is considered “acceptable” and “unacceptable” by international standards is solely based on Western interest – not objective, impartial principles. The West’s backing of upcoming sham “elections” in Thailand, where only one main party is running and the top three candidates are all from the same family (Thaksin Shinawatra, sister Yingluck Shinawatra, and brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawa) is another display of double standards and the convenient circumvention of the rule of law.
VIDEO — Radical rebels kidnap & torture prisoners, aim to proclaim Islamic state in Syria
RT
Dec 19, 2013
Children as young as 8 years old, are being held and tortured across a network of secret Islamist prisons in Syria according to shocking new reports. The jails are operated by one of the fiercest rebel groups – the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Its practices and laws are so harsh, that Amnesty International has equated it to a reign of terror. Smoking, or behaviour deemed anti-Islamic can lead to lengthy sentences at these detention centers and even worse. But, as RT’s Gayane Chichakyan reports, Washington’s commitment to the rebels in Syria means it’s willing to talk to even the most hardline groups. READ MORE: http://on.rt.com/qdswoq
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VIDEO — Media Disinformation and the Framing of the Syrian War
GlobalResearchTV
Dec 18, 2013
Months after the events took place, Pulitzer prize winning journalists and others are finally reporting about the lies and manipulations of the US government regarding the recent chemical weapons attack in Syria. Far from shining a light on the true situation in the country, however, these reports continue to avoid the underlying causes and explanations for what is happening in Syria, and the forces that are behind it. This is the GRTV Backgrounder on Global Research TV.
VIDEO — Militants’ Massacre: Syrian rebels execute civilians as govt forces close in
RT
Dec 17, 2013
People put in ovens, entire families kidnapped, Christians and Alawites executed – these horrifying reports come to RT from the town of Adra north of the Syrian capital, which has been occupied by Islamist rebel groups. At least hundred people are said to have been massacred by the rebels – but as the Syrian army continues to liberate the city, that number is expected to rise. Our crew spoke to some of the survivors.
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related:
VIDEO — Breaking Barricades: Ukraine cops clash with protesters in attempt to clear roads
RT
Dec 10, 2013
In Ukraine riot police have moved on the capital’s main square, the main site of anti-government protests. The opposition claims this is an attempt to disperse the crowds, but the authorities insist they’re only trying to remove barricades blocking traffic in the center of Kiev. READ MORE: http://on.rt.com/nf77ka
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related videos:
VIDEO — CrossTalk: Dividing Ukraine
RT
Dec 4, 2013
Are we witnessing a second Orange Revolution in Ukraine? Is it a zero-sum game for all parties involved? Is it possible to work out a deal that the EU, Ukraine and Russia can be satisfied with? And is ‘going West or East’ too simplistic for a Ukraine divided? CrossTalking with Mark Sleboda, Jan Techau and Alexander Mercouris.
Watch all CrossTalk shows here:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=… (Sep 2009 – Feb 2011)
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=… (Mar 2011 – Jul 2012)
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=… (Jul 2012 – current)
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RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 1 billion YouTube views benchmark.
Hotel shortage may push Syria peace talks out of Geneva
NWO Truth
Dec 3, 2013
The much-anticipated “Geneva II” Syrian peace talks might not be held in Geneva due to insufficient hotel availability, UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said in an interview broadcast Tuesday.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon finally set a date last week for the peace conference, which has been repeatedly postponed since June and is now set to kick off on January 22.
But while UN organisers were glad to finally have a date to work towards, they now find themselves in a pickle, Brahimi acknowledged in an interview with public broadcaster RTS. (Read more…)
The conference is due to begin on the same day the global elite gathers for the annual World Economic Forum at the swank Swiss ski resort of Davos and will also clash with a luxury watch fair in Geneva.
The city’s hotels are fully booked, leading organisers to look for alternatives.
One of them is Montreux — a scenic town at the other end of Lake Geneva and known for its jazz festival — to gather Syria’s warring parties for peace talks.
“If we go to Montreux, it would be for just 24 hours, while waiting for the watch show and Davos to end,” Brahimi told RTS.
Montreux is just over an hour’s train ride from Geneva, but the veteran Algerian diplomat explained that people who come to Geneva are often unwilling to accept a long commute.
“If you go to New York, you know that it will take you an hour or two to get into town, and you accept that,” he said.
“In Geneva you are used to being just 10 minutes from the airport, so if we told people they would have to travel for an hour and 15 minutes, they would say, oh la la.”
UN spokeswoman Corinne Momal-Vanian confirmed that the ministerial-level meeting on January 22 itself “may indeed be held outside of Geneva because of logistics reasons.”
She said no decision had yet been made.
When asked whether the conference would have to be renamed if moved, Momal-Vanian said: “We try not to respond to hypothetical questions.”
[Image via Agence France-Presse]
[VIA The Raw Story]
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