PHOTOS: Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland during her visit to Edmonton in the midst of the 2015 federal election. Below: Former Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Who would ever have imagined major Canadian media companies would conclude collaborating with the Nazis when they were on
Continue readingTag: Syria
Montreal Simon: The Horror of Syria and the Human Slaughterhouse
I must admit I didn't think that anything that happened in Syria could shock me more than it already has.The more than 400,000 dead, the countless wounded and traumatized, the sea of desperate refugees, the indifference of the world.But if Amnesty International is right about what has been happening at the
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Wall Gets Support From Postmedia & CBC For “Doing Right Thing”
“rather than the politicians trying to do the right thing“ You’ve evidence that Wall is trying to now do the right thing, and not cynically trying to get out in front of an issue to which public opinion has turned against his view of only a year ago? Wall pays
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: American ban on refugees is a crisis Canada must help solve
Dear Minister Goodale: Please help refugees stranded by the illegal and immoral Republican ban on Muslim people going to the United States. You could grant access to Canada for any family that had already been granted an American Visa which was subsequently cancelled yesterday by the Republicans. This is an
Continue readingWe Pivot: Is Russia Already At War with the Americans and the UK?
Various factions within the USA are squabbling over what Russia did/didn’t/may/may not have done to affect the US election. You can track these feelings based on whether the FBI or CIA prefers Trump or Clinton. Consider the FBI’s October surprise … [Read more]
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: The Democrats Turned Their Backs On Their Traditional Base-Many Of Whom Voted for Trump.
The numbness is beginning to wear off following the strangest election campaign in modern history. I do not choose to write off all Trump voters as misogynists, racists, and the like. Sure there were some, Read more…
Continue readingWe Pivot: What “We Pivot” Is All About
In one minute in the Twitter, I saw 3 core elements of why We Pivot exists: dumping carbon energy, fighting … [Read more]
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: US Led Rogue Air Strike Kills Scores Of Syrians-Aided Islamic Victory
Here is Robert Parry’s take on the arrogance, lawlessness and criminality of the USA as they show their absolute disregard for human life.
This rogue mission killed scores of Syrian troops. Of course, they
Continue readingLeft Over: BDS is no BS – They Call the State “Pariah”
Jewish groups condemn Green Party for supporting Israeli boycott policy Leader Elizabeth May ‘disappointed’ by party’s vote at its national convention The Canadian Press Posted: Aug 08, 2016 10:09 AM ET Last Updated: Aug 08, 2016 10:09 AM ET World … Continue reading →
Continue readingAlberta Politics: News Satire: U.S. will not tolerate foreigners acting like Americans, officials say
ILLUSTRATIONS: A map showing some of the countries in which the United States has interfered in the political process (grabbed from Geology.com). Below: U.S. CIA Director John O. Brennan, Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candid…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Questions without answers: Why are our U.S. allies so ambivalent about ISIS, and what does it mean for Canada?
PHOTOS: U.S. State Department spokesperson Mark Toner. (Screen grab from C-SPAN.) Below: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Conservative interim Opposition Leader Rona Ambrose and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. For all we know, Syrian President Bashar a…
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: 6 Minutes for Syria – A Look into the Crisis
Our corporate news media is very good at keeping inconvenient facts away from the public eye. A six minute video, by definition, cannot provide many startling revelations, but rather a starting point to become informed and hopefully take action.
File…
Writings of J. Todd Ring: US Intervention In Syria: The Next Iraq
Here is a very brief synopsis of the US role in Syria. We will, for the sake of brevity, leave aside for the moment the obvious and documented facts of the US arming and supporting of the very terrorist groups they claim to be fighting; as well as th…
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: China Defends Its Woody Which Could Kick Off WW3
It takes 3 continents at war to declare another global war, and with recent developments over the past week it looks as though we may be heading in that direction. Europe is fighting a proxy war in Ukraine against Russia, NATO is fighting in the middle east, and now China is flexing its military might in the Asia Pacific Region installing surface-to-air missile systems in and around a disputed island in the South China Sea called Woody Island.
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: On Syria and Western Involvement
I will politely disagree with a couple of points at the end:
the U.S. is also undermining its own role and influence, not to mention the reputation of all those associated with its ramshackle coalition against IS.
US (and Western) credibility in the Middle East has been dubious to non-existent since Bush II decided to invade both Afghanistan and then Iraq. Our own country’s decade of “loudspeaker support for Israel” wasn’t exactly helpful either. Fundamentally Western interventions in the region have repeatedly created the adversaries we find ourselves facing a decade later. In Afghanistan during the 1980s, western powers funded the Mujahideen, which ultimately gave rise to the Taliban and then al Qaeda. The shadows of war in Iraq (in particular), the unwillingness to call out Israel’s use of white phosphorous against the Palestinians, and the heavy-handed way the Americans conducted themselves in both Iraq and Afghanistan gave rise to ISIS.
The second point that the article alludes to, but quietly sidesteps is the reality that Russia in general has long standing social, cultural and economic ties with the Persian Gulf region in particular, and the Middle East in general. Russia has always been a more natural ally for the Arab states than the western european powers. There are long (as in centuries old) standing ties and connections at all levels. I might personally think Putin is a rather nasty piece of work, but in terms of credibility and understanding of the region, Russia has long had a far more subtle, nuanced understanding than Western powers.
Putin will be a pain to deal with, but in some ways, Russian leadership represents the bridge between western interests and Arab interests from a diplomatic perspective. Russia has strong cross-cultural connections with both regions. It is perhaps time to work with Russia, and use that to develop a trade-centred approach to the region instead of trying to intervene militarily in the geopolitical mess.
The Cracked Crystal Ball II: On Syria and Western Involvement
In response to the following editorial on the mess that is Syria: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/by-giving-up-on-syria-us-hands-kingmaker-role-to-putin/article28747502/ I wrote the following: I will politely disagree with a couple of points at the end: the U.S. is also undermining its own role and influence, not to mention the reputation of all those associated with its
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: On Syria and Western Involvement
In response to the following editorial on the mess that is Syria: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/by-giving-up-on-syria-us-hands-kingmaker-role-to-putin/article28747502/I wrote the following:I will politely disagree with a couple of points at th…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On permanent campaigns
Luke Savage is right to point out that Canada’s permanent campaign has merely taken on a different dynamic under the Trudeau Libs, rather than actually coming to an end with the Harper Cons losing power:Again, branding is the key here. As a part of its…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Heartbreaking And Shameful
Given our membership in the species, all of us should feel deep shame over the actions of our fellow humans:The town has been under attack for years by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces, yet the rebel fighters in Moadamiyeh won’t give up; so the w…
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Short-term jobs and profits notwithstanding, Canada’s interests are not served by Saudi armoured vehicle sale
PHOTOS: A Canadian LAV III similar to the armoured vehicles to be sold by General Dynamics Land Systems (Canada) of London, Ont., to the Saudi National Guard. Below: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion, former MI6 head Sir Ri…
Continue reading