West Asia News and Discussions

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Vikas
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Vikas »

Keeping this post and narrative within the geographical boundaries of Middle East and time span of last 40-50 years,
#Got me thinking from Kannan's post.

Is there anything like Moderate Islam ? Do the Muslims barely tolerate native Non-Muslims and keep pressurizing them to convert. A miniscule community like Yazidi got decimated, Raped and killed at the very first opportunity.
Should Bharat really care who is killing whom in ME as long as our interests are protected.
Islam anyways is Islam, There is no such thing as good or Bad Islam and that we have been hated, killed, plundered and subjugated by all shades of Islam should be a constant reminder to us.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by John »

Vikas wrote:
UlanBatori wrote:r Except the Pakis unless they take the chance to re-enter the human race. Because:
Once the IRGC can do hot pursuit into Balochistan, it is over for Paki/ Sunni terrorist rule there.
IRGC thugs will be decimated like Iraqi republican guards.
Very honestly, If Iranians ever got into an armed conflict with Pakis, They will have their a$$es handed out to them.
On any scale Pak army is way better than Iranians. Puke army kills Shias far more in numbers than any other govt force.
In any such case, Pukes will get all the help from Yankees, owners of Kaba and Yahood.
Their is a reason that Iranians bluster and then play with words but never threaten Pukes with action except for a bullet here or a bomb there.
Yeap I love how some posters here were hyping Iranian military to regional super power level status with arms manufacturing capability we should copy. But most of that is pr bs and there incompetence and response to Qassam killing portrays something completely different. I expect Iran's sphere of influence to decline greatly in coming years and won't be suprised if they start tearing themselves apart. Fact that China and Russia basically did squat showed how little they cared about there so called ally, there is even speculations China might have provided Intel on Iranian installations to US as part of trade deal (exchange for relaxing restrictions on Huawei) probably should scare the heck out of Tehran.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Philip »

Go further into history. There was a time of the golden era of Islam which controlled most of Spain and for centuries were at the forefront of art,architecture,culture,science,etc. The Moors, Ottomans,Central Asian kingdoms, controlled a vast area from Central Asia.W.Asia,N.Africa to Europe .The Crusades were started by the Christian West and the eviction of the Christians from the Holy Land, collapse of the Holy Roman empire saw Islam fill its space.The epithet " crusader" still hangs over the more recent western invasions in the last few decades,wars all about OIL.Trying to get Sunnis and Shias to destroy each other has been the gameplan of the West/ US for lon, in an attempt to turn back the clock.US neo-cons and Evangelical outfits have been relentless in their own goals. We are inthe midst of a grim period in human history which is at an ominous stage.

Islamic states like the Saudis and Iran will pursue their nuclear ambitions.Israel has around 300 according to some western sources with their 6 German U- boats carrying its N- tipped LRCMs.Thd Saudis may have already recd. their Paki- built N- warheads for their Chinese BMs.This has infuriated Iran who are atthe mercy of both Israel and the Saudis, hence its assymmetric warfare strategy using the Hiz,IRGC,etc. Add to this the Chinese march towards the Gulf and ME, predicted 25 years ago, gradually taking over more of Pak's strategic territory, making India's task even more difficlt to maintain its influence in the region.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by hnair »

John, I think it is time we stop seeing the ME military as modern professional militaries with a General Staff kind of structures and more like militias. Then we might be able to make sense out of why Saudis jump out of their brand new M1A1s and run like crazy at the sound of a toyota hilux backfiring. Their leadership at all levels seem incapable of absorbing any setbacks or think agilely like what one expecs of a post-Frederick The Great military leadership

Maybe we should come up with our own listing of these entities. Out of this mix the pecking order, for something resembling a General staff, a rank list of past and present militias I can think of based on capabilities, demonstrated since 1980s seem to be

Tier-1 ME Militia
Note: Decent training, well kitted up, some GS and have given battle against odds, but still owing allegiance to a Strongman/Warlord/Mameluke and most of them have surrendered abjectly to a modern military, when the situation demanded
1) Turkey that is still a member of NATO
2) Najibullah's Afghan military
3) Pakistani military
4) Shah's Iran military, remnants of which hold out on Saddam for long years
5) Saddam's military
6) Nasser's Egypt
7) Hafez El Assad's Syria

Tier-2 ME Militia
note: All these are ones who wield heavy weapons, sometimes aircraft and mijjiles, not pure-terror/guerilla types. Plus have multi-year longevity
1) Iranian Republican guards and their offshoots in Palestine/Syria
2) Northern Alliance
3) Afghan Taliban
4) Kurds
5) Bashar El Assad's Syria

Tier-3 ME Militia Useless when it comes to putting up a decent fight in a regular military battlefield, to the point of needing mercenaries from all over the world:
1) Saudi
2) UAE
3) Qatar
4) Kuwait
5) Qaddafi's Libya
6) ISIS

At some point, even Tier1 and 2 will devolve into militias riding Toyotas. It is just a matter of air support.

In this circumstance, there is no point in claiming Iran will be capable of either giving a technically competent riposte against US or for that matter, even against the pakis is a bit of a stretch.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by UlanBatori »

hnairji:
1) Present Iraq Army is 400% American-trained, American armed. "Well-kitted" and "well-Gunned" and "Well-Mijjiled". Same for KSA and Gelf.
The Best of The Best of The Best. Ditto Afghan army. Iraqis well-trained in Net-Centric Integrated BattleSpace to operate phones to call for air support. Except it don't come, or when it does, drops bombs on them. KSA tank crews show a smart turn of speed exiting the turrent and sprinting away when Houthis are seen doing AoA! on the horizon. Afghans I just feel terribly sorry for.
2) Good of you to point out recent history: Iranian RG have been in the lead, as the Syrian Army fought their way back from virtual extinction, to taking back nearly all of Syria. Desert and urban warfare. Yes, they had Russian air support but still, fighting was very intense. Other side also had air support in some cases, like Deir ez-Zor. No comments on how they might fare against the Pak Frontier Corpses or 6th PakJab Cavalry.
3) Recent encounters of Syrian Arab Army (Official govt.) with Turkish regular army have not gone well for Syrians. Outgunned.
ramana
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by ramana »

John, There is book titled
Arab Armies from 1948 to 1991.

Kenneth Pollack.

Its a CFR book.
Try to read.

Very useless aggressive home guards.

Its his PhD thesis.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by John »

ramana wrote:John, There is book titled
Arab Armies from 1948 to 1973.
Try to read.

Very useless aggressive home guards.
Definetly will check out the book, Yea i understand the incompetence of Arab militaries but Iran seemed to invincible aura in social media circles.

In other news Houthis broke the peace deal and launched missile/drone strike probably to save face for their Iranian overlords. Expect Saudis to resume bombing and kill hundreds more Yemenis, all these sense killing just so that Iranians have something to placate their angry populace.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51166943
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Parasu »

The discussion about Arab armies and their fighting capabilities is biased.
First of all, one does not necessarily need a western general staff model to fight well. There are other ways to skin a cat.
Secondly, the fighting nature depends on motivation and a belief in whatever the army is fighting for.
The Saudi army may be useless but it is useless because it does not believe in the Monarchy perhaps.
The Iraqi army proved useless against invading Americans but then ISIS (despite their abhorrent ideology) fought very very well in Iraq. A section of the Syrian army fought very hard after largescale desertions because they are/were fighting for their lives.

Motivation and morale play are clearly more important than any General Staff model.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by chanakyaa »

Not sure if the Libya info is appropriate here or in "India-Africa" dhaaga...

Energy related interventions in Libya have reached almost WWII level with countries taking sides driven by interests. Decade of wars, misery, human loss. Good ole Gaddafi days...

Timeline: Haftar's months-long offensive to seize Tripoli

Commander Khalifa Haftar's forces choke Libya's oil flow

In 2011 Russia and Turkey did not stop NATO in Libya. Now their voices speak loudest as they try to end 9 years of chaos

Libya asks France to explain how its arms reached Haftar forces

How Italy was marginalised in Libya

Berlin summit on Libya conflict: What did world powers agree?
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Philip »

From a pal in RiyDdh, MBS is really on a reform spree,women drivers,etc,etc.How long this is going to last is the big Q. He got his Aramco billions though by coercion.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by ramana »

Parasu,
However a competent General Staff is necessary in modern wars.
It started with Napoleon who used to map out how far per day his Army would march based on logistics.
The Prussian institutionalized the General Staff and this was adopted.
The reason for the Arab Armies sub-par performance is that they are recruited for loyalty to the governing regime.
And they perform well with backs to the wall.
And you point that out.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by UlanBatori »

Very strange news item. The Colonialist French "own" a church inside Jerusalem?
Can't imagine more messed-up and needless possessivity. Why doesn't Israel simply kick them out?
Afraid that the French will immediately surrender to them and demand champagne et croissants avec le beurre?
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by UlanBatori »

Douma Chemical Attack shows that White Helmets are full of Poo?
In the light of the increasing exposure of the OPCW as a deeply compromised instrument of power for the US-led global alliance, the role of aligned media in protecting discredited constructs must be examined.

On January 20, a quiet, unassuming expert laid bare the OPCW suppression of evidence that would demonstrate the illegitimacy of the bombing of Syria in April 2018 by the UK, US, and France. Ian Henderson is a former OPCW inspection team leader and an engineering and ballistics specialist. Henderson said he visited Douma with the first OPCW inspection team shortly after the alleged chemical attack on April 7, 2018. In an address to the UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting, Henderson presented his misgivings and spoke of the OPCW management information lockdown.

Henderson’s analysis of the events, in particular the “chlorine cylinder dropped by Syrian air-force helicopters” narrative was inexplicably suppressed by the OPCW and omitted from the final report which fraudulently maintained the “likely” verdict that chlorine had been used.

Henderson’s report had supported the conclusion that there had been no chemical attack. A number of other OPCW colleagues have also come forward with similar claims that their expert opinions were censored by the OPCW who appear to have been tasked with retrospectively justifying the US allied criminal aggression against Syria. A bombing campaign that resulted in the destruction of a laboratory complex and cancer research center, located in Barzeh on the outskirts of Damascus.

It is worth noting that had this been a “chemical weapons” factory as claimed by Western intelligence, the potential for civilian deaths would have been horrific in the event of “chemicals” being released into the atmosphere close to Damascus residents.

Iraq WMD spin repeated in Syria

The Douma scandal has the hallmarks of the Iraq WMD fabrication and the rush to judgement by the state media PR agencies and was a horrifying potential prelude to a world war with the US and Russia confronting each other on Syrian territory.

History demonstrated that the invasion of Iraq was based on the fiction that WMDs existed. We witnessed a media circus vindication of the bloody conquest of Iraq without hesitation or investigation. Not only did the Western media endorse the wholesale slaughter of the Iraqi people, they were seen to celebrate the American/UK show of military might and to applaud the campaign of devastating “shock and awe.”

Two days after the Douma staged event was produced by none other than the terrorist-linked UK/US sponsored White Helmets, who have been primary “witnesses” and players in the majority of alleged chemical weapon attacks used to vilify Syria and Russia, the Guardian’s Simon Tisdall went on the warpath against Syria. “After Douma, the West’s response to Syria’s regime must be military,” Tisdall informed us.
This rush to judgement was mirrored almost universally by media in the West; those who dared to challenge the dominant narrative or to advocate caution were dismissed and smeared as “conspiracy theorists” or worse “Orwellian genocide deniers.”

Before the OPCW inspection teams had achieved access to Douma, the mockingbird media was engineering the removal of doubt from public consensus. The Syrian government, according to Western media, had “undeniably gassed its own people” just as the Syrian Arab Army was advancing to victory in the mass-murdering Jaish Al Islam-occupied district of east Damascus.
BBC’s role as PR agency for war

Syria has endured nine years of bloodshed thanks to a war which is being imposed upon its people by the US Coalition. The “chemical weapon” narrative is providing a pretext for unlawful proxy aggression against a sovereign nation and the media is wholeheartedly promoting this narrative despite the glaring evidence that exposes it as another WMD “dodgy dossier.”

The BBC, as with Iraq, has been at the forefront of this vilify-Syria propaganda campaign and is the UK government’s disinformation flagship promoting the savagery of illegal wars worldwide. When the OPCW interim report was released in July 2018, the BBC appeared to deliberately misrepresent the report’s findings to shore up the UK Foreign Office’s illegitimate claims of chemical weapon use by the Syrian government.
In legendary journalist, John Pilger’s film “The War You Don’t See,” the BBC’s head of newsgathering, Fran Unsworth, claims that the media was “taken in” regarding Iraq, and hoodwinked by government claims. Unsworth blames the BBC’s insouciance on having “no access” to information or to Iraq. But the crucial expert analysis that Iraq’s WMD did not exist was available four years prior to the US invasion, from the chief UN weapons inspector in Iraq, Scott Ritter. In 1998, Ritter told John Pilger: “If I had to quantify Iraq’s threat in terms of WMD, the real threat is zero, none.”

The BBC ignored this game-changing evidence, just as they have gone out of their way to ignore the collapsing Douma “chemical weapon” narrative and the exposure of the OPCW as an extension of the UK/US globalist mafia cartel.

When I challenged Lyse Doucet, BBC international correspondent and Syria “expert,” about the BBC’s lack of coverage of the Douma/OPCW scandal, Doucet disingenuously blamed BBC silence on an alleged lack of access to Syria. The OPCW is based at the Hague but this minor detail was swept under the carpet.
Suppression of genuine anti-war voices

Why are the anti-war voices of reason not heard? Because the BBC and other state-aligned media outlets exist to protect power from truth and to dupe the people into believing war is necessary. The BBC and the corporate media complex has rarely held any state narrative up for scrutiny, except after the event when the dust has settled on the devastating consequences of their complicity. Suspended skepticism is responsible for the devastation and bloodshed that are the consequences of these wars, waged on criminally false pretexts.

These journalists do not simply “go along” with disinformation, they jingoistically cheer for the destruction of nations and peoples that they know virtually nothing about.

Journalists who capitulate wittingly to state foreign policy agendas and the associated official narratives manufactured to ease the passage of those agendas, are nothing more than accomplices, in breach of international law.
The UK, France and the US have stone-walled the emerging engineering and scientific reports produced by serious experts in their field, members of the FFM (Fact Finding Mission) team. Instead, NATO-aligned & sponsored blogs like Bellingcat have been instructed to counter the mounting evidence of the OPCW dereliction of duty while compromised media ensure the public is kept in the dark about the shifting narrative landscape.

This is a brazen disinformation campaign.

If it transpires that the Douma OPCW report was a fabrication, it should lead to the questioning of earlier episodes, like Khan Sheikhoun in 2017, which also led to Trump showering Syria with cruise missiles.

This will mean the media will be put under further pressure to explain their blanket approval and sensationalist amplification of now discredited narratives which sustained a war which should never have been allowed to begin.

Displays of post-war remorse and claims that the media was subjected to a sophisticated disinformation campaign that may have provided absolution of guilt for the invasion of Iraq should not be allowed to protect the war-media from accountability for the suffering of the Syrian people and the blood that is on their hands.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT but are as commanded by Comrade Putin.
:mrgreen:
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by anmol »

Afghan plane crash: Mystery over crash in Taliban territory | BBC

12 minutes ago

The US military has joined an investigation into a plane that crashed in eastern Afghanistan on Monday.

Local officials initially said the aircraft that came down in Deh Yak district, Ghazni province, belonged to state-owned airline Ariana.

But the airline denied this, prompting questions about the origin of the aircraft and the cause of the crash.

Iranian state media posted footage of what it said was the plane, which it said had US Air Force markings. :eek:

Video and images posted on Fars news agency's social media appeared to show a Bombardier E-11A jet, a US Air Force plane.

The US military uses this type of plane for electronic surveillance over Afghanistan.

The village in which the plane came down, south-west of the capital Kabul, is in an area with a strong Taliban presence.

US Army Maj Beth Riordan, a spokeswoman for US Central Command, told Associated Press news agency that it remained unclear whose aircraft was involved in the crash.

Another US defence official told Military Times: "We are aware of the reports and are investigating. At this point, we cannot confirm it is a DOD [Department of Defence] asset."

After initial speculation that it was an Ariana plane, the airline issued a strong denial, saying it only had two planes in the air and that they were safe.

Mirwais Mirzekwal, chief executive of Ariana, told Reuters: "It does not belong to Ariana because the two flights managed by Ariana today from Herat to Kabul and Herat to Delhi are safe."
Image
Map showing location of Kabul and Ghazni province
Ghazni provincial governor Wahidullah Kaleemzai later told private broadcaster TOLOnews: "There is no exact information on casualties and name of the airline."

Afghanistan's aviation body also said that no civilian planes had crashed, and Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the BBC that his group had not yet located the aircraft.

Ghazni police commander Ahmed Khalid Wardak told the BBC that there was no information about casualties, and that it was unclear what had caused the plane to crash. He added that the aircraft had been set on fire.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Chinmay »

anmol wrote:

The US military uses this type of plane for electronic surveillance over Afghanistan.
Apparently this is a E-11 BACN, one of 4 in service
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by ramana »

The killing of Oasim Solemiani has changed the dynamics in Iraq a lot and beyond.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by mmasand »

ramana wrote:The killing of Oasim Solemiani has changed the dynamics in Iraq a lot and beyond.
Here is a piece re: deconstructed statement of MEA in response to killing of Soleimani.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-fr ... ssion=true
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Rony »

Iranian media: CIA agent behind Soleimani killing shot down in Afghanistan
Iranian media claims that “many CIA” officers were killed in a plane crash on Monday. The Taliban initially claimed large numbers of Americans were killed, while Russian media and Iranian media then asserted that a senior CIA officer responsible for killing IRGC general Qasem Soleimani was on board. The claim has been greeted with skepticism.

Michael D’Andrea’s name began to appear in Farsi media in the wake of the Soleimani killing when articles at Mehr News and Radio Farda claimed he was involved in planning the US operation. Later on January 27 his name appeared again in rumors after the plane crash. There are many who might have an interest in spreading conspiracies about the Taliban downing high ranking US intelligence officers, nevertheless Iran’s Tasnim ran with the story quoting Russian sources that said the “assassin of Soleimani was on the plane and killed in the crash.” It claims that “Andrea is the most prominent figure in the US CIA in the Middle East. He has been in charge of operations in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.”

The Taliban was quoted as saying they had shot down the plane. Tasnim refers to Andrea as “Ayatollah Mike” and “the Prince of Darkness,” relying on old US newspaper clippings. Press TV of Iran has also included the report, claiming top CIA officers were killed and repeating rumors about Andrea. But the original reports from the Taliban only spoke of a plane being shot down and some CIA members allegedly being on it. The US says that an American E-11A plane was shot down in Ghazni province. Ghazni is around 900 km from the Iranian border.

Linking its downing to the Soleimani killing would be a major development and appear to show that Iran is active in Afghanistan with the Taliban, a claim that has been made in the past. Iran watches US movements in Afghanistan carefully and has met with the Taliban recently. Iran has also tried to down US drones that stray near Iran’s border.

The US has dropped a record number of bombs on the Taliban in the last year as it also tried to push them toward the peace table.

Many social media users are interested in the claim that Andrea may have been on the plane. One of the first users to report the claim noted that Andrea “masterminded the murder of Imad Mughniyeh, former Hezbollah chief of staff, back in 2008.” However others have pointed out that while this could be big news it could be disinformation or designed merely to create the appearance that Iran had responded to the Soleimani killing. Iran has promised “hard revenge” against the US. Some Iranians on social media who support the regime in Tehran have been celebrating the downing of the plane.

The Taliban spokesman meanwhile says they are still investigating who was killed on the plane and have not confirmed the top CIA officer was among the dead. Photos placed online show burned bodies of the dead. A website noted a Taliban statement saying the found some documents on the plane but that the corpses those on board were burned.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Philip »

Trump unveils a new dramatic and visionary peace plan for the ME, between Israel and the Palestinians. The plan has many positives and PM Bibi N has accepted it in principle and is willing to negotiate with them.A 2 state solution with Palestinian presence in Jerusalem too. Capitals of both in the holy city. However, the Palestinians may reject it as it proposes that Palestinian refugees will not have the right to return. Whatever the reception of this plan ,it is a step forward and must be taken very seriously.The plan ensures Israel's security in key areas of the region,Jerusalem as its capital,the Jordan Valley as part of it,etc.$50B has been offered by the US to the Palestinians as well."Fantastic", is what Bibi N has described it.

PS:
First reports say that the Palestinians have rejected it totally, but what exactly do they want? The Jews thrown into the sea? As Bibi N said,for millennia Jewish history has been etched in this land,it is not any illegal occupation of any land,but the historic soil of the Jewish people. It's time that the Palestinians looked at it with sincerity.Yes, it's heavily in Israel's favour but also gives the Palestinians a state of their own which they can chart out to suit their requirements.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by mmasand »

^ pls look at the map, it's ridiculous by any standards. Even the Israelis are criticizing it as an attempt to win brownie points before the elections.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Gerard »

Apparently Umm-al-Fahm, a majority Arab city inside Israel, whose residents are all Israeli citizens, would be transferred to Palestine under the plan.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by mmasand »

Gerard wrote:Apparently Umm-al-Fahm, a majority Arab city inside Israel, whose residents are all Israeli citizens, would be transferred to Palestine under the plan.
The Arab subjects in the Jordan valley will be asked to become Jordanian citizens and migrate, those residing north of Tul Karm to take up Egyptian citizenship. What they are effectively suggesting are enclaves inside Israel, a 62 mile elevated road/tunnel to connect Gaza to West bank. All settlements in West Bank will effectively be annexed as of Sunday, post cabinet nod. I dare say even by conservative standards, no caretaker govt can sign any semblance of a two nation solution.

The only loser in this situation is Abbas, he refused to come to the negotiation table. Now he stands isolated and was forced to pick up the phone and dial the Hamas, thereby paving way for the dissolution of PA and formally ceding space to PIJ, Hamas, and Hezbollah. The deal was a non-starter to begin with, it's just a justification for the IDF to move in and erect fences.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by UlanBatori »

Trump unveils a new dramatic and visionary peace plan for the {fill in the blank}
This is the big fear, and why UBCN fa*ted in relief on Aug. 5. Keeps "offering" to "help".
"Deals" between such entities with such historic fraternal love, have a habit of unraveling with very nasty effects inside... 30 days 2 years. One would have to plant a good supply of AK47s and RPGs and ATGMs along with the apple trees and grape vines.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Philip »

The US admitted that now 50 servicemen have suffered serious brain trauma after the Iranian missile attacks in Iraq as retaliation for the assassination of Gen. QS .This is a very large number who sadly may be affected for life.a fate worse than death.
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Manish_Sharma »

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/28/politics ... index.html

First on CNN: 50 US service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after Iranian missile strike
By Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent
Updated 10:19 PM EST, Tue January 28, 2020
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Aditya_V »

I have a feeling this more to assuage Iran's H&D and dial down, it will make the Iranian public feel happy but US personal will then say they are ok again. US needs Iran to act as bad boy in the region for the Rest of the Gulf to eat out their hand.

Look at the report
"Of these 50, 31 total service members were treated in Iraq and returned to duty, including 15 of the additional service members who have been diagnosed since the previous report. 18 service members have been transported to Germany for further evaluation and treatment. This is an increase of one service member from the previous report. As previously reported, one service member had been transported to Kuwait and has since returned to duty," the statement added.
Several Pentagon officials told CNN that the number of diagnosed cases is likely to continue to change. Approximately 200 people who were in the blast zone at the time of the attack have been screened for symptoms.
Although traumatic brain injuries are not always apparent immediately after they've been suffered, the disclosure of injured US service members indicates that the impact of the attack was more serious than initial assessments indicated. Tuesday's announcement is the third time the Pentagon has updated the figures for the numbers injured.
The Pentagon and President Donald Trump had initially said no service members were injured or killed in the January 8 Iranian missile attack, which was retaliation for the January 2 US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general.
Last week Trump said he does not consider potential brain injuries to be as serious as physical combat wounds, downplaying the severity of the injuries suffered in Iraq.
During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump was asked to explain the discrepancy between his previous comments that no US service member was harmed in the January 8 Iranian missile attack on Al-Asad airbase in Iraq, and the latest reports of US troops being treated for injuries sustained in that attack.
"No, I heard that they had headaches, and a couple of other things, but I would say, and I can report, it's not very serious," Trump replied during a news conference.
The Democrats will play this up, Iran will claim they got 50 US personal for Brazen killing Solemani. But I will bet my 2 cents each of those 50 will not be really affected by the strike.
Roop
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Roop »

Aditya_V wrote:The Democrats will play this up, Iran will claim they got 50 US personal for Brazen killing Solemani. But I will bet my 2 cents each of those 50 will not be really affected by the strike.
Exactly! 8)
John
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by John »

Philip wrote:The US admitted that now 50 servicemen have suffered serious brain trauma after the Iranian missile attacks in Iraq as retaliation for the assassination of Gen. QS .This is a very large number who sadly may be affected for life.a fate worse than death.
Not sure if you are being serious this is not fate worse than death yes I have know someone who suffered from serious brain trauma.
Aditya_V
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Aditya_V »

In this case almost all of the personal have returned to duty, yes Brain trauma can be dangerous, but in this case US probably does want to save some face otherwise the Regime in Iran will come under public pressure for more strikes and situation will definately get out of control.
Philip
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Philip »

Sending Ondian boots to AFG to be the next nation to waste its youth in that blighted country after the British,a few times,the Russians, Americans and soldiers from many NATO and western nations, is one of the most insane ideas available. Yes,there are several canvassers for this line of action like Su Swamy,with the main aim of relieving Uncle Sam's adventurers,desperate to exit with a fig- leaf of honour and not a redux of the inglorious rout and shambolic retreat from Saigon !

On the other handbour continued support for the Kabul regime and major logistic support must continue with enhanced military support.One top priority for the new MEA Sec. is to resurrect thd former N.Alliance of Afghanistan's northern neighbours as was done earlier to combat the Taliban. At the same time, a concerted covert effort to destabilise Pak,its ISI affecting its support for the Taliban is required. How did the US and West achieve their aim of rrgimf change in Afg. at the beginning? It was done by Brit. and CIA covert forces operating out of Pak assassinating govt. leaders and officials. The CIA planned to destabilise the Muslim republics of the USSR by encouraging Islamic fundamentalism and supported Gen.Zia who Islamised Pak .Look what that vile US policy spawned Osama and Al Q. the Taliban and finally the ISI and short- lived neo- Islamic Caliphate. We have not seenthe fnd of this disastrous unfolding of events. Pak supported to the hilt by China,intruding into thf region militarily, is beginning a new proxy war over Kashmir, and the ambitious pretrnder toxthe Otttoman throne, Erdo-the-gun, is sending Turkish troops to various hotspots in the region.

The Trump peace diktat just announced favouring Istael , hasnow resultedin the Palestinian Authority under Abbas severinv of diplomaticrelations with the US and Istael.
Rony
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Rony »

For whatever its worth, In Global firepower rankings, Egypt overtook Turkey and became the strongest Muslim power.

On paper, the Egyptians have good inventory from every arms producing country - F-16s, Mig-35s, Mirage-2000s, Rafael's, MIA1s. T-90s , Type-209s, Mistral LHDs, FREMM , Oliver Perry frigates etc etc. Never knew they had this many diverse type of hardware.

P.S. I dont give much credence to global fire power rankings considering they strictly go by on paper inventory and numbers. Which results in things like North Korea being the No.1 in their naval power list.

For years, Egypt and Turkey are at loggerheads over Erdogan's support for the Muslim Brotherhood and his objection to Al-Sisi’s regime in Egypt. Egypt and Turkey are in opposite sides in Syria, Libya, Israel-Palestine issues.
sum
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by sum »

Rony wrote: On paper, the Egyptians have good inventory from every arms producing country - F-16s, Mig-35s, Mirage-2000s, Rafael's, MIA1s. T-90s , Type-209s, Mistral LHDs, FREMM , Oliver Perry frigates etc etc. Never knew they had this many diverse type of hardware.
A worthy competitor to Desh in maintaining a zoo of equipment.

Maybe both our countries should have yearly conferences on how to maintain such diverse fleets
Rony
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Rony »

sum wrote: A worthy competitor to Desh in maintaining a zoo of equipment.
Dont forget our Indonesian brothers - Su-30s, F-16s, korean T-50s, german leopard 2's, britshits fv101 scorpians, french amx-13s :rotfl:

seriously though, most countries who cant produce their weapons and depends only one or two countries either end up as clients (saudis, uae's) or alternatively if they want to maintain some independence end up having zoo of equipment (India).

Till now turkey's weapons are mostly amreeki and german. But now after their differences with them, they are turning to Russian too. Soon enough they too will have zoo of equipment.
Manish_P
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Manish_P »

Not a coincidence that India, Egypt and Indoneasia were among the founding members of NAM
UlanBatori
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by UlanBatori »

^^
Non-alignment == indecision?
Manish_P
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Manish_P »

Au contraire, cycles of decisions, some concentric, some intersecting, spread over space-time in non-binary, mystical ways. :D
Vips
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Vips »

Middle East’s $2 trillion wealth could just vanish in 15 years.

The Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf face a budget reckoning and risk squandering their $2 trillion in financial wealth within 15 years as oil demand nears peak levels, according to the IMF.

Global oil demand may start falling sooner than expected, putting a strain on the finances of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, which accounts for a fifth of the world’s crude production, the IMF said in a report Thursday.

Without decisive economic reforms, the richest Middle Eastern states could exhaust their net financial wealth by 2034 as the region becomes a net debtor, the fund projects. Within another decade, their total non-oil wealth would also be exhausted, the IMF said in the report prepared by a team of its Middle East and Central Asia specialists as well as the research department.

“Countries in the region need to think long-term and strategically because the oil market is changing structurally both from the demand and the supply side,” Jihad Azour, director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, said in an interview.

Economic reforms already underway in some countries need to accelerate, he said. Development plans need to shift spending and job creation from governments to the private businesses and develop more non-oil sources of income more quickly, he added.

GCC countries would have to be more aggressive in their pursuit of an economic transformation to preserve their current wealth. “If we stop here, it’s not enough,” Azour said.

International oil companies and producing states have come to recognize that alternative energy sources, alongside greater efficiency, are already eroding demand. While Gulf producers like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are developing new industries in preparation for a post-oil era, they’re not moving quickly enough to avoid running out of cash, the IMF said.

Gulf oil producers sharply increased budget spending from 2007 and until 2014, when crude plunged. Despite patchy reforms, they haven’t fully offset the drop in oil revenue with spending cuts, leading to deficits that have eroded wealth, according to the report.

Regional governments will likely need to cut spending further, save more and introduce broad-based taxation to make ends meet, the IMF said.
A further decline in oil prices this year, in the face of geopolitical tensions and threats the coronavirus poses to growth, is making that task even harder. Should global oil demand trend downward before those plans take root, the countries would have to cope with their longer-term economic problems even sooner, according to the fund.

“The world’s demand for oil is expected to grow more slowly and eventually begin to decline in the next two decades,” the IMF said. Global oil demand is likely to peak around 2041 at about 115 million barrels a day and gradually decline from there, according to the report. While that forecast is firmly in line with most industry estimates, some, including the IMF, see potential for oil use to permanently decline even earlier.

Saudi Aramco, citing forecasts from oil industry consultant IHS Markit Ltd., said in its initial public offering prospectus last year that oil demand could peak around 2035. Improved energy efficiency or the imposition of a carbon tax by governments worldwide could bring oil’s demand peak forward to as soon as 2030, the IMF said.

Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and Kuwait are the biggest producers in the GCC and are all OPEC members. Risks differ for the GCC states, which also include Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

The IMF’s outlook offers a broad timeframe in which global oil demand might crest. Revenue may not peak until the middle of the century and Gulf producers could see demand for their oil sustained from other quarters.

Increased use of oil for petrochemicals might help mitigate the slowdown in demand, the IMF said. Even as oil demand peaks, the lower costs of production will allow Gulf states to gain market share over rivals elsewhere.

Even then, under the IMF’s scenario, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and their neighbors face a future of slumping income and reliance on debt to support spending.

“Faster progress with economic diversification and private sector development will be critical to ensure sustainable growth,” the IMF said.
mmasand
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by mmasand »

Several Katyusha rockets struck at Camp Taji, few miles north of Baghdad. Several injuries including casualties, possibly of both British and US forces.

Edit: 3 dead, 2 of which are American - one US Mil, one contractor. UK MoD has confirmed they are aware of incident involving one of their personnel.

Several airstrikes have commenced across PMU positions. F-15E's airborne from Jordan striking Imam Ali brigade positions across Iraq.

White House: Trump to address the nation from Oval Office at 9pm. (unclear is this is COVID related or both).
Cain Marko
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Cain Marko »

Manish_P wrote:Au contraire, cycles of decisions, some concentric, some intersecting, spread over space-time in non-binary, mystical ways. :D
Sounds like a line from one of Deepak Chopra's books, nice one! :rotfl:
Gyan
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Re: West Asia News and Discussions

Post by Gyan »

Just some data points:-

The long term 150 year inflation adjusted Crude Oil price is around USD 45 per barrel. Whenever OPEC tries to push price above this level, alternative energy sources tend to evolve. Currently Oil prices were pushed up by creating trouble in Libya, Iraq, Iran, Venezuela. Therefore, Whenever there is even modicum of stability, the natural oil price tend towards USD 40 rather than USD 50-60 which is the aim of OPEC.

Non OPEC Crude Oil production is rising at the rate of around 1%-2% per annum which is slowly decreasing OPEC share of world market as it cuts production to keep Oil Prices high. The consumption is also rising "only" around 1%-2% per annum.

The anti Pollution movement against Fossil fuels shall take down OPEC, GCC, Crude Oil within next 10-20 years from its pedestal. I personally think that Off shore Wind energy will be paradigm changing industry along with EVs.
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