West Asia News and Discussions

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 30 Jul 2013 10:19

While critics scoffed at the grandiose project, the decision to create the new port was quickly vindicated. In 1979, Dubai had learned a valuable lesson from the Iranian Revolution and the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan: trouble has its bright side. Frightened by the instability of their own countries, Iranian and Afghan traders moved to Dubai, bringing with them their businesses, thereby bolstering the local economy. With neither income nor sales tax, Dubai steadily developed a reputation for being a safe place in the Middle East to stash your money. Since then Dubai has always boomed during a regional crisis.

For Dawood Ibrahim, Dubai was the perfect retreat. The city welcomes the wealthy; it welcomes Muslims; and it was not the least bit interested in how people had acquired their money or what they intended to do with it. Dubai also had long-standing contacts with Bombay, and a large part of its elite were involved in the trade that Dawood wanted to make his core business activity – gold smuggling. Furthermore, thanks to their strategic vision, the al-Maktoums were making the city-state a very comfortable place to live. Before long, Dawood’s house had become a place of pilgrimage for Bollywood celebrities and the stars of Indian and Pakistani cricket, two of Dawood’s abiding passions. Still, he had to be circumspect. Dubai had proved to be a civil host to many gangsters in the past two decades, provided they behave with discretion. […] And the fact that Dawood and his people thrived and prospered in Dubai, well, it could not have happened without the knowledge and – in a sense – the complicity of the ruling family.”

Misha Glenny (2008), McMafia – A Journey through The Global Criminal Underworld, New York: Knopf, 131-133.

member_20317 · Post by **member_20317** » 30 Jul 2013 11:22

How does Mauritius get to invest hugh amounts of money into India. Which somehow finds Indian Real Estate very palatable. And why must this money be given the DTAA benefit. And that PN conundrum.

Angrez are not idiots. They will never invest in Indian Real Estate. They know how to create value in their own lands. Hell they do not even need their own land to create value at this point in their evolution. Value creation in their own lands and their own trinkets is their main dhanda.

Black money ka dhanda getting routed through Gulf is a double edged sword. This remains the case for both India as well as Gulf countries. And no country can have this state of affairs without the 'requirement' of those in power.

This silly excuse of Indian politicians doing it without the knowledge &/or connivance of Emirs is laughable. Powerful people in Gulf have always acted as clearing agents/houses.

This is also the case with the Swiss. The white chamdi is no matter for exemption.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 30 Jul 2013 11:26

RamaY wrote:^ if above is correct, what for Tharoor got his Rs 50crore?

OT, what is 50 crore business, aslong as Mr. Tharoor wife had "SWEAT EQUITY", the kochi franchise had no problems with 2500 crores franchise fee, players contracts etc. The moment she had to resign due to contrevery the franchise went bankrupt and shut down. Shows how much money he has which is disproprinate to his known sources on Income.

A man who claims on Paki television that it was BJP which ethincially cleaned Kashmiri Pandits from the valley, I think it is safe to assume he is compramised.

abhischekcc · Post by **abhischekcc** » 30 Jul 2013 14:33

brihaspati wrote:
While critics scoffed at the grandiose project, the decision to create the new port was quickly vindicated. In 1979, Dubai had learned a valuable lesson from the Iranian Revolution and the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan: trouble has its bright side. Frightened by the instability of their own countries, Iranian and Afghan traders moved to Dubai, bringing with them their businesses, thereby bolstering the local economy. With neither income nor sales tax, Dubai steadily developed a reputation for being a safe place in the Middle East to stash your money. Since then Dubai has always boomed during a regional crisis.

For Dawood Ibrahim, Dubai was the perfect retreat. The city welcomes the wealthy; it welcomes Muslims; and it was not the least bit interested in how people had acquired their money or what they intended to do with it. Dubai also had long-standing contacts with Bombay, and a large part of its elite were involved in the trade that Dawood wanted to make his core business activity – gold smuggling. Furthermore, thanks to their strategic vision, the al-Maktoums were making the city-state a very comfortable place to live. Before long, Dawood’s house had become a place of pilgrimage for Bollywood celebrities and the stars of Indian and Pakistani cricket, two of Dawood’s abiding passions. Still, he had to be circumspect. Dubai had proved to be a civil host to many gangsters in the past two decades, provided they behave with discretion. […] And the fact that Dawood and his people thrived and prospered in Dubai, well, it could not have happened without the knowledge and – in a sense – the complicity of the ruling family.”
Misha Glenny (2008), McMafia – A Journey through The Global Criminal Underworld, New York: Knopf, 131-133.

Indeed, and the Dubai Sheikh was for many years reputedly on Indira Gandhi's list of 10 most wanted people in the world because of the way he facilitated the destruction of India's gold import restriction rules. He reputedly took a cut from each bar and biscuit 'exported' to India.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 30 Jul 2013 23:16

RamaY wrote:No body is blaming GCC/Dubai, for they are the bigoted societies that act in their self-interests and enjoy any dhimmi that come crawling for their Dinars.

Well done for realising - which goes to confirm that your dig was unwarranted and unnecessary and had no real link to the article.

Now you are trying to make another point irrelevant to the first point (sounds like its habit, post one thing and blabber something irrelevant to the discussion) you are making but okay lets have a look

Dhimmis are criticized when
- They proclaim these bigot-nations are some benevolent and friendly people who are interested in building a super power empire out of India.

Have they not been funding the infrastructure and other projects within the country? Are we now denying facts? Of course they will do whats mutually beneficial - same with any other nation you deal with.

- They say strategic partnership with their slave-masters is in Indian interests.

OooooOOOoooo slave masters... so now developing indian economy is not in Indian interests per RamaY ji. Umm.. I think we'll leave it there. There was once a person saying that KSA will demand Green mosques all over the country. Well, they did about 7 years ago and we said no in public. GCC continued to hand over terrorists (one of which helped nail the financial networks and provide more evidence implicating TSP), and there are plenty of news items of billions in investments in India and Indian businesses.

member_27444 · Post by **member_27444** » 30 Jul 2013 23:36

why do I feel something big is on the way?

Notice how Israel is suddenly interested in Talks and asks for secret talks.....

Bibi has understood his folly, he thought setting fire in Syria and Egypt will secure Israel and also check mate Iran

Instead the Syria and Egypt situation has sucked hard core All Qeeda into its neigborhood and all around with man portable sams etc

only time can tell

but something big will eventaully happen count experts forecasts

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 31 Jul 2013 01:26

Saudi Arabia accused of giving Egypt $1B to oust Morsi

A Saudi Arabian activist said his government provided Egypt's military with $1 billion to stage a coup against former president Mohammed Morsi and install interim leadership.Political activist Mujtahid bin Hareth bin Hammaam, who operates an active Twitter campaign aimed at exposing corruption in the Saudi government, said Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received the money on July 3, United Press International reported. The reason for the payoff, he alleged, was so Egypt’s transfer of power would flow smoothly.But now the Saudi government isn’t sure it spent its money wisely, he said.“King Abdullah knows well that failure of the coup in Egypt will be a disaster for al-Saud because any new government will be stronger and will adopt anti-Saudi Arabia policies,” Mr. Mujtahid tweeted, according to UPI. “That is why King Abdullah is one of the supporters of unlimited use of force in cracking down protesters. … King Abdullah not only supported the coup and tried to convince others to accept new changes, he also helped el-Sisi.”
The Saudi king is trying to influence the West from taking action — including the issuance of strong criticisms — against Egypt, the activist said.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... z2aYuUig00

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 31 Jul 2013 01:44

shyamd wrote:blah blah...

so now developing indian economy is not in Indian interests per RamaY ji. Umm.. I think we'll leave it there. There was once a person saying that KSA will demand Green mosques all over the country. Well, they did about 7 years ago and we said no in public. GCC continued to hand over terrorists (one of which helped nail the financial networks and provide more evidence implicating TSP), and there are plenty of news items of billions in investments in India and Indian businesses.

We have seen how much economic development happened under UPA.
We also know how much of it is due to GCC's contributions.
We also know whose/how money is moving between India and GCC.

I have better idea for you.

Why not make India an Islamic nation and then beg KSA to give free Oil, like Pakistan does. OR even better beg KSA to take over India as its harem?

Then we can increase our economy by $1T overnight and per capita income by $786. We will also become worlds largest oil producing nation over night.

Mahendra · Post by **Mahendra** » 31 Jul 2013 02:14

GCC is a terrorist organisation with just a little more credibility than Pakistan. Even piddly Assad has given them a sore musharaff . Pakistan is a naked fakir nation so gets called a terrorist state openly . GCC terrorist states have money and clout hence the burqah of respectability. In the end both are the same.

Shanmukh · Post by **Shanmukh** » 31 Jul 2013 21:56

Some interesting news from Egypt. Who are the lads who are attacking the Egyptian army (are they the lovely MB, or Al Qaeda, or some other assorted terrorists?) What is interesting is that they are firing Ameriki missiles at Egyptian army HQs. So - where are the missiles coming from?

http://www.timesofisrael.com/jihadists- ... um=twitter

habal · Post by **habal** » 01 Aug 2013 08:33

The assassination of 'Issa Huso by Jabhat Al-Nusra fanatics has now tightened the bond between the PKK (YPG) and the Syrian government. In a public call today, PKK leaders, including Mesut Kiryilan, all fighting-age Kurds were urged to join the militia to fight the rebels.

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 01 Aug 2013 08:51

Abu Sakkar the cannibal is apparently dead. Kurds and Assad coming together was inevitable. They would've been butchered by the FSA anyway with the support of Turkey.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=988_1375260649

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 01 Aug 2013 08:56

200 kurds are now being held hostage.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/31 ... stage-ngo/

Samudragupta · Post by **Samudragupta** » 01 Aug 2013 21:17

For much of the past two years, no common thread seemed to run through developments in Egypt and Syria. The United States and its international allies could follow one set of policies to contend with a crumbling Islamist democracy on the banks of the Nile and quite another to manage a brutal sectarian war tearing through the Levant. The coup in Egypt has changed all that.
The overthrow of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has laid bare the truth hiding in plain sight — the struggle in the Middle East is no longer between dictatorship and democracy, but Islamism (especially Islamic extremism) and its detractors. If the international response to developments is Egypt is any indication, the United States and Europe have made the same realization and are inching their way toward a new, albeit unspoken strategy for the Middle East that is no longer rooted in being on the right side of history by promoting democracy, but in containing Islamism.
The military’s narrative in Egypt today is that it had to step in to fight the scourge of “terrorism.” The coup leader, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, pays lip service to restoring democracy, but his aim is to sideline, and if need be, dismantle the Muslim Brotherhood. In an ironic twist, the coup enjoys broad popular support among the same secular and liberal forces that pushed Mubarak off his pedestal. They now think squashing Islamism matters more.
This is all welcome news to Bashar al-Assad, who has all long claimed that he is not resisting democracy, but fighting terrorism as well. It only helps Assad’s case that the Egyptian military is now broadening the definition of terrorism beyond al-Qaeda and its affiliates to include the Muslim Brotherhood, which is also a notable part of the Syrian opposition. The Brotherhood hopes that its trenchant resistance to the coup will harken back to the spirit of the Arab Spring, while the generals feel justified in ratcheting up violence in the face of what they call “terrorism.” Events in Egypt no longer look removed from what is happening in Syria. The same narrative of regime survival in the face of a trenchant terrorist challenge now echoes in Cairo as well as in Damascus. As Egypt vilifies the Brotherhood, it will become easier for Syria to dismiss its own Brotherhood-influenced opposition. The Syrian Brotherhood is even more hard-line than its Egyptian counterpart and thus even easier to cast as extremist.
The logic of Western insouciance and Arab support for the Egyptian coup is at odds with international support for the Syrian opposition, and now it looks as if it is Egypt, not Syria, that will define regional as well as international postures toward Syria.
In Egypt, Saudi Arabia stands with the military, but in Syria with the opposition. Saudi investment in Egypt now exceeds its commitment to Syria, and in Egypt, containing the Brotherhood is what matters. That imperative will trump the Saudis' penchant for undoing Assad and diminishing Iran’s presence in the Levant. With Assad gone, Syria is likely to be ruled by the Brotherhood, and then Riyadh would face the same quandary it faced in Egypt. With the dye cast in Cairo, and the Brotherhood now an enemy of Riyadh, the Saudi position on Syria is bound to shift away from bringing down Assad to preventing the rise of the Brotherhood.
The same change in outlook is palpable in Washington. Despite President Barack Obama’s rhetoric, the United States has been more concerned with terrorism than democracy in the Middle East and does not think Islamists can or will contend with extremists in their midst. That has long been Moscow’s worry.
The Kremlin has dismissed talk of democracy in the Arab world as naive, seeing it as an opening for an Islamist power grab that would jeopardize Western and Russian interests alike. Islamist governments in Tunis and Cairo, the surprising popularity of Salafism and the proliferation of violent extremism in Libya or Syria have only confirmed Russia’s worst expectations of the Arab Spring.
Syria in particular has evoked Moscow’s fear of rising Sunni militancy because of its potential to turn its fury on Russia’s Muslim periphery. President Vladimir Putin sees Syria through the prism of Chechnya — a violent jihadi insurrection that has to be put down at all cost. Just as Russia defeated Islamic radicalism in Chechnya, Assad could do the same in Syria. Putin has lost no opportunity to remind US officials who visit him that the case for ditching Assad is Western folly. He argues that Syria is not about to become a democracy, but a bastion of Islamic extremism if Assad falls. The West is foolishly supporting the very menace that it has been fighting for more than a decade.
Washington does not like to acknowledge it, but it has been slowly but surely moving in Putin’s direction. The growing influence of extremist forces among the Syrian opposition has been a source of worry in Washington and an important reason why the United States has resisted greater involvement in the conflict. In private, the administration also admittedly fears that if it helps topple Assad, extremists will take over.
American strategists see two wars in Syria today: the highly visible ghastly one between Assad and the opposition, and the less noticed, but potentially consequential one between the extremist and moderate wings of the opposition. For some time now, the view in the Obama administration has been that it is the second war that matters most to American interests, and if the United States is to intervene, it should do so to deny an extremist victory.
The Russian position is that if the goal is the rout of extremists, then Assad is best positioned to do the job. Washington is not ready to admit that, but by buying into the same argument in Egypt and standing back for Assad to defeat the opposition, it could signal that it is open to embracing a future for the Middle East in its past. First Egypt, then Syria, will be back in the corner of the containment of Islamism strategy, a destructive and dangerous dance between ruling dictatorships and extremist oppositions. In Egypt last month, the Arab Spring came full circle, and now US Middle East policy is poised to do the same.

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 01 Aug 2013 21:20

habal wrote:
The assassination of 'Issa Huso by Jabhat Al-Nusra fanatics has now tightened the bond between the PKK (YPG) and the Syrian government. In a public call today, PKK leaders, including Mesut Kiryilan, all fighting-age Kurds were urged to join the militia to fight the rebels.

This should be all over the news. Momentum is decisively back in Assad's favor. I think BRF predicted this a long time ago. There were a lot of articles about thr Kurds "considering" Assad the greater devil than FSA. BRF laughed at such blatant attempts at propaganda.

Mahendra · Post by **Mahendra** » 01 Aug 2013 23:33

Sirji not aimed at you at all but honestly this PeeAref is ahead of the curve has gone a bit too far. It is teer aur tukka only saar. Only one thing is certain..All PAwkis are terrorists

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 02 Aug 2013 00:16

RoyG wrote:200 kurds are now being held hostage.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/31 ... stage-ngo/

Is this secularism since barbaric jihadis are trained & armed by US/Europe and bankrolled by Saudis?

Can someone please explain this in terms of secularism since US/Europe/Gelf won't take the blame for hostage situation - to make it look like some unknown/disconnected al-whatever mob is to be blamed. Or is secularism not for say unarmed non-progressive hostages and is for jihadi mobs bankrolled by Saudi and trained/armed by US/NATO?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 02 Aug 2013 16:04

Sensational news! The CIA was planning to send Libyan missiles to Syrian rebels when the Benghazi attack took place.Cover up op. put in place.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/
CIA 'running arms smuggling team in Benghazi when consulate was attacked'

The CIA has been subjecting operatives to monthly polygraph tests in an attempt to suppress details of a US arms smuggling operation in Benghazi that was ongoing when its ambassador was killed by a mob in the city last year.

Up to 35 CIA operatives were working in the city during the attack last September on the US consulate that resulted in the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, according to CNN.

The circumstances of the attack are a subject of deep division in the US with some Congressional leaders pressing for a wide-ranging investigation into suspicions that the government has withheld details of its activities in the Libyan city.

The television network said that a CIA team was working in an annex near the consulate on a project to supply missiles from Libyan armouries to Syrian rebels.

Sources said that more Americans were hurt in the assault spearheaded by suspected Islamic radicals than had been previously reported. CIA chiefs were actively working to ensure the real nature of its operations in the city did not get out.

So only the losses suffered by the State Department in the city had been reported to Congress.
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"Since January, some CIA operatives involved in the agency's missions in Libya, have been subjected to frequent, even monthly polygraph examinations, according to a source with deep inside knowledge of the agency's workings," CNN reported.

Frank Wolf, a US congressman who represents the district that contains CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, is one of 150 members of Congress for a new investigation into the failures in Benghazi.

"I think it is a form of a cover-up, and I think it's an attempt to push it under the rug, and I think the American people are feeling the same way," he said. "We should have the people who were on the scene come in, testify under oath, do it publicly, and lay it out. And there really isn't any national security issue involved with regards to that."

A CIA spokesman said it had been open about its activities in Benghazi.

"The CIA has worked closely with its oversight committees to provide them with an extraordinary amount of information related to the attack on US facilities in Benghazi," a CIA statement said. "CIA employees are always free to speak to Congress if they want," the statement continued. "The CIA enabled all officers involved in Benghazi the opportunity to meet with Congress. We are not aware of any CIA employee who has experienced retaliation, including any non-routine security procedures, or who has been prevented from sharing a concern with Congress about the Benghazi incident."

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 02 Aug 2013 16:59

^ Mehdi may not agree.. but beaarref is ahead of curve one more time

there is one more certainity besides all pakis being terrorists. GCC is going to make india an uber puber....

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 02 Aug 2013 23:13

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... oOICKT8ucc

News not yet released to public: Israel struck an underground weapons depot in Homs yesterday. Explosion in above video. At the moment rebels claiming responsibility

Second strike in weeks. Last one took out the AShMs that Russia was sending Asad. Previous to that it was S300 parts

6th strike since the start of this year

habal · Post by **habal** » 03 Aug 2013 07:46

Abu Sukkar, the cannibal who eats liver, heart is done.
NSFW/Don't open if you're having meal etc.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e6e_1375212497

habal · Post by **habal** » 03 Aug 2013 07:56

In other news, the Bandar who was previously reported dead is back.

Murugan · Post by **Murugan** » 03 Aug 2013 10:45

Sri Sri's Art of Living helping Iraqis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl1RnTjW7eU

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 03 Aug 2013 14:09

Another jihadist deported from a 'west Asian country': http://buff.ly/1eibu6j

Manish_Sharma · Post by **Manish_Sharma** » 03 Aug 2013 17:07

Murugan wrote:Sri Sri's Art of Living helping Iraqis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl1RnTjW7eU

This video isn't working Murugan ji, but found another one.

People in iraq actually meditated

with Sri Sri and were happy to have such a joyous experience:

Here an iraqi soldier shares how doing 'Sudarshan Kriya' helped him get rid of smoking and a continuous shoulder pain:

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Aug 2013 21:59

U.N. commissioner wants probe into whether Syrian rebels executed soldiers

Syrian opposition forces may have executed as many as 30 people, most of them government soldiers, in rural Aleppo, according to the United Nations, which cited videos of the killings posted on the Internet in July.

U.N High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called the allegations "deeply shocking" and called Friday for an independent investigation into the incident, which appears to have taken place in Khan al-Assal in northern Syria.

"There needs to be a thorough independent investigation to establish whether war crimes have been committed, and those responsible for such crimes should be brought to justice," Pillay said in a statement.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 04 Aug 2013 06:08

As borders expire in the Middle East
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/as-bor ... sCatID=409

I will address a bit later U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s remarks approving the military coup that ousted the elected President Mohamed Morsi in Egypt as a step to “restore democracy,” as well as the U.S. deciding to temporarily close its embassies in the greater Middle East area.
To start with, the “Middle East” is an outdated political expression from colonial times. East according to what, and the middle of where? For Arabs it is the motherland they have been living in for thousands of years, for Jews it is the promised land they found again after thousands of years. For Iranians, the best geographical connotation could be "west," not “middle” east. For the Turkish Empire under the Ottoman Dynasty, the whole geography from Cairo to Baghdad and from Damascus to Jerusalem and Mecca were southern provinces. Now, to the Turkish Republic, they are capitals of southern neighbors, not eastern ones. There is a difference between the British and American use of the term as well. For Washington, the Middle East has been used in its narrowest meaning: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Britain’s use of it is closer to the way the Turks, the French, the Germans and the Russians use it. The European way actually describes an Islamic geography from Morocco in the west to India and Indonesia in the east, and from Turkey in the north to Yemen and Sudan in the south. Perhaps that is why U.S. policymakers invented the term “Greater Middle East” in order to describe the area for more than 10 years now, especially after the 9/11 al-Qaeda attacks in 2001.Knowing this, let us continue to say “the Middle East” for convenience, for now.The current borders of the Middle East were drawn almost a century ago during the collapse of the Ottoman dynasty and decomposition of Turkish Empire, under the influence of three main factors. Vast oil fields of Arabia at the beginning of oil age Arabia, the rise of communism in Russia as a main threat to Western capitalism, and the final stages of British colonial rule in India.
Soon, India would be out of the picture and the “Middle East” was in. Straight lines were drawn in the sand as the borders of new countries.Especially after the Second World War, the U.S. and western Europe mobilized all their political, financial and military capabilities in order to struggle against the Soviet Union, and they succeeded in the early 1990s. Now, it seems, the global enemy of global capitalism is political Islam in the most radical sense - a flagless, borderless army belonging to no capital is carrying out a violent war.As the nature of the energy war in the region changes, the expiration date of the artificial borders drawn a century ago is being passed. Without having this historical background in mind it is not easy to grasp how the boats of the Arab Spring have hit the rocks in Egypt and now in Syria, and how a Kurdish nationalism that did not have any borders a century ago is now on the rise.Whenever a chain of civil wars, revolutions, counter revolutions and actual wars have taken place in the “Middle East” either regimes, borders, or both, change.
Is it now more clear why Kerry is trying to save the day by blessing a coup as a democratic step and at the same time putting embassy activities on hold in fear of new attacks?

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 04 Aug 2013 11:12

West Acts Like ‘Bull in China Shop’ in Middle East – Russian PM

“Our Western partners sometimes behave like a bull in a china shop – they squeeze in, crush everything and then don’t know what to do next. I often find myself astonished at their analysts and how inconsistent their projects are that they push through by their superiors and at the outcomes they get,” Medvedev told Russia Today.

“If we’re being completely honest, what good did the Arab Spring bring to the Arab world? Did it bring freedom? A little, at best. In most countries it led to endless bloodshed, regime change, and continuous unrest. I have no illusions about that either. As for the pushing you mentioned, yes, unfortunately, that’s true,” Medvedev said.

What happened in Libya and Iraq and what is happening in Syria show that there is a forceful dismantling of a country’s political system under the guise of the fight for national interests, an intrusion into its internal affairs and the installation a loyal political regime, Medvedev said.

“Nothing good came out of it, by the way. We know what happened and we can see what is happening. The situation in Iraq is very volatile – dozens of people are killed every day... Of course, we are doing our best to support Iraq. We meet with Iraqi leaders; we sympathize with them, because we have a long history of contacts with them,” the Russian premier said.

“Libya was torn apart by this war, and there are still regions where the central authorities have not managed to regain full control, just like we expected. This is not to mention what happened to [Libyan leader Muammar] Qaddafi. This was horrible. This is another stain on the reputation of the people who initiated this military operation,” Medvedev said.

Syria is also on the brink of a similar war, the Russian premier said.

“Basically, there’s a civil war raging in the country; it's a disaster. We have always believed that the power to solve Syria's problems should lie with its people. But the active interference that we now see might potentially lead to the same problems and create yet another unstable country, in a permanent state of civil war,” Medvedev said.

habal · Post by **habal** » 04 Aug 2013 12:02

Very poor on part of SAA to give away such a large stash to rebels. Somewhere in between homs and damascus @ Qalamoun. At the very least, they should have trip-wired this cache before leaving it defenseless. Makes one wonder whether a regime's criteria of promotion on party affiliations rather than merit will ultimately affect the performance of the armed forces. India too can face such a situation, where promotions are given to incompetents, for various caste, religion based, corrupt facilitator criteria. This is something for us to note.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwX12wdHcqY[/youtube]

habal · Post by **habal** » 04 Aug 2013 12:04

Austin wrote:West Acts Like ‘Bull in China Shop’ in Middle East – Russian PM
“Our Western partners sometimes behave like a bull in a china shop – they squeeze in, crush everything and then don’t know what to do next. I often find myself astonished at their analysts and how inconsistent their projects are that they push through by their superiors and at the outcomes they get,” Medvedev told Russia Today.

“If we’re being completely honest, what good did the Arab Spring bring to the Arab world? Did it bring freedom? A little, at best. In most countries it led to endless bloodshed, regime change, and continuous unrest. I have no illusions about that either. As for the pushing you mentioned, yes, unfortunately, that’s true,” Medvedev said.

What happened in Libya and Iraq and what is happening in Syria show that there is a forceful dismantling of a country’s political system under the guise of the fight for national interests, an intrusion into its internal affairs and the installation a loyal political regime, Medvedev said.

“Nothing good came out of it, by the way. We know what happened and we can see what is happening. The situation in Iraq is very volatile – dozens of people are killed every day... Of course, we are doing our best to support Iraq. We meet with Iraqi leaders; we sympathize with them, because we have a long history of contacts with them,” the Russian premier said.

“Libya was torn apart by this war, and there are still regions where the central authorities have not managed to regain full control, just like we expected. This is not to mention what happened to [Libyan leader Muammar] Qaddafi. This was horrible. This is another stain on the reputation of the people who initiated this military operation,” Medvedev said.

Syria is also on the brink of a similar war, the Russian premier said.

“Basically, there’s a civil war raging in the country; it's a disaster. We have always believed that the power to solve Syria's problems should lie with its people. But the active interference that we now see might potentially lead to the same problems and create yet another unstable country, in a permanent state of civil war,” Medvedev said.

These wars are also a form of population control. The Russians are surprising at times, because they pretend not to understand the objectives of anglo-european deep state.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 04 Aug 2013 12:54

By that logic all wars are a form of population control weather people die in 100's or thousands just that the number differs.

Me thinks its more like Anglo-Saxon geo-strategic plans that has gone wrong some where because its hard to script a war for any one with any degree of assurance. Eventually karma will come back and haunt them back just like it happened in 9/11.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 06 Aug 2013 21:21

Video goes Viral from Egypt.
The people are getting smarter. Country is realising that Aid money is a liability from uncle.

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 06 Aug 2013 23:58

Poor father whose son became a jihadi and is now fighting in Syria. Just wait till full blown jihad is waged against India.

habal · Post by **habal** » 07 Aug 2013 07:39

western media tries to hide the fact that UN monitors in Golan heights have been kidnapped by so-called rebels and are being used as bargaining chips.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1d8_1362825271

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 08 Aug 2013 07:33

Saudi offers Russia deal to scale back Assad support - sources

(Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has offered Russia economic incentives including a major arms deal and a pledge not to challenge Russian gas sales if Moscow scales back support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Middle East sources and Western diplomats said on Wednesday.

The proposed deal between two of the leading power brokers in Syria's devastating civil war was set out by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, they said.

Russia has supported Assad with arms and diplomatic cover throughout the war and any change in Moscow's stance would remove a major obstacle to action on Syria by the United Nations Security Council.

Syrian opposition sources close to Saudi Arabia said Prince Bandar offered to buy up to $15 billion of Russian weapons as well as ensuring that Gulf gas would not threaten Russia's position as a main gas supplier to Europe.

In return, Saudi Arabia wanted Moscow to ease its strong support of Assad and agree not to block any future Security Council Resolution on Syria, they said.

A Gulf source familiar with the matter confirmed that Prince Bandar offered to buy large quantities of arms from Russia, but that no cash amount was specified in the talks.

One Lebanese politician close to Saudi Arabia said the meeting between Bandar and Putin lasted four hours. "The Saudis were elated about the outcome of the meeting," said the source, without elaborating.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, could not immediately be reached on Wednesday for comment about the meeting. A Saudi Foreign Ministry official was also not immediately available to respond.

Putin's initial response to Bandar's offer was inconclusive, diplomats say. One Western diplomat in the Middle East said the Russian leader was unlikely to trade Moscow's recent high profile in the region for an arms deal, however substantial.

He said Russian officials also appeared skeptical that Saudi Arabia had a clear plan for stability in Syria if Assad fell.

CHEMICAL WEAPONS

However, in a possible sign of greater flexibility by Moscow, other diplomats said that in the run-up to the meeting Russia put pressure on Assad to allow in a U.N. mission to investigate the suspected use of chemical weapons.

The U.N. team is expected to visit Syria next week.

"This was one of those unannounced meetings that could prove much more important than the public diplomatic efforts being made on Syria," one diplomat said.

A senior Syrian opposition figure said there had been a "build-up of Russian-Saudi contacts prior to the meeting".

"Bandar sought to allay two main Russian fears: that Islamist extremists will replace Assad, and that Syria would become a conduit for Gulf, mainly Qatari, gas at the expense of Russia," he said. "Bandar offered to intensify energy, military and economic cooperation with Moscow."

Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Muslim powers have been strong supporters of the mainly Sunni rebels battling Assad, from Syria's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. The rebels have been joined by foreign Sunni jihadis.

Assad has enjoyed military support from Iran and fighters from Hezbollah and Iraqi Shi'ites.

Russia has maintained military sales to Syria throughout the two year conflict in which 100,000 people have been killed, and helped block three U.N. draft resolutions criticizing Assad's crackdown on the mainly peaceful protests against him in 2011.

The Security Council has been considering a possible resolution on aid for Syria for several months and a shift in position by Moscow could alleviate this.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 08 Aug 2013 07:50

russia will be stupid to take that deal. they want to rape and tear apart syria by paying off the police. none of the saudi commitments will be met because all 'moderates' will be wajb-ul-qatl soon after a rebel victory.
russian gas and oil is piped cheaply to western europe iirc . so how can saudis counter that even if they wanted to. nigeria also represents a short hop across the med into southern europe for oil.

habal · Post by **habal** » 08 Aug 2013 07:54

reports about massive rebel casualties in Damascus, East Ghouta. Rebels were apparently caught in an ambush.
Al-Nusra cadre equipped with RPGs, Uzi submachine, gas masks, SLRs etc.
these rebels were on their way to the Northern suburbs of Damascus to replenish the dwindling rebel numbers and supplies.
friendly countries are helping out Syria by sharing satellite info on major rebel movements and convoys & thus help the SAA prepare decisive ambush en route.
http://sana.sy/servers/gallery/201308/2 ... 496165.jpg
http://sana.sy/servers/gallery/201308/2 ... 142724.jpg
http://sana.sy/servers/gallery/201308/2 ... 142747.jpg
http://sana.sy/servers/gallery/201308/2 ... 143002.jpg
http://sana.sy/servers/gallery/201308/2 ... 142820.jpg
http://www.jpnews-sy.com/ar/images/news/big/61083.jpg

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 08 Aug 2013 08:03

looks like they were caught on the march at night, and died in a hailstorm of machine gun fire.
no wonder their saudi friends are trying to win a war on the table they are unable to win in the akhara.

I am sure russian kosmos & kondor sats are keeping a beady eye on the proceedings.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 08 Aug 2013 08:13

The deal news is likely leaked because it never went through else there is no need to leak an under hand deal news.

Eventually the AQ types will end up in Chechnya fighting the Russians back so it is in their own interest not to support a rise of Sunni Jahadist/Salafist terrorist organization.

Cutting any deal with Saudi is more akin to supping with a poisonous snake eventually the snake will turnaround and bite you . Look at the massive cover up US Govt did to remove all trace of Saudi support for 9/11 terrorist when most ( 15 out of 19 ) of those who did that were Saudi citizen.

habal · Post by **habal** » 08 Aug 2013 08:16

fact of matter is, that apart from certain districts in aleppo. The rest of areas under so-called rebel control are low built-up areas in flat terrain. These can be overrun in a matter of days once the towns and suburbs are fully bought under control. Deir-El-Zor is a flat-pan uninhabited desert dotted with a few oil well here & there. So the western spin that rebels still control 50-60% of territory, i.e flat farm lands or villages is actually meaningless.

Kurds are totally aligned against Nusra after this.
http://guardianlv.com/2013/08/450-kurds ... ern-video/
So the Jabhat Al-Nusra and their turkish sponsors can expect some tender love from the descendents of Salahdin al-ayoobi in the North East as well, which is slightly moutainous terrain and can hold rebels in some numbers.

Only option now remains is for Unkil, to do some shock & awe on damascus, under 'considered advice' from rational minds of the likes of John McCain (is he an ex-Nam brain-addled drug-addict type?) and drop a few napalms and sneaky depleted uranium dhamaake and claim victory for rebels as well as seal the coveted top prize for the principal terrorist sponsor in the world pipping the likes of Pakistan, Qatar & Saudi Arabia.