SPY EYES

By Brig Samson S Sharaf

The international and national media are speculating events that would lead to the end-game in Afghanistan. Commentators world over are  drawing different scenarios on how USA would hedge its interests in the region against Al Qaeda, its affiliates and nuclear proliferation (declared) and its political economy (China, Central Asia and Pakistan, undeclared). This debate was energised by the US operations that killed Osama Bin Laden followed by the decision by President Obama to reverse the ORBAT of 33,000 US surge troops Embedded within these debates are deliberate leaks to coerce Pakistan into pliability.

The debate is also a rationale for an existential victory (disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al Qaeda) and an elusive victory (secure Afghanistan within the context of Great Game). Also tucked between the failure of the Third Surge and the Victory Speech is Obama’s AF-PAK Strategy, a sticky mess that will not allow USA to let go; with the potential to sink the entire region with it.  Perhaps, these events and the change of US Command in Afghanistan also bring into contention, the superimposed COIN Strategy (a lesson learnt from Iraq) and McChrystal’s painstaking JSOC Strategy. This strategy was framed under the tutelage of Dick Cheney to pursue objectives framed by the elitist group of US strategists including Henry Kissinger to control the region and tame Pakistan.  Though JSOC covert operations began much earlier, it was officially given space to operate in Pakistan in 2007. This is precisely why I had written in an article titled ‘Time to eat Grass’ in 2008 that instability of Pakistan was the key to a successful US strategy.

It also brings into sharper focus the debate between the military experts and counter insurgency experts in the USA on how best to ensure US interests (not peace) in the region.  Nothing can stop USA from declaring victory in a war fought for its own interests; and who cares if millions of Afghans and Pakistanis are left to contend with the mess left behind.  But will US withdraw after having followed a plan relentlessly at a very high cost and intrigue?

Let readers not be misled. This is not the truth. The truth is that US is here to stay for an indefinite period. The corollaries of the plan secretly compartmentalised from each other for over a decade are now piecing together. The US game in the region has entered its most dangerous phase.

The State of Pakistan is equally responsible for the mess it allowed to be created within its regions. Unlike USA that has always had a flexible, well thought narrative to shape the environment, Pakistan has never cared or bothered to evolve a proper cohesive plan? The entire operation in the past ten years has been reactive and the sole domain of the Army. I do not think that the establishment ever evaluated alarm bells being raised by both Pakistani, foreign analysts and writers. It seems that having remained in constant touch with USA through military diplomacy and foreign office, the ability to think clearly was eclipsed by being an insider and exclusivity syndrome. Sermons by US ambassadors, visiting dignitaries and the façade of aid also played its part in lowering the guard. Hence, step by step, Pakistan allowed the entire backwash of US operations to be pushed into Pakistan under a misperceived strategic concept and false assurances. On the political front, the US compliant Pakistani government ensured the meltdown of Pakistan. It never took the basic measures to prevent the economic collapse, squandered opportunities arising out of natural disasters, ensured that energy crises persist in all its forms and manifestations, and keeps the political landscape destabilised. The rulers never gave an impression that the country faced serious challenges to its existence. Rather they have presided to a point wherein a complete melt-down becomes a possibility.  Pakistan’s decision to roll back the Tethyan Copper projects and reluctance to resolve the Balochistan crises also fits the same plan. We now have a situation where the army is sucked into a difficult situation; a political dispensation that does not care for national interests.

If readers flash back to my article ‘The Wilting Obama Surge’ I wrote, “It appears that the ambitious third surge had a multi directional approach towards a military exit from Afghanistan based on half facts and assumptions derived from institutional biases. The hypothesis was too simplified through exclusion of both hardcore Taliban and Pakistan. Based on a misleading premise, it led to the logical”. In the next article titled, ‘The AFPAK Strategy’, I wrote “Nothing had worked as per the plan; neither the carrot, nor the stick nor stacks of cash for the breakaway Taliban…It was indeed at the heels of this failure that USA decided to co-opt Pakistan in the Strategic Dialogue diplomacy. Guns and Roses were offered to win over Pakistan’s military establishment towards a US driven operation in the region… but as events proved, Pakistan resisted the trap. US could not have its way and a new strategy became inevitable’.  Rather than the military, the USA next chose to rely more on its civilian counter-part. I also explained that this strategy was based around JSOC, drones, CIA covert and sting operations. Already Raymond Davis, Kakul raid, Mehran Base and many incursions into Pakistan from Kunnar have come to pass. This is only the beginning and Pakistan army will be ultimately sucked into fighting its internal front.

In tandem with this destabilising strategy is the latest US NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012 that sanctions military operations beyond Al Qaeda and the Taliban to any associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States. Counter proliferation efforts are also part of this Act. It also sanctions assistance for such operations to allied and friendly nations (India, Afghanistan and Pakistan). At a first glance apart from what is enunciated, the Act is also an implied threat to Pakistan. It is this pressure that USA will leverage with Pakistan to force the Taliban into negotiations on a timed continuum to extract the maximum dog-fighting from Pakistan Army. Further destabilisation will enhance US prospects in the region.

On the diplomatic front, USA made considerable progress. Tripartite talks in Tehran had US approval. The bulk of logistic traffic is already shifted to Iran and Central Asia. UN has been re-engaged in the peace negotiations in Afghanistan. Consequently the troops that would ultimately be withdrawn will not be the all the surge element but rather logisticians and its protective detachments, intelligence analysts and non essentials.

The lines across the Hindukush range will be kept secure with the Northern Alliance, New Afghan Security Forces, ISAF, Indians and maybe even Iran backed warlords. The South comprising Pashtun areas will be left open for attacks from the air, drones and selective military operations from fortresses at Bagram, Kandhar, Kost, Jalalabad etc. It is also ominous that USA has already abandoned large parts of Kunnar, Laghman and Nuristan where the anti Pakistan Taliban and Al Qaeda are based. These elements have already launched attacks in Mohmand, Bajaur and Dir. As Pakistan destabilises, this intensity and frequency will increase. Ultimately, drawing borders with blood, USA could have a corridor through Balochistan with twin objectives to contain Iran and tap the resources.

But will the US be able to achieve all these objectives? No one including USA have all the cards to bring stability to Afghanistan. If history is an indicator, they will not.

First, the Pashtun resistance in Afghanistan called Taliban will not allow any US bases in Afghanistan even for the sake of peace. History tells us that they will fight on. As Pakistan destabilises further, so will its resolve to gel with the forces fighting foreign occupation.

Secondly, other state actors in the region will also exploit these sentiments to advance their interests. These actors include India, Russia, China and Iran.

Thirdly, for nearly four decades, the Pashtun resistance in Afghanistan is emotionally tied to Pakistan. They cannot be used against Pakistan. However, the notion of a separate Pashtun state after the practical division of Afghanistan may materialise into a security threat to Pakistan.

Fourthly, nuclear capitulation of Pakistan will have to be a surgical procedure.  Given the capabilities of JSOC, this is not possible. As a prelude, USA and UN will have to reach some agreement with the Pakistani establishment. But the moment such intentions become visible, Pakistan will explode. Military revolts and large scale insurrections cannot be ruled out. The WOT will over flow the brims of Pakistan.

USA would have paid the price of its open ended narratives in AFPAK.

SAB SAY PEHLAY PAKISTAN

(First and Foremost is Pakistan i.e. the National Interests)

Let me write back to Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal today. He had vision, objectivity and the ability to move and motivate a whole sub-continent, He, could goad, men like Muhammad All Jinnah into leadership and be his follower, Later each remained proud to be each other's follower. Iqbal had the insight of a true philosopher. All and sundry acknowledge it. As a political thinker he could draw the parameters of an independent state as early as 1930. This was the end of the most troubled decades for the Muslims of India. Khilafat Movement had failed. Hindu extremist parties like Arya Samaj, S'hudhhi and Sanghthan were resurging. It was then; he proposed creation of an independent muslim state or states going by the cannons of real politik. He wrote a great deal for us. Since he could write and 1 cannot. I have chosen a pearl out of many pearls of wisdom. It is one his poem titled. Why am I doing it? For he Dr. Iqbal, failed to make it clear what comes, first. Or at least his message could not reach the government in Pakistan, in year 2001. Or may be the shock of fall of two buildings in New York was too strong for the memory of those in power. Somehow the identity was lost or if not completely, some serious damage was caused to the raison de etre. What, am I? First of all is it my ethnic grouping, racial discrimination, sect, division by language, or is it based on my being native or migrant. Sure one can not write the way he did. So all I ask him is to review, revise and amend this poem. In his poem, as it follows below, he traced the dictates of 20th Century, on political thoughts leading to the notion of nationalism. Which in turn led to the political   divide   and   the   world   witnessed  the   two World wars!

Dr. Iqbal please, do either of two.

One:    Clarify to present leadership and men in government as to who we are? Pakistani first or muslim first. Where lies, our interests. And also educate and convince the leadership of  PONM and MQM on the same issue. For they also need to know who they are.

Two     Change the title of this poem to Sub Say Pehlay Pakistan and make necessary changes in the contents. It is your poem and it is your country you make the changes. I cannot do it. Dr. Iqbal I am helpless. I am too weak in Urdu. I cannot make amendments to your poem. Please Dr. Iqbal, 1 beg you. Do either of two.

That is the beginning. Nationalism has been equated to birth and creation of new god. Tragedy is that muslims have also reshaped and reconstructed their point of focus, which used to be Kaba. And whatsoever is the paradigm of this modernity under new god i.e. nationalism, is the death wrapper of religion, the divined religion. He goes on to reveal and teach us:-  

Nationalism is the product of modern civilization. And that this neo-god. in other words the narrow national interests are nothing but the death message for the religion of prophets.

Yon, Muslim, draw all the strength from oneness of God (Allah). The real concept of Allah. This was and is the focal point of your strength. The name of your country is 'Islam' Lo, you are Mustafwi. the follower of last prophet. Islam is your first and Islam is your last.

The division and dissensions amongst the mankind are due to this. And the very foundation of Muslimhood and universal nationhood is undermined due to this.

Last three verses highlight the curse of nationalism. And who would disagree as to what was the most significant cause of WW I & II. Was not Adolf Hitler the great exponent of nationalism? And what is motivating Sharon to annihilate Palestinians today. It also explains why Bush is found on killing spree in Iraq and Afghanistan. France and Britain remained at war against each other for hundred years. Should my vision be as myopic as my immediate interests? Can a muslim be alien and unwanted in daras-salam? A muslim should be at home in His universe, unless his or her activities are injurious to she teachings of Islam. Can I let America attack Afghanistan and Iran from muslim soil'? May people with prudence and vision today identify the right identity for themselves. And I also pray that they place you Dr. Iqbal, in the rightful place. May they not in their blind rout degrade you also. O' Allah may they not.

Quantum Note

By Dr. Muzaffar Iqbal

Pakistani politicians have no vision for the country; they are not trained in any school to run a state; they are poorly educated and their corrupt lives have made them walking disasters for the nation. There are a few exceptions to the corrupt herd, but even those do not stand out when it comes to what falls from their mouths. Imran Khan, for instance, has never been blamed for corruption, but all he has to offer to this unfortunate nation is froth and foam. He issues deadlines which mean nothing; he announces long marches which never start; he repeats himself ad nauseam; he has shown no strategic planning. One wonders why he is stuck in a cul-de-sac? Why he shows no leadership for a decisive match? What ails him?

Suppose, the general elections are called in the near future. What would be his response to the urgent need of finding candidates who can actually stand out from the herd? Who will be with him? There is hardly any plan visible in his politics; it is an unending array of angry statements. Elections cannot be won by empty rhetoric; thus, one wonders if he has condemned himself to remain a failure.

The next general elections are inevitable; the only question is the date on which they will be held, but there is not a single political party which has started to plan for a corruption-free election which will restore some degree of faith in the choice offered by the ballot box. This includes the so-called most organized political party of Pakistan, the Jamat-e Islami. What prevents them, for instance, to go to the Supreme Court of Pakistan and lodge a reference against the existing voters’ list, which according to Imran Khan contains millions of bogus votes? What are they waiting for?

One cannot hope for any good from the ruling party; its only interest will be to return to power. It has proven its inefficiency, not to talk about corruption. It has been able to defeat the opposition on every single issue so far, but at the expense of country’s future. The presidency is occupied by a man who is partial, not to mention his other “qualifications”; he is the de facto head of a political party on which he has family monopoly. This is in violation of the constitution, but no politician is able to challenge this effectively. Only once in a while, they are able to foam about it with their mouthfuls. The ruling party has also made a joke of all other demands so far put forward by the opposition; it follows the letter of judiciary’s decision, but beats them through ill-intent which kills the spirit of the decision and renders it ineffectual.

There is not a ray of hope in Pakistan’s barren political landscape. It is a wasteland, resounding with empty diarrheic bombast. What these men and a few women say means absolutely nothing. And the masses know this; they have been cheated so many times that they now have no faith in politicians but since they do not have any choice and they are fond of fun and drama packed with emotions, they continue to play. But the game is at the expense of the country.

In the absence of good management and honest leadership, the country is rapidly sliding into an abyss; every single day increases its problems: the entire infra-structure is under tremendous pressure. From hospitals to educational institutions, and from roads to water management, there is no area of national life free from chaos and mismanagement. If nothing changes, the country will implode with this weight.

Change can only come through two means: a military coup and a change through elections; both options appear bleak. In order to have fair elections, a transparent pre-election process needs to be in place; there is no indication that this will happen. Thus, those who are demanding mid-term elections are simply emptying their mouthfuls into a vacuous hole. If they are serious, they must first insist on the establishment of an impartial body which will conduct the next general elections. They must do their homework and examine the voters’ list. They cannot just state a number and claim that so many million bogus voters exist, as Imran Khan did the other day; they must produce dependable and defensible evidence and bring the issue to the judiciary so that a credible process of genuine representation can begin.

Realism dictates that we must come to terms with the fact that Pakistan has no political culture which can produce credible, honest, dependable politicians. Those who now hold political power will never tolerate a genuine political leadership and hence there seem to be no way out of the present bleak scenario. Imran Khan made an exceptional entry into this wasteland, but made nothing out of it. This is a nightmarish scenario for anyone imagining Pakistan’s future. The accumulated weight of a failed political leadership will eventually invite a military dictator who would claim to be the promised messiah, only to deceive and be deceived by his own falseness.

By Kourosh Ziabari

If you've ever tried to search for reliable information and analyses which expose the concealed and obscured side of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict, you've surely come across to the website "If Americans Knew." This website belongs to a non-profit organization which focuses on the Israeli – Palestinian conflict and the foreign policy of the United States toward the Middle East. "If Americans Knew" publishes commentaries and articles that the American mainstream media pusillanimously shun and reject because of their fear of the influential Zionist lobby which predominantly rules the U.S. administration and Congress. "If Americans Knew" releases statistical reports on the history of Israeli – Palestinian conflict including the number of Palestinian casualties, the number of children murdered by the Israel Defense Forces, the number of Palestinians detained in the Israel jails and the number of Israel's illegal settlements on the Palestinian lands.

American freelance journalist and researcher Alison Weir is the founder and executive director of "If Americans Knew." She has written several articles and compiled investigative reports on the Israeli Palestinian conflict and provoked the furious and frantic criticism of Zionist organizations such as Anti Defamation League. Her articles have appeared on a number of media outlets and news websites including Counter Punch, Antiwar.com, The Link, Znet, Los Angeles Times, Greenwich Post, Poynter.org and Washington Report for Middle East Affairs.

Alison Weir is at the forefront of combating the biased coverage of Israeli – Palestinian conflict in the mainstream media and through her sincere efforts has revealed the plight of the Palestinian nation under the occupation of Zionist regime. She believes that criticizing Israel in public will cost a journalist his career. She says that it's far less damaging for an American journalist to write critically of the United State government than of Israel.

What follows is the complete text of my interview with Alison Weir in which we discussed a variety of topics including the dominance of Israeli lobby over the U.S. administration and Congress and also the biased coverage of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict by the western mainstream media.

Alison Weir: They would be outraged and would demand that this stop. I have found that when I speak to groups around the country the most common question I receive is, “What can we do about this?!”

AW: When I returned from my first trip to Gaza and the West Bank, I was determined to tell Americans what was going on. I felt that while I could probably occasionally get articles into the mainstream media, the context would remain so distorted that they would make little difference. Therefore, I felt it was essential to begin an organization that would work to get the information straight to the public in as many ways as possible and that would also study and expose media malfeasance on this issue.

AW: One of the most difficult aspects is raising enough money to sustain the organization. The good news is that we have been able to keep going for almost ten years. The unfortunate reality is that there’s never been enough money to go beyond a paid staff of about 2-3 people. Zionist organizations of all sorts have extremely large staffs, extensive offices, etc. They also have a great many people of sufficient wealth that they can work on this issue without compensation. We’re in a far different situation.

AW: I don’t recall being pressured by the Israeli Lobby directly. Instead, they frequently try to pressure local organizations not to have me speak.

Mainstream media organizations also don’t pressure me directly. Rather, they simply don’t report about my information or inform their audiences about the existence of If Americans Knew. Democracy Now is among this group.

One book editor commissioned an article by me and then attempted to censor what I wrote.

AW: Yes. I received a death threat in 2003. You can read the details here. We periodically receive obscene or harassing emails and phone calls from Zionists. There are websites that misconstrue my work and that defame me, including the very powerful Jewish “Anti-defamation League.”

There are infiltrators in the pro-Palestinian movement who initiate whispering campaigns against me and work to prevent groups from inviting me to speak and from using our written materials. This often fails; sometimes it succeeds.

Recently a man knocked my phone from my hands. You can see this here.

Once when I tried to go to Palestine I was stopped at Ben Gurion Airport, held in a detention cell for 28 hours, and deported. Twice I have been briefly detained by Israeli soldiers while trying to film incidents in the Occupied Territories.

AW: While no two situations are ever identical, it is clear that Israeli actions are a form of apartheid. As you note, South African experts who have visited Palestine have stated this and they are clearly in a position to know.

The Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa  commissioned a legal study of the Israel-Palestine situation to “scrutinize the situation from the nonpartisan perspective of international law, rather than engage in political discourse and rhetoric.” Their 15-month investigation found that “Israel, since 1967, is the belligerent Occupying Power in occupied Palestinian territory, and that its occupation of these territories has become a colonial enterprise which implements a system of apartheid.”

In addition, inside Israel itself there is systemic discrimination against non-Jews.

AW: I feel there are most multiple causes. Below are some of the main ones:

1. Advertising and consumer pressure by Israel partisans against media that begin to provide more accurate coverage on this issue. These are often orchestrated and cause considerable financial damage to news organizations.

2. Reporters and editors who are biased towards Israel. I recently was astounded to learn how many of the allegedly “objective” journalists in the region reporting for American media have close ties to the Israeli military. Ethan Bronner, New York Times bureau chief, has a son in the Israeli army. Others have themselves served in the Israeli military. “Pundit” Jeffrey Goldberg, who is often interviewed for commentary on U.S. mainstream news broadcasts, served in the Israeli military.

I’ve written several articles and made a video on this topic:

1, 2, 3 and 4

The Associated Press is probably the primary source of international news for media all over the U.S. and is probably an extremely significant cause of the problem. Its control bureau, through which virtually all reports on the region must pass, is located in Israel and is staffed largely by Jewish and Israeli journalists, many with close family ties to the Israeli military. Their reporting invariably contains pro-Israel spin and context. Quite often, they don’t even send out reports on newsworthy items that reveal negative facts about Israel.

3. Media owners, publishers, CEOs, etc. who are biased toward Israel, for example, Mortimer Zuckerman, Leslie Moonves, Sumner Redstone, etc. Journalist Jeffrey Blankfort has reported onthis.

4. Editors who know nothing about this issue and would not necessarily be Israel partisans but are taken in by AP, the New York Times, etc. Journalists who have never been to the region, never read a book on it, or studied it independently, often think they are experts on the subject because they’ve been reading AP et al reports for years. They have no idea how filtered and slanted these are.

5. Journalists quickly learn that reporting honestly on Israel-Palestine is not a good career move and often self-censor. It is much safer not to touch the “third rail” of American journalism; they are aware that the people who pay them won’t like it. It is far less damaging to one’s career to write critically of the American government than of Israel.

6. Fear of being called “anti-Semitic” and of being black-balled.  The ADL, similar organizations, and Israel partisans are quite powerful in the U.S. People don’t wish to come under their attack; they’ve seen what happened to Helen Thomas and others.

AW: Because he is aware that pro-Israel groups and individuals determine who has the chance to be a major contender for the Presidency of the United States. If he tried to do something substantial, there would be a powerful – and successful – campaign to prevent him from winning a second term. This campaign would consist of funneling donations away from him to his opponents and of defaming him on a variety of issues in the media. Plus, even if he tried to do something, Congress would over-rule him, out of the same fears. Long before Mearsheimer and Walt wrote their exposé on this, Paul Findley described this situation in his powerful book, “They Dare to Speak Out.”  Richard Curtiss, Janet McMahon, and Delinda Hanley, from the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, have been exposing this for many years.

AW: Islamophobia in the U.S. has been largely promulgated by media, individuals, and organizations working on behalf of Israel. This is one of their most despicable and dangerous campaigns and has been going on for decades. Among those whose work, statements, and or funding have resulted in making Americans fear and hate Muslims are Pamela Geller, Steve Emerson, Aubrey and Joyce Chernick, Martin Kramer, Charles Jacobs, David Horowitz, David and Meyrav Wurmser, Frank Gaffney, Caroline Glick, Daniel Pipes, etc. John Sugg has written on this topic for years; more recently Max Blumenthal, Maidhc O Cathail, and several others have exposed it.

See 1, 2, 3 and 4

AW: This is one of their most widely used tactics. Their intention is two-fold: to undermine the credibility of people speaking and writing accurately on Israel, and to intimidate people from doing this.

I feel that people should simply ignore these attacks and continue to write and speak as honestly and accurately as possible. Such smears have become so widespread that they are beginning to be a bit like crying wolf too often. An increasing number of Americans are rolling their eyes when they hear that yet another person with no record of bigotry is allegedly “anti-Semitic.” In fact, such an attack often helps to raise interest in the person being so maligned, many people assuming – often correctly – that this is a person giving the true facts on Israel and/or the Israel Lobby.

AW: Yes, I believe strongly that this will change when Americans learn the facts and demand a change in U.S. policies. The reality often forgotten in analyses on this issue is that Israel’s power comes from the U.S. When the sleeping giant in this relationship, i.e. the American public, wakes up, everything will change.  The fact that this is already starting is reflected by the creation of entities such as J Street trying to co-opt this growing movement.

By FRANKLIN LAMB

Briefly noted below are five recent instances of undisputed NATO bombings on Libyan civilians selected because they still among the most frequently discussed by residents of Tripoli.

On May 13, 2011, a peace delegation of Muslim religious leaders having arrived in Breda to seek dialogue with fellow Sheiks from the east of Libya was bombed at 1 a.m. in their guesthouse by two MK 82 bombs.  Eleven were killed instantly and 14 were seriously injured. NATO claimed the building housed a “Command and Control Center.”  All witnesses and the hotel owner have vehemently denied this claim. This observer interviewed the leader of the delegation, Shiek Khalad Ali on three occasions, seeking details.  He is recovering from shrapnel wounds to his right leg and confirms the eye-witness accounts. NATO has offered the families compensation.

During the early morning of June 20, 2011, 8 missiles and bombs targeted the home of Khaled Al-Hamedi and his parents and family.  Fifteen family members and friends were killed including Khaled’s pregnant wife, his sister and three of his children. NATO said it bombed the home because it was a military installation of some kind.  Witnesses, neighbors and independent observers deny there was ever any military installation or troop presence on the property.

In late June, 2011 on the main road west of Tripoli a public bus with 12 passengers was hit by a TOW missile killing all the passengers.  NATO claimed that public buses are being used to transport military personnel.  Foreign observers, including this one, unanimously aver that they have not seen military personnel in Tripoli, including tanks, APC’s or even military equipment. Local police provide security in the cities and neighborhood watch teams cover the suburbs.

On June 6, 2011, at 2:30 a.m. the central administrative complex of the Higher Committee for Children in central Tripoli, two blocks from this observer’s hotel, was bombed with a total of 12 bombs/rockets. The complex housed the National Downs Syndrome center including its records and vital statistics office, the Crippled Women’s Foundation, the Crippled Children Center, and  the National Diabetic Research Center.

On June 16, 2011 at 5 a.m.  NATO bombed a private hotel in central Tripoli, killing three and destroying a restaurant and Shisha smoking bar.

According to doctors from the Sirte Central Hospital, and the Libyan Lawyers Group representing the victims of NATO atrocities, who spoke during a briefing on 7/8/11, numerous health issues have resulted from NATO’s attacks.

Among these are an increase of strokes among the general population from five to twenty per month,  a 300 per cent increase in diabetes and high blood pressure from February 15 to June 15, 2010 compared with the  the same four month period in 2011.

Miscarriages in Libya are up dramatically according to the Prelate of the Catholic Church in Libya, Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, one of the most popular religious leaders in this 99.5% Sunni Muslim country, who informed visitors that in one day at the Green Hospital in Tripoli, following NATO bombing runs in mid March, 2011, there were 50 miscarriages and forty deaths. These statistics were confirmed during a meeting with this observer on 7/5/11 by Dr. Mohamed Milhat, cardiac specialist at the Libyan British Medical Center who described the large increase in the number of citizens complaining of stress-related illnesses.

History will judge NATO harshly for its crimes. Hopefully the citizens of every NATO member state will work to end its mission so as to protect the civilian population of Libya.

By Prof Lawrence Davidson

Part I – Civil Society Movements vs. Corrupt Politics

When it comes to the struggle against Israel’s policies of oppression there are two conflicting levels: that of government and that of civil society. The most recent example of this duality is the half dozen or so small ships held captive in the ports of Greece. The ships, loaded with humanitarian supplies for the one and half million people of the Gaza strip, are instruments of a civil society campaign against the inhumanity of the Israeli state. The forces that hold them back are the instruments of governments corrupted by special interest influence and political bribery.

Most of us are unaware of the potential of organized civil society because we have resigned the public sphere to professional politicians and bureaucrats and retreated into a private sphere of everyday life which we see as separate from politics. This is a serious mistake. Politics shapes our lives whether we pay attention to it or not. By ignoring it we allow the power of the state to respond not so much to the citizenry as to special interests. Our indifference means that the politicians and government bureaucrats live their professional lives within systems largely uninterested in and sometimes incapable of acting in the public good because they are corrupted by lobby power. The ability to render justice is also often a casualty of the way things operate politically. The stymying of the latest flotilla due to the disproportionate influence of Zionist special interests on U.S. and European Middle East foreign policy is a good example of this situation.

There are small but growing elements of society which understand this problem and have moved to remedy it through organizing common citizens to reassert influence in the public sphere. Their efforts constitute civil society movements. Not all of these efforts can be deemed progressive. The "Tea Party" phenomenon in the United States is a radical conservative movement that aims at minimizing government to the point of self-destruction. But other movements of civil society, in their expressions of direct action in the cause of justice, are much healthier. The worldwide movement for the boycott, divestment and sanctioning (BDS) of Israel, of which the flotilla movement is an offshoot, is one of these.

Part II – The Forum of International Law

The resulting struggle between the corrupt politics that keeps the West aligned with the oppressive and racist ideology that rules Israel and the civil society movement that seeks to liberate the victims of that ideology goes on worldwide and in many forums. One is the forum of international law. Presently, the debate revolves around the legality of Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the effort of the flotilla movement to defy it. Let us take a look at this aspect of the conflict.

1. The well known American Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, a strong defender of Israel, has blatantly stated, "Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza is legal under international law–anyone who tries to break it can be arrested and prosecuted in a court of law." Of course, Dershowitz is not an expert on international law. Rather he has made his reputation as a defense lawyer with a passion for murder cases (which makes him quite suited to defend the Israeli state). This being said, what is the basis for his assertion that the Gaza blockade is legal?

2. The argument for the legality of the blockade is based on the 1909 Declaration of London and the 1994 San Remo Manual on Armed Conflict at Sea. Both are part of an international treaty system that sets down the parameters of much international law. According to these documentstwo states engaged in armed conflict can legally blockade one and other for clear military reasons. However, any blockade would cease to be legal if "damage to the civilian population is, or may be expected to be, excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated from the blockade." Defenders of Israeli actions such as Dershowitz do a very superficial reading of the documents and reason that Israel is in an armed conflict with Hamas, which is the ruling authority in Gaza, and so Israel can legally blockade Gaza so as to stop the importation of weapons and "terrorist" fighters.

3. The holes in this reasoning are big enough to sail a flotilla of small ships through (if only they were not imprisoned in Greek ports). Thus, Israel certainly does not consider itself engaged in an armed conflict with another state. If you doubt this just ask any member of the present Israeli government whether he or she would define Palestine, including Gaza, as a state. In truth, the proper definition of Israel’s presence in the West Bank and Gaza is that of an occupying colonial power whose policies and actions are stark violations of the Geneva Conventions. That is, by virtue of their colonizing actions and treatment of residents of the Occupied Territories, their presence in Palestine beyond the 1967 borders is not legal (one can also argue over the legality of Israel within the 1967 borders). That means those they are in armed conflict with are those resisting illegal occupation. There is no international law that makes it legal for Israel, itself acting illegally, to blockade those legally resisting its actions. The arbitrary labeling of those resisting as "terrorists" does not change this legal situation.

4. As noted above, "legal" blockades must have a military objective and must not do excessive harm to the civilian population. Yet there is evidence that Israel’s goals for the blockade are not primarily military but are, instead, aimed at committing excessive harm to the people of Gaza. The Gaza blockade was not done out of fear of weapons smuggling or terrorist infiltration, but rather constituted a conscious act of economic warfare against the people of Gaza for having the audacity to be ruled by Hamas, the winner of a 2006 free and fair election. There is documentary evidence for this interpretation of events. For instance, in 2006 Dov Weisglass, an adviser to then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, publically stated that the goal of Israeli policy in Gaza was to "put the Palestinians on a diet, but not make them die of hunger." Then, in June of 2010 McClatchy Newspapers published Israeli government documents attesting to the fact that Jerusalem primarily saw the blockade as an act of economic warfare, and not as a security measure. To this you can add the fact that Israeli gunboats keep shooting at Gaza fisherman who they know are doing nothing except fishing. What we have here is the collective punishment of 1.5 million Palestinians. As such it is not legal, it is illegal–a violation of the Geneva Conventions. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, usually so responsive to U.S. demands, momentarily broke free and in his 2009 annual report told the Israelis they should end their unwarranted blockade. He was ignored.

Part III – We Cannot Count on Governments or International Law

So how is it that the Israelis can get away with these crimes? It is because, at the level of government, their lobbyists and advocates wield enough influence to successfully warp the policy formulation of Western governments. Against this corruptive influence, international law means very little. Even embarrassing historical analogies mean little. Nima Shirazi, whose blog,Wide Asleep In America can be found at http://www.wideasleepinamerica.com/ wrote a very good piece entitled "The Deplorable Acts: The ‘Quartet Comments on Gaza." In this piece he points out the relative similarity between the Gaza blockade and the blockade of Boston set up by imperial Britain in late 1773. The Americans of that time labeled the action, "the Intolerable Acts." Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and her boss in the White House ought to consider this analogy, but then there is that lobby power factor that would prevent them from ever acknowledging it.

As a consequence, those who seek justice for the Palestinians must, for the moment, not place much hope in government or international law. They must act within the realm of civil society, building the BDS movement and its offshoots. Where government moves in and attempts to block civil society actions, these actions must be turned against government if only by using them as campaign tools to expand the BDS movement further. If we persist there will come a time, as was the case with South Africa, when the power of civil society will be such that politicians and bureaucrats will see the cost of defying popular opinion as greater than defying Zionist lobbies.

For all intents and purposes, when it comes to the Palestine-Israeli conflict, the United States and Israeli governments have placed themselves above all law. That means not just international law, but selective domestic law as well. The ubiquitous and improper use of such categories as "terrorist" or "rendering material aid to terrorists" are the corruptive vectors here. The only hope for justice and the integrity of law is in the realm of civil society which might in the future redeem not only Palestine, but the US and Israel too.

November 2000 elections in USA were gerrymandered by Zionists to get George W Bush elected. 9/11 was masterminded by Jews, Bush and Dick Cheney to achieve strategic and economic objectives by making Afghanistan and later Iraq as bases of operations. 19 fanatical Arab hijackers were allowed to crash two of the four hijacked planes into WTC so as to pass Patriot Act, build up military and invade Afghanistan.

9/11 Commission stumbled across strong evidence of treason by Cheney. It was determined by experts that an energy weapon was used to bring down Twin Towers. Overwhelming evidence exist that collapse of towers and building 7 were instances of control demolition. The big question asked is as to why was building 7 that was not hit by plane, demolished 8 hours after the second tower collapsed? How two 110-storey buildings and one 47-storey building, about 50 million tons of mass of which 40 million never hit the ground and largely turned to dust? It is said that neo-cons acting on behalf of corporations being investigated wanted to destroy files stored in building 7. Investigators and scientists have revealed that pre-planted explosives were set off two hours after the two planes crashed to bring down the three buildings.

Another intriguing aspect is as to why didn’t the US jets scramble when one of the hijacked planes was heading towards Pentagon after the two planes had struck WTC in New York? Not a bird can fly in this exclusive zone. Intriguingly, on 01 June 2001 order to scramble jets to deal with hijacked planes had been transferred from Base Commander to Defence Secretary Rumsfeld – another neo-con.

OBL and al-Qaeda were drummed up to create an excuse to invade and occupy Afghanistan. Invaders had no proof of al-Qaeda’s involvement in 9/11. OBL and other top leaders of al-Qaeda and Taliban holed up in Tora Bora caves in December 2001 were deliberately allowed to escape to Pakistan to push flames of terrorism into Pakistan and to force Pak military to join the war.

Although Pakistan didn’t fit into the US security paradigm, it was deceptively made an ally and earmarked as a target since its military and nuclear strengths were unacceptable to the strategic partners USA, Israel, India and Britain.  

War on terror in which Pakistan was cunningly made the frontline state was not meant to eliminate terrorism but to fuel terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan and to keep both unstable so as to provide an excuse for prolonged stay of coalition forces in Afghanistan. 

A willful smear campaign was unleashed by Indo-US-Israeli nexus to undermine Pakistan’s premier institutions and nuclear program. Underlying objective was to weaken the main trunk of Army, declare ISI as a rogue outfit and to declare Pak nukes unsafe. Another objective of media campaign was to promote western and Indian culture so as to secularize the society and do away with Islamic culture believing in Jihad.  

India which fitted into security paradigm of USA and Israel was systematically turned into strongest military and nuclear power of South Asia and a bulwark against China; and its archrival Pakistan was steadily weakened. 

Mumbai attacks on 26/11 were masterminded to deflect attention of the world from the atrocities committed by Indian security forces in Indian occupied Kashmir where the situation had become explosive, to nail down ISI and to pave way for Indian air force to carryout surgical strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir against so-called terrorist training camps similar to drone strikes.

Barack Obama was also Zionists choice man ready to serve their agenda. Af-Pak policy was Pakistan specific to speed up its destabilization. Blackwater was inducted and new tactics involving double suicide bombers and group attacks were introduced in Punjab in 2009. Drone attacks were intensified and so were target killings in Balochistan and Karachi to create countrywide anarchic conditions.

When the esteem of Army and Gen Kayani shot up in the eyes of US military and NATO after Swat and South Waziristan operations in 2009, a team of journalists headed by Dan Williams from Jerusalem visited Kabul in June 2010 at the invitation of India to help in intensifying media war against Pakistan and to create rift between NATO and Pakistan Army. Earlier on, Indian Ambassador had visited Tel Aviv and met Williams and offered him to pay all expenses besides lucrative incentives to journalists engaged for tarnishing Pakistan’s image in world comity.   

OBL who died a natural death due to kidneys failure was purposely kept alive till 02 May 2011 by CIA to justify US extended stay in Afghanistan and heavy expenditure incurred. Stealth raid in Abbottabad by US Navy SEALs without taking Pakistan into confidence was a false flag operation to undermine Pak Army and ISI. Very few believe the story fabricated by USA since there are too many glaring loopholes.    

Till the Abbottabad and Mehran Base disasters, public ire was entirely focused against the political ruling regime. The rulers were held responsible for the malaise afflicting the society while the armed forces were held in high esteem. The people suffering under extreme hardships looked towards Gen Kayani to get rid of the parasites and to restore semblance of order and lost pride and honor.

Security forces are carrying out low intensity conflict since 2002 but despite their heroics, nonstop fighting is sapping their energy and to a degree impacting their operational worthiness, particularly because of negative role of foreign media. Despite vilification campaign to defame the Army and ISI, the two institutions are regarded with approbation by the public. High image of Army runs contrary to the designs of Pakistan’s adversaries desiring complete crippling of all institutions of Pakistan. 

It was against this background that Operation ‘Get Geronimo’ was conceived to embarrass Army, air force and ISI and to discredit them in the eyes of the public. Terrorist operation against Mehran naval base was conducted to defame the Navy and to further discredit premier institutions and create feelings of hopelessness among the public. Selected journalists, anchors and TV channels were spun into action to join hands with foreign media and denunciate top leadership of the three services and ISI.

PML-N in its bid to settle its old scores with Gen Musharraf and his team of Generals led the defamation assault, foolishly hoping that its tirade may pave the way for its return to power. Media persons and politicians harboring old grievances against the Army under Gen Zia and Gen Musharraf considered it a golden opportunity to bash the military. Kharotabad incident, killing of a thug at the hands of Rangers in Karachi and murder of Saleem Shehzad were all put in the basket of Army to make their campaign more stinging and this gratuitous diatribe is still going on with a vengeance.

Some have crossed all limits of journalistic decency and used offensive invectives. They ridiculed the senior military leadership by insinuating that it is its old habit to take cover behind national security to avoid accountability, and to present themselves as victims of machinations rather than admitting their fault. Some said that military is a white elephant consuming 80% of budget, well knowing that the actual figure is mere 25.6%. It makes one suspect that all these incidents were triggered within a limited timeframe with a hidden motive. It is big money which is making cultivated media persons go wild.

Opportunist journalists and anchors have exposed themselves by making vicious attacks on leadership of three services. They are drawing satisfaction by claiming that media helped in driving a significant wedge between armed forces and the public, and that rift stems from growing realization that security establishment victimizes those it is meant to serve. Such mini-minds forgot the role of Army in all man-made and natural catastrophes and in ongoing war on terror. Much to their chagrin, despite the vituperative campaign, 75% of people still have a very high opinion of the Army and ISI.

Kabul/Ashgabat — nCa recently had an exclusive conversation with some top official of Afghanistan drug and customs services.

The essence of the conversation was that there is a lot more than meets the eye: Americans are involved in drug trade in Afghanistan, the laws are flawed, refugees returning from Iran and Pakistan bring drug habit with them, and Afghanistan was short-changed in Bonn agreement as far as customs rules are concerned.

The names of the officials will not be disclosed for obvious reasons.

nCa asked the officials whether it was true or not that some Americans were involved in smuggling the drugs, mostly notably heroin, out of Afghanistan and into the United States.

The authorities said that even though no case was registered against Americans, the premise was essentially true.

They said that drugs originating from Afghanistan were available in the streets of most of the western countries, including the United States. They added that so far only two Afghans had been caught in this trade in the USA, pointing to the fact that drug trade was mainly in the hands of other people, not the Afghans.

They also said that at all the legal borders – and there are many between Afghanistan and the western countries where the drugs finally end up – the procedures are such that large quantities of drugs will not pass through them legally.

Driving the point to its logical conclusion, the officials said that Afghan authorities are not allowed to check what is being loaded into the military planes belonging to USA/NATO/ISAF.

From this we conclude that substantial quantities of narcotics are being shipped out of Afghanistan in the military planes. They added that they also had other reasons to believe it was true.

The authorities pointed out that within the territory of Afghanistan all efforts were being made to curb the drug trade, they cited as example the arrest of General Malham (accused of trying to smuggle heroin to Iran from Herat), the arrest of the governor of a district in Nimruz and his two sons (caught red handed in trying to smuggle heroin to Iran), and the apprehension of a district police chief in Takhar province (allegedly with 24 kg of heroin), all within the last two months.

The officials contended that large scale direct availability of Afghan drugs in the western markets was not possible without the involvement of American military operating in Afghanistan.

nCa asked that the prices of heroin in Afghanistan last year were very low but the prices in the end markets did not come down, what was the reason.

The authorities told that it is believed that the Americans bought and hoarded the heroin so that the market does not crash.

The declined to confirm or deny whether the hoarding by the Americans was to make profits in a lean year or to use the cache to destabilize some targeted country by promoting drug addiction among the youth.

nCa asked whether the drug addiction was rising or falling in Afghanistan, and what were the reasons for the current trend.

The authorities told that drug addiction was on the rise, especially among the youth. They explained that several reasons were behind this tendency.

They said that most of the refugees returning from Iran and Pakistan bring the habit with them. In the host countries they need to work long hours in hard labour to survive and they use the narcotics to overcome the tiredness.

When they return to Afghanistan, they introduce their friends and relative to the drugs, particularly in wedding and other ceremonies.

They told that, on a limited scale, the drug dealers were systematically entrapping the youth into addiction by giving them initial free doses. They said that heroin is strongly addictive and if you use it three times, you are an addict already.

The authorities said that the heroin labs in Iran and Pakistan were using Afghan youth as labour and the young people working in such labs (mostly a small outfit with boiling and filtering arrangements) are given free drugs. They become addicts and spread the habit to others.

These young people have no money but they have a habit they must feed, thus widening the circle of addicts, an official told.

Another official said that he saw with his own eyes that in a workplace in Iran the workers, both Iranians and Afghans, were given mild narcotics by the supervisor before the start of the workday. And, they were given additional doses throughout the day at each tea and meal break, this in order to get more work out of them.

Another official added that the Afghan refugees who work in the Iranian households are bound to become addicts. He put in plain words that some 95% households have some kind of narcotic, liquid or solid, mild or strong, in regular use and the Afghan boys and girls working in such houses are encouraged to join in. the official said that there is no way to prove it but we have seen it too many times to dismiss it as just hearsay.

An official said, only half joking, that he stayed with an Iranian family for about a month and he came very close to becoming a drug addict himself.

nCa asked whether the authorities were handicapped by laws to come down hard on the addicts.

The authorities explained that carrying and sale/purchase of heroin was a crime under the current Afghan laws but possession of heroin up to 5 grams for personal consumption was not a crime.

They said that drug dealers and middlemen were taking advantage of this law. They told that drugs were being abused openly under the bridges, in the blind alleys, in the secluded corners of the public parks and in the backrooms of shops because of this loophole in the law. There is nothing we can do as long as a person is in possession of 5 grams or less of heroin and he is not caught buying or selling it, they said helplessly.

They added that drug traders and middlemen were using a marketing tactic to stretch their net far and wide. If someone sells 5 grams of heroin for them, he gets 1 gram free of cost. In this way, an addict who needs a doze of 5 grams every day can get it free of cost by selling five doses to other addicts.

nCa asked whether the foreign entities, both military and non-military were paying proper taxes and duties on the material and goods they bring into Afghanistan.

The authorities told that under the Bonn agreement of 2001, the military items are allowed duty free but the import of items for whatever purpose by the non-military entities attracts customs duties and taxes.

The officials said that at the time of signing of Bonn agreement, the Afghan side was not in a position to negotiate a fair deal for customs duties and also the Afghan delegation did not have any experience in such negotiations. The western side took advantage of these weaknesses, they said. They said that Ahadi and Ashraf Ghani were dealing with these issues on behalf of the Afghan side and they could not envision fully the complications arising from the flawed clauses.

The authorities said that we are trying to negotiate a better deal now and we hope to impose processing charges on the items that are allowed duty-free. This would bring huge addition to Afghan revenues, they hoped.

The authorities added that the Bonn agreement took unfair advantage of the Afghan gratitude.

They explained that even in cases where duties are payable, the rates were much less than comparable tariffs worldwide.

Courtesy: Opinion Maker

These segments of society are trying to undermine the Armed Forces also because they fear their capability of defending Pakistan against the nefarious machinations of its detractors. One of the principles of subversion is that the enemy tries to sow seeds of doubts in the minds of the people of the target country regarding the capability of its armed forces to defend it. If its propaganda war is successful then the next step is physical subversion and ultimately a takeover becomes easy. Another effect of the propaganda against the armed forces is that it weakens their morale and they may lose confidence in their leadership.

In Pakistan, where such an assault has become common practice, indifferent analysis and negative commentaries through print and electronic media are blowing up information which is creating misperceptions about the Armed Forces and “ISI”. Thus general masses are showing signs of collective repulsion and frustration with deep signatures of injured feelings, incorrect impression about the efficacy of Army and ISI and speculative conditions of paranoia. Thus the “New York Times” story of the Army Chief “struggling for his survival” or the possibility of a “Colonels’ coup”, which were then repeated in our own media without verifying the speculative report. The case of Brigadier Ali and his probable links with Hizb-ul-Tahreer could have been better handled by the media managers of the armed forces. When the case had surfaced initially, a small press note could have been released that some members of the armed forces are being investigated for their links with banned organizations, without naming any one. Later on when the news broke, the media managers would not be faulted for suppressing the story since they had already made it public. In this day and age, it is difficult to suppress information; instead, effort should be made that instead of hiding information, it should be managed so that damage is minimized.

There is a need to develop an understanding that our country is confronted with numerous extraordinary challenges. It is very important to comprehend these issues in their true perspective rather than toeing the line of propagandists. However, if the media managers create the sympathy of our countrymen, they would not fall prey to the propaganda warfare. Pakistan’s capability to tackle the issues and potential of Armed Forces to safeguard its frontiers, besides other positive social factors, remains its strength as a nation. Domestic media must be taken on board by confiding into its responsible managers so that it plays its role to dispel the present state of despondency, conspiracy theories and misperceptions. It is of prime importance that the national spirit is kept high and undesirable state of mind be set right through proper and positive media coverage using realistic and imaginative approach, as state of despondency is directly related to state of mind. Media has a role to correct perceptions and strengthen people’s faith in the professional competence of our Armed Forces. While awareness is positive, the conspiracy theories weaken our convictions by spreading divisive themes and elusive schemes. The nation must maintain cohesive posture in the face of hostile propaganda. Media can suggest to the people to remain firm and resist falling prey to conspiracy theories.

Pakistan is passing through a critical phase as the nation is confronted with extraordinary challenges at internal and external levels. These challenges also offer us the opportunity to face the challenges boldly and make Pakistan a strong and viable country. Defeatism and getting paralyzed is no option. All segments of society including media must put up a collective front to internal and external threats rather than criticizing the Armed Forces, which does not comprise angels but fallible humans but criticism should be objective. Simultaneously, there should be no confusion in our minds that our Armed Forces/intelligence agencies are capable of defending the vital national assets/interests. Unfortunately certain elements are creating speculations and casting aspersions on the capability and competence of our Armed Forces thus enabling the enemy to exploit these conjectures to their best advantage. Politicians, intellectuals and media have a responsibility to protect Pakistan/Armed Forces, defaulters and law breakers not withstanding.  

Social media including internet/SMS, Twitter have become a major source of exchanging information these days. Various blogs are operating and being used for opinion making. Own media managers must effectively use this media for projecting their view point. In this regard patriotic people must participate in discussion forums through Internet blogs, and make good efforts to project Pakistan’s view point. Exchanging derogatory SMS against own Armed Forces is self defeating and self staggering. People must learn to behave maturely and conduct themselves with dignity. The Arab Spring has amply demonstrated the use of social media in mobilizing the masses for rebellion. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. The same medium can be used to build a positive image of the custodians of the frontiers of Pakistan as well as exposing the nefarious designs of its enemies, especially those who are bent upon painting Pakistan in the worst light, speak of doom and gloom and propagate worst case scenarios.

Armed Forces of Pakistan made unprecedented sacrifices to combat the scourge of terrorism. They played an excellent role during natural disasters especially flood relief operations in 2011. Armed Forces of Pakistan are working vigorously to bring Balochistan and tribal areas of Pakistan in national mainstream through developmental projects including establishment of cadet colleges/ technical institutes and by providing jobs to the youth of these areas and need to be encouraged not abused. They may be reformed but not banished.