Headlines 09/04/2016

Headlines

• Syrian 'Peace' Talks

• Italy Recalls its Ambassador to Egypt

• Kerry Visits Iraq after Two Years

• N Korea Announces ICBM Engine

• Catholic Church Releases New Guidance on Marriage

Details

Syrian 'Peace' Talks

UN mediator Staffan de Mistura announced in a news conference that he wished to talk to international and regional parties to the conflict before the resumption of peace talks, which had already been delayed from 9 April as originally scheduled but have now been delayed even further to 13 April.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports, "Russia and the U.S. are working on drafting a new constitution for Syria, according to three Western and Russian diplomats".

Such statements are only further evidence of the true purpose of these talks, which is not to bring genuine change, but only to find a way to preserve the current international order designed by the West.

Italy Recalls its Ambassador to Egypt

In a statement, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said he was recalling Ambassador Maurizio Massari for "an urgent evaluation" to find ways to "relaunch the commitment aimed at determining the truth about the barbarous murder of Giulio Regini." He also tweeted in Italian that this country wanted "one thing only: the truth about Giulio."

We have to ask why the Italian Foreign Minister does not recall the Italian ambassador to America, which everyone knows is the present patron and master of the Egyptian government.

Kerry Visits Iraq after Two Years

"US Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit on Friday to Baghdad, promising continuing American military and humanitarian aid in the fight against the Islamic State, and showing support for the country's embattled prime minister, Haider al-Abadi," according to the New York Times.

Where is the American strength now? Why does it not come and fight itself instead of pledging support for the Iraqi government to fight - a government that is itself so weakened by incompetence and domestic opposition? America needs to be evaluated accurately; the American superpower is greatly dependent on Muslim governments and armies to carry out its agenda and does not have the capacity to impose itself unilaterally.

N Korea Announces ICBM Engine

North Korea on Saturday announced a successful test of a new "indigenously designed" engine at the Sohae missile launch site near the country's west coast. According to their official news agency, "Dear Comrade Kim Jong Un said now we can mount an ever more powerful nuclear warhead on a new intercontinental ballistic rocket and put the den of evil in the United States and all over the world within our strike range".

The US has missed many opportunities to bring North Korea under control. In fact, the US has been following a standard approach in Western international political practice of allowing problems to fester. North Korea's provocations provide opportunities for America to intensify its presence in the region and also stir the public opinion within US allies, South Korea and Japan, compelling them to increase their militarisation. As such North Korea is more a nuisance for China than for the US.

Despite public statements to the contrary, the West sees its self-interest in catalysing problems rather than solving them. As long as the world is dominated by a Capitalist superpower, the world will remain in conflict as it is the fundamental nature of Capitalism to view matters from the point of view of self-interest and not the collective interest of all.

Catholic Church Releases New Guidance on Marriage

On Friday, the Catholic Church released the 'Amoris Laetitia' (Latin for 'The Joy of Love') an apostolic exortation by Pope Francis, the longest such document ever at 265 pages, concluding a two-year process which began in 2014 with Pope Francis stirring new debate on social issues in the Church Synod, which is a permanent council of bishops selected from different regions to meet and advise the Pope. The new guidance is being viewed as an attempt by Pope Francis to re-orient the Church to cater for the vast number of Catholic Christians that have violated established social rules within Christianity.

Pope Francis, and the leaders of other religions, need to realise that Western Secular Capitalism is fundamentally opposed to all religions. Religious practise will only continue to suffer as long as the world is dominated by concepts such as secularism, freedom and democracy, which turn man away from serving God to serving himself. Marriage requires commitment to a higher purpose in life; those who follow the idea of freedom only serve their own desires - following desires can never be a sound basis for long-term relationships as is practically evident in Western societies.

Pope Francis has already been challenging the inhumane economic inequality created by Capitalism but he refrains from attacking Capitalism itself in a more fundamental doctrinal manner. In past centuries, Christianity benefitted greatly from the domination of world culture by Islam. The world will only once again be safe for religion when the Islamic State is re-established.