Attempting to separate or free Papua from Republic of Indonesia is one of sources of fluctuation that always occurs in Papua nowadays. These secessionist efforts are conducted by three elements those move together hand in hand.
When US Congress Representatives and Senators are sworn into office they take an oath to uphold the basic principles of the US constitution. To uphold the law and to preserve the principles of the basic guaranteed liberties including due process and habeas corpus. Yet it is these very Congress people that propose preposterous bills that trample basic civil liberties. As this is the case in the newly proposed bill; the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) could allow for the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens without charge or trial in a military prison. Of course this was met with huge negative reactions towards detaining any US citizen without due process anywhere in the world if s/he is merely suspected of any terrorist behavior. Of course this definition is extremely vague and broad to the point if someone voices any government objection may be interpreted as a terrorist inclination and thus detained indefinitely without any charges. We heard some of the higher officials, especially in the Senate, voice their concerns of the dire consequences of passing this bill into law. Even a mentioning of an executive veto by the President himself who can ultimately halt this bill in its tracks.
However the threat is real and imminent. According to Christopher Anders, senior legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) responded, "...This bill puts military detention authority on steroids and makes it permanent. If it becomes law, American citizens and others are at real risk of being locked away by the military without charge or trial."
Yet one major point was omitted from the high level debate: the indefinite detainment of an individual in a military prison applicable to American citizens not actual combatants, just regular citizens on the street. That poses a major problem, a déjà vu of Guantanamo Bay thereby ensuring this nightmare scenario will be ever-present anywhere in the world, destroying the values of the rapidly crumbling democracy which America now falsely touts. A strikingly similar resemblance to Qadaffi's former regime and Bashar Assad's current regime.
Every Muslim or Arab or Brown person is a new potential target. What happened to "innocent till proven guilty"? The US Constitution strictly forbids this sort of action as mentioned in the the habeas procedure in Article One, Section 9, states that "The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require it." Now if someone happened to look like Osama bin Laden or Anwar Awalaki will have the legal backing to kidnap, the actual meaning of detain, that person for an unspecified time subjected to military confinement. As evident in Guantanamo Bay, prisoners are held without trial or charges for almost a decade.
Does racism and hatred run deeper than ever before? Did the Civil Rights Movement not shatter these glass walls? As the decades pass, it is clear that this is far from the truth. Now every racist bigot will be able to notify the authorities of their Muslim citizens simply based on suspicion and fear be it "manufactured" or real whether that person wears hijab or grows a beard while wearing a kufi cap. This is simply based on appearance. What about the vocal US citizens who oppose foreign or domestic policies. Why not lock up 99% of the US population???
If one were to simply judge using US produced statistics, immigrant Muslims lead a far more law-abiding lifestyle than their white counterparts. They do not resort to substance abuse, looting, or vandalism during times of need and hardship. The children of these immigrant families go on to complete successful college educations and live productive lives.
Now another more alarming statistic is the profile of a serial killer or child molester or rapist. Why not propose and pass a US Bill that will contain such dangerous people thereby protecting the greater society. Well perhaps the US will have more detention centers than shopping malls and nearly 90% of the population will be indefinitely locked up for an unknown time period.
Another facet of this newly proposed bill is the resounding paranoia and fear factor that will be ever more exaggerated. Every American and non-American will do a double or triple-take on their Muslim neighbor, co-worker, and while we're at it our Muslim doctors all whom the majority of the population has had some type of relationship or interaction with, the vast majority included positive results.
In fact, Islamophobia with the backing of the NDAA will have detrimental effects on society quickly advancing the breakdown of democracy and its social fabric. Media hype will almost immediately propagate quick check-lists for possible terrorists. True that many human rights organizations will cry foul and Muslim civil liberties agencies will call upon the community to quickly and actively voice their objections to their local representatives. In the end Islamophobia will gain fierce momentum and basic liberties will have no bearing of the fate of US citizens living on US soil or any soil for that matter.
The introduction and the potential effect of NDAA will be another nail in the coffin in US democracy. What a humiliating day in US history when the US legislation signs the following bill into effect. Let's pray, if that is even possible without being detained these days, that this is not the prelude towards Muslim concentration camps. It happened before on US soil, it could happen again all in the name of "War on Terror".
Manal Bader
Question:
On the evening of 12/11/2011 Silvio Berlusconi the Italian Prime Minister announced his resignation and three days previously on the evening of 09/11/2011 George Papandreou announced his resignation from the leadership of the Greek government due to the financial economic crisis that has plagued the two countries and in particular the sovereign debt crisis. And this was after the parliaments of these two countries passed austerity measures, for these two countries to be placed under the monitoring of the IMF and European negotiations so as to implement these measures to be included as part of what has been called the European rescue plan. And beside the two crises of these two countries which have reacted in the last few days there are similar potential crises that could occur in Ireland, Portugal and Spain and these have been continuous since two years. The sovereign debt crisis has even begun to stretch to France and she is one of the major countries of the Euro region just as she is one of the major states in the European Union. In addition it is interesting to note that all of these countries experiencing crises can be seen to fall in the Euro region.
The question is what is the extent of the effect of the crises upon the future of the Euro as well as the survival of its region encompassing 17 states from amongst the original 27 that comprise the European Union? And the question goes even beyond that and asks what is the future of the European Union as a whole?!
In addition does this have an effect on the other major world states, America, Russia and China in addition to Britain which although part of the European Union is not part of the Euro zone?
The answer:
1) The Greek sovereign debt crisis has affected the Euro region due to fear that Greece will fall behind in paying its debts which have reached 350 billion Euros ($482 Dollars). These debts are above its GDP by 160 % where the deficit in its budget had reached 13.6% with knowledge that the permitted deficit level within the EU is 3.5%. The European and IMF negotiations requested from Greece for it to implement austerity measures within a plan entitled the 'European rescue plan'. However Papandreou wanted to hold back from implementing more of these measures and he then called for a referendum relating to the acceptance of these measures and he was supported by five ministers including the minister of finance. However he was forced to give up the idea of holding a referendum when he was summoned by the Europeans to the French town of Cannes where they warned him that his country would not obtain any further funding if it did not implement the austerity plan. And on 11/10/2011 the international debt donors agreed to pay the sixth Greek debt payment of a value of 8 billion Euros. On 21/10/2011 the government decided to increase the austerity measures challenging the protesters and entering the country into a general paralysis as a result of general strikes and violent protests in Athens.
2) And it is known the beginning of recession and deflation was officially announced in November 2008 in Europe with the eruption of the international financial crisis from its centre America. Thereafter the financial and economic crises began to appear one after the other including a crisis in the stock markets, the collapse of companies and banks and the attempt of the states to save them by pumping huge amounts of money into them which represented a heavy burden upon these countries without solving or treating the problem and this is considered one of the reasons of the sovereignty debt crisis. Meaning that this treatment is a reason for the increase in the disease and produced symptoms which were not additional side problems only but rather fundamental main problems. The crisis of the Euro became apparent when its value began to fall against the main international currencies and specifically the Dollar. And the most recent but not the last was the eruption of the crisis of sovereign debts meaning the crisis of nations debts where the income and GDP of the states is less than the built up debts and what it issues like treasury bonds. So when the income of the state and its GDP became less than the value of these debts which are in the form of bonds for a number of reasons and which are purchased by other states, banks and international financial institutions and then this state became unable to make the debt payments causing the value of the bonds to decrease and the debt interest rate to increase in addition to the value of insurances. The general debt then increases and the confidence in the ability to repay the debts diminishes so nobody will accept its purchase but would rather try and get rid of them (the bonds), because the states possessing the bonds would not be able to repay them and as such their inability or incompetence becomes apparent. Due to this the crisis erupts affecting the whole economy of the state and even affects the political stability and the position of the governments. And this is what happened in Italy recently which led to the fall of the Berlusconi government just as this happened in Greece leading to the fall of the Papandreou government.
3) France and Germany are working to solve the problems of the Euro zone however it appears that there are differences between them and these have been considered to be fundamental in relation to how to manage the crisis and how to deal with it and between those who have accepted its suggestion! This has been especially so because the subject of economy clashes with the subject of the sovereignty of nations. This is because France and Germany consider themselves the two great heads and leaders of the European Union. As such there is a competition behind the scenes between them concerning which one of them will have the main say within this union. This was remarked upon at a previous time by the chief of the office of the European Council for foreign relations in Berlin Ulrike Geurot when she directed these words to the states of the Union: "If you have come from two completely different directions then it is a certainty that they will clash with one another. However I hope that a positive dialogue can occur".(Reuters 20/05/2011).
And in accordance to this the difference between France and Germany has appeared in terms of their proposed treatments. France has presented the establishment of an Economic government as a treatment for these crises however Germany has proposed the establishment of an economic management meaning the establishment of structures and frameworks of work and the imposition of punishments and they did not agree to an Economic Government because it gives the impression that there is a higher entity than the will of European Governments which would dictate a specific economic policy upon everyone which would mean the causing of irritation to other states who would say that this would erode their sovereignty. For this reason this suggestion has yet to see the light of day. There is also a dispute in regards to economic growth as Germany has made hard adjustments to stimulate exports which had caused imbalances in the trade budgets which the European regions have not been able to cope with. And specifically Germany is recording large economic benefits whilst at the same time other states including France are showing a trading incompetence in the region of billions of Euros. Due to this France has requested from Germany to strengthen local demand and decrease taxes to encourage imports whilst Germany requested from the other states that they follow its example by lowering wages. There is also a difference in relation the European stabilisation fund and increasing the support for it. Germany had increased its share in it from 123 Billion Euros to 211 Billion Euros after the German parliament agreed to this on the 29/09/2011 which indicates that Germany is very keen for the Euro to remain and is working for its continuance through support from the states of its region made up of 17 states. And the European states have agreed to strengthen the stabilisation charter which is supposed to limit the deficits however this collapsed within the crisis. And amongst the suggestions made by Germany includes the freezing of international support to states which have permitted deficits to increase in their budgets a great deal. The European commission thought about this however they saw that this would not solve the problem but rather only prolong it. Germany also suggested freezing the voting rights of these states for a number of years as a minimum in relation to the decisions which are made at the level of the European Union which would render the role of the states experiences difficulties in the Union to become ineffectual. Germany also suggested that the other states follow its example as well in limiting the deficit ceiling within their constitutions and to lay down procedures for announcing the bankruptcy of states which are suffering from large debts and which would have no choice except to leave the Euro zone.
However these suggested solutions require a change in the Lisbon Treaty that governs the European Union which only came in to existence after a difficult birth due to the sharp differences between the Union states which were keen to maintain sovereignty for themselves as independent states within the Union and they are not ready to make concessions for the interests of the collective. Due to this it is not easy to bring the Germany suggestion into reality. The last German suggestion was put forward by the German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble when he called to:"Moving more of the political international and local jurisdictions from the states of the Euro Zone up to a European level so as to solve the sovereignty debt crisis" where he indicated that: "The central European bank has an independence which qualifies it to adopt a policy that would look after the interest of the group so that a state's interests are not considered at the expense of the other states". However he added to this saying: "That he has not until now reached an agreement about a shared (unified) European policy" (DBA 12/11/2011) and he admitted what it was facing in regards to Greece what he described as: "A mountain of problems". Prior to this there were statements from the Prime Minister of Germany Angela Merkel warning in them about the future of the Euro zone and she confirmed that: "Germany does not want to bankrupt any state because that would mean the bankruptcy of them all".She repeated this again on the 14/11/2011 saying in front of the conference of her Democratic Christian Party in Leipzig: "That Europe is living in its most difficult time since the second world war... and if the Euro failed then Europe would fail" which all indicates the existence of concerns towards the Euro and the cohesion of the Euro Zone.
The large number of suggestions from Germany and its warnings beside its support for the European Stabilization Fund and its agreement over raising the budget of the fund from 440 Billion Euros to a Trillion Euros all together indicates the extent of their concern in terms of treating the problem as well as the extent to determination to keep unified European currency the Euro as well as to preserve and protect the Euro zone and even more the stability of the European Union as a whole. So it can be understood from this that Germany will not give up on or free itself in the foreseeable future from the Euro, its zone and the European Union whilst acknowledging that the Euro is the secret to the success of this Union and its downfall would mean the downfall of the Union or its failure.
4) From another angle this crisis has presented an opportunity to America for it to exploit the crisis to turns the attention away from its own troubled financial and economic situation and that she is the real original source of the crisis. From a second angle it seeks to shake the confidence of the Europeans in regards to their Union and their currency and it is working to cause its downfall and failure with its Euro currency so as to diminish the international European influence which competes with her and especially in terms of economics and international politics. Indeed she wants to make it follow her and walk in its shadow and according to that it has began the work to aid her at a moral level so that she remains following her or so as to make her proceed under its shade. And America refused in the G20 Summit which was convened at the beginning of this current month the suggestions to increase the funds of the International Monetary Fund by double so as to move towards a solution for the Euro Zone. The secretary of state for finance Timothy Geithner before the convening of the finance ministers of the G20 states declared: "He supports supporting the Fund for Europe however what is has remaining of funds is sufficient to solve the problems of its debts" and he said: "That the United States of America are amongst the nations that are eager to continue the pressure upon the Europeans to take firm measures to end the debts crisis which has continued since two years" (Al-Jazeera 14/10/2011).
In addition famous credit rating companies like the institutions 'Standard and Poors' and 'Moody's and Fitch' are American companies that play a role in destabilizing the trust in the situations of these financing states where it has lowered the rating categorizations of Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece just as the company Moody's lowered in 7/10/2011 the rating categorization of quite a number of European banks which numbered 21 including the larger banks. The IMF has estimated that the losses of the European trading Banks total approximately 200 Billion Euros as a result of the Euro crisis since the last year in addition to the loss of assets being estimated at 100 billion Euros. And when attention is placed back to the credit rating then attention is also placed upon the rising level of unemployment in states where redundancies have increased in line with the financial crisis and to the increase in private sector debts and budget deficits.
5) As for the position of Britain which is a major member of the EU, she stands on a corner on the edge of the Atlantic monitoring the European situation whilst working to protect itself from disasters of this Union and the financial crisis ramifications that it has also been struck by. She does not want to take part in the solving of the problems of the Union in the same way as she is seeking to make gains and spoils. She did not enter the Euro zone and did not give up its currency in addition to not showing any desire to adopt it. As such the Euro issue does not concern many and there are voices within Britain which are calling for it to exit from the EU so that pressure is not put upon her to join the Euro or to integrate further into the Union. Indeed she showed satisfaction at the expense of the Union when the foreign minister William Hague declared that: "The Euro will become a moment in history noted for its collective folly (stupidity)" and he compared the Euro zone to: "A burning building that has no fire escape doors" and he said that he was repeating what he had previously stated in 1998 as head of the Conservative party. And he said in an encouragement to the Germans to free itself from the Euro: "It has specified that the Germans provide the support for the weak member states like Greece for the entirety of its existence!" (BBC 28/09/2011). The Prime Minister David Cameron said:: "The Euro crisis does not only represent a danger to European economy alone but rather the world economy in its entirety" (BBC 02/10/2011) and the European politicians are well aware of the extent of the British contempt. The Head of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso indicated this when he said: "It is upon the states of the Union which are not supportive of joining the Euro to not work to stand in the path of those states that wish to make progress in that direction" (Al-Jazeera 10/11/2011). Despite all of this Britain does not intend to exit from the EU as long as it remains standing because it is working to achieve economic gains from it in addition to the political gains on the world level when it works to pull Europe to take decisions which are in line with its interests. Its exit would be harmful to it and she had worked hard for many long years to enter it in the first place. Upon this the Prime Minister Cameron said: "The exiting of Britain from the European Union would not be in its National interests. If we were to find ourselves outside of the European Union we would be in situation similar to Norway meaning that we would be exposed to (and affected by) all of the decisions that are being issued from Brussels without being able to take part in making those decisions" (Eitar Tas Russia 14/11/2011) and at the same time he rejected giving up British Sovereignty when he called to: "The handing over of a large portion of the European Commission powers in Brussels to the national governments". So Britain does not want to exit from the European Union and at the same time it does not want to enter in to the Euro zone!
6) In regards to China and Russia then it is in their interest for the Euro to remain and that is so that it can stand in the face of America and in the face of the Dollar and its dictator like position in the world economy. However they are both not doing much for its sake because the position of the Euro beside the position of the EU as a whole is not positive towards them as this region and the Union impose upon them restrictions upon their trade and economic movement. Due to this they do not work energetically to aid it and the Chinese President Jintau who attended the recent G20 summit in Paris on the 3rd and 4th of this past month did not indicate any Chinese will to increase its investments in Europe and to buy treasury bonds from the Euro zone states and in particular the five most affected states: Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Ireland and bought a small number of them to please Europe. Rather its president Jintao said when meeting the French President Sarkozy on the margins of the Summit of the G20 that it: "Is necessary for Europe to solve its crisis relying upon itself" (Reuters 06/11/2011) indicating in this statement the implicit refusal of China to support Europe which had requested from her (i.e. China) to support the 'European Stabilization Fund' which had raised its value to one Trillion Euros and was working to increase it to even more than that. This is at a time when China has supported the American economy through purchasing 1.14 Trillion Dollars of American Treasury bonds whilst they have reserves of the American currency to the level of 3.2 Trillion Dollars as studies have shown. In contrast America granted it large trading relaxations. However this political influence that America was able to employ so that China was able to support its economy is something that Europe does not have in regards to China.
7) In light of this the European Union has fallen under the stress of financial and economic crises as a result of the capitalist economic system and it is also falling under the threat of collapse and disintegration due to these continuing crises which if they afflict a certain place do not just affect that place but rather its harms are spread through the whole globe because the whole world is intertwined as a network in the capitalist economic system. A system which is making the people suffer under the weight of its crises and its repercussions. It is not possible to fix this system from the inside because its foundation is corrupted and rotten and it is not possible for a sound system to arise from it and as such it is necessary to look at a solution from outside it and indeed it is necessary to search for the correct system which emanates from a correct belief which complements human nature.
The world is in need of a system that is sound in its foundation and branches and this is not found except in the system that the creator of everything has placed before us, the Lord of the all creation who knows what is correct for his creation and this system will provide them with a tranquil economic life and replace the system that keeps man in worry and anguish:
فَمَنِ اتَّبَعَ هُدَايَ فَلَا يَضِلُّ وَلَا يَشْقَى وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنْكًا
"Whosoever follows My Guidance, will not lose his way, nor fall into misery. But whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed down." [Taha 123-124]
On Tuesday, 6th Dec, when a large number of people were busy in Abul Fazl shrine, commemorating 10th of Muhram (Ashura), a bloody bomb blast killed for about 50 people and more than 140 got injured, in Murad Khani area of Kabul. A similar tragic incident took place in Mazar as well.
The fall of America doesn't have to be a complete collapse -- it is, after all, a country that has managed to reinvent itself many times before. But today it's no longer certain -- or even likely -- that everything will turn out fine in the end. --Der Spiegel
The world as we know it is embroiled in a protracted political crisis that threatens to reshape the existing political order for decades to come. At stake is the fate of two political systems that are inextricably linked and are slowly unravelling on opposite sides of the globe.
In the West, the mighty European Union, once a bastion of stability and power is teetering on the brink of implosion. The euro-debt crisis that has engulfed the European continent threatens to unleash dark forces of nationalism that have remained dormant for sixty odd years.
In the East, the Arab world enslaved by the autocratic regimes implanted by the old European powers are falling like dominoes, and unveiling forces of change that are dynamic and untested.
These events when seen through the lens of optimism are interpreted positively by some; Europe will emerge stronger and more united than before, and the Arab world will be transformed into an oasis of liberty and democracy.
When viewed through the prism of realism a completely different picture emerges. The post-modern European experiment is fast coming to an end, and the Arab world is finally freeing itself from the vicious shackles of colonialism by dislodging pro-Western autocratic regimes. The demise of both political systems is no accident, and is tied to America's global decline. In many ways, the political systems of Europe and the Arab world are a product of American hegemony and ingenuity.
The Marshall Plan provided the edifice for America to control Europe's propensity for war and curb her ambitions to seek and maintain colonies abroad. Post World War II, American leaders sought to diminish Europe's domination of the world. As the historian John Lumberton Harper put it US President Roosevelt wanted "to bring about a radical reduction in the weight of Europe" and thereby make possible "the retirement of Europe from world politics" (Harper, American Visions of Europe: Franklin D. Roosevelt, George F. Kennan, and Dean G. Acheson, Cambridge UK, 1996).
Under the shadow of American economic aid and security architecture, Europe ravaged by war charted a new route towards a postmodernism-a break from the warring nation state which had consumed the continent in the past. Eventually, the European Union (EU) was born, where nationalism was finally suppressed and national sovereignty gave way to a transnational authority that presided in Brussels.
Europeans marvelled at their postmodern creation and touted it as the natural evolution from the nation state model. A foremost proponent of this model, Robert Cooper an advisor to former Prime Minister Tony Blair, said, "The postmodern system in which we Europeans live does not rely on balance; nor does it emphasise sovereignty or the separation of domestic and foreign affairs. The European Union has become a highly developed system for mutual interference in each other's domestic affairs, right down to beer and sausages...It is important to realise what an extraordinary revolution this is (The new liberal imperialism, The Guardian, Sunday April 7 2002)." However, the birth of the postmodern state came at a cost. The EU was no position to challenge America's primacy in the world and lost many of its colonies to the US. America employed several means to subdue the EU, especially its most powerful member Germany: the enlargement of NATO, the expansion of the EU to include new member states, and the use of the single currency i.e. the euro.
Through this approach, America was able to control levers of economic and military power in Europe. This continued until the collapse of Lehman brothers, which brought the onset of the current economic depression. The American financial crisis is the real cause behind Europe's economic and political turmoil. It is precipitating the collapse of the EU thereby undermining sixty years of American primacy over European affairs. Probably, Germany will arise from the EU rubble as a major power capable of not only thwarting American interests in Europe, but supplanting her as the main provider of peace and security on the continent. The euro-crisis and not Germany's militarism has handed Berlin a carte blanche to cast European politics in its own image.
Another portent is that within the context of European history the postmodern experience is truly an anomaly. Europe's disposition is to eschew peace and engage in inter-warfare fuelled by unbridled nationalism and the quest for ascendancy over other nations.
The present day Arab world owes much of its political structures and institutions to the old European powers that colonised it. However, after 1945, America emerged as the world's leading state and entered the Arab world with the intention of displacing British and French influence, and usurping the oil fields of the Middle East. The US state department described the find as "[the Middle East is] a stupendous source of strategic power, and one of the greatest material prizes in world history."
America had no intention of dismantling the despotic regimes; rather she sought to place her own agents to run these regimes while making false pretences about delivering freedom and democracy around the world. America armed with the "Truman Doctrine" proceeded to deprive the Arab world the freedom from tyranny and the ability to rule for themselves. She covertly buttressed these regimes to keep the Arab population imprisoned and subdued. But in 2011, popular revolts erupted throughout the region, removed a few tyrants, and destabilised the political order America had so painstakingly put together.
Today the political landscape is no longer dominated by secularists; a new wave of Islamic revival has hastened to fill the void. In Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt political Islam is on the ascendancy and its dominance pervades the political medium. Most probably Libya and Yemen will follow suit. Nothing epitomises the Islamic trend better than the stir caused by the moderate Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali who referred to the present time as "a divine moment in a new state, and in hopefully a 6th Caliphate," and that "the liberation of Tunisia will, God willing, bring about the liberation of Jerusalem." If the moderates possess grandiose designs to resurrect the Caliphate then one can only image what most of the Arab masses covet.
The nation state concept is alien to the Arab world, and was imported to the region by European powers. The natural inclination of the Arab masses is to gravitate towards the caliphate-a political system that kept them united under a single leader for well over a thousand years. And certainly the Arab world is firmly on that trajectory, no matter what the American government contrives to portray.
As America struggles to manage its decline, the fate of two political systems is about to change for good. The world will then return to the pre-1945 model-a multipolar world, dominated by different centres of geopolitical influence, with the caliphate at its helm.
Abed Mustafah
Headlines:
Details
OECD: euro collapse would have 'highly devastating outcomes' worldwide
The collapse of the euro could send the world's advanced economies into a severe recession, dragging emerging markets with them into the mire, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development warned on Monday. The Paris-based thinktank slashed its forecast for growth among its 34 members from 2.3% half a year ago to 1.6%, with Europe dramatically downgraded from 2% to just 0.2% because of the unresolved sovereign debt crisis. Pier Carlo Padoan, OECD chief economist, made plain in the body's latest six-monthly economic outlook that the greatest threat to global economic health comes from the eurozone rather than from the tax-and-spend gridlock in the US Congress. In his introduction to the report he said: "Recent contagion to countries thought to have relatively solid public finances could massively escalate economic disruption if not addressed."n a devastating critique of eurozone leaders' hesitancy and dilatoriness, he said: "The scenario so far is that Europe's leaders have been behind the curve. We believe this could be very serious."
UK Police insist they are justified to spy on Muslims in the masjid
Muslim organisations in one of Britain's largest cities are warning that the use of undercover police to infiltrate mosques is destroying relations between communities and the police. "It is alarming, you've got one community that is being targeted," Yasmin Dar, a member of the Greater Manchester Police Mosques and Community Forum, told the BBC. "I've not heard of any cases of undercover officers going into churches or synagogues, so why a particular faith? "Relations with the police have hit rock bottom. It has created a lot of mistrust with the police." But a senior police said that undercover policing at mosques throughout the UK would continue and had proved invaluable in providing intelligence that had thwarted "numerous" terrorist plots in the past five years. "I promise you that, if there was a terror threat from Hindus, Jews or Christians, we would be in their temples, synagogues and churches like a shot," he said. "During the decades of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, Protestant and Catholic groups were regularly infiltrated. "The fact is that the principal terror threat in Britain at present is being posed by a very small number of young fanatics, often organised by groups operating in or around mosques. These are the people that we all want to see stopped, including the overwhelming majority of British Muslims."
Egypt: America and the generals plan to crush the opposition
A group of customs employees at the Suez seaport have revealed that the Egyptian Ministry of Interior is in the process of receiving 21 tons of tear gas from the US. The claim was supported by Medhat Eissa, an activist in the coastal city of Suez, who provided documents he says he obtained from a group of employees at the Suez Canal customs. The employees have been subjected to questioning for their refusal to allow an initial seven ton shipment of the US-made tear gas canisters enter the port. A group of employees at the Adabiya Seaport in Suez have confirmed, with the documents to prove it, that a three-stage shipment of in total 21 tons of tear gas canisters is on course for the port from the American port of Wilmington. Employees say the container ship Danica, carrying seven tons of tear-gas canisters made by the American company Combined Systems, has already arrived at the port, with two similar shipments from the same company expected to arrive within the week.
West should embrace "Arab Spring" Islamists - Qatar
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani was quoted on Thursday as saying Islamists were likely to represent the next wave of political power in the Arab world and that the West should embrace them. Thani said in an interview with the Financial Times that moderate Islamists could assist in fighting what he called extremist ideology. "We shouldn't fear them, let's cooperate with them," said Thani, whose Gulf Arab state is home to Al Jazeera television. "We should not have a problem with anyone who operates within the norms of international law, comes to power and fights terrorism," he said. In Egypt, which is holding its first free election in six decades, the Muslim Brotherhood expects to pick up two-fifths of the vote for an assembly that might limit the power of the generals. Tunisia ousted its leader in the first "Arab Spring" revolution this year, and in the country's first democratic election Tunisians elected a coalition government in October led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party.
Report: ‘US used nukes on Iraq, Afghanistan'
The United States has used tactical nuclear weapons in its military campaign against Iraq and Afghanistan, a Middle East expert tells Press TV. "Tactical nuclear weapons were used, at least one in Iraq and several were used in Afghanistan -in the Tora Bora mountains," Peter Eyre, a Middle East consultant, said. Eyre pointed out that the atomic bomb dropped on Afghanistan's Tora Bora region was so powerful that it actually created an earthquake there.The analyst went on to say that the use of such lethal weapons by US military, which is a gross violation of the Geneva Convention, has been sanctioned by the US presidents; thus they should be prosecuted for war crimes.
America gloats and refuses to apologize for the massacre of Pakistani soldiers
The White House said US President Barack Obama will not issue a formal apology or condolences on the death of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a Nato attack on the Pak-Afghan border, said a report by The New York Times. However, the State Department officials feel that there is a need for such an apology to mend the straining relationship between the two countries, according to the report. The report stated that US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter, through a video conference, told White House officials that the anti-American sentiment has reached its peak in Pakistan stressing the need for a formal apology by the US. But the White House argued that condolences offered by senior US officials and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were enough till the US completes its investigations into the matter, the report said. "The US government has offered its deepest condolences for the loss of life, from the White House and from Secretary Clinton and Secretary Panetta," said Tommy Vietor, spokesman for the National Security Council, referring to Defense Secretary Leon E Panetta, "and we are conducting an investigation into the incident. We cannot offer additional comment on the circumstances of the incident until we have the results."
Last week the barbaric crusader force NATO again violated Pakistani airspace and launched a callous attack on two Pakistani border check posts, killing 24 soldiers and wounding several others. The attack is the latest episode of NATO's flagrant violation of Pakistani sovereignty, which in conjunction with America routinely carries out vicious drone strikes that have slaughtered countless innocent civilians.
When killing Pakistani civilians is not enough to satisfy their thirst for Muslim blood, NATO and America occasionally kill Pakistani soldiers and then apportion the blame on the Pakistanis for starting the confrontation. But in all such incidents the lack of physical response from the Pakistani army only emboldens NATO and bolsters America's will to carry out further raids.
Earlier this year, America undertook a prolonged violation of Pakistani sovereignty and launched a daring raid in Abbotabad that again went unchallenged. Pakistanis to this day are angry at the army and many suspect Kayani for aiding and abetting America.
The ease at which NATO and America violate Pakistan's sovereignty to carry out drone strikes, land operations, reconnaissance missions, and other non-military activities such as interference in the judicial system to secure the release of Raymond Davis is extremely worrisome, especially as the response from both the government and the army is always tough on rhetoric but empty on concrete actions. Meek actions like the temporary closure of the Afghan-Pak border to prevent convoys laden with fuel and goods from reaching NATO are not enough. It only adds insult to injury. By choosing not to stand up to the crusaders, Kiyani and Zardari are keen to humiliate Pakistanis further. Both have spearheaded America's crusade by granting America full access to kill, maim, torture and displace Pakistanis in the tribal areas. Their foremost concern is to protect their alliance with the American crusaders. Allah says in the Quran: "O ye who believe! Choose not My enemy and your enemy for friends. Do ye give them friendship when they disbelieve in that truth which hath come unto you, driving out the messenger and you because ye believe in Allah, your Lord? "[TMQ Al Mumtahina:1]
If the reaction of Kayani and Zardari is bad enough, the reaction from Pakistan's political establishment is even worse. Some of these politicians who advocate a tough response have earlier been exposed for siding with America's war against Islam. Their stance only smacks of hypocrisy and their treachery reeks of evilness. Allah promises the hypocrites a severe punishment. He (SWT) says:"To the Hypocrites give the glad tidings that there is for them a grievous penalty."[TMQ: Al Maida:138].
It is up to the Muslims of Pakistan to press sincere officers and soldiers in the army to immediately implement the following actions:
1. Permanently sever the NATO supply line and seize all equipment and fuel.
2. Close all airbases and waterways to NATO and American personnel. All military personnel, embassy staff belonging to Western forces are to be ejected from Pakistan.
3. Terminate all western led military training programmes and military aid
4. Dismantle all American death squads that operate with impunity in Pakistan.
5. Stop all forms of intelligence sharing with NATO, CIA and other foreign agencies.
6. Press Turkey and other Muslim countries to withdraw all forms of assistance to NATO and the American crusader.
7. Shoot down any predator drone and NATO aircraft that violates Pakistani airspace.
The above actions are temporary measures to prevent the crusaders from violating Pakistan's sovereignty. A more permanent solution requires the Pakistani people to work jointly with the people of power to re-establish the Islamic state. Only then will the crusaders be vanquished and removed from Pakistan.
Abo Hashim Albanjabi
