Ceasefire? Fire!

CEASEFIRE? FIRE!

 

War-ravaged Syria.

in “THE INDEPENDENT” at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syrian-civil-war-isis-how-it-changed-the-world-refugee-crisis-a6928796.html

 The Syrian War ceasefire agreed upon by Russia and the United States lasted for a meagre 10 days and then followed its February predecessor’s fate: the ceasefire unravelled as all sides, groups and factions chose to fire instead of ceasing it.

The ceasefire was ill-fated from the start:

* It took Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry 3 months to negotiate the agreement, proof that it was hard to reach.

* The ceasefire’ signatories were Moscow and Washington. Then they had to press and persuade their allies, proxies and their allies’ proxies to abide by it. Judging from the disparate goals, agendas and priorities of the myriad actors involved, this was a very long shot.

* It was opposed by many rebel groups, because it demanded them to part ways with Jabhat Al Nusra, which is the most effective and the most extremist rebel group aside the Islamic State, and its loss was viewed as a blow to the rebels’ combat capabilities.

* Although Damascus accepted the agreement, it was not happy with the severe limitations imposed on the use of its air force. Besides, it feels it is getting closer to recover the whole of Aleppo, which would not happen if there is an enduring truce.

So, it is no surprise that there was a lull in the fighting, but that the skirmishes never ceased entirely.

Ironically, it was the US who eventually put the final nail in the ceasefire’s coffin when she bombed thrice a Syrian Army position, killing 80 soldiers who were fighting the Islamci state in the Deir El Zour area, in Eastern Syria.

Following the attack, Syria declared the ceasefire terminated and everything went back to normal in Syria. FIRE! FIRE AWAY!!!

 

A Syrian Army T-72 tank fires at rebel positions in Jobar.

in “YOUTUBE” at www.youtube.com

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Nuclear Tests and Counting

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 NUCLEAR TESTS 

AND COUNTING

 

North Korea’s test site at Punggye-ri and the upward evolution of her nuclear tests’ magnitude tremor.

in BBC News at www.bbc.com/news

And here we go again. On 9^th September, North Korea conducted her 5^th nuclear test. The previous ones took place in 2006, 2009, 2013 and in January 2016. Yes, you read well, it has already been 5 tests.

Not surprisingly, preliminary seismic readings point to a 5.3 magnitude tremor on Richter’s scale and the most powerful nuclear blast by the North Koreans yet. The explosive yield is gauged to be anywhere between 10 and 30 kilotons.

Also to be expected were the international reactions:

South Korea accused Kim Jong-un of maniacal recklessness and added that such provocation will further accelerate its path to self-destruction.

The United States, through UN Ambassador Samantha Power stated: We will take additional significant steps, including new sanctions to demonstrate to North Korea that there are consequences to its unlawful and dangerous actions.

China declared she would lodge a diplomatic protest and urged North Korea to avoid further action that would worsen the situation.

Russia said: We insist that the North Korean side stop its dangerous escapades and unconditionally implement all resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

Japan stated: North Korea is an outlaw nation in the neighbourhood.

Here we have two sets of events playing out. One is the drama of shocked statements by several powers that have been pronouncing similar statements over the past 10 years and whose practical results have come to naught.

The other is the relentless North Korean drive to master the technology to build deployable nuclear warheads and the missiles to carry them to the enemy. This has been going on for three decades and it is no less dramatic but it is also very real.

As we have stated before in Tempos Interessantes (Threat or Bluff at http://tempos-interessantes.blogspot.pt/2016/01/threat-or-bluff.html ), North Korea’s nuclear quest is not going to stop, since it is a matter of life or death for the regime in Pyongyang and Kim Jong Un is not going to ditch what he considers to be his life insurance policy because of some incensed declarations and condemnations by the great powers at the UN. He knows better than that.

Cortinas de Fumo

CORTINAS DE FUMO

Cortina de fumo, ou smoke screen.

in www.youtube.com

Há 12 anos, um clube de futebol foi apanhado nas teias da corrupção. Um dos aspectos curiosos desse processo foi o facto de muitos dos apoiantes do réu (e o próprio), quando confrontados com as acusações, não as negaram (nem admitiram), antes proclamavam que as escutas que permitiram descobrir a marosca eram ilegais. Para eles, a culpa era irrelevante, só o processo importava. Aquela marcava, este salvava.

Vem isto a propósito da divulgação de correspondência do Democratic National Committee (DNC) dos Estados Unidos pelo Wikileaks. Essa informação terá sido disponibilizada por hackers russos.

Essa correspondência revelava que o DNC, que é suposto gerir com imparcialidade e isenção as primárias do Partido Democrata nas quais os candidatos disputam a nomeação do Partido à candidatura presidencial, era apoiante de Hillary Clinton e crítico (e até ofensivo) do Senador Bernie Sanders.

A descoberta não foi surpreendente, mas foi tudo menos edificante, mais a mais envolvendo o favorecimento de uma candidata caracterizada por comportamentos dúbios, opacos e com uma incapacidade quase patológica de dizer a verdade e de se explicar de forma clara.

Pois a reacção da candidatura de Hillary Clinton, do DNC e, pasme-se, de vários media, foi a de fazer um grande alarido com o facto de os Russos terem penetrado o sistema informático do DNC, a gravidade do facto e a malvadez da Rússia e de Putin. Passando ao lado da ironia destas queixas terem vindo de um país como os Estados Unidos com um longo e comprovado cadastro de intrusões cibernéticas em países terceiros, releve-se a menorização da falta de ética e isenção do DNC, como se tal não fosse o cerne da questão.

Foi mais útil brandir os fantasmas russos e acusar Donald Trump de ser conivente com Putin, do que expor o enviesamento do DNC em favor de Clinton e em prejuízo de um processo eleitoral limpo e transparente, adjectivos que, diga-se, não se coadunam muito bem com os Clinton.

Mais cortinas de fumo, imagem de marca dos Clinton..

in https://prometheanalliances.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/smoke-screens/

Entretanto, foram descobertas mais 15.000 páginas de e-mails do servidor privado que a então Secretária de Estado Hillary Clinton usava indevidamente, à margem das regras e do bom senso. A reacção da candidatura de Clinton foi acusar a organização conservadora Judicial Watch, que tem tentado, judicialmente, conseguir a divulgação pública dos mails, de ser anti-Clinton. O cerne da questão, o comportamento grave, “extremely careless” nas palavras brandas do Director do FBI, não foi considerado relevante. O padrão é sempre o mesmo: comportamentos dúbios, eventualmente ilegais, situações suspeitas, desculpas esfarrapadas e…cortinas de fumo, muito fumo e dissimulação. Eis os Clinton.

Enquanto figuras e figurões continuarem a mover-se impunemente por entre cortinas de fumo, ninguém se deve surpreender por haver cada vez mais eleitores dispostos s apoiar candidatos ditos alternativos.