Lights…camera…war!

...

as news outlets report on the ‘likely use of chemical weapons’ by Damascus without anything other than unverifiable hearsay and ambiguous video footage, the drumbeat of war gets louder and louder.

In the decades since the revolution of 1979 which created the modern Islamic Republic of Iran, the US policy toward that country has been antagonistic and belligerent to such a degree that Iran has been forced, out of sheer necessity, to rely very heavily on its few regional and international allies. And so, given the political posture of Bashar Assad, like that of his father before him, Damascus has been viewed as Iran’s key political partner, providing Iran with a crucial ally along the border with Israel and a bridge to the Hezbollah organization in Southern Lebanon. Additionally, a multi-ethnic society like Syria with a dominant Shiite-Alawite demographic presents itself as a natural friend to Shiite Iran. However, the importance of this relationship does not stop at mere similarities. Since the United States imposed draconian sanctions against Tehran, ostensibly over Iran’s alleged nuclear program, the economics of the Iran-Syria relationship have become even more significant. As Tehran has been increasingly frozen out of world energy markets due to US and European sanctions that make it difficult if not impossible to settle international debts with the Islamic Republic, it has been forced to find alternative methods and infrastructure to sell its oil and gas and maintain its fragile economy.

full story: http://rt.com/op-edge/us-war-iran-begins-syria-096/

Syria...won't be an easy target...global chaos will ensue

A senior Syrian official said Monday that his country will defend itself against any international attack and will not be an easy target as the U.S. and other countries ramp up rhetoric in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack last week on a rebel-held neighborhood of the Syrian capital.

 In an interview with The Associated Press in Damascus, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad said airstrikes or other action against Syria would also trigger "chaos" and threaten worldwide peace and security. He spoke Monday as support for an international response was mounting if it is confirmed that President Bashar Assad's troops were responsible for the Aug. 21 attack, which activists say killed hundreds.

 The Obama administration is now talking behind the scenes as if there is almost no doubt about Assad's use of chemical weapons, CBS News senior White House correspondent Major Garrett reported on "CBS This Morning."

Full Story:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57600101/fearing-a-u.s-strike-syria-warns-of-global-chaos/

GENOCIDE IN SYRIA...SHOULD THE US & BRITISH INTERVENE MILITARILY?

SHOULD THE US & BRITISH INTERVENE MILITARILY?

By Joel Rosenberg Go to Joel's website, www.joelrosenberg.com

Washington, D.C., August 21, 2013) -- President Obama appears to be on the verge of ordering U.S. military intervention in Syria. The British are preparing to help. The Obama administration believes there is “very little doubt” that the Assad regime used chemical weapons recently to commit massacres inside the civil war-torn country of Syria. UK Prime Minister David Cameron agrees, as does the French government. U.S. warships are en route and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the Pentagon is prepared for “all contingencies.”

 Serious questions must be asked first. • Is genocide underway in Syria? Over 100,000 people have been killed. Now chemical weapons have been used several times. Can the world really turn a blind eye? • If so, how can the U.S. and the British not try to stop the use of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, and stop what may already have become genocide, after going to war in Iraq to stop even the potential of WMD being developed and used against civilians? • Yet if the West does take military action to hit the Assad regime, won’t that help al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood rebels trying to bring down the Assad regime and impose and even more Radical Islamic Sunni regime? • Wouldn’t the President need Congressional authorization for military action in Syria? • And if the West is going to use military action in Syria, what about Iran which is developing nuclear weapons?
 • “Are we heading towards catastrophic — even apocalyptic — events in Damascus?” • “Is it possible we will see the fulfillment of Bible prophecies such as Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 that foretell the utter destruction and annihilation of the city of Damascus in the End Times?”

Obama/Putin relationship going south...

"The reports on cancelling the Moscow meeting are "also a message to Vladimir Putin, that I, President Obama, am not going to waste my precious time and my administration's resources on a relationship that just doesn't seem to bear any fruit," 

Hints that President Barack Obama may skip a September bilateral summit in Moscow suggest that Washington is ready to accept a limited relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, experts said.

Relations between the two countries have been strained by a number of issues in recent months, including the conflict in Syria, the fate of US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, and Washington's criticism of the jailing in Russia of protest leader Alexei Navalny.

In mid-June, Russian and US authorities announced that the two leaders would hold a Moscow summit on September 3 and 4, before traveling to St. Petersburg for the two-day G-20 meeting.

It would be just the second time Obama visited Moscow since taking office in 2009, and his first visit since Russian leader Vladimir Putin regained power in May 2012.

The meeting however has been thrown into doubt as Washington and Moscow grapple over Snowden, who has been marooned at Moscow's international airport since June 23 after revealing a massive US-led global online surveillance program.

Full Story :  http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iHUJhfkK0NYpxoX4cz9r1tpqVGJw?docId=CNG.e4044871cddc64d7e9793c5807accbc7.171

Putin Declares Himself Dictator

Putin Declares Himself Dictator With The Navalny Verdict

Putin’s actions are those of a dictator, who substitutes repression for lost popular support. In his first two terms, he enjoyed high popularity ratings and could tolerate a moderately free press. His 2011 imperious declaration that he would return to the Presidency and the demonstrations that followed revealed that the Russian people simply want him gone.

 As a leader with failing public support, he can only remain in power by using force and repression that gets worse by the day. The amount of political repression in Russia today is about equal to that in Myanmar under military rule. The United States and other countries ostracized Myanmar and imposed sanctions. Although Ambassador McFaul expressed his regrets after the Navalny ruling, the Obama administration, in its ludicrous hope for Russian “reset” concessions, avoids any statements that might upset Vova, or “Little Vladimir” as the Russians derisively call Putin.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2013/07/18/putin-declares-himself-dictator-with-the-navalny-verdict/

Russia war games on China, Japan doorstep

Despite the proximity to two of Russia's most important neighbours, Moscow insists that the exercises carry no hostile intent and are within international law.

"I can report that no actions that would violate international obligations have been allowed," said Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov, quoted by the Interfax news agency.

The manoeuvres are part of a series of last minute drills that the military was ordered to carry out in order to check out their battle-preparedness.

The forces involved had to mobilise swiftly after receiving orders this weekend to carry out the war games.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/16/putin-observes-russia-war-games-on-china-japan-doorstep/#ixzz2ZJFV4EWI

China and Russia conduct joint naval drill

China and Russia are beginning joint naval drills which Beijing has described as the country's largest with a foreign partner.

 The drills, which are taking place in the Sea of Japan, last from 5-12 July. People's Liberation Army chief Gen Fang Fenghui said on Tuesday the drills did not "target any third parties", but aimed to deepen ties with Russia. However they come amid tensions with regional neighbours including Japan and the Philippines over maritime disputes. China has overlapping claims with Tokyo and Manila in the East China and South China Sea respectively - something which has led to a marked deterioration in ties in recent years as China has pressed its claim more assertively. Last month the US and Japanese navies held joint exercises off San Diego. 'No aggression' Earlier this week, China's Defence Ministry said the drills marked the navy's "single biggest deployment of military force in a China-foreign joint exercise". "Assertions have been made that this drill has a symbolic significance in terms of safeguarding the sovereignty of islands in the area, and represents a response to the US-Japan alliance," Communist Party newspaper People's Daily wrote on Friday. But, the paper said, it was part of series of routine exercises, with the drill focusing on joint escort and the recovery of kidnapped vessels. "There will be no aggressive element to the joint drill," it said.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-23159442