Charles Lindbergh's Speech on September 11, 1941

Americans Opposed to War

It is now two years since this latest European war began. From that day in September, 1939, until the present moment, there has been an ever-increasing effort to force the United States into the conflict. That effort has been carried on by foreign interests, and by a small minority of our own people; but it has been so successful that, today, our country stands on the verge of war.

At this time, as the war is about to enter its third winter, it seems appropriate to review the circumstances that have led us to our present position. Why are we on the verge of war? Was it necessary for us to become so deeply involved? Who is responsible for changing our national policy from one of neutrality and independence to one of entanglement in European affairs?

Personally, I believe there is no better argument against our intervention than a study of the causes and developments of the present war. I have often said that if the true facts and issues were placed before the American people, there would be no danger of our involvement.

Here, I would like to point out to you a fundamental difference between the groups who advocate foreign war, and those who believe in an independent destiny for America. If you will look back over the record, you will find that those of us who oppose intervention have constantly tried to clarify facts and issues; while the interventionists have tried to hide facts and confuse issues.

We ask you to read what we said last month, last year, and even before the war began. Our record is open and clear, and we are proud of it. We have not led you on by subterfuge and propaganda. We have not resorted to steps short of anything, in order to take the American people where they did not want to go.

What we said before the elections, we say...again today. And we will not tell you tomorrow that it was just campaign oratory. Have you ever heard an interventionist, or a British agent, or a member of the administration in Washington ask you to go back and study a record of what they have said since the war started? Are their self-styled defenders of democracy willing to put the issue of war to a vote of our people? Do you find these crusaders for foreign freedom of speech, or the removal of censorship here in our own country?

The subterfuge and propaganda that exists in our country is obvious on every side. Tonight, I shall try to pierce through a portion of it, to the naked facts which lie beneath.

When this war started in Europe, it was clear that the American people were solidly opposed to entering it. Why shouldn't we be? We had the best defensive position in the world; we had a tradition of independence from Europe; and the one time we did take part in a European war [that] left European problems unsolved, and debts to America unpaid.

National polls showed that when England and France declared war on Germany, in 1939, less than 10 percent of our population favored a similar course for America. But there were various groups of people, here and abroad, whose interests and beliefs necessitated the involvement of the United States in the war. I shall point out some of these groups tonight, and outline their methods of procedure. In doing this, I must speak with the utmost frankness, for in order to counteract their efforts, we must know exactly who they are.

The War Agitators

The three most important groups who have been pressing this country toward war are the British, the Jewish and the Roosevelt administration.

Behind these groups, but of lesser importance, are a number of capitalists, Anglophiles, and intellectuals who believe that the future of mankind depends upon the domination of the British empire. Add to these the Communistic groups who were opposed to intervention until a few weeks ago, and I believe I have named the major war agitators in this country.

I am speaking here only of war agitators, not of those sincere but misguided men and women who, confused by misinformation and frightened by propaganda, follow the lead of the war agitators.

As I have said, these war agitators comprise only a small minority of our people; but they control a tremendous influence. Against the determination of the American people to stay out of war, they have marshaled the power of their propaganda, their money, their patronage.

“All It Took to Get Obama to Stay in Line Was to Show Him the Zapruder Film”

The murder of former star Philadelphia prosecutor Beverly Campbell on February 11, 2016.
 
Cliff Arnebeck
July 26, 2016

ARNEBECK LAW OFFICE

Clifford O. Arnebeck, Jr.
1021 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43205
614-224-8771
clifford.arnebeck@gmail.com

July 25, 2016

Offices of the President and Vice President
United States of America
Via Email

Dear Messrs. President Obama & Vice President Biden:

I believe former star Philadelphia prosecutor Beverly Campbell was assassinated because Karl Rove operatives believed she was about to reveal to you, before it unfolded, the wholesale corruption of the electronic voting process in the 2016 Democratic Party Presidential Primary.

On January 15, 2016, I met privately with Beverly at lunchtime. Beverly told me that she believed your son, Mr. Vice President, had been assassinated. She also said she thought you probably suspected that to be the case. When Bev returned home she began writing a letter to you as follows:

“It is interesting how our lives keep crossing. I first met you, Mr. Vice President, shortly after you were first elected to the US Senate. I was in one of the very earliest classes to attend Delaware Law School and worked in your second senate campaign. Later practicing law in Philadelphia and Delaware County, PA our paths crossed a few times and you never forgot that I had worked in your campaign. Many years later I had moved to Ohio and ran for the Ohio House of Representatives and then the Ohio Senate. You graciously endorsed and supported me in those races.”

I represented Beverly in litigation before the Ohio Elections Commission in regard to her 2006 election campaign. Prior to that I had represented a number of public interest groups and citizens in high profile election litigation against the Ohio and U.S. Chambers of Commerce, and against Karl Rove and Dick Cheney et al. in regard to the theft of the 2004 Presidential Election.

The day in 2008 when you, Mr. President, were in Columbus to address a Bernie Sanders’ scale crowd of supporters on the Statehouse lawn, Beverly told me of the social relationship a high level CIA agent, she referred to as “Mark,” had initiated with her. After your election, according to Beverly, Mark assumed a high level position with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while concurrently doing contract covert activity on behalf of a variety of interests. Mark referred to himself as a “thug,” accepting assignments from whomever wanted to pay him the most money. He told Bev he was making $3.5 million a year.

The first secret revelation from Mark that Bev shared with me—in strictest confidence, with the caveat that she would deny telling me if I ever attributed it to her—was that: “911 was an inside job.”

The second was Mark’s boast that: “All it took to get Obama to stay in line was to show him the Zapruder film.”

Based upon her knowledge of Mark’s whereabouts and travel at Christmas 2009, Bev told me she suspected that Mark was the American intelligence officer who supervised and cleared the “Underwear Bomber’s” travel from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day, 2009.

I lent my copy of JFK and the Unspeakable, and Why We Need to Know About It, by James Douglass to Bev. After reading it she asked: “How can he still be alive?” Bev knew from her intimate relationship with Mark how murderous were the criminals occupying positions of power within the government.

Mark told Beverly that he had personal bodyguards-and people watching his intimate partner for possible leaks of his information. Mark also warned Bev many times that they were being monitored by a security team whenever he spent time with her at her home in Gahanna, Ohio. These minders would kill her and her sons if she betrayed his confidences. 

Bev told me Mark also referred to the possibility of taking out the “big kahuna,” which I inferred was a reference to me because of my extensive litigation activity against Karl Rove and the Chamber of Commerce since the 2000 election.

On July 17, 2008 I pointed out that Karl Rove had breached the general rule of a successful racketeering enterprise by employing his IT/Webmaster guru, Mike Connell, across the full spectrum of his criminal activities. Mike Connell’s presence was a sure marker of Karl Rove’s involvement. It is now my belief that Karl Rove made the same mistake in having Beverly’s Mark serve as his chief of executions as to all executions in which he was involved.

We learned through our opposition research team from the 2012 election cycle that Benghazi was but the first of three planned attacks upon American overseas government personnel, to serve as props for Karl Rove’s Operations Security (“OpSec”) advertisement. This ad argued that President Obama’s decision to reveal to the public how the take down of Osama bin Laden was accomplished was to serve his selfish political goal of being reelected President and that the disclosure of these methods jeopardized overseas personnel of the United States.

Because of Mark’s high level of service in the CIA and pay grade of $3.5 million afterwards that he claimed to Bev, Mark would have been a likely candidate, if he was not the person finally settled to orchestrate these planned attacks – beginning with Benghazi. I believe Mark gave the stand down order to CIA contractors a few moments away from being able to rescue Ambassador Stevens.

I believe Bev Campbell was assassinated on February 11, 2016, by the minders of her relationship with R. Nomura which had just terminated. I am transmitting Bev’s files related to this to Acting US Attorney Ben Glassman and Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker for review by appropriate investigative agencies for use in bringing to justice those responsible for Bev’s death.

I have been litigating against Karl Rove’s corrupt election practices since the 2000 general election cycle. In this 2016 Democratic Presidential primary election cycle, our opposition research and investigative team has determined that an advanced technology election hacking system invented by Karl Rove’s technical genius, Mikey Cunnyngham, was successfully implemented.

Establishment Media in Collusion with the U.S. Government is Trying to Delegitimize the Trump Administration

“They’re trying to delegitimize the Trump administration as it goes into the White House,” Julian Assange said during an interview with Fox News's Sean Hannity.

January 11, 2017

ABC News - Explosive but unsubstantiated allegations suggesting Donald Trump was compromised by Russian agents and in league with Russian hackers appeared in a dossier given to the FBI in August by Democratic political operatives who later gave it to news organizations, including ABC News.

The document has circulated in the intelligence community and was reportedly raised last week during classified intelligence briefings to President Obama and President-elect Trump.

Trump and his aides expressed outrage yesterday that anyone would take the uncorroborated reports seriously.

“FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!” Trump wrote on Twitter, in an apparent reference to the news reports.

On ABC News’ “Good Morning America,” Trump aide Kellyanne Conway slammed the allegations, saying, “Just to smear the president-elect of the United States, we now have intelligence officials divulging information that they are sworn not to divulge.”

“I don’t even think this is fake news, I think this is just fake. I would take the ‘news’ word right out of it,” she added.

Meanwhile, in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also been critical of the allegations, saying, “It’s an absolute spoof story. It’s absolute fabrication. It’s complete nonsense.”

Colonel's Wife of the Shadow Government, "The Deep State," Tells All

A Shadow Government, a Hybrid Entity Called the 'Deep State,' Rules the United States of America

Kay Griggs, Former Marine Colonel's Wife, Talks Again About Military Assassin Squads, Drug Running, Illegal Weapon Deals And Sexual Perversion Deep Within The Highest Levels Of U.S. Military And Government

By Greg Szymanski
July 25, 2005

Katharine 'Kay' Griggs knows what it's like to have a gun pointed in her face. She knows what it's like to have her face slapped, her bones broken and her nose bloodied by her former bully of a husband, an active Marine Colonel and a man who she claims is "above the law and literally gets away with murder."

Virginia court documents and photos of her battered arms and legs tell the sad and brutal physical story of her failed marriage, a tumultuous 11 year roller coaster ride ending in 1999.

But the real story for public consumption isn't the private divorce court details. It is the secret military information about drug running, weapon sales, sexual perversion and assassination squads she learned firsthand from her husband, U.S. Marine Corps Col. George Raymond Griggs, now remarried and living in Mirror Lake, NH.

This isn't the first time Griggs is going public with her story about government mob-like hit squads and the sexually perverted secret "cap and gown and skull and bone society" her husband belonged to along with other high-ranking Marine officers and pubic officials.

She first went public in 1996 after receiving death threats, being rescued by Sarah McClendon, former senior member of the White House press corps, who believed her story and took Griggs under her wing, giving her a place to stay and important advice about how to stay alive when dealing with military operatives.

"I became a whistle blower and received death threats," said Griggs this week in an extended telephone conversation from her Tidewater, VA. home. "I finally wound up living for safety reasons with Sarah, the dean of the White House Press Corps, who had been with every president since FDR and was in Army intelligence and also an attorney's daughter from Texas."

Advised by McClendon to go public without being able to get the mainstream media to listen, she traveled to Adrian, MI on the advice of a friend to do a long extended taped interview with Pastor Rick Strawcutter, a preacher and owner of a 500 watt pirate FM station at 99.3 on the dial in Lenawee County.

Shadow Government Wants to Seize All Weapons, Including Personal Citizen-owned Conventional Firearms Used for Hunting and Self Defense, and Draw Down the U.S. Military Under an "International Agreement to Establish an Effective System of International Control," a "UN Peace Force"

The UN Programme of Action (PoA) and the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) are arms control processes that take place within the framework of the United Nations. They are developed and advanced by the 193 UN Member States; however, elements of the two processes and what they aim to achieve are very different. Click here for a chart that outlines and clarifies some of the major differences between the PoA and the UN ATT.

The ATT passed by a huge majority on April 2, 2013. The U.S. signed the treaty on September 23, 2013. In the U.S., the biggest pro-gun lobby group, the National Rifle Association, vowed to fight against ratification of the treaty by the Senate, although the UN says the treaty does nothing to interfere with domestic firearms legislation. However, a comprehensive ATT would cover all conventional arms, including small arms and light weapons and possibly ammunition.

On the last day of the Arms Trade Treaty conference, which began in March 2013, the North Lawn building buzzed with reporters seeking perspectives. There were Russian and Arab TV crews, Japanese magazine journalists, and writers from at least half a dozen African publications. The U.S. media presence, hailing from the world's largest arms exporter, was harder to find. Which is to say, it was nearly impossible to find. In two weeks of commingling with ATT delegates and observers, the only American reporters I met were Ginny Simone, the face of NRA News, and Richard Johnson, a freelancer who has covered the U.N. since Brezhnev, most recently for an obscure website called South-South News. "In terms of media, it's gotten pretty sleepy around here," said Johnson, before recounting the glory days of the 1970s. "Now it's more about Twitter than press conferences. The institutional media only flocks when North Korea does something, or there's drama in the Security Council."  This lack of media presence was reflected in the pages of the nation's largest newspapers, which largely ignored the treaty negotiations. The Washington Post was a no-show. So was The Wall Street Journal. The Los Angeles Times reported from the West Coast on a State Department press release and published a story on the treaty's passage credited to "Times Staff and Wire Reports." [Alexander Zaitchik, Media Matters, April 3, 2013]

On December 4, 2015, the Zionist-controlled New York Times called for the confiscation of firearms from U.S. citizens in a bombshell front-page editorial—the first one in almost 100 years.

Treason: The Disarmament of the United States, and the Declaration of World Government [Excerpt]

October 30, 2013

Timothy A. Pope - CFR member and Judge Advocate General of the US Navy Admiral Chester Ward wrote:

"The main purpose of the CFR is promoting the disarmament of US sovereignty and national dependence and submergence into an all powerful, one world government." 

This high ranking military officer went on to explain their procedures for influencing policy, claiming:

"Once the ruling members of the CFR shadow government have decided that the US government should adopt a particular policy, the very substantial research facilities of the CFR are put to work to develop arguments, intellectual and emotional, to support the new policy and to confound and discredit, intellectually and politically, any opposition."

And that is precisely what is now happening among the ranks of our military command structure. The shake-up (identification, vilification and nullification) of all flag officers and other ranking commanders loyal to the Republic and the US Constitution who will not outwardly go along with the one world government—the main opposition force—are being confounded, discredited and removed.

One world government, you say?

On February 17, 1950, James Paul Warburg, founder of the United World Federalists, who helped fund Hitler's rise to power during the Nazi's Third Reich, confidently declared to the United States Senate:

"We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent." 

In America, the original seeds of world government were planted by Truman in the US Public Law 87-297 Arms Control and Disarmament Act. Look it up.

Rockefeller-owned ExxonMobil Predicts Global Warming Catastrophe

We are told that very expensive carbon regulations are the only way to respond to global warming, despite ample evidence that this approach does not pass a basic cost-benefit test. We must ask whether a "climate-industrial complex" is emerging, pressing taxpayers to fork over money to please those who stand to gain.

Some business leaders are cozying up with politicians and scientists to demand swift, drastic action on global warming. This is a new twist on a very old practice: companies using public policy to line their own pockets.

The Rockefeller family built Standard Oil of New York, which later became Mobil, a predecessor to Exxon/Mobil. On December 6, 2015, the Zionist-controlled Washington Post reported on Exxon's position on the man-made global warming scam:

"During a visit to The Post last week, Exxon experts told us that with no government action, average temperatures are likely to rise by a catastrophic 5 degrees Celsius, with rises of 6, 7 or even more quite possible."

The Rockefeller family has held a very special interest in environmental matters for decades. Population control and reduction is a central directive of many Rockefeller initiatives. The recent focus on global warming scam is no different. Steven Rockefeller's Earth Charter is an example.

The partnership among self-interested businesses, grandstanding politicians, and alarmist campaigners truly is an unholy alliance. The climate-industrial complex does not promote discussion on how to overcome this challenge in a way that will be best for everybody. We should not be surprised or impressed that those who stand to make a profit are among the loudest calling for politicians to act. Spending a fortune on global carbon regulations will benefit a few, but dearly cost everybody else.

There are countless real environmental issues, such as genetically-engineered organisms being released into the environment causing unknown mutations, consuming potentially dangerous cloned-animal products, mass honey-bee die offs, etc. However, global warming was identified by the Club of Rome in their 1991 report, The First Global Revolution, as a unifier to funnel the energy of citizens and businesses alike into supporting globalist initiatives. The report states:

"In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill... All these dangers are caused by human intervention... The real enemy, then, is humanity itself."

U.S. Supported Radical Islamist Groups in Syria and Iraq That Eventually Morphed Into ISIS

In 2012, the major forces driving the insurgency in Syria were the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and the Salafists, an ultra-conservative, orthodox movement within Sunni Islam, taking a fundamentalist approach toward Islam, from which ISIS draws is radical, violent, merciless beliefs. According to a 2012 DoD document, "if the situation unravels, there is a possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in eastern Syria, and this is exactly what the opposition [rebels backed by the U.S. and its allies] want in order to isolate the Syria's Shia regime, which is considered a strategic depth of the Shia expansion (Iraq and Iran)." It was a plan by the U.S. to use the Salafist movement to overthrow Syrian President Assad.

Syria is overwhelmingly Sunni Islam. That in and of itself is no big deal, as 85% of all the Muslims in the world are of the Sunni persuasion. The other 15% of Muslims in the world are of the Shi’a/Shi’ite variety.  So Syria is mostly Sunni. BUT Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, like his entire family and the ruling/military elite of Syria, is an Alawite. Alawites are a prominent minority religious group who describe themselves as a sect of Shi’a Islam. Some conservative Sunnis do not even recognize Alawis as Muslims at all, especially in places like ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia [a U.S. ally]. Of course, the ultra-conservative Sunni Saudis also don’t much like the straight-up Shi’as either…speaking of which… Do you know any other places that are Shi’a Islam? If you said Iran, then give yourself a hit off the hookah! And now you know why some other Arab states also hate Syria: the Syrian leadership has deep and entrenched ties with Shi’a Iran, a country that most other Arab states totally despise. Iran is not Sunni but Shi’a; they are also not Arab, but Persian. So Arab countries see increasingly powerful Iran as a regional threat.  And Syria has for decades allowed itself to be a conduit for the movement of weapons and money from Shi’a Iran thru Shi’a-led Syria over to Shi’a-inspired Hezbollah…which is a terrorist/political group located in Lebanon that fights against Israel. [Source]

Proof U.S. Government Wanted ISIS To Emerge In Syria (video)

November 20, 2015

Vigilant Citizen - In my article entitled ISIS : A CIA Creation to Justify War Abroad and Repression at Home, I list the numerous reasons why ISIS is actually serving the interests of the world elite. The following video adds another important piece of the puzzle by explaining leaked Department of Defense documents dating from 2012 – before ISIS even existed. They prove that the U.S. actually supported the radical Islamist groups in Syria and Iraq that eventually morphed into the monster that is ISIS.

This series of event lead to the creation of a (larger) quagmire in the Middle East, the migration of millions of Syrians towards the West and the generation of fear and panic around the world – perfect conditions for rushing new oppressive laws.



Here is the full PDF of the document obtained by Judicial Watch in a Freedom of Information action.

The relevant passage relating to the 'salafist principality', i.e. ISIS, is point 8C on page 5.

The explanation of who the 'supporting powers' are, i.e. 'The West' (= US, Israel, France, UK, Australia), Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, is point 2C on page 3.

https://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Pg.-291-Pgs.-287-293-JW-v-DOD-and-State-14-812-DOD-Release-2015-04-10-final-version11.pdf

Syria war widens rift between Shia clergy in Iraq, Iran

Although Iraqi Al-Sistani refuses to sanction fighting in Syria war, influential Shia parties and militias are following Iran's direction and sending fighters

July 20, 2013

Reuters - The civil war in Syria is widening a rift between top Shia Muslim clergy in Iraq and Iran who have taken opposing stands on whether or not to send followers into combat on President Bashar Al-Assad's side.

Competition for leadership of the Shia community has intensified since the US-led invasion of 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein, empowering majority Shias through the ballot box and restoring the Iraqi holy city of Najaf to prominence.

In Iran's holy city of Qom, senior Shia clerics, or Marjiiya, have issued fatwas (edicts) enjoining their followers to fight in Syria, where mainly Sunni rebels are fighting to overthrow Assad, whose Alawite sect derives from Shia Islam.

Shia militant leaders fighting in Syria and those in charge of recruitment in Iraq say the number of volunteers has increased significantly since the fatwas were pronounced.

Tehran, Assad's staunchest defender in the region, has drawn on other Shia allies, including Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Hezbollah's open intervention earlier this year hardened the sectarian tone of a conflict that grew out of a peaceful street uprising against four decades of Assad family rule, and shifted the battlefield tide in the Syrian government's favour.

The Syrian war has polarised Sunnis and Shias across the Middle East – but has also spotlighted divisions within each of Islam's two main denominations, putting Qom and Najaf at odds and complicating intra-Shia relations in Iraq.

In Najaf, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, who commands unswerving loyalty from most Iraqi Shias and many more worldwide, has refused to sanction fighting in a war he views as political rather than religious.

Despite Sistani's stance, some of Iraq's most influential Shia political parties and militia, who swear allegiance to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have answered his call to arms and sent their disciples into battle in Syria.

"Those who went to fight in Syria are disobedient," said a senior Shia cleric who runs the office of one of the top four Marjiya in Najaf.

"Shia crescent"

The split is rooted in a fundamental difference of opinion over the nature and scope of clerical authority.

Najaf Marjiiya see the role of the cleric in public affairs as limited, whereas in Iran, the cleric is the Supreme Leader and holds ultimate spiritual and political authority in the "Velayet e-Faqih" system ("guardianship of the jurist").

"The tension between the two Marjiiya already existed a long time ago, but now it has an impact on the Iraqi position towards the Syria crisis," a senior Shia cleric with links to Marjiiya in Najaf said on condition of anonymity.

"If both Marjiiya had a unified position (toward Syria), we would witness a position of (Iraqi) government support for the Syrian regime".

The Shia-led government in Baghdad says it takes no sides in the civil war, but the flow of Iraqi militiamen across the border into Syria has compromised that official position.

Khamenei and his faithful in Iraq and Iran regard Syria as an important link in a "Shia Crescent" stretching from Tehran to Beirut through Baghdad and Damascus, according to senior clerics and politicians.

Answering a question posted on his website by one of his followers regarding the legitimacy of fighting in Syria, senior Iraq Shia cleric Kadhim Al-Haeari, who is based in Iran, described fighting in Syria as a "duty" to defend Islam.

Militants say that around 50 Iraqi Shias fly to Damascus every week to fight, often alongside Assad's troops, or to protect the Sayyida Zeinab shrine on the outskirts of the capital, an especially sacred place for Shias.

"I am following my Marjiiya. My spiritual leader has said fighting in Syria is a legitimate duty. I do not pay attention to what others say," said Ali, a former Mehdi army militant who was packing his bag to travel from Iraq to Syria.

"No one has the right to stop me. I am defending my religion, my Imam's daughter Sayyida Zeinab's shrine."

A high-ranking Shia cleric who runs the office of one of the four top Marjiiya in Najaf said the protection of Shia shrines in Syria was used as a pretext by Iran to galvanise Shias into action.

"Shia project"

In the 10 years since Saddam's fall, Iran's influence in Iraq has grown and it has sought to gain a foothold in Najaf in particular.

Senior Iranian clerics have opened offices in Najaf, as well as non-governmental organisations, charities and cultural institutions, most of which are funded directly by Marjiiya in Iran, or the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, local officials said.

The Iranian flag flies over a two-storey building in an upscale neighbourhood of Najaf, which houses the "Imam Khomeini Institution," named after the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The Imam Khomeini Institution is one of many Iranian entities that have engaged in social activities in Iraq, focusing on young men, helping them get married, and paying regular stipends to widows, orphans and students of religion.

Some institutions also support young clerics and fund free trips for university students to visit Shia shrines in Iran, including a formal visit to Khamenei's office in Tehran, Shia politicians with knowledge of the activities say.

"We have a big project in Iraq aimed at spreading the principles of Velayet e-Faqih and the young are our target," a high-ranking Shia leader who works under Khamenei's auspices said on condition of anonymity.

"We are not looking to establish an Islamic State in Iraq, but at least we want to create revolutionary entities that would be ready to fight to save the Shia project".

Comment About the Salafis from Vigilant Citizen

If you studied Quranic Arabic under a qualified scholar you would know its true meaning.

There are several branches and sub-branches in the sciences of Quran Exegesis. Unlike many other languages, an Arabic word is interpreted according to its root meaning and context and NOT necessarily literally. Many verses in the Quran are Mejaz, allegorical and metaphorically interpreted. A word can have several different meanings and connotations.

The verses most commonly misinterpreted are cherry picked ones used by Western non-Muslim detractors to make a moot point. There are quoted completely out of context! What are the verses before "SLAY the UNBELIEVERS wherever you find them!" and after it?

You must know the difference between Ahle-Kitab, Kaffir, Mushrik, Munafiq etc...

"Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians - whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor shall they grieve" (2:62, 5:69, and many other verses).

Muslims follow the Quran according to the Sunnah (example and practice in sayings and actions) of the Prophet (PBUH), a mercy for mankind. He was the living Quran. Even during wars for defensive measures, a strict code of conduct was made not to harm any innocent non-combatants, including women, children, the old, the infirm and ill, animals and even trees.

ISIS breaks every rule of the Quran and Sunnah. The core group cannot be Muslims.

Yes, of course there are Muslims that interpret the Quran literally and are usually known as Wahaabis and Salafis. These are the creation of the British during the 18th century.

The overwhelming majority of Muslims worldwide are NOT Wahaabis and Salafis.

Every terrorist in the West can be traced back to the intelligences services. FBI admits to setting up Muslim patsies.

How many million Muslims are there in the USA? What percentage of them are involved in terrorist activities? Even if a fraction of the 'practicing' Muslims followed the Quran literally, you would find chaos and mayhem in every major city, life as we know it would be disrupted.

How many names do you know of the many Muslims who also perished in the Twin towers on 911? Did you know Muslim cab drivers in NY ferried the injured to hospitals without charging them, putting considerable risk to themselves? Did you know among the doctors and surgeons who treated the injured were Muslims too?

There is a verse in the Quran that states '...he who saves the life of one human being, is like one who saves entire mankind, and he who takes one innocent life is as if he has taken the life of every human being on this planet." There is no distinction between a non-Muslim and a Muslim.

I practice natural medicine and chose this field to heal ANY individual without compensation because it brings me great joy to help others. I have received much goodness from non-Muslims throughout my life and I am playing my part in returning some of the goodness back to them. Call it Karma if you like.

I'll leave you with this, an American soldier who converted to Islam after returning from the first Gulf war where 20,000 servicemen and women converted to Islam, said this to a Muslim cleric, 'we had to invade YOUR country to really learn about Islam." Youtube "American soldier converts to Islam."

Some of staunchest defenders of the Islamic faith are NOT Muslims, they are actually Christians, Jews, Hindus etc...

"....I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter sel-effacement of the prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These, and NOT the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every trouble." - Mahatama Ghandi - [Young India (periodical), 1928, Volume X

This site (Vigilant Citizen) documents the various symbolism that I have been aware of for over thirty years. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) stated, "I shall tell you one thing of the Anti-Christ (Dajaal) that no other Prophet before me has mentioned, that he (Dajaal) is one-eyed and your Lord is NOT one-eyed."

From Vigilant Citizen

Through terrifying headlines and shocking videos, ISIS is being used as a tool to justify war in the Middle East and to cause fear and panic worldwide. No, this is not a “crazy conspiracy theory”, it is simply the oldest trick in the book. ISIS was created by the very forces that are fighting it.

Ever since the creation of democratic nations – where public opinion somewhat matters – the political class is faced with a dilemma: War is needed to gain power, riches, and control, but the general public has a tendency to be against it. What to do? The answer was found decades ago and is still used successfully today: Create an enemy so terrifying that the masses will beg their government to go to war.

This is why ISIS exists. This is why the beheading videos are so “well-produced” and publicized worldwide through mainstream media. This is why news sources regularly come up with alarmist headlines about ISIS. They are used to serve the best interests of the world elite.

The current objectives are: Sway public opinion to favor the invasion of countries in the Middle East, provide a pretext for “coalition” intervention across the world, and manufacture a domestic threat that will be used to take away rights and increase surveillance. In short, ISIS is yet another instance of the age-old tactic of creating a terrifying enemy to scare the masses.

Basically, in the span of a few months, a terrorist group literally popped out of nowhere, causing mayhem in the very regions the US and its allies have been looking to attack for years. Its name: Islamic State in Syria, or ISIS.

The idea of the CIA funding an Islamic group to further its political interests isn’t exactly “far-fetched”. In fact, there are several obvious instances in recent history where the US openly supported extremist Islamist groups (dubbed “freedom fighters” in mass media). The most flagrant and well-documented example is the creation of the Mujaheddin in Afghanistan, a group that was created by the CIA to lure the USSR in an “Afghan trap”. The term Mujaheddin describes “Muslims who struggle in the path of Allah” and comes from the root word “jihad”. The “great enemy” of today was the friend of the past. A few decades later, these “freedom fighters” turned into the Taliban terrorists, among them Osama bin-Laden, who turned from a CIA agent to public enemy No. 1. The group was then used to justify war in Afghanistan. It is one of numerous examples where an Islamic group was created, funded and used to advance U.S. interests. The U.S. also backed the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Sarekat Islam in Indonesia, Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, and the Islamic regime of Saudi-Arabia to counter Russia.

As the ISIS threat spreads to neighboring countries, it will allow unprovoked military strikes against various nations. It is only a matter of time before airstrikes will be deemed ineffective and ground troops become necessary. In the end, these operations will complete a long-term plan of re-organizing the Middle East, eliminating any threats to Israel and significantly increasing pressure on Iran, the region’s remaining Islamic force.

Disgusted by the beheading videos, most Westerners now favor the violent annihilation of ISIS.  Of course, they do not realize that this same fervor will lead them to become victims of their own governments. ISIS has been issuing various threats to specific countries, causing panic in every one of them, prompting governments to “take action”. Unfortunately, “taking action” means reducing free speech and increasing illegal searches and surveillance.

The most important question one can ask is this: Who benefits from the existence of ISIS and the terror it generates? What does ISIS gain by creating videos taunting the most powerful armies in the world? Air strikes? On the other hand, what does the ruling class in the Western world have to gain? Continuing to make money through war and weapons, taking control of the Middle East while supporting Israel, increasing oppression and surveillance on domestic populations and, finally, keeping the masses constantly terrified and under control. In short, stoking panic around the world by provoking a state of chaos in the Middle East has been deemed necessary to implement a new world order.

The Rise of Persian Salafism

Mehdi Khalaji, senior fellow at The Washington Institute
October 3, 2013

More Iranians are turning to Salafism out of disenchantment with the Islamic Republic's Shiite creeds, creating a clear threat to the regime's rule.

Iran consistently accuses the United States and its allies in the Middle East of provoking tension between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. Among these accusations is the notion that the West funds Persian-language satellite television networks whose sole goal is to ignite sectarian conflict. Tehran's paranoid claims aside, many Persian broadcasters inside and outside the Islamic Republic are in fact engaged in a satellite war, and their various propaganda salvos point to a new phenomenon in Iran: the rise of Persian Salafism. The fact that a unique, puritanical interpretation of Sunni Islam is taking root in Shiite-ruled Iran has raised worries among the regime's elite and the traditional Shiite establishment. 

IRANIANS DISCOVER SALAFISM

Since the early twentieth century, Salafism has been spreading throughout Muslim communities from Europe to Indonesia. Yet few expected it to gain much traction in Iran given the innate antagonism between Sunni and Shia Islam. Traces of it entered the country before the 1979 revolution, but the sect did not gain popularity until fairly recently, after more than three decades of Shiite governance and regime propaganda. Today, it commands numerous active followers in Sunni areas such as Kurdistan and Baluchistan and in large, predominantly Shiite cities such as Tehran and Isfahan.

The Iranian regime views religious pluralism in general as a security threat, but the rise of Salafism -- a sect that regards the state's official religion as heresy -- presents more serious problems. For example, the Bahai faith is also viewed as a threat to Iranian Shiism, but its structure makes it more containable than Salafism. Bahai adherents in Iran are well organized, highly centralized, and apolitical, making them easier to track and less of a direct threat. Yet Salafis are scattered throughout the country and represented by multiple organizations with theological and ideological variations. More important, they are becoming politically active in some Sunni areas, at least in terms of publicly criticizing the government, questioning its religious legitimacy, and accusing it of discrimination against Sunnis. 

PREREVOLUTIONARY ROOTS

Since the 1950s, Salafi thought -- in its general sense, which includes Muslim Brotherhood ideology -- has entered Iran from the east and west. Following World War II, Sayyid Gholam Reza Saeedi (1895-1990), an Iranian religious author and translator, traveled to India and acquired extensive knowledge about the international Muslim community and elite. When he returned home, he began to translate works by Abul Ala Maududi -- the main ideologue of Pakistani group Jamaat al-Islamiyah and a prominent Salafi -- as well as other Muslim thinkers (e.g., Muhammad Iqbal). A prolific author, Saeedi played a significant role in introducing Persian readers to Indian Muslim concerns and the challenges of founding a new country, Pakistan. His works opened a new window to Iran's religious world, influencing younger readers who were seeking new ideas on Islam in order to ease their frustration with the religious establishment and confront ideological threats (especially the communist wave that was taking over Iran's intellectual environment at the time).

Meanwhile, other prerevolutionary Iranian thinkers introduced the country to the Salafist ideas of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. In the late 1940s, cleric Navab Safavi formed Fadayan-e Islam, the first Iranian Islamist group to establish relations with the Brotherhood and produce Persian translations of its writings, including the works of theoretician Sayyed Qutb. Another prominent cleric, Sayyid Hadi Khosrow Shahi (b. 1938), translated writings from Algerian, Tunisian, and Palestinian Islamists in addition to Brotherhood works. These and other translators were essentially political activists who sought to raise their countrymen's awareness of Muslim issues outside Iran. For example, the Islamist works they reproduced eventually created a new political question in Iran: the Palestine question.

While these translations were mostly received as ideological efforts to mobilize Iranians against Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi's regime and Western imperialism, Salafi thought also spurred some religious thinkers to fight "superstitions" in Shiism. Haidar Ali Qalamdaran (1913-1989) was heavily influenced by such writings and sought to purify Shiism of various prayers, rituals (e.g., pilgrimages to the shrines of the Shiite Imams of old and their descendants), and beliefs (e.g., the notion that the Shiite Imams had supernatural power and knowledge). He escaped an assassination attempt ostensibly motivated by traditional clerics in Qom and spent his whole life in isolation and poverty. Although he was not a political activist, his views had political implications in later years, such as refuting the legitimacy of the type of religious governance instituted by the Islamic Republic. He and others who criticized Shiite "superstitions" -- such as Muhammad Hassan Shariat Sanglaji (1855-1943) and Sayyid Abul Fazl Borqei (1909-1992) -- were also influenced by the Salafi conception of Islamic dogmas, especially the sect's interpretation of the unity of God. 

SALAFISM AS A POLITICAL REACTION

Under the Islamic Republic -- a regime that legitimizes the exclusive rule of the ayatollahs, makes Islamic law the main basis for legislation, and imposes it on all aspects of daily life -- many youths and other Iranians have turned away from Shiite convictions and embraced atheism, skepticism, Sufism, Sunni Islam, the Bahai faith, evangelical Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and New Age and Latin American mystical trends. Various regime organizations, including the Bureau of Religions and Sects in the Ministry of Intelligence, monitor these religious minorities and work against their proselytization efforts. Even Sufi circles -- which are officially Shiite -- face frequent repression.

In this environment, Salafism has rapidly spread all over the country through the internet, social media, and satellite television. In addition, various underground organizations offer training courses for young volunteers and run exchange programs to introduce Iranian Salafis to Arab Salafis in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. This is one of the reasons why the regime does not allow Sunnis to build mosques in Tehran or other large cities -- it is deeply concerned about Salafis using them to recruit young Shiites who are frustrated with the Islamic Republic's ideology. 

SATELLITE WAR

There are two major Shiite trends in Iran: the official regime creed, and an extremist version that defines itself largely in opposition to Sunni Islam. While the regime usually dismisses Sunni-Shiite tensions and advocates pan-Islamic approaches to foreign policy and other matters, the extremist Shiites (called gholat or velais) refuse to hide their animosity toward the first three Sunni caliphs (i.e., the Prophet Muhammad's successors, whom Shiites believe usurped Imam Ali's right to rule). These extremists are backed by clerical authorities, and their explicit anti-Sunni propaganda has caused trouble for the regime both inside the country and throughout the wider Muslim world.

In recent years, the gholat have relied in large part on satellite television to disseminate their propaganda, sparking an escalating virtual war between Salafis and Shiites. Today, Salafis use Persian-language satellite outlets such as the Global Kalemeh Network (based in Medina and Dubai and probably funded by Saudis) and Wesal Farsi (based in London and the Persian Gulf) to fight the "Safavid government," as they call the Islamic Republic and its Shiite ideology. They broadcast religious programs, take calls from Iran, and engage in debates with Shiite satellite networks such as al-Kawthar TV, the Global Ahl-e Bait Network (whose programs are hosted by an Afghan cleric), Imam Hussein TV, and Salaam TV (based in Virginia and supported by the Shirazis, a clerical family with significant influence among Gulf Shiites).

Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood also use various websites to fight the propaganda battle, some affiliated with organizations such as Jamaat-e Dawat va Islah-e Iran (the Society of Mission and Reform in Iran). On the other side, extremist Shiites run dozens of their own websites to confront the Salafis. Both sides are very active in social media as well. 

CONCLUSION

Many Iranian youths are disappointed in the Shiism professed by the regime and traditional clergy but wish to maintain their Islamic faith, leading them to convert to Salafism. The Muslim Brotherhood and other Salafi trends tend to focus on the unity of god and the desacralization of all human beings and worldly things -- a unique way of secularizing and rationalizing Islam in order to attract young students, especially those who study science. Unlike traditional Sunnis in Iran and Salafis elsewhere in the world, Iranian Salafis tend to question the Islamic Republic's religious legitimacy and purposefully exacerbate Sunni-Shiite tensions. To be sure, they do not share the global Salafist aspiration of taking over political power, knowing that any Islamic government in predominantly Shiite Iran would be a Shiite government. Yet Iranian Salafis are organizationally connected to potent groups in Saudi Arabia and other countries, and most of their ideology and funding comes from outside the Islamic Republic. Given these factors and the increasing resentment among Iran's Arab, Kurdish, and Baluch population, the growth of Salafism is a clear security threat to the regime.

Syria's Bashar al-Assad Facts and Information

Official Stats

• Official Title: President
• Government: One-Party State...with authoritarian tendencies
• Years Left in Office: Indefinite; no term limits
• Political Classification: Right
• Education: Dr. of Opthamology
• Age: 50 (born November 11, 1965)

Important Points

• Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria, having taken over from his father's 3 decade rule
• Bashar al-Assad is a younger, more moderate, more progressive Arab voice
• Bashar al-Assad has strong ties to Iran and Hezbollah, which pisses off the US, Israel, and some Arab states
• Bashar al-Assad is strengthening ties with France, the EU, Russia, and China
• Bashar al-Assad may soon recognize Israel, which would radically change Middle Eastern politics and policies

The Rundown

Okay let’s get serious about the Syrians…the leader of Syria to be succinct: President Bashar al-Assad. And this is a dude to know, as his youth combined with his unique outlook may possibly make him a serious mover, shaker, and peace-maker in the mangled mess we call the Middle East. And he has a wickedly wondrous wife to boot! She is one hot piece of Assad! Combined with Bashar’s 6’2 frame, dreamy steel-blue eyes and extended cranium, they may be the sexiest first family on the planet….but I digress as usual, let’s get back to the main man of Syria and why he is important to know…

Thrust into the presidency of Syria, the genial, unassuming, and gangly Bashar al-Asad has held his own in the rough-and-tumble arena of Middle Eastern politics. He is the second oldest son of regional heavyweight and former Syrian strongman President Hafiz al-Assad, a dude that held the leadership position for 30 years and stabilized the state while consolidating power to his person.  Originally, Bashar wanted nothing to do with any of that political poppycock! He was schooled in Syria and the UK to be an eye doctor and surgeon, and was doing quite well and living the good life as an ophthalmologist in London.  His older brother, Basil, had been groomed for the presidency but following Basil’s death in a single-car accident in 1994, Bashar (arguably a better driver) was yanked from his post abroad and prepared for his inevitable coming to power.

During his six-year political apprenticeship, Bashar learned the government ropes, met important Arab leaders, and got to know the movers and shakers in Syrian politics. He also completed some “hurry-up offense” military training, in order to secure the nominal backing of the important Syrian military ranks. When Daddy al-Assad died in 2000, Bashar easily secured his succession in a 2001 referendum, which isn’t really too hard to pull off in Syria—it’s not what we would call a real example of democracy in action, since the cards are all stacked in the Assad family’s favor. Example: A referendum in 2007 overwhelmingly endorsed him as president for a second seven-year term….oh, and he was the only candidate on the ballot. Nonetheless, Bashar was seen as the last great hope amongst domestic reformers due to his young age and technocratic savvy.

Okay let’s get serious about the Syrians…the leader of Syria to be succinct: President Bashar al-Assad. And this is a dude to know, as his youth combined with his unique outlook may possibly make him a serious mover, shaker, and peace-maker in the mangled mess we call the Middle East. And he has a wickedly wondrous wife to boot! She is one hot piece of Assad! Combined with Bashar’s 6’2 frame, dreamy steel-blue eyes and extended cranium, they may be the sexiest first family on the planet….but I digress as usual, let’s get back to the main man of Syria and why he is important to know…

Thrust into the presidency of Syria, the genial, unassuming, and gangly Bashar al-Asad has held his own in the rough-and-tumble arena of Middle Eastern politics. He is the second oldest son of regional heavyweight and former Syrian strongman President Hafiz al-Assad, a dude that held the leadership position for 30 years and stabilized the state while consolidating power to his person.  Originally, Bashar wanted nothing to do with any of that political poppycock! He was schooled in Syria and the UK to be an eye doctor and surgeon, and was doing quite well and living the good life as an ophthalmologist in London.  His older brother, Basil, had been groomed for the presidency but following Basil’s death in a single-car accident in 1994, Bashar (arguably a better driver) was yanked from his post abroad and prepared for his inevitable coming to power.

During his six-year political apprenticeship, Bashar learned the government ropes, met important Arab leaders, and got to know the movers and shakers in Syrian politics. He also completed some “hurry-up offense” military training, in order to secure the nominal backing of the important Syrian military ranks. When Daddy al-Assad died in 2000, Bashar easily secured his succession in a 2001 referendum, which isn’t really too hard to pull off in Syria—it’s not what we would call a real example of democracy in action, since the cards are all stacked in the Assad family’s favor. Example: A referendum in 2007 overwhelmingly endorsed him as president for a second seven-year term….oh, and he was the only candidate on the ballot. Nonetheless, Bashar was seen as the last great hope amongst domestic reformers due to his young age and technocratic savvy.

Before his “election”, Bashar’s sole claim to Syrian fame was as one of the founders and heads of the Syrian Computer Society, an organization which he spearheaded to bring the Internet to Syria. Lame as this may sound, this laid the foundation for Bashar’s cultivation of a new crop of government leaders culled from the technocrats he associated with during this time, a younger bunch of political figures savvy in international finance and technology. A true “21st century man”, Bashar is also apparently quite the video game nut, X-Box in particular. During the Israeli raid on a purported nuclear plant in northern Syria in 2007, Bashar was enraged to have a 6-hour run on “Grand Theft Auto” interrupted by the bombing. Don’t mess with the man when he’s in his zone!

In Syria, Bashar’s record has been mixed since taking office. He originally ushered in a brief period of openness and cautious reform, wanting to perhaps push for economic and political liberalization in this ‘Damascus Spring.’ Some political prisoners were released, restrictions on the media were eased, and political debate was tolerated…all of which was a stark contrast to his father’s oppressive policies.  However, the pace of change alarmed the entrenched bureaucratic establishment and powerful military elite who collectively pushed to slow this change if not stymie it altogether. Like the “Mace of Blizzards” that he wields so adroitly in “World of Warcraft”, Bashar had to put a chill-pill on political dissent, arguing that the process needed to be gradual and free of external pressures. On the other hand, he did force out some old farts from the Ba’ath Party (the only political party with power, which Bashar also heads) and government ranks, lowering the mandatory retirement age and replacing these fogies with some of his cooler, Corona-sipping, computer-geek buddies from the old days.

Economically, the situation is shaky also. The Syrian economy would be described as weak at best, and with the fastest growing birth rate in the world, things are looking dire for the next couple of decades for the country. To open up the economy, Bashar has been pushing for Syrian membership in a Euro-Mediterranean partnership group: a ‘Mediterranean Union’, so coined by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, which would be modeled after the EU (European Union). In fact, Bashar’s blossoming love affair with Sarkozy, has been moving this idea along quickly, much to the chagrin of the United States. What? Why would the US care about European/Syrian economic ties? Oh yeah! Because the US hates Syria!

A-ha! Now we get to the real important stuff you need to know to understand this guy’s particular importance in world affairs. See, Israel has classically hated Syria, which translates to the US hating Syria, but even many other Arab states hate Syria too…and Bashar got to deal with all of this hate. So why the hate?

For starters, Syria is overwhelmingly Arab ethnicity and is part of the real ‘core’ of Arab thought and political power.  In this regard, Syria has participated in most of the declared wars upon the state of Israel, and has still not officially ‘recognized’ the existence of the state at all. Syria lost a part of its own territory, an area named the Golan Heights, to Israel the Six-Days War of 1967….an issue of much contention right on up to this day.  So Israel and Syria have issues.

But it gets even more complicated: Syria is also overwhelmingly Sunni Islam. That in and of itself is no big deal, as 85% of all the Muslims in the world are of the Sunni persuasion. The other 15% of Muslims in the world are of the Shi’a/Shi’ite variety.  So Syria is mostly Sunni. BUT Bashar al-Assad, like his entire family and the ruling/military elite of Syria, is an Alawite. Alawites are a prominent minority religious group who describe themselves as a sect of Shi’a Islam. Some conservative Sunnis do not even recognize Alawis as Muslims at all, especially in places like ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia. Of course, the ultra-conservative Sunni Saudis also don’t much like the straight-up Shi’as either…speaking of which…

Do you know any other places that are Shi’a Islam? Oh hell yes! If you said Iran, then give yourself a hit off the hookah! And now you know why some other Arab states also hate Syria: the Syrian leadership has deep and entrenched ties with Shi’a Iran, a country that most other Arab states totally despise. Iran is not Sunni but Shi’a; they are also not Arab, but Persian. So Arab countries see increasingly powerful Iran as a regional threat.  And Syria has for decades allowed itself to be a conduit for the movement of weapons and money from Shi’a Iran thru Shi’a-led Syria over to Shi’a-inspired Hezbollah…which is a terrorist/political group located in Lebanon that fights against Israel. Got all this mess so far?

So Israel hates them because Syria has fought wars against them and also helps arm Hezbollah. The US hates Syria for much the same reasons, especially since the US labels Hezbollah a terrorist group, and, well, the US is fighting terrorism. The Bush administration really hated Syria, and perpetually pressured them to stop their Shi’a support….and came close to putting them into the infamous ‘Axis of Evil’ many times. The US and Israel also hate Syria since they are buddies with problem-child Iran. And that’s also why many Arab states don’t dig Syria, as they see them as sell-outs who are helping spread Iranian influence throughout the region. But back to Bashar….

Here’s why it’s good to know this dude: things may be a-changing in this regional stew of strained ties and strategic shenanigans because Bashar is mixing things up! In the region, Bashar has managed to tiptoe through a minefield of issues. His ascension to the presidency was initially seen by the Israelis as being a positive step after the constipated years of his father’s reign. And how! Despite the public and media-driven howling about Syrian-Israeli tensions, peace between the two would be most easily achieved. Secret negotiations between businessmen and low-level diplomats from both sides has been occurring since Bashar took power.  Even hard-line, hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during his first tenure as PM, tasked an American citizen with opening secret negotiations with the Syrians!

All Bashar wants back is the Golan Heights, which would make him wildly popular and effectively secure his presidency-for-life. And he may get it! In return, he will have to give recognition of the right for Israel to exist, and perhaps to stop funneling weapons to Hezbollah. But if Bashar does this (which seems increasingly likely), it will open a whole new chapter on Middle Eastern affairs. He already has made huge strides on softening the Syrian image in the world by pulling his troops out of Lebanon in 2005…after decades of Syrian domination of the Lebanese political scene, which pissed off the Lebanese, the Israelis, the US, and others. (Look up ‘Cedar Revolution’ if you want more details.) Syria has now essentially conceded Lebanese independence, embassies are to be opened, and diplomatic credentials are to be exchanged.

Bashar is playing the great game of Middle East shenanigans adroitly. Not only is he resisting US pressure on his relationships with Iran and Hezbollah, he is, at the same time wisely leaving the Israeli-reconciliation option open. On top of that, Bashar has been working hard in strengthening economic and political ties with the EU, Russia and even China…perhaps at the expense of his Arab neighborhood, particularly Saudi Arabia. No love lost between those two. In other words, Bashar is trying to become more of an internationalist, relying less on ties to standard Arab alliances, and increasingly less concerned with opinions of the US as well.

As one of the self-styled, “next generation” of Middle East leaders, like King Abdullah of Jordan, Bashar, with his technological X-Box savvy and love of Phil Collins, has managed to weather the domestic and regional storms thus far.  One of the youngest Middle Eastern leaders in power, he is likely to be around for a long time, and he along with his smokin’ hot wife is certainly going to be changing the landscape of the region.

January 2012 Update: Bashar al-Ass-wad?

How fares Syria in the Arab Spring? Weeeeell, Bashie’s reform minded agenda, though hesitant and wishy-washy has gone the way of the majestic Syrian Oryx. The regional upheavals may have well presented Bashie with an opportunity to make good on his promises of reform, side-stepping the potential backlash from hardliners in his regime by citing the wave of change in the surrounding states as an “excuse” to reform. But, well, if the ever-growing pile of corpses in Syria’s urban centers are any indication, this option has gone bye-bye.

First, a look back at 2011 in Syria. Domestic tensions have always been around: Kurdish dissatisfaction with the state of their civil rights and what-not in Syria; muted Sunni disaffection for the Shia-rule-by-minority in Syria (the Assads follow a sub-sect of Shia Islam, thus their Iranian ties); and general youth apprehension about the lack of change during Bashie’s decade in power and the continuing oppressive policies of censorship and detention. This coupled with a horribly high unemployment rate (25%!), a fall in living standards, and the Arab Spring events toppling dictators all around led to a testy situation.

By January 2011, people were setting themselves on fire a la Tunisian reflexive-arsonist Mohammed Bouazzizi. Protests started breaking out in the Kurdish northwest of the country, were brutally put down, sparked protests elsewhere, these were brutally put down, etc. You get the picture. Spreading to the southern border with Jordan, protests broke out in Dera’ also and soon spread to other cities, though Damascus, until recently, was pretty quiet. As the summer wore on, the regime reaction became more and more violent, with tanks and troops being sent into urban centers. Shit got even more complicated once army defectors started coalescing into the Free Syrian Army which began moving against regime troops. The non-existent domestic opposition forces also began taking steps to form a Syrian National Council and began begging for international assistance. The international community stepped in eventually, with the Arab League itself, bastion of inaction and lameness, sanctioning Syria and threatening to suspend its membership for its killing of civilians and crushing of protests. By December, some 5000 people have been killed in Syria.

What happened? Is Bashie pulling the strings? In the first months, his government did make some tentative steps towards reform allowing greater political participation (via allowing new political parties), better status for Kurds in the country, and dismantling that pesky emergency law. However, this didn’t do much to stop the government forces from killing thousands of people. Is Bashie the puppet master? In an ABC interview, Bashie denied responsibility for the bloody reaction against the opposition protests. Is he just trying to cover his ass? It’s hard to tell at this point. Given his earlier reform attempts which were slapped down by vested hard-line interests in his government, his hands may very well be tied. Who exactly controls the armed forces or the police in Syria is murky.

This may very well not matter at all. The vehemence and violence of his regime’s reaction has led to across-the-board international criticism of al-Asad. The issue of what he knew and when he knew it is moot. Heaps of sanctions, Arab League criticism, and increasing calls for some sort of Libya-like military intervention do not bode well for Bashie. At this point there seems to be little that he could do to retain any sort of legitimacy in the eyes of the Syrian people. His resignation or removal from power involuntarily is the most likely outcome.

Russian President Says U.S. "Knew the Location and Time of Our Planes' Flights, and We Were Hit Exactly There and at That Time;" Russia Cuts All Military Ties with Turkey and Orders a Range of Economic Sanctions Against the Country

Speaking at the Kremlin after the talks with French President Francois Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was sorry to hear that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees no need to apologize. "For us, Turkey was not just a neighbor, but a friendly state, almost an ally," he said. "It's very sad to see all of it being destroyed so thoughtlessly and brutally."

US knew flight path of plane downed by Turkey: Putin

November 26, 2015

AFP - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia had given prior information to the United States of the flight path of the plane downed by Turkey on the Syrian border.

"The American side, which leads the coalition that Turkey belongs to, knew about the location and time of our planes' flights, and we were hit exactly there and at that time," Putin said at a joint press conference with French counterpart Francois Hollande in the Kremlin.

Ahead of the Hollande talks, Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traded barbs, with the Russian leader saying he was waiting for an apology and Erdogan ruling out any such move.

Putin on Thursday dismissed as "rubbish" Turkey's claim that it would not have shot down the jet if it had known it was Russian.

"They [our planes] have identification signs and these are well visible," Putin said. "Instead of [...] ensuring this never happens again, we are hearing unintelligible explanations and statements that there is nothing to apologise about."

Putin has also accused Turkey of buying oil from the Islamic State jihadist group, whose financing heavily relies on the sale of energy resources.

Putin said there was "no doubt" that oil from "terrorist-controlled" territory in Syria was making its way across the border into Turkey.

"We see from the sky where these vehicles [carrying oil] are going," Putin said. "They are going to Turkey day and night."

"These barrels are not only carrying oil but also the blood of our citizens because with this money terrorists buy weapons and ammunition and then organise bloody attacks," he added.

Turkey-Russia spat over downed Russian warplane escalates with Moscow Moving to Cut Economic Ties

November 26, 2015

AP - A tug-of-war over a Russian warplane downed by a Turkish fighter jet at the border with Syria escalated Thursday, with Moscow drafting a slew of economic sanctions against Turkey and the Turkish president defiantly declaring that his military will shoot down any new intruder.

The spat reflected a clash of ambitions of two strongman leaders, neither of whom appeared willing to back down and search for a compromise.

Turkey shot down the Russian Su-24 military jet on Tuesday, insisting it had violated its airspace despite repeated warnings. The incident marked the first time in half a century that a NATO member shot down a Russian plane, raising the threat of a military confrontation between the alliance and Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the Turkish action as a "treacherous stab in the back," and insisted that the plane was downed over Syrian territory in violation of international law.

"Until that moment, we haven't heard a clear apology from Turkey's top political leadership, or an offer to compensate for the damage or a promise to punish the criminals," he said at the Kremlin while receiving credentials from several ambassadors. "It gives an impression that the Turkish leadership is deliberately driving Russian-Turkish relations into a deadlock, and we regret that."

But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in no mood to apologize, and warned that Ankara would act in the same way in the event of another intrusion.

"Faced with the same violation today, Turkey would give the same response," Erdogan said. "It's the country that carried out the violation which should question itself and take measures to prevent it from happening again, not the country that was subjected to a violation."

Erdogan said Turkey had not specifically targeted Russia when it shot down the plane, saying it was "an automatic response" in line with its rules of engagement.

He spoke on a more conciliatory note in separate comments on France 24. Asked if Turkey would still have targeted the plane if it positively knew it was Russian, he said:

"If we had determined it, the warnings would have been different."

Speaking later in the Kremlin after the talks with French President Francois Hollande, Putin said he was sorry to hear that Erdogan sees no need to apologize.

"For us, Turkey was not just a neighbor, but a friendly state, almost an ally," he said. "It's very sad to see all of it being destroyed so thoughtlessly and brutally."

The Russian and Turkish leaders are often compared to each other. Both are populist, frequently crack down on critics and often revert to anti-Western rhetoric. They had enjoyed close relations until recently, despite differences over Syria, and regularly exchanged visits. In September, Erdogan traveled to Moscow where he and Putin attended the opening of a new mosque, and they also met separately at the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit hosted by Turkey.

On Thursday, Erdogan told France 24 television in an interview that he had tried talking to Putin but that the Russian leader did not respond.

Turkey Downing Russian Plane Could Spark Nuclear War Involving NATO

Nuclear War Over Turkey Shooting Down Russian Jet ‘Likely’ – Russia’s Top Defense Analyst

November 25, 2015

ValueWalk - Is Turkey downing a Russian plane going to spark World War 3? That’s the question everybody has been asking today. The answer is: it’s going to spark a nuclear war, according to Russian defense analysts familiar with the downing of the jet.

The Turkish military said it had shot down a Russian warplane early in the morning on Tuesday, triggering a furious response from the Kremlin and escalating the already hot tensions in the Syrian conflict.

Turkey said two of their F-16s shot down the Russian Su-24 attack aircraft after it violated Turkish airspace, according to USA Today. The Turkish military issued 10 warnings in five minutes before bringing down the Russian jet.

However, Russia’s defense ministry denies the warplane ever breached Turkey’s airspace. NATO and U.S. defense officials later confirmed the Russian jet briefly entered the airspace of the NATO member – Turkey.

“As we have repeatedly made clear, we stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our NATO ally, Turkey,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after an emergency meeting of NATO.

So what are the chances that Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to give a brutal response to the downing of Russia’s warplane by Turkish forces? According to Russian defense analysts, the chances are very high.

Despite the fact that Turkey is backed by NATO’s 5th Article, which states that an attack on one Ally shall be considered an attack on all NATO members, the chances that Putin will unleash a nuclear war over the Tuesday incident are very “likely,” according to Pavel Felgenhauer, Russia’s most respected military analyst. 

Russia ‘likely’ to start nuclear war with NATO over the jet

Felgenhauer said Turkey is seeking to protect a zone in northern Syria controlled by its allies, the Turkmens, while the downing of the Russian jet in the region must prompt Moscow to either accept the zone or “start a war with Turkey,” which means starting a war with NATO.

And the only way Russia could win a war against NATO is by going nuclear, Felgenhauer said.

“It is most likely that it will be war,” said Felgenhauer, as reported by Mirror. “In other words, more fights will follow when Russian planes attack Turkish aircraft in order to protect our [Russia’s] bombers. It is possible that there will be fights between the Russian and Turkish navies at sea.”

Russia’s top defense analyst also warned that Ankara will probably shut down the Bosphorus, and other NATO members will join this conflict, thus unleashing an all-out war with Russia. The Bosphorus is the only way by which Russia’s mighty Black Sea fleet can reach the Mediterranean.

“And in such a conflict Russia has very little chance unless it uses its nuclear weapons,” Felgenhauer warned.

But a nuclear war involving NATO and Russia “would probably spell, if not the end of humanity, the end of any possibility of a comfortable future for humanity,” as reported by ValueWalk, citing Press TV’s interview with Don DeBar, U.S. political analyst. 

Most alarming NATO-Russian military incident in 50 years

Turkey downing the Russian jet on Tuesday is the most alarming military indecent between a NATO member country and Russia in half a century. And with Vladimir Putin warning of “serious consequences,” U.S. President Barack Obama is already trying to avoid escalation.

War Profiteers Working to Keep Up with Surging Weapons Demand

U.S. working to keep up with surging weapons demand: Pentagon

November 24, 2015

Reuters - The U.S. government is working hard to ensure quicker processing of U.S. foreign arms sales, which surged 36 percent to $46.6 billion in fiscal 2015 and look set to remain strong in coming years, a top Pentagon official said.

"Projections are still strong," Vice Admiral Joe Rixey, who heads the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), told Reuters in an interview late on Monday.

He said the agency was trying to sort out the impact of a much stronger-than-expected fourth quarter as it finalized its forecast for arms sales in fiscal 2016, which began Oct. 1.

The fight against Islamic State militants and other armed conflicts around the globe were fueling demand for U.S. missile defense equipment, helicopters and munitions, Rixey said, a shift from 10 years ago when the focus was on fighter jets.

"It's worldwide. The demand signal is coming in Europe, in the Pacific and in Centcom," he said, referring to the U.S. Central Command region, which includes the Middle East and Afghanistan.

U.S. companies and some foreign countries have expressed growing frustration in recent months about delays in arms sales approvals. They argue that the U.S. government has not expanded its capacity to process arms deals despite a big spike in such transactions.

Jeff Kohler, Boeing Co's vice president for international business development, said earlier this month he and his Gulf customers were "a little frustrated" with delays in getting U.S. approvals for fighter jet sales.

A $3 billion deal for 28 Boeing F/A-18E/F fighter jets for Kuwait, and a separate Qatari deal for F-15 fighters, have been delayed for some time.

Rixey said DSCA was keeping up with surging arms sales requests largely through process improvements and better training, but he warned that potential cuts in Pentagon headquarters funding could pose a problem.
DSCA is handling a total of 13,500 cases with a total value of $461 billion. Last year's total was the biggest yet, outside of a spike caused by Saudi fighter jet sales in 2012.

Rixey said his agency was coordinating more closely with the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Commerce Department and other Pentagon agencies and leaders to advocate for U.S. arms sales as a key instrument of U.S. foreign policy.

He said requests from countries that were "well-behaved" and protected U.S. technology were generally processed quickly, but the U.S. government would take its time vetting sales to countries with weaker records on human rights and technology.

Iranian Newspaper: USA, Some Western Countries, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey are the Next Targets of ISIS, "People with No Sense, Cultivated by the Zionists, Americans, British, French, and Saudis Who Will Attack Anywhere There is an Opportunity"

Saddam Hussein was the first Frankenstein’s monster U.S. policy created in Iraq, al-Qaida was the second, and now ISIS is the third.

Iran News: ISIS Groomed 'By Zionists, Americans,’ Paris Attack a ‘Plot’ to Send Army to Mid-East

Front page of Kayhan: "Rabid dog bites owner's legs"

(Source: Kayhan, Iran, Nov. 15, 2015). (MEMRI)

November 20, 2015

CNS News - One of the leading daily newspapers in Iran, Kayhan, which is affiliated with the Supreme Leader Sayeed Ali Khamenei, is reporting that ISIS, or the Islamic State, is “a tool” of the United States and Israel, and that the attacks in Paris were “a plot” to open the way for a Western army to to set down in Syria and remove President Bashar al-Assad.

As translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Kayhan’s Editor Hossein Shariatmadari wrote on November 15th:

“ISIS elements are not the good soldiers of Iran and Hizbullah, who defend the innocent with their bodies. Rather, they are people with no sense, cultivated by the Zionists, Americans, British, French, and Saudis, and will attack anywhere there is an opportunity. … The French are paying for the crimes of their ministers.

“Edward Snowden revealed that the CIA and Mossad were involved in establishing ISIS, which they called a 'wasps' nest' that would attract extremists and create a security [buffer] for the Zionist regime.  Snowden further revealed that the ISIS leader had been trained extensively by the Mossad for a year, in both military tactics and public speaking.

“Now, following the catastrophe in France and the deaths of innocents, next in line are the U.S., some Western countries, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey..  [This is because] now … the terrorist elements … realize who the enemy is and are coming home to roost. That is, anyone who creates a wasps' nest should expect the wasps to return to the nest.”

In two editorials published on November 17th and 19th, the Kayhan claimed that “France, America, and the Zionist regime, which support the terrorists” were responsible for the Paris massacres on November 13th, reported MEMRI, and that “according to many documents, the terrorists [Islamic State] who claimed responsibility for the attacks were cultivated by the intelligence and security apparatuses of America and Western and Arab countries.”

"Zionism supports terrorism" (Source:

Tasnim, Iran, November 17, 2015)

The Islamic State operates “as a tool of the White House, the Élysée, Buckingham Palace, and Tel Aviv, with funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and their servants Turkey and Jordan, and carry out the plans of the U.S.,” stated the Kayhan editorial on November 17th.

Turkey Downs Russian Warplane Near Syria Border, Moscow Denies Airspace Violation

"Today's loss is linked to a stab in the back delivered to us by accomplices of terrorists. I cannot qualify what happened today as anything else. We established a long time ago that large quantities of oil and oil products from territory captured by Islamic State have been arriving on Turkish territory [saying that was how militants had been funding themselves]. And now we get stabbed in our back, and our planes, which are fighting terrorism, are struck. This despite the fact that we signed an agreement with our American partners to warn each other about air-to-air incidents, and Turkey announced it was allegedly fighting against terrorism as part of the U.S. coalition." - Russian President Vladimir Putin

In October 2015, following news that Turkey had shot down a drone that violated its airspace, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned that the same fate would happen to a plane. "Whoever violates our borders, we will give them the necessary answer," Reuters reported him as saying at a rally of his ruling AK Party.

Russia confirms its jet was shot down near Turkish border

U.S.-armed Syrian rebels claimed Tuesday that they shot down a helicopter that was part of a search and rescue mission for two Russian pilots whose plane had been shot down by Turkey. All 10 occupants of the craft evacuated safely, the Observatory's Rami Abdulrahman told multiple media outlets. The Associated Press reported the chopper was Russian-made but being operated by the Syrian army.

November 24, 2015

AP - Turkey shot down a Russian fighter plane Tuesday — a long-feared crisis in Syria's civil war and apparently the first time a NATO member has downed a Russian plane in a half-century. At least one of the pilots was reported killed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Turkey's action a "stab in the back by the terrorists' accomplices" and warned of "significant consequences," and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cancelled a visit to Turkey which had been planned for Wednesday.

At Turkey's request, NATO's governing body called an emergency meeting.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu insisted his country has the right to take "all kinds of measures" against border violations, and called on the international community to work toward "extinguishing the fire that is burning in Syria."

Turkey said the Su-24 ignored several warnings that it was nearing, then intruding, into Turkish airspace. Russia insisted the plane stayed over Syria, where it was supporting ground action against rebels.

"We will never tolerate such atrocities as happened today and we hope that the international community will find the strength to join forces and fight this evil," Putin said.

Rebels said they fired at the two parachuting pilots as they descended, and that one had died. A rebel spokesman said they would consider releasing the body in exchange for prisoners held by Syria. The fate of the second pilot was not immediately known.

Despite harsh words, some analysts believe that Russia and Turkey have reasons not to let the incident escalate.

"Relations have been very strained between Russia and Turkey of late so Moscow will be trying its utmost to contain the damage this might cause," said Natasha Kuhrt, lecturer in International Peace and Security at King's College London.

"It's a serious incident in anybody's book," added Ian Kearns, director of the European Leadership Network, a London think-tank.

But Kearns said the Russian-Turkish economic relationship, including in the energy field, is important to Moscow. And Russia and the West appeared to be moving toward an understanding of their common strategic interest in eradicating the Islamic State group following the bombing of a Russian airliner over Sinai and the attacks in Paris.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry invited diplomats from the five U.N. Security Council member countries for a meeting to brief them about the incident. Separately, the Russian charge d'affaires was also invited for a meeting during which Turkey "conveyed its sensitivities" over border violations.

Turkey has complained repeatedly that Russian planes supporting Syrian President Basher Assad were straying across the border — a complaint repeated to the Russian ambassador only last Friday.

Turkey and Russia have long been at odds over the crisis in Syria. Turkey has been concerned over Russia's bombing of Turkmen areas and the fact that the Russian operations have complicated the possibility of creating a safe zone in northern Syria to protect civilians as well as moderate rebels fighting Assad. The creation of a safe zone has been a long-term Turkish goal.

Turkey has long been seeking the ouster of Assad — an important Russian ally.