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Germany Opines: "Obama's Middle East Policy Is in Ruins"
Since the US media appears to have little if anything to say on the topic of the global anti-Pax Americana insurrection that does not devolve purely along pre-election party lines, here is what Germany thinks.
From Spiegel
US embassies in the Muslim world were on high alert Friday following days of violent protests against an anti-Islam film. Germany, too, closed several embassies in fear of attacks. Some German commentators argue that the violence shows that Obama's Middle East policies have failed.
After days of protests over an anti-Islam film, American diplomatic missions in the Middle East and North Africa were braced for further violence after Friday prayers. The US put its overseas missions on high alert.
Germany has closed its embassies in a number of Muslim-majority countries in fear of attacks. "We are observing how the security situation develops with great attentiveness and we have increased security precautions at a number of foreign missions," a spokesman for the German Foreign Office told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Embassies in North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan are believed to be among those affected.
The spokesman said that the missions would only close on Friday, though. Other German institutions such as aid organizations have also been urged to increase security precautions, he said.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he was "deeply concerned" about the attacks on US embassies. He called on the countries in question to protect foreign missions. "Diplomats have to be able to do their work without fear," he said.
Westerwelle said he could understand the outrage that many Muslims felt about the anti-Islam film. "But this outrage cannot justify violence."
The German army in Afghanistan is also increasing its security precautions. "We are assuming that we will also feel the effects of this whole business," one German soldier told SPIEGEL ONLINE in a telephone interview. "When the people here see the film, they are sure to protest."
On Friday, German commentators analyze the violence and its implications for US foreign policy.
The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:
"The murder of an ambassador in Libya and the attacks on US diplomatic missions in other Arab countries is sure to strengthen the skepticism that more than a few Americans feel toward Muslims and the political changes brought by the Arab revolutions. The deeply held American belief that all you have to do is liberate people from serfdom and dictatorship, and then democracy and a market economy will develop more or less on their own, burned to ash in the trial by fire of Iraq. A fact that academics and historically informed diplomats have always known can now be observed throughout the Arab world: Deeply ingrained cultural attitudes do not change simply because one political regime replaces another. In the long process of building a democratic society, it is not possible to simply skip stages."
The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes:
"The attacks on US embassies and consulates in the Arab world can not be justified in any way. If it turns out that al-Qaida is behind the attacks, as some US officials suspect, then they are acts of terrorism committed under the guise of religion. If they turn out to be uncoordinated actions by angry believers, then they are an expression of a frightening ignorance. A crazy individual US citizen has uploaded a movie onto the Internet which denigrates the Prophet Muhammad. The US government can not be held responsible for that. But that clearly does not help US President Barack Obama very much. He has to bear the political consequences of the recent events by himself."
"Four years ago, Obama pledged to seek reconciliation with the Muslim world. Now, it is doubtful whether he has succeeded. The US and its European allies now have to ask themselves how much support they still enjoy in the countries of the Arab Spring."
The center-left daily Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:
"Since the Arab Spring broke out, there have been many difficult moments in the relationships between America and the Arab nations. But few have been as delicate as this one. America hardly has influence in the region any longer, and now sees itself confronted with anti-American sentiment in places where it no longer controls the dictators. Meanwhile, forces that simultaneously exploit and spurn America are gaining influence."
"Middle Eastern policy is a thankless task for America. But for precisely this reason -- and despite the election campaign -- it would be unwise to pour oil into the fire. The fact that President Obama has deployed destroyers and marines to Libya, and may soon send out drones, isn't a good sign, though. … Should Washington fall into defense mode, as it has in Yemen against al-Qaida, where the anti-terrorism fight is the top priority and there have been civilian victims, then the tables could turn quickly. People in the Arab world want to be more than just a security risk."
The conservative Die Welt writes:
"US President Barack Obama's Middle East policy is in ruins. Like no president before him, he tried to win over the Arab world. After some initial hesitation, he came out clearly on the side of the democratic revolutions. … In this context, he must accept the fact that he has snubbed old close allies such as Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Egyptian military. And now parts of the freed societies are turning against the country which helped bring them into being. Anti-Americanism in the Arab world has even increased to levels greater than in the Bush era. It's a bitter outcome for Obama."
"Obama was naive to believe that one only needed to adopt a new tone and show more respect in order to dispel deep-seated reservations about the free world. In practice, the policies of the Obama administration in the region were not as naive as they may have seemed at times, and the Americans have always been much more involved in the Middle East than the passive Europeans. But Washington has provided the image of a distracted superpower in the process of decline to the societies there. This image of weakness is being exploited by Salafists and al-Qaida, who are active in North Africa from Somalia to Mali."
"One thing is clear: If jihadists believe they can attack American installations and kill an ambassador on the anniversary of Sept. 11, then America's deterrent power has declined considerably. For a superpower, it is not enough just to want to be loved. You have to scare the bad guys to keep them in check."
The left-leaning Die Tageszeitung writes:
"The conservative US media have already -- excessively -- labeled the anti-US protests in Egypt, Libya and Yemen as a 'wildfire' and interpreted them as a result of Obama's 'weakness.'"
"It's lucky for Obama that his opponent Romney is acting in such a hapless manner. Instead of condemning the attacks in a statesman-like fashion and assuring the president of his support, Romney criticized the government's alleged 'apology' to the demonstrators. That was not just nonsense, but partisan maneuvering at a moment when patriotism would have been appropriate. With his attack, Romney has scored an own goal."
The financial daily Handelsblatt writes:
"Three years after Obama's speech in Cairo, which was supposed to initiate a new beginning in the Middle East, the United States now has even less support in the region than before. That's not a failure of this president. Instead, it is the consequences of an American foreign policy that for decades favored power over democracy, and a hard line over human rights -- and which will suffer from a credibility problem for a long time for precisely those reasons."
"Mitt Romney has, however, failed to recognize the very core of the American dilemma. He attacked Obama with twisted facts shortly after the announcement of the death of the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens. He claimed that the US government had sympathized with the attackers in Benghazi. But not only was that factually wrong, it also demonstrated an alarmingly high level of foreign policy incompetence to his own party. None of this would matter, except that Romney wants Obama's job -- and might even get it on Nov. 6."
The mass-circulation daily Bild writes:
"Naked hatred is raging against a country that many people in the world regard as a symbol of freedom. When US flags burn, embassies are vandalized, and diplomats are murdered, it is an attack on the West, and not just America!"
"We rooted for the demonstrators at Tahrir Square, and many of us have longed to see democracy in the Arab nations. But democracy includes honoring the lives of fellow humans."
"The turmoil in Libya, Cairo, and Bangladesh is a return to the Middle Ages, when people were beheaded and stoned to death. No pathetic anti-Islam film can justify hate-filled murder."
"The West must be tough on terrorism. And it must show that it can differentiate between rabble-rousers and peaceful Muslims."
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Everybody come home and pay them a reasonable price for their oil and get rid of the Fed. I think I heard that one time here in Nevada.
Obama's middle east policy did not fail. This is the outcome they have been striving for all along.
The Muslim World is being led into starting a war they can not possibly win.
The muslims have been slaughtering each other for ever! Pick up some history books from "Amazon" before the sales tax hike!
This is very misleading, because a recent poll in gemany showed that 97% of Germans would vote for Obama and only 3% would vote for Romney. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/09/12/Poll-Outside-US-Obama-support-high/UPI-63991347433800/
This article should say 'One German Article Opines Obamas Middle East Policy In Ruins'
Keep in mind I am in no way shape or form advocating Obama, I will not vote for him myself, I just don't like misleading news, which is why I browse ZH, but this one is a bit off for ZH.
ZH's ownership changed not too long ago. Vive le difference!
Where did you hear this? I had not heard anything about this, but I would love to hear/read more if you have any more information or links.
Take a look at the disclaimer page, note that they are now "ABC Media."
Didn't used to say that, if you ever looked.
As for who or what or how? Not a clue. But I have some suspicions which wouldn't really be fair to share.
Must have happened sometime after 7/26/11. The wayback machine shows the standard copyright by ZeroHedge.com up through that date and there were no more snapshots after that most likely due to robots.txt.
On a strange note Travis used to be a ZH core member. http://web.archive.org/web/20100103084014/http://www.zerohedge.com/about
travis (author): travis is rarely impressed with making money. it is almost mechanical to him, cold in nature, and un-fun. people earn it because they have to- plain and simple. attracted to shine and sizzle, spending is far better; and what one can do with money says a lot about the person, beyond the mere incomes or circumstances. travis is intrigued by want and passion, not need or greed. money is just a medium, a means to an end. while nothing really impresses or surprises travis, one thing is for sure- all you need is money and you’ll see your end.
What is municipal outdoor street furniture? Belongs the nice blue truck shown here recently to this category? I am concerned.
Headline tomorrow in the NY Slimes: "Ownership Change at "Radical" Financial Blog Ignites Violence in the MidEast"
I knew these radicals at ZH would be trouble someday... Call in the drones!
7th Century Dead Ahead!
Holy SMOKE!!!!
And riots get results: http://minx.cc/?post=332874
I stand completely behind the 1st Amendment but I don't think it covers a person that represents themselves as being of one race and hateful of another race in an attempt to get the 2 races into conflict. For all we know, he could be a Muslim saying he is Jewish in an effort to get Iran to attack Israel.
Oh sure - let's go down that slippery-slope with a guy like Barry in charge.
I'll save a bunk for you in the FEMA camp if you want.
You don't stand completely behind the 1st Amendment then, DUUURRRHHH.
re-elect TOTUS and you will never have to worry about the bill of rights again.
It's a bitter outcome for Obama
C'mon. You think he is upset by what is going on? There is no evidence of that.
BHO is not a big fan of America. Having other countries join the chorus is not disturbing to him and seemingly very consistent with his views.
Well, we all know the French won the American Revolution and the British took Caen the first day off the beach and China really got to invade Japan and Napoleon emigrated to the US and started a cheese shop.
History is as plastic as the governments and candidates that spin it.
Terrorism is to the west what the barbarians were to Rome.
2012 US is 192 A.D. Rome.. we have another 100 years of decline ahead of us coupled with lots of invading barbarians ..ahhm..terrorists.
sure-Yemen is mounting an amphibious assault the size of D-Day to invade our Eastern seaboard dumbass.
After enough of our self-inflicted rot-from-within, the Yemenis (or anyone else for that matter) will some day be able to just walk in and take over. Hell, by then we'll be begging someone to come over here and dig us out.
our 'seaboard' stretches all the way to the middle east now so they are doing a d-day assault.
I agree with the sentiment of your post, but would like to make the argument that in the modern world, everything is accelerated. In 192 A.D. people moved slowly, were poorly fed and had huge logistical obstacles to overcome in order to invade Rome. Now, everything moves fast and logistical obstacles pretty much dont exist to over throw the USA. Due to this phenomenon, I do not expect the US to decline over 100 years. Im planning for 10 and think we're already 3 years into it.
No, those same logistical obstacles still exist for those same types of warfare... the only difference is that the types of warfare have increased in number and some require less logistical undertaking, e.g. cyber attack. Hence why one form of attack is routinely carried out, but yet others are never performed...
Zap: Got a question. What is the USA? Is it the physical land? Is it the Constitution? Is it the people who live here? Which people; black, WASPs, illegals, hippies, OWSs? Is it the concept of Freedom? Is it all of these?
Well, the land is still here though part of LA is being contested. The Constitution has been in the process of overthrow for a long long time and current politicians are just adding to its destruction. WASPs are being out screwed by most minorities so they are going away. I believe 40 years Latinos will be the majority just like Muslims will be the majority in France and England. Freedom is relative, so is freedom being destroyed?
What will be destroyed?
What will be destroyed?
The zealous belief in the city shining on the hill and all that rot. It was never there--but it was believed. Ideas die hard.
I do not believe the US federal government and its ability to control what goes on inside the borders of the USA will last 10 years. Sure, North America will still be here barring an asteroid impact, but what you and I know as the USA will not. There will not be a common currency, a common governing document nor a common government that covers the current 50 states. It will be broken up.
Or, we can elect Obamney and everything will be totally cool. One or the other.
I hope the Pope visting Lebanon is not gunned down at the same beach the Israeli always came ashore at.
Black Flag Al Qaeda Guns Down Pope on Mission of Peace.
Now that's a black swan.
Let's pray that does not go down.
Oh man, that would get some shit up in the air. Right FN now, too.
Nobody would do a thing!
http://youtu.be/9d4ui9q7eDM
Obama's middle east policy pertains to Indiana and Kentucky
Where are the, "...peaceful Muslims."?
6 feet U
White House's John Carney said they are proud of Obama's foreign policy
I am not an O-fan by any means but if 1 video created by 1 "American" can cause this much chaos, I don't think there is anything anyone could do to "build a relationship" with these countries, short of surrendering.
The American way of life is 180 degrees from the way of life in these countries.
Dick Cheney, “The American way of life is not negotiable.”
What a bunch of tripe. Reading and listening to people bend over backwards trying to defend their particular political leanings makes me sick. Why not call it like it is? This is all part of a well staged plan. We saw it in the 70s and we are seeing it again. When we needed a scapegoat to blame the affects of money printing on in the 70s the CIA stirred up some shit and the next thing you know we have a bunch of pissed off American flag burning Muslims on tv for a boogie man. This time it won't work because the empire is dying instead of expanding.
In a sane world, the profound incompetence displayed by Mr. Obama would be punished through job termination.
But we dont live in a sane world do we? In this world of fake news, monopoly money and a fake reality, the more incompetent you are the better you do. Fully expect Mr. Obama to be re-elected because of his incompetence. War is peace, you see. Failure is the new success.
(This is in no way an argument for Mr. Romney to be president)
We live in a perfectly sane world... it's only sometimes just and/or egalitarian. The view only changes for the lead donkey.
Sure, the laws of physics and economics are not suspendable indefinantly, but the US Gov't has done a pretty good job of getting people to believe in things that are not real. Eventually sanity will be restored, but for now, insanity reigns.
Well, the problem is that TPTB is perfectly sane to do so... and to attempt to continue doing so. Now, whether this leads to any just outcome... or a world that is actually better for the common person, is another issue... However, it's inconsistent to say on the one hand the government has done a great job of burying everyone's head in the sand and then on the other say it is insane. It is not insane, it is by design... and it will work until it doesn't. They're going to drive the wheels off so long as the ride benefits them.
Humans can never know any objective reality of the world (unless we create the closed system). We're simply left with belief. Some can manipulate those beliefs better than others... this is largely what determines political success. Please don't confuse this process with insanity. It stinks of an external locus of control and a sense of helplessness.
Well said, MM
The criticism of a lack of focus is the main take away. this administration was more concered with ignorning Egypt, threatening Syria and blaming Bush (not that he doesn't shoulder a lot of blame here).
Romney is not the answer but i can only hope he is more organized and steadfast. I just feels like this admin is constantly winging it.
I just hope both parties finally decide its time to turn our back on the mid-east. they need a few hundred years of evolution before we attempt to re-engage them.
Mr. President, you (or even most of us) may not like more drilling or opening the pipeline to our Canandian friends...but we have no options. Local energy will truly allow us to disengage from the mid-east, provide jobs and the Billions, if not trillions spent on maintaning a presence in the mideast can now be use to invest in clean and renewable energy technologies.
or we can just keep printing dollars and just continue doing more of the same.
You've got it backwards. The "plan" is to keep taking the treasure as long as it's there. As soon as the last of the black gold is extracted, THEN we bail on the Mid-East.
The short-term benefits of getting out are outweighed by the long-term benefits of knowing the US can protect its own reserves for another decade or two.
Think about it like this: you're living happily in your bunker while the zombie apocalypse rages. You've discovered a nearby bunker where the residents will trade their food for digital photos of your naked kids.
OBVIOUSLY you keep up that trade until their food is gone.
Gotta keep a sense of PERSPECTIVE, eh?
--
Nope, why use your own one-time only single-use resource base, when you can use up someone else's, some one who HAS to sell it, because they have nothing else to sell. Thus you can also control the globe with a falsehood of protection and a 'sickurity' nuclear-umbrella, which then provides asymmetric trade access to your allies markets, so you can leave them (i.e. Arabs) as an overpopulated ruin when your done, if you needed to.
The USSA will not stop doing this, so local ME states, in order to be independent of the US insanity, and survive it, have to be able to deter the USSA. And this is why Washington hates countries that have their own advanced abilities to design and produce their own effective stand-off weapons and platforms, and who then combine with each other to trade their weapon technology to make even better ones.
The US loves allies, not because they are useful combatants, or even reliable, but because you can sell them expensive weapons, and gain trade access, plus the US knows how to disable the key systems and defeat those platforms and weapons. So the ally remains passive and compliant, thus the US hegemony is normalised, and in fact becomes necessary, to maintain the "balance of power". So the US isn't leaving any time soon. And if the US wants bases in your country, it can just destabilise the country or region a bit, make things a bit scarey, then show up in force and offer to store forward logistics supplies adn weapons, and have bigger exercises, and setup observation and comms systems, share intel, and in no time they'll have the base they want.
When you drink with the Devil you need to use a very long straw.
What's happening is the US doesn't want any independent challengers in the middle-eastern theatre, that can stand aloof from the US hegemony, so Washington is prepared to even go so far as to openly use and arm Al Qaeda to try and break-up any states that look like they could effectively resist US hegemony, and form part of a countering hub, that can tell the US to go to hell, and force it to get out of the region, by cutting off the oil.
The US was forced out of Indo-China, and it can be forced out of the middle east, if necessary, by cutting-off the oil, and forcing the US and NATO to negotiate for its ability to start flowing again.
And that is what makes Obama's imposing of economic sanctions on Iran so dangerous, because at some point, the strategic calculus of Iran will say that it has more to gain by shutting off the oil flow, to make the US and NATO negotiate an immediate ceasefire, and withdrawal, to get some oil flowing again.
And Russia would make a fortune from such a crisis, and the resulting damages, and the need for regional states to diversify their arms purchases from other sources. Russia would benefit from that for 15 years or more, and would regain former clients.
Note that the entire concern of the US up until very recently, has been that when Iran gets the bomb (and it will, and quite possibly has already, does anyone want to push Teheran do an impromptu underground test at this point?) there will be no way to contain their influence and ignore their demands for change. This is also what Israel is freaking out about, as it knows it's about to become a much less significant or militarily credible country in the region, and will have to negotiate a real ceasefire and withdrawal, at some point, on unfavourable terms, and it sure isn't happy about this.
Wonder if Hillary learned anything useful when Bill was in The Oval Office getting stained....? She certainly has been a Secretary of State who has made the US a laughing stock and destroyed any secular regime she could find in the Middle East. No doubt when the whole region is under Fundamentalist control and Israel is preparing its Masada Weapon she will take a bow and say that she and Obama were a great team. I wonder how many National Guardsmen will get to spend their vacations in the Middle East ?
What's that, Dick? You gotta plan for the Middle East? Hey guys, Cheney says he knows what to doooooooooooooooooooo......
The dogs of war grow more and more restless.
Seriously, if you were across the table from Hillary, would you take seriously ANYthing she had to say?
The US's policy in the Middle East comes down to three simple letters - O.I.L. Protect its production and flow at all costs until the US (if ever) can become energy independent. So for decades the ebb and flow of quasi peaceful times in the area mixed in with turmoil and conflicts is tollerated so as long as the oil resources are protected in one fashion or another. Let's face it, the US has more military assets and resources in the region than most countries in the world have protecting their own backyard so while the current events are unfortunate (and very tragic due to the loss of life), the actual "collateral" damage the asset of value (i.e., oil) has been minimal. But if this changes, just watch how quickly the US will move.
Let's face it, this isn't the first time people in the MENA region have staged violent protests and acts against Western Interests and won't be the last. Just a twisted circle of pain and suffering that always seems to come back and land directly in the US's lap. But what is ironic is that for most of these countries to move forward, build some amount of stability in their social and economic systems (even if heavily influenced by the Muslim community), they need to develop and maintain some level of trade with the West (whether it be to sell Lybia's oil resources or draw tourists to Egypt, etc.). Anyone (including US administrations) who thought that the Arab Spring was going to transfer this region into a group of socially responsible countries in a short period will be very disappointed. This region is just starting it's transformation which will most likely take decades before some type of real stablity can be achieved.
Was with you up to the last sentence, which I suspect you tacked on to seem less bleak, rather than this being what you expect.
Few energy resources left, plus high population densities and limited water, currently building a substantially larger generation on the way, will not be transitioning to real-stability. So radicalisation is going to happen anyway.
More likely the CFR and Dillery Clinton accept that as given, so attempt to harness it as a tool to make them NET useful to US strategic purposes, and also keep them busy destroying their own best options, best assets and what could have been their strengths.
Funny how these radicals seemed ever so smart and capable on Sept 11 2001 though. You don't see that any more ... just dudes trying to blow up their undies.
Things that make you go ... hmmm.
EDIT: ... um, ... just occurred to me ... why hasn't the TSA banned undies yet? ... because Y-fronts seem to be the major source of threat to secure airline travel at the present time ...
what is funny about the film is they have a california surfer dude as mohammad....?! he looks like a male dancer. why didnt they have a ugly festering troll play the part? i dont understand anything about the preview...and it is a 'preview' because no one has seen a 2hr film yet.
i've seen it --it's an even bigger joke than the trailer. and moreover, they're all porn actors , who were tricked into shooting out of sequence-so none of them had any idea what they were even IN. deliberately amateurish BULLSHIT-marketed through backchannels; probably shown for free along with buckets of KFC at midnight shows:---IN ARABIC.yeah, this couldn't be a false-flag fifth column piece of propaganda bullshit.
it's absolutely impossible.
Paul Wolfowitz is so full of shit! I just watched him on (fox news). "Lobbying 101"!
The road to World War 3 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP7L8bw5QF4
Gosh! Whoodahthought that "Leading from Behind" would fail?
Just like the Rodney King incident, this pathetic film was only the match that ignited the fuse of a powder keg that has been there for years.
Given the frequency of riots and assasinations in the middle east, it is a fuse that gets lit pretty often in the prior thousands of years. Its just that the rioters were unexpectedly successful against american targets this time.
unexpected. UN-expected. REALLY? you SINCERELY think NO ONE saw this well-oprganized, tactically -correct', fully-accesorized-(did you notice the screen-printed 'islamic(tm) headbands they were all wearing) SPONTANEOUS UPRISING' coming? They needed at least 24 hours for the ink to fully dry on those ALONE. {come on-the devils are hiding behind the details.}
REALLY, PT?
No, the match that lit the fuse was the weak non-repsonse coming out of Washington.
I increasingly rely on european media outlets to find out what is going on in the US. Der Speigel provided surprisingly thoughtful discussion of recent events.
And since european media is very liberal, we can see that non-US liberals are also seeing the obvious. Many of these european media outlets have english language sections, so the US media is looking at an oligopoly substitute that actually produces news content (as opposed to drudge who highligts certain articles, and conservative web sites that just point out the flaws in liberal media without doing their own reporting).
All I can add, is that it didn't take the riots for me to know obama/clinton's middle east policy would lead to this--it was forseeable from years ago. How can anyone be familiar with events in afghanistan since the 1980s, let alone recorded history prior to that, and not forsee the inevitable outcome. Of course, sheeple with american college degrees are taught followership and know nothing the msm doesn't spoon feed them.
Also, it was inevitable that in a country where free speech is still exercised outside of media outlets and college campuses, that somebody would criticize the religion of peace and lead to riots. After years of christian bashing from all liberal quarters, the federal government is suddenly respectful of religious beliefs, as long as they are held by terrorists from other countries.
Bush should have had a 3rd term to post himself once more "Mission accomplishder" and "Mission really accomplished this time".
The US touched Iraq and the whole shit show unfolded.
Now don't tell me Obama this or Obama that. It's all by design and it's all for the purpose of securing oil.
obama/clinton's middle east policy
Hrm...so you think this is a result of JUST THOSE TWO guys? Did you sleep through a decade, or do you think those other guys' policies were going to produce a different outcome?
Maybe we never should've left Iraq. Back in '91. That could've turned out great.
...ummm that would be barack obama and hillary clinton... not 2 guy presidents
Hah! OK, I can see that, although my response needs no editing.
I haven't heard anyone claiming that ANY of the past...oh, let's say EIGHT...administrations have had a "winning" policy in the Mid-East.
Blaming two people in a long line of failing policy-makers is where I take issue--it doesn't really matter which two assholes you choose to blame. It's just absurd.
I blame Mark Emmert for decades of child molestation at Penn State. (Derp derp.)
I increasingly rely on european media outlets to find out what is going on in the US. Der Speigel provided surprisingly thoughtful discussion of recent events.
You are completely wrong when thinking you can find in German mainstream media a different voice as in the US media. The voice is everywhere the same, the orchetrated CIA news adjusted to the culture and to the overall interest in politics which is in Germany in average quite high.
The mass tabloid "Bild" is traditionally the working class paper. Lots of tits and ass, sports, crime etc. Nevertheless it is for a politician in Germany the most important paper. To win an important election it is essential to be in good terms with Bild. Bild is the only real independent paper in Germany and is the only one fully supporting Merkel. All other papers listen to the voice of their masters from the US and try to undermine Merkels position.
The population in Germany knows exactly the real reason why the US is so active in the oil rich middle east. Germans are extreme pragmatic and they are doing a lot of traveling.
The things is, that the papers have to write now something critical about the current situation because otherwise their readers would turn completely away from them. Reality and propaganda needs to have at least a bit of a logical connection, otherwise its not working. If this is not anymore the case, then the very strong pro American tendency in the media in Germany would be then completely seen in the open. Thus burning the future use of the papers for the CIA.
it amazes me, just when i think usa media can't get any more bogus, they suprise me!
read pepe escobar's articles at asia times online
also, voltairenet-dot-org.
keep stackin!
Every single thing this President touches is left in ruins. And we thought Bush was bad!
Yep, and we were RIGHT. Bush WAS bad.
But things can ALWAYS be worse.
This is what happens when you go around stepping on toes and pissing other walks of life off in their own backyard.
Hatred, resistance and retaliation.
It was also interesting to learn that somebody hired retired navy seals to run around libya and destroy hand-held surface to air missles, that the US was likely handing out just a few months earlier during hilary's intervention in libyan civil war.
...in late July there was a picture in the Wash Post of a group of Syrian Rebels. In the group of half a dozen or so militia was one guy which stood out. Definitely Western. Immediately figured he was CIA/Special Forces. Had my spouse take a look and asked "tell me what's wrong with this picture". He saw it right away. Am convinced that these events are not a surprise.
Hillary is a moron. She would NEVER have made it without Bill. Too rigid. No nuance. Bull-dyke. And while dykes are fine folks -- not effective as negotiators in the ME.
the heading of this post is correct; this is the swan song of PAx Americana to protect the periphery of the Oil patch.
The noose will tighten and the call to preempt Iran will rise. Not only the nuclear issue; now the brass hat buzz is "we need to make an example and reassert a firm stand showing that our big stick is still dominant".
Obama will probably instigate this once he is re-elected. I never believed that he would take out US presence from Afgh/PAk.
What with the issue of Oil in Tajik, the whole region around Kazakh, Turkmen, Uzbek,Tajik, Afgh, Iran, Pak is now strategic, like the neighbouring Arab regions which stay KINGPIN; around UAE/Qatar/Kuwait/Irak and King Saud.
The more the oil patch becomes strategic to Eastern customers the more reluctance there will be for US to pull back around it.
But current US policy is unsustainable; something BIG has to change. If its war it'll accelerate the US decline in the region; as I don't see USA blowing up the oil patch in nuclear, nor being able to maintain boots on presence if the hate movement gets viral.
Tipping times...and no US administration can turn this juggernaught strategy in fast track mode; as its defined US hegemony policy for too long on both sides of the political aisle.
Millions of USA peoples are ripe for The Draft!
Contracting positions also available!
Long War!
***********************************
USA Peoples return home after Long War to find Chinamen stole their houses!
the ONLY thing the stupid QEorganizer is "good" at is:
1) PRINT BABY PRINT QE-porkulosus so that the ponzi scheme casino managers will "love meeeeeeee"
2) RAPE BABY RAPE the citizenry with INFLATION and O-DEBT-BOMB !!
3) uuuuuh, uuuuh, uuuuuuh, = BURP
4) uuuuh, uuuuh, uuuuuuuh = FART
5) zimbabwe-kenya-nomics we can believe in !!!
6) "arab spring" few years ago, started with TUNISIA guy holding a loaf of bread in the air...he should of said: thank you QEorganizer for the inflation !!! ROFLMAO !!!
i ain't buying jack in this pumped up casino high !!
We are reaping the whirlwind and it's going to be one hell of a storm
jessuits and zionists and jihadists oh my!
We're of to see the Lizard the wonderful Lizard of Oz? FEMA section 4? Rome? Jerusalem?
Awe fuck it ... :)
So some rogue militia in Libya kills a few ambassadors in the name of Allah and the religious fervor spreads like wild fires...this is Obama's fault how?
"You have to scare the bad guys to keep them in check."
This is why they hate us in the first place.
"Soros' Middle East Policy is Working Perfectly"
Fixed it for the Germans
Ron Paul's foreign policy sounding better by the day.
Hillary now knows she's history and can never run for office again.
Here's Romney's last chance assuming the market doesn't collapse before the election.....
Hillary doesn't have to run for any office to be a player. Like her "husband" Bill, they never go away. They are like a lingering fart. They will just be continually recycled from one position to another here and there.
All those plans destroyed by one looneys movie....glorious...though I always though it was about drone attacks and supporting dictators...
Its not the film...
Surely one can't believe there was EVER a plan to install democracy and a free market system in these ME countries. The truth is, few countries anywhere are up to the responsibilities that go along with these two principles. The US once was, but it is proving everyday that it isn't anymore either. No, the whole strategy from the beginning was to induce CHAOS. They are succeeding in their goals. The more terror they can create, the more force and control they can justify using at home and abroad. That "one American" uploading a film line is a joke. It took an entire department to create and release it. Can't imagine who that could be..........
Wedding ring is in for repair
Since when does a plain wedding band need repairs, along with your watch, for a whole month?
Another piece falls into place. In a press conference last week Obama was not wearing his wedding ring nor was he wearing his watch.
When noticed, his staff said his ring was out for repairs. No reason was given for the missing watch.
So it's just a coincidence that Muslims are forbidden from wearing jewelry during the month of Ramadan Can't possibly be that, because although he hasn't gone to a Christian church service since entering the White House, we know he's a committed Christian "cause he said so during his campaign!" ...........And I've got a bridge to nowhere to sell you also.
This is the same president that spent the Christmas holidays in Hawaii to avoid religious obligations as PRESIDENT at the White House. His children do not receive Christmas presents.
Let's just face the facts and quit trying to distort the truth, we have a Muslim for president in the White House, and he has no knowledge of American history.
His ring and watch were stolen while he was partying with his Secret Service detail in South America a while back.
You should post this in every thread.
I carefully watched Barry over the last TWO "Rammit Inns" when they were not supposed to wear jewelry in daytime. In both years, it came off during Ramadan and went back on after it was over.
Yes, he is a moon-worshiper.
Wake up and smell the prayer rug!
Funny that everybody in the Middle East knows that Obama is a mohammedan, so why is it so hard for so many others to get?!
You can't have a 'policy' when dealing with fundies. When was the last time mobs of atheists caused mayhem, death, and destruction because Darwin was 'insulted' #ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmmmmm
Oh, come on. Overintellectualization by the German press. I guess they actually believe what our politicians say. Nonsense.
The "strategy" is: we control access to the oil.
NO ONE in the US political establishment gives a flying fuck about the lives of the people on the ground in ANY MENA country, INCLUDING ISRAEL. The Mid-east falling into low-level conflict is a perfect opportunity to lay out longer-term military plans to construct direct access to the local resource.
What the Chinese do with business contracts, we do with violence. Same old, same old.
This was completly in the line what you can expect.
http://www.france24.com/en/20110903-africa-uk-us-files-show-mi6-cia-link...
This how war looks like.
So we are to believe that this anti-islam movie just popped out of the woodwork just intime for a presidential election. This is as engineered as it gets people....I'll leave the rest to your imagination...
The western Midle Eastern politics fals appart.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/militants-attack-peacekeeper-hea...
Markets are weak. Hopium is wearing off faster than ever.
Could be that muppets aren't piling in because they read the "fine print"?
THAT'S RAYCISS! FRIGGIN' NAZIS!
'...all you have to do is liberate people from serfdom and dictatorship, and then democracy and a market economy will develop'
They might try this in the United States of America one day.
"American diplomatic missions in the Middle East and North Africa were braced for further violence after Friday prayers. The US put its overseas missions on high alert."
US foreign policy comes up smelling of roses again
...who'll miss a few more US Ambassadors when drones work so well at bringing 'global justice' without need of either judge or jury ..US drone death-squads-in-the-sky in the name of protecting democracy no less
The banksters are preparing to attack the US by arming the mid-easterners and then opening the boarder from Mexico.
Bernanke made the final financial terrorist attack against us yesterday and now here comes the banksters physical attack.
Funny you think germany would be complaining about the the vestigial limitations the u.s. Maintains upon the size of of the german army. They are limited to 300k. U.s. Maintains 50k plus troops in germany. Another 50k or so throughout the rest of europe. One giant jobs program.
Strategically......ts an interesting question. If these countries need jobs why not just shift all of our european troops to asia and the mideast. We need to start earnestly preparing to start agitating ww3. The germans and french need to create a paneuropean army to hire southern european men to be enforcers of pan european policy.
Espirit du corps!
Allow Greek Euro victims to join USA Army for foreign adventure!
I thought the Krauts loved this guy? It's not like them to be untrustworthy.
"The West must be tough on terrorism. And it must show that it can differentiate between rabble-rousers and peaceful Muslims."
I haven't seen any of the second type yet.
As of 2009 there were around 1,600,000,000 Muslims in the world. How many have you seen on TV and read about on the internet?
"And it must show that it can differentiate between rabble-rousers and peaceful Muslims." Yep, that's the West has always shown great skill at: telling "our" gooks from "their" gooks.
By the way something, "peaceful Muslims", if they can be found, are not an effective counterweight to "rabblerousers". By definition, peaceful people get their asses kicked by the violent fanatics. One million followers of the "Religion of Peace" really count for dick in comparison to a hard-core al Queda cell.
I can't believe that US diplomacy is that naieve. Sounds more as a cunning plan to me. But to what end?
'Americans' are in a desesperate need of a credible external threat.
'Americans' started their existence surrounded by hostile regimes (all those monarchies), and since then, have used an external threat to justify certain emergency measures (mostly kicking the can on their own promises). 'Americans' went nemesis like USSR and is at stage of muslim world threat.
The dictators formely in position were not enough convincing. So taking the matter in their own hands delivers much better results than letting act some bootleggers like Qadafi.
In the long process of building a democratic society, it is not possible to simply skip stages."
_____________________________________
A piece of advice every 'american' wannabee around the world should remember: when building an 'american' society, it is not possible to skip stages.
So every 'american' wannabee around the world, go find your indians. It is not possible to skip that stage. You need a willingful sponsor to your 'american' freedom, truth and justice project.
Help! I Just do not get it anymore? The people of the uk, usa, europe and the rest of the west are not all morons. But...... NATO have been raining down death, destruction and misery upon the middle east and north Africa for years. Why do people accept that recent events are down to a third rate movie?
What happened to the Iraqi gold reserves?
What happened to the Libyan gold reserves?
What will happen to the Syrian gold reserves?
Why does the MSM not discuss the Iran question in terms of the Petrodollar peg?
".....,the world wonders..." My apologies to A. Tennyson.
Hey go easy on the MEers -
"At least they believe in a God, even if it's a smelly brown God." - Adam West on Family Guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDc8kz94ZQo
I love the rationalizations that some people make to excuse anything radical muslims do.
Ok, a Coptic (Ha) Egyptian meth-cook in the US makes a shitty scam movie and a trailer ends up on you tube and Sudanese Muslims attack...
A German embassy...WTF?
Because Americans eat hamburgers and Hamburg is in Germany?
Seriously... WTF?
Lets watch the dancing pirouettes as they leap to connect the dots into a 'rational' apologist argument.
Could it be that hard-core muslims, like Wayne and Garth, really don't need an excuse to party?
It's part of Obama's job program.. incite some holy wars, thin the world's populance and bring those jobs back to 'merica!!
Can a similar rage of the American people directed at the imperial takeover of federal institutions no less domestically suppressing liberty in its rightful, classical humanist expression be far behind? The party system is dead and incidents like this both go a long way toward more widely discrediting it, as well as more broadly reawakening our anti-imperialist tradition, that the dominating influence of the evil British Foreign Office on the U.S. State Department in particular be treated as a tyrannical enemy of the republic, which it in fact is.
We can hope. Sadly, there's at least one big contingent of the liberty-minded who'd totally refuse to associate with the rest of us. They also tend to have a lot of guns and experience with violence.
Things could get pretty ugly again. There's never been a point to the Angels beating up the Hippies.
or, Obama Ruins Mid-East Policy
Hillary Dimed Out US Envoy
MB Demands Krugerrands In Lieu of US Currency
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he was "deeply concerned" about the attacks on US embassies. He called on the countries in question to protect foreign missions. "Diplomats have to be able to do their work without fear," he said.
Did he actually say that with a straight face or with a smirk?
Did anyone actually see this "film" I wonder how many of the murders actually saw this "film" I haven't seen it but it sounds like it is a film like Wayne and Garth made films in their basements in Aurora. I can't believe most of the folks blaming the "film" as opposed to the perps actually saw the "film" Of course free will would allow people to stop watching something they don't agree with. Just imagine American's reacted to every film the douch Michael Moore puts out? Or the yest unseen by me "Obama 2016" Did anyone blame Batman for the killings in CO?
notadouche wrote:
"Did anyone actually see this "film" I wonder how many of the murders actually saw this "film" I haven't seen it but it sounds like it is a film like Wayne and Garth made films in their basements in Aurora. I can't believe most of the folks blaming the "film" as opposed to the perps actually saw the "film" Of course free will would allow people to stop watching something they don't agree with. Just imagine American's reacted to every film the douch Michael Moore puts out? Or the yest unseen by me "Obama 2016" Did anyone blame Batman for the killings in CO?"
In Canada and seventeen EU nations it is a crime (a thought crime) to "deny" the holocaust. Indeed persons are now incarcerated for same.
In Germany Mein Kampf is banned.
So much for just ignoring thoughts and statements you dislike.
One thing’s for sure I'm getting a good geography lesson with all this upheaval in the Muslim world.
So apparently a Judaic male produced/directed the video. That's nice. Keys to Jerusalem for him! Probably an "Israeli" or dual citizen (US-Israeli).
Notice: they don't self-identify as "Israelites" (OT) but rather "Israelis". Also notice: the word "jew" first appeared in history in the year 1775 AD-check the Oxford dictionary. Jesus was indeed not a "jew".
Re. attack and four deaths at US Embassy in Libya: I heard the mortar fire appeared to be highly accurate. Let's see...who came out ahead in this attack...well, put another way. Who came out looking bad? Why, what a coincidence! "Islamo-terrorists", again!
I don't suppose Moussad operatives were in the middle of the attackers in Libya firing mortars with high accuracy? No, they'd never do that!
Um...I wonder from what country are nationals convicted of espionage at a higher rate than any other? Could it be....Israel? Bingo!
time to roll out another in the series:
YouTube - Tower of Babel? You didn't build that!
I thought Germans loved big black cock? It’s easy to love the parasites of your enemy’s host. Isn’t it about time for Germany to have a Jewish Chancellor? The NY Times would love it.
Is that a junk for Obama or a junk for German liberal democracy? A Jewish Chancellor is well past due for such a democratic society, no? Shouldn’t Germany have a leader with a world view? A view that includes Israel?
you'll notice that with all their much vaunted 'ojectivity' the quoted German press very carefully skirted the (largely symbolic) BURNING OF THEIR DIPLOMATIC MISSION.Hmmm--since when have 'Islamists' (LOL) EVER had it in for Germans? and WHO still blames Germany whenever anybody says ANYTHING that's not worshipful about Jews?
---could it be... SATAN?
Please burn your country to the ground to show America
If Israel Attacks Iran How Will Stocks & Stock Markets React?
"Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."