Voltaire

Lithuanian defense minister calls on Russia to trust NATO

2010-02-09T23:00:04Z

Lithuania's defense minister said that a decision by NATO member France to sell Russia a top-of-the-range warship demonstrates that the alliance is no threat to Moscow. France said on Monday it had agreed to sell Russia a Mistral-class warship, worth 400-500 million euros (around $600-$750 million), despite concerns by some of Russia's former Soviet bloc allies, including those now in NATO, that the sale could threaten regional security. The deal is the first sale of a major piece of military equipment by a NATO member to Russia. \"The decision to export advanced offensive military equipment to Russia demonstrates a particular trust between France and Russia. I advise Russia to also trust NATO and not to view the North Atlantic alliance as a threat to its national security,\" Rasa Jukneviciene said. \"I hope that this issue will be discussed at the next meeting of EU defense ministers in Spain,\" she added. A Mistral-class ship is capable of transporting and deploying 16 (...)

Sri Lanka : Did Rajapakse frustrate the coup d'état or did he engineer it?

Colonel R. Hariharan — 2010-02-09T22:27:37Z

General Sarath Fonseka, former commander of the Sri Lanka Army and unsuccessful presidential candidate at the recent elections, was detained on 8 February 2010. In the immediate aftermath, re-elected president Mahinda Rajakse dissolved parliament. Colonel R. Hariharan, retired intelligence chief of the Indian peace-keeping forces in Sri Lanka, submits his analysis of the situation.

World Social Forum, ten years on

2010-02-09T17:11:02Z

Since the World Social Forum was launched in June 2000, at the Alternative Social Summit in Geneva, coinciding with the United Nations Assembly on Social Development, ten years have passed. In this decade, the world has changed and the context in which the World Social Forum (WSF) emerged is different from that of today. Esther Vivas reviews its achievements, the stumbling blocks and the challenges that lie ahead ... "to wage real battles and inflict real damage"?.

Yemen: USA are fighting against democracy, not against Al-Qaeda

Grégoire Lalieu, Michel Collon — 2010-02-09T12:17:24Z

Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries and a crucial US ally, is beleaguered by an armed resistance and a secessionist movement that are threatening its stability and trigger a possible spillover. The United States might thus run the risk of losing control of this much coveted region, which Washington intends to destabilize anyway, but on its own terms. In the following interview conducted by two Belgian journalists for Investig'Action, Mohammed Hassan analyses the present imbroglio from a historical angle, concluding that the Al Qaeda terrorist threat is only an excuse; what is really unfolding is the undermining of democracy in the Gulf in order to keep control over its oil.

Embracing Israel Costs Merkel Clout

Judy Dempsey — 2010-02-08T19:40:13Z

Angela Merkel, who claims to be more Zionist than any other German Chancellor before her, is pursuing a personal policy of unconditional support to the State of Israel which is at variance with the official stance of her country in favour of an equitable peace between Palestinians and Israelis. This attitude is paralyzing the European Union in the Middle East, observes the New York Times correspondent in Berlin.

Haiti: U.S. army is settling in

2010-02-08T14:29:41Z

The United States military has set up camp in a posh social club where Haiti's upper crust used to play golf until its walls were destroyed by the hurricane. At first, the US army distributed some food to the Haitians remaining on the premises but now, according to Officer-in-charge Jeff Zabala, the army is busy protecting the golf course and its equipment to keep the Haitians out. With each passing day the militarization of the island is gaining momentum, and the Haitian population is beginning to question the real reasons for the presence of the now 14 000 soldiers sent by Barack Obama, up from the initial 10 000 contingent. The additional 4 000 soldiers, who are not contributing towards the reconstruction of the country nor coming to the aid of the people, were dispatched when Haiti's Mining Bureau Director Dieusel Anglade announced that « under its soil, Haiti is rich in oil and fuel.” Meanwhile, thousands of Haitians remain hungry and homeless one month after the (...)

Surprising number of passengers on Flight AA77 that allegedly hit the Pentagon had military connections

Pino Cabras — 2010-02-08T12:24:32Z

Many are the inconsistencies concerning Flight AA77 which allegedly struck the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. on September 11, 2001. We will not enumerate them here; other articles on this site already provide a detailed list of them. But new elements have recently emerged, resulting from investigations carried out by independent journalists. We reproduce below an extract from Strategie per una guerra mondiale, a book by Pino Cabras. It brings to light the inordinate proportion of passengers on board Flight 77 who had ties with the military sector and who were officially reported dead on September 11, 2001 at the Pentagon.

Speech by Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the 46th Munich Security Conference

Anders Fogh Rasmussen — 2010-02-07T18:55:37Z

Ambassador Ischinger, Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, This is my first appearance at the Munich Security Conference, and I have been looking forward to coming here. This Conference has become a focal point for the international security debate — a sort of “away day” for security discussions. And from the day I started my job as Secretary General of NATO, this weekend has been blocked in my calendar. So let me get straight to business. In my remarks today I want to make three points: First, that in an age of globalised insecurity, our territorial defence must begin beyond our borders. Second, that our success in preserving our shared security — including through NATO — increasingly depends on how well we cooperate with others; And third, that NATO should become a forum for consultation on worldwide security issues. In short, we must take NATO's transformation to a new level — by connecting the Alliance with the broader international system in entirely new ways. My (...)

Speech by James L. Jones at the 46th Munich Security Conference

James L. Jones — 2010-02-06T19:14:00Z

Thank you, Wolfgang, for your introduction, for your many years of friendship and for your leadership, not only of this conference, where you carry on the work of Baron Ewald Heinrich Von Kleist and Horst Teltschik, but for your lifetime of dedication to the trans-Atlantic partnership. Thank you Wolfgang. It is a pleasure to share this stage with our partners in European and global security—foreign ministers Westerwelle and Lavrov and High Representative Ashton. Like many of you, I have been coming to this conference for many years - in my case since 1980. Back then, I was a military aide working for then - Captain John McCain - one of our nation‘s heroes and distinguished leaders who joins us today. As a young aide, I wasn‘t allowed in this conference room. I missed out on all the speeches here on the inside, but was happy to take advantage of Munich‘s fine restaurants and bars. Some 10 years later, I made it in - as a military assistant to Secretary of Defense Cohen, who also (...)

Speech by Sergei Ivanov at the 46th Munich Security Conference

Sergueï Ivanov — 2010-02-06T19:03:00Z

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and gentlemen, Excellencies, Speaking today at the 46th Munich Conference on Security Policy is for me a matter of emotional value at least for two reasons. First, this is the tenth time I have the honour to be invited to the Conference and address the audience. Second, although I have not yet decided in what form to claim Veteran benefits, I have already been rewarded by the possibility to cast a retrospective glance at how the political climate change has been reflected in Munich Conference findings. Dear colleagues, I must admit that recent years have proved specifically productive for Munich Conference activity because it has coincided with the end of inter-bloc confrontation and creation of the atmosphere of confidence and partnership. This refers also to the prospects of comprehensive and complete elimination of nuclear weapons. Accordingly, more and more disarmament initiatives, such as the Hoover Initiative and the Global Zero Initiative, are (...)