Rick Rozoff
Graduate in European literature. Investigative journalist ; Manager of the organization Stop NATO international.

This historical review of the relations between NATO and Ukraine puts de facto into clear perspective one’s analytical look at the events in Kiev: since 1991 and its accession to the Atlantic Cooperation Council, Ukraine has concretely moved inexorably closer to the Alliance, without ever taking into account public opinion.

In the face of the inexorable spiraling down of Western predominance in the world, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen responds by charging on rather than retreating, in a typical flight forward attitude. Seeing, but preferring to ignore, that the world’s center of gravity is rapidly shifting from the West to the East, the Atlantic Alliance chief continues to dream of an even stronger and more ubiquitous NATO presence, straddling the entire planet, as diagnosed by Rick Rozoff in this article.

To the world’s military leaders, the debate over climate change is long over. They are preparing for a new kind of Cold War in the Arctic, anticipating that rising temperatures there will open up a treasure trove of resources and long-dreamed-of sea-lanes. Rick Rozoff scrutinizes the feverish military activity taking place in the High North, under the official label of a joint Norwegian-NATO-Partnership for Peace endeavor, including preparedness drills against terrorist threats, mass demonstrations...and spies coming in from the cold!

President Obama’s statement on defense strategy announced a stronger U.S. presence in Asia-Pacific, while keeping Africa under the radar. Yet, recent developments clearly suggest that the Black Continent has become the new U.S. military playground of imperial conquest. It is now Mali’s turn to have plunged into turmoil. In this article, written in February 2012 when the latest "Tuareg rebellion" erupted in northern Mali, Rick Rozoff connects the dots between these events and Mali’s pivotal role in Washington’s strategy for Africa, conjecturing that, after Libya, the stage is possibly being set for another U.S. led intervention.

Placed in power in 2003 by a US-backed regime change operation, Georgian President Saakashvili has enthusiastically pandered to Washington’s every whim ever since: From contributing a hefty troop contingent in Afghanistan, to opening up his country’s territory to accommodate US military designs in the region, essentially against Russia. This time, as Rick Rozoff details, Georgia’s soil will be used in a possible attack on Iran. In return, Saakashvili’s puppet masters have promised to secure him another electoral win.

"U.S not in a position to criticize Russian elections," said NATO expert Rick Rozoff in an interview with Voice of Russia journalist John Robles, reproduced below. Most importantly, he highlighted that while US State Secretary Hillary Clinton is concerned about Russian democracy, Washington’s plans for building a ring of missile "defence" systems around Russia have been going full steam ahead, whether that country "likes it or not."

Libya may be yet another country for NATO to take root in, suspects Rick Rozoff, who sees the repetition of an all-too-familiar modus operandi. First, NATO carpet bombs the whole country from top to bottom, then sets up military bases and finally doesn’t leave. In Kosovo, Camp Bondsteel is still going strong, and there are no signs that military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan will ever be left behind, despite persistent pledges of troop withdrawal.

Betrayed by NATO after Israel’s high seas attack on the Mavi Marmara just over one year ago, Turkey may be on its way to becoming a military launch pad for the Alliance’s operations against its erstwhile ally, Syria. Rick Rozoff fleshes out Turkey’s sinister role in the US-led counter revolutionary charge in the Middle East.
Gulf State Gendarmes: West Backs Holy Alliance For Control Of Arab World And Persian Gulf
by
Rick Rozoff

While Barack Obama and David Cameron vow to support the "Arab Springs", their armies are bombarding Libya. But they needn’t have any qualms about it; most of the dirty work has been farmed out to the Gulf Cooperation Council, a new Holy Alliance of Arab monarchies which stands against democracy, revolution and secularism.
Video: Paul Craig Roberts interview
U.S. and NATO allies initiate Libyan scenario for Syriaby
Rick Rozoff

Replicating the blueprint for Libya, what is currently being played out in Syria according to Rick Rozoff is the fulfillment of the Bush administration’s six-year old project for "regime change". The specious pretexts have changed but not the U.S.’s determination to achieve its geopolitical goals in the region. Blocked in the Security Council this time, the West is bypassing the obstacle by resorting to “coalitional” expedients, the first of which is Obama’s recent executive order.

Had Muammar Gaddafi become too pesky for the likes of Nicolas Sarkozy and his Atlanticist partners, by standing in the way of their agenda for the domination of the Mediterranean sea region? France’s direct role in nurturing the rebellion against the Libyan leader is no longer a secret. In this article, Rick Rozoff offers some additional pointers, and analyzes the Libyan war in the context of the advancing transformation of the Mediterranean into NATO’s mare nostrum.

The talk of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya may sound like an incremental and moderate step. It is, in fact, alarmingly reminiscent of the path of action that culminated in the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 and the 2003 attack on Iraq by the "coalition of the willing". In NATOland, solving problems by peaceful mediation rather than by force is not part of the culture. The military alliance is thus likely to be gearing up for yet another “humanitarian war”, this time against Libya.

Under the banner of NATO and pretending to gear up against an unspecified security threat against Africa, the United States has expanded its presence to every corner of the continent, virtually turning it into a military campground. The only threat facing, not Africa, but the United States is Chinese influence and competition for the same resources. However, it may not prove easy to beat China at a game she already excels at ... without needing to deploy any hardware.

Africa has become a new strategic priority for the United States, which is eyeing oil from the region centered on the Gulf of Guinea as a supplement or even replacement for the Persian Gulf. Deployment of U.S. armed forces along Africa’s Atlantic coast has increased exponentially, bringing to fruition the Pentagon’s long-term plans to secure the region’s and the rest of Africa’s vital resources through military muscle. NATO expert Rick Rozoff paints the full picture.

Using the staged September 11, 2001 attacks as a pretext to invade Afghanistan, Washington is about to enter the eleventh year of its longest war in history. After Indochina, this war unequivocally designates Asia as the center of U.S. geopolitical strategy and the Pentagon’s main 21st century war front. According to Rick Rozoff, the U.S. will still be in Afghanistan well into the middle of the next decade and possibly much longer as military pressure on the broader Asian region continues to escalate.

No one who has an ear to the ground will be surprised to learn that President Obama’s announced 2011 Afghan drawdown was nothing but a political mirage. The Pentagon and NATO are in Afghanistan for the long haul. Through a network of partnerships across the globe and military installations including nuclear weapons, they have forced themselves into the heart of Eurasia, controlling resources and reaping benefits the strategic value of which calls into question any prospect for de-escalation.

Straddled by the Islamic arch - which stretches from Somalia to Indonesia, passing through the countries of the Gulf and Central Asia - the Arabian Sea region has become the world’s new strategic centre of gravity. It is currently the theater of the largest expansion of arms deals and the most alarming escalation of naval and military operations. Rick Rozoff provides the full picture.

Hubris, currently incarnated by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, is a malady which has run through the U.S. ruling class for decades. Rick Rozoff points out that ordinary citizens exhibiting analagous symptoms would normally be committed to a mental institution. However, when they take hold of players wielding absolute power on the global stage, their megalomaniac delusions pose an absolute threat to the entire world. The proverb "pride goes before a fall" is thought to sum up the modern definition of hubris.

Far from abandoning the anti-missile shield project, the Obama Administration has decided to extend it to three different locations (Eastern Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, Arab-Persian Gulf). The construction of the device is rapidly moving ahead with the setting up of new bases and adequate materials. Rick Rozoff summarizes the history of this pharaonic enterprise and its current implementation.

Sixty years from the start of the Korean War, Washington’s escalating threats against China have turned the region into a powder keg. The latest show of force is the ultimate sign that the US is determined to not just maintain its military dominance in Asia, but to be seen doing so. Forging ahead with the creation of an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Washington has enmeshed many of the countries that less than 40 years ago were the victims of its scorched-earth policies and suffering the devastating and persisting effects of Agent Orange.

President Obama’s stated desire to "reset" relations with Moscow didn’t hold out very long. Hillary Clinton’s early July visit to five former Soviet bloc countries constituted the occasion for the U.S. to reaffirm its old ambitions in the region. The Secretary of State excoriated Russia’s aspirations in its former sphere of influence to better justify Washington’s own craving for the region. There and everywhere, the U.S. always hankers for more.

It is still premature to measure the full blown implications for Washington’s Afghanistan policy of President Obama’s decision to change horses in mid stream. It is, however, doubtful that General McChrystal’s dismissal was prompted solely by his looselipped remarks to an entertainment magazine. Rick Rozoff analyses the multiple facets of this unfolding scenario.

Soon after the overthrow of President Bakaiev, ethnic clashes have suddenly flared up in Kyrgyzstan causing bloodshed and massive population displacement. Corruption and resultant poverty have had the better of the country’s civil peace. According to Rick Rozoff, this situation is a direct consequence of Washington’s maneuvers to hold on to their military base in Manas.

In its landmark September 2000 document "Rebuilding America’s Defenses", the Project for a New American Century made the following recommendations: - developing sophisticated new technologies to "control the global commons of cyberspace" by closely monitoring communications and transactions on the Internet; - pursuing the development of "new methods of attack ... in space, cyberspace and perhaps the world of microbes". What the Neo-conservatives did not accomplish during George W. Bush’s Administration is currently being achieved under Barack Obama.

How can one explain the unflagging militarism of the United States and the wars of invasion it unleashes all around the planet? How can the USA maintain that level of military spending - particularly under the helm of a Nobel Peace Prize winner - when the country is in the throes of an unprecedented economic and social crisis? Thought and logic should suffice to tell us that the choice of such policies must necessarily coincide with a given goal. Our colleague and NATO expert Rick Rozoff provides some elements to help decipher this paradox.

Confusion reigns in Bishkek after the overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, whom Washington placed in power in the wake of the so-called "Tulip Revolution". The dictator had set up a U.S. military base in Manas, ruthlessly quelling all dissent. It is still unclear whether the new government springs from the Moscow-backed opposition or whether it represents a régime change promoted by Washington.

Less than two years since its military aggression against South Ossetia, Georgia was thrown into panic overnight as a fake report of a Russian attack was shown on Imedi TV. President Saakashvili called the incident "unpleasant but useful", alleging that such reports could prevent similar real-life occurrences! Ahead of national elections in May and imminent discussions on the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict, feigning a permanent threat from Russia might be Saakashvili’s last argument for staying in power, but one which could also easily backfire.

Lured by the vast natural resources of the Black Continent, Washington decided to set up AfriCom. But the GI deployment to Africa does not coincide with any needs in particular: everything is up for grabs. Seizing a windfall opportunity, they first went into Somalia militarily in the early 1990’s. Their simple presence being enough to fuel popular uprisings, they can extend their counter-insurgency operations at will. The U.S. war is not just endless in time; it is also boundless in terms of the territorial space it besieges.
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