Category Archives: Europe

Al-Qaeda, Europe, Hezbollah, Israel, Terrorism

New Doubts Cast on Bulgarian Accusations in Terror Bombing……..

         

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“But European ministers who demand hard evidence of Hezbollah involvement are not likely to find it in the Bulgarian report on the investigation, which has produced no more than an “assumption” or “hypothesis” of Hezbollah complicity. Major revelations about the investigation by the former head of the probe and by a top Bulgarian journalist have further damaged the credibility of the Bulgarian claim to have found links between the suspects and Hezbollah. The chief prosecutor in charge of the Bulgarian investigation revealed in an interview published in early January that the evidence available was too scarce to name any party as responsible, and that investigators had found a key piece of evidence that appeared to contradict it. An article in a Bulgarian weekly in mid-January confirmed that the investigation had turned up no information on a Hezbollah role, and further reported that one of the suspects had been linked by a friendly intelligence service to Al-Qaeda………….”

There is no need for a “friendly intelligence service” to link the Bulgaria terrorist operation to Al-Qaeda. I noted early on strong doubts about the early Western media and “anonymous officials” allegations, given the MO of the terrorists. Even as Mr. Netanyahu was pointing fingers toward others. I reproduce some comments and my previous posts on this:

“Netanyahu had been sifting through the news for a few days, looking for something new to pin on the Iranians, his usual accusation du jour. It had been a slow week: no terrorist activity, not even a major traffic pile-up disaster. His luck was about to turn. The right-wing Bulgarian authorities got it a bit wrong and blamed Hezbollah instead, but only because of the imminent European Union decision on its “terrorist list”. One day later the center and left-wing Bulgarian “opposition” struck.…….. Why do “they” insist on politicizing these investigations so openly and flagrantly, on aiming them toward certain conclusions? That only loses them credibility, even if their conclusions might be correct. That is just what happened to the corrupt and incompetent Lebanon STL Hariri investigation (remember first it was Syria, then Iran and Syria then Hezbollah then the Mexican Cartel then the Girl Scouts of Arabia). Her are links to some of my posts on this Bulgaria terror attack.……….“

On the other hand, it is possible
that Hezbollah went totally stupid and decided to do a traceable
terrorist bombing in the heart of eastern Europe. On the eve of the EU decision on listing it on a terrorist list. They have done a similarly stupid thing, in the summer of 2006. The Iranians once claimed that the Mossad did the Bulgarian operation, which is as stupid as claiming that Iranians killed their own nuclear scientists.

On the other hand, it could have been the irresistible urge to avenge the Israeli bombing of Imad Mughniyah in Damascus in February 2008. But the timing casts suspicion on the claim of the right-wing Bulgarian authorities. Nevertheless, many Arab leaders and especially royal potentates are holding their breath, praying toward Brussels, for the EU to do the Israeli bidding and “list” Hezbollah.

Bulgaria: Did Hezbollah Go Stupid at a ‘Convenient’ Time?

Case for an Israeli Attack? a Boy’s Wolf, Michael Oren, Deep Throat II, Salacious Pun

About Netanyahu, the Mullahs, and all them Plots

Terrorism: Hallmarks of the Bulgaria Suicide Bomber with a “Shaved Head

N Y Times and Anonymous Deep Throat Certain Iran was Behind Bulgaria Terror Attack

Terrorism: Bibi Natanyahu with Bulgarian Egg on His Face, For Now

Terrorism in Iran and Bulgaria, Netanyahu and Hitler and Danzig and Sudetenland


Cheers
mhg

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Africa, Europe, Horn of Africa, Iran, Weapons deals

Iranian Guns and Western Flowers for Africa ………………

        

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“When the investigators’ breakthrough came, it carried a surprise. The manufacturer was not one of Africa’s usual suspects. It was Iran. Iran has a well-developed military manufacturing sector, but has not exported its weapons in quantities rivaling those of the heavyweights in the global arms trade, including the United States, Russia, China and several European countries. But its export choices in this case were significant. While small-arms ammunition attracts less attention than strategic weapons or arms that have drawn international condemnation, like land mines and cluster bombs, it is a basic ingredient of organized violence, and is involved each year and at each war in uncountable deaths and crimes………… Iran’s role in providing arms to allies and to those who fight its enemies has long been broadly understood. Some of these practices were most recently reported in the transfer of Fajr-5 ground-to-ground rockets to Gaza. Its expanding footprint of small-arms ammunition exports has pushed questions about its roles in a shadowy ammunition trade high onto the list of research priorities for trafficking investigators. “If you had asked me not too long ago what Iran’s role in small-arms ammunition trafficking to Africa had been, I would have said, ‘Not much,’ ”………………”

This is news only because for the past two centuries the West, mainly Europe, has considered Africa as its own turf. The private market and testing ground for its weapons. I have no doubt of the results if you survey all the weapon exports into Africa, and which weapons have killed the most people. Western weapons probably have killed more Africans in the past quarter century than any other source of weapons in the past thousand years. European weapons have probably killed more Africans during the past two or three centuries than any other weapons from any other source have done for the past five thousand years. (No mention of slavery is needed, that was long ago). Western and more recently Russian and Chinese, and perhaps a few others.
Suddenly the NY Times and one of its writers throws in Darfour and Iran in one sentence. I doubt that they flew Iranian warplanes over Darfour. Almost all the killing weapons originated from outside the Middle East. I also doubt that much of the bullets or machetes used to massacre civilians were made anywhere in the Middle East. The killing fields from Rwanda to Liberia to Sierra Leone to the Congo and the rest of the African tragedies were nourished by weapons from the West (mainly) and then Russia and China and maybe a couple of other sources.
No doubt the Iranians supply some weapons to their allies in Africa, some of them unsavory repressive allies. No doubt these pale compared to the other sources I mentioned. No doubt many of the allies of Western powers in Africa are no sweethearts either. No doubt hypocrisy is not monopolized by one side.
Cheers
mhg

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censorship, Europe, Iran

Germany Joins Iran, Britain, Saudi, and other Democracies that Block Foreign Media………….

   

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“The supreme administrative court in Bavaria state argues that Press TV must not use satellite services for broadcast in Germany. The surprising ruling comes just months after a Munich court ruled twice that Press TV can broadcast on SES Astra platform in the country. The Munich media regulatory body, BLM, had taken Press TV off the satellite platform in April. It said Press TV lacked the necessary license. Press TV lawyers subsequently took legal action against the BLM and won the case. BLM appealed but its plea was rejected by the Munich administrative court. The issue was then referred to the state court in Bavaria that ruled in favor of taking Press TV off the air. Press TV says the German government seeks to silence the alternative channel’s voice. It says the ban was meant to stop the channel’s extensive coverage of Germany’s social and economic issues. The channel has also covered the growing public anger in Germany over that country’s military involvement in Afghanistan. …………….”


Press TV is the main Iranian English-language television news network. It gives out the Iranian government position on regional and world events. It is in the same position as, say, Alarabiya which gives the Saudi government position on regional and world events. In some ways it is like the BBC or VOA, certainly a bit less independent. Last January the British government banned Iran’s Press TV, a surprising thing since the network’s programming is relatively mild. Perhaps the network was banned because its programs seemed too reasonable, not the usual expected rabble-rousing that would turn off people.
Soon later, the British Foreign Secretary William Hague, in a show of supreme chutzpah, complained loudly when the Iranians in March blocked a British propaganda program aimed at Iran. The Iranian regime normally blocks many foreign networks and websites: they certainly are not strong believers in free speech. But the British are ‘supposed’ to be. At the time I called it in one of my posts here Mutual Hypocrisy.

Now the Germans are becoming too sensitive when someone else criticizes them, although again it is the Iranians who don’t allow free speech in their own country. Yet this is the West, that is the East, and the twain are not supposed to meet in censorship. And I had thought that free speech in Europe covers all sources of speech. What a silly notion.

Cheers
mhg
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Culture, Europe, GCC

Archdukes of Austria, Washington, and ArchPrinces of the Gulf………….

   

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                               Neck of the woods

Did u know that they still have Archdukes in Austria? And now they have an Archduchess in DC (no, she is white as in Anglo)? Now if that don’t beat the Arch of St Louis. And I had though the last Austrian Archduke was offed by a Serb in Sarajevo in the summer of 1914.
I don’t recall personally meeting (as in shaking hands with) an Archduke before: just a viscount or two, a few sirs (lots of these around: a dime a dozen), one nearly plebeian queen and her consort once (there could have been an Archduke lurking around), a prince and his sad doomed beautiful bride once. No archdukes that I know of so far, but unlikely to run into any in this neck of the woods.

Maybe we ought to start having Archdukes, or maybe just Arches, in our Gulf. Imagine the elegance of having to pronounce: ArchShaikh Khalifa Bin Kleptocrat of Bahrain, ArchMufti Al Shaikh of Riyadh, ArchMullah ShamsUlSomethingOrOther of Tehran, ArchEmir Shaikh Taiss Bin Haiss (or maybe Haiss Bin Taiss) of the Salafis, ArchShaikh Ras Bin Ghlais Bin Shaiboob of WTF. Has a certain ring to it, nicht war?

It would be fine so long as these Arches don’t start slapping each other on the face with limp white gloves and demand satisfaction with a duel at dawn somewhere. Using slingshots (what we call nabbata) of course.

Cheers
mhg
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Europe, Hezbollah, Lebanon

European Right Target Hezbollah, Wahhabi Quest for Eternal Candy…………..

   

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“Europe is embarking on a potentially divisive debate over whether to place the military wing of Lebanese-based Shiite group Hezbollah grouping on its terrorist list, with the U.K. and Dutch governments urging action Friday. Europe has long resisted pressure from Israel and Washington to list Hezbollah, with many member states feeling it was important to keep lines of contact open to a group that plays a key role in Lebanese politics. But after accusations that Hezbollah was behind a bomb attack in July in Burgas, Bulgaria, that killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver, U.K. Foreign Minister William J. Hague………….…”

The European right wing governments, especially in Britain and Holland are speeding up their attempt at listing Hezbollah. So they were “accused” of being behind a bomb attack. “Accused” quickly by Netanyahu, hardly a credible person in this case. In a case of “suicide” attack, which is not a usual Hezbollah method of operation. Suicides are al-Qaeda type of operation, done by horny young Wahhabi men eager to detonate, drop out, and get to their promised sweet ‘rewards’ of candy on the other side.
This, if approved, will be bad news for peace in Lebanon since Hezbollah is by far the most powerful party in Lebanon, and represents a larger section of Lebanese society than any other party or group or militia or dance troupe. It will be like boycotting the largest section of Lebanese (like boycotting the Pashtun in Afghanistan). It will, however, make the Likud extremely happy: Netanyahu may declare that World War II is finally over.

Cheers
mhg
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Culture, Europe, Racism

Europe: “a toxic blend of traditional fascism and Western bigotry posing as secular liberalism”……….

   

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“How’s this for the fashion police? In late May, in a suburb of Brussels, a Muslim woman was arrested for wearing a niqab—the garment worn by a tiny proportion of Muslim women that covers all of the face but the eyes. In the subsequent melee, the woman broke an officer’s nose while being frisked. Her arrest sparked clashes between Muslim youth and police in the area. A week later, the hard-right Flemish nationalist Vlaams Belang offered a 250 euro bounty to anyone reporting veiled women to the police. The Belgian law banning the niqab, like measures across Europe ranging from outlawing the wearing of certain face veils in France to the building of more minarets in Switzerland, was ostensibly aimed at integrating Muslim minorities into Western culture. To the extent these laws have integrated Muslims into their place in the new hierarchy of European racism—a toxic blend of traditional fascism and Western bigotry posing as secular liberalism—they’ve been successful. But as a tool for promoting inclusion and equality, these laws have singularly failed. Indeed, this bid to prevent the importation of “radical Islam” has been both laughable and lamentable. The Belgian woman in question was a locally born convert, as were the girls at the heart of the French head scarf law, whose father is Jewish…………”

I do not believe that women should wear a the niqab or burq’a, especially if they don’t want to. I don’t believe that, say, Sarkozy, should wear a fedora or a dunce’s hat, if he doesn’t want to. Yet I believe they both have the right to wear what they want. The same Europeans who were for the ban would raise hell if their government banned them from wearing some item of their own national attire.
Some Arab and Muslim women who never wear the niqab or burq’a hurriedly supported this new European ban on public Islamic dress as ‘liberating’ the women. Maybe it is in some cases where they are forced to. Yet for some this may not be the case: then how can imposing restrictions on anyone ‘liberate’ them? What next? Banning speaking Arabic publicly as a “liberating” measure? Banning halal meet as a ‘liberating’ measure?
Cheers
mhg
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Europe, Iran, OPEC

Iranian Rain in Spain: Oil Boycotts and Oil Deals, Beauty Queens…….

 

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“She Was More Like A Beauty Queen From A Movie Scene
I Said Don’t Mind, But What Do You Mean I Am The One
Who Will Dance On The Floor In The Round
She Said I Am The One Who Will Dance On The Floor In The Round

She Told Me Her Name Was Billie Jean, As She Caused A Scene

Then Every Head Turned With Eyes That Dreamed Of Being The One
Who Will Dance On The Floor In The Round……...“ Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)


“Iran has signed a 1.6 billion euro contract with a Spanish company to manufacture high-tech equipment and components for its oil and gas industry. Iran’s Society of Iranian Petroleum Industries Equipment Manufacturers (SIPIEM) signed the contract with the Spanish company. Kayhandokht Kavianpour, an SIPIEM member, confirmed the deal in interview with the Mehr News Agency and said, “Certain Western countries imagine that with sanctions the engine of the development of Iran’s oil industry will stop functioning.” The SIPIEM also signed another contract with a Chinese company to transfer technology to Iranian oil industry, the report added. ……….”

This is weird. The EU voted to boycott Iranian oil starting next July. Iran voted to cut off oil to the EU members, including Spain last month. Now Iran and Spain have signed a deal to supply high-tech oil equipment to Iran’s oil industry. Presumably the equipment will be produced inside Iran. Is it a way to go around American and European sanctions? Another Iranian official later stated that soon his country will be manufacturing oilfield equipment.
Any why are Spaniards of all people producing oilfield equipment and machinery? Spain has olive oil. This is like having Oman or the UAE produce beauty queens instead of Venezuela (just an example, just an example). The plot thickens.

Cheers
mhg


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Europe, France, Islamophobia, Turkey

Blond Turks, Iranian Issues, and the New European Maginot: Ils ne Passeront Pas………….

    

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“In the past, Turkey defended what it called Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy program and even voted against U.N. sanctions on Iran two years ago. But Turkey’s relationship with Iran has changed, as it began aligning itself with its Western allies on a series of issues. Richard Howitt is a member of the European Parliament’s committee on Turkey. “Turkey has come back into line on Iran. Turkey really lost some trust on the Iran issue and suffered in public relations terms by its opposition to sanctions, which frankly we worked very hard for at the U.N. and EU,” he said.
A factor in Turkey’s changing role is Syria, an important regional ally of Tehran…………”

The Turks can all dye their hair blond and adopt German or French as their national language. They still will not be admitted into the European Union. The Turks fought with the West faithfully for more than sixty years, from Korea to being the southern bulwark of NATO during the Cold War. They supplied the labor that post-war Germany needed to revive its economy. Yet the old enemies of the former Warsaw Pact are being quickly admitted into the EU, but not the Turks. Eastern European gangs that deal in drugs, human trafficking, and murder are more welcome than the Turks. They are not considered a threat to Europe’s “culture”, but Turkish mosques are.
Now the Turks are being accommodating again, on the Iranian issues, hoping for some morsels from the European table, hoping for approval “There is a good Muslim boy”. They still won’t allow them in. As the Maginot Line said: Ils ne Passeront Pas.
Of course the old Maginot Line did not work as it was supposed to: it forgot about Belgium.
(Q: Do the Turks need to be in the European Union?)
Cheers
mhg


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censorship, cyber war, Europe, France, Terrorism

Sarkozy as Big Brother: Lurking at Jihadist and Terrorist Websites……..

    

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“French President Nicholas Sarkozy means well. In the wake of horrific antisemitic murders reportedly pulled off by a Qaida-trained killer, Sarkozy is proposing to lock up frequent visitors to pro-terrorist websites. However understandable, the move would cripple open source attempts at understanding terrorism trends without stopping terrorists. “Anyone who regularly consults internet sites which promote terror or hatred or violence will be sentenced to prison,” Sarkozy argued to a political rally in France on Thursday. “What is possible for pedophiles should be possible for trainee terrorists and their supporters, too.” But terror porn doesn’t work like kiddie porn. For one thing, visitors to jihadist websites like the al-Shmukh forum aren’t just terrorist wannabees. They’re also lurking terrorism researchers or, um, journalists like us. And there’s law enforcement and intelligence officers monitoring them to discern the next moves of potentially dangerous people. ………….”

No doubt Sarko is electioneering. He is in a tough race against the socialist Francois Hollande, and he always veers to the right when in trouble, just like any good Republican candidate in the USA. Going to a Jihadist website doesn’t make one a Jihadist or an enabler, just like going to white supremacist websites doesn’t make one a white supremacist. There is, besides the legitimate research and information value, the entertainment value in both these types of sites.
Europeans have been doing this ‘censorship’ more often lately. They have blocked and banned television networks and now websites. Yet they feign outrage when one of our dictators or despots does the very same thing, especially if that dictator or despot is not one of their allies. This is what an American would call “sanctimonious European bullshit”. Yet there is plenty of it on this side o the Atlantic as well (you know that if you follow the political campaigns this year).
Cheers
mhg


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Arab Counterrevoltion, Arab Revolutions, Europe, Middle East Women, Sanctions, Syria, US Foreign Policy

The War against Bashar al-Assad’s Mother……….

    

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“The year-long effort to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad and his government has failed. Two or three months ago, it seemed to come close to succeeding, as insurgents took over enclaves in cities such as Homs and Deir el-Zour. There was talk of no-fly zones and foreign military intervention. Severe economic sanctions were slapped on Syria’s already faltering economy. Every day brought news of fresh pressure on Assad and the momentum seemed to build inexorably for a change of rule in Damascus. It has not happened. Syria will not be like Libya. The latest international action has been an EU ban on Assad’s wife, Asma, and his mother travelling to EU countries (though, as a UK citizen, Asma can still travel to Britain). As damp squibs go, this is of the dampest. …………. “

They sanctioned his mother? The widow of Hafiz al-Assad and the mother of Bashar? The widow of the man all Western and Arab leaders were courting and kissing up to for thirty years?
Cockburn is absolutely right here: they can’t figure out what else to do about him. This is scraping the bottom of the ‘moral’ barrel. What next? The wife of the king of Bahrain? Mrs. Ahmadinejad? How about Sarah Netanyahu? Or a favorite concubine of the king of….…
Cheers
mhg


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