*** 23-Oct-13 World View -- Saudi Arabia continues its break with the United States

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• News of the day from Iran
• Saudi Arabia continues its break with the United States
• Prime Minister of Pakistan asks for U.S. help with India

****
**** News of the day from Iran
****


Iranian college girls wearing the hijab

Here are some interesting political stories from Iran:

<QUOTE>"Several MPs criticized President Hassan Rouhani’s
recent statements in which he said that the country’s treasury is
empty. MP Abdolvahid Fiazi said, "Mr. Rouhani’s statements are
contrary to the statements of the Economy Minister. We ask the
administration to convey the reality of the matter to the
people."<END QUOTE>

This is interesting because there's a political conflict brewing in
Iran over the economy. Western economic sanctions have badly hurt
Iran's economy, and the new president Hassan Rouhani has as much as
admitted it in recent statements. But his political opponents are
displeased with the admission, and would rather pretend that there are
no economic problems.

<QUOTE>"Justice Minister Hojjat al-Eslam Mostafa Pour
Mohammadi stated, "[The slogan of] 'Death to America' is not one
of the necessities of our country, but our country is an
anti-Arrogant [anti-Western] country. If there is a need, we will
negotiate, and if it is necessary to agree with the enemy we will
even do so. This is because it is no problem for us to agree with
the enemy for our interests, but we must know that he is the
enemy."<END QUOTE>

The phrase "Death to America" has become a compulsory patriotic phrase
in Iran, ever since the Great Islamic Revolution in 1979 and the
Iranian hostage crisis in 1980. If you're not willing to chant "Death
to America!" on any occasion, then you're not a true revolutionary
Iranian. But as the younger generations have grown up, many of them
like America, and think that "Death to America!" is irrelevant. This
has become an issue between the generations in today's Iran, which is
in a generational Awakening era (like America in the 1960s).

<QUOTE>"Earlier this week, Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini's
granddaughter, Zahra Eshraghi, told Sharq Parsi website that she
sought to be a "taboo breaker" in the matter of hijab because she
"always opposed the way ladies whom are active in the government
dressed and [does] not agree with it at all." She added, "If they
want to introduce Islam, they can do this with better clothing and
hijab." Representative of the Supreme Leader to Greater Tehran
IRGC Hojjat al-Eslam Abdolali Govahi subsequently criticized her,
and said, "You are damned wrong. Who are you to do such a thing?
If we do not say anything it is due to the dignity of Imam
[Khomeini] and the Imam’s family."<END QUOTE>

I posted several funny stories during the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad era
about Iran's police rounding up women wearing loose hijabs
(headscarves) or no hijabs and carting them off to jail, where they
are lectured on proper dress for a young Iranian woman. Now here you
have the granddaughter of Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini, who was the
original Supreme Leader in the 1979 revolution, criticizing the
arbitrary hijab requirement, and receiving harsh criticism from the
older generation of survivors of the Great Revolution. This is
exactly the kind of thing that happened during America's Awakening era
in the 1960s, when girls were wearing miniskirts and hot pants, and
were burning their bras, to harsh criticism from their parents and the
WW II survivor generation. Khomeini must be spinning in his grave.
AEI Iran Tracker

****
**** Saudi Arabia continues its break with the United States
****

Ever since Saudi Arabia's surprise rejection, last Friday, of a prized
seat on the United Nations Security Council, Saudi officials have been
lambasting the United Nations for its hypocricy, and President Barack
Obama in particular for adopting policies inimical to Saudi Arabia.
The split really began when the Obama administration threw Egypt's
leader Hosni Mubarak under the bus when the Arab Revolution began in
2011. Most recently the Saudis are furious at Obama's flip-flop and
subsequent decision not to strike the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria,
and then the administration's apparent growing closeness to Saudi
enemy Iran. In addition, the Obama administration failed to
support the Saudis during the Bahrain uprising.

Saudi Prince Bandar Bin Sultan al-Saud, 64, was Saudi Arabia's
ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005. He lost influence
after that because of loss of confidence from King Abdullah, according
to reports. But now Bandar is back in the spotlight, leading the
change in policy to move away from the United States, according to
reports that quote him as saying that the rejection of the UNSC seat
"was a message for the U.S., not the U.N." According to one Saudi
analyst, "The shift away from the U.S. is a major one."

However, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that he
had met with Saudi foreign minister Saud al-Faisal on Monday, and
that: "I have great confidence that the United States and Saudi Arabia
will continue to be the close and important friends and allies that we
have been."

As I've been writing for years, Generational Dynamics predicts that in
the approaching Clash of Civilizations world war, Saudi Arabia,
Pakistan and China will be allied against Iran, India and the United
States. Reuters

****
**** Prime Minister of Pakistan asks for U.S. help with India
****

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in a visit to Washington
on Tuesday, is asking the United States to mediate in the
dispute with India over the disputed territories of Kashmir
and Jammu:

<QUOTE>"With its growing influence in India, the US now has
the capacity to do more to help the two sides resolve their core
disputes, including Kashmir, and in promoting a culture of
cooperation."<END QUOTE>

Kashmir and Jammu was the epicenter of the one of the worst wars of
the 20th century, the genocidal clash between Muslims and Hindus that
followed Partition, the 1947 partitioning of the Indian subcontinent
into Pakistan and India. NDTV (India)


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Iran, Hassan Rouhani, Death to America,
Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
Saudi Arabia, United Nations Security Council,
Prince Bandar Bin Sultan al-Saud, John Kerry,
Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, India, Partition

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*** 24-Oct-13 World View -- Israeli warplanes bomb Syrian missiles

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Israeli warplanes bomb Syrian missiles
• Australian Sunni Muslims attack American Shia Muslims at Hajj
• Obama administration announces new Obamacare software

****
**** Israeli warplanes bomb Syrian missiles
****


Israeli warplanes on mission to destroy Syrian long-range missiles earlier this year (AP)

Israeli warplanes on Monday attacked a shipment of advanced long-range
missiles that Syria was transferring to Hezbollah. The attack was
reported by a Kuwaiti newspaper and confirmed by an official source in
Jerusalem. This was the fifth known Israeli attack this year on
Syrian weapons bound for Hezbollah. Israel National News

****
**** Australian Sunni Muslims attack American Shia Muslims at Hajj
****

The growing sectarian conflict in the Mideast took a slightly
different turn last week at the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi
Arabia, which was attended by some two million Muslims from countries
around the world. A group of Shia Muslims from Detroit are accusing a
group of Lebanese-Australian Sunni Muslims of assault in a campground
near Mecca last week. They were all spending the night in a tent
reserved for pilgrims from the U.S., Australia and European countries.
One man was strangled until his face turned blue, and a woman was
threatened with rape, according to witnesses. The group claimed that
Saudi police ignored the complaints, while Saudi politicians are
refusing to answer questions. Detroit Free Press and Sydney Morning Herald

****
**** Obama administration announces new Obamacare software
****


Obamacare software installation kit

The administration is responding quickly to the problems that people
are having with the Obamacare web site, HealthCare.gov. President
Barack Obama unveiled the new, improved Obamacare software. The
package contains 35 floppy disks containing everything you need to
sign up for Obamacare. Obama said that the government hopes to have a
six CD-ROM version of the program available by 2016. The Onion (satire)


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Hezbollah,
Australia, Detroit, Hajj, Saudi Arabia, Mecca,
Obamacare, HealthCare.gov

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*** 25-Oct-13 World View -- Turkey considers Chinese missile defenses, violating Nato agreements

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Turkey urged to normalize with Israel because of Armenian genocide
• Turkey considers Chinese missile defenses, violating Nato agreements
• Documents reveal Pakistan's collaboration on drone strikes

****
**** Turkey urged to normalize with Israel because of Armenian genocide
****

Turkey has still not normalized its diplomatic relations with Israel,
since they were broken off after the the deaths of nine Turkish
citizens on May 31, 2010, in a confrontation between Israel's navy and
the boat Mavi Marmara in a flotilla headed for Gaza in violation of
Israel's Gaza blockade. Now a Jewish leader in Turkey is urging
Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to normalize relationships
with Israel for its own benefit. Many people have accused Turkey of
perpetrating a genocide in 1915, when 1.5 million Armenians were
killed by Turkish forces. Turkey has bitterly denied that it was a
genocide, and in the past that conclusion has been supported by the
Israeli government. However, now the 100th anniversary is approaching
in 2015, and Zali De Toledo, head of the Association of Turkish Jews
in Israel, is pointing out that Erdogan's policies are causing Israel
to reconsider its opposition to the genocide designation. Although
for many years Israel has held back from commenting on the matter for
fear of angering Turkey, last year the Israeli parliament had a debate
over whether to recognize the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks during World War I as genocide. Zaman (Istanbul)

****
**** Turkey considers Chinese missile defenses, violating Nato agreements
****

The United States and Nato are expressing concern over Turkey's
announcement that it will purchase an FD-2000 missile defense system
from China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corp, or CPMIEC,
instead of rival systems from Russian, U.S. and European firms.
CPMIEC is under U.S. sanctions for violations of the Iran, North Korea
and Syria Nonproliferation Act. Furthermore, Turkey is a member of
Nato, and the new missile system will be incompatible with other Nato
missile systems, making it difficult or impossible for Turkey to
participate in Nato operations.

For years, Generational Dynamics has predicted that, in the coming
Clash of Civilizations world war, China, Pakistan and the Sunni
nations would be allied against the U.S., India, Pakistan, and Russia.
In recent weeks, we've seen several changes along that trend line:
Saudi Arabia and Turkey are distancing themselves from the U.S. and
the West, while Iran is showing signs of wanting to reduce tensions
with the West. Hurriyet (Ankara) and The National (UAE)

****
**** Documents reveal Pakistan's collaboration on drone strikes
****

Pakistan's politicians have for years been demanding an end to
American drone strikes targeting Taliban militias in Pakistan's tribal
areas, because the strikes are so unpopular with the Pakistan people.
It's been a poorly kept secret that Pakistan's Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) agency has tacitly approved the drone strikes.
Now, previously secret documents confirm this and a lot more. The
documents describe dozens of drone strikes that were agreed on in
detail by the ISI and the CIA. The documents also confirm another
suspicion, that the ISI has funded Taliban-linked terrorist groups
that have attacked American forces in Afghanistan. Washington Post


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Turkey, Israel, Armenia, genocide,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mavi Marmara, Zali De Toledo,
China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corp, CPMIEC,
China, Nato, Saudi Arabia, Iran, India,
Pakistan, Inter-Services Intelligence, ISI, Taliban

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*** 26-Oct-13 World View -- Europe's Roma Gypsies fear racism after Maria mystery solved

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Europe's Roma Gypsies fear racism after Maria mystery solved
• Report: Palestinian leader Abbas signs peace deal with Syria's Assad
• Ties between Hamas and Turkey grow stronger

****
**** Europe's Roma Gypsies fear racism after Maria mystery solved
****


Sasha Ruseva, left, the Bulgarian mother of ten children, dancing on Friday (AP)

For days, European officials have been wondering how to solve a
problem like Maria, and they've finally succeeded. Maria is the
light-skinned, blond, blue-eyed girl, about 5 years old, living with a
Roma Gypsy couple in Greece until last week. That's when authorities
decided that the dark-skinned Gypsy couple couldn't possibly be the
parents of Maria, and they decided that they must have kidnapped her.
The Roma couple were put in jail, and Maria was put in the hands of
social workers, while authorities conducted an international search
for Maria's real parents. On Friday, a 35 year old Bulgarian woman,
Sasha Ruseva, was shown by DNA tests to be Maria's biological mother,
also the mother to ten other children. Ruseva says she gave birth to
Maria while working in Greece:

<QUOTE>"We gave her, we gifted her, without money. I didn't
take any money. I didn't have any food to give to the kid. I saw
it yesterday and I've been sick. I haven't eaten since last
night."<END QUOTE>

However, Bulgarian officials are assuming that Ruseva did, in fact,
take money for Maria, which would be a crime. It's possible that
Ruseva went to Greece with the specific purpose of selling her new
baby. There are reports that Ruseva and Atanas, her husband, are in
jail.

While the story of Maria was unfolding, Irish officials were alerted
to another blond, blue-eyed girl living with Roma parents in Ireland.
The police grabbed the girl and turned her over to social workers.
However, a DNA test revealed that the Roma Gypsy couple WERE the
child's parents, after all, and the girl was returned to the parents'
home.

These cases have raised concerns among Roma activists who fear that
these two cases, and the media's handling of them, will lead to
increased racism and racial profiling against Roma Gypsies.
According to journalist Niko Ago:

<QUOTE>"There are many losing from the development of the
story. Not that they care a lot, though. They'll be waiting for
the next story, to prove their racist and intolerant theories,
wondering 'what has happened to this world where there are blonde
Roma?' There are blonde Roma, just as there are dark-skinned
amongst the advocates of the Nazi 'Aryan race'
theory."<END QUOTE>

Toronto Star and CNN and BBC

****
**** Report: Palestinian leader Abbas signs peace deal with Syria's Assad
****

Debka, which sometimes gets things wrong, is quoting its intelligence
sources as saying that Fatah / Palestinian Authority (PA) leader
Mahmoud Abbas has blindsided U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and
signed a deal with the psychopathic genocidal president Bashar
al-Assad of Syria. The terms of the deal are that Abbas will convince
the Palestinians living in refugee camps in Syria to lay down their
arms and stop fighting al-Assad's forces and, in return, al-Assad will
order his army to stop killing Palestinians. For Abbas, this deal
gives him a political advantage over Hamas, the rules of Gaza, who had
previously been al-Assad's allies but broke ranks because al-Assad was
massively massacring innocent civilians in Syria, including many
Palestinians. For al-Assad, this deal allows his army to concentrate
on other rebel groups opposing him.

What I keep watching for in all these stories is the trend line that's
leading to the coming sectarian war in the Mideast. At the highest
level, this will be a war between Shia Muslims (Iran, Hezbollah in
Lebanon, al-Assad in Syria) versus Sunni Muslims (Saudi Arabia).
However, it's not for nothing that the ancient saying, "The enemy of
my enemy is my friend" is attributed to Arabs. Among the
Palestinians, Fatah/PA and Hamas have already been at war in 2008, and
it's possible that this deal between Abbas and al-Assad indicates a
trend toward Fatah/PA siding with the Shias in the coming war. Then,
as I've said many times, I expect Israel to be allied with Iran
against the Sunnis, and we might see a peace treaty between Israel and
Fatah/PA leading to both of them allied against Hamas and Saudi
Arabia. Granted, all of this is speculation, but it's well-informed
speculation, and supported by Generational Dynamics trends that I've
been writing about for years. Debka

****
**** Ties between Hamas and Turkey grow stronger
****

The other half of the previous story is the trend line in Turkey's
Mideast alliances. First, Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is
a strong supporter of Hamas, the governing authority in Gaza, and like
Hamas, Erdogan is strongly opposed to any peace talks between Fatah/PA
and Israel. Second, Erdogan's hostility toward Israel has been
growing steadily since the deaths of nine Turkish citizens on May 31,
2010, in a confrontation between Israel's navy and the boat Mavi
Marmara in a flotilla headed for Gaza in violation of Israel's Gaza
blockade, and he's refused to normalize relations with Israel until
Israel's blockade of Gaza is lifted. And third, Turkey is supporting
the Sunni rebels fighting against the army of Bashar al-Assad, who
used to be Erdogan's close ally prior to the Syrian civil war. On the
other hand Hamas, which also used to be al-Assad's close ally, had its
headquarters in Damascus Syria, and who used to receive cash infusions
from Iran to fight Israel, is now in serious financial trouble, and is
discussing with Erdogan the possibility of moving its headquarters
from Qatar to Turkey, and getting aid from Turkey.

The role of Qatar brings up another set of trend line issues, in the
context of what's happening in Egypt. Hamas was formed in 1988 as an
offshoot of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. Erdogan is a strong supporter
of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Qatar generously funded Egypt's
government when the Muslim Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi were in
power. When the army deposed Morsi on July 3, the geopolitical
balance changed rapidly. Qatar stopped providing aid to Egypt, and
the slack was taken up by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and
Kuwait. Qatar had also been funding the Muslim Brotherhood faction in
Syria fighting al-Assad, but the Syrian opposition factions chose
leaders favored by Saudi Arabia. However, Qatar has now started
providing support to Fatah/PA, raising problems for Hamas having its
headquarters currently in Doha, Qatar.

So if we put all trend lines together, we can expect the coming
Mideast war to align Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and Hamas
versus Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hezbollah, with less certainty about
Qatar, PA/Fatah and Egypt. We'll have to watch and see how these
trend lines evolve, and what will happen when these countries are
forced to choose sides. Al Monitor and Israel National News


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Roma, Gypsies, Greece, Maria,
Sasha Ruseva, Bulgaria, Atanas Ruseva, Ireland, Niko Ago,
Palestinian Authority, Fatah, Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas,
Syria, Bashar al-Assad, Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
Mavi Marmara, Gaza, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt,
Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Morsi

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*** 27-Oct-13 World View -- Japan and China exchange threats as relations deteriorate

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Japan and China exchange threats as relations deteriorate
• Iran exacts deadly revenge after border guards are killed by jihadists
• UAE signs new $4.9 billion aid package for Egypt
• Fear of a paralytic polio epidemic in Syria

****
**** Japan and China exchange threats as relations deteriorate
****


Shinzo Abe last week (Reuters)

The dispute between Japan and China over the Senkaku / Diaoyu islands
has not been in the news for a few months, but tensions have continued
to grow. On Friday, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that many
nations in the region are looking to Japan to counter China's attempt
to use military force to change the status quo in Asia:

<QUOTE>"I've realized that Japan is expected to exert
leadership not just on the economic front, but also in the field
of security in the Asia-Pacific.

There are concerns that China is attempting to change the status
quo by force, rather than by rule of law. But if China opts to
take that path, then it won't be able to emerge peacefully.

So it shouldn't take that path, and many nations expect Japan to
strongly assert that. And they hope that as a result, China will
take responsible action in the international
community."<END QUOTE>

China's Defense Ministry spokesman responded on Saturday:

<QUOTE>"Don't underestimate the Chinese army's resolute will
and determination to protect China's territorial sovereignty. If
Japan does resort to enforcement measures like shooting down
aircraft, that is a serious provocation to us, an act of war.

We will undertake decisive action to strike back, with every
consequence borne by the side that caused the
trouble."<END QUOTE>

Reuters and WSJ

****
**** Iran exacts deadly revenge after border guards are killed by jihadists
****

A Pakistan-based group by the name of Jaish al-Adl (the Army of
Justice) has claimed responsibility for the deaths of at least 14
border guards, and took three hostages, on the border between Pakistan
and Iran late Friday. A local prosecutor immediately responded by
ordering the swift execution of 16 prisoners already in Iran's jails.
It's unclear what the relationship is between Jaish al-Adl and the
prisoners, but it's assumed that they're also jihadist terrorists, and
Iran want to send a message of revenge.

It seems that there are always new al-Qaeda linked terrorist groups
springing up in the Pakistan neighborhood. There's Tehrik-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) that targets Pakistan's government, Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT) targets India, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) wants to exterminate all
Shias and Hazaras in Pakistan, Jundullah (Soldiers of God) perpetrated
major attacks on Shia mosques and Revolutionary Guard stations in
southeastern Iran, and now we have Jaish al-Adl (the Army of Justice)
also targeting southeastern Iran. BBC and
Tasnim News (Iran)

****
**** UAE signs new $4.9 billion aid package for Egypt
****

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed an agreement on Saturday to
provide Egypt with $4.9 billion in aid. This includes the $1 billion
grant that UAE already sent to Egypt immediately following the army
coup that removed president Mohamed Morsi and the governing Muslim
Brotherhood on July 3. When Morsi was deposed, Saudi Arabia, UAE and
Kuwait pledged a total of $12 billion, an amount that dwarfs the $260
million in planned aid that the U.S. recently announced that it would
delay. Reuters

****
**** Fear of a paralytic polio epidemic in Syria
****

At least 22 babies and toddlers are now believed to have contracted
paralytic polio in Syria. If confirmed, it would be the first
outbreak of polio in Syria in 14 years. When Syria's civil war began
in 2011, some 95% of children were vaccinated against polio, but
because of the war, some 500,000 children have not been immunized.
More than 100,000 children, all under age 5, are now at risk of polio
in the Deir Ezzor province, which has been the site of fierce
fighting, and with the large flow of refugees, the World Health
Organization (WHO) fears a possible epidemic. Polio has been largely
eradicated in developed countries but remains endemic in Nigeria,
Pakistan and Afghanistan. BBC


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Japan, Shinzo Abe, China,
Senkaku, Diaoyu,
Iran, Jaish al-Adl, Army of Justice, Pakistan,
Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Mohamed Morsi,
Muslim Brotherhood, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Syria, polio, World Health Organization

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*** 28-Oct-13 World View -- Iran officials order removal of anti-American posters in Tehran

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Iran officials order removal of anti-American posters in Tehran
• Sectarian bombings kill 62 across Iraq on Sunday
• Volgograd Russia suicide bombing raises question about Sochi Olympics

****
**** Iran officials order removal of anti-American posters in Tehran
****


Billboard poster in Tehran. It depicts U.S. and Iranian negotiators sitting at a table, but under the table the American is wearing khakis and combat boots, pointing a gun at the Iranian. The caption questions American honesty. (khanetarrahan.ir)

Iranian officials have ordered the removal of unauthorized
anti-American posters. The posters referred to the proposed
negotiations between Americans and Iranians, and graphically implied
that Americans would be dishonest. The implication is that the real
American goal in the negotiations is to attack Iran militarily.

This very public dispute is the latest event in the political conflict
between the two sides in Iran's generational Awakening era "generation
gap." In 2009, we saw large demonstrations of young people protesting
the reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for president. Those protests
were crushed by force.

But what we've seen this week were protests by groups representing the
older generation, the survivors of the Great Islamic Revolution of
1979. The posters were public protests by this group wanting to
maintain the "Death to America" culture that's pervaded Iran since
1979.

During America's last generational Awakening era, in the 1960s, there
were massive protests by young people, and those are what's remembered
today. However, it's rare to recall the occasional protests by
political conservatives, especially during the 1964 presidential bid
of Barry Goldwater.

The hardline Tehran poster protesters are not finished yet. On
November 4, the 24th anniversary of the storming of the American
embassy in Tehran, the "Death to America Committee" will lead a huge
rally at the embassy building:

<QUOTE>"The crimes of U.S. leaders and international Zionism
in dealing with Iran’s great nation will never be erased from
public memories and minds."<END QUOTE>

Large crowds are expected to be present, chanting "Death to America!"
khanetarrahan.ir and Reuters and Fox News

****
**** Sectarian bombings kill 62 across Iraq on Sunday
****

A coordinated series of car bombings across Baghdad, as well as a
suicide assault in a northern city, killed at least 62 people in Shia
neighborhoods across Iraq on Sunday. Although no one has yet claimed
credit, it's assumed that the new attacks were perpetrated by the
al-Qaeda linked Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The sectarian
violence in Iraq has increased each month since the withdrawal of
American troops in December 2011. AP

****
**** Volgograd Russia suicide bombing raises question about Sochi Olympics
****

Suicide bombings in Russia usually occur in the North Caucasus,
Russia's southern provinces. where tensions have been especially since
the war between Russia and Chechnya in the 1990s. But on October 21,
a female suicide bomber blue herself up on a passenger bus in the city
of Volgograd, from the Caucasus. It's thought that the terrorists
were sending a message that they could strike anywhere in Russia, and
the security forces couldn't stop them.

What Russian officials fear the most is an attack in Sochi, on the
west end of the Caucasus, where the Winter Olympics will be held in
February of next year. Militant groups have been threatening to
disrupt the Olympics with terrorist attacks. Russian security forces
have locked down the region around Sochi so tightly that it's possible
that the attack was moved to Volgograd because an attack on Sochi was
not possible.

Since the start of the second Russia-Chechnya war in 1999, there are
been 78 suicide terrorist attacks on Russian territory by 121 suicide
bombers, of whom 52 have been females. Female suicide bombers are
often called "black widows," because it's assumed that they avenging
the deaths of their husbands in the Chechnya war. However, the
Volgograd bomber was the wife of Dmitry Sokolov, who is very much
alive. He's 22 years old, and was born in Moscow. In 2011, he left
home, converted to Islam, and joined the militants in Dagestan in the
North Caucasus. The suicide bomber herself was born in Dagestan. She
married Sokolov, after which she immersed herself in Islam, and
started wearing the hijab (head scarf). Jamestown

KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Iran, Iraq,
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS,
Russia, Volgograd, Sochi, North Caucasus,
Dagestan, Chechnya

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*** 29-Oct-13 World View -- New Zealand and U.S. resume military cooperation

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• New Zealand and U.S. resume military cooperation
• Israel to release 26 Palestinian prisoners
• Robert Reich: Obamacare is Nixon's health care plan
• Venezuela creates a Ministry for Supreme Social Happiness

****
**** New Zealand and U.S. resume military cooperation
****


Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel receives a rugby jersey from New Zealand Defense Minister Jonathan Coleman on Monday

America and New Zealand announced a resumption of military-to-military
contacts for the first time since 1986, when Washington ordered a
military embargo after New Zealand banned all nuclear-armed or
nuclear-powered submarines from entering its waters. The ANZUS
(Australia, New Zealand, U.S.) mutual defense treaty that was signed
in the wake of World War II was partially suspended in 1984, leading
to the embargo. The change in policy is part of the announced plans
by the Obama administration to "pivot" to the Asia Pacific. Next
year, a New Zealand ship will be permitted to dock at Pearl Harbor for
the first time since 1986. However, none of the announcements
or press conference transcripts indicated whether New Zealand
is going to change its policies, and permit nuclear-armed
or nuclear-powered submarines from entering its waters.
Dept. of Defense and Australian Broadcasting

****
**** Israel to release 26 Palestinian prisoners
****

On Tuesday evening, Israel will release 26 Palestinian prisoners who
have been in jail since prior to the 1993 Oslo Accords. The prisoners
are being released in conjunction with the current "peace talks" going
on between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. In order to keep the
Palestinians from walking out of the talks, Israel agreed to release a
few dozen prisoners every two months. Tuesday will be the second of
four planned releases. Thousands of Israelis are protesting the
release, because almost all of the prisoners were convicted of
kidnapping, lynching or murdering Israelis, or torturing and executing
suspected Palestinian collaborators. Palestinian officials argue that
they should have been released long ago (as part of the Sept. 4, 1999,
Sharm el-Sheikh agreement), and add that the released prisoners will
be given a heroes welcome when they return home. Jerusalem Post and Al Monitor

****
**** Robert Reich: Obamacare is Nixon's health care plan
****

Left-wing political economist Robert Reich is saying that
the Obamacare health plan is the same as the plan advocated
by president Richard Nixon:

<QUOTE>"In February 1974, Republican President Richard Nixon
proposed, in essence, today's Affordable Care Act. Under Nixon's
plan all but the smallest employers would provide insurance to
their workers or pay a penalty, an expanded Medicaid-type program
would insure the poor, and subsidies would be provided to
low-income individuals and small employers. Sound
familiar?"<END QUOTE>

This is a startling revelation, but in a sense it's not surprising at
all. Nixon's wage-price controls were exactly the kind of "liberal,
progressive" program that Robert Reich would love, and yet they were
an absolute disaster for the U.S. economy. As I've written many times
since 2009, Obamacare is a repeat of Nixon's wage-price controls (see,
for example, "5-Jul-13 World View -- Eurozone and Obamacare continue their parallel economic collapse"
.)

In his quote above, Robert Reich referred to the date February, 1974.
I've previously referred to William N. Walker's history of Nixon's wage-price controls.
According to Walker, here's what happened in February, 1974:

<QUOTE>"This bitter legacy -- shortages of gasoline, heating
oil, red meat, soybeans and numerous other products -- together
with ruinous price increases, finally discredited price controls
in the eyes of the American people. By February 1974, when Dunlop
appeared before the Senate Banking Committee, there were sixty
Amendments proposed to the Economic Stabilization Act aimed at
providing relief from controls to one segment of the economy or
another. Dunlop told the Committee that the Administration did not
favor continuing price controls after April 30 1974, except in the
health care industry (and except in petroleum where authority to
administer price controls and allocation regulations had been
transferred to the Federal Energy Office in early January 1974).
In the end, the Congress simply allowed the Economic Stabilization
Act to expire on April 30, 1974. Thus, the only peacetime
experiment with direct economic controls in U.S. history came to
an inglorious end."<END QUOTE>

So Nixon's wage-price controls were coming apart at the seams in
February, 1974, just as Obamacare is coming apart at the seams today.
If Reich is correct, and Nixon was pushing an Obamacare-like program
at that time, it was probably a last desperate attempt to preserve his
legacy, at a time when his economic policy was facing disaster, and he
was facing Watergate.

President Obama is almost identical to President Nixon. Like Nixon,
Obama uses the IRS to punish political enemies, he threatens the press
with retribution, and now, according to Reich, he's even pushing
Nixon's health care program. Huffington Post and CBS News and Daily Caller

****
**** Venezuela creates a Ministry for Supreme Social Happiness
****

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, the hand-picked successor to the
late Hugo Chávez, has announced the Venezuela will create a
Vice-Ministry for the Supreme Social Happiness, to coordinate all the
"mission" programs created by the Chávez before his death to alleviate
poverty. As we described last month in "26-Sep-13 World View -- Venezuela's economy approaches full-scale hyperinflation"
, the country is plagued by
shortages of everything from milk and cooking oil to toothpaste and
toilet paper. After Maduro's new announcement, a Caracas fruit vendor
was quoted as saying he wants Maduro to create a vice ministry of
beer, saying, "That would make me, and all the drunks, happy."
However, a Venezuelan official says that "What [the critics]
demonstrate is stupidity and bad intention," and added that the name
of the new ministry is related to Venezuela's liberator, Simón
Bolivar. AP and Venezuelanalysis


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, New Zealand, Jonathan Coleman,
Chuck Hagel, ANZUS, Pearl Harbor,
Israel, Palestine,
Robert Reich, Obamacare, Richard Nixon,
Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, Hugo Chavez,
Vice-Ministry for the Supreme Social Happiness

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*** 30-Oct-13 World View -- China scrambles to suppress Tiananmen Square terror attack reports

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Madagascar faces a locust invasion of Biblical proportions
• Britain will be issuing bonds compliant with Sharia law
• China scrambles to suppress Tiananmen Square terror attack reports

****
**** Madagascar faces a locust invasion of Biblical proportions
****


Locust swarms in Madagascar last week (CBS)

Madagascar seems to be facing one Biblical affliction after another.
Last February, at the height of summer in the southern hemisphere
island-nation off the coast of Africa, Madagascar was struck by a huge
tropical cyclone, destroying many crops just before harvest. The
cyclone soaked the island, increasing the rat population, leading to a
potential bubonic plague epidemic, as we reported
earlier this month. The water also produced the
perfect environment for the breeding of locusts, and recent swarms of
locusts were so thick that they blocked out the sun. They ate most of
the rice and corn crops, leaving about 1/3 of the population hungry.
The U.N.'s World Food Program (WPF) is providing food aid, and needs
$41 million for an insecticide campaign to eradicate the locusts,
which are now on the ground, reproducing and laying eggs. Unless this
eradication campaign can begin immediately, most of the island's crops
will be destroyed next year, leading to a massive famine. Al Jazeera

****
**** Britain will be issuing bonds compliant with Sharia law
****

Britain's prime minister David Cameron announced on Tuesday at the
World Islamic Economic Forum in London that the UK would be issuing
bonds that are compliant with Sharia (Islamic) law, in order to
encourage more Islamic investors to use London's banking system and
the London Stock Exchange. Under Sharia law, transactions may not
involve forbidden subjects such as gambling or drugs or alcohol. The
most well-known restriction under Sharia finance is that investors may
not charge or receive interest payments. Muslim bankers have
developed a variety of techniques for getting around this restriction.
For example, instead of making a car loan to someone to purchase a
car, the bank can purchase the car, then lease the car back to the
driver. This is considered to be compliant with Sharia law because
the bank is not just lending money, but is actually involved in the
transaction in a material way. The market for Sharia compliant bonds
was almost non-existent 15 years ago, but has now grown to $140
billion in 2012. BBC and Forbes

****
**** China scrambles to suppress Tiananmen Square terror attack reports
****


Car in flames in Tiananmen Square after crashing through barriers on Monday. The photo was posted on Weibo (China's Facebook) and removed by censors.

China's government is ordering all newspapers to suppress news about a
deadly car crash in Beijing's central Tiananmen Square, the symbolic
heart of Chinese state power, that killed five people and injured
dozens. The newspapers are permitted to mention the incident in
general terms, but they're forbidden from reporting that the
government believes that the incident was a terrorist attack by Uighur
Muslims who drove their car from far away Xinjiang province in
northwestern China to Beijing in eastern China. In addition, China's
army of internet censors is deleting any postings or photos that
portray the terror attack.

Turkic-speaking Muslim Uighurs live in Xinjiang province, which has
been a source of activist violence and separatist demands. China has
responded with violent crackdowns, and attempted to flood the province
with Han Chinese transplants, in a failing attempt to dilute the
Uighur population.

China has all but closed off Xinjiang province to outsiders,
especially journalists, to avoid being embarrassed by the Uighur
hostility towards the government. The terrorist attack on Tiananmen
Square by Uighurs is, thus, also extremely embarrassing to China's
government, and that's why China's army of censors is working overtime
to keep the news as hidden as possible. Australian Broadcasting and AFP


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, China, Tiananmen Square,
Xinjiang province, Uighurs, Weibo,
Britain, Sharia Finance,
Madagascar, locusts, World Food Program

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Turkic-speaking Muslim Uighurs live in Xinjiang province, which has
been a source of activist violence and separatist demands. China has
responded with violent crackdowns, and attempted to flood the province
with Han Chinese transplants, in a failing attempt to dilute the
Uighur population.

Actually, one of the main reasons the Uighurs are pissed is that the Chinese are succeeding in diluting the population with Han transplants, and discriminating against the Uighurs in their favor.

Originally Posted by JordanGoodspeed

Actually, one of the main reasons the Uighurs are pissed is that the Chinese are succeeding in diluting the population with Han transplants, and discriminating against the Uighurs in their favor.

I know. I didn't word that sentence correctly. What I meant to say
was that flooding Xinjiang with Han Chinese failed to pacify the
Uighurs. Thanks for the correction.

Originally Posted by John J. Xenakis

I know. I didn't word that sentence correctly. What I meant to say
was that flooding Xinjiang with Han Chinese failed to pacify the
Uighurs. Thanks for the correction.

No worries, figured it was something like that. Am glad to be of service.

*** 31-Oct-13 World View -- Iraq's prime minister begs for military aid from Washington

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Iraq's prime minister begs for military aid from Washington
• Israel announced plans for 1,500 new West Bank settlements
• Vladimir Putin tops Obama as world's most powerful man

****
**** Iraq's prime minister begs for military aid from Washington
****


Vice President Joe Biden walks with Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday (AP)

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was in Washington on Wednesday,
meeting with the vice president and congressional leaders, requesting
military aid in the form of Apache attack helicopters and other
weapons. When Americans withdrew from Iraq in December, 2001,
al-Maliki was quite certain that no further American military aid
would be required, and that Iraq could take care of itself. However,
since the American departure, violence from Sunni jihadists has been
increasing every month, with more than 7,500 deaths so far this year,
so now al-Maliki is singing a different tune. On Friday, al-Maliki
will meet with President Obama in the White House. Global Post and VOA

****
**** Israel announced plans for 1,500 new West Bank settlements
****

Israel announced plans on Wednesday to build more than 1,500 new homes
in Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. As usual,
there were expressions of condemnation from Palestinians and from
United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon. In the past, Israel has
argued that new settlements are only being built in areas of the West
Bank that would belong to Israel under any foreseeable peace deal with
the Palestinians. Wednesday's announce settlements are particularly
divisive, however, several of the settlements are deep inside the West
Bank and almost certainly would have to be dismantled as part of a
peace deal. Some reports say that the announcement "deals a setback"
to the ongoing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but
those peace talks are considered to be a joke by most observers in the
Mideast anyway, incapable of being "set back" any further than they
already are. Analysts are always offering various theories about a
"solution" to the Mideast problem, but from the point of view of
Generational Dynamics there is one and only one "solution" that
settles the Mideast problem: A major war. Either Israel will survive
such a war or it won't, but either way, the problem will be settled,
and a "solution" will have been determined. AP

****
**** Vladimir Putin tops Obama as world's most powerful man
****

For the first time in years, the Forbes Magazine list of the most
powerful people in the world does not put the U.S. president in first
place. That honor goes to Russia's president Vladimir Putin:

<QUOTE>"Putin has solidified his control over Russia and
anyone watching the chess match over Syria has a clear idea of the
shift in the power towards Putin on the global stage. The ex-KGB
strongman--who controls a nuclear-tipped army, a permanent seat on
the UN Security Council and some of the world's largest oil and
gas reserves--is allowed to serve another six-year term, which
could keep him in office until 2024."<END QUOTE>

President Obama is in second place:

<QUOTE>"His signature legislation, Obamacare, is under fire,
U.S. allies are outraged over NSA surveillance overseas and the
government shutdown for 16 days in October begs the question:
who's in control here? It appears that President Obama's lame duck
period has set in earlier than usual for a two-term president,
causing him to drop one notch from the No. 1 spot. To be sure,
though, Obama remains in charge of the the most powerful nation in
the world, with the largest, most innovative economy and the
deadliest military."<END QUOTE>

The top ten names in the list are:

1. Vladimir Putin, President Russia (61)
2. Barack Obama, President United States (52)
3. Xi Jinping, General Secretary, Communist Party China (60)
4. Pope Francis, Pope Roman Catholic Church (76)
5. Angela Merkel, Chancellor Germany (59)
6. Bill Gates, Co-Chair Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (58)
7. Ben Bernanke, Chairman, Federal Reserve United States (59)
8. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, King Saudi Arabia (89)
9. Mario Draghi, President European Central Bank (66)
10. Michael Duke, CEO Wal-Mart Stores (63)

Forbes and Australian Broadcasting

KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Iraq, Nuri al-Maliki,
Joe Biden, Israel, Ban Ki-moon,
Vladimir Putin, Forbes Magazine, Barack Obama

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I am not surprised that there would be Islam-friendly investments. I chose LDS-friendly investments even though I am not a Mormon because I refuse to invest in cancerweed and alcoholic beverages. I chose to avoid banking because the financial industry is fundamentally corrupt. Sure, the big banks got bailed out, but I see no evidence that the banking industry has learned anything from its recent follies except to buy into the political system.

I really like and admire the Mormons as a culture. They're Yankees without the decadence. I even thought about joining, and still do, it's just a little too much for me to swallow at this point. I dunno, maybe the Sunday Assembly will pan out.

Also, I know it isn't you list, but I would put Angela Merkel over Pope Francis at this time. Probably add Xi Jinping, too. I mean really, WalMart? Globally?

Originally Posted by JordanGoodspeed

I really like and admire the Mormons as a culture. They're Yankees without the decadence. I even thought about joining, and still do, it's just a little too much for me to swallow at this point. I dunno, maybe the Sunday Assembly will pan out.

Also, I know it isn't you list, but I would put Angela Merkel over Pope Francis at this time. Probably add Xi Jinping, too. I mean really, WalMart? Globally?

I dunno, I'm kinda inclined to move Pope Francis up over Obama and maybe Putin. The Catholic Church is probably the oldest money in the game with long term growing support. The guy can head in, publicly disgrace a Bishop while fresh out the box and come away looking good. The financial power, respect from a billion followers and even from those who do not follow the Catholic Faith... Sure, he first have an army, but at this point that's all Obama has.

Originally Posted by JordanGoodspeed

I really like and admire the Mormons as a culture. They're Yankees without the decadence.

Try living in a small town dominated by the church while not being a member yourself. Their culture is not nearly as ideal as most people think. Just like any other formal groups of humans, Mormons can engage in and even institutionalize some pretty discriminatory practices and force them upon everyone.

i say this having one entire side of my extended family as devout members. The vast majority of my childhood friends were/are members. I've attended hundreds and hundreds of hours of their "services" in my life as well as participating in their church sports programs, Boy Scouts, dances, etc.

There are some very positive pieces to the "culture" but whoa be unto anyone who's behavior falls outside of their very narrow definition of proper.

I even thought about joining, and still do, it's just a little too much for me to swallow at this point. I dunno, maybe the Sunday Assembly will pan out.

Also, I know it isn't you list, but I would put Angela Merkel over Pope Francis at this time. Probably add Xi Jinping, too. I mean really, WalMart? Globally?

Originally Posted by Vandal-72

There are some very positive pieces to the "culture" but whoa be unto anyone who's behavior falls outside of their very narrow definition of proper.

The "culture" is a subjective thing. As for "proper" there are some things we try to toe the line on but the more of us you get to know (and the better you get to know us as individuals), the more you realize we really aren't a monolith. My guess is that among ourselves, we emphasize our similarities more than our differences, and try to focus on what we have in common. Unfortunately for a certain segment of membership, that includes right-wing politics and/or trying to outdo each other with outward appearances.

Also, keep in mind that places where we are a local majority, are increasingly in the minority. And many of us who are aware of that kind of local insularity don't really like it.

Originally Posted by Kepi

I dunno, I'm kinda inclined to move Pope Francis up over Obama and maybe Putin. The Catholic Church is probably the oldest money in the game with long term growing support. The guy can head in, publicly disgrace a Bishop while fresh out the box and come away looking good. The financial power, respect from a billion followers and even from those who do not follow the Catholic Faith... Sure, he first have an army, but at this point that's all Obama has.

All in all, our world has plenty of Scrooge, Shylock, and Simon Legree types who deserve to be shamed into very different -- even diametrically-opposite -- behavior or else rendered irrelevant or impotent. The President of the United States is unable to do that with people who see their vices as virtues. Stinginess, greed, and cruelty will always do great harm.

Our politicians cannot change the ethos of a secular culture. Religion? It is unfortunate that the religiosity of recent years has largely been a prosperity cult.

*** 1-Nov-13 World View -- United Nations celebrates M23 rebel militia defeat in Congo

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• United Nations celebrates M23 rebel militia defeat in Congo
• New Greece bailout crisis approaching over $2.7 billion deficit
• How do you entertain a bored pharaoh?

****
**** United Nations celebrates M23 rebel militia defeat in Congo
****


Residents cheer as Congolese soldiers pass through after defeating M23 rebels (AP)

United Nations and African officials are celebrating the victory by
the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC or DR Congo) over
the M23 militia and rebel group in eastern DRC. Officials are hopeful
that this will finally bring peace to eastern DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and
Uganda, for the first time since the end of the horrific Rwanda
genocide of 1994.

In 1994, there were two ethnic groups in Rwanda -- the Hutus and the
Tutsis. They had lived together for decades, had intermarried, had
their kids play games with each other and so forth. Then one day, a
Hutu leader announced over the radio, "Cut down the tall trees." The
radio announcement, which was heard all over the country was some sort
of visceral signal. On cue, each Hutu did something like the
following: Picked up a machete, went to the Tutsi home next door, or
down the street, murdered and dismembered the man and children, raped
the wife and then murdered and dismembered her. Close to a million
Tutsis were tortured, raped and murdered in a three month period. The
"tall trees" were the Tutsis, who are slightly taller than the Hutus.

In the generational Recovery era that following this crisis civil war,
the Tutsis took control of Rwanda's government, and many Hutus fled to
border regions in eastern DRC, where refugee camps were set up. The
Hutu leaders of the 1994 genocide formed a group of armed militias
called the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda),
which began conducting terrorist attacks on civilians, especially
Tutsi civilians, living in eastern DRC.

There were Tutsi militias opposing the FDLR, and the most important
recent one was the M23, named after an abortive March 23, 2009, peace
agreement. M23 has also been supported by the current government of
Rwanda, who deny that they're supporting M23, but who also say that
they fear the FDLR plans to invade Rwanda again and complete the
genocide.

With Wednesday's victory by the DRC army over M23, it is hoped that
there will finally be peace between the FDLR and M23, and between the
Hutus and the Tutsis, but Generational Dynamics predicts that's not
going to happen. Rwanda is just now at the beginning of a
generational Awakening era, following the end of the 1994 civil war.
The typical civil war pattern is that the two sides start with
low-level violence, usually during the Awakening era, and then go
through warring periods alternating with periods of peace. Each
warring period is more violent than the previous one, until there a
massive new genocidal civil war, usually 55-65 years after the end of
the previous one.

So the celebrations of victory are expected to be short lived. The
M23 were defeated in their principal stronghold, but they didn't
disappear in a puff of smoke. The towns and villages they controlled
are now free, and the villagers are happy not to face the daily abuse
of M23. But the M23 Tutsi rebels themselves simply ran away into the
forest or into Uganda, until the next opportunity to regroup, rearm,
and fight again. A new round of fighting between Hutus and Tutsis
will not be far off. BD Live (S. Africa) and AP

****
**** New Greece bailout crisis approaching over $2.7 billion deficit
****

There are mixed reports about whether representatives of the "Troika"
of organizations bailing out Greece -- the European Commission (EC),
the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) -- have canceled their long-scheduled visit to Athens next week
on Tuesday, since Greece has not yet met all the austerity commitments
it's previously made, to qualify for the 240 billion euro
bailout already pledged.

We've mentioned several times in the last few months that Greece has
not laid off enough public employees or sold off enough public assets
to cover the expected new debts that will arise in 2014. Well, then
it was just a news story, but now it's an approaching crisis. Without
laying off more workers or selling more assets, Greece will be 2
billion euros ($2.7 billion) short next year. That money will have to
be made up either by more austerity or by a new bailout. The Germans
are particularly opposed to a new bailout. On the other hand, Greece
already has a 28% unemployment rate, so further layoffs don't seem
like a good idea. And so, unless one side or the other backs down in
a big way, we're getting close to another one of those nail-biting
weekends. Kathimerini and Reuters

****
**** How do you entertain a bored pharaoh?
****

Question: "How do you entertain a bored pharaoh?"

Answer: "You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing
nets down the Nile and urge the pharaoh to go catch a fish."

-- A joke from 1600 BC Egypt, said to be about King Snofru. Reuters


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC,
Rwanda, Hutus, Tutsis, FDLR, M23,
Greece, troika, EU, IMF, ECB, Egypt, King Snofru

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*** 2-Nov-13 World View -- Growing power struggle in Iran may make Rafsanjani the Supreme Leader

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Power struggle in Iran would follow death of Supreme Leader
• Iran's negotiations with America represent a Rafsanjani victory over Khamenei
• 'Death to America!' to be featured on Iran's American embassy anniversary
• Saudi Arabia turns against U.S. over Russia / Iran negotiations

****
**** Power struggle in Iran would follow death of Supreme Leader
****


Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has not been seen
in public since October 5, and there are reports that his health is
failing, and that a power struggle is brewing.

If there is change, a likely successor as the new Supreme Leader would
be Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Like Khamenei, Rafsanjani was one of
the survivors of the 1979 Great Islamic Revolution. When the original
Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini) died in 1989, Khamenei
beat out Rafsanjani for the role of new Supreme Leader.

The two have been vigorous rivals since then, and in 2009, Rafsanjani
was a leader of the opposition to the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Rafsanjani is still a hardcore believer in the Islamic state, but he's
considered a reformist leader, and is a representative of the views of
the younger generations that grew up after the Islamic Revolution,
and have no personal memory of it.

Iran is in a generational Awakening era, meaning that a generation has
passed since the end of the last generational crisis war. The result
is a "generation gap" between the survivors of the last crisis war and
the younger generations growing up after the war. In America's
Awakening era of the 1960s, the WW II survivors were concerned about
stopping Communism in Vietnam, while the younger generation (the
Boomers) were opposed to the Vietnam war, and supported political and
gender equality, and compromise with the Soviet Union.

Today, Iran is following a similar path. I've written many articles
in the last few years about young women demanding to be allowed
to dress without headscarves (just as young women in the 1960s
wore miniskirts and hot pants). And there have been large
anti-government student demonstrations for years, peaking
in the 2009 election.

Every Awakening era reaches a climax that ends in one of
only two ways: The younger generation "wins", as happened in
America when President Nixon resigned in 1974, or the older
generation "wins", as happened in China in 1989 with the
Tiananmen Square massacre.

Despite the 2009 crackdown against the student protesters, all signs
point to an Awakening era victory by the younger generation. If
Rafsanjani replaces Khamenei as the Supreme Leader, that will signal
the beginning of the Awakening era climax. YNet

****
**** Iran's negotiations with America represent a Rafsanjani victory over Khamenei
****

During the past few months, I've written about a possibly significant
change in the rhetoric of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali
Khamenei. In particular, he's been using a phrase with enormous
historic significance, "heroic flexibility," to justify a
rapprochement with America. I've written that this change was forced
on him by the rise of the younger post-Revolution generations in
Iran's generational Awakening era. A series of analyses by the Middle
East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) shows that the mechanism by
which this occurred was through a series of political battles between
Khamenei and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Rafsanjani still holds
hard core beliefs in the Islamic state, but he has sided with the
younger generation in supporting engagement with the U.S., in the
spirit of "Islamic Realism" -- updating and adapting the values of
the Islamic Revolution to the spirit of the times and to conduct a
dialogue with the U.S., instead of leading Iran in an extremist path
for the sake of an ossified "false idealism." Rafsanjani has
successfully created a schism in Khamenei's camp, by forcing him to
agree to direct talks with the U.S., and to become more flexible in
other ideological issues. MEMRI and
MEMRI

****
**** 'Death to America!' to be featured on Iran's American embassy anniversary
****

The bitter political struggle between the camps of Iran's Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
will be particularly apparent on Monday, November 4, which is the 34th
anniversary of the takeover of the the American anniversary in Tehran,
leading to Iran's Great Islamic Revolution. The phrase "Death to
America!" is a cornerstone of the Great Islamic Revolution, and every
patriotic Iranian must be willing to chant this phrase on almost any
occasion. ("I do, and Death to America") Rafsanjani has called for
the elimination of this chant, because it accomplishes nothing, and it
prevents engagement with the U.S. However, the Khamenei camp says
that the chant encourages nationalism, and opposing the chant is a
disrespect to Iran and Islam:

<QUOTE>"It is the enemies’ plan to isolate and disrespect the
nation. It is the enemies’ plot that some have dreamed that the
Imam was against Death to America. Are we in a leaderless state
where some can dream and say that the Imam was against Death to
America. The Supreme Leader does not allow these memories.

Death to America is rooted in the Quran. This slogan means hatred
of Yazid [the caliph who killed Imam Hossein during the
transformational Battle of Karbala in 680]."<END QUOTE>

During Monday's celebrations of the takeover of the American embassy,
the pro-Khamenei camp has promised that "Death to America!" will be
changed with special gusto. MEMRI and
AEI Iran Tracker

****
**** Saudi Arabia turns against U.S. over Russia / Iran negotiations
****


This Saudi cartoon portrays Russia, U.S., Iran and Syria as pals, above the corpses of Syrian victims (Al-Watan, Saudi Arabia / Memri)

Starting with its policy of turning against Egypt's Hosni Mubarak when
the Egyptian Revolution began in 2011, the Obama administration
appears to be determined to do everything possible to alienate its
one-time ally, Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are shocked as Syria's
president Bashar al-Assad massacres hundreds of thousands of innocent
Arab civilians, and drives millions of them from their homes to
neighboring countries, and then deeply insulted and offended that the
Obama administration is negotiating deals with Iran, Saudi's bitter
enemy, and with Russia, deals that will leave al-Assad in power and
essentially reward him for his genocidal massacre. The Saudis are
very concerned about a deal between the U.S. and Iran that permits
Iran to develop nuclear weapons. They're not concerned about Iran's
use of them on Israel. They're concerned that they'll be used on
Saudi Arabia, and those concerns are justified. The Saudis are
looking for ways to derail negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.
Debka, which sometimes gets things wrongs, quotes its intelligence
sources as saying that the recent terrorist attack on Iran's
Revolutionary Guards by Jaish al-Adl (the Army of Justice), that we
reported
a few days ago, were
actually arranged by the Saudis, working hand in glove with the
government of Pakistan. If this is true, then we can expect
retaliation from Iran, possibly creating a "war of terror" between the
two countries.

Long-time readers are aware that for years I've been saying that the
approaching Clash of Civilizations world war would pit China +
Pakistan + Saudi Arabia and others versus the U.S. + India + Russia +
Iran. In recent months, Mideast geopolitics have been realigning to
match this prediction. MEMRI and
Debka


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei,
Iran, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani,
Saudi Arabia, Jaish al-Adl, the Army of Justice,
Pakistan, Syria, Bashar al-Assad

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*** 3-Nov-13 World View -- China boasts about submarines capable of attacking cities across U.S.

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Pakistan blames U.S. drone strike for the 'murder of peace'
• China's strategic failures in the South China Sea
• China boasts about submarines capable of attacking cities across U.S.
• Report: China sending reconnaissance ship to Hawaii

****
**** Pakistan blames U.S. drone strike for the 'murder of peace'
****


Hakimullah Mehsud in 2009

Pakistan is calling the U.S. drone strike that killed Pakistani
Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud a "murder of peace," because it's an
attack on the peace process that Pakistan has been pursuing with the
terrorist group.

The U.S. has put a $5 million price tag on Mehsud's head because he
led of some of the most damaging strikes against U.S. interests by
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP - the Pakistani Taliban). The worst
incident was a suicide attack at a CIA base near Khost in Afghanistan
in 2009 that killed seven CIA agents and injured six others. The
incident was later recreated in the film about the hunt for Osama bin
Laden, Zero Dark 30.

However, according to Pakistan's Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar:

<QUOTE>"Pakistan does not see this strike as an attack on a
person, it is an attack on the peace process. Islamabad’s efforts
have been ambushed. It was not even an ambush from the front.

Seven-week behind-the-scene efforts by us, where brick by brick we
tried to roll a process for peace in our homeland, and what have
you (US) done? You reduced our weeks-long efforts to ashes hours
before a delegation of respected ulema was to leave for Miranshah
and hand over a formal dialogue invitation to the
Taliban."<END QUOTE>

Let's be clear that this statement by Nisar is fantasy. This wasn't a
"peace process" that was "murdered." Pakistan was about to invite
Mehsud to attend negotiations. That's all. As soon as the peace
talks were proposed, the Mehsud immediately started to impose
conditions: TTP prisoners must be released from jail, the army must be
withdrawn from the tribal areas where it has been fighting the
Taliban, and the government must agree to impose Sharia law on the
country. These conditions could never have been accepted by the
Pakistan government. So Nisar's claim is just another totally
absurd claim by another politician.

Nisar is demanding that the U.S. end drone strikes. He'd better have
a chat with his government's own Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
agency, which has always worked closely with the U.S. to identify
drone strike targets. It's quite likely that the ISI was aware of the
strike on Mehsud before it occurred. Daily Times (Pakistan) and VOA and Telegraph

****
**** China's strategic failures in the South China Sea
****

China's aggressive demands in the South China Sea, demanding
sovereignty over the entire region, including areas that have
historically belonged to other nations, have backfired in the sense
that they have had adverse consequences for China:

• The South China Sea disputes have become "internationalized,"
  something that China desperately wanted to avoid. That is, China had
  hoped to force Vietnam, Brunei, the Philippines and others to
  negotiate with China individually, giving China an enormous advantage
  in each case. Instead, the disputes have been referred to the United
  Nations, to ASEAN, and to other international forums, allowing the
  other countries to "gang up" on China.
  
• China has polarized the region, due to growing perceptions of
  the unfolding "China Threat."
  
• The South China Sea disputes triggered America's "Strategic
  Pivot to the Asia Pacific."
  
• Japan and India have forged a strategic partnership, and
  are fast-tracking the modernization of their armed forces.
  
• Russia has also declared a Strategic Pivot to the Asia
  Pacific.
  
• Russia is also fast-tracking a military upgrade bordering
  China and in the Pacific.
  
• The U.S. has been forced to adopt a clear declaratory statement on
  freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
  
• The U.S. has been forced to publicly declare its commitment to
  mutual defense treaties with Japan and the Philippines.

China has become increasingly isolated, with no "natural allies" in
the region besides North Korea and Pakistan. [I would add Cambodia to
this list.]

These adverse consequences to China's diplomatic policies do not mean
that China will retrench and rethink its aggressiveness. To the
contrary, the adversities will make China more nationalistic, and more
likely to use military force, instead of diplomatic policies. China
seems to be set on a collision course with the United States, Japan
and India, and probably Russia as well. South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG)

****
**** China boasts about submarines capable of attacking cities across U.S.
****


Map from China's Global Times displaying intended targets of China's submarine-based missiles

China's state-run media are boasting about a submarine fleet capable
of launching warheads at cities across the United States. This
openness is a major change of policy. According to Chinese military
expert Major General Yin Zhuo:

<QUOTE>"By showing the world China’s military development,
the army hopes to deter those who have ulterior motives. Those who
want to challenge China’s core interests: they will not only face
its naval aviation forces, but also its underwater submarine
forces."<END QUOTE>

One Global Times article explains the military strategy as follows:

<QUOTE>"Because the Midwest states of the U.S. are sparsely
populated, in order to increase the lethality, [our] nuclear
attacks should mainly target the key cities on the West Coast of
the United States, such as Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and
San Diego. ...

If we launch our DF 31A ICBMs over the North Pole, we can easily
destroy a whole list of metropolises on the East Coast and the New
England region of the U.S., including Annapolis, Philadelphia, New
York, Boston, Portland, Baltimore and Norfolk, whose population
accounts for about one-eighth of America’s total
residents."<END QUOTE>

China’s submarine fleet is reportedly the world’s second-largest, with
about 70 vessels. About 10 are nuclear-powered, and four or more of
those are nuclear ballistic submarines capable of launching missiles.
CNTV (Beijing) and Washington Times and Daily Mail (London)

****
**** Report: China sending reconnaissance ship to Hawaii
****

China has for the first time sent 4,000 ton electronic reconnaissance
ship to Hawaii, within the U.S. 200-nautical mile EEZ (exclusive
economic Zone). The ship is believed to have jamming equipment, and
has a potential for offensive actions against the U.S. Global Research


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Pakistan, Hakimullah Mehsud,
Tehrik-e-Taliban, TTP, Pakistan Taliban,
Chaudhry Nisar, Afghanistan, Khost,
China, South China Sea, Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines,
Japan, India, Russia, North Korea, Yin Zhuo, Hawaii

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*** 4-Nov-13 World View -- Syria's refugees overwhelm the Mideast

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Israel plans security fence along border with Jordan
• Jordan's King Abdullah threatens 'measures' over Syrian refugees
• Bulgaria to build a security fence along border with Turkey
• Venezuela's Maduro accuses Twitter of attacking his government

****
**** Israel plans security fence along border with Jordan
****


Israel's security fence in Bethlehem

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "decided to build a
security fence in the Jordan valley," separating the West Bank from
Jordan. Construction will begin on completion of the fence on the
border with Egypt's Sinai. The revelation is infuriating
Palestinians, who are participating in a "peace process" with Israel
that's considered a joke in the Mideast. According to the report,
Netanyahu is concerned about the flood of Syrian refugees pouring into
Jordan - and the danger that they will continue traveling into Israel
in large numbers. AFP and Al Bawaba / Ma'an

****
**** Jordan's King Abdullah threatens 'measures' over Syrian refugees
****

Syria's civil war has driven some two million people into neighboring
countries as refugees, and some 600,000 of these refugees have poured
into Jordan. Jordan's King Abdullah II said on Sunday that Jordan's
resources are being depleted by the huge number of refugees:

<QUOTE>"Jordan currently hosts around 600,000 Syrian refugees
- an issue that depletes our already limited resources and puts
enormous pressure on our infrastructure.

If the international community does not move quickly to help us
shoulder the burdens of the Syrian crisis... Jordan is able to
take measures to protect the interests of our people and
country."<END QUOTE>

Abdullah did not elaborate on what "measures" will be taken to protect
Jordan from the refugees. AFP

****
**** Bulgaria to build a security fence along border with Turkey
****

Bulgaria's government was caught by surprise in August when more than
1,000 asylum seekers crossed the border from Turkey in just a few
weeks. In September there were 2,000 more, and by mid-October another
1,500. Almost all of them were refugees from Syria, and are now
living in appalling conditions in refugee camps where no food is
available. Bulgaria's resources are being overwhelmed by the flood of
Syrian refugees, many of whom have been going to Bulgaria because
Greece has erected a fence along its border with Turkey. This week,
Bulgaria announced a decision to build a 20-mile security fence along
the most vulnerable sections of the border with Turkey. Global Post

****
**** Venezuela's Maduro accuses Twitter of attacking his government
****

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has accused Twitter of attacking
his account and those of several cabinet officials as part of a
right-wing plot to destabilize his government. Maduro's Twitter
account has 1.4 million followers, but the government says that nearly
6,600 followers disappeared from Maduro's account in 10 minutes:

<QUOTE>"We've uncovered a massive attack by the Twitter
company and the international right against the accounts of
Bolivarian patriots and Venezuelan Chavistas, coming from various
parts of the world."<END QUOTE>

Earlier this year, when Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chávez was dying of
cancer, he accused the United States of giving him cancer by poisoning
him. AFP


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu,
Jordan, King Abdullah II, Syria, Bulgaria, Turkey,
Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, Twitter

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So now we're going from walled and gated communities to walled and gates nations.

And then some enemy re-invents the catapult.

*** 5-Nov-13 World View -- Iranians commemorate 34th anniversary of storming U.S. Embassy

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Volgograd suicide bombing heightens xenophobic tensions in Russia
• Iranians commemorate 34th anniversary of storming U.S. Embassy
• Israeli officials says U.S. will 'force' peace deal with Palestinians

****
**** Volgograd suicide bombing heightens xenophobic tensions in Russia
****


Female suicide bomber Naida Asiyalova (R), 30, and her husband Dmitry Sokolov, 22 (RT)

The October 21 Volgograd suicide bombing by a female suicide bomber
Naida Asiyalova, that we reported

last week, has heightened tensions between mostly Orthodox Christian
ethnic Russians and the mostly Muslim residents of the North Caucasus,
Russia's southern provinces. Russia is continuing to turn into two
separate nations, one of ethnic Russians, one of Caucasians.

A few days after the Volgograd bombing, ultra-nationalist Vladimir
Zhirinovsky, a close associate of president Vladimir Putin and the
leader of Russia's nationalist LDPR party, said on a television talk
show debate that the whole Caucasus region should be fenced off with
barbed wire, and that enforced birth control should be enforced on the
entire population of the Caucasus. Despite the characterization of
his remarks as "fascist," viewers voted for Zhirinovsky over his
opponent by a ratio of 3.5 to 1.

Zhirinovsky didn't back off. On October 31, he expressed concern that
ethnic Russians were living in a "humiliated" state while the Caucasus
provinces have excessive autonomy. He said that in order to strengthen
the country, the ethnic republics within Russia should be disbanded
and non-Russian languages outlawed.


Vladimir Zhirinovsky (RT)

At other times, Zhirinovsky's remarks might simply be ignored, but in
the current inflamed climate they're sharply dividing public opinion.
This presents the Kremlin with a dilemma. Some officials would like
to bring criminal charges against Zhirinovsky for inciting hatred. If
Moscow reprimands Zhirinovsky, thereby supporting the North
Caucasians, it will face a backlash from ethnic Russians. If Moscow
does not react to Zhirinovsky’s tirade, it will disappoint the North
Caucasians and undermine the positions of the governors in the region.

The Volgograd suicide bombing was not an isolated incident. Older
Caucasians had organized communities to preserve Soviet-era policies.
But in the last 15 years, younger generations of Muslims have been
increasingly supporting Salafist interpretations of Islam, and now
violence in the Caucasus is almost a daily occurrence. Among Russian
officials, the biggest concern is that there will be a terrorist
bombing during the Sochi Winter Olympics to take place in February,
and for that reason, Russia's security forces are going to
extraordinary lengths to lock down the Caucasus. Russia Today
and Jamestown and EurasiaNet

****
**** Iranians commemorate 34th anniversary of storming U.S. Embassy
****

Tens of thousands of demonstrators changed "Death to America!"
outside the former U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, as they
celebrated the 34th anniversary of Iran's takeover of the embassy in
1979. This was the beginning of the hostage crisis, an event still
imprinted on many American minds, as 52 Americans were held for 444
days. At the time, evening network newscasts would begin with words
similar to, "This is day number 298 that Americans are being held
hostage in Iran." Thanks to Iran's actions in holding dozens of
Americans hostage for over a year, there has been a deep rift between
Iran and America since then.

Today, Iranians chanting "Death to America!" is as fashionable and as
much de rigeur as someone from Boston yelling, "Go Red Sox!"
November 4 is celebrated each year as "the National Day of
Confrontation with Arrogance." But this year the crowds were the
largest in years, because of the critical generational battle being
fought in Tehran, between the older generations of survivors of the
Great Islamic Revolution, and the younger generations growing up
afterwards. (See "2-Nov-13 World View -- Growing power struggle in Iran may make Rafsanjani the Supreme Leader"
)

Today's crowds of hardliners may have been expressing opposition to
America, but they were actually expressing opposition to the plans of
the new president Hassan Rouhani to conduct nuclear negotiations with
the West. Al Jazeera

****
**** Israeli officials says U.S. will 'force' peace deal with Palestinians
****

Zehava Galon, the head of Israel's far-left Meretz party, is saying
that U.S. officials would present an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan in
January, 2014, and impose the plan on both sides by force. Under the
imposed plan, Israel's boundaries would move back to the 1949
Armistice lines. There's no word on what form the force would take.

I really don't know what to make of this because it's so bizarre.
Israel National News


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Russia, Volgograd, Sochi,
Naida Asiyalova, Dmitry Sokolov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky,
Iran, Death to America,
National Day of Confrontation with Arrogance,
Zehava Galon, Israel

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*** 6-Nov-13 World View -- Plans for Syria 'peace conference' in Geneva collapse

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Plans for Syria 'peace conference' in Geneva collapse
• U.S. intelligence suggests that Syria is hiding chemical

****
**** Plans for Syria 'peace conference' in Geneva collapse
****


Bashar al-Assad (Gulf News)

Plans for an international "peace conference" on the war in Syria
collapsed on Tuesday. The peace conference was originally the idea of
the Obama administration and the Russians who, in May, proposed the
conference for June. With one delay after another, it was hoped that
the peace conference would be held in November. But with Tuesday's
announcement, the conference will be postponed to next year.

When making the announcement, U.N./Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi
said:

• that an average of 6,000 people per day leave Syria to become
  refugees in neighboring countries;
  
• that more than 9 million people are directly suffering, either as
  IDPs (internally displaced persons) within Syria, or as refugees in
  neighboring countries;
  
• that the international community is already paying $4-6 billion
  per month, and doesn't want to pay more;
  
• that United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon is "getting
  impatient" with the war, and wants it to end.

And so we have Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov saying,
"There's no military solution to this war; we must find a diplomatic
solution." Meanwhile, Russia is pouring heavy weapons into Syria, for
al-Assad's army to use in mutilating and massacring innocent
civilians.

And we have al-Assad, who has been starving and bombing innocent
civilians as massively as possible, using Russian weapons, because he
wants to gain as much military advantage as possible for leverage
during any peace conference. His advisor says that al-Assad should
not step down, because once peace is at hand, then the Syrian people
(the ones whom al-Assad hasn't yet had a chance to kill) will decide
whether he should step down. According to his advisor: "Whatever the
Syrians agree to is fine but there should be no foreign or regional
interference in the will of the Syrian people."

And we have U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who says "There's no
military solution to this war; we must find a diplomatic solution."
Kerry has been sucking up to the Russians, after a series of
flip-flops by President Obama, indirectly supporting al-Assad's
genocidal massacre of his own people. Beyond that, there's no
coherent strategy that I can discern to what the Obama administration
is doing in foreign policy, and Kerry just travels from place to
place, saying one dumb thing after another.

Thanks to the psychopathic behavior by al-Assad, fully and
enthusiastically supported by the Russians, indirectly supported by
the Obama administration, Syria has become a magnet for al-Qaeda
linked jihadists from Pakistan, Algeria, Dagestan, and other regions.
The result is Syria has two different opposition forces -- the
original Syrian "rebels," and the jihadists.

So what would be the outcome of a peace conference if it did occur?
Would the al-Qaeda linked jihadists stop fighting? Would al-Assad
stop fighting?

Let's remember how this all started. 2 1/2 years ago, there were
peaceful demonstrations by people asking for greater political
freedom. There were no jihadists, and the demonstrators had no
weapons. Al-Assad responding by slaughtering the innocent civilian
protesters with guns and tanks and missiles.

If there were a peace conference, and everyone stopped shooting, but
the Syria people started peacefully demonstrating again, would
al-Assad not slaughter them this time?

So we have Lavrov, Kerry and others saying, "There's no military
solution to this war; we must find a diplomatic solution." They
repeated this over and over, like Howdy Doody singing "It's Howdy
Doody time! It's Howdy Doody time!" over and over and over.

And so we have the United States of America, the greatest nation in
the history of the world, the world's policemen since World War II,
under the Barack Obama administration subordinating itself to and
conspiring with the Russians to allow the psychopathic al-Assad to
commit genocide. That's what it's come to. Reuters and Bloomberg and BBC

****
**** U.S. intelligence suggests that Syria is hiding chemical weapons
****

Secretary of State John Kerry has been repeatedly congratulated Russia
on having a positive, cooperative approach to Syria, and Kerry has
repeaedly said he's "very pleased" with Syria's positive, cooperative
approach to the chemical weapons inspectors. I'm sure that Kerry's
reassuring remarks have left the world anxiety-free over al-Assad's
weapons of mass destruction. After all, al-Assad has repeatedly lied
about his genocidal behavior, and is still lying about having used
chemical weapons on innocent civilians, even though United Nations
inspectors presented evidence that proves that al-Assad used those
weapons. But Kerry's remarks removed all concerns.

So now U.S. intelligence is indicated that the al-Assad regime did not
fully declare all its chemical weapons after all, and that it wants to
keep some chemical weapons, and also wants to keep factories where
chemical weapons could be manufactured.

Wow! What a surprise! Who could have seen this coming after all those
reassuring statements by Kerry? CNN


KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Syria, Bashar al-Assad,
Lakhdar Brahimi, Sergei Lavrov, Russia, Ban Ki-moon,
John Kerry

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