An Attack on Iran Must be Stopped | Common Dreams

An Attack on Iran Must be Stopped | Common Dreams
Andrew Murray, The Guardian/UK,February 4, 2012 

The Anglo-American aggression addicts haven't kicked the habit. The team that brought you shock and awe and Operation Infinite Justice is gearing up for yet another crack at winning a senseless war in the Middle East.

'Today’s anti-war campaign must break the parliamentary consensus for war which proved so calamitous in 2003.' (Photograph: Mike Kemp/In Pictures/Corbis)

This time the target is Iran, the pretence the regime's imminent possession of nuclear weapons. But some things will remain the same – it will lead to slaughter and end in disaster.

A brief recap of the Anglo-American "war on terror" in the Middle East, 2001 to date: Afghanistan was occupied to "eliminate terrorism" but, many thousands of dead later, terror has spread to Pakistan and beyond, leaving Kabul with the most corrupt government on earth.

Iraq was invaded to disarm Saddam of weapons he didn't have. US troops have finally withdrawn, leaving millions dead or displaced and the country broken in dysfunctional sectarian misery.

Libya, far from being the war that went well, was bombed to "protect civilians" with the result that 30,000 died and thousands more remain in prison reportedly being tortured by the regime Nato installed.

"They couldn't be so crazy" is therefore not an unreasonable response to the speculation about yet another Middle East war. But here we go again.

The US national intelligence director James Clapper's unsubstantiated claim that Iran is preparing attacks in the US itself – without even a 45-minute warning, apparently – is one sign among many that the familiar spook-media propaganda coalition is in overdrive again, selling another cock-eyed conflict.

An attack against Iran will not stop the regime acquiring nuclear weapons if it wishes to do so. It can only make it more likely that it will decide to acquire them, and will eventually surely succeed.

Along the way thousands more will die, conflict will extend across the region, oil supplies will be disrupted and the Iranian regime will be strengthened domestically.

Iran is not a liberal democracy. That is an issue which, as the Arab spring shows, is more likely to be addressed by the Iranian people themselves than by a foreign attack sponsored by Saudi Arabia, most recently the butchers of Bahraini democracy.

The central case for attacking Iran is animated by the determination that Washington and its allies have the right to dominate the Middle East come what may.

That is the argument offered by Matthew Kroenig, until six months ago the Pentagon's special adviser on Iran, in an article in Foreign Affairs baldly titled Time to Attack Iran: "A nuclear-armed Iran would immediately limit US freedom of action in the Middle East … Iran could threaten any US political or military initiative in the Middle East with nuclear war, forcing Washington to think twice before acting in the region."

The pragmatic case against war is overwhelming. But the principled case is even stronger. Britain and the US have launched a series of wars across the Middle East for no better purpose than maintaining their control over a region whose peoples they dare not allow to be self-governing and independent.

Can an attack be stopped? If Britain can be detached that would help derail the war drive. Five British warships sail alongside the US navy in the Gulf, and we can be sure that Diego Garcia will be a base for the bombing onslaught – it was ethnically cleansed by the Wilson government for precisely this sort of purpose.

William Hague has made plain government support for US policy so far. The delight of the Commons exchanges on the issue was Jack Straw, whose only contribution to diplomacy was marketing the novel concept of the "unreasonable UN veto" at the time of the Iraq aggression, insisting that Britain should not act without clear UN authority now.

Millions of British people peacefully and democratically opposed the Iraq war and were ignored by Tony Blair. He got his war but lost his political momentum, reputation and job, in that order, as a result.

Today's anti-war campaign must learn from the Occupy movement and UK Uncut, as well as breaking that bipartisan parliamentary consensus for war which proved so calamitous in 2003, if the cycle of war is to end. A nationwide day of action on Saturday 11 February against attacking Iran is the start.

© 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited

Andrew Murray is deputy president of the Stop the War Coalition

DC Police Raid Occupy Encampment in Washington | Common Dreams

DC Police Raid Occupy Encampment in Washington | Common Dreams
Common Dreams staff , February 4, 2012 

Police arrived before dawn this morning in McPherson Square in Washington, DC.

UPDATE: (2:35 PM) AP reports:

Police by mid-day had arrested six people, including four protesters who refused to move from beneath a statute and two others for crossing a police line.

The National Park Service, which has tolerated the protesters for months and protected their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and assembly, has said it will give protesters notice if police decide to clear the park. Police on Saturday were careful to say they were not evicting the protesters or closing the park, but were instead stepping up enforcement of an existing ban on camping.

Regulations allow protesters to remain onsite at all hours with tents, though they are not allowed to camp out on blankets or other bedding materials. Police said tents that broke the rules would be seized and their owners threatened with arrest.

The park service had said it would start enforcing the ban last Monday, and though protesters had then braced for a confrontation, it wasn't until Saturday that police cracked down.

Some protesters said Saturday's enforcement amounted to eviction even if the police wouldn't admit it.

"This is a slow, media-friendly eviction," said protester Melissa Byrne. "We're on federal property, so they have to make it look good."

The live stream from Occupy DC:

Just before dawn on Saturday morning police, including some dressed in riot gear and accompanied by officers on horseback and others in protective suits, descended in McPherson Square where Occupy protesters have been camped since last year.

Occupy DC protestors confront U.S. Park Police in McPherson Square before dawn as police enforce a no camping law on Occupy DC protestors in Washington, one of the nation's last remaining Occupy sites, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012. McPherson Square is a federal park near the White House, where demonstrators have enjoyed special First Amendment protections by virtue of the square's designation as park service property. The regulations permit protesters to remain onsite at all hours with tents, but bars them from camping or laying down bedding material. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

 

The Washington Post reports this morning:

U.S. Park Police Capt. Phil Beck told protesters they would be clearing the area around the historic statue, where protesters had erected a blue tarp dubbed the “Tent of Dreams,” and checking to see if there was unauthorized bedding in tents.

Under the rules, protesters are allowed to conduct a 24 -hour vigil in the federal park but not camp out overnight.

Shortly before 6 a.m., a large contingent of mounted police and others with riot shields arrived at the camp, erecting barricades as protesters shouted “wake up” and chanted.

“We are not evicting people from the park,” Beck said. “We are asking folks to come into compliance.”

After a lengthy negotiation, protesters agreed to remove the “Tent of Dreams” that they had draped on the statue of Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson on Monday. Protesters chanted “Solidarity forever” as the tarp came down and some suggested it be preserved in the Smithsonian as part of the history of the Occupy movement.

Protective eyegear was distributed and emergency medical personnel were stationed nearby, but by sunrise no pepper spray had been used by police.

Protesters said they had expected the raid, but some were surprised at the magnitude of the response, which included dozens of officers, fire hoses and a paddy wagon.

“It’s pretty excessive if all they wanted us to do was take down the tarp,” said Ricky Lehner, a protester.

And Reuters adds:

Protesters are targeting the growing income gap, corporate greed and what they see as unfair tax structure favoring the richest 1 percent of Americans.

News footage from the site showed police speaking with the "Occupy DC" protesters in the park and removing a large tarp decorated with stars and moons over a statue of U.S. Civil War General James McPherson at the center of the square.

While similar "Occupy" protests against social and economic inequality in other U.S. cities have been shut down by police, the demonstrations in the capital have survived an unusually warm winter and a permissive approach by federal authorities reluctant to provoke confrontation.

And The Hill reports:

The NPS will allow protesters to remain in the square but is removing all “camping equipment” and will ensure that temporary structures are open at least on one side.

The park service has come under pressure from Republicans in Congress to end the camping in the two federal parks.

House Oversight Committee Republicans, led by Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) have questioned why the NPS allowed protesters to degrade McPherson Square which had just been renovated using money from President Obama's stimulus package.

The Occupy DC movement says it is non-partisan, but its rallying cry pitting the 99 percent against the richest 1 percent has underscored Obama's message that the wealthy are not paying their fair share in taxes and helping to reduce the deficit.

###

Philippine extremist planning attacks when killed

Philippine extremist planning attacks when killed
Jim Gomez, Associated Press, February 5th, 2012

MANILA, Philippines—A key Abu Sayyaf commander killed in a US-backed airstrike in the southern Philippines was planning terror attacks, including new kidnappings of foreigners and bombings, when he was slain, security officials said Sunday.

The pre-dawn military bombing offensive on Thursday killed longtime Abu Sayyaf commander Umbra Jumdail and several other militants while they slept in huts and hammocks in a jungle hideout on southern Jolo island, officials said.

Military spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos said Jumdail’s death was a major blow to his al-Qaida-linked group because he harbored several Southeast Asian terrorist figures, who have provided funds and bomb-making trainings. He had a larger civilian following compared with more brutal Abu Sayyaf commanders which helped him evade military offensives.

“He had the charisma and was the real link used by foreign militants,” Burgos said. “He was a big loss.”

Jumdail’s group was planning some kind of terrorist attacks when he was killed, Burgos said, adding intelligence indicated that six Malaysian militants traveled to Sulu in December and joined his group for unspecified reasons.

Two security officials said future plots by Jumdail’s group included kidnappings of foreigners and bombings.

A few villagers, who were secretly working for the military, traveled to Jumdail’s hideout and pretended to seek medical treatment to be able to bring in and leave some kind of sensor, which was later used by the bomber planes to zero in on the Abu Sayyaf lair, one of the officials said.

Jumdail, who was also known as Dr. Abu Pula, had knowledge of medicine and has drawn support from poor villagers and loyalty of his men partly by treating ordinary illnesses and performing surgeries on wounded combatants, the official said.

The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Philippine security officials have given different accounts on whether top Southeast Asian terror suspect Zulkifli bin Hir from Malaysia and Singaporean militant Abdullah Ali were also slain in the intelligence-driven offensive. Not a single body was retrieved by police in the bombed hilly jungle lair near Lanao Dakulah village, fueling different versions of who was killed.

Regional military commander Major General Noel Coballes said Thursday that bin Hir, who used the guerrilla name Marwan, and Ali, also known as Muawiyah, were killed along with Jumdail and 12 other gunmen when their encampment was bombarded by two OV10 planes with 500-pound (227-kilogram) bombs at 3 a.m.

Two Philippine security officials with knowledge of the operation, however, told The Associated Press that new intelligence showed Jumdail, along with his son and seven other militants, was killed but Marwan and Muawiyah were not in the vicinity. The bombs destroyed huts, toppled trees and dug shallow craters in the gently sloping hills.

If Marwan’s death is confirmed, it would mark a major success in further disrupting the already-weakened Jemaah Islamiyah terror network, which has been blamed for some of the most spectacular bombing attacks in Southeast Asia, including the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people in the Indonesian resort of Bali.

But if the initial report proves incorrect, it would turn a largely successful strike into a partial embarrassment for the Philippine military, while burnishing the reputation of the elusive terrorist.

The US has offered a $5 million reward for the capture of Marwan, a US-educated engineer accused of involvement in deadly bombings in the Philippines, organizing terror trainings and plotting attacks.

Malaysia has sent a police team to the Philippines to help determine through DNA tests if some of the human flesh found at the bombed militant lair were his, Burgos said.

War on Iran? Most American, Israeli Citizens Oppose | Common Dreams

War on Iran? Most American, Israeli Citizens Oppose | Common Dreams
Common Dreams staff , February 3, 2012

Despite the steady drumbeat for war coming from US and Israeli neoconservatives, polls show that the people of both the United States and Israel are against a US or Israeli military attack on Iran.

An Iranian demonstrator holds a poster to support Iran's nuclear activities as he waits for arrival of delegates of International Atomic Energy Organization, IAEA at Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. A U.N. nuclear team arrived in Tehran early Sunday for a mission expected to focus on Iran's alleged attempt to develop nuclear weapons. The delegation includes two senior weapons experts, Jacques Baute of France and Neville Whiting of South Africa, suggesting that Iran may be prepared to address some issues related to the allegations. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A new United Technologies/National Journal poll shows only 17% of the US public supports military action against Iran and a November PIPA (Program on International Policy Attitudes) poll shows that only 43% of Israeli Jews support a military strike on Iran.

* * *

Think Progress reports today:

Only Seventeen Percent Of US Public Supports Military Action Against Iran

While some of the more hawkish rhetoric and efforts to drive forward on unilateral sanctions continue to come out of Congress, the new United Technologies/National Journal “Congressional Connection Poll,” found that public support for a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities is extremely low.

Forty-seven percent of respondents favored economic sanctions against Iran, only 13 percent said the U.S. should “go farther and take covert action against Iran such as sabotage and assassination of scientists working on their nuclear program,” and 17 percent would support “tak[ing] military action against Iran, including bombing weapons facilities inside the country.”

* * *

Shibley Telhami and Steven Kull writing in the New York Times:

Despite all the talk of an “existential threat,” less than half of Israelis support a strike on Iran. According to our November poll (.pdf), carried out in cooperation with the Dahaf Institute in Israel, only 43 percent of Israeli Jews support a military strike on Iran — even though 90 percent of them think that Iran will eventually acquire nuclear weapons.

Most important, when asked whether it would be better for both Israel and Iran to have the bomb, or for neither to have it, 65 percent of Israeli Jews said neither. And a remarkable 64 percent favored the idea of a nuclear-free zone, even when it was explained that this would mean Israel giving up its nuclear weapons.

The Israeli public also seems willing to move away from a secretive nuclear policy toward greater openness about Israel’s nuclear facilities. Sixty percent of respondents favored “a system of full international inspections” of all nuclear facilities, including Israel’s and Iran’s, as a step toward regional disarmament.

# # #

28 Dead Across Syria as Protesters Attempt to Commemorate Hama Massacre | Common Dreams

28 Dead Across Syria as Protesters Attempt to Commemorate Hama Massacre | Common Dreams
Common Dreams staff , February 3, 2012

Today, thousands of Syrians took to the streets again admist a continued government crackdown. Syrians across the country came out to mark the anniversary of the Hama Massacre, which took the lives of tens of thousands of people in the city of Hama in 1982, and to continue their campaign against the ruling Assad regime.

Security forces clashed with opposition forces leaving dozens dead so far.

Al-jazeera reports:

Under the slogan "Hama, forgive us", government opponents called for demonstrators to dress in black and march in honour of the estimated 10,000 to 40,000 people who died. The massacre was the result of a crackdown by late leader Hafez al-Assad, the father of President Bashar al-Assad, on an armed uprising. [...]

[Today] in Hama's central neighbourhood of Junub al-Malaab, security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing at least three people, the Local Co-ordination Committees activist network reported.

Protesters emerged from Friday prayers in the port city of Latakia despite a menacing presence of forces who fired gunshots to disperse the crowds, activists reported. A similar demonstration was held in Yabrod, in Damascus province.

Activists are now reporting that at least 28 have died in clashes today.

* * *

Today, Russia rejected, for the second time, attempts for a UN Resolution on Syria, which is calling for joint action for a 'democratic transition'. As the 'warzone' conditions worsen in Syria, complex national interests continue to grapple over resolution in the region.

'Anonymous' Hacks FBI/Scotland Yard Call on 'Anonymous Hacking' | Common Dreams

'Anonymous' Hacks FBI/Scotland Yard Call on 'Anonymous Hacking' | Common Dreams
Common Dreams staff , February 3, 2012

"Who's on the call right now?"

Anonymous Listens in on FBI, Scotland Yard Hacking Call (ABC News)

An FBI agent in the United States asked the obvious question when joining a conference call between US law enforcement agents and their Scotland Yard counterparts in the UK.

Among those on the call who did not identify themselves, possibly, was a member (or members) of the very group that call was intended to discuss -- the hacking group 'Anonymous'.

As Raw Story reports:

In a stunning release, the mysterious hacker organization “Anonymous” has published audio of an international coordination conference call between the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the British Scotland Yard, revealing officers’ secret communications on investigations into the group’s recent exploits.

The FBI and Scotland Yard have both said they’re investigating how hackers obtained the conference call’s audio. A document published online, presumably by a member of “Anonymous,” reveals that the hacker or hackers were privy to law enforcement email communications, giving them access to the login information for the call.

During the call, which took place on Jan. 17, law enforcement agents discuss their investigations into a number of high profile hacks, and British officials divulge that they had delayed arresting two juveniles to prevent interference with an FBI probe.

Agence France-Presse explains:

Anonymous is a shadowy loose-knit group of international hackers who have taken credit for scores of online attacks over the past few years.

Last month, Anonymous briefly knocked the FBI and Justice Department websites offline in retaliation for the US shutdown of file-sharing site Megaupload.

In late 2010, Anonymous attacked the websites of Amazon, Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and others in retaliation for their decisions to stop working with Julian Assange's anti-secrecy site WikiLeaks.

And The Sun in the UK reports:

The FBI today confirmed hackers intercepted a confidential phone call, saying it is hunting those responsible.

In a statement, the US spy bureau said the information "was intended for law enforcement officers only and was illegally obtained".

Names of some of the suspects mentioned in the recording, which was posted on YouTube, have been bleeped out.

Anonymous also published an email apparently sent by an FBI agent which gave details for accessing the call.

The group gloated in a message on Twitter: "The FBI might be curious how we're able to continuously read their internal comms for some time now."

During the call, the officers and agents are heard discussing the names of people they were tracking, plans for legal action and requests for more time.

The Scotland Yard officers also joked about a conference on cyber-crime in Sheffield, telling the FBI that they had not missed much by not having visited the city before, adding it was "not exactly a jewel in England's crown".

One of the FBI agents also thanked UK police for their support and for trying to give the FBI more time, saying: "I just want to express our gratitude for being flexible on this. I know New York (FBI office) appreciates it, and the FBI as a whole."

One of the UK officers replied: "We're here to help. We've cocked things up in the past, we know that... It's not that much of a hardship."

Among the material published by Anonymous was a message apparently sent by an FBI agent, inviting his foreign counterparts to join the call to "discuss the on-going investigations related to Anonymous...and other associated splinter groups".