Polling: Warga AS Tolak Campur Tangan di Ukraina
Islam
Times- http://www.islamtimes.org/vdchwmnxk23n-6d.yrt2.html
Survei CBS itu menemukan bahwa 61 persen responden mengatakan
bahwa AS tidak memikul tanggung jawab untuk terlibat dalam pertengkaran
antara pemerintah Rusia dan rezim "fasis" Ukraina yang merebut kekuasaan
melalui kudeta dukungan dan bayaran AS dan Uni Eropa.
Vladimir Putin
Jajak pendapat (polling) baru-baru ini menunjukkan bahwa sebagan besar warga Amerika Serikat tidak menganggap AS memiliki kewajiban untuk campur tangan dalam "aneksasi" (bahasa propaganda Barat untuk mendistorsi fakta bergabungnya Crimea yang konstitusional dan sepenuhnya berasal dari keinginan warga setempat, bukan lewat ancaman atau pendudukan militer) Rusia baru-baru ini terhadap Crimea.
Survei CBS itu menemukan bahwa 61 persen responden mengatakan bahwa AS tidak memikul tanggung jawab untuk terlibat dalam pertengkaran antara pemerintah Rusia dan rezim "fasis" Ukraina yang merebut kekuasaan melalui kudeta dukungan dan bayaran AS dan Uni Eropa.
Sementara itu, hanya sekitar 32 persen responden yang mengatakan bahwa AS seharusnya terlibat dalam konflik tersebut. (IT/BN/rj)
Gejolak Ukrania
Mantan anggota Kongres AS, Ron Paul mengatakan Washington telah menghabiskan milyaran dolar uang pembayar pajak Amerika untuk menghancurkan demokrasi di negara-negara di seluruh dunia.
Dalam sebuah artikel yang diterbitkan hari Minggu (23/3/14), Paul menyebut krisis baru-baru ini di Ukraina sebagai contoh baru campur tangan Washington dalam menghancurkan demokrasi.
"Dan apa yang akan didapatkan Ukraina? Demokrasi mereka telah dirusak oleh kudeta yang didukung AS di Kiev. Dalam demokrasi, kekuasaan ditransfer secara damai melalui pemilu, tidak direbut oleh pemberontak di jalan-jalan..." tulis Paul.
"Ini bukan demokrasi dengan mengirim milyaran dolar untuk mendorong perubahan rezim di luar negeri...dengan mengirim LSM untuk menulis kembali hukum dan konstitusi di tempat-tempat seperti Ukraina. Ini bukan urusan kita," tambahnya.
Paul juga menunjuk pidato Asisten Menteri Luar Negeri untuk Urusan Eropa dan Eurasia, Victoria Nuland, bahwa Washington telah "menginvestasikan" sekitar $ 5 milyar untuk "mempromosikan demokrasi" di Ukraina dalam dua dekade terakhir.
Paul mengatakan hal itu setelah mayoritas senator AS menyetujui bantuan keuangan untuk Ukraina dan menjatuhkan sanksi terhadap Rusia.[IT/r]
Perdana menteri interim Ukraina dukungan Barat menuduh Moskow menggunakan segala cara untuk membahayakan negaranya setelah bersatunya Crimea ke Federasi Rusia.
"Jelas bahwa Federasi Rusia akan menggunakan segala cara untuk menghancurkan Ukraina sebagai sebuah negara lewat politik, ekonomi, diplomatik dan militer. Inilah sebabnya kenapa kami menyusun rencana reaksi untuk setiap situasi," kata Arseniy Yatsenyuk pada wartawan di Kiev, Jumat (21/3/14), setelah kembali dari pertemuan puncak Uni Eropa di Brussels.
Yurii Klymenko, Duta Besar Ukraina untuk PBB, mengatakan negaranya sedang mencari akhir damai dalam krisis dengan Rusia meski mengkhawatirkan sinyal tentang rencana Kremlin.
Sementara itu, Vitaly Klitschko, seorang mantan petinju profesional dan pemimpin Aliansi Demokratik Ukraina untuk partai Reformasi, mendesak Amerika untuk menjatuhkan sanksi keras terhadap Rusia.
"Kami berharap sanksi ekonomi yang lebih keras dari Amerika terhadap Rusia. Bukan hanya pada beberapa politisi Rusia tapi juga untuk Rusia sebagai sebuah negara," katanya.
Klitschko juga mencatat bahwa sangat penting bagi Kiev untuk meningkatkan kerjasama militer dengan Washington, khususnya mengenai pasokan senjata dan peralatan militer.
Pada hari Jumat (21/3/14), Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin menandatangani UU yang meresmikan Crimea sebagai bagian dari wilayah Rusia. Putin juga menandatangani UU yang mengesahkan pembentukan dua distrik administratif baru; Crimea dan kota pelabuhan Sevastopol.
Sebelumnya, parlemen tinggi dan rendah Rusia sangat mendukung bergabungnya Crimea ke Federasi Rusia.
Crimea menyatakandiri merdeka dari Ukraina tanggal 17 Maret lalu setelah referendum sehari sebelumnya. Sebanyak 96,8 % warga Crimea mendukung pemisahan diri tersebut. Langkah ini memicu kemarahan Amerika Serikat dan Uni Eropa.[IT/r]
'AS Habiskan Miliaran Dolar Hancurkan Demokrasi'
Islam
Times - http://www.islamtimes.org/vdcdsk0sjyt0996.lp2y.html
Dalam sebuah artikel yang diterbitkan hari Minggu (23/3/14),
Paul menyebut krisis baru-baru ini di Ukraina sebagai contoh baru
campur tangan Washington dalam menghancurkan demokrasi.
Ron Paul, Senator AS.jpg
Mantan anggota Kongres AS, Ron Paul mengatakan Washington telah menghabiskan milyaran dolar uang pembayar pajak Amerika untuk menghancurkan demokrasi di negara-negara di seluruh dunia.
Dalam sebuah artikel yang diterbitkan hari Minggu (23/3/14), Paul menyebut krisis baru-baru ini di Ukraina sebagai contoh baru campur tangan Washington dalam menghancurkan demokrasi.
"Dan apa yang akan didapatkan Ukraina? Demokrasi mereka telah dirusak oleh kudeta yang didukung AS di Kiev. Dalam demokrasi, kekuasaan ditransfer secara damai melalui pemilu, tidak direbut oleh pemberontak di jalan-jalan..." tulis Paul.
"Ini bukan demokrasi dengan mengirim milyaran dolar untuk mendorong perubahan rezim di luar negeri...dengan mengirim LSM untuk menulis kembali hukum dan konstitusi di tempat-tempat seperti Ukraina. Ini bukan urusan kita," tambahnya.
Paul juga menunjuk pidato Asisten Menteri Luar Negeri untuk Urusan Eropa dan Eurasia, Victoria Nuland, bahwa Washington telah "menginvestasikan" sekitar $ 5 milyar untuk "mempromosikan demokrasi" di Ukraina dalam dua dekade terakhir.
Paul mengatakan hal itu setelah mayoritas senator AS menyetujui bantuan keuangan untuk Ukraina dan menjatuhkan sanksi terhadap Rusia.[IT/r]
Ukraina: Rusia Rusak Ukraina dengan Segala Cara
Islam Times - http://www.islamtimes.org/vdcb5abf9rhb0sp.qnur.html
"Jelas bahwa Federasi Rusia akan menggunakan segala cara untuk
menghancurkan Ukraina sebagai sebuah negara lewat politik, ekonomi,
diplomatik dan militer. Inilah sebabnya kenapa kami menyusun rencana
reaksi untuk setiap situasi," kata Arseniy Yatsenyuk pada wartawan di
Kiev, Jumat (21/3/14), setelah kembali dari pertemuan puncak Uni Eropa
di Brussels.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk, PM Ukranina
Perdana menteri interim Ukraina dukungan Barat menuduh Moskow menggunakan segala cara untuk membahayakan negaranya setelah bersatunya Crimea ke Federasi Rusia.
"Jelas bahwa Federasi Rusia akan menggunakan segala cara untuk menghancurkan Ukraina sebagai sebuah negara lewat politik, ekonomi, diplomatik dan militer. Inilah sebabnya kenapa kami menyusun rencana reaksi untuk setiap situasi," kata Arseniy Yatsenyuk pada wartawan di Kiev, Jumat (21/3/14), setelah kembali dari pertemuan puncak Uni Eropa di Brussels.
Yurii Klymenko, Duta Besar Ukraina untuk PBB, mengatakan negaranya sedang mencari akhir damai dalam krisis dengan Rusia meski mengkhawatirkan sinyal tentang rencana Kremlin.
Sementara itu, Vitaly Klitschko, seorang mantan petinju profesional dan pemimpin Aliansi Demokratik Ukraina untuk partai Reformasi, mendesak Amerika untuk menjatuhkan sanksi keras terhadap Rusia.
"Kami berharap sanksi ekonomi yang lebih keras dari Amerika terhadap Rusia. Bukan hanya pada beberapa politisi Rusia tapi juga untuk Rusia sebagai sebuah negara," katanya.
Klitschko juga mencatat bahwa sangat penting bagi Kiev untuk meningkatkan kerjasama militer dengan Washington, khususnya mengenai pasokan senjata dan peralatan militer.
Pada hari Jumat (21/3/14), Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin menandatangani UU yang meresmikan Crimea sebagai bagian dari wilayah Rusia. Putin juga menandatangani UU yang mengesahkan pembentukan dua distrik administratif baru; Crimea dan kota pelabuhan Sevastopol.
Sebelumnya, parlemen tinggi dan rendah Rusia sangat mendukung bergabungnya Crimea ke Federasi Rusia.
Crimea menyatakandiri merdeka dari Ukraina tanggal 17 Maret lalu setelah referendum sehari sebelumnya. Sebanyak 96,8 % warga Crimea mendukung pemisahan diri tersebut. Langkah ini memicu kemarahan Amerika Serikat dan Uni Eropa.[IT/r]
Krisis Ukraina
Panglima tertinggi NATO di Eropa, Jend. Philip Breedlove, memperingatkan Rusia (23/3/14) terhadap setiap upaya menganeksasi Transnistria.
Menteri Luar Negeri Republik Transnistrian Moldova, Nina Shtanski, menyambut baik hasil referendum Crimea untuk menentukan nasib sendiri. Seraya itu, dia mengingatkan bahwa pada 17 September 2006, dalam pemungutan suara yang sama, 97,2 % warga Transnistrians sepakat mendukung upaya menjadi bagian Federasi Rusia.
Presiden Parlemen Transnistria, Mikhail Burla, menyurati mitra Rusianya untuk memintanya meloloskan undang-undang tentang aksesi Transnistria ke Federasi Rusia, sebagaimana yang telah dilakukan pada Crimea.
Sementara itu, Presiden Moldova, Nicolae Timofti, meminta Uni Eropa untuk mempercepat penandatanganan perjanjian asosiasi (bergabung dengan Uni Eropa) agar memiliki kunci dalam lampiran hukum Transnistria untuk negaranya.
Presiden Republik Transnistrian Moldova, Yevgeny Shevchuk, bertolak ke Moskow untuk membahas situasi warga berbahasa Rusia di negaranya pasca penutupan perbatasan Ukraina oleh rezim fasis Kiev hasil kudeta dukungan AS dan sekutunya.
Moldova mendeklarasikan kemerdekaannya pada 19 Agustus 1990. Sama seperti Crimea yang di masa Uni Soviet dilekatkan secara administratif pada Ukraina, Transnistria digabungkan ke Moldova, namun kemudian mendeklarasikan kemerdekaannya seminggu kemudian, yakni pada 1 September.
Namun, Moldova langsung diakui PBB sebagai negara, sementara Transnistria tidak, sehingga selama 24 tahun ini berdiri sebagai negara yang belum diakui. Pada bulan Juni 1992, NATO berusaha mengatasi masalah ini lewat pengerahan kekuatan yang menewaskan 1.000 orang lebih namun terpaksa harus mundur karena mendapat perlawanan dari warga.
Ulasan mengenainya dapat disimak dalam artikel karya Thierry Meyssan, "En 1992, les États-Unis tentèrent d’écraser militairement la Transnistrie" (Pada 1992, NATO berusaha hancurkan militer Transistria), 17 Juli 2007. Sejak itu, keamanan negara dijaga oleh kontingen pasukan penjaga perdamaian Rusia. (IT/VN/rj)
Dalam apresiasi besar atas pengorbanan tentara Suriah dalam melawan elemen-elemen Takfiri, para mahasiswa dan masyarakat menggelar aksi demo akbar mengecam beberapa negara Arab yang terlibat dalam KTT Liga Arab, termasuk Arab Saudi dan Qatar.
Para mahasiswa dan masyarakat itu melancarkan aksi damai dan aksi duduk di Universitas al-Baath di propinsi Homs pada Selasa, 25/03/14.
Mereka mengangkat bendera nasional dan meneriakkan slogan-slogan yang menyerukan kemenangan bagi rakyat Suriah dan tentaranya.
Selain itu mereka juga menunjukkan bahwa Suriah akan tetap menjadi benteng teguh dan tanah air bagi seluruh Arab. [IT/Onh/Ass]
Transnistria akan Gabung dengan Federasi Rusia
Islam
Times - http://www.islamtimes.org/vdcammney49nim1.h8k4.html
Presiden Republik Transnistrian Moldova, Yevgeny Shevchuk,
bertolak ke Moskow untuk membahas situasi warga berbahasa Rusia di
negaranya pasca penutupan perbatasan Ukraina oleh rezim fasis Kiev hasil
kudeta dukungan AS dan sekutunya.
Transnistria (conservativehomes.blogs)
Panglima tertinggi NATO di Eropa, Jend. Philip Breedlove, memperingatkan Rusia (23/3/14) terhadap setiap upaya menganeksasi Transnistria.
Menteri Luar Negeri Republik Transnistrian Moldova, Nina Shtanski, menyambut baik hasil referendum Crimea untuk menentukan nasib sendiri. Seraya itu, dia mengingatkan bahwa pada 17 September 2006, dalam pemungutan suara yang sama, 97,2 % warga Transnistrians sepakat mendukung upaya menjadi bagian Federasi Rusia.
Presiden Parlemen Transnistria, Mikhail Burla, menyurati mitra Rusianya untuk memintanya meloloskan undang-undang tentang aksesi Transnistria ke Federasi Rusia, sebagaimana yang telah dilakukan pada Crimea.
Sementara itu, Presiden Moldova, Nicolae Timofti, meminta Uni Eropa untuk mempercepat penandatanganan perjanjian asosiasi (bergabung dengan Uni Eropa) agar memiliki kunci dalam lampiran hukum Transnistria untuk negaranya.
Presiden Republik Transnistrian Moldova, Yevgeny Shevchuk, bertolak ke Moskow untuk membahas situasi warga berbahasa Rusia di negaranya pasca penutupan perbatasan Ukraina oleh rezim fasis Kiev hasil kudeta dukungan AS dan sekutunya.
Moldova mendeklarasikan kemerdekaannya pada 19 Agustus 1990. Sama seperti Crimea yang di masa Uni Soviet dilekatkan secara administratif pada Ukraina, Transnistria digabungkan ke Moldova, namun kemudian mendeklarasikan kemerdekaannya seminggu kemudian, yakni pada 1 September.
Namun, Moldova langsung diakui PBB sebagai negara, sementara Transnistria tidak, sehingga selama 24 tahun ini berdiri sebagai negara yang belum diakui. Pada bulan Juni 1992, NATO berusaha mengatasi masalah ini lewat pengerahan kekuatan yang menewaskan 1.000 orang lebih namun terpaksa harus mundur karena mendapat perlawanan dari warga.
Ulasan mengenainya dapat disimak dalam artikel karya Thierry Meyssan, "En 1992, les États-Unis tentèrent d’écraser militairement la Transnistrie" (Pada 1992, NATO berusaha hancurkan militer Transistria), 17 Juli 2007. Sejak itu, keamanan negara dijaga oleh kontingen pasukan penjaga perdamaian Rusia. (IT/VN/rj)
Hegemoni Global AS
Menurut komunitas intelijen Afghanistan, agen mata-mata asing berada di balik serangan berdarah pekan lalu di sebuah hotel mewah yang menewaskan sembilan orang. Demikian ungkap blog intelnews.
Kamis malam pekan lalu (20/3), sekelompok pemuda memasuki hotel bintang lima, Serena, yang hanya beberapa blok jauhnya dari Istana Kepresidenan dan gedung kementerian utama di ibukota Afghanistan, Kabul. Tiga jam kemudian, para lelaki yang menyembunyikan pistol di sepatunya itu memasuki restoran hotel dan menembaki para pelanggan tanpa pandang bulu.
Meski akhirnya ditembak mati pasukan khusus Afghanistan, mereka berhasil menembak lebih dari selusin orang dalam jarak dekat, yang menewaskan sembilan orang, termasuk dua warga Kanada, seorang warga Amerika, dan seorang warga Paraguay. Empat anak dan seorang wartawan senior AFP termasuk di antara yang tewas, sementara korban luka-luka termasuk seorang anggota parlemen Afghanistan.
Banyak pihak yang menuding Taliban atau jaringan Haqqani (kelompok militan takfiri yang bertanggung jawab atas serangan tak terbilang jumlahnya di Kabul dan kota-kota Afghanistan lainnya) sebagai pelaku serangan. Segera setelah kejadian itu, Taliban mengeluarkan pernyataan yang mengklaim bertanggung jawab atas serangan tersebut, yang dimaksudkan untuk menunjukan betapa mudah ditembusnya langkah-langkah keamanan pemerintah Afghanistan.
Pada hari Senin (24/3), siaran pers yang dikeluarkan Kantor Presiden Afghanistan mengatakan bahwa pihak yang berada di balik serangan itu adalah "dinas intelijen asing", bukan kelompok militan setempat. Siaran pers yang dibubuhi tanda tangan Presiden Afghanistan Hamid Karzai itu mengatakan, para pejabat intelijen dari Direktorat Keamanan Nasional telah menjelaskan kepada Dewan Keamanan Nasional Afghanistan ihwal temuan dari investigasi atas serangan itu.
Dalam pernyataan yang dikeluarkan dalam bahasa Pashtun dan Inggris itu, kantor kepresidenan mengatakan bahwa baik Taliban maupun jaringan Haqqani "bahkan mengetahui" bahwa serangan di Hotel Serena akan terjadi. Sebaliknya, operasi itu "merupakan serangan langsung oleh dinas intelijen luar negeri", ujar pernyataan itu.
Pengumuman selanjutnya yang dikeluarkan pemerintah Afghanistan menyalahkan badan intelijen Pakistan, dengan mengatakan bahwa mereka terlibat langsung dalam serangan itu. Juga dinyatakan bahwa "diplomat Pakistan" yang tidak disebutkan namanya tertangkap kamera dalam Hotel Serena "beberapa waktu lalu". Kementerian Luar Negeri Pakistan menolak tuduhan Kabul, seraya mengatakan bahwa upaya itu "sangat mengganggu, yang dilakukan untuk, entah bagaimana, melibatkan Pakistan dalam insiden teroris ini." (IT/rj)
Afghanistan: "Agen Rahasia Asing Pelaku Serangan Berdarah di Hotel"
Islam
Times-
Tiga jam kemudian, para lelaki yang menyembunyikan pistol di
sepatunya itu memasuki restoran hotel dan menembaki para pelanggan tanpa
pandang bulu.
Serangan bom di hotel Kabul
Menurut komunitas intelijen Afghanistan, agen mata-mata asing berada di balik serangan berdarah pekan lalu di sebuah hotel mewah yang menewaskan sembilan orang. Demikian ungkap blog intelnews.
Kamis malam pekan lalu (20/3), sekelompok pemuda memasuki hotel bintang lima, Serena, yang hanya beberapa blok jauhnya dari Istana Kepresidenan dan gedung kementerian utama di ibukota Afghanistan, Kabul. Tiga jam kemudian, para lelaki yang menyembunyikan pistol di sepatunya itu memasuki restoran hotel dan menembaki para pelanggan tanpa pandang bulu.
Meski akhirnya ditembak mati pasukan khusus Afghanistan, mereka berhasil menembak lebih dari selusin orang dalam jarak dekat, yang menewaskan sembilan orang, termasuk dua warga Kanada, seorang warga Amerika, dan seorang warga Paraguay. Empat anak dan seorang wartawan senior AFP termasuk di antara yang tewas, sementara korban luka-luka termasuk seorang anggota parlemen Afghanistan.
Banyak pihak yang menuding Taliban atau jaringan Haqqani (kelompok militan takfiri yang bertanggung jawab atas serangan tak terbilang jumlahnya di Kabul dan kota-kota Afghanistan lainnya) sebagai pelaku serangan. Segera setelah kejadian itu, Taliban mengeluarkan pernyataan yang mengklaim bertanggung jawab atas serangan tersebut, yang dimaksudkan untuk menunjukan betapa mudah ditembusnya langkah-langkah keamanan pemerintah Afghanistan.
Pada hari Senin (24/3), siaran pers yang dikeluarkan Kantor Presiden Afghanistan mengatakan bahwa pihak yang berada di balik serangan itu adalah "dinas intelijen asing", bukan kelompok militan setempat. Siaran pers yang dibubuhi tanda tangan Presiden Afghanistan Hamid Karzai itu mengatakan, para pejabat intelijen dari Direktorat Keamanan Nasional telah menjelaskan kepada Dewan Keamanan Nasional Afghanistan ihwal temuan dari investigasi atas serangan itu.
Dalam pernyataan yang dikeluarkan dalam bahasa Pashtun dan Inggris itu, kantor kepresidenan mengatakan bahwa baik Taliban maupun jaringan Haqqani "bahkan mengetahui" bahwa serangan di Hotel Serena akan terjadi. Sebaliknya, operasi itu "merupakan serangan langsung oleh dinas intelijen luar negeri", ujar pernyataan itu.
Pengumuman selanjutnya yang dikeluarkan pemerintah Afghanistan menyalahkan badan intelijen Pakistan, dengan mengatakan bahwa mereka terlibat langsung dalam serangan itu. Juga dinyatakan bahwa "diplomat Pakistan" yang tidak disebutkan namanya tertangkap kamera dalam Hotel Serena "beberapa waktu lalu". Kementerian Luar Negeri Pakistan menolak tuduhan Kabul, seraya mengatakan bahwa upaya itu "sangat mengganggu, yang dilakukan untuk, entah bagaimana, melibatkan Pakistan dalam insiden teroris ini." (IT/rj)
Ribuan Mahasiswa dan Masyarakat Dukung Tentara Suriah
Islam
Times-
Mereka mengangkat bendera nasional dan meneriakkan slogan-slogan
yang menyerukan kemenangan bagi rakyat Suriah dan tentaranya.
Demo Mahasiswa dan rakyat Suriah
Dalam apresiasi besar atas pengorbanan tentara Suriah dalam melawan elemen-elemen Takfiri, para mahasiswa dan masyarakat menggelar aksi demo akbar mengecam beberapa negara Arab yang terlibat dalam KTT Liga Arab, termasuk Arab Saudi dan Qatar.
Para mahasiswa dan masyarakat itu melancarkan aksi damai dan aksi duduk di Universitas al-Baath di propinsi Homs pada Selasa, 25/03/14.
Mereka mengangkat bendera nasional dan meneriakkan slogan-slogan yang menyerukan kemenangan bagi rakyat Suriah dan tentaranya.
Selain itu mereka juga menunjukkan bahwa Suriah akan tetap menjadi benteng teguh dan tanah air bagi seluruh Arab. [IT/Onh/Ass]
U.S., Ukraine refuse to recognize Russia’s seizure of Crimea
- President Barack Obama, center rear, gathered with G7 world leaders clockwise from ... more >
Related Stories
The Obama administration issued a joint statement with Ukraine Tuesday condemning Russia’s takeover of the Crimea and saying the U.S. will help Ukraine keep its “territorial integrity.”
“Ukraine and the United States emphasize that they will not recognize Russia’s illegal attempt to annex Crimea,” the nations said. “Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine.
”SEE ALSO: U.S., Ukraine refuse to recognize Russia’s seizure of Crimea
Ukraine ordered the withdrawal of its troops Monday from the peninsula, effectively surrendering the territory to Russia, whose forces have occupied the region and seized Ukrainian military bases.
President Obama has imposed sanctions against members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, and the U.S. led an effort to suspend Russia Monday from the G-8 international coalition. Mr. Obama has ruled out military action against Russia.
“As the people of Ukraine work to restore unity, peace, and security to their country, the United States will stand by their side,” the statement said.
“Ukraine and the United States emphasize that they will not recognize Russia’s illegal attempt to annex Crimea,” the nations said. “Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine.
”SEE ALSO: U.S., Ukraine refuse to recognize Russia’s seizure of Crimea
Ukraine ordered the withdrawal of its troops Monday from the peninsula, effectively surrendering the territory to Russia, whose forces have occupied the region and seized Ukrainian military bases.
President Obama has imposed sanctions against members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, and the U.S. led an effort to suspend Russia Monday from the G-8 international coalition. Mr. Obama has ruled out military action against Russia.
“As the people of Ukraine work to restore unity, peace, and security to their country, the United States will stand by their side,” the statement said.
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/25/us-ukraine-refuse-recognize-russias-seizure-crimea/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS#ixzz2x2UDe3F5
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Obama’s Russia sanctions unlikely to make impact, experts say
http://world.einnews.com/article/196870237/SfglZAUktT5VLNog?n=1&code=lCtThc8XIaCtSyaE
U.S. President Barack Obama, left, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, center, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, attend the opening session of the Nuclear Summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Monday, March 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Yves Herman, POOL)
If history is any guide, sanctions imposed by the Obama administration on Russian officials, individuals and a bank as punishment for Russia’s actions in Ukraine are unlikely to defuse a crisis that has been likened to the Cold War.
SEE ALSO: Obama doubts Russian retreat in Ukraine, threatens tougher sanctions
In Syria, Bashar Assad’s forces show no sign of ending a 3-year-old civil war that has killed more than 100,000 and displaced close to 9 million Syrians.
In Cuba, the Castro brothers cling to power despite five decades of U.S. sanctions.
And in North Korea, sanctions have done little to convince Kim Jong-un to give up his quest for nuclear weapons.
“Most open sanctions, a slap in your face, fail,” said Donald Losman, lecturer in international affairs at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.
“These ones, too, will fail,” he added, referring to sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Russians this month in response to Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine and its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
The U.S. has so far imposed sanctions on 31 Russians and Ukrainians, and has frozen the assets of Bank of Rossiya, a Russian bank with $10 billion in assets. The European Union has penalized 33 individuals.
Those on the blacklist are barred from traveling to the U.S. or to any of the 28 members of the European Union, and any assets they might have in U.S. or European banks have been frozen. It is unclear whether these individuals have assets in the U.S. or EU.
“The sanctions that have been imposed so far on Russian entities and individuals have been very, very modest; certainly not enough to compel Russia to change its behavior,” said Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
“But even if you imposed comprehensive sanctions on Russia, I would be extremely doubtful that it would change their course of action at this point,” he added.
Sanctions, regardless of their bite, will not be enough to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to give up the Crimean Peninsula, say analysts and former officials.
“[The annexation of Crimea] is wrong, it is illegal, but I don’t think President Putin will give back Crimea,” said R. Nicholas Burns, who served as the under secretary of state for political affairs in President George W. Bush’s second term.
“Unfortunately, it seems like a done deal,” he added.
If Russian forces were to withdraw from the Crimean Peninsula, Mr. Putin “wouldn’t be in power the next day because he has put his personal stake on this,” said Mr. Drezner.
Story Continues →
Syria, North Korea and Cuba
stand out as stark examples of countries where years — even decades —
of Western sanctions have failed to moderate the targeted regime’s
behavior.
In Syria, Bashar Assad’s forces show no sign of ending a 3-year-old civil war that has killed more than 100,000 and displaced close to 9 million Syrians.
In Cuba, the Castro brothers cling to power despite five decades of U.S. sanctions.
And in North Korea, sanctions have done little to convince Kim Jong-un to give up his quest for nuclear weapons.
“Most open sanctions, a slap in your face, fail,” said Donald Losman, lecturer in international affairs at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.
“These ones, too, will fail,” he added, referring to sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Russians this month in response to Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine and its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
The U.S. has so far imposed sanctions on 31 Russians and Ukrainians, and has frozen the assets of Bank of Rossiya, a Russian bank with $10 billion in assets. The European Union has penalized 33 individuals.
Those on the blacklist are barred from traveling to the U.S. or to any of the 28 members of the European Union, and any assets they might have in U.S. or European banks have been frozen. It is unclear whether these individuals have assets in the U.S. or EU.
“The sanctions that have been imposed so far on Russian entities and individuals have been very, very modest; certainly not enough to compel Russia to change its behavior,” said Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
“But even if you imposed comprehensive sanctions on Russia, I would be extremely doubtful that it would change their course of action at this point,” he added.
Sanctions, regardless of their bite, will not be enough to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to give up the Crimean Peninsula, say analysts and former officials.
“[The annexation of Crimea] is wrong, it is illegal, but I don’t think President Putin will give back Crimea,” said R. Nicholas Burns, who served as the under secretary of state for political affairs in President George W. Bush’s second term.
“Unfortunately, it seems like a done deal,” he added.
If Russian forces were to withdraw from the Crimean Peninsula, Mr. Putin “wouldn’t be in power the next day because he has put his personal stake on this,” said Mr. Drezner.
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/25/obama-russia-sanctions-unlikely-make-impact-exper/#ixzz2x2gA5DfN
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
THE..... INTERMEZZOOOO.........!!!!
Have You Seen The Daughter of The King of Saudi Arabia?
Don’t be surprised, but the daughter of the King of Saudi Arabia is a beautiful, modern woman, who doesn’t mind going out in public wearing only a scarf on her head and showing a bit of her hair!
Adlah bint Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz Al Saoud, is a modern women, who calls for the freedom of women and who believes that “Al Niqab” is more of a tradition, while the scarf is more of what Islam calls for!
Adlah sat in for an interview with the French newspaper “Le Figaro” and shared her views about marriage, Hijab, work for women and social media.
Adlah Al Saoud Photos
Adlah is an active woman in Saudi Arabia. She participates in welcoming foreign delegations, she attends plays and events, she poses for photos with young women and men.
Adlah sees that there’s a real problem with underage marriages and calls for setting the rules straight and setting an age for marriage.
She also sees no problem in women and men working side by side, as long as there’s mutual respect and laws that indict harassment.
What do you think?
Does she make for a good model for the Saudi women?
Is there still hope for the liberation of the Saudi woman in her own country?
Here’s The Real Reason Why Photos Of Bin Laden’s Body Haven’t Been Released
There are a lot of puzzled expressions
on people’s faces when it comes to the subject of the late Osama Bin
Laden and why the White House has not authorized the release of any
pictures of the body.
Photographs and video were released of
Saddam Hussein’s hanging, as well as post-mortem pictures of his
criminal sons, Uday and Qusay, after Delta Force took them out. Why not
release a few pictures of Public Enemy #1 to prove that he is dead and
show the world what happens when you take on the US of A?
Matt Bissonnette, one of the SEAL Team
Six operators on the raid, partially outs the reason in his book, No
Easy Day. The book reads, “In his death throes, he was still twitching
and convulsing. Another assaulter and I trained our lasers on his chest
and fired several rounds. The bullets tore into him, slamming his body
into the floor until he was motionless” (No Easy Day, Chapter 15).
But this is perhaps the most measured
and polite description that one could give of how operator after
operator took turns dumping magazines-worth of ammunition into Bin
Laden’s body, two confidential sources within the community have told
us. When all was said and done, UBL had over a hundred bullets in him,
by the most conservative estimate.
But was it illegal? Under the Laws of
Land Warfare, a soldier is fully authorized to put a few insurance
rounds into his target after he goes down. Provided the enemy is not
surrendering, it is morally, legally, and ethically appropriate to shoot
the body a few times to ensure that he is really dead and no longer a
threat. However, what happened on the Bin Laden raid is beyond
excessive. The level of excess shown was not about making sure that Bin
Laden was no longer a threat. The excess was pure self-indulgence.
You may not care if Bin Laden got some
extra holes punched in him, few of us do, but what should concern you is
a trend within certain special operations units to engage in this type
of self-indulgent, and ultimately criminal, behavior. Gone unchecked,
these actions get worse over time.
The real issue is not that Bin Laden was
turned into Swiss cheese, but rather that this type of behavior has
become a Standard Operating Procedure in this unit. Of course, these
attitudes and behaviors do not come out of nowhere.
Endless back-to-back combat deployments, PTSD, broken families, and war
itself all plays into it.
Now you know the real reason why the
Obama administration has not released pictures of Osama Bin Laden’s
corpse. To do so would show the world a body filled with a ridiculous
number of gunshot wounds. The picture itself would likely cause an
international scandal, and investigations would be conducted which could
uncover other operations, activities which many will do anything to
keep buried.
NATO Concerned About Russian Military Buildup Near Ukraine Border
http://world.einnews.com/article/196872081/i08PmIGjM74Wx7-S?n=1&code=lCtThc8XIaCtSyaE
Ukrainian
soldiers fortify a position with sandbags at a Ukrainian Army military
camp set up close to the Russian border in east Ukraine on March 20.
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TEXT SIZE
March 25, 2014
NATO
Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has expressed concern about a
large increase in Russian troops and armaments along Ukraine's eastern
frontier following its annexation of Crimea.
"I can assure you that we are very much concerned about the Russian military buildup along the borders of Ukraine," Rasmussen said. "We are, as an alliance, focused on providing effective deterrence and defense. And all NATO allies can be assured of our determination to provide effective defense."
Speaking in Brussels on March 25, Rasmussen said NATO is ready to defend all its members and offer assistance to Kyiv.
"We are also in the process of discussing with Ukraine how we can enhance our support for Ukraine," Rasmussen said.
In The Hague, the United States accused Russia of violating its commitments under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum by seizing and annexing Crimea from Ukraine.
In a joint statement issued at a nuclear security summit, the United States and Ukraine said Russia's actions in Crimea "undermine the foundation of the global security architecture and endanger European peace and security."
G7 leaders also warned Russia it faces economic sanctions if it continues to destabilize Ukraine after annexing Crimea.
The G7 leaders issued the statement after an emergency meeting in The Hague on March 24 on the sidelines of the nuclear security summit.
They also said they were suspending cooperation with Russia in the G8 until Moscow "changes course." They also canceled a planned G8 summit in Sochi in June.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov -- also in The Hague -- dismissed the G8 boycott.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Kyiv approved the resignation of acting Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh over his handling of the Crimea crisis and approved the nomination of General Mykhaylo Koval as his replacement.
Tenyukh submitted his resignation on March 25 amid criticism that he had failed to give timely orders to Ukrainian military units in Crimea during its occupation and annexation by Russia.
Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr Turchynov had requested that Tenyukh be relieved of his duties.
In Berlin, the New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) says two Ukrainian political activists were beaten and one tortured by pro-Russian forces in Crimea.
HRW says Andriy Schekun and Anatoliy Kovalsky -- who had gone to Crimea to organize pro-Ukraine rallies ahead of the March 16 referendum on Crimea's status -- were detained, interrogated, and beaten for 11 days before being released.
HRW said Schekun had received electric shocks, was tied up, and often kept naked.
Hugh Williamson, HRW's Europe and Central Asia director, said "these horrendous arbitrary detentions and the allegation of torture in Crimea urgently demand a thorough investigation."
The fates of up to six Ukrainian military officers remain unknown following the takeover of Crimean bases in recent days by Russian forces.
The commander of a Ukrainian air base in Crimea, Colonel Yuliy Mamchur, was captured last weekend after Russian forces stormed the Belbek air base.
Mamchur's aides believe he is being held in the Russian Black Sea Fleet's home port of Sevastopol.
HRW says five other Ukrainian military officers and three activists also remain missing in Crimea.
In the western Ukrainian city of Rivne, a leader of the ultranationalist Right Sector movement, Oleksandr Muzychko, was killed overnight on March 24-25.
First Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Yevdokimov said he was fatally wounded while security forces were trying to detain him during a special operation.
An international arrest warrant was issued for Muzychko this month for his alleged killing of Russian military personnel during the Chechen war in the mid-1990s.
"I can assure you that we are very much concerned about the Russian military buildup along the borders of Ukraine," Rasmussen said. "We are, as an alliance, focused on providing effective deterrence and defense. And all NATO allies can be assured of our determination to provide effective defense."
Speaking in Brussels on March 25, Rasmussen said NATO is ready to defend all its members and offer assistance to Kyiv.
"We are also in the process of discussing with Ukraine how we can enhance our support for Ukraine," Rasmussen said.
RFE/RL LIVE BLOG on the Ukraine Crisis
In The Hague, the United States accused Russia of violating its commitments under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum by seizing and annexing Crimea from Ukraine.
In a joint statement issued at a nuclear security summit, the United States and Ukraine said Russia's actions in Crimea "undermine the foundation of the global security architecture and endanger European peace and security."
G7 leaders also warned Russia it faces economic sanctions if it continues to destabilize Ukraine after annexing Crimea.
The G7 leaders issued the statement after an emergency meeting in The Hague on March 24 on the sidelines of the nuclear security summit.
They also said they were suspending cooperation with Russia in the G8 until Moscow "changes course." They also canceled a planned G8 summit in Sochi in June.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov -- also in The Hague -- dismissed the G8 boycott.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Kyiv approved the resignation of acting Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh over his handling of the Crimea crisis and approved the nomination of General Mykhaylo Koval as his replacement.
Tenyukh submitted his resignation on March 25 amid criticism that he had failed to give timely orders to Ukrainian military units in Crimea during its occupation and annexation by Russia.
Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr Turchynov had requested that Tenyukh be relieved of his duties.
In Berlin, the New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) says two Ukrainian political activists were beaten and one tortured by pro-Russian forces in Crimea.
HRW says Andriy Schekun and Anatoliy Kovalsky -- who had gone to Crimea to organize pro-Ukraine rallies ahead of the March 16 referendum on Crimea's status -- were detained, interrogated, and beaten for 11 days before being released.
HRW said Schekun had received electric shocks, was tied up, and often kept naked.
Hugh Williamson, HRW's Europe and Central Asia director, said "these horrendous arbitrary detentions and the allegation of torture in Crimea urgently demand a thorough investigation."
The fates of up to six Ukrainian military officers remain unknown following the takeover of Crimean bases in recent days by Russian forces.
The commander of a Ukrainian air base in Crimea, Colonel Yuliy Mamchur, was captured last weekend after Russian forces stormed the Belbek air base.
Mamchur's aides believe he is being held in the Russian Black Sea Fleet's home port of Sevastopol.
HRW says five other Ukrainian military officers and three activists also remain missing in Crimea.
In the western Ukrainian city of Rivne, a leader of the ultranationalist Right Sector movement, Oleksandr Muzychko, was killed overnight on March 24-25.
First Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Yevdokimov said he was fatally wounded while security forces were trying to detain him during a special operation.
An international arrest warrant was issued for Muzychko this month for his alleged killing of Russian military personnel during the Chechen war in the mid-1990s.
Based on reporting by Reuters, dpa, AP, and Interfax
Alaska petition to secede to Russia going strong at 18K signers
- Two men enjoy the view and take pictures of Cook Inlet and ... more >
A
petition that seeks to put Alaska back under Russian control has
garnered more than 18,000 signatures in just a few days — about a fifth
of what’s needed to capture a formal White House look.
The petition, called “Alaska Back to Russia,” was created by a resident of Anchorage who declined to list his name, but instead gave only the initials of S.V., United Press International reported.
The petition was first circulated last week and so far, it’s garnered more than 18,000 signatures. If a total of 100,000 sign on by April 20, the Obama administration will supposedly issue a formal response.
The petition — a bit grammatically challenged — nonetheless states: “Groups Siberian Russians crossed the Isthmus (now the Bering Strait) 16-10 thousand years ago. Russian began to settle on the Arctic coast, Aleuts inhabited the Aleutian Archipelago. First visited Alaska August 21, 1732, members of the team boat St. Gabriel under the surveyor Gvozdev and assistant navigator I. Fedorov during the expedition Shestakov and DI Pavlutski 1729-1735 years … Vote for secession of Alaska from the United States and joining Russia.”
The United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million in 1867.
A similar petition from Texas that sought secession from the United States received more than 100,000 signatures, UPI reported. Then, the White House responded: “Our founding fathers established the Constitution of the United States ‘in order to form a more perfect union’ through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self government. They enshrined in that document the right to change our national government through the power of the ballot — a right that generations of Americans have fought to secure for all. But they did not provide a right to walk away from it.”
The petition, called “Alaska Back to Russia,” was created by a resident of Anchorage who declined to list his name, but instead gave only the initials of S.V., United Press International reported.
The petition was first circulated last week and so far, it’s garnered more than 18,000 signatures. If a total of 100,000 sign on by April 20, the Obama administration will supposedly issue a formal response.
The petition — a bit grammatically challenged — nonetheless states: “Groups Siberian Russians crossed the Isthmus (now the Bering Strait) 16-10 thousand years ago. Russian began to settle on the Arctic coast, Aleuts inhabited the Aleutian Archipelago. First visited Alaska August 21, 1732, members of the team boat St. Gabriel under the surveyor Gvozdev and assistant navigator I. Fedorov during the expedition Shestakov and DI Pavlutski 1729-1735 years … Vote for secession of Alaska from the United States and joining Russia.”
The United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million in 1867.
A similar petition from Texas that sought secession from the United States received more than 100,000 signatures, UPI reported. Then, the White House responded: “Our founding fathers established the Constitution of the United States ‘in order to form a more perfect union’ through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self government. They enshrined in that document the right to change our national government through the power of the ballot — a right that generations of Americans have fought to secure for all. But they did not provide a right to walk away from it.”
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/25/alaska-petition-secede-russia-going-strong-18k-sig/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS#ixzz2x32nxHgm
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
Ukraine Unspun
http://world.einnews.com/article/196867282/hqBpyjC3a6SpPAZy?n=1&code=lCtThc8XIaCtSyaE
Russian TV Anchor Implies Jews Brought Holocaust On Themselves
Evelina Zakamskaya, an anchor for the state-funded Rossia 24, appeared to accuse Jews of bringing the Holocaust on themselves.
TEXT SIZE
March 24, 2014
Russian state TV
hosts have consistently repeated the Kremlin line that Kyiv's new
government is run by "fascists" and "anti-Semites."
In a strange twist, they have also sometimes questioned why Jewish Ukrainians or Jewish Russians might support the new government.
Evelina Zakamskaya, an anchor on the state-funded Rossia 24 TV channel, accelerated the innuendo still further on March 23 in an interview with Aleksandr Prokhanov, a writer who recently admitted to hoping for a new Cold War.
Here's the transcript [emphasis mine]:
Prokhanov: "It's strange that these Jewish organizations -- European and our Russian ones -- support the Maidan. What are they doing? Don't they understand that with their own hands they're bringing a second Holocaust?
Zakamskaya: They did it the first time too.
Prokhanov: It's an amazing blindness that is being repeated again. Until 1933 many liberal European organizations fed the Fuhrer.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxbYEIUmvvM">YouTube</a>
There is, of course, a documented history of European and Russian appeasement of Hitler. But neither Zakamskaya nor Prokhanov are clear about how they believe Jews caused their own mass murder.
As for the current crisis, a coalition of Ukrainian Jewish leaders did dispute Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims of rising anti-Semitism in Ukraine and there have been Jewish participants in the pro-European Maidan movement from the very beginning. But Muslim Crimean Tatars and Russian-speaking Ukrainians have also participated -- the latter group also singled out for "protection" by Moscow.
In Russia itself, there does not appear to be any evidence that the Jewish community has any greater stake in the Maidan movement than the rest of the population.
But the charge has a familiar history in Russia, where Josef Stalin initiated a campaign after World War II to purge "rootless cosmopolitans" -- a euphemism for unpatriotic Jewish intellectuals -- that lasted until the Soviet dictator's death in 1953.
In a segment produced in late February, Dmitry Kiselyov, the new head of Russia's reorganized state propaganda agency, uses this very trope against the chief editor of "New Times," a liberal Russian magazine.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R63aSNnHmPE">YouTube</a>
Kiselyov rails against Albats and other Jews who support protesters in Ukraine for not being more aware of their history. A picture of Albats looms in the background with the Hebrew words -- apparently written backwards by mistake -- "what kind of Jew are you?"
In lecturing Jews on who they should support and why, though, Kiselyov and others may be speaking to a wider Russian audience with a wholly more nefarious message: We can't trust these "rootless cosmopolitans."
-- Glenn Kates
In a strange twist, they have also sometimes questioned why Jewish Ukrainians or Jewish Russians might support the new government.
Evelina Zakamskaya, an anchor on the state-funded Rossia 24 TV channel, accelerated the innuendo still further on March 23 in an interview with Aleksandr Prokhanov, a writer who recently admitted to hoping for a new Cold War.
Here's the transcript [emphasis mine]:
Prokhanov: "It's strange that these Jewish organizations -- European and our Russian ones -- support the Maidan. What are they doing? Don't they understand that with their own hands they're bringing a second Holocaust?
Zakamskaya: They did it the first time too.
Prokhanov: It's an amazing blindness that is being repeated again. Until 1933 many liberal European organizations fed the Fuhrer.
There is, of course, a documented history of European and Russian appeasement of Hitler. But neither Zakamskaya nor Prokhanov are clear about how they believe Jews caused their own mass murder.
As for the current crisis, a coalition of Ukrainian Jewish leaders did dispute Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims of rising anti-Semitism in Ukraine and there have been Jewish participants in the pro-European Maidan movement from the very beginning. But Muslim Crimean Tatars and Russian-speaking Ukrainians have also participated -- the latter group also singled out for "protection" by Moscow.
In Russia itself, there does not appear to be any evidence that the Jewish community has any greater stake in the Maidan movement than the rest of the population.
But the charge has a familiar history in Russia, where Josef Stalin initiated a campaign after World War II to purge "rootless cosmopolitans" -- a euphemism for unpatriotic Jewish intellectuals -- that lasted until the Soviet dictator's death in 1953.
In a segment produced in late February, Dmitry Kiselyov, the new head of Russia's reorganized state propaganda agency, uses this very trope against the chief editor of "New Times," a liberal Russian magazine.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R63aSNnHmPE">YouTube</a>
Kiselyov rails against Albats and other Jews who support protesters in Ukraine for not being more aware of their history. A picture of Albats looms in the background with the Hebrew words -- apparently written backwards by mistake -- "what kind of Jew are you?"
In lecturing Jews on who they should support and why, though, Kiselyov and others may be speaking to a wider Russian audience with a wholly more nefarious message: We can't trust these "rootless cosmopolitans."
-- Glenn Kates
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