Now you can be arrested for any offence by John Steele

Police are to be given sweeping powers to arrest people for every offence, including dropping litter, failure to wear a seat belt and other minor misdemeanours.

The measures, which come into force on Jan 1, are the biggest expansion in decades of police powers to deprive people of their liberty.

Canada's Thinker-activists and Critics of Globalization by Michael Keefer

The unpleasant neologism of “Geo/Cultural/Politics” is intended as one marker of a sequence of unmaskings I would like to offer here—and as a compressed way of saying that globalization, though represented by its advocates in discourses strongly flavoured with claims both of economic rationality and of historical inevitability, is in actuality a political project designed to enhance, at the expense of everyone else, the geopolitical power of social elites associated with trans-national corporate interests;1 that it does so through an economics of piracy sustained by barely-concealed threats of violence on the part of state powers controlled by those same interests;2 and that this project is both associated with and to a significant degree propagated by particular forms of cultural representation and socio-cultural reproduction, and also dedicated to the destruction of competing forms of representation and social reproduction.3 But perhaps the best apology for this neologism, this act of compression, might be to suggest that the phenomenon itself is uglier than any language I can use in describing and analyzing it.

Nuking Iran With the UN's Blessing by Jorge Hirsch

In the "global war on terror," Iran is the next target, having been designated by the U.S. State Department [.pdf] as "the most active state sponsor of terrorism" in the world. The United Nations has given its blessing, and the U.S. will fill in the blanks.

Bolivia's Evo Morales Shifts the Hemispheric Balance of Power by Dr. Michael A. Weinstein

In the first of the wave of year-long presidential elections in Latin America to mark a significant shift in the Western Hemispheric balance of power between the United States and Brazil, Bolivians voted into power Evo Morales who is pledged to end Bolivia's dependence on the United States and to join the forces of regional autonomy and integration.

Israel's War Deadline Iran in the Crosshairs by JAMES PETRAS

Never has an imminent war been so loudly and publicly advertised as Israel's forthcoming military attack against Iran. When the Israeli Military Chief of Staff, Daniel Halutz, was asked how far Israel was ready to go to stop Iran's nuclear energy program, he said "Two thousand kilometers" ­ the distance of an air assault.

More specifically Israeli military sources reveal that Israel's current and probably next Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered Israel's armed forces to prepare for air strikes on uranium enrichment sites in Iran According to the London Times the order to prepare for attack went through the Israeli defense ministry to the Chief of Staff. During the first week in December, "sources inside the special forces command confirmed that 'G' readiness ­ the highest state ­ for an operation was announced" (Times, December 11, 2005).

Bring 'em Home! by William Norman Grigg

The Iraq War is an unconstitutional, unjustifiable conflict devouring innocent lives and abetting the growth of an increasingly lawless leviathan state. It must be ended -- now.

Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Holley, born in Idaho and raised in Chula Vista, California, was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq on November 15. A three-time AAU Karate champion and accomplished artist, Holley followed in his father's footsteps by enlisting in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne. "It made me very proud that he actually wanted to be like his dad," recalled Holley's father, John, at the young soldier's December 2 funeral.

Israel bars PA elections in E Jerusalem

Israel said yesterday it would ban East Jerusalem Arabs from voting in a Palestinian election next month if militant Islamic group Hamas takes part - a move Palestinian officials said could delay the vote.

Israel allowed Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem to vote in Palestinian Authority elections in 1996 and at the start of the year when they elected Mahmoud Abbas president.

Rodina Party Ready to Rule Russia Paul M. Weyrich

It recently has become fashionable in some American and European circles to suggest that Russia is reverting to the lost era of the former Soviet Union. This has caused Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, said to be a Russian expert, to discuss this subject with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Dr. Rice served as Senior Director of Soviet and Eastern European Affairs in the National Security Council for President George Herbert Walker Bush.

Iraqis Spoke, but Hardly in Unison by Jim Lobe

Altogether, the Sunni-led Iraqi Consensus Front (ICF), which includes the NAF, is expected to claim roughly as many seats in the new parliament as the Kurds. This gives it a much stronger voice than in the current parliament but still too little representation to ensure its voice will be heeded, particularly given Allawi's poor showing.

What persuaded the Sunni population to participate in the election, of course, was less the promise of major influence in the new parliament, than the agreement worked out by Khalilzad just before the constitutional plebiscite in October for a process by which the draft constitution can be amended over the next four months.

Russia Creates a New Security System to Replace the C.I.S. by Marcin Kaczmarski

he dissolution of the U.S.S.R. at the end of 1991 meant a break-up of the uniform defense space including its components such as nuclear forces, air defense systems, and the military-industrial complex. The Russian Federation, struggling to hold its position as a great power, tried to keep its dominance in the post-Soviet space using various methods, among which the military-political ones were the most important.

Israel prepares for feared nuclear attack by Iran by Steven Gutkin

Israel is expanding its arsenal to deal with what it now views as the greatest potential threat to its existence: a nuclear attack by Iran.

It has acquired dozens of warplanes with long-range fuel tanks to allow them to reach Iran and signed a deal with Germany for two submarines reportedly capable of firing nuclear missiles.

U.S. Warns Turkey Of Air Strike On Iran And Syria

During his recent visit to Ankara, CIA Director Porter Goss reportedly brought three dossiers on Iran to Ankara. Goss is said to have asked for Turkey’s support for Washington’s policy against Iran’s nuclear activities, charging that Tehran had supported terrorism and taken part in activities against Turkey. Goss also asked Ankara to be ready for a possible US air operation against Iran and Syria. Goss, who came to Ankara just after FBI Director Robert Mueller’s visit, brought up Iran’s alleged attempts to develop nuclear weapons. It was said that Goss first told Ankara that Iran has nuclear weapons and this situation was creating a huge threat for both Turkey and other states in the region. Diplomatic sources say that Washington wants Turkey to coordinate with its Iran policies. The second dossier is about Iran’s stance on terrorism. The CIA argued that Iran was supporting terrorism, the PKK and al-Qaeda. The third had to do with Iran’s alleged stance against Ankara. Goss said that Tehran sees Turkey as an enemy and would try to “export its regime.”

The Purple Finger by Charley Reese

If you listen to the Bush administration and most of the talking heads on TV, the election in Iraq was a glorious success and the solution to all of our problems in that country. My, oh my, what a lot of purple fingers.

I highly recommend as a truer version of what's going on an article online at ATimes.com by Pepe Escobar. The catchy title is "We Vote, Then We Throw You Out."

Europe's migrant elephant by MARTIN WALKER

One respondent in three, 33 percent, said they expect Le Pen to make the final runoff list of the two candidates with the highest votes in the next President election to be held in 18 months. One in four, 24 percent, said they agreed with Le Pen - a significant advance on the 18 percent of the vote he received in the last Presidential election in 2002.

Moreover, the ideas and resentments that underpin Le Pen's message have become widespread. Nearly three out of four, 73 percent, declared that "the traditional values of France are not adequately protected." Nearly two out of three, 63 percent, said bluntly that there are too many immigrants in France, and 44 percent said they do not feel at home in their own country.

Persian Fire by Chris Floyd

The Rubicon of the new war was crossed on Oct. 27. Oddly enough for this renewal of the ancient enmity between the heirs of Athens and Persia, the decisive event occurred on the edge of the Arctic Circle, at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, where a Russian rocket lifted an Iranian spy satellite, the Sinah-1, into orbit. This launch, scarcely noticed at the time, has accelerated the inevitable strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities: Israel is now readying an attack for no later than the end of March, The Sunday Times reports.

Assassination Attempt Targets President of Iran

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, who recently shamed Western nations for their disgraceful treatment of intellectuals who dare question accepted WWII "Holocaust" dogma, and is under threat of Israeli airstrikes, was the target of an assassination attempt, according to Jomhouri Islami, an Iranian news source.

"At 6:50 pm on Thursday [December 15, 2005], the lead car in the presidential motorcade confronted armed bandits and trouble-makers on the Zabol-Saravan highway," the report said. "In the ensuing armed clash, the driver of the vehicle, who was an indigenous member of the security services, and one of the president's bodyguards died, while another bodyguard was wounded." The attack occured near the city of Zabol, the same city where Ahmadinejad made his latest "Holocaust" pronouncements.

Pakistan to stand by Iran in case of US aggression: Kasuri by Saleemur Rahman

Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri has said Pakistan strictly opposes any expected US attack on Iran, and will stand by Iran if this extreme step is taken by Washington.

Iranian foreign minister’s statement during his recent visit to Pakistan provides testimony to our policy towards Tehran. Pakistan aspires to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue according to the principles of the IAEA, he added.

Understanding the Sharon Phenomenon by Dr. P.R. Kumaraswamy

With the Knesset elections just three months away, Israel is experiencing unique political change. Events during the past few weeks suddenly transformed its ideology-driven political culture into a personality-oriented presidential model. While pre-election loyalty switching is normal in closely contested elections, Israel is in the midst of a major shift toward a personality cult.

Neoliberalism Globalization and The Commodification of Global Culture by Abhirup Roy

What is Neoliberalism?

1979 was a hallmark year for the destiny of the contemporary Global Order. That was the year of a new modus-operandi: a way of controlling the world as have never been seen, a year in which Margaret Thatcher, the prime-minister of Great Britain implemented a Socioeconomic construct that embraced Economic Social-Darwinism, ousting classical theories of nation-state economics.

Q&A: US domestic spying row

After allegations that President Bush authorised a US intelligence agency to eavesdrop on American citizens without court approval, the BBC News website considers some key questions.

30,000 Iraqis More or Less by Lucinda Marshall

But clearly the most important thing we need to know is just how many governments does Bush plan to 'change' in the name of democracy? Over and over in his speech he compared the Iraqi situation to our own fight for freedom against the British. There is just one little difference. We fought for our own freedom, the British did not demand that we become a democracy. That can hardly be compared to bombing a country into 'freedom'. Apparently we've forgotten our grade school history lessons.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Prophet and Satirist by Michael A. Hoffman II

What has been the latest reaction of the West to these words from Iran? The reaction has been to confirm the Iranian leader's observation. He said that the "Holocaust" has been placed above God in the West. The West has reacted by stating--almost with one voice--that Iranians should not have nuclear power, because their President does not believe in the Holocaust! This is mass hysteria disguised as foreign policy.

Ahmadinejad Pushes Iran Toward Internal Crisis by Jim Lobe

Such moves parallel Ahmadinejad's radical rhetoric and more confrontational foreign policy, according to Ghaemi, who said they appear designed to create "an environment of crisis" that, in his supporters' view, would help restore Iran's "revolutionary ideal" and justify tougher tactics against perceived enemies, particularly dissidents and reformers.

Innocent Abroad by Leon Hadar

There are no signs that President Bush’s public diplomacy is helping win the hearts and minds of either the elites or the publics in the Middle East —or for that matter in most parts of the world, including among traditional American allies in Canada and Western Europe. If anything, the discrepancy between the bombastic and misleading American message and the reality of U.S. policies on the ground in Iraq, Israel/Palestine, and elsewhere only helps fuel more anti-Americanism. This discrepancy between the neocon propaganda and the outcome of Bush’s foreign policy is also responsible for the dramatic erosion in domestic public support for U.S. policies in Iraq as more and more Americans, including Joe Blow, seem to be deserting the faith-based community in favor of the reality-based one.

Idealism vs. Realism in Egypt by Pat Buchanan

Where does that leave Egyptian democracy? The Mubarak regime, once the pillar of U.S. policy in the Middle East, has been delegitimized by brutality and fraud, and has jeopardized its $1.8 billion in U.S. aid. The Muslim Brotherhood, target of the thuggery, has seen its credentials burnished and is now the alternative to Mubarak.

Israel and Iran Should Quit Rattling Each Other's Cages by Linda Heard

However in light of the vicious rhetoric that the Bush administration and the Israeli government has directed at Iran over recent years even when that country was on the brink of liberalizing and joining the international community, it’s hardly surprising that Iran has now turned inward and developed a siege mentality.

One thing is for sure. There is a dangerous game at play with few sane voices around to douse the embers before they become a mighty conflagration.

A dust storm over the Holocaust by M K Bhadrakumar

An entire panorama of issues unexpectedly comes into view in the international reaction to recent remarks by Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, implying that European powers should have salved their historical sense of guilt, if any, over their persecution of Jews by sanctioning a homeland for them on European soil itself.

What is most striking is that the hue and cry of the "international community" has been mainly restricted to the Christian world (European and Slavic), apart from Israel, of course.

America slowly confronts the truth by Robert Fisk

Yet still they avoid the "Israel" question. The Arab princes in Syriana - who in real life would be obsessed with the occupation of the West Bank - do not murmur a word about Israel. The Arab al-Qa'ida operative who persuades the young Pakistani to attack an oil tanker makes no reference to Israel - as every one of bin Laden's acolytes assuredly would. It was instructive that Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 did not mention Israel once.

Psychopolitics: Erasing Christianity through 'Consensus Process' by Linda Kimball

In 1947, Julian Huxley, head of UNESCO at that time, wrote a book titled, "UNESCO: Its Purpose and Its Philosophy." His book was a blueprint for a New World Order that called for one religion, one language, and one way of thinking. He believed a global order could be brought about through the universal, albeit secretive, implementation of Hegel's Dialectic process.

The Syrian Gambit Unravels by Justin Raimondo

The effort to demonize Syria and, in effect, Saddamize its ruler, Bashar al-Assad, has run up against a brick wall: the recantation of the prime witness, who says he was bribed, intimidated, and tortured into going along with the narrative being sold by UN prosecutor Mehlis – that Syrian intelligence pulled off the Feb. 14 assassination of Lebanese entrepreneur and politician Rafik Hariri in Beirut. The New York Times reports:

Lessons From Central Europe by Alvaro Vargas Llosa

The latest progress report by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on ex-communist countries in central Europe and the Baltics, holds important lessons for those regions of the world that still doubt the benefits of free trade and open markets. The Transition Report 2005 actually focuses on many areas where reform is still pending, including the remaining inadequacy of many institutions in some central and eastern European countries. But what has been achieved so far is impressive and also needs to be understood by Africans and Latin Americans if they are to shake their current morass.

Despite domestic waves, Iran will keep its president by Abbas William Samii

Yet that is where the similarities between Ahmadinejad and Bani-Sadr end. Most important, Ahmadinejad continues to have the support of Supreme Leader Khamenei, who said in a Nov. 14 meeting with the country's Friday prayer leaders that criticism of the president must stop. "Everyone must support this government," Khamenei said, according to state television. "The extent of my support for this government and this president is the same as my support for the previous presidents."

Tea for two by Remi Kanazi

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon -- the little teapot, short and stout -- is making a comeback. He ditched the outdated threads of his radical Likud to prance in the open fields of peace with favorite "doves" like Shimon Peres. The word on the street is that Sharon will be changing his last name to Gandhi before visiting with militant groups in the Occupied Territories to find out what they're all so mad about.

The people of the West and the nearsighted Israeli public are swallowing this propaganda, hook, line and sinker, while the Palestinians are left to rummage through the trash bin of peace.

Dark side of free trade includes new world order

For the past 10-15 years, America and the world have been inundated with the latest worldwide fad or rage, free-trade agreements. The North American Free Trade Agreement, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the World Trade Organization, the Central American Free Trade Agreement and the latest on the horizon – the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

China eroding US dominance by Donald Alford Weadon Jr

What is the best metaphor for this situation, which lacks both the linearity of checkers and the exquisite dynamism of chess? Perhaps it is the national game of China - wei ch'i or "Go" - where control of the board is the crucial objective and the timeline is slow and deliberate. As in this 4,000-year-old board game, China is using economic wedge maneuvers to expand its financial influence, harden its economic achievements into political interests, and ultimately achieve control of the "board". Note how a string of Chinese actions defending Iran at the UN dovetailed with a series of large China-Iran energy deals.

Iyad Allawi: 'A man of the Shadows' by Ghali Hassan

In recent developments, Iyad Allawi has been promoted by the British and the U.S. mainstream media as a defender of “human rights”. This new spin coincides with Blair and Bush strategy of resurrecting Allawi as “the best hope” in the December 15 illegitimate elections. Despite his well-publicised unpopularity among Iraqis, the propaganda for his elections campaign has already begun. Careful examination of this policy reveals that the U.S. and Britain are in pursuit of a rotten imperialist policy to serve their own interests at the expense of the Iraqi people.

Romania torn between US and EU

Romania risks having its accession to the EU rejected if the allegations that it has been hosting secret CIA torture camps and thereby violating human rights are proved true.

However, former Romanian defense minister Ioan Mircea Pascu told the Associated Press that “parts of the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base were off-limits to Romanian authorities” more than a year ago, when US troops were using the base as a transit point for returning from the Balkans or departing for Iraq.

Cameron chosen as new Tory leader

David Cameron has been elected as the new Conservative leader by a margin of more than two to one over David Davis.
The 39-year-old beat Mr Davis by 134,446 votes to 64,398 in a postal ballot of Tory members across the UK.

U.S. Army report: Israel can't stop Iran nukes

"The Israeli Air Force has formidable capabilities and enjoys unchallenged supremacy vis-à-vis the other Middle East air powers, but Israel has no aircraft carriers and it cannot use airbases in other Middle East states," the report entitled "Getting Ready for a Nuclear-Ready Iran," said. "Therefore its operational capabilities are reduced when the targets are located far from its territory."

Nuclear Iran? You bet! by Mike Whitney

Is there a case to be made for allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons in the interests of peace? Or has all the air been sucked out of the debate by American and Israeli demagogues who dominate the airwaves?

The case for a nuclear Iran doesn’t emerge from fear-mongering or saber-rattling, like the alternate view, but from reason and respect for widely accepted facts; both of which are sadly missing from the analysis appearing in the western media. Any reasonable person can compile the evidence, weigh the facts, and draw the very same conclusions as myself. Regrettably, they will have to swim against a torrent of misinformation broadcast daily by an entire industry devoted exclusively to deception and propaganda.

Damaging Disclosures and the Plot to Bomb al-Jazeera by Kurt Nimmo

As an indication of how well-entrenched the police state is in Britain, consider the prosecution, under the Officials Secrets Act, of David Keogh, a former communications officer at the Cabinet Office, and Leo O’Connor, a former parliamentary researcher. “Mr. Keogh, 49, is charged with making a ‘damaging disclosure of a document relating to international relations’ without lawful authority, while Mr. O’Connor, 42, is charged with having receiving a document ‘through its disclosure without lawful authority by a crown servant,’” according to the Financial Times. “The document, according to a report in the Daily Mirror, detailed minutes of a conversation between Tony Blair and President George W. Bush, in which bombing the headquarters of the Arabic satellite TV channel al-Jazeera was discussed.”

UK too promotes Iraq war propaganda? -

It emerged last week that the U.S. Department of Defense has been selling the war to Iraqis by covertly planting fake news in their media; paying Iraqi newspapers to run favorable stories.

Massive purges add to power of Iran�s Revolutionary Guards

Several hundred officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the military force that has served as the main pillar of support for Iran’s clerical rulers, have been appointed to senior government positions by the hard-line administration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran Focus has learnt.

National Guard begins exchange with Israeli forces by Master Sgt. Bob Haskell

National Guard leaders visited Israel last week to forge a new relationship with that country’s Home Front Command – to help keep both countries safe.

Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, led a 25-member delegation to Israel that included two state adjutants general.

Chile's Pensions Under Fire by Alvaro Vargas Llosa

The Presidential candidates in Chile’s upcoming elections have been drawn into the volatile battle over the country’s private pension funds. If it continues, one of the few success stories in Latin America’s economy—imitated in many countries—could begin to be overturned and the country’s march towards development severely hampered.

Al jazeera as the new Ben Ladden?

What Al Jazeera is to Arabs probably explains why it is the target of American hostility. Where 22 states suffer almost an absolute absence of democracy and where almost 300 million citizens are screened from their daily reality, Al Jazeera is the only voice of truth exposing Arab governments oprations, practices and violations of basic freedom. That is why Al Jazeera became the target of Arab governments' cospiracy to shut it for the past decade. The Lybian President, Moammer Ghaddafi announced once: " I challenge any Arab Head of State to deny that on top of the agenda of every meeting between two Arab leaders is Al Jazeera". Every political Arab victim has one door to knock. You know its name.

Tory MP says he would risk jail to publish memo concerning Bush's desire to bomb Al Jazeera by Linda S. Heard

Peter Kilfoyle, a former defence minister in Blair's cabinet, has challenged the government to publish in the interests of transparency, saying, "If it was the case that President Bush wanted to bomb Al Jazeera in what is, after all, a friendly country, it speaks volumes and raises questions about subsequent attacks that took place on the press that wasn't embedded with coalition forces."

Empire In Descent: The Deliberate Destruction Of America by Paul Joseph Watson and Alex Jones

There is a deliberate agenda at hand to reflect an image of America to the world as a corrupt, evil, deceiving, hypocritical and brutal power. The Bush administration is being played like a fiddle and as each horror story scandal emerges, America sinks further into the waiting jaws of its 'savior' - the dark stalker of global government.

Bush Offers "Clear Strategy" for Disaster by Ray McGovern

But the bromide-heavy speech that President George W. Bush gave yesterday at the Naval Academy presents a clear strategy for quagmire and eventual disaster. Despite the gathering storm of opposition to his approach to the war in Iraq, the speech was bereft of new ideas, calling to mind the words of Emerson: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."

Tehran denies plans for helping out US in Iraq

Iran has no plans to co-operate with the US, its foreign ministry spokesman said yesterday, after reports that Washington would reach out to Tehran for assistance in quelling unrest in Iraq.

“Entente with the US is not on the agenda of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Hamid Reza Assefi said after meeting Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara.