Showing posts with label nuclear weapons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nuclear weapons. Show all posts
Iran conducts military exercises
The Iranian military will conduct war exercises in the coming days aimed to strengthen the country’s defenses. For five days, practice and war games will be done across its territory to boost Iran’s readiness against real attack.
According to Brigadier-General Ahmed Mighani, a commander of an Iraninan air defense base described the military maneuver to use new weapons and test communication capabilities in an area of 600,000 square kilometers.
In response to Iran’s rejection of the United Nation’s draft deal crafted to bring 80% of Urab's lightly enriched uranium abroad, leaders of United States, Russia, China, Germany, Britain, and France were mulling on more sanctions. The draft deal was supposed to halt Teheran's program of nuclear armaments. The U.N. atomic energy agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei, asked the cleric-dominated Islamic country to accept the draft deal which he referred to as a “fleeting opportunity.”
Brandishing its military might while engaging in forked diplomacy, Iran still insists that its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes--- meant mainly to produce electricity. Western nations are convinced this is not true.
Iran continues its nuclear buildup and hateful war provocations against Israel. The dictatorial Muslim nation warns that it is prepared to attack Israel and the US in defense. As the solution of the nuclear question stalls, the Iranians are coming close to producing its radioactive bomb, making the world more unstable and dangerous. (Photo Credit: Erick Lafforgue) =0=
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Iran builds a second nuclear facility; UN stuck with a new resolution
United Nations appears almost powerless in foiling nuclear proliferation. On Friday, September 25, US president Barack Obama, French president Nicholas Sarkozy and British Prime minister Gordon Brown at the G-20 economic summit chorused to say Iran is building underground uranium enrichment and concealing the facility from the eyes of international inspectors.
Iran’s head of the Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi quickly defended the facility saying that it was intended as back-up in case the first nuclear facility it built will be attacked. Iran continues to assert that its nuclear program is for peaceful civilian purpose.
In a Saturday address, Pres. Barack Obama reiterated the seriousness of Iran’s evasive designs and warns anew of grave consequences of Iran’s devious plan. The international front thinks of heavier economic sanctions against Iran and doesn’t rule out military action. It’s the same rhetoric the world is hearing. Russia and China advice cooperation from Iran, but these countries don’t endorse tough sanctions, probably their way of protecting their business interests.
"Iran's leaders must now choose — they can live up to their responsibilities and achieve integration with the community of nations. Or they will face increased pressure and isolation, and deny opportunity to their own people." ----Pres. Barack Obama. AP (09/27/09)
With Obama leading the UN Security council, world powers are endorsing a nuclear-free world whose realization no one knows when. They want to make it hard to proliferate nuclear arms in the future.
“The Security Council unanimously passed a U.S.-drafted resolution that endorses the eventual goal of "a world without nuclear weapons." It lays out steps for nuclear powers to trim their arsenals, while making it harder for other nations to convert civilian nuclear programs to military ones.”---- www.McClatchy.com (09/24/09, Strobel, W.P.)
The rogue Islamic republic of Iran with a restive populace offers the international community to inspect the site in Qom, but its timing is yet to be set. Built on a mountainous region near the holy city of Qom, the facility has the capacity to house 3,000 centrifuges (vs. that 8,000 in Natanz) is said to be operational soon, in less than 18 months.
This revelation comes with Brazil’s expressed intention of going nuclear to “protect” itself from its neighbors and Venezuela seeks the help of Iran to prospect for radioactive uranium. Actions by these countries with unstable leaders who want to go nuclear makes the problem of world security even more complex.
It’s the same problem Pakistan and North Korea are facing where loose nukes pose a potential problem. The world watches with alarm whether the United Nations, slackening on its job and often trying to avoid military confrontation, will be able to rein over the threat of nuclear arms. (Photo Credit: http://dailymail.co.uk) =0=
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Iranian president to address UN general assembly in New York
President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad Iran’s vitriolic president is in New York City to participate in the 64th annual UN General Assembly. The controversial Muslim hardliner who espouses medieval religious tenets to govern Tehran will deliver a speech in the world body of nations. A crowd of demonstrators picket in front of the Big Apple's UN building on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 to air their disdain for the president.
Ahmadenijad has caught media attention for denying the extermination of 6 million Jews during the Nazi regime and for wanting Israel to be “wiped out from the face of the earth.” Such brazen and horrendous rhetoric must have no place in the world community, but it happens right in the United Nations.
Ahmadenijad’s disputed reelection this year has ignited grassroots protests from Iranian opposition whose leaders have been incarcerated and tortured. He is in the forefront of denying the long-suspected nuclear program which the IAEA believes is capable of producing a radioactive bomb, thus posing a threat to its neighbors.
Representing a Muslim country which supports terrorism, Ahmadenijad has been an embarrassment to the United Nations and his people. The religious-led Muslim country is noted for violations of human rights, inspiring resistance from the Iranian people.
For his shameful provocations against Israel, the Canadian delegation intends to abandon the UN assembly during his speech. A Canadian official whose delegation plans to walk out when the Iranian president addresses the assembly said Ahmadenijad’s behavior is shameful.
“He uses his public appearances to provoke the international community, and that is why Canada’s seats will be empty. The gesture is a step stronger than one announced Tuesday by the German Foreign Ministry, which asked other European Union member states to walk out of the General Assembly chamber if Ahmadinejad again denies the Holocaust, or makes anti-Semitic statements.”----Ottawacitizen. Com (09/23/09, Edwards, S.) (Photo Credit: Reuters/ Leonard Foeger; Jasondecrow; AP) =0=
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IAEA now says Iran can produce a nuclear bomb
After years of denying allegations by the United States and other UN-member nations that Iran is pursuing a nuclear program to develop a bomb, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) tasked to monitor the rogue country has admitted that Tehran has the ability to produce a nuclear bomb. nder the shadows, the Islamic country has worked on make a missile system which can bring an atomic warhead. In a confidential report seen by The Associated Pres, IAEA declares the following:
• The IAEA's assessment that Iran worked on developing a chamber inside a ballistic missile capable of housing a warhead payload "that is quite likely to be nuclear."
• That Iran engaged in "probable testing" of explosives commonly used to detonate a nuclear warhead — a method known as a "full-scale hemispherical explosively driven shock system."
• An assessment that Iran worked on developing a system "for initiating a hemispherical high explosive charge" of the kind used to help spark a nuclear blast.---AP; Yahoo.news (09/17/09, Jahn, G.)
The confidential document was what the United States had been referring as a “secret annex” which the IAEA earlier tagged as misinformation. For many months, USA, Israel, France, and other nations have been demanding IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei to release the information.
Early this year, IAEA revealed that Iran had produced more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of low-enriched, or fuel-grade, uranium, more than enough to make radioactive uranium for a bomb. It is likely that very soon Iran will be able to install a medium range missile with a nuclear explosive device.
The world wakes up to the grim reality that a system of surveillance like what IAEA does doesn’t work consistently. After years of denials and lies, Iran’s nuclear program, pursued under the very nose of the United Nations, has succeeded this far since the inception of its nuclear program in 1984 during the Islamic revolution. With unstable countries run by religious zealots and hardline radicals, going nuclear, the world cannot be far from peaceful and safe. (Photo Credit: sonyapryr) =0=
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Iran proceeds with its nuclear ambition under the noses of UN and USA
The problematic handling of Iran to deter nuclear proliferation has emboldened the Islamic country to proceed with its often-denied plan to produce an atomic bomb. The Ayatollah-led regime tries to stop the UN nuclear agency from increasing its monitoring of its nuclear program.
Reported by AP, according to diplomats, Iran has the potential of testing a bomb in six months---far earlier than what was thought. They say the Islamic country has produced substantial fissile material, about 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs) of low enriched weapons-grade uranium, giving them the capacity to test a bomb similar to what the North Koreans did in their underground test in 2006.
‘International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed Elbaradei has repeatedly warned that his agency cannot guarantee that Iran is not hiding nuclear activities. Iranian nuclear expert David Albright on Friday put the chances that such a secret site exists at "50-50." “---AP (07/17/09, Jahn, G.)
With Iran’s objection, the UN is asking for a step-up surveillance to determining what is truly occurring in Natanz, the site of where expanded uranium enrichment has been going on. As Iran tackles opposition from the homegrown reformist movement, the invitation of Hillary Clinton for the country to go in the negotiation table remains unheeded.
In the meantime, gas-bag Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently appointed Ali Akbar Salehi, a U.S.-educated physicist with a doctorate degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to replace resigned Gholam Reza Aghazadeh as the new vice president and the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
The turbulence in Iran after the reelection of Ahmadinejad continued. On a Friday prayer session this week, tens and thousands of Iranians braved the streets to air their opposition to the rigging of the election and the way the theocratic regime had ruled the Muslim state. (Photo Credit: PBS.org) =0=
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Ahmadinejad wins in Iranian election
In a disputed election last Friday, June 12, 2009, Pres. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won over his chief rival reformist Mir-Hossein Mousavi sparking riots and protests in Tehran and other Iranian streets. With allegations of election fraud, Ahmadinejad’s winning gives him another 4-year term to pursue his promised “bright and glorious” future for Iran which is actively pursuing its dangerous nuclear program.
"Many backers took this call to the streets. Thousands of protesters — mostly young men — roamed through Tehran looking for a fight with police and setting trash bins and tires ablaze. Pillars of black smoke rose among the mustard-colored apartment blocks and office buildings in central Tehran. In one side road, an empty bus was engulfed in flames."---AP (06/14/09, Johnson, A; Murphy, B.)
Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei brushed aside the protests over Friday’s vote and welcomed the 80% election turnout. The Interior Ministry disclosed that Ahmadinejad garnered more than 63% and Mousavi received 35%.
“Iran in turmoil will not be ready to engage Obama," said Bruce Riedel, veteran US inteligence official…. Congress and pro-Israel conservatives, already strongly critical of Ahmadinejad, will undoubtedly press Obama to put a tight deadline on his overture to Iran. They are expected to urge him to move on to tougher measures, such as economic sanctions or military action, to try to compel Tehran to give up its nuclear ambitions.” LA Times (06/14/09, Richter, P)
Ahmadinejad advocates the destruction and annihilation of Israel. He brings fresh challenge in keeping the balance of peace in the Middle East. Like Mousavi, he supports terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. His election will make it harder for the United States, UN, and their allies to pursue a peaceful resolution against the nuclear threat Iran poses to the world.
US Sec. of State Hillary Clinton doubts whether Ahmadinejad won by landslide victory----something that the Iranian people must decide.
(Photo Credit: LA Times/ AP/ Ben Curtis) =0=
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North Korea's nuclear threats
Living in a delusion that dictatorships and rogue countries can be effectively handled with talks and negotiations, the United States and the United Nations are finding it increasingly hard to deal with the rising military posturing of North Korea.
The destitute communist country in Asia has detonated a 20 kiloton underground nuclear bomb in a display of belligerence against the will of the civilized world. The United States and its allies have still to find a way to curtail the provocations of Kim Jong Il which find it easy to ignore the lame warnings of the United Nations.
Unafraid of sanctions, North Korea is unimpressed by the 6-party disarmament talks aimed to diffuse tension and stop the dangerous proliferation of nuclear arms in the region. The puppet government of Kim Jong Il has come to the realization that rogue governments can have ways to brush aside UN resolutions, survive punitive sanctions, and earn dividends from wild stubborness. Seeing the weakness of Pres. Barack Obama and UN’s inability to effectively punish violators of covenants, the North Koreans are on a free rein to show their propagandistic power and terrorist capabilities.
“It is a laughable delusion for the United States to think that it can get us to kneel with sanctions… We've been living under U.S. sanctions for decades, but have firmly safeguarded our ideology and system while moving our achievements forward. The U.S. sanctions policy toward North Korea is like striking a rock with a rotten egg."---said an editorial in a North Korean newspaper. AP (05/27/09, Hyung-Jin Kim, Gutman, S; Ledere EM)
With this show of defiance, the United States and its allies must be ready to stop Pyongyang by considering strikes to destroy its nuclear facilities. Short of this, the world needs an effective deterrent and defense against the rising threat of nuclear proliferation. In the past, sanctions and resolutions have helped in some measure but aren't as effective as people want them to be.(Photo credit: Lucliu) =0=
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North Korea detonates an underground nuclear bomb
As if to tell the world, that countries can defy the United Nations (UN,) North Korea exploded an underground atomic weapon which was as powerful as the one that leveled Nagasaki, Japan in 1945. The 10 to 20 kiloton bomb generated an earthquake of about 4.5 in the northeastern part of North Korea. It was picked up by seismologists worldwide as Pyongyang officials affirmed the successful nuclear test on May 25, 2009.
Kim Jong Il’s nuclear bomb test, the second since 2006 is in defiance to the United Nation’s resolutions forbidding his country to develop nuclear weapon. A danger to world peace, the nuclear detonation followed last month’s launching of a ballistic missile which has the capacity to reach the US territory.
The UN expressed disapproval against the test-launch and North Korea was punished with greater sanctions. In retaliation, the communist regime of Kim Jong Il asked that the international nuclear inspectors leave the country. The North Koreans threatened to resume operation of Yongbyon nuclear reactor and refused participation in the six-party nuclear talks. Ignoring global condemnation,
Pyongyang insisted its nuclear activities serve to beef up its self-defense and are intended for “peaceful” purposes.
In a reaction to the recent bomb test, Pres. Barack Obama lamely speaks of the recklessness of North Korea whose growing belligerence he hopes to manage with diplomacy. He plans to seek help from allies and friendly nations to stop the North Koreans from producing weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
But as the leaders of the communist dictatorship have learned, they have the power to ignore the world community. Having a nuclear arsenal is their bargaining chip----an effective tool to gain leverage, a way of catching the attention of the world.
The reclusive impoverished regime of Kim Jong Il has shown that it cannot be dictated by civilized countries in spite of attempts to isolate the country for violating international law and endangering the planet. The same message is what other nations with nuclear ambitions are learning. It appears provoking a crisis brings dividends because UN and its member nations aren’t ready to impose international covenants on errant governments like North Korea. A significant number of UN resolutions, no matter how well they are worded don't work. This may well be with the unanimous UN condemnation of North Korea for exploding the atomic weapon.
It is said that majority of nations approve of the international treaty to stop nuclear weapons testing. However, there are countries like North Korea, India, and Pakistan with nuclear capabilities which oppose the ban.(Photo Credit: cbv.ns.ca) =0=
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1.4 million civilians trapped as fighting between the Pakistani military and the Taliban continues
As a result of the fighting between Pakistani military forces and the Taliban, the United Nations has reported an estimated 1.4 million refugees have been driven from their homes this month in Swat valley in the Northwest region of the country. This adds up to about 2 million people displaced since August 2008. It is believed that many civilians have been trapped in Mingora, a terrorist haven which is about 80 miles from the capital city of Islamabad.
The United Nations expects a rapidly changing humanitarian crisis lasting for months as the Pakistani government pursues its campaign against Taliban militants. An appeal for international aid is expected to be raised by the UN as the crisis grows worse---probably as bad as the emergency experienced by Rwandans in the 1994 African genocide,.
The Pakistani offensive has broad support from the people. United States is heavily invested in having the Zadari government prevail over the Taliban in part because of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal which may fall on the wrong hands. (Photo Credit: Stefabua Zamparelli) =0=
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After the Security Council’s condemnation, North Korea responds with its nuclear threats
North Korea (NK) was angered when the 15-member United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to condemn the failed launch of a long range missile early this month. Pyongyang insisted that the rocket was a satellite intended for peaceful purposes. Yet, it had been suspected that the missile was a test for long range ballistic technology.
The UN condemnation was based on a violation of a 2006 resolution that prohibited Pyongyang from all missile activities.
Accusing UN of interference, Kim Jong Il’s repressive regime quickly warned to restart its plutonium production, kick out UN inspectors, and walk away from the six-nation talks on disarmament.
Pointing to the failed rocket launch on April 5, 2009 which endangered territories such as Alaska and Hawaii, the United States was quick to advise NK to stop its provocations and abide with its commitments to the outside world.
"There is no need for six-party talks anymore," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement.-----Los Angeles Times (04/15/09, Richter, P; Glionna, JM)
Russia expressed its regrets and Japan, together with China (the host of the six party meeting) advised that countries---the United States, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Russia, and China must go back to the discussion table.
"We hope the relevant parties could proceed from the perspective of the overall interest of the region, so as to work together to safeguard the progress of the six-party talks," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a news briefing. ---- Washington Post (04/14/09, Branigin, W.; Kim S.)
Analysts believe Pyongyang’s new tantrums are the same tactics of precipitating a crisis in order to get what it wants from the world. Its rhetorical threats in the past have served the communist country well---with food aid, fuel and economic assistance as rewards of good behavior.
“North Korea outraged the world three years ago by exploding a small nuclear device. But less than a year later, as it turned brinkmanship into remuneration, it pledged to abandon its nuclear weapons in return for aid from the United States and other countries. “ ----Washington Post (04/14/09, Branigin, W.; Kim S.)
The effects of UN sanctions on NK aren’t as effective as desired. The destitute communist nation with an ailing supreme leader is able to exploit leverage, gain concessions by bold demands and vitriolic threats of an all out war with its neighbors. NK along with Iran continues to be a menace to the stability and peace of the world. (Photo Credits: Christianragen; Stephan x 2) =0=
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North Korea’s failed missile test sparks worldwide condemnation
Against the resolutions of the United Nations (UN,) the North Korean government went ahead of the launching of a missile test that fizzled out in the Pacific Ocean. According to Pyongyang, the missile was supposed to be a satellite, but the outside world believed it was an experiment of a weapon technology that can threaten US territories like Alaska and Hawaii.
The United States Command which observed the launch from the Pacific said the “satellite” was a failure, but the rogue government of Kim Jong II was celebratory---insisting that the launch went well.
“Given the volatility in the region, as well as a stalemate in interaction among the concerned parties, such a launch is not conducive to efforts to promote dialogue, regional peace and stability,"--- Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General Ban. Telegraph.co.uk (04/05/09, Foster, P)
The criticism and disappointment of Ban with North Korea is shared by US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown who asserted North Korea’s action was “completely unacceptable.” Gordon said Pyongyang's communist regime, a threat to world peace and security, must stop the testing and proliferation of nuclear weapons. Japan's ambassador to the U.N., Yukio Takasu condemned the launch "a clear crime" versus U.N. Security Council demands that posed a grave threat to Japan.
The rocket launch was a violation of international agreements. The United Nations in New York went for an emergency meeting to thresh out ways (other than condemnation) to respond to the provocative action. However, it is doubtful if the world’s body of nations has the effective teeth to discipline a dangerous nation like North Korea. Since December last year, diplomatic talks on nuclear control with North Korea, Japan, China, South Korea, Russia and the US (Six Party talks) have been not pushed through. (Photo Credit: Eric Lafforgue x 2 )=0=
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Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffs Obama’s peace message
In a video message on March 20, 2009, Pres. Barack Obama tried to reach out to Iran, reminding the hard-line Islamic country to show its greatness not by way of arms, but through peaceful means. His offer to normalize relations with the mullah-dominated country is a campaign promise he had to fulfill---a radical digression from Pres. George W. Bush’s policy of non-negotiation towards a regime known to be part of the “axis of evil” that threatens to wipe out Israel.
Obama’s peaceful diplomacy is what most of the Western world wanted. Yet, this presidential gesture delivered in time for the Persian new year of Nowruz is looked upon as a form of “surrender” which the “hard” Muslims expect from the “soft” Americans. Iran thinks the United States, saddled by economic problems, is wearied by terrorism and preoccupied by the Iraqi and Afghan wars; it doesn’t have the enough strength to fight. That’s why Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quick to rebuff the US president.
"He (Obama) insulted the Islamic Republic of Iran from the first day. If you are right that change has come, where is that change? What is the sign of that change? Make it clear for us what has changed…Have you released Iranian assets? Have you lifted oppressive sanctions? Have you given up mudslinging and making accusations against the great Iranian nation and its officials? Have you given up your unconditional support for the Zionist regime? Even the language remains unchanged." ----Yahoo News/ AP (03/21/09, Dareini, A)
Iran finds a new sense of self-importance learning of Obama’s conciliatory stance to patch up the strained relations between the two countries. Denying terrorism and the Iran's race to produce nuclear arms, Khamenei lashed on Obama by mentioning a litany of Iran’s grievances against the United States. Amid calls of “Death to America” from his audience, the cleric-leader dwelt on long standing hostilities since diplomatic ties were severed after the fall of the pro-US Shah government about 30 years ago.
Many have some inkling on know how the Iranians are taking Obama’s peace overtures. Iranians opposed to the cleric-controlled government may support him. But others may look at his peace suggestion as a sign of weakness. Like other warlike Muslims in other parts of the world, Iranians don’t respect a man who looks like a wimp even if he is the president of the United States. (Photo Credit: Polyphake; Photon Trap)=0=
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Iran's Ahmadinejad & the Impotence of the United Nations
Side by side with the financial crisis rocking America, the threat of terrorism showed its ugly head when Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, made a controversial speech in the United Nations (UN) in New York City today September 23, 2008, highlighting the impotence and hypocrisy of current world politics. His allusion to a pessimistic outlook of America is as though the United States is alone in its march towards a rough ride into the future. Faced with a global economy, exploding population, dwindling resources, differing value judgments and relativist view of truth, America shares its problems with everybody. This is what is happening in the current economic crisis. The financial flu sweeping the United States is threatening to be a world pandemic of economic and political woes whose end result for the world is scary to imagine.
Wishing bad things to happen for America isn't good to the peace and stability of its global neighbors. Just as the full-blown effects of the present US economic downturn are starting to be felt, the world waits on the edge; nobody knows how it will end. But even without this, Iran has been suffering under the current Islamic regime of Ahmadinejad. Outside the UN headquarters, he is met by protests and jeers by those who disagree with him.
The United Nations (UN) has been inutile in convincing Iran to stop its nuclear program. Effective in fighting certain world problems, UN is “forced” to give air time to Ahmadinejad whose horrific support for terrorism and promotion to destroy Israel sends goose bumps to decent people worldide. Most observers doubt Ahmadinejad's hyperbolic rhetorics and many don’t believe his vitriol and clever pretentions. With a sluggish UN, few nations however speak up and stand against his way.
For not suspending its uranium enrichment, three rounds of UN sanctions hasn't deterred Iran from continuing its nuclear activities. It's this type of UN sanctions that Sadam Hussein endured until after 16 unheeded resolutions which led to the Iraq war that was supported albeit lamely by the UN.
The possibililty of nuclear war is ever more real in the current stockpiles of weapons whose oversight is increasingly becoming more difficult. Serving as a political tool and a weapon of intimidation, the acquisition of nuclear arms by unstable countries like Iran, Pakistan and North Korea is a scary step towards the planet's destruction. It encourages terrorists and extremists to work harder to destabilize the world and make the nuclear cloud closer to reality.
With rogue nations sitting side by side in UN in “cooperation” with those committed to make the world a peaceful place, the challenge of diplomacy is ever more complex and daunting. The world body cannot even agree on who are the terrorists. Having reckless leaders like Ahmadinejad who denies the holocaust, lacks accountability, threatens Israel, and wages proxy wars (Hezbollah and Iraq) could be the signs of what lies in the future. It’s at this late hour that world is learning. Sooner or later, it must wake up and confront the reality at hand. Photo Credits: Ben Heine; Nickolette22; MihaiRomanciuc)=0=
Amidst complacency and denial, terror persists, USA & the world still on the edge
Two days before the 7th year after 911, a bipartisan report suggests that the United States is still dangerously at risk of being attacked by weapons of mass destruction (WMB’s.) Democrats critical of Pres. George W. Bush are quick to highlight the dangers. And they don’t leave the psyche of Americans traumatized by the randomness of the attack. “The report and supporting studies describe the failure of international cooperation to prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, which they call a major problem. Many countries continue to ignore a United Nations mandate to prevent the spread of weapons; the ability of many countries to monitor potential bioterrorism is "essentially nonexistent," and dangerous chemical weapons stockpiles remain in some countries, including Russia and Libya, the report said.” AP (09/09/08, BlackledgeB; SullivanE.)
In spite of moves to make the homeland secure, the nature of terrorism makes it hard to wipe out the threats. This worry is part of the legacy of 911 when the rules of engagement of war have been defined by a small group of extremists who are bent to make America and the rest of the civilized world accede to Al Qaeda's and other Islamic toxic ideology of hate.
Bringing America down has serious implications in emerging and poor countries like the Philippines whose economies will further suffer in the midst of a threat of war, worldwide recession, dwindling resources, and exploding population. Though Pres. Bush must be credited for foiling a number of plots and in improving security during his administration, many don’t look at it this way. It is hard to see success in prevention that has an astronomical price tag.The cost of underwriting a protective shield for Americans and the world is causing a toll on the US economy. Only when another attack as spectacular and hideous as 911 will Americans, (especially the cynical and complacent) will realize that the world they know has been turned upside down by a few rogues who wait for the singular chance to do harm and damage. Terror resonates in 911 and the attacks in Madrid, London, Jerusalem, Riyadh, Nairobi, Bali, Manila and other cities worldwide. As security experts experts have said, it’s not a question of if that another attack will be waged, but when. (Photo Credits: AP/TayloC;bp.blogspot)=0=
Enigmatic Kim Jong-il & the future of North Korea's nuclear arms
The news is abuzz with speculations that Kim Jong-il, the strong communist leader of North Korea, one of the most secretive and reclusive communist regimes in the world with strong military power is incapacitated. Short, pudgy, and known for his platform shoes and liking for Hollywood movies, the bouffant-haired strongman (believe to be 67 years old,) is suspected to be ill, possibly downed by a stroke sometime in the middle of last month. Since then he has not been visible in the government functions. Some theorize his death. Others believe he has been replaced by a double.
Amidst denial from the North Korean government, this brings a new uncertainty on the future of a repressive dictatorship in an impoverished nation which brings chills to the world for its possession of nuclear weapons. Jong-il's alleged illness since August can stall the little gains of nuclear arms control brokered by the United States in the region. (Photo Credit: Nick Papniconstainou)=0=
Update:
On September 11, 2008, North and South Korean officials affirmed that Kim Jong-il had a stroke which required brain surgical intervention. It remains to be seen if full recovery is in the offing.=0=
New Pakistani president’s war against terror & the need to secure nuclear weapons
Pakistan enters a new phase in governance with the election of Pres. Asif Ali Zadari, 53 year old widower of slain leader Benazir Bhutto who died on December 27, 2007. His landslide win on September 6, 2008 is immediately greeted by a huge suicide explosion near Peshawar, a troubled northwest part of the country killing at least 35 and wounding many more. Militants allied with the Taliban claimed responsibility for blowing up a pick-up truck that counted a teacher, a guard and seven police officers among the dead. AP (09/07/08, Khan, R.)Called Mr. Ten Percent for alleged corruption during the Bhutto administration, Zadari who is considered as a pro-Western liberal is expected to follow Pervez Musharraf’s anti-terrorist efforts. Hard on insurgency in this violence-prone Moslem nation, Zadari’s position is in line with the American campaign against Islamic terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan. But he faces pressure to balance the local crack-down down on militants and his support for United States which recently led a controversial assault against rebels in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
"I've been impressed by some of the things he has said about the challenges that Pakistan faces, about the centrality of fighting terrorism, about the fact that the terrorism fight is Pakistan's fight and also his very strong words of friendship and alliance with the United States," Condolezza Rice said. AP (09/07/09,Ahmad, M.)
Washington is closely concerned with the future of Pakistan with its arsenal of nuclear weapons. With the power to scrap the parliament and appoint army officers, Zadari heads the civilian-military committee which oversees Pakistan's nuclear arms. It remains to be seen how much influence Zadari has over the powerful military and the citizenry. Photo Credits: S@jj@ad; Maxi_Leo)=0=
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