Mentira (The Lie) - Manu Chao

Manu Chao telling us about politicians and media in todays world:

Debtocracy. Deudocracia

A must watch, Want to know what's behind the Greek Debt? Ever heard of 'Odious Debt'? In international law, odious debt is a legal theory that holds that the national debt incurred by a regime for purposes that do not serve the best interests of the nation, should not be enforceable. Such debts are, thus, considered by this doctrine to be personal debts of the regime that incurred them and not debts of the state.

Now watch;

Arquitectura y Urbanismo Romano

Arquitectura y Urbanismo Romano

View more presentations from antiquitasgl

Prof. Joseph E. Stiglitz: The State of the Global Economy

Prof. Joseph E. Stiglitz at the World Bank. Will they listen though?

Prof. Joseph E. Stiglitz: The State of the Global Economy from World Bank on Vimeo.

Felipe Gonzalez 'preocupado' con gestión de Zapatero en política exterior

En cable con fecha 22 fevrero 2010:

Gonzalez "compartió sus preocupaciones sobre la gestión de la política exterior española en general del presidente Zapatero"

No solo eso, pero el 'socialista' Gonzalez estaba "en gran medida de acuerdo con el enfoque de los EE.UU" en latino-america.

Wikileaks: La seguridad de los centrales nucleares españoles tienen debilidad

Según el cable del 19 febrero 2010 la seguridad de los centrales nucleares tienen debilidad: no protegen de un ataque de alguién de dentro y el gobierno de España está bastante preocupado con como defenderse de esta posibilidad...

Geoană assured US: Romania's fundamentally pro-US orientation "safe" for at least two more generations

Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
06BUCHAREST1665	2006-10-31 16:38	2011-08-30 01:44	CONFIDENTIAL	Embassy Bucharest

VZCZCXRO5399
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHBM #1665/01 3041638
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 311638Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5470
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BUCHAREST 001665 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
INR PLEASE PASS TO DNI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL RO
SUBJECT: DNI NEGROPONTE MEETING WITH OPPOSITION PSD PRESIDENT MIRCEA GEOANA 
 
 
Classified By: Amb. Nicholas Taubman for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: At a meeting with DNI Negroponte and the 
Ambassador, opposition PSD head Mircea Geoana evinced concern 
about a posssible post-EU accession malaise in Romanian 
politics, with weak and divided governance for the next 
several years.  Geoana was skeptical about prospects for 
early elections and favored creation of a "grand coalition" 
of leading moderate parties on the German model.  On 
attitudes towards the U.S., Geoana said some "rebalancing" 
between Romania's "transatlanticist" and "European" 
orientations might take place, but geopolitics assured that 
Romania's fundamentally transatlanticist orientation was 
"safe" for at least two more generations. Geoana argued for a 
regional solution to the Kosovo issue, noting that the 
international community could move relatively fast on Kosovar 
independence if it was linked to a renewed commitment to the 
Balkan region as a whole.  With EU entry for many Balkan 
nations unlikely, NATO had to pick up the slack as default 
"mentor" in the region.  Geoana argued that Romania was 
wasting an opportunity to work with new Eastern European 
members of the EU in creating a new "Vilnius Group" 
encompassing the Baltics to the Black Sea.  On intelligence 
matters, Geoana encouraged new links between Romanian 
parliamentary committees overseeing the intelligence 
community and their US counterparts.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (C) Opposition PSD President Mircea Geoana met with 
Director of National Intelligence Negroponte and Ambassador 
Taubman October 29.  Geoana prefaced the meeting by comparing 
Romania's political scene to an ice skating competition; 
Romania had performed superbly in the obligatory routines 
needed for acceptance into all of the right clubs--WTO, NATO, 
and now the European Union--but it was uncertain whether it 
could do as well in the "freestyle" segment now that the 
constraints of candidacy were lifted.  He said Romanian 
politics exemplified the lack of an overall strategic vision 
among Romania's political leaders as well as a vicious 
political culture that stressed the "total demolition" of 
one's political enemies. 
 
¶3.  (C) Geoana was skeptical about prospects for early 
elections, noting that elections for the European Parliament 
would likely occur in May 2007, with municipal elections in 
June 2008 and a Presidential election taking place in 2009. 
President Basescu was alone in pushing for early elections, 
hoping to capitalize on his current high popularity ratings. 
Basescu also feared that a weak PD showing in future 
municipal elections could erode his prospects in the 
Presidential contest.  Geoana opined that a reshuffle among 
coalition partners was possible depending on how long Prime 
Minister Tariceanu survived.  Tariceanu was weakened, but 
still fighting for his political life.  Geoana warned that if 
Tariceanu goes, Romania could return to the "piranha 
politics" of the 1990s, with Basescu installing a more 
compliant puppet as Prime Minister. 
 
¶4.  (C) Regarding future coalition combinations, Geoana said 
that anything was possible, including continuation of the 
PD/PNL alliance; a strong PD combined with satellite parties; 
a PD/PSD alliance, or even a PSD/PNL government.  Two likely 
options included a "new majority" centered around Basescu, or 
some sort of "grand coalition" akin to Germany.  The latter 
option (which he preferred) would use as a pretext the need 
for mainstream Romanian parties to collectively meet the 
challenges of EU membership.  A PD/PNL merger was unlikely 
given the liberals' pride in their 100-year history and 
traditions.  Geoana anticipated that the next two and half 
years could prove an extraordinarily "unconstructive" time 
for Romanian politics, with political paralysis and loss of 
momentum after the January 1 EU accession.  Romania risked 
following in Poland's footsteps in mismanaging the first few 
years after EU entry, providing an opening for extremist and 
populist voices to dominate Romanian politics in the future. 
 
¶5.  (C) On attitudes towards the United States, Geoana said 
that Romania was currently so pro-American that one had to 
anticipate a future rebalancing between its 
"transatlanticist" and "European" orientations. Geography 
would never allow Romania to "relax" and hence the current 
security construction with the United States was safe for at 
least two more generations.  He added that the U.S. shouldn't 
take Romania's future pro-US orientation for granted or 
assume that it would be automatic. Geoana added that while he 
didn't like the President, he had to admit that Basecsu was 
"solid" with regards to his transatlanticist inclinations. 
Geoana also noted the need to develop new institutions to 
anchor US-Romanian ties after USAID pulled out.  These might 
include the Black Sea Trust Fund, the Aspen Institute, even 
the Harvard Club.  He added that it was not a question of USG 
 
BUCHAREST 00001665  002 OF 002 
 
 
funding, since there was now a huge network of influential 
Romanians who knew and loved the United States, including 
many corporate leaders. 
 
¶6.  (C) On Kosovo, Geoana said that Kosovar independence must 
be linked to a "package" of measures for the Balkan region as 
a whole.  Bringing Croatia into the EU and NATO without 
accounting for the rest of the Balkans was the wrong 
strategy.  With the right "package", the international 
community could move relatively fast in terms of fostering 
Kosovo's independence, but changing the status quo in Kosovo 
must be backed by a renewed commitment to the Balkan region 
on the part of NATO and the EU.  Geoana was doubtful that 
Macedonia or Alabania were capable of qualifying for EU 
accession, thus handing NATO the default role of "mentor" to 
these states.  Geoana argued for a strategy other than just 
"punishing" the Serbs, noting that the Serbian military 
understood what had to be done, but the Serbian public was 
still "intoxicated" with the idea of retaining Kosovo. 
Geoana added that the upcoming German EU Presidency was an 
opportunity for the United States to work closely with 
Chancellor Merkel on Kosovo.  The relative weakness or lame 
duck status of other European leaders gave Merkel the 
opportunity to demonstrate that she could be a "global 
leader" on this and other issues.  Geoana suggested that with 
the right preparation, Merkel would be receptive to working 
in tandem with President Bush on a renewed Kosovo strategy as 
part of Germany's bid for a successful EU presidency. 
 
¶7.  (C) Comparing Russia to "an athlete on steroids" Geoana 
said that he saw both Ukraine and Moldova slowly bending to 
growing Russian pressure, with Georgia increasingly isolated 
through Russian energy politics and other "booby traps" from 
Moscow.  Geoana also accused President Basescu of harboring 
plans to trade Moldovan unification with Romania for tacit 
acquiescence to allowing Transnistria to become a Russian-run 
"Kaliningrad" to the east. Geoana said Romania was wasting an 
opportunity to work with new Eastern European members of the 
EU in creating a "new European neighborhood policy" from the 
Baltics to the Black Sea, acting as a Vilnius Group writ 
large that could influence EU policy towards the East. 
 
¶8.  (C) On intelligence matters, Geoana said that the PSD had 
agreed to Senator Maior becoming the head of Romania's 
internal service.  He said that it was "refreshing" to see a 
new generation take over the intelligence services given the 
need to remove the taint of the Ceaucescu-era Securitate, but 
both Maior and SRI Director Saftoiu were inexperienced and 
"needed help."  He said that he was trying to institute a 
"new rule" in Romanian politics that the domestic 
intelligence directorship always go to an opposition 
politician, adding that this was a "precondition" for sending 
"one of our best young guys" for the post.  Geoana also 
encouraged the DNI to promote contacts between Romanian 
parliamentary committees overseeing intelligence matters with 
their counterparts in the United States, as this would be an 
investment in a more democratic Romania and a better 
respected intelligence service. 
 
¶9. (C) Comment: Mircea Geoana's views carrry some weight as 
he is the heir presumptive in any future coalition government 
involving the PSD.  His views on many issues--including his 
fundamentally transatlanticist orientation, his comments on 
Kosovo, and remarks on the desirability of creating an 
Eastern European bloc within the EU--track closely with those 
shared by many of his ruling coalition counterparts, 
underscoring that what separates the PSD from the ruling PD 
and PNL are frequently matters involving personalities, 
parties, and political nuance, not ideology or policy. 
Geoana's skepticism regarding the likelihood of early 
elections, on the other hand, reflects the fact that the 
PSD's prospects are not encouraging if President Basescu 
succeeds in getting an early election contest.  End Comment. 
 
 
Taubman

Are al-Shabaab & Al Qaeda linked?

Reading the press or listening to the TV news you could be forgiven for thinking that these organisations are tied a the hip.

What are the facts?

According to Karen Greenberg in Guardian America CiF:

"According to the National Counterterrorism Centre, al-Shabaab's links to al-Qaida have not reached the organisational level; it can therefore in no way be classified as a strong partner in the al-Qaida network. To quote from the NCC's website:

"While most of [Shabaab's] fighters are predominantly interested in the nationalistic battle against the TFG and not supportive of global jihad, al-Shabaab's senior leadership is affiliated with al-Qaida, and certain extremists aligned with al-Shabaab are believed to have trained and fought in Afghanistan."

A summary report by the Council on Foreign Relations concurs:

"Experts say there are links between individual al-Shabaab leaders and individual members of al-Qaida, but any organizational linkage between the two groups is weak, if it exists at all."

Bill Blum: An updated summary of the charming record of US foreign policy

An updated summary of the charming record of US foreign policy. Since the end of the Second World War, the United States of America has ...

1. Attempted to overthrow more than 50 governments, most of which were democratically-elected. ⁷
2. Attempted to suppress a populist or nationalist movement in 20 countries. ⁸
3. Grossly interfered in democratic elections in at least 30 countries. ⁹
4. Dropped bombs on the people of more than 30 countries. ¹⁰
5. Attempted to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders. ¹¹

In total: Since 1945, the United States has carried out one or more of the above actions, on one or more occasions, in the following 69 countries (more than one-third of the countries of the world):

Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Australia Bolivia Bosnia Brazil British Guiana (now Guyana) Bulgaria Cambodia Chad Chile China Colombia Congo (also as Zaire) Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Fiji France Germany (plus East Germany) Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Honduras India Indonesia Iran

Iraq Italy Jamaica Japan Kuwait Laos Lebanon Libya Mongolia Morocco Nepal Nicaragua North Korea Pakistan Palestine Panama Peru Philippines Portugal Russia Seychelles Slovakia Somalia South Africa Soviet Union Sudan Suriname Syria Thailand Uruguay Venezuela Vietnam (plus North Vietnam) Yemen (plus South Yemen) Yugoslavia

(See a world map of US interventions.)

Rumors of US plans for Libya, Syria cause concern

I came across this article today on Deutsche Welle: "Rumors of US plans for Libya, Syria cause concern".

Its main purpose appears to be to discredit a recent infowars.com exclusive: Military Sources Reveal Ground Force Invasion of Libya

"a number of unsubstantiated reports based on anonymous military sources began flooding the Internet claiming that US forces were already being readied for a full-scale ground invasion of Libya.

The alleged military sources at the US Army's Fort Hood base in Texas, where these preparations were said to be taking place, revealed to the Infowars.com website that the invasion was being planned for October. This report spawned a wave of similar extrapolations on the theme of a potential escalation in Libya, again with little solid evidence to back them up."

However, on the same site is another article "Huge Marine Drill Confirms Ground Invasion of Libya", which quotes a CNN article from 19 June "Headed to the beach? Heads up for an invasion force":

"The exercise is designed to test the capability of every type of Marine Corps aircraft, including MV-22 Ospreys and F/A 18 Hornets, as well as some Navy ships and Air Force planes.

The drill will stretch from Quantico Marine Base in northern Virginia to the Navy's Pinecastle Bombing Range in Florida.

With thousands of Marines and other service members involved, it's the biggest such drill ever on the U.S. East Coast."

But that's not all: in a small Spanish provincial news paper, the Diario Cadiz, there is also a world exclusive.

We find that there is a major US military exercise happening at this very moment and until Friday on the south coast of Spain at Barbate not far from Cape Trafalgar which go under the name of Phiflex 2011. However, if you do a search of Phiflex 2011 the only mention comes from the local Spanish newspaper: The Diario de Cadiz (which also covers the US base at Rota).

2400 US marines including the Marine Expeditionary Force are practicing beach assaults and landings.

This goes under the cover of joint exercises with the Spanish armed forces, who, however, are only providing 380 marines along with Piranha armoured fighting vehicles and Harrier jets.

According to the Diario de Cadiz there are up to 4 aircraft carriers participating, along with US planes.

Now it may be just the time of year but there is certainly a lot of marine activity right now.