Posted by seumasach on December 19, 2014
M.K.Bhadrakumar
19th December, 2014
The US president Barack Obama’s statement on Wednesday was modestly titled as ‘Cuba Policy Changes’ but it must stand out as one of the finest moments of his presidency – and a watershed event in US diplomatic history.
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Posted by seumasach on December 19, 2014
The retreat from empire, led by Obama and trumpeted for some time now in these columns, is now undeniable. The right and the left may decry it or deny it but the pattern is coming more and more into focus. The ending of the stand-off with Cuba is a moment of historic importance, all the more so for its symbolic power. Obama with his “Somos todos americanos” has with one phrase repositioned the USA geopolitically: it is his pivot to the Americas, north and south. The Senate report on CIA torture, though hardly revelatory, is similarly symbolic, signifying the imminent demise of the “deep state” and consequent re-emergence of constitutional, democratic politics, in the USA, Europe and elsewhere. It is a matter of regret that the various social. grass-roots movements have been unable to contribute more to drive for change which is already happening and is therefore believable. They seem instead to be unable to relate to anything not in conformity with their template of change from below. But we can still make it change from below! We should really be out on the streets now pushing for a deal with Iran, for a settlement of the Palestinian question, for an end to sanctions against Russia. We can help bring about a global peace process, deepening existing trends towards reconciliation, making them irreversible and finally finding the holy grail, the peace dividend. Let’s hope 2015 is the year when this can start to happen.
BRUSSELS – Pressure is mounting on those member states accused of hosting CIA rendition and torture camps to be held accountable for their role.
MEPs and the European Commission in Strasbourg on Wednesday (17 December) roundly condemned the torture of Al-Qaeda suspects carried out by CIA operatives on EU soil in the wake of 9-11, praised the US for exposing the abuse, and called upon Washington to shut down Guantanamo Bay.
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Posted in Global peace process | Tagged: Obama's realist turn, retreat from empire | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on December 16, 2014
International Crisis Group
11th December, 2014
After a year of negotiations, the parties to the Iran nuclear talks failed to meet their deadline of 24 November. Nonetheless the talks will continue, with the goal of reaching a political agreement by 1 March 2015 and a comprehensive agreement, including an implementation plan, by 1 July 2015 (see Crisis Group’s new report Iran Nuclear Talks: The Fog Recedes). In the following Q and A, Crisis Group Senior Iran Analyst Ali Vaez discusses what the new deadline means and how the talks might move forward.
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Posted by seumasach on December 16, 2014
M.K.Bhadrakumar
13th December, 2014
The US-Iranian negotiations for a nuclear deal are slated to resume on Monday amidst growing optimism that this could be the end of the year-long endgame under way, and an accord is in sight, finally. The US secretary of state John Kerry recently said that the effort will be to reach an accord even before the extended deadline of end-June.
Posted in Global peace process, Iran | Tagged: Obama's realist turn, retreat from empire | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on December 14, 2014
Moscow in touch with US
10th December, 2014
Damascus (AFP) – President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday met a top Russian envoy who said Moscow is hoping to relaunch peace talks for the war-torn country and could host a Syria-US meeting.
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Posted by seumasach on November 24, 2014
Ramin Davoodi
21st November, 2014
The macroeconomic and geopolitical stakes are high in a stand-off between the global East, South and West. As the stakes rise on the world’s chessboard, so does Iran’s role.
Posted in Global peace process, Iran, Multipolar world | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on October 28, 2014
Israel Says Relations With US Coming Under Strain: Israeli Defence Minister Feeling Snubbed During Visit To The US
27th October, 2014
Israel, considered to be closest strategic ally of the United States, has expressed concern that a crisis is brewing in its relations with the U.S. The flash point was the alleged snub meted out to Israel Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon by the Obama administration during his visit to Washington, last week.
Posted in Global peace process, Palestine | Tagged: Palestine | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on September 4, 2014
3rd September, 2014
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has declared a temporary ceasefire in eastern Ukraine after a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Russian experts believe the time to put an end to the bloodshed is long overdue. However, such a decision could be interpreted as weakness and may cost Poroshenko his political career.
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Posted by seumasach on August 2, 2014
Dominique de Villepin
31st July, 2014
Lever la voix face au massacre qui est perpétré à Gaza, c’est aujourd’hui, je l’écris en conscience, un devoir pour la France, une France qui est attachée indéfectiblement à l’existence et à la sécurité d’Israël mais qui ne saurait oublier les droits et devoirs qui sont conférés à Israël en sa qualité d’État constitué. Je veux dire à tous ceux qui sont tentés par la résignation face à l’éternel retour de la guerre qu’il est temps de parler et d’agir. Il est temps de mesurer l’impasse d’une France alignée et si sûre du recours à la force. Pour lever le voile des mensonges, des omissions et des demi-vérités. Pour porter un espoir de changement. Par mauvaise conscience, par intérêt mal compris, par soumission à la voix du plus fort, la voix de la France s’est tue, celle qui faisait parler le général de Gaulle au lendemain de la guerre des Six-Jours, celle qui faisait parler Jacques Chirac après la deuxième intifada. Comment comprendre aujourd’hui que la France appelle à la «retenue» quand on tue des enfants en connaissance de cause? Comment comprendre que la France s’abstienne lorsqu’il s’agit d’une enquête internationale sur les crimes de guerre commis des deux côtés? Comment comprendre que la première réaction de la France, par la voix de son président, soit celle du soutien sans réserve à la politique de sécurité d’Israël? Quelle impasse pour la France que cet esprit d’alignement et de soutien au recours à la force.
Posted in Palestine | Tagged: Israeli war crimes, Palestine | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on July 11, 2014
11th July, 2014
Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the need to stop the armed confrontation in the Gaza Strip, in a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Kremlin press service reported. “A detailed discussion took place on the sharp escalation of the situation in the Gaza Strip and the south of Israel. The Russian side stressed the need for a speedy end to the armed confrontation, which has led to numerous casualties among the civilian population,” the Kremlin’s statement reads, noting that the conversation, which also touched on further bilateral contacts between the two countries, was initiated by the Israeli side.
Posted in Palestine | Tagged: Gaza, Palestine, Russian diplomacy | Leave a Comment »
Posted by seumasach on June 9, 2014
M.K.Bhadrakumar
9th June, 2014
The two-day visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Turkey on Monday is invested with a lot of significance for the Middle Eastern politics. The glaring 18-year gap since the then President Hashemi Rafsanjani visited Turkey in 1996 flags what a complex relationship this has been between the two neighboring countries. Their hidden, unspoken rivalries as regional powers largely accounted for this complexity, laced with the perennial civilizational overtones that lurk below the surface.
Posted in Global peace process, Multipolar world | Tagged: Iranian diplomacy, Turkish diplomacy, Turkish-Iran relations | Leave a Comment »
In These New Times 