Give Americans some credit-we’re not still going to fall for the old THINK-TANKS story again
3 December 2008
from FOX NEWS “Think Tanks Say Obama Should Shift Focus From Iraq to Iran”
A report from analysts at two major think tanks says Barack Obama should focus on curtailing Iran’s nuclear program and promoting peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. What a piece. No names of who at these supposed “think-tanks”. Well, I did a little thinking myself, and I analyzed that Obama should talk with Iran itself, instead of relying on Bush’s old think-tanks, and let’s talk instead about Israel’s nuclear program, and then we will let them promote peace among themselves. What old and worn out is this term of the Bush mouthpieces: Don’t these “THINK-TANKS have names, reminds me of BOMB-SHELTERS. Come on, we voted for CHANGE, not the same old repetoire.
WHY US THINKS IRAN HAS WMD – US GAVE THEM BLUEPRINTS
12 March 2008
The Bush administration is prolonging the hunting season against journalists. The latest victim is James Risen, The New York Times reporter for national security and intelligence affairs. About three months ago, a federal grand jury issued a subpoena against him, ordering Risen to give evidence in court. A heavy blackout has been imposed on the affair, with the only hint being that it has to do with sensitive matters of “national security.” But conversations with several sources who are familiar with the affair indicate that Risen has been asked to testify as part of an investigation aimed at revealing who leaked apparently confidential information about the planning of secret Central Intelligence Agency and Mossad missions concerning Iran’s nuclear program.
Risen included this information in his book, “State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration,” which was published in 2006. In the book, he discusses a number of ideas which he says were thought up jointly by CIA and Mossad operatives to sabotage Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
One of these ideas was to build electromagnetic devices, smuggling them inside Iran to sabotage electricity lines leading to the country’s central nuclear sites. According to the plan, the operation was supposed to cause a series of chain reactions which would damage extremely powerful short circuits in the electrical supply that would have led to failures of the super computers of Iran’s nuclear sites.
According to the book, the Mossad planners proposed that they would be responsible for getting the electromagnetic facilities into Iran with the aid of their agents in Iran. However, a series of technical problems prevented the plan’s execution.
Another of the book’s important revelations, which made the administration’s blood boil about James Risen, appeared in a chapter describing what was known as Operation Merlin, the code name for another CIA operation supposed to penetrate the heart of Iran’s nuclear activity, collect information about it and eventually disrupt it.
Operation Merlin
The CIA counter proliferation department hired a Soviet nuclear engineer who had previously, in the 1990s, defected to the United States and revealed secrets from the Soviet Union’s nuclear program. His speciality was in the field of what is called weaponization, the final stage of assembling a nuclear bomb.
The scientist was equipped with blueprints for assembling a nuclear bomb in which, without his knowledge, false drawings and information blueprints were planted about a nuclear warhead that was supposedly manufactured in the Soviet Union. The plan’s details had been fabricated by CIA experts, and so while they appeared authentic, they had no engineering or technological value.
The intention was to fool the scientist and send him to make contact with the Iranians to whom he would offer his services and blueprints. The American plot was aimed at getting the Iranians to invest a great deal of effort in studying the plans and to attempt to assemble a faulty warhead. But when the time came, they would not have a nuclear bomb but rather a dud.
However, Operation Merlin, which was so creative and original, failed because of CIA bungled planning. The false information inserted into the blueprints were too obvious and too easily detected and the Russian engineer discovered them. As planned, he made contact with the Iranian delegation to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna and handed over to them, also as planned, the blueprints.
But contrary to the CIA’s intention, he added a letter to the blueprints in which he pointed out the mistakes. He did not do this with ill intent or out of a desire to disrupt the operation and harm his operators. On the contrary, he did so out of a deep sense of mission and in order to satisfy his American operators. He hoped that in this way he would simply increase the Iranians’ trust in him and encourage them to make contact with him for the good, of course, of his American operators.
The result was disastrous. Not only did the CIA fail to prevent the Iranians in their efforts to enhance their nuclear program, this operation may also have made it possible for them to get their hands on a plan for assembling a nuclear warhead.
Freedom of the press
In Israel, military censorship would have prevented the publication of details such as these. But in the U.S., where the principle of freedom of the press is sacred and anchored in the constitution, there is no compulsory and binding censorship. There is, however, an expectation there that the press will show responsibility. This expectation has increased in recent years, particularly with the conservative Bush administration and in the wake of the events of September 11, 2001 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Risen is not the first journalist to have been subpoenaed to give evidence before a grand jury and reveal his sources. According to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, some 65 journalists have been summoned for such investigations since 2001. Some agreed, cooperated and testified. Most refused, so that they would not have to reveal their sources. In this way, they exposed themselves to being charged with contempt of court.
There were some who even preferred to be jailed so long as they were not forced to reveal their source. The best-known case was that of Judith Miller, another New York Times writer. The background to her 85-day imprisonment was her refusal to reveal who had leaked the name of Valerie Plame, a CIA agent, to the media.
“It is true that there is tension between the Bush administration and the media,” says Steve Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy on behalf of the Federation of American Scientists, an independent body which aims at analyzing the activities of government with a critical eye, “but I would not go so far as to say that the administration is waging war against the media.”
In Aftergood’s assessment, the danger to the freedom of the press comes rather from private citizens and organizations, those who feel themselves harmed by journalistic publications and commentators and who would therefore like to limit the press’ freedom. The most conspicuous of these is Gabriel Schoenfeld, a senior editor at Commentary, who believes that liberal newspapers like The New York Times are not sufficiently patriotic. In his articles and in testimony before a Senate committee that discussed the issue, Schoenfeld claimed that
The New York Times reporters had revealed confidential material that weakened America’s struggle against Al-Qaida. He calls for relinquishing the soft approach which he says the administration has taken against journalists in whose publications, in his opinion, America’s security is harmed.
There are many others who take the opposite approach and believe that the right of journalists to keep their sources secret should be anchored in law. Two Congressmen, the Republican Mike Pence, and Rick Boucher, a Democrat, have proposed legislation to this effect – a law for the free flow of information. The House of Representatives has already approved their proposal but the legislation is being held up in the Senate, to the displeasure of the American Civil Liberties Union.
On the face of it, this is a sensitive issue that is intended to draw the lines between the freedom of information, freedom of the media, and the public’s right to know, against the right of a democracy to defend itself against enemies that are not democratic. But James Risen has no doubt that the correct and just moral act on his part has to be to defend his sources, even if this means he will lose his freedom.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/961337.html
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<!–[endif]–>By Yossi Melman
The Bush Administration says it will try to use ‘diplomacy’ to resolve its problems with Iran, but will not rule out military action. The Bush Administration and countries it is involved with have tried to convince the American people that Iran is building weapons of mass destruction. While Iran says its program is to produce clean, efficient power like the U.S. and many other countries.
Now top MidEast commander Fallon, who oversees U.S. operations in 27 countries including Iraq and Afghanistan, resigns after an Esquire article escribed him as challenging the White House and urging restraint on Iran. I see Fallon as a genuine hero. Fallon gave his thoughts and opinions to the author during the article’s writing, but criticized it after it appeared in print. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the perception that Fallon was now at odds with the Bush Administration was not linked just to that article.
I think Commander Fallon is going to be a leader we can trust in the next administration coming up. He will certainly have my support. Fallon has also denied reports he has a testy relationship with Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. Democrats in the U.S. Congress charged that Fallon’s departure was another sign the Bush administration did not tolerate military commanders who spoke their mind.
Commander Fallon appears to me to be a man of integrity who cannot go along with what he feels is not right.
An Israeli and a Gazan blog for peace
6 March 2008
Please support the call for a One Month cease fire between Israel and Gaza: http://www.one-month.org. Pass it on to all that care!
Two men build a friendship in cyberspace, bridging a violent divide between them.
By Josh Mitnick | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the March 6, 2008 edition
Sderot, Israel – It’s a friendship that spans the poles of the Israeli-Palestinian war zone – this southern Israeli border town and a Gaza refugee camp about 10 miles away.
The two men have not seen each other in about a year. But they are now reunited in the blogosphere, writing a joint diary to stave off their own despair and prove that a dialogue is still possible across the divide.
Titled, “Life must go on in Gaza and Sderot,” the pair rants in (uneven) English about the seeming futility about the Hamas-Israeli hostilities, the daily stress of surviving the violence, and the loneliness of optimists.
“Peace man,” an unemployed bachelor who resides in Gaza’s Sajaiya refugee camp, blogs between Gaza’s power outages and complains of insomnia from the constant overflights of Israeli attack helicopters.
“Hope man,” a software programmer whose Sderot house has been buffeted on all sides by Qassam rockets, worries about being away from his kids – who are at school – when the next rockets fall.
“We decided we wanted to come out to the world, and to show that there other types of relationships between Palestinians in Gaza and Israelis in Sderot, not only rockets and violence,” says the Sderot blogger. “Even though things are really awful, it’s to show there can be a true connection.”
On Wednesday, under pressure from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced he would resume talks with Israel after a suspension earlier this week in protest over the killing of more than 100 Palestinians in Gaza.
On the eve of Ms. Rice’s visit, Hope Man said he had low expectations that her talks would yield a permanent halt to the cross-border violence. “I don’t think anyone has a clue about how to get out of this bind.”
Started in January, the Israeli-Palestinian blog team (http://gaza-sderot.blogspot.com/) posts about every other day and they try to steer clear of political debate. The entries include first-person accounts of dodging Qassam rockets, shopping for scarce goods in Gaza’s markets, the frustrating search for like-minded Israelis and Palestinians, and a mantra-like appeal for a stop to the violence.
Afraid their public conversation may be seen as disloyal by their countrymen, they assiduously guard their true identities. The Gaza blogger says in a phone interview that some of his friends who know about the blog have expressed concern for his well-being.
The fighting of the past week, some of the worst in years, has made it almost impossible for Gazans to openly speak of peaceful relations with Israelis, even if it’s only in cyberspace. “They say it’s dangerous and that some groups don’t like this,” says Peace Man. “In Gaza, nothing is clear.”
In Israel, too, where the firing of hundreds of Qassam rockets resulted in one fatality last week, there is hostility toward those who openly talk to Palestinians. “Who’s that traitor that’s writing that damned blog,” Liron Amir, an Israeli sitting at a pizza restaurant in Sderot, replies when asked about the blog. “He should go live with them. We don’t want any connection with them.”
The bloggers met about two years ago through an Israeli-Arab dialogue group sponsored by the Center for Emerging Future in Boise, Idaho, which obtained Israeli army permits for Peace Man to cross into Israel to attend dialogue meetings in Jerusalem and Sderot.
Danny Gal, the Israeli coordinator for the center, said the group encourages Israelis and Palestinians to set up joint peace ventures.
They originally hoped to establish a joint summer camp for kids from Sderot and Gaza, but since the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, Israeli border permits have become very difficult to obtain unless it’s for medical care. Though they continued to speak on the phone frequently, the frustrated pair decided to take their conversation online.
In the same way that blogs have experienced popularity as an alternative to mainstream news reports, a desire to “correct” the portrayal of the conflict in both Israeli and Palestinian media is another purpose of the blog, says the Sderot blogger.
“If you turn on Channel 1 in Israel, you will not see a balanced picture. That’s understandable. I’m not blaming anyone. We’re just trying to represent our reality,” says Hope Man.
“There’s a tendency of the media – especially when there’s an escalation – not to say things that are against the mainstream or the policy of the government. They try to show solidarity with policy.”
Talking by cellphone from his Gaza home, over the background thump of Israeli helicopters, Peace Man says that hope for peace among Gazans has nose-dived ever since Middle East leaders gathered in Annapolis, Md., to announce the resumption of peace negotiations.
Desperate for a respite from the violence, the blogging pair recently started calling for a one-month truce in the fighting, which they say will give a chance for the anger to ease on each side and for leaders to think creatively about searching for a solution.
“We just need a breather,” says Hope Man. “We may be a little naive, but its better than sitting around and waiting for everything to destruct around us.”
We can always Bomb, Bomb, Iran
Nuclear Power Industry for U.S., Britan, Russia, China, India
27 February 2008
Investing in Nuclear Energy – 104 Reasons Behind the Nuclear Energy Revival
By Keith Kohl | Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 / energyandcapital.com 2/26/2008
“There are approximately 104 nuclear reactors operating in the U.S., accounting for roughly 20% of the total electricity we generate. If you really want to see where this industry is headed, just look at what we have planned for the future. Right now, there are 34 nuclear reactors being built around the world, with 93 on order or being planned and another 222 reactors that have been proposed.
Yet we aren’t the only country interested in boosting our nuclear power …
Recently, Britain also decided that nuclear energy may be the way to go. The government just gave energy companies the green light to develop and build new nuclear power plants. The first new power plant could be ready within the next ten years.
Last July, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia will double their nuclear energy by adding another 26 power plants. Of course, this is on top of another sixty the country expects to export over the next twenty years.
It’s practically impossible to talk about the world’s growing energy demand without mentioning India and China. Each is taking a different path with nuclear energy.”
Of course the entire world is interested in clean, efficient, inexpensive nuclear power, but the U.S. must Bomb Iran before they can get some too.
Source of online news media determines how debate is framed
22 February 2008
Topic: Online Media News Sources and U.S. Propaganda
Thesis: The Source of Online News Media Determines How a Debate is Framed
Intro: This paper will contrast the difference between U.S. mainstream online news media (ex. Washington Post) with other (ex. foreign or alternative) online news media. Definition of Framing.
Body: American propaganda as a concept, history, and reality of informational media technology.
A. Literature Review: Concept, Origin, & Theories of Framing
George Lakoff – Matt Bai
B. Historical Review: Propaganda in History – General Herman Goering
After 9/11: CNN chief executive Walter Isaacson,
Edward Said
Mark Crispin Miller
C. Reality of Informational Media News Technology
Case Study A: The Washington Post staff writers – mainstream
Case Study B: The Oregonian – mainstream
Case Study C: Energy & Capital – economic interests
Case Study D: Press TV – Iranian Int. News Network – foreign press
Case Study E: Associated Press in boston.com – The Boston Globe
Case Study F: International Clearing House – alternative
Case Study G: Calcutta News – foreign press
Case Study PC: Presidential Candidate on NRP framing Iran: Bomb, Bomb Iran
D. Analyzing the Conclusion: A Morals-Based Approach
Thesis Reworded: Language evokes moral and conceptual frames
Concluding statement: Framing is an art and a cognitive science. Linguistics can frame a debate.
Why War with Iran is Imninent (or) Bomb, Bomb Iran
17 February 2008
US envoy sees Iran sanctions next week
The Herald Sun – February 22, 2008 8:54 pm – error message states no longer available
“We will succeed in shutting down Iran’s oil bours…. er. I mean, nuclear weapons program!” — Official White Horse Souse
Take a good look at the photo labeled “Heavy water plant.” That’s actually a set of refinery cracking towers. Heavy water plants, like uranium enrichment plants, consist of cascades of centrifuges. The lies just never stop coming. – M. R. – alternative news source
Well-funded special-interest groups have unbalanced our democratic system so what are we are we going to do now? Jurgen Habermas deduced that as capitalism developed, the uneven distribution of wealth & mass media would damage our public sphere. During the meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle, 1999, online activists mobilized protests against globalization in what came to be known as ‘the Battle in Seattle.” My son was involved in that protest almost ten years ago. Very naively, no one in my seemingly safe world understood what was going on there, nor did we even bother to find out. My extended family was unsympathetic when I mentioned my son was hit by a rubber bullet. He must have done something wrong. It is sad to me that only after returning to school I finally learned what that protest was all about. (Long after my son was killed in 2001. )
My hope now is that I can persuade my friends and loved ones before it is too late what these organizations are really about. The names they have taken upon themselves make them sound like official, trustworthy benefactors – World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the G8 – just the opposite of what they really are. They are individuals organized for the express purpose of making money off the most vulnerable people, those in developing countries. They have no more conscience than a loan shark.
http://www.battleinseattlemovie.com/video.html
Going back to Seattle, 1999 – what happened was many individuals & groups, using their genius, creativity, and knowledge of Internet media linked activists to mobilize real-world action, gaining widespread attention to the cause. Unfortunately, not my attention or that of anyone I knew. The website of the Independent Media Center helped powerless groups frame and disseminate their message, and at the same time, exercise leverage against a powerful international organization (WTO).
The Internet is our threatened public sphere, our modern, but vulnerable network for communicating information & points of view, an e-town hall. The public sphere Habermas observed was the coffee houses of Victorian England in the 18th Century. But he was able to deduce that “as capitalism developed, the uneven distribution of wealth and the emergence of mass media would extinguish the ability of citizens to have their voices heard, damaging the public sphere.” See zeitgeistmovie.com
The Internet is cheaper than the phone, it is easy to publish material either on the web or by email. Circulation is rapid, with global reach, available even in developing countries. New blogging software now allows anyone to become a publisher which is a great freedom. However, I no longer believe it is difficult to control or censor the Internet. As can been seen with cut internet cables and filters, governments will do anything when it suits their agenda.
Also see Petrodollar warfare, Petrobourse
The Iran Petroleum Exchange, International Oil Bourse[1] or Iranian_Oil_Bourse[2] (IOB; the official English language name is unclear) is a commodity exchange that IIranian ministries and other state and private institutions have announced they are creating. The IOB is a Petrobourse for petroleum, petrochemicals and gas in various non-dollar currencies, primarily the Iranian rial and a basket of other major currencies. The geographical location is at the Persian Gulf island of Kish which is designated by Iran as a free trade zone.[3].
The Iranian Oil Bourse was inaugurated on 17 February 2008. Mysteriously, undersea Internet cables were cut February 1, 2008 in an attempt to disrupt this inauguration.
See earlier blog: [Internet cables severed last week causing disruptions across the Middle East and parts of Asia, two undersea cables that were cut Jan. 30. They are about 5 miles off the north coast of Egypt, near the port city of Alexandria, and run between Egypt and Palermo, on the Italian island of Sicily. One of the two Mediterranean cables was owned by FLAG. The other, identified as SEA-ME-WE 4, or South East Asia-Middle East-West Europe 4 cable, was owned by a consortium of 16 international telecommunication companies. Egypt’s telecommunication ministry said no ships were registered near the location at the time. The cuts slowed businesses, hampered personal Internet usage and caused a flurry of Internet blogger speculation, including mentions of sabotage. Government authorities and FLAG, which stands for Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe, have refused to comment on the speculation.]
Although opening an oil bourse has been delayed in the past 2 years, Iran has had success in asking its petroleum customers to pay in non-dollar currencies. On December 8, 2007, Iran reported to have converted all of its oil export payments to non-dollar currencies.
Background
The three current oil markets are all US dollar denominated: North America’s West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), North Sea Brent Crude, and the UAE Dubai Crude. The two major oil bourses are the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) in New York City and the International_Petroleum_Exchange (IPE) in London. The proposed Iranian bourse would establish a fourth oil market, denominated by the Iranian rial, the euro and other major currencies.
Timeline
April 20th, 2007 Bomb, Bomb Iran
December 2007 Iran stops accepting U.S. dollars for oil. [19]
January 2008 Iran’s Finance Minister Davoud Danesh-Jafari told reporters that the bourse will be opened during the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution (February 1-11). [2].
February 2008 On February 4, the Iranian Cabinet approved the creation of the oil bourse in two stages – first a raw oil exchange and secondly an oil byproducts exchange. The Ministry of Finance and Economics, the Oil Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Central Bank of Iran are required to create a workgroup to coordinate the project, and the Iran Commodities Bourse Company is given the task of carrying out the project. The communique from the Cabinet states that the “Ministry of Finance and Economics is required to take measures in making the petrochemical byproducts bourse operational by the end of February 2008.” [20]
On February 17 2008, the Iranian Oil Bourse was inaugurated in a video conference ceremony from the capital Tehran attended by ministers of oil, finance and economic affairs as well as chairman of Iran’s Stock Exchange and a number of other officials and financial experts.[21] The transactions will be made in Iranian rial and other major currencies. [22] The Iranian Oil Bourse will likely accept Russian ruble as well.[23]
3-10-2008 Somebody thinks the conspiracy theories are dismissed because Tehran’s cut internet cables were quickly rerouted through Turkey. Sounds like a perfect plan to me. They are more accessible there than underwater. If the U.S. military only uses satellite for its internet, sounds like anything less should be considered unsecure.
- ^ KFZO MD: Investment in oil and gas in Kish is competitive and justified. Kish Free Zone Organization (2008-02-09). Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
- ^ a b Iran Oil Bourse to deal blow to dollar
- ^ Kish Oil Exchange Planned, Iran Daily, January 24, 2006
- ^ Iran stops selling oil in U.S. dollars -report, Reuters, December 7, 2007
- ^ The Iranian line in the sand, Dan Crawford, The Republic (Vancouver), August 18 to 31, 2005
- ^ A star rises in the east, Stella Farrington, April 2005
- ^ Speaking freely: What the Iran ‘nuclear issue’ is really about, Chris Cook, January 21, 2006, Asia Times/energybulletin.net
- ^ A frenzied Persian new year, March 22, 2006, Asia Times
- ^ Iran oil bourse next week, April 26, 2006, Iranian.ws
- ^ Ministry to offer IOB Articles of Association in two months, May 19, 2006, Mehr News Agency
- ^ Iranian Journel, building has been purchased and new date is September, accessed July 6 2006
- ^ Iran’s oil bourse to be launched, September 15, 2006, Mehr News Agency
- ^ Iran May Reduce Use of Dollar, Tehran Papers Say, December 6, 2006, Bloomberg
- ^ Press TV – Iran’s Baghdad embassy shifts to euro
- ^ China shifts to euros for Iran oil, The Scotsman, 27 March 2007
- ^ IRI to stop pricing oil in dollars, IRIB News, 31 March 2007
- ^ Iran asks Japan to pay in yen, not dollars for oil purchases, Tokyo, 14 July 2007, IRNA
- ^ UPI: “Analysis: Iran moves to ditch U.S. dollar”
- ^ RIA Novosti: Iran stops accepting U.S. dollars for oil. TEHRAN, December 8, 2007
- ^ The cabinet approves the opening of the International Oil Bourse. Kish Free Zone Organization (2008-02-04). Retrieved on 2008-02-07.
- ^ 1st phase of Iran oil stock inaugurated on Kish Island, IRNA Reports, Feb. 17, 2008
- ^ Oil bourse opens in Iran’s Kish Island Retrieved 17 February 2008
- ^ IIran Oil Bourse may use Russian ruble , Press TV Reports, Feb. 15, 2008
Literature
- Clark, William R.: Petrodollar Warfare : Oil, Iraq and the Future of the Dollar, New Society Publishers, 2005, ISBN 0-86571-514-9
External links
- Iran Oil Bourse to deal blow to dollar www.PressTV.ir, January 2008
- [1] Hysteria Over Iran and A New Cold War with Russia: Peak Oil, Petrocurrencies, and the Emerging Multi-Polar World, December 2006
- PetroTalk Portal for petro related Articles, Discussion, Links and more
- Iran oil bourse next week, Persian Journal, Apr 26, 2006
- Iran takes on west’s control of oil trading, The Guardian
- The Real Reasons Why Iran is the Next Target: The Emerging Euro-denominated International Oil Marker
- Petrodollar Warfare: Dollars, Euros and the Upcoming Iranian Oil Bourse
- The Proposed Iranian Oil Bourse
- Trading oil in euros – does it matter?
- Will the Iranian Oil Bourse Threaten the Dollar?
- Petrodollars and Nuclear Weapons Proliferation: Understanding the Planned Assault on Iran, Centre for Research on Globalization, February 10, 2006
- The Iranian line in the sand
- Petrodollar or Petroeuro? A new source of global conflict
- The Iranian Threat: The Bomb or the Euro?
- The Real Reasons Why Iran is the Next Target
- Strange ideas about the Iranian oil bourse (a counterpoint with countercounterpoints in comments…)
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Iranian Oil Bourse opening IOB will open amid hurdle:
- Unlike other bourses, the IOB relies on a peer-to-peer trading model, using the Internet. IOB has been in the works for several years and encountered many hurdles on the way, the last of which are severed underwater internet cables creating an Internet outage throughout the Middle East days before the IOB’s opening and prompting conspiracy theories. In recent years the US has outfitted some of its submarines with the capability to splice optical fiber underwater so these theories may not be far-fetched.
Having the world’s second largest oil reserves of 136 gigabarrels, Iran will likely extend its influence on financial markets when the IOB opens. Although under-reported by the media, this historical shift and its consequences should be watched closely.
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From: justforeignpolicy
Joined: 10 months ago
Videos: 5 |
A threat to our public sphere? Sabotage in Middle East? Government refuses comment.
10 February 2008
Cut Gulf Internet cable
By KATARINA KRATOVAC, Associated Press Writer Fri Feb 8, 2:24 PM ET
CAIRO, Egypt – An abandoned anchor was responsible for cutting one of the undersea Internet cables severed last week, causing disruptions across the Middle East and parts of Asia, the cable’s owner said Friday. A FLAG Telecom repair crew discovered the anchor near where the fiber-optic cable was severed Feb. 1 in the Persian Gulf, 35 miles north of Dubai, between the Emirates and Oman.
Weighing more than 5.5 tons, the anchor has been pulled to the surface. The company did not immediately explain whether the anchor moved and snapped the cable or whether the cable itself was drifting when it was sliced.
It remains unclear exactly how any of the cuts occurred.
… A second FLAG repair ship continued work on two undersea cables that were cut Jan. 30. They are about 5 miles off the north coast of Egypt, near the port city of Alexandria, and run between Egypt and Palermo, on the Italian island of Sicily. One of the two Mediterranean cables was owned by FLAG. The other, identified as SEA-ME-WE 4, or South East Asia-Middle East-West Europe 4 cable, was owned by a consortium of 16 international telecommunication companies.
Egypt’s telecommunication ministry said no ships were registered near the location at the time. The cuts slowed businesses, hampered personal Internet usage and caused a flurry of Internet blogger speculation, including mentions of sabotage. Government authorities and FLAG, which stands for Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe, have refused to comment on the speculation.
Reports of additional cuts in Middle East Internet cables could not be confirmed. FLAG, in a statement posted on the company Web site, said it has surveyed the cable cut off Egypt with remotely operated robots.
The FLAG spokesman said this week that it was laying a new cable underwater between Egypt and France that would be “fully resilient” against cuts such as last week’s and “provide a diversity in routes.” He did not say what that resilience entailed, but said it would take months to set up the new cable.
“It is difficult to comment right now on this,” said a FLAG spokesman, reached over the telephone. “We are doing our own investigation.” He spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with company policy. Ovum analyst Matt Walker said undersea cable networks are highly vulnerable to deliberate attack and need enhanced security.
… “The economic cost of losing, or even just slowing down, international communications is extremely high,” said Walker. “This risk has to be factored into the calculations behind the investment level and design of undersea optical networks.” …
AP Business Writer Matt Moore contributed to this report from Frankfurt, Germany.
U.S. heading to war in Iran, says former inspector
BY: MARILYN H. KARFELD Senior Staff Reporter
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08/02/08 “Cleveland Jewish News“ — – The former chief United Nations weapons inspector and a retired Middle East diplomat recently warned that America was heading straight toward imminent war with Iran.
John McCain April 20, 2007: Bomb, Bomb Iran
