Europe, beware: Obama speaks with two tongues
By Hans Vogel - Pravda
Obama is holding out an olive branch to Islam: "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy," Obama is quoted as saying, adding "We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect." Coincidentally, across the board US-muslim relations are quite good. Most Middle Eastern regimes are somehow or other supported by the US. Saudi Arabia is a close ally and so are the Gulf States. Egypt's regime can only survive thanks to regular wheat shipments from the US. Arab (Muslim) bankers and businessmen have invested heavily in the US economy and have been buying plenty of bonds over the past decades.
On the other hand, Obama has announced he will step up military efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan, while the recently inaugurated US embassy in Iraq indicates the US is planning to stay indefinitely and continue to run the country like a colony or protectorate.
Obama like his predecessors may be talking about Muslims and the Middle East, but Europe is the main concern. As long as Europe has not been completely, utterly subjected, neutralized, controlled, dominated, it constitutes a menace to US aspirations, no matter how vehemently this is denied.
It would seem that Europe is not aware of the true dangers facing it, nor is it doing the right thing. It must be doubted whether any European government (with the exception of the French and perhaps one or two other governments) has any clue as to the true long-term objectives of US foreign policy. The US-Muslim alliance is a deadly threat to Europe's existence.
It is time Europeans realized the US is NOT their friend. Nor do Europe and the US share a common heritage and culture as is so often affirmed by romantic dreamers. The US is a reactionary theocracy, whereas Europe still cherishes some democratic principles. It is not yet too late to turn the tide and reinstate true parliamentary democracy. Therefore, there is but one real answer to the present threat to Europe's security: to reconsider its ties with the US and put them on a different footing. For instance, by throwing the US out of NATO, merging NATO with the European Union and establishing an alliance with Russia. Any objections by Poles, Czechs, Bulgarians, or whoever, should just be ignored. While this may seem too radical for the moment, it would certainly be a good start for Europeans to stop using English when dealing with US officials. It would be much so more advantageous to use a European language such as German, French or Italian. This would have the immediate effect of forcing US officials into an inferior position in every official meeting with European counterparts. Standing up against the US would moreover have the added benefit of gaining the eternal gratitude and friendship of Europe's Muslim minorities, who deep down dislike the US.
Instead Europe is toeing the US party line. It is fighting Muslim fundamentalism outside Europe, while pampering radical Muslims at home. Thus it is creating an entirely new set of contradictions. Moreover, by turning into terrorist organizations themselves, European nations are in effect contributing to their own eventual undoing.
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I agree with part of what you're saying. Mainly that Europe can and should be responsible for it's own defense and therefore NATO as it is currently constituted can be disbanded and the US should close down it's military bases in Europe.
However, you're taking it a step further and seem to advocating a declaration of cold war against the United States as if this will somehow solve all of your problems. I find that disturbing. Obviously as a US citizen I don't want to be at odds with Europe. While it is true that many US citizens are theocratic in their political philosphy and are renowned for their ignorance that is certainly not where I am coming from and I'm not willing nor desirous of engaging in a cold war with Germany, France, UK, etc. Sorry, but your offer is rejected from this side of the pond at least from this American. However, if you start shooting then I'll shoot back.
EDIT: I somehow missed the beginning lines where this is an article by a Pravda columnist. Nevermind. I would expect nothing less from a Communist progaganda rag.
Originally posted by MacSwainI think the problems are with radical muslims , they should toe the line in there host countries ,it seems to me where there are muslims trouble is not far behind them ,we give them an inch and they take a yard , it is very interesting what mr MacSwain says ,he may be right on a lot of what he says...
Europe, beware: Obama speaks with two tongues
By Hans Vogel - Pravda
Obama is holding out an olive branch to Islam: "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy," Obama is quoted as saying, adding "We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect." Coincidentally, across the board US-muslim relations are quite ...[text shortened]... s themselves, European nations are in effect contributing to their own eventual undoing.
Obama embodies grand failure of great hopes
Mikhail Leontiev - First Channel
Barack Obama’s accession to power reminds the plot of a Hollywood blockbuster about America’s future, where the US president is often portrayed as a black intellectual, who is greatly concerned about saving America from an imminent catastrophe.
We have all of that now: the black intellectual and the catastrophe. Let us just try to understand what it all means even if we are not average Americans.
Barack Obama appeared as the voice of many changes and the embodiment of changes during the elections. Obama has virtually brought a slightly renewed team of Bill Clinton to power. Clinton’s political legacy in Obama’s team is personified by Hillary Clinton, the new Secretary of State. General James Jones was appointed as the National Security Adviser. Retired Admiral Dennis Blair became the National Intelligence Director. Joe Biden, one of the architects of the US foreign political strategy, was picked as the vice president.
All vectors of the current US politics were built under Clinton’s rule. The NATO expansion, the bombing of Yugoslavia, the separation of Kosovo and even the doctrine to topple Saddam Hussein (Biden and Clinton took direct participation in its development) were all built during Clinton’s presidency. The Clinton’s administration used to have a much greater involvement in Russia’s internal affairs using the phenomenal loyalty of the Russian leadership of those times. It is worthy of note that Obama emerged as a politician against the background of anti-war sentiments.
Barack Obama said that the US must end the war in Iraq responsibly. In other words, he means that the United States must pull out from Iraq, but only when a responsible end is reached. No one would mind that, Bush would have nothing against either. The Guantanamo prison must be closed, but not now, because there is no place where the dangerous prisoners could be accommodated.
Obama is not a deceiver. However, his position as the incumbent leader differs from his pre-election rant. Obama said that the US administration should talk to its enemies, not just its friends, including Iran and Syria, to stabilize Iraq. He said that he’d use whatever military force is necessary to protect US citizens, but that the “military option is not the only option in the toolbox.”
If the USA uses that tone in its conversation with Russia as far as the NATO expansion and the missile defense issues are concerned. Obama will have an opportunity to ruin the relations with Russia.
Top economic advisor Larry Summers, who held a high-ranking job in the Clinton administration, will deal with the development of the economic strategy of the new administration. Ben Bernanke will continue administering the Federal Reserve System. Timothy Geithner was appointed the Treasury Secretary, whereas Bill Richardson, who served as the Secretary of Energy under Clinton, was to head the Commerce Department but scandal forced him to retract his nomination.
The current crisis was basically formed during Clinton’s stay in the office in spite of the fact that Bill Clinton is considered the President of the American Dream. Social and pension funds were emptied during Clinton’s presidency, and a colossal bubble was made on the stock market. Bush could only delay the inevitable end.
Larry Summers, the chief economic ideologist of today, does not know any new recipe except for pumping financial institutes with budget money. Obama himself can only say that the crisis has been caused with an irresponsible distribution of money and cheap loans. He has not been taught to deal with anything else.
“Only government can break the vicious cycles that are crippling out economy where a lack of spending leads to lost jobs which leads to even less spending; where an inability to lend and borrow stops growth and leads to even less credit,” Obama said.
“I think he is going to have a strong message for the bankers,” David Axelrod, a top Obama advisor said. “We want to see credit flowing again. We don’t want them to sit on any money that they get from taxpayers,” he added.
The taxpayers’ money was spent long ago along with the money of the future generations of taxpayers. This is what they call a system crisis.
Obama said the American Dream was about people’s faith in the lives that they were building for themselves and for their children and grandchildren, to make their lives even better.
Peter Peterson, the former US Commerce Secretary believes that those empty promises only mean that children and grandchildren will have to pay today’s bills. Billionaire Peterson said that the current generation of Americans had guzzled away the lives of the next two generations. This is the end of the American dream.
Obama embodies the peak of this dream. A son of a Kenyan shepherd has become the president of the USA. This is the peak, and the downfall is inevitable.
Obama, who has not done anything bad to anyone yet, is destined to become the embodiment of the failure of great hopes and colossal illusions.
One big reason for electing Obama was he’s supposed to repair America's relations with the world. So, how's that working out so far? Well, India says Obama is 'barking up the wrong tree'; Europe says Obama is plunging the world into depression; Canada says Obama is on a march to insanity; Kyrgyzstan says, you can’t use our bases any longer, 'Yankee go home'; and Iran says, 'We have lift-off.' Congratulations President Obama.
UK Times: President Obama to water down 'Buy American' plan after EU trade war threat.
MSNBC: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has a major issue with the economic stimulus plan being debated by American lawmakers. He says Canada is united with all other countries in the world in insisting the U.S. respect its obligations to the World Trade Organization.
FT Financial Times: New Delhi has warned Barack Obama that he is "barking up the wrong tree" if he tries to broker a deal between Pakistan and India over the disputed territory of Kashmir. They said the new US president was in danger of dredging up outdated Clinton-era strategies.
EURASIANET:The Kyrgyzstan government on February 4 submitted a draft law on closing an American air base at Manas, which has been indispensable in US air support of its actions in Afghanistan. Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s envoy to NATO, touted a new use for the Manas complex -- opening it to a newly minted military coalition dominated by Moscow. "Kyrgyzstan is right to believe that the Manas air base may be more necessary for the rapid reaction force of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), than for foreign troops, who don’t respect Kyrgyzstan’s sovereignty.” The closure of the base would deal a serious blow to United States and NATO as they gear up for a surge in Afghanistan. The loss of Manas would create a hole in the proposed Northern Supply Network, the aim of which is to speed the flow of supplies to Afghanistan via Russia and Central Asia.
Herald Tribune: Iran demonstrated its growing missile capabilities on Tuesday when it launched a satellite into orbit. Missile technology capable of accessing space has inter-continental capability by definition. Bush had sought to place 10 missile interceptors in Poland to defend both Europe and the United States against Iranian missile attacks. During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama supported missile defenses in Europe only after proof it would work.