April 29 2011 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: As Intricate As A Pattern In Their Rugs - Byzantine Politics And Afghan-Pakistani Relations

"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now." April 29 2011 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: As Intricate As A Pattern In Their Rugs - Byzantine Politics And Afghan-Pakistani Relations [Pop Out Player? Click Here] Prefer An MP3 Playlist? It's Here: [128Kbps MP3 8:05 Minutes] Other Audio Formats Available [ Here ] Razer Raygun Says: ♥ Sharing IS Caring! ♥

In The News: Thanks this morning to ChrisM, my MP3Angel, for supplying the news and commentary audio files.

» The death toll is now over 300 and rescue crews are still digging through the rubble in Alabama and Mississippi in the wake of massive Eastern U.S. storms that have ravaged the region over the last few days. Missouri has reported massive damage as well but no death toll yet.

» This morning will see the last launch of the the space shuttle Endeavour. Mark Kelly husband of Gabrielle Giffords, the congress member shot in Arizona by a disturbed young man during a "Meet and Greet" with constituents, will be piloting. Congresswoman Giffords has recovered miraculously from a bullet wound to her brain and will be attending, as will president Obama who will stop in after surveying the previously reported storm damage in Alabama, where a declaration of emergency is in place.

» Byzantine IS the word... The New York Times is reporting the government of Pakistan is urging president Karzai of Afghanistan to find a new ally besides the US in their war. The Pakistani ambassador to the U.S. is denying the story claiming it was a plot by Afghans who weren't reaping the benefits of the US presence in Afghanistan. In other words, they're sabotaging US-Afghani relations because they want THEIR cousins to be in charge of protecting the convoys for the US payoff instead of president Karzai's cousins. Karzai's brother is also duly noted by yours truly as a mover and shaker in the Opium smuggling industry that funds most of Afghanistan's 'normal' economy. More in the commentary.

However, it MIGHT behoove the Afghan nationals who work for or profit from the Afghan/American government to make a note that they are being targeted as "Quislings" ...from the Afghan resistance, "Statement of the Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate Regarding the Inception of the Spring Operations":

"Since members of the American espionage agencies, government officials of the Puppet Administration and enemies of the Afghan people and Jihad have ensconced themselves in the so-called Peace Council and are trying to pave the way for the prolongation of the American occupation by cashing in on the name of Jihad, religion and tribal chieftainship,; wants to prevent Mujahideen from waging Jihad against the invaders and are urging the Afghan Mujahid people to accept American slavery and surrender, therefore, members of the Council can be target of the Mujahideen attacks during the operations as, in view of their role, they are considered official members of the ranks of the enemy. "

In OTHER Afghanistan news, the Washington Post reports Afghan officials are considering the institution of a military draft, replacing the current volunteer system. "The idea is still in the "discussion," rather than "implementation," stage. The move would relieve "worry about the ability of the United States and its NATO allies to foot the massive costs of the security forces for many years into the future".

Got that? We're going to be involved militarily and financially in Afghanistan for "many years into the future", as the situation currently stands.

Meanwhile Hamid Karzai "has worried that devoting too much of the state's resources to the security forces, projected to be 310,000-strong later this year, could create an entitled military class with imposing political power that could undermine civilian authority," (meaning HIS authority). Which means Afghanistan would be just like Pakistan. A "democracy" overseen by the military. More @ the Washington Post.

» We HEART Friendly Fire - NATO airstrikes in our Libyan war have hit the CIA rebel army in Misrata again and they say it's Okey-Doke with them. It's the only thing saving them from being overwhelmed by government forces.

That leads to a pertinent question asked by Micah Zenko at Foreign Policy... Flashpoints:

FP Flashpoints: Was Libya a Mistake?

Think Again: Libya

More than a month after the first bombs fell on Muammar al-Qaddafi's forces, the assumptions that led the United States into the war have mostly been proven wrong -- and a strategy to end it is still nowhere in sight.

BY MICAH ZENKO | APRIL 28, 2011

"Allies Will Pick Up the Slack."

Don't bet on it. When the United States and its allies went to war in Libya five and a half weeks ago, it wasn't supposed to be much of a war at all. U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to intervene was based on the assumption that nearby states more directly impacted by the state of affairs in Libya, such as Britain and France, would lead the charge. The United States, according to Obama, would lead with "days, not weeks" of military action, thus "shaping the conditions for the international community to act together." Many in Washington, though aware that the United States has unique capabilities essential to early stages of no-fly zone implementation, assumed it would be easy to pass the buck. As vocal intervention proponent Sen. Lindsay Graham would later concede, "When we call[ed] for a no-fly zone, we didn't mean our planes."

Much of this assumption had to do with the Arab League. On March 12, the regional organization threw its weight behind the Libyan revolution, denouncing "the fatal violations and serious crimes at the hands of Libyan authorities" and calling on the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone over the country. "The main priority right now is to stop the deadly situation," Secretary-General Amr Moussa said at the time. U.S. officials highlighted the league's March 12 resolution as an endorsement of action from the region; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referred to "a sense of urgency that was precipitated by the Arab League's courageous stand."

But when the bombs actually started to fall on Libya -- as they invariably do when enforcing a no-fly zone -- the league hastily pulled back, and Moussa harangued allied forces for allegedly causing "the deaths and injuries of many Libyan civilians... [In Full @ Foreign Policy]

» Just like a fairy tale... but not - In London Prince William has married Catherine 'the commoner' amidst massive pomp, circumstance, ceremony, and over-arching police state presence. Expect your weekend MSM news reading to be filled with details about that, which by rote will cause nothing to be reported about the following (Courtesy of Foreign Policy magazine):

» Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman says the world should not recognize the new Palestinian government and legitimize a government that includes Hamas.

» At least four Palestinians, including two children, are injured as an Israeli tank 'pops off a few rounds' in central Gaza.

» Yemeni President Saleh threatens to quit transition deal, accusing Qatar of 'conspiracy.'

» There has been a bombing in a popular Moroccan tourist spot, killing 16 people. The attack is being blamed on "al Qaeda".

» Protesters stage a rally in southern parts of Oman for the second Friday in a row.

In OTHER News:

» Haiti. remember Haiti? Corrupt UN run government that had almost totally un-reported elections recently after disaster delays. Now the election results are being delayed as well.

The damage from the earthquake last year is no longer front page news even as Cholera spreads through the refugee camps and crime runs rampant leading yours truly, and Foreign Policy In Focus to ask:

Haiti's Reconstruction: Who Benefits?

By Daniel Moss, April 27, 2011

Georges Marie is a proud and angry Haitian lawyer who lost her husband in the earthquake. As she mourned, the humanitarian industry exploded.

She watched with concern as Port au Prince's narrow streets became clogged with white Land Rovers, each stamped with an aid agency logo on the driver's door. It still rankles her when the humanitarians dine and dance in a four-star restaurant overlooking the Place Boyer, a public square now strung with tarps, home to some of the million-plus people still displaced from the 2010 earthquake.

Some aid organizations, Georges Marie said, don't pay taxes required to operate in Haiti although to be fair it's quite possible that the under-resourced Haitian state has never asked. Others don't fulfill local hiring mandates, placing foreigners in positions that Haitians could fill although, to be fair, many development agencies try hard to hire locally but are thwarted by a fierce brain drain. Quebec, said Georges Marie, offers Cuban-trained Haitian doctors a license to practice and a plane ticket. La industrie de misere, she called it our misery, their jobs... [In Full]

This is Razer Raygun saying 'Happy Motoring America...' Enjoy it while you can.
(...and try not to let your government kill too many 'dusky natives' in the process OK?)

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