IS Promotes Its Bloody Multinationality - Obama Says Assad Stays
With a well planned media campaign in three acts the Islamic State announced its growth into a multinational entity and into more countries. Meanwhile the U.S president finally accepted that president Assad of Syria will, at least for the time of a "transition", continue in his position.
A week ago Jihadist groups in five Arab countries published videos in which they pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State and its Caliph. The groups are in Algeria, Egypt (Sinai), Libya, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The videos seemed to have been edited by the same professionals that edit all Islamic State official videos but they included local footage from each country.
Last Thursday act two happened when a new audio tape with a speech from the Caliph was published:
Baghdadi’s speech was divided into two main parts. The first one took around two-thirds of the time of the recording and lasted 17 minutes. Baghdadi tackled the failure of the international alliance’s operations, which he called “Crusade campaign,” and he mocked the Arab participation in them. In the second part, which was the most dangerous, he announced that IS is expanding and new provinces are rising in several Arab countries. Both parts were under Baghdadi’s main headline, which stated that jihad would persist and would target all people and lands at all times.
As a third step a well produced video was published, some 16+ minutes long, which showed a row of 18 Islamic State fighters each beheading a captured Syrian officer or pilot. This is a picture from the video:
In the scene before this picture there is a bucket with all new bowie knifes and each beheader takes one. Notice that all have the same new uniform which are not standard Western military but with a shirt length as is usual in Afghan cloth. (the digital cameo pattern is probably from the UAE). Each has a uniform backpacks and cap. The captives have all the same overalls. The only beheader not in uniform and the only one with his face covered is from Britain (nicknamed "Jihadi John") and was seen in earlier beheading video. He plays a special role at the end of the clip. All the beheaders are from different nationalities and they represent the internationalization of the Islamic State. There is one French, one Saudi, one Yemeni, one Pakistani, one Afghan and so on.
The actual beheadings are shown in full length, in detail and partially in slow motion. They happen slowly and without any hesitations. When the heads are off they are placed on top of the decapitated bodies. There is no screaming and no fighting. Judging from their eyes and calmness both, the beheaders as well as the beheaded, seem to have been at least slightly drugged.
The video has an imprint that says it was taken in Dabiq in Syria which has a lot of symbolic meanings. Dabiq is a valley in northern Aleppo, where Ottoman Sultan Salim I had defeated the Egyptian Mamluks in the 16th century. Dabiq is also the place where, according to some Islamic texts, the battle of Armageddon as the final historical confrontation between good (muslim) and evil (christians) will be fought.
The beheading of the Syrian officers takes some 12+ minutes and only after that is another beheading shown that likely took place earlier. The beheaded is Abdul-Rahman Kassig, a "former" U.S. Ranger special force soldier who had fought in Iraq and turned up as "aid worker" in Syria on the opposition side. He had been captured by the Islamic State in 2013. The actual beheading is not shown but the severed body and head are. The beheader is "Jihadi John" and he is threatening the U.S. and the UK: "We will slaughter your people in your streets". That is likely no joke but a serious announcement of already planned operations.
The video and the staging are of very good quality. It was certainly edited by someone who knows "western" style drama and production very well.
The symbolic values of the video is not so much in the act of beheading though the goring details may be intended to recruit a certain type of psychos. The symbolic points are in the special place that Dabiq represents and in the very multinational group of beheaders who are now all uniform soldiers of the Islamic State.
This last point is what makes the video the third part of a well planned media campaign to announce and demonstrate the multinational character of the Islamic State.
While there have been several piece being written over the last weeks of the demise of the Islamic State and its losses in a few unimportant small battles in Iraq the media campaign IS launched points to the opposite. The Islamic State is growing into a multinational, geographically distributed entity. That makes it harder and more difficult to fight it. But it also means that the Islamic State will need more financial resources which will be difficult to obtain. It also means more communication between its entities which are probably detectable and interruptible.
The video discussed above also includes a passage where it is explains that the Islamic State and it's foundation in "Tawheed and Jihad" is a DIRECT consequence of the "crusader" hostilities and occupation of Iraq. This should finally stop "experts" from blaming Assad or Maliki for the IS menace.
I had assumed earlier that to fight the Islamic state president Obama will refrain from removing president Assad. The Turkish prime minister Davutoğlu claimed Friday that he received strong signals that the U.S. would change its Syria policy and dispose of president Assad. Obama refuted that directly in a press conference at the G-20 in Brisbane:
PRESIDENT OBAMA: [...] Now, we are looking for a political solution eventually within Syria that is inclusive of all the groups who live there -- the Alawite, the Sunni, Christians.And at some point, the people of Syria and the various players involved, as well as the regional players -- Turkey, Iran, Assad’s patrons like Russia -- are going to have to engage in a political conversation.And it’s the nature of diplomacy in any time, certainly in this situation, where you end up having diplomatic conversations potentially with people that you don’t like and regimes that you don’t like.But we’re not even close to being at that stage yet.
Q But just to put a fine point on it -- are you actively discussing ways to remove him [Assad] as a part of that political transition?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: No.
So far the U.S. had always said that president Assad could not be part of the transition, something that Russia and Iran insisted on. This the is a change in U.S. policy and, in sight of the expanding Islamic State, a sensible one.
Posted by b on November 17, 2014 at 20:38 UTC | Permalink
I thought it was also interesting about the video that it finally put the lie to the idea endlessly revived in pro-rebel circles that Asad is somehow in cahoots with ISIS. Executing 14 or 18 Syrian military in a grisly fashion, while calling them Nusayris, i.e. Alawis, is hardly going to endear ISIS to Damascus. Though Jihadi John continued talking in English while he participated in the act, and so in a way was also addressing the west.
Posted by: Laguerre | Nov 17 2014 21:20 utc | 2
The Syrians killed were also high-value prisoners, by the way. They looked like educated middle-upper class men, I suppose from the airforce, perhaps taken when the Tabqa air-base was captured.
Posted by: Laguerre | Nov 17 2014 21:24 utc | 3
now they are no longer wearing masks, can the killers in the photo be identified? how many are syrian and how may foreigners?
'All the beheaders are from different nationalities and they represent the internationalization of the Islamic State. There is one French, one Saudi, one Yemeni, one Pakistani, one Afghan and so on.'
ive been saying for some time, the 'syrian rebels' are hardly syrian at all. Its international sunni islam on a murderous bender..
Posted by: brian | Nov 18 2014 0:52 utc | 4
'The beheader is "Jihadi John" and he is threatening the U.S. and the UK: "We will slaughter your people in your streets"
this is doubtful..what better way for US to be justified in bombing syria than for its puppests to declare war on the puppet master
Posted by: brian | Nov 18 2014 0:55 utc | 5
When Obama & Bibi's anti-Iraq, anti Syria "ISIS" starts making life unpleasant for "Israel" and "Israeli's" - or does something even mildly heroic or clever, I'll possibly consider taking it seriously. But I'm not holding my breath. And until then, self-appointed Decider Obama will continue to be just another loud-mouthed Yankee, unmitigated liar, and shameful coward.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Nov 18 2014 1:22 utc | 6
Erdogan (sp?) received terrifying news today ... his new palace is overbudget at $1,200,000,000. A Man of the People.
Posted by: Chip Nihk | Nov 18 2014 2:48 utc | 7
Posted by: Chip Nihk | Nov 17, 2014 9:48:29 PM | 7
how is it Erdogan hasnt been overthrown? because one justification for the Euromaidan in Ukraine was Yanukovichs extravagance and corruption..
but then US hasnt given the orders to the turkish 5th column
Posted by: brian | Nov 18 2014 2:50 utc | 8
It is like the most uninteresting pornographic movie that one must ignore but sadly sometimes comment about the absurdity. Military accomplishments mainly novorussia . A real conflict going on here.
Posted by: Jay M | Nov 18 2014 2:55 utc | 9
"U.S president finally accepted that president Assad of Syria will, at least for the time of a "transition", continue in his position."
The US president has, three years into supporting a bloody invasion of an ancient country at the cost of 200,000 lives, finally accepted....reality?
This is big news.
Posted by: guest77 | Nov 18 2014 3:15 utc | 10
I don't suspect many of those fighters (the ones brandishing the knives) will live very long, thankfully.
BTW, what kind of uniforms are those?
Posted by: guest77 | Nov 18 2014 3:19 utc | 11
@10:Except reality? I doubt it. The operative word being "transition".
Remember, this recent incarnation of Jihadists,(IS) morphed from groups the West and their sycophants created and funded.
Posted by: ben | Nov 18 2014 4:22 utc | 12
B@4
Internationalism has alyays threatened the petty nationalist and those who use nationalism to divide and rule. The numbers of international fighters is an important morale boost for the mostly local Syrians fighting in Syria and elsewhere.
Petty nationalism was imposed on the ME by the West and the Caliphate will send that gift back soon.
Posted by: Wayoutwest | Nov 18 2014 4:29 utc | 13
Obama made similar remarks about "diplomatic conversations" toward Iran six years ago. Unfortunately, the US being exceptional, its idea of diplomatic conversations is not diplomatic, but autocratic. And then: We tried to reason with them but they simply wouldn't buckleagree.
"...the Islamic State and it's foundation in "Tawheed and Jihad" is a DIRECT consequence of the "crusader" hostilities and occupation of Iraq."
count on the west under obama to talk out of both sides of his mouth while continuing on with a murderous agenda against any semblance of humanity..see iraq, afganistan, libya or the present situation in ukraine for obvious examples.. these folks leading many western countries are complete liars and fakes happy to sell off their soul for the financiers and military industrialists... they have become one and the same..
Posted by: james | Nov 18 2014 5:04 utc | 15
don, i think it was you who said it wasn't about regime change just the other day.. since when has obama ever stood for anything other then the destruction of others sovereignty whether it via the joke called 'regime change' or any of the rest of the murder and mayhem? the simple answer - you believe obama, or you wouldn't so readily think he has somehow had some friggin miraculous conversion..
Posted by: james | Nov 18 2014 5:26 utc | 17
An implication made by President Obama, that the Syrian president can keep his job, for now, is even more worthless than any Obama promise,--which isn't worth a plug nickel. This is the Obama, who even as recently as the G-20 conference, keeps blandly comparing the threat of Russia, to a pathogen--the Ebola virus--, and to the Armageddon head choppers, the IS!
Has the Israeli government lost its cool with respect to the Armageddon strain, which by the lights of the recent IS Press Release, would seem to be engulfing the Jewish State? Hardly. Haven't we all read the reports that put Israel in the position of lending medical and artillery support to the anti-Assad forces?
And Turkey's leaders are still out for Assad's scalp. Erdogan has been the prime operative in sheltering the extremist forces, and funneling the arms that have been rat-lined to him by covert elements of the US military and intelligence services, distributing weapons to be used against the Syrian state from the plundered military depots of Libya; all while the US Air Force is laying waste to a lot Syria's infrastructure.
Where is all the damned money being drawn to support, clothe, arm, and to feed and field an army that is reputed to number 200,000 men? Isn't it improbable that the Saudi Royals, the Turkish and Israeli governments would have conspired, or acted in concert with the US and NATO, to accomplish one end--namely the empowerment of a force that would not respect the legitimacy of any of them.
But even as hard as it is to conceive of all of this as one gigantic cock up, there is a lot in the gravity of the words that Bernhard has written, that troubles me, when trying look deeper into the meaning of the video account that our host describes. One of the most ominous points it, is laid bare, where he writes
The actual beheadings are shown in full length, in detail and partially in slow motion. They happen slowly and without any hesitations. When the heads are off they are placed on top of the decapitated bodies. There is no screaming and no fighting. Judging from their eyes and calmness both, the beheaders as well as the beheaded, seem to have been at least slightly drugged. (my emphasis)What is that all about? And why has the horror been staged in such a way?
Hi b,
I'm pretty sure you're mistaken. IS(IS) is a Western creature, and STILL a western tool agains nonconformant governments, ie. Assad, the Iranians, etc. It is nurtured as a threat to anyone who is "non well behaving". See Maliki, now gone. I'm pretty sure it's cooperating with western spy agencies (its real governing force) at the strategical, operational and even tactical level. Its links to the Turkish is well documented and well known. All the modern stuff (cars, uniforms etc.) indicates a constant and strong supporting source, and it is definitely not those irregular tanker trucks full of crude.
Don't be fooled by the "air strikes", even the MSM noticed how half heartened they are, how IS(IS) operations at broad daylight somehow avoid the all seeing gaze of those omnipotent spy agencies. I'm sure these "air strikes" are agreed upon with the IS(IS) main headquarters in advance. The fall of Kobane would've generated too much negative press and much anger at the Kurdish side, so they "asked" IS(IS) to pull back, at least temporarily.
IMHO IS(IS) is the new "sword" of the West in the Middle East and North Africa, and even the Caucasus area isn't far enough for them, so even Russia can be threatened with it. The West has never had any problem working with this kind of cannibals, remember the Nicaraguan Contras (or the Mexican or Colombian drug maffias and death squads for that matter).
Now back to Obama... Someone has pointed out that what he says is almost irrelevant, and s/he is right. I don't think it's worth trying to read some kind of new policy into every syllable uttered.
Posted by: Balu | Nov 18 2014 7:39 utc | 19
Oddly, IS is not a threat to Israel, nor has this particular group evidently threatened Israel pointedly as suggested here:
"Jihadi John" and he is threatening the U.S. and the UK: "We will slaughter your people in your streets". That is likely no joke but a serious announcement of already planned operations.
Seems like Israel and Israelis would be of primary focus.
Posted by: fast freddy | Nov 18 2014 12:10 utc | 21
So when we start arming Assad's army, I will start watching videos of cats doing interesting things instead of trying to digest these events, and I'll feed my copy of 1984 to my dog because I don't want that damn prophecy rearing it's ugly head again. Who are we at war with again? It's definitely someone, that's all that can be certain.
Posted by: IhaveLittleToAdd | Nov 18 2014 13:29 utc | 22
@james #17
b said previously Obama had decided to befriend Assad, somebody else said Obama had decided to attack Assad. I doubt either is true. The US created ISIS and wants it to prevail in breaking up Iraq and Syria, and threatening Iran. That's the main effort. There are even (unconfirmed) reports that the US is airdropping supplies to ISIS. But even ISIS must be contained in a grand strategy. One step at a time.
Turkey has just announced that the FSA leaders and most of their fighters have fled Aleppo to Turkey. The debacle of the Turkish-Qatari supported Islamist militias in the North is now putting the hopes on the Saudi-Jordanian 'moderates' rebels in the south.
Pompous claims are made that they are advancing on Damascus while other media reports that they are fighting against each others and against al Nusra.
What is clear is that the 'moderate rebels' are a species under extinction. Hagel will have a harder time to find them.
Also the vetted rebels will bear the stigma of having been trained by the CIA. Their acceptance by the average Syrian always resentful toward Israel's protector will be hard to win. Obama's transition strategy of training rebels is a loose-loose one.
Obama is right in not asking Bashar al Assad to resign, the alternative would be a Caliphe.
Posted by: Virgile | Nov 18 2014 14:57 utc | 24
Chuck Hagel may well have hit on the way to increase the "moderate" terrorists in Syria, when he insisted the US needs some kind of new game-changing military technology. Hagel is keen to return to those days, with the hope that sooner or later they’ll come up with something really powerful. In his press release, he expressed hopes that this would involve either 3D printing or robots, or potentially some combination thereof.http://news.antiwar.com/2014/11/16/hagel-pentagon-needs-game-changing-technology-to-extend-military-edge/ Just print the moderates off in 3D. I thought the man had some sense, but after his confirmation hearings when he belly crawled to the Israeli lobby, and almost cried like Samantha Power. They neither have integrity or dignity, they are just power hungry individuals who would sell their own grandmothers to further their careers
Posted by: harry law | Nov 18 2014 16:10 utc | 25
Fred@21
You should read Uri Avnery's article at Counterpunch to better understand the threat the Islamic Srate poses to Israel.
The IS is busy fighting on multiple fronts against multiple forces and being bombed by multiple airforces including the most powerful Superpower in history but to some people they are not really engaged because they haven't yet attacked Israel, give them time and they will meet your metrics.
Posted by: Wayoutwest | Nov 18 2014 16:41 utc | 26
General Dempsey just returned from Baghdad.
The most important aspect of the campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is an inclusive and responsive Iraqi government ....Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey also said the anti-ISIL campaign could take several years to accomplish.
You betcha.
Dempsey was more upbeat nine years ago. Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, commander, Multinational Security Transition Command in Iraq (MNSTC-I) at a Pentagon News Briefing on December 02, 2005.
“Stated another way, we’re responsible for the development of Iraqi security forces, military and police, from soldier to minister of Defense, and from policeman to minister of Interior. We assist Iraq, build units, develop leaders and establish systems.
“And so the question is, how are we doing? Well, while we are here discussing them, 100 battalions of Iraqi army soldiers are conducting security operations throughout the country; another 27 battalions of special police are distributed around the country, providing a bridge between combat operations and civil police operations. The Iraqi navy is guarding its coastline and protecting the offshore oil platforms. The Iraqi air force is moving supplies throughout the country, including some of the materials necessary for the upcoming elections. Iraqi border police are manning 170 border forts and 22 ports of entry; 75,000 Iraqi policemen are patrolling Iraq cities, and another 7,300 Iraqi policemen are in training. Two thousand seven hundred Iraqi soldiers are in training. Five hundred army officer cadets and 286 police officer cadets are in training. It’s important to note that the majority of the instructors conducting this training are Iraqi instructors.”
Hey, all they need now is an "inclusive and responsive Iraqi government," which was the purpose of the surge seven years ago. It failed then. So what makes them think that it will succeed now?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don't bother, they're here.
You can't make this up-- Stripes:
Intelligence gap poses major challenges in US-led air war against Islamic State
War porn. What is shocking about it is the theatrics, the display, the planning, the symbolism.
I didn’t watch it, so thanks to b for the description. I’m assuming it is not fake.
That violent men, armies, or states kill with a guillotine, a sword, a machine gun, deathly chemicals, decapitation, and more…is hardly flash news and not even particularly noticed when it is a million Iraqis, or 100 Palestinian children, say. One could go on in this vein, so what.
Vid does however represent a kind of escalation. The video was produced for a large audience and it has reached a large audience, though the MSM has not shown gore stills afaik.
Other vids. and pix of mangled bodies, missing heads, rows of dead, etc. are ‘news’ or ‘journalist’ pictures, and don’t show the perpetrators, only the results. Those that do - Abu Ghraib for ex. - are ‘personal’ and then ‘leaked’, though the victims there are not killed.. Such pix are considered shameful and are censored. Vids of legal executions are (most often) not made public. Snuff movies are illegal and secret.
We see a kind of melding of the snuff movie genre, the gore/shocking/horrifying tradition (real massacred bodies on the battlefield, many respected photographers have documented,) the violent war - other film genre (tricked and staged, like the Foley execution, though I didn’t watch that either, so not sure) and war propaganda. To analyze the last aspect one would need to have a precise transcript of the speech.
It does send various messages to some potential public. -> You ppl, the US an allies, murder and you cover it up, you deny it, excuse it, rationalise it. We have the courage of our convictions and we stand by our acts, we have no fear, no dishonesty and no shame, Allah is great - We exact revenge of a type and care not for your rules of war as you don’t obey them either… - We know that you will be scandalised by such displays, which is why we produce them, you do propaganda / shock, we can do it too, and up the ante.
Who exactly organises and pays for all this? Who is manipulating whom? To what purpose? Who writes the scripts? (As it is all organised and staged. These executions have nothing to with eliminating enemies…)
One interpretation *amongst many* is that the US-west wants to maintain hate for muslims, Jihadists, Al Q, and following ISIL, etc. as it is a long-standing propaganda effort (hello Israel and oil reserves), difficult to overturn on a dime, but is at present simply used to up the fear / hate factor, to rile up public opinion, etc., to create so much confusion that what is really going is behind a dark veil.
Posted by: Noirette | Nov 18 2014 17:43 utc | 29
@23 don.. thanks for clarifying your viewpoint on all that...
@29 noirette - thanks. your quote "war porn".. that is exactly right. good questions and likely answer in your last paragraph too.
Posted by: james | Nov 18 2014 18:04 utc | 30
@26, ISIS is on Israel's border. What are they waiting for?
Posted by: ruralito | Nov 18 2014 18:43 utc | 31
...nevermind, found it.
"If its dynamism holds, it will overthrow the Assad regime and reach the Israeli border,"
That was two months ago. They haven't overthrown Assad and they have reached the border. Israel doesn't seemed too concerned. Hamas is a bigger threat, apparently.
Posted by: ruralito | Nov 18 2014 18:55 utc | 33
Interesting comment by Jim Stone, at
http://jimstonefreelance.com/hollywoodisis.html
Pay attention to the soundtrack, it is a separately produced dub in. The actual sound of the beheadings is not in the sound track, but special effects sounds are used at the correct times, the same way Hollywood does it. That is a dead giveaway it is fake.Now, onto other mistakes they made with this one -
The blood does not spurt enough, afterward everyone is clean, the knives are clean, their hands are clean. And not a single man screamed or squirmed while getting his head cut off, everyone just cooperated for nice choreography. Another silly dead giveaway.
This video seems like the producer took the tips we gave for why the other videos were fake, made only a few of the same mistakes and then screwed up just as many new ways that proves it all fake.
Seriously, for a Hollywood movie this would be EPIC, but unfortunately reality just does not play out perfect like this. This is too well produced to be real, there were countless takes to get it this good and how many heads does a guy have? How many movie producers with the kind of skills this one took, from the beautiful slow motion clips, to the perfect knife sounds, to the stunning face shots, it is as if James Cameron did this one, how many talents like THAT are in this world? Arabs totally SUCK at movie making, which is why we have no movies from there. One could flatly state no Arab is capable of this, if so, SHOW ME SOMETHING SIMILAR IN A MOVIE FROM A MUSLIM COUNTRY.Pay attention to the soundtrack, it is a separately produced dub in. The actual sound of the beheadings is not in the sound track, but special effects sounds are used at the correct times, the same way Hollywood does it. That is a dead giveaway it is fake.
I had a similar response to the first sermon by the 'Caliph'. The English translation was perfect, unlike anything one would expect from the Muslim world. And in covering all the bases of its perverted theology, it was a masterful act of logical coherence, reflective of very high Western academic standards, and unlike what any serious Muslim philosopher would care or attempt to do. I got a whiff of Bernard Lewis.
@29 noirette
Who exactly organises and pays for all this? Who is manipulating whom? To what purpose? Who writes the scripts? (As it is all organised and staged.
First, I appreciate your intelligent comments.
War is usually semi-organized mayhem, with a lot of boredom, moments of abject terror, and various opportunities for heroism, cowardice, big mistakes and extraordinary acts of various sorts, on all sides. (It's what appeals to the male libido.) Uncertainty reigns. While there may be plans, nothing ever goes according to plan and often nobody really knows what's happening, or even what did happen.
The people who run wars like to make us think that they know otherwise, but it isn't true. What we are seeing now, as I suggest above, IMO, is extraordinary stupidity in pursuit of the concocted Iran problem. There are no limits, apparently.
R@33
Relax, Ru the IS is working on a five year plan so there will be plenty of time for panic in the future. The fact that the IS is in no hurry may be the factor that drives the West to distraction because we are so conditioned to expect instant gratification/results.
Posted by: Wayoutwest | Nov 18 2014 20:03 utc | 36
@34 sarz. thanks for that.. it is how i see it as well - very professionally done propaganda that will fool some like our friend wayoutwest who seems regularly go along with the obvious script..
Posted by: james | Nov 18 2014 20:33 utc | 37
Internationalism has alyays threatened the petty nationalist and those who use nationalism to divide and rule. The numbers of international fighters is an important morale boost for the mostly local Syrians fighting in Syria and elsewhere.
Petty nationalism was imposed on the ME by the West and the Caliphate will send that gift back soon.
Posted by: Wayoutwest | Nov 17, 2014 11:29:19 PM | 13
now some are using internationalism to divide subjugate and rule.
interesting the troll WOW supports ISIS
Posted by: brian | Nov 18 2014 21:17 utc | 38
@26, ISIS is on Israel's border. What are they waiting for?
Posted by: ruralito | Nov 18, 2014 1:43:47 PM | 31
permission
Posted by: brian | Nov 18 2014 21:18 utc | 39
US has colour revolutions flaring on multiple fronts: in Hungary , Czech Republic, still ion Ukraine and Hong Kong
Small group of Hong Kong protesters break into government building http://gu.com/p/43dpa/stw pic.twitter.com/0ZA2FmR9R5
Posted by: brian | Nov 18 2014 21:21 utc | 40
this is odd news!
WikiLeaks retweeted
Sky News Tonight @SkyNewsTonight ·26 mins26 minutes ago
Now on #SkyNewsTonight: Two members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot visit Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy pic.twitter.com/BrWTTtTcPO
what are those US backed provacateurs doing with Assange?
Posted by: brian | Nov 18 2014 21:23 utc | 41
@Noirette: Excellent as always. IMHO The war porn etc has a very specific purpose - to instill fear into those fighting ISIL, to make them run in the face of a far inferior enemy. Its a common enough tactic among such gangs - the Contras in Nicaragua were notorious for such heinous acts.
ISIL is a paper tiger - despite the best efforts of western propagandists to talk them up. Already the Iraqis have retaken key points including the important refinery at Baiji. The Syrian army has faced some dramatic ambushes recently (probably where these gents got captured) but haven't lost any substantial territory. Meanwhile, the Kurds are declaring victory in Kobani.
The videos are meant to give ISIL boosters like WoW and JunkerMcC something to dazzle and misdirect with since actual successes by the Imperial gangs are few and far between. Such theatrics are where all propagandists must turn to when the facts on the ground are becoming undeniable: if the Iraqi and Syrian states were supported by "the west" and their allies instead of bitterly and endlessly attacked by them, ISIL (and their associated cohorts in al Nusra, et al) would be done for, and probably soon.
Of course, some will tell you that the thing to remember is this: that maybe if the people in Syria and Palestine would stop resisting so much and just allow themselves to be defeated and dominated forever, then maybe the Israelis and ISIL would stop murdering them. That really its Assad's fault that ISIL is murdering so many Syrians when he simply could have surrendered his country to the beheaders. That it really is the resistance in Gaza who are to blame for the Israeli F-16s dropping bombs on the people there. After all, they only have to submit to live like dogs forever and the Israelis (maybe) would stop bombing them (maybe). That's the line anyway. But then... no one with a head or a heart really buys that. Even for a split second.
Posted by: guest77 | Nov 18 2014 23:22 utc | 42
CIA intelligence gap hinders counter-terrorism efforts in Syria, Iraq
U.S. intelligence agencies have poured resources into the war since the spring, and the CIA has set up a training camp in Jordan for Syrian fighters. They also rely on information gathered from U.S.-backed rebel groups, including the Free Syrian Army.The White House now is considering expanding the CIA's role in arming and training fighters deemed friendly, the Washington Post reported Saturday. The clandestine operation now vets and trains about 400 fighters a month, but the CIA-backed factions have struggled to take and hold territory. In one recent battle, they fled positions in a battle with Al Nusra Front, abandoning their weapons to the group, which is Al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria.
We lack good intelligence resources on the ground and we don't have good resources of human intelligence.
- Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), referring to Syria
So, the CIA, with no good intel on the ground, are still somehow giving weapons and "training" to their "fighters" who find themselves promptly whipped and their weapons stolen by al Qaeda. And mind you, this is "recent". Meaning, since Obama decided to train and fund the FSA "again".
That fine, fine line between negligent and purposeful just keeps getting finer by the minute.
Posted by: guest77 | Nov 18 2014 23:32 utc | 43
@41 I'm not sure what those Pussy Riot wastes of space are doing with Assange. I thought they felt more comfortable posing with members of that well-loved bunch of peaceniks and punk rockers, the US Congress.
Pilger has just come out with a great piece on Assange though.
Posted by: guest77 | Nov 18 2014 23:47 utc | 44
So is the US administration crooked (arming al Nusrah) or stupid (ditto)?
Perhaps there's no practical difference.
I agree this is war porn. But why? First to promote war and divert attention away from the slow collapse of Europe; the disintegration of Spain, Greek protests, Ukraine Civil War. It produced and aimed at Westerners. It doesn’t make a difference on the ground, the Alawite and Shiite men will die defending their homes against evil. The lights have gone out in the Levant.
If the beheading videos were for real, the House of Saud and Israeli Settlers would shaking in their boots, they are valid targets, but since they aren’t; this indicates the Islamic State is their concoction.
Posted by: VietnamVet | Nov 19 2014 3:14 utc | 46
Not sure why the actions of IS, or what ever the latest group of mercenaries call themselves, schocks anyone. All who pay attention, can plainly see, the new virulent strain of capitalists, will stop at nothing to implement their lust for global hegemony. Oppose them at your peril. 1984 indeed.
Posted by: ben | Nov 19 2014 3:18 utc | 47
Regarding the beheadings video that 'b' was talking about, all commenters at other forums who've watched this video carefully have reached the conclusion that it is a hoax. A well-produced hoax. That's my own conclusion as well. I downloaded the lower-resolution reversion linked to at #34 above (namely: http://jimstonefreelance.com/beheadingst.wmv ) and watched the beheadings part at greatly reduced frame-rate.
I didn't come across the high-resolution version. At Youtube and Liveleak, the administrators are not allowing the video to be uploaded. The fakers should take that as a compliment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR4S4EZaPcY .
Posted by: Ghubar Shabih | Nov 19 2014 3:27 utc | 48
@Brian 8
Those military officers are rotting in jail right now. Erdogan is like the Turkish GWB, neoliberal capitalism and piggish fundamentalism, with erosion of civil liberties.
Posted by: Crest | Nov 19 2014 3:48 utc | 49
'b' above said: "the Islamic State and it's foundation in "Tawheed and Jihad"...."
Tawheed means unity (word formed from the Arabic root wahad meaning the number one). Tawheed for Islamic State really means totalitarian conformity to Islamic State. As one commenter says: "IS' absolutism seeks recognition of IS as the sole authority"; IS seeks all other rebels groups to be subsumed under IS not as a coalition but as a monolith; see http://www.aymennjawad.org/15653/the-islamic-state-and-jabhat-al-nusra-a-looming . An important difference of opinion between 'b' and me at the moment is that 'b' thinks Islamic State has the capacity to achieve tawheed and I don't.
Posted by: Ghubar Shabih | Nov 19 2014 3:49 utc | 50
Tawheed also means "monotheism", i.e. belief in One God.
Posted by: Ghubar Shabih | Nov 19 2014 4:21 utc | 51
Another recent fake Syria video for you. Just 66 seconds long. The video was recorded in Malta. The voices in the background are Syrian refugees who are living in Malta, and they participated as actors. The two children in the video are registered child actors in Malta. The director of the video is a Norwegian national who has been in receipt of funding from the Arts and Farts department of the government of Norway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgwO6oni-wY
Posted by: Ghubar Shabih | Nov 19 2014 4:47 utc | 52
To verify that that video at #52 is indeed fake, see the behind-the-scenes making of the video at http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-30057401
Posted by: Ghubar Shabih | Nov 19 2014 4:54 utc | 53
@48 Ghubar Shabih quote "At Youtube and Liveleak, the administrators are not allowing the video to be uploaded. The fakers should take that as a compliment."
maybe the administrators of those sites and the fakers have something in common? i suppose we aren't supposed to draw these types of inconclusive conclusions are we?
Posted by: james | Nov 19 2014 9:06 utc | 54
@ don 29. Right, there is that..I - one - has too strong a concept of agency, particularly when mysteries hover. semi-organized mayhem..yes
@ guest77 42…To instill fear in the enemy..I hadn’t really thought of that…yes. It would apply as well to those one subjugates, perhaps even more so. I did think about the ‘recruitement’ angle, b mentions it, and the W press of course likes to paint it that way, but that isn’t really relevant, imho.
@ Ghubar 48. A ha, so it is a fake? I said I assumed not in my post, that’ll teach me to write about visuals I haven’t watched. So it is more like a war-movie. In a way, fake or real doesn’t matter much (besides to those supposedly killed, the perps, etc.), as seen in the light of the purpose of it, as discussed above. How real is real (title of a Watzlawick book, 1977), after all? It is interesting, though, as it shows that the producers believe that a second-order representation is more effective, convincing, real than a version of reality in another medium - simulation better than duplication. It is also easier to concoct. We make our own reality, all that.
Posted by: Noirette | Nov 19 2014 12:08 utc | 55
This is a warning to all(the remaining handful) of autonomous state leaders.
Hinder the US in your own overthrow, in any way, and we will eliminate your best and brightest with a flourish that sticks in their families' minds for generations to come.
Posted by: L Bean | Nov 19 2014 16:38 utc | 56
A comment of Erdogan's new dwelling. The price tag is hazy because it is actually an unfinished project, and clearly this is primarily an office building, somewhat pricy per square foot. However, it reminds me a conference in Istambul I have once attended. The meeting was in what I thought "the palace of the last Sultan". But during the outing we were shown another palace of the same guy, and yet another, so I asked a Turkish participant what is going on. He explain that building palaces was a hobby of the last Sultan, which is part of the reason why he was the last. I must say that the last Sultan had a much better taste, but it did not help.
Posted by: Piotr Berman | Nov 19 2014 20:05 utc | 57
I beg to differ with b on those uniforms...! They're Desert ACUs, with Tactical Rush Packs and Watch Caps...!
Posted by: CTuttle | Nov 20 2014 1:20 utc | 58
Don @35 War is usually semi-organized mayhem, with a lot of boredom, moments of abject terror, and various opportunities for heroism, cowardice, big mistakes and extraordinary acts of various sorts, on all sides. (It's what appeals to the male libido.) Uncertainty reigns. While there may be plans, nothing ever goes according to plan and often nobody really knows what's happening, or even what did happen.
As a 20yr Noncom, Don, I completely agree with the notion that No BP ever works once you cross that LD...!
Btw, since b was an Officer, not a NCO, I'd posit he doesn't have the same keen eye for uniformity...! ;-)
Posted by: CTuttle | Nov 20 2014 2:03 utc | 59
strange bed fellows: zionist l;obby and ukraine neonazis
'Rep. John Conyers wanted to block U.S. funding to neo-Nazis in Ukraine. But the ADL and Simon Wiesenthal Center refused to help.'
...
The amendment was presented by congressional staffers to lobbyists from Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, two of the country’s largest established Jewish pressure groups. Despite their stated mission to combat anti-Semitism and violent extremism, the ADL and Wiesenthal Center refused to support Jeffries and Conyers’ proposal.
According to Democratic sources in Congress, staffers from the ADL’s Washington office and the Simon Wiesenthal Center rejected the amendment on the grounds that right-wing Ukrainian parties like Svoboda with documented records of racist extremism had “moderated their rhetoric.” An ADL lobbyist insisted that “the focus should be on Russia,” while the Wiesenthal Center pointed to meetings between far-right political leaders in Ukraine and the Israeli embassy as evidence that groups like Svoboda and Right Sector had shed their extremism.
http://www.alternet.org/world/how-israel-lobby-protected-ukrainian-neo-nazis
1. why show this to a lobby group at all? does the ADL, not the people, control the US govt?
Posted by: brian | Nov 20 2014 7:10 utc | 60
"the Wiesenthal Center pointed to meetings between far-right political leaders in Ukraine and the Israeli embassy as evidence that groups like Svoboda and Right Sector had shed their extremism. "
The notion that Israel has some sort of power of absolution over any neo-nazi groups is just ludicrous. I can't believe the ADL even said that out loud. "They have Israel's blessing". Well isn't THAT a relief.
Posted by: L Bean | Nov 20 2014 19:25 utc | 61
The comments to this entry are closed.
Wow
Posted by: Fernando | Nov 17 2014 20:50 utc | 1