Thursday 11 July 2024

US hates and destroys three types of countries

This a very complicated subject but we have tried to be brief, concise and to the point. Let us say point blank that United States just can’t stand three types of countries: 1) countries not willing to accept its hegemony, 2) countries rich in mineral resources, especially energy products and 3) countries having strong social and cultural bonding.

The first category is led by China and Russia, which has a long history on conflict/ wars called ‘Cold War Era’. The later addition is Iran, which has been facing US sanctions for more than four decades because it termed United States ‘The Biggest Satan’.

In the second category most prominent are the oil and gas producing countries. These are hostage of US hegemony because of restriction on energy trade in ‘petro-dollars’ only. The countries facing extreme US hostilities include, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Venezuela and Russia.

United States suffers from worst social evils that include distance from religion, drug/ alcohol addiction, extra marital relation, abortion etc. Therefore, the US hate Muslim countries, some of them rich in energy resources, on top of the list are Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Ironically, the US foreign policy is dictated by three groups: 1) military complexes, 2) oil exploration and production companies and 3) companies owned and operated by Zionists.

The name of the game is create conflict, supply funds and arms to rebel groups and weaken the states. Till yesterday Venezuela was friend and biggest partner in oil trade, but at present it faces sanctions.

United States follows hybrid war and always chose battle grounds thousands of miles away from its borders, which include Korean Peninsula, Arabian Peninsula, Middle East and North Africa. This time Ukraine has been chosen to fight a proxy war against Russia. Let no one forget United States dropped two atom bombs on Japan in the Second World War.

The logical conclusion is, “United States is merchant of death, the biggest war monger and the biggest arms supplier, which wants to establish its hegemony around the world. It has the capacity to find and feed the touts, install and topple the governments and eliminate the agents when they become redundant”.

 

 

Know more about president Xi's wife

Looking into Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan, the wife of President Xi Jinping, one of the first things that jumps out is her impressive background.

When she and Xi married in 1987, Peng already held a prominent position in the People's Liberation Army, neither as a soldier nor a commander but as a celebrity singer whose star shined bright across the country.

Later, she served as head of the PLA's Song and Dance Troupe. She performed at home and abroad, with her final overseas bow coming in Tokyo in 2009 when her husband was serving as vice president.

This week's China Up Close offers not only insights into how Peng contributed to her husband's rise to the top of the Chinese Communist Party but also examines speculation that in recent months she has been playing a behind-the-scenes role in the military's personnel affairs.

It's a story of a husband trusting his wife and of her helping him find the rungs on the ladder to success. In general, beautiful, but considering who the couple is and the crucial matters of state they are dealing with, it's also a complex tale of political intrigue.

Perhaps this week's column in Nekkei Asia is Act I of Peng and Xi's story, with subsequent acts playing out in the months ahead.

US Reactions on Pezeshkian's Victory

We have picked up these quotes directly from a post which was sent to us by the United States Institute of Peace. These quotes seem to have an extremely biased opinion about Iran. One fails to understand the duality of standards. Hasn’t United States godfathering Israel in the genocide in Gaza and supplying all sorts of lethal arms to Ukraine. The readers are invited to read these quotes dispassionately and form their own opinion. 

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on July 08, 2024 said, “We’re not in a position where we’re willing to get back to the negotiating table with Iran just because they elected a new president. They’re still supporting terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. They’re still supporting the Houthis as the Houthis attack ships in the Red Sea. They’re still attacking shipping as well. And they’re still supplying drones and drone technology and drone expertise to the Russians so that the Russians can continue to kill innocent Ukrainians like they did over the weekend.”

“We will see what Pezeshkian wants to get done, but we are not expecting any changes in Iranian behavior sadly.”

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on July 08 said, “So we have no expectations that this election will lead to a fundamental change in Iran’s direction or its policies. At the end of the day, it’s not the president that has the ultimate say over the future of Iran’s policy; it is the supreme leader, and of course we have seen the direction that he has chosen to take Iran in. Obviously, if the new president had the authority to make steps to curtail Iran’s nuclear program, to stop funding terrorism, to stop destabilizing activities in the region, those would be steps that we would welcome. But needless to say, we don’t have any expectations that that’s what’s likely to ensue.”

“So let’s let Pezeshkian take office first. I don’t have anything to announce today. We have always said that diplomacy is the most effective way to achieve an effective, sustainable solution with regard to Iran’s nuclear program, one of the issues with which we have great concerns, obviously, and nothing about the election has changed that. But we have also made clear that we are far from any kind of meaningful diplomatic resolution right now given Iran’s escalation across the board.”

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel on July 01, said, "We’re not in a position to confirm or – any turnout number or speculate on what the implications of that might mean for the Iranian regime. Our viewpoint is that even the Iranian Government’s official numbers about turnout are most – like most other things as it relates to the Iranian regime, are unreliable. Our view is that these elections in Iran are not free and fair, and we have no expectation that these elections and whatever the outcome might be will lead to a fundamental change in Iran’s direction or lead the Iranian regime to offer more respect for human rights and more dignity for its citizens."

Deputy Special Envoy for Iran Abram Paley on June 26 said, “As the Iranian regime prepares for its presidential elections, the US unfortunately has no expectation of free and fair elections or fundamental change in Iran’s direction. Of course, the candidates have been hand-picked by the Guardian Council, but we also know the Iranian people lack access to even the most basic freedoms; necessary features of any democracy. In the face of the authoritarian regime’s long history of harassing and intimidating journalists, suppressing election coverage, and denying freedom of peaceful of assembly, we support the Iranian people. The United States will continue to defend human rights in Iran, shine a light on the regime’s repression, and support a free and democratic future.”

State Department spokesperson on June 30 said, "The elections in Iran are not free and fair.”

"Unfortunately, we have no expectation that these elections, whatever the outcome, will lead to fundamental change in Iran’s direction or more respect by the Iranian regime for the human rights of Iran’s citizens.”

 

Biden's candidacy faces new perils

President Joe Biden’s imperiled reelection campaign hit new trouble Wednesday as House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said merely “it’s up to the president to decide” if he should stay in the race, celebrity donor George Clooney said he should not run and Democratic senators and lawmakers expressed fresh fear about his ability to beat Republican Donald Trump.

Late in the evening, Vermont Sen. Peter Welch called on Biden to withdraw from the election, becoming the first Senate Democrat to do so. Welch said he is worried because “the stakes could not be higher.”

The sudden flurry of grave pronouncements despite Biden’s determined insistence he is not leaving the 2024 race put on public display just how unsettled the question remains among prominent Democrats.

On Capitol Hill, an eighth House Democrat, Rep. Pat Ryan of New York, and later a ninth, Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, publicly asked Biden to step aside.

“I want him to do whatever he decides to do,” Pelosi said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” rather than declaring Biden should stay in. While Biden has said repeatedly that he’s made his decision, she said, “We’re all encouraging him to make that decision, because time is running short.”

It’s a crucial moment for the president and his party, as Democrats consider what was once unthinkable — having the incumbent Biden step aside, just weeks before the Democratic National Convention that is on track to nominate him as their candidate for reelection.

Biden is hosting world leaders in Washington for the NATO summit this week with a crowded schedule of formal meetings, sideline chats and long diplomatic dinners, all opportunities to showcase he is up for the job despite a worrisome performance last month in the first presidential debate with Trump.

His party at a crossroads, Biden faces the next tests Thursday — in public, at a scheduled news conference that many Democrats will be watching for signs of his abilities, and privately, as his top advisers meet with the Senate Democratic caucus to discuss their concerns and shore up support.

Welch said in a Washington Post opinion piece published Wednesday evening, “We cannot unsee President Biden’s disastrous debate performance.”

The first-term senator said Vermont loves Biden and he was calling on the president to withdraw from the race “with sadness.”

To be sure, Biden maintains strong support from key corners of his coalition, particularly some in the Congressional Black Caucus on Capitol Hill, whose leadership was instrumental in ushering the president to victory in 2020 and is standing by him as the country’s best choice to defeat Trump again in 2024.

“At this moment, the stakes are too high and we have to focus,” Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota told The Associated Press earlier in the week, saying Democrats are “losing ground” the longer they fight over Biden’s candidacy. “Democracy is on the line. Everything we value as Democrats, as a country, is on the line, and we have to stop being distracted.”

Pelosi has been widely watched for signals of how top Democrats are thinking about Biden’s wounded candidacy, her comments viewed as important for the party’s direction as members weigh possible alternatives in the campaign against Trump.

Because of her powerful position as the former House speaker and proximity to Biden as a trusted longtime ally of his generation, Pelosi is seen as one of the few Democratic leaders who could influence the president’s thinking.

The lack of a full statement from Pelosi backing Biden’s continued campaign is what lawmakers are likely to hear most clearly, even as she told ABC later she believes he can win.

Her remarks came as actor Clooney, who had just hosted a glitzy Hollywood fundraiser for the president last month, said in a New York Times op-ed that the Biden he saw three weeks ago wasn’t the Joe Biden of 2020. “He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”

Democrats have been reeling over whether to continue backing Biden after his poor showing in the June 27 debate and his campaign’s lackluster response to their pleas that Biden, at 81, show voters he is ready for another four-year term.

Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, spoke forcefully late Tuesday about the danger of a second Trump presidency and said it’s for the president “to consider” the options.

Stopping just short of calling for Biden to drop out, Bennet said on CNN what he told his colleagues in private — that he believes Trump “is on track to win this election — and maybe win it by a landslide and take with him the Senate and the House.”

Bennet said, “It’s not a question about politics. It’s a moral question about the future of our country.”

By Wednesday, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said he was “deeply concerned” about Biden winning the election, which he called existential for the country.

“We have to reach a conclusion as soon as possible,” Blumenthal said on CNN.

Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia told reporters, “I have complete confidence that Joe Biden will do the patriotic thing for the country. And he’s going to make that decision.”

Biden and his campaign are working more intently now to shore up support, and the president met with labor leaders Wednesday, relying on the unions to help make the case that his record in office matters more than his age.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invited Biden’s campaign to address senators’ concerns, and redoubled his backing of the president. “As I have made clear repeatedly publicly and privately, I support President Biden and remain committed to ensuring Donald Trump is defeated in November,” he said.

The president’s team is sending senior Biden advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, and Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon to meet with Democratic senators privately Thursday for a caucus lunch, according to both a Senate leadership aide and the Biden campaign.

There were some concerns, however, that it could backfire. One Democratic senator who requested anonymity to speak about the closed-door meeting said it could be a waste of time if Biden would not make the case to senators himself.

Pelosi said Biden “has been a great president” who is beloved and respected by House Democrats. The Californian said she watched as he delivered a forceful speech at the NATO summit Tuesday, and she recounted his many accomplishments.

While foreign leaders are in Washington this week and Biden is on the world stage hosting the event at a critical time in foreign affairs, Pelosi encouraged Democrats to “let’s just hold off” with any announcements about his campaign.

“Whatever you’re thinking, either tell somebody privately but you don’t have to put that out on the table until we see,” she said, how it goes “this week.”

 Courtesy: The Associated Press

Pezeshkian to take oath on July 30

A member of the presiding board of the Parliament announced that the oath taking ceremony of Masoud Pezeshkian the elected president of Iran will be held on Tuesday, July 30.

According to IRNA, Mojtaba Yousefi, a member of the presiding board of the Parliament, announced that the oath taking ceremony will be held on July 30.

The head of the Judiciary, the speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the chief of the Supreme Court, members of the Guardian Council, and several foreign ambassadors will participate in the ceremony. 

Masoud Pezeshkian was elected as the ninth president of Iran in the second round of the presidential elections with the majority of votes, and the inauguration ceremony and the implementation of the leadership decree will take place on July 30, 2024.

 

Wednesday 10 July 2024

NATO statement full of belligerent rhetoric and lies

According to Reuters, the NATO summit in Washington's planned statement is full of "belligerent rhetoric" and the China-related content has provocations and lies, a spokesperson for the Chinese mission to the European Union said.

The draft communique said China has become a decisive enabler of Russia's war effort in Ukraine and Beijing continues to pose systemic challenges to Europe and to security.

"As we all know, China is not the creator of the crisis in Ukraine," the spokesperson said, according to a statement released by the Chinese Mission to the EU on Thursday.

"The declaration of the NATO summit in Washington is full of Cold War mentality and belligerent rhetoric, and China-related content is full of provocations, lies, incitement and smears," the spokesperson said.

Leaders of NATO countries stressed a membership pledge for Ukraine, took a stronger stance on China's support for Russia, and the declaration strengthened past NATO language on China.

"China's core position on the Ukraine issue is to promote peace talks and political settlement, which has been widely recognized and appreciated by the international community," said the spokesperson.

Beijing put forward a 12-point paper more than a year ago that set out general principles for ending the war, but did not get into specifics. It received a lukewarm reception at the time in both Russia and Ukraine.

For its part, China has repeatedly lashed out at NATO criticisms and has warned against its expansion into the Asia-Pacific region.

Leaders of Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia, in attendance at NATO, have forged stronger ties with the security alliance amid rising concerns over China's aggressions in the South China Sea.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said, "We firmly oppose NATO acting beyond its characterization as a regional defensive alliance, inserting itself into the Asia-Pacific to incite confrontation and rivalry, and disrupting the prosperity and stability in this region."

 

 

 

 

Pezeshkian wants better ties with Iraq and Pakistan

Iran's president-elect, Masoud Pezeshkian, has emphasized the importance of strengthening relations with both Iraq and Pakistan in separate phone calls with the leaders of both countries. 

During his conversation with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Pezeshkian highlighted the strong bonds between Iran and Iraq, stating, "The extent of political, economic, cultural and religious ties between Iran and Iraq needs no explanation." He expressed hope that these relations "will be further deepened in the new era with the cooperation of the high officials of the two countries." 

President Rashid reciprocated these sentiments, congratulating Pezeshkian on his election victory and describing the relationship between the two countries as "deep, strong, and in line with the interests of the two nations." He added that Iraq is "interested in maintaining and promoting these relations and also creating a basis for further cooperation in the new era."

In his conversation with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pezeshkian reiterated his commitment to strengthening ties between the two nations, stating, "I express my desire to further deepen relations between the two brotherly nations."

Sharif echoed this sentiment, highlighting the positive momentum built during the late President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Pakistan, stating, "The agreements between the two countries... paved the way for a mutually beneficial partnership." He further emphasized Pakistan's commitment to "developing all-out ties with Iran" and discussed ways to enhance cooperation "particularly in trade, commerce & investment, and foster a stronger partnership for regional stability." He concluded by stating, "As brothers and neighbors, our two countries have a shared vision for building a better future together for our people."

Iran, which shares its longest borders with Iraq and Pakistan, has been adamant about advancing cooperation with the two countries, particularly in trade and security. It signed security pacts with both states during the Raisi administration in order to tackle terrorist groups funded by extra-regional forces. 

Pezeshkian has vowed to continue the late Raisi’s path, who emphasized the strengthening of ties with neighboring and regional countries. Additionally, the president-elect pledged to enhance cooperation with Russia and Turkey during separate phone calls on Monday.

The president-elect has also addressed Resistance forces in recent days, indicating that he plans to continue the previous administration’s support for freedom fighters in the region.

In his letter to Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Pezeshkian vowed Iran would continue to back the Resistance, dashing Zionist hopes for a diminished emphasis on resistance groups with a reformist Iranian government in office.