25 thoughts on “Albright Report Urges U.S. to Declare “Red Lines,” Prepare Military Strike Against Iran – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
task-attention.png
Comments are published at the sole discretion of the owner.
 

  1. With the latest military quagmire being created in Mali, this neocon scheme is bound to push things ever closer to World War III. The stupidity and arrogance are truly amazing.

  2. The ONLY thing that matters is that Obama and Hagel stop Netanyahu and the Israel Lobby from forcing/mousetrapping the US into an attack on Iran – THAT’S IT.

    It’s a ‘single issue’

    If an Iran attack is stopped, Israeli Apartheid is without any effective cover and will be taken care of how Apartheid South Africa was taken care of – and then the Israeli Lobby no longer has any cover as well.

    With the Netanyahu-hoaxed/mousestrapped pushing of the US into a war with Iran STOPPED – it’s all over for Israeli ApartheidLet’s keep our eye on the PRIZE – it’s Iran. The rest are dominoes

    It’s formulaic;. Hagel ‘ON’ = Iran ‘OFF’ = Israeli Apartheid ‘OFF’ = Israeli Lobby ‘OFF’

    (The Israeli Lobby ‘OFF’ = the 2nd American Revolution)

    1. Don’t hold your breath on Hagel. It appears he has been genuflecting before the sacred altar of zionism, assuring Chuck Schumer and others that he will show the proper fealty and will not hesitate to follow orders from his masters when it’s time to punish Iran. Groveling is so unseemly, but he did it, just as they all do if they want to salvage their careers. BTW, he also had to apologize for saying he wasn’t an Israeli senator.

      1. Mary- I don’t think it will change Hagel’s thinking, but in a curious way his “kowtowing” has demonstrated the undue influence the Israeli Lobby has over U.S. foreign policy, even where it could damage U.S. national interests, and it is not something that will go unrecognized or be ignored by Americans.

        1. I don’t think it will either, Ed, but it’s his actions that matter, not his thoughts. And it was made clear to him just what the expectations are, all the way down to his making that absurd apology for speaking truth to power. I don’t know how many Americans are paying attention to this, but I can assure you, it’s not enough.

          When a single small, very violent foreign country is publicly allowed to have any say at all in who the President installs in one of the highest offices in the US government, this should set off some very big alarm bells in America. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. Nor does the rejection of anyone who doesn’t sing from the pro-Israel hymn sheet.

  3. Albright and his ilk should cut the bullsh*t and come out and say, “We want regime change in Iran” – nothing the current government of Iran could do would be enough for them.

      1. Good point. It might open a discussion of the similarities among the leaders of both states, though both read from different books. Both are theocracies and thus may justify policy and actions (planned and executed) with theologic justification, however radical for each and with potentially horrible but theologically justifiable consequences.

      2. A great many countries would be well-served by ‘regime change’, including Iran, Israel, and of course the United States.

        “How do you feel about the idea of regime change in Iran?”

        I have sounded off on this very topic at least a couple of times. In accord with the foreign policy of Thomas Jefferson – “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none” – I support engagement with Iran towards the end of strengthening the Iranian middle class, which can then start throwing its weight around and demanding changes in the way Iran is run. If you want the Iranian people to somehow replace the Iranian leadership, then you have to be willing to strengthen the Iranian people: trade does that, sanctions does the opposite.

        “Also, same question with respect to Israel.”

        Begin by ending all foreign aid to Israel (and to all other countries while we’re at it), see what shakes out, and I’ll take it from there.

        I ultimately support normal U.S. relations with both countries.

  4. I’m not sure that Syria’s relationship with Iran is determining Washington’s attitudes towards the Assad regime, so much as Syria’s relationship with Russia. Things came to a head in Syria soon after they started to reactivate Tartrus as a Russian naval base. Assad is supposedly now directing the civil war from on board a Russian ship.

    It’s not just the future of Syria which is at stake, though: the Assad dynasty has been the driving force behind decades of Syrian meddling in Lebanon, and I think what the Arab League wants most, is a Syrian regime which runs Syria, for good or bad, but which gives Lebanon a chance to run itself.
    Of course, once that is achieved, someone in Doha is going to invest money in removing Iranian and Israeli stooges from Lebanon, too.

    1. Fred, I think that the relationship may be more complicated than that, and involve what you’ve suggested with much more. Syria is in the process of developing a major pipeline that would bypass Turkey and end at a distribution hub at or near Tartus. Syria also has an EEZ that likely has valuable natural gas reserves. Qatar would like to be the country developing these reserves (just as it has taken over Libya’s oil operations) and Turkey would like to be the sole distribution hub. If Assad can survive, developing these resources would place the Syrian economy on a much stronger footing and solidify the Baathist socialist system, something anathema to the West. Nor should the importance of its relationship with Iran be discounted. It is not only geopoitical, the pipeline from Iran would diversify Iran’s distribution network, and provide a significant economic benefit. On the other hand, if Assad were overthrown and replaced it with a Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood type government, it would establish regional hegemony for a proxy or ally we think we can do business with and control. (Whether or not we are deluding ourselves is another matter.) Regime change would also facilitate Israel’s territorial expansion, since they are in the process of creating “facts on the ground” to annex the Golan Heights, and regime change in Syria, would allow a reopening of the pipeline to Israel that is presently closed, and the development of more pipelines routes between Israel and Turkey. The Russian connection you alluded to is also very important, as Russia’s naval base in Tartus is its only permanent presence on the Mediterranean. NATO wants full hegemony, including over all of the littoral states on the Eastern Mediterranean, and their offshore natural gas reserves. Israel is already pumping natural gas from its Leviathan project and is working with Greek Cyprus to develop its reserves, while Russia is negotiating with Greece. So, it is a complicated multidimensional “game”.

      1. You talk of Nato hegemony, but I don’t know of any country that shares a sea with the Russian navy that wouldn’t prefer not to.

        Most Mediterranean ports are non-Nato: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt etc. It’s only really Russia that NATO objects to, and I suspect they wouldn’t even do that if Mr Putin wasn’t in power.

        1. What the US-NATO did to Libya, and is doing to Syria, is a message to those countries you’ve named that they would do best to fall in line or risk devastation- i.e., consider it an offer they can’t refuse. If Syria survives, and it may, that could encourage some of the Mediterranean countries to be less hesitant to do business with China and Russia, if they find it in their national interest to do so. As for Putin, I don’t know why he would make Russia less attractive to them. He may even make it more attractive, since he has been staying the course in Syria, and together with China, has been the strongest advocate upholding the rule of law and the UN Charter, something the US and NATO have blatantly disregarded. Moreover, Putin is probably the best, or at least most effective alternative right now for Russia to rebuild its economy and to defend its national interests. Don’t get me wrong. We could and should do much better than Russia or anyone else, but our policies are leading us in the wrong direction, and it seems as if our multinationals have lost the ability to compete in the marketplace and build better products or projects. Goldman Sachs and the banks are not going to lead us to Nirvana, though they may “foreclose on our house”. (Not us personally, but you get what I mean.)

  5. Richards: the only issue i have with your assay is that you categorize any SME (Subject Matter EXPERT) who thinks Iran may be developing nuclear weapons as a Pro-Israel servant who’s statement should be disregarded.
    Mr. Albright is a very respectful nuclear weapons expert who’s statements should be treated accordingly. Can you dispute The finding my Albright lists in the report ? all you did in your post is to criticize the writers of the report because of their affiliation, this equates to ad hominem.

    1. If Richard were to address Albright’s record he would be able to point out many flaws and instances where Albright has been wrong on the facts and also biased. Albright’s credibility is not stellar by any means.

  6. With Friends like AIPAC, such “Thinking” Tanks, Wall Street Bankers, Political Whores in D.C. and else where, etc. etc. etc. Does America need enemies? The history of the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, the Afghanistan War, Drones in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Mali,…..are only chapters of the story of an Empire in a freefall into history’s garbage bag……………….Learning from history is so very difficult when people do not study it carefully!

  7. Re: A former IAEA inspector who founded the Institute for Science and International Security, Albright has a reputation as a sober-minded analyst.”

    Well he did until he ignored all of the Security Council and IAEA resolutions condemning the practice of launching preemptive attacks against nuclear facilities:

    *The UN Security Council condemned the premeditated attack on Iraqi nuclear facilities as a clear violation of the UN Charter and international norms by a vote of 15-0; and called for Israel to immediately place its own nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the IAEA. See S/RES/487 (1981) http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/487%20%281981%29

    *The Israeli attack on Iraq’s nuclear power plant also resulted in IAEA resolutions that declared the practice a violation of the UN Charter and international law. The international community of states would also have very little incentive to continue to permit IAEA inspections of their facilities if they only serve as a tool or precursor for US or Israeli aggression:
    http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC27/GC27Resolutions/English/gc27res-407_en.pdf
    http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC29/GC29Resolutions/English/gc29res-443_en.pdf
    http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC29/GC29Resolutions/English/gc29res-444_en.pdf
    http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC29/GC29Documents/English/gc29-765_en.pdf

  8. In case of so obvious propaganda even if it tried to be made as “an international and neutral view” the backgrounds of the writers (and financiers) are important. How much credibility has the paper in question if it would be common knowledge that the writers are also Israelis? Especially when these “undercover” Israelis give advices what USA should do?

    After Jim W. Dean David Albright has also an Israeli passport (= citizen of Israel) and owns a condominium in Haifa. Albright has not denied that claim. So obviously Albright is Jewish, but he doesn’t reveal this link of his background and bindings. Mark Dubowitz was born in South Africa, was raised in Canada and has studied also in Israel. This “international figure” has been working with his “democracy promoting” in USA and Europe. It would be interesting to know how many passports this individual has. Four (South Africa, Canada, USA and Israel) or even more? Amusingly on Mark Dubowitz’s own bio pages is one advertisement – Israel Optical selling Israel made glasses – besides the internet service provider’s add. It is highly likely that Mark Dubowitz is also Jewish and Israeli citizen. With “normal issues” being a Jew (and a non public Israeli citizen) would not matter, but this background information is essential when we evaluate the facts and opinions they present on issues relating to Middle East and nuclear issues.

    Albright interestingly expresses having cooperated actively with IAEA. Albright has constantly referred himself as a former UN inspector. What means cooperating and does that “cooperation” give one the right to say being “a former U.N. weapons inspector”. The former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter analyzes David Albright’s role in his article “The Nuclear Expert Who Never Was”.

    ISIS reports of Israel are laughable considering that this organization is declaring itself as: non-profit, non-partisan institution dedicated to informing the public about science and policy issues affecting international security. It is absurd for an organization with its self declared goals avoids inspecting the world’s most aggressive and unpredictable big nuclear power and which has not signed the critical treaties limiting the danger of nuclear weapons.

    1. I wouldn’t trust PressTV as a credible source on anything related to this. While Albright may have a condo in Israel (I don’t know) I highly doubt he has an Israel passport. Unless a more credible source can confirm this I don’t believe it. As for Dubowitz, I similarly don’t believe he’s anything other than a U.S. citizen unless you offer far better evidence than you have.

      Evidence, people. Good solid evidence. I say this to those who are pro Israel and I say it to you.

      Also, I’m extremely uncomfortable with making reference to anyone’s Jewish identity to prove their political allegiance. It’s just not cool. I’m Jewish and don’t share their political views. Many other Jews feel similarly (to me) on these issues.

      1. Well Mark Dubowitz is Canadian (at least), originally he is South African (moved to Canada at the age of 8). See article about Dubowitz’s double loyalties written by himself. Is Dubowitz a Jew, it is highly likely. Why else would he write to organizations like Jewish Policy Center, participate in debates organized by Torah in Motion etc. Dubowitz has lived and worked years in Tel Aviv. He claims to have changed his carrier because of 911. It is so rather likely that Dubowitz is also a Israeli citizen.

        The big question is why do those numerous extremely active (and well financed) persons hide their ethnic background and bindings. When one makes propaganda for Israel, propaganda which includes demands for new wars, it is a fair demand to ask the questions about motive and loyalties. Also to speculate to some extent if the propagandists deliberately hide their bindings.

        Of course we all know, that there are plenty of Jews who do not share the views of this aggressive and planed Israeli and neocon propaganda, but it doesn’t remove the demand of the need to get information about the real backgrounds of those making and spreading the propaganda.

  9. RE: “. . . Recommendations: Undertake additional overt preparations for the use of warplanes and/or missiles to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities with high explosives . . .” ~ Albright’s report

    MY COMMENT: I wonder if “high explosives” is used in the report rather than something more specific like ‘bunker busters’ because “high explosives” might very well be said to include tactical nuclear weapons.

  10. RE: “Here the report disputes the validity of the containment doctrine, which Israel too has denigrated, regarding an Iran with nuclear capability: …Containment strategies seem even less likely to be effective with a revolutionary, non-status quo power such as Iran… The value judgments in such labelling are astonishing. This statement posits a revolutionary Iran. Yet what revolution is it exporting and where has it succeeded? As far as being a power that destabilizes the status quo, it seems Israel fits that bill as much or more so.” ~ R.S.

    A COUPLE COMMENTS MADE IN RESPONSE TO A COMMENTARY IN THE TELEGRAPH AUTHORED BY PETER OBORNE AND PUBLISHED ON 12/12/12:

    ● agoodcause 12/12/2012 05:27 PM
    [[Recommended by 236 people]]
    [EXCERPTS] . . . Peter Oborne is 100% correct.
    It is inevitable that Israel will cease to exist if it fails to work peacefully and in harmony with its neighbors. That is just common sense. The numbers are against them.
    Their quest to nurture extremism amongst the Palestinians, by destroying their infrastructure and forcing them to live in ghettos, whilst building on their land illegally, can only end in mutual destruction.
    Before the idiots start accusing me of being anti-semetic etc etc you should know I, like many Jews, have a problem with insane right wing policies. Not the Jewish people.

    ● dandaniels 12/13/2012 01:58 AM
    [[Recommended by 133 people]]
    [EXCERPTS] Yet again we Israelis read about “our existence” This makes us very very angry and determined as a Jewish nation to survive.
    If Israel’s “existence” is threatened which means the attempted massacre of jews (this time in Israel on home soil) “yet again”. If you or your Jew hating friends calls for the destruction of Israel. If you continue to discuss “the existence of Israel” We as Israelis will take down any nation that threatens our physical existence with the use of anything we think is needed to eliminate the threat forever. We will use all our “resources” to achieve the destruction of any nation or nations that threatens to wipe us out. [THIS MIGHT BE A REFERENCE TO THE “SAMSON OPTION” – J.L.D.] (Would you not do the same or would you simply give up and march into the gas chambers ready to be slaughtered?)
    How dare you question our existence. I’m considered moderate, I dont have any real political affiliations or extremist views as a Jew, I’m actually very liberal, so what if you’re gay, black, white, green, yellow, muslims, christian but when I read things like this from people like you I become ultra pro zionist when you threaten my children’s existence you asshole.
    Israel is the only democracy in an increasingly Islamified neighbourhood. Living in Tel Aviv I’m free here as are my children, as are my friends to do what we wish without fear of being persecuted or murdered. Egypt under Islamic rule is cracking down on its people, as are Syrians, 40,000 murdered in just the last year alone but no you dare to scream and shout when Israel defends itself from constant rocket attacks in Gaza. You cry about your problems with immigration in the UK so when we decide to control our own borders due to security concerns with an enemy sworn to destroy jews and Israel you have no right to dictate “the future of Israel” Israelis can not live with an enemy sworn to our destruction under their divine charter set by Allah.
    As for the UK under successive Labour and Conservatives governments the facts are that you have attacked at least 3 nations way off your shores in the last 10 years alone…
    . . . Arabs have been attacking Israel since its creation at your hands “the British”. If any nation has a right to defend itself, it is little Israel against hundreds of millions Islamified Muslims intent on our destruction.
    The British have no right to discuss the “existence” of any nation aside from your own. My advice is to concentrate on the potential collapse of your own country. I see Scotland wishes to break away from you and gain their independence. I also noted many are fighting against this.
    How dare you question Israel’s existence. Jews are born survivors and after 3000 years of hatred and persecution we will NEVER give up our land without a biblical fight of epic proportions using everything we have at our disposal [THIS APPEARS TO BE A REFERENCE TO THE “SAMSON OPTION” – J.L.D.] . . .
    . . . (Edited by a moderator)

    SOURCE [UNDER COMMENTS, SELECT “BEST RATING” – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/9740044/The-cowardice-at-the-heart-of-our-relationship-with-Israel.html

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *