HAS PUTIN CHECKMATED OBAMA IN SYRIA OR IS HE OFFERING A FACE SAVING FOR THE U.S.?

CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS: Article 2
'The Organization and its Members, in pursuit of the Purposes stated in Article 1, shall act in accordance with the following Principles.

1. The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members. 

4. All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations'.

U.S., Canada & Europe's interference in Syria runs contrary to the U.N. Charter. Nowhere in the Charter, members are permitted 'regime changes' in other countries.  President Assad's brutal regime is not the business of United States or its allies. It is a problem for the Syrian people.

President Putin's actions by default may offer a way out to the U.S. from the mess it created in Syria. Instead of protesting, it may be better to let him destroy ISIS and and anti Assad rebels, so this unholy civil war comes to an end. Ultimately, it is for the Syrian people not the United States to decide if a regime change is required.

This is not the first time U.S. has violated the U.N. charter. It invaded Iraq illegally, overthrew Qaddafi in Libya under the guise of 'no fly zone' and helped overthrow an elected Government in Egypt.  Some say U.S. did all this on Israel's behest. True or not, the outcome of these actions have been disastrous. The entire Middle East has been destabilized. Iraq is fractured probably beyond repair, Egypt has a draconian dictator who has sent thousands of protesters to the gallows, Libya is run by a bunch of terrorists and Syria is in turmoil.

Over ten years since U.S. started its actions in the Middle East, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed in Iraq, Syria & Libya, many times more than the tyrants rulers of those countries killed over forty years. Iraq alone caused five million refugees and a third of Syrian population is refugee now.  

U.S. accomplishments to date are:
A fractured Iraq:

Picture courtesy aljazeera.com

A Libya controlled by a bunch of terrorists:

Picture courtesy morrocotomorrow.org

A Syria destroyed causing massive refugee crisis.

picture courtesy vocfm.co.za

A splintered Afghanistan after 12 year occupation & tragedies like the Kunduz Hospital bombing.
picture courtesy denverpost.com

Surely, this is not  the outcome U.S. had in mind before launching these wars. Still it begs the question, why have they learned no lessons and why do they keep making the same mistakes over and over?

THE CRIMINAL MILITARY JUNTA OF EGYPT, USED TO POWER GRAB & U.S. MONEY

THIS MAN, GENERAL ABDEL FATTAH EL-SISI IS WANTED FOR TREASON, OVERTHROWING A DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT AND FOR ORCHESTRATING THE KILLING OF AT LEAST ONE THOUSAND EGYPTIANS.

WILL WE ONE DAY, WITNESS HIS OPEN AND FAIR TRIAL IN TAHRIR SQUARE?

A Military Coup in Egypt is a recipe for disaster, it could lead to an all out Civil War.

Photo courtesy CNN

The uprising just over a year ago at Tahrir Square, Cairo was against a military dictatorship. A military coup in Egypt now, could have disastrous consequences for this country of 85 million people, possibly damaging it irreparably.

Egyptian Military is one of the most incompetent, ill trained, corrupt and  disorganized militaries of the world. Their Generals have fattened on power and graft, they are incapable of running the military, let alone run the country.

The uprising then was against the corrupt and hated regime of Hosni Mubarak, a military dictator who ruled for 25 years with an iron grip. The general public rose against the choke hold and wanted to see a democratic set up in the country. But due to manipulation of Egyptian military, (backed by U.S.) underhand deals were made with Muslim Brotherhood in the hope of restricting them to parliament only. The plan was to have a pliable candidate elected as President, so all good and independent minded Presidential candidates were barred from contesting elections.

Like most unholy deals, this too came undone. Contrary to earlier promises, Brotherhood insisted on fielding a candidate for President and withtheir extensive network, they were able to capture enough votes to control the parliament and then the Presidency. This was not the result people had demonstrated for, in fact this was a negation of their hopes and aspirations. Had the military not cut a deal, Brotherhood would probably not have won more than a handful of seats in the parliament.

The anger on the streets of Egypt today against Morsi regime is because he does not represent the the majority. Most Egyprians want a secular, democratic Egypt with freedom for all and not the theocratic state Muslim Brotherhood wants.

A military coup is neither appropriate nor an option at this stage. Brotherhood came to power through elections and they should be allowed to serve out their term. Next elections should be held without military intervention and should be free and fair. If that were to happen, chances are, Brotherhood will be voted out of office. Democratic means should be the only method for a change.

If Morsi survives, he should realize that he has come to power due to military's manipulation and he does not represent the majority. He should take the views of the majority into consideration.

A military coup now is likely to pit the Brotherhood against the military. The general public may feel relieved momentarily, but they too are in no mood for military rule again. In a worse case scenario, Brotherhood could take up arms Taliban style and inflict heavy blows on the military causing great upheaval leading to an all out civil war.

The Egypt Military and its sponsor (the U.S., the great champion of democracy) should think again before taking any steps to overthrow an elected regime, no matter how unpopular.

Egyptian Military Must Step Aside

The peaceful demonstrations in Tahrir Square have been turned into riots by Egyptian Military by their use of tear gas, live bullets and more. Clearly, the Egyptian Military no longer has the confidence of its people. It must step aside and let an interim Civilian Government conduct free and fair general elections.

Military's job is to defend the country from foreign aggression, not subdue and conquer its own people. It was one thing to refuse ongoing support to Hosni Mubarak's regime, it is another to keep a hold on power. It has been nine months since Mubarak was ousted and the military has not held elections. No wonder Egyptians are impatient. If the vast majority of people do not want the military to be involved in conducting elections, then Mr. Tantawi and his generals must return to the barracks and hand over power to a civilian interim Government preferably headed by a Supreme Court judge to conduct elections within three months.

US Support for the Military could push Egypt into Brotherhood's Lap

The Arab Spring in Egypt came so that the people can rid themselves of the old guard and elect a democratic Government. Getting rid of Hosni Mubarak was a major achievement, but the Government falling in the hands of the military and Field Marshall Tantawi was a bad idea.

Tantawi is an agent of status quo, not change. He was Mubarak's man, he used brutal force then and he is using brutal force now. Tantawi and the Military are supported by the US. The tear gas canisters being fired at protesters and bullets flying around Tahrir Square are all US supplied. US must immediately suspend all military shipments to Egypt and withdraw support from the military until they step aside.

Months have passed since Mubarak's overthrow and neither a new constitution is in place nor have general elections taken place. The Egyptian public has no confidence in this set up to hold fair elections. If this situation continues, the net beneficiary will be the Brotherhood, which thrive on chaos.

If military does not step aside and violence continues, Egypt could become ungovernable. Tantawi must step down immediately. A new interim Government headed by a Supreme Court judge should hold free and fair elections to elect true representatives of the people.

The White House, State and Defense Departments should recognize that their support to military has backfired. It is time use pressure on military to step aside and let free election take place.

Libya in Turmoil, is Civil War imminent?

The riots in Ben Ghazi and other Libyan cities have become violent. Gaddafi's security forces have responded with force and brutality. It appears that protesters overran a Cantonment in Ben Ghazi capturing tanks and other military weapons. Ben Ghazi now seems to be in the hands of protesters.

The stark warning on live television by Gaddafi's son yesterday does not bode well for Libya and may in fact lead this (relatively calm - until now) country into civil war.

Gaddafi has ruled the country unchallenged for almost 41 years since he overthrew King Idris in 1969. Contrary to other Arab rulers, Gaddafi does not seem to have amassed wealth in his personal accounts. He has used oil revenues for welfare of his citizens. The poor in Libya may be content and not inclined to riot.

The revolution in Libya is quite different from that in Tunisia and Egypt, where corrupt rulers held sway for a very long time. In Libya, it is matter of freedom and democracy and removing restrictions from a state shackle hold. The middle and educated classes want a proper democracy, freedom of assembly and speech and quite rightly so.

There is a new awakening in the Middle East and NO this is not because of George W. Bush's disastrous war in Iraq, which killed 100,000 Iraqis and 6,000 Americans. Egypt has shown us that regime change can be accomplished without violence provided it is home grown and people are united. There is a new mood in the Middle East and despotic rulers better watch out.

Libya is not Gaddafi's personal fiefdom, he should step down and let an orderly process of change take place. His son's tone was defiant and threatening, promising to unleash the armed forces on the protesters. This may just be a last ditch effort by a dying regime. However, if the armed forces are brought to streets to crush the protesters that could lead to a civil war with horrific consequences.

The Libyan Armed forces should refuse orders to shoot their own people.

Democracy Now reports more deaths

SHOULD HILLARY CLINTON RESIGN?

On January 26, 2011 Hillary Clinton called Hosni Mubarak regime a stable regime.

This what she said as per 'Democracy Now' blog
"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: "We support the fundamental right of expression and assembly for all people, and we urge that all parties exercise restraint and refrain from violence. But our assessment is that the Egyptian government is stable and is looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people."

And yet a few days later, the Egyptian public threw out the corrupt and dictatorial regime of Hosni Mubarak. How could America's Chief Diplomat get this so wrong?

This was a huge blunder on the part of Hillary Clinton, a person in-charge of conducting US foreign policy. If she can get things so wrong, how will she read the situation in a major face off with a nuclear power?

The decent thing for Hillary Clinton to do is to resign and relieve Obama Administration of her continued presence at State Department. If she does not, President Obama should ask for her resignation.

Is the Egyptian Military Consolidating its Position?

18 DAYS TO END 30 YEAR DICTATORSHIP, WHAT NOW? DEMOCRACY CANNOT FLOW FROM THE BARREL OF THE GUN

It took valiant Egyptian youth only 18 days to end a 30 year dictatorship. Good riddance Hosni Mubarak.

By freezing Mubarak's bank accounts, Switzerland has thrown the gauntlet to all other Governments to freeze his assets and return the looted wealth to Egyptian people.

For now the military has taken charge of Egypt, however this cannot be a satisfactory solution. Egypt has been ruled by military dictators ever since King Farouk was deposed in 1952. If the military stays in charge for a while, they may get comfortable in their new role and become an obstacle in the way of an open and a flourishing democracy, which is what the Egyptians want.

The preferred solution is, for a Supreme Court judge to head the interim Government comprising civilians whose task it should be to return Egypt to normalcy, start rebuilding the economy and hold fair, transparent and democratic elections so that power can be transferred to elected representatives in four to six months. Military's role should be restricted to maintaining law and order only.

Also, the current Egyptian constitution is in shambles and beyond repair, the interim Government should immediately appoint a Constitutional Commission comprising eminent Egyptian jurists with a mandate to draw up a new and democratic constitution. After the elections, the first order of business for the new parliament should be to approve or amend this constitution as it deems fit.

The Egyptian military has seen people power in the last 18 days, so hopefully they they will respond to their aspirations. However, if they get greedy and go for power grab, the outcome for the Military will probably be far worse than it was for Mubarak.

EGYPT CELEBRATES

Is Mubarak on the Run?

BBC and other news sources are reporting that Hosni Mubarak may step down today and hand over power to his Vice President Suleiman.

Suleiman is the former head of the dreaded Egyptian Intelligence. He has helped Mubarak suppress Egyptian people for thirty years. His demeanor on television may be that of a softy, but he is a cruel man who has jailed thousands of people over the years.

If Mubarak does step down and hands over power to Suleiman, it will be like one thug handing over the reigns to another.

No doubt the Egyptians will celebrate their victory over Mubarak's ouster, but they are not likely to accept a transition Government under Suleiman. Chances are protests will continue until they get rid of Suleiman.

Aljazeera English TV claims that Omar Suleiman is an Israeli agent. One does not know if that is true, but Israel and the US have been very keen to have him replace Mubarak. The recent high praise for him by an Israeli Government minister may rile up the Egyptians even more to ensure his rapid departure.

Protests Spreading in Egypt, Democracy Now reports

Egyptian Protests Continue

AlJazeera English reports that Labor Unions have now joined the ranks of protestors in Egypt. Things appear to be spinning out of control. Time is of essence and if Egypt is to experience a relatively peaceful transition to democracy and multi-party rule, it is time for Obama Administration and European countries to impress upon Hosni Mubarak to step down.

Why is US pushing for Egyptian Vice President Suleiman (a Mubarak crony) to take over?

Corruption in Egypt - AlJazeera video

Alexandria, Egypt Prtoests

CAIRO IN TURMOIL

MUBARAK'S STAY WILL ONLY PUSH EGYPT INTO BROTHERHOOD'S LAP

The Egyptian demonstrations have been led by common folks wanting a corrupt and a dictatorial leader out of power and out of their country. The Muslim Brotherhood is a late comer to the game. In fact the first few days of uprising they stood on the sidelines probably fearing that crowds could turn on them. Watching things heat up, they have gradually come into the fold. By now it is a well known fact that the uprising has nothing to do with the Brotherhood, but, if there is no quick resolution and uncertainty continues, they stand to reap rewards far greater than they deserve.

The Obama Administration's backtracking on Hosni Mubarak's departure may have inflicted a minor blow to the uprising. But Hosni Mubarak's plan to stay till September and oversee election of his cronies will not be palatable to the Egyptian public. They have had enough of him in thirty years and they want to see the back of him sooner rather than later. The self appointed pundits like Farid Zakaria saying that army will outlast the crowds will probably be proven wrong, as usual.

Egyptian economy has already suffered $3 billion damage and the longer Mubarak remains as Head of State (with or without full powers), the demonstrations will continue and the losses will multiply. Hosni Mubarak has no credibility to bring a meaningful change to Egyptian constitution or arrange an orderly transition. At this time, he is a catalyst for more violence and upheaval. He should leave Egypt NOW before he suffers a Mussolini like fate.

The immediate need is to pacify Egyptian public by replacing Mubarak with an interim non-political Authority with a mandate to come up with a constitutional reform package and oversee a fair and transparent election. The interim authority should ideally be headed by a superior court judge and not by the Vice President or the Speaker (both Mubarak's party men). Once Mubarak is out and the Authority is in place, the public will most likely go back to their daily lives.

Only then can the new political parties be formed and electioneering begin in earnest. If this path is followed, chances are Egyptian public will reject the Brotherhood, who will be lucky to get 2 to 3% of the vote. However, a prolonged agitation will only strengthen their hands and they would gain significantly by playing on people's fears.

It is time for President Obama and Hillary Clinton to act as visionary leaders, with behind the scenes diplomacy and not many public statements. Also, they should not pay attention to those advisors who are for Mubarak's stay or continued involvement till September. Lest the Iranain revolution repeats itself in Egypt.

HOSNI MUBARAK SHOULD STEP DOWN IMMDEIATELY

No amount of promises will satisfy the Egyptian people, Hosni Mubarak should step down now. Perhaps it is too late already for an orderly transition, but the longer he lingers, the more violent is the transition likely to be.

Mubarak has ruled Egypt with an iron fist for thirty years, no wonder the anger is boiling over in the streets. He has not allowed any opposition candidate to run against him, most opponents have been languishing in jail for years. A vast number of Egyptians remain poor and have not benefited from economic prosperity that a few have enjoyed. Mubarak and his cronies live extravagant lifestyle in palaces like kings.

Mubarak's grooming of his son as his successor may be the proverbial "last straw that broke the camel's back". People have had enough of one Mubarak and they are not ready for another. Also, Egypt is not a kingdom, where a son can take over reigns of power when the father dies or retires. Tunisian uprising may have lit a fire in the Middle East, but anger has been boiling in Egypt for quite some time now, all it needed was a fuse.

To prevent conditions getting worse, Hosni Mubarak should hand over power to an interim non-partisan authority, whose sole task should be to hold free and fair elections within 90 days. This can prevent further violence as angers will cool down and the public will feel empowered to elect a leader of their choice. Failure to step down will only result in more violence, death and destruction and a severe blow to Egyptian economy. MR. MUBARAK, PLEASE GO NOW AND SAVE YOUR COUNTRY.