Obama Authorizes War Against Syria Without Congressional Approval

August 3, 2012

The US President has violated the Constitution once again by authorizing support for the Syrian rebel groups that fight against the Syrian Army. Having done so, he has effectively declared war on the country.

By LUIS MIRANDA | THE REAL AGENDA | AUGUST 3, 2012

President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing Washington’s support for Syrian rebels in their fight against government forces, as reported by a U.S. source familiar with the matter.

The order, approved this year — although it is not known when it was signed — allows the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies to conduct support operations to get the rebels to overthrow President Bashar al Assad. In addition, the presidential order reflects the collaboration of U.S. a secret command center led by Turkey with the collaboration of Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The comprehensive framework of U.S. assistance to the rebels has not been determined clearly, but the data points to a step forward by the U.S. government to aid the rebels, which until now had been limited to non-lethal aid, according to Washington.

In fact, the United States increased to $ 15 million the funds for non-lethal aid to be delivered to the Syrian opposition.
The spokesman for the U.S. State Department, Victoria Nuland, said that Washington “has said all along that is ready and willing to deliver non-lethal support to the Syrian opposition.”

“Given that this support has been utilized, we have decided to increase the amount of support given for non-lethal aid” she said. “Also, we will expand our coordination and cooperation with other countries that have chosen other forms of support,” she added, referring to the delivery of weapons by third countries, presumably Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

Regarding the secret command center, the British agency Reuters has suggested that this could be the secret base established by Turkey in collaboration with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, near the Syrian border, a fact that came to light last week. Apparently, the purpose of it is to control military operations and communication taking place in Syria and thus to help the rebel forces.

This example of a secret decision among Middle East countries is an example of the leaders of those countries’ wish to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad after together with Western countries, just as they did in 2011 with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Turkey has played an increasing role in Syria, including reports that have Ankara could be behind the bombing of Syrian military leaders on 18 July.

However, the Turkish government has denied any support for such actions. A senior officer in the reserve of an army in the region, indicated that at least 20 Syrian generals who have defected in Turkey are coordinating the rebel forces.
The Israeli authorities have indicated that at least 20,000 Syrian soldiers have deserted.

According to new reports, the Turkish base, near the border with Syria, is located in the Turkish resort of Adana (south), about 60 kilometers from the border with Syria, which also houses the U.S. airbase at Incirlik.

In late December 2011, the Turkish newspaper ‘Vatan’ said the U.S. Army has stored 70 tactical nuclear warheads of the B61-12 type, 50 of which would be reserved for U.S. use. He noted that between ten and 20 of the remaining warheads are designed to be carried and launched by Turkish warplanes.

Moreover, the U.S. Treasury Department confirmed Wednesday that it has authorized the representative of the Syrian Free Army (SLA) — which brings includes many of the armed opposition groups, to conduct financial transactions on behalf of those rebel organizations.

The information about Obama’s authorization to deliver support to the rebels comes amid fighting between security forces and the rebels themselves to regain control of Aleppo, the second largest city in the country.

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German Computer Expert: U.S., Israel Behind Stuxnet

March 4, 2011

AFP
March 3, 2011

A German computer security expert said Thursday he believes the United States and Israel’s Mossad unleashed the malicious Stuxnet worm on Iran’s nuclear program.

“My opinion is that the Mossad is involved,” Ralph Langner said while discussing his in-depth Stuxnet analysis at a prestigious TED conference in the Southern California city of Long Beach.

“But, the leading source is not Israel... There is only one leading source, and that is the United States.“

There has been widespread speculation Israel was behind the Stuxnet worm that has attacked computers in Iran, and Tehran has blamed the Jewish state and the United States for the killing of two nuclear scientists in November and January.

“The idea behind Stuxnet computer worm is really quite simple,” Langner said. “We don’t want Iran to get the bomb.”

The malicious code was crafted to stealthily take control of valves and rotors at an Iranian nuclear plant, according to Langner.

“It was engineered by people who obviously had inside information,” he explained. “They probably also knew the shoe size of the operator.”

Stuxnet targets computer control systems made by German industrial giant Siemens and commonly used to manage water supplies, oil rigs, power plants and other critical infrastructure.

“The idea here is to circumvent digital data systems, so the human operator could not get there fast enough,” Langner said.

“When digital safety systems are compromised, really bad things can happen — your plant can blow up.

Most Stuxnet infections have been discovered in Iran, giving rise to speculation it was intended to sabotage nuclear facilities there.

The New York Times reported in January that US and Israeli intelligence services collaborated to develop the computer worm to sabotage Iran’s efforts to make a nuclear bomb.

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U.S. Government Persecuting Journalists

June 8, 2010

Russia Today

In its battle against government leaks, the administration of President Obama has launched what many say is a campaign against

Both Bush and Obama pro-secrecy policies could not keep some journalists from obtaining information that incriminates them.

press freedom.

One journalist, who reported things the US government wanted to keep secret, has been given an ultimatum: give up your sources or go to jail.

James Risen is a Pulitzer Prize-winning national security correspondent for the New York Times. In his 2006 book, he wrote about the botched US intelligence operations to halt Iran’s nuclear program. As he is still under prosecutors’ scrutiny, Risen is now advised to avoid interviews on the subject.

“The issue has been litigated before, it went through the courts two years ago,” Eric Lichtblau, New York Times Justice Department correspondent, told RT. “And now the Justice Department, under a new administration, ironically seems to be going the same path.”

Eric Lichtblau, together with his colleague James Risen, has made a number of groundbreaking revelations, including the Bush administration’s program of wiretapping without warrants.

He says confidentiality is vital to their work, as people often put their lives at risk to tell what is really going on behind the scenes.

“If, in fact, we have a system where journalists cover only what the government says are not secrets, well journalists lose their independence,” Lichtblau said.

There would probably be no discussions on Guantanamo abuses or the CIA’s secret prisons if not for the leaks, but the clampdown is on.

Of course, there is a line between giving up national security secrets and telling the public what they need to know about their governments’ work. But one or two other cases like Risen’s, and free American investigative journalism may face a real drought in sources.

Obama’s leak plugging has been welcomed most among advocates of secrecy in government affairs, but even they are surprised.

“It came to me as a surprise. The Obama administration came into office pledging maximum openness in the government. While they have take certain steps in that direction, they’ve also done some unexpected decisions regarding leaks,” Gabriel Schoenfeld, author of “Necessary Secrets: National Security, the Media, and the Rule of Law”, said.

While some journalists have to fight for their sources, others demand transparency at the White House.

“[There is] too much secrecy in the White house and government and I think the people have the right to know almost everything,” Helen Thomas, a White House correspondent with 50 years’ experience, said.

Meanwhile Obama, with a new law tucked under his arm, positions the US as the watchdog for the freedom of press in the world.

“What this Act does is it sends a strong message from the Unites States government and from the State Department that we are paying attention to how other governments operate when it comes to the press,” President Obama said back in May.

One thing is not clear – will the State Department pay attention to its own backyard as American journalists are being forced to break their word?

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