Bomb, bomb, bomb Vietnam
Bomb, bomb, bomb Vietnam
Heh, heh. Just kidding.
Go away John.
Seems very weird.
Just very weird.
I do not know.
“it has progressed on human rights.”
from utterly brutal...to mildy brutal??
How about we cut off all Arms sales to all countries especially those in the Middle East????????
America has a short memory.
And then move on up to offensive? Great idea, Juan.
Another day, another foot shoved deep into his mouth.
“It should be limited at first to those defensive capabilities such as coast guard and maritime systems that are purely for external security,” he said.
Vietnam is having problems with China putting oil rigs in their waters.
Once in a while he gets it right. I wish it were more often.
While its good to have people that can poke China in the eye, this seems rather stupid if it only empowers other communists.
Bomb, bomb, bomb Vietnam
Bomb, bomb, bomb Vietnam
Heh, heh. Just kidding.
McCain must own massive amounts of weapon company stocks.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend?..................
Okay, I’m down with that, only if they allow sales of Garands(from Korea) and Saiga.
I have zero idea of the facts behind this one. Also, McCain is typically an idiot. That being said, we eventually became trading partners AND allies with Germany, japan, Italy, etc.
I just don’t know.
Geeze
“The Republican and former prisoner of war in Vietnam said his position on easing the ban further has nothing to do with China’s recent deployment of an oil rig in a disputed part of the South China Sea. China has been more assertive on its maritime claims and could be angered by closer military ties between Vietnam and the United States.
Russia is Vietnam’s main source of armaments, and Vietnam has earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars to build more vessels to improve its maritime capability.”
+++++++++++++++
This is interesting... may give some insight into McCain strategies.
Project Overview
The strategy lies in tackling both Azerbaijan’s political and economic issues as well as its
image at multiple levels. The timing can be different for each level although some may
run simultaneously. Others depend on prior steps being underway.
The various arms include:
1. Public Relations arm
2. Lobbying arm
3. Think-tank and academic arm
4. Government arm
5. Business development arm
PR Message - Political
Azerbaijan is a U.S. ally. It fights in our wars alongside our soldiers – Iraq, Afghanistan,
Bosnia.
Azerbaijan is a strategic partner for the U.S. caught geographically between Russia and
Iran. The US needs a strong Caucasus.
Azerbaijan is a secular Islamic state and one of the few Moslem nations that is pro-West.
It is also an ally of Israel. (Think of Egypt of the Caucasus).
Armenia has much support in the US but it is allied with Russia and sells weapons to Iran
(Source: 2003 US Embassy Cable from Negroponte, Wikileaks)
Political Challenges
Iran & Armenia
Armenians have well developed psyops media and lobbying plan
Iranians have well developed media psyops program against Azerbaijan
Takes hundreds of youth ages 16-20 each year to educate in Iran
Puts pressure on Azerbaijan and doesn’t like its secularism
Broadcasts criticism of Azerbaijan on its media into Az and to Azeris living in
Iran – TV station Sahar 2 and 2 radio stations criticizing Az in Iran.
Az has had no help from the US against Iranian propaganda through broadcasting
Az has no history of IT psyop warfare & communications
Az has problems of location and of human rights issues regardeing elections- but
Armenia’s human rights record is worse. Progressing past these issues in Az.
US/West
Az is being alienated from the West. There are 3 developments that have made a big
negative impact on Az:
1. Nogorno-Karabakh: The West is supporting Armenia not Azerbaijan.
2. Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (Turkey) Railway: US and EU are not supportive of the railway.
US said Az doesn’t need this connection. Cannot connect Central Asia to Europe by
rail because of Armenia. $250 million has been provided by Az (SOFAZ) for
building the railway that will benefit not only Az but Georgia, Turkey and the EU.
Az sees Georgia as a strategic partner. Turkey and Az want to build the railway so
the flow of goods and people can move between the Caspian and the EU.
3. Turkey-Armenian Border: Opening has nothing to do with Nagorno-Karabakh (N-
K) All Turkish presidents and MPs have stated they would close the frontier with
Armenia because of N-K. Recently Turkey said they were going to open the border
but a week ago, after an outcry from Az, they have said they will not open the border
unless N-K issue was resolved.
3
PR Message - Economic
Azerbaijan is a developing country with a lot of money from oil revenues to invest
Unlike most sovereign wealth funds, the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) is still
growing strongly and looking for more foreign risk. SOFAZ:
By saving returns on investments the oil funds can become equal to revenue
from oil by 2024-25.
Az has already received $50 billion from oil revenues and expects $250-300
billion more over the coming years
This year SOFAZ will send $7.5-8 billion to the state budget; $500,000 is spent
on education abroad, railway and pipeline projects
$25b is invested outside the country. 50% of $25b is invested in US dollars,
40% in Euro, 5% in UK pound, 5% in other currencies
Wants to buy equity in companies through funds. Also looking at private
equities. Exposure hedged by investing in many asset classes. Equities are
priority now, then private equities and eventually real estate. Only worried about
rate of return. Never lost money - $300 million made in 2008 (mostly bonds).
By 2025 Azerbaijan wants to be a high tech country rather than an oil country:
Every 3 years AZ doubles its IT structure
It’s weak in export of IT products and wants to attract high tech companies
It’s in talks with Micosoft to build a center in Az and it’s working with Intel and
HP – for National PC.
They will spend 2 years funding this project through Booze Allen and Hamilton
Recommended Strategy
Azerbaijan needs support in Congress – a senator like Georgia has in McCain and
Armenia has in Barbara Boxer (see below for more details)
Texas is a natural partner for Azerbaijan due to the oil business ties in Houston –
need to build these relationships and make them more visible and stronger
politically as well as in business
Need to find the right PR/Lobbyist firm
Business development relationships – Invite firms to participate in round-table with
Minister of IT and Communications on May 26 in Los Angeles then to attend their
Telecommunications & information Technologies conference in November 2011 .
Need to find a military supplier for equipment and weapons they need
We can help build out the think-tank and academic relationships but again starting
with Texas – UT, LBJ School etc.
(snip)
Key Figures
Barbara Boxer
In 1991 Boxer was among the first Congressional Members to travel to Armenia as part
of a human rights fact-finding mission to personally assess the situation there. Before the
trip a newspaper article noted that “Boxer has been a consistent advocate of the Armenian
people, urging her colleagues to pass the Day of Remembrance resolution
commemorating the April 24, 1915, genocide and to condemn human rights violations
against Armenians.” It is not clear how far back this support goes, but it clearly predates
this trip. Her then congressional district does not appear to have a particularly strong
Armenian presence.
She has been a vocal advocate for Section 907, which puts restrictions on U.S. assistance
to Azerbaijan stating that the country’s blockade of Armenia and Karabagh had
devastating effects.
In 2003, Senator Boxer was a cosponsor of bipartisan legislation to establish normal trade
relations with Armenia. President Bush established permanent normalized trade relations
with Armenia in 2005.
Mitch McConnell
A major backer of Armenian causes in Congress is Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell.
He has helped steer high amounts of earmarks and mandatory allocations toward
Armenia and Ukraine. In fact, in some years, Armenia has been second only to Israel
as the largest beneficiary per capita of U.S. aid. McConnell does most of his
fundraising away from Kentucky, in major coastal cities where Armenian Americans and
other ethnic groups are most politically active.
(snip)
McCain and Georgia
One of Sen. John McCain’s top foreign-policy advisers is Randy Scheunemann of OrionStrategies. As a foreign-policy aide to then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott in 1997, Mr.Scheunemann accompanied Sen. McCain on a trip to the newly independent former Sovietrepublic. At a dinner, Sen. McCain first met Mr. Saakashvili, who had been a law student inWashington, and was then a young reform-minded Georgian parliamentarian, Mr. Scheunemannsaid (Link). This first visit gave way to a friendship between the Senator’s advisor and the rest ofMcCain’s party. McCain traveled to Georgia several times after that and met with PresidentSaakashvili in Georgia in 2006.
(snip - more at link)
http://www.usacc.org/about-us/leadership/honorary-council-of-advisors.html
James A. Baker, III
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Henry Alfred Kissinger
Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.)
John Sununu
Former members:
Richard Armitage
Dick Cheney
Previously posted:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323423804579024452583045962.html
The Saudi ambassador, Mr. Jubeir, has long been courting members of Congress who could pressure the administration to get more involved in Syria. He found early support from Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
(snip)
Mr. Petraeus in mid-2012 won White House approval to provide intelligence and limited training to Syrian rebels at the base, including in the use of arms provided by others. Saudi and Jordanian agents began vetting the fighters to be trained, said Arab diplomats and a former U.S. military official.
Prince Bandar has largely stayed out of Washington but held meetings with U.S. officials in the region. One was in September 2012. Sens. McCain and Graham, who were in Istanbul, met him in an opulent hotel suite on the banks of the Bosporus.
Mr. McCain said he made the case to Prince Bandar that the rebels weren’t getting the kinds of weapons they needed, and the prince, in turn, described the kingdom’s plans. The senator said that in succeeding months he saw “a dramatic increase in Saudi involvement, hands-on, by Bandar.”
(more at link)
I wonder how invested McCain is with companies making weaponry for war? He is always pushing for arming everyone, except Americans, of course.