Free Republic

The coverage of the Russian-Georgian conflict in the Russian and Western media has an odd "through the looking glass" quality. One side sees naked aggression by Russia toward small, defiant, democratic Georgia; the other sees naked aggression by Georgia toward the tiny separatist region of South Ossetia. Where Western observers tend to see a deplorable failure by the world's democracies to take decisive measures against Russia's bullying, Russian and pro-Russian commentators see blatant anti-Russian prejudice and a concerted effort to weaken Russia. But this is not a situation with two equally valid opposing views of reality, or with roughly balanced...

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The future of NATO-Russia dialogue and cooperation forums established after the Cold War will be up for review due to the Russian intervention in Georgia, the U.S. ambassador to NATO said on Saturday. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called a meeting of foreign ministers from the 26 NATO states for next Tuesday to consult allies about the implications of the Russian action. U.S. envoy to NATO Kurt Volker told Reuters no specific response had yet been decided, but regular meetings of foreign and defense ministers, and of NATO ambassadors with their Russian counterpart would be part...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran is heading toward a major breakthrough in its nuclear program, an Israeli official said on Friday, as the White House warned Iran could face new sanctions if it ignores an international freeze offer. "As soon as 2010 (Iran) will have the option to reach (uranium production) at military levels," Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz told an audience in Washington, adding that this would be an "unacceptable" development. Oil prices rose $4 in early Friday trade after the warning by Mofaz stirred concerns of a possible attack on the OPEC nation that would disrupt supplies. There...

<p>ISLAMABAD - Taking serious view of the reported US missile strikes in South Waziristan, Pakistan Monday warned the US that it could harm relations between the two countries.</p> <p>Well-placed sources told TheNation that Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid told head of the US Central Command Lt-Gen Martin Dempsey that ‘any violation in this regard could be detrimental to bilateral relations’.</p>

It was not my idea of a joke, but I reluctantly complied with the Israeli detective’s request that I hand over all my belongings to him ‘as hostages’, including my mobile phone and passport. He congratulated himself repeatedly on his sense of humour, before ushering me on to the back seat of the heavily armoured Jaguar, where I squeezed in as best as I could between Benjamin Netanyahu and one of his bodyguards. As our mini-motorcade began its journey across London, with the Hebrew-speaking security personnel eyeing every passing car, it soon became obvious that these are curious times for...

Pyongyang's Missile Tests "Completely Safe" July 24, 2006 9:00 p.m. EST Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent Seoul, South Korea (AHN) - The North Korean communist regime said Monday that the several missile tests it launched over the Sea of Japan were "completely safe" in a futile attempt at pacifying international indignation for the act. A statement by a South Korean government said they made sure ships and aircraft were not in the area before they conducted the launch. The South Korean state media KCNA news agency reported, "The DPRK (North Korea) launched missiles only after airspace, land...

Pyongyang's Missile Launch 'Was Sales Pitch' North Korea’s test-launch of several types of missile Wednesday was an export blitz, some experts say. Missile exports are one of Pyongyang’s few sources of hard currency since the heavily militarized nation has precious few other export industries. North Korea has been exporting Scud missiles to the Middle East and Africa for up to US$4 million a pop. There is speculation that Iranian officials, who have been in the North since early this month according to press reports, were observing the launches on the spot to see whether they want to buy. According to...

Pyongyang, July 1 (KCNA) -- Functions for solidarity with the Korean people including meetings were held by the Mexican Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification and the France-Korea Friendship Association on June 23 and 24 on the occasion of the month of anti-U.S. joint struggle (June 25-July 27). Alejandro Rosales Sanchez, chairman of the Mexican Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification, in a speech at a meeting praised President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il for their immortal exploits performed in the cause of national reunification. Referring to the adoption and publication of the historic June 15 North-South Joint...

Poland Undecided on U.S. Offer to Build Anti-Missile Shield 2006-06-30 02:49:13 Xinhua Polish Deputy Defence Minister Stanislaw Koziej said on Thursday that Poland was yet to make any decision on a U.S. offer to build an anti-missile shield in the country, the PAP news agency reported. "I think that we do not have to accept an offer if it is not good for us. We do not have to have such a base on the Polish territory if it does not serve our security," Koziej said during a press conference on the future of transatlantic relations. "No decision has been...

The Falcon crash, which killed those in this picture, was a flight handled by French ground crews whose allegiance might have been compromised to create an instrument failure. The pilots mysteriously ran out of fuel. WHY IRAN CHOSE MID-AUGUST TO RESPOND ROILING WATERS To reach a conclusion about Iran's choice of this approximate date we also have to look at "neo-Iran" as it has evolved since Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad became President in August, 2005. He immediately set forth into implementing a palace coup against the old timers and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and now strives for Iran to be the leader...

Tehran, 27 June (AKI) - Iran's hardline president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will on Thursday fly to the West African country of Gambia to attend the African Union (AU) summit. He will meet several African heads of state and government at the summit before returning to the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Sunday, said government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham. Ahmadinejad, who is embroiled in a standoff with world powers over Iran's uranium enrichment programme, is expected to visit the Iraqi capital, Baghad in early July: the first visit by an Iranian head of state since the fall of the Iraqi monarchy in 1958.

When two parties enter into negotiation over a life-and-death matter intending to cheat the other, in full knowledge that the other intends to cheat, how long does it take for negotiation to give way to violence? I have predicted US military action against Iran by Halloween (October 31), and I am sticking to my story (Military destiny and madness in Iran, June 6). Iran has no intention of abandoning its nuclear program, and the United States has no intention of abandoning its efforts to destabilize the Iranian regime. The US Republican Party's strategy for next November's congressional elections keeps the...

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam - The largest U.S. military exercise in the Pacific in decades ended Friday after showing North Korea and other nations that the United States can swiftly muster a huge combat force in the region, officials said. The five-day "Valiant Shield" exercises massed an armada of three aircraft carriers and 25 other ships along with 22,000 troops and 280 warplanes off this tiny U.S. territory about halfway between Hawaii and Japan. Tensions are rising in the region over the possible test-launch of a North Korean long-range missile. Two guided missile cruisers participating in the games were...