Is The TAPI Gas Pipeline At Risk?

Mr. MARESCA. Congressman, I am not here to defend the Taliban. That is not my role. We are a company that is trying to build a pipeline across this country.



At Unocal, we believe that the central factor in planning these pipelines should be the location of the future energy markets that are most likely to need these new supplies. Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union are all slow growth markets where demand will grow at only a half a percent to perhaps 1.2 percent per year during the period 1995 to 2010.

Asia is a different story all together. It will have a rapidly increasing energy consumption need. Prior to the recent turbulence in the Asian Pacific economies, we at Unocal anticipated that this region's demand for oil would almost double by 2010. Although the short-term increase in demand will probably not meet these expectations, we stand behind our long-term estimates.

I should note that it is in everyone's interest that there be adequate supplies for Asia's increasing energy requirements. If Asia's energy needs are not satisfied, they will simply put pressure on all world markets, driving prices upwards everywhere.

The key question then is how the energy resources of Central Asia can be made available to nearby Asian markets. There are two possible solutions, with several variations. One option is to go east across China, but this would mean constructing a pipeline of more than 3,000 kilometers just to reach Central China. In addition, there would have to be a 2,000-kilometer connection to reach the main population centers along the coast. The question then is what will be the cost of transporting oil through this pipeline, and what would be the netback which the producers would receive.

For those who are not familiar with the terminology, the netback is the price which the producer receives for his oil or gas at the wellhead after all the transportation costs have been deducted. So it's the price he receives for the oil he produces at the wellhead.



The second option is to build a pipeline south from Central Asia to the Indian Ocean. One obvious route south would cross Iran, but this is foreclosed for American companies because of U.S. sanctions legislation. The only other possible route is across Afghanistan, which has of course its own unique challenges. The country has been involved in bitter warfare for almost two decades, and is still divided by civil war. From the outset, we have made it clear that construction of the pipeline we have proposed across Afghanistan could not begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments, lenders, and our company.

Mr. Chairman, as you know, we have worked very closely with the University of Nebraska at Omaha in developing a training program for Afghanistan which will be open to both men and women, and which will operate in both parts of the country, the north and south.



Mr. Chairman, as you know, we have worked very closely with the University of Nebraska at Omaha in developing a training program for Afghanistan which will be open to both men and women, and which will operate in both parts of the country, the north and south.

Unocal foresees a pipeline which would become part of a regional system that will gather oil from existing pipeline infrastructure in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia. The 1,040-mile long oil pipeline would extend south through Afghanistan to an export terminal that would be constructed on the Pakistan coast. This 42-inch diameter pipeline will have a shipping capacity of one million barrels of oil per day. The estimated cost of the project, which is similar in scope to the trans-Alaska pipeline, is about $2.5 billion.

Given the plentiful natural gas supplies of Central Asia, our aim is to link gas resources with the nearest viable markets. This is basic for the commercial viability of any gas project. But these projects also face geopolitical challenges.
Unocal and the Turkish company Koc Holding are interested in bringing competitive gas supplies to Turkey. The proposed Eurasia natural gas pipeline would transport gas from Turkmenistan directly across the Caspian Sea through Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey. Of course the demarcation of the Caspian remains an issue.

Last October, the Central Asia Gas Pipeline Consortium, called CentGas, in which Unocal holds an interest, was formed to develop a gas pipeline which will link Turkmenistan's vast Dauletabad gas field with markets in Pakistan and possibly India. The proposed 790-mile pipeline will open up new markets for this gas, traveling from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Multan in Pakistan. The proposed extension would move gas on to New Delhi, where it would connect with an existing pipeline. As with the proposed Central Asia oil pipeline, CentGas can not begin construction until an internationally recognized Afghanistan Government is in place.



Mr. MARESCA. First, on the question about Afghanistan, of course we're not in a phase where we are negotiating on a contract because there is no recognized government really to negotiate with. However, we have had talks and briefings with all the factions. It is clear that they all understand the significance for their country of this pipeline project, and they all support it, all of them. They all want it. They would like it to start tomorrow. All of the factions would like it to start tomorrow if we could do it.

So I believe that over time, if it's built, it would be secure. I believe that the Afghans will see it as a national asset once it's built. It will provide them with many millions of dollars in transit fees. It will provide them with real jobs and technology and a lot of other things.

Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Maresca, if I could just interrupt here. Why wouldn't you have the situation whereby whoever is in power drawing resources from that pipeline would find that their adversaries would decide to damage their resource base and stop the flow?

Mr. MARESCA. It's not going to be built until there is a single Afghan Government. That's the simple answer. We would not want to be in the situation where we became the target of the other faction. In any case, because of the financing situation, credits are not going to be available until there is a recognized government of Afghanistan.



It's my pleasure now to turn to my colleague from California, Mr. Rohrabacher, for any questions he may have.

Mr. ROHRABACHER. I am reminded of a joke where God is asked when peace will come to the Middle East. He says, ''Not in my lifetime.'' I am afraid that this may well be true of Afghanistan as well. In fact, I am more hopeful right now, having just returned from one trip to the Middle East and another trip to Central Asia that there is a greater chance for peace between Israel and its neighbors than there is for peace in Afghanistan. And I know Afghanistan probably better than anyone else in the Congress. I hate to tell you that.



But let me ask a few questions. So there will be no pipeline until there is an internationally regionized government and a government that is recognized by the people of Afghanistan too, I would imagine that you wanted to put that caveat on it. Right? It's not just internationally recognized, but it has to be accepted by the people of the country. Right?

Mr. MARESCA. It depends on who you mean by the people. I assume that no matter what government is put in place, there will be some people who are opposed to it.

Mr. ROHRABACHER. I found something here. There seems to be a little attachment onto there that may be a little more controversial than people understood when they first heard what you were saying. So the government doesn't necessarily have to be acceptable to the people of Afghanistan as long as it's internationally recognized?

Mr. MARESCA. Of course it has to be accepted by the people. What I mean is that there will always be factions in Afghanistan. There certainly will be factions even when a single government is formed. But when a government is formed that is recognized internationally, it will certainly have to be recognized by the people, yes.

Mr. ROHRABACHER. The current government of Afghanistan or the current group of people who hold Kabul, I guess is the best way to say that, and about 60 percent of the country are known as the Taliban. What type of relationship does your company have to the Taliban?

Mr. MARESCA. We have the same relationship as we have with the other factions, which is that we have talked with them, we have briefed them, we have invited them to our headquarters to see what our projects are.

Mr. ROHRABACHER. Right.

Mr. MARESCA. These are exactly the same things we have done with the other factions.

Mr. ROHRABACHER. However, the Taliban, who are now in control of 60 percent of Afghanistan, could you give me an estimate of where the opium that's being produced in Afghanistan is being produced? Is it in the Taliban areas or is it in the northern areas of Afghanistan?

Mr. MARESCA. I can't tell you precisely, but I think it's being produced all over Afghanistan.

Mr. ROHRABACHER. Yes. To be precise, it's being produced in the Taliban areas. You are talking to someone who has studied it. Whether there is some minor amount of heroin and opium being produced in the other areas is debatable. There is some obviously being produced everywhere, but the major fields that are being produced are in the Taliban-controlled areas.

What about the haven for international terrorists? There is a Saudi terrorist who is infamous for financing terrorism around the world. Is he in the Taliban area or is he up there with the northern people?

Mr. MARESCA. If it is the person I am thinking of, he is there in the Taliban area.

Mr. ROHRABACHER. Right. And in the northern area as compared to the place where the Taliban are in control, would you say that one has a better human rights record toward women than the other?

Mr. MARESCA. With respect to women, yes. But I don't think either faction here has a very clean human rights record, to tell you the truth.

http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/intlrel/hfa48119.000/hfa48119_0.htm
48–119 CC
1998
U.S. INTERESTS IN THE CENTRAL ASIAN REPUBLICS

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED FIFTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

FEBRUARY 12, 1998

Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations
...........................

http://tribune.com.pk/story/291619/turkmen-president-arrives-in-islamabad/

Key milestone reached on TAPI gas pipeline
Turkme­nistan leader to discus­s TAPI projec­t which the US is pushin­g Pakist­an to adopt instea­d of Iran's gas pipeli­ne.
Published: November 14, 2011

...........................
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/editorials/22-Feb-2012/china-lauds-summit

The joint declaration of the tripartite summit held in Islamabad recently has raised many an eyebrow especially in Washington. In particular, the presence of Iranian President Ahmedinejad was an eyesore to US policymakers. However, the People’s Republic of China has, without mincing words, termed the summit a good omen for peace in the region. Its Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Hong Lee said at a briefing session that the meeting of the three heads of states including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Islamic Republic of Iran would pave the way for ensuring stability in their respective countries besides contributing to ensuing peace in the region. In his view the summit has provided a forum where the member states could establish contacts with regular intervals. Iran and Pakistan have currently been engaged in negotiating early commissioning of the gas pipeline project and the two sides have also expressed their desire of early commissioning of the project that would benefit people of the two countries. But this idea has consistently been opposed by the United States on one pretext or another. American ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter has, in a public statement, said Pakistan seeking import of gas from Iran was not a good idea. In fact, the US Administration has all along been wishing Islamabad would drop this idea and go for the TAPI pipeline instead. Washington has successfully persuaded India, which was a partner in the project initially to opt out.
.........................

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17388814

TALIBAN STATEMENT: "Similarly the Afghan issue has two main dimensions; one is internal and the other external. The external dimension is associated with Americans and the internal dimension is connected with the Afghans themselves. Until and unless the external dimension is settled which rests entirely in the hands of the foreigners, discussing the internal dimension is meaningless and is nothing more than a waste of time. Therefore the Islamic Emirate considers talking with the Kabul administration as pointless."

DAWOOD AZAMI: The presence of foreign forces is the external part of the problem. The Taliban believe that once they are out, only then can the Taliban, and all the other factions inside Afghanistan talk about the future of their country.
.........................
Wielding soft power: US offers to finance TAPI gas pipeline
Asian Develo­pment Bank become­s a transa­ction advise­r for the initia­tive.
By Zafar Bhutta
Published: December 19, 2011

http://tribune.com.pk/story/308650/wielding-soft-power-us-offers-to-finance-tapi-gas-pipeline/

ISLAMABAD:
The US has made a generous offer to finance the multibillion-dollar Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, an implicit gesture to lure Pakistan away from the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline deal.

Addressing students of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on November 25, US ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter had termed Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline deal unfeasible. A viable alternative, in his view, was the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan- Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline project via Afghanistan.

In the $7.5 billion TAPI gas pipeline project, Pakistan’s share will be 1.35 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) out of a total of 3.2 bcfd gas exports from Turkmenistan.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has also become a transaction adviser for TAPI gas pipeline project, raising funds for it by forming a consortium of leading lenders.

Although Pakistan and Turkmenistan have signed the Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) on TAPI project, the two countries are yet to take a final decision on it.

Sources inform The Express Tribune that the Export-Import Bank (EIB) of the United States as well as the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), an “independent” US agency, have offered Pakistan financing for TAPI. “As Pakistan has welcomed the offer, Pakistani and US authorities were scheduled to discuss it on the sidelines of the Bonn conference,” sources asserted, adding that the discussions could not take place due to the subsequent boycott of the moot by Islamabad.

Petroleum Secretary Ijaz Chaudhry, however, asserted that he had no knowledge of any financing offer by the US for the TAPI gas pipeline project.

“After finalising gas price, the approval of Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) would be sought to sign the final GSPA with Turkmenistan,” he added.

Pakistan is yet to finalise transit fees with neighbouring Afghanistan and India.

According to sources, the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources is expected to leave for New Delhi next month to hold talks with his Indian counterpart after transit fee is finalised with Afghanistan.

Three options are under consideration for transit fee on gas imports.

The first deals with fixing it on transmission of gas from Turkmenistan. The second one includes linking it with the length of gas pipeline. The third option may involve taking into account the volume of gas to be consumed by each country.
..........................
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/NC16Df01.html
THE ROVING EYE
War, Pipelineistan-style
Pepe Escobar

United States Secretary of State Hillary "We came, we saw, he died" Clinton's message to Pakistan was stark; try to go ahead with the IP (Iran-Pakistan) gas pipeline, and we're going to take you out financially.

Islamabad, its economy in tatters, living in power-cut land, and desperate for energy, tried to argue. Pakistan's top official in the Petroleum and Natural Resources Ministry, Muhammad Ejaz Chaudhry, stressed that the 2,775-km, $1.5 billion IP was absolutely crucial for Pakistan's energy security.

That fell on deaf ears. Clinton evoked "particularly damaging" sanctions - tied to Washington's push to isolate Iran by all means available and the no-holds-barred campaign to force particularly
India, China and Turkey to cut off their imports of Iranian oil and gas.

So as Washington has been impotent to disrupt Pipelineistan moves in Central Asia - by isolating Iran and bypassing Russia - it's now going ballistic to prevent by all means the crucial integration of Southwest Asia and South Asia, from Iran's giant South Pars gas field to Pakistan's Balochistan and Sindh provinces.

IP, it should be remembered, is the original, $7 billion IPI; Iran-Pakistan-India, also known as the "peace pipeline". India dropped out in 2009 after non-stop harassment by the George W Bush and then Barack Obama administrations; India was offered access to civilian nuclear technology.

China, for its part, is still eyeing the possibility of extending IP out of Gwadar port, then crossing to Pakistan's north alongside the Karakoram Highway all the way to Xinjiang. China is already helping Islamabad to build civilian nuclear reactors - as part of Pakistan's energy security policy.

ICBC, China's largest bank and the world's number one lender, was already positioned as financial adviser to IP. But then, contemplating the (sanctions) writing on the wall, it started to "show less interest", as Islamabad chose to spin it. Is ICBC totally out? Not exactly. At least according to the Pakistani Ministry of Petroleum's spokesman, Irfan Ashraf Qazid; "ICBC is still engaged in the IP project and the negotiations are still going on."

A mega-bank such as ICBC, with myriad global interests, may be wary of defying the Washington sanction machine; but other financing options may be found, as in other banks or government-level agreements with China or Russia. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has just made it very clear. Pakistan badly needs gas that should start flowing by December 2014.

Islamabad and Tehran have already agreed on pricing. Iran's 900-km stretch of IP is already built; Pakistan's is starting, via ILF Engineering from Germany. Iran's IRNA agency said Pakistan has announced that the IP is still on; predictably, Western media spin is that the Chinese got scared and backed out.
IPC, anyone?

For Washington, the only way to go is another Pipelineistan gambit - the perennially troubled TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India). Even assuming it will find financing; even assuming the Taliban will be taking their cut (that was, in fact, why negotiations between them and the Bill Clinton then Bush administrations failed); and even assuming it would not be bombed routinely by mujahideen, TAPI would only be ready, optimistically, by 2018. And Islamabad simply can't wait that long.

Predictably, Washington's anti-IP campaign has been relentless - including, of course, shadow war. Islamabad is convinced that the CIA, the Indian intel agency RAW, the Israeli Mossad and the British MI-6 have been actively conspiring to get some sort of Greater Balochistan to secede from the central government. They have been, a la Libyan model, financing and weaponizing selected Baloch fighters. Not because they love their independent spirit - but as a means to balkanize Pakistan.

To compound Washington's fury, "isolated" Iran, by the way, is about to start exporting an extra 80,000 barrels of oil a day to Pakistan; and has already committed $250 million to the Pakistani stretch of IP.

This has got the potential of becoming much, much uglier. Washington won't be deterred from its intent to smash IP. For an Iran under pressure and a strangled Pakistani economy - as well as China - this is all about the Asian Energy Security Grid.

ICBC may be out - sort of. But the whole thing could become even juicier if Beijing decides to step in for good, and turn it from IP to IPC. Will Washington have the guts to defy Beijing head on?

Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007) and Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge. His new book, just out, is Obama does Globalistan (Nimble Books, 2009).

He may be reached at pepeasia@yahoo.com
..........................
So, you can see that the sanctions on Iran have nothing to do with a newk threat, and the effort to install a government in Afghanistan and the resulting war has nothing to do with terrorism, but is a land grab to install a gas pipeline for a private company.

Global Intelligence Corporation Hacked by Anonymous and Exposed by Wikileaks

WikiLeaks has set its sights on Stratfor because it represents the most corrupt and threatening aspects of the out of control national security state--that former US intelligence officials run a company specializing in monetizing supposedly secret intelligence that only they have access to--thanks to their ties with current high-level members of governments around the world. The emails WikiLeaks has released in the first day of publication alone prove that Stratfor gains a significant amount of its intelligence from bribes paid to sources. This revelation should be enough to pressure the Department of Justice into opening an investigation into the relationships between private intelligence corporations like Stratfor and their sources within the US government.

The glaring rhetorical question now is, what is more criminal: the leaking of thousands of classified state department cables for the purpose of shining a light on wrongdoing and corruption; or the leaking of classified information by government officials to a private company whose intentions for that information are most likely unknown to its source?




http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/305532/20120227/wikileaks-stratfor-stratcap-goldman-sachs-fund-julian.htm

WikiLeaks released more than 5 million e-mails Monday hacked from U.S.-based global intelligence firm Strategy Forecasting Inc. (Stratfor), revealing an alleged plan between the firm's CEO and a Goldman Sachs executive to set up an investment fund that would rely on inside information gathered by the company.

A September 2011 company-wide e-mail composed by Stratfor CEO George Friedman implicates Goldman Sachs financial adviser and former Managing Director Shea Morenz's direct involvement in the establishment of the investment fund StratCap.

"Shea Morenz provided us with two opportunities," wrote Friedman.

"First, he made an investment in Stratfor designed to give us the capital needed to build our staff and our marketing. Second, he proposed a new venture, StratCap, which would allow us to utilize the intelligence we were gathering about the world in a new but related venue -- an investment fund. Where we had previously advised other hedge funds. We would now have our own, itself fully funded by Shea."

Morenz recently joined the board of directors at Stratfor and has been named CEO of StratCap, due to launch in early spring of 2012. The investment fund was set up offshore and made to appear legally independent from U.S.-based Stratfor, but the distinction is but a formality.

"Do not think of StratCap as an outside organization," wrote Friedman in the same e-mail.

"It will be integral to Stratfor, in the sense that much of the intelligence we are developing is useful to Stratcap as well as Stratfor. The organizational and legal distinctions are real and important, but StratCap is linked to Stratfor intellectually and contractually. It will be useful to you if, for the sake of convenience, you think of it as another aspect of Stratfor and Shea as another executive in Stratfor."

Stratfor released a statement Monday, according to Reuters, saying some of the leaked e-mails "may be forged or altered to include inaccuracies; some may be authentic."

"We will not validate either," the statement read. "Nor will we explain the thinking that went into them. Having had our property stolen, we will not be victimized twice by submitting to questioning about them."

The company, established by Friedman in 1996 in Austin, Texas, provides a subscriber-based global intelligence service, including information relating to national security and geopolitical analyses of economic markets, much of it gathered through its international network of agents -- in essence, a private sector analog of the CIA.

Insider Trading and the Law

That StratCap is an investment arm of Stratfor in all but name is not necessarily a legal transgression in and of itself.

John C. Coates, Professor of Law and Economics at Harvard, explained that laws governing insider trading do not proscribe a company, whether or not it is a subsidiary of another, from making investments based on market information obtained through another company, so long as the information itself does not violate insider trading statutes.

What a company cannot do is trade based on confidential information -- surreptitiously obtained, by definition -- that could affect the value of the shares it is trading.

In short, StratCap's formal appearance of separation from Stratfor would ultimately not protect it from prosecution under insider trading laws if it were to engage in such activity.

UC Berkeley Law Professor Eric Talley said that setting up StratCap as a separate legal entity serves primarily as a buffer for Statfor against liability should StratCap go bankrupt. Talley added that StratCap could theoretically claim plausible deniability, if it traded on confidential information provided to it by Stratfor, but that such an argument would not likely hold up in court.

There is no information yet that confirms StratCap had intended to engage in insider trading, though it would be getting privileged access to information gathered by Stratfor without having to inform the company's shareholders about its investments. Talley said this opens up a legal gray area that is conducive to insider trading, but not directly engaged in the practice.

Having been prematurely exposed before its expected launch, it is not clear if the StratCap venture is operating at present.
To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail: r.villarreal@ibtimes.com
To contact the editor, e-mail: editor@ibtimes.com

http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2012/02/stratfor-willkie-morenz.html

Morenz, who left Goldman's Austin office last year and joined Stratfor's board of directors, is said to have invested more than $4 million in Stratcap, according to e-mails related to the deal published by WikiLeaks. StratCap was set to launch in 2012 as a "captive strategic investment fund," although there is some question given the content of the e-mails whether Stratfor sought to have Stratcap appear to be independent.

With one exception, the lawyers whose names appear on the various e-mails related to StratCap—Willkie Farr corporate partner Bruce Herzog in New York, Jackson Walker associate Cale McDowell in Austin, and former Fulbright & Jaworski partner Steve Feldhaus in Washington, D.C.— did not respond to requests for comment on the transaction.

Jackson Walker corporate partner Bradley Knippa in Austin replied by referring us to an extensive response to the Wikileaks e-mail dump provided to The Am Law Daily and other media outlets by Stratfor, to whom Feldhaus had forwarded our request for comment.





Anonymous was able to steal $1 Million from Stratfor's clients, because Stratfor, a private security company failed to encrypt their client's information.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSsZbaezlRg&feature=fvsr

Dec. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Richard Falkenrath, a principal at the Chertoff Group and a Bloomberg Television contributing editor, talks about a cyber attack on security-analysis firm Stratfor by hackers claiming to be associated with the group Anonymous.




http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february272012/wikileaks-assange.php

Current Status of Wikileaks
Salem-News.com
The Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has repeatedly attacked WikiLeaks this week in a bizarre manner

(NEW YORK) - An extrajudicial blockade imposed by VISA, MasterCard, PayPal, Bank of America, and Western Union that is designed to destroy WikiLeaks has been in place since December 2010. The EU Commission is considering whether it will open a formal investigation, but two lawsuits have been filed (http://wikileaks.org/Banking-Blocka...). There are also other ways to donate (https://shop.wikileaks.org/donate). It is legal to donate, including in the United States. The US Treasury has publicly stated that that there are no grounds to place WikiLeaks on a US government blacklist.

WikiLeaks Founder and Publisher Julian Assange has not been charged with any crime in any country. Four prosecutors are currently trying to charge him under the Espionage Act of 1917 before a closed Grand Jury in Virginia, in the United States. Julian Assange has been detained for 447 days (10,728 hours) since Dec 7, 2010, without charge, and he is currently awaiting a decision from the UK Supreme Court on extradition to Sweden (http://www.justiceforassange.com/Su...). The decision is expected in March. The decision on whether he will be onwardly extradited to the US lies in the hands of the Swedish Executive, but Sweden’s Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has refused to state whether he will protect Assange from a politically motivated extradition to the United States (http://justice4assange.com/US-Extra... ).

The Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has repeatedly attacked WikiLeaks this week in a bizarre manner (http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/20... ).

An alleged WikiLeaks US military source, Bradley Manning, has been in pre-trial detention for 639 days (http://bradleymanning.org/ ). His arraignment took place on 24 February 2012. In December 2011, Manning’s attorney revealed in the preliminary hearing that the US government is attempting to enter a plea deal with Manning in order to "go after" Assange. Manning has 22 charges against him, including violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and aiding the enemy. Manning has deferred entering a plea. Julian Assange and WikiLeaks are legally represented in the Manning hearings by the US Centre for Constitutional Rights (http://ccrjustice.org/ ). WikiLeaks was denied full access to Manning’s hearing after appeal (http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/pres... ). WikiLeaks put out a statement relating to Manning’s trial ahead of the Article 32 Hearing :
(http://www.wikileaks.org/Statement-... ).

The alleged WikiLeaks-supporting hacktivists known as the "PayPal 14" were arrested in 2011 following co-ordinated online demonstrations against the financial services companies that are carrying out the unlawful financial blockade on WikiLeaks (VISA, MasterCard, Paypal, Western Union, Bank of America). They are represented by attorney Stanley Cohen and will go before court in May 2012 (http://www.cyberguerrilla.org/?p=4644 ).

WikiLeaks is about to launch a distributed, encrypted "Facebook for revolutionaries" (https://wlfriends.org/ ).

Julian Assange is currently directing interviews, from house arrest, for a programme on the future of the world that is syndicated to various broadcasters. The first show will be broadcast in March (http://www.wikileaks.org/New-Assang... )





The Complete Press Conference of Julian Assange of Wikileaks announcing the release of Stratfor emails.


http://techfleece.com/2012/02/27/wikileaks-releases-over-5-million-global-intelligence-emails-from-stratfor/

Public partners in the investigation:
More than 25 media partners (others will be disclosed after their first publication):

Al Akhbar – Lebanon – http://english.al-akhbar.com/
Al Masry Al Youm – Egypt – http://www.almasry-alyoum.com/
Bivol – Bulgaria – http://bivol.bg/
CIPER – Chile – http://ciperchile.cl/
Dawn Media – Pakistan – http://www.dawn.com/
L’Espresso – Italy – http://espresso.repubblica.it/
La Repubblica – Italy – http://www.repubblica.it/
La Jornada – Mexico – www.jornada.unam.mx/
La Nacion – Costa Rica – http://www.nacion.com/
Malaysia Today – Malaysia – http://www.malaysia-today.net/
McClatchy – United States – http://www.mcclatchy.com/
Nawaat – Tunisia – http://nawaat.org/
NDR/ARD – Germany – http://www.ndr.de/
Owni – France – http://owni.fr/
Pagina 12 – Argentina – http://www.pagina12.com.ar/
Plaza Publica – Guatemala – http://plazapublica.com.gt/
Publico.es – Spain – http://www.publico.es/
Rolling Stone – United States – http://www.rollingstone.com/
Russia Reporter – Russia – http://rusrep.ru/
Ta Nea – Greece –- http://www.tanea.gr/
Taraf – Turkey – http://www.taraf.com.tr/
The Hindu – India – http://www.thehindu.com/
The Yes Men – Bhopal Activists – Global http://theyesmen.org/
Nicky Hager for NZ Herald – New Zealand – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

They have also included a PDF (embedded below) for those wishing to read the findings with a glossary of terms and codes used by Stratfor in their emails.




Folks, this is a breaking world wide news story, and many details may change.





.

Making Up For Lost Time In Pakistan?

Hillary Clinton in her own words, making up for lost time in Pakistan?



We also have a history of kinda moving in and out of Pakistan.

I mean, let's remember here, the people we are fighting today, we funded 20 years ago. and we did it because we were locked in this struggle with the Soviet Union. They invaded Afghanistan and we did not want to see them control Central Asia.

And we went to work.

And it was Presidnet Reagan in partnership with the Congress, led by Democrats who said you know what, sounds like a pretty good idea. Lets deal with the ISI and the Pakistani military and lets go recruit the Muhajin and thats great. Lets get some to come from Saudi Arabia and other places, importing their Wahabi brand of Islam, so we can go and beat the Soviet Union

And guess what? They retreated, they lost bilions of dollars and it led to the collapse of the Soviet Union So there's a very strong argument which is it wasn't a bad investment to end the Soviet Union, but lets be careful what we sow, because we will harvest.

So we then left Pakistan. We said ok fine, so you deal with the stingers we left all over your country, you deal with the mines that are along the border, and by the way, we don't want to have anything to do with you, in fact, we are sanctioning you.

So we stopped dealing with the Pakistani miitary and with ISI, and we now are making up for a lot of lost time.

However, Hillary is not being totally forthcoming. We never completely stopped dealing with the ISI and covert ops of all kinds continued. Hillary never mentioned 911 and the hunt for bin Laden. She said nothing about the Assination of Bhutto. She also said nothing about the Unmanned Drones, Musharraf, the IPI and TAPI gas pipelines, nor the CIA opperations currently inside Pakistan.



More recently we see the Blasphmy law defended, and an arrest warrent issued for Musharraf, who does support the Blasphmy law, for questioning in the Assisination of Bhutto.

Why Are We In Afghanistan?

What Does A Win In Afghanistan Look Like?

For quite a few years, now, I have been maintaining that the reason we are in Afghanistan is to build the TAPI gas pipeline. The Boston globe did quite a few stories about the taliban's resistance to this idea, back in 2001, after Bush became president. However, plans to build the TAPI were laid during the Clinton administration.

This video shows the competing gas pipelines, one from Iran, thru Pakistan to India, the IPI, or Peace Pipeline, so named because it does not run thru war infested Afghanistan, and the TAPI gas pipeline, that runs from Turkmenistan, thru Afghanistan, thru Pakistan and on to India.



Please note how US troops are being used to "clear the way" for the TAPI thru Afghanistan. You do not need a translation to "understand" what you are seeing here. But this information is a "State Secret" here in the US, and you will not see this from the imbeded MSM journalists being spoon fed by the US Military Industrail Complex.

Folks, we are in Afghanistan, today, to build and secure the TAPI gas pipeline.

Each and every time you fuel up, you are using the life blood of countless innocent Afghanis, as well as the blood of our young men and women, spilled on the TAPI and poppy fields in Helmand and other provinces along the pipeline route.



So, where is bin Laden? LOL Whare is al Q? LOL You may as well ask, where are the Saudis.

Huffington Post censors comments on Dr Chu's article supporting action against Iran

Removing my last two comments will not improve an understanding of Dr Chu's article,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-chu/dealing-with-nuclear-energy_b_721007.html#comments

nor were my comments offensive. In fact, my comments were lite on opinion, and filled with facts. I even posted a link to testimony of a hearing to Congress about US Interest in central Asia, which discussed our "plans" for Iran.
http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/intlrel/hfa48119.000/hfa48119_0.htm

You may remove my comments, without any valid reason, claiming they were in violation of your policy? What policy? RThat my comments expose the truth, or do not reflect what you believe is an ok opinion?

Isn't this in fact, EXACTLY how we got into the war with Iraq?This link shows that some mistakenly believe it is republicans who are the driving force for war with Iran

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/07/29/the_republican_backdoor_to_war_with_iran
And the straw poll in Iowa also selected Pense, who also supports war with Iran. But please, let's discuss why Obama brought dennis Ross into the White House, and why Dr Chu would be repeting false info, not unlike Colin Powel in the Bush run up to war with Iraq.

Even this article shows huge gaps in understanding what is going on with Iran, so when you censor knowedgible comments you enable the continued confusion.
http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/09/16/where_iran_policy_is_heading

Please, please, end you censorship. It does a huge diservice to the people's right to know.

UPDATE! UPDATE!! UPDATE!!

Who Really Fights Terrorism?

As you can see from this broadcast, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, has been working to oppose terrorism for quite some time. One wonders why the majority of Americans have never heard about this organization.

http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/08/25/17207159.html
All countries in the region have confirmed for sure that there is a threat of drug trafficking and the intrusion of militants from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Consequently, cooperation among SCO members in this area is practically motivated rather than declarative as the U.S.-led operations against terrorists in Afghanistan have failed to produce anticipated results. Moreover, there has been a ten-fold increase in the production of drugs in Afghanistan since the deployment of U.S. forces. Concerning the role of the U.S. and the SCO in the region, an expert at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Vladimir Sotnikov has this to say.

http://centralasianewswire.com/Turkmenistan/Niyazovrsquos-influence-in-Turkmenistan-falls-with-golden-statuenbsp/viewstory.aspx?id=1522
Under Niyazov, Turkmenistan was by far the most repressive government in Central Asia and one of the most notorious in the world for its ruler’s excesses. Niyazov renamed the days of the week and the months of the year after himself and his family members. He littered the capital and the country with portraits of himself. And Turkmenistan under his rule was almost as isolated in the world as North Korea still is today.

Turkmenistan participated as a very reluctant member of the Russian-led, 12-nation Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – it didn’t ratify the CIS constitution and only participated as an unofficial associate member. Turkmenistan never joined the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) or the six-nation Russian- and Chinese-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), also known as the Shanghai Pact. Niyazov didn't want the Kremlin, or anyone else, telling him what to do.



The Secretary-General also signed a declaration on cooperation between the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which Uzbekistan heads this year.

Here is the official webcite of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,
http://www.sectsco.org/EN/
which was originally called the Shanghai Five
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav061401.shtml

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-10/26/content_3685414.htm

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/7015861.html

Is President Obama on the Warpath? US Readies Diego Garcia for War With Iran

Maintain the Fiction:



In the 1950s the US paid the Brits $14 million dollars to secure use of their colony island, Dieago Garcia. All the people were removed. Members of congress were not told about the base until the late 1960s, under a PR plan to Maintain the Fiction, even then Congress was not informed about the removal of all the Chagos, idigenous people. Since the 1980s no journalist has been permited to go to the island.

In Rome, the Ides of March was a festive day, with military parades, dedicated to Mars, their beloved God of War. Today we see hear Trent Lott warn President Obama to beware the Ides of March, such warning being a reminder that Ceasar also recieved such a warning before his assination at the theatre.

But today, we also read, in the Sunday Herald, that it is President Amadinejad that should be warned by President Obama.


Iran: The Coming War by Dan Plesch

http://www.danplesch.net/articles/2005-03-21-article-3-77-2383.jsp.html

Do not be in the least surprised if the United States attacks Iran. Timing is an open question, but it is hard to find convincing arguments that war will be avoided, or at least ones that are convincing in Washington.

There are eight arguments currently in circulation. How do they stand up? .................................................


Rob Edwards bombshell news report claims that the US is shipping
195 smart, guided, Blu-110 bombs and 192 massive 2000lb Blu-117 bombs
to Diego Garcia from from Concord, California by a shipping
company based in Florida, Superior Maritime Services, who will
be paid $699,500.

Final destination Iran? by Rob Edwards

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/world-news/final-destination-iran-1.1013151

“They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran,” said Dan Plesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London, co-author of a recent study on US preparations for an attack on Iran. “US bombers are ready today to destroy 10,000 targets in Iran in a few hours,” he added.

.............................................................

No one should be surprised, however, because Jim Lobe predicted that if Obama was elected president, and brought Dennis Ross into the White House, with a portfolio on Iran, the US would be at war with Iran in a "remarkedly short period of time."


Top Obama Advisor Signs on to Roadmap to War with Iran
by Jim Lobe

http://www.lobelog.com/top-obama-adviser-signs-on-to-roadmap-to-war-with-iran/

"If you haven’t seen it already, check out the op-ed by former Sens. Daniel Coats and Charles Robb in the Washington Post today, entitled “Stopping a Nuclear Tehran.” It is the summary of a report issued last month by an organization called The Bipartisan Policy Center (at whose website you can find the full report), and it amounts to a roadmap to war with Iran to which a senior Middle East adviser in the Obama campaign — namely, Dennis Ross — has apparently signed on.

[UPDATE: Make sure you also read in this connection today's New York Times article by David Sanger, particularly the part about the purported e-mail from Obama that was routed through an unidentified "aide," who I presume to be Ross. The coincidence of the appearance of this article with the Coats-Robb op-ed suggests an effort to box Obama into a pre-election position. The Iran part of the story by Sanger, who considers himself a foreign-policy player, as well as a reporter, tracks the report's narrative quite nicely.]"
..................................................................

According to a variety of sources, Ross was the main drafter of Obama’s pander (except on the settlers) to AIPAC’s annual convention here in May and has since raised his hopes for a top post in an Obama administration, possibly even secretary of state. Frankly, I doubt that the latter prospect is realistic, but — and here’s the main point — I have it from several sources close to the campaign that he is more eager to gain control over the Iran portfolio (possibly special envoy) than to work on the problem that he knows best from his long experience, the Israel-Palestinian conflict. If he succeeds in his quest and if this report is any reflection of his views, then the U.S. could very well find itself at war with Iran within a remarkably short period of time.

I leave it to you to read the column or, better, the executive summary of the report. But I would highlight just a few of its major points on which Ross should be closely questioned if Obama should win the election and considers Ross for any post that would have anything to do with Iran policy.
.....................................................



"The US Department of Defence did not respond to a request for a comment."


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