INTL From Arab Spring to SUMMER of DISCONTENT

[Lilbitsnana]

Things started off in Egypt in Dec 2010/Jan 2011 and the toppling of governments and the term/prase Arab Spring took off.

Now, the phrase Summer of Discontent is starting to surface and being repeated where protests have/are taking places in various countries. Egypt is one, and now...Turkey. I suspect that like AS, this will end up being a worldwide Summer of Discontent. Once again, new riots/protests will start happening and some govs/leaders will not be able to remain in power and lots of people on both sides will die.

---------------------------
posted for fair use
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-turkey-protests-idUSBRE94U0J920130531

Turkish police tear gas anti-government protesters

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Prosperity without power

By Ayla Jean Yackley

ISTANBUL | Fri May 31, 2013 11:00am EDT

(Reuters) - Turkish police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday at protesters occupying a park in central Istanbul, wounding scores including tourists in the harshest crackdown so far on days of anti-government unrest.

The protest at Gezi Park started late on Monday after developers tore up trees but has widened into a broader demonstration against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Friday's violence erupted after a dawn police raid on demonstrators who had camped for days in the park in anger at plans to build a shopping mall. Clouds of tear gas rose around the area in Taksim Square, long a venue for political protest.

Broken glass and rocks were strewn across a main shopping street. A group of primary school children ran crying from the tear gas while tourists caught by surprise scurried to get back to luxury hotels lining the square.

"We do not have a government, we have Tayyip Erdogan...Even AK Party supporters are saying they have lost their mind, they are not listening to us," said Koray Caliskan, a political scientist at Bosphorus University who attended the protest. "This is the beginning of a summer of discontent."

Riot police clashed with tens of thousands of May Day protesters in Istanbul weeks ago. There have also been protests against the government's stance on the conflict in neighbouring Syria, a recent tightening of restrictions on alcohol sales and warnings against public displays of affection.

"This isn't just about trees anymore, it's about all of the pressure we're under from this government. We're fed up, we don't like the direction the country is headed in," said 18-year-old student Mert Burge, who came to support the protesters after reading on Twitter about the police use of tear gas.

"We will stay here tonight and sleep on the street if we have to," he said.

An Egyptian tourist was in a critical condition after being hit by a police gas canister, Istanbul Medical Chamber board member Huseyin Demirduzen told Reuters. The 34-year-old woman was undergoing an operation after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

A total of 12 people, including a pro-Kurdish MP and a Reuters photographer, suffered trauma injuries and hundreds suffered respiratory problems due to the effects of tear gas during the clashes, Demirduzen said.

Some people were injured when a wall they were climbing collapsed as they tried to flee clouds of tear gas.

Amnesty International said it was concerned by what it described as "the use of excessive force" by the police against what had started out as a peaceful protest.

Interior Minister Muammer Guler promised that claims that police had used disproportionate force would be investigated.

Erdogan has overseen a transformation in Turkey during his decade in power, turning its economy from crisis-prone into Europe's fastest-growing. Per capita income has tripled in nominal terms since his party rose to power.

He remains by far Turkey's most popular politician, and is widely viewed as its most powerful leader since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the modern secular republic on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire 90 years ago.

The unrest has not matched the mass demonstrations seen in some Arab or European countries in recent years, but it reflects growing opposition concern about Erdogan's authoritarianism.

DEFIANCE

Hundreds of military officers have been jailed for plotting a coup against Erdogan in recent years. Academics, journalists, politicians and others face trial on similar charges.

Erdogan has made no secret of his ambition to run for the presidency in elections next year when his term as prime minister ends, exacerbating opposition dismay.

"These people will not bow down to you" read one banner at the Gezi Park protest, alongside a cartoon of Erdogan wearing an Ottoman emperor's turban.

Postings on social media including Twitter, where "Occupy Gezi" - a reference to protests in New York and London last year - was a top-trending hashtag, and Facebook said similar demonstrations were planned for the next few days in other Turkish cities including Ankara, Izmir, Adana and Bursa.

"Kiss protests", in which demonstrators are urged to lock lips, had already been planned for Istanbul and Ankara this weekend after subway officials were reported to have admonished a couple for kissing in public a week ago.Erdogan is pushing ahead with a slew of multi-billion dollar projects which he sees as embodying Turkey's emergence as a major power. They include a shipping canal designed to rival Panama or Suez, a giant mosque and a third Istanbul airport billed to be one of the world's biggest.

Speaking just a few miles from Gezi Park at the launch on Wednesday of construction of a third bridge linking Istanbul's European and Asian shores, Erdogan vowed to pursue plans to redevelop Taksim Square.

Architects, leftist political parties, academics, city planners and others have long opposed the plans, saying they lacked consultation with civic groups and would remove one of central Istanbul's few green spaces.

(Additional reporting by Murad Sezer, Osman Orsal and Ece Toksabay; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

 

[Lilbitsnana]

posted for fair use
content pics


http://middleeastvoices.voanews.com/2013/05/insight-egypts-summer-of-discontent-96219/

INSIGHT: Egypt’s Summer of Discontent

May 29, 2013 By Eric Trager


Due to a moribund economy, fuel and food shortages, and a lack of political opportunities, Egypt faces a tumultuous summer, and conditions will likely continue to deteriorate thereafter. While Washington should encourage Cairo to undertake necessary political and economic reforms that might calm the situation and improve governance, the Obama administration should concentrate on preserving vital strategic interests in the event of renewed upheaval.

A summer of shortages

Since Egypt’s 2011 revolution, persistent political uncertainty and plummeting domestic security have undermined foreign investment and harmed the country’s once-vibrant tourism industry. According to the Interior Ministry, the past year has witnessed a 120 percent increase in murders, 350 percent increase in robberies, and 145 percent jump in kidnappings. Foreign currency reserves dropped from approximately $36 billion at the time of Hosni Mubarak’s ouster to $14.42 billion at the end of April 2013, with a $2 billion Libyan cash deposit in late March inflating the latter figure. Meanwhile, according to the Financial Times, Egypt’s public sector salary bill has risen by 80 percent since the uprising to $25 billion annually; 400,000 government jobs have been added, and an additional 400,000 will be made permanent by the end of June.

This combination of shrinking reserves and growing expenditures is threatening the government’s ability to import wheat and fuel, which it sells at subsidized rates. Fuel and fertilizer shortages have also impacted domestic wheat production, which is unlikely to reach Cairo’s goal of 9.5 million tons – a benchmark intended to reduce Egypt’s dependence on foreign imports. The fuel shortages have also catalyzed regular electricity outages (including multiple times in one day at Cairo International Airport), and rural areas are reporting water outages. These problems are expected to worsen as Egyptians turn on their air conditioners during the summer; the situation will become especially uncomfortable once Ramadan begins in early July, when approximately 90 percent of the population will be observing the month-long fast during daylight hours.


“Rather than engaging its opponents, the government is repressing them.” – Eric Trager, The Washington Institute

Historically, wheat shortages and subsidy cuts have sparked mass protests in Egypt, such as the 1977 “Bread Riots” and the demonstrations that accompanied the 2008 global food crisis. Indeed, fuel shortages have already given rise to sporadic protests nationwide since March. Although these demonstrations have been relatively small thus far, summertime power outages that make it too uncomfortable to be indoors could force more people into the streets.

A combustible political environment

Since November 2012 – when President Mohamed Morsi asserted virtually unchecked executive authority and rushed an Islamist-dominated constitutional process to ratification – Egypt’s non-Islamist opposition has protested the Muslim Brotherhood-led government’s autocratic behavior and increasingly questioned its legitimacy. For many activists, the Brotherhood’s use of violence against non-Islamist protesters on December 5 represented the point of no return; the group’s subsequent assaults on media freedom (e.g., prosecuting journalists who criticize Morsi) have led some to call for the military to return to power.


A protester opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi holds a sign reading "Depart" during a protest in Cairo May 25, 2013. (Reuters)

The latest iteration of this movement is the “Tamarod” (rebellion) petition campaign, which opposition activists launched on May 1. The campaign seeks to “withdraw confidence” in Morsi and rally public support for early presidential elections by focusing on specific grievances, including the persistent lack of security, ongoing poverty, and Morsi’s supposed “subservience to the Americans.” While the petition will likely fall short of the 15 million signatures its supporters hope to collect by June 30 – the one-year anniversary of Morsi’s inauguration – the fact that it has already collected 2 million indicates widespread frustration, and June 30 may emerge as a major protest date.

The Brotherhood’s response to these political challenges has only exacerbated the situation and seemingly strengthened the opposition’s resolve. Rather than engaging its opponents, the government is repressing them. Ahmed Maher, founder of the “April 6″ opposition movement, was recently arrested after returning from a trip to the United States, charged with inciting protests outside the interior minister’s house. The prosecutor-general is also investigating two prominent television hosts – Amr Adib and former parliamentarian Mohamed Sherdy – for supporting the Tamarod campaign.

No way out?

Unfortunately, Egypt’s political polarization will likely persist well beyond the summer. The opposition will probably continue to be excluded from the political process. The next parliamentary elections, which have not yet been scheduled, are unlikely to occur before September, leaving street protests as the only viable avenue for opposition dissent. Moreover, when elections finally do occur, the Brotherhood will likely win again: even if the main opposition bloc (the National Salvation Front) abandons its current boycott commitment, as many analysts expect, its late entry will complicate efforts to compete with the Brotherhood’s nationwide network, which has been in campaign mode since the beginning of the year.


Protesters chant anti-Morsi slogans at a rally in Cairo May 17, 2013. (AP)

In the interim, the Brotherhood appears unlikely to abandon exclusivist rule. Morsi’s latest round of cabinet appointments further expanded the number of Brotherhood-affiliated ministers without adding any from non-Islamist parties, and he has rebuffed opposition demands to remove the interior and information ministers. Moreover, the officials who will lead the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $4.8 billion loan are all Muslim Brothers.

This polarization will significantly inhibit Egypt’s economic recovery for the foreseeable future. Morsi’s apparent focus on consolidating the Brotherhood’s power is contrary to the IMF’s insistence on more inclusive governance, which the agency views as necessary for ensuring broad political support for any loan. In addition, persistent political tension and civil strife will deter foreign investment and keep tourists away, leaving Egypt reliant on petrodollar infusions (e.g., from Qatar and Libya) that are unlikely to continue flowing indefinitely. The cash crunch will also complicate government efforts to restore security, further compounding lawlessness and economic woes.


“Egypt’s worsening economic and political frustrations, coupled with the state’s declining ability to maintain order, make upheaval a strong possibility this summer and beyond.” – Eric Trager

Meanwhile, the military does not appear willing or able to steer the country in a more positive direction. Although the armed forces are generally considered Egypt’s strongest institution, the generals have repeatedly signaled their lack of interest in returning to power. They recognize that they performed poorly when they ran the country prior to Morsi’s election, and they seem to know they are no more likely to succeed in governing than the Brotherhood given the extent of Egypt’s challenges. In addition, the military’s undemocratic nature makes it incapable of engendering the kind of broad consensus needed for reform.

US policy recommendations

Egypt’s worsening economic and political frustrations, coupled with the state’s declining ability to maintain order, make upheaval a strong possibility this summer and beyond. Washington should therefore focus on two goals.

First, it should continue encouraging Egypt’s political actors to dial down the tension. This means telling the opposition not to give up on politics, since participation in the current system provides a more likely path to power sharing than calling for a “rebellion” against Morsi, which would only exacerbate the country’s instability and further damage the economy. As for the Muslim Brotherhood, Washington should tell Cairo that the painful choices required by necessary economic reform (e.g., tax increases and subsidy cuts) make including the opposition and forging political consensus vital. U.S. officials should also point out that Egypt cannot rely on petrodollar infusions to sustain its shrinking cash reserves indefinitely, and that failure to institute vital reforms will ultimately lead its benefactors to view it as a bad investment.

Second, Washington should prepare for the likelihood that the Brotherhood and opposition will reject this advice, and plan for potential instability. In particular, the administration should focus on the three strategic interests that could be jeopardized:
1.The Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, which may come under pressure if turmoil leads to greater violence from Sinai or more hostile populist politics from Cairo
2.The security of the Suez Canal, which recent civil unrest has already put at risk
3.Counterterrorism cooperation, given the recent emergence of Salafist jihadists in Egypt

Since the Egyptian military is primarily responsible for each of these items, the Obama administration should work with the generals to ensure that contingency plans are in place if the country’s summer of discontent boils over.

This post was previously published on WashingtonInstitute.org. ©2013 The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Reprinted with permission.

The views expressed in this Insight are the author’s own and are not endorsed by Middle East Voices or Voice of America. If you’d like to share your opinion on this post, you may use our democratic commenting system below. If you are a Middle East expert or analyst associated with an established academic institution, think tank or non-governmental organization, we invite you to contribute your perspectives on events and issues about or relevant to the region. Please email us through our Contact page with a short proposal for an Insight post or send us a link to an existing post already published on your institutional blog.





Eric Trager

Eric Trager is the Next Generation Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

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[Lilbitsnana]

Financial and Political Summer of Discontent too...

posted for fair use

http://online.barrons.com/article/S...74.html?mod=BOL_twm_col#articleTabs_article=0

Up and Down Wall Street
| SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013
Get Set for a Summer of Discontent
By RANDALL W. FORSYTH | MORE ARTICLES BY AUTHOR

The stock market often is unaffected by political scandals. That's good news for investors, as the probes into Benghazi, the IRS and secret subpoenas of reporters' notes promised to drag on.

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Washington is spectacular this time of year. While the cherry blossoms have gone, the subtropical heat hasn't yet arrived. Tourists likely will flood into the D.C. area for the Memorial Day weekend to tour the nation's capital and to honor those who have nobly served their country in the military.

Washington also is the scene of spectacles of another sort, as demonstrated last week when executives of Apple (ticker: AAPL) had to explain to a Senate panel why the company utilized arcane aspects of the tax law to minimize its tax bill. What arguably has become the most successful American corporation of this generation is accused of doing things a normal person would hardly call kosher—even if they are perfectly legal—such as arranging its business to generate profits in countries where profits are lightly taxed or even beyond any constituency.

But we're not talking about normal people; we're talking about tax lawyers, lobbyists, and members of Congress, who contrive a tax code so complicated as to ensure their own future employment. Clearly, a simple, straightforward tax system would obviate the need to seek favors or to exploit its features, which in turn would dry up an important source of campaign contributions for those who make the laws.

So, it was the very definition of chutzpah for Sen. Carl Levin's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to demand to know why Apple had used, to its maximum advantage, the law Congress had written. At least the Michigan Democrat kept a relatively civil tongue during the inquiry, unlike his upbraiding of Goldman Sachs (GS) during a 2010 hearing in which he quoted from an e-mail regarding one of the firm's bubble-era mortgage-backed-securities offerings and described it in scatological terms nearly a dozen times.

Obviously, reform of the tax code to do away with abuses, whether real or perceived, could be enacted by Congress if it chose, but that would be hard work, as opposed to political theater. And D.C. has more play-acting these days than Broadway, amid the fallout over the Benghazi tragedy, secret subpoenas for Associated Press reporters' material, and the top Beltway brouhaha: the investigation into the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. Here, at least, we've found a villain we can all agree on. And the reason for IRS agents concentrating their ire on groups with Tea Party or Liberty in their names just might have something to do with the desire by such groups to curb the power of the government—especially its power to tax, which as former Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall wrote, is the power to destroy.

The investigations into the IRS abuses will drag on through the summer, as Washington Editor Jim McTague writes in his D.C. Current column, which leaves less time for the people's business. Less pressing matters, such as raising the debt ceiling, which was restored with few folks noticing May 19 after having been suspended—and has been reached again, necessitating the now-usual "extraordinary" fiscal maneuvers to go over—are on the back burner. A one-time windfall payment from Fannie Mae (FNMA) for $59.4 billion could tide Uncle Sam over the summer, which would be just another example of finagling in D.C., as Jim amply described a few weeks ago ("Fannie, Freddie, Zombie," May 13).

LUCKILY FOR THE STOCK market, Washington scandals typically don't affect it much. Kim Wallace of Renaissance MacroResearch constructed one of those business-school quadrant charts plotting scandals of past decades against their impact on governance and the public's reaction. Those placing in the top quadrant on both criteria were Watergate, the failed Iran hostage attempt at the tail end of Jimmy Carter's term, the Iran-Contra Affair in Ronald Reagan's second term, and the Clinton-Lewinsky flap.

From June 3 to Aug. 9, 1974, while Watergate hearings were broadcast through President Nixon's resignation, the Standard & Poor's 500 fell 13.84%. Of course, that was in the end stages of a brutal bear market resulting from a steep recession, accompanied by a surge of inflation from skyrocketing oil prices and unprecedented high interest rates. The market also was battered in 1980 by the first of two back-to-back recessions with wildly swinging interest rates. In contrast, the bull markets of the 1980s and 1990s scarcely flinched during their scandals.

And until Wednesday's swoon, the S&P 500 and other market measures had been hitting new highs. "Perceptions of economic and market fundamentals are overwhelming Washington developments," Wallace writes.

True enough, in the short term. But how these scandals affect the odds of substantive, long-term budget reform remains to be seen. The likelihood of a so-called Grand Bargain between a lame-duck president and an opposition party—which only months ago had been in total defeat and disarray and now sees a chance to gain in the 2014 mid-term elections—hasn't been enhanced.


THAT GLOBAL MARKETS were driven by forces other than the events that dominated the attention of the denizens of D.C. could hardly be more apparent than after last week's action.

Markets of all stripes—U.S. stocks and bonds, Japanese stocks and bonds, European bourses and bonds, currencies, and commodities—hit a huge air pocket Wednesday and Thursday in the wake of a string of alarming events. First was Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's seemingly equivocal message about monetary policy. Then came a 7% swoon in Tokyo's previously soaring Nikkei.

The ascent of equities around the globe, from Wall Street to Tokyo and beyond, largely has been a result of central-bank actions. And that has served stock bulls well, with the S&P 500 up 17% year-to-date, as of Tuesday, and the Nikkei 225 up 48%. Last week brought a reality check as to whether central-bank printing presses will, or can, continue to inflate asset prices.

Bernanke recited before Congress on Wednesday words from the current Fed script—that the central bank will maintain its policy of buying Treasury and agency mortgage securities at a $1 trillion annual clip while unemployment remains above its target of 6.5%, which is still well below the current jobless rate of 7.5%. But in questions from the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, he allowed that the Federal Open Market Committee could mull some reduction in the pace of bond purchases in three or four meetings, which would be late in the year. Just the suggestion that this succor could ever be reduced, let alone withdrawn, was enough to turn a market gain to a loss that day.

Then came the swoon in Asia Thursday. Japan's stock market, up fractionally early on, went into free fall after data showed that China's industrial output was much worse than expected, and indeed, contracting. Call it a case of disoriented markets. Equity markets in both Tokyo and New York tumbled when yields on 10-year bonds in their respective markets rose to psychologically important round numbers—1% for Japanese government bonds, 2% for Treasuries. Coincidence, perhaps.

The rise in Japan's bond yields is contrary to what everybody expected from "Abenomics," named for the current prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who was swept into power last year on a program of aggressive reflation through expansion of the Bank of Japan's balance sheet, with the salutary side effect of lowering the overvalued yen. Since its low late last year, the yen has fallen from under 80 to the dollar to over 100, a massive move in so short a span.

But, writes Nomura Research Institute chief economist Richard Koo, the plan doesn't seem to be working. If the BOJ's intent was to reverse deflation and create inflation, bond yields eventually would be expected to rise from their depressed levels—a low of 0.58% for the 10-year JGB—to 1% but they did so more rapidly than expected before slipping back. Koo writes that banks are inhibited from lending at such low interest rates if those rates were expected to rise. And so Japanese bank stocks and real-estate investment trusts tumbled in the wake of the bond market's slide.

Back in the States, REITs and other interest-sensitive stocks also were under pressure, with the Treasury market selling off and lifting the 10-year yield decisively above 2%. The bulls' mantra is that higher bond yields reflect a better economy and thus should pose no impediment to higher stock prices.

Gavan Nolan, head of credit research at Markit, a major derivatives data provider, wonders if markets are becoming fretful about central banks' apparent willingness to follow the advice of Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment." Which is all well and good for a personal philosophy, but less so for economic policy.

The unprecedented expansion of central-bank liquidity, both to spur economies and accommodate massive fiscal deficits, constitutes an experiment to prove an untested hypothesis. Not all experiments succeed. Some seem promising at the outset, but negative side effects can emerge from the novel therapy.

 

[Possible Impact]

A "very High bandwidth" needed site:
http://www.rightnow.io/breaking-news/turkey_bn_1369752659185.html

Pictures from Istanbul Turkey today:

Did you notice the backpack pepper-spray equipment?

 

[Lilbitsnana]

Did you notice the backpack pepper-spray equipment?

Does the US have those? If not, they'll be ordering them soon...

 

[Lilbitsnana]

Some more from Possible Impact's link above:

 

[blueridge]

Almost look like scenes from Dr. Zhivago right before the 1917 Russian Revolution.

What could possibly go wrong with such strong arm JBT tactics?

 

[Lilbitsnana]

OMG, the pics just keep getting added, each one a little worse than the one before.

You have to just go to link, too many to keep posting.

http://www.rightnow.io/breaking-news...752659185.html


So many horrid things going on around the Mid-East and the world, and I'm afraid the really bad stuff hasn't even started yet. sigh

 

[Possible Impact]

OMG, the pics just keep getting added, each one a little worse than the one before.

You have to just go to link, too many to keep posting.

http://www.rightnow.io/breaking-news...752659185.html


So many horrid things going on around the Mid-East and the world, and I'm afraid the really bad stuff hasn't even started yet. sigh

Yep, hundreds...

Their twitter feed with links to updates.
http://twitter.com/rightnowio_feed

Some of the people are "Occupy" type protestors, most are ordinary citizens.

 

[night driver]

Of COURSE.

this is what US Foreign Policy (ok no such animal) is designed to CREATE (or has been over the past 5 years....)

Again we have to assume there is SOMETHING in the Foreign Policy Office besides a few over active spiders filling it with cobwebs.

 

[Lilbitsnana]

I can't get it all to C & P, but it's about teachers in the UK promising a Summer of Discontent.

posted for fair use
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/education/article3716477.ece


Teachers promise summer of discontent

Christine Blower, the NUT general-secretary, promised a series of strikes, including a national one before Christmas

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Christine Blower, the NUT general-secretary, promised a series of strikes, including a national one before Christmas Handout


Greg Hurst Education Editor

Last updated at 2:50PM, March 18 2013


Teachers are to stage a rolling series of strikes in protest at changes to their pay, pensions and workload.

The two biggest classroom unions announced that they would call teachers out on one-day strikes, beginning in schools in North West England on June 27.

This would be followed by more walk-outs in the autumn, region-by-region, culminating in a national day of strike action before Christmas.

continued at link

 

[Lilbitsnana]

Of COURSE.

this is what US Foreign Policy (ok no such animal) is designed to CREATE (or has been over the past 5 years....)

Again we have to assume there is SOMETHING in the Foreign Policy Office besides a few over active spiders filling it with cobwebs.

Yeah, I don't know if our little finger is in the pie on getting this Turkey event started or even all of them around the world, but I could comfortably say a lot of them if not most.

 

[Possible Impact]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/...a4.html?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

In this Thursday, May 30, 2013 photo, a man seen wearing a make-shift gas-mask
hours before riot police use tear gas and pressurized water to quash a peaceful
demonstration by hundreds of people staging a sit-in protest to try and prevent the
demolition of trees at an Istanbul park, Turkey. Police moved in at dawn Friday to
disperse the crowd on the fourth day of the protest against a contentious
government plan to revamp Istanbul’s main square, Taksim, injuring a number of
protesters. The protesters are demanding that the square’s park, Gezi, is protected.
(AP Photo)


I wonder if there is an "instructable" for that?

Yes, there is: http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Gas-Mask/

 

[Lilbitsnana]

FenerbahceWorld: RT @aykan_erdemir: #TurkishSpring is spreading like wildfire from #Istanbul to all the country. This is #Ankara - Kuğulu Park. http://t.co/ysREWQZvEE
Fri May 31 - 1:25:52 pm

 

[Lilbitsnana]

BBC Breaking Newsþ@BBCBreaking2h
Police accused of "excessive force" in #Istanbul http://bbc.in/11gsqXE at 4-day protest over #Taksim Square plans pic.twitter.com/HytIHAoUAc

 

[Possible Impact]

Fuat Kircaali ‏@FuatKircaali http://twitter.com/FuatKircaali/status/340550587856867329

Dozens of military helicopters arriving in Taksim Square as the night time war between peaceful protestors & police rages on.


Gregor Peter ‏@L0gg0l http://twitter.com/L0gg0l/status/340551174862286848

DOZENS OF MILITARY HELICOPTERS ARRIVING AT TAKSIM SQUARE IN ISTANBUL,
UNCONFIRMED REPORTS OF ARMY SIDING WITH PROTESTERS

Soldiers handing out masks to protesters from the military hospital.

"We are Turkish Soldiers not TAYEP cops"

http://twitter.com/SerkanBALBAL/status/340553638642601984

 

[Possible Impact]

I know this is bandwidth heavy, but it seems to be snowballing quickly!


http://twitter.com/Boukacheche_TN/status/340555894154727425/photo/1

Demonstrations spread to several cities in #Turkey

 

[Possible Impact]

Live feed: http://www.vgtv.no/#!/video/65023/direkte-live-opptøyer-i-istanbul


Gunfire sounds heard continually(teargas?), large crowd in distance.

 

[Possible Impact]

Ivan Watson ‏@IvanCNN http://twitter.com/IvanCNN/status/340545897224097792
10 PM in Istanbul. Police APC ramming a barricade on Tarlabasi blvrd.
Cops now throwing rocks at rioters.
Crowds chanting "gov't resign"



Benjamin Harvey ‏@BenjaminHarvey http://twitter.com/BenjaminHarvey/status/340560967605841921
BBC World is showing awful scenes from today's protests in Istanbul.
Turkey's TV24 airing an Erdogan anti-smoking speech.



ilhan tanir ‏@WashingtonPoint http://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint/status/340569132913266688
Whille events are unfolding, 1 of leading news networks in Turkey, #NTV, is broadcasting pre-recorded speech of Erdogan, talks about things



ilhan tanir ‏@WashingtonPoint http://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint/status/340560350007132160
I can't believe DC & American tweeps ignoring Istanbul protests.
They behind US gov today.
Even @statedept clearly said supporting protestors.


ilhan tanir ‏@WashingtonPoint http://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint/status/340550789418336257
Here is the unfolding of "free" Turkey press. The news networks cannot even broadcast what appears to be largest protests of Istanbul.



ilhan tanir ‏@WashingtonPoint http://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint/status/340549738556452864
Istanbul witnesses its largest protests ever in its history (anyone dissents this?) and Turkey's news networks broadcasting documentaries.

 

[Possible Impact]

Solidarity protests with Gezi Park held across Turkey

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/so...urkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=48010&NewsCatID=341

Locals of many Turkish cities came out to show their solidarity to Taksim Gezi
Park protesters and express their outrage at the police’s brutal raids May 31,
organizing several protests across the country.

Most notably, Ankara locals gathered in Kuğulu Park, their own little patch of
green in the center of the city. Another group of 2,000 people that gathered at
the Abdi İpekçi Park were quelled with tear gas as they wanted to walk in front of
the Prime Minister’s Office. The group finally made a nearly 10-kilometer-long
march to join the protest in the Kuğulu Park area.

In İzmir more than 10,000 people held a protest near the Marina. Demonstrators
held banners reading “Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance” and
“Resist Taksim, İzmir is with you” and “Chemical Erdoğan.” Protesters in İzmir
were also raided by the police armed with tear gas and water cannons.

Solidarity demonstrations were also organized in Bursa, Eskişehir, Adana, İzmt,
Konya, Samsun, Mersin and many other Turkish towns.

 

[Possible Impact]

ilhan tanir ‏@WashingtonPoint http://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint/status/340580796400283649

Wow! Istanbul's heart, Taksim, now: RT @ekizilkaya: And Taksim, burning,
in the middle of the night: pic.twitter.com/NLjgszAzSB via @Minetugay

http://twitter.com/SerkanBALBAL/status/340578741057101824

Sleeping in Ankara 12:40 AM

ilhan tanir ‏@WashingtonPoint http://twitter.com/WashingtonPoint/status/340581597705277440
Some opposition MPs in Turkey talking abt Turkey's Military force, implying some kind of intervention? Hope it's only individual case. #Fail

 

[Lilbitsnana]

Live coverage
http://rt.com/on-air/turkey-clashes-istanbul-park/


serjilla: RT @VincentTongue: #Turkey protest live coverage on RT: http://t.co/A9VB6y1tnr #Istanbul

Fri May 31 - 4:56:28 pm


Lilbitsnana NOTE: I get no sound and it looks like someone streaming from a phone or small camcorder

 

[Possible Impact]

melis kahyaoglu ‏@uykusuzcadi http://twitter.com/uykusuzcadi/status/340590562354814976
They are attacking to the German Hospital right now,
600 people are defending themselves including tourists @amandapalmer @neilhimself
^^^"They" = Police...


http://twitter.com/Oksijenliyiz/status/340555005453017088/photo/1
Empty teargas canisters fill the street

 

[Possible Impact]

Live coverage
http://rt.com/on-air/turkey-clashes-istanbul-park/


serjilla: RT @VincentTongue: #Turkey protest live coverage on RT: http://t.co/A9VB6y1tnr #Istanbul

Fri May 31 - 4:56:28 pm


Lilbitsnana NOTE: I get no sound and it looks like someone streaming from a phone or small camcorder

http://www.vgtv.no/#!/video/65023/direkte-live-opptøyer-i-istanbul

Also no sound at the moment, source feed has no audio.



Another tear gas canister collection
http://twitter.com/57UN/status/340579596271505408/photo/1

 

[Lilbitsnana]

AykanAlbayrak: RT @BBCBreaking: Picture: Dozens injured as tear gas fired at protesters opposing revamp of #Istanbul's #Taksim Square http://t.co/r04sYz9Owp

Fri May 31 - 4:56:23 pm

 

[Possible Impact]

Video feed: http://www.vgtv.no/#!/video/65023/opptak-opptøyer-i-istanbul-recording-istanbul-riots
(Earlier in 31st, not live. But worth watching!)



http://twitter.com/SerkanBALBAL/status/340601525246259200/photo/1
Kadikoy standing, sleeping (Middle of the night!)

 

[Possible Impact]

Sleeping in Edirne 2:25 AM!!!
http://twitter.com/SerkanBALBAL/status/340605478147092481/photo/1

TurkeyEmergency ‏@TurkeyEmergency http://twitter.com/TurkeyEmergency/status/340605769235963905
Istanbul rocking to the sound of pots and pans
^^^Everyone is wide awake, if they "want to" or not.



Songul Gokmen ‏@songulgokmen1 http://twitter.com/songulgokmen1/status/340611298373017600
@aaronstein1 whole streets in Istanbul people protest government with resignation voices,
now time is 02.29 a.am and whole Istanbul is wake!


Aaron Stein ‏@aaronstein1 http://twitter.com/aaronstein1/status/340609567736094720
Small groups of young people moving through my street
clapping yelling, come on, let's go!



Ivan Watson ‏@IvanCNN http://twitter.com/IvanCNN/status/340611240621637633

Street party in my 'hood. People banging pots & pans
in protest against gov't. Never ever seen this b4 in Istanbul

Aaron Stein ‏@aaronstein1 http://twitter.com/aaronstein1/status/340612733382828033
No one I know is asleep in Turkey and it is 2.36 am

 

[Possible Impact]

Emre KIZILKAYA ‏@ekizilkaya http://twitter.com/ekizilkaya/status/340616617350270976
And here is the Antalya protest... The city center of this southern resort now:
pic.twitter.com/tvOeUq8tQt via @Jolly_Referee

 

[Possible Impact]

3:30AM Report:

Aaron Stein ‏@aaronstein1 http://twitter.com/aaronstein1/status/340625318819799040
People passing out flowers, lots of Turkish flags


Aaron Stein ‏@aaronstein1 http://twitter.com/aaronstein1/status/340625549372305408
Young, old, male, female out in force on Bagdat and now marching and driving to Kadikoy


Emre KIZILKAYA ‏@ekizilkaya http://twitter.com/ekizilkaya/status/340627093002014721
TT @HaymiBehar In Besiktas, people are in streets, chanting,
"Shoulder to shoulder against fascism." pic.twitter.com/yuJtGtGICI

Murat Onur ‏@muratfonur http://twitter.com/muratfonur/status/340624456143761408
Group with knives in Tophane, chanting pro-Erdogan slogans, attacking protesters

Emre KIZILKAYA ‏@ekizilkaya http://twitter.com/ekizilkaya/status/340624169584697344
At 3:20am! TT @ozge_mumcu Ankara people are marching to the Turkish parliament:

 

[Lilbitsnana]

SLOVENIA

posted for fair use..

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/05/20135311252828810.html

Slovenia prepares for summer of discontent



Country emerged from communism in a better position than its neighbours but the economic crisis is now hitting home.



Peter Geoghegan Last Modified: 31 May 2013 12:31


http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/images/2013/5/31//2013531122927768734_20.jpg
With public debt at 56 percent of GDP, Slovenia is in a better economic position than some Eurozone countries [AFP]


Ljubljana, Slovenia - In Slovenia, few traits are as highly prized as gospodariti, literally the ability to manage finances prudently. Gospodariti was often cited to explain Slovenia’s emergence as an industrial motor of Marshal Tito’s Yugoslav system during the Cold War. As Yugoslavia collapsed in bloody fratricide, gospodariti again came to the rescue, helping a newly independent nation of just two million people to fashion a flourishing economy on the edge of a warzone.

Two decades later Slovenia’s cherished reputation for fiscal rectitude has, like the status of its government bonds, been reduced to junk.

On May 29, the European Commission told Slovenia that its heavily indebted banking system would require an independent review. The same report gave Slovenia until 2015 to bring its budget deficit below the European Union threshold of 3 percent of gross domestic product.

The Commission also called on Prime Minister, Alenka Bratusek, to push forward with a package of fiscal proposals announcedlast month. These measures include the sale of fifteen publicly-owned businesses, a 2 percent increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) and the creation of a "bad bank".

Slovenia appears to have staved off the short-term threat of becoming the sixth Eurozone member to receive a bailout -- but everything is far from green in this picturesque Alpine state.

Difficult transition

Ljubljana, Slovenia’s compact capital, is peppered with empty apartment blocks and unused retail units. Across the country, emigration is on the rise. Unemployment, historically low even after communism, stands at over 13 percent. Lack of infrastructure investment has terminally weakened a once powerful manufacturing sector.

Slovenia has twice been in recession since 2009. This year the economy is expected to shrink by around 2 percent. Prospects for growth are "weak even in a quite long medium term horizon," a leading Slovenian economist who spoke on condition of anonymity, said in Ljubljana, the capital. "We have a contracting domestic sector and an exporting sector that is slowly losing momentum."

When Slovenia gained its independence in 1991 it was by far the most developed of the former communist economies of Eastern Europe. Tito’s 1974 reforms of Yugoslavia’s socialist system helped open the country up, socially and economically. Taking advantage of its industrial workforce and its location between Central Europe and the Balkans, international companies such as Bayer and Renault built factories in Slovenia.


We are now in the state of shock that Slovenia avoided 20 years ago. Maybe our story is proof that you can’t change systems without a shock.

Primoz Cirman, economics writer,


"We had communism which was not as severe as in other countries," said Primoz Cirman, an economics writer for Dnevnik, a leading Slovenian newspaper daily newspaper. "The fist was not as iron as it was in other countries, it was more mellow."

In the early 1990s Slovenia’s first generation of post-independence leaders looked to consolidate the country’s economic strength within its borders, rather than follow the privatisation drive in much of Eastern Europe. "For the first time in our history we were the masters of our own property. We thought ‘let’s not waste it, let’s privatise slowly," said Cirman.

The roots of Slovenia’s current crisis lie in this uneasy transition from socialism to the free market. Many of Slovenia’s best companies remained in the hands of the state and a new generation of ‘managers’. Many of these managerial executives took out huge loans to buy controlling stakes in the businesses they ran.

Slovenian banks relied on the cheap credit that flowed in the wake of joining the European Union in 20004 and, particularly, the Euro currency three years later to fund these managerial buyouts. When the credit crunch hit in 2008 loans stopped performing.

Attempts by Slovenian bank to plug the gap in their finances by tightening lending to the national economy has contributed to the slowdown in Slovenia but not solved the country’s banking crisis. Its two leading banks, Nova Ljubljanska Banka and Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor, are badly in need of recapitalisation. Last month, Nova Ljubljanska Banka’s Chief Executive Officer Janko Medja said that the bank would transfer €1.3bn ($1.69bn) of non-performing loans to the new "bad" bank.

"Slovenia’s problem was not the (global) economic crisis it was the naivety of the banking sector," said Igor Luksic, a professor of politics at Ljubljana University and president of the opposition Social Democrats. "There was a great appetite for real estate and the great appetite of managers who wanted to buy their companies. That made the crisis of the banking sector."

'State of shock'

The crisis has also laid bare the close connections between business and politics in Slovenia. Earlier this year, Prime Minister, Janez Jansa, was forced to step down after a report from a national anti-corruption agency identified irregularities in his tax returns. Ninety-four per cent of Slovenians consider bribes to be a normal practice in business, according to a recent study by Ernst & Young.

It is not all bad news for Slovenia. At 56 percent, public debt is well below the EU average. The Slovenian banking sector is just 1.6 times GDP. There are some success business stories, especially in technology. But with an export-led economy and a paucity of lending at home, there is no end in sight for the Slovenia’s economic travails, despite Wednesday’s cautious green light from Brussels.

"The economy has collapsed. We have a corrupted political class and a managerial system," said Franc Trcek, professor of sociology at the University of Ljubljana. "People have said that they have enough. At the same time half of the people will go and vote for the old parties. The other half are in apathy."

On the streets of Slovenia, apathy has given way to frustration. Last autumn, a series of protests broke out over the decision to introduce speed cameras in Maribor, a once prosperous industrial city near the border with Austria. Thousands took to the streets in what became known as the "Maribor Uprising".

For the first time since Slovenia’s independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, riot police fired tear gas on its citizens. Maribor’s mayor, Franc Kangler, was forced to step down, but not before the protests had spread across Slovenia, contributing to the downfall of the Jansa government in Ljubljana.

The demonstrations have died down, for now, but journalist Primoz Cirman believes they could reignite again. "The fire is out but the fuel is still there," he said as a summer shower pours down on the outdoor market on Petkovsek Embankment in Ljubljana.

As for Slovenia, Cirman said that the current crisis shows that the country didn’t manage the transition from communism to capitalism as well as it - and the rest of the world - had thought. "We are now in the state of shock that Slovenia avoided 20 years ago. Maybe our story is proof that you can’t change systems without a shock."


Source:

Al Jazeera

 

[Lilbitsnana]

Link to thread Possible Impact started just for the Turkey protest/possible revolution:

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...sands-in-Ankara-Marching-on-Parliament-3-30AM

 

[Lilbitsnana]

TURKEY

Things definitely seem to be ready to take a turn for the worse.

--------------------




Boukacheche_TN: The case of the demolition of the park is no longer valid. "The people want the fall of the regime" #Turkey #occupygezipark #Tunisie #Egypt
Sat Jun 01 - 9:59:13 am


rkorel: RT @Tesa_RT: Turks in Brussels gather in front of EU Parliament to protest violence in #Turkey http://t.co/IFGhcYrtjf
Sat Jun 01 - 9:59:08 am


eergec: Fully equipped with gas masks en route to #taksim #boom #turkey
Sat Jun 01 - 9:59:06 am

alikermali: #Turkey shuts down access to #Facebook and #Twitter #breaking
Sat Jun 01 - 9:59:05 am


OR MAYBE NOT?

humacpr: No #blockout in #Turkey. Stop lying and take your dirty hand off my country. Turkey is and will be in summer; no fake spring needed! #taksim

Sat Jun 01 - 9:59:14 am

 

[Lilbitsnana]

BRUSSELS

rkorel: RT @Tesa_RT: Turks in Brussels gather in front of EU Parliament to protest violence in #Turkey http://t.co/IFGhcYrtjf

Sat Jun 01 - 9:59:08 am

 

[Lilbitsnana]

TURKEY

Logolistik: RT @RT_com: PHOTO: Thousands crossing Bosphorus Bridge to get to Taskim Square in Istanbul marking 2nd day of protest in #Turkey http://t.co/xGMvyEyg2Z
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:09 am


ilovefoster23: omg poor #turkey
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:09 am


stephenjgavin: RT @Gsquare86: Arrogant Erdogan said the “demolition will go ahead” ..yeah right! tell that to the people of Taksim #Turkey
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:08 am



tevrenus: RT @AJELive: Main square of #Ankara is under control of the demonstrators in #Turkey who are calling for the government to resign @goncasenay reports.
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:07 am



walid65: @Bosterm93 CNN doesn't know how to pick it up!Political implications what is happing in #Turkey not the interest of the US administration
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:06 am


nycjim: Plenty of live coverage of #Turkey protests right now on @AJEnglish. Here: http://t.co/gZCxoHr6pT http://t.co/MPchYNvews
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:06 am


championtenza: RT @AJELive: Main square of #Ankara is under control of the demonstrators in #Turkey who are calling for the government to resign @goncasenay reports.
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:05 am



Imagine2B: #live at http://t.co/QgeTR3NlGv #blockupy and #turkey #istanbul #ankara. The whole #world is #watching. PLS RT We demand world #peace now!
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:05 am



GencMagazinn: RT @KatieS: Frightening stories/tweets coming from #Turkey. #direngaziparki appears to be the main hashtag used
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:05 am




EkremSagel: RT @amnesty: #Turkey must halt brutal police repression and investigate abuses at Istanbul protest http://t.co/7OzN5rVpZH #humanrights
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:05 am



iasonas86: Solidarity to #Turkey !
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:04 am



jahfarini: RT @AJELive: "We have been gassed, we have been clubbed and we have been hospitalised." Protesters speaking to @RawyaRageh from #Turkey #Istanbul.
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:03 am




unlugulcin: RT @gpph: We feel you, #Turkey. It is not about a park. #occupyturkey #occupygezi http://t.co/iye3ZfD5rr
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:03 am




PoliticallyAff: #FF my awesome Turkish Tweeps: @selcukland @Ziya_Meral @MahirZeynalov #OccupyGezi #Turkey
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:02 am


yalcinerserhan: RT @WilliamsJon: Erdogan increasingly influential abroad - #SecKerry been to #Turkey more than anywhere else. But seen as increasingly authoritarian at home.
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:01 am



AmyMahdi: The protesters in #Ankara have taken Kizilat Square from Erdogan's forces. Others are flocking to join protesters #occupygezi #turkey
Sat Jun 01 - 10:15:01 am




Shaun_Cerveza: “@AJELive: LIVE BLOG: Protests in #Turkey continue, police are accused of heavy-handedness. http://t.co/jeRgqQKE4K” @Korthmasterflex
Sat Jun 01 - 10:14:59 am


fahimn: "@AJELive: Main square of Ankara is under control of the demonstrators in #Turkey who R calling 4 the gov to resign @goncasenay reports."
Sat Jun 01 - 10:14:59 am

 

[Lilbitsnana]

TURKEY

LIVE coverage


http://www.aljazeera.com/watch_now/


Live Blog

http://blogs.aljazeera.com/liveblog/topic/turkey-protests-20176

ETA: The live coverage on the 1st link seems to have ended for now (at least what I had been watching)

 

[imaginative]

Things definitely seem to be ready to take a turn for the worse.

Indeed.

Historian: Obama helping resurrect Ottoman Empire?
Pattern seen in 'Arab Spring' interventions began in Balkans in 1990s
Published: 3 days ago
Jerome R. Corsi

NEW YORK – Is Obama helping advance a grand plan by Turkey, with the support of Germany, to restore the Ottoman Empire, the Islamic caliphate that controlled much of southeast Europe, Western Asia and North Africa for more than six centuries?

That is a question posed by historian Robert E. Kaplan in an article titled “The U.S. Helps Reconstruct the Ottoman Empire,” published this week by the international policy council and think tank Gatestone Institute.

Kaplan, a historian with a doctorate from Cornell University, specializing in modern Europe, says history suggests a possible partnership between Turkey and Germany, which has seen influence over Turkey as a means of influencing Muslims worldwide for its own interests.

He asks why the U.S. government “would actively promote German aims,” including the destruction of Yugoslavia in the 1990s and the re-creation of the Ottoman Empire through the “Arab Spring.”

Kaplan points to Obama’s support of the Muslim Brotherhood, the ultimate victor in the “Arab Spring”; the U.S. backing of radical Islamic “rebel” groups in Libya with ties to al-Qaida; and current support for similarly constituted radical Islamic “rebel” groups in Syria aligned with al-Qaida.

Each of these U.S. military interventions occurred in areas that were under the Ottoman Empire.

Bring back the Ottoman Empire?

Kaplan sees a similarity between the Clinton-era attacks against the Serbs and the Obama administration hostility to well-established regimes in Libya and Syria.

He writes:

Since the mid-1990s the United States has intervened militarily in several internal armed conflicts in Europe and the Middle East: bombing Serbs and Serbia in support of Izetbegovic’s Moslem Regime in Bosnia in 1995, bombing Serbs and Serbia in support of KLA Moslems of Kosovo in 1999, bombing Libya’s Gaddafi regime in support of rebels in 2010. Each intervention was justified to Americans as motivated by humanitarian concerns: to protect Bosnian Moslems from genocidal Serbs, to protect Kosovo Moslems from genocidal Serbs, and to protect Libyans from their murderous dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Kaplan observes that neither President Clinton nor President Obama ever mentioned the reconstitution of the Ottoman Empire as a justification for U.S. military intervention.

The U.S. offered other reasons for intervening in Serbia, including a desire to gain a strategic foothold in the Balkans, to defeat communism in Yugoslavia, to demonstrate to the world’s Muslims that the U.S. is not anti-Muslim, and to redefine the role of NATO in the post-Cold War era.

Recurring pattern

At its height in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottoman Empire stretched from its capital in Turkey, through the Muslim-populated areas of North Africa, Iraq, the costal regions of the Arabian Peninsula and parts of the Balkans.

Kaplan points out that since the 1990s, “each European and Middle Eastern country that experienced American military intervention in an internal military conflict or an ‘Arab Spring’ has ended up with a government dominated by Islamists of the Moslem Brotherhood or al-Qaida variety fits nicely with the idea that these events represent a return to Ottoman rule.”

In these conflicts, Kaplan sees recurring patterns employed by Clinton and Obama to justify U.S. military intervention:

Each U. S. military action in Europe and the Middle East since 1990, however, with the exception of Iraq, has followed an overt pattern: First there is an armed conflict within the country where the intervention will take place. American news media heavily report this conflict. The “good guys” in the story are the rebels. The “bad guys,” to be attacked by American military force, are brutally anti-democratic, and committers of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Prestigious public figures, NGOs, judicial and quasi-judicial bodies and international organizations call for supporting the rebels and attacking the regime. Next, the American president orders American logistical support and arms supplies for the rebels. Finally the American president orders military attack under the auspices of NATO in support of the rebels. The attack usually consists of aerial bombing, today’s equivalent of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries’ gunboat which could attack coastal cities of militarily weak countries without fear of retaliation. The ultimate outcome of each American intervention is the replacement of a secular government with an Islamist regime in an area that had been part of the Ottoman Empire.

Kaplan cites a recent report published by John Rosenthal in the online Asian Times that discloses reports prepared by the German foreign intelligence service, the BND, attributing the massacre in the Syrian town of Houla on May 25, 2012, to the Syrian government.

Rosenthal linked the conclusions of the BND regarding the Houla massacre to the policy of the German government to support the Syrian rebellion and its political arm, the Syrian National Council.

Recalling that Germany invaded Serbia in both World Wars I and II and actively sought the destruction of Yugoslavia in the Cold War era, Kaplan wonders if the administration’s joining with Germany in the bombing of Libya, and possibly Syria as well, is an effort to help Germany fill its foreign policy objective of restoring the Ottoman Empire.

Kaplan notes that the Obama administration’s foreign policy requires it to downplay the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaida terrorist threat to U.S. national security.

Al-Qaida defeated, or embraced?

In the 2012 presidential campaign, Obama spoke at a campaign event in Las Vegas one day after the Sept. 11 Benghazi attack, proclaiming, “A day after 9/11, we are reminded that a new tower rises above the New York skyline, but al-Qaeida is on the path to defeat and bin Laden is dead.”

On Nov. 1, 2012, CNSNews.com reported that Obama had described al-Qaida as having been “decimated,” “on the path to defeat,” or some other variation at least 32 times since the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. It was a theme Obama repeated last week in his counter-terrorism policy speech at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.

Obama also has advanced a narrative expressing U.S. acceptance of Islam.

In his foreign policy speech delivered at Cairo University June 4, 2009, Obama explained he had known Islam “on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed.”

In a joint press availability with Turkey’s President Gul at Cankaya Palace in Ankara, Turkey, on April 6, 2009, Obama repudiated U.S. history since George Washington, declaring the U.S. is not a Christian country: “And I’ve said before that one of the great strengths of the United States is – although as I mentioned, we have a very large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.”

Yet, despite Obama’s attempt to establish a narrative in which Islamic terrorism is not a threat to U.S. national security, evidence abounds that the radical Islamic rebels responsible for opposing Gadhafi in Libya and Assad in Syria have extensive ties to al-Qaida.

In September 2012, WND also broke the story that the slain U.S. ambassador, Christopher Stevens, played a central role in recruiting jihadists to fight the Syria regime, according to Egyptian security forces.

In December 2012, WND reported top level al-Qaida operatives are functioning with impunity in Libya under a NATO-established provisional government.

In February 2013, WND reported that the U.S. special mission in Benghazi was used to coordinate Arab arms shipments and other aid to rebels in Libya who are known to be saturated by al-Qaida and other Islamic terrorist groups.

On May 14, 2013, WND reported the attack that killed Stevens and three other Americans was an al-Qaida revenge killing that took place one day after al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri called for retaliation for a U.S. drone strike that killed a top Libyan al-Qaida leader.

Formed by Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida is a Sunni Islamic organization, whereas the Assad regime in Syria has been arguably a client state of Iran, the only nation in the Middle East in which a majority of the Muslims are Shiites.

The conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims dates back to the founding of Islam when a split took place over who should succeed Muhammad, when he died in AD 632. Sunnis comprise about 75 to 90 percent of the world’s Muslims.

The Muslim Brotherhood that has come to power in the African Islamic states following the “Arab Spring” is a Sunni Islam-dominated organization that opposes the Shiites in Iran on religious grounds.

On Jan. 3, 2013, WND reported that the Muslim Brotherhood has penetrated the Obama White House, with several American Muslim leaders who work with the Obama administration identified as Muslim Brotherhood operatives who have significant influence on U.S. policy.

On Feb. 10, 2013, WND reported President Obama’s nominee to head the CIA, John Brennan, converted to Islam years ago in Saudi Arabia.

Arguably, the Obama administration’s policy of siding with the rebels in Libya and Syria may reflect the aim of isolating Shiite-dominated Iran from the rest of the Islamic world.

The logical expectation would be that a recreated Ottoman Empire headquartered in Turkey would be a Sunni organization, reflecting the Sunni-dominance in Turkey.

The Gatestone Institute website describes the organization as a non-partisan, not-for-profit international policy council and think tank dedicated “to educating the public about what the mainstream media fails to report.”

As the organization’s website explains, “Gatestone Institute conducts national and international conferences, briefings and events for its members and others, with world leaders, journalists and experts – analyzing, strategizing, and keeping them informed on current issues, and where possible recommending solutions.”

http://www.wnd.com/2013/05/historian-obama-helping-resurrect-ottoman-empire/

 

[Lilbitsnana]

jaapruurd: RT @bramvermeul: Surreal to see couples walking along the Bosporus while city centre has become a battle zone. #Ýstanbul

Sat Jun 01 - 10:25:38 am




l_dickey: RT @kiccovich: RT @johnwendle: My latest images up from this afternoon in #Istanbul on the #OccupyGezi protests at http://t.co/tCH7m1IUCC

Sat Jun 01 - 10:25:31 am

 

[Lilbitsnana]

TURKEY

posted for fair use
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/pm...oject.aspx?pageID=238&nID=48020&NewsCatID=338

PM Erdoðan calls on demonstrators to end Gezi Park protest, no step back from project

ISTANBUL


Turkish PM Erdoðan admitted that there were 'mistakes' in the use of tear gas by the police forces, without criticising their action. AA photo
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan has called on demonstrators protesting the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park to end their mobilization, without back-peddling on the Artillary Barracks project that initially sparked the protests.

“I'm warning those who came there with honest feelings - they have been subject to illegal groups, they should not comply with them. I plead that they immediately end this protest,” Erdoðan said June 1 in a speech at the 20th congress of Turkey's Exporters Assembly.

He described the demonstrations as “ideological” rather than “environmental.” “Nobody has the right to raise tensions with the excuse that trees are being cut down,” he said, claiming that the opposition was “manipulating” the protests.

He also reiterated that the demolition underway was related to the enlargement of the pedestrian road at the Harbiye entrance of the park, and not to the controversial Artillery Barracks project. “But the issue is not the 5-10 trees that are being removed. The demonstration that started with the Gezi Park protests has become ideological,” Erdoðan said, without giving any signals that the reconstitution of the historic barracks would be halted. “The barracks have to be built in their place, while protecting the current green area. They say that some would get rent out of this. We are only aiming for our people to receive rents.”

He said the much debated Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM), also on Taksim Square, should also be demolished, proposing to build an opera house there instead.

‘Mistakes’ in tear gas use

Erdoðan admitted that there were mistakes in the use of tear gas by the police forces, saying an “investigation” had been launched. He nevertheless added that the police officers worked in very difficult conditions and praised their vigilance, especially towards shop owners. “There are some people who have very dark [pasts]. We know from intelligence reports,” Erdoðan said, describing reports of the deaths of protesters on social media “calumnies.” “We see that [those who spread these kind of] reports are the same fascists who said ‘you should hang them in gallows,’” he added.

The prime minister said it was unfair to accuse the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of being anti-environmental, and also said the protesters at Gezi Park were being “dishonest,” as there was no interlocutor expressing a common demand.

Critics who say that Istanbul needs a park similar to New York’s Central Park are “not even aware” of the area of the plot of New York's recently built land disposal facility, Erdoðan said, adding that these critics also “refused” to see Istanbul's assets, such as Yýldýz Park.

New York’s Central Park is around 3.4 square kilometres of land, while Yýldýz Park is around 0.29 square kilometres of land.

Erdoðan ended his speech with an ominous warning to main opposition Republican People's Party (AKP) leader Kemal Kýlýçdaroðlu, who is set to deliver a speech in Istanbul's Beþiktaþ district before moving to Taksim. “If you use provocative words, our people will never forgive you. If it comes down to making a meeting, if you gather 100,000 people, I can gather a million,” he said.

Court's suspension order 'raises question marks'

In a later speech Erdoðan questioned the court decision on suspending the Artillery Barracks project, noting that the way to appeal was open.

"Did we announce the project? What happened for you to come and make such a statement yesterday [May 31] evening? This raises question marks," Erdoðan said defiantly. "It is not right for anybody to make a step putting caution aside. Especially the judiciary. The opposition takes refuge behind this ruling and says the court ordered a suspension. But [they should] hold on."


June/01/2013

 

[Lilbitsnana]

TURKEY

posted for fair use
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/po...h-day.aspx?pageID=238&nID=48009&NewsCatID=341

UPDATE:
Police withdraw from Taksim after violent crackdown as protesters remain defiant on 5th day

ISTANBUL


Police in Istanbul's Beþiktaþ district clashed with crowds who had crossed the Bosphorus Bridge to the European side in the early morning hours of June 1. AA photo
The police forces have started to withdraw from Taksim on June 1, where a brutal crackdown targeting demonstrators protesting the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park had been ongoing for over a day. Clashes broke out in Istanbul's symbolic Ýstiklal Avenue, the Beþiktaþ and Harbiye districts, but police start to withdraw around 4 p.m., ahead of a march by the Republican People's Party (CHP).

Protesters entered Taksim Square and even took over Gezi Park, which had been cordoned off by the police after a very violent dawn raid on demonstrators on May 31. The raid had triggered some of the largest clashes between police and peaceful protesters in Turkey in recent years after activists occupied Gezi Park on May 28.

According to witnesses, the police forces, despite withdrawing, fired back a tear gas salvo at protesters in the Ýstiklal Avenue, Harbiye and Beþiktaþ connections to Taksim Square. Police used a huge amount of tear gas at the Harbiye entrance of Gezi Park, while protesters were at the same time able to gather in numbers at Taksim Square.

Security forces had used tear gas and water cannons on the morning of June 1 to quell protesters who had gathered on Ýstiklal Avenue, as well as its sidestreets. When the police fired the water and gas, protesters tried to escape from the narrow streets leading to the Cihangir neighborhood.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 protesters gathered again after the police's first intervention. However police fired once again, entering the pedestrian street with a water cannon riot vehicle. Some protesters made barricades with trees and bins about 100 meters from Saint Anthony's Church, near Galatasaray Square. Around an hour later the police destroyed the barricade and protesters escaped into sidestreets.

Despite the repeated police interventions, the numbers gathered at the protests only increased. Protesters chanted slogans against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, calling on the government to resign.





Between 4,000 and 5,000
protesters gathered in
Ýstiklal street this morning.
Most shops did not open after the violence of the previous day, and one of the busiest streets of Istanbul looked completely paralyzed on a Saturday. Jammers located around Taksim Square hindered demonstrators' access to the Internet.

Crowds also crossed the Bosphorus Bridge to the European side in the early morning hours of June 1, seeking to reach Taksim Square. However, their route was blocked by police who again fired tear gas and water cannon near the Beþiktaþ district.

The heart of Istanbul's entertainment area had turned into a battlefield during the late hours of May 31, as security forces staged a merciless crackdown on peaceful protesters who were gathered to denounce the brutal dawn raid against demonstrators occupying Gezi Park.





'Occupy Taksim' protests take on AKP government

Analysis from Cihan Çelik


The "Occupy Taksim" protests on the iconic Ýstiklal Avenue have turned into a political movement that aims to call on the government to resign, with the turnout at the protests becoming even bigger over the weekend.





Major connections leading to Taksim - Sýraselviler, Tarlabaþý, Harbiye and Beþiktaþ - as well as Ýstiklal Avenue were all blocked by the riot police, who fired tear gas without making any distinction between protesters and locals. Two choppers were also circling the skies in the area, while ambulances continuously brought new patients to the hospitals. Dozens of protestors were reported injured by witnesses. Several hotels around the Taksim area provided support to the injured or those who suffered respiratory problems due to tear gas.

The number of protesters in Istanbul taken into custody has grown to 138 on June 1, police have said.

Some residents in the area banged pots and pans from their homes to protest the government over the crackdown and express support for the protesters in the streets.

Meanwhile Ýbrahim Kalýn, the adviser to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, said in his twitter account today that Ýstanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaþ and representatives from Taksim Gazi Park Platform and the Chamber of Architects would meet today and discuss a joint-solution.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kýlýçdaroðlu said Turkey does not want to experience the Germany of 40's in 2013, while responding to journalists in Ankara, before moving to Istanbul for amarch to the Tksim square together with CHP deputies and supporters.

The protesters, who started their mobilization to raise awareness on the demolition of one of the city's last remaining green areas, started chanting for the resignation of the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan following the police's relentless tear gas campaign.

Twelve protesters were injured during the morning raid, according to the Istanbul's Governor's Office. However, witnesses’ accounts put the number much higher.

Erdem Güneþ from Istanbul contributed to this report.

 

[Lilbitsnana]

toddzbox: RT @LeighTurnerFCO: Unfortunately landlines & internet at #British Consulate-General #Istanbul still cut - handicap to following events
Sat Jun 01 - 10:36:43 am