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conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Iraq, the Caribbean island of Grenada, Kosovo and Libya were undeclared, even though in most cases Congress did vote approval short of a war declaration — sometimes after the fact. The Korean War was fought under the auspices of the United Nations, the one in Kosovo, by NATO.
From The Detroit News: www.detroitnews.com...
These strategic concerns, motivated by fear of expanding Iranian influence, impacted Syria primarily in relation to pipeline geopolitics. In 2009 - the same year former French foreign minister Dumas alleges the British began planning operations in Syria - Assad refused to sign a proposed agreement with Qatar that would run a pipeline from the latter's North field, contiguous with Iran's South Pars field, through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and on to Turkey, with a view to supply European markets - albeit crucially bypassing Russia. Assad's rationale was "to protect the interests of [his] Russian ally, which is Europe's top supplier of natural gas."
Instead, the following year, Assad pursued negotiations for an alternative $10 billion pipeline plan with Iran, across Iraq to Syria, that would also potentially allow Iran to supply gas to Europe from its South Pars field shared with Qatar. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the project was signed in July 2012 - just as Syria's civil war was spreading to Damascus and Aleppo - and earlier this year Iraq signed a framework agreement for construction of the gas pipelines.
The Iran-Iraq-Syria pipeline plan was a "direct slap in the face" to Qatar's plans. No wonder Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, in a failed attempt to bribe Russia to switch sides, told President Vladmir Putin that "whatever regime comes after" Assad, it will be "completely" in Saudi Arabia's hands and will "not sign any agreement allowing any Gulf country to transport its gas across Syria to Europe and compete with Russian gas exports", according to diplomatic sources. When Putin refused, the Prince vowed military action.
Bandar helped negotiate the 1985 Al Yamamah deal, a series of massive arms sales by the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia worth GB£40 billion (US$80 billion), including the sale of more than 100 warplanes. After the deal was signed, British arms manufacturer British Aerospace (now BAE Systems) allegedly funnelled secret payments of at least GB£1 billion (US$2 billion) into two Saudi embassy accounts in Washington
On August 10th, 21st Century Wire expanded on a Reuters news release which reported how Saudi intelligence head, Prince Bandar bin Sultan offered a $15 billion weapons contract to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting on July 31st. Apparently, Russia rebuffed this rather generous offer, because the deal was dependent upon Moscow letting go of its existing arms contracts with the Syrian government in Damascus.
Originally posted by EllaMarina
Ring our representatives' phones off the hook? I can only imagine how that would go down. "Aw look, the little ants are voicing their displeasure. Put that on mute now, would you?"
The only real difference would have to come from within the machine itself. The civilian public may not be influential enough to stop an overseas US war machine-- whole armies would find it a challenge-- but the people carrying out the actual orders might. When the cogs aren't moving, the machine stops, yes?
edit on 1-9-2013 by EllaMarina because: (no reason given)