In this context, people do not always realize that a war is never planned, executed or even anticipated in a matter of weeks. Military operations take months and even years to prepare. A classical example is Operation Overlord (popularly identified as “D-Day”), which resulted in the Battle of Normandy and the invasion of France. Operation Overlord took place on June 6, 1944, but the preparations for the military operation took eighteen months, “officially,” to set the stage for the invasion of the French coast. It was during a meeting in Casablanca, Morocco in January, 1943 that the U.S. President, F.D. Roosevelt, and the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, outlined a strategy to invade Normandy.1
The “Downing Street memo2” even confirms that the decision to go to war with Iraq in 2003 was decided in 2002 by the United States and Britain, and thus the preparations for war with Iraq were in reality started in 2002, a year before the invasion of Iraq took place. The preparations for the invasion of Iraq took at least a full year to arrange.
The period from 1991 to 2003 has seen continuous military operations against Iraq by the Anglo-American alliance. This period that has lasted for over a decade saw stages of heavy bombardment and major air strikes on a crippled Iraqi republic and its citizens. In reality, the conditions for the groundwork and preparations of the invasion and eventual occupation of Iraq took over ten years to materialize. Iraq was weakened and its strength diluted within these ten years.
Even prior to this decade of Anglo-American bombardment and U.N. sanctions, Iraq was caught in an eight years with Iran in the 1980s. The war between Iran and Iraq was also fuelled and organized by the United States to weaken both. In retrospect, the manipulation of a war between Iran and Iraq to weaken both states seems to be strategic planning in preparation for future military operations against them. In this time preparations were also being made by securing the Balkans for future Anglo-American operations. The Balkans is adjacent to the Middle East and is also a geographic extension of the region. Preparations were made by expanding NATO, shifting military bases eastward, and securing energy routes. Dismantling the state of Yugoslavia was also a part of this objective. Yugoslavia was the regional power of the Balkans and Southeast Europe. This was done through close coordination between the Anglo-American alliance and NATO. Now all eyes are on Iran and Syria. Will there be another Anglo-American initiated war in the Middle East?
http://tinyurl.com/hya7c
[Edit - Submitted October 02 PM, a more informative link. Good timing, as the previous link from Al-Arab appears hooped. Time and datestamp of story submission changed. Dr.C]
The March to War: Naval build-up in the Persian Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The full article is at the Quebec-based Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG). There are some very important articles on North American integration.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.phpcontext=viewArticle&code=NAZ20061001&articleId=3361
The version from Al-Arab is incomplete...
[Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on October 4, 2006]
Note: http://tinyurl.com/hya7c
http://www.globalresear...

Mike
Winnipeg
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Expect little from life and get more from it.
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"Son, if you wanna get ahead in this world, never work for another man as long as you live."
Anyone see "V" for Vendetta?
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"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche
“NATO spokesmen in Afghanistan have reported that by February 2007 General McNeil of the U.S. Army will take over command of NATO forces in Afghanistan, called the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and American troops in Afghanistan. This means that American troops and NATO troops, which have been under separate command structures, will now be joined under one command structure in Afghanistan.78 The media has pointed to the fact that U.S. troops would be under NATO command. But what is really at stake is that a U.S. General is now overseeing NATO forces.
Roughly 12,000 mostly American troops in Afghanistan will begin to integrate with NATO in October 2006. The top NATO command post in Afghanistan is currently headed by Lieutenant -General David Richards of Britain. In the case of a conflict with Iran, NATO troops in Afghanistan would attack Iran. Similalry, NATO troops stationed in Lebanon would attack Syria.”
Canada made the decision, however weak it was, not to go to war against Iraq. In the case of a similar crime against Iran we would be drawn in automatically under NATO, which is now no more than a US tool. Most Canadians I’m sure would find this appalling.
Yet many Canadians support our Afghani mission based on sheer ignorance of the broader implications. Leaders in the West still attempt to lay claim to some kind of nebulous moral authority. One must ask, where or what is this moral authority? Does moral authority lie at the bottom of an oil well, because I certainly can’t find it?
Mike
Winnipeg
Canada has sent frigates and destroyers to patrol the Gulf since Gulf War I, to enforce the UN sanctions against Iraq.
"How many countries in the Middle East or Persian Gulf have submarines? "
3 I believe. In addition to Iran, Iraq has some IIRC, but they have been siezed and in dry dock since they were built in Italy for many years. Isreal also has many very advanced subs, including some very fancy new German built subs.
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"I think it's important to always carry enough technology to restart civilization, should it be necessary." Mark Tilden
Which is a very old poem.
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"I think it's important to always carry enough technology to restart civilization, should it be necessary." Mark Tilden
Its called Manifest Destiny and its the reason for the land theft and genocide of aboriginals in the Americas and other parts of the world as well as any other group the white man has deemed to be beneath him. Because they are seen to be inferior, they need to be "saved" and if they dont want to be saved, then they will be saved by the sword.
Mike
These excersises are a common event. Canadas role is as the "anti-submarine" portion of a Commonwealth or NATO fleet. WHERE the exercises takes place is the question. In the early 70s these (NATO)exercises took place in the pacific but only days from Viet Nam. This was the same time the USA was contemplating evacuating from that country. The Americans changed the schedual and the evacuation hadn't occured at that time.
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Expect little from life and get more from it.
Nothing changes much. After very war is declared, we will stand back and say "when will they ever learn". Mankind craves power and will never change. The threat of the Atom Bomb is trivial today. We have a country that has spent billions to develop even worse weapons and the leader to prevent any others. That power isn't enough for them and they will do anything to see they have the monoply.
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Expect little from life and get more from it.
And do ya know what?
As much as I would like to argue for human perception and common sense I cannot, not at least in the sense of humanity or mankind as a whole.
Any so called ‘cravings’ man has have, by in large, been programmed into his psyche’ and any real cravings he has for human reason vanish like a puff of smoke due to the excellent job done on us.
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Diogenes said:
"I am Diogenes the Dog. I nuzzle the kind, bark at the greedy and bite scoundrels."