Retired officers: Iran attack would be a disaster

In a letter [link] to the Sunday Times newspaper, the three former officers urged President Bush to open talks, "without preconditions," with the Iranian government in a bid to find a diplomatic solution.

The officers said an attack "would have disastrous consequences for security in the region, coalition forces in Iraq and would further exacerbate regional and global tensions."

"The current crisis must be resolved through diplomacy," they said.

The United States and several Western allies believe that Iran is using its nuclear program as a cover to produce a nuclear weapon — charges Iran denies, saying its aim is to generate electricity. Last week a respected think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Iran was likely two to three years from having the capacity to build a nuclear weapon.

In a separate letter, Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Writing to The Independent on Sunday newspaper, Rabbi Tony Bayfield, head of reform Judaism in Britain; Lord Harries, the former Anglican Bishop of Oxford; and Imam Abduljalil Sajid of the Brighton Islamic Mission said there was "no justification in international law for attacking Iran militarily and the use of force is not an option at this juncture."

"There is still time to talk and we urge everyone to use it and pray for success," they said.

The West and the Iranian Green Revolution - 1

The uprising in Iran has reminitions of non violent and violent actions by the west to overthrow governments. Is the Green Revolution entirely sponteneaous? In this article I quote from my book The Next War - The Attack on Iran - A Preview.

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Secret US policy is the real story behind the Somali pirates: Africa correspondent

Africa correspondent Thomas C. Mountain in an interview with DeepJournal: The pirates are protected in the military bases of the Ethiopian army in Somalia, a force protected by the United States for serving as the local policeman. Mountain explains that the corrupt Ethiopian military shares the loot of the Somali pirates: 'It's protection money'.

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The Next War: Donkerdoorn vs Daan de Wit (1)

DD: Daan, we now have Obama - the man of change - in Washington. Bush is gone, and with him goes the American threat to Iran. Or so you'd think. We're still hearing that trusty "Bush rhetoric" out of Washington. [...] Are we dealing with schizophrenic American policy here? How do you explain this American position?

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Unconventional weapons used in Gaza, says Norwegian surgeon based in Gaza

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Interview financial expert: more expensive, less to spend, riots in the streets

You have to figure on riots and rebellions taking place, especially in the big cities. Some countries may see revolutions, the Mediterranean countries in particular. At that point government buildings could be set on fire and government employees attacked. You have to consider these kinds of scenarios. In any crisis situation you're going to have people who revolt. In order to see what can happen in a crisis situation we have only to look at what happened in Argentina. People went from being middle class one day to finding themselves below the poverty line the next.

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