Sunday, June 28, 2015

The Pentagon Slush Fund

By Mel Gurtov
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article42259.htm

Make No Mistake: Absolute Evil Does Exist. By The Saker

Make No Mistake: Absolute Evil Does Exist.

By The Saker

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article42266.htm

Former Bush officials teaching course on Iraq War 'decision-making'

THE HILL

Former Bush officials teaching course on Iraq War 'decision-making'

By Kristina Wong - 06/27/15
Paul Wolfowitz and Scooter Libby, two key players in the George W. Bush administration, are teaching a course this fall on decision-making in the 2003 Iraq War.
The course, titled "The War in Iraq: A Study in Decision-Making", will examine some "key strategic decisions" during the war, according to a description by the Hertog Foundation in D.C., which will offer the week-long course.
Wolfowitz, who served as deputy defense secretary between 2001 and 2005, and Libby, who served as national security adviser to then-Vice President Dick Cheney and Bush during that time, both advocated for the war.
"History takes on a different aspect when viewed not from years removed and with the consequences of decisions taken known, but from the viewpoints of the actual policymakers as decisions approached and as unexpected events, rivalries, counter-moves, mistakes, and imperfect understandings intervened," a course description reads. http://thehill.com/policy/defense/246378-former-bush-officials-teaching-course-on-iraq-war-decision-making

These guys always land on their feet with zero accountability. The Hertog Foundation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Hertog

https://hertogfoundation.org/

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Detroit: A Case Study of Oligarchs and Vigilantes Taking Over Public Safety in a Big City

Posted: 27 Jun 2015 03:19 AM PDT

In Detroit, safety is a privilege enjoyed by the white and wealthy.http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/06/detroit-a-case-study-when-oligarchs-and-vigilantes-take-over-public-safety-in-a-big-city.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NakedCapitalism+%28naked+capitalism%29

Friday, June 26, 2015

Vatican signs historic accord with Palestine

http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-vatican-signs-historic-accord-with-palestine-2015-6

AFP More: AFP

Vatican signs historic accord with Palestine

Jun. 26, 2015

Vatican City (AFP) - The Vatican on Friday signed a historic first accord with Palestine, two years after officially recognising it as a state.
The accord, a treaty covering the activities of he Church in the parts of the Holy Land under Palestinian control, was the first since the Vatican recognised Palestine as a state in February 2013.
The product of 15 years of discussions, the agreement was finalised in principle last month and bitterly condemned then by Israel as a setback for the peace process.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Al-Maliki, said at Friday's signing ceremony that it would "not have been possible without the blessing of his Holiness Pope Francis for our efforts to reach it."
The minister said the "historic" accord enshrined Palestine's special status as the birthplace of Christianity and the cradle of the monotheistic religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism).http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-vatican-signs-historic-accord-with-palestine-2015-6

WPR Articles Monday, June 22, 2015 - Friday, June 26, 2015

Kurdish Advances Can Contain the Islamic State, but Not Defeat It

By: Balint Szlanko | Briefing

The war of attrition between Kurdish forces and fighters from the Islamic State in northern Iraq illustrates the weaknesses of both sides. But that also is evident in northern Syria, where despite recent Kurdish advances, allegations of ethnic cleansing could serve as a potent recruiting tool for IS.

America’s Biggest National Security Threats Are at Home, Not Abroad

By: Michael A. Cohen | Column

The discordant U.S. responses to threats at home and abroad reflect a flawed delineation between domestic and foreign issues and their implications for national security. A definition of national security that focuses only on what happens “over there” is no longer relevant in today’s world.

Taiwan Tries to Play Mediator in the South China Sea

By: The Editors | Trend Lines

Last month, Taiwan proposed a peace plan to resolve territorial disputes in the South China Sea and reduce regional tensions. In an interview, Lynn Kuok, a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for East Asia Policy Studies, discussed Taiwan’s role in the South China Sea disputes.

Greece Deal Elusive, but EU Faces Even Tougher Battles Ahead

By: Frida Ghitis | Column

Like much of Europe, the Dutch have been keeping a close eye on talks to avert a Greek default whose consequences could range from very painful to catastrophic. Yet, the dilemma of how or whether to give another lifeline to Greece is only a prelude to a more divisive political battle looming ahead.

Cameron’s EU Referendum: Lucky Gamble or Mission Impossible?

By: Matthias Matthijs | Briefing

David Cameron’s unexpected re-election in May has put a British referendum on its EU membership firmly on the agenda. Assuming Cameron wants his country to stay in the EU, he seems to have picked the right time for a referendum, even though the outcome remains uncertain and could mean more decline in British influence.

South Africa’s Courts Have Become Key Constitutional Defender

By: The Editors | Trend Lines

Last week, South African authorities let Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir fly home and escape his ICC arrest warrant, after South Africa’s High Court tried to prevent him from leaving. In an interview, Pierre de Vos, professor of constitutional law at the University of Cape Town, discussed South Africa’s judiciary.

Technical Fixes Not Enough to Shore Up U.N. Peacekeeping

By: Richard Gowan | Column

Last week, the U.N. released a report by an expert panel on the future of peace operations that does not at first glance seem like an exceptionally enticing text. On closer inspection, it proves to be a subtly subversive summary of what is wrong with peace operations, and the entire U.N., today.

Aligning Justice and Security Interventions to Revamp the U.N.

By: Ellen Laipson | Trend Lines

As the U.N. turns 70, this grand edifice of mid-20th century geopolitics needs serious refurbishing to align its capabilities with the demands of the 21st-century world. One area in need of particular attention is the nexus between justice and security, especially in postconflict environments.

Decade of Exile: Syria and the Middle East’s Refugee Crisis

By: Michael Kagan | Feature

To understand the impact of forced migration in the Middle East today, it is artificial to focus only on the Syrian refugee crisis. Over the past 10 years, the region has seen two massive waves of forced migration that left 6 million people uprooted. Things may get worse before they get better.

EU’s Energy Dependence on Russia Hard to Kick

By: Richard Weitz | Column

Last week, Russia and Greece negotiated an agreement for Greece’s participation in the Turkish Stream gas pipeline that will transport Russian gas via Turkey to European markets. The deal highlights the difficulties the EU will face in efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian energy sources.

Uganda’s Museveni Succeeds Where Others Fail in Eluding Term Limits

By: Andrew Green | Briefing

Burundi’s Pierre Nkurunziza and other presidents trying to subvert term limits could all take a lesson from their neighbor, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Having disposed of term limits a decade ago, Museveni is set to run for his fifth term next year, in a campaign that seems as much a coronation as a contest.

Russia Capitalizes on U.S. Missteps to Put Middle East Back in Play

By: Michael Kofman | Briefing

Russia’s joint naval exercises with Egypt in the Mediterranean this month put into sharper relief its resurgent ties in the Middle East, where it is steadily reviving a meaningful role for itself. Russia has walked through doors the U.S. left open, pursuing profit and opportunity, though not a grand strategy.

As Time Runs Out, All Sides Moving Toward Compromise on Greek Bailout

By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines

Another round of bailout talks between Greece and its creditors ended without a deal on Thursday, with a last-ditch effort scheduled for Saturday. While many observers are preparing for the worst-case scenario of a Greek exit from the eurozone, there are signs that both sides are slowly moving closer together.

Behind Latin America’s Anti-Mining Protests: Water Concerns

By: Lyuba Zarsky | Briefing

Mining conflicts are intensifying across Latin America, with 218 mining projects embroiled in conflicts with communities from Mexico to Argentina. One issue above all is driving the protests: water, which is heavily used and polluted in many projects. Without reforms, conflicts will only escalate.

U.S. Military Should Lead the Way in Disavowing Confederate Imagery

By: Steven Metz | Column

Over the past 75 years, the U.S. military has been used to advance the cause of expanding civil rights several times. Now the U.S. is again entering a great debate on rights that the military can and should play a major role in: expunging America of its sordid tradition of glorifying the Confederacy.

Supreme Court opinion on same sex marriage - The Washington Post

Supreme Court opinion on same sex marriage - The Washington Post

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf?utm_source=EmailDirect.com&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=6-26-15+weekly+update+Campaign

Roberts's dissent on Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/roberts-dissent-on-supreme-court-same-sex-marriage-ruling/1606/

The Supreme Court has just ruled that gay marriage is legal nationwide.

The Supreme Court has just ruled that gay marriage is legal nationwide.
Justice Anthony Kennedy issued the 5-4 ruling, finding that the Fourteenth Amendment requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex.
The justices explored two key questions about same-sex unions during their arguments in April:
1) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex?
2) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state?
This was the second time America's high court took up same-sex marriage. The first time, in June 2013, the high court struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), allowing the US government to recognize same-sex marriages in states where they were already legal.
But the high court declined to rule on the broader question about gay marriage: Is there a Constitutional right to gay marriage?
The court's 2013 decision on DOMA has spawned battles across the country over same-sex marriage — including one in Alabama, where courts have issued conflicting rulings leading to an uncertain fate for gay couples.
That latest case reviewed a decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to uphold same-sex marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and looked at whether those bans violated the Fourteenth Amendment.
That amendment guarantees Americans "equal protection under the law" and the right to "due process of law."
In their petition asking the Supreme Court to hear the case, same-sex couples argued that Kentucky's same-sex marriage ban "marks the same-sex relationships and the families they create as less valuable and less worthy of respect than opposite-sex relationships."
That mark creates a stigma, the petition continued, which is "incompatible with the bedrock Constitutional principles animating the Fourteenth Amendment."

SEE ALSO: The Supreme Court just granted a huge victory to women trying to have it all

How Russia Could Make or Break the Iran Deal

Washington wants to make sure the world will reimpose sanctions the second Tehran violates the terms of its agreement. But will Moscow surrender its treasured U.N. veto?

https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/06/24/how-russia-could-make-or-break-the-iran-deal/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Flashpoints&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign

CFR Update: EU Reaches Deal on Migration Crisis

TOP OF THE AGENDA

EU Reaches Deal on Migration Crisis

EU leaders reached an agreement (WSJ) for the relocation and settlement of forty thousand migrant asylum seekers in Europe over the next two years on Thursday. However, the bloc failed to agree on mandatory quotas amid deep divisions (EU Observer) among EU leaders, with France, Poland, and a dozen other members rejecting the possibility of binding intake quotas to address the migration crisis. According to the latest numbers from the UN refugee agency, 125,000 migrants have arrived (BBC) in Italy and Greece by sea this year. Earlier this week, the EU launched its first military operation against human smugglers in the Mediterranean.

ANALYSIS

"We are at a crossroads and we need to decide if events in the Mediterranean are everyone’s problem, or only that of the countries in the region. If solidarity and responsibility prevail, solutions can be found: from the number of people to be admitted, to identification and readmission operations, and funding. However, if selfishness and fear prevail, we risk losing the noble idea underpinning the European project," writes Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in the Guardian.

"A solution that is both humane and workable must necessarily include foreign policy and a better distribution of the burden among the 28 member states. Whatever the results, the fact that there is now an open conversation on migrations at the highest level of the EU should be welcomed as good news," writes Mattia Toaldo at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

"With this race to the bottom, EU countries appear to have abandoned solidarity, thereby jeopardizing one of the crowning achievements of European integration: free movement within the Schengen zone. Moreover, this response reflects a lack of awareness of the benefits that adherence to the principle of burden-sharing affords all EU countries. Short-term domestic political imperatives are trumping common sense," writes Peter Sutherland in Project Syndicate.

Vatican signs historic accord with Palestine

http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-vatican-signs-historic-accord-with-palestine-2015-6

Holy See and Palestine Sign Comprehensive Agreement

The Holy See has signed a Comprehensive Agreement with the State of Palestine today. The agreement defines the juridical status of the Catholic Church in the country as well as officially recognizing Palestine as a State. It also promotes a two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In an address...

400+ ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome / by Junno Arocho Este... / 1h

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/holy-see-and-palestine-sign-comprehensive-agreement

Washington National Cathedral dean: It’s time to remove stained-glass windows with Confederate flags

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/06/25/washington-national-cathedral-dean-its-time-to-remove-stained-glass-windows-with-confederate-flags/

Ebola Update

** EBOLA
------------------------------

------------------------------
Rebuilding Liberia’s Health Systems
In the wake of Ebola, Liberia is straining to rebuild its health systems. Taking a close look at how the outbreak affected one hard-hit hospital, Elaisha Stokes paints a vivid picture of how great the challenge is proving.

To be better prepared for the next outbreak, Liberia needs better lab facilities, a rapid response team, and people to staff facilities. Standing in the way, bureaucratic hurdles have kept hazard pay out of the pockets of doctors and health workers, while hundreds of thousands in donor funds are unaccounted for.
Al Jazeera (http://america.aljazeera.com/multimedia/2015/6/after-ebola-outbreak-liberias-health-care-system-struggles-to-rebound.html)

Related: Nearly instantaneous, finger-prick Ebola test could be a game-changer – Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/06/25/fast-ebola-diagnostic-test-could-be-a-game-changer/)

Related: Could Ramadan Help End Ebola in Sierra Leone? – Ebola Deeply (http://www.eboladeeply.org/articles/2015/06/7994/ramadan-ebola-sierra-leone/)

Related: Meager post-Ebola harvests worsen food insecurity in West Africa – MongaBay (http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0625-parshley-ebola-affects-west-african-harvests.html)

Global Health Update: Universal health coverage

** UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE
------------------------------

------------------------------
The State of Obamacare
With the Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday affirming that health insurance consumers can receive federal subsidies—a key pillar of Obamacare—the future of state-based exchanges may be in jeopardy.

States that started exchanges but are having difficulties may let the feds take over. For example, Hawaii’s exchange is collapsing while Vermont’s looks shaky. Even places like Washington and Minnesota, which are performing relatively well, may opt out in the face of technical challenges, according to the The New York Times.

“There is no new money now to build new infrastructure, and there are no grants available to fix these systems if they’re struggling,” said Heather Howard, the director of the State Health Reform Assistance Network at Princeton University, which was set up to advise states on exchange building. “So the only path forward may be to use HealthCare.gov.”
The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/26/upshot/obamacare-ruling-may-have-just-killed-state-based-exchanges.html?WT.mc_id=D-NYT-MKTG-MOD-51993-HD&WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_c=100000003763352&abt=0002&abg=0)

ACA Supporters Cheer
Jubilant consumer advocates celebrated the Affordable Care Act’s survival of its second Supreme Court test in 3 years.

The ACA still faces several lawsuits, although some believe Thursday's decision will discourage judges from advancing the cases.

Even if legal challenges to the law disappear, health insurers, doctors and hospitals face broad uncertainty. Among the top reasons: Signups for 2015 exchange coverage were lackluster.
NPR (http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/06/25/417431609/supreme-court-upholds-obamacare-subsidies)

Applesauce and Jiggery-Pokery
Sahil Kapur, a reporter for Bloomberg Politics, has collected the 8 best lines of the Obamacare ruling in The Fine Print column, summing up everything everyone needs to know in a colorful nutshell.

Among the highlights: Justice Antonin Scalia’s sardonic “Pure applesauce” dissent; the use of the word “jiggery-pokery” and the alliterative appeal of the phrase, “somersaults of statutory interpretation.”
Bloomberg Politics (http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-06-25/the-8-best-passages-from-the-supreme-court-s-huge-obamacare-ruling)

Related: 'We Doubt That Is What Congress Meant to Do'—The Atlantic (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/we-doubt-that-this-is-what-congress-meant-to-do/396839/)

Google Makes A Big Bet On… Alabama?

By Jacob Pramuk | CNBC, Thursday, June 25, 2015 2:00 PM

Google is rolling the dice on Alabama. (Tweet this) The Internet and technology giant plans to build a new data center in the state at the site of a former coal-fired power plant. In a blog post Wednesday, Google said the center—its 14th globally—will repurpose the plant’s existing infrastructure to run on renewable energy. Google… Keep reading →

http://breakingenergy.com/2015/06/25/google-makes-a-big-bet-on-alabama/?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=19592708&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9jHwjGe5NVWynP2hbPnzmBhwiakDSfoy4ob0PWBMs6BxvY3fsx08AR7t9jnrBRfAjTGXqvw83sVR4Mad6IL4b9L3-uhA&_hsmi=19592708

The Bankruptcy of America’s Elites

Posted: 26 Jun 2015 12:48 AM PDT

Why America's elites have failed.http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2015/06/the-bankruptcy-of-americas-elites.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NakedCapitalism+%28naked+capitalism%29

The Week With IPS 6/25

2015/6/25	Click here for the online version of this IPS newsletter


	Heat Wave Picking Off Pakistan’s Urban Poor Zofeen Ebrahim Over 950 people have perished in just five days. The morgues, already filled to capacity, are piling up with bodies, and in over-crowded hospitals the threat of further deaths hangs in the air. Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, home to over 23 million people, is gasping in the grip of a dreadful ... MORE > >

	Security Council Action on Gaza War Crimes a Non-Starter Thalif Deen When a U.N. panel released a 217-page report accusing both Israel and Hamas of possible war crimes committed during the 50-day conflict in Gaza last July, the chances of Security Council action were remote because of the traditional U.S. commitment to stand by Israel – right or wrong, mostly ... MORE > >

	Costa Rican Women Try to Pull Legal Therapeutic Abortion Out of Limbo Diego Arguedas Ortiz The lack of clear regulations and guidelines on therapeutic abortion in Costa Rica means women depend on the interpretation of doctors with regard to the circumstances under which the procedure can be legally practiced. Article 121 of Costa Rica’s penal code stipulates that abortion is only ... MORE > >

	Grenada Rebuilds Barrier Reefs Desmond Brown The Eastern Caribbean nation of Grenada is following the example of its bigger neighbours Belize and Jamaica in taking action to restore coral reefs, which serve as frontline barriers against storm waves. Coral reefs also play an extremely important role in the Caribbean tourism economy, as well ... MORE > >

	On Kenya’s Coast, a Struggle for the Sacred Miriam Gathigah Travel into the heart of Kenya’s southern Coast Province, nearly 500 km from the capital city of Nairobi, and you will come across one of the planet’s most curious World Heritage Sites: the remains of several fortified villages, revered by the indigenous Mijikenda people as the sacred abodes of ... MORE > >

	Studying and Working Poses New Challenges for Argentina’s Youth Fabiana Frayssinet Until not too long ago, youngsters in Argentina faced a choice: whether to study or drop out and go to work. But now most children and adolescents in Argentina who work also continue to study – a change that poses new challenges for combating school dropout, repetition and truancy, as well as the ... MORE > >

	Critics of World Bank-Funded Projects in the Line of Fire Kanya D'Almeida For an entire month beginning in February 2015, a group of between 40 and 50 residents of the Durgapur Village in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand would gather at the site of a hydroelectric power project being carried out by the state-owned Tehri Hydro Development Corporation ... MORE > >

	Take Good News on Afghanistan’s Reconstruction With a ‘Grain of Salt’ Kanya D'Almeida Since 2002, a year after it invaded Afghanistan, the United States has poured over 100 billion dollars into developing and rebuilding this country of just over 30 million people. This sum is in addition to the trillions spent on U.S. military operations, to say nothing of the deaths of 2,000 ... MORE > >

	Amazon Dam also Brings Health Infrastructure for Local Population Mario Osava Extensive public health infrastructure and the eradication of malaria will be the most important legacy of the construction of the Belo Monte hydropower dam in Brazil’s Amazon jungle for the population affected by the megaproject. In the six municipalities in the area of the dam, where an action ... MORE > >

	U.N. Takes First Step Towards Treaty to Curb Lawlessness in High Seas Thalif Deen The 193-member General Assembly adopted a resolution Friday aimed at drafting a legally binding international treaty for the conservation of marine biodiversity and to govern the mostly lawless high seas beyond national jurisdiction. The resolution was the result of more than nine years of ... MORE > >