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abolition-usa-digest     Thursday, March 25 1999     Volume 01 : Number 096




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

Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 00:10:32 -0800
From: "David Crockett Williams" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fw: European analysts see Iranian hand behind Kosovo conflict

- -----Original Message-----
From: Koenig's International News <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail] <[e-mail]>
Date: Wednesday, March 24, 1999 5:17 PM
Subject: European analysts see Iranian hand behind Kosovo conflict


>Note from Bill Koenig:
>
>Here is an article from today's World Tribune. The author Steve
>Rodan use to work for the Jerusalem Post.
>
>This is an interesting perspective on the Kosovo situation and
>shows the complexity of this battle.
>
>Reuven Paz, who teaches at Haifa University, is regarded as one of
>Israel=92s leading researchers of radical Islamic movements,
>particularly Hamas. He says Iran and Saudi Arabia view the
>conflicts in Kosovo and Bosnia as that pitting Islam against
>Christianity.
>
>This could also create a situation where the Russians, Chinese and
>the radical Islamic people come against the United States and NATO
>allies?
>
>Will this produce a nuclear showdown with Russia?
>
>As discussed in an earlier e-mail, Russian Prime Minister Primakov
>turned around and went back to Russia to meet with his top military
>officials,  rather than continuing his much needed trip to
>Washington.
>
>************
>
>European analysts see Iranian hand behind Kosovo conflict
>By Steve Rodan
>Today's story link is
>http://www.worldtribune.com/index-newsflash.html
>
>SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
>Wednesday, March 24, 1999
>
>To most in the West, the fighting in Kosovo is the result of an
>oppressive Yugoslav regime that seeks to quell independence for an
>Albanian majority in the province.  But quietly European defense
>and diplomatic representatives regard the Kosovo rebellion as a
>success of radical Islamic states, such as Iran, and groups such as
>that of Osama Bin Laden.
>
>As they see it, Kosovo has become the latest and most significant
>arena for radical Islamic states and groups that seek to widen
>their influence in Europe. Nobody argues that Islamic elements
>fomented the conflicts in the Balkans.  But they say Iran, Saudi
>Arabia and some of their terrorist beneficiaries have exploited the
>fighting to establish a sphere of influence that spans from Greece
>to the Austrian border.
>
>Islamic groups as far away as Pakistan have called for support of
>the fighters in Kosovo. "The type of cruel and oppressive tactics
>followed by Serb aggressors in Kosovo and the Balkans is a
>declaration of war against humanity and the whole Muslim Ummah,"
>the Jamaat Islami, Pakistan, said in a recent statement.
>
>That realization, the diplomats and defense sources say, is why
>European leaders are increasingly hesitant in approving NATO
>strikes against Yugoslavia.
>
>"The gap between the public political rhetoric and the private
>professional discussions is huge," a European defense official
>said. "Europe is beginning to realize that Kosovo is not just about
>a rebellion. It=92s about a growing Iranian attempt to support and
>dominate movements in states in Europe."
>
>Reuven Paz, who teaches at Haifa University, is regarded as one of
>Israel=92s leading researchers of radical Islamic movements,
>particularly Hamas. He says Iran and Saudi Arabia view the
>conflicts in Kosovo and Bosnia as that pitting Islam against
>Christianity.
>
>"All of the Sunni Muslim groups as well as Iran are making lots of
>propaganda for Kosovo and see it as a symbol," Paz said. "As Europe
>tries to unite, there could be a lot more unity between the Muslims
>on the margins of Europe. There is potential that this unity could
>be used in a hostile way."
>
>Western intelligence sources as well as diplomats said the major
>supporter of the Kosovo Liberation Army has been Iran and Islamic
>radicals. They said the Iranian influence began during the Yugoslav
>civil war in which thousands of Islamic fighters, called
>mujahadeen, were brought from Afghanistan to help Bosnian forces.
>
>With the establishment of an independent republic, Iran quickly
>gained control of the government in Sarajevo. The mujahadeen, up to
>7,000 of them, were allowed to stay and many of them married local
>Muslim women. Iran moved it with financial aid to the Muslim
>government that amounted to tens of millions of dollars annually.
>
>By the mid-1990s, Iranian agents established a base in Albania,
>which has not had a central government in nearly a decade. Iranian
>Revolutionary Guards provided weapons, money and training to Kosovo
>rebels. Iranian and Saudi representatives launched charities and
>banks.
>
>>From Albania, Iranian agents moved to Kosovo. In Prizren, Iranian
>envoys formed a society funded by the Iranian Culture Center in
>Belgrade and sent groups of Kosovars to Iran to study militant
>Islam.
>
>By 1998, Iran was smuggling in weapons and fighters, the sources
>said. Commando units entered Kosovo last May to help the KLA. These
>units were comprised of Albanians, Bosnians, Egyptians, Macedonians
>and Saudis.  By August, the Saudis were ordered to leave the units
>and Riyad, strapped financially, reduced financial support to the
>KLA.
>
>"It=92s clear that this is an issue on the Islamic agenda," says Boaz
>Ganor, director of the International Policy Institute of
>Counterterrorism, based in Herzliya, Israel. "This phenomenon is
>marked by waves. First, the mujahadeen were in Afghanistan. Then
>the war ended and they had nothing to do. The Kosovo arena for them
>is both ideological and a source of employment."
>
>The weapons and money have been smuggled from both Albania and
>Bosnia. In December, Croatian authorities said they seized close to
>$1 million of weapons brought from Bosnia that was headed for
>Kosovo. The route for smuggling, regional diplomats say, has been
>the Adriatic Sea.
>
>Other weapons were smuggled in cargo shipments classified as
>humanitarian aid. One such shipment was uncovered by Croatian
>police in the port of Split in September. Several tons of weapons
>and ammunition were stored in crates marked humanitarian aid.
>
>Yugoslav authorities say the weapons include rifles, mortars and
>communications systems made in the United States and Israel.
>
>Today, says the Federation of American Scientists, a prominent
>group of researchers which often consults U.S.  administrations,
>the KLA contains 1,000 mercenaries from Albania, Saudi Arabia,
>Afghanistan, Bosnia, Croatia and Yemen. KLA training camps are in
>four Albanian cities under the influence of former Albanian
>President Sali Berisha.
>Yugoslav officials say the KLA=92s goal is to sever Kosovo from
>Yugoslavia and merge it with Albania. But Western strategists go
>further. They say an Islamic Kosovo could serve as a bridge for an
>Iranian sphere of influence that would soon join Albania in the
>east to Bosnia in the west.  They say Macedonia, which also
>contains a significant Muslim population, would soon succumb to
>Iranian control.
>
>The argument is echoed by KLA representatives themselves in their
>arguments for Muslim support. At the Islamabad conference, a KLA
>envoy, according to a report by the London-based monthly Filistin
>al-Muslimah, "explained the geographical and strategic importance
>of Kosovo in the connection between the Islamic centers of Bosnia,
>Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia."
>
>Quietly, the Iranian element in Kosovo is being discussed in
>Washington, particularly in Congress. Analysts have warned that
>U.S. troops in Kosovo under the NATO umbrella would be more
>vulnerable than ever as Islamic agents would smuggle weapons and
>people from Bosnia and Albania.
>
>"At this point, however, nobody is really listening," a
>congressional analyst says. "The Belgrade government and Milosevic,
>in particular, has been so clumsy in dealing with Kosovo that all
>the real issues have been lost. Everybody is talking about
>Milosevic as the evil man of Europe as if his removal solves
>everything."
>
>The concern of European strategists is that an Iranian sphere of
>influence would do greater damage to such Western countries as
>Britain, France and Germany.  France has about two million Muslims,
>most of them poor and alienated. Britain has about 1.5 million.
>
>"The United States might not realize it, but many European
>countries have serious minority problems," a Central European
>diplomat says. "Once these minorities feel that they can obtain the
>support of NATO, we could see flare-ups everywhere. Nobody really
>knows the answer to Kosovo but many of us feel that giving the KLA
>an air force is the worst solution possible."
>
>
>
>Koenig's International News - Bill Koenig - http://watch.org/
>Post Office Box 671164, Dallas, TX 75367
>________________________________________________________________________
>FishNet: Internet service for business and ministry  http://www.fni.com/
>
>To subscribe or unsubscribe by Web: http://watch.org/watch-news.html
>
>To subscribe to the list send mail to     [e-mail]
>with no subject and a single body line:   subscribe
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>



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

Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 00:22:18 -0800
From: "Peter Coombes" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Grade 12 student condemns war

The following is an opinion piece by a grade 12 student published on Monday
in The Vancouver Province. A timely article given that NATO has begun its
futile attempt to bomb Yugoslavia to submit to western demands. You can
contact the Province with your letter at fax [phone] or email:
[e-mail], or mail The Province, 200 Granville Street,
Suite 1, Vancouver BC V6C 3N3 Canada. Students like Julie Harwood deserve to
know that people around the world support her efforts.


The Vancouver Province
Monday, March 22, 1999
Youth View

Julie Harwood

"War a poisonous rodent on the landscape of humanity"

Rat.

A common blight running throughout the sewers of time, dirty scum spreading
disease and destruction with every scramble it makes to avoid the truth of
daylight.

What would make a man so desperate that he would eat one of the most
revolting creatures ever to lick the face of this earth?

War has always been portrayed as a romantic and exciting voyage into the
realm of glory, honour and power for any young man who chooses to join the
ranks of its army. Nothing was told to young men of the "splendours" of war:
The starvation, the bloody deaths, the massacring of souls guilty of nothing
but believing the tales of promised heroism and patriotism. Death, in any
sense of the word, was merely an afterthought to those propagandizing
potential recruits; it was the small print of the contract, so to speak.
Millions of valuable lives signed over to be killed - each one another name
added to the growing book of war's true prizes.

One rat, would cause a small amount of damage. One hundred rats, together,
would cause massive destruction. One thousand rats, united in a purpose,
would cause chaos.

Alone, one same human being would cause little troubles. But fighting
against the parts of its own body, the whole of mankind has the power to
cause destruction of itself.

Now the realities of war are being discussed without oppression. Decades
after the Great Wars of this century, truths only known to those initiated
into the secret of fraternity of war have been revealed. It was not only
"the enemy" that struck down the innocent lives of so many young men. There
was starvation, suffocation and exposure too - if you were lucky. If you
weren't so lucky, you ended up permanently crippled with perhaps no left arm
or no right eye. Or else you ended up losing your mind.

What killed many soldiers, though they may still have lived, were the
monstrous psychological problems that occurred from witnessing mass murders,
friends or even enemies being blown apart into bloody bits. Those who
"survived" then felt their bodies start to wither away slowly, so that they
couldn't stand it. That is why men ate rats.

What should we be learning about war today? Definitely not its glory, its
heroism, or its romance. Now that we know the truth we can never go back -
but we do.

Why is it that we still go to war, fighting like violent siblings over
issues that could easily be resolved over brunch and a cup of coffee? Maybe
that is an exaggeration, but then again, so is war. It is the most extreme
tactic of problem-solving; the one that all "great" leaders of our time seem
to jump to if they cannot fix the problems when they want to.

We have a slogan today: "Violence is not the answer."

Maybe we should take our own advice.

Why is that after learning all this of war young men still willingly and
excitedly join the army to serve our great country or any other country?
Because the propaganda is still alive. We have not killed the same lies that
attracted young men all those decades ago and throughout history. Somehow,
those promises of recognition overpower those of death and dying, of being
crippled and scarred both physically and mentally.

It is one of the greatest faults of humankind: Vanity.

War is not fought over what it is said to be fought over. It is fought for
prestige, for dominance, for some secret fantasy of our "leaders."

That is what we should be learning about war. We should be learning about
why we really have it so we can prevent it. It makes no sense to fight a war
for the future good of our world if we have to kill off one-third of the
population to do so.

Rats cannot be prevented. An infestation can be controlled by an expert, but
we cannot seem to completely exterminate them. They keep coming back. Just
like the ugly demon-head of war.

Rats show their beady little eyes when exposed to light. So does war when
compared to reality. Demon eyes.

Rats are some of the most despicable creatures on this Earth. War is one of
the most abhorrent sides of human nature.

Mankind ate rats.

It also swallowed war.


Julie Harwood is a Grade 12 student at H.J. Cambie secondary in Richmond.
British Columbia Canada.


Letter to the editor from Peter Coombes
In praise of Julie Harwood
Currently unpublished

Dear editor,

On Monday I was inspired and intellectually challenged by Julie Harwood's
opinion piece in The Province "War a poisonous rodent on the landscape of
humanity." Not only is Harwood an excellent writer but she demonstrates a
keen sense of insight into the horrors of war and its political failures.

As the western world once again prepares to bomb Kosovo Harwood's statements
ring a resounding truth. Few will ask the real questions: why are we bombing
Kosovo and what will we accomplish? We know Chretien's motivation to support
NATO bombings are less then honourable and Clinton's need to bomb are even
more suspect.

As Harwood said: "War is not fought over what it is said to be fought over.
It is fought for prestige, for dominance, for some secret fantasy of our
'leaders.'" Bombing Kosovo is no exception. The ten year unspoken war
against Iraq is the epitome of a power struggle. In either case it is the
civilian population who will suffer the most.

Harwood, a grade 12 student, may have demonstrated that the generation gap
has never been greater. The boomer generation should blush. Representing
them is Bill Clinton's "B-52" foreign policy diplomacy against Khartoum,
Afghanistan, Iraq and Yugoslavia. And, across Canada newspaper editors,
predominately boomers, not only dismiss calls for nuclear weapons abolition
by Robert McNamara and Retired General Lee Butler, but they also shun any
positive moves toward "no first use of nuclear weapons."

I suspect that Julie Harwood's sensible, practical and humane opinion is
representative of her whole generation and that one day soon she and her
peers will begin dismantling the oppression of war. Thank you Julie Harwood.

Sincerely yours,
Peter Coombes
President of End the Arms Race




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

Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 09:46:44 -0500
From: Norm and Karen Cohen <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) kossovo statement

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Attached is our statement on the bombing of Yugoslavia and Kossovo

Norm Cohen

- --
  >
Coalition for Peace and Justice
UNPLUG Salem Campaign
PO Box 2344, Cape May, NJ 08204
609-886-7988 or 609-889-8667


=93Not a mile from here are people living 10 to a room, and few streets
further on
they=92re sleeping in doorways and boxes, some of them children.........
- -Paul Kantner, Shadowlands

=93We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of
our nation, and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human
hands can make these humans any less
our brothers=94
- -Martin Luther King, 1967, Riverside Church


- --------------6FD4AD48EF9E67CB80E533E1
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                                              COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTIC=
E
                                      PO BOX 2344, CAPE MAY, NJ 08204
                                      609-886-7988/889-8667              =
   [e-mail]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
03/25/99

             LOCAL PEACE GROUP DEMANDS END TO BOMBING OF KOSSOVO

    The Steering Committee of the Coalition for Peace and Justice met Wed=
nesday night and agreed to issue the following position statement on the =
US bombing of Serbia and Kossovo:
      The US and the world community often seems to wait until a crisis g=
ets to a such a critical state that military force appears to be the only=
 option left for the United States to pursue if our country is to have an=
y influence in ending a crisis such as Kossovo. What is tragic is that or=
dinary Serbia and Kossovar citizens are the ones who are suffering and wi=
ll suffer from this conflict. Bombing Serbia and Kossovo will have the sa=
me effect as bombing Iraq: the deaths of innocent civilians.
   As a peace and justice organization we do not condone Serbia=92s atroc=
ities towards the Albanian Kossovors, and Serbia=92s removal of autonomy =
for Kossovo. We oppose the continuation of a Serbian police state in Koss=
ovo. By the same token, however, we cannot condone the actions taken by t=
he Kossovo Liberation Army, from guerrilla terrorism to now outright war.=
 We also do not condone the use of force by the United States and its NAT=
O surrogate in a vain attempt to stop the civil war in Serbia and Kossovo=
. Using war to stop war is not the answer.
     This situation illustrates the danger of having the United States ac=
t as a unilateral =93world=92s policeman=94. It shows the need for the wo=
rld to move in the direction of a democratically controlled United Nation=
s police force able to defend UN humanitarian missions and able to arrest=
 international criminals such as the Serbian leader.
    In the short term we urge the President Clinton and Congress to halt =
this fruitless bombing campaign that will only result in the deaths of ci=
vilians and US servicemen and women. We urge Serbia and the KLA to agree =
to an immediate cease-fire. We urge the UN to bring humanitarian relief t=
o Kossovo for the hundreds of thousands of innocent refugees. And we urge=
 a renewal of intensive diplomatic effort by the world community, and esp=
ecially by Russia, to convince Serbia to agree to a cease-fire and to neg=
otiate in good faith. We urge that the embargo against Serbia be strength=
ened, and that the international community speak as one in condemning atr=
ocities and violence on all sides of this conflict.
     As we enter the new millennium, the world must find solutions to con=
flicts between countries and within countries that are non-violent soluti=
ons. It would be a tragedy to bring war and violence, the worst legacy of=
 the 20th century, into a new millennium.

Written by:  Norm Cohen, Executive Director - 609-886-7988
                   David Alcantera, Co-Chair  -         609-485-0114
                   Chuck Melchior, Legislative Chair - 609-652-9078=20


- --------------6FD4AD48EF9E67CB80E533E1--


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 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
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------------------------------

Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 09:43:48 -0500
From: Norm and Karen Cohen <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) protests against yogoslav bombing

Jim Kleissler wrote:

> >>March 24, 1999
> >>
> >>Attention: Assignment Editor
> >>Press Contact: Brian Becker, Deirdre Sinnott
> >>For: Immediate Release
> >>
> >>ANTI-WAR PROTESTS AGAINST U.S. BOMBING OF YUGOSLAVIA WILL
> >>TAKE PLACE SATURDAY, 12 NOON, STARTING AT GRAND CENTRAL
> >>STATION IN NEW YORK CITY
> >>NATIONALLY COORDINATED PROTESTS WILL BE HELD SATURDAY,
> >>MARCH 27 IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
> >>
> >>Hundreds of demonstrators protested in New York City, Los Angeles, Sa=
n
> >>Francisco, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Portland, Minneapolis, and in
> >>other cities within hours after the beginning of the bombing of
> >>Yugoslavia by U.S./NATO forces.  There will be a follow-up
> >>demonstration on Saturday, March 27th in New York City at 12 noon tha=
t
> >>will march from Grand Central Station to Union Square.
> >>
> >>Holding signs reading "Stop the Bombing of Yugoslavia,"
> >>"Bring U.S. Troops and Warplanes Home Now," and chanting
> >>"Money for Jobs, Not for War," several hundreds
> >>protesters organized by the International Action Center
> >>marched in front of Grand Central Station today at 5 pm.
> >>
> >>"This bombing is a gross violation of international law
> >>and is part of a larger effort by the U.S., German, and
> >>other NATO powers to dismember the socialist republic of
> >>Yugoslavia," said Sara Flounders, Co-Director of the
> >>International Action Center.  "As in Iraq, the White
> >>House and Pentagon war propaganda machine is demonizing
> >>Yugoslav leader Milosevich, portraying him as begin
> >>politically akin to Adolf Hitler.
> >>
> >>"The truth is that there has been brutality on all sides
> >>of the civil war in Yugoslavia.  In fact, the biggest
> >>ethnic cleansing that took place was directed against
> >>100,000 Serbs living in Croatia in 1995.  The war against
> >>the Serbs in Croatia took place under the direction of
> >>retired U.S. military officers.  This exposes the
> >>hypocrisy of Clinton's crocodile tears for the Albanian
> >>people in Kosovo.  The U.S. is using ethnic groups as a
> >>pawn in a larger effort to dismember Yugoslavia and place
> >>resource-rich, strategic territories under the direct
> >>military domination of the U.S.," Flounders said.
> >>
> >>The war and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, like the war
> >>against Iraq, is part of the post-Soviet world strategy
> >>of Washington.  By employing military force coupled with
> >>economic sanctions and an expanding number of U.S.
> >>military bases, the U.S. government seeks to thoroughly
> >>dominate strategic areas.  It wants to overthrow and
> >>eliminate any government that resists U.S. military and
> >>economic domination.
> >>
> >>People in the United States are demanding that the
> >>billions of dollars spent on wars of aggression instead
> >>be spent on jobs, housing, education, child care, and
> >>housing.
> >>
> >>                      --30_
> >>
> >>
> >>A Flyer for distribution at demonstrations.
> >>
> >>STOP THE BOMBING OF YUGOSLAVIA!
> >>MONEY FOR JOBS & EDUCATION, NOT WAR!
> >>
> >>The U.S. government has again decided to carry out
> >>the massive bombing of a sovereign country.  Today,
> >>thousands of bombs and missiles began crashing down on
> >>the people of Yugoslavia.  For the last two months, U.S.
> >>air force planes and cruise missiles have been carrying
> >>out a similar reign of terror against the people of Iraq.
> >>
> >>Clinton portrays this bombing as a humanitarian
> >>gesture on behalf of the Albanian national minority that
> >>resides in Kosovar, a region of Yugoslavia.  That is a
> >>lie.  It is war propaganda designed to justify and
> >>conceal the real objective of this war of aggression.
> >>
> >>Yugoslavia, like Iraq, is a regional power in a
> >>strategic area that the Pentagon and Wall Street
> >>corporations seek to dominate.  The Yugoslav government
> >>is presented as being akin to Adolf Hitler.  This is the
> >>same rhetoric that is reserved for Saddam Hussein in Iraq
> >>and Manuel Noriega earlier in Panama.
> >>
> >>The truth is that these governments have in one way
> >>or another resisted the designs of the U.S. military and
> >>economic establishment to turn their countries into semi-
> >>colonies ruled by puppet governments.
> >>
> >>The U.S. government says it speaks on behalf of all
> >>of the people of this country when it carries out this
> >>war.  But working people need to consider who the U.S.
> >>government really represent.  It is the biggest
> >>corporations and banks that call the shots.  Clinton or
> >>George Bush before him are simply the paid politicians
> >>who do the bidding of corporate America.
> >>
> >>Is it conceivable that the worldwide political
> >>agenda of corporate America is motivated by humanitarian
> >>concerns?  These corporations care about two things only:
> >>profits and super profits.  IBM, Exxon, Bankers' Trust,
> >>and General Motors are willing to lay off thousands of
> >>workers in the United States in order to open up new
> >>factories and operations in the Third World and in the
> >>territories that used to belong to the Soviet Union.
> >>
> >>Corporate America doesn't give a damn about the
> >>lives of working people, especially people of color, who
> >>suffer from racism, discrimination, and police brutality.
> >>
> >>If corporate America and the White House want to
> >>fight on behalf of national minority peoples, they could
> >>declare a war against racism right here at home.
> >>Instead, they are tearing up affirmative action
> >>agreements and civil rights gains while protecting racist
> >>police forces that function as a virtual occupation army
> >>inside Black and Latino neighborhoods inside the United
> >>States.
> >>
> >>We were lied to about the Vietnam War.  Millions of
> >>young men and women in the U.S. armed forces were sent to
> >>kill and be killed.  Who dies in these wars?  It is
> >>working class youth who are asked to be cannon fodder,
> >>but the Pentagon wars serve only the interests of the
> >>biggest corporations.
> >>
> >>We are demonstrating today to demand that the U.S.
> >>stop bombing the working people of Yugoslavia and to
> >>oppose any U.S./NATO army of occupation in Yugoslavia.
> >>We want money for jobs, education, day care, housing, not
> >>for wars of aggression.
> >>
> >>Demonstrate, Saturday, March 27, 12 noon, Grand Central
> >>Station, 42nd Street and Park Avenue.
> >>
> >>International Action Center
> >>39 West 14th St.
> >>#206, NY, NY 10011
> >>212-633-6646   fax [phone]
> >>http://www.iacenter.org
> >>
> >>end
>
>                 To unsubscribe from SEAC+REGION13, send a letter to:
>                 [e-mail] with the
>                 subject unsubscribe. If you have problems, please write
>                 to: [e-mail]

- --
  >
Coalition for Peace and Justice
UNPLUG Salem Campaign
PO Box 2344, Cape May, NJ 08204
609-886-7988 or 609-889-8667


=93Not a mile from here are people living 10 to a room, and few streets
further on
they=92re sleeping in doorways and boxes, some of them children.........
- -Paul Kantner, Shadowlands

=93We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of=
 our
nation, and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands ca=
n
make these humans any less
our brothers=94
- -Martin Luther King, 1967, Riverside Church





- -
 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
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------------------------------

Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 10:42:21 -0500
From: Stephen Young <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Russia, China, Korea, Iraq, Serbia:  WWIII?

Again, this is largely paraniod crap, filled with distortions and half-truths.
Most significantly, Russia has been conducting exactly the same kind of nuclear
tests that the US has - subcritical tests. Not the full-scale tests that would
be necessary to develop and deploy a new tactical nuclear weapon.

Also, again, however, this does not mean that the situation is not extremely
dangerous, and that the world may be headed to a unexpected confrontation. It
just won't be an all-out surprise Russian attack.

Stephen Young
BASIC

David Crockett Williams wrote:

> >From NewsMax.CoM
>
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>
> Russia and China: A Pattern of Belligerence û Part 1
> J.R. NyquistMarch 23, 1999
>
> War Preparations Continue in Russia
>
> All around the globe, a pattern of belligerence toward the United States
> and her allies is emerging: from the Korean peninsula down through the
> Spratly Islands near the Philippines, enveloping Taiwan, then reappearing
> in Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkans.
>
> The rhetoric from Beijing, Moscow, Belgrade, Pyongyang, and Baghdad
> suggests possible coordination. Forward military deployments by China,
> Iraq, Serbia, and Russia, together with sinister construction projects and
> major troop movements, have been noted in East Asia, the Pacific, and the
> Middle East.
>
> In the past month, numerous developments have taken place in Russia that
> suggest war preparations:
>
> RUSSIA CREATES UNIFIED COMMAND OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
>
> In January, the Russian General Staff announced that all of the countryÆs
> nuclear forces -- Strategic Rocket Forces, submarine-based weaponry, and
> nukes on their strategic bombers -- would now be placed under one command.
>
> ANALYSIS: This development was widely reported in Russia and by the
> Associated Press. The AP story indicated bafflement that Russia, in the
> middle of economic problems, would be reorganizing its armed forces,
> especially the nuclear forces. But this development fits the thesis that
> Russia is, in fact, preparing for war.
>
> In war, the principle of "unity of commandö is considered crucial. By
> moving to unify nuclear command, the Russian armed forces can now better
> coordinate a nuclear surprise attack involving all nuclear service
> branches, obviating the friction of interservice rivalry. In a strictly
> defensive situation, centralization of the nuclear forces is unnecessary,
> even counterproductive. Decentralization is better for defense.
>
> However, this is not true for attack. Coordinating an effective, disarming
> first strike requires a high degree of control and coordination, which a
> unified nuclear command facilitates. This move, coupled with the fact
> Russia has been moving its strategic warheads onto submarines in the past
> six months, should be viewed with alarm.
>
> TOP GENERALS RESIGN FROM STRATEGIC ROCKET FORCES
>
> In the second half of January, the commander of RussiaÆs Strategic Rocket
> Forces, Col.-Gen. Vladimir Yakovlev, resigned his post together with his
> three chief deputies, allegedly throwing RussiaÆs nuclear forces into
> disarray.
>
> After taking this unprecedented action, Yakovlev stated that the reason for
> his resignation was a personality conflict with Gen. Sokolov, the commander
> of RussiaÆs early-warning service.
>
> ANALYSIS: According to Col. Stanislav Lunev, ranking defector from the Main
> Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff, YakovlevÆs
> retirement was planned some time ago.
>
> "They already have civilian jobs waiting for them,ö Lunev said. "There will
> be no disruption of the rocket forces.ö
>
> Lunev believes the resignations stem from the reorganization of RussiaÆs
> nuclear forces under a single chief, but he nonetheless admits that
> Yakovlev and his deputies are hard-liners and careerists. After closer
> analysis, it is difficult to argue that they would resign in protest over a
> measure they themselves long advocated, as they were supporters and
> proteges of Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev, the man most responsible for
> the reorganization of the nuclear forces.
>
> There are serious inconsistencies here that must not be passed over. Why
> did Yakovlev and his deputies resign? Has a secret nuclear command center
> been established? A centralized nuclear command would have to create
> alternate command posts in several bunkers, with many capable general
> officers at the ready.
>
> Were these resignations made in protest over the reorganization of RussiaÆs
> nuclear forces, or were they part of the reorganization itself?
>
> RUSSIAÆS NORTHERN FLEET PUT ON ALERT
>
> When President Clinton bombed Iraq in December, Moscow put its Northern
> Fleet on alert. This curious move, which makes no sense in terms of
> reacting to a Middle East crisis, and coming at a supposed time of reduced
> superpower tensions, has serious implications that ought to be explored.
>
> ANALYSIS: Prior to a surprise nuclear attack on the United States, it is
> believed the Russians would attempt to put most of their nuclear missile
> submarines to sea. Therefore, the question that must be asked is whether
> the Russians used the alert to deploy their missile submarine forces.
> Despite what some analysts might say, any large-scale deployment to sea is
> a red flag.
>
> The Northern Fleet contains the lionÆs share of RussiaÆs naval strike
> capability, and any alerting of that fleet needs to be carefully
> scrutinized. In fact, any Russian fleet alert should be answered by a
> comparable U.S. fleet alert. It is alarming in and of itself that the
> United States did not respond in kind.
>
> RUSSIANS CONTINUE NUKE TESTING
>
> The Russians have abandoned the agreement to forgo underground nuclear
> tests. They have admitted to testing three tactical nuclear warheads in
> recent weeks. These are part of a new generation of tactical nuclear
> weapons that the Russian armed forces have developed.
>
> In addition, during the period of the agreed suspension of underground
> tests, there have been suspicious earthquakes in Russia with signatures
> characteristic of strategic nuclear tests.
>
> ANALYSIS: Nuclear readiness requires the occasional testing of nuclear
> warheads. New, more efficient weapons must be tested before they are
> deployed to the armed forces. The United States has not tested its nuclear
> stockpile in several years, while the Russians have been testing their
> weapons.
>
> The importance of tactical nuclear weapons to the Russians lies in the fact
> that these cannot be kept track of by arms control specialists. The START
> agreements require Russia to destroy the bulk of its strategic nuclear
> stockpiles, which cannot be hidden.
>
> But tactical nuclear weapons have a number of advantages over strategic
> ones. First and foremost, they are more efficient in terms of their use of
> nuclear fuel. Also, tactical nuclear weapons can be packed into ICBMs,
> bombers, fighter-bombers, or artillery units, making them the most
> versatile type of nuclear weapon.
>
> Last, but not least, tactical nuclear weapons can be delivered as a
> cluster, which is a more effective means for destroying large urban areas,
> and obviates the terms of the START treaties, which call for the
> elimination of multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicles (MIRVs).
>
> THE RUSSIANS LIE ABOUT THEIR READINESS
>
> The chief of the Russian General Staff, Anatoly Kvashin, a hardened
> professional known for his stony silence, now claims that Russia has halved
> its western military deployments, reducing its strike capability near
> Finland. On Jan. 11, Kvashin stated: "We have extremely low defense
> readiness.ö
>
> ANALYSIS: These are curious words from an ordinarily obsessive, secretive,
> and paranoid functionary. Such a pronouncement is uncharacteristic and
> probably deceptive. Throughout history, when Russian forces have been weak
> or unready, no Russian general officer would dare to acknowledge the fact.
> Such acknowledgment, under normal conditions, would lead to immediate
> dismissal.
>
> Russian military doctrine pays close attention to the dictum of Sun Tzu,
> the ancient Chinese strategist, who said: "All warfare is based on
> deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our
> forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy
> believe we are away. ... Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign
> disorder, and crush him.ö
>
> If Russia is really moving troops off its border with Europe, as well as
> troops away from its Chinese border, where are the troops being relocated?
>
> UNPRECEDENTED SLAUGHTER OF RUSSIAN FUR ANIMALS
>
> Russia and Belarus have large collective farms dedicated to the breeding of
> polar foxes and minks. Russia is the worldÆs largest fur consumer, annually
> buying 40 percent of the furs produced worldwide. But now, Russian
> officials claim that demand has stalled, and they are slaughtering their
> fox and mink herds because they cannot afford to feed them.
>
> Slaughter is normal at the onset of winter, of course, but this slaughter
> is of unprecedented numbers of animals. At the same time, Russia is
> importing fur from China, as well as coats, jackets, and boots. If Russian
> demand has stalled and the market for furs is flooded, why the imports?
>
> ANALYSIS: Wherever we see an inconsistency in RussiaÆs economy, we have to
> think twice. In World War II, Russian spies infiltrated all of the sheep
> ranches in Europe. Their mission: to watch and see if sheep were being
> sheared for 5 million sheepskin coats. Soviet military intelligence
> reasoned that if Hitler intended to invade Russia, he would need heavy
> winter clothing for his troops. The shearing of the sheep would be a dead
> giveaway.
>
> Unfortunately for Hitler, he did not make the 5 million coats. And though
> he caught Soviet military intelligence off guard, his troops in Russia
> suffered frostbite and amputations once winter began. In fact, one of the
> medals struck for German soldiers during 1941-42 was called "The Order of
> the Frozen Meat.ö
>
> Logistical preparations are a necessary part of war. National leaders
> ignore such preparations at great peril. In this context, what are we to
> make of this huge increase in the production and importation of furs and
> uniform clothing in Russia?
>
> While this activity could indicate Russian economic miscalculation, one has
> to wonder why the fur herds were increased to such a size to begin with.
> Since these fur farms are state-controlled, an increase in production
> suggests an increase in projected consumption. But as civilian consumption
> has remained steady, the obvious conclusion is that somebody in Moscow was
> anticipating a huge increase in the militaryÆs demand for winter clothing.
> With the aforesaid cover story of a collapsed market, Moscow might well
> mask a planned troop mobilization of very large dimensions. If Russia
> called up her reserves either before or after a nuclear exchange, she would
> need winter coats, boots, and headgear (even if the attack took place in
> warm weather).
>
> RussiaÆs soldiers may have to confront winter weather conditions in North
> America if Russian military doctrine is followed. This doctrine calls for
> an invasion of America. Always cognizant of history, the Russian General
> Staff is well aware of HitlerÆs mistake in World War II and would never
> repeat that mistake in World War III.
>
> As Russia openly makes moves for war, its new partner, China, has been
> taking equally dramatic steps. Coming Wednesday: Part 2 -- Chinese Premier
> Calls For Nuclear War Preparations
>
> Russia and China: A Pattern of Belligerence û Part 2
> J.R. NyquistMarch 23, 1999
>
> ChinaÆs Clenched Fist
>
> As Russia openly makes moves for war, its new partner, China, has been
> taking equally dramatic steps.
>
> CHINESE PREMIER CALLS FOR NUCLEAR WAR PREPARATIONS
>
> On Jan. 8, as if to prepare his people for war, Chinese President Jiang
> Zemin laid out the mission of the PeopleÆs Liberation Army in a speech: "We
> must resolutely safeguard the unity of the motherland and the nationÆs
> territorial integrity.ö
>
> Unity, of course, is the war cry of the Communists against Taiwan. Jiang
> also warned that the Chinese PeopleÆs Liberation Army must prepare itself
> for nuclear war.
>
> Soon thereafter, China conducted military exercises in which Chinese
> nuclear forces practiced targeting American troops in the Far East.
>
> At the same time, the PeopleÆs Republic announced radical changes in
> military policy. The Chinese air force was placed on "offensive modeö as
> opposed to "defensive mode,ö and ChinaÆs army doctrine was altered to one
> of global warfighting.
>
> China has also begun centralizing the distribution of supplies for all
> branches of the military in what the official media calls the biggest
> streamlining effort in 50 years. In this context, ChinaÆs new "strategic
> partnershipö with the Russian Federation takes on sinister ramifications.
> China is also backing North Korea in its dispute with the U.S. alliance.
>
> ANALYSIS: China is making serious war preparations. This enhances ChinaÆs
> options against Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Japan. There is
> every reason to believe, from these moves, that China will support North
> Korea if war should break out in the Far East. In the context of a renewed
> war, Taiwan would almost certainly be subject to blockade, possibly
> sparking a naval action between China and the U.S. This is a dangerous
> situation that China seems ready to welcome. (Also, China now supports
> Saddam Hussein in the U.N.)
>
> CHINA SEIZES SPRATLY ISLANDS
>
> In the Far East, China has invaded the Spratly Islands, more than 800 miles
> from China yet 140 miles from the Philippines. Manila has expressed alarm
> that the PeopleÆs Liberation Army is erecting gun and anti-aircraft
> emplacements on Mischief Reef.
>
> The Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, Guan Dengming, insisted that
> China was merely constructing "shelters for fishermen.ö But a leading
> Philippine official countered this, saying: "We strongly believe a fortress
> is being built.ö
>
> Philippine Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado stated that concrete buildings
> in the Spratlys "are beginning to look more like military structures rather
> than the so-called fishermenÆs refuge the Chinese claimed it to be.ö
> Mercado further accused China of bullying the Philippines, referring to
> recent Chinese moves as "a creeping invasion.ö
>
> ANALYSIS: ChinaÆs invasion of the Spratlys may not be aimed at the
> Philippines. The Spratlys lie across a key waterway that is essential to
> Taiwan. The concrete structures, aside from the anti-aircraft emplacements,
> may be useful to mine-laying operations. The Mischief Reef operation may be
> the first step toward an eventual blockade of Taiwan, which is heavily
> fortified and would probably repel a direct Chinese assault.
>
> Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, taking note of BeijingÆs attempts to
> encircle his small island country, called on his citizens "to raise their
> vigilance against the military threat from China.ö
>
> ItÆs important to note the Clinton administration has been silent over this
> audacious move by Beijing. In previous administrations, America would have
> moved with military force to prevent ChinaÆs expansionist plans. The
> failure of the United States to confront China in the Spratlys bodes ill
> for Taiwan.
>
> Russia and Chinese war preparations are not isolated and involve communist
> client states around the world.
>
> SADDAM HAS RENEWED HIS WAR MACHINE
>
> The Iraqi government has stepped up military activity in southern Iraq. The
> military governor of the Basra region, a Russian-trained Iraqi general, has
> confirmed the arrival of new air-defense weapons, fully acknowledging that
> his orders are to shoot down American planes. On Jan. 26, American
> warplanes pounded Iraqi artillery and anti-aircraft positions.
>
> Throughout the second half of January, Iraq deployed troops toward the
> Kuwait border. In response, Kuwait has mobilized its army, claiming that
> Saddam is about to do something "dramatic.ö The Iraqi dictator, aside from
> asserting his territorial ambitions against Kuwait, denounced Saudi and
> Egyptian leaders as "lackeys and stooges of the U.S.ö
>
> ANALYSIS: Iraq is an old Soviet client state. The countryÆs secret police
> was trained by Yuri AndropovÆs KGB. Its officer corps was trained by the
> Russian army. Nearly all of IraqÆs military equipment is Russian. Russian
> Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, a fluent Arabic speaker and longtime
> supporter of Saddam Hussein, has intensified MoscowÆs diplomatic and
> military support for Saddam.
>
> As Kosovo renews its civil war, as China tightens its noose around Taiwan,
> as North Korea girds for war, SaddamÆs threat to Kuwait keeps U.S. forces
> diverted and occupied. SaddamÆs provocations may be coordinated through
> Moscow with the provocations by China, North Korea, and Serbia.
>
> NORTH KOREAÆS EXTREME BEHAVIOR
>
> The North Koreans, close allies of Moscow and Beijing, have recently
> declared that "the United States will [soon] be reduced to ashes and will
> no longer exist.ö North Korean headlines from the first week of 1999
> proclaimed that "U.S. Imperialist Aggressors Will Be Unable to Avoid
> Annihilating Strikes.ö
>
> Another North Korean source stated that the Americans would be wiped "from
> this planet for good.ö In the New YearÆs message of the North Korean
> government, the communists called on their citizens to "love rifles,
> earnestly learn military affairs, and turn the whole country into an
> impregnable fortress.ö
>
> Kim Myong, an influential North Korean writer and editor who lives in
> Tokyo, was quoted as saying: "Maybe there will be a new war. Maybe everyone
> in Tokyo will die.ö
>
> Kongdon On, a North Korean specialist at the Institute for Defense Analysis
> in Washington, says: "There is...strong frustration among a lot of people
> that North Korea is acting very strangely.ö Han Park, a political scientist
> specializing in North Korea at the University of Georgia, also stated: "The
> situation will be very, very dangerous in the next few months.ö South
> Korean President Kim Dae-jung, fearing the communist threat, warned his
> people to be ready for a surprise attack from the North.
>
> ANALYSIS: North Korea has broken its agreement to desist from developing
> nuclear weapons. It is now suspected that North Korea has nuclear
> capability, and also has the missiles to deliver nuclear weapons. Able to
> threaten Tokyo as well as other Japanese cities with nuclear destruction,
> North Korea is now emboldened and may renew its struggle to conquer the
> South.
>
> With Chinese and perhaps Russian support, Pyongyang has mobilized its armed
> forces and is now ready to strike. Defectors from the North Korean military
> have stated that Pyongyang has a plan to conquer South Korea in seven days.
> Such a plan, if it exists, probably emphasizes the use of nuclear,
> biological, or chemical weapons of mass destruction, since the conventional
> firepower of the North Korean army (as it now stands) could not readily
> defeat the South in such a short time.
>
> CIVIL WAR LOOMS IN KOSOVO
>
> Violence has again erupted between Albanian separatists and Serbian forces
> in Kosovo, and, despite NATO warnings, the violence shows every sign of
> continuing. Russia has openly supported the Serbs, giving out subtle
> warnings about a "widened war in Europe.ö
>
> ANALYSIS: More American troops and air units, including a carrier group,
> are pinned down. This crisis further stretches American military resources,
> and with no end in sight. American ground forces are said to trace their
> lines of supply through Hungary, a former Russian satellite with a dubious
> political leadership. This is an awkward position to be in, and with
> RussiaÆs new belligerent stance we are in no position to challenge the
> Serbian communists.
>
> Taking the above items as a whole, a pattern of war preparations and
> belligerence is clear. Nations of the old communist bloc are making
> provocative moves across the board. With AmericaÆs armed forces at an
> all-time postwar low in readiness and strength, it is doubtful we can meet
> the challenges that lie ahead.
>
> North Korea and China seem to sense our weakness. And add to this that all
> these provocative moves have come during the impeachment trial of President
> Clinton.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Read Part 1 Russia and China: A Pattern of Belligerence War Preparations
> Continue in Russia.
>
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