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Archive for the ‘Oil’ Category

Largest Ever, Upcoming U.S.-Israel Joint Drill Sending Message to …

www.theblaze.com1/8/12

Arrow 3 Defense Missile Launch Test (Photo credit: Israeli Defense Ministry via Israel Hayom). A planned American-Israeli missile defense exercise is receiving special attention on the heels of a 10-day Iranian naval exercise …

Israel and US to hold joint missile drill | Aerospace & Defence News

aerospace.firetrench.com1/9/12

Israel and the United States are to hold a joint missile defence exercise, the Israeli military said late on Thursday. ASDNews … Last week it test-fired three missiles during war games east of the strait at the entrance to the Gulf. …

An upcoming American-Israeli missile defense exercise is receiving special media attention because it comes on the heels of a ten-day Iranian naval exercise, plus Iranian threats of closing the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli Defense Forces played down the timing of the announcement, calling such periodic exercises “routine:”

“These exercises, which are part of a long-standing strategic partnership, are planned in advance and part of a routine training cycle designed to improve the interoperability of our defense systems. Like other bi-lateral exercises, Austere Challenge 12 represents another milestone in the strategic relationship between the US and Israel, as well as a step forward in promoting regional stability".

“The exercise scenario involves notional, simulated events as well as some field training, and is not in response to any real-world event".

“The exercise has been planned for at least two years and therefore has no relevance to any world events".

The AP quoted a senior military official who said on condition of anonymity:

"Thousands of American and Israeli soldiers from different units will take part, and the drill will test multiple Israeli and U.S. air defense systems against incoming missiles and rockets".

In a speech last month, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta previewed the exercise, citing it as an example of what he called,

"The administration’s unprecedented levels of defense cooperation with Israel to back up our unshakable commitment to Israel’s security".

And on Sunday’s Face the Nation, Panetta stated two red lines for the U.S.:

"Our red line to Iran is do not develop a nuclear weapon. That’s a red line for us. I think they need to know that, that if they take that step, that they’re going to get stopped. We made very clear that the United States will not tolerate the blocking of the Straits of Hormuz. That’s another red line for us and that we will respond to them.".

See also, What Would Trigger A US Strike On Iran’s Nuclear Facilities?

And Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey on the same show said he believes,

" Iran has the capability, for a period of time to block the Strait of Hormuz, but we would take action and reopen the Straits".

Efraim Inbar, who is director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University, says that even if it’s not intended as a response to Iranian moves:

“Any military exercise has political implications. The military organ is always connected to political even if that’s not the intention on the part of the Americans or Israelis. It’s a clear political signal to the bad guys. After we saw the military exercise by the Iranians last week, everybody with political sensitivity tends to believe this is a counter-flexing of muscle".

Inbar also addressed expressions of isolationism in the U.S., something which has been gaining more media attention due to the presidential campaign of GOP candidate Ron Paul:

“This type of exercise expresses the importance of Israel to the U.S. particularly when the U.S. is seen as being weak in the region. It is leaving Iraq, it is on its way out of Afghanistan. Israel is probably the only place a U.S. military airplane will eventually be able to land in the Middle East".

“U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation is beneficial to both sides. The U.S. is a super power and we are a small state but in our area contrary to what isolationists say in the U.S., we all still need allies, or what used to be called ‘calling stations’. Israeli ports are open to the U.S. In fact, the only port where the U.S. can probably bring ships safely in the Eastern Mediterranean is to Israel. Looking at the other countries: Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, the Mediterranean is becoming an Islamist lake".

And an Israeli Air Force officer emphasized that not only Israel gains from the relationship:

“The Americans are eager to conduct this exercise, we are their laboratory in the field of missile defense. A laboratory because Israel has extensive firsthand experience of absorbing incoming rockets and missiles from Hamas and Hezbollah and regularly activates its Iron Dome system to combat the threat".

The Telegraph reported from London that the UK will deploy its largest warship, the HMS Daring, to the Persian Gulf to,

“send a significant message to the Iranians”.

The UK destroyer is due to arrive in late January.

And Oil Supplies?

Western powers have agreed a contingency plan to tap a record volume from emergency stockpiles which could replace nearly all the Gulf oil that would be lost if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz.

Major outcome of Durban climate talks

www.prokerala.com12/11/11

Major outcome of Durban climate talks…The main outcome of the Durban talks:…* To extend the Kyoto Protocol: To extend for anot…* Long-Term Cooperation (LCA) actions: These are t…* Green climate fund (GCF): During the …

Durban climate change talks: a deal on hold | Environment …

www.guardian.co.uk12/10/11

Progress at the COP17 climate talks in South Africa are paused but some fear that the delay will mean they run out of time.

"A new global climate deal has been struck after being brought back from the brink of disaster by three powerful women politicians in a 20-minute, "huddle to save the planet".

Anybody that has read the Climate 2 emails knows that the whole global warming thing is simply a rip-off.

Durban

And the Durban thing is even worse, because poor (hand-out and non-producing) countries are demanding that richer (hard working countries) subsidize them much more!

Much like many countries in Europe that want Germany to continue to bail them out.

And what arrogance to believe that, "We can save the planet", which has existed for billions of years without them!

What Happened At The Conference

A major crisis was provoked shortly after 3am on Sunday (December 11, 2011) morning when angry EU delegates clashed with China and India over the legal form of a potential new treaty.

The EU plan to bind all countries to cuts was close to collapse after India inserted the words "legal outcome" at the last minute into the negotiating text.

But EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard, backed by UK energy secretary Chris Huhne said:

"It would have made the EU plan legally meaningless and would have forced the EU to walk away effectively collapsing the negotiations".

With many ministers exhausted after nearly six days and three nights of intense discussions, Hedegaard told the 194 countries in Durban:

"We need clarity. We need to commit. The EU has shown patience for many years. We are almost ready to be alone in a second commitment period to the Kyoto protocol".

"We don’t ask too much of the world that after this second period all countries will be legally bound. Let’s try and have a protocol by 2018".

The Indian environment minister, Jayanthi Natarajan, responded fiercely that:

"Developing countries are being asked to sign up to a deal before they know what was in the proposed treaty, and whether it would be fair to poor nations".

"Am I to write a blank cheque and sign away the livelihoods and sustainability of 1.2 billion Indians, without even knowing what the EU roadmap contains?".

"I wonder if this is an agenda to shift the blame on to countries who are not responsible for climate change. I am told that India will be blamed. Please don’t hold us hostage. We will give up the principle of equity".

And China’s chief negotiator, Xie Zhenhua, lambasted the EU in a passionate speech, saying:

"Who gives you the right to tell us what to do?"

The Huddle

With tempers rising and the talks minutes from being abandoned, the chair, South African foreign minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, ordered China, India, the US, Britain, France, Sweden, Gambia, Brazil and Poland to meet in a small group or "huddle".

And surrounded by a crowd of almost 100 delegates on the floor of the hall, they talked quietly among themselves to try to reach a new form of words acceptable to all.

The Compromise

It was however, Brazil’s chief negotiator, lawyer Luis Figueres, who came up with the compromise,

"Substitute ‘an agreed outcome’, with ‘legal force for legal outcome’".

Causing a EU lawyer to respond,

"Yes, it’s much stronger; effectively meaning, a legally binding agreement".

"Yes, yes," cheered the crowd of onlookers around the politicians, and the talks were back on track.

Two hours later the 16-day talks were effectively over, with a commitment by all countries to accept binding emission cuts by 2020.

As part of the package of measures agreed, a new climate fund will be set up, carbon markets will be expanded and countries will be able to earn money by protecting forests.

The Stupidity

Chris Huhne (UK energy secretary) hailed the conclusion of the talks as,

"A triumph of European co-operation".

"We have taken a significant step forward and this will give business confidence and stop us locking in a whole generation of high-carbon technology.

And Poor Countries?

But Martin Khor, director of the intergovernmental South Centre in Geneva, said poor countries would be obliged to cut emissions proportionally more than the rich.

"It’s like the starving will be made to give up half their small amount of food but the rich just a bit".

The Rabid Ignorant And Naive Left

"Negotiators have sent a clear message to the world’s hungry: let them eat carbon", said Celine Charveriat, director of campaigns and advocacy for Oxfam.

"Governments must immediately turn their attention to raising the ambition of their emissions cuts targets and filling the Green Climate Fund. Unless countries ratchet up their emissions cuts urgently we could still be in store for a 10-year timeout on the action we need to stay under two degrees of temperature increase".

And Greenpeace International director Kumi Naidoo said:

"The chance of averting catastrophic climate change is slipping through our hands with every passing year that nations fail to agree on a rescue plan for the planet".

And Michael Jacobs, of the Grantham climate research institute of climate change:

"This will force governments to admit their current pledges to cut emissions are not enough to achieve 2C rise and will have to be strengthened".

Nnimmo Bassey, chair of Friends of the Earth International, said:

"Delaying real action till 2020 is a crime of global proportions. This means the world is on track to a 4C temperature rise, a death sentence for Africa, small island states and the poor and vulnerable worldwide. The richest 1% of the world have decided that it is acceptable to sacrifice the 99%"

The Bottom Line

The whole thing is such a rip-off, but these NGO’s would have no raison d’être without these forums; so perhaps their responses should be viewed in that light.

If their agenda is really similar to Obama’s, which is equalization (redistribution) of wealth, then at least say so, but please don’t jump on the burned out Global Warming wagon.