Outsourcing War: The Rise of Private Military Contractors (PMCs) – by Stephen Lendman In The Prince, Machiavelli (May 1469 – June 1527) wrote: “The mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous, and if anyone supports his state by the arms of mercenaries, he will never stand firm or sure, as they are disunited, ambitious, without discipline, faithless, bold amongst friends, cowardly amongst enemies, they have no fear of God, and keep no faith with men.” In an August 11, 2009 Global Research article titled, “The Real Grand Chessboard and the Profiteers of War,” Peter Dale Scott called Private Military Contractors … Continue reading Outsourcing War: The Rise of Private Military Contractors

Afghanistan’s holy violence The Taliban attacks on Kabul show that in Afghanistan’s cycle of violence, murderers and victims become religious ‘martyrs’ alike Nushin Arbabzadah guardian.co.uk, A message to Kabul … An Afghan policeman at a Kabul shopping mall attacked by Taliban gunmen. Photograph: Omar Sobhani/Reuters The Taliban’s spectacular attacks in Kabul yesterday took place just as the new cabinet members were taking their oath of office. In a report posted online on the Taliban website, their spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid listed the ministries under attack: the ministry of mining, the ministry of justice, and the ministry of finance. The Taliban’s message … Continue reading Murdering/Martyring Mullahs

We French eat four times as much butter and 60% more cheese than the average American, but we stay thin. How do we do it? Agnès Poirier guardian.co.uk, Avoid fat-free Anglo-Saxon horrors and eat the real thing. Photograph: Cate Gillon/Getty Images Never have I learnt so much about food’s nutrient content and chemical formulas as in my years spent in Britain and North America. Revealingly, food in those two countries is reduced to unappealing scientific denominations such as “saturated fats”, “fatty acids”, “trans fats”, “monounsaturates” and “TFAs”, to name just a few mentioned in today’s Guardian article about how more … Continue reading The French secret of fat

Yemen, where dead men eat lunch Brian Whitaker guardian.co.uk, Yemen, as some of us have been warning for months, is in grave danger of becoming a failed state. To save it from the fate of Somalia on the other side of the Red Sea, Yemen desperately needs sustained international help. Getting governments to take the problem seriously, though, was a different matter until Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab set his underpants on fire aboard Flight 253 last month. Suddenly, Yemen was on the map, al-Qaida hysteria swept through the American media and Gordon Brown summoned an international conference for the end of … Continue reading The wily Yemeni president knows how to spin out his war on al-Qaida to win western support – and hype achievements

Can there be anything more stupid than the imposition of a fine of Rs200,000 by the Parliamentary Committee on Sports on the members of the Pakistan hockey team for ‘hugging a woman’, an officially assigned liaison officer, during a social get-together at the conclusion of the 2009 Champion’s Challenge Tournament in Argentina? Hugging is a ‘benign’ expression of affection between two individuals. Only perverted minds would construe this normal human gesture as being immoral. Hugging is a common practice and a social ritual even in Pakistan where friends and relatives hug each other during wedding ceremonies, family and other social … Continue reading Shame the filthy minded and lets all have a BIG HUG!

Dr Maleeha Lodhi The writer is a former envoy to the US and the UK, and a former editor of The News. President Barack Obama’s approach to terrorism is increasingly reminiscent of the policy of his predecessor, George W Bush. This is what was conveyed by his actions in the wake of the failed Christmas Day attempt to blow up a US airliner and the suicide bombing days later that killed seven CIA agents in Afghanistan. The Obama administration obviously needed to respond to a threat that is real and sustained. But the raft of security measures that were announced … Continue reading The road not taken