another country heard from

Algeria

source 

Algeria: 80% Arab, 20% Berber, multi-party republic with a president and prime minister, approximately 38 million people, the land is 80% desert.

source

Algeria celebrated independence from colonial master France on July 5, 1962

More than a century where the colonized suffered famine, torture, illiteracy, illnesses, and misery. The 1st February, the FLN was formed and declared war against the French colonialist. Well organized and structured. It was made of three levels. On the apex, were the governors, those who make strategies. Second level were the fighters, those who went on cities, mountains and stations to execute the order. Third, the spies, those who collected information. Moreover, the FLN had its own doctors, cookers, soldiers and sewers who were the Algerian people.

5th July 1962, Algeria got Independence. All the Algerian were in the street, people dancing, women making their famous “Youyou!” and hanging their flag which stands for liberty .

Read an interesting account of a Italian movie, The Battle of Algiers (1965).

Afterward the French government sends in the paratroopers, led by Colonel Mathieu.  This character, played by the only professional actor in the film, is a composite of several officers, including General Massu, notorious in history for authorizing torture as an interrogation technique.  Mathieu does not think of himself as a monster, although he authorizes torture.  Rather, he thinks of himself as a soldier fighting for his nation.  In the movie he says:

We aren’t madmen or sadists, gentlemen. Those who call us Fascists today, forget the contribution that many of us made to the Resistance. Those who call us Nazis, don’t know that among us there are survivors of Dachau and Buchenwald. We are soldiers and our only duty is to win.

Colonel Mathieu

...In late 2003, months after President George W. Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” photo event, the Pentagon screened The Battle of Algiers.  A flier contained the following copy:

How to win a battle against terrorism and lose the war of ideas. Children shoot soldiers at point-blank range. Women plant bombs in cafes. Soon the entire Arab population builds to a mad fervor. Sound familiar? The French have a plan. It succeeds tactically, but fails strategically. To understand why, come to a rare showing of this film.

Some more history:

Their independence was not won easily with the death of over 1 million deaths over the course of eight years.

Independence comes with a lot of responsibilities that is choosing the right people to lead the nation to a better future. Having followed this principle, in Algeria, their first attempt to have a fair and free election was doomed by unexpected riot and unrest among the different factions who disagreed with the outcome of the election. As a result of this dispute a prolonged civil war took place until 1992.

In 1992, a fair and free election took place in Algeria and the Islamic party won the majority seats. Soon after the election coup-d`etat took place and their parliament was dissolved. A military regime stayed in power until 1999.

Now after the Islamic party was not going to give up without a fight. So they rioted and the government banned the Islamic society. This is only going too led to fighting between the two groups. The fighting continued and the death toll rose. By 1999, 70,000 people had been killed due to the fighting. Later on in 1999, Abdelaziz Bouteflica, the recently chosen president came into office with a goal and did his best to achieve his goal. His goal was to bring peace between the two sides and new ways of voting.

A few selected passes from Bouteflica's wikipedia entry should suffice to bring us up to speed:

• Bouteflika was also active on the international scene, presiding over what many have characterized as Algeria's return to international affairs, after almost a decade of international isolation. He presided over the African Union in 2000.
• Algeria has been particularly active in African relations, and in mending ties with the West, as well as trying to some extent to resurrect its role in the declining non-Aligned movement. However, it has played a more limited role in Arab politics, its other traditional sphere of interest.
• In 2006, the GSPC was officially accepted as a branch of al-Qaida in a video message by Ayman al-Zawahiri; soon thereafter, it changed its name to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). 
• Bouteflika has kept the amnesty option open – apparently open-ended despite the end of the deadline stipulated by the reconciliation law – while simultaneously pursuing the rebel group militarily. Algerian forces have scored several major captures of GSPC/AQIM commanders, but the groups top leadership remains at large, and armed activity is frequent in Kabylie, with AQIM-connected smuggling networks active in parts of the desert south. Unlike in previous years, AQIM have begun using suicide attack tactics and in 2007-2008 launched several major attacks in Algiers and other big cities.

Recap: Bouteflika is a player with the West. Legitimate Islamic resistance in Algeria morphed into al qaeda over time. Top people of course remain at large and began escalating the violence over time. The war on terra continues.

Bouteflika with GW in 2008

^^^^^^^

So, progress then?

Sheraton Algiers

Built by the Chinese, who are also building the Algiers Opera House.

Chinese television promotes Israel, August 5, 2010

Chinese TV made a documentary in twelve episodes, Israel, the land of milk and honey, which will soon be broadcast on CCTV-2, then on the other satellite channels in China.

This documentary was shot in high definition, with a big budget and using the State of Israel. It presents Jewish culture as a beacon of human thought on a par with the Chinese culture.

A private screening was held in Beijing attended by leaders of CCTV and the Embassy of Israel.

About the series "Walk into Israel - A Land of Milk & Honey"
http://beijing.ischam.org/events/upcoming-events/344-cctvseriesisrael

This series is a part of a large-scale television project  "The Road to Civilization - Record of Experiencing the Worldwide Civilizations", produced by China Central Television (CCTV). The 12-episode HD TV documentary series "Walk into Israel - A Land of Milk and Honey", tells the story of the Jewish culture and the process of  establishing the state of Israel and its modernization. The project of planning, filming and producing this series took about 2 years and was strongly supported by the Embassy of Israel in China. The series is now played on channel 2 of CCTV (Sat & Sun, 00:20) and will be soon played on other channels as well.

 "Walk into Israel - A Land of Milk and Honey"  is the first TV series produced by Chinese with historical, overall, organized introduction of the Jewish people and Israel. The film reflects the whole process of the Jewish civilization for the past 4000 years  within 12-episode.

Both Israel and China are great ancient civilizations who contributed a lot to human being, who have a long history, and faced since forever up till now with many challenges. By watching this series, people will have a better understanding regarding the history of the Jewish civilization, and discover the source for Israel's establishment and success. This special project aims to develop the friendship between China and Israel, and to promote cooperation between people from the two nations.

And did you think Israel is *our* bestest friend?

From: The Purpose Behind Engineered Economic Collapse  (also see: distracted by any chance?)

4. China would never dump U.S. Treasuries because it would hurt them as much as it hurts us…

The theory that China is somehow fused to the U.S. in a kind of symbiotic seesaw relationship that can never be broken is so ingrained among mainstream American financial analysts it simply will not die, regardless of how much contradictory evidence you show them. It really is like a mental disease which causes MSM pundits to go into involuntary Tourettic convulsions every time you mention the words “Treasury bond dump”. America and China are not conjoined twins, and one can survive without the other. We have covered the China issue over and over again, and I will not rehash all that evidence here. To lay it out simply: China has re-engineered its economy towards consumption and importation rather than relying on exports. The IMF has talked about this on many occasions with apparent excitement:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/tr/2010/tr072910c.htm
China has also finalized the ASEAN trading bloc which has combined export markets at least equal to that of the U.S. Meaning, China already has another place to send its exports besides America.
Most importantly, China must increase their currency’s value if their new consumer based system is to survive. Allowing the Yuan to rise sharply in value will revitalize the buying power of the Chinese populace making greater consumption possible. Indeed, China MUST dump their Treasury holdings and pump up the Yuan if they are to hold their economy together. And, the Federal Reserve has given China every reason to turn its back on Treasuries through never ending liquidity injections. This is not to say that a U.S. collapse will not affect them, it would negatively affect the entire world. However, China has positioned itself to survive, and perhaps even thrive with their economic expansions into Africa, and their new financial agreements with Germany.
Finally, the Chinese have been very forthcoming over the past week about plans to drop Treasuries. China has dumped over 7.7% of their U.S. T-Bond holdings since January, including the biggest T-bond dump on record this month. They have openly admitted to a plan to diversify away from the Dollar:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-17/china-cuts-long-term-treasury-holdings-by-most-ever-as-u-s-yields-decline.html

I’m always fascinated by those economists who vehemently deny China will ever turn away from the U.S. Dollar while they are doing so right in plain view. Are MSM analysts simply crazy? I don’t know, but it would explain a lot…

^^^^^^^

Algeria in the news today.

1) August 19, 2010: Report: Gaza-bound aid ship departs Algeria

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-gaza-bound-aid-ship-departs-algeria-1.309014

2) August 19, 2010: Washington chooses Algeria to boost its economic presence in the Magreb

http://www.elkhabar.com/quotidienFrEn/lire.php?ida=219441&idc=111

US and Maghreb companies and employers, as well as officials from the White House are to partake in the first US-Maghreb investment conference in Algiers on 29 and 30 September.
In fact, the United States has chosen Algeria to be its starting point towards boosting its economic presence in the Maghreb, through refreshing Eizenstat initiative. The conference is to be organised in coordination with the US-Algerian council and the US Secretary of State.
It is to be preceded by a visit of the US Trade and Investment Mission, which includes representatives of 50 companies. This visit is to be organized by the US-Algeria Business Council in collaboration with the Embassy of Algeria, in Washington, DC, between 25 and 30 September.
This year, Mr. Paul Mikolashek, Chairman of the US-Algeria Business Council and Vice President of Raytheon International, will lead the US Trade Mission to Algeria. Such a visit reflects the interest the United States reserves to the Maghreb region, including Algeria.

Who is Paul Mikolashek?

Raytheon Names Paul T. Mikolashek Raytheon Executive for Middle East/North Africa/Pakistan
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=188644

Gen Mikolashek takes US 3rd Army HQ to Kuwait, Jane's Defense, December 11, 2001
http://www.embargos.de/irak/post1109/english/3rd_army_hq_kuwait_janes.html

History Commons Profile: Paul T. Mikolashek

Positions that Paul T. Mikolashek has held:
US Army's inspector general

Paul T. Mikolashek was a participant or observer in the following events:

Morning July 22, 2004: US Army Investigation: No Systemic Problems in Detention System in Iraq and Afghanistan
The US Army’s inspector general, Lt. Gen. Paul T. Mikolashek, presents a 300-page report listing 94 documented cases of prisoner abuse to the Senate Armed Services Committee. [Washington Post, 7/23/2004] Of the 94 cases cited in the report, 39 are deaths. Twenty of those are suspected homicides. [Los Angeles Times, 10/15/2004] In preparing the report, Mikolashek’s team visited more than two dozen US military installations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the US. Unlike previous investigations, Mikolashek did not look at individual cases. Instead, his team reviewed records of reported cases and the findings of previous investigations. Team members also interviewed 650 soldiers and officers and looked at broad Army doctrine and training. [Washington Post, 7/23/2004] Mikolashek’s report concludes that abuses were not due to “systemic” problems. [Washington Post, 7/23/2004] For example, it found no evidence that there was a “pattern of abuse” in the central command’s area of responsibility. [New York Times, 6/6/2004] The report’s conclusions are made in spite of the fact that the investigative team identified numerous problems at the prison stemming from poorly trained US military personnel, inadequate supervision, and vague and contradictory policies and orders. According to Mikolashek, documented cases of abuse were “aberrations” that did not follow from Army doctrine but from the “the failure of individuals to follow known standards of discipline and Army values and, in some cases, the failure of a few leaders to enforce those standards of discipline.” They were, the report stressed, “unauthorized actions taken by a few individuals.” The conduct of most of the soldiers, however, exhibited “military professionalism, ingrained Army values, and moral courage,” the report insisted. [Washington Post, 7/23/2004] The report’s conclusions stand in stark contrast to the Red Cross’s report (see February 24, 2004), released in late February, which concluded that problems in the US detention system were widespread and systemic. Though the report will be heavily criticized for its conclusion that military and administration officials should not be blamed for the atrocities, it does contain an abundant amount of evidence that they created an environment that encouraged the abuses to happen. For example, Mikolashek’s team found:
The military hired private contractors to interrogate detainees because the military had too few translators and interrogators in the field. More than a third of these private contractors were not sufficiently trained. [Washington Post, 7/23/2004]
Almost two thirds of the prisoners were kept in makeshift prison camps, or collection points, for as many as 30 days—60 times the 12-hour limit set by Army doctrine. [Washington Post, 7/23/2004]
Preventive medical services were insufficient. Not one of the US-run facilities visited by the team met the Army’s medical screening requirements. [Washington Post, 7/23/2004]
Copies of the Geneva Conventions in the detainees’ native languages were present at only four of the 16 facilities visited by Mikolashek’s team, in contravention of international law. There was not a single US-run facility in Afghanistan that had a copy. [Washington Post, 7/23/2004]
At Abu Ghraib, the conditions were extremely unsanitary. The prison was seriously overcrowded, lacked an adequate supply of potable water, and had garbage and sewage strewn on the grounds of the outdoor camps. There were only 12 showers available for 600 to 700 detainees. Meals provided to the detainees were often contaminated with dirt and rodent droppings. [Washington Post, 7/23/2004]
The Bagram base in Afghanistan had a leaking roof and no sanitary system. “Human waste spills were frequent on the main floor,” the reports says. Sections of the base were contaminated with toxic chemicals leftover from previous airport operations. [Washington Post, 7/23/2004]
The military’s interrogation policy was confusing and instructions were often conflicting. “While the language of the approved policies could be viewed as a careful attempt to draw the line between lawful and unlawful conduct, the published instructions left considerable room for misapplication.” This could “create settings in which unsanctioned behavior, including detainee abuse, could occur,” the report’s authors conclude. [Washington Post, 7/23/2004]

Entity Tags: International Committee of the Red Cross, Paul T. Mikolashek

Timeline Tags: Torture of US Captives, War in Afghanistan

 

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