DTN News: Prof. Noam Chomsky Says Israel, 'US Military Base'

DTN News: Prof. Noam Chomsky Says Israel, 'US Military Base'

*Source: DTN News / Press TV

(NSI News Source Info) BOSTON, Ma. - December 10, 2009: Renowned American sociopolitical analyst Noam Chomsky says Israel functions as Washington's main weapons storage base in the Middle East.

"Israel is essentially a US military base, the US positions weapons there, that's a very close military and intelligence tie," the Jewish academic told Press TV on Wednesday while explaining the complexity of relations between Washington and Tel Aviv.

Commenting on the weapons that Israel received from the US before launching its 2007-2008 offensive in the Gaza Strip, Chomsky said that the exchange of weapons between the two sides was not surprising.

"[Israel] is receiving weapons constantly. In fact, weapons were sent during the invasion of Gaza. They tried to send them, they were supposed to send them from Greece, and Greece refused to ship them," he said. "When pentagon was asked about this, they responded (I think correctly) that the weapons were not being sent for the Gaza invasion which was underway with the US weapons of course; rather, the US was positioning weapons in Israel," he added.

The professor, who was taking part in an interview with Press TV after delivering a speech at Boston University, said that although Israel had influence over the US foreign policy, it still had to act within the boundaries of what Washington allowed.

"Take for example Israeli threats against Iran or US threats for that matter, in which if anybody cares it is a violation of the UN charter,” said Chomsky. "Last summer in 2008, right in the middle of the presidential election… Israeli lobbyists tried very hard to push through a resolution in congress calling for a blockade on Iran which essentially would have been an act of war.

"They were rounding up quite lot of senators… and all of a sudden the effort terminated, presumably what happened is the White House… wanted to have a word with them, so they pulled back, that happens over and over, Israel can not go beyond what the US permits," he added.

During his address at Boston University, the recognized professor also warned of the threat that the US and Israel posed to the world and said people may have more to fear from the two than those that Washington tries to associate with terrorism.

"[The US and Israel] consistently and regularly… resort to force and the threat of force… carry out aggression regularly and repeatedly… invade other countries, occupy other countries, [and] invoke terror and violence," he said.

Chomsky also pointed out that the US government and its media had spread exaggerated reports about Iran's nuclear program. "There has been a massive propaganda campaign that demonizes Iran, that portrays it as a major threat to world peace that has been going on for the past three years," he said.

DTN News: Arab States The World's Top Arms Importer

DTN News: Arab States The World's Top Arms Importer

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) DUBAI, UAE - September 7, 2009: The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have been ranked as the top arms buyers in the world helping the US increase its share to more than 68.4% of all foreign armaments deals during global recession.

The UAE signed $9.7 billion in arms deals and Saudi Arabia signed $8.7 billion in weapons agreements, the New York Times reported on Sunday. (Image: UAEAF F-16E Desert Falcon taking off from the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas. The United Arab Emirates is the only operator of the F-16E/F.)

According to a new congressional study, Washington signed weapons agreements valued at $37.8 billion in 2008, or 68.4% of all business in the global arms bazaar, up from American sales of $25.4 billion the year before. Italy was a distant second, with $3.7 billion in worldwide weapons sales in 2008, while Russia was third with $3.5 billion in arms sales last year - down from the $10.8 billion in weapons deals signed by Moscow in 2007.

The growth in weapons sales by the US last year was particularly noticeable against worldwide trends.

The value of global arms sales in 2008 was $55.2 billion, a drop of 7.6% from 2007 and the lowest total for international weapons agreements since 2005, the study said.

The United States was the leader not only in arms sales worldwide, but also in sales to nations in the developing world, signing $29.6 billion in weapons agreements with these nations, or 70.1% of all such deals.

The study found that the larger arms deals concluded by the US with developing nations last year included a $6.5 billion air defense system for the UAE, a $2.1 billion jet fighter deal with Morocco and a $2 billion attack helicopter agreement with Taiwan.

Other large weapons agreements were reached between the US and Egypt, Iraq, India, South Korea and Brazil.

The annual report was produced by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, a division of the Library of Congress.

DTN News: Russia To Grant U.S. Afghan Supply Route

DTN News: Russia To Grant U.S. Afghan Supply Route

*Source: DTN News / Reuters (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - July 5, 2009: Russia will grant President Barack Obama permission next week to ship U.S. weapons supplies across its territory, or through its airspace, en route to Afghanistan, sources on both sides told Reuters on Saturday. The transit deal will open up an important corridor for the United States as it steps up its Afghan war against Taliban insurgents by sending in more troops. Routes via Pakistan have come under attack by militants. It will be one of the main agreements signed during Obama's Moscow summit next week with Kremlin chief Dmitry Medvedev, the sources said. "The agreement will include the transit of all U.S. goods, including military ones (to Afghanistan)," a senior Kremlin source told Reuters. A U.S. source confirmed the deal would be signed and said it would mark a step forward in cooperation on Afghanistan, which Russia views as a key area where both the former Cold War foes can work together to mend ties. It was not immediately clear if the deal would allow the United States to fly troops over Russian territory to Afghanistan. Medvedev has repeatedly said he is ready to widen cooperation with U.S.-led coalition and NATO forces in Afghanistan, though Moscow has ruled out sending any of its own troops to fight. Russia has already granted Washington the right to transit 'non-lethal' supplies, such as food, overland via Russia -- and Central Asia -- to Afghanistan. Moscow has also granted NATO members Germany, France and Spain the right to use Russian territory to transit military cargos to Afghanistan. (Additional reporting by Washington bureau) (Reporting by Oleg Shchedrov and Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow, editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Iran Develops Spy Drone Capable Of Reaching Israel - Official

Iran Develops Spy Drone Capable Of Reaching Israel - Official

(NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN - February 19, 2009: Iranian scientists have developed an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of reaching Israel, an Iranian news agency said on Wednesday, citing a senior military official. Deputy Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi made the announcement on Tuesday and described the development as "an important achievement," the Fars news agency reported. "However, we cannot disclose the details of this project at present," the official said. The reported range of 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) would make it possible for the Iranian drone to reach Israel. Iran launched a domestic arms development program after a U.S. weapons embargo was imposed during its 1980-88 war with Iraq. Since 1992, Iran has reportedly produced its own Saeqeh and Azarakhsh jet fighters, stealth-capable Ghadir submarine, missile boats, torpedoes, tanks and armored carrier vehicles. Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said on January 27 that Iran had achieved self-sufficiency in manufacturing combat missiles of various modifications. He added that Iran would continue to build up its defense capability to ensure regional stability and security. "Our greater defense power is no threat to other countries," he said. "Iran only needs a system to deter and repulse possible external aggression against it." Both Israel and the United States have refused to rule out the possibility of military action against Tehran over its failure to obey international nuclear non-proliferation demands.

Thousands Of US Weapons Astray In Afghanistan: Auditors

Thousands Of US Weapons Astray In Afghanistan: Auditors

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON – February 13, 2009: Lax controls mean that tens of thousands of US weapons, including assault rifles and grenade launchers, risk ending up in the wrong hands in Afghanistan, congressional auditors warned on Thursday. The Pentagon has failed to track an estimated 87,000 weapons given to Afghan government forces by the United States, or a further 135,000 donated by NATO allies, a report by the non-partisan Government Accountability Office said. US military officials' neglect to record serial numbers or conduct inventories once the weapons were shipped to Afghan forces risk them ending up in Taliban hands and being turned on NATO troops, the report indicated. "Given the unstable security conditions in Afghanistan, the risk of loss and theft of these weapons is significant," said the evaluation, which was submitted to a House of Representatives hearing taking place Thursday. GAO inspectors visited Afghanistan last August and found a worrying failure to conduct basic checks by US forces on the ground. "Lapses in accountability occurred throughout the supply chain," the report said. "This was primarily due to a lack of clear direction from (Department of) Defense and staffing shortages." Aside from weaponry including rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers and mortars, the report found inadequate oversight of night vision goggles issued to the Afghan National Army. There was no immediate comment from the US government but a senior Pentagon auditor, Thomas Gimble, was testifying at the hearing of the House subcommittee on national security and foreign affairs. The subcommittee's Democratic chairman, John Tierney, said the "disturbing" GAO report exposed the risk of US troops being killed by their own government's weapons.