The leaders of the G-20 countries, which account for 85% of the world’s income, cannot meet in an American city without 12,000 cops outfitted like the emperor’s storm troopers in Star Wars. And the US government complains about Iran.

~ Paul Craig Roberts

EDMONDS: Okay. So these conversations, between 1997 and 2001, had to do with a Central Asia operation that involved bin Laden. Not once did anybody use the word “al-Qaeda.” It was always “mujahideen,” always “bin Laden” and, in fact, not “bin Laden” but “bin Ladens” plural. There were several bin Ladens who were going on private jets to Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. The Turkish ambassador in Azerbaijan worked with them.

There were bin Ladens, with the help of Pakistanis or Saudis, under our management. Marc Grossman was leading it, 100 percent, bringing people from East Turkestan into Kyrgyzstan, from Kyrgyzstan to Azerbaijan, from Azerbaijan some of them were being channeled to Chechnya, some of them were being channeled to Bosnia. From Turkey, they were putting all these bin Ladens on NATO planes. People and weapons went one way, drugs came back.

GIRALDI: Was the U.S. government aware of this circular deal?

EDMONDS: 100 percent. A lot of the drugs were going to Belgium with NATO planes. After that, they went to the UK, and a lot came to the U.S. via military planes to distribution centers in Chicago and Paterson, New Jersey. Turkish diplomats who would never be searched were coming with suitcases of heroin.

Continue reading Who’s Afraid of Sibel Edmonds?

By George Friedman

There are four permutations Obama might choose in response to the dual crisis. He could attack Iran and increase forces in Afghanistan, but he might well wind up stuck in a long-term war in Afghanistan. He could avoid that long-term war by withdrawing from Afghanistan and also ignore Iran’s program, but that would leave many regimes reliant on the United States for defense against Iran in the lurch. He could increase forces in Afghanistan and ignore Iran — probably yielding the worst of all possible outcomes, namely, a long-term Afghan war and an Iran with a nuclear program if not nuclear weapons.

Continue reading Obama’s Move: Iran and Afghanistan

We have reached our election goal,” said Merkel, who is about to start coalition talks with the business-friendly Free Democratic Party.

Together with the FDP, the CDU/CSU got 48.4% of the votes, enough to secure a new coalition government, preliminary official results showed Monday.

“The results ensure a stable majority,” Merkel said.

FDP leader Guido Westerwelle said they are “ready to take up responsibility and help govern Germany.”

Coalition talks will start next week at the latest, with key jobs at the economics and finance ministries up for grabs.

Westerwelle is expected to become vice chancellor and foreign minister. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg of the CSU is tipped to stay in his post as economics minister or may become finance minister.

Continue reading Germany’s Merkel Set To Form New Coalition Government

About: Angela Merkel

Related article: German Federal Election, 2009