Kiev allows torture and runs secret jails, says UN.

Greg Krasovsky: Torturing terror suspects and political opponents of your regime? Secret detention facilities - black sites? 

Sound vaguely familiar? 

I wonder where the current Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) could have learned all this? The Nazi Gestapo? The Soviet KGB? 

How about the modern CIA and its allies? 

Yes, the same CIA that's currently deeply embedded into the SBU and is actively helping it to fight pro-Russian federalists (separatists) and alleged Kremlin's agents (i.e. this who actively oppose the pro-U.S. Poroshenko regime)?
   
Is this the freedom, independence and constitutional democracy that Ukrainians deserved and expected from U.S. political, economic, military and intelligence support?
  
Where's the massive press coverage from Western mainstream establishment media? 

What? You didn't know that Western mainstream media tends to cover human rights abuses in countries whose governments are in opposition to the US/EU/NATO establishment? 

That's right folks, the best "get out of jail cards" for kidnappings, unlawful detentions, police brutality, torture and extra-judicial killings are doled out by the U.S. State Department, The Pentagon, and the U.S. Intelligence Community (CIA first and foremost) to virtually ALL U.S. allies and agents who are fighting America's traditional enemies (communists & etc.) and current opponents, such as these in the Middle East

- Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and his allies,
- Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Ba'ath party supporters, anti-American Sunni Muslims and Pro-Iranian Shiite Muslim groups, 
- Syria's Bashar al-Assad and his supporters,
- Iran's government and Shia religious leadership (ayatollahs),
- Bahrain's opposition to the pro-Saudi Arabian Sunni government
- Yemen's opposition to the the pro-Saudi Arabian Sunni government
- Afghanistan's opposition to  
- Pakistan's opposition 

Why? Because although you may be a bad guy, human rights abuser/violator, torturer, rapist, kidnapper, murderer or even a war criminal, you're the means that are justified by a noble end - spreading U.S. government influence and control. Sorry, I meant freedom, democracy, the free market and globalization.
  
So getting back to European Ukraine (the geographic center of the European continent is in Ukraine!), should we be surprised if the United States and its allies allowed the same type of political repressions against anti-U.S/EU/NATO groups as in Saudi Arabia, America's staunchest ally in the Arabian Peninsula with all ensuing consequences?

Should we be scared if the United States recommends and implements in Ukraine the same type of counter-insurgency and anti-communist/socialist measures as in Latin America from the 1960s to the 1990s, like in
  
- El Salvador
- Nicaragua
- Peru
- Colombia
- Argentina and
- Chile

or the counter-insurgency tactics elsewhere around the world like in 

- post-Hussein Iraq, 
- post-Taliban Afghanistan or 
- the Philippines (against communist groups and Moro Muslim Rebel groups).
  
Should we be surprised if the US/EU/NATO turn a blind eye against ethnic, linguistic, religious and political persecution of ethnic Russians, Russian-speakers, Russian Eastern Orthodox and Pro-Russian cultural & political movements, the same way that human rights abuses have been tolerated against America's perceived opponents in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania)?

If you're a staunch Ukrainian Nationalist who holds Ukrainian WWII Nazi collaborators as heroes and their anti-Soviet/Polish/Jewish tactics (i.e. war crimes and crimes against humanity) as justified, then you'll approve of ALL measures necessary to eradicate the Russian menace which you believe has ruined Ukraine for hundreds of years.

But if you're a moderate Ukrainian-Russian-American like me who wants to see a tolerant, independent, democratic and corruption-free Ukraine, then you'll be scared for the sake of all normal and peace-loving Ukrainians of the above scenarios.

Why be saddened and scared? Because I don't want Ukraine to go through what former Yugoslavia has experienced less than 30 years ago - a civil war where neighbors started to beat, torture, rape & kill neighbors just because they were of a different ethnicity. 
  
I don't want Ukraine to look like Iraq where neighbors killed neighbors because they were Sunni and not Shia (and vice-versa).
  
I don't want Ukraine to go through Argentina's Dirty War or the persecutions of Franko's Spain where political opponents are tortured and killed in secret prisons and their children stolen to be raised by their parents' henchmen. 

But all of the above crimes have already started to happen in Ukraine since the Euro-Maidan protests in February of 2014. For better or for worse, the majority of the human rights abuses, war crimes and crimes committed against humanity have been perpetrated by the US/EU/NATO supported Yatsenyuk/Poroshenko regime.

But the Western Political establishment, mass media and even human rights groups mostly have turned a blind eye on these crimes and abuses. Why? 
  
Is it because people believe that it's justified or even necessary to fight Russia's evil with evil?

If you believe that the persecution of legitimate & peaceful political opposition in the Soviet Union was wrong and evil, then why would you tolerate or even participate in the same type of evil in today's Ukraine, even if  it is directed (for now) just at the alleged agents and sympathizers of Russia and Stalin's supposed heir in the Kremlin? 
  
BTW, let's look at modern Russia's geopolitical forays since its founding in 1991 and look at the alleged "evil" it has caused by:

A. Former Soviet Union
- defending Abhazian autonomy in Georgia in 1992-1993 with peace-keeping troops,
- defending Ossetian autonomy in Georgia in 2008 with peace-keeping troops,
- defending Armenian autonomy in Nagorny Karabakh,  
- defending pro-Russian autonomy in Trans-Dniester region of Moldova with peace-keeping troops,
- providing military & political assistance to contain radical Islam and drug trafficking in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. 
- providing political, economic and military assistance to Pro-Russian eastern Ukrainian federalists ("separatists") in Donetsk and Lugansk.

B. Europe
- providing economic, political and military assistance to Serbia 
- providing political assistance to Greece
  
C. Middle East
- providing military support to Syria's legitimate government,
- selling arms and building a nuclear power plant in Iran

D. Latin America
- selling arms to and engaging in trade with Venezuela 
- providing military, political and economic assistance to Cuba 
   
Now let's compare this to the millions of deaths and billions (if not trillions by now) of US dollars in destroyed civilian infrastructure caused by US/NATO led or supported interventions since 1991 in
  
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Libya
- Syria
- Yemen

Now did "evil" Putin's Russia or the former Soviet Union cause the above conflicts and demand US/NATO foreign interventions that have created failed states? No!
    
So how can we justify, tolerate, ignore and/or go unpunished  human rights abuses, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the current Ukrainian government under the flag of fighting Russian aggression and Kremlin's agents of influence?  
  
Please remember that ANY selective tolerance of evil, tyranny and despotism by a society or its government, regardless of whether it is 

- happening domestically or abroad,
- being done or tolerated initially in a limited way on a temporary basis,
- being used to fight a "greater" evil,

will sooner or later desensitize and corrupt the tolerant observer, facilitator or accomplice and lead to a potentially lethal spread of evil like a cancer with unavoidable pain, suffering and even death to follow.  

Do we want that sort of blow-back? I hope not!
  
****

Selected excerpt:

"Ukraine’s spy agency, the SBU, is systematically rounding up and torturing suspected rebel sympathisers, the United Nations has told The Times.

Ivan Simonovic, UN assistant secretary-general for human rights, said that in some areas Kiev’s “disregard for human rights” had become entrenched and systemic and needed to be urgently addressed.

The UN report documents hundreds of cases of illegal detention, torture and ill-treatment of detainees — both by pro-Russian armed groups and by government agencies.

It draws attention to prisoner abuse and murders by pro-Russian rebel groups, but also exposes the scale and brutality of Ukraine’s government-backed torture programme..."

Please read the rest of the article at: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/kiev-allows-torture-and-runs-secret-jails-says-un-vwlcrpsjn
  
Don't forget to follow our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/URA.Observer/

Could a Bomb Blast in Ankara Change the Outcome of the War in Syria?

Greg Krasovsky: If US policy toward the civil war in Ukraine is in any way similar to US policy in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and Yemen, then Ukraine is headed toward the epicenter of a geopolitical disaster on world-wide proportions.

Why? Because Russia will act with greater response than in Syria to make sure that next-door Ukraine will not turn into a failed state that could (would!) be used by armed anti-Russian militants as a protected staging area in an attempt to overthrow Vladimir Putin's in Russia.

So let's keep an eye on Syria today, as the fates of Ukraine, Russia and America -- for better or for worse -- are intertwined in the resolution of the Syrian conflict. 

P.S. To see how things could spiral out of control, please read 

"Washington Asks Moscow: Please Do Not to Bomb American Troops Operating on the Ground in Northern Syria."

http://www.globalresearch.ca/washington-asks-moscow-please-do-not-to-bomb-american-troops-operating-on-the-ground-in-northern-syria/5509226

"Experts: Invasion of Syria Could Lead to Nuclear War"

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2016/02/experts-invasion-syria-lead-nuclear-war.html

******* 

Could a Bomb Blast in Ankara Change the Outcome of the War in Syria?
by MIKE WHITNEY
Counterpunch.org
FEBRUARY 19, 2016

"The question is whether Putin will engage the Turkish military in a full-blown war just to recapture a few hundred meters of Syrian sovereign territory. I expect Putin will let the incident slide and chalk it up to “frustration” on Turkey’s part. If that’s the only victory that Erdogan requires, then it’s a price that’s worth paying. Putin has to stay focused on the big picture, and not get diverted by trivialities.

Of course, if Erdogan plans to push further into Syria, then there’s going to be trouble. After all, Moscow’s hands are tied. The only way it can hope to extricate itself from the conflict in Syria is by defeating the jihadists as quickly as possible, clearing out the hotbeds of resistance, and reestablishing security. If Turkey enters the war, that throws a wrench in everything. The tit-for-tat fighting will drag on for years, and there will probably never be a clear winner. This is exactly what Putin hopes to avoid. So, if Turkey launches an invasion and sends in ground troops, Putin will be forced to strike with everything-he’s-got to see if one, big shock and awe display of raw military power is enough to reverse the trend and send Erdogan’s legions packing. If it doesn’t work, and Turkey digs in, Syria could devolve into the mother of all quagmires, which is why we’re a little surprised that Obama is not pursuing a plan that would draw Turkey deeper into the fray, after all, Washington gains nothing strategically from its support for the YPG. In a way, the alliance makes no sense. Does Washington care about Kurdish aspirations for a homeland?

No. Does Obama want to help Putin clear the area North of Aleppo of jihadists, militants and opposition forces?

Of course not. Then what does Washington get?

Nothing.

An alliance with Erdogan, on the other hand, provides Washington with the footsoldiers it needs to fight its proxy war with Russia. It also creates a situation where Russia could get bogged down for years in a conflict that could drain its resources, undermine morale, and precipitate social unrest at home. Isn’t that exactly what Washington wants?"

Please read the rest of the article at http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/02/19/could-a-bomb-blast-in-ankara-change-the-outcome-of-the-war-in-syria/

Reaper Madness: Obama’s Whack-a-Mole Killing Machine

Below are Greg Krasovsky's comments on Doug Noble's article, Reaper Madness: Obama’s Whack-a-Mole Killing Machine, published on November 9, 2015 at www.counterpunch.org  

The U.S. drone program kills people every week in many places around the world.

Drone-fired missiles 

- execute suspects who haven't been proved guilty in a court of law;

- kill suspects just because capturing them is deemed to expensive or dangerous; 

- are used in countries with which the U.S. is not at war and sometimes without the host country's formal legal authorization; and

- kill innocent women and children ("collateral damage") just because they happen to be in the vicinity of suspects.

Based on the above, IMHO the U.S. drone program is unconstitutional, illegal and includes many missions that constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
  
How many Americans are willing to spend even an hour with any  surviving family of women and children who were killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere? What would we tell them to explain their loss and justify the drone strike? 

- I'm sorry, I'm not the one who pulled the trigger? 
  
- I trust my government, the CIA, NSA  and Pentagon to keep me safe and select terrorists for execution with minimum collateral damage in other countries? 
  
- I'm sure that our government will pay you some compensation?
  
- I just pay my taxes, vote and try to stay out of foreign politics?
   
- I'm not a lawyer, so whether what happened to your dead women & children is a crime should be investigated by the U.S. Justice Department and, if it decides that a crime was committed, the suspects should be tried in a U.S. federal court by a jury of my American peers.
   
- I know that my taxes fund the Drone program and bought the missiles that killed you women and children, but there's nothing that I can do? What? Write my Congressman, Senator, President?
  
- I didn't have the time (or, to be honest, the desire and will power) to research and protest against such a program? After all, I'm busy with work, children, TV, movies, music, sports and etc.
    
Are these morally defensible arguments? Is this what any one of us would like to tell G-d if questioned?
   
Guess what, folks? As tax payers and voters Americans bear direct responsibility for what the government & military that we finance with our taxes does at the behest of politicians that we put into office. 
   
Is this what the Founding Fathers of America would have wanted when they declared independence from The British Empire and drafted the U.S. Constitution?

Where's the outrage and protest?
  
Here are some excerpts:

"Targeted killing by drones remains the US weapon of choice, famously called “the only game in town,” by former CIA director Leon Panetta. This despite a decade of worldwide moral outrage over its overwhelming civilian casualties, violations of international law, disregard for national sovereignty, dismissal of due process, and continuing secrecy. 

The Obama administration recently announced that the drone killing program will in fact be increased by 50 % in the coming two years.

Now government documents leaked to the Intercept show conclusively that the US drone program kills thousands of innocents on bad intelligence and careless targeting while being falsely portrayed as a program of impeccable planning and precision execution. 

The recently leaked “Drone Papers” - see http://www.drone-papers.com - reveal the extent of willful ineptitude in US drone operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, which rely on systematically faulty intelligence and astonishing inaccuracies in identifying targets. These revelations only further confirm what many of us already knew about the appalling failure, relentless deception and criminal lethality of the US drone program.
...
The publication this year of the Drone Papers reveals that the Obama administration, the US military, and the CIA have been lying all along about the drone assassination  program, its targets and its civilian casualties. These documents also expose the obscene disregard for human lives pervading the entire operation, as the drone warriors pursue their technological dreams. 

“Throughout human history,” the Stimson Report reminds us, “the ability to project force across significant distances has been a much sought-after military capability… and since the dawn of mechanization, militaries have sought to replace people with machines.” In this context, drones are the unholy grail. 

The Drone Papers reveal that in its pursuit these Dr Strangeloves  have been well aware of the horrific human costs of their enterprise and that they couldn’t care less.

What I’ve tried to show here is something more:  that these military miscreants have also known all along that their drone technology and targeting strategy are militarily bankrupt. They could not but be aware from military history and doctrine that these approaches have  absolutely no possibility of defeating terrorist groups or keeping America safe. They must know that in fact the opposite is true, that  their nefarious enterprise only further endangers us all. 

And yet they will continue ever more brazenly their Reaper madness, the scholars here all agree, until we find some way to stop them."

Please read the rest of the article at:

http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/11/09/reaper-madness-obamas-whack-a-mole-killing-machine/

Reality Check: Obama Pushes Perpetual War In Seven Countries?

Reality Check: Obama Pushes Perpetual War In Seven Countries?

President Obama says that if the GOP had their way he would be involved in wars in seven different countries. Really? How many countries DOES the president have us fighting in?

This is a Reality Check you won't see anywhere else.... 

but on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p7khnhzdrc


"The people who make wars, the people who reduce their fellows to slavery, the people who kill and torture and tell lies in the name of their sacred causes, the really evil people in a word—these are never the publicans and the sinners. No, they’re the virtuous, respectable men, who have the finest feelings, the best brains, the noblest ideals."

ALDOUS HUXLEY, After Many a Summer Dies the Swan

So what was the reason why President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, again?

The Six Most Disastrous Interventions of the 21st Century.

By GARY LEUPP
October 9, 2015

"On October 2 President Barack Obama, alluding to Russia’s decision to launch air strikes in Syria, told reporters at the White House that for Russia to view the forces targeted “from the perspective they’re all terrorists [is] a recipe for disaster, and it’s one that I reject.”

In other words, he was saying that Moscow is not (as it claims) really focusing on ISIL and the al-Nusra Front but on the anti-regime opposition in general, which supposedly includes “moderates.”

Never mind that Obama himself as well as Joseph Biden have on occasion pooh-poohed the existence of a moderate armed opposition that controls territory in Syria. Didn’t Biden say last year at Harvard that “there was no moderate middle [in Syria] because the moderate middle are made up of shop-keepers, not soldiers”?

And hasn’t it been shown that maps showing territory in the hands of the “Free Syrian Army” are the figments of propagandists’ imagination? The FSA has no coordinated command structure and its networks overlap those of groups that Washington would not normally define as “moderate” (unless it wanted to rehabilitate al-Qaeda, which having attacked the U.S. on 9/11 and supposedly the cause of all the—disastrous—post-9/11 U.S. military actions in the Middle East), has gradually become my-enemy-against-my-enemy and hence a new found friend."

Read the rest of this article at: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/10/09/the-six-most-disastrous-interventions-of-the-21st-century/