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Anti-nuclear vigil held at White House - 21Mar2011 - English
On a peaceful day in front of the White House there was a group focused on US aggression of nuclear proportions.
Nearly 30 years ago William "Doubting" Thomas started the White...
On a peaceful day in front of the White House there was a group focused on US aggression of nuclear proportions.
Nearly 30 years ago William "Doubting" Thomas started the White House Anti-Nuclear Peace Vigil. He died in 2009. But since then, his supporters such as “Concepcion” who's a fixture here--have been carrying out his legacy of urging the US government to redefine its nuclear development and nuclear aggression against other countries.
Thomas' widow Ellen says more nuclear weapons don't make the population safer.
The vigil in front of the white house couldn't come at a more poignant time. With nuclear reactor failures in Japan after a massive earthquake and the us participation of strikes over Libya after a un-mandated no-fly zone, activists say the us government is headed in the wrong direction regarding nuclear development and military activity.
More...
Description:
On a peaceful day in front of the White House there was a group focused on US aggression of nuclear proportions.
Nearly 30 years ago William "Doubting" Thomas started the White House Anti-Nuclear Peace Vigil. He died in 2009. But since then, his supporters such as “Concepcion” who's a fixture here--have been carrying out his legacy of urging the US government to redefine its nuclear development and nuclear aggression against other countries.
Thomas' widow Ellen says more nuclear weapons don't make the population safer.
The vigil in front of the white house couldn't come at a more poignant time. With nuclear reactor failures in Japan after a massive earthquake and the us participation of strikes over Libya after a un-mandated no-fly zone, activists say the us government is headed in the wrong direction regarding nuclear development and military activity.
13:59
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U.S. Defends Bahrain Dictatorship - 23Mar2011 - English
Husain Abdulla: Hypocrisy defending rebels in Libya but supporting regime in Bahrain
CORRECTION:
Paul Jay said "On Monday Febraury 14th, approximately a thousand Saudi soldiers in...
Husain Abdulla: Hypocrisy defending rebels in Libya but supporting regime in Bahrain
CORRECTION:
Paul Jay said "On Monday Febraury 14th, approximately a thousand Saudi soldiers in armored vehicles entered Bahrain"; however Saudi Arabia entered Bahrain on March 14th.
More...
Description:
Husain Abdulla: Hypocrisy defending rebels in Libya but supporting regime in Bahrain
CORRECTION:
Paul Jay said "On Monday Febraury 14th, approximately a thousand Saudi soldiers in armored vehicles entered Bahrain"; however Saudi Arabia entered Bahrain on March 14th.
Anger over Pakistani support-English
Pakistan has agreed to support the king against the protestors
ONE Middle Eastern intervention makes the headlines every day. The other barely rates a mention. The first is ostensibly aimed at...
Pakistan has agreed to support the king against the protestors
ONE Middle Eastern intervention makes the headlines every day. The other barely rates a mention. The first is ostensibly aimed at protecting civilians and at facilitating change, the second at safeguarding the status quo.
Libya’s Muammar Qadhafi has been told he must go. Bahrain’s ruling Al Khalifa family, on the other hand, must stay. Some Arabs, one could be forgiven for assuming, are worthier of democracy and civil rights than others.
Yet the degree of hypocrisy may not be as great as it seems. After all, while the future of Tunisia and Egypt remains unwritten, there can be little reason to doubt that the US and its allies would prefer to preserve the basic structures of the Ben Ali and Mubarak regimes, albeit with new figureheads and, if possible, less visible signs of oppression and the odd concession to pluralism.
From their point of view, the ideal outcome in Bahrain would be similar: a few nods in the direction of cosmetic reform to placate the restive segments of society, but not much more than that — and certainly nothing that could jeopardise Bahrain’s crucial strategic relationship with the US, especially its status as a home for the Fifth Fleet. The trouble, of course, is the impossibility of rearrangements that could be passed off as regime change.
At best the prime minister, in situ for four decades, could be replaced. But he is the king’s uncle, and even if he could be persuaded, without occasioning a family split, to step aside, his successor would inevitably be another Al Khalifa.
That US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton felt obliged earlier this month to mildly berate the regime in Manama for its transgressions against mostly peaceful protesters was obviously in large part a consequence of not wishing the contrast with western actions in Libya to seem too stark. It is highly unlikely that the decision by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to send in troops was taken without Washington’s imprimatur, given that both are effectively American satrapies in geo-strategic terms.
The foreign troops, which are officially supposed to guard strategic installations, rather than assist in ‘crowd control’, were evidently despatched under a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreement dating back to Saddam Hussein’s neighbour-threatening rhetoric in 1990, which preceded the invasion of Kuwait. (His stance was thoroughly embarrassing at the time for oil-rich states that had during the previous decade supported Iraq in its war against Iran.)
That was, however, a joint defence pact among the Gulf potentates, to the effect that the violation of any GCC state’s sovereignty would be construed as aggression against all. Internal unrest did not figure in their calculations. Bahrain does not face any external threat, although there can be little doubt its emissaries have, in private discussions, conjured up the bogey of a threat from Iran.
Tehran’s domestic and foreign policies are often indefensible, but cables from Bahrain-based US diplomats over recent years, released by WikiLeaks, suggest it hasn’t lately been going out of its way to interfere in Bahrain. The Gulf state’s majority Shia population resents the almost exclusively Sunni regime because of irrefutable instances of discrimination rather than because of imprecations from Iran.
Given that at least 70 per cent of Bahrainis are Shias, it is hardly surprising that the majority of those who are economically disadvantaged fall in the same category. But their exclusion from privilege is not just a matter of demographics.
For instance, in order to keep out Bahraini Shias from the security forces, the government regularly recruits troops from abroad — notably from Yemen and Pakistan. And whereas the value of public representation can be judged by the fact that a royally nominated senate can overrule the elected lower house, even so the constitutional arrangements sanctioning the latter preclude the possibility of a Shia majority.
It inevitably follows that the monarchy’s supporters are mostly Sunni and its opponents mostly Shia, and even though the protests launched last month weren’t, on the face of it, sectarian in nature, casting them in that light tends to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Bahrain does not differ from its Gulf neighbours only in a demographic sense: it’s also relatively less well endowed with natural resources, and therefore poorer in per capita terms. And it has been rocked by popular unrest more frequently.
Referring to an uprising in the mid-1950s, Prof Fred Halliday noted in Arabia Without Sultans: “The British realised that Bahrain had a more advanced and therefore dangerous political character than any other Gulf country. Because the oil revenue and level of production was so much lower than in Kuwait, they had been unable to turn the indigenous population into a parasitic class with an enslaved migrant proletariat underneath. Their response was intensified repression, and a tightening of control by the Al Khalifa family.”
Notwithstanding the differences, however, Bahrain’s neighbours realise that if the Al Khalifas are toppled the Al Sauds, Al Nahyans and Al Jabers could follow. The marriage of tribal feudalism and modern capitalism cannot forever endure, but efforts will no doubt be made to preserve it for as long as petroleum remains crucial to meeting western energy needs.
In terms of totalitarian tactics, the Al Sauds in particular are more than a match for Qadhafi and his sons. But don’t expect any push for democracy in Saudi Arabia. Pressure for often intangible and invariably more or less meaningless reforms is at far as it will go.
Bahrain falls in the same basket, essentially. Were the situation to become too fraught, the US would probably begin disentangling itself from its intricate defence links with the troubled kingdom. In the interests of advancing potentially democratic interests, it would make much more sense to do so right away. But don’t hold your breath.
The Yemeni regime, meanwhile, will also continue, for as long as it is feasible, to enjoy the benefit of the doubt. Syria, on the other hand, is a much more likely candidate for the Libyan treatment.
More...
Description:
Pakistan has agreed to support the king against the protestors
ONE Middle Eastern intervention makes the headlines every day. The other barely rates a mention. The first is ostensibly aimed at protecting civilians and at facilitating change, the second at safeguarding the status quo.
Libya’s Muammar Qadhafi has been told he must go. Bahrain’s ruling Al Khalifa family, on the other hand, must stay. Some Arabs, one could be forgiven for assuming, are worthier of democracy and civil rights than others.
Yet the degree of hypocrisy may not be as great as it seems. After all, while the future of Tunisia and Egypt remains unwritten, there can be little reason to doubt that the US and its allies would prefer to preserve the basic structures of the Ben Ali and Mubarak regimes, albeit with new figureheads and, if possible, less visible signs of oppression and the odd concession to pluralism.
From their point of view, the ideal outcome in Bahrain would be similar: a few nods in the direction of cosmetic reform to placate the restive segments of society, but not much more than that — and certainly nothing that could jeopardise Bahrain’s crucial strategic relationship with the US, especially its status as a home for the Fifth Fleet. The trouble, of course, is the impossibility of rearrangements that could be passed off as regime change.
At best the prime minister, in situ for four decades, could be replaced. But he is the king’s uncle, and even if he could be persuaded, without occasioning a family split, to step aside, his successor would inevitably be another Al Khalifa.
That US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton felt obliged earlier this month to mildly berate the regime in Manama for its transgressions against mostly peaceful protesters was obviously in large part a consequence of not wishing the contrast with western actions in Libya to seem too stark. It is highly unlikely that the decision by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to send in troops was taken without Washington’s imprimatur, given that both are effectively American satrapies in geo-strategic terms.
The foreign troops, which are officially supposed to guard strategic installations, rather than assist in ‘crowd control’, were evidently despatched under a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreement dating back to Saddam Hussein’s neighbour-threatening rhetoric in 1990, which preceded the invasion of Kuwait. (His stance was thoroughly embarrassing at the time for oil-rich states that had during the previous decade supported Iraq in its war against Iran.)
That was, however, a joint defence pact among the Gulf potentates, to the effect that the violation of any GCC state’s sovereignty would be construed as aggression against all. Internal unrest did not figure in their calculations. Bahrain does not face any external threat, although there can be little doubt its emissaries have, in private discussions, conjured up the bogey of a threat from Iran.
Tehran’s domestic and foreign policies are often indefensible, but cables from Bahrain-based US diplomats over recent years, released by WikiLeaks, suggest it hasn’t lately been going out of its way to interfere in Bahrain. The Gulf state’s majority Shia population resents the almost exclusively Sunni regime because of irrefutable instances of discrimination rather than because of imprecations from Iran.
Given that at least 70 per cent of Bahrainis are Shias, it is hardly surprising that the majority of those who are economically disadvantaged fall in the same category. But their exclusion from privilege is not just a matter of demographics.
For instance, in order to keep out Bahraini Shias from the security forces, the government regularly recruits troops from abroad — notably from Yemen and Pakistan. And whereas the value of public representation can be judged by the fact that a royally nominated senate can overrule the elected lower house, even so the constitutional arrangements sanctioning the latter preclude the possibility of a Shia majority.
It inevitably follows that the monarchy’s supporters are mostly Sunni and its opponents mostly Shia, and even though the protests launched last month weren’t, on the face of it, sectarian in nature, casting them in that light tends to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Bahrain does not differ from its Gulf neighbours only in a demographic sense: it’s also relatively less well endowed with natural resources, and therefore poorer in per capita terms. And it has been rocked by popular unrest more frequently.
Referring to an uprising in the mid-1950s, Prof Fred Halliday noted in Arabia Without Sultans: “The British realised that Bahrain had a more advanced and therefore dangerous political character than any other Gulf country. Because the oil revenue and level of production was so much lower than in Kuwait, they had been unable to turn the indigenous population into a parasitic class with an enslaved migrant proletariat underneath. Their response was intensified repression, and a tightening of control by the Al Khalifa family.”
Notwithstanding the differences, however, Bahrain’s neighbours realise that if the Al Khalifas are toppled the Al Sauds, Al Nahyans and Al Jabers could follow. The marriage of tribal feudalism and modern capitalism cannot forever endure, but efforts will no doubt be made to preserve it for as long as petroleum remains crucial to meeting western energy needs.
In terms of totalitarian tactics, the Al Sauds in particular are more than a match for Qadhafi and his sons. But don’t expect any push for democracy in Saudi Arabia. Pressure for often intangible and invariably more or less meaningless reforms is at far as it will go.
Bahrain falls in the same basket, essentially. Were the situation to become too fraught, the US would probably begin disentangling itself from its intricate defence links with the troubled kingdom. In the interests of advancing potentially democratic interests, it would make much more sense to do so right away. But don’t hold your breath.
The Yemeni regime, meanwhile, will also continue, for as long as it is feasible, to enjoy the benefit of the doubt. Syria, on the other hand, is a much more likely candidate for the Libyan treatment.
5:07
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Saudis rally in support of Bahraini protesters - April 15, 2011 - English
Hundreds of people in Saudi Arabia have protested against the Saudi occupation of Bahrain and demanded the release of all political prisoners held in Saudi custody without trial.
Hundreds of people in Saudi Arabia have protested against the Saudi occupation of Bahrain and demanded the release of all political prisoners held in Saudi custody without trial.
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5:10
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2:14
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Iraqis demand govt. action against Bahraini regime - 23Apr2011 - English
Public sympathy with Bahrain protestors are gaining momentum in Iraq as a group of activists in the southern city of Basra are collecting signatures from Basra people demanding diplomatic action...
Public sympathy with Bahrain protestors are gaining momentum in Iraq as a group of activists in the southern city of Basra are collecting signatures from Basra people demanding diplomatic action against the Bahraini regime by their government and the Arab League.
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Description:
Public sympathy with Bahrain protestors are gaining momentum in Iraq as a group of activists in the southern city of Basra are collecting signatures from Basra people demanding diplomatic action against the Bahraini regime by their government and the Arab League.
Afghans rally in solidarity with Bahrainis - 23Apr2011 - English
These people gathered in Kabul to voice their support for the protests in Bahrain. They have strongly condemned the crackdown on anti government protestors there.
These people gathered in Kabul to voice their support for the protests in Bahrain. They have strongly condemned the crackdown on anti government protestors there.
18:26
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Interview with Nabeel Rajab - 21Apr2011- English
In a recent interview with Nabeel Rajab, the president of human rights in Bahrain he tells Ahlulbayt TV of the specific attacks carried out by the government on mosques, religious gatherings and...
In a recent interview with Nabeel Rajab, the president of human rights in Bahrain he tells Ahlulbayt TV of the specific attacks carried out by the government on mosques, religious gatherings and homes. He describes this as sectarian cleansing and tells us the government are attempting to plant sectarian hatred within the nation despite this the nation are standing firm together as brothers of sunni and shia backgrounds. He describes the personal attacks on himself and his home.
Interview broadcasted on Ahlulbayt TV on the 21st April 2011
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Description:
In a recent interview with Nabeel Rajab, the president of human rights in Bahrain he tells Ahlulbayt TV of the specific attacks carried out by the government on mosques, religious gatherings and homes. He describes this as sectarian cleansing and tells us the government are attempting to plant sectarian hatred within the nation despite this the nation are standing firm together as brothers of sunni and shia backgrounds. He describes the personal attacks on himself and his home.
Interview broadcasted on Ahlulbayt TV on the 21st April 2011
16:45
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14:05
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Ex-ISI Chief Hamid Gul: CIA Choreographing Osama Assassination Hoax - English
Was USAma already dead?
What difference does it make now?
Is this a boost for Obama's campaign?
Is it Pakistan's turn now, after Afghanistan and Iraq?
Drone attacks on innocents?
Was USAma already dead?
What difference does it make now?
Is this a boost for Obama's campaign?
Is it Pakistan's turn now, after Afghanistan and Iraq?
Drone attacks on innocents?
2:39
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Schoolgirls targeted in Bahrain raids - May 11, 2011 - English
In first of five exclusive reports, Al Jazeera has unearthed evidence that sheds light on kingdom's brutal crackdown.
Al Jazeera is learning more about the full extent of the brutal crackdown in...
In first of five exclusive reports, Al Jazeera has unearthed evidence that sheds light on kingdom's brutal crackdown.
Al Jazeera is learning more about the full extent of the brutal crackdown in Bahrain against those it believes took part in recent anti-government protests.
The kingdom's oil company has fired almost 300 employees.
And according to an opposition group, police have raided up to 15 mainly girls schools, detaining, beating and threatening to rape girls as young as 12.
Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports.
More...
Description:
In first of five exclusive reports, Al Jazeera has unearthed evidence that sheds light on kingdom's brutal crackdown.
Al Jazeera is learning more about the full extent of the brutal crackdown in Bahrain against those it believes took part in recent anti-government protests.
The kingdom's oil company has fired almost 300 employees.
And according to an opposition group, police have raided up to 15 mainly girls schools, detaining, beating and threatening to rape girls as young as 12.
Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports.
17:19
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George Galloway - Conference Afghanistan 10 Years On - 11Jun2011 - English
Over 300 attended the highly successful conference on ten years of the Afghanistan war, to hear speakers from abroad, including Arab Spring activists, students, artists, military family members,...
Over 300 attended the highly successful conference on ten years of the Afghanistan war, to hear speakers from abroad, including Arab Spring activists, students, artists, military family members, historians, and members of Parliament. Below are speeches given to the conference by Jemima Khan, Tariq Ali, George Galloway, Tony Benn, Jane Shallice, David Swanson, John Hillary and Shadia Edwards-Dashti.
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Description:
Over 300 attended the highly successful conference on ten years of the Afghanistan war, to hear speakers from abroad, including Arab Spring activists, students, artists, military family members, historians, and members of Parliament. Below are speeches given to the conference by Jemima Khan, Tariq Ali, George Galloway, Tony Benn, Jane Shallice, David Swanson, John Hillary and Shadia Edwards-Dashti.
11:06
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Libya war driven by O.I.L.: Oil, Israel & Logistics - Cynthia McKinney Interview - English
As NATO attacks continue in Libya, ex US Congresswoman and former presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney went to the country on a non-governmental fact-finding mission to see what exactly is going...
As NATO attacks continue in Libya, ex US Congresswoman and former presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney went to the country on a non-governmental fact-finding mission to see what exactly is going on in the war-torn country. Cynthia McKinney believes the bombardments of Libyan cities and other measures taken by NATO, causing civilian casualties, represent the idea of "collective punishment".
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Description:
As NATO attacks continue in Libya, ex US Congresswoman and former presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney went to the country on a non-governmental fact-finding mission to see what exactly is going on in the war-torn country. Cynthia McKinney believes the bombardments of Libyan cities and other measures taken by NATO, causing civilian casualties, represent the idea of "collective punishment".
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25:48
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[A Simple Question] US presence in Iraq - 30May2011 - English
After less than a decade of war and occupation in Iraq, this edition of A Simple Question asks: Why is the US still in Iraq?
After less than a decade of war and occupation in Iraq, this edition of A Simple Question asks: Why is the US still in Iraq?
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Bahrain talks doomed to failure - 13Jul2011 - English
The ongoing negotiation between Bahrain's opposition and the Al Khalifa regime is "futile" as it fails to address the real demands of the people, says an activist.
The ongoing negotiation between Bahrain's opposition and the Al Khalifa regime is "futile" as it fails to address the real demands of the people, says an activist.
0:42
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New footage show Bahraini brutality -16Jul2011 - All Languages
A new video has emerged on YouTube depicting the latest brutality of the Saudi-backed Al Khalifa regime forces against the Bahraini people.
The video shows the Bahraini security forces...
A new video has emerged on YouTube depicting the latest brutality of the Saudi-backed Al Khalifa regime forces against the Bahraini people.
The video shows the Bahraini security forces kicking a door in and firing tear gas into a house only to flee the scene seconds later in their police vans.
Security forces on Friday resorted to violence once more, in an attempt to disperse a rally of anti-regime protesters who have been calling for an end of the Al Khalifa regime, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The anti-regime demonstrations on Friday led to one woman being killed and several others being injured.
Meanwhile, human rights groups have condemned Manama's political ploy in initiating national dialogue, saying the move is aimed at influencing the international community.
They argued that the Bahraini regime is continuing its severe repression of protesters despite the ongoing national talks launched earlier this month.
Human Rights Watch has also urged Manama to probe the dismissal of thousands of workers from state-linked firms and government jobs over participation in anti-government protests earlier this year.
Thousands of anti-government protesters have been waging protest rallies in Bahrain since mid-February, demanding an end to the Al Khalifa rule, which has been in power for over 40 years.
In mid-March, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed their military forces in crisis-hit Bahrain to assist the Manama regime in its brutal crackdown on popular protests.
Scores of protesters have been killed -- many under torture -- and numerous others detained and transferred to unknown locations during the regime's brutal onslaught on protesters.
More...
Description:
A new video has emerged on YouTube depicting the latest brutality of the Saudi-backed Al Khalifa regime forces against the Bahraini people.
The video shows the Bahraini security forces kicking a door in and firing tear gas into a house only to flee the scene seconds later in their police vans.
Security forces on Friday resorted to violence once more, in an attempt to disperse a rally of anti-regime protesters who have been calling for an end of the Al Khalifa regime, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The anti-regime demonstrations on Friday led to one woman being killed and several others being injured.
Meanwhile, human rights groups have condemned Manama's political ploy in initiating national dialogue, saying the move is aimed at influencing the international community.
They argued that the Bahraini regime is continuing its severe repression of protesters despite the ongoing national talks launched earlier this month.
Human Rights Watch has also urged Manama to probe the dismissal of thousands of workers from state-linked firms and government jobs over participation in anti-government protests earlier this year.
Thousands of anti-government protesters have been waging protest rallies in Bahrain since mid-February, demanding an end to the Al Khalifa rule, which has been in power for over 40 years.
In mid-March, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed their military forces in crisis-hit Bahrain to assist the Manama regime in its brutal crackdown on popular protests.
Scores of protesters have been killed -- many under torture -- and numerous others detained and transferred to unknown locations during the regime's brutal onslaught on protesters.