Patrick Martin

US and Afghan officials announced Sunday that they had reached a draft agreement committing the United States to continuing military and financial support to the puppet regime in Kabul long after the scheduled withdrawal of the bulk of US ground troops at the end of 2014.

The pledge of long-term involvement in Afghanistan flies in the face of popular sentiment in the United States, the European countries and Australia, where there is overwhelming opposition to continuing the occupation of Afghanistan and a war that has dragged on for eleven years.

Neither of the envoys who negotiated the agreement, US ambassador Ryan C. Crocker and Afghan national security adviser Rangin Spanta, would release its text, or even outline its main features, ostensibly to give time for their respective governments to review and approve the drafts.

The deal will become final when signed by US President Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. It will not be submitted for Senate ratification, making the agreement’s longterm effect contingent on Obama’s reelection in November. In effect, it is a promissory note from Obama to Karzai to keep funding the regime in Kabul, assuming Obama remains in the White House and Karzai survives the pullout of most US and NATO ground troops.

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Stephen Lendman

Graffiti protesting the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in the
village of Barbar, west of Manama, on April 9. (AFP - Getty)

Perhaps Bahrain April 22 was a first.

Imagine a sporting event featuring state-sponsored terror and blood in the streets. Imagine one with race drivers and event organizers mindless of raging crimes against humanity nearby. Hollywood script writers wouldn't touch it. Producers wouldn't let them.

The atmosphere was surreal. Attendance was sparse. A normally full grandstand was half empty. It's a wonder anyone came. Observers said more security forces than spectators showed up. Most teams, drivers, mechanics, engineers, and other personnel preferred to stay home. Nonetheless, they came.

Formula 1's reputation was tarnished. Instead of pulling out, it went ahead anyway. Although favorite Sebastian Vettel took the checkered flag, no one won the contest. It was more travesty than sporting event.

The Al Khalifa monarchy's media strategy backfired. Instead of burnishing Bahrain's image, journalists focused more on rage against injustice, blood in the streets, police state violence, security forces and armored vehicles surrounding the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), and clouds of black smoke rising nearby.

Even though the heavily guarded venue let the race come off without incident, Bahraini protesters won on Sunday.

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Adnan Al-Daini

A bus and taxi pass Big Ben on Westminster Bridge in London

Politicians are completely out of touch with ordinary citizens regarding taxpayer funding of political parties.  People are disgusted with the influence exercised by an unscrupulous rich elite, that is able to bend politicians and policies to its will using its wealth. 

Powerful corporations and lobbying groups reinforce the stranglehold on political life, freezing out the ordinary voter, and adding to the sense of disenchantment with politicians and politics generally. 

The Prime Minister and the leader of the Labour party suggested a cap on private donations of £50,000, and £5,000 respectively, and all the major parties take the view that the electorate will not support state funding.   Something tells me that this view is based more on self-interest and wishful thinking than on reality. Let the debate begin in earnest and we will see.

A cap on private donations of even £5,000 is still far too high, with those able to afford such a donation having more influence on parties and their policies, than those who can afford substantially lower sums. 

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Gilad Atzmon

Marine Le Pen is a French politician, a lawyer by profession and the president of the Front National (FN) since 16 January 2011. She is the youngest daughter of the French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen, former president of the FN and currently its honorary chairman. In 2010, she was a candidate for the leadership of the FN set up by Jean-Marie Le Pen on 5 October 1972. She successfully succeeded him during the FN congress in Tours, Indre-et-Loire. On 16 January 2011, she was elected with 67.65% (11,546 votes) as the second president of the Front National. She was a candidate in the 2012 French presidential election. On 22 April 2012, she polled 17.90% (6,421,802 votes) in the first round and finished in third position behind François Hollande and incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy. (Wikipedia)

Marine Le Pen and The French’s Front National are the big winners in the French elections yesterday. France’s Front National scored the best ever presidential campaign first-round result (18% of the votes).

As elsewhere in Europe, the French far right is dealing with matters other political parties prefer to avoid or shove under the carpet. Yesterday results proves that many French are primarily concerned with issues to do with immigration and ‘identity loss’. While the so called ‘far Right’ engages with these matters, the Left and the Centre parties perform an escapist attitude – they prefer to vet the discussion via different means such as political correctness and even legislation. The media, would also shy away from the subject and would prefer to gate-keep any attempt to deal with the ‘unpopular’ topic.

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