Stephen Lendman

They're responsible for state-sponsored terrorism. They violate fundamental international law doing. It's no longer tolerated.

Victor Hugo once said, "There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come." It's now. It arrived. It's here. It's real. August 17, 2013 won't be forgotten. It's a turning point in world history. It's hugely important. It's historic. It's long overdue. It's been long awaited. It finally arrived. It'll be long remembered.

UN Secretary-General Desmond Tutu will announce a momentous world body decision. He'll speak for many dozens of world leaders. They're united. They're committed like he is. They represent most of Europe, Latin and Central America, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Oceana. They're forthright. They're explicit. They're straightforward. They're unambiguous. They're not backing down.

Tutu will announce what's been long awaited. It's long overdue. He'll declare America and Israel pariah states. He'll accuse them of state-sponsored terrorism. He expelled both countries from the world body. He imposed binding sanctions. He filed charges with the International Court of Justice. He want both nations held fully accountable.

He named culpable officials, past and present. Many dozens of them. They're well known. They'll be held fully accountable. He directed the International Criminal Court to take appropriate action. He wants them prosecuted. He wants the full letter of the law enforced. Arrest orders were issued. Accusations were lodged. They include crimes of war, against humanity and genocide. Multiple counts were filed. Each one carries a binding life sentence. They exclude the possibility of parole.

Compassion's not considered. No extenuating circumstances. No statute of limitations. Nothing short of full accountability. Reparations are mandatory. Mitigation's out of the question. Trillions of dollars are involved. Victims are too numerous to list.

Standing room only packed the large General Assembly Hall. It seats 1,800. Up to double that number filled it. It's wall-to-wall. It's standing room only. Thousands can't get in. They waited outside. They filled nearby streets. Celebrations erupted. They did so across America. They did worldwide. Everyone awaits Tutu's arrival.

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Pepe Escobar

I have argued that what has just happened in Egypt is a bloodbath that is not a bloodbath, conducted by a military junta responsible for a coup that is not a coup, under the guise of an Egyptian "war on terror". Yet this newspeak gambit - which easily could have been written at the White House - is just part of the picture.

Amid a thick fog of spin and competing agendas, a startling fact stands out. A poll only 10 days ago by the Egyptian Center for Media Studies and Public Opinion had already shown that 69% were against the July 3 military coup orchestrated by the Pinochet-esque Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

So the bloodbath that is not a bloodbath cannot possibly be considered legitimate - unless for a privileged coterie of Mubarakists (the so-called fulool), a bunch of corrupt oligarchs and the military-controlled Egyptian "deep state".

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) government led by Mohamed Morsi may have been utterly incompetent - trying to rewrite the Egyptian constitution; inciting hardcore fundamentalists; and bowing in debasement in front of the International Monetary Fund. But it should not be forgotten this was coupled with permanent, all-out sabotage by the "deep state".

It's true that Egypt was - and remains - on the brink of total economic collapse; the bloodbath that is not a bloodbath only followed a change in the signature on the checks, from Qatar to Saudi Arabia (and the United Arab Emirates). As Spengler has demonstrated on this site (see Islam's civil war moves to Egypt, Asia Times Online, July 8, 2013), Egypt will remain a banana republic without the bananas and dependent on foreigners to eat any. The economic disaster won't go away - not to mention the MB's cosmic resentment.

The winners, as it stands, are the House of Saud/Israel/ Pentagon axis. How did they pull it off?

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Stephen Lendman

US imperial interests and junta power square off against popular sentiment. Egypt holds its breath. A potential clash of civilizations looms.

On January 30, 1972, Northern Ireland's Bogside Massacre was called Bloody Sunday. UK soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilian protesters and bystanders. They did so in cold blood. Fourteen deaths resulted. So did numerous injuries. Reports said five civilians were shot in the back of the head.

The incident occurred during a nonviolent Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march. Critics called what happened reckless. Authorities largely cleared participating soldiers of blame. Controversy still resonates today. Everyone shot was unarmed. A belated 2010 Saville Inquiry said killings were "unjustified and unjustifiable."

Bloody Sunday paled by comparison to Wednesday's Egypt. Hundreds were massacred in cold blood. Some estimates say thousands. No one's sure how many. Bodies are stashed in makeshift morgues. Thousands perhaps were injured. Egypt's a rogue police state. State-sponsored repression is longstanding. Generals run things. What they say goes. Opposition isn't tolerated. Wednesday proved it writ large. A state of siege exists. Martial law's imposed.

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