"Today" in history...
The Treaty of Westphalia, also known as the Treaties of Münster and Osnabrück, refers to the series of treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War and officially recognized the Dutch Republic and Swiss Confederation. The treaty signed October 24, 1648 was between the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III, the other German princes, representatives from the Dutch republic, France, and Sweden.
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder said that he offered Edmund Stoiber, who is against Turkey’s accession to EU, the post of EU Commission president; but he refused this offer. As to why he made this offer, Schroder answered that he offered Stoiber the position because only a conservative could do it; as the majority in the commission would not let a Social Democrat be president.
The majority party of Bavaria, the Christian Social Union, has for the first time recognized that some gay relationships have value, although equating them with traditional marriage remains out of the question. "The message is, the CSU has a realistic and contemporary view on the family, but one which is also values oriented."
Edmund Stoiber once refused to talk about "these partnerships," saying if he did, he might as well start worshipping the devil.
In a move likely to fuel controversy, German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung called for troops to be deployed on homeland anti-terror missions if necessary.
Germany and Poland have never had the easiest of relationships. But under the Kaczynski twins, the Polish government is drumming up nationalist fervor to maintain its fragile coalition. Relations with Germany have cooled perceptibly, and next week's visit to Berlin by the Polish prime minister may bring no improvement.
Gerhard Schröder is back with a memoir on his life in politics. He takes careful swipes at a few of his rivals. George Bush's religious fervor as well as Angela Merkel's leadership come in for criticism - and he defends the plum Russian job he took after leaving politics.
(DS: Full interview)
European Union Commisioner Günter Verheugen is becoming a burden for Germany's upcoming European Commission presidency. His controversial private life has triggered speculation over Verheugen's possible resignation.
EU industry and government leaders are meeting in Berlin to discuss a host of defense topics, including making sure that European mobile battle groups are ready to report for duty early next year.
With the failure of the Orange Revolution, Ukraine is being drawn back into Moscow's orbit. Now, Georgia, another former republic of the old Soviet Union, is finding that ex-colonies of the empire pay a price for becoming estranged from Mother Russia.
A German intelligence agent is serving, again, as a key negotiator between Israel and the Shiite militia in Lebanon - but this time under a veil of secrecy.
Mahmoud al-Zahar, foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority's Hamas-led government, says a big majority of Hamas supports the struggle against Israel despite recent conciliatory comments from Hamas officials about a possible indirect recognition of Israel and an end to violence.
Despite the portrayal of the Arab world as being backward and living in the past, its rulers and populations, in fact, have a keen awareness about the realities of the new international system and they can see right through the American pretensions. Moderate Arab allies have basically abandoned the United States - not militarily or economically, but politically.
Kingdom of the South update...
Despite the image of Sudan as a land of cracked earth and starving people, the economy is booming, with little help from the West. Oil has turned it into one of the fastest growing economies in Africa — if not the world — emboldening the nation’s already belligerent government and giving it the wherewithal to resist Western demands to end the conflict in Darfur.
Seoul and Washington will add use of nuclear arms by U.S. forces in response to North Korean atomic weapons in a joint operation strategy codenamed OPLAN 5027, sources said Thursday. That would mean the return of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea 15 years after they were pulled out in 1991.
Iran's foreign minister urged the EU to explain why Tehran should stop uranium enrichment activities. "The U.S. and the U.K. want to censure us by using the UN Security Council, but its resolutions have lost their relevance and authority."
"The Middle East region is facing schemes by the U.S. and the Zionist entity (Israel), but Hezbollah's victory in the 34-day war on Lebanon and the Zionists' defeat opened a new page, forcing Washington and Israel to step back."
An informed source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described the US military maneuvers next week in cooperation with Bahrain and Kuwait as dangerous. The source, speaking in condition of anonymity, told IRNA that joint Bahrain and Kuwait maneuvers accompanied by foreigners are suspicious and provocative.
In my first article, I set out why I think an American attack on Iran is likely. Now I will show what steps are being taken to prepare for that event.
Rather than dutifully going to the polls to select from a narrow list of options provided you by political interests that you neither know nor control, you might want to inquire into who is providing the cast of characters – and writing the script – for a performance you are expected not only to attend, but to cheer.
And what do we see today? A discredited and despised administration, a war regretted by everyone but the most loyal GOP goosesteppers, a distrusted security apparatus and an ever-shrinking sphere of liberty yielding to an ever-widening public sector. Let’s face it. Both parties are rotten, always have been and always will be.
As I write this, the Religious Right is increasingly of a mind to just shove the libertarians out of the conservative movement.
How old is the world? Most people would say: "Nobody knows." But the author of the book frequently described as the greatest history book ever written, said the world was created Oct. 23, 4004 – making it 6,010 yesterday.
Be a WARrior and support the WAR effort by:
* Clicking on the ever-changing news-related ads at the top of this newsletter.
