Watchman Newsletter

Foundations join forces with Alliance of Civilizations

Alliance of Civilizations (Link) (March 21, 2009)

On 20-21 February, a group of Foundations met in Marrakech to discuss the creation of the UNAOC International Network of Foundations. The purpose of this meeting, generously hosted by the Guerrand-Hermes Foundation for Peace, was to bring together a number of heads and representatives of foundations from all over the world to discuss recent trends and developments in the work done on intercultural dialogue, cooperation and diversity promotion; and to have final discussions on the creation of an international network of foundations involved in these themes. Around fifteen Foundations took part in the Marrakech meeting.

The Alliance of Civilizations INF aims to bring together foundations which work to build and cooperation among religions, cultures and peoples. It promotes knowledge exchange, collaboration and advocacy. By bringing together public, private and corporate foundations and individual philanthropists around the world, INF encourages collaboration among complementary initiatives, especially across regions.

INF will begin by focusing on the following areas, as identified by foundations around the world in the first set of Alliance's INF meetings: education, media, the arts, intercultural and interfaith dialogue, youth leadership, and conversations on religious and political issues.

European leaders welcome Obama message to Iran

International Herald Tribune (Link) (March 20, 2009)

The EU's foreign policy chief on Friday welcomed President Barack Obama's offer to rebuild ties with Iran amid a standoff with the West over Tehran's nuclear activities. Javier Solana, who has led years of European negotiations with Iran, urged Iranian officials to accept the U.S. president's outstretched hand. "It's a very constructive message," he said at an EU summit in Brussels. "I hope that will open a new chapter in relations with Tehran."

In a video released Friday, Obama says the U.S. is prepared to end years of strained relations if Iranian officials tone down their warlike rhetoric. Iran has rejected pressure from the EU and the U.S. to give up its uranium enrichment program. The United States and allies fear Iran is building a nuclear weapons program, while Iran says it is only seeking atomic energy. "I hope very much that Iran will act intelligently" and accept the U.S. offer, Solana said.

South Pacific spared quake damage

BBC (Link) (March 20, 2009)

A 7.9 magnitude earthquake about 200km (130 miles) south-east of Tonga has triggered a tsunami in the South Pacific, but no damage is reported. The quake hit at 0618 local time (1818 GMT) at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles). The tremor, which residents from Fiji to New Zealand reported feeling, was followed two hours later by an after-shock of 5.3 magnitude.

A regional tsunami warning was issued, but withdrawn just over an hour and a half later.

UN Panel to Say World Should Ditch Dollar

New American (Link) - Charles Scaliger (March 20, 2009)

A United Nations panel is about to recommend that the world abandon the dollar as the world’s reserve currency, according to a Reuters report. Next week, the UN will propose that the dollar be replaced with a “shared basket of currencies” similar to the old Ecu (European Currency Unit) of the former European Community (the predecessor to the European Union), which was replaced at parity by the euro in 1999. According to Avinash Persaud, a member of the UN panel, now “is a good moment to move to a shared reserve currency."

2 corporate credit unions taken over by government

Yahoo! News (Link) - AP (March 20, 2009)

Federal regulators on Friday seized control of two large institutions that provide wholesale financing for U.S. credit unions, a move they say was needed to stabilize the credit union system.

The National Credit Union Administration said it has taken over and put into conservatorship the two corporate credit unions, U.S. Central Federal Credit Union, based in Lenexa, Kan., and Western Corporate Federal Credit Union, in San Dimas, Calif. U.S. Central has about $34 billion in assets while Western Corporate, known as WesCorp, has an estimated $23 billion in assets.

A conservatorship enables the government to operate a financial institution. Corporate credit unions provide financing and investment services to the much larger population of retail credit unions. Some of the 28 corporate credit unions in the U.S. have sustained steep losses on paper from the depressed value of the mortgage-linked securities they hold.

U.S. Budget Deficit Forecast to Hit $1.8 Trillion This Year

Fox News (Link) - AP (March 20, 2009)

The Congressional Budget Office says the deficit under President Obama's policies would never go below 4 percent of the size of the economy, figures that economists agree are unsustainable. President Obama's budget would generate deficits averaging almost $1 trillion a year over the next decade, according to the latest congressional estimates, significantly worse than predicted by the White House just last month.

The Congressional Budget Office figures, released Friday, predict Obama's budget will produce $9.3 trillion worth of red ink over 2010-2019. That's $2.3 trillion worse than the White House predicted in its budget.

Worst of all, CBO says the deficit under Obama's policies would never go below 4 percent of the size of the economy, figures that economists agree are unsustainable. By the end of the decade, the deficit would exceed 5 percent of gross domestic product, a dangerously high level.

Gearing Up for the G-20 Conference

Spiegel Online (Link) - Carsten Volkery (March 20, 2009)

The EU has made up its mind: Fighting the financial crisis with American-style stimulus plans will not be the model for Europe. At a summit in Brussels this week, European leaders are preparing the party line -- and it is to focus on a new financial world order.

Angela Merkel, Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy may be in Brussels, but they're looking forward to the G-20 summit in London, where in two weeks they expect a showdown over the financial crisis among the most powerful economies in the world -- namely the United States, China and other leading world economies.

Trouble Brewing in Jerusalem

Guardian UK (Link) - Seth Freedman (March 20, 2009)

Either side of Jerusalem's Old City walls, a storm is brewing, threatening to engulf residents the length and breadth of the region. If the Israeli authorities make good on their promise to demolish homes in Silwan and evict families in Sheikh Jarrah, locals swear that Israel will be drenched with blood and tears, rather than with the Biblical blend of milk and honey said to flow through the Holy Land.

Twice in as many hours this week I was told by outraged east Jerusalemites that any assault on Palestinian property in the area would prove the catalyst for the third intifada: a promise rather than a threat, they assured me. Standing in front of a 10ft banner demanding "Stop the ethnic cleansing", Balad leader Jamal Zahalka issued a similar clarion call into the microphones and video cameras of the onlooking press pack, calling on Israeli officials to immediately halt their plans if they wished to avoid an inferno of resistance.

Central Banks are Buying Gold for their Reserves Now!

Safe Haven (Link) - Julian D. W. Phillips (March 19, 2009)

It is clear now that central banks are buying gold for their reserves. Here is a brief history leading to today and the present position of central banks as they turn to buying gold.

Massive Gold Sales!

From the early 1980's and for the next 20 years gold was under the threat of massive sales from the world's central banks. Many commentators reported that the overhang of gold above the 'open' market was so great that such sales would eventually lead to central bank reserves in the developed world having no gold at all. Central Banks had further worsened the situation by loaning gold to mining companies, through the bullion banks, allowing them to finance gold production to a far greater extent than warranted by the price of gold during that time. This acceleration in the production of gold allowed the gold price to be pressed down $850 to $275, the point at which Britain, at the instruction of the current Prime Minister Gordon Brown instructed that Britain sell the bulk of its gold reserves. From the turn of the millennium this perspective changed dramatically.

Consumers will suffer under cap-and-trade

One News Now (Link) - Pete Chagnon (March 19, 2009)

A senior policy analyst with the Independent Women's Forum believes cap-and-trade legislation will hurt American families who are already struggling with the economic downturn.

Environmentalists and politicians believe that imposing cap-and-trade will help fight alleged "manmade global warming." The idea is to limit a company's carbon dioxide emissions by allotting companies an emissions allowance. If the company is able to keep their emissions under the allowance, then the extra credits can be traded with other companies that are having trouble lowering their emissions.

But skeptics of manmade climate change not only believe cap-and-trade is a waste of time, they believe the system will raise consumer costs as companies will be forced to spend money on "carbon credits." Amy Watson with the Independent Women's Forum echoes that concern.

European broadcasters face political 'counter-reformation'

EU Observer (Link) - Leigh Phillips (March 19, 2009)

Broadcasting across Europe, particularly in the east but also in Italy, is undergoing a "counter-reformation" - a backsliding towards overt political control after the post-Cold War period, when leaders relaxed their grip on TV and radio, warns a new report.

In a survey of the European broadcasting landscape presented in Brussels on Wednesday (18 March), the Open Society Institute found that many public broadcasters are heading into the economic crisis deeply underfunded and unable to meet public service requirements, while political elites are returning to appointing partisan allies to key positions, secure in the knowledge that no penalties from the EU await them for doing so.

Glenn Beck: Last Line of Defense

Glenn Beck (Link) (March 19, 2009) Video at link

I've been telling you for weeks to not be distracted by the "big news of the day" because it's usually just a smokescreen. But on Wednesday, I fell for it myself.

While everyone — including me — was taking sides on the AIG bonuses, something much more important was happening: The Fed announced it will pump a $1 trillion into the system by buying debt from our treasury.

Since they've lowered interest rates as far as they can, this is really a last ditch effort; it's like they put our entire economy up on the roulette table and the wheel is spinning.

To put this in perspective, think of America like a sick patient with a nasty staph infection. The doctors first try Penicillin to cure the patient. When that doesn't work, they try something else. And when all else fails they hook an IV to the patient.

That last line of defense was just hung over "patient America" yesterday, but we were all — and that includes me — too focused on AIG to notice.

Here's what this means: We're borrowing money from ourselves to pay for programs we can't pay for.

And that's why the price of gold shot up about 75 bucks in 18 hours. Investors aren't stupid. They know the risks this poses, especially to inflation and our dollar.

So let me play doctor here and give you the diagnosis without talking to you like a 4-year-old: The antibiotic we've just been given has never once worked in the history of the civilized world.

Can this time be different? Absolutely, but only if we've got the guts to make some life-changing decisions; decisions that will force us to shoulder some unthinkable pain in the short term, but decisions that may just save this patient's life.

Commission trains staff for future diplomatic corps

European Voice (Link) (March 19, 2009)

The European Commission is training hundreds of its staff to prepare them to work in the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Union's future diplomatic corps. Preparations for the service, which would be created by the Lisbon treaty, are controversial because they might be seen as prejudging the outcome of Ireland's second referendum on the treaty, which is to be held in the autumn.

The Lisbon treaty creates the post of a high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, who is also a member of the European Commission.

The treaty stipulates that the high representative “shall be assisted by a European External Action Service”. The Council of Ministers decides on the EEAS's “organisation and functioning”, acting on a proposal from the high representative, who has to consult the European Parliament and get the consent of the Commission. In practical terms, that means that the EEAS cannot be launched before a new Parliament has been elected, a new Commission appointed and the Lisbon treaty ratified.

EU officials stressed to European Voice that the training was designed entirely within the framework of the existing treaties. “We are trying to push the envelope as far as we can within the current environment,” a source said.

ACORN to Play Role in 2010 Census

Fox News (Link) - Cristina Corbin (March 18, 2009)

The U.S. Census is supposed to be free of politics, but one group with a history of voter fraud, ACORN, is participating in next year's count, raising concerns about the politicization of the decennial survey.

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now signed on as a national partner with the U.S. Census Bureau in February 2009 to assist with the recruitment of the 1.4 million temporary workers needed to go door-to-door to count every person in the United States -- currently believed to be more than 306 million people.

IDF to U.S.: Israel Closing In on Taking Military Aim at Iran

Israel National News (Link) - Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu (March 18, 2009)

IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi gave United States officials fresh intelligence information on an Iranian nuclear facility during his “working visit” this week, according to the Saudi Arabia daily Al Watan.

The newspaper quoted sources that claimed Lieutenant-General Ashkenazi told American officials that Israel is preparing for a military attack. He added that the government still prefers to see if the Western world’s diplomatic pressures can succeed in stopping the growing threat that Iran soon will manufacture a nuclear weapon.

Barney Frank: Ownership issue key to recouping AIG bonuses

CNN (Link) (March 18, 2009)

As the tide of outrage over AIG bonuses continued unabated Wednesday, a congressional committee became the epicenter of the issue as Edward Liddy, CEO and chairman of the troubled insurer, prepared to answer questions about executive bonuses.

On Wednesday's "American Morning," Rep. Barney Frank, who chairs the House Finance Committee, shared what was legally and legislatively within the government's power on recovering the AIG bonuses and reforming the whole financial incentive system.

Summit to consider extending Commission's mandate

EurActiv (Link) (March 17, 2009)

EU leaders are preparing to extend the European Commission's mandate during a summit in Brussels at the end of the week, so as to accommodate a second Irish vote on the Lisbon Treaty in October, EurActiv has learned.

Diplomatic sources recently confirmed to EurActiv that it is only a matter of time before the European Council and EU executive officially announce that the mandate of the current college of commissioners will be extended.

Russian president orders military rearmament

Telegraph UK (Link) - Adrian Blomfield (March 17, 2009)

The Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, has ordered a 'comprehensive' military rearmament after accusing NATO of once again encroaching on Moscow's sphere of influence in the former Soviet Union.

Mr. Medvedev's bellicose speech risks causing unease in Washington and will dampen hopes of a rapid improvement in strained East-West relations.

The president told defence ministry officials in Moscow that NATO's continued enlargement ambitions meant that Russia had been left with no choice but to increase its conventional and nuclear combat preparedness.

Mideast: EU urges Israel to stop illegal settlements

ADN Kronos International (Link) (March 17, 2009)

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has urged Israel to stop the expansion of illegal Jewish settlements, saying they represent "an obstacle to peace." Solana made the remarks on Tuesday at a meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean parliamentary assembly in the Belgian capital, Brussels.

Solana's view was endorsed by the Czech Republic's foreign minister Karl Schwarzenberg, who also urged Israel to find a solution to the issue of illegal settlements.

One-world currency emerges ... again

WorldNet Daily (Link) - Jerome Corsi (March 16, 2009)

Canadian economist and Nobel-prize winning professor Robert Mundell, who is credited with formulating the intellectual basis for creating the euro, is pushing for a one-world currency, Jerome Corsi's Red Alert reports.

"This prominent endorsement is yet another indication that globalists are advancing global governance and structures, including the idea of a global currency, as solutions to the worldwide economic recession," Corsi writes.

Mundell has endorsed Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev's idea to create the "acmetal" as a world currency.

Lose Your Property for Growing Food?

WorldNet Daily (Link) - Chelsea Schilling (March 16, 2009)

Some small farms and organic food growers could be placed under direct supervision of the federal government under new legislation making its way through Congress. Food Safety Modernization Act

House Resolution 875, or the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, was introduced by Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., in February. DeLauro's husband, Stanley Greenburg, conducts research for Monsanto – the world's leading producer of herbicides and genetically engineered seed.

DeLauro's act has 39 co-sponsors and was referred to the House Agriculture Committee on Feb. 4. It calls for the creation of a Food Safety Administration to allow the government to regulate food production at all levels – and even mandates property seizure, fines of up to $1 million per offense and criminal prosecution for producers, manufacturers and distributors who fail to comply with regulations.

Ahmadinejad's Opponent Withdraws from Iran's June Elections

Israel National News (Link) - Hana Levi Julian (March 16, 2009)

The only candidate to oppose incumbent Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the upcoming June elections has withdrawn from the race.

A close associate Mohammad Khatami told the Reuters news agency, however, that "he will back another moderate candidate who will be announced shortly in a statement."

Khatami, a moderate who served as president of Iran from 1997 to 2005, was largely responsible for the improvement in the Islamic Republic's warming of ties with Western nations.

EU Warns Netanyahu to Accept ‘Two-State Solution’

Israel National News (Link) - Hana Levi Julian (March 16, 2009)

The European Union (EU) issued an oblique threat on Sunday to the incoming government of Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu over the issue of a new Palestinian Authority (PA) state.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told reporters that the European body of nations would change its relationship significantly with the Jewish State if the Netanyahu government does not back the establishment of a new Arab state within Israel's current borders.

Mexico Meltdown II -- Are We Serious Yet?

Human Events (Link) - Bay Buchanan (March 16, 2009)

Could America finally be getting serious about our southern border? On March 6, Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Mexico to offer military assistance in their escalating war against the drug lords. This after several U.S. intelligence reports found that Mexico now presented as worse threat to our national security than Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan or Pakistan. Now President Obama says he’s considering putting troops on the border.

According to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Mexico now appears ready to accept the kind of help they shunned only months ago. Last week on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Gates said, “ I think we are beginning to be in a position to help the Mexicans more than we have in the past…..I think some of the old biases against cooperation between militaries and so on, I think, are being satisfied.”

Syria-Iran: A Critical Alliance

Israel National News (Link) - Yoram Ettinger (March 16, 2009)

Irrespective of the Arab-Israeli conflict and Israel's existence, the ties with Iran constitute for the ruthless Assad regime an indispensable financial, diplomatic and military means of survival. The Syria-Iran axis bolsters Bashar al-Assad's policies on the most critical fronts: domestic, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Russia and the USA. Assad's fundamental interests conflict with fundamental US values and interests.

Syria's hostility toward the US dates back to the Cold War, when it sided with the USSR. The Syria-USSR axis originated in 1955, when the Golan Heights were occupied by Syria and when the US refrained from supplying Israel with advanced military systems. The root cause of the Syria-USSR axis was Syrian regional concerns: Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon.

The decline of Moscow has raised the profile of Iran as Syria's key strategic ally. Syria and Iran consider each other an extension of their strategic depth in face of mutual historical rivals and threats: Iraq, Turkey and the US. The US threat is military and political - introducing democracy, which is a lethal threat to the rogue regimes in Damascus and Teheran. Hence, for instance, the Iran-Syria involvement in anti-US Iraqi and Afghani terrorism, aimed at uprooting US military presence from Iraq, Afghanistan and from the Gulf. Damascus fears a stable pro-US Iraq and prefers a chaotic one.