Watchman Newsletter

Feds Say Global Governance at ‘Critical Juncture’

WorldNet Daily (Link) - Henry Lamb (October 2, 2010)

Pundits and politicians who giggle and point fingers at people who dare refer to global governance display their ignorance, or their duplicity. The U.S. National Intelligence Council, and the European Union’s Institute for Security Studies has just released a report called: Global Governance 2025: At a Critical Juncture.

This 82-page document discusses quite openly the current status of global governance and the likelihood of global governance maturing into full-fledged global government. Those who scoff at the reality of global governance are to be pitied for their ignorance or despised for their duplicity. As Gustave Speth , former director of the World Resources Institute and head of the U.N. Development Program, said in 1997:

“[G]lobal governance is here, here to stay, and driven by economic and environmental globalization, global governance will inevitably expand.”

Speth’s belief was confirmed in November 2009 by Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Union Council, who said “Global governance is the global management of our planet.”

The new U.S.-E.U. report defines global governance to be “the collective management of common problems at the international level” and says that global governance is at a critical juncture.

The United Nations Development Program, in its 1999 report, defines global governance to be “the framework of rules, institutions, and practices that set limits of the behavior of individuals, organizations and companies.”

Fears of Chinese land grab as Beijing’s billions buy up resources

The Independent (Link) - Sarah Arnott (October 2, 2010)

China is pouring another $7bn (£4.4bn) into Brazil’s oil industry, reigniting fears of a global “land grab” of natural resources.

State-owned Sinopec clinched the deal with Spain’s Repsol yesterday to buy 40 per cent of its Brazilian business, giving China’s largest oil company access to Repsol Brasil’s estimated reserves of 1.2 billion barrels of oil and gas. The whopping price tag for Repsol Brasil – which values the company at nearly twice previous estimates – is a sign of China’s willingness to pay whatever it takes to lock in its future energy supplies and avoid social unrest. It will give the company enough cash to develop all its current oil projects, including two fields in the Santos Basin.

The Repsol deal is not China’s first in Brazil. In February last year, Sinopec stumped up a $10bn loan to Petrobras, the state-owned oil company, in return for guaranteed supplies of 10,000 barrels of oil every day for the next 10 years.

It also follows a slew of similar deals across the world. While much of the developed world is baulking at its debts in the aftermath of the financial crisis, China has continued a global spending spree of unprecedented proportions, snapping up everything from oil and gas reserves to mining concessions to agricultural land, with vast reserves of US dollars.

Column one: The lessons of Stuxnet

The Jerusalem Post (Link) - Caroline Glick (October 1, 2010)

There’s a new cyber-weapon on the block. And it’s a doozy. Stuxnet, a malicious software, or malware, program was apparently first discovered in June.

Although it has appeared in India, Pakistan and Indonesia, Iran’s industrial complexes – including its nuclear installations – are its main victims.

Stuxnet operates as a computer worm. It is inserted into a computer system through a USB port rather than over the Internet, and is therefore capable of infiltrating networks that are not connected to the Internet.

Hamid Alipour, deputy head of Iran’s Information Technology Company, told reporters Monday that the malware operated undetected in the country’s computer systems for about a year.

After it enters a network, this super-intelligent program figures out what it has penetrated and then decides whether or not to attack. The sorts of computer systems it enters are those that control critical infrastructures like power plants, refineries and other industrial targets.

Ralph Langner, a German computer security researcher who was among the first people to study Stuxnet, told various media outlets that after Stuxnet recognizes its specific target, it does something no other malware program has ever done. It takes control of the facility’s SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition system) and through it, is able to destroy the facility.

No other malware program has ever managed to move from cyberspace to the real world. And this is what makes Stuxnet so revolutionary. It is not a tool of industrial espionage. It is a weapon of war.

Ariz. Border Sheriff: Obama’s ‘Got His Hands Wrapped Around Our Throat’

CNS News (Link) - Terence P. Jeffrey (October 1, 2010)

Sheriff Larry Dever of Cochise County, Ariz. told CNSNews.com that President Barack Obama has “got his hands wrapped around our throat” as his administration sues the state of Arizona for trying to enforce the immigration laws that the federal government itself will not enforce.

Dever also said he has “zero confidence” Obama will secure the border before his presidential term is up in two years and that the president is putting the people who live and work in Cochise County at risk by willfully failing to secure that border so that he can maintain political leverage for his goal of winning an amnesty for illegal aliens.

CNSNews.com videotaped an interview with Dever on Aug. 13, the same day Obama signed a $600 million bill to provide 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents. When asked whether he believes Obama actually wants to secure the border, Dever said that Obama did not want to do so.

“No. He’s as much as said so,” said Dever. “He’s playing the border security card, holding that, his trump card, to get immigration reform. And he’s basically said, you’re not going to get the kind of border enforcement you want, you’re asking for, unless you give me immigration reform.”

‘The EU Has Finally Opened the Door to Economic Union’

Spiegel Online (Link) - Jess Smee (September 30, 2010)

On Wednesday, the European Commission presented tougher sanctions for countries flouting debt rules. The plans, designed to avert another Greece-style crisis, came under scrutiny in the German press on Thursday. Commentators welcomed a more powerful Brussels -- assuming that countries can agree on the small print.

It happened back in the spring, but memories are painfully fresh for finance ministers across Europe. For a while it looked like Greece’s debt crisis might end up bankrupting the country and could even endanger the common currency, the euro.

Now, the European Commission has suggested a series of tools to avoid a re-enactment of the Greek drama. Among the stiff new penalties outlined on Wednesday, it wants automatic fines for countries failing to properly steer their finances. The plans aim to give teeth to the Stability and Growth Pact, which was set up to keep member states’ national deficits in check -- but has been broadly ignored by national governments in the bloc.

Speaking on Wednesday, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the new rules “mark a sea change in the way economic governance is dealt with in the European Union.”

Terror Threats and Alerts in France

Stratfor (Link) - Scott Stewart (September 30, 2010)

The Eiffel Tower was evacuated Sept. 28 after an anonymous bomb threat against the symbolic Parisian tourist attraction was phoned in; no explosive device was found. The day before the Eiffel Tower threat, French authorities closed the Gare Saint-Lazare in central Paris after an abandoned package, later determined innocuous, was spotted in the train station.

These two incidents serve as the latest reminders of the current apprehension in France that a terrorist attack is imminent. This concern was expressed in a very public way Sept. 11, when Bernard Squarcini, the head of France’s Central Directorate of Interior Intelligence (known by its French acronym, DCRI), told French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that the risk of an attack in France has never been higher. Never is a long time, and France has long faced terrorist threats, making this statement quite remarkable.

Squarcini has noted in recent interviews that the combination of France’s history as a colonial power, its military involvement in Afghanistan and the impending French ban on veils that cover the full face and body (niqabs and burqas) combined to influence this threat environment.

Keeping the momentum for financial reform

European Central Bank (Link) - Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the ECB (September 29, 2010)

Keynote address by Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the ECB, at the EUROFI Financial Forum 2010

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

It is always a great pleasure for me to participate in the Eurofi events. They are excellent platforms for debate about financial services issues in Europe.

This year’s forum takes place at a time of considerable progress on matters of financial regulation. The establishment of the European System of Financial Supervision (ESFS), including the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) and the three European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) is a milestone. I would like to commend all of those who so actively contributed to this achievement. Europe at times advances in steps, but the new supervisory architecture is more than a step; it is a leap forward.

We can today look back with satisfaction on what the EU has achieved. The work of the high-level group chaired by Jacques de Larosière proved to be seminal and has now born fruit. The EU has shown itself able to accomplish a comprehensive reform of its financial supervisory framework within a respectable timescale. The new framework is an important response to the financial crisis and it also takes us forward in fostering European financial integration, a key dimension of the Single Market.

The “Islamophobia” Weapon

Human Events (Link) - Jihad Watch - Robert Spencer (September 28, 2010)

“The Muslim world is going through an unprecedented difficult and trying time,” said the Secretary General of the 56-state Organization of the Islamic Conference, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, on Friday.

One might reasonably have thought that he was referring to the recent increase in violent jihad incidents in the West, perpetrated by Muslims who explained and justified their actions by reference to Islamic texts and teachings. But no, Ihsanoglu was exercised about “Islamophobia,” the invented term Islamic supremacists use to try to stifle realistic analysis of the global jihad in all its manifestations.

“We are facing daunting challenges and severe hardships,” Ihsanoglu complained. “Islam and Muslims are under serious attack, and Islamophobia is growing and becoming more rampant and dangerous by the day.”

It is not at all established that “Islamophobia” really is growing. In fact, the FBI has recently released data establishing that hate crimes against Muslims are comparatively rare. But if there is any actual suspicion of or negative feelings toward Muslims in the United States, it is solely and wholly the responsibility of Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood jihadist; Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Christmas underwear jihadist; Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, who killed one soldier and murdered another in a jihad shooting outside a military recruiting station in Little Rock, Ark.; Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square jihadist; Khaled Sheikh Mohammed and Osama bin Laden on 9/11; the London jihad bombers of July 7, 2005; and so many others.

MEPs demand explanation on US plan to monitor all money transfers

EU Observer (Link) - Valentina Pop (September 28, 2010)

The EU commission and MEPs have requested clarifications from Washington on reported plans to expand an anti-terrorism programme targeting financial transactions - a move that would render void the long-debated “Swift agreement” enacted in August.

“We urgently seek clarifications from the US if these plans are an infringemet of the Swift agreement and the EU commission promised to demand further information on it,” Dutch Liberal MEP Sophie in’t Veld told this website on Monday evening (27 September) after a closed-door meeting with commission officials.

Earlier that day, the Washington Post reported that the Obama administration was looking into expanding existing anti-terrorism programs targetting bank transfers to the extent that a long-debated agreement with the EU, dubbed the “Swift agreement,” would no longer be valid.

Under current rules, US officials can request European data relevant to a specific terrorist investigation from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (Swift). The request needs to be approved by the EU’s police co-operation unit, Europol, and has to meet certain requirements.

But if the new plans go into effect, the Washington Post said: “transactions between European and US banks would be captured regardless of whether there is a substantiated need.”

Abbas: ‘If building continues we will have to stop talks’

The Jerusalem Post (Link) (September 28, 2010)

PA president says he will stop talks if the freeze is not reinstated; imprisoned Fatah leader Barghouti says Obama must pressure Israel to stop settlements, advocates armed struggle.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told radio station Europe 1 that he will stop talks if the settlement freeze is not reinstated, AFP reported on Tuesday.

“We don’t want to stop the talks, but if the building continues, we will have to put a stop to them,” Abbas said. “(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu must know that peace is more important than settlements.”

“We ask for a moratorium during negotiations, because as long as there are negotiations, there is hope,” he reportedly told the radio station in Arabic.

Wiretapped phones, now Internet?

Star Tribune (Link) - New York Times - Charlie Savage (September 27, 2010)

Federal law enforcement and national security officials are preparing to seek sweeping new regulations of the Internet, arguing that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” as people increasingly communicate online instead of by telephone.

Essentially, officials want Congress to require all services that enable communications -- including encrypted e-mail transmitters such as BlackBerry, social networking websites such as Facebook and software that allows direct “peer-to-peer” messaging such as Skype -- to be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order. The mandate would include being able to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages.

The legislation, which the Obama administration plans to submit to Congress next year, raises fresh questions about how to balance security needs with protecting privacy and fostering technological innovation. And because security services around the world face the same problem, it could set an example that is copied globally.

James Dempsey, vice president of the Center for Democracy and Technology, an Internet policy group, said the proposal had “huge implications” and challenged “fundamental elements of the Internet revolution” -- including its decentralized design.

European Central Banks Halt Gold Sales

CNBC (Link) - Financial Times - Jack Farchy (September 27, 2010)

Europe’s central banks have all but halted sales of their gold reserves, ending a run of large disposals each year for more than a decade.

The central banks of the euro zone plus Sweden and Switzerland are bound by the Central Bank Gold Agreement, which caps their collective sales.

In the CBGA’s year to September, which expired on Sunday, the signatories sold 6.2 tons, down 96 per cent, according to provisional data.

The sales are the lowest since the agreement was signed in 1999 and well below the peak of 497 tons in 2004-05.

The shift away from gold selling comes as European central banks reassess gold amid the financial crisis and Europe’s sovereign debt crisis.

Jew Arrested on Temple Mount for Daring to Seem to be Praying

Israel National News (Link) - Elad Benari (September 27, 2010)

A Jewish man in his 30s, who took advantage of the holiday of Sukkot in order to visit the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, was arrested on Sunday morning simply because an Arab security guard suspected that he was praying during the tour of the complex.

David Ha’ivri, Executive Director of the Shomron Liaison Office, who was on the scene of the incident, told Arutz 7 what had taken place:

“At 7:30 this morning I had the privilege of going up to Temple Mount with 20 other Jews,” said Ha’Ivri and added that Israeli police officers as well as inspectors from the Waqf accompanied the Jews who took part in the tour of the area. Among their responsibilities, explained Ha’Ivri, is to ensure that no Jew violates the instructions he receives upon entering the complex, which include a prohibition to pray at Judaism’s holiest site.

“After the checkpoint at the Mugrabi Gate, a police officer gives a list of guidelines in a cold and dry voice,” described Ha’Ivri. “Do not pray. Do not tear a garment. Do not prostrate yourself. It is forbidden to take any action that the Muslims may see as a religious act.

Romanian govt in uproar amid austerity protests

My Way News (Link) - AP - Alison Mutler (September 27, 2010)

The Romanian government is in an uproar - the interior minister has resigned, the opposition is demanding that the prime minister join him and top police officials are holding emergency talks with the president.

The chaos on Monday reflects the latest fallout from the sharp wage cuts and austerity measures the government has taken to fight its budget deficit amid a deep recession.

Interior Minister Vasile Blaga said police officers protesting a 25 percent wage cut last week had staged an illegal action and "forgot the oath they swore."

Later, the top police chief and the head of the anti-riot police went to meet with President Traian Basescu. †

FBI Escorts Known Hamas Operative Through Top-Secret National Counterterrorism Center as “Outreach” to Muslim Community

Big Peace (Link) - Patrick S. Poole (September 27, 2010)

A known Hamas operative and unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing trial in U.S. history – Kifah Mustapha – was recently escorted into the top-secret National Counterterrorism Center and other secure government facilities, including the FBI’s training center at Quantico, during a six-week “Citizen’s Academy” hosted by the FBI as part of its “outreach” to the Muslim Community. The group was accompanied by reporter Ben Bradley of WLS-Chicago (ABC), who filed a report on the trip to Washington D.C. on Sunday, who observed:

Sheik Kifah Mustapha, who runs the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, asked some of the most pointed questions during the six week FBI Citizens’ Academy and trip to Washington. He pushed agents to fully explain everything from the bureau’s use of deadly force policy to racial and ethnic profiling. “I saw a very interesting side of what the FBI does and I wanted to know more,” Sheik Mustapha explained after returning from D.C. He hopes the FBI’s outreach runs deeper than positive public relations.

Yes, I bet he wanted to know everything about the FBI’s policies.

Curiously, Bradley’s report on the Citizen’s Academy fails to make note Mustapha’s extensive terrorist ties and support for Hamas, including his former employment with the Holy Land Foundation, which was listed as a specially designated terrorist group by the U.S. government in December 2001, and whose executives were convicted of terrorism support in 2008 and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Mustapha was personally named unindicted co-conspirator (#31) in the case and employment records submitted by federal prosecutors during the trial showed that he received more than $154,000 for his work for the Holy Land Foundation between 1996 and 2000.

Iran’s nuclear agency battles virus that can bring down power plants

Haaretz (Link) (September 26, 2010)

Iranian media reports said Friday that the country’s nuclear agency is trying to combat a complex computer worm that has affected industrial sites in Iran and is capable of taking over power plants.

The computer virus, which attacks a widely used industrial system, appears aimed mostly at Iran and its sophistication suggests a state may have been involved in creating it, Western cyber security companies said earlier in the day.

Kevin Hogan, Senior Director of Security Response at Symantec, told Reuters 60 percent of the computers worldwide infected by the so-called Stuxnet worm were in Iran, indicating industrial plants in that country were the target.

European digital security company Kaspersky Labs said the attack could only be conducted “with nation-state support.”

Thousands attend Priestly Blessing in Jerusalem

YNet News (Link) - Kobi Nahshoni (September 26, 2010)

Some 15,000 people participated in the traditional Priestly Blessing in the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Among the worshippers were Israel’s Chief Rabbis Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar as well as Shmuel Rabinowitz, rabbi of the Western Wall. The rabbis noted kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit in their prayer and prayed for his quick and safe return.

The three greeted the many attendees in a sukkah set up at the site.

Jerusalem Police deployed large forces in the Old City, the neighboring villages and around the Temple Mount following recent clashes in east Jerusalem and in order to maintain order. No irregular incidents have been noted as of yet.

For the past 40 years a mass prayer has been held in the Sukkot and Passover intermediate days at the Western Wall. Hundreds of Kohanim wrapped in prayers shawls bless the thousands of worshippers who flock to the holy site from all parts of the country, saying: “May God bless you and guard you; may Adonai make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you; may Adonai lift up his face onto you and give you peace.”