Obama's 2nd Term - Opinion from China

Barack Obama during today's public inauguration ceremony at
the beginning of his second term as a president. Celebrations
took place in front of some hundred thousands of spectators
at temperatures nearing 0°C [ N24 - German news channel ].

The following evaluation of Obama's proceedings during his first term as a President of the United States of America has been found on People's Network, the online edition of People's Daily, Beijing, on January 19, 2013:

分析称奥巴马新内阁在海外
彰显美国力量方面较为谨慎

According to [political] analysis, Obama's new cabinet has obviously become rather cautious when it comes to the aspect of U.S. strength abroad.

美国总统奥巴马第二任期开始在即。在扛过金融危机、通过医改法案、结束伊拉克战争、大胜共和党大选挑战之后，奥巴马将把美国引向何方？这一问题的答案，也许能从现已公布的新内阁人选看出端倪。

The second term of office for U.S. president Obama is near to begin. After having shouldered the financial crisis, having passed the bill of medical change, having ended the war in Iraq, and having [reached] a great victory over the Republican Party in the challenge of the general elections, what will be the direction to where Obama is leading America ? The answer to this question will permit to find a clue to the just proclaimed choice of new cabinet members.

Subtitles used in the Chinese article:

政策决策汇白宫

Policy and policy-making converging in the White House.

外交安全“轻脚印”

Diplomacy and safety [seen as] "gentle footprints".

财政经济求平稳

[Public] finance and economy need to perform smoothly and steadily.

拜登作用有加强

[Vice-president] Biden's functions have been strengthened.

.....................................................................................

On January 19, 2013, People's Daily wrote as well about a U.S. State Department press conference held the day before, January 18. The department's spokeswoman Nulan was cited with her comment on the Iranian nuclear issue:

美国称对伊朗拒绝与国际原子能机构合作“深感失望”

America says it is "deeply discouraged" by Iran refusing to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy organization.

Salute for the President and
the U.S. Marine Band playing

.....................................................................................

A visitor to "blueprint news" coming from Israel was visiting my blogspot "Israel vs Iran - Preparing for High-Noon" in a search at bing.com, referring to "tel azeka - biblic walks", most probably hinting at the biblic town of Azekah. Maybe this is a mere coincidence, if not, you should know more about Azekah:
In the Bible, it is said to be the place where the Amorite kings were defeated by Joshua, and their army destroyed by a hailstorm (Joshua 10:10-11). Azekah was then given to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:20). Furthermore, it should have been near Azekah that David met with Goliath in their famous fight.

Another visitor coming from Severomorsk, home of Russia's Arctic Fleet, was searching for "Homer Simpson submarine commander". I ventured to find Homer Simpson's submarine for him:

Mali - Reverberations of the Air Raids - Algeria

Important UPDATE for January 18/19 further down !

Today, January 17, "People's Network", the online service of semi-official "People's Daily", Beijing, published an article that is dealing with the French intervention in Mali. The following evaluation of the proceedings in Mali has been quoted from that article:

马里战乱西方干涉利比亚后遗症

Mali war chaos and Western intervention. - An after-effect of the Libyan "cerebral concussion".

新华社分析指出，法国空军正在对马里反政府武装发动猛烈空袭，地面部队已投入战斗，西非其他国家的援军也在陆续赶赴战场。但是，外部武装干涉会留下什么“后遗症”？军事介入能否彻底解决马里的社会问题和区域自治问题？马里是否如宗教极端组织所声称将成为法国的“阿富汗泥潭”？这些问题都值得人们深思。

An analysis made by New China [Press] Agency is pointing out:
[While] the air force of France is just launching a violent air raid against armed forces opposing the government of Mali, Western, African and other nations are reinforcing [French troops], one after another rushing to the battleground as well. However, could there remain some kind of "after-effect from cerebral concussion" [after] an intervention by foreign military forces ? Could military intervention enable a thoroughgoing solution of problems the society of Mali is having or [help solving] regional autonomy problems ? Isn't Mali like an extremely religious organization [considered] to be developing into [some kind of] "Afghan quagmire" for France ? These questions deserve being thought deeply about.

.....................................................................................

Today, Al-Arabiya has a report on Mali insurgents kidnapping workers from a natural gas plant in Algeria at Ain Aminas which had been besieged by Mali rebels trying to force their way into Libya according to Western media.

فرار 45 محتجزا بينهم خمسة عشر أجنبيا من خاطفيهم جنوب شرق الجزائر

Headline: Flight of 45 [encircled persons] including 15 foreigners from their kidnappers in South-Eastern Algeria.

مقتل 34 رهينة في غارة للجيش الجزائري على "عين امناس"ـ

Headline: 34 hostages killed in an attack of Algerian military on "Ain Aminas".

[Adaptation of the Arabic name "Ain Aminas" based on the Arabic writing used by Al-Jazeera عين أميناس]

أعلنت مصادر إعلامية غير مؤكدة عن مقتل 34 رهينة و 15 مسلحا في غارة عسكرية جزائرية

Well-informed sources cannot confirm that 34 hostages and 15 armed [persons] died in an attack of Algeria's military.

[Source: Al-Arabiya, Arabic mobile news, on January 17, 2013]

.....................................................................................

The Arabic service of Al-Jazeera provided a view of Ain Aminas and said the besieged personnel called the Algerian army to ensure their rescue.

.....................................................................................

Update for January 18, 2013:

شقيق رهينة أيرلندي: الجيش الجزائري هاجم عربات الرهائن

The brother of an Irish hostage [said] the Algerian army attacked vehicles [with] hostages.

أكد نقلاً عن زوجة أخيه الهارب أن 4 شاحنات تحوي رهائن دُمرت بالكامل

[It is] confirmed [by] the wife of his escaped brother that four trucks containing hostages have been completely destroyed.

[Source: Al-Arabiya on January 18, 2013]

.....................................................................................

Update for January 19, 2013:

尼日利亚派军机到马里支援西共体部队

Nigeria sending war planes to Mali in support of Western community troops.

Here's a summary of the Chinese article:

On January 18, the Nigerian military announced its sending of three military planes to Mali together with a detachment of more than 50 airmen. The military planes provided by Nigeria comprise a transport plane and two fighter planes.

The planned contingent of more than 3.000 troops to be deployed in the frame of the Mali intervention should include troops from Togo and Nigeria, some of them already arrived on January 17. Nigeria's government will provide an overall contingent of 1.200 troops.

When Islamic terrorists entered into a fierce battle with government troops at the strategic point of Kuna
Chin. 科纳, Arab. كونا
600 km north-east of Mali's capital Bamako, the capital itself became threatened. Upon request from Mali's government, France then agreed to deploy 1.400 intervention troops.


[Source: chinanews.com, PR China, on January 19, 2013.]

Mali - France Fighting Al-Qaeda - مالي

Continued air-raids on strongholds of the extremists in several towns under their control.

Algeria opens its air space for attacking Islamists in northern Mali.

The above picture is showing a jet fighter of the French air force while being refuelled in the air.

[Source: Al-Arabiya on January 14, 2013]

Islamic warriors retreat from their traditional positions and [concentrate] in "Diyabali", northern Mali.

Algeria closes the border to Mali, and France "realizes its [military] aims".

Picture: State of alert for Algerian [border] guards at the border to northern Mali.

[Source: Al-Arabiya on January 15, 2013]

Flag of Al-Qaeda / North African Branch

In recent years, Mali became more and more unstable while Al-Qaeda fighters and local rebels steadily gained influence. Kidnappings and beheadings of foreign citizens made Mali a no-go area for Western development and human aid staff. Furthermore, historic places in the ancient town of Timbouktou were destroyed by Islamists on several occasions, thus endangering the cultural inheritance of Mali.

The French intervention, based on France's responsibility as a former colonial power in West Africa, is being supported by members of the European Community: Belgium, Italy and Germany, the latter offering two Hercules planes as an additional air transport capacity. The U.S. are ready to provide logistic and intelligence support but refrain from sending troops to Mali because of its actual policy which forbids direct military support of any regime not based on democratic rules.

[Source: CNN and German media on January 15/16, 2013]

Dangerous Merging of Rebels and Islamist Fighters
[Al-Jazeera on May 27, 2012]
....................................................................................

The Mali Intervention - French Press Report

On Tuesday 15, French President François Hollande arrived in the United Arabic Emirates for negotiations on economic subjects and to discuss the question of the military intervention in Mali.

To Mobilize the Arabic Emirates
For five days, François Hollande has held numerous talks with Western and African [leaders] in order to mobilize the necessary means for a deployment of African forces in Mali. As Élysée [Palace] indicated, the French president needs to discuss with the Emirates' leaders [the amount of] help they could provide in the frame of the military intervention. In Abu Dhabi talks are expected with Cheikh Khalifa Ben Zayed Al-Nahyan, the president of the federation of the United Arabic Emirates, and with Mohammad Ben Zayed Al-Nahyan, the hereditary prince of Abu Dhabi. Later in the afternoon, he will meet with the vice-president and prime minister in Dubai, Cheikh Mohammad Ben Rached Al-Maktoum. Besides Mali, Syria and Iran will make part of the subjects treated.

[Source: L'Express magazine, Paris, on January 15, 2013]

Related subject on another blogspot of mine:
Mali - West African states targeting Al-Qaeda

....................................................................................

Nigeria - Islamic Separatist Leader Captured

On Sunday, January 14, Nigerian military has arrested a leader of the Islamist separatist movement Boko Haram that is responsible for deadly attacks targeting the Christian community as well as newspapers and government institutions in northern and central Nigeria.

[Source: BBC - Africa Service on January 14, 2013]

Boko Haram is considered to be behind two newspaper bombings
in Abuja and Kaduna [Source: Al-Jazeera on April 27, 2012]

Visitors from Nigeria to "blueprint news" on November 29, 2012:

Syria's Assad - The Ghost of Ghadafi - شبح القذافي

Bashar al-Assad denounces Syria's rebels as 'murderous armed criminals'
الأسد: الثوار من "القاعدة"، الإرهابيون الأجانب، المسلحون المجرمون

A defiant President Bashar al-Assad offered no compromise to Syria's rebels on Sunday, using his first public speech in six months to rule out any negotiation with an opposition he described as nothing more than "al-Qaeda terrorists" and "murderous armed criminals".

[Source: Daily Telegraph, London, quoting Assad's public speech from January 6, 2013.]

Almost immediately after the speech of Syria's president Bashar al-Assad, social networks like Twitter received lots of furious Arabic comments on Assad's still defiant attitude while facing his country gliding into chaos.
The following examples have been chosen from an article published by Al-Arabiya soon after the speech on January 6, 2013.

Another article by Al-Arabiya from January 7 reported the gist of Assad's speech, thereby quoting the Daily Telegraph article and its author Richard Spencer:

The following excerpts have been taken from the Daily Telegraph article, the whole text of which is available on the internet :

Mr Assad was greeted like a conquering hero by an audience at the opera house in Damascus, named after his father. It rose and chanted his name in scenes reminiscent of those arranged in 2011 for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's appearances in the Libyan uprising.
ـ"ديلي تلغراف": خطاب الأسد يشبه آخر ظهور للقذافي

As he finished, he stepped down into the auditorium and was surrounded and lunged at like a pop star. ..........

However, neither Syrian diplomats nor Mr Assad have made reference to the immediate threat to his regime - rebels now hold suburbs of Damascus itself, within a few miles of where Mr Assad was speaking.

.....................................................................................

Visitor access point to "blueprint news", activated yesterday, January 7, from U.S. Air Force base Incirlik / Turkey:

Technical remark: As country of registration (U.S.A.) and country of location (Turkey) are not fitting together, there is no access mark to be found in the global visitor map. However, a countercheck of the server address hinted at a location in South-Eastern Turkey.

---

Visitor statistics for websites operated by Ulysses:

China and North Korea - Troublemakers in Space ?

Today, semi-official People's Network, Beijing, is quoting U.S. and Canadian media reports on China's experiments with an anti-satellite system that might endanger Western satellite navigation GPS. A Western expert is cited with his evaluation that China might soon be able to put its plans into practice, thereby referring to Chinese tests carried out in 2007 and 2010.

The People's Network article ends with a single phrase comment from China reading as follows:

中国军事专家宋晓军对《环球时报》说，能在太空领域互相摧毁，就相当于大国之间的核威慑。

China's military expert Song Xiao Jun (*) says to the "Global Times" report: There's capability of mutual destruction in space corresponding to the nuclear threat among great nations.

(*) Xiao Jun 晓军 = daybreak of the military (a), or: knowing the military (b) or: warn the military (c). Just another funny Chinese forename perfectly fitting with the subject .....

.....................................................................................

Another report of People's Network is dealing with the New Year's Parade of 100.000 North Korean citizens on Kim Il Song Square in Pyongyang the day before and that was celebrating, among other blessings from North Korea's new leader Kim Jong Un, the successful December 12 launch of a Unha 3 rocket carrying an earth-observation satellite.

Syria - Statistics of Horror

News of the Day for January 4, 2013:
ثوار سوريا تمكنوا من السيطرة على مساحة و اسعة من ريف دمشق بعد 21 شهرا من بدء الثورة

21 months after the beginning of the revolution, Syrian rebels have gained control over wide areas in the suburbs of Damascus.

ثوار سوريا يحاصرون مطار "متغ" العسكري في ريف حلب

Syrian rebels besiege ["Matagh"] military airfield in the suburbs of Aleppo.

[Source: Al-Jazeera, Arabic TV, on January 4, 2013]

.....................................................................................

Victims of War in Syria


المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان يقول إن أكثر من أربعين ألف قتيل هي حصيلة عام 2012

The observing post for human rights [i.e. Human Rights Watch] in Syria says more than 40.000 was the harvest of death for 2012.

المرصد السوري يقول إن عدد القتلى قد يتجاوز 100 ألف إذا ما أجري تحقيق جدي

The observing post in Syria says the [overall] death toll should have passed 100.000 when a serious investigation was realized.

[Source: Al-Jazeera, Arabic TV, on December 31, 2012]

.....................................................................................

Victim Statistics for Homs Township:

حمص... 8 آلاف قتيل و مليون نازح

Headline: Homs ... 8.000 dead and one million fled.

ـ600 عائلة محاصرة في أحياء عدة في مدينة حمص

600 families under siege in numerous [neighbourhoods] of Homs township.

ـ185 ألف عائلة متضررة في حمص بحسب الشبكة السورية لحقوق الإنسان

In Homs, 185.000 families are suffering according to the Syrian network for human rights.

ـ8 آلاف قتيل منذ بدء الثورة بينهم أكثر من 300 قضوا جراء التعذيب

8.000 dead since the beginning of the revolution, including more than 300 [because of] torture.

ـ70 ألف جريح بينهم 17 ألفا بحاجة لعلاج مستمر

70.000 wounded, including 17.000 needing permanent treatment.

ـ35 ألف بين معتقلين و مختفين قسريا

35.000 among [those] imprisoned and vanished [fell subject to violence].

[Source: Al-Jazeera, Arabic channel, on January 4, 2012]

.....................................................................................

Town Shelling by Syrian Government Troops:

.....................................................................................

Visitor access points to "blueprint news" between December 19, 2012, and January 6, 2013, for visitors coming from the Washington area and from the Arabic Emirates. Click to the pictures for a better resolution !

North Korea - Change of Politics

On his new year's speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un surprised us with a change of politics. Here's a quotation from the more specific part of his speech as has been published in Chinese by New China Network today, 1st January 2013:

金正恩发表新年贺词 以征服宇宙气魄开创新局面

Kim Jong Un delivering his New Year's speech.
A youngster in old-fashioned cloth and of [cosmopolitan attitude] introducing new aspects.

要为把国民经济先行部门和基础工业部门搞上去采取决定性措施，以使煤炭、电力、冶金、铁路运输部门领先，巩固经济强国建设的跳台。特别是要使煤炭、冶金工业部门掀起革新，搞活国家的全盘经济。要下大力量振兴直接关系到人民生活的部门和单位，增加生产，使人民得到更多的生活实惠。

[We] need to take the vanguard branches of national economy and basic industrial branches and start to employ decisive measures in order to push in the lead such branches [dealing with] coal, electricity, metal processing and railway long-distance traffic, such strengthening economy as the [platform] of construction of a powerful nation. What is particularly needed is an upsurge of innovation in industrial branches [dealing with] coal and metal processing which might stimulate the complete array of national economy. [We] need to bring about great strength [in order to] vigorously develop a direct relationship with [all] fields of life of the people and their units [i.e. organizations], strengthen production and make people receive even more [material] benefit of living.

Happy New Year 2013

Localized visitors to "blueprint news" on 29-31 December 2012.
(click to the image for a better resolution !)

Syria - Gliding Into Hell

واشنطن بوست: سوريا تنزلق إلى الجحيم

Washington [desolated]: Syria is gliding into a hell.

أوباما أعطى الأسد الضؤ الأخضر لاستخدام كل الأسلحة باستثناء الكيميائية لذبح شعبه

Obama gives Assad green light for using all arms with the exception of chemical [weapons] in [slaughtering] his [own] people.

[Source: Al-Jazeera, Arabic service, on December 31, 2012]

Editor's Note:
The above evaluation of the Obama administration, helplessly watching Syria to glide into disaster, seems to enrage many Syrians. However, any military intervention would be almost impossible in the frame of a global and regional constellation that is generally opposing such intervention even though for different reasons of the sides involved.

Assad Praising the Syrian Press

الرئيس الأسد: الإعلام السوري تمكن من ضرب امبراطوريات إعلامية حقيقية يقف خلفه ليس فقط المال بل القرار السياسي في العواصم الكبرى في العالم و هذا دليل نجاح الإعلام السوري

President Assad: Syrian media have the possibility to beat the "empires of information" that are [really] having behind them not only "the money" but as well the political intention [prevailing] in major capitals of the world. And that is a [proof] of success of the Syrian media.

[Source: Al-Jazeera, Arabic service, on December 31, 2012, quoting an interview with Bashir al-Assad on Syria's national TV.]

Editor's Note
As to Bashir al-Assad, his attitude can only be understood as some kind of "loss of reality" thinking, not rarely to be found in the final stage of a dictator's career.

However, there is some truth in his words when he argues that "empires of information" are not really independent. Sure, he is speaking of CNN and Al-Jazeera, both media organizations enjoying vast international acceptance and influence. Considering some information treatment by CNN, I feel uneasy with the fact that news of high importance are handled in a rather superficial way as time on air is granted only on the basis of how to feed an auditorium that, long ago, turned into a sensation-seeking herd feeding on the special kick of, especially, bad news. The obvious goal of news shows like "Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" or any "Developing Story" in the daily news is to keep visitors watching at almost any price which can be regarded as a circumstance rather hampering any adequate reporting of news events. In comparison with CNN, Al-Jazeera seems to follow a rather moderate way of combining breaking news with their related background stories, yet, both media giants are under a similar and increasing economic pressure which makes it difficult for them to follow a neutral strategy. When it comes to political influence, I sometimes observed some tendency of thinking on, both, CNN and Al-Jazeera which might be due to a personal inclination or, rather, the slight difference between personnel coming from different ethnic and social communities which is nothing to worry about.

Syria - Chemical Weapons Out Of Control ?

Arabic background information further down !
Last Update: December 29, 2012.

Yesterday, December 27, France 24 - International news quoted a report by Agence France Press AFP. The gist of it is as follows:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman recently to discuss violence in Syria and the country's chemical weapons stock, Israeli media said Thursday [i.e. Dec 27].

Public radio, as well as several local newspapers, said Israeli and Jordanian officials had confirmed the meeting, which was first reported in the Al-Quds al-Arabi daily on Wednesday.

A spokesman for Netanyahu declined to comment on the reports.

The date of the meeting has not been reported, but Israeli media said the meeting focused on the regional threat posed by Syria's chemical weapons stocks.

"Both sides arrived at the meeting with maps in hand," the Yediot Aharonot daily said. "Their maps marked the various sites across Syria where the forbidden weapons are being stored."

The newspaper cited Jordanian officials as saying the king and Netanyahu "raised situation assessments about the 'day after Assad,' and examined the danger posed by the chemical weapons in Syria to the neighbouring countries, first and foremost Jordan and Israel."

On December 27, the information was distributed as well by People's Network, Beijing. Today, December 28, it can be found on a large variety of Chinese networks. The following screenshot has been taken from an official Chinese website in Hebei province dedicated to plannings and legal proceedings:

以色列和约旦领导人秘密商讨叙利亚局势

Israeli and Jordanian leaders held secret talks on the situation in Syria.

....................................................................................

Arabic Background Information

The below articles have been found in the archives of Al-Quds al-Arabi, the well-known Palestinian daily, during a search for information related to "chemical weapons":

The first article, dating back to December 4, is quoting the Jordanian foreign minister Nasser Judeh saying the use of chemical weapons in Syria would necessarily lead to an international intervention.

The second article, dating back to December 24, is citing Russia's foreign minister Sergej Lavrov saying the use of chemical weapons in Syria would be kind of "political suicide" for the Syrian regime of Bashir al-Assad.

The third article that is showing a map of Syria seems to be a mere update of the above article from December 24 quoting Russia's foreign minister. Furthermore, that article is citing a related AFP report.


Above: A Syrian store of chemical weapons / Map of Syria

Another related blogspot of mine published in December 2012:
Syria - Assad's Dangerous Games

....................................................................................

مرسي: أمن منطقة الخليج مسؤولية قومية و سنقف ضد أى تدخل عسكري في سوريا

Morsy: Security of the Gulf region is [a matter of] national responsibility and will [smash] any armed intervention in Syria whatsoever.

[Source: Al-Jazeera, Arabic TV, in their broadcast "Revolution Talk" on December 29, 2012. The quotation of Egypt's president Morsy has been taken from his speech before Egypt's parliament on the same day.]