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Is The World Actually Becoming LESS Violent?

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Dec 28th 2015, 09:00

Daily Mail/Reuters: Despite ISIS beheadings, Paris and San Bernardino attacks and Syrian war, the world is actually becoming LESS violent

* Compared to most of the postwar period, 2015 has been relatively peaceful
* Compared with previous centuries it has been very peaceful indeed
* 'For 500 years, Western European countries started two new wars a year; since WWII the number has been zero,' points out a Harvard psychologist
* Attacks of the kind that killed civilians in Paris, Ankara, California, Beirut and Garissa in Kenya this year are big news because they are rare, he adds
* Almost every other kind of violence, including murders, capital punishment, domestic violence, torture and hunting, has also fallen

This year may be remembered for barrel bombs, beheadings and the Bataclan massacre, but according to a Harvard psychologist, a remarkable long term downward trend in violence is continuing.

Wars are far less common and deadly than in the recent past, terrorism is rare, and the European refugee crisis is nothing new, said Steven Pinker, a bestselling science author.

'The news is a systematically misleading way to understand the world,' he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.

WNU Editor: I am not that optimistic .... war and conflict is in our nature, and this lull in wars and conflict is just that .... a lull.

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Revenge is a Poison meant for others, which we end up swallowing ourselves. Vengence is a Dark Light that blinds all who seek it. Don’t argue with Idiots.. They will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Source : http://www.coolnsmart.com/wise_quotes/

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Are India And Pakistan Reconciling?

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Dec 28th 2015, 08:00

Christian Science Monitor: A bright hope for 2016: India and Pakistan reconcile

A bright hope for 2016: India and Pakistan reconcile

A surprise visit on Christmas Day between the leaders of India and Pakistan hint at a mutual desire to no longer let historic tensions hinder their drive against poverty.

One of the most hopeful events in 2015 was a surprise visit on Christmas Day between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif. Their power lunch showed a spirit of generosity for the leaders of two nuclear powers so long at odds that South Asia is viewed as the most dangerous place on earth.

While one summit does not make peace, the visit hints that the two countries may now be able to transcend difficult issues of territory, terrorism, religious divide, and national identity.

One possible motivation for the sudden warmth: Both leaders may empathize with the other about the urgent need to tackle poverty rather than allow tensions to hinder economic growth. As the rest of the world has moved toward interdependence, Pakistan and India have remained mired in post-colonial quarrels for 68 years, a result of an awkward and violent partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947.

WNU Editor: If both countries do reconcile .... it will shape this part of the world into the next century. But my prediction is that while the leaders may want to find common ground .... there are many who have different agendas, and it will not take much to reverse all of the goodwill that has come out of this visit.

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The News From Afghanistan Is Very Bad

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Dec 28th 2015, 07:00

Robert Fisk, The Independent: You won't hear it, but news from Afghanistan is bad

Isis men are now fighting in their thousands in the country we arrived to "liberate" 14 years ago, quite apart from tens of thousands of Taliban "pushing" in to their "heartland" around Sangin

The news from Afghanistan is very bad. No one says that, of course. President Ghani has a "national unity government" that "supports a strong partnership with the United States", according to Barack Obama two months ago. Sure, Kunduz was captured by the Taliban – but then the Afghans got it back (though minus one American-bombed hospital, along with most of its patients and doctors). Sure, Sangin was captured by the Taliban – but now the Afghan army is fighting to get it back. But didn't more than a hundred British soldiers die to hold Sangin? Sure, but American troops in Iraq died to hold and keep Mosul – and Mosul is now the home of the Isis leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. And US troops in Iraq died to capture Fallujah, then lost it, and died all over again to recapture it – and Fallujah is now in the hands of Isis.

WNU Editor: A depressing read .... but Robert Fisk analysis is probably on the money. On a side note .... 2016 is a U.S. Presidential election year .... should Afghanistan fracture during the election campaign this would not only damage Democrat chances, but it will also profoundly impact President Obama's legacy.

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Is Now The Time To Abandon Afghanistan?

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Dec 28th 2015, 06:00

Tom Mockaitis, Huffington Post: Time to Leave Afghanistan?

The death of six U.S. soldiers near Bagram Airbase on December 21 serves as a grim reminder that while Americans worry about ISIS, the country's longest war is now entering its fifteenth year with no end to it in sight. The tragedy also underscores two additional but often forgotten truths. First, getting into conflicts is much easier than getting out of them. Second, the cost in blood and treasure of virtually every major war that has ever been fought has far exceeded the optimistic estimates of the political leaders who started it. Following this most recent attack it may, therefore, be worth considering a few important questions. What has the war cost us? How did we get into it, and, most important of all, how will we get out?

WNU Editor: As much as we all like to forget about Afghanistan .... a complete withdrawal is not going to happen. What we will probably see is a policy of containment and minimal involvement .... an operational airbase or two, special operations, intelligence, drone strikes, and training. And should the Taliban or any other militant group appear to be successful in over-running a strategic target ... to be targeted and destroyed via through the air and special operations. It is a crummy way to fight a war .... but .... Afghanistan is a conflict that will probably continue for 50 years (if not more) .... we might as well get use to it.

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Picture Of The Day

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Dec 28th 2015, 05:30

A Marine's Best Friend

Marine Corps Cpl. Jared Royce returns from a patrol with military working dog Hugo during Steel Knight on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., Dec. 12, 2015. Steel Knight aims to prepare Marines and sailors with the 1st Marine Division and adjacent I Marine Expeditionary Force units to operate as a fully capable Marine air-ground task force. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Will Perkins

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Saudi Troops In Iraq In 2016?

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Dec 28th 2015, 04:30

A member of the Saudi border guards force stands guard next to a fence on Saudi Arabia's northern borderline with Iraq. July 14, 2014. Photo by Reuters

Sputnik: Will We See Saudi Troops in Iraq in the New Year?

Ever since Saudi Arabia announced that it had formed a new 34-nation 'Islamic coalition against terrorism', experts have been debating whether the new alliance will entangle itself in a military operation in Iraq and Syria. Recently, analytical website Iranian Diplomacy posed that very question to regional Iraqi official Ibrahim al-Jinabi.

Speaking to the resource, al-Jinabi, a member of the Judicial Council of Iraq's southwestern Anbar Governate (much of which is presently occupied by Daesh/ISIL terrorists) not only confirmed the possibility of Saudi troops joining the conflict, but suggested that this might happen in the very near future.

"The military component of the Islamo-Arabic coalition recently formed by Saudi Arabia intends to take part in the operation to clear Anbar province," the lawmaker unambiguously noted.

WNU Editor: If Saudi soldiers enter Iraq .... I can easily see Iraqi Shiite militias targeting them as they did against U.S. forces during the occupation.

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Hezbollah Leader Vows To Retaliate Against Israel For The Assassination Of A Prominent Lebanese Militant

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Dec 28th 2015, 04:00

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters via a screen during a commemoration service marking one week since the killing of Hezbollah militant leader Samir Qantar, in Beirut's southern suburbs, December 27, 2015. REUTERS/AZIZ TAHER

Reuters: Hezbollah leader tells Israel to brace for retaliation over Qantar's death

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah group said on Sunday that Israel miscalculated by killing prominent militant Samir Qantar in Syria last week, saying that retaliation for his death was inevitable, whatever the consequences.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, speaking in a ceremony to mark a week since Qantar's death in a strike in a residential quarter of Damascus, said Israelis should brace themselves for a response either inside or outside Israel.

"The Israelis should be justifiably worried... They should be worried along the border, inside (Israel) and outside," he said.

WNU Editor: Apparently diplomats are trying to talk Hezbollah out from escalating this conflict .... Report: Diplomats trying to talk Hezbollah out of taking revenge on Israel for Kuntar killing (Jerusalem Post). My prediction is that they will not succeed.

More News On Hezbollah's Leader Vowing To Retaliate Against Israel For The Assassination Of A Prominent Lebanese Militant

Hezbollah vows to retaliate against Israel over the killing of prominent Lebanese militant -- AP
Nasrallah: Revenge for Kuntar's death will 'inevitably come' -- Times of Israel
Thought Hezbollah gave up on revenge for Kuntar? Think again -- Times of Israel
Hezbollah vows revenge for Samir Kuntar -- Arutz Sheva
Brace for retaliation over Qantar's death, Hezbollah tells Israel -- Arab News
Hezbollah chief: Israelis hiding like rats along border, Kuntar revenge will come -- Ya Liban
Hezbollah leader reiterates 'inevitable' retaliation against Israel for Quntar's death -- Al Bawaba

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A New U.S. Narrative For The War Against The Islamic State

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Dec 28th 2015, 03:00

The Hill: US military drafting 'new narrative' for ISIS war

The U.S. military is seeking to craft a "new narrative" for the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in part to push back on the growing perception that President Obama does not have a strategy.

Military officials on the Operation Inherent Resolve task force have recently formed a working group to formulate a "new narrative," defense officials told The Hill. Separately, the Joint Staff has drafted its own messaging document.

The steps are preliminary, and are part of a larger effort to better communicate the U.S.'s military strategy amid heavy criticism from Republican presidential candidates who say Obama is losing the battle against the terrorist group.

Update: Administration, military aiming to improve anti-ISIS effort 'narrative' -- CNN

WNU Editor: The problem is not the narrative .... the problem is in the strategy and policy.

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Does The U.S. Need A 'Failed State' Policy

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Dec 28th 2015, 02:00

A civil defense member gestures towards a rebel fighter as they search for survivors at a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian Air Force in Idlib city, Syria Dec. 20, 2015.

Jeff Seldin, VOA: Critics Say US Needs 'Failed State' Policy for Syria, Iraq

In about one month, the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian opposition groups are set to meet for peace talks in Geneva. But already, there is a sense that the talks, advocated by the United States, are doomed to fail.

One major problem, according to current and former intelligence and military officials, is that U.S. policy has simply not adjusted to the complex realities on the ground.

"I haven't seen any indication that the U.S. has a coherent plan for dealing with failed states," former CIA Director James Woolsey told VOA. "I don't think the Obama administration has developed one."

Woolsey and others point to a growing list of so-called failed states in the Middle East and elsewhere, where critical institutions have collapsed and the power vacuum is being filled by various groups with different agendas.

WNU Editor: The problem with developing and formulating such a policy is that governments and their citizens are loathe to commit the necessary manpower, resources, and monies to "fix" a failed state. When one looks at Syria and Iraq .... one can easily see the deployment of a hundred thousand plus soldiers, hundreds of billions of dollars, and the high probability of a low intensity guerilla campaign coupled with a commitment that may last for decades.

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U.S. Foreign Arms Sales Are Booming

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Dec 28th 2015, 01:00

The US accounted for more than half of the global arms market last year. (file photo)

New York Times: U.S. Foreign Arms Deals Increased Nearly $10 Billion in 2014

WASHINGTON — Foreign arms sales by the United States jumped by almost $10 billion in 2014, about 35 percent, even as the global weapons market remained flat and competition among suppliers increased, a new congressional study has found.

American weapons receipts rose to $36.2 billion in 2014 from $26.7 billion the year before, bolstered by multibillion-dollar agreements with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. Those deals and others ensured that the United States remained the single largest provider of arms around the world last year, controlling just over 50 percent of the market.

Russia followed the United States as the top weapons supplier, completing $10.2 billion in sales, compared with $10.3 billion in 2013. Sweden was third, with roughly $5.5 billion in sales, followed by France with $4.4 billion and China with $2.2 billion.

Update #1: The U.S. Is Still No.1 at Selling Arms to the World (Time)
Update #2: U.S. foreign arms sales up $10 billion (The Hill)
Update #3: US Foreign Weapons Agreements Rose Almost $10 Billion in 2014 (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: I will not be surprised that when the 2015 numbers have been added up, these numbers will be even greater.

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Kurds Claim 12,000 Oil Tanker Trucks At The Iraq - Turkish Border Are Transporting Their Oil (Not ISIS Oil)

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Dec 28th 2015, 00:00

Zero Hedge: 12,000 Oil Tanker Trucks Parked At Iraq-Turkey Border Aren't Carrying ISIS Crude, Kurds Swear

In our classic piece "ISIS Oil Trade Full Frontal: "Raqqa's Rockefellers", Bilal Erdogan, KRG Crude, And The Israel Connection," we discussed how Masoud Barzani and the Iraqi Kurds transport some 600,000 b/d of crude to the Turkish port of Ceyhan in defiance of SOMO amid an ongoing budget dispute between Baghdad and Erbil.

Turkey facilitates this trade and we suggested that ISIS (which Turkey is suspected of supporting in order that the group might continue to destabilize Assad) may be using the same networks to get its illicit oil to market.

There's some evidence that links ISIS to Ceyhan. As documented in an academic study by George Kiourktsoglou and Dr Alec D Coutroubis, tanker rates at Ceyhan seem to spike around significant oil-related events involving Islamic State. Here's the chart:

WNU Editor: If true .... I am sure that Baghdad is not happy with seeing all of this oil activity occurring without their say-so.

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Iran's President: 'It's Up To Muslims To Correct Islam's Image And To Unite Against Israel'

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Dec 27th 2015, 23:00

Reuters: Iran's Rouhani says it's up to Muslims to correct Islam's image

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that Muslims must improve the image of their religion, which has been tarnished by the violence of hardline groups such as Islamic State,

"It is our greatest duty today to correct the image of Islam in world public opinion," Rouhani told a conference on Islamic unity in Tehran in a speech broadcast by state television.

His remarks were rare for a leader of Iran, which considers itself an authority in the Islamic world and often blames the "enemies" of the religion for problems in the Middle East.

WNU Editor: He also advised that all Muslims must unite against their common enemy .... Iran's Rouhani: Muslims need to unite against Israel (Times of Israel), as well as condemning Saudi Arabia .... Iran Accuses Saudi of Promoting Poverty, Terrorism (VOA).

More News On Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's Comments On Muslims And Israel

Rouhani says Muslim states should fix Islam's public image -- AFP
Iran's Rouhani urges Muslims to fix Islam's global image -- BBC
After 2015 ISIS Terror Attacks Worldwide, Iran's Rouhani Urges Muslim Countries To Revamp Islam's Image -- IBTimes
Rouhani urges Muslim countries to unite for the sake of Islam -- Al Bawaba/Euronews
Rouhani calls on Muslims to 'correct image of Islam' worldwide -- RT
Syria's destruction pleases 'common enemy' Israel, says Rouhani -- Times of Israel/AP

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KEEP SCROLLING TO THE END ...WE STILL GOT LOTS MORE .......

Message from The Editor: Hello peeps! . We do hope that you will come back for more . This is only the beginning!!

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KEEP SCROLLING TO THE END ...WE STILL GOT LOTS MORE .......

Message from The Editor: Hello peeps! . We do hope that you will come back for more . This is only the beginning!!

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KEEP SCROLLING TO THE END ...WE STILL GOT LOTS MORE .......

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