Is another war imminent?

Read about this on Naharnet... should we start worrying??

Is Kuwait Preparing for War in Gulf?

Kuwait has reportedly activated its "Emergency War Plan" as a massive U.S. and European fleet is reported heading for the region, said a report by the Middle East Times newspaper.

Coming on the heels of Operation Brimstone just a week ago that saw U.S., British and French naval forces participate in war games in the Atlantic Ocean, the joint task force is now headed for the Gulf in what could easily turn into a major confrontation with Iran, the report said.

It said the naval force comprises a U.S. Navy super carrier battle group and is accompanied by an expeditionary carrier battle group, a British Royal Navy carrier battle group and a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine.

Leading the pack, according to the report, is the nuclear-powered carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its Carrier Strike Group Two; besides its 80-plus combat planes the Roosevelt normally transports, it is carrying an additional load of French Naval Rafale fighter jets from the French carrier Charles de Gaulle, currently in dry dock.

Also reported heading toward Iran is another nuclear-powered carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan and its Carrier Strike Group Seven; the USS Iwo Jima, the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and a number of French warships, including the nuclear hunter-killer submarine Amethyste, the Middle East Times reported.

It said once the naval force arrives in the Gulf region it will be joining two other U.S. naval battle groups already on site: the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Peleliu; the Lincoln with its carrier strike group and the latter with an expeditionary strike group.

The report said that this deployment is the largest naval task force from the United States and allied countries to assemble in the strategic waters of the Persian Gulf since the two Gulf wars.

It said naval deployment was designed to enforce an eventual blockade on Iran, if as expected by many observers, current negotiations with the Islamic republic over its insistence to pursue uranium enrichment yielded no results.

Adding to the volatility, the report went on to say, is the presence of a major Russian navy deployment which had been sent earlier this year to the eastern Mediterranean.

The Russian fleet comprises the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov with approximately 50 Su-33 warplanes that have the capacity for mid-air refueling. This means, according to the Middle East Times, the Russian warplanes could reach the Gulf from the Mediterranean, a distance of some 850 miles and would be forced to fly over Syria and Iraq as well, where the skies are controlled by the U.S. military, and the guided missile heavy cruiser Moskva. The Russian task force is believed to be composed of no less than a dozen warships as well as several submarines.

Russia, however, is unlikely to get involved in a military showdown in the Persian Gulf, particularly at this time when it is engaged in a major confrontation with the Republic of Georgia in South Ossetia, the report said.

It said that for Iran, a naval blockade preventing it from importing refined oil would have devastating effects on its economy, virtually crippling the Islamic republic's infrastructure. Although Iran is a major oil producer and exporter, the country lacks refining facilities having to re-import its own oil once refined.

Iran's oil – both the exported crude as well as the returning refined product – passes through the strategic Straits of Hormuz, controlled by Iran on one side and the Sultanate of Oman – a U.S. ally – on the other.

Although Kuwait is on the opposite end of the entrance to the Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz, Kuwait City is less than 60 miles from Iran – and with good reason to worry.

"Kuwait was caught by surprise last time, when Iraqi troops invaded the small emirate and routed the Kuwaiti army in just a few hours," a former U.S. diplomat to Kuwait told the Middle East Times. Beirut, 12 Aug 08, 17:06

Source: http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&50892DB16A0D67A6C22574A300509BC7

Democracy... u got to be joking.

I am surprised not to have read about this on other local blogs.

My heart goes out to the workers who have just been deported just because they stood up for their right. While many were injured there are rumours of some having lost their lives. I am not supporting their acts of violence (damaging property & assault) however I feel deporting them is a bit harsh.

These people have paid (many by taking loans) huge amounts to agents in order to procure jobs in Kuwait - what will happed once they return to their home country?

There was one person (a Bangladeshi) who work in our neighbouring office. An innocent, kind hearted man with a soft heart. Communication with this chap was always a challenge as he lacked basic education. He would speak a dialect which is a combination of four languages - Arabic + Hindi + English + Bengali.

To my knowledge, he returned to work in Kuwait 4 yrs ago, leaving his pregnant wife in Bangladesh. He would compensate his monthly income (20-30KD) by washing our cars (5KD / car / month). He was not a participant in these strikes. He has been missing since Saturday / Sunday. I was told that he was at a bakala (grocery shop) in the same area where the strike was taking place and was arrested by the police. In the process, he apparently sustained some wounds and to be taken to hospital. Unfortunately he succumbed to his injuries. (update: Apparently he is alive however he will be deported shortly.)

Did he deserve this?

This is not the Democracy that I know - I call this modern slavery.

http://alwatan.com.kw/Default.aspx?MgDid=657282&pageId=471

http://www.arabtimesonline.com/kuwaitnews/pagesdetails.asp?nid=20406&ccid=9

http://www.arabtimesonline.com/kuwaitnews/pagesdetails.asp?nid=20357&ccid=9

Pics Source: Local Newspapers & Friends