Big news unfolding on the Arabian Peninsula concerning what is shaping up to be a major power player in Middle Eastern action for the 21st century: the GCC! That’s right, the little known Gulf Cooperation Council just had an official joint meeting with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to discuss how this small band of 6 Arab states will likely become a major arm of power in the region, as the US is selling them butt-loads of arms and even promised a missile defense shield to the group! A much more potent player than the larger and unruly Arab League, this GCC group is the one to watch for possible moves against Iran, or even one of their own in Syria! Find out more about it here!
2012 is a big election year…everywhere! The Professor takes a brief world tour to catch you up on the hot spots of political power transition happening right now across the planet.Russians are at the polls today to likely re-elect Vladimir Putin; a presidential run-off is in play in Senegal; Iran just wiped out political support for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; Nicolas Sarkozy of France is getting ready to be trounced; and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is a big question mark as a second round of cancer treatment calls into question his ability to stand again for office. Democratic change is afoot, Watson!
As the situation continues to spiral into bloody chaos in Syria, the regime of Bashar al-Assad is not the only party that is going to lose big when the state fully collapses into civil war: believe it or not, it’s Iran that stands to be the Biggest Loser, and I ain’t talkin’ about shedding pounds on network TV my friends! In this plaid-cast, the Professor points out multiple ways that Iran is currently getting squeezed by the international community, and how the loss of Syria, its only major ally in the region, is going to be a devastating blow to their power, influence, and status in the Middle East and possibly the wider world.
Keywords: Syria, Iran, Homs, Arab, Persian, Hormuz, nuclear weapon, Hezbollah, embargo, civil war
Synopsis: The SCO as the “NATO of the East”? Bold words and bold thoughts, my plaid friends…but it could come to pass! As the tenth annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) drew to a close on June 16th, several declarations were issued by this rising Asian block that drew the avenger’s attention. Mainly, the SCO threw the collective smack-down to the US/NATO missile defense shield in Europe, but other tidbits of note included India as a full member, a chat about Afghanistan, and Iran spouting nonsense-as-usual. Join the Avenger for an extended look at what this still young, but potentially powerful, Asian block is up to right now!
The Professor’s SCO lesson: http://vimeo.com/16099396
The Professor gives a quick update on news stories in the past week that have interested him..
Turkey accepting Syrians refugees…
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan winning another term…he’s the man!...
The big SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) meeting and its impacts…
And please, please, please, if you don’t know what the SCO is all about, please watch this vid and get schooled: SCO Video
...and pass it on to others too! World citizens got to know this stuff! Be globally literate!
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