Foreign Policy

Posts Tagged ‘Foreign Policy’

Beirut victims get denied again

November 24th, 2009 | Author: Jon Williford

Two weeks ago tomorrow was Veteran’s Day, and I missed this from the Boston Globe.

On Veterans Day, Christine Devlin stood in the cold in Westwood for the unveiling of a new memorial to local soldiers lost overseas, including her son Michael, one of the 241 servicemen killed in the bombing of the US Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983.

Devlin is among 30 Massachusetts relatives of victims of the Beirut attack who have been fighting for more than a decade to get compensation for what many consider the first major terrorist attack against the United States. After a federal judge ruled in 2007 that Iran was liable for $2.65 billion in damages to be shared by 150 families seeking restitution, they believed they were on the cusp of victory.

But now, the Obama administration is going to court to try to block payments from Iranian assets that the families’ lawyers want seized, contending that it would jeopardize sensitive negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and establish a potentially damaging precedent.

Yeah, he’s right. It would definitely “jeopardize sensitive negotiations,” and those negotiations might actually stall. Or even worse, we might actually have to start enforcing UN resolutions.

Building the case took four years of depositions from victims’ relatives, US government officials, and even a former Hezbollah member, amounting to 30,000 pages of testimony, according to Thomas F. Fay, one of the lawyers representing the families.

The families’ first victory came in 2003 when the US District Court in Washington found that Iran’s Ministry of Information and Security helped plan and facilitate the Oct. 23, 1983, attack. Then, two years ago, the same court ruled the Iranian government was liable for the $2.65 billion in damages.

The families’ legal advisers and the Obama administration – like the Bush administration before it – disagree on how many Iranian assets could be legally seized in the case.

The Treasury Department estimates there is only $45 million in seizable Iranian assets in the United States and has argued in court that some of the property that the families’ lawyers have sought is outside the United States and cannot be legally seized.

Okay, um, why in the wide world of sports does Iran have any assets in the United States?

The Justice Department declined to comment further on the administration’s position, but as the congressional analysis stated, “The issue has pitted the compensation of victims of terrorism against US foreign policy goals and some business interests.’’

Shameful as it is, it is, and always will be, about money – foreign or domestic.

H/T to Van Helsing.

Posted in Blog | Tags: Foreign Policy, Obama | 9 Comments »

Reckless apathy

November 16th, 2009 | Author: Jon Williford

Okay, so I missed this over the weekend; Saturday was my wedding anniversary (Renae- I love you more than you could possibly imagine.), and yesterday was Sunday, which is always a busy day for me. Anyway, enough excuses.

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RedState, and a few others has this. Apparently, our illustrious leader, in his reckless apathy for history and feelings at home, bowed to the Emperor of Japan. Now, before you say, “wait, Japan is a democracy,” I know Japan is a democracy; it still has an emperor, kind of like the UK still has a queen; Obama bowed to her too. But, the difference here though, is that the current Japanese Emperor is the son of Hirohito. Lest you’ve forgotten, here’s a quick history on Hirohito.

7 December 1941: Over 2,400 killed and over 2,000 others wounded in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

This would be like a president 60 years from now, bowing to the son of Osama Bin Laden.

Pathetic.

My apologies to the nearly 109,000 who died fighting in the Pacific theater, and to the other 16 million men and women who served during WWII.

Posted in Blog | Tags: Foreign Policy, Obama, WWII | 11 Comments »