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Topics => World/Foreign Affairs => Topic started by: jpatrickham on September 05, 2011, 08:29:17 AM

Title: Crisis in the Mediterranean
Post by: jpatrickham on September 05, 2011, 08:29:17 AM
Monday, 05 September 2011 05:50 Richard Ellis
    
 Cypriot President Christofias (R) met the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in September 2009. Christofias assured Assad that the cargo of 98 containers with Iranian armaments would remain in Cyprus until it could be returned to either Syria or Iran. The containers exploded on 11 July.

The island of Cyprus has always played an important strategic role, not least today.

This was made clear a thousand years ago by the Arab geographer al-Muqaddasi, who stated: “The island of Qubrus is in the power of whichever nation is overlord in these seas”.

It was for this reason that the Crusaders occupied the island in 1191, followed by the Venetians in 1489 and the Ottomans less than a hundred years later. The British took over in 1878, and shortly before the Suez crisis in 1956 the British prime minister Sir Anthony Eden declared: “No Cyprus, no certain facilites to protect our supply of oil. No oil, unemployment and hunger in Britain. It is as simple as that.”

http://www.rightsidenews.com/2011090514432/world/geopolitics/crisis-in-the-mediterranean.html?utm_source=Right+Side+News&utm_campaign=5ac22e75b9-daily-rss-newsletter&utm_medium=email (http://www.rightsidenews.com/2011090514432/world/geopolitics/crisis-in-the-mediterranean.html?utm_source=Right+Side+News&utm_campaign=5ac22e75b9-daily-rss-newsletter&utm_medium=email)
Title: Re: Crisis in the Mediterranean
Post by: IronDioPriest on September 05, 2011, 09:57:42 AM
The damned Russians are still fighting the cold war. Their support and provision of arms to Iran and Syria is unacceptable, and we need a President who is not afraid to say so, and back it up.

I had heretofore not recognized the historic or current strategic importance of Cyprus. Good article.
Title: Re: Crisis in the Mediterranean
Post by: Libertas on September 05, 2011, 08:25:54 PM
A a firm blockade of any arms flowing to or from rogue states should be our policy and the policy of other nations who share that view.  If suppliers want to tangle with that and get in a pissing match, bring it on or STFU!
Title: Re: Crisis in the Mediterranean
Post by: charlesoakwood on September 05, 2011, 11:18:53 PM

Those attempting to break the blockade should be met with kinetic resistance.