you know saying that the shiites in iraq are somewhat more shiite than they are arabs because as we know you know there is they do have a history of being having fought you know the main rank and file of the iraqi army during the the the war with iran was basically a shiite army and this is also true today so while there is a certain affinity towards iran in iraq today. iraqis were and were to a certain extent more willing to compromise with the americans and with the worst but this this policy by the u.s. has effectively caused the shiites in throughout the middle east to become alienated and to join the certain axis of resistance to western interests and what do you think about that axis against western interests. why one blame the united states for the sectarian divisions they've existed in the middle east for hundreds of years and they were exacerbated by the iranian revolution you have. a theocracy in iran that has tried to shape the region according to its own interests and a lot of the sunni states resigned this and of course the united states is allied with a lot of them includin

thinking that they would be more arab than shiite but today by putting the shiites in the top and in iraq iraq has moved on the side of iran creating the shiite crescent iran iraq the syrian government under our side which is shaky and hezbollah in lebanon and that alliance is the united states is hoping to bring it down and wants regime change in syria and iran and wants to get rid of his mullah so it has politicized to a large extent a sunni shiite struggle with saudi arabia and turkey being the two pillars that increasingly egypt the pillars of a sunni arab world against against increasingly iran and iraq ok move it what do you think about that and is it a good strategy is it going to work. well no it's not going to work because by alienating iran from this equation they're making a lot of problems for themselves precisely in iraq because as you know key previously was much more willing to compromise with the americans than he is now so now the strategy by the us continuing to alienate the shiites in the middle east which was one of the main policies of the of the bush administrat

thinking that they would be more arab than shiite but today by putting the shiites in the top and in iraq iraq has moved on the side of iran creating the shiite crescent iran iraq the syrian government under side which is shaky and hizbullah in lebanon and that.

led invasion brought the shiite majority to. a suicide attack or try to blow up a u.s. military outpost in afghanistan of killed at least three people left seven more injured guards opened fire on a minibus packed with bombs with the vehicle exploding before reaching the entrance of the camp chapman compound the taliban says it was targeting local police working for the americans there forty one people including six u.s. troops have died in attacks this year in the volatile city is near the pakistan border. with a new year nearly with this artie's taking stock s'more of the events which shaped twenty twelve right there we're looking at coverage of the u.s. presidential debates and the struggle for those candidates who didn't have multibillion dollar campaigns they also get a voice. we have been running the election of close to your ears for more than two weeks before the election every single day there was a story by a correspondent running wild guests on the show and cetera et cetera still given voice through the third parties was exactly what we needed to get the full

shiite muslims were headed to a pilgrimage. new york human base watch says attacks on minority shias are on the rise in pakistan. more than 300 shias have been killed in 2012. >>> venezuelan president chavez has suffered more complications from cancer surgery. the country's vice president suggested the situation does not allow for optimism. the announcement came ahead of a presidential inauguration ceremony for chavez's fourth term on january 10th. the vice president said the new complications follow a respiratory infection that surfaced after the surgery he had in december in cuba. mudora appeared on state-run tv with chavez's daughter and says his health continues to be delicate. there's increasing speculation that the inauguration ceremony in january may have to be postponed. opposition parties are demanding a new presidential election to be held should chavez failed to be sworn in on such a date. such a delay suggests he is not capable of carrying out his duties. >>> the leader of china's communist party game into office pr

he said he believed the gunmen who kidnapped him and his crew in syria or shiite militia groups loyal to the syrian government. the crew was freed after a firefight between their captors and a rebel group. nearly two dozen members of a northern illinois university fraternity are facing charges in the death of a 19-year-old freshman. arrest warrants have been issued for 22 members of the fraternity. five of the warrants are for hazing. the other 17th fraternity brothers are facing charges for misdemeanor charges. the 19-year-old was found unresponsive at the frat house in november. the corners of his blood alcohol level was more than four times the legal limit which contributed to a cardiac arrhythmia. firefighters in new jersey had their hands full with a commercial building fire this morning. it was a seven-alarm fire at a building and the city of elizabeth. it houses an auto repair business. no word on what sparked the flames and there are no reports of injuries. still to come -- a new device could be the key to treating macular degeneration and we will have details coming up. >> ju

my concern is with the shiites and the sunnis.if iran gets an atomic bomb, the question is not that the egyptians will say we want the same toy. the point is that the egyptians are sunnis. the saudi arabia thursday means and the iranians are shiite and the most likely scenario is the sunnis in pakistan will send atomic bombs to their sunni brothers in saudi arabia and egypt and now suddenly have atomic bombs all over. so i am aware of the dangers of israel attacking iran in stopping him from getting an atomic on. this seems to me the dangers of letting them get an atomic dog followed a the sunnis in saudi arabia and egypt is much greater. >> i agree with you. i would just add that we changed realities in the middle east. it did in the past come in the future and we just cannot wait and see what will follow it. we're very concerned concerned about iran today. >> time for three mark questions. >> vic to another. with regards to the atomic bomb, we believe that israel has added for many years. they've obviously never used it. i don't

well as build houses of worship, but it does not mention other minority faiths like a high or the shiite branch of islam, giving rise to fears that these groups will face increased discrimination -- minority faiths like baha'i or the shia branch of islam. >> this article will lead to a heated dispute because it turns the regulation of public morality into a state-run a fair. worst-case scenario, there would be a kind of religious police like saudi arabia's committee for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice. >> the draft constitution contains few articles about the role of egypt's military, but the army will remain a force to be reckoned with. >> all right. for more on the draft constitution in egypt, we have decided to bring in a professor from berlin's humboldt university. you worked for the united nations. you read this draft constitution. let me ask you -- are there provisions in this constitution to protect religious minorities in egypt? >> well, this is constitution only for islam people, who embraced the islamic faiths, also for jews and christians. the three main rel

but the other attacks have been more or less standard, attacks on security forces and shiites -- shiaous processions. security forces were trying to dismantle a rocket that was to be launched in the direction of an air base. a bomb went off right next to them and one was or two were killed, and four were wounded. a few other attacks took place in the east and the south. >> this comes at quite a difficult political time as well. >> very difficult political time. the government is facing ongoing protests in the western province of anbar, which borders syria and jordan. and a number of other provinces are joining the protests as their been calls for civil disobedience and international highway that links iraq dollar- jordan to syria has been cut off. there has been in intensity with demands from the government's having to do mostly with setting some prisoners free, including women prisoners, whom the protesters say have been arrested purely because their husbands or their sons could not be found. and also there is an ongoing dispute between baghdad and kurdish region in the north over oi

neighboring syria and jordan on wednesday the demonstrators were demanding equal rights accusing the shiite led government of leading the country into sectarian conflict the mass protests erupted last week following the arrest of ten bodyguards of a senior sunni official. the afghan foreign ministry says the country has lost more than seventy million dollars in taxes is foreign companies linked to nato are avoiding paying their dues last week president karzai stan the firm's accusing them of widespread corruption in the country but political analyst and former afghan m.p. the sort enjoy says the government is equally to blame. what was going on in two thousand and one two thousand and two when the interim authority came to existence in this country they signed deals exempting some of these companies we were dealing with need to and i say. many other companies came and started. carpetbagging in backpacking. illegitimate gains in never paid taxes this is not new and this government will never have the guts to collect taxes from those rogue companies just an aviation alone. there are dozens an

neighboring syria and jordan or wednesday the demonstrators were demanding equal rights accusing the shiite led government of leading the country into sectarian conflict a mass protests erupt erupted last week following the arrest of ten bodyguards of a senior sunni official. and los angeles police claim a gun buyback event in this city store sixteen hundred firearms handed in on wednesday as people formed long blinds to trade their weapons for free groceries and typically it's the annual event this year were supported by las mer it was echoed the presence of. weapons america's long running debate on gun control has been reignited by the newtown elementary school massacre that left twenty six people dead earlier this month. and as people across the globe enjoy the holiday season the jolly moods now gone into albeit early if the crew of the international space station got the chance to video conference with their families and russia's father for us there despite the tight shared jewel of space walks and scientific experiments that seem are off duty for christmas and the new year holidays giv

they say the issue is wider and it involves also shiites and also kurds. so i think the crowd is very significant. >> you will be following those events for us. thank you perry -- thank you. diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in syria appear to be regaining momentum very russia, one of the few major powers to maintain links with the syrian regime has sent invitation for talks to the head of the opposition syrian national coalition. the russian foreign minister sergei lavrov says he believes the transitional governments with assad still in power for a time must be put in place. he said both sides must agree to a peace plan to avoid for the chaos. >> we are against any interference from outside parties, outside countries in syria. we have an understanding that we need a ceasefire in order to save the lives of citizens and we agree the geneva convention contains the elements to move forward for a political settlement. >> the lives of millions of children have been affected by the war in syria. thousands of families have escaped across the border to lebano

most of the violence targeted shiite communities and police. one of the blasts rocked baghdad's karrada neighborhood, sending smoke billowing above the skyline. the car bomb went off near a tent where shiite pilgrims were gathering. five people were killed there. in syria, elite troops, along with tanks, battled to dislodge rebels from a key southern suburb of damascus. the area is within firing distance of major government sites in the capital. amateur video also showed the aftermath of what appeared to be air strikes in the northeastern suburb of douma. the attacks toppled buildings and sent civilians fleeing. celebrations began today as the new year, 2013, dawned around the globe. we have a report from richard pallot of independent television news. . >> here we go! >> reporter: a perfect summer's night ushering in 2013 in sydney. 7 tons of fireworks lighting up the famous harbor the world's biggest and most expensive. >> an emotional commentary accompanied the scene in the north korea capitol pyongyang, reportedly the first ever fireworks di

neighboring syria and jordan on wednesday demonstrators were demanding equal rights accusing the shiite led government of leading the country into sectarian conflict the mass protests erupted last week following the arrests of ten bodyguards of the senior sunni official. and los angeles police claim a gun buyback event in the city sourced sixteen hundred firearms handed in on wednesday as people formed long lines to trade their weapons for free grocery certificates the annual event this year was supported by l.a.'s mare who has echoed the president calling for a ban on assault weapons america's long running debate on gun control has been reignited by the newtown elementary school massacre that left twenty six people dead earlier this month. the afghan finance ministry says the country has lost more than seventy million dollars in taxes is foreign companies linked to nato are avoiding paying their juice last week president karzai slammed the firms accusing them of widespread corruption in the country but political analyst and former afghan m.p. diode salton zoid says the government is eq

led invasion but the shiite majority to power. a suicide attacker who tried to blow up a u.s. military outpost in afghanistan killed at least three people and left seven more injured guards opened fire on a minibus packed with bombs in a vehicle exploding before reaching the entrance to the camp chapman compound the taliban says it was targeting local police working for the americans there will be one people including six u.s. troops have died in attacks this year in the volatile city near the pakistan border . iran is preparing to conduct a week of naval drills in the gas fields of the strait of hormuz in the persian gulf war ships submarines and missile defense systems will be tested iran says it's a peaceful demonstration of iran's defensive capabilities are missing it won't violate international law and respect the maritime borders of neighboring countries . with the new year nearly hair r.t. is taking stock of the events which shaped twenty twelve today we look at coverage of the u.s. presidential debates and the struggle for those candidates who didn't have multibillion

majority of people who are on the country tend to be more secular and even those who worst enemies or shiites did not see the identify with this sect mainly and now unfortunately there are divisions that are very clear in the country and these divisions are. political and economic and even geographic people were moved from around the country in a decade of sectarian and ethnic cleansing and i think what's going in syria it's having an impact on iraq. sectarian divisions in syria there are key and the iranian government. position the guardian of what has happening in syria has alienated there are key sunni population even more so i think what happened last week which sparked all of this was a very small event just a few bodyguards of one of the sunni lawmaker whatever stood and then it sparked this huge unprecedented wave of anger along sectarian lines and today some demonstrators suggested they want to bring down the government i coring the slogan and popular votes that are completed elsewhere in the our world our we're likely to see the arab spring reaches rock. there are attempts and i thin

gatherings they're demanding increased rights and an end to widespread discrimination against the shiite majority the bahraini authorities have failed to implement the reforms they promised and have been handing out harsh jail sentences to prominent opposition activists. they are prepared to shoot down north korea's long range rocket as prepares for its launch later this month tokyo is on standby to intercept the rocket if they believe it poses a threat north korea insists it will fly over the philippines and or stray or and will carry out a communications satellite into orbit but the u.s. south korea and japan are among those nations who believe it is carrying out intercontinental ballistic missile tests ten christians have been killed in a machete and gun attack by suspected islamic rebels in northeast nigeria the fight is then set fire to churches and government buildings in a village near the border with cameroon the victims were returning from worship when they were attacked by the gunmen and a road construction crew official suspect the islamic group is behind the assault they have

most of the violence targeted shiite communities and police. one of the blasts rocked baghdad's karrada neighborhood, sending smoke billowing above the skyline. the car bomb went off near a tent where shiite pilgrims were gathering. five people were killed there. in syria, elite troops, along with tanks, battled to dislodge rebels from a key southern suburb of damascus. the area is within firing distance of major government sites in the capital. amateur video also showed the aftermath of what appeared to be air strikes in the northeastern suburb of douma. the attacks toppled buildings and sent civilians fleeing. celebrations began today as the new year, 2013, dawned around the globe. we have a report from richard pallot of independent television news. . >> here we go! >> reporter: a perfect summer's night ushering in 2013 in sydney. 7 tons of fireworks lighting up the famous harbor, the world's biggest and most expensive. >> an emotional commentary accompanied the scene in the north korea capitol pyongyang, reportedly the first ever fireworks d

gatherings they are demanding increased rights and then to widespread discrimination against the shiite majority the bahraini authorities have failed to implement the reforms they promised and have been handing out harsh jail sentences to prominent opposition activists. japan is deploying missile interceptors saying they are prepared to shoot down north korea's long range rocket if it poses a threat pyongyang says they are gearing up for their second launch attempt since april the country insists their rocket will fly over the philippines and astray here and take a communications satellite into orbit but the u.s. south korea and japan are among those nations who believe the isolated state is carrying out intercontinental ballistic missile tests russia is among the countries strongly urging pyongyang to cancel its upcoming launch. ten christians are being killed in a machete and gun attack by suspected islamic rebels in northeast nigeria the fighters then set fire to churches and government buildings in a village near the border with cameroon the victims were returning from worship when

iraq is still reeling from multiple explosions across quite a cook on sunday which also targeted shiites those attacks killed five and wounded fourteen it all comes nearly a year after u.s. forces withdrew from the country. in japan the right leaning and liberal democrats have won over a sounding parliamentary election victory putting former prime minister shinzo back in office he spoke of a huge task ahead promising tokyo will not concede china one millimeter of japan's islands and vowed not to give up in the dispute between them was last prime minister for a short time between two thousand and six and two thousand and seven and this time he won in a landslide with almost three hundred seats. president obama has said he'll do everything in his power to prevent more mass shootings as the first funerals for the victims of the newtown school tragedy have been held twenty children aged six to seven and six adults were shot dead on friday when adam lanza went on a rampage with an assault rifle the twenty year old had killed his mother prior to carrying out the massacre he later turned the gu

be that just in a sea of the newly elected parliament in kuwait is being called into question the shiite minority grabbed the biggest tally of seats but the opposition boycotted the ballots over the ruling monica's decision to amend the voting rules. explains. polls are closed doors olds are in but the battle over kuwait's political future has only just begun as expected the new parliament is largely consisting of folks who are considered to be closely allied with the ruling power but that is because the opposition didn't front any candidates in a boycott of the vote they've even questioned the outcome before the last ballot was cast voter turnout varied widely from polling place to polling place but with very low numbers at some locations the legitimacy of the results are certainly bound to be questioned now the crisis was sparked after the islamist dominated parliament it was dismissed over a row with the ruling power of the situation was then brought to a boiling point after the emir issued a surprise decree changing the country's complicated voting laws critics allege that it was a m

shiite groups have protested there.uite a scene there. >>> and in new orleans, parking for customers only? apparently they really mean it, if you're there to save someone's life. paramedics rushed in to get a patient complaining of chest pain. as the ambulance headed off, they said they heard a loud noise. they had a boot. when that came off, a flat tire. another ambulance was called. as far as we know, the patient made it to the hospital. this goes into the category of, come on! >> crazy. kim kardashian, braun, milk d milkshakes in one story? >>> an old adversary for the united states may have been played a role in a terror attack. stand by. the foreign minister of jordan here in "the situation room" live. we're going to discuss that and a lot more when we come back. an. why they have a raise your rate cd. tonight our guest, thomas sargent. nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years? no. if he can't, no one can. t

most bahraini shiites, i should say. now, when it comes to the media, often times what the iranians will do is distribute cell phones, distribute video cameras and urge students to be stringers. if you can film anything of interest, send it back, and we'll give you a salary. this encourages people to film greater unrest. instead of having one voice of an american correspondent, imagine having 500 voices of iran correspondents in the area, and this is the problem we have. >> mr. rubin, we'll proceed with that. i want to give you all a chance to respond. but mr. rohrabacher has to catch a plane. he's got to go back to california, and east going to be very active in this region in the next couple of years, so, mr. rohrabacher, we'll recognize you so you can catch your plane. >> thank you very much. and i'd like to especially thank ms. schmidt and congressman burton for the hard work that they've put in over the last two years and, actually, many more years than that. and just thank you both for laying the stage for whatever

welcome back kuwait's parliamentary poll has been hit by an opposition boycott the shiite minority though which refused to join the no show campaign grabbed the biggest tally of seats with the number of sunni islamist led opposition places noticeably cut the wealthy gulf state has seen months of anti-government protests and corruption allegations the ruling monna case been accused of amending voting rules to influence the ballot lucy caffein off as this report. polls are closed doors olds are in but the battle over kuwait's political future has only just begun as expected the new parliament is largely consisting of folks who are considered to be closely allied with the ruling power but that is because the opposition didn't front any candidates in a boycott of the vote they've even questioned the outcome before the last ballot was cast voter turnout varied widely from polling place to polling place but with very low numbers at some locations the legitimacy of the results are certainly bound to be questioned now the crisis was sparked after the islamist dominated parliament it was dismissed

thousands of iraqis rallied against the shiite led government demanding more protection of rights for certainly the testers accused link isn't trying to marginalize them drawing the country it's a terrible conflict it's the third major protest in less than a week since the arrest of ten bodyguards of a senior sunni official the community launched an insurgency in iraq after the two thousand and three u.s. led war of shia majority. iran says it's preferred to conduct a week of naval drills now in the gas fields of the strait of hormuz in the persian gulf. missile defense systems will be tested and says it's a peaceful demonstration of iran's defensive capabilities promising it won't violate international law and will respect the maritime borders of neighboring countries. egypt's president hailed the new constitution as paving the road to democracy and urged dialogue between all political groups in the deeply polarized country mohamed morsi delivered his first national address since signing the charter into law the opposition insists both the vote though and the constitution is seriousl

because you've got fifteen percent christians of all different kinds you've got druzes you've got shiites you've got all the whites you've got any number of other other different groups so if you can shatter that society then you've got complete chaos and if you've done that you've cut off the strategic depth of hezbollah in lebanon you've deprived them of their supply routes and you've also eliminated the main arab or regional ally of iran and this is a process that never ends in other words it's subversion it's not supposed to be heavy bombing although it could easily become that but the idea is to overthrow these countries one by one and eventually they'll go on to iran the problem is it's an illusion and the words of people around obama the sort of bridge in ski school as distinct from the neo con school they delude themselves that by using these methods they can do everything with color revolutions and subversion and cyber warfare information warfare cut off the television economic sanctions assassinations drones this entire package and that they can avoid large scale wars the proble

thousands of iraqis have rallied against the shiite led government demanding more protection of rights for sunnis protestors accuse leaders of trying to marginalize them and the drawing the country into sectarian conflict it's the third major protest and most of the week since the arrest of ten bodyguards and a senior sunni official the community launched an insurgency in iraq after the two thousand and three led u.s. invasion brought the shia majority to power. a suicide attacker tried to blow up a u.s. military outpost in afghanistan's killed at least three people left seven more injured guards opened fire on a minibus packed with bombs the vehicle exploding before reaching the entrance to the camp chapman compound taliban says it was targeting local police working for the americans there forty one people including six u.s. troops died in attacks this year in the volatile city near the pakistan border. iran is preparing to conduct a week of naval drills in the gas fields of the strait of hormuz in the persian gulf war ships submarines and missile defense system you can all be tested

public gatherings there demanding increase rights and an end to widespread discrimination against the shiite majority the bahraini authorities have failed to implement the reforms they promised and have been handing out harsh jail sentences to prominent opposition activists ten christians have been killed in a in a machete and going to tank by suspected design miss rebels in northeast nigeria the fight is then set fire to churches and government buildings in a village near near the border with cameroon the victims were returning from worship when they were attacked by the gunmen and a road construction crew official suspect islamic group is behind the a sold they have already claimed hundreds of lives in similar attacks this year. in hungary around ten thousand people have protested against the far right opposition party in the capital budapest outrage was sparked after one of the party's leaders suggested cheese be screened to see if they pose and i quote a security risk the politician later claimed he was misunderstood with his party saying the protest was political alarmism caused by desp

led invasion of a shiite majority to pass. a suicide attack you try to blow up a u.s. military outpost in afghanistan has killed at least three people and left seven more injured guards opened fire on a minibus packed with bombs with a vehicle exploding before reaching the entrance to the camp chapman compound the taliban says it was targeting local police working for the americans there forty one people including six u.s. troops have died in attacks the. in that volatile city that's near the pakistan border. iran says it's prepared and dumped a week of naval drills in the gas fields of the strait of hormuz in the persian gulf war ships submarines and missile defense systems are set to be tested they say france says it's a peaceful demonstration of iran's defensive capabilities promising it won't violate international law and will respect the maritime borders of labor and countries. egypt's president has hailed the new constitution is paving the road to democracy and urge dialogue between all political groups morsi delivered his first national address to the deeply pol

is the same thing saudi arabia has seen protests in the provinces in the eastern region with their shiite minority so all of these taken together really shows that the united states has both political geo political and then of course social reasons why they want to maintain the status quo final thought coates course member of a big member of it could this have a knock on effect across the world if the situation escalates and where are the chances of that. it's entirely possible but again i think that global oil prices and the oil markets are much more complicated than simply one country and particularly a country like kuwait instability in kuwait wouldn't it in and of itself have an effect on those oil prices but rather they might send a wave of shocks across the entire region and change the levels of production the levels of output that then would have an adverse effect on global oil markets and that of course would be tremendously dangerous for the for the world economic situation and it would depend which way it goes to show whether or not the united states would support eric thanks fo

also with the fact that the protesters in that part of the country or in that part of the region are shiites and the regime is sunni and the help that the regime is getting is getting from so many governments. now as i mentioned earlier buffer a new is home to the headquarters of the u.s. navy's fifth fleet a fleet responsible for trial wing regional shipping lanes assisting with missions in iraq and afghanistan and monitoring a ron as tensions grow this map demonstrates the regional importance of the country it also shows a dominating american presence normally the us has two carriers patrolling the region but one of those ships commissioned to protect american interests in the middle east is the u.s.s. eisenhower a ship that recently returned home from a six month voyage and r.t. air r.t. correspondent liz wall was a norful for genuine when the ship docked and found out what this beast of the seas capable of and where it's headed next. just in time for the holidays the u.s.s. eisenhower makes its way back from the middle east on board about five thousand sailors. ike as it's known as one o

maliki is shiite. host: we're showing the viewers a story on this issue.st: it has gotten worse since then. i am in touch with iraqis. you have demonstrations. i think the estimates are 50,000 to 100,000 people demonstrating through the weekend. you have been polarized political situation. the american influence is attenuated at this point. host: is this a country drifting back toward dictatorship? guest: the future is uncertain. it has veered off the path of democracy in my assessment. the battle is lost. the obama administration is trying to stabilize things. it has lost influence in iraq with the departure of american forces. one thing american forces did give the united states is more clout inside iraq. host: talk about the release of the man accused of killing american soldiers. you are right about this in your book. also news that came out in november about the release of another man. guest: there have been a number of events that have worked against american interests in iraq. that is one of them. he is not an iraqi. he is a lebanese hezbollah opera