Joel Skousen’s World Affairs Brief News Headlines — Is Ron Paul the only one that wants peace?

The World Affairs Brief is a weekly news analysis service dedicated to providing an understanding of the hidden agendas behind the actions of world leaders and other powerful individuals who influence government from behind the scenes. Although the World Affairs Brief is provided to subscribers only, you can read samples of Mr. Skousen’s unique analysis in the archives section. The following daily news items are provided as a sampling of the crucial issues that Mr. Skousen may analyze in this week’s briefing.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said Democrats “were prepared to strike a grand bargain that would make painful cuts while asking millionaires to pay their fair share, and we put our willingness on paper,” but Republicans “never came close to meeting us halfway.” His GOP counterpart, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, argued that an agreement “proved impossible not because Republicans were unwilling to compromise, but because Democrats would not accept any proposal that did not expand the size and scope of government or punish job creators.” …More

I was talking on my mobile phone with my editor, describing the scene, when a plainclothes individual – holding a t-shaped metal stick – grabbed my arm and began cursing at me. He thought that I was one of the protesters, since my shirt was wrapped around my head to lessen the effects of the tear gas. I hastened to tell him that I was a journalist, to which he responded by pushing me towards the soldiers. I thought I was being arrested – or at least turned over to a higher authority who would decide what to do with me. But to my surprise, a uniformed soldier slapped me hard on the back of my head and began shouting insults at me. He was soon joined by several colleagues who began to apply their thick black batons to my back. …More

A roar of defiance rippled through Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Tuesday night as thousands of protesters demanding an end to army rule spurned an offer from Egypt’s military leader to let the people decide in a referendum. Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi said the military was ready to hand over to civilians if Egyptians wanted it, in concessions designed to end four days of clashes in the capital and beyond that have left at least 36 people dead. Impatience mounted among protesters massed in the square during Tantawi’s nervous, faltering speech, witnesses said, and a chorus of “leave, leave!” erupted when it ended. …More

As the Supreme Court prepares to review President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform, more Americans want to see it repealed than want to keep it, a poll released on Wednesday shows. A Gallup survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults found that 47 percent favor the repeal of healthcare reform, versus 42 percent who want the law kept in place. Eleven percent had no opinion. …More

Most of the manual was devoted to a minute-by-minute schedule of Obama’s movements during his 27-hour visit to Canberra and Darwin last week, even detailing which car door he would use and the seating arrangements within his convoys. It also ran through the exact breakdown of his Secret Service detail and motorcade arrangements, including Obama’s ambulance, counterassault teams, communications and intelligence, according to the journalist, Dylan Welch. The booklet cover stated that the information was “not to be communicated either directly or indirectly to any person not authorised to receive it,” Welch said, and it included contact details for a range of figures. It also named a long-serving member responsible for Obama’s protection. …More

A series of news reports linking Israel’s intelligence agency the Mossad to a blast at a military facility in Iran, in which 17 people were killed and a further 15 wounded, has gained widespread coverage in the Israeli media on Monday. While Iranian officials insist the explosion at the Bid Ganeh base was accidental, caused by the movement of ammunition, claims from anonymous western and Israeli officials that Saturday’s blast was a covert Israeli operation have gained momentum. …More

Syria’s crisis has entered uncharted waters with the country’s suspension from the Arab League. But it is far from clear whether the dramatic shift in the regional mood will change wider international attitudes to intervention. …So it was striking that Russia, which with China has kept the UN security council paralysed, quickly responded that Arab states were wrong to suspend Syria. “Someone really does not want the Syrians to agree among themselves,” complained Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, who accused the west of encouraging the Syrian opposition to seek regime change. Iran, apparently alarmed at the prospect of losing its only Arab ally, agreed. Everyone acknowledges that the fear is a repeat of a Libyan scenario, where March’s Arab League decision to abandon Gaddafi was crucial in paving the way for a UN resolution and eventual Nato action. …More

…Aside from Paul and fellow hopeful Jon Huntsman, other candidates came in support of waterboarding. According to Paul, however, it is wrong on many levels. “It’s illegal under international law and under our law. It’s also immoral. And it’s also very impractical. There’s no evidence that you really get reliable evidence. Why would you accept the position of torturing 100 people because you know one person might have information? And that’s what you do when you accept the principle of torture. I think it’s uncivilized and has no practical advantages and is really un-American to accept on principle that we will torture people that we capture,” said the congressman. …More