Heady days for the National Endowment for Democracy

News consumers will no doubt be following developments in Thailand and Ukraine. In both cases democratically elected governments are being pressured by mobs of "democracy activists" to abdicate.

In both countries the NED has spent years funding and developing networks of so-called democracy activists.

The NED was born in the Reagan era as a conduit to funnel support to reliable allies within foreign states. Although it claims NGO status it receives all its funding from the US government and does the bidding of same. It is not "independent" in any way. It's mission is to support groups who will be supportive of US interests and to undermine groups who are not.

US "interests" are of course the usual stew of anti-democratic initiatives designed to further American military and corporate goals around the world. The reason the work of the NED is so important is that democracy is a delicate flower not properly appreciated by many foreigners. People in the so-called lesser-developed world often make the mistake of putting their own interests ahead of those of the US.

Luckily, those errant results of a flawed democratic process can sometimes be reversed, as in Paraguay and Honduras, both countries in which the NED had actively supported reliable cadres of properly indoctrinated "democracy activists." Such reversals are known as "constitutional crises."

Egypt under Morsi was too far gone for a constitutional crisis and required a full-out military coup. While it may seem counter-intuitive to those not familiar with US-style democracy, a military coup can sometimes be the most democratic way of affecting change.

So buck up, democracy activists in Bangkok and Kiev. Keep the pressure on. Sooner or later you will prevail. You too can have a democracy that Uncle Sam can be proud of.

Bullshit 'n bluster; John Kerry in the Middle East

The New York Times and the Washington Post et al have been busy wasting tons of ink on the supposedly "revived" Middle East peace process.

Forget about it. Ain't gonna happen. Skip to the sports section.

Much has been made, especially in Israel, about the heart-rending sacrifice involved in freeing 104 Palestinian prisoners.

Hey, not to worry; there's plenty more where those came from!

And in the event that the next nine months of talks were to actually result in some sort of agreement, don't worry; Israel has already passed a law that will require any agreement be put to a referendum.

In other words, even if the government and the Knesset approve a deal, at the end of the day it'll be up to the settlers to vote away their settlements.

There'll be hockey in hell before that happens.

So why is the US pushing this charade?

Because all concerned have something to gain, well short of a "peace agreement."

Netanyahu gets to give his international reputation a bit of a face-lift. "Oh look, he's freeing those prisoners as a gesture of goodwill! What a reasonable man!"

Abbas gets to look like he has at least enough schlepp to get 104 prisoners released (approximately 1% of total Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.) Remember, his Hamas rivals were able to secure the freedom of 1027 Palestinians in return for Gilad Shalit. Abbas is desperate to look like he is more than America's stooge in the occupied territories.

The American's are desperate to be seen to be doing anything whatsoever positive in the region in the face of their rapidly evaporating influence with practically all players on all sides.

America's absolutely incompetent fumbling and bumbling in the region just keeps getting more ludicrous.

Did they learn anything from Iraq? Nope!

Got rid of that crazy guy in Libya... wasn't that a good thing?

Sure it was! Just look at how those lucky Libyans have taken to freedom!

Then we have Syria. Assad must go. Assad is going. He'll be gone in a matter of weeks... maybe months... maybe next year...

Maybe not!

The Egyptian coup that wasn't a coup is just the latest credibility destroying mis-step for the Americans.

All three parties to these "peace talks" have something to gain without actually gaining a peace agreement.

So let's not get our hopes up.