S diplomat Richard Holbrooke dies

[din]

Americas
US diplomat Richard Holbrooke dies
US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan dies after undergoing a second round of surgery to treat a heart condition.

Last Modified: 14 Dec 2010 02:46 GMT


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Hillary Clinton says the United States has lost one of its 'fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants' US diplomat Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has died after undergoing a second round of surgery to treat a heart condition, the state department said.
Holbrooke was admitted to George Washington University Hospital in the nation's capital on Friday morning after he fell ill and collapsed at the state department. Surgeons spent more than 20 hours trying to repair a torn aorta, but were unsuccessful.
Barack Obama, the US president, said he was saddened by the death of a man who "served the country he loved with honour and distinction."
"Michelle and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Richard Holbrooke, a true giant of American foreign policy who has made America stronger, safer, and more respected. He was a truly unique figure who will be remembered for his tireless diplomacy, love of country, and pursuit of peace."
Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said the United States had lost one of its "fiercest champions".
"Richard Holbrooke served the country he loved for nearly half a century, representing the United States in far-flung war zones and high level peace talks, always with distinctive brilliance and unmatched determination," Clinton said in a statement.
"He was one of a kind - a true statesman - and that makes his passing all the more painful," she said.
Holbrooke's death is a significant blow to the Obama administration just days before it is scheduled to announce the latest review of US policy in Afghanistan. He was a key member of the team seeking to steer the US on a course of gradually reduced involvement in the country and transfer of responsibility towards the Afghan military forces.

'The Bulldozer'

Holbrooke's forceful style earned the 69-year-old nicknames such as "The Bulldozer" or "Raging Bull."
He brokered the 1995 peace agreement that ended the Balkans war, and was a key player in Obama's efforts to turn around the faltering nine-year-old war in Afghanistan.
Holbrooke was a key player in Obama's efforts to turn around faltering nine-year-old war in Afghanistan [AP] Holbrooke served as the US ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton administration. He was also an ambassador to Germany from 1993 to 1994 and then assistant secretary of state for European affairs.

Holbrooke was once called "Washington's favourite last-ditch diplomat'' and "America's toughest diplomatic tactician'' by Time magazine, a US publication. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize seven times.

Holbrooke joined Obama's administration in 2009 as special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, which involved co-ordinating the approach to trouble spots that are key foreign policy priorities for Obama.
He had been very critical of former president George Bush's Afghanistan policy, and his position Obama administration was considered critical as the new president sought to crackdown on al-Qaeda and Taliban in the region.

A torn aorta is a condition in which a rip develops in the inner wall of the body's largest artery, allowing blood to enter the vessel wall and weaken it.
The problem can lead to rapid death if not corrected. It causes serious internal bleeding, a loss of normal blood flow and possible complications in organs affected by the resulting lack of blood, according to medical experts.

Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies


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Topics in this article People

• Richard Holbrooke
• Barack Obama
• Hillary Clinton

Country

• United States
• Pakistan
• Afghanistan

Organisation

• Department of State

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[Alchemist]

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interesting...


....

hmm interesting

[KhyberKhan]

Awww, my heart bleeds for him.

(pun intended)

[Catya Sher]

I didn't shed even a tiny tear, either.
He was a big Bilderberg/CFR type. It means: a loyal servant not of God, but of the villains seeking to implement the New World Order-type agenda.

Phew, I have to say I feel relief he's out of the picture.

As for the article about Iran, even the term "nuclear-armed Iran' is stupid.

How often has Israel been characterised this way? It has REAL nuclear weapons.
When Mordechai Vanunu [sp?] revealed to the world that it has HUNDREDS - not five or ten - nuclear WEAPONS, he was tricked by one of those Israeli women spies who went after him in Europe. [Beware female Mossad operatives. They are used the same way Soviet and current FSB women agents are to lure unsuspecting males. They won't SAY they are Israeli, of course. They may pretend to be from Arabic countries.]

Brought back to Israel, he imprisoned for years, finally released on the condition that he not speak to the press or leave the country.

He was given a German award this week or last week.
But Tel Aviv refused to let him go accept this.

Notice how the author tones everything down in his article, saying only that Muslim countries are not pleased with Israel's nuclear weapons.

But we must ask too: do Middle Eastern leaders even have the backbone to complain in any international fora ? No, they are all patsies except Ahmadinejad - and Turkey's Erdogan is showing good signs of independence too.
No one has to wonder why HE is targeted as a crazy.

This article is a little more balanced, acknowledging Iran is not given to "impulsive moves". It still can't refrain from pandering to Standard American-Israeli Opinion imposed on the West. The author carefully injects Iran's supposedly "repulsive rhetoric".

Yeah, repulsive to those who are threatened when countries stand up to oppose this bland NWO type well represented by the deceased Holbrooke.

[Mr.Niazi]

gooood ..so one leader is gonee .os ba pata warta lagay dale chai da saira so pakhege ....

[afghan]

i like the comments of Karzai regarding halbrooke death. paki falg must be down to morn their leader.

[Alchemist]

A dying man always tell the truth:

Holbrooke's Last Words: "You've Got to Stop this War in Afghanistan"

You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan," Holbrooke apparently told doctors before entering into surgery, according to family members' accounts originally reported by Washington Post.Later reports note that Holbrooke made the comments during "painful banter" leading up to his surgery -- and that they were not necessarily "a serious exhortation about policy."

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters on Tuesday that the remarks were part of a lengthy back-and-forth between Holbrooke and his doctors, who were trying to calm him down before the surgery.

"At one point the medical team said: You've got to relax. And Richard said: I can't relax; I've got -- I'm worried about Afghanistan and Pakistan," Crowley relayed, according to ABC News. "And then after some additional exchanges, you know, the medical team finally -- finally said: Tell you what; we'll try to fix this challenge while you're undergoing surgery. And he said: Yeah, see if you can take care of that, including ending the war."
"Number one, he always wanted to make sure he got the last word," Crowley said, of Holbrooke. "And secondly, [the exchange] just showed how he was singularly focused on pursuing an advancing the -- you know, the process and the policies in Afghanistan and Pakistan to bring them to a successful conclusion," he said.

[Catya Sher]

^ interesting addition to the story!

Was it a case where dying men see CLEARLY?

For, did this diplomat ever say such a thing prior to this?

The "successful conclusion" sounds like a plan for the US to appear as victors in the war.
Rather than a unilateral withdrawal, which is really the only solution

The US has been LOSING the WAR ever since it geared up in Afghanistan for a long stay.

No official will EVER admit that, though!

Or it's possible too that Holbrooke said those words because an angel or some other being was present and put them in his mind....weird things are known to happen around deathbeds, after all.

[khyaal]

The US has been LOSING the WAR ever since it geared up in Afghanistan for a long stay.

.

You mean Punjos and ISI is winning this war? No way Catya brother!