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Post by TheRomanSlayer on Nov 24, 2021 3:00:30 GMT
Most likely Orange, in a similar manner to the Canadian NDP. Okay, thanks for this. I would like to point out after Mosley-Braun's assassination, VP Gephardt would be the President instead of "acting" as per the line-of-succession. Even if his term will be short. Right, thanks for letting me know. Of course, it would be a long string of Democrat presidents, starting with Moseley-Braun. Just a bit of a heads up: these are the following future chapter lists: Chapter Ninety: The Ghost of McCarthy (Venezuela, Central Asia, North Korea, Turkey) (Complete)
Chapter Ninety-One: The 2002 FIFA World Cup (Japan, Sports related violence) (Complete)
Chapter Ninety-Two: Thick Red Line (USA - 2002 US MidTerm Elections in greater detail, Canada, Central Asia, ESF, Iran, China) (Complete, including OMAKE Eighteen)
Chapter Ninety-Three: The Broken Ladder (Africa) (Complete)
Chapter Ninety-Four: To Awaken a Sleeping Tiger (Japan, ESF, Indonesia) (Complete)
Chapter Ninety-Five: The Second Korean War Part One (Korean Peninsula, Japan, US) (Complete)
Chapter Ninety-Six: The Second Korean War Part Two (Philippines, China, Burma) (Complete)
Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Second Korean War Part Three (Volunteer Battalions, Korean Peninsula) (Complete)
Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Second Korean War Part Four (Canada, US, China, North Korean equivalent of Stalingrad) (Complete)
Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Second Korean War Part Five (Counterattack in Seoul, Cheorwon Massacre, Balkans)
Chapter One Hundred: The Second Korean War Part Six (Invasion of North Korea, Battle of Kumchon and Kumchon Massacre)
Chapter One Hundred One: The Second Korean War Part Seven (Korean Peninsula, China, Japan, Kwandong Battalion)
Chapter One Hundred Two: The Second Korean War Part Eight (Korean Peninsula, US, South America, Europe)
Chapter One Hundred Three: The Second Korean War Part Nine (Conclusion, PGDPRK, Korean Reunification)
Chapter One Hundred Four: To Slay an Elephant (2004 US Presidential Election, Prelude to the Patani Conflict)
Chapter One Hundred Five: The Crushing of the Old Guard (US, Philippines, Australia, ESF) |
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Post by TheRomanSlayer on Nov 26, 2021 3:28:29 GMT
Chapter Ninety: The Ghost of McCarthy
MORE MUTINIES WITHIN VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT FORCES REPORTED AS PRO-CHACIN UPRISINGS BREAK OUT NORTH OF THE ORINOCO RIVER
Washington Post
January 13, 2002
 Ramon Rodriguez Chacin displays a left wing fist salute, during a pro-Chacin rally in the Venezuelan border city of Puerto Ayacucho.(Cumana, VENEZUELA) - A spokesperson representing the Venezuelan government in exile has confirmed reports of a dozen mutinies that have erupted within parts of Venezuela that are still under government control. Around 1,700 Venezuelan government troops had rebelled against their commanders, citing a lack of ammunition and medical supplies, while the 5th Jungle Infantry Division and the 9th Cavalry Division had to deal with several defections of their battalions, most notably the 53rd Jungle Infantry Brigade, which not only surrendered before Chacin's rebel forces, but that the swore allegiance to the emerging rebel government that is operating south of the Orinoco. The mutinies continued to occur, despite the additional presence of 10,000 US Marines in the country. Yet, ironically, it's the presence of the US Marines in Venezuela that is the reason why the mutinies and defections had occurred, as the Venezuelan population still living north of the Orinoco River had began to publicly denounce Venezuelan President Rafael Caldera as an American puppet, before proclaiming their allegiance to Ramon Rodriguez Chacin.
"The neo liberal reforms that President Caldera had implemented was a disaster for the Venezuelan people, and it is for this reason that we continue our fight against the capitalists and the American imperialists," says Chacin, while giving a speech in front of both rebel soldiers and defected former Venezuelan government soldiers who swore allegiance to him. "Our fight is not yet over! We must stand up to the Kemp dictatorship who will not hesitate to commit mass murder against the patriotic working class of Cuba and Nicaragua."
The Kemp administration has also authorized the deployment of Carrier Strike Group Twelve from its base in Norfolk, Virginia, to the southern Caribbean Sea, in preparation for a possible naval attack on Venezuelan rebel positions. In addition, it has also moved several B 52 Bombers to Puerto Rico, for a possible bombing sortie against rebel positions as well. The prospect of the US Air Force's bombing mission has been raised by the Department of Defense, although many US military leaders had opposed such a mission, citing the lack of information on the number of anti-aircraft weapons that the Venezuelan rebels may have. Furthermore, President Kemp has also issued another order, this time mobilizing Carrier Strike Groups Eight and Ten towards the Mediterranean Sea region, just off the Syrian and Lebanese coast, for a possible invasion of Syria, in response to the presence of Syrian and Lebanese volunteers fighting for Chacin's rebels.
"All options are open to us as we will find ways to restore stability within the Venezuelan government, and to punish the Syrians for getting involved in our own backyard," President Kemp said during a press conference in Philadelphia, while visiting a newly established manufacturing plant. "I have also instructed some of our military units that are stationed in the Middle East to be ready in case we may have to intervene in Syria as well."
--- "The Kemp administration's decision to start bombing Venezuelan rebel position proved to be a massive blessing in disguise for the Chacinite cause, as Ramon Rodriguez Chacin was able to milk the incident into a carefully crafted propaganda piece that depicted the Americans as raging beasts that deserved to die. Anti-American sentiment eventually spiked throughout Latin America, as more nations like Costa Rica and even El Salvador had protested at the apparent brutality displayed by the US Air Force in using napalm on rebel positions within Venezuela. The usage of napalm had severely destroyed much of the rebel bases in the south, but almost triggered a diplomatic crisis with Brazil when one of the napalm attacks had devastated the borderlands between Venezuela and Brazil. At the same time, those 10,000 US Marines that were deployed to Venezuela were able to help their Venezuelan government forces to retake much of the lost territories that the rebels controlled south of the Orinoco River, but in turn, the rebel forces were able to compensate themselves for the loss of certain parts of the south with the capture of the lands south of the Apure River, edging them closer towards the city of Apurito. In addition, the growing disillusionment with the Venezuelan government in exile, plus the worsening economic situation, had resulted in the development of a pro-Chacin underground network of spies, saboteurs, and collaborators who relayed information to the rebel forces from within the Venezuelan government forces. News of the mutinies had not helped with the morale boost, and in fact there were several revolts that broke out within the government forces, particularly in the city of Maracaibo. Finally, what broke the back of the Venezuelan government in exile was not a rapid conquest by Chacin's rebel armies, which certainly did not occur, nor the defeats of the Venezuelan government forces, but the worsening hyperinflation that the Venezuelan bolivar suffered resulted in many of the Venezuelan civilians carrying currency bills in the millions. 100 million Bolivars in 2002 had equaled to 1 US Dollar, but by February of 2002, that gap widened to over 5 billion Bolivars. Currency riots and the dwindling amount of food that Venezuela ran out, had now reached a boiling point where civilians were openly fighting government forces. In response, the Kemp administration deployed around 600 ex-Contra death squad troops to keep the peace, but their brutality had surpassed even that of their Cuban anti-communist death squad counterparts to the point where the civilian militias had started to target the death squads themselves and killing them outright. Venezuela by the end of January of 2002 had descended into anarchy, and once anarchy had set in, the Venezuelan government forces started to lose their willingness to fight the rebels, and various military officers had in fact entered talks with Chacin's rebel forces. Kemp's desire to put down the Venezuelan revolt had nearly gotten out of hand, with one heated discussion where Charles Krauthammer was advocating for the use of bunker busting bombs on not only the rebel positions within southern Venezuela, but on civilian targets within northern Venezuela. What's worse was that the Kemp administration had also simulated a nuclear strike on targets within Venezuela, and in response to the fall of Almaty to the combined ESF/Kazakh forces, the US military had initiated a series of war games that simulated a two pronged attack on ESF forces in the Baltic and in the Pacific, forcing the ESF to conduct their own war games as well, simulating an attack on Central Europe in the West, and simulating a planned capture of Alaska in the East." From 'The Venezuelan Civil War', released by CBC Documentaries, April 16, 2017
--- TROUBLE FLARES UP IN NORTHERN LIMIT LINE AS PATROL BOATS BELONGING TO TWO KOREAS ENGAGED EACH OTHER IN NAVAL SKIRMISH
Japan Times
February 12, 2002
 A Chamsuri-class patrol boat belonging to the South Korean Navy leaves for the Northern Limit Line.(Seoul, REPUBLIC OF KOREA) - South Korean authorities have confirmed reports that came from the Northern Limit Line that a skirmish had occurred between the two Koreas. Four Chamsuri-class patrol boats had been ambushed by three Taechong-class I patrol boats belonging to the Korean People's Navy, and the skirmish commenced. The North Korean vessels retreated when the South Korean Navy arrived with reinforcements to provide back up for the Chamsuri-class warships. The skirmish occurs at a time when hardliners within both Korean governments had pledged to reunify the peninsula by military force, which the US government had opposed to, but the Kemp administration had recently sent an additional 12,000 US Army troops to South Korea to help defend it against the communist North. The growing American military presence in Asia also comes at a time when it is bogged in Venezuela, and is currently dealing with the occupation of Cuba and Nicaragua. Furthermore, other conflicts in Asia threaten to break out into a regional war, with the Philippines still engaged in acts of piracy in the West Philippine Sea, mainly targeting Chinese merchant ships before turning to targeting Chinese bases in the disputed Spratly Islands.
"We reserved the right to self-defense, and the continued acts of terror launched by the criminal regime in Pyongyang will eventually be dealt with on our own choosing," says South Korean President Lee Hoi-Chang, whose party was elected on the platform of continued confrontation with the North Korean dictatorship. "Should the North Koreans continue to attack us unprovoked, we will do the same thing and even launch an attack on all North Korean military installations in the North."
In addition to the naval skirmish in the Northern Limit Line, there was also a confirmed report of a North Korean artillery attack on the island of Boreumdo, but luckily there were no casualties that have been reported. In retaliation however, the South Korean Navy was ordered to shell the North Korean island of On-dong, but like Boreumdo, On-dong had no casualties to report. Yet, the North Korean government had condemned the On-dong attack as barbaric.
"The running dogs in the South continue to attack us for what we're naturally doing, and that is to exercise our right of self-defense," says North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, whose health is rumored to have started to decline. "We cannot let this attack go unanswered, so we will continue to defend ourselves until all of Korea is liberated from the capitalist reactionaries of America, whose hands are stained with the blood of the Cuban and Nicaraguan working class."
--- "What started the Second Korean War was similar to the incident in the Northern Limit Zone in February of 2002. This time though, eight Pohang-class corvettes would accompany all of the Chamsuri-class patrol boats, and three Ulsan-class frigates would also accompany their smaller counterparts. The fleet sailed from South Korean waters around 0200 local time, and made their way across the maritime border with the DPRK, before arriving at the spot that they picked for the initial attack. Three Gwanggaeto-class destroyers would be accompanied by 5 Jang Bogo-class submarines, as they made their way to the North Korean base of Changjon. The official start of the Second Korean War would start in July of 2002, when upon President Lee Hoi-chang's orders, the were to wait until the North Koreans would launch an attack. As the President predicted, two Chamsuri-class patrol boats entered the Northern Limit Line, and they were used as bait for the North Korean navy to launch their attack. The expected attack did not come, but the North Korean naval officers gave a warning to their South Korean counterparts. The warning shot came from the North Korean Chongju-class patrol boat, which was mostly known for slapping a BM-21 launcher and a T-34 turret on it, but the shell almost hit one of the Chamsuri-class patrol boats, which was exactly what President Lee was hoping for. At 0430 hours, South Korean time, the attack commenced with a heavy South Korean naval bombardment on various North Korean positions. The result of the attack was that the Korean People's Navy had lost around 3 Taechong-class II boats and all of the Chongju-class patrol boats. The reaction from Pyongyang was that of outrage, as Kim Jong Il did not expect the South Koreans to launch an attack first. By 0700 hours, the first sortie between the Korean People's Air Force and the Republic of Korea Air Force occurred over the skies of Pyeongchang. President Jack Kemp was notified of the attack in advance, and he supported the initiative, as his calls for a global crusade against what's left of the communist world was heeded by most nations. The North Korean government on the other hand, could only call on China to help them fend off a South Korean attack, and since South Korea launched the attack first, the North Koreans could claim self-defense. Out of all the nations in the world that would come to North Korea's aid, China would be the only major power that would send volunteers, although the five Central Asian republics, Armenia, Venezuela, Syria, and Lebanon would send volunteers, as well as remnants of the Shining Path and the Cuban and Nicaraguan resistance forces that escaped from American occupation. On the South Korean side, the United States naturally contributed, but surprisingly enough, it was the Philippines who was the second nation to join in the fight against North Korea, followed by Turkey, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Azerbaijan, Spain, Mexico, Chile, and Indonesia. The main reason for the quick participation of the Philippines in the Second Korean War was due to the unit that was jointly formed by President Kemp and Major General Artemio Tadiar. Officially, there were two units that were formed as shock troops, but in reality one of the units was mainly controlled by the NICA, and the other by the CIA. The Bato Brigade was controlled by NICA, and it consisted of Filipino criminals who wanted to earn an early parole for good behavior. The other brigade, called the Berdugo Brigade, was led by Jovito Palparan, whose nickname, the Butcher, was the inspiration behind the Berdugo Brigade. The Berdugo Brigade would be the most notorious, as it consisted of professional criminals that were recruited from American prisons of all levels, as well as Philippine prisons of all levels. although the Redemption Brigade was another penal brigade that was also formed by the US, as it consisted of hardened criminals who could not join the Berdugo Brigade. At the same time as the Second Korean War was unfolding, the exiled Burmese military that consisted of troops loyal to the old junta, had finally launched the invasion of their homeland , with the help of the Philippine and Australian Navies, as well as Thailand, which offered its military bases for the Burmese exiles. There was a reason why the Chinese military leadership invented the idiom, 'One does not simply retreat from battle like Qianlong', referring to the Qing Emperor who launched the failed invasion of Burma. Moreover, the Second Korean War was the closest thing the world witnessed to a possible Third World War, as Burma would also launch an attempted invasion of Yuunan province in southwestern China." From the KBS Documentary 'Korea's Reunification', released on June 24, 2018.
--- KURDISH WORKER'S PARTY MILITANT ARM RESUMES CONFLICT AGAINST TURKISH SECURITY FORCES AS SYRIA AND IRAQ ALSO RESUME PACIFICATION CAMPAIGNS AGAINST KURDISH MINORITIES WITHIN THEIR OWN COUNTRIES
Edmonton Journal
February 22, 2002
 Turkish soldiers stand on guard, just outside the town of Silopi, as they patrol the border with Syria and Iraq for any sign of the PKK.(Silopi, TURKEY) - Turkish security forces have come under attack in the border town of Silopi as terrorists belonging to the Kurdish Worker's Party had resumed its attacks on them, in conjunction with the Syrian and Iraqi pacification campaigns to bring their own Kurdish minority under heel. Numerous casualties were reported from the Turkish side, as the resurgent PKK had stepped up in their guerrilla campaigns to not only destablize the wider Middle East region, but their long cherished ambition of creating an independent Kurdish state has been the goal of most Kurdish separatist groups that operated within Syria, Iraq, and Iran. However, the Kurdish insurgency in Turkey is the most dangerous, as the new generation of Kurdish PKK fighters are descendants of the Kurdish expellees who were kicked out of Turkey by Turkish security forces in the 1990s, in the aftermath of a Kurdish uprising in response to the Syrian execution of Abdullah Ocalan. Out of the 15 or so million Turkish Kurds that resided in Turkey, prior to the expulsion of the Kurds from southeastern Turkey, only 800,000 Kurds remained. The rest of the Kurds were sent to Iraqi Kurdistan, where they formed the backbone of the resurgent Kurdish Peshmerga that arose in Iraqi Kurdistan.
"The number of PKK terrorists that we have killed so far remains in the hundreds, but the kind of PKK fighter we're facing now is different from its predecessor. The kind of Kurdish PKK fighter is motivated by revenge for our pacification campaign that sadly resulted in a number of Kurdish villages being emptied, and have now been settled by the Turkmens that arrived from Syria and Iraq," says Turkish General Necdet Üruğ, who was appointed as the commander of the Turkish military force seeking to suppress another Kurdish rebellion. "In addition, there are also reports of Chinese intelligence agents delivering propaganda leaflets and shipping arms to the PKK, through Armenia."
It is not a secret that Chinese intelligence are operating out of Armenia, given the presence of the People's Liberation Army in the former Soviet base in Gyumri. However, Islamo-Maoism has not been a successful ideology that the Chinese were propagating within the Islamic world, as the more traditionalist and conservative Muslims were openly hostile to communism, due to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. However, with the ongoing Russian military intervention in Central Asia, and the looming power vacuum that would emerge in the aftermath of Al-Qaeda's defeat, there might be fertle ground for Islamo-Maoism, especially in the Central Asian states that remained loyal to the Soviet government after the fall of Moscow to the National Redemption Army. However, Azerbaijan is also hostile to attempted Islamo-Maoist infiltration, due to the ongoing Chinese persecution of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang.
"We have an opportunity to create a friendly movement in Central Asia that will be loyal to the ideals of socialism, and they have proven their loyalty when they hosted the old Soviet government after the reactionary National Redemption Army had captured Moscow," says PLA general Fu Quanyu, from his post in Gyumri, Armenia. "We would have to come to a realization that we need to make an inroad into the Islamic world, and this would also mean that we will have to change our policy towards the Uyghurs if we're to maintain a sense of political accord with them."
--- ALMATY FALLS TO ESF-KAZAKH FORCES AS AL-QAEDA CASUALTIES CONTINUED TO CLIMB, BISHKEK UNDER SIEGE BY OTHER ESF FORCES
Moscow Times
December 27, 2001
 A large contingent of Russian APCs leaves from its temporary base in Kapchagay, presumably on its way to Almaty, as part of the ESF military's anti-terrorist operations against Al-Qaeda in Kazakhstan.(Almaty, KAZAKHSTAN) - The bloodiest siege of the 21st century has concluded with the fall of Almaty to the combined forces of the ESF and Kazakhstan, as troops from those two nations have stormed the city, amidst a heavy bombing campaign that took the lives of over 5,000 Al-Qaeda fighters. In addition, civilian deaths from the bombing campaign continued to climb up higher, and the last report of confirmed deaths was over 2,398 civilians that died, with an addition 7,329 injured civilians that are in need of medical attention. Al-Qaeda fighters who have arrived in Almaty have retreated from other parts of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan that have fallen to the ESF military, and they made their last stand in one of Kazakhstan's largest cities to remain under Al-Qaeda's control, until the recent fall of the city. Kazakh soldiers were the first ones to enter the city suburbs as house to house combat occurred, once the first presence of Al-Qaeda fighters have been reported. In addition, the borderlands between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have come under ESF control, as they're making their way to the Kyrgyz capital of BIshkek.
"The amount of Al-Qaeda terrorists who preferred to fight to the death, rather than to surrender, have been huge. Given the Islamic fatwa against suicide, unless they're carrying out suicide attacks for the sake of martyrdom, we're expecting the casualty rates to be higher," says ESF General Stepan Poltorak, who led the first ESF troops into the city. "At the same time, our colleagues in the Combined Aerospace Forces are now sending humanitarian aid to Almaty, now that the airport there has fallen to our forces."
Almaty in the aftermath of the siege resembled the typical ex-Soviet town or city that was the center of a battle that normally occurred during the Second Russian Civil War, with rubble strewn everywhere and the streets are often marked with bomb craters, making the delivery of supplies difficult for either side. In addition, the rest of the ESF forces that were now making their way through Kyrgyz territory have encountered more difficulties, as the climate and geography had made things more difficult to carry out military operations.
"At this point, we're trying to retain control of several border crossings, and the most important of all is the need to secure enough airbases within Kyrgyzstan," says ESF General Vladimir Boldyrev, whose command of the ESF 41st Army had been crucial in the successful offensives in Eastern Kazakhstan. "Most importantly, we're trying to secure control of various airports in Karakol and Tamchy. Al-Qaeda knows that we're serious in our efforts to eliminate their presence in Central Asia."
--- "The Iranian offensive against Al-Qaeda in the Transoxiana region of Central Asia had been done in cooperation with the Turkmen and Uzbek forces, whose aid was crucial in the elimination of the Al-Qaeda forces in there. However, the Afghan factor cannot be dismissed, as it was Ahmad Shah Massoud's initiative in surrounding the rest of Al-Qaeda's supply base throughout southern Uzbekistan and in the Afghan region of Hazarajat was also important in degrading Al-Qaeda's ability to conduct their offensives in Central Asia. Yet, it was the initiative of the new leader of Al-Qaeda leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri to retreat back to Afghanistan that would shift the War on Terror from Central Asia, back to where it first started. By the time Al-Qaeda had regrouped in southern Uzbekistan, it was able to take the Afghan Northern Alliance by surprise, as they managed to win the first battle against the Northern Alliance in the border town of Hairatan. However, the Hazara fighters who formed their own militia units were crucial in containing the flow of Al-Qaeda fighters to within Afghanistan, as their Iranian and Uzbek colleagues cooperated together in targeting their supply depots and training camps in the Amu Darya border regions. Combined with the recent ESF bombing campaign against what remained of Al-Qaeda's forces in the Uzbek autonomous region of Karakalpakstan, much of Al-Qaeda had been reduced to a shadow of its former self. However, Al-Qaeda was not running out of recruits willing to fight their religious enemies, as madrassas throughout the Muslim world had been infiltrated by Al-Qaeda sympathizers, and the Salafist school of thought had gained popularity in Saudi Arabia, much to the chagrin of the moderate Muslim governments who feared a religious uprising against their authority. Unfortunately, the Patani War gave Al-Qaeda a new base from which they would try again in enacting their long term plans, as the Patani rebels were in need of aid in their fight against the Thai military. The aftermath of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in Central Asia was that much of its infrastructure had been destroyed in the fighting, leading to the massive investment made by the ESF, China, and Iran, with China providing the most amount of investment, especially in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and Iran investing in Tajikistan. However, Tajikistan was dealing with a civil war of its own, which had broken out in 1999, as a result of having no functional government for four years, as it was virtually carved out between various political leaders that also acted as warlords in their own right. Thus, while Al-Qaeda played a minimal role in Tajik politics, it was able to influence the creation of one of the most powerful anti-leftist movement in the Islamic Renaissance Party. However, the Islamic Renaissance Party would be countered by one of Tajikistan's most powerful left-wing party in the Democratic Socialist Revolutionary Party, which had managed to unite most of Tajikistan's leftist movements under a single banner, led by Safarali Kenjayev. Kenjayev, along with many other Central Asian socialists who were former Soviet loyalists had been studying in China between 1994 and 1999, in the Maoist ideology. Although Kenjayev was not instrumental in the birth of the Islamo-Maoist movement, he played a crucial role in spreading it throughout Central Asia. Indeed, it was this kind of alluring ideology that led to the ESF's major investment in the Muslim autonomous republics that managed to stop the spread of this ideology. Dagestan, for example, had been the center of a massive economic investment that specialized in the manufacturing of TobAZ vehicles, as well as other agricultural machinery used in various farms. Moreover, Dagestan's role in stopping the Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus stemmed from its rather tolerant attitude towards various peoples of different religious and ethnic backgrounds. It is also not surprising that the Boers who fled from South Africa in 1995 had also found a home in Dagestan, although only 6,000 Boers managed to settle in Dagestan, with the Ural Republic being their preferred destination, followed by Samara Oblast. ESF investment in Central Asia mainly focused on infrastructure repairs and reconstruction efforts, while Chinese investment in Central Asia was focused on mineral extraction, as well as construction of factories and other manufacturing plants, and Iranian investment in Central Asia was focused on rebuilding the Caspian coastlines that were damaged in the fighting. It was the investments in the reconstruction of Central Asia that allowed Kazakhstan to put its name forward for the rights to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which it eventually did win, though not without controversy." From the Documentary, 'Central Asia in the Post-Cold War Era', released by NHK Documentaries, March 23, 2018.
--- "The continued anger over the Caldera government's inability to handle the worsening crisis had led to more defections to the Chacin camp, as the Venezuelan President was reduced to a puppet by the Kemp administration. Many Venezuelans who lived north of the Orinoco River had witnessed how much food was being consumed every day, with starvation scenarios playing out before their very eyes. Chacin's propaganda team had carefully crafted the starving civilians living north of the Orinoco as a situation that would certainly happen under a capitalist regime, never mind that the starvation scenario also happened under communism. However, Chacin also emphasized the communist failures in providing the people living under such a regime with basic necessities, placing the blame on government incompetence, rather than the system itself. Rebel-controlled southern Venezuela had only a few hundred acres of arable land for agriculture, while the northern banks of the Orinoco had plenty of farmland. However, the management of agricultural farms was neglected by the constant battles between Chacin's rebels and government forces. However, the capture of the lands up to the Apure River had opened up the farmlands there to Chacin's rebel forces, enabling the Chacin-led Provisional Government for National Liberation to enact much of the land reforms that were sorely needed, by taking over unproductive land that has been neglected due to insufficient investment. Furthermore, Chacin's policy of showing mercy to defecting civilians and military personnel had allowed him to open up much of the towns in southern Venezuela to resettlement, causing those small towns to become lively again, with Puerto Paez's population increasing by a mere 1,200. However, it did not deter Chacin from launching one of Venezuela's biggest ambitious projects, which was the South Orinoco Expressways. The project had started during the rebel offensives towards the important city of San Cristobal, which controlled Venezuela's western border with Colombia. Much of the rural areas of Venezuela were inaccessible, before Chacin's great project had started. Much of the rebel forces were forced to clear some lands in southern Venezuela to build dirt roads where they can use it to transport much of their troops. In sharp contrast, the better built infrastructure in the north had been neglected, though not too neglected to the point of degradation, as the US Air Force was mostly focused on bombing the rebel held territories. Unfortunately, not only was the geography a factor in the failed air campaign, but the mountains made the South Orinoco Expressway project virtually impossible to accomplish. The SOE project would not be started until well after Chacin's rise to power, in which Venezuela would seek Japan's assistance in building some of its highways, until US sanctions were imposed on Venezuela in 2005, in response to the Venezuelan involvement in the Second Korean War.
The US Marines' involvement in the Venezuelan Civil War was put to an end in June of 2002, due to the worsening situation in Cuba and Nicaragua, as those Marines were needed, mainly in Cuba, leading to the collapse in support for Caldera as rebel forces under Chacin would launch their biggest offensive since the start of Venezuela's civil war, in what was to be known as the Bolivarian Offensive, when on June 26, 2002, Chacin's expanded rebel forces would launch several attacks on Maracaibo, Caracas, Barquisimeto, and Valencia. Chacin's network of underground supporters played a role in launching an uprising against what's left of the Caldera government as government forces surrendered before the advancing rebel forces. However, the government-in-exile would remain in Charlottesville, Virginia, while Chacin's new government would take control of Venezuela. To ensure the safety of the entire nation, Chacin would initiate a process of relocating the capital city from Caracas to Guayana, in an attempt to give more attention to the neglected regions of the country. The fall of Venezuela to Chacin had marked the end of the Venezuelan Civil War, which stretched from October of 2000 to June of 2002. However, the failed task of maintaining the Caldera government had been one of the key foreign policy failures of the Kemp administration, and it was this failure that led to a large Republican loss in the 2002 US Midterm elections. The other hidden losses that emerged from Chacin's victory was that the New York Stock Exchange entered a state of temporary panic, as the value of various stocks had plummeted, causing investors to sell most of their shares, in what Wall Street called 'panic selling'." Alex Jones on "Corporate America's Dirty Little Secret", sponsored by "The American Cause".
--- SENATOR MOSELEY-BRAUN GIVES SCATHING SPEECH, CRITICIZING PRESIDENT KEMP'S FAILURE IN VENEZUELA AS REPUBLICAN PARTY LEADERSHIP COMES UNDER FIRE
Los Angeles Times
July 8, 2002
 Senator Carol Moseley-Braun addresses the Senate on the Kemp administration's failure in Venezuela. Since the fall of Venezuela to Ramon Rodriguez Chacin's rebel forces, the Kemp administration has come under a lot of criticism for its inability to maintain the government of former Venezuelan president Rafael Caldera.(Washington, DC) - A prominent senator from Chicago named Carol Moseley-Braun, had given an astounding speech in which she attacked the Kemp administration for their failure to keep Venezuelan President Rafael Caldera from losing his political power in Venezuela. Senator Moseley-Braun's scathing attack on the President comes at a time when the ongoing American occupation of Cuba and Nicaragua had become unpopular with the American public, and the growing debt that has been accumulated as a result of the failed American occupational policies that were implemented towards those two occupied nations. In addition, Senator Moseley-Braun was also joined by Democrat Senator for Louisiana, Mary Landrieu, who gave a speech, condemning the Kemp administration's brutal treatment of Cuban and Nicaraguan resistance fighters that came under their captivity. The recent Republican failures, coupled with the American public's growing disillusionment with the GOP and the Democratic Party, had been a factor in the sudden rise of parties that were once considered as minor, with the Social Progressive and Libertarian Parties being the two most prominent parties that are given attention.
"What was the point of our intervention in Venezuela, if all we ended up is a rogue dictator that has not only managed to capture the hearts and minds of the Venezuelan people, but has emerged as the replacement icon of the far-left, replacing Fidel Castro and Che Guevara with Ramon Rodriguez Chacin?" asked Moseley-Braun angrily, amidst the jeers that were present. "In addition to that, there's still the unfinished business with Cuba and Nicaragua. When will we restore their independence, Mr. President?"
Republican defenders of the President were quick to criticize Senator Moseley-Braun's comments, but one of the Social Progressive Senators had also been vocal in his criticism of the President.
"Our national debt is out of control, and at the same time we're struggling to keep some of the average American family afloat. If we don't come up with a political solution for Cuba and Nicaragua, then we may also be looking at years of austerity measures that we may have to implement in order to stop the debt ceiling from raising too high," says the Social Progressive Senator for Vermont Bernie Sanders. "This is much worse than Vietnam, because this war of our own making reeks of failure, and it's in our own backyard. I don't think the American people are ready for a life of austerity, because it will mean potential riots and the rise of domestic terrorism within America."
--- "They said it best: the Ghost of McCarthyism has returned, and it came back with a brutal vengeance. As soon as news of Venezuela's fall to Ramon Rodriguez Chacin's so-called National Syndicalist rebel armies was announced, immediately the President had gathered all the FBI, NSA, and CIA staff that were in Washington, DC. Immediately, the Kemp administration had started to gather intelligence on various far-left organizations within the United States, and had compiled a report called the North Files, named after CIA Director Oliver North, who presided over a series of infiltration missions that were launched within the United States. There wasn't any ruling against domestic infiltration of various political organizations by our own intelligence service, it was deemed to be immoral. Yet, it didn't deter Oliver North from summoning various activists and forcing them to stand trial in the resurrection of the House Committee for Un-American Activities. He asked these activists if they had members who were sympathizers of Chacin, or if they were communists in general. North also targeted veterans of the Second Russian Civil War that fought on the Soviet loyalist side for interrogation, and it was during this time period that the left-wing activists were sent to Guantanamo Bay for additional interrogation. It was at Guantanamo Bay that various torture techniques were implemented, such as water boarding, electrocution, beatings, and even a special session where one CIA agent, presumably the Corsairs, had stabbed an activist in the leg. What was worse, was that once the activist was forced to divulge information to the CIA and NSA agents, he or she simply disappeared. They did not shoot them, but rather sent them to the Philippines, where Artemio Tadiar's henchmen would put them in concentration camps. No one in Congress knew about the secret deal that was made between President Kemp and Major General Tadiar, involving the transport of detained left-wing activists from the United States to the Philippines. Kemp's Thanksgiving Day speech sounded a lot like a speech that Joseph McCarthy would give during the Cold War, only it also called for the open persecution of the leftists to the point where it was okay to physically assault them. The leftists had the call of 'punch a Nazi', and even 'kill a fascist', but Kemp's anti-Communist Red Scare tactics had far-right vigilantes engaged in vicious hunts for leftists. It was Kemp's Thanksgiving Day speech along with Oliver North's role in the round up of leftists that led to the events that will culminate in the Roanoke Massacre, and additional massacres that further polarized the left and the right in the United States. The chances of America ending up in a second civil war dramatically increased with the Second Russian Civil War, since both the far-left and the far-right gained combat experiences from that conflict. America had plans to destabilize the ESF and China, China had plans to destabilize the USA and the ESF, and the ESF had plans to destabilize the USA and China. It was basically a free for all in areas of political instability." From MaroonBanner's video documentary on VidTube, 'Neo-McCarthyism in the Kemp Era'.
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Post by TheRomanSlayer on Nov 26, 2021 20:46:21 GMT
Chapter Ninety-One: The 2002 FIFA World Cup
Group A: Cameroon, ESF, Paraguay, Sweden
Sweden 2-0 Cameroon
ESF 2-1 Paraguay
Cameroon 1-1 Paraguay
ESF 1-0 Sweden
Cameroon 1-3 ESF
Paraguay 0-0 Sweden
Group B: Czech Republic, France, Iran, Jamaica
Czech Republic 4-1 Jamaica
France 2-0 Iran
Czech Republic 2-3 France
Iran 2-1 Jamaica
Czech Republic 1-1 Iran
France 4-0 Jamaica
Group C: Belgium, Italy, Kazakhstan, United States
Belgium 3-2 United States
Italy 5-1 Kazakhstan
Belgium 2-2 Italy
Kazakhstan 1-1 United States
Belgium 4-1 Kazakhstan
Italy 3-0 United States
Group D: Brazil, England, South Korea, Liberia
Brazil 6-0 Liberia
England 4-1 South Korea
Brazil 2-2 England
South Korea 3-1 Liberia
Brazil 2-1 South Korea
England 5-0 Liberia
Group E: Australia, Mexico, Spain, Portugal
Australia 2-3 Portugal
Mexico 1-1 Spain
Australia 2-1 Mexico
Spain 0-0 Portugal
Australia 0-4 Spain
Mexico 2-4 Portugal
Group F: Argentina, China, Ireland, Morocco
Argentina 4-0 Morocco
China 0-1 Ireland
Argentina 5-2 China
Ireland 2-1 Morocco
Argentina 3-1 Ireland
China 2-2 Morocco
Group G: Ecuador, Greece, Japan, South Africa
Greece 2-0 Japan
Ecuador 1-0 South Africa
Ecuador 0-1 Greece
Japan 3-2 South Africa
Ecuador 2-1 Japan
Greece 3-1 South Africa
Group H: Germany, Netherlands, Tunisia, Turkey
Germany 3-2 Turkey
Netherlands 3-1 Tunisia
Germany 0-0 Netherlands
Tunisia 2-1 Turkey
Germany 5-1 Tunisia
Netherlands 1-1 Turkey
***
Knockout Rounds:
Portugal 1-0 Czech Republic
Greece 1-4 Brazil
France 1-1 Spain (Spain wins 4-3 in penalties)
England 2-0 Ecuador
ESF 4-0 Ireland
Belgium 0-0 Netherlands (Belgium wins 5-4 in penalties)
Argentina 2-1 Sweden (a.e.t.)
Germany 2-3 Italy (a.e.t.)
***
Quarter finals:
Portugal 1-1 Brazil (Brazil wins 5-3 in penalties)
Spain 1-2 England (a.e.t.)
ESF 2-2 Belgium (Belgium wins 4-3 in penalties)
Argentina 3-2 Italy (a.e.t.)
***
Semi finals:
Brazil 0-1 England (a.e.t.)
Belgium 2-4 Argentina
***
3rd Place:
Brazil 3-1 Belgium
Finals:
England 1-0 Argentina (a.e.t.)
--- IT'S REALLY COMING HOME! BECKHAM SCORES LEGENDARY GOAL IN ADDED EXTRA TIME AS ENGLAND'S WORLD CUP VICTORY IS MARRED BY THE YOKOHAMA BROUHAHA
The Sun
July 1, 2002
 David Beckham celebrates with his teammates after scoring the golden goal of the FIFA World Cup Finals in Yokohama. The English football team's victory over Argentina was tarnished by dirty plays, and a brutal reprisal by Diego Simeone against Owen Hargreaves in the 81st minute.(Yokohama, JAPAN) - Faced with several disappointments from previous international tournaments, except for that legendary EURO 1996 victory in which Gareth Southgate had scored that legendary goal against Spain, England had finally won their second World Cup tournament, with David Beckham scoring the golden goal that sealed the victory in the 119th minute. England supporters have gone wild after the final whistle was blown, although the celebratory mood was anything but jolly, as the final match would enter the books as one of the dirtiest matches ever played, with a record of nine yellow cards and three red cards were given out. Argentine supporters were furious when MF Pablo Aimar was nearly tripped by England GK David James, leading to an Argentine penalty that FW Hernan Crespo missed. However, the real incident that started the avalanche of yellow and red cards happened when MF Diego Simeone, itching for a payback against Owen Hargreaves for the knee in the nose during the friendly in 2001, had kicked him on the side of the knee, before proceeding to punch him in the back of the head, causing all of the England and Argentina players to cause a dogpile on top of both Simeone and Hargreaves, but not before Hargreaves landed a punch on Simeone's face. The ensuing brawl caused some of the players to engage in fist fights, resulting in more yellow cards being handed to the England team, and both Simeone and MF Matias Almeyda were sent off with red cards for Argentina, while DF Danny Mills would be given the red card for England. Hargreaves had to be carried off the field on a stretcher, accompanied by paramedics after Simeone repeatedly stomped on his nose as a compliment.
"For fuck's sake, that thug shouldn't even be playing football at all! The asshole destroyed Southgate's career, and Hargreaves might as well call it quits after this! I've never seen such a brutal kind of dirty play in my life before!" says England coach George Graham, who also made an unexpected announcement. "While I would like to say to the boys that congratulations, we've done it. We've finally brought the trophy back to England, I'll be stepping down as manager of the England national team. My contract expires after this year's tournament."
The revelation of Graham's resignation as manager of the England national football team is not surprising, given that his contract is indeed going to expire after this year's tournament. More recently, Australia's sacking of manager Frank Farina had occurred after Australia's disappointing performance in the tournament, and while Kazakhstan has announced that it intends to maintain the services of Argentine-born coach Alfio Basile, even after its first debut in the 2002 World Cup that was more of a learning experience, the ESF has also agreed to part ways with Philippe Troussier. The sudden surprising news of managers parting ways with their team had also been a major shock in the football world. Japan's coach Takeshi Okada came under intense criticism for the awful performance of the host team, and in turn it opened the floodgates to the criticisms of how Japan scouted its football players, which were selected, not on skill and ability, but on seniority, as dictated by Japanese tradition. On the other hand, Basile also had harsh words on the final tournament as well, giving Argentine fans some soul searching to do.
"I am disgusted and ashamed to be an Argentine citizen, for the way that stupid idiot has done. He's destroyed the careers of two football players, and this tournament will be remembered for this act of barbarity. On behalf of the Argentine nation, we apologize," said Basile harshly during the press conference outside Yokohama stadium.
--- "And placing on number four in the top ten of sports's most infamous incidents is the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final fight, also known as the Yokohama Brouhaha. During the 81st minute of regulation time between England and Argentina, MF Diego Simeone had kicked Owen Hargreaves on the side, shattering his knee caps, before proceeding to sucker punch him in the head, but Hargreaves was lucky enough to turn around and punch Simeone in the nose, before the dog pile erupted. Hargreaves's neck was broken in the process, resulting in him being carried off the field by paramedics, while the rest of the English and Argentine players engaged each other in a brutal fight that also provoked the fans in the stands to fight as well. Though England would eventually win the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament, the fight was not yet over, as parts of Yokohama came under fire from the English and Argentine hooligans themselves as they fought each other for over three hours, before Japanese riot police were deployed, along with water cannons to break up the fight. The Yokohama Brouhaha would become one of the most infamous incidents in Yokohama's history, resulting in over $2 million US dollars worth of damages. The England and Argentina national football association were fined over $36 million US dollars, with $9 million to cover the damages, and $27 million to cover for Hargreaves's surgery. Hargreaves would never play football ever again, choosing instead to return to school where he would study law and graduate in Masters in Law at Oxford University, becoming a known advocate for sports violence prevention. Gareth Southgate likewise, would enter politics on a county level, even winning the local elections for the Mayor of Watford, before going into national politics. As for Simeone, he was levied a $55 million dollar fine for his actions, plus being banned from playing in football on any level, club and international, for six years, and Matias Almeyda would be levied a $21 million dollar fine for his actions as well, plus being banned from playing in football on both the club and international sides as well, for five years. This was the biggest punishment that FIFA had laid on two national football associations to date." From 'Top 10 Craziest Sports Incidents', courtesy of ESPN.
--- "The aftermath of the 2002 FIFA World Cup had been dramatic, as several football teams had to part ways with their managers. George Graham parted ways from the England national football team due to the contract being expired after the tournament, as did Philippe Troussier, who also parted ways from the ESF national football team. Takeshi Okada and Frank Farina were fired from the Japanese and Australian national football teams because of poor performance, and Marcelo Bielsa was forced to resign in disgrace because of the Yokohama Brouhaha. The sudden departures of those coaches had opened up new opportunities for them, as Graham would eventually replace Farina as Australia's manager and coach. Bielsa's replacement was Jose Pekerman, who restored order within the Argentina national football team. Okada's replacement was Robert Verbeek, who took over the Japanese national football team, while Oleg Blokhin would succeed Troussier as manager and coach of the ESF national football team. Troussier himself was hired by the Uzbekistan national football team, which was the most dramatic move by a Central Asian team since the Kazakhstan national football team's hiring of Alfio Basile. His proposed reforms implemented on the Uzbekistan national football team was crucial in Uzbekistan's debut at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, though like Kazakhstan before then, Uzbekistan's debut would not be a good one. Guus Hiddink would replace George Graham as England's manager and coach, but the biggest surprise was Glen Hoddle, who would become the assistant coach for the South Korean national football team, following Wales's failure to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. Kazakhstan's shell shocked debut at the World Cup may have been dreadful, but Alfio Basile treated it more like a learning experience, and while Kazakhstan would not qualify for both the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup, their return to the international stage would be completely different when Kazakhstan's turn to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup would come. In the meanwhile, Kazakhstan would cement its reputation as one of the Asian Football Confederation's most promising team, as several clubs from around the world had scouted for the players. Both the Kazakhstan and Liberia national football teams were especially given special attention by the scouts, as many of its players would eventually sign deals with those clubs. For example, Oliver Makor would sign with the Greek football club Ionikos, while Kazakhstan's goalkeeper David Loria was approached by Maccabi Herzliya and Astra Giurgiu for proposed deals, before signing with the former. Kairat Utabay would eventually sign with the Turkish Second League's club in Akhisarspor, while Ruslan Baltiyuly would sign with Urawa Red Diamonds of the J-League. In fact, it was the Second tier leagues from Europe and North America that reaped the benefits from Kazakhstan and Liberia's first debut, as Nurbol Zhumaskaliy's signing with the Mexican First tier team C.F. Pachuca had garnered attention in Latin America." From 'The 2002 FIFA World Cup and Beyond', courtesy of Sportsnet Pacific, released on September 9, 2002.
--- SAULE OMAROVA APPOINTED AS MINISTER OF FINANCE BY KAZAKH PRESIDENT AITKUL SAMAK, IN A BOLD SHAKE UP OF REFORMATION OF KAZAKH GOVERNMENT
The Times of Central Asia
May 12, 2002
(Shymkent, KAZAKHSTAN) - In a bid to restore stability and credibility within the Kazakh government, which was unable to function due to Al-Qaeda's occupation of the country between 1995 and 2002, Kazakh President Aitkul Samak has announced the formation of a new Kazakh government, which included several key figures that came from communist backgrounds. Among these new selections, Saule Omarova has been chosen by President Samak to take up the position of the Minister for Finance. Her background in economics, plus her connections to former Soviet loyalists inside the ESF had made her a perfect candidate to help reform the Kazakh economy, which was in dire need of investment after ESF and Kazakh forces drove out Al-Qaeda from the city of Almaty. Moreover, the governments of Central Asia have signed investment deals with the ESF, China, and Iran, to help rebuild their economies, with the ESF's investment being focused on infrastructure repairs and reconstruction efforts, while China's investment would be focused on creating manufacturing jobs, as well as resource extraction related jobs as well, and Iran's investment would be focused on repairing the Caspian oil and gas extraction facilities that Al-Qaeda had sabotaged during the war against the ESF.
"We find ourselves at the point where we are able to rebuild our shattered lives after the occupation by the Islamist fundamentalists in the region. However, we are still disappointed with the ESF's refusal to return the northern and western territories back to us," says President Samak, during the press conference that confirmed Omarova's appointment as Minister of Finance. "However, these investments will be useful in creating new jobs that our people desperately need, especially in areas where natural resources are concerned."
Because of Al-Qaeda's threat to women's rights, Omarova had to flee temporarily to China, where she studied for over six years in Beijing University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, along with many other educated women who served in the former communist government of the Central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union. Her connections to top Chinese officials also made her an appealing candidate in the eyes of the Chinese politburo, although her interactions with Deng Xiaoping might make it a potential obstacle to additional cooperation between China and Kazakhstan, in the aftermath of Bo Xilai's rise to power and the emergence of the so-called "Chinese New Left". In addition, several other ministries had been re-established, some from the previous mergers of existing ministries, such as the Ministry of Economic Development, which was formed from the merger of the Ministries of National Economy, Regional Development, and Trade and Integration, along with many other economy-related Ministries. Like the ESF and the Philippines, Kazakhstan plans on restoring the government's authority to issue currency through the abolition of the Central Bank of Kazakhstan was quietly announced by President Samak.
"We are resetting our economy to a new era, where there is a greater chance of economic integration with the wider Asian community. This would also include the possibility of exploring the idea of an Asian Union as an economic integration bloc," says Omarova, during her first press conference in Shymkent. "Kazakhstan still has plenty of oil and gas fields that can be exploited and extracted, and luckily for us, the ESF has taken only areas of our country that didn't have any economic value, but it did include the former nuclear testing site of Semipalatinsk."
--- "Kazakhstan's debut in the 2002 FIFA World Cup was the one thing they needed to help move on from the traumatic past when Al-Qaeda sent its fighters to terrorize the entirety of Central Asia. Anyone can see it, when Kazakh fans traveled to Japan to watch the game, although the airports were closed due to the fighting. Those who wanted to watch the tournament in Japan had to travel through China, which was offering cheap bus rides to Xinjiang, where they would be able to fly from Urumqi to Beijing, and from the Chinese capital, they would fly to Tokyo and other parts of Japan where the match was being played. Even though they only lost two games and tied one game, the Kazakh players were having fun in Japan. In fact, many fans from different nations had stopped by to take pictures with the Kazakh players and the Kazakh fans as well, although there was that one incident where Kazakh fans had gotten into fights with fans from the East Slavic Federation, due to the latter's occupation of western and northern Kazakhstan. However, it was during the matches that Kazakhstan played that one could hear the roars of the word 'Alash!' in unision. These fan atmospheres were wild, even when they were losing to Belgium and Italy, but when they tied the game with the United States, that stunned the world, as they thought Kazakhstan was going to seriously win the match against the Americans. They knew too well that they could not compete against the European giants, but they had to make a statement on the international football arena that they are there to not only play the beautiful game, but to challenge traditional powers. More Kazakhs took up football as a hobby, which allowed the AFC, FIFA, and the Kazakh government to invest in building the indoor football training facilities, to help train future Kazakh football players. Although football might not be as popular as ice hockey or ice bandy in the Central Asian post-Soviet republic, it was popular enough to instill a sense of friendly rivalry with the other Central Asian football nations like Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Over 2,000 Chinese football coaches were trained in Spain, Mexico, Brazil, and Germany between 2002 and 2010, when football in China was becoming popular, and the Chinese football team had performed surprisingly well, despite losing most of their matches as well. The only difference is that the Chinese football team had more international tournament experience than Kazakhstan ever did, and Alfio Basile's philosophy in crafting a unique identity for the Kazakhstan football team also helped forge a strong culture of stubborn determination. It was like the Jamaican bob sled team during the 1988 Winter Olympics: they had to compete and win it in the way that reflected their nation's culture. Kazakhstan's stubborn determination allowed them to practice and perfect one of the most difficult defenses to overcome, as the 4-2-1-3 formation was eventually adopted as the standard formation of the Kazakh football team. Of course, while they won and lost matches in tournaments after the 2002 FIFA World Cup, their surprise performance would almost push the host nation in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup, before falling to the hosts in the semifinals." From 'The Cinderella of Central Asia: How Kazakhstan's Football Team Became the Global Darlings of International Football', released by Sportsnet Pacific, July 18, 2013.
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A pity about the violence in the final. 
Even for Simeone that was violent and glad that Hargreaves managed to recover, especially from the broken neck. Surprised that Simeone wasn't given a life ban given the nature of the attack. Also that Hargreaves wasn't red carded himself as he threw a punch back but then sounds like so many were flying that they couldn't keep track and if everybody who hit an opponent we might have the goalies and a couple of outfield players left.