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Thread: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

  1. Link to Post #2001
    Avalon Member Akasha's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Airbnb removes listings from illegal settlements in the West Bank:


    Gets sued immediately:

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46316235

    The results of this law suit will be significant as they will set a precedent one way or another. Let's wait and see.
    the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated --- Gandhi

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Russia blocks passage through Kerch Strait after Ukrainian Navy ships violate border - UPDATES

    RT
    Sun, 25 Nov 2018 18:13 UTC


    Kerch Strait © Ruptly

    Tensions are running high around the Kerch Strait, separating Crimea from mainland Russia after Ukrainian vessels violated the Russian border. The passage was blocked by a cargo ship and fighter jets were scrambled.

    The Russian authorities have taken some drastic measures in an attempt to prevent any provocations from the Ukrainian Navy ships that have approached the Kerch Strait while sailing through the Russian territorial waters without authorization.

    Russia has literally stopped all navigation through the waterway using a cargo ship. Videos from the scene released by the Russian media show a large bulk freighter accompanied by two Russian military boats standing under the arch of the Crimea Bridge and blocking the only passage through the strait.

    "The [Kerch] strait is closed for security reasons," the Director-General of the Crimean sea ports, Aleksey Volkov, told TASS, confirming earlier media reports.

    Russian Air Force Su-25 strike fighters have also been scrambled to provide additional security for the strait as the situation remains tense. The move came as five Ukrainian Navy ships are approaching the strait from two different sides.



    Initially, two Ukrainian artillery boats and a tugboat approached the strait from the Black Sea while "undertaking dangerous maneuvers" and defying the lawful orders of the Russian border guards. Later, they were joined by two more military vessels that departed from a Ukrainian Azov Sea port of Berdyansk sailing to the strait from the other side.

    Russia's federal security agency FSB, which is responsible for maintaining the country's borders, denounced the actions of the Ukrainian ships as a provocation, adding that they could create a "conflict situation" in the region. According to the Russian media reports, the Ukrainian vessels are still sailing towards the strait, ignoring the warnings of the Russian border guards.

    Update: 25 Nov - 21:30 CET

    The FSB has released footage of the Ukrainian navy vessels being chased by Russian ones:

    The Ukrainian vessels are now apparently on their way back to Berdyansk.

    Update 25 Nov - 22:40 CET

    Russia fired at three of the Ukie ships - the Berdiansk, the Nikopol and the Yany Kapu - then detained their crews for violating Russian territorial waters. The FSB also reports that three Ukrainian sailors were wounded in the firefight. In one stroke, a third of Ukraine's navy has been lost.

    Update 25 Nov - 23:20 CET

    NATO has weighed in on the dispute, taking Ukraine's side, of course.

    Quote
    Oana Lungescu‏Verified account @NATOpress

    #NATO is closely monitoring developments in the #AzovSea & #KerchStrait, & we are in contact with the #Ukrainian authorities. We call for restraint & de-escalation. Read my full statement:

    12:52 PM - 25 Nov 2018
    Update 25 Nov - 23:50 CET

    Kiev has, uhm, declared martial law for 60 days!
    "La réalité est un rêve que l'on fait atterrir" San Antonio AKA F. Dard

    Troll-hood motto: Never, ever, however, whatsoever, to anyone, a point concede.

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    About the latest Ukronazi provocation in the Kerch strait

    The Saker
    November 26, 2018

    First, here is a pretty good summary of what has taken place (including videos) posted by RT:
    I will just add that at the time of writing (07:38 UTC) the cargo ship blocking the passage under the bridge has been removed, traffic has resumed and the situation has returned to normal.

    Second, let me give you the single most important element to understand what is (and what is not) taking place: the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea are, in military terms, “Russian lakes”. That means that Russia has the means to destroy any and all ships (or aircraft) over these two seas: on the Black Sea the life expectancy of any intruder would be measured in minutes, on the Sea of Azov in seconds. Let me repeat here that any and all ships deployed in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov are detected and tracked by Russia and they can all easily be destroyed. The Russians know that, the Ukrainians know that and, of course, the Empire knows that. Again, keep that in mind when trying to make sense of what happened.

    Third, whether the waters in which the incident happened belong to Russia or not is entirely irrelevant. Everybody knows that Russia considers these waters are belonging to her and those disagreeing with this have plenty of options to express their disagreement and challenge the legality of the Russian position. Trying to break through waters Russia considers her own with several armed military vessels is simply irresponsible and, frankly, plain stupid (especially considering point #2 above). That is simply not how civilized nations behave (and there are plenty of contested waters on our planet).

    Fourth, one should not be too quick in dismissing Poroshenko’s latest plan to introduce martial law for the next 60 days. Albeit Poroshenko himself declared that this mobilization does not mean that the Ukronazi regime wants war with Russia, the fact is that the first-line reserves will be mobilized. This is important because the situation resulting from the introduction to martial law could be used to covertly increase the number of soldiers available for an attack on Novorussia or, God forbid, Russia herself. In fact, Poroshenko also officially appealed to the veterans of the war against Novorussia to be ready for deployment.

    Fifth, while there are all sorts of caveats offered by the Ukronazi regime about the introduction of the martial law, including that it will not mean war or infringe on the right of the people, the truth is very different. Here is what a memo by the Unian agency says about what martial law means in legal terms: (emphasis added)
    Martial law is a special legal regime that is introduced in Ukraine or its individual areas in the event of armed aggression or threat of attack, a threat to Ukraine’s state independence, its territorial integrity, and gives authorities, the military command and local self-government the powers that are necessary to prevent threats and ensure national security. It also foresees temporary threat-related limitations on constitutional rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen and the rights and legal interests of legal entities, indicating the duration of such restrictions (Article 1 of the Law on the Legal Regime of Martial Law).
    Considering the current single-digit popularity rating of Poroshenko and the fact that he has no chance in hell to be re-elected (at least not in minimally credible elections) it is pretty darn obvious of why the Ukronazi regime in Kiev decided to trigger yet another crisis and then blame Russia for it. The very last thing Russia needs is yet another crisis, especially not before a possible Putin-Trump meeting at the G20 Buenos Aires summit later this month. In fact, Ukrainian bloggers immediately saw this latest provocation as an attempt to scrap upcoming elections.

    So what’s next?
    Well, the most likely options is just one more Ukie bawling about the “Russian aggression” with the hope that this will a) raise the value of the Poroshenko regime in the eyes of the Empire and b) disrupt the planned Trump-Putin meeting.

    I am not so sure that Poroshenko will be given the option to simply cancel the elections. Yes, he cannot win, but the Empire can replace him. Not only that, but outright canceling the elections would be a PR disaster (but one which is sometimes chosen by the Empire’s “sons of bitches” like, say, Mahmoud Abbas). Still there is also a very good chance that the Ukronazis regime feeling that it has nothing to lose would take such an unprecedented step.

    Some kind of limited Ukronazi military operations against Russia, Novorussia, Crimea or the Kerch bridge would be militarily suicidal but political very profitable as it would allow Poroshenko to a) blame Russia for all the Ukrainian problems and b) demand even more aid to “resist against the Russian aggression”. The problem with that option is that there are good signs that a lot of the Ukrainian military personnel does not have the courage to actually fight the Russians (for ex: look how ALL the Ukie soldiers folded in Crimea; also, the blog of “Colonel Cassad” reports that of the three ships which tried to breach the Russian border, at least one had a captain who voluntarily surrendered his ship to the Russians; finally, one Ukrainian sailor has apparently been shot for refusing to open fire against the Russians). It is worth mentioning that on Sunday the Urkonazis sent a few more ships obviously to aid the ships intercepted by the Russians, but as soon as the Russians closed the passage and Russian Su-25s and Ka-52 appeared in the skies, they quickly stopped and eventually left the scene. Did they do that under order or because they did not want to die? We will never find out I suppose.

    Finally, there is the very real possibility of a full-scale war against Russia. Yes, the Ukronazis would last just a couple of days, but keep in mind that their goal will not be to win, but to force Russia into an overt military operation which the entire “collective West” will have to condemn like what happened with the Georgian attack in 08.08.08. (you know, in the name of “solidarity” like during the Skripal false flag). As for the leaders of the Anglo-Zionist Empire, they will gladly fight Russia down to the very last Ukrainian solider, we all understand that.

    Finally, let me address those who might think that Russia somehow over-reacted or should not have used force. First, let me remind you that we are talking about armed and military vessels, not fishing boats. Second, the Ukronazis have been daydreaming about bringing this bridge down even before it was built. So how where the Russians to know that these ships were not packed with explosives? Third, let me remind you that a few months ago the Ukronazis did send a few tiny military vessels under the bridge. That first time, they did ask for permission and even had a Russian pilot on board helping them to cross the narrow passage. Yet the regime in Kiev presented that a major “victory” against the Moskal’s. This time around tried to sneak by without asking. If the Russians had left them pass, what do you think they would have done the next time?

    The truth is that the Ukronazi regime has been claiming for years now that it is at war against Russia, that Russia has invaded the Ukraine, that all those who oppose the regime or speak even the basic truth are “agents of the Kremlin/FSB. The funny thing is not just that this is the first time in Russian history that Russia is accused of waging a war which shes does not even participate in – it is even more hilarious that the Ukronazis claim to be at war with Russia but have a hissy fit when three of their (tiny) ships are arrested for violating the Russian border. Is there a war going on or not?! What the hell were they thinking when they tried to force their way through?!
    [Sidebar: there is even a joke about this going around: Ukrainian military personnel are asked why they are fighting in the Donbass. They reply “because the Russians are there”. Then they are asked why they are *not* fighting in Crimea and they reply “because the Russians are truly there!!”. Bottom line: everybody knows full well that this is bull and that there are no Russian forces in Novorussia]
    How do you prove that the other guy is an “aggressor state”? Simple – by forcing him to attack you. Considering the “selective blindness” of the collective West, the fact that you hit the other guy first makes absolutely no difference whatsoever (again, see 08.08.08).

    It is obvious that the Nazi regime in Kiev is in a tailspin and that short of some dramatic action Poroshenko is a goner. Most of the gang around him won’t fare much better, especially not if Timoshenko ever gets the presidency (which might happen if the Empire decides to ditch Poroshenko). For them the options are either to leave the Ukraine or face some serious jail time (sort of the same situation as Saakashvili had to face).

    We are entering a very dangerous time period, one in which a totally corrupt Nazi regime will fight with every trick imaginable to save itself. Whether this will result in a major war against Novorussia or Russia is impossible to predict, but we have to recognize that this is a distinct possibility.


    The Saker
    "La réalité est un rêve que l'on fait atterrir" San Antonio AKA F. Dard

    Troll-hood motto: Never, ever, however, whatsoever, to anyone, a point concede.

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Found this article through Honesty`s thread Hal Turner on 'civil war' in Europe, a strike on Syria, and war in Israel. Thank you!

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    WAR Being Planned by US for Ukraine/Russia - Job Ads seek "Combat Zone" Workers for "Classified Operations" with US Military in Ukraine

    Category: World News
    Thursday, 29 November 2018 20:28
    halturnerradioshow.com


    Last Sunday's naval battle between three Ukrainian vessels and two Russian Coast Guard Vessels, which resulted in heavy gunfire and the capture of the 3 Ukrainian vessels, was part of an ongoing plan for VERY serious trouble to be foist upon Russia using Ukraine as a proxy to cause that trouble.

    I can now report that CLASSIFIED war-like operations are actively being planned by the United States inside Ukraine and that Military Contractors are already hiring operators for "Combat Zone" work in Ukraine.

    It turns out that over a week prior to the naval battle, US Military contractors began posting Help Wanted ads for "Classified Contingency Operations in support of the US Military in Ukraine." I have one of the ads . . .

    Worse, the ad requires applicants to be able to deal inconspicuously with local population: and, even more dire, "have the ability to serve in a Combat Zone."

    During my talk-radio show which aired last night (Wed. Nov. 28) I told my audience that the US government "needs a very big war, where our major cities are attacked and destroyed, thereby giving the federal government cause to tell creditors "Our cities are smashed, our people are dead, there's no way we can repay the $21 Trillion Dollar Debt, you have to write it off." I also told my audience that in a major war, the first targets are the major cities, and that's where the overwhelming majority of welfare recipients live. So the feds look at a war as a two-fold "win" -- they get out of $21 Trillion in debt and they kill off a slew of the useless eaters they've been paying money to!

    Now, we see that actual planning for an actual war with Russia, inside Ukraine, is already weeks-in-the-works . . . See for yourselves below the ad.

    [...]

    It's that simple. It's that real. We are already actively HIRING people to work in a combat zone in Ukraine. God help us all.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    See ad and full article here

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  9. Link to Post #2005
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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    "Please note that Ukrainian ships have the right of innocent passage through the Kerch Strait irrespective of whether the Crimean side is viewed as Ukrainian or Russian. "

    Published by Craig Murray [yesterday, November 29th] some important facts to consider.

    [The author of this article, Craig Murray is a former Head of the Maritime Section of the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and former Alternate Head of the United Kingdom Delegation to the United Nations Preparatory Commission on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. He is a retired British Ambassador.]

    ________________________________________

    The Murky Sea of Azov
    29 Nov, 2018 in Uncategorized by craig

    Prima facie, it is Russia which is acting illegally in the Kerch Strait. As I wrote [June 2016] when it was the Russians who were being harassed in the English Channel:

    Contrary to Article 44 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which the UK and Russia are both party, the UK has engaged in extensive illegal harassment of a Russian naval submarine engaged in fully lawful transit of the Dover Strait.

    A Russian naval vessel en route between the Baltic and Black Seas is fully and specifically entitled under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea Articles 37 and 38 to the right of passage through the strait. This is in addition to the general right of passage through the territorial sea at Article 17. The Russian navy was in full compliance with the provision at Article 20 that, while in territorial waters, the submarine must be on the surface and displaying its flag, and in compliance with Articles 29 to 32 on warships.

    Not only does the Russian Navy have every right to sail through the Dover strait on passage, it has been exercising that right – along with many other navies – for over a hundred years. The decision of the British government now to employ military harassment and threat is not only illegal, it is a gross and entirely deliberate act of provocation designed to sour international relations and disturb the atmosphere of world peace
    .

    Russia is very definitely acting illegally in putting military personnel of another state on television to make statements, whether coerced or not (personally I found them precisely as believable – no more and no less – as Yulia Skripal’s strained statement to British TV).

    Please note that Ukrainian ships have the right of innocent passage through the Kerch Strait irrespective of whether the Crimean side is viewed as Ukrainian or Russian.

    The coastal state does have the right to make arrangements for maritime safety which may include designating sea lanes and a notification regime akin to air traffic control. If Ukraine violated these provisions, (which seems probable), Russia had a right to take enforcement action. But that enforcement action specifically does not extend to substantive detention of vessels and crew.

    The situation changes if Russia genuinely has evidence that the military vessels were engaged in a military attack. But it only changes, and the civilian rules only cease to apply, if one side or the other acknowledges that a state of war now exits. Ukraine came close to this by demanding that its servicemen be treated as prisoners of war.

    There is no option to treat uniformed military personnel of another state as terrorists. But if Russia does not acknowledge a state of war, it has to let them go. Russia is certainly not entitled to impose a wider blockade of the strait to shipping to or from Ukraine – any more than Israel is entitled to blockade Gaza.

    Given that Russia appears on the face of it to be very much in the wrong, the western powers have been remarkably quiet. I suspect this indicates knowledge that Poroshenko was indeed engaged in some sort of stupid stunt. In which case the Russians have played into his hands by a disproportionate reaction.

    Poroshenko’s own action in declaring martial law is of course also wildly disproportionate. My sense is that we have here two Presidents each with slipping popularity ratings, deliberately escalating a crisis as it suits each domestically. Such playing with fire is wildly irresponsible, far too many people have died in Ukraine already.

    I expect the usual howls of protest from people for whom the application of impartial international law is anathema, who believe you must be on the side of the “goodies” against the “baddies”. I am aware that rationality and impartiality are not much valued in political discourse nowadays. I shall however stick to them with stoic resolve.


    ________________________________________
    Last edited by Tintin; 30th November 2018 at 11:37.
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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Quote Posted by Sophocles (here)
    Found this article through Honesty`s thread Hal Turner on 'civil war' in Europe, a strike on Syria, and war in Israel. Thank you!

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    WAR Being Planned by US for Ukraine/Russia - Job Ads seek "Combat Zone" Workers for "Classified Operations" with US Military in Ukraine

    Now, we see that actual planning for an actual war with Russia, inside Ukraine, is already weeks-in-the-works . . . See for yourselves below the ad.

    [...]

    It's that simple. It's that real. We are already actively HIRING people to work in a combat zone in Ukraine. God help us all.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    See ad and full article here
    Thank you Sophocles (and Honesty).

    Dilyana Gaytandzhieva also drew attention to Colsa Corporation on her Twitter feed back in October, extracted below.

    This particular contractor is tasked with recruiting for social media propaganda. Of course Mission Essential and Colsa will be just two of many more contracted to fulfil specific functions on behalf of US military operations.

    Twitter extract:

    Click image for larger version

Name:	Dilyana_capture_Pentagon_contractor (Colsa).JPG
Views:	70
Size:	71.5 KB
ID:	39548

    The job description, below:

    Click image for larger version

Name:	Dilyana_Colsa Corp 1 DqbX6E-WwAAfL4u.jpg
Views:	72
Size:	167.2 KB
ID:	39549

    Click image for larger version

Name:	Dilyana_Colsa Corp 2 DqbX7ujWwAIfEFV.jpg
Views:	76
Size:	146.1 KB
ID:	39550
    Last edited by Tintin; 30th November 2018 at 16:28.
    “If a man does not keep pace with [fall into line with] his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” - Thoreau

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  13. Link to Post #2007
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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Quote Posted by Sophocles (here)
    Found this article through Honesty`s thread Hal Turner on 'civil war' in Europe, a strike on Syria, and war in Israel. Thank you!

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    WAR Being Planned by US for Ukraine/Russia - Job Ads seek "Combat Zone" Workers for "Classified Operations" with US Military in Ukraine

    Category: World News
    Thursday, 29 November 2018 20:28
    halturnerradioshow.com


    Last Sunday's naval battle between three Ukrainian vessels and two Russian Coast Guard Vessels, which resulted in heavy gunfire and the capture of the 3 Ukrainian vessels, was part of an ongoing plan for VERY serious trouble to be foist upon Russia using Ukraine as a proxy to cause that trouble.

    I can now report that CLASSIFIED war-like operations are actively being planned by the United States inside Ukraine and that Military Contractors are already hiring operators for "Combat Zone" work in Ukraine.

    It turns out that over a week prior to the naval battle, US Military contractors began posting Help Wanted ads for "Classified Contingency Operations in support of the US Military in Ukraine." I have one of the ads . . .

    Worse, the ad requires applicants to be able to deal inconspicuously with local population: and, even more dire, "have the ability to serve in a Combat Zone."

    During my talk-radio show which aired last night (Wed. Nov. 28) I told my audience that the US government "needs a very big war, where our major cities are attacked and destroyed, thereby giving the federal government cause to tell creditors "Our cities are smashed, our people are dead, there's no way we can repay the $21 Trillion Dollar Debt, you have to write it off." I also told my audience that in a major war, the first targets are the major cities, and that's where the overwhelming majority of welfare recipients live. So the feds look at a war as a two-fold "win" -- they get out of $21 Trillion in debt and they kill off a slew of the useless eaters they've been paying money to!

    Now, we see that actual planning for an actual war with Russia, inside Ukraine, is already weeks-in-the-works . . . See for yourselves below the ad.

    [...]

    It's that simple. It's that real. We are already actively HIRING people to work in a combat zone in Ukraine. God help us all.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    See ad and full article here
    This was in the news today. The very same ad - only this one seeks workers in Norway (US citizens only though):


    Source: abcnyheter.no / Linkedin

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Emergency briefing of the head of Donetsk People’s Republic Militia Basurin on the situation on 10.12.2018

    December 11, 2018
    The Saker


    Emergency briefing of the head of Donetsk People’s Republic Militia Eduard Basurin on the situation on 10.12.2018:


    Transcript:

    Quote I would like to make the following statement. Our intelligence obtained irrefutable evidence about the Armed Forces of Ukraine AFU preparation to attack us at the direction of Mariupol. The information obtained from reliable sources fully reveals the plans of the Ukrainian security forces.

    The purpose of this planned attack is to seize the territory of Novoazovsky and Telmanovsky districts and establish control over the section of the border between the DPR and Russia in the area of villages Konkovo and Kholodnoye.

    The enemy offensive strike group has been already formed in total of more than 12 thousand people. It’s concentrated along the line of contact near the village of Novotroitskoe, Shirokino, and Rovnopol.

    The strike group consists of more than 50 tanks, 40 multiple launch rocket systems, 180 guns and mortars, all are concentrated here at this location.

    The first echelon consists of the 128th Mountain Assault and 79th Assault brigades. The second echelon includes the 56th Infantry Brigade and the 36th Marine Brigade.

    The basis of the artillery group consists of two divisions of The 27th Rocket Artillery Brigade “Sumy” and a rocket division of the 15th artillery regiment. In addition, 12 units of MLRS “Smerch” of the 40th Artillery Brigade had been urgently transferred to the area of the village Volodarskoye.

    In the reserve of this strike group tactical group “Mariupol” is deployed consisting of the 73rd Naval Special Purpose Center from Ochakiv (the US Navy base) of about 500 troops, in addition to two self-propelled howitzer battalions of the 1st and 406th Artillery Brigades.

    The functions of a detachments assigned to the bandits of the Azov regiment.

    According to the plan of the Ukrainian command, on the morning of December 14th, after artillery preparation, the advance elements of the 128th and 79th brigades will to go on the offensive from the line of Granite — Shirokino in the direction of village Klinkino with the task to get to the state border of the DPR near villages Konkovo and Holodnoe, by the end of December 15th.

    For further development of this offensive operation and to cover the advancing units of the 79th Brigade, the second echelon of this strike group consisting the 56th infantry brigade is planed to enter the battle at the direction of Primorskoe — Shevchenko in the direction of the village Klinkino.

    To disrupt the command and operational control of our troops possible subversive actions will be carried out by the forces of the “Mariupol” tactical group.

    After completion of the operation on the occupied territory, the forces of the Nazi regiment ” Azov” and also raid units of the 36th brigade of the Marine corps, it is planned to conduct ethnic cleansing of the occupied villages from “undesirable,” in their opinion,” elements ” and those opponents of the Ukrainian occupation.

    The command of this criminal enterprise assigned to a war criminal Moisuk, who has been bestowed upon a rank of general on December 6th for his dedication to Poroshenko.

    As an excuse for this armed aggression, (the Kiev regime) will use a terror attack committed by the Ukrainian special services in Mariupol. This will take place a few days before the planned invasion and will carried out against one of the industrial production facilities by explosion of a chemical storage.

    It is possible that (this will be done) with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles adapted for dumping mines and hand grenades.

    As a result, there expected to be a release of toxic substances. According to the information available to us, which is now being checked, the sabotage is planned at the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works Metallurgical Plant of Mariupol. The large stocks of ammonia stored there for an industrial production. In the case of a terror attack, the area of possible contamination can be up to 15 square kilometers.

    The area of contamination will cover a part of Mariupol with a population of about 50 thousand people.

    In the future, Poroshenko’s regime plans to lay on the Donetsk Republic all responsibility for this terror act. These actions will be accompanied by hysteria in the Ukrainian media, designed to convince the Ukrainians and the international community that the unleashing aggression against us is “just and justifiable.”

    Obviously, Kiev expects that in these circumstances the issue of gross violation of the Minsk agreements by the OSCE will not be raised and the international community will once again close its eyes to the bloody crimes of Poroshenko’s regime.

    It is no coincidence that the date of completion of the operation of the Ukrainian military is December 15th. Apparently, Poroshenko cannot wait for his schismatic meeting, which he announced to take place on the same day, to report to the schismatics, in fact, to the traitors of Ukrainian people, which he himself is, about his military “victories.”

    Actually, this is the main reason for the provocation conceived by the Kiev authorities, in spite of everything to demonstrate PEREMOGA. Because Naev and Moisuk, seeking to curry favor, don’t feel sorry for soldiers to carry out criminal orders of his president.

    The DPR calls on the OSCE observers to pay attention to the military preparations of the AFU and stop the aggression.

    I appeal to the residents of Mariupol. Brothers and sisters, be vigilant. In case we fail to prevent the SBU diversion, do not panic. Stay calm.

    Try in the period from December 11th to 14th not to be near industrial facilities that store chemicals like chlorine, ammonia and others. Take care of your children. They are the least protected in these conditions.

    Strangely enough as it will sound, I urge the Ukrainian police to increase vigilance and try to prevent the terrorist acts planned by SBU. Remember, you do not serve the criminals who came to power as a result of a coup, you serve the people of Ukraine.

    In conclusion I will add that the People’s Militia of the DPR is ready to meet uninvited guests. We will protect our citizens! The enemy will not pass!

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Ukraine reveals the motive behind the incident at Kertch

    Voltaire Network | 14 December 2018



    In 1997, Ukraine and Russia concluded a Treaty of Friendship which entered into force in 1999. This document was supposed to be automatically renewed every 10 years unless it was denounced by one party or the other.

    In October 2018, Ukraine decided to denounce this treaty. Then it organized the incident at Kertch. Furthermore, President Petro Poroshenko gave his administration the task of listing all the agreements concluded with Russia and identifying those that he should denounce.

    One of the provisions of the Treaty of Friendship and its extension in 2003 provide that the Sea of Azov falls within the territorial waters of Russia and Ukraine. As such, warships cannot enter these waters without the authorization of both states. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 does not apply in this case.

    Once the treaty and its extension is repealed, the Azov Sea will be governed by international law, with the Ukrainian and Russian territorial waters as well as an internationalized part. As a consequence, Nato ships will no longer need Russia’s consent to enter.

    This explains why Nato is involved in the preparation of the incident at Kertch.

    Translation
    Anoosha Boralessa

    Source

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    The US Air Force is condemned to defeat if it confronts the Syrian Arab Army, which now has in its possession Russian anti-air materials, the best in the world. The US’s only viable option is to leave, sparing itself any humiliation.

    History is repeating itself. Once before, in Iraq, the United States had used Kurdish combattants, promising them a State before letting them be massacred by Saddam Hussein. Today the US lets other Kurds to whom it has also promised a State, face up to Turkey alone. _ In a few months the war will be over. After eight years of fighting and tens of thousands of Islamist mercenaries being sacrificed, Nato’s dream of destroying Syria’s state structures will have failed.



    A week ago, two S-300 rocket missiles were deployed in Deir Ez-zor, in East Syria. Immediately after, the intensity of the US-led coalition flights decreased by 80% in North East Syria. Since 18 September 2018, the Israeli Air Force has not carried out any more raids in Syria’s airspace.

    A delegation from the Israeli army, led by General Major Aharon Haliva (Head of Operations), went to Moscow for talks with Major General Vasily Trushin (Joint Chief of Operations of the Russian Army). Relations between the two armies have deteriorated after the destruction of the Russian airplane IL-20 during the attack on Syrian targets near the Russian air base of Hmeymim by the Israeli F-16.

    The Israeli delegation went to Moscow because it had not succeeded in finding the gaps in the no fly zone, imposed by the new system of Syrian Defense delivered by Russia. The Israelis thought they could coax the Russians to obtain the security codes for Syrian missiles. Russia, quite clearly, refused to give these codes to them.

    What are the elements of the automatized management of the Syrian air space that prevent the Israelis and Americans from acting? Syria has received 6 to 8 S-300/PMU2 missiles, with an action range of 250 km. The missiles guarantee the security of planes and Syrian military land targets. However, they are not the most important element.

    Management is assured by the automatized management system, Polyana D4M1. The role of the automatized management system is a necessary interface for the Syrian air units and anti-Air Defense apparatus to work at the same time. Polyana D4M1 can cover an area of 800 km2, following 500 air targets and ballistic missiles and establishing 250 of them. It is thanks to the Polyana D4M1 that command centres of the army of the Syrian Air Force also receive external information from the Russian airplane A-50U (AWACS) and Russian satellites of surveillance.

    The memory of the Polyana D4M1 computer servers stock the radar imprint of all the air targets including the cruise missiles and the allegedly “invisible” F-35 plane.

    When an air target is detected by a radar in Syria, the automatized system Polyana D4M1 posts information for all the detection radars and systems for guiding planes and Syrian and Russian anti-air artillery. Once identified, the air targets are automatically assigned to be struck down. This automatized system ensures that the oldest Syrian missiles of the Soviet era (S-200, S-75, S-125, etc.) become almost as precise as the S-300 missile.

    The Polyana D4M1 network also includes the following:
    • the Krasukha-4 for jamming the radars on the ground
    • AWACS aircrafts
    • reconnaissance planes with or without pilots.
    The network also uses the Zhitel R-330ZH systems for interfering with NAVSTAR (GPS), the apparatus of navigation. This equips the means of attack (planes, helicopters, cruise missiles, guided bombs, etc.).

    What is the consequence of Russia implementing the automatized management of the Syrian air space?

    The US military air bases in Syria consist essentially of troops for special operations. By this we mean a light infantry, without any armour or support. They could not therefore ward off any land attack carried out by the Syrian army supported by the Air Force. Having understood that the US Air Force will not be able to pass the Syrian anti-air barrage without unacceptable losses, any US intervention becomes inappropriate. This is why the US has just announced that it will start to withdraw 2,000 soldiers from Syria [1]. At the same time, Turkey, supported by Russia, is getting ready to launch a new offensive against the YPG in Northern Syria. These new circumstances ensure the Syrian Army will fight on the side of Turkey. The YPG, trained and supported by the United States, is quickly losing all the territories that it had taken from the Islamic State which itself had taken from Syria.

    Translation Anoosha Boralessa
    "La réalité est un rêve que l'on fait atterrir" San Antonio AKA F. Dard

    Troll-hood motto: Never, ever, however, whatsoever, to anyone, a point concede.

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Blocking Nord Stream 2: To Fight “Russian Dictatorship,” US Dictates to Europe


    19.12.2018
    Author: Tony Cartalucci
    journal-neo.org



    Rarely is irony and hypocrisy so thoroughly combined as it was when the US House of Representatives passed resolution 1035 – “Expressing opposition to the completion of Nord Stream II” (.pdf).

    Bloomberg in its article, “U.S. House Passes Resolution Opposing Russian Gas Pipeline,” would report:
    Quote The U.S. House of Representatives approved a largely symbolic resolution expressing opposition to Gazprom PJSC’s $11 billion Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, on concerns that the project will boost the Kremlin’s control over Europe’s energy supplies.
    Bloomberg would also report (emphasis added):
    Quote While the resolution is non-binding, it highlights growing Congressional opposition to the Russian project. The Trump administration is reviewing potential sanctions against the European companies involved. The pipeline, which would send Russian gas to Germany, has financing agreements with Engie SA and Royal Dutch Shell Plc, among others.
    By passing this resolution, the United States presumes to dictate to all of Europe who they can and cannot do business with.

    And while the resolution itself is “non-binding,” the resolution itself admits it:
    Quote …supports the imposition of sanctions with respect to Nord Stream II under section 232 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (22 U.S.C. 9526).
    The Nord Stream 2 pipeline circumvents Ukraine through which Russia had previously shipped natural gas to the rest of Europe. The Russian Federation, and before that, the Soviet Union had for decades reliably supplied Europe with natural gas through Ukraine.

    It was not until an openly US-backed putsch swept the elected government of Ukraine from power in 2014 and transformed Ukrainian foreign policy into being openly hostile toward Moscow, that gas flow was jeopardized, prompting Russia to pursue alternatives – including Nord Stream 2.


    US Dictates to Europe to Save it from a “Russian Dictatorship?”

    Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline is not a unilateral project – it includes partners from Germany such as Uniper SE and Wintershall, as well as Dutch natural gas infrastructure and transportation company, Gasunie.

    The pipeline has also been approved by the elected German government itself.

    German public media, Deutsche Welle (DW), in an article titled, “Germany approves Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline,” would report:

    Quote Germany has given a green light to the construction of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency said Tuesday.

    The decision means all legal hurdles to building a 31-kilometer (20 mile) section of the pipeline in Germany’s exclusive economic zone have been cleared. In January, authorities approved construction of a gas pipeline segment in German territorial waters.
    In what is essentially a bilateral deal between Germany and Russia, the US – from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – “expresses opposition” to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and is preparing to target companies involved to prevent the pipeline’s completion and use.

    It is the ultimate irony and the pinnacle of hypocrisy that the US claims in its own resolution that Russia seeks to “control” European energy markets while the US House resolution itself is an open demonstration of Washington’s desire to control European energy policy.

    Where Europe buys its energy would presumably be Europe’s – not Washington’s – business. It is unlikely that Washington would respond well to Europe attempting to pressure the United States into drastically changing its energy policy for whatever reason – particularly through coercive economic sanctions.


    “Diversifying” Means Buying Anglo-American Petrochemicals

    The US resolution mentions the Southern Gas Corridor as part of US “policy to support European energy security through diversification of supplies.”

    That pipeline connects gas taken mostly from the Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan which is jointly owned by British Petroleum and the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), but also Turkish and Russian interests as well.

    What the US resolution does not mention – likely recognizing just how transparent US motivations would be if it did – is the other option the US is promoting EU energy diversification with.

    In Politico’s 2014 article, “US pushes for EU energy diversification,” this other option would be spelled out. The article would admit (emphasis added):

    Quote In a joint statement issued this morning, the US and EU said that both sides underlined the importance of co-operation on smart grids, energy storage, nuclear fusion, hydrogen and fuel cells, energy efficiency, nuclear and unconventional hydrocarbons (shale gas).
    By 2018, Forbes would report in its article, “The U.S. Is Still The Global Natural Gas King,” that:

    Quote In 2017, the U.S. produced an average of 71.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas. That’s a 1.0% increase from 2016 production, but not quite good enough to beat the 2015 record of 71.6 Bcf/d.
    Forbes would put the numbers in perspective, reporting:

    Quote …natural gas production for the entire Middle East was 63.8 Bcf/d. Russia, in second place among countries, saw its natural gas production surge by 8.2%, but at 61.5 Bcf/d that was still well behind the U.S.
    But two fundamental problems impede US energy dominance in Europe.

    First, Russia has more proven natural gas reserves than the US. Forbes itself would admit that US domination of gas production would only last a few more years.

    Second, transporting gas across the Atlantic Ocean as liquid natural gas (LNG) is more expensive than through existing pipelines delivering Russian gas to Europe.

    These are not conclusions drawn by Gazprom executives or the Kremlin, but rather America’s own corporate-funded policymakers.

    A 2014 Brookings Institution report titled, “Why Russian Natural Gas Will Dominate European Markets,” would admit:

    Quote LNG is more expensive, and it will take many years to get other competitive supplies, for instance from the Caspian region, into the market.
    If the US cannot possibly compete in free and fair markets, why is Washington so confident it can still “support European energy security through diversification of supplies?


    US Uses Coercion/Conflict to Compensate for Inability to Compete

    To compensate for America’s inability to compete through free and fair markets, Washington has resorted to a number of more dubious measures. The 2014 violent overthrow of the Ukrainian government and the subsequently hostile regime Washington is backing in Kiev is one part of this equation.

    Provocations including the more recent Kerch Strait incident help maintain political pressure on Moscow and attempt to ratchet up tensions between Moscow and its European energy partners.

    Moving NATO up to Russia’s borders through such provocations helps produce and maintain wider tensions and instability amid Russian-European ties. Passing resolutions opposing Russian pipelines and threatening economic sanctions against companies based in supposedly “allied” states is another measure.

    The now 2-year-long “Russiagate” disinformation campaign, vilifying Russia is yet another.

    Articles and editorials across the Western media are piggybacking on the “Russiagate” narrative and resulting Russophobia to sell America’s rationale for undermining European sovereignty by dictating who European nations can and cannot do business with.

    US State Department-funded and directed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) in its September 2018 article, “Pipeline From Hell? Nord Stream 2 And Why It’s So Contentious,” is one such example.

    The article claims:

    Quote Nord Stream 2 has been sharply criticized by several countries, both within the EU and abroad. Opponents of the project fear the pipeline will increase the bloc’s substantial dependence on Russian gas and argue that it runs counter to international sanctions imposed on Russia following its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
    The article eventually admits nations “sharply criticizing” Nord Stream 2 “both within the EU and abroad,” are actually the United States and its US-NATO proxies in Poland, the Baltic states, and of course Ukraine.

    The article admits:

    Quote Germany, Italy, and others still appear to be happy to make deals with Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, but countries from the former Eastern Bloc, such as Poland, have become especially wary of Moscow’s growing influence.
    It also admits:

    Quote Latvia and Estonia have echoed Polish and Lithuanian concerns. All three Baltic states and Poland have signed a joint letter that calls Nord Stream 2 “an instrument of Russian state policy,” which “should be seen in the broader context of today’s Russian information and cyber-hostilities and military aggression.”
    While the article – and many others like it – suggest Nord Stream 2 is an “instrument of Russian state policy” and represents a threat to Europe’s independence, US opposition to the pipeline and Russian energy supplies to Europe in general have manifested itself in the form of political meddling, economic coercion, and even violent coups and conflict as seen in Ukraine from 2014 onward.

    At the end of the day, if “Germany, Italy and others are happy to make deals” with Russia, why would the US – self-appointed arbiter of global freedom and democracy – presume to have a say otherwise?

    How do deep economic ties between Europe and Russia pose a problem to regional or global peace when the alternative – as the US clearly demonstrates – is not only a growing political, economic, and even military confrontation with Russia – but also the economic coercion and threatening of America’s own European allies?

    Little adds up regarding America’s narrative regarding Nord Stream 2. What is clear through objective observation is Washington’s desire to eliminate a competitor at all costs – and to do so not through actual competition, but through coercion and the threat of increasingly dangerous conflict specifically because it cannot compete economically.

    Since the US admittedly cannot compete economically, its success or failure will depend entirely on its ability to wield its wide arsenal of “soft power” weaponry – coercion, subversion, sanctions, and conflict by proxy. How far the US will go to ensure success is a matter only time can tell.

    Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.

    Source

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Another article from Tony Cartalucci:


    US Withdrawal From Syria Paves Way for Israeli Strikes

    25.12.2018
    Author: Tony Cartalucci
    journal-neo.org




    The US suddenly and unexpectedly announced the withdrawal of US troops from Syria after years of illegally occupying the country. The US presence aimed at ousting the Syrian government, boosting militant groups the US and its partners have armed and backed since the 2011 conflict started, and denying Damascus access to its own resources, particularly oil concentrated east of the Euphrates River.

    The US occupation of Syria is only one part of a much larger, decades-long campaign of achieving, maintaining, and expanding US hegemony across North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia – as well as the ultimate goal of encircling and containing both Russia and China.

    A genuine withdrawal from the Syrian conflict would signal a seismic shift in US foreign policy and mark an irreversible decline in American hegemony.

    It is difficult to believe such a seismic shift could happen, and so suddenly.

    It is also a shift not founded in US foreign policy or fact.

    There are several key possibilities to consider:


    A US withdrawal paves way for unilateral Israeli strikes;
    It also paves the way for an expanded Turkish incursion;
    US troops won’t be on the ground as targets in the immediate aftermath of any wider conflict Israel or Turkey provokes;
    US troops can re-enter theater with renewed pretext to fight Damascus directly in defense of allies Israel or Turkey and;
    US troops can re-enter theater along the better formed and protected front Turkey seeks to create.


    The above possibilities are drawn not from speculation, but from multiple US policy papers spanning decades.


    US Withdrawal From Syria Removes Obstructions to Escalation, Not Peace

    US policymakers have drawn up plans for years regarding US primacy in the Middle East. In the 2009 policy paper published by corporate-financier funded think tank – the Brookings Institution – the use of US proxies like Israel to carry out major attacks on Iran were given its own chapter.

    However, the only obstruction to this option was the necessity of Israeli warplanes to fly over either US-ally Jordan or US-occupied Iraq.

    The report would claim under a chapter titled, “Leave it to Bibi: Allowing or Encouraging an Israeli Military Strike” (.pdf) that (emphasis added):



    Quote An Israeli air campaign against Iran would have a number of very important differences from an American campaign. First, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has the problem of overflight transit from Israel to Iran. Israel has no aircraft carriers, so its planes must take off from Israeli air bases. It also does not possess long-range bombers like the B-1 or B-2, or huge fleets of refueling tankers, all of which means that unlike the United States, Israel cannot avoid flying through someone’s air space. The most direct route from Israel to Iran’s Natanz facility is roughly 1,750 kilometers across Jordan and Iraq. As the occupying power in Iraq, the United States is responsible for defending Iraqi airspace.
    It would also state (emphasis added):


    Quote From the American perspective, this negates the whole point of the option—distancing the United States from culpability—and it could jeopardize American efforts in Iraq, thus making it a possible nonstarter for Washington. Finally, Israeli violation of Jordanian airspace would likely create political problems for King Abdullah of Jordan, one of America’s (and Israel’s) closest Arab friends in the region. Thus it is exceedingly unlikely that the United States would allow Israel to overfly Iraq, and because of the problems it would create for Washington and Amman, it is unlikely that Israel would try to fly over Jordan.
    And finally, the Brookings paper would claim (emphasis added):

    Quote An Israeli attack on Iran would directly affect key American strategic interests. If Israel were to overfly Iraq, both the Iranians and the vast majority of people around the world would see the strike as abetted, if not authorized, by the United States. Even if Israel were to use another route, many Iranians would still see the attack as American supported or even American orchestrated. After all, the aircraft in any strike would be American produced, supplied, and funded F-15s and F-16s, and much of the ordnance would be American made. In fact, $3 billion dollars in U.S. assistance annually sustains the IDF’s conventional superiority in the region.
    Thus, by removing US troops from Iraq regarding 2009 US plans to have Israel strike Iran then – or to have US troops withdrawn from Syria to distance the US from culpability ahead of Israeli strikes in the near future – the US can remove this critical obstruction toward greater escalation and even major war – not toward peace.

    As to what the US would do in the wake of a supposedly “unilateral” Israeli strike – Brookings had an answer for that too (emphasis added):


    Quote However, as noted in the previous chapter, the airstrikes themselves are really just the start of this policy. Again, the Iranians would doubtless rebuild their nuclear sites. They would probably retaliate against Israel, and they might retaliate against the United States, too (which might create a pretext for American airstrikes or even an invasion). And it seems unlikely that they would cease their support for violent extremist groups or efforts to overturn the regional status quo in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes. Their opposition to an Arab-Israeli peace treaty would likely be redoubled. Hence the United States would still need a strategy to handle Iran after completion of the Israeli airstrikes, and this could mean a much longer time frame to achieve all of America’s goals.
    This policy within a Syrian context could mean major, unprecedented Israeli strikes on Syrian targets – a major escalation from previous and more limited strikes – but avoiding Russian targets, under the assumption Moscow will fall short of retaliating to avoid full-scale war.

    Israel has already made its intentions clear that it will continue confronting “Iran” in Syria after the withdrawal of US forces.

    Any retaliation by Damascus – real or staged – will be used to bring the US back into the conflict with a wider claimed pretext to take on Damascus directly – with the added benefit of not having US troops on the ground serving as easy targets in the immediate fallout of a much larger conflict.

    Turkey Too?

    There is also Turkey to consider – a nation that has played a central role in facilitating the proxy war against Syria since it began in 2011. US policymakers have included Turkey in tandem with Israel as two coordinating pressure points against Damascus for decades.

    A 1983 document signed by former CIA officer Graham Fuller titled, “Bringing Real Muscle to Bear Against Syria” (PDF), states (their emphasis):


    Quote Syria at present has a hammerlock on US interests both in Lebanon and in the Gulf — through closure of Iraq’s pipeline thereby threatening Iraqi internationalization of the [Iran-Iraq] war. The US should consider sharply escalating the pressures against Assad [Sr.] through covertly orchestrating simultaneous military threats against Syria from three border states hostile to Syria: Iraq, Israel and Turkey.
    The report also states:

    Quote If Israel were to increase tensions against Syria simultaneously with an Iraqi initiative, the pressures on Assad would escalate rapidly. A Turkish move would psychologically press him further.
    More recently, US policymakers in 2012 Brookings Institution document titled, “Saving Syria: Assessing Options for Regime Change” (PDF), which stated (emphasis added):

    Quote Some voices in Washington and Jerusalem are exploring whether Israel could contribute to coercing Syrian elites to remove Asad.
    The report continues by explaining (emphasis added):

    Quote Israel could posture forces on or near the Golan Heights and, in so doing, might divert regime forces from suppressing the opposition. This posture may conjure fears in the Asad regime of a multi-front war, particularly if Turkey is willing to do the same on its border and if the Syrian opposition is being fed a steady diet of arms and training. Such a mobilization could perhaps persuade Syria’s military leadership to oust Asad in order to preserve itself.
    Regarding events on the ground now – Turkey is already signaling its intentions to enter Syria east of the Euphrates and expand its military occupation across more Syrian territory.

    Turkish forces entering into Syria would serve as a front against Syrian forces in the outbreak of wider war with supply lines protected all the way to the Turkish border and deep into Turkish territory. US forces re-entering the theater can do so from Turkey and avoid being cut off in US bases currently scattered across eastern Syria.

    Whether or not Russia and Iran have created a sufficient amount of incentives and deterrents to place between Turkey and its continued role in destabilizing Syria since then remains to be seen. Only Moscow, Tehran, and Damascus can know what deals they have with Ankara and where its apparent plans to enter Syrian territory fit into them.


    Empire Dies Hard


    US involvement in Syria was always aimed at eventually undermining, encircling, containing, and eventually overthrowing first Iran, then closing around Russia further.

    Unless we are to believe the US has abandoned its wider hegemonic ambitions – and there is no evidence to suggest that it has – it is irrational and ill-advised to believe the US is truly walking away from Syria without plans to dangerously escalate the conflict while minimizing its own culpability.

    The United States has gone from an uncontested global superpower at the end of the Cold War, to an increasing dangerous, desperate fading hegemon today. The weaker it appears, the more unpredictable and dangerous its actions are becoming. A genuine withdrawal from Syria would neither fit America’s current global ambitions, nor fit its recent pattern of increasingly dangerous and desperate policies implemented from Eastern Europe to the Middle East and North Africa, into Central Asia, and across East Asia.

    A skeptical public leaves no room for the US to capitalize on the apparent “good will” the US is trying to cultivate through its supposed withdrawal from Syria ahead of provocations by proxy it will have fully underwritten and will immediately move to exploit toward greater war.

    Source

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    The Clinton memo that killed half a million people in Syria

    Daniel Lazare Russia Insider
    Fri, 11 Jan 2019 10:42 UTC

    Note: The following article, published at Consortium News, was taken down hours after it was published today (1/11/19) -RI.


    Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta talks with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, April 18, 2012. © DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

    A Hillary Clinton memo that Wikileaks made public in 2016 has not gotten the attention it deserves.

    It takes us back to 2012 and the early phase of the Syrian war.

    At that point, it was largely an internal affair, although Saudi arms shipments were playing a greater and greater role in bolstering rebel forces. But once the Obama administration decided in favor of intervention, the conflict was quickly internationalized as thousands of holy warriors flooded in from as far away as western China.

    The 1,200-word memo by then-Secretary of State Clinton begins with the subject of Iran, an important patron of Syria.

    She dismisses any notion that nuclear talks will stop Iran "from improving the crucial part of any nuclear weapons program-the capability to enrich uranium." If it does get the bomb, it goes on, Israel will suffer a strategic setback since it will no longer be able to "respond to provocations with conventional military strikes on Syria and Lebanon, as it can today." Denied the ability to bomb at will, Israel might leave off secondary targets and strike at the main enemy instead.

    Consequently, Clinton argues that the U.S. should topple the Assad regime so as to weaken Iran and allay the fears of Israel, which has long regarded the Islamic republic as its primary enemy. As the memo puts it:
    "Bringing down Assad would not only be a massive boon to Israel's security, it would also ease Israel's understandable fear of losing its nuclear monopoly. Then, Israel and the United States might be able to develop a common view of when the Iranian program is so dangerous that military action could be warranted."
    This document making the case to arm Syrian rebels may have been largely overlooked because of the dates, which appear to be inaccurate.

    One line gives the time as "2001-01-01 03:00" even though Clinton was still a New York senator-elect at that point. That date is also out of synch with the timeline of nuclear diplomacy with Iran.

    Another contains a State Department case and document number and a date of Nov. 30, 2015. But that's incorrect as well since it postdates Clinton's resignation as secretary of state by better than two and a half years.

    Central to the Great Debate

    Consequently, anyone stumbling across the memo in the Wikileaks archives would have no idea of how its rather loopy logic figures in the great debate about whether to use force to bring down Syrian President Bashir al-Assad. But textual clues provide an answer. The second paragraph refers to nuclear talks with Iran "that began in Istanbul this April and will continue in Baghdad in May," events that took place in 2012. The sixth invokes an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour conducted with then-Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak "last week." Since the interview took place on April 19, 2012, the memo can therefore be dated to the fourth week in April. This is shortly before Clinton joined forces with then-CIA Director David Petraeus to push for an aggressive program of rebel military aid.

    Needless to say, Clinton's skepticism about negotiating with Iran proved to be unwarranted since Iran eventually agreed to shut down its nuclear program. The memo thus illustrates her hawkishness along with her conviction that Israeli security trumps all other considerations even if it means setting fire to a region that's been burned over more than once.

    But the memo illustrates much else besides: Clinton's recklessness, her lack of realism and her almost mystical belief that everything will fall neatly into place once the United States flexes its muscle. Overthrowing Assad would be nothing less than "transformative," she writes:
    "...Iran would be strategically isolated, unable to exert its influence in the Middle East. The resulting regime in Syria will see the United States as a friend, not an enemy. Washington would gain substantial recognition as fighting for the people in the Arab world, not the corrupt regimes. For Israel, the rationale for a bolt from the blue attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would be eased. And a new Syrian regime might well be open to early action on the frozen peace talks with Israel. Hezbollah in Lebanon would be cut off from its Iranian sponsor since Syria would no longer be a transit point for Iranian training, assistance and missiles."
    It was "a low-cost high-payoff approach," she writes, that would eliminate one enemy, weaken two more, and generate such joy among ordinary Syrians that peace talks between Damascus and Tel Aviv will spring back to life. The risks were nil. Since "the Libyan operation had no long-lasting consequences for the region," the memo says, referring to the overthrow of strongman Muammer Gaddafi six months earlier, the Syrian operation wouldn't either:
    "Some argue that U.S. involvement risks a wider war with Russia. But the Kosovo example [in which NATO bombed Russian-ally Serbia] shows otherwise. In that case, Russia had genuine ethnic and political ties to the Serbs, which don't exist between Russia and Syria, and even then Russia did little more than complain. Russian officials have already acknowledged they won't stand in the way if intervention comes."

    Hillary Clinton meets with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh on March 30, 2012. © State Department

    So, there was nothing to worry about. Sixty-five years of Arab-Israeli conflict would fall by the wayside while Russia remains safely marginalized.

    How it Turned Out

    Needless to say, that's not how things turned out. At that moment, Libya seemed under control. But three or four months later, it would explode as Western-backed Islamist militias blasted away at one another, imposing strict Sharia law, re-instituting slavery and rolling back decades of social progress. Once President Barack Obama approved a modified version of the Clinton-Petraeus plan, Syria would plunge into the same abyss as jihadis funded by Saudi Arabia and the other oil monarchies spread sectarian violence and fear.

    Clinton's assumption that the U.S. could neatly and cleanly decapitate the Syrian government without having to worry about broader consequences was little short of deluded.

    The notion that ordinary Syrians would fall to their knees in gratitude was ludicrous while her disregard for the intricacies of Syrian politics was astonishing.

    Then there's the memo's blithe suggestion that Washington "work with regional allies like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar to organize, train, and arm Syrian rebel forces."

    In late 2009, Clinton wrote in another diplomatic memo made public by Wikileaks that "donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide." So what made her think two years later that the kingdom would not fund Syrian jihadis of precisely the same ilk?

    The 2009 memo slammed Qatar for allowing Al Qaeda, the Taliban and other terrorist groups to use the sheikdom "as a fundraising locale." So what made her think that a pro-Al Qaeda autocracy would now help Syrians "fight for their freedom," as the memo puts it? Wouldn't Qatar be more likely to remove what little freedom Syrians had left? Of course, it would.

    There is a remarkable continuity between the Syria policy that Clinton was proposing and earlier policies in Afghanistan and Libya. In the first, U.S. military aid wound up flowing to the notorious warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a religious sectarian and raging anti-western xenophobe who nonetheless was "the most efficient at killing Soviets," as Steve Coll put it in "Ghost Wars," his bestselling 2004 account of the CIA's love affair with jihad.

    Hekmatyar's cutthroats wound up with the lion's share of American arms. More or less the same thing happened in Libya once Clinton persuaded Qatar to join the anti-Gaddafi coalition. The sheikhdom seized the opportunity to distribute some $400 million to various rebel militias, many of them Islamist. The Obama administration said nothing in response.


    British Fighters with International Freedom Battalion in northern Iraq. © Wikimedia

    Once again, U.S. arms and materiel flowed to the most reactionary elements. The same would happen in Syria where U.S. and Saudi arms went to the local Al Qaeda affiliate, known as Jabhat al-Nusra, and even to ISIS, as a meticulous report by Conflict Armament Research, a Swiss and EU-funded study group in London, has shown. (See "Did Obama Arm Islamic State Killers?" Consortium News, Dec. 21, 2017.)

    Insurgency Mix

    By August 2012, a secret Defense Intelligence Agency report found that Salafists, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Al Qaeda were already "the major forces driving the insurgency" and that the U.S. and Gulf states backed them regardless. Speechwriter Ben Rhodes summed up the problem of "moderate" rebels who were indistinguishable from Al Qaeda in his White House memoir, "The World As It Is." In that, he writes that "Al Nusra was probably the strongest fighting force within the opposition, and while there were extremist elements in the group, it was also clear that the more moderate opposition was fighting side by side with al Nusra. I argued that labeling al Nusra as terrorists would alienate the same people we want to help, while giving al Nusra less incentive to avoid extremist affiliations."

    The problem was how to separate the "good" Al Qaeda fighters from the "bad." Rhodes later complained when Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he and his fellow Obama officials were "trying to climb a spruce tree naked without scratching our ass." This was "smug," Rhodes says. But Putin was merely using a colorful expression to say that the policy made no sense; which it didn't.

    The cost, half a dozen years after the Clinton email, is staggering. As many as 560,000 people have died, half the population has been displaced, while the World Bank has estimated total war damage at $226 billion, roughly six years' income for every Syrian man, woman, and child. A cockeyed memo thus unleashed a real-life catastrophe that refuses to go away. It's a nightmare from which President Donald Trump is struggling to escape in his confused and deluded way and that the Deep State - everyone from arch-neocon John Bolton to "liberal" Nancy Pelosi - is determined to renew.
    Daniel Lazare is the author of "The Frozen Republic: How the Constitution Is Paralyzing Democracy" (Harcourt Brace, 1996) and other books about American politics. He has written for a wide variety of publications from The Nation to Le Monde Diplomatique and blogs about the Constitution and related matters at Daniellazare.com.

    Related:
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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Quote
    US has no evidence of Syrian use of sarin gas, Mattis says


    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has no evidence to confirm reports from aid groups and others that the Syrian government has used the deadly chemical sarin on its citizens, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday.

    “We have other reports from the battlefield from people who claim it’s been used,” Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon. “We do not have evidence of it.”

    He said he was not rebutting the reports. .....More here
    The same topic from Newsweek's P.O.V:

    Quote
    Now Mattis Admits There Was No Evidence Assad Used Poison Gas on His People: Opinion


    Lost in the hyper-politicized hullabaloo surrounding the Nunes Memorandum and the Steele Dossier was the striking statement by Secretary of Defense James Mattis that the U.S. has “no evidence” that the Syrian government used the banned nerve agent Sarin against its own people.

    This assertion flies in the face of the White House (NSC) Memorandum which was rapidly produced and declassified to justify an American Tomahawk missile strike against the Shayrat airbase in Syria.

    Mattis offered no temporal qualifications, which means that both the 2017 event in Khan Sheikhoun and the 2013 tragedy in Ghouta are unsolved cases in the eyes of the Defense Department and Defense Intelligence Agency. .....More here
    the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated --- Gandhi

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  29. Link to Post #2015
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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    OPCW report
    REPORT OF THE FACT-FINDING MISSION REGARDING THE INCIDENT
    OF ALLEGED USE OF TOXIC CHEMICALS AS A WEAPON
    IN DOUMA, SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC, ON 7 APRIL 2018
    Dated and released March 1st here's the OPCW Douma Report and a supporting article published today (March 6th) in 21st Century Wire.

    Author Iain Davis is a contributor to 21WIRE and is the author of the new book, 'A Dangerous Ideology', as well as an independent researcher and short filmmaker. See more of Iain’s work at his blog site In This Together and follow him at Twitter & Steemit & MINDS. Also you can watch his short films and videos on YouTube, DTube and BitChute. An original version of the article was previously published at In This Together.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    BREAKING RANK: BBC researcher and producer Riam Dalati stated that after 6 months of investigation, he believed that the Douma hospital scene was faked.

    Click image for larger version

Name:	Riam Dalati_Douma_1.jpg
Views:	61
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    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    “If a man does not keep pace with [fall into line with] his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” - Thoreau

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    A follow up with James and Joanne Moriarty's witnessing of what happened in Benghazi and Libya:


    NewsReal: Interview With The Moriartys - New Light on Benghazi, And Liberating Libya

    Sott.net
    Wed, 17 Apr 2019 22:45 UTC




    On this NewsReal, Joe & Niall interview James & JoAnne Moriarty, a couple who witnessed the mayhem unleashed on Libya in 2011, and who have since dedicated their lives to speaking out about what's really happening to that country.

    Libya has been in the news recently because of a huge push by forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army to retake Tripoli - a development that could end 8 years of hell for the Libyan people.

    The Moriartys had much to tell us on that front, but they also wanted to share vital new information on the 'Battle of Benghazi', the attack on 9/11/12 at two classified US compounds that killed US Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans.


    Running Time: 01:32:21

    Download: MP3 - 84.6 MB

    [Interview conducted April 9th, 2019]

    Video of a Benghazi perpetrator confessing to the murder of Ambassador Stevens on TV news

    Excerpt of the Moriartys' joint interview with a Benghazi eyewitness in 2014

    Visit the Moriartys' website: libyanwarthetruth.com

    Support the Moriartys via Patreon

    Our previous interviews with the Moriartys:
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  33. Link to Post #2017
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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Anglo-Saxon plan?
    Guess who the Windsors are allied with?
    The Bank of England (or the Rothschilds).

    They plan ahead.

    There was an alliance forged between England and Japan, believe it or not, in 1902.
    The sole purpose was to use Japan (a new emerging military power in the Far East, run by Japanese Freemasons) to keep Russia in check. Sure enough, Japan provoked Russia to an internecine war without a real cause 1904-1905 which severely damaged the prestige of the Romanovs, paving the way for a Bolshevik revolution. Consequently, this English-Japanese alliance was short-lived, exactly as planned.

    After the Rotschild-sponsored Bolshevik Revolution, the US and Japan sent troops to mother Russia, supposedly to help the Whites, but the real reason was to cause the average Russians to rally behind the Reds against foreign invaders.

    Japan invaded China in the 1930s and quickly got mired partly because the whole idea behind the scenes was to promote the average Chinese to rally behind Mao's communist party against the invader. Guess who was behind Mao. The Rothschilds.

    It is no secret that the Rothschilds created Israel. There were Israeli-trained snipers during the Maidan protest in 2014 against the pro-Russian President of Ukraine, shooting at the police and the protesters. No surprise.

    You want peace? Expose and get rid of the Rothschilds.

    “If my sons did not want wars, there would be none.”
    --- Gutle Rothschild

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Here's a long, and so far as I know, most informative interview of Dmitry Orlov by The Saker on all matters regarding the Ukraine: The Saker Interviews Dmitry Orlov.

    It's well worth a read if you're still baffled as I have been as to what's going on in the Ukraine.

    Here are the questions that The Saker asks Dmitry (the answers are rather too long to make a good post here):
    • How would you assess the current situation in the Ukraine in terms of social, economic and political collapse?
    • What about the Donbas republics? How would you compare the situation in Novorussia with what is taking place in the Ukraine?
    • What is your take on the first round of Presidential elections in the Ukraine?
    • Where is, in your opinion, the Ukraine heading? What is your best “guesstimate” of what will happen in the short-to-medium term future?
    • What about the EU and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe? Where is the EU heading in your opinion?
    • What will happen once Nord Stream II is finished? Where is Europe heading next, especially in its relationship with the US and Russia?
    • How do you see the political climate in Russia? I hear very often that while Putin personally and the Kremlin’s foreign policy enjoy a great deal of support, the pension reform really hurt Putin and that there is now an internal “patriotic opposition” (as opposed to paid and purchased for by the CIA & Co,. which is becoming more vocal. Is that true?
    • You recently wrote an article titled “Is the USS Ship of Fools Taking on Water?” in which you discuss the high level of stupidity in modern US politics? I have a simple question for you: do you think the Empire can survive Trump and, if so, for how long?
    • Lastly, a similar but fundamentally different question: can the US (as opposed to the Empire) survive Trump and, if so, how? Will there be a civil war? A military coup? Insurrection? Strikes? A US version of the Yellow Vests?
    • The Saker: Dmitry, thank you so much for your time and for a most interesting interview!
    My quite dormant website: pauljackson.us

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  36. Link to Post #2019
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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Russia, in comparison with the west, is a poor country, still recovering from 70 years of communist mismanagement and 10 years of corrupt Yeltsin rule.
    It is understandable that many Russian citizens are not happy with the welfare system, especially in terms of monies paid to them. Nonetheless, there is money to be made, if they are able-bodied and smart enough to find the right niches.

    Belarus is still more backward in rural areas, but it is working with China in the industry sector. Both Russia and Belarus have resident Chinese engineers and their families in the heavy industry regions like Ural.

    Ukraine has nobody to turn to given its flop-flopping between Russia and the west and there is a mistrust of the Kiev regime both in Russia and in the west. Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians need to understand that it was the Bolsheviks who oppressed Ukraine, not the average Russians. (Many Ukrainians welcomed the Nazi troops as their liberators from the Bolsheviks.)

    There is a double standard in the west: Kosovo declared itself independent and the west welcomed it.
    On the other hand, when the vast majority of Crimeans voted to secede from Ukraine (having seen what Kiev had done to Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine after the unconstitutional Maidan coup), and to join Russia, the west is screaming foul.

    Sure enough, Kiev cut off the road to the peninsula and supply of energy in 2014. But Putin acted fast and started building a bridge and the economy of Crimea is booming thanks to the heavy traffic using the bridge.

    What is REALLY at stake?
    Israel sees its days as numbered and is exploring Plan B and Plan C.
    Plan B is mass migration of Ashkenazi Jews to Ukraine where their ancestor Khazar had its empire.
    Plan C is mass migration Ashkenazi Jews to northeast China where Khazar (Gokturks) originated.

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    Default Re: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

    Speaking of Ukraine, Comedian Zelensky just became the Ukrainian president. I guess that just goes to show how bad Poroshenko was if folk are willing to elect a comedian rather than have him for another term:

    the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated --- Gandhi

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