Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III [Archive] - Page 10

Ravenlocke

1st June 2023, 19:57

https://twitter.com/MoonofA/status/1664292330227089408

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https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/06/missing-the-context-us-media-fail-to-understand-persian-gulf-action.html

Missing The Context - U.S. Media Fail To Understand Persian Gulf Diplomacy And Action

June 01, 2023

There is a lack of ability or lack of willingness in 'western' media and politics to see the world through the eyes of others. This leads to wrong conclusions about certain situations and in consequence to misguided policies.

An example is yesterday's New York Times piece about an recent announcement by the United Arab Emirates:

As Iran Seizes Tankers in Gulf, U.A.E. Pulls Back From U.S.-Led Maritime Force - New York Times - May 31, 2023

The United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that it had stopped participating in a maritime security force led by the United States, the latest hint of tensions between Washington and key Persian Gulf allies who complain that America has not done enough to protect them from Iranian threats.
The unusual public statement came after Iran seized two commercial tankers in waterways near the Emirates in quick succession over the past two months. The Emirati Foreign Ministry said the country “withdrew its participation” from the Combined Maritime Forces two months ago “as a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners.”

Political analysts say the Emirati statement could be intended as a message to the United States that the country is displeased with the level of American protection for its allies in the Persian Gulf against threats from Iran and must look out for its own interests. Emirati and Saudi officials have repeatedly expressed frustration with U.S. policy toward Iran.

The parts of the above in italics mark the assumptions and miss-conclusions that come with the inability to see the world through the eyes of others. The ignorance of the state of affairs in the Gulf expressed through them is embarrassing.

The reason the UAE officials have given, bold in the above, is easy to understand when one sees the world through their eyes.

What was the last significant measure Emirati and Saudi officials took to "expressed frustration with U.S. policy toward Iran"?

Here is a hint:

Mediated By China Iran And Saudi Arabia Restore Ties - Moon of Alabama - Mar 20, 2023

The Saudis and the UAE, the later of which was never really enthusiastic about fighting Iran, have made their peace with it. They want and need economic development.

They had found that U.S. policies were leading either nowhere or towards a full fledged war in the Gulf which probably would have hurt themselves more than Iran. They therefore no longer want to support U.S. measures designed to express hostility towards Iran.

Here is it straight from the pages of the Tehran Times:

UAE determined to boost relations with Iran: minister - Tehran Times - May 31, 2023

Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, who is a Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), made the remarks during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Tuesday.
The UAE’s minister emphasized Abu Dhabi’s determination to boost relations with the Islamic Republic, the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.
...
“There are no limits to the all-out expansion of relations,” the top Iranian diplomat said, according to a statement by the Iranian foreign ministry at the time.

The two sides stressed the importance of broadening cooperation, including in the private sector.

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his part, highlighted the common interests of the two countries in the development of mutual relations in various fields, laying emphasis on various opportunities for joint cooperation.

Regarding the new conditions in the region, he said that in recent weeks, the region is witnessing the strengthening of cooperation, including good relations between Tehran and Riyadh and the new conditions in Syria.

The two sides mutually invited one another for visits to Tehran and Abu Dhabi.

As the UAE (and the Saudis) are intent to build better relations with Iran it would be counterproductive for them to take part in any U.S. led security measure that is intended to take on Iran.

The New York Times interpretation, that the UAE wants more U.S. pressure on Iran, is wrong because it fails to recognize the seriousness of the steps the UAE and the Saudis have taken with Iran. It fails to see the world through their eyes.

We know the Times is wrong because the UAE had said so itself after a similarly wrong report appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

UAE rejects mischaracterisation of US-UAE conversations regarding maritime security - Gulf Today - May 31, 2023

The UAE has rejected the mischaracterisation, in recent press reports, of US-UAE conversations regarding maritime security.
In a statement today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said that the UAE is committed to peaceful dialogue and diplomatic engagement as a means of advancing the shared goals of regional security and stability.

'As a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners, two months ago, the UAE withdrew its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces,” added the statement.

MoFA stressed that the UAE remains committed to responsibly ensuring the safety of navigation in its seas, in accordance with international law.

The "effective security cooperation with all partners" now obviously includes Iran. The renewed relations with Iran are the reason why the UAE stopped taking part in anti-Iranian measures. It comes, as the UAE statement mentions, two months after the Saudis and UAE made peace with Iran.

But what about those two tankers Iran has seized?

Well, the New York Times is of course harping about those two but it forgets to mention a third, earlier seized one which started the whole clash and is the reason for seizing the two later ones.

US confiscates Iran oil cargo on tanker amid Tehran tensions - Arab News/Reuters - Apr 28, 2023

The US confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in recent days in a sanctions enforcement operation, three sources said, and days later Iran seized another oil-laden tanker in retaliation, according to a maritime security firm.
...
Maritime security company Ambrey said the US confiscation took place at least five days before Iran’s action on Thursday. “Ambrey has assessed the seizure by the Iranian Navy to be in response to the US action,” it said in an advisory to clients.
“Both tankers were Suezmax-sized. Iran has previously responded tit-for-tat following seizures of Iranian oil cargo.”
The sources familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Washington took control of the oil cargo aboard the Marshall Islands tanker Suez Rajan after securing an earlier court order. The tanker’s last reported position was near southern Africa on April 22, ship tracking data showed.
The tanker Iran-owned oil load the U.S. stole at high sea is currently anchored off Texas. Iran responded by seizing two U.S. related tankers and their load in the Gulf.

It is obvious that this was a tit for tat action as Iran has done this before:

Last year the US tried to confiscate a cargo of Iranian oil near Greece, which prompted Tehran to seize two Greek tankers in the Gulf. Greece’s supreme court ordered the cargo returned to Iran. The two Greek tankers were later released.
So here is the real story, the one the UAE based its decision on:

Iran and the UAE have made peace and want to build on that. They want win-win economic relations with each other.
The U.S. steals an Iranian tanker load.
Iran reacts by seizing two U.S. related tankers.
The U.S. revives a U.S.-led maritime security force to push against Iran's tanker seizure.
The UAE rejects to take part in the renewed anti-Iranian measure and says so publicly.
That is the full context the UAE acted in.

The New York Times however completely ignores the first two issues. Neither UAE-Iran relations nor the tanker the U.S. has seized are mentioned in its piece. It only reports the third and fourth measure to then misinterpret number 5, the step the UAE has taken in consequence of 1 and 2.

The Times writer even finds 'experts' who are as arrogant and ignorant as the herself to support her false assertions.

Think of the bad consequences such misinterpretations might cause when U.S. policy makers, who only digest the New York Times news diet, take action on such basis.

The lesson is that to understand one must see the world through the eyes of others. What information do they have? What is historic context they are living and acting in in? One can only understand what they do and why they do it when one puts oneself mentally into their situation.

Ravenlocke

1st June 2023, 20:14

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Extraordinarily insightful talk by John Thornton on China and its relations with the US. Truly a must-watch!

Here he explains the "fundamental disconnect" between public statements that China-US is the most consequential relationship in the world and the utter lack of action to actually cultivate the relationship. For instance he says that if you asked US cabinet members the names of their Chinese counterparts, 90% of them wouldn't know the answer.

Thornton is probably the single American who best knows the Chinese system. He is a personal friend of most of the Chinese leadership, including Xi Jinping. In 2003 he became the first non-Chinese full professor at Tsinghua University since the establishment of the PRC. He is also one of America's foremost business leaders, having been co-president of Goldman Sachs and seating on the boards of companies such as Ford, Intel, ICBC, China Unicom, IMG, BSkyB, DirectTV, or News Corp.

https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1664101143293882368

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https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1664107361697697792

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https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1664107952649953280

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Distinguished Lecture: Navigating the Future of US-China Relations

On Friday, April 28, 2023, John Thornton, Director of the Global Leadership Program at Tsinghua University in Beijing and former President of Goldman Sachs, lead a conversation about Navigating the Future of US-China Relations in the Amir and Zaib Husain Auditorium on the campus of @UTAustin.

kgUX82Vh_8I

Ravenlocke

1st June 2023, 20:20

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Elon Musk meeting with “CCP” officials in “communist” China today! 😱 Brainwashed American minds cannot process this.

Here’s Elon with Chinese Minister of Commerce, Minister of IT etc.

And guess what? These guys are smarter than any US counterparts. Here’s why:

In the US, all these posts are political appointments. Absolute idiots get the jobs because of ideology, campaign contributions, lobbying, identity quotas etc.

“We need 1 man who loves to wear skirts, 7 actual women, and 4 from swing states to win the next election…”

Like, Buttigieg is Biden’s Secretary of Transportation! WTF is his qualification? Nothing!

In China, by the time someone becomes, say, Minister of IT, he would be so freaking smart and experienced that he could talk about real EV technology with Elon Musk. It’s called meritocracy.

But dumb American politicians are good at sensationalism and drama for TV.

https://twitter.com/Kanthan2030/status/1664047103767896064

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Huang, 60, is hardly alone in courting Chinese customers. He joins a growing list of corporate chieftains taking advantage of China’s post-Covid reopening to visit the world’s No. 2 economy, including Apple Inc.’s Tim Cook, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Jamie Dimon and billionaire Elon Musk. Despite a pandemic-era downturn, China remains a key market for many of the world’s biggest companies and many economists expect growth to re-accelerate over the course of 2023

https://twitter.com/pstAsiatech/status/1664238429104685056

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Ravenlocke

1st June 2023, 20:31

https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1664133231921479681

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Why did Xi say yesterday that the security threats facing China are getting “considerably more complex and much more difficult” and asked the PLA to be ready for “worst-case and most extreme scenarios”?

This is why ⬇️

The US calls it "deterrence" but China certainly doesn't see it that way. And no country in the world would see it that way if a rival who consistently calls you their "biggest threat" encircled you militarily, making alliances with your neighbors.

https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1664306607101198337

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Ravenlocke

1st June 2023, 21:10

https://twitter.com/Kanthan2030/status/1664229041556312064

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Ravenlocke

2nd June 2023, 13:15

https://twitter.com/dana916/status/1664445044479098880

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Ravenlocke

2nd June 2023, 13:20

https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/1664474376216121347

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Ravenlocke

2nd June 2023, 13:37

https://twitter.com/dimitrilascaris/status/1664618987601252357

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https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1212411/f-35-deal-comes-closer-within-greeces-reach/

F-35 deal comes closer within Greece’s reach

US Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has approved the sale of Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-35 fighter jets to Greece, adding the last signature needed before the deal can go through, Hellas Journal reported on Thursday.

The deal was green-lighted by the committee’s chair, US Senator Bob Menendez, in February, and has also secured the approval of Republican co-chair Michael McCaul and of Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the committee.

Now that the consensus of all four officials has been obtained, the US government will formally notify Congress of the sale of F-35s to Greece, and from there, the prescribed procedure for the ratification of the defense contract will be followed.

As Kathimerini has earlier reported, the issue of the sale of the F-35 jets to Greece is proceeding with the delivery of the first aircraft between 2028 and 2033, despite the fact that a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) is still expected from the US side.

The first installment for the supply of the fifth-generation F-35 fighters is expected to amount to €350 million, following the finalization of the deduction of the so-called SSI (security, supply, information) from the final price of the US-engineered aircraft.

Cost estimates can be relatively accurate based on fixed characteristics, such as the number of a total of 20 F-35As that the Hellenic Air Force will take delivery of between 2028 and 2033.

The procedure followed for the approval of defense contracts entails the US State Department first informally sounding out Congress with the proposed sale. Although not bound by the process, the administration is accustomed to taking Congress’ opinion seriously and thus avoiding openly confronting it on the approval of defense contracts. It is precisely at this stage that the F-16 upgrade that Turkey has been trying to achieve up to this point has stalled.

Ravenlocke

2nd June 2023, 13:45

https://twitter.com/dimitrilascaris/status/1664537592862322688

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Ravenlocke

3rd June 2023, 20:45

https://twitter.com/anadoluagency/status/1665059938475954176

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Ravenlocke

3rd June 2023, 20:53

https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1665070959810736135

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https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-foreign-policy-russia-gulf-expect-good-ties?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Social_Traffic&utm_content=ap_svxqtj5k4k

Turkey's future foreign policy: Expect good ties with Russia and the Gulf

With divisive and nail-biting elections behind it, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government is expected to plough on with its independent foreign policy while seeking fewer confrontations.

Multiple sources outlined Erdogan's objectives for the future: diversifying the country's allies; preventing significant diplomatic crises; expediting the reconciliation efforts with Syria, Egypt and the Gulf states; and, above all, upholding independence.

"Turkey is positioning itself as a global actor or power. This signifies that Turkey adopts a distinct perspective on every conflict or issue it encounters," said Murat Yesiltas, head of foreign policy research at Ankara-based think tank the Foundation for Political, Economic, and Social Research (Seta).

It's a trend seen from the Ukraine war to Syrian Kurdish groups to the eastern Mediterranean, an approach that has occasionally placed Turkey in opposition to various regional and international powers.

And though the past decade has often been confrontational, there's a general sense from Turkish officials that, now detentes have been reached with several regional rivals, efforts will be made to avoid direct confrontations.

A foreign ministry source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Middle East Eye that the economy will play a crucial role in shaping Turkey's foreign policy in the coming five years.

Nonetheless, it is anticipated Turkey will grapple with a range of challenges and concerns.

Relations with the West

"Turkey will be pursuing an independent foreign policy," James Jeffrey, former US special envoy to the global coalition against Islamic State group (IS), said last week.

This independence from the West is evident in three key areas.

Firstly, Turkey steadfastly demands the extradition of several Turkish citizens from Sweden on terrorism charges in return for accepting the Scandinavian country into Nato.

Secondly, Ankara persistently urges the US to halt its support for the PYD, a group that controls northeast Syria and which Turkey views as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an armed group that has waged a decades-long war on the Turkish state.

Thirdly, Erdogan maintains a close personal rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and refuses to join western sanctions on Moscow imposed over the invasion of Ukraine. In response, the United States has delayed the sale of F-16 warplanes to Turkey.

According to the Hurriyet daily, in a recent phone conversation between Erdogan and US President Joe Biden, the latter expressed his desire to advance the F-16 deal. However, Biden indicated that the ratification of Sweden's accession to Nato was a precondition.

"I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden, so let's get that done," Biden later told reporters.

Conversely, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Sweden's ratification was not a requirement for the sale of warplanes.

According to Yesiltas, the main obstacle to achieving a full detente in Turkish-US relations is US support for the PYD, whose armed wing, the YPG, is Washington's chief ally against IS on the ground. However, he believes that the US is willing to continue working with Turkey as long as Ankara seeks to repair ties.

Regarding the European Union, key issues such as Sweden's Nato bid, the 2016 refugee deal, and the longstanding stalemate between Turkey and Greece over maritime borders remain at the forefront.

Several European leaders promptly congratulated Erdogan on his election win, emphasising the importance of maintaining cooperation with Turkey to preserve the refugee deal and stability in the Mediterranean Sea, while expressing their expectation for Sweden's ratification.

Erdogan is expected to prioritise maintaining stable relations with the EU and upholding the deal aimed at preventing refugees from reaching Europe.

In exchange for financial support and visa-free travel for Turkish citizens to the EU's border-free Schengen zone, Turkey has successfully curbed the flow of migrants to EU territories. However, the promise of visa-free travel has not been fulfilled due to a disagreement over Turkey's anti-terrorism law.

Erdogan recently accused the EU of using visa issuance as a means of blackmail against Turkey. Turkey currently faces the highest number of visa denials among countries seeking entry into the EU.

According to Yesiltas, there is a likelihood that Turkey will ratify Sweden's accession bid during the Nato summit in July. However, he also expects Sweden to take measures to prevent anti-Turkey demonstrations by supporters of the PKK.

In addition, Yesiltas believes that Turkey will request EU member states simplify visa application procedures.

In the eastern Mediterranean, there is a potential for a period of detente with Greece as Turkey focuses its efforts on exploring energy resources in the Black Sea and the Gabar Mountain, in southeast Turkey, where natural gas and oil have been recently discovered. However, the issue of a divided Cyprus is expected to remain unresolved.

Russia and Ukraine

Turkey has pursued a balanced approach regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine from the outset.

While Ankara has sold armed drones to Ukraine, it has refrained from imposing any sanctions on Russia. Additionally, the deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations to allow the safe export of grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports has strengthened Ankara's position.

Turkish officials indicated to MEE that some European Union countries are in favour of Turkey maintaining this policy as it enables them to engage in discussions with Moscow through Turkey as an intermediary.

On a different note, Erdogan inaugurated the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, constructed by Russia, just before the elections, with Putin attending via video link.

The Akkuyu project extends beyond a mere construction endeavour, as it facilitates sharing of knowledge and technology between the two countries. In essence, Russia has played a significant role in Turkey's entry into the realm of nuclear power.

Nonetheless, Ankara and Moscow find themselves at odds over several issues, including Nagorno-Karabakh, Syria and Libya.

Middle East and North Africa

Turkey has been a staunch supporter of popular uprisings in the region, offering its support to governments in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt that followed the Arab Spring.

Consequently, this led to a confrontation between Ankara and several Gulf states, which have been supportive of various counter-revolutions.

However, Erdogan has initiated several reconciliation processes with countries such as Egypt, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

With Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, this involved signing substantial economic agreements worth billions of dollars, as well as securing a $5bn deposit in Turkey's Central Bank.

According to Yesiltas, re-establishing close ties with the Gulf states is not only beneficial for Turkey but also for the UAE and Saudi Arabia. He argues that we are now entering a phase where geo-economics takes precedence over geopolitics.

Yesiltas believes the UAE and other regional actors, including Egypt, no longer wish to continue military confrontations in Libya and instead recognise the value of Turkey's expertise and knowledge in the defence industry and technology.

Furthermore, he said, the rapprochement with the Gulf states and Egypt does not imply that Turkey will abandon its military influence in countries like Libya or Somalia.

Turkey also held a meeting with the Syrian government in Moscow in May, a decade after cutting ties and declaring support for Syria's opposition.

However, immediate positive results from this reconciliation are unlikely, as both sides have demands that seem unfeasible. While the Syrian government insists on Turkey's withdrawal of troops from the country's north, Ankara believes that such a pullout would strengthen the power of the PYD.

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https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-erdogan-announces-new-cabinet-signals-turn-economic-policy?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Social_Traffic&utm_content=ap_1bkhiqpwit

Turkey: Erdogan announces new cabinet, signals turn in economic policy

President Tayyip Erdogan announced his new cabinet following his win in Turkey's 28 May runoff vote, with picks signalling a return to more orthodox economic policies.

In a highly-anticipated appointment, Erdogan named Mehmet Simsek to his cabinet to tackle Turkey's cost-of-living crisis and other strains.

Simsek's appointment as treasury and finance minister could set the stage for interest rate hikes in coming months, analysts said - a marked turnaround from Erdogan's longstanding policy of slashing rates despite soaring inflation.

A former Merrill Lynch economist, Simsek is known to oppose Erdogan's unconventional policies.

After winning a runoff election last weekend, Erdogan, 69, who has ruled for more than two decades, began his new five-year term by calling on Turks to set aside differences and focus on the future.

Erdogan called for unity during a lavish ceremony at his presidential palace in the capital Ankara on Saturday, attended by dozens of world leaders, including Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

"We will embrace all 85 million people, regardless of their political views, origins, creeds or sects," he said, expressing hope that his appeal would be reciprocated also by his opponents.

"Turkey needs unity and solidarity more than ever," he said.

Erdogan changed almost all his cabinet members except for his health and culture ministers.

Turkey's new cabinet also includes Cevdet Yilmaz, another orthodox economic manager, as vice president, and the former head of the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) Hakan Fidan as foreign minister, replacing Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Fidan has been at the helm of the MIT since 2010 - and Erdogan once called the 55-year-old his "secret-keeper".

The apparent reversal in economic policy comes as many analysts say the big emerging market is heading for turmoil given depleted foreign reserves, an expanding state-backed protected deposits scheme, and unchecked inflation expectations.

Simsek, 56, was highly regarded by financial markets when he served as finance minister and deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2018.

'Delay a crisis'

Analysts had predicted that Erdogan was almost certain to put him in charge of the economy, marking a partial return to more free-market policies after years of increasing state control of forex, credit and debt markets.

After past episodes in which Erdogan pivoted to orthodoxy only to quickly return to his rate-cutting ways, much is expected to rely on how much independence Simsek is granted.

"This suggests Erdogan has recognised the eroding trust in his ability to manage Turkey’s economic challenges. But while Simsek’s appointment is likely to delay a crisis, it is unlikely to present long-term fixes to the economy," said Emre Peker, a director at Eurasia Group covering Turkey.

"Simsek will likely have a strong mandate early in his tenure, but face rapidly increasing political headwinds to implement policies as March 2024 local elections draw near."

Erdogan's economic programme since 2021 stresses monetary stimulus and targeted credit to boost economic growth, exports and investments, pressing the central bank into action and badly eroding its independence.

As a result, annual inflation hit a 24-year peak beyond 85 percent last year before easing.

The lira has lost more than 90 percent of its value in the last decade after a series of crashes, the worst in late 2021. It hit new all-time lows beyond 20 to the dollar after the 28 May vote.

Ravenlocke

3rd June 2023, 21:07

https://twitter.com/dana916/status/1665018563067801602

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Commander of the Iranian Navy, Admiral Shahram Irani:

- A regional naval alliance soon between Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Pakistan and India
- We are glad that the regional countries are convinced that establishing maritime security depends on the cooperation and coordination between the countries of the region.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan:
- I will visit Tehran soon
- We are heading to a new phase of the relationship with Iran to achieve the interests of the two peoples and the region, and we are pleased with the progress achieved in bilateral relations
- We thank the Iranian leadership for the assistance it provided to the Saudi technical delegation to open the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran.

believeinsyria

https://twitter.com/dana916/status/1665021569838530562

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Ravenlocke

3rd June 2023, 21:50

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Chinese warship and US destroyer in Taiwan Strait - PRC allegedly disrupts Canada-US exercises in South China Sea

A Chinese warship passed within 130 metres of the USS Chung Hong destroyer. The scenario for the Canada-US exercise in the Taiwan Strait was disrupted to avoid a collision between the vessels. The Chinese navy ship notified the USS Chung Hong of the excessive approach, but the US ship was not about to give up speed.

Once again, but on the water, the Chinese People's Liberation Army is showing the US that the waters of the South China Sea must be cleared of non-Asian military installations. And especially from NATO exercises in the strategic Taiwan Strait.

#source

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https://twitter.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1665099279994683392

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🇺🇸🇹🇼 The American destroyer Chung-Hoon and the Canadian frigate Montreal made a passage through the Taiwan Strait. This is yet another provocation against China while the Chinese Defense Minister is in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit.

#source:
https://t.me/china3army/21282

https://twitter.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1665095809015205888

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Ravenlocke

3rd June 2023, 22:07

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The Chinese fleet has overtaken the American one in many ways, writes CNN.

The PRC now has about 340 warships, while the US has less than 300.

According to Pentagon calculations, the Chinese fleet will grow to 400 ships in the next two years, while the Americans will need another 22 years to reach 350 units.

Some experts estimate that China can build three warships in the time the US builds one.

Moreover, some of the Chinese ships may have more firepower.

For example, the new generation Type 055 destroyers. China already has eight of them, and the United States has only two similar ships to the Zumwalt project. The Chinese new destroyers have 112 missile launchers, while the US ones have 96.

American experts propose to solve the problem by starting the production of ships at shipyards in Japan and South Korea, where there are enough specialists and developments.

But this is currently prohibited by American law - to build ships abroad and purchase imported ones.

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https://twitter.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1664896018486263808
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Ravenlocke

3rd June 2023, 22:10

https://twitter.com/timand2037/status/1665082261153169408

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Ravenlocke

3rd June 2023, 22:26

https://twitter.com/mazzenilsson/status/1665085989381914627

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Ravenlocke

3rd June 2023, 22:46

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Tomorrow is June 4, the day of mourning for the CIA & capitalism. 😭😭

1989 was the year when the USSR started to collapse.

If only China could be swept under that wave, the globalists’ dream of world domination would come to fruition!

Hence the Tiananmen Square protests!

Just like any Color Revolution, all the usual suspects were involved — George Soros, CIA, Western media propaganda, and some pro-US leadership within China.

On the ground were mostly innocent students and workers, who had no idea what was happening. They wanted economic and political reforms but not Western-style democracy.

They were mostly pro-Mao, pro-socialism, pro-police, pro-military etc.

The police were unarmed -- didn't even have batons. Because nobody expected any trouble.

https://twitter.com/Kanthan2030/status/1665005882365841408

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By the way, the gathering wouldn't even have happened.

But fate would deal China a bad card.

A famous reformer, Hu Yaobang -- Chairman & General Secretary of the CCP -- died on April 15, 1989.

He was loved by young Chinese people, who then gathered at the Tiananmen Square to mourn his death.

That was the perfect opportunity the USA was waiting for!

Thus, on April 20, 1989 – five days after Yaobang’s death – James Lilley was appointed as the US Ambassador to China. He was a 30-year veteran from the CIA.

But you can't start a revolution in a week.

Since 1986, George Soros had already spent over $1 million cultivating a sizeable number of young radicals.

Now, these useful idiots infiltrated the mourning crowd at the Tiananmen Square and transformed it into an American movement.

It took the Chinese government one month to realize that shenanigans were happening.

For example, BBC and Voice of America (CIA outlet) were broadcasting all kinds of anti-communist propaganda from Taiwan and Hong Kong.

So, a martial law was passed on May 20, asking the people to end the gathering.

That's when the provocateurs started the violence. They kept escalating.

https://twitter.com/Kanthan2030/status/1665012202485739520

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Armed with guns, Molotov cocktails etc., the saboteurs violently attacked and killed 100+ police and soldiers.

Chinese police, at the time, had no crowd-control tools like tear gas. They didn't even have guns. Thus, the police got beaten up by the mobs.

This is why Beijing had to send in military gear, whose sole purpose was to scare people.

The military let the people destroy tanks, armored vehicles etc. If the communist party were so tyrannical, none of this would have happened.

https://twitter.com/Kanthan2030/status/1665018870128873473

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Did people die on the night of June 3?

Yeah, absolutely. There was mayhem in parts of Beijing.

Equal number of protesters & law enforcement died that night. Total deaths: 200-300.

America's goal was a bloody massacre, which could be exploited for regime change in China.

(Tiananmen Square on the morning of June 4 👇)

When there was no bloodshed, the US invented a massacre.

This is typical American atrocity propaganda.

Crazy stories were made up: Like Chinese soldiers on top of buildings mowing down citizens with machine guns; or tanks deliberately crushing people in Tiananmen Square.

Psychopaths of the United States of America.

And all the young Chinese leaders (stooges) of the protests were able to escape China few days before June 4 and fly to the USA. This clandestine plan was called "Operation Yellowbird."

Even the CIA operation had to have a racist overtone. 🙄
https://twitter.com/Kanthan2030/status/1665024458917318657

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Like this crazy student leader -- Chai Ling -- who admitted in an interview:

“I wanted to tell them [students] that we were expecting bloodshed, that it would take a massacre, which would spill blood like a river through Tiananmen Square, to awaken the people. But how could I tell them this? How could I tell them that their lives would have to be sacrificed in order to win?”

She went to Princeton and Harvard... and even got nominated for Nobel prize!! 🤡of the American Empire.

But the United States of America is a big fukkking liar.

Every Western narrative about China is a lie -- Tiananmen Square massacre, 60 million people killed by Mao's Great leap Forward, Uyghur genocide blah blah.

And there are so many sociopaths at all levels of the US establishment, they can't now figure out what's a woman or a man.

The country has turned into the monster that it ascribed to its geopolitical competitors.

This is the price you pay for imperialism and colonialism.
https://twitter.com/Kanthan2030/status/1665029068214140930

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https://twitter.com/Kanthan2030/status/1665031123175370752

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Ravenlocke

5th June 2023, 14:49

https://twitter.com/wallacemick/status/1665606326922227712

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https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1665529308977446912

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https://www.pekingnology.com/p/freedom-of-navigation-claimed-by

“Freedom of Navigation” Claimed by U.S. is NOT “Freedom of Navigation” under International Law
Analysis from South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) by Lei Xiaolu of Wuhan University.

The South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), launched by Chinese scholars and led by Hu Bo, research professor & director of the Center for Maritime Strategy Studies, Peking University on May 15 published 《此“航行自由”非彼“航行自由”》, written by Lei Xiaolu of Wuhan University, analyzing the difference between the “Freedom of Navigation” claimed by the United States and in International Law.

The SCSPI has just published its English version and upon its generous authorization, Pekingnology is glad to share it here.

Lei Xiaolu is currently an associate professor at the China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies (CIBOS), Wuhan University, and vice director of SCSPI. She obtained her LLM degree in 2009 and PhD Degree in 2012 from Wuhan University specializing in international law. In 2017, she was a visiting scholar at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technology University of Singapore. Her research interest covers the area of Pacific dispute settlement mechanisms, especially the peaceful settlement of the South China Sea disputes, China’s maritime law and policy, and the legal issues in the law of the sea and general international law.

The “Freedom of Navigation” Claimed by the United States is Not “Freedom of Navigation” under International Law

“Freedom of navigation” is a core claim of the U.S. maritime order and has been used to accuse and suppress China's maritime activities. Recently, the U.S. Embassy to China published an article on the U.S. position on the history and connotation of “FON” as a standard to the principle of “freedom of navigation” in international law. In fact, the “FON” pursued by the United States and the “FON” recognized by international law are not the same thing at all.

The right of navigation and its limitations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and general international law

There is a fundamental difference between the freedom of navigation claimed by the United States and the real freedom of navigation under international law. According to the U.S. Embassy article, freedom of navigation is the right of its ships and aircraft to navigate and overfly in so-called “international waters” and innocent passage in the territorial waters of coastal states “without unlawful restrictions by States.”[1] According to Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy: Achieving U.S. National Security Objectives in a Changing Environment by the Department of Defense in 2015, freedom of the seas means not only freedom of passage for merchant ships, but also the use of air and sea by military vessels and aircraft.[2]

Although the concept of “freedom of the seas” has an ancient history, the rules of international law governing navigation have changed significantly with the development of the international law of the sea, particularly with the conclusion of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (hereinafter referred to as “the Convention”). Despite the best efforts of the United States to unite with its allies in negotiations to maintain the so-called freedom of navigation in traditional ways, the Convention ultimately aims to maintain a balance between the interests of maritime powers and coastal states. There has never been an unrestricted right of navigation in the Convention or in general international law.

The disagreement between the United States and China is not about whether other states have navigational rights in the various maritime areas, but rather about the extent to which navigational and other rights can be enjoyed and exercised, specifically, what constitutes an “unlawful restriction” on the navigational rights of coastal states.

U.S. national and military strategy requires that its warships, aircraft, and submarines have unimpeded passage through the world's vital seas, straits, archipelagic sea lanes, and the territorial and archipelagic waters of archipelagic states, more precisely, “it is in the best interests of both coastal and maritime States that the coastal state not be faced with a decision as to whether or not to permit transits”.[3] In 1986, when U.S. aircraft passed through the Strait of Gibraltar for military operations against Libya, neither Spain nor Morocco, as coastal states, were asked for consent for U.S. aircraft to fly over their territorial waters within the Strait. Thus, what the United States insisted upon and pursued was a right of unimpeded transit passage without the consent, or any reaction from the coastal states.

This position, is clearly not fully supported by the Convention. Although foreign ships enjoy the right of innocent passage in the territorial sea, Article 25 of the Convention provides that the coastal state may take the necessary steps to prevent passage which is not innocent. That is, the coastal States have the right to decide whether the passage of a foreign ship is consistent with the “right of innocent passage” under Article 19. The Convention also provides that the coastal State may adopt domestic law on innocent passage and may require a foreign warship that disregards any request for compliance with domestic law to leave the territorial sea immediately.[4] The Convention does not specify what steps and measures a coastal state may take or how a coastal state may “require” a foreign warship to leave its territorial seas. The practice varies from State to State. There is clearly no right of navigation in the territorial seas of a coastal state that ignores its decisions. U.S. warships may exercise the right of innocent passage, but at the same time must respect the coastal state's determination of whether the passage is innocent and comply with the laws and regulations of the coastal State concerning passage through the territorial sea.

The right of navigation is not unrestricted in waters beyond the territorial sea. The United States argues that the freedom of navigation of the high seas is applicable beyond the territorial sea, and thus created the concept of “international waters”, which seems to express a meaning similar to the concept of “international airspace” in international law. However, unlike international law concerning airspace, the Convention categorized the ocean into different maritime zones, such as internal waters, territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone, continental shelf, high seas and the Area, and the rights and obligations of states varies.

The United States upholds that the exclusive economic zone (hereinafter referred to as “EEZ”), and the continental shelf only entitles the coastal state sovereign rights and jurisdiction related to the use of natural resources. In practice, however, the exercise of navigational rights in the EEZ should also take the obligation of “due regard” under Article 58 into account. Article 58 does not specify which kind of interests need to be “due regard”. During the negotiation of the Convention, the issue of the limits and legality of military activities in the EEZ was discussed, and concerns regarding the security interests of coastal States were raised by Peru, Brazil, Uruguay and others.[5] Until now, there is no consistent state practice among states on this issue. But at least, the right of navigation in the EEZ is limited by the jurisdiction of the coastal state regarding natural resources and marine environmental protection.

The Convention also provides the regime of the straits used for international navigation and archipelagic sea lanes. All these regimes reflect the delicate balance between the sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the coastal State and the interests of navigation of other States. On the one hand, it guarantees the right of navigation, and on the other, it maintains the space for coastal states to take measures to safeguard their national security. Although President Ronald Reagan stated in 1983 that the United States “prepared to accept and act in accordance with the balance of interests relating to traditional uses of the oceans—such as navigation and overflight”,[6] the balance of interests as understood by the United States may differ from the understanding of state parties to the Convention.

The United States is not a party to the Convention. In accordance with Articles 31 and 32 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, subsequent practice of the parties is to be considered when interpreting the Convention. That is, the Convention is likely to evolve in accordance with the subsequent practice of the Parties. But as a non-party to the Convention, the practice of the United States means nothing for the interpretation of the Convention. The United States has repeatedly asserted that the Convention reflects customary international law in the 1980s, but if the customary international law develops with different state practice, it might be inconsistent with the living Convention.

Therefore, if the United States wants to preserve its navigational interests, forcing its position through unilateral acts is not the best option. It must face up to and respect the space reserved by the Convention for coastal States to maintain their national security and resolve the relevant issues with the States concerned through bilateral or multilateral legal arrangements.

U.S. “Freedom of Navigation Operations”

In 1979, noting that the forthcoming Convention would lead to creeping jurisdiction, and in response to what it called “excessive maritime claims,” the Carter Administration decided to implement the “Freedom of Navigation Program”.[7] The U.S. scholar William Aceves has pointed out that the FON program was established to warn countries that the United States would not tolerate claims having an adverse impact on maritime transit.[8]

The United States has repeatedly touted its so-called freedom of navigation as a means of securing sea lanes and commercial prosperity, but this is not the case. According to the U.S. Department of Defense's 2015 Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy report, when it uses freedom of the seas, it means not only freedom of passage for merchant ships, but also the use of air and sea by warships and aircraft. The U.S. Department of Defense elaborates on the reasons for implementing the “FON program” in the Asia-Pacific, noting that “EEZs in the USPACOM region constitute 38 percent of the world’s oceans” and “if these excessive maritime claims were left unchallenged, they could restrict the ability of the United States and other countries to conduct routine military operations or exercises in more than one-third of the world’s oceans.”[9]

Thus, while the U.S. “FON program” may be intended not to deter coastal states but to declare its legal position, the criteria of the implementation has largely relied on whether the claim affects freedom of navigation of the United States. This also determines that it is unlikely for the US to recognize the ambiguity of international law on this issue and take the initiative to solve the problem in an equal and consultative manner, taking into account the concerns and interests of other countries.

For more than 40 years, the United States has claimed that it conducts its “FON program” against unspecified countries, seemingly emphasizing the neutrality of the operation. Since 2007, China has been a target country for the U.S. “FON program”. According to information publicly released by the Congressional Research Service and the U.S. Seventh Fleet, from 2015-2022, a total of 39 “FON operations”, or FONOPS, have been conducted against China around the islands and reefs in the South China Sea.[10]

More importantly, unlike other “FONOPS”, U.S. “FONOPS” near islands and reefs in the South China Sea are more politically and strategically provocative.

The United States does not usually release details of its “FON program”, but since 2015, the U.S. has taken the initiative to disclose the vessels and details of its “FONOPS” in response to the legal status of the islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Almost every operation is closely aligned with important U.S. policies and issues related to the sea and China. According to scholarly statistics, of the 39 “FONOPS” in the South China Sea from 2015 to 2022, at least 22 were related to U.S. China-related and maritime-related policy trends, mainly involving the construction of the Nansha islands and reefs, the South China Sea arbitration case, and the consultations for a “Code of Conduct for the South China Sea”.[11]

It can be seen that the U.S. “FONOPS” have nothing to do with maintaining the safety of international waterways and the prosperity of maritime trade, as they are touted, but are akin to military activities to advance U.S. global strategy and safeguard U.S. security interests. It has nothing to do with international law, and is actually a domestic system design and practice created by the United States outside the Convention mechanism.

The Rules-based Maritime Order as Unilateral U.S. Hegemonic Tools

The U.S. has repeatedly explained the historical and practical roots of its unwavering defense of freedom of navigation, and in fact this logic has been very clearly shown to the world: the U.S. national interests depend on a liberal international order, and therefore it will spare no effort to promote this international order, including the so-called freedom of navigation. The United States sees this as a common interest of the world, seeking to establish and maintain a “rules-based maritime order” with like-minded countries.

The United States seems particularly puzzled that such a wonderful idea could be questioned, since it has never cared about or even deliberately ignored the interests and views of other countries. In fact, the negotiation process at UNCLOS III has made it clear that absolute freedom of the seas will provide a wide space for maritime powers to realize their interests, while other nations will face national security threats. It is difficult to imagine how a country can have the confidence to designate archipelagic sea lanes in an open posture when it does not have the ability to sense the passage of nuclear submarines through its archipelagic waters, or how a country can have the confidence to minimize restrictions on the navigation of warships of other countries in an open posture when it does not have sufficient defense capabilities.

When differences arise, the United States does not tend to seek a lasting and peaceful solution through bilateral or multilateral channels with the countries concerned on the basis of sovereign equality and mutual understanding, but withdraws from international mechanisms when it believes that its national interests cannot be fully reflected, and to defend its national interests in a unilateralist manner with its power. The “FON program” is a perfect example: it is based on a unilateral U.S. interpretation of the international law of the sea, and through this unilateralist act, it prevents the formation of international law that is not favorable to U.S. interests, imposes its claims and positions on other countries, and promotes a “rules-based maritime order” that prioritizes U.S. interests.

The international order should not be based solely on the national interests of any single country, or following the standards of a few countries, but rather on the common interests of all countries. The international order based on international law provides a strong mechanism for safeguarding the common interests of all countries. Only by adhering to the multilateralism mechanism with the United Nations as the core, and the rules of international law, can we truly maintain lasting peace, prosperity and stability of the world. If the U.S. “FON” and “rules-based maritime order” have similar connotations, or if it really wants its position to be understood and accepted, it should seriously consider the positions and concerns of other countries on the right of navigation on an equal footing, and solve problems through bilateral and multilateral arrangements, instead of demanding other States to act according to its standards and interpretations in an imperious tone.

Ravenlocke

5th June 2023, 14:53

https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1660226351637630976

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Ravenlocke

5th June 2023, 14:57

Text:
Despite being used to it, I remain absolutely gobsmacked at the lies coming from the American government.

Anyone who pays even remote attention to the subject can see U.S. policy on China and Taiwan has changed dramatically.

For one the core of the policy towards Taiwan was strategic ambiguity, meaning the US not saying if it would defend Taiwan, or not, in case of conflict. Biden has now said at 4 different occasions that the US would.

Another key aspect of US policy towards Taiwan was the absence of American soldiers on the ground. They left when the US recognized the PRC as the sole legitimate government of China in 1978, 45 years ago and... came back this year when 200 US military trainers were officially announced.

Or yet another key aspect of the policy was the absence of official relations between Taiwan and the US... policy shattered by Pelosi's visit to the Island in her official capacity as Speaker of the House.

I could go on and on: the unprecedented arm sales to Taiwan, the constant flow of US warships in the Taiwan strait, etc.

So why lie? For a very simple reason. So that when war arises, just like the Ukraine war, the US can claim it was "totally unprovoked"...
https://politico.com/news/2023/06/04/china-taiwan-biden-sullivan-00100100

https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1665636077200375809

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Ravenlocke

6th June 2023, 06:51

https://twitter.com/Sprinter99880/status/1665965961818537984
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Ravenlocke

7th June 2023, 20:30

https://twitter.com/Sprinter99880/status/1666505334507053067

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Ravenlocke

15th June 2023, 20:02

Text:
Palestine goes to Beijing.

Geopolitical and diplomatic prize for China. You get the Palestinian love, you get the love of the entire Muslim world.

But this is not a cynical theater. China’s economy and Belt and Road strategy depend on peace and development.

Xi Jinping and Abbas 👇🏽

https://twitter.com/Kanthan2030/status/1669303988255338496

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Ravenlocke

16th June 2023, 01:31

https://twitter.com/21WIRE/status/1669267331279642627

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Text:
Interesting times....
Mahmoud Abbas, President of Palestine gets a statesman treatment while...
Von der Leyen was humiliated when in China, she had to take the train to the airport and go trough the customs like "average Joe"

For China the EU is a US construction who took away the sovereignty and dignity of the people of EU. President Xi despises arrogant clowns that call the global south a "jungle" and he had his subtle ways to show it to Von der Leyen by laying a "garden" in the middle of a huge round table.
on the other side, for President Xi, Abbas and Palestine are the symbols of colonial crimes to be repaired and Xi is about to bring a solution to the Palestinian issue.

The West seeks divide and control
China looks for harmony and mutual prosperity.

https://twitter.com/Angelo4justice3/status/1669377224334798848

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Ravenlocke

16th June 2023, 14:58

https://twitter.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1669452030488838145

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Ravenlocke

20th June 2023, 23:22

https://twitter.com/TheCradleMedia/status/1671127450405810176

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https://thecradle.co/article-view/26190/extremist-israeli-minister-gets-free-reign-to-expand-west-bank-settlements

Extremist Israeli minister gets free reign to expand West Bank settlements

Israel transferred a significant portion of the occupied West Bank’s administration away from the military into the hands of extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a move that has been seen as a first step towards the annexation of the territory.

The transfer was agreed upon between Smotrich, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The agreement will give Smotrich power over civilian issues in the West Bank, including authority over unlicensed settler outposts and settlement construction plans.

He will also be given the power to appoint members to Israel’s governing body in the West Bank, the Civil Administration.

This has sparked fears that Smotrich will use these powers to significantly increase illegal settlement building and thwart Palestinian development.

The finance minister has long been calling for these powers to be handed over to him.

According to Israeli lawyer Michael Sfard, the decision makes Smotrich the “governor of the West Bank” and represents a “de jure annexation” of the occupied West Bank.

“It is a radical change of the governance of the West Bank and the occupied Palestinian territories in general. The Israeli government will now directly maintain administrative powers over the occupied territories. The officials who have those powers will be appointed by Smotrich, the new governor of the West Bank, and to a large extent, the military commander will be bypassed,” he said.

He added that the move “brings Israel further into conflict with international law.”

Israel illegally occupied the West Bank during the 1967 war. It was never formally annexed, however.

Since the inauguration of Netanyahu’s government, talk of West Bank annexation has been on the rise.

Even before Netanyahu’s government was officially formed, it was heavily reported that during coalition formation talks, the prime minister had already agreed to grant Smotrich control over the Civil Administration.

As part of the newly announced deal between Netanyahu and Smotrich, the latter has been granted the ability to bypass the several-step process for building settlements. The decision was approved in the cabinet just two days ago.

Israel has also just recently approved new settlement plans, despite making commitments to halt illegal construction during the security meeting in Sharm al-Sheikh in March.

Smotrich assumes his new role as the armed resistance in the occupied West Bank has expanded beyond levels of expectation.

On Monday, Israel launched a brutal raid in Jenin, facing extremely fierce resistance.

Groups such as the Lions’ Den and the Jenin and Nablus Brigades of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement have repeatedly affirmed that their overall goal is the “liberation” of the West Bank.

Any attempt to officially annex the West Bank would be expected to result in further escalation of violence between Israel and resistance factions.

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https://twitter.com/TheCradleMedia/status/1671145706818609152

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https://thecradle.co/article-view/26186/israeli-army-targets-palestinian-journalists-in-latest-jenin-assault

Israeli army targets Palestinian journalists in latest Jenin assault

The Israeli army targeted several Palestinian journalists during its latest assault on the city of Jenin and its camp, WAFA news agency reported on 19 June.

Hafiz Abu Sabra, a journalist, told WAFA that Israeli forces directly opened gunfire at his vehicle while he was covering the assault near the entrance of the camp.

The soldiers also opened fire at Hazem Nasser, a photojournalist at Al-Ghad TV channel, wounding him in the stomach as he sought cover from snipers on a roof while covering the assault.

Israeli troops launched a massive raid into the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on the morning of 19 June, resulting in the death of five Palestinians and the injury of at least 66, Palestinian media outlets reported.

The raid began with the Israeli army storming Jenin to make arrests and facing heavy gunfire from resistance fighters.

Confrontations escalated significantly after Palestinian resistance fighters ambushed invading Israeli troops and detonated explosive devices targeting their military vehicles.

Israeli media outlets confirmed that seven Israeli soldiers were injured in one of the blasts, with unconfirmed reports suggesting deaths among the troops.

The Israeli military targeted 215 Palestinian journalists in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem in 2022, according to a report from the Beirut-based Journalist Support Committee (JSC).

“Palestinian journalists endure a dangerous work environment as they are always subject to the Israeli occupation’s attacks and violations,” the JSC said.

According to the JSC, Israeli occupation forces often open fire at Palestinian journalists even when they are visibly wearing bullet-proof press vests.

Israeli Forces have killed 55 Palestinian journalists since 2000, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS).

According to PJS, two journalists were killed by Israeli forces in 2022, including Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

Abu Akleh, who also holds US citizenship, was killed on 11 May when she was shot in the head while covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin. The Israeli army initially denied responsibility for killing Akleh, claiming she had been killed by gunfire from Palestinian resistance fighters.

Due to Akleh’s high profile, several leading media agencies, including Al Jazeera, CNN, Associated Press, Washington Post, and the New York Times, conducted investigations into her death and concluded that Israeli forces had killed her.

Ravenlocke

20th June 2023, 23:51

Webinar: The Propaganda War Against China

October 2021

Discuss the relationship between this propaganda onslaught and the New Cold War; the reality in Xinjiang and Hong Kong; the participation of sections of the Western left in the propaganda war; and more.

The event is co-sponsored by the Morning Star, the Grayzone, Pivot to Peace, the Geopolitical Economy Research Group, the International Manifesto Group, and Qiao Collective.

Speakers

- Chen Weihua (EU bureau chief, China Daily)
- Li Jingjing (Reporter, CGTN)
- Ben Norton (Assistant editor, The Grayzone)
- Jenny Clegg (Author, ‘China’s Global Strategy: Toward a Multipolar World’)
- Daniel Dumbrill (Canadian Youtuber and political analyst based in Shenzhen)
- Michael Wong (Vice President, Veterans For Peace, San Francisco)
- Danny Haiphong (Co-editor, Friends of Socialist China)
- Kenny Coyle (Editor of Praxis Press; Morning Star contributor)
- Chair: Radhika Desai (Professor, University of Manitoba; Convenor of the International Manifesto Group)

JRxyoPgIHD0

Ravenlocke

21st June 2023, 00:34

https://www.unz.com/avltchek/how-can-the-u-s-dare-lecture-china-about-the-rights-of-the-muslims/

How Can the U.S. Dare Lecture China About the Rights of the Muslims?, by Andre Vltchek - The Unz Review

In 2019, I have written a long analysis about “the Uygur issue”; analysis which will be soon published as a book.

For some time, I have been warning the world that the West, and the United States in particular, are helping to radicalize the Uyghurs in Xinjiang Province and outside.

And not only that: I clearly mapped movement of the Uyghur radicals through some countries like Indonesia, towards Turkey, from where they are then injected into brutal war zones like Idlib in Syria. I worked in Idlib area, with the Syrian commanders, and I spoke at length with the Syrian internally displaced people; victims of the Uyghur genocidal attacks.

The majority of Uyghur people are Muslims. They have their own, ancient, specific culture and most of them are, of course, very decent human beings. Northwest China is their home.

The “problem” is that Urumqi, Xinjiang, are located on the main branch of BRI (The Belt and Road Initiative) – an extremely optimistic, internationalist project which is ready to connect billions of people on all continents. The BRI is infrastructural as well as cultural project, which will soon pull hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and under-development.

Washington is horrified that China is taking a lead in building a much brighter future for humanity. It is because, if China succeeds, it could be the end of Western imperialism and neo-colonialism, leading to real freedom and independence for dozens of until now suffering nations.

Therefore, Washington has decided to act, in order to preserve the status quo and its dominance over the world.

Step one: to antagonize, provoke and to smear China by all means, be it over Hong Kong, Taiwan, South China Sea or, above mentioned “Uygur Issue”.

Step two: to try to turn a part of China’s constitutionally-recognized national minority – Uyghurs – into “rebels”, or more precisely, terrorists.

Turkey, a member of NATO, offered the U.S. a helping hand. Uyghurs were flown with their families to Istanbul, with Turkish passports, through hubs in Southeast Asia. Then, their passports were confiscated in Istanbul. Many Uyghurs were recruited, trained, and then transported into war-torn Syria. Smaller group stayed in places like Indonesia, joining jihadi cadres there. When terrorist groups in Syria were almost thoroughly defeated, some Uyghurs were moved to Afghanistan, where I also used to work, and investigated.

Needless to say, Afghanistan has a short but important border with China.

Why all this complex operation? The answer is simple: NATO/Washington/West hope that the hardened, well-trained Uyghur jihadi fighters will eventually return home to Xinjiang. There, they would start to fight for “independence”, and while doing that, they would sabotage the BRI.

This way, China would be injured, and its most powerful global project (BRI) would be disrupted.

The Chinese government is, naturally, alarmed. It is clear that the West has prepared brilliant trap: 1) If China does nothing, it will have to face extremely dangerous terrorist threat on its own territory (remember Soviet Union being dragged into Afghanistan, and mortally injured by Western trained, financed and supported Mujahedeen? West has long history of using Islam for its Machiavellian designs). 2) If China does something to protect itself, it will get attacked by the Western media and politicians. Precisely this is what is happening now.

Everything is ready, prepared.

On 12 September 2019 , South China Morning Post, reported :

“US Senate passes Uygur Human Rights Policy Act calling for sanctions on Chinese officials over Xinjiang camps

Bill also urges Trump administration to prohibit export of goods and services to state agents in Chinese region where upwards of 1 million Uygurs are being held
Beijing describes move as a ‘gross interference in China’s internal affairs’”
Naturally, the so-called rights act to interfere in Xinjiang’s affairs is one great exercise in hypocrisy and intimidation.

Let us not forget that the United States is treating Muslim people with absolute spite. It even bans them from entering the country, if they happened to live in certain nations. It arbitrarily bombs them in Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere, worrying nothing about the loss of civilian lives. It tortures Muslims, and it humiliates them at home and even in their own countries.

And frankly: by trying to trigger the Uyghur insurgency in China, Washington is clearly doing a great harm to the Uyghurs themselves, and actually to all people of Northwest China. It is not just wrong; the United States is committing crime against humanity.

China is a multi-national, multi-cultural country. The Muslim culture is part of PRC’s identity. I suggest anyone who doubts that, to travel to Xi’an, one of three ancient capital cities of China.

Xi’an is where the old great Silk Road originated (ancient BRI, one could argue). Until now it is proud of its tremendous Muslim monuments, as well as of wonderful Muslim food and music. Every year, tens of millions of Chinese visitors travel to Xi’an, to understand its legacy, and enjoy its culture. The city is loved and appreciated, mainly because of its vibrant Muslim identity.

It is thorough nonsense that China is ‘anti-Muslim’. Both China (and Russia) are much more tolerant towards Islam than the West. Historically, and currently.

The same nonsense is to claim that China is building “concentration camps” in Xinjiang.

China’s position is clear: what the West describes as camps, are “vocational training centers” where “trainees” can learn Chinese and gain job skills to stop them becoming victims of “terrorism and religious extremism”. A group of Muslim Indonesian leaders, which gained access to these so-called ‘camps’ in Xinjiang, recently told my colleague, that people who spend some time in these institutions can actually sleep at home, at night.

Hardly a Guantanamo Bay, frankly speaking.

The self-proclaimed “judge”- the United States – has hundreds of high-security prisons, scattered all over the country. It is well known fact that throwing often innocent people to jail is big (privatized) business there, already for long decades. Millions of people are locked in for nothing. How can a country with one of the greatest number of prisoners on earth (on per capita bases) dare to preach anyone about justice? It is actually a great mystery.

What is the true purpose of such acts?

The answer is easy to define: It is that the determined unwillingness of the U.S. to share influence on the world, with other, much more humanistic countries, such as China; it is its unwillingness to compete, on the basis of great ideas and goodwill.

The more nihilist the U.S. foreign policy becomes, the more it accuses others of ‘murder’.

The way things function is simple: Washington creates some terrible conflict, somewhere. When the victim-country tries to resolve the conflict, and so-to speak ‘extinguish fire’, it is accused of ‘violating rights’ and gets slammed by sanctions.

All this has to stop, at some point, soon. This policy of Washington turns millions of human lives into agony.

[First, in shorter version, published by the China Daily]

Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Five of his latest books are “China Belt and Road Initiative: Connecting Countries, Saving Millions of Lives”, “China with John B. Cobb, Jr., Revolutionary Optimism, Western Nihilism, a revolutionary novel “Aurora” and a bestselling work of political non-fiction: “Exposing Lies Of The Empire”. View his other books here. Watch Rwanda Gambit, his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and his film/dialogue with Noam Chomsky “On Western Terrorism”. Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter. His Patreon

Ravenlocke

22nd June 2023, 01:05

Text:
Peru's coup regime recently approved the entry of US troops. This Peruvian media outlet reports that this is due to "US concern over growing Chinese influence in the region":

"The United States is preparing an unprecedented military and weapons deployment on Peruvian soil: more than a thousand uniformed [soldiers], planes, ships, ammunition of all calibers, and communication equipment. A spectacular display to send a message to their Asian rivals".

The unelected coup "government of Boluarte, with the blessing of Congress, has been happy to serve the table".

The former chief of Peru’s National Intelligence Directorate said: “There is a global political confrontation between the United States and China and Russia. Peru is key because we are located at a strategic point in the Pacific basin, a gateway for China and access point to Brazil’s huge market on the Atlantic seaboard. We are a hinge”.
https://nakedcapitalism.com/2023/06/us-troops-are-in-peru-to-counter-chinese-and-russian-influence-in-latin-america-reports-peruvian-weekly.html

https://twitter.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1671610123322634240

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https://twitter.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1671612430240055298

1671612430240055298

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/06/us-troops-are-in-peru-to-counter-chinese-and-russian-influence-in-latin-america-reports-peruvian-weekly.html

US Troops Are in Peru to Counter Chinese and Russian Influence in Latin America, Reports Peruvian News Outlet

Peruvian troops’ “training alongside US forces will help to improve their capabilities and strengthen the operational performance of [Peruvian] Special Forces, boosting their interoperability with NATO systems and doctrine.”[/B]
As Peru descends even deeper into political chaos and ungovernability, the main priority for its unelected President Dina Boluarte is basic survival. So says a piece in the Peruvian daily La Republica, adding that Boluarte’s dire approval rating (14%-17%) is a result not just of the 60 protesters’ deaths on her watch but also her abject lack of management ability. As vice president, Boluarte helped to topple and replace her former boss, Peru’s elected President Pedro Castillo, now languishing in jail, sparking riots throughout the country. But since then (December 7), her short-lived presidency has brought nothing but bloodshed, chaos and division.

Peru is currently in the grip of its worst ever Dengue outbreak, which is hitting poor communities — many of the same communities that voted for Castillo — particularly hard. Five days ago, the Health Minister Rosa Gutiérrez resigned over criticism of her management of the crisis. Gutiérrez’s replacement, César Vásquez, faces allegations in Peru’s Congress of influence peddling in early 2021. It is against this febrile backdrop that Boluarte chose to break the news five days ago that she will not be calling general elections until 2026 — despite the fact she has repeatedly pledged to call new elections some time this year, has zero democratic legitimacy, is broadly despised by the public and is under investigation for numerous human rights violations.

Options may be cash settled or physically delivered. ETF options, like SPY, expire into a position in the ETF. Index options, like the comparable Mini-SPX, are cash settled. This key difference is particularly important when we talk about “gap risk.”

But Boluarte still enjoys the support of the US Embassy*, and for the moment that is what counts. In fact, there are 1,172 US soldiers on Peruvian soil right now or at least on their way there. As I reported in my May 26 post, Why Are US Military Personnel Heading to Peru?, the Boluarte government and Peru’s Congress — which ranks even lower in the public’s estimation than Boluarte — have authorised the entry of US troops onto Peruvian soil between June 1 and August 29. They also authorised the entry of 11 US military aircraft, two boats, two trucks, rockets, grenades, detonators, satellite communication equipment, machine guns, pistols and ammunition.

War Games in the New Cold War

Since that article, more details have seeped out about the US military’s presence in Peru, which is certainly out of the ordinary. US troops have entered Peru periodically for decades, but never for periods as long as this. “Juegos de Guerra” (War Games), an in-depth report published by the weekly newspaper Hildebrandt en sus trece, wagers that the main reason for the US troops’ mobilisation is as a show of force to Washington’s main strategic rivals, Russia and China, which are “eroding” US influence in the region.

“There is a global political confrontation between the United States and China and Russia. Peru is key because we are located at a strategic point in the Pacific basin, a gateway for China and access point to Brazil’s huge market on the Atlantic seaboard. We are a hinge”, Wilson Barrantes, former director of Peru’s National Intelligence Directorate (DINI), told the weekly newspaper.

Most of the US military personnel will be taking part in Resolute Sentinel 2023, a military exercise that will be staged across a number of regions of Peru between June and August. The 12th Air Force-led U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) exercise was first held in 2021 when the US deployed 129 military personnel to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. A year later, the military contingent was multiplied by seven and Belize joined the list of participating countries. The third edition will be held for the first time in South America, in a single nation: Peru.

Before the exercise begins, a contingent of 42 members of the US Special Forces will participate in training with Peru’s Joint Intelligence and Special Operations Command, the Joint Special Force and the FAP Special Forces Group. An additional 160 US soldiers, manning nine aircraft, will train with personnel from the Peruvian Air Force, Special Forces (GRUFE), the Space Operations Centre (Copes), and the National Satellite Image Centre (Cnois). Then, a total of 970 members of the US Air Force (USAF), Space Force (USSF) and the US Special Forces will participate in Resolute Sentinel 2023. An additional 65 US military personnel will be staying put until the end of the year to oversee ongoing training programs.

Preparations for the exercise were thrashed out between the US Embassy in Lima and Ana Cecilia Gervasi Diaz, Peru’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Gervasi Diaz was appointed to the role by Boluarte on December 10, just three days after Castillo’s impeachment and imprisonment.

NATO’s Moves in Latin America

In late December, shortly after Castillo’s fall, the Mexican geopolitical analyst Alfredo Jalife-Rahme warned in one of his video conferences (which we covered here) that the United States and China are “in a war for Peru’s soul”. As I noted at the time, this “war” of which Jalife speaks is rather one-sided, given that China, unlike the US, does not tend to meddle in internal politics in the region, or at least hasn’t until now. Now, six months later, Hildebrandt en sus trece, a widely respected Peruvian news outlet, has reached a similar conclusion by tracing some of the steps that led to the US military’s current presence in Peru (text, including the excerpts of Admiral Craig Faller’s document, translated from the Spanish by yours truly):

“In May 2019 Admiral Craig Faller, then head of Southern Command, presented an internal document called “Enduring Promise for the Americas.” It was about a plan for winning allies in Latin America and the Caribbean up to 2027 with the goal of “improving security, protecting the US homeland and our national interests,” says the report.

In the document SOUTHCOM singles out two threats in the US’ “backyard”: Chinese influence and the growth of organised crime. On the spectre of Xi Jinping, Faller paints a bleak picture: “In many areas around the world, including this hemisphere, our competitive advantage is eroding (…) China has expanded its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean at a pace that could one day eclipse its expansion in South East Asia and Africa. Its trade and investments are increasing rapidly and it is now the biggest creditor to the region. Chinese control of deep water ports and infrastructure connected to the Panama Canal bolsters its operational position. Its investments in telecommunications and access to space tracking facilities put at risk military operations, intellectual property and data privacy, says the report.

Faller proposes three lines of action to counter US rivals. The first strategy consists of “increasing” US presence in the region by strengthening its alliances. “We will take advantage of our bilateral security assistance programs to enhance regional cooperation.”

As if to confirm this, the documents presented to the Peruvian Congress requesting authorisation for the entry of US troops and military equipment argue that (emphasis my own) “training alongside US forces will help to improve the capabilities and strengthen the operational performance of [Peruvian] Special Forces, boosting their interoperability with NATO systems and doctrine.”

Since as far back as 2019 the Peruvian Army — one of the last remaining institutional backbones in Peru, according to Jalife — has made no bones about its aspirations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Association at some point in the future, despite Peru’s geographic position perched on South America’s Pacific coastline.

NATO already has three partner countries in South America and is on the lookout for more. In 2017, Colombia became one of NATO’s eight global partners, along with Australia, Iraq, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea. The apparent benefits of membership include interoperability with NATO forces as well as the opportunity to participate in NATO-led operations and missions around the world. Like Colombia, both Brazil and Argentina are also “major non-NATO allies,” a designation awarded by Washington to close allies that have strategic working relationships with the US Armed Forces but are not members of NATO.

NATO is certainly keen to expand its influence in Latin America, especially in the context of the current conflict in Ukraine. In 2019, the US State Department even suggested that Mexico should join the military alliance, despite the country’s long, albeit interrupted, history of neutrality. In 2020, the Atlantic Council even argued that securing Mexico’s membership could be key to keeping the United States, then under Trump’s presidency, “committed” to the Alliance. Between them Brazil (334,000 active military personnel) and Colombia (200,000) alone would contribute more assets to NATO than the European members annexed in the 1990s, according to the the Latin American Strategic Center for Geopolitics (also known as CELAG).

At an event on the sidelines of the 2022 NATO summit in Madrid, King of Spain Felipe VI proposed that Spain could serve as both a bridge and a nexus between NATO and the former Spanish colonies of Latin America — an idea that will no doubt have met with the approval of EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell.

A month ago, Colombia’s first left-wing President Gustavo Petro dismayed many of his supporters by committing to strengthen Colombia’s cooperation with NATO in areas such as climate change, human rights, integrity building and cyber defence. As I’ve noted in a previous article, Petro has his hands largely tied when it comes to dealing with the US military, given that Colombia is one of the biggest recipients of US military aid, is home to seven or eight official US military bases and has suffered through a decades-long civil war that is not nearly resolved. But even I was surprised by the extent to which Petro appears to have caved in.

Peru: “The Most Chinese Country in South America,” Until Now

Peru’s Ambassador to China during Pedro Castillo’s government, Luis Quesada, described China as the “most Chinese country in South America.” That was in July last year. At the time, there was even talk of upgrading China’s free trade agreement (FTA) with Peru. China is already Peru’s largest trading partner on both the exports and imports side while Peru is the second largest destination for Chinese investment in Latin America, behind only Brazil. A whopping 32% of Peru’s exports go to China, compared with just 12% to the US.

But according to the report in Hildebrandt en sus trece, citing other documents by Craig Faller, Washington’s soft-power arm USAID will also be playing a part in the US’ counter-offensive against China and Russia in Peru. The notes that USAID is investigating “foreign agents” in Peru, with a particular focus on “unethical” practices by Asian (read: Chinese) multinationals.

The companies that have so far been targeted allegedly include China Railway Tunnel Group ― with whom the Ministry of Transport and Communications recently cancelled an $87 million contract ― and Cosco Shipping, which is under investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office for a landslide at one of the company’s tunnel construction sites at the $3.6 billion Chancay mega-port it is helping to build. Located 50 miles north of Lima, the port is expected to become (in the words of Mercopress news agency) “a colossal infrastructure that will transform the 65,000 people former fishing village into a milestone of China’s increasing trade and influence in Latin America.”

Chinese companies have also invested huge sums in Peru’s mining sector over the past decade and a half. But US and European interest in Latin America’s strategic resources is also on the rise as the race for lithium, copper, cobalt and other elements essential for the so-called “clean” energy transition heats up. In recent months the region’s largest economies have received state visits from both Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholtz and EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, who last week unveiled €10 billion of Global Gateway investments in Latin America and the Caribbean.

As readers may recall, Craig Faller’s successor at the helm of SOUTHCOM, General Laura Richardson, has been explicit about the US government’s intentions to “box out” China and Russia from strategic resources in Latin America. And while Peru may not form part of the Lithium Triangle (Bolivia, Argentina and Chile), it does boast significant deposits of the white metal. By one estimate, it is home to the sixth largest deposits of hard-rock lithium in the world. It is also the world’s second largest producer of copper, zinc and silver, three metals that are also expected to play a major role in supporting renewable energy technologies.

The problem is that Peru’s economy is hugely dependent on Chinese money for its mining industry and infrastructure projects, and that economy is — as Jalife put it — one of the few “fractals” that continue to provide some degree of stability. And while the US and NATO may offer guns and war, they cannot compete with China on investment or trade.

* The US Ambassador to Peru, Lisa Kenna, is a former adviser to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a nine-year veteran at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). She almost certainly gave the green light for Castillo’s toppling during a meeting with Peru’s Defense Minister Gustavo Bobbio Rosas the day before (December 6). A retired brigadier general, Bobbio Rosas was appointed defence minister just one day before his meeting with Kenna and was replaced a couple of days later by Jorge Chavez Cresta, a graduate of the West Virginia National Guard and the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington. According to a tweet by Peru’s Ministry of Defence, the meeting between Kenna and Bobbio was meant to tackle “issues of bilateral interest.”

Ravenlocke

22nd June 2023, 06:37

https://twitter.com/ricwe123/status/1671422661732319232

1671422661732319232

Text:

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs furiously hit back at Joe Biden on Wednesday for his “extremely absurd and irresponsible” labeling of Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as a “dictator.”

- "Biden's big mouth is a loose cannon," said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. "Mutual trust is what China has been stressing, so Biden's comments are very destructive and damaging.”

https://twitter.com/mazzenilsson/status/1671763439692152833

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Ravenlocke

22nd June 2023, 06:46

https://twitter.com/MoonofA/status/1671544593832181762
1671544593832181762

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/06/and-then-biden-blew-it-.html
(https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/06/and-then-biden-blew-it-.html)
And Then Biden Blew It ...

June 21, 2023

The talks Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had in China were somewhat useful. On his way out he at least used the right words on Taiwan (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12210999/We-not-support-independence-Taiwan-Blinken-stresses-U-S-commitment-One-China-policy.html):
'We do not support Taiwan independence,' America's top diplomat said in Beijing after meeting with Chinese president Xi Jingping.The U.S. had practically begged for the meeting and that it took place is itself a small success (https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3224788/results-blinken-visit-best-world-can-expect-now):
To stabilise their relations, China and the United States must first arrest a downward spiral. That may turn out to be the achievement of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing. It was unrealistic to expect any more just now. The negative fundamentals of the relationship remain the same. Both sides described Blinken’s talks with Foreign Minister Qin Gang and top diplomat Wang Yi as “candid” – meaning very frank. But they paved the way for a meeting between Blinken and President Xi Jinping, which did no harm to hopes for a Xi- Joe Biden summit. Along with Qin’s acceptance of an invitation to Washington, that suggests the two sides found some common ground – particularly the need for more stable ties and to reduce the risk of military conflict.
Then, within just 24 hours, President Biden blew it (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65969802):
US President Joe Biden has called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator at a fundraising event in California. His remarks came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Mr Xi for talks in Beijing, which were aimed at easing tensions between the two superpowers.
Mr Biden also said Mr Xi was embarrassed after an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the US.
..
"The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset, in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it, was he didn't know it was there," Mr Biden said at the event on Tuesday.
"That's a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn't know what happened," he added.
The Chinese government was not amused:
China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called Mr Biden's remarks "extremely absurd and irresponsible". Speaking at a regularly scheduled press conference on Wednesday, she said that the comments were "an open political provocation" that violated diplomatic etiquette.The whole Biden remarks (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/06/20/remarks-by-president-biden-at-a-campaign-reception/) with regards to China from the White House website:
And so, things are changing. We put together in Southeast Asia — and, by the way, I promise you we’re going to — don’t worry about China. I mean, worry about China, but don’t worry about China. (Laughter.) No, but I really mean it. China is real — has real economic difficulties. And the reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two boxcars full of spy equipment in it is he didn’t know it was there. No, I’m serious. That’s what’s a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course up through Alaska and then down through the United States. And he didn’t know about it. When it got shot down, he was very embarrassed. He denied it was even there.
But the fo- — did — the very important point is he’s in a situation now where he wants to have a relationship again. Tony Blinken just went over there — our Secretary of State; did a good job. And it’s going to take time.
But what he was really upset about was that I insisted that we — we reunite the Qu- — so-called Quad. He called me and told me not to do that because it was putting him in a bind. I said, “All we’re doing — we’re not trying to surround you, we’re just trying to make sure the international rules with air and sea lanes remain open. And we’re not going to yield to that — on that.”
There are several issues in there that need some clarifying.
China has no real economic difficulties (https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/China-economists-expect-5.4-GDP-growth-in-2023-survey), just minor issues:
The Chinese economy this year is expected to grow faster than previously forecast and exceed the government's target of "around 5%," according to a survey of local economists. A survey of 28 economists in March revealed that, on average, they expect the Chinese economy to grow 5.4% in 2023, up from 4.7% they forecast in December. The survey was jointly conducted by Nikkei and Nikkei Quick News.
The hope for China this year was 6% GDP growth. China's central bank just lowered a key interest rate by a small margin to achieve that (https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/china-cuts-main-interest-rate-as-economic-recovery-fizzles-out/ar-AA1cMmCp).

Biden acknowledges that the weather balloon was 'blow off course' and thereby debunks previous claims that it was steerable. China had no intent to let the balloon cross Canada and the United States. And if there had really been 'two boxcars full of spy equipment' on the balloon why hasn't the U.S. shown any of it?

Why would or should a president of the U.S. or China know of some weather balloon floating somewhere?

Xi was embarrassed by the circus the U.S. made over that affair?

Xi is a dictator? The man came to his post by merits (https://chinavitae.com/biography/xi_jinping/full) (scroll down) and through a complex representational election system. He can even be dismissed.

Xi denied that the balloon was where it was to whom? And the U.S. would know about that how?

Then comes the tale over the Quad. Biden claims that Xi called him over a quad meeting which is most likely a blatant lie. There are typically read-outs (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/18/readout-of-president-joe-bidens-call-with-prime-minister-james-marape-of-papua-new-guinea/) of phone calls between leaders at that level but I do not find any of a Xi-Biden call during the relevant months on the White House website. Nor was there any news of one.

The Biden talk, made official by posting it on the White House site, is an insult to China. Whatever Blinken has said or done to smooth the relations is no gone. It was already known that the U.S. can not be trusted with anything that it says. What counts is what the U.S. does and there it has so far shown no positive move towards China.

I am not sure that Biden intentionally talked about the balloon incident or was selective with his words on China. But even if it was somewhat accidentally it would not change anything. What matters is the effect. He has sabotaged the results of Blinken's talks in China and the U.S. will rightly be blamed for again worsening the relations.
As Yves Smith summarizes (https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/06/biden-undoes-blinken-china-visit-and-then-some-by-calling-xi-a-dictator.html):
I wouldn’t bet on the minimal commitments from the meetings, like a return to pre-zero Covid levels of passenger flights, to be implemented. The worst is that this insult does not simply demonstrate that the US is incapable of diplomacy. It shows we are so interested in dominance that we’ve lost sight of what our interests our. So institutionally, we are engaging in the same sort of self-destructive behavior that Trump practices personally. Perhaps that is the real reason Democrats hate him. Despite decorating in gold, the essence of his behavior is not all that different than theirs.

Bill Ryan

22nd June 2023, 20:48

Violet3

23rd June 2023, 09:16

Ravenlocke

27th June 2023, 21:41

https://twitter.com/vicktop55/status/1673728306909175811

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Russia is ready to provide assistance to Cuba, which is under the US trade and economic blockade - Russian Defense Minister Shoigu at a meeting with Cuban counterpart Alvaro López Miera in Moscow

“In conditions when the United States has been carrying out an illegal and illegitimate trade and economic blockade of Cuba for many decades, we are ready to help the Island of Freedom, lend a shoulder to our Cuban friends,” the minister said.

https://twitter.com/Sprinter99880/status/1673755141156003841

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Ravenlocke

3rd July 2023, 01:03

Text:
🇵🇸🇮🇱Joint announcement by the spokesperson of the Israeli army and Shin Bet:

In the joint operation of the Israeli army and the Shin Bet, the HML Echud headquarters (pictured) was attacked in the Jenin refugee camp.

As part of the effort to neutralize and destroy the threat of terrorism in Judea and Samaria, the security forces attacked the headquarters of the unit of the groups in the refugee camp of Jenin and the agents of the "Jenin Battalion".

This headquarters was used as an observation base, a gathering place for armed terrorists before and after the terrorist activity, an arming area with weapons, explosives, and a contact and communication center for activists.

In addition, this headquarters served as a shelter for wanted activists in connection with the attacks in recent months in this sector.

Iran Daily24

https://twitter.com/dana916/status/1675650377167847424

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https://twitter.com/dana916/status/1675651245002969089

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https://twitter.com/dana916/status/1675652594318950406

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Ravenlocke

7th July 2023, 11:57

https://twitter.com/witte_sergei/status/1677140787937816577

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Ravenlocke

7th July 2023, 12:04

https://twitter.com/SpiritofHo/status/1677221569918038017

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Ravenlocke

7th July 2023, 12:09

Text:
The French Ministry of Defense claims that Dassault Rafale pilots of the French Air Force encountered "unprofessional" actions by Su-35S pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces on the Iraqi-Syrian border.

It is not specified what the "unprofessionalism" of the Russian pilots was specifically expressed.

https://twitter.com/SpriterTeam/status/1677280213837725696

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Kryztian

13th July 2023, 18:28

Another revelation from Seymour Hersh: the Biden Administration bribed Turkey with 11 billion dollars of IMF loans so that it would drop it's objection to Sweden joining NATO.

13 Jul, 2023 17:42
HomeWorld News
Biden offered Erdogan IMF support to ratify Sweden NATO bid – Hersh
Ankara this week rolled back its opposition to Stockholm joining the US-led bloc
https://www.rt.com/news/579664-us-biden-erdogan-nato-imf/

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh claimed on Thursday that US President Joe Biden offered his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan more than $11 billion in IMF assistance to ratify Sweden’s bid to join the NATO bloc.

In an article posted to his Substack account, Hersh wrote that he had been informed by an anonymous source that “Biden promised that a much-needed $11-13 billion line of credit” would be established for Türkiye by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This was to be in return, Hersh suggested, for Erdogan removing Ankara’s objection to Stockholm joining the US-led military bloc ahead of the NATO summit that took place this week in Lithuania.

Erdogan, who was re-elected as Turkish leader in late May, is currently facing the mammoth task of replacing or repairing hundreds of thousands of buildings damaged or destroyed in February’s earthquakes in which at least 50,000 lost their lives.

Türkiye had previously opposed Sweden’s accession to the bloc, largely due to Ankara’s stance that Stockholm has harbored militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which was involved in an armed conflict with the Turkish state in the 1980s. The PKK has been designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, Sweden, Europe and the United States.

“What could be better for Erdogan,” Hersh wrote of the American and Turkish presidents’ alleged arrangement, quoting an official familiar with it, than him “finally having seen the light and realizing he is better off with NATO and Western Europe?”

The report also referenced a June financial analysis of Ankara’s coffers by the independent think tank Council on Foreign Relations, which cast a dire economic outlook for Erdogan to navigate in the early stages of his latest term as leader.

It said that Türkiye stands on the precipice of an “imminent financial crisis” and if facing a choice “between selling its gold, an avoidable default, or swallowing the bitter pill of a complete policy reversal and possibly an IMF program.”

Hersh, 86, generated headlines earlier this year when he claimed he had been informed –also by an anonymous source– that the United States was responsible for last year’s explosions that neutered the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines that supply energy from Russia to Europe. Washington dismissed the claims as “complete fiction.”

Ravenlocke

15th July 2023, 21:59

https://www.rt.com/news/579767-netanyahu-rushed-hospital-fainting-heat/

Israeli PM rushed to hospital after fainting – media
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was rushed to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan on Saturday on his doctor’s orders after he reportedly lost consciousness.

The leader was determined to be suffering from dehydration but was assessed to be in “good condition” following a medical evaluation, according to his office. Hospital sources told Haaretz he was “conscious and walking independently,” and doctors have reportedly ordered further tests.

Netanyahu had spent the previous day at the Sea of Galilee amid “high summer temperatures,” his office explained in a statement on Saturday, saying he had “complained of slight dizziness” on Saturday afternoon without mentioning any fainting.

In a video posted from the hospital, the PM added that he and his wife had spent the day “in the sun, without a hat, without water – not a good idea,” and advised the public to stay out of the sun and keep hydrated. Temperatures in Israel currently average in the mid-30s centigrade.

The 73-year-old prime minister is the country’s longest-serving leader. While he is not believed to have any chronic health problems, his office has not provided an annual update on his medical condition since 2016, despite longstanding protocol requiring such a report.

Netanyahu was briefly hospitalized overnight in October after “feeling unwell” during prayers on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, with some reports indicating he had experienced chest pains.

It is not clear who would take over from Netanyahu if he became medically incapacitated. While he named Shas party head Aryeh Dery as his stand-in while he was unconscious receiving a colonoscopy in January, Dery was subsequently disqualified by the high court from serving as a government minister due to multiple criminal convictions for tax offenses and corruption, for which his plea bargain included retirement from politics.

Netanyahu’s embattled government has struggled to push through a package of judicial reforms aimed at reducing the power of the Supreme Court. Despite massive public protests and the threat of mass insubordination among factions in the military, officials within his Likud party reportedly believe he plans to go ahead with the overhaul.

Ravenlocke

17th July 2023, 17:01

https://twitter.com/mazzenilsson/status/1680913435276476416

1680913435276476416

Kryztian

25th July 2023, 19:15

The United States has a few thousand troops in Eastern Syria. Illegally. They are increasingly finding themselves surrounded by hostile forces, and the illegal presence of the U.S. is increasingly unpopular with other Arab nations. This situation could also lead to a conflict with the Russian air force, which is present in Western Syria. (Not illegally, but by invitation of the Syrian government.)

It seems that the most intelligent thing for the U.S. military to do would be to leave this area, however, intelligence seems to be an increasingly scarce commodity amongst the neocons (including the neo-liberal variety) in Washington D.C.

Alexander Mercouris lays this all out much more clearly and intelligently than anyone else can, here:

K0c7NoxUNd4

Ravenlocke

31st July 2023, 23:52

https://twitter.com/Sinnaig_/status/1686132698731917312

1686132698731917312

Ravenlocke

11th August 2023, 15:07

https://twitter.com/ricwe123/status/1689971913957711873

1689971913957711873

Ravenlocke

15th August 2023, 02:18

🇵🇸BREAKING NOW: Massive explosion north of Tel Aviv.

A Chemical Plant North of Tel Aviv near the Town of Ramat Hasharon is said to have exploded tonight with residents in the surrounding area being told to “Shelter-in-Place” until further notice due to the possibility of hazardous fumes; Emergency Crews across the Tel Aviv Region have been placed on Alert and are being asked to respond immediately.

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1691255145005539328

1691255145005539328

Ravenlocke

15th August 2023, 02:28

https://twitter.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1691262645645856768

1691262645645856768

Ravenlocke

23rd September 2023, 00:03

https://x.com/HadiNasrallah/status/1704808918566719892

1704808918566719892

Text:
🇸🇾🇨🇳 An official reception ceremony was held at Hangzhou International Airport, where President al-Assad and the First Lady were received by Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, Vice Chairman of the Advisory Council of Zhejiang Province, Gong Xiwei, and the Chinese ambassador to Damascus and his wife.

https://x.com/apocalypseos/status/1704770273743163884

1704770273743163884

Text:
It is a new page in the friendly bilateral relations: Chinese Ambassador in Damascus

September 22, 2023, is a historic day for Chinese-Syrian relations, as President Xi Jinping and President Bashar al-Assad held a friendly meeting in the city of Khanzhou, and jointly announced the establishment of a strategic partnership, said the Ambassador of China to Syria, Shi Hongwei, in a newspaper article on Friday.

This partnership would contribute to strategic planning at the highest level for exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields, in addition to strengthening the traditional Chinese-Syrian friendship in an unprecedented way, he added.

China and Syria are two ancient civilized countries, and the exchange between the peoples of the two countries goes back to ancient times, as the ancient Silk Road connects them closely. 67 years ago, Syria was one of the first Arab countries to establish diplomatic relations with China and opened a new page for Chinese-Syrian friendship. Despite the major changes in international and regional situations, China and Syria continued to exchange support, which made their extraordinary friendship a model for friendly relations between countries with different civilizations, Hongwei went on to say.

He added “China and Syria are still working to strengthen their friendship, and the two countries have loyalty and sincerity. In recent years, the two presidents have maintained close communication, established a deep personal friendship, and pushed the relations to move forward, and the Chinese side firmly supports the Syrian efforts to preserve the country’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and supports the Syrian people to move on the path of development.

The ambassador pointed out that his country rejects the illegal military presence of foreign powers in Syria, the carrying out of illegal military operations there, and the plundering of its natural resources. It also calls on the concerned countries to immediately lift all unilateral and illegitimate sanctions on Syria.

The Syrian side continues to stand with the Chinese on issues related to Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, and the South China Sea, and participates positively in the Global Security Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, the ambassador referred.

“The two countries seek development through cooperation and mutual benefit, and China is the second largest source of commercial imports in Syria, and despite the serious impact resulting from the unilateral and illegal sanctions on Syria imposed by the US and Western countries, economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has achieved fruitful results in recent years.”

Since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, China immediately extended a helping hand to it, providing a large amount of aid, including food supplies, buses, vaccines, and medical equipment, and training a large number of Syrian cadres in various fields, and after the devastating earthquake that struck the country in last February, the Chinese side provided the stricken areas, from the first moment, with clothes, tents, medicines, food, prefabricated housing units, and other urgent rescue materials, the ambassador said.

Hongwei noted “The two sides appreciate each other in a way that enhances their communication which has never ceased at the popular and cultural levels, and they have taken advantage of their possessing ancient civilizations, to show the beauty of their civilization in a way that deepens the cultural and civilizational exchange and pushes it to continue.

The ambassador pointed out that China has also been working positively to enhance exchanges and bilateral cooperation in the field of education, as every year a large number of Syrian students go to China to study for bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Hongwei concluded his article by saying: I am confident that under the joint strategic guidance of President Xi and President al-Assad, the deep friendship will continue to write a new chapter in the new historical period, and bilateral relations will continually rise to new levels, thus contributing more to enhancing security and stability.

https://x.com/apocalypseos/status/1705320626926620754

1705320626926620754

Ravenlocke

5th October 2023, 17:32

https://x.com/VanessaBeeley/status/1709970654898827771

1709970654898827771

https://x.com/VanessaBeeley/status/1709955249602019617

1709955249602019617

Ravenlocke

5th October 2023, 17:36

https://x.com/MaimunkaNews/status/1709979516276273394

1709979516276273394

Ravenlocke

5th October 2023, 18:09

https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1709989216917327970

1709989216917327970

Inversion

5th October 2023, 21:03

Inversion

5th October 2023, 21:31

This is playing out like a script. It reminds of when kings in ancient times would get together and decide upon a war to depopulate. Strange that this nuclear missile is called Satan (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?119255-Brought-To-You-By-Pfizer--Owning-US-American-News-Networks--&p=1512253&viewfull=1#post1512253)-2 which is Pi/3.1415 in Chaldean gematria and his name anagrams to Virtual Pi Mind.

dailymail (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12598295/Putin-vows-create-new-world-Russian-insists-Western-arrogance-started-war-Ukraine-trying-end-ranting-anti-speech.html)

Putin threatens the West with total nuclear destruction leaving 'no chance of survival' in the event of a strike on Russia as he warns his 'Satan-2' and 'Flying Chernobyl' missiles are ready for use in ranting anti-US speech.

President Vladimir Putin has threatened the West with total nuclear destruction leaving 'no chance of survival' in the event of a strike on Russia.

In a ranting anti-US speech, the dictator said his powerful 'Satan-2' and 'Flying Chernobyl' missiles are ready for deployment in an ominous doomsday warning.

Putin told a conference in Sochi: 'From the moment the launch of missiles is detected, no matter where it comes from - from any point of the world ocean or from any territory - such a number, so many hundreds of our missiles appear in the air in a retaliatory strike that there is no chance of survival there will be no single enemy left, and in several directions at once.'

Kryztian

14th October 2023, 16:52

Palestine and Ukraine: Peace is Possible
11.10.23 - Yakov M. Rabkin
https://www.pressenza.com/2023/10/palestine-and-ukraine-peace-is-possible/

The Brandenburg Gate and the White House are laser-painted in Israeli blue-and-white colours. They used to harbour the Ukrainian blue-and-yellow colours. In both cases, Western governments pledge unlimited support and declare the recent attacks on Israel, as earlier on Ukraine, allegedly unprovoked and evil. Déjà vu.

But there is more in common than sanctimonious self-righteousness. In both cases, there is an adamant refusal to look into the obvious causes of violence. In the case of Israel, this refusal is particularly appalling. For 75 years, Israel dispossessed, exiled, imprisoned, and tortured Palestinians who never knew a day of freedom. As the Israeli journalist Gideon Levy sarcastically put it: “We’ll fire at innocent people, take out people’s eyes and smash their faces, expel, confiscate, rob, grab people from their beds, carry out ethnic cleansing and of course continue with the unbelievable siege of the Gaza Strip, and everything will be all right.”

Indeed, most Israelis are accustomed to living in denial. They party and enjoy themselves while a few minutes’ drive away armed Zionist settlers set Palestinian villages on fire, attack olive growers, and beat up anyone daring to defend them. This indifference and oblivion turned to tragedy when a music festival was organized on the border with Gaza, where millions of Palestinians endured a brutal siege imposed by Israel and supported by Egypt. Many Israeli ravers ended up killed in the recent attack from Gaza. Israeli civilians who had felt safely sheltered in their private lives were meted a dreadful reminder of the decades-long violence experienced by the Palestinians living under Israeli siege and control. Israelis found themselves in the hell Palestinians live in every day.

It was also a reminder that Israel since its very beginning has been the most dangerous place for Jews. Built on systemic violence against the local population, Israel has relied on naked force to keep that population under control. No wonder, Palestinians try to resist, and this largely desperate resistance targets every Israeli Jew. Moreover, the dangerous conflation of Zionism with Judaism threatens the safety of Jews around the world.

The Israeli government reacted to the recent attack from Gaza with vengeful anger. It unleashed its entire arsenal against Gaza causing death and destruction to Palestinian civilians. Israeli politicians and generals declare that they are fighting against “animals” and “Nazis”. In a remake of the siege of Leningrad, Israel cut all supplies of food and energy to Gaza while bombing its infrastructure. Many of those surviving the bombardment are likely to starve or die of disease caused by the lack of water. Another man-made humanitarian catastrophe descends upon the long-suffering Palestinians.

All this was preventable. Innumerable United Nations resolutions called upon Israel to allow refugees to return to their homes, to allow them to build their own state. Yet, imbued with the colonialist’s sense of superiority and entitlement, Israeli leaders undermined those prospects with unrelenting dispossession of the Palestinians.

This impunity stems from Western, particularly American support. There are geopolitical reasons to keep Israel armed and intransigent. Israel has become an ally, a warehouse for American weapons and an “unsinkable aircraft carrier” in the middle of the Arab world. It helped Washington keep control of much of West Asia.

Similarly, the desire to encircle and weaken Russia explains the U.S. grooming of Ukraine ever since Yeltsin handed it independence over thirty years ago. Twice, in 2004 and 2014 it fomented coups installing politicians bent on destroying traditional economic, cultural and political links with Russia. When Russia finally awoke from its slumber and proposed negotiations of the security arrangements in Europe, Washington, blinded by its sense of omnipotence, disdained the proposal. This is what incited the war in Ukraine. Just as the recent attack from Gaza, the Ukraine war was not unprovoked. Both wars advance American interests but require no American boots on the ground.

In both cases, there is a road to peace. It lies in the recognition of the legitimacy of concerns of the Other. Exact configurations of peace can be hammered out in negotiations. But for this to happen, both Israel and the collective West must abandon hubris and belief in its exceptionality. All colonial powers, be it Britain, France, Netherlands, or Portugal, finally gave up. But first, they violently resisted decolonization and caused unspeakable violence and starvation to keep their colonies. When will Israel see the light, recognize their humanity, and find a reasonable accommodation with the Palestinians? Or will it opt to kill, starve, and expel the survivors far away from their native land as some Zionists have advocated for decades?

pounamuknight

15th October 2023, 08:19

Strange that this nuclear missile is called Satan (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?119255-Brought-To-You-By-Pfizer--Owning-US-American-News-Networks--&p=1512253&viewfull=1#post1512253)

Ever since that shady organization NATO (https://www.voltairenet.org/article174656.html) dubbed it "Satan 2" back in 2018 (https://abcnews.go.com/International/russia-tested-nuclear-missile/story?id=54123222)

Mainstream media has repeated NATO's made-up name like a ranting village idiot

52060

But it's real name is RS-28 Sarmat (https://sputnikglobe.com/20230622/what-is-the-sarmat-missile-and-why-does-western-media-call-it-the-satan-ii-1111399194.html). Or just The Sarmat, named after the Sarmatian people

The confederation of ancient Eastern equestrian nomads thought to have lived in the Pontic-Caspian steppe in southern Russia and Ukraine from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD, and known for their advanced culture, use of technology, and woman warrior code

Considering that the Samartian people were an ancient people of the Slavic-Eurasian steppes (https://www.marres.nl/EN/sarmatians.htm) whom fought against Roman and Attila the Hun's invasions

The deeper meaning becomes super interesting ;)

Inversion

16th October 2023, 15:23

Anglo Saxon Mission (https://projectavalon.net/lang/en/anglo_saxon_mission_en.html)

Who are the "right" people? The white Caucasians. This may be why the name of this project is The Anglo-Saxon Mission. Hence the justification for the planned genocide of the Chinese people - so that the New World is inherited by "us", not "them".

The same pattern presently exists. Yesterday, they used the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Public_Alert_and_Warning_System)). The acronym anagrams to I WASP.

White Anglo-Saxon Protestant

/ (wɒsp) / n acronym for(in the US) White Anglo-Saxon Protestant: a person descended from N European, usually Protestant stock, forming a group often considered the most dominant, privileged, and influential in American society.

The word WASP came up in an article Benjamin Fulford put up on his website. He compares takeovers of countries to the behavior of wasps.

Benjamin Fulford (https://benjaminfulford.net/2023/10/16/like-failed-bank-robbers-the-khazarian-mafia-seize-hostages-in-desperate-bid-to-avoid-justice/)

This cult takes over societies and forces them to work against the interests of their own people. To understand what happened to Western Christian society and to the Jews long ago, please watch this 8-minute video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYJpNLWlp8U) of a parasitic wasp at work.

The wasps start by taking over the brain of their host by injecting pleasure-causing chemicals to make them accept their parasites. The parasites then start by enriching their hosts until they are ready to subvert them and suck them dry before moving on to another host.

It is an exact metaphor for what happened to the United States and many other Western countries.

When I first asked Asian Secret Societies to help liberate the West I told them “You would never have surpassed us (in GDP) if we had not become infected by these parasites.” They were warned they were being groomed as the next host.

Kryztian

18th October 2023, 17:32

Congressional Report Demands Massive Military Buildup, and Nuclear Preparation for War with Russia and China
https://larouchepub.com/pr/2023/20231014_congress_report.html

Oct. 14, 2023, (EIRNS)—The 145 page report, titled “America’s Strategic Posture: The Final Report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States (https://armedservices.house.gov/sites/republicans.armedservices.house.gov/files/Strategic-Posture-Committee-Report-Final.pdf),” calls for a “nuclear weapons modernization program,” in order to prepare for possible simultaneous wars with China and Russia, according to a Global Times editorial. The article adds:

“Notably, the report diverges completely from the current U.S. national security strategy of winning one conflict while deterring another, and from the Biden administration’s current nuclear policy. It is not a fantasy among the American public, but a serious strategic assessment and recommendation in the service of policymaking.”

The 12-member panel that wrote the report was “hand-picked by the U.S. Congress from major think tanks and retired defense, security officials and former lawmakers,” they write, adding that the “report makes us feel that a ‘strategic nightmare’ is sneaking into the U.S. political agenda, but has not drawn due concern and vigilance in Washington, and to a large extent, the American elite group represented by the panel is actively working to make this nightmare come true.”

The panel’s vice chair, former Sen. Jon Kyl, said that the U.S. requires huge defense spending increases, and both the White House and Congress need to tell the U.S. people that higher defense spending is a small price to pay “to hopefully preclude” a possible nuclear war involving the U.S., China and Russia. U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the statement on the “Final Report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States.” The Chairman of the committee is Madelyn Creedon, a former Principal Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) within the Department of Energy, and positions at the DOD.

Global Times says that the report “will send shivers down the spine of those who retain any basic rationality.” They report that it calls for warheads, bombers, cruise missiles, ballistic missile submarines, non-strategic nuclear weapons and more. The editorial concludes:

“Even promoting a nuclear arms race under the banner of ‘deterrence’ is a disastrous step backward in history. Washington’s political elites, who lived through the Cold War, cannot be unaware of this. However, the fact that such an absurd and off-key report is being presented in all seriousness by the U.S. Congress is both surreal and unsurprising. It is in line with the distorted political atmosphere in Washington today.”

This statement (https://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/rep/release/risch-mccaul-statement-on-strategic-posture-of-the-united-states)on the report issued by Sen. Jim Risch and Rep. Michael McCaul makes it clear:

“As the commission highlights, Russia and China are pursuing destabilizing and aggressive nuclear modernization plans. Russia continues to violate its longstanding arms control and non-proliferation treaties and commitments while China refuses to even engage in talks on nuclear weapons despite its massive breakout in capabilities. The global security landscape has changed dramatically and it is no longer sufficient for the United States to just fund the Obama-era nuclear modernization plan—we must urgently consider additional adjustments to our own nuclear posture if we are to sustain deterrence against two nuclear peers. Failure to do this will leave us unable to deter and defend against these threats, as well as the threat of nuclear escalation from Iran and North Korea.”

A scan of the document’s Preface indicates some preliminary blood-curdling claims by this team of war-mad neocons:

“[M]ilitarily troubling and increasingly aggressive behaviors of Russia and China over the past decade....”

“As a result of China’s and Russia’s growing competition with the United States and its Allies and partners, and the increasing risk of military conflict with one or both, as well as concerns about whether the United States would be prepared to deter two nuclear peers, Congress determined it was time for a new look at U.S. strategic policy, strategy, and force structure.”

“The new global environment is fundamentally different than anything experienced in the past, even in the darkest days of the Cold War. Today the United States is on the cusp of having not one, but two nuclear peer adversaries, each with ambitions to change the international status quo, by force, if necessary: a situation which the United States did not anticipate and for which it is not prepared. While the risk of a major nuclear conflict remains low, the risk of military conflict with either or both Russia and China, while not inevitable, has grown, and with it the risk of nuclear use, possibly against the U.S. homeland.”

“National leaders must communicate to U.S. citizens the benefits and importance of U.S. global leadership.”

“We were clear, however, that the nuclear force modernization POR is absolutely essential, although not sufficient to meet the new threats posed by Russia and China.”

Kryztian

18th October 2023, 17:47

The United States can't afford to help it's growing homeless population, it can't afford to help the victims of disasters (as in Lahaina), but it sure as heck can afford to fund the wars both in Ukraine and Israel at the same time, as both Joe Biden and Janet Yellen are telling us.
(21 minutes)
b9cjg_xbJfY

Ewan

21st November 2023, 22:01

Was entirely unsure where to post the following as we need to step right back from ideas of WWIII and elevate ourselves to a much higher position to regard this; (From an eagle's POV perhaps)..

Taken from p.40-42, 1998 edition The Externalization of the Hierarchy. by Alice A. Bailey

The force emanating from that section of humanity which is found in every part of the world and which we call the Jewish people. What I say here has no specific reference to any individual; I am considering the world problem, centering around the Jews as a whole. . . The Jew, down the ages, has insisted upon being separated from all other races but he brought over from the previous system the knowledge (necessary then but obsolete now) that his race was the “chosen people.” The “Wandering Jew” has wandered from System One to this where he must learn the lesson of absorption and cease his wandering. He has insisted upon racial purity . . . this insistence has been carried down the ages . . . When humanity has solved the Jewish problem (with the understanding cooperation of the Jew) and overcome ancient antipathies and hatreds, it will do so by fusing the problem in one vast humanitarian situation. When that happens, the problem will be rapidly solved and one of the major difficulties will disappear off the face of the earth. Racial fusion will then be possible. Our earth humanity and the group of human beings who are far more ancient in their origin than we are, will form one humanity and then there will be peace on earth. . . . .

The solution will come, as I said, when the races regard the Jewish problem as a humanitarian problem but also when the Jew does his share of understanding, love and right action. This he does not yet do, speaking racially. He must let go of his own separative tendencies and of his deep sense of persecution.

It is worth noting these words were written prior even to the formation of Israel. Viewed without prejudice they are really not inflammatory. Alice Bailey is frequently labelled anti-semitic because of them. Also Alice Bailey did not really formulate the words, they were in effect channeled material from the Tibetan. (Thought to be ascended Master Djwal Khul.)

It is a little disheartening to consider more than 80 years have passed since the words were penned and even now they can provoke ire** and Israel (and its backers) have driven the planet to the closest point we've ever been to realising the truth of the topic title.

** I'm sure we all understand by now how two people can view the same situation and see something entirely different from one another all thanks to the lenses of their inherent belief systems. In short what we view is shaped and understood by what we already believe to be true, this is unconscious until you awaken to that fact and truly understand it.

s7e6e

22nd November 2023, 04:25

This is playing out like a script.

Sure this can't be the case again, can it? :bounce:

ExomatrixTV

15th December 2023, 15:37

BREAKING NEWS: Rand Paul Invokes War Powers Act To Call For The Removal Of US Troops From Syria

TyqoKZ99WcI
During remarks on the Senate floor, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) urged for the withdrawal of US troops from Syria.

Vicus

15th December 2023, 17:05

Nice try...

I don't think this man is dumb, but he knows like the rest of the planet why the US troops are there:

to steal the petroleum in the only place from Syria...and if the troops are been attacked from bad Iranian "proxies" then been "remember" to the
Congress that they don't have any mandate! sweet...

He knows exactly the why but this fact can not been spoken explicit or else... :sherlock:

There is a Spanish idiom: A rio revuelto, ganancia de pescadores: A river uprooted, gain of fishermen...
that is the opportunity for US vultures...

He must not yet been in the vultures club...a new hope?...(how sweet from me)

Ravenlocke

15th December 2023, 17:21

https://x.com/RoyalIntel_/status/1735672284734460105

1735672284734460105

https://x.com/IranObserver0/status/1735672011068707039

1735672011068707039

Ravenlocke

15th December 2023, 17:25

Text:
IRIB military correspondent:

US aircraft carrier Eisenhower leaves the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman after 19 days of continuous activity in the Persian Gulf under constant monitoring by Iran (IRGC & Army).

This comes after its strong media coverage about its arrival. It has now silently exited the Persian Gulf, passing through the Strait of Hormuz at 2 AM.

https://x.com/AryJeay/status/1735607036161720578

1735607036161720578

Vicus

18th December 2023, 15:03

US Plunders Nearly 100 More Trucks Worth of Syrian Oil, Wheat and Barley 17.12.2023

US forces have been illegally occupying oil and food-rich areas of northeastern Syria since the mid-to-late 2010s, setting foot in the country while chasing Daesh (ISIS),* but staying behind long after the terrorist group was routed.

US occupation forces in Syria have made off with dozens’ more truck and tanker loads’ worth of food and oil from the war-torn country, sending them across the border into Iraq using two separate convoys.
Sources on the ground in the Yarubiya countryside near the Iraqi border told Syrian media that a convoy consisting of 40 tankers’ worth of oil exited Syria via the Mahmoudiya border checkpoint.
Separately, sources said, 55 trucks worth of wheat and barley and an unspecified number oil tankers were spotted leaving the Yarubiya countryside via the al-Walid crossing.
Both Mahmoudiya and al-Walid are outside the Syrian government’s control, making them illegal under international law.
Syria, which once enjoyed modest self-sufficiency in both energy and foodstuffs before the US and its allies launched a dirty war aimed at overthrowing President Bashar Assad in 2011, presently depends on food and energy assistance from its Russian and Iranian allies. This support, which helps keep the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country from degenerating into a regional humanitarian crisis, has proven vital amid efforts by Washington to sanction Damascus into submission.
Up to 90 percent of the country’s oil and gas resources are situated in areas east of the Euphrates River which are occupied by the US and its Syrian Democratic Forces militia allies, with a significant portion of the country’s most fertile agricultural lands also situated in these areas, and also under foreign occupation.

The occupation has had a crushing impact on Syria’s economic wellbeing and reconstruction efforts. In September, the Syrian Foreign Ministry sent letters to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Security Council President Ferit Hoxha highlighting the scale of the economic devastating, estimating that the total cost of the “aggression, looting and sabotage…by US forces and their terrorist tools” had reached a staggering $115.2 billion.
The UN has previously estimated that it will cost between $250 billion and $400 billion to rebuild Syria – which contains some of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and religious sites sacred to all three Abrahamic religions, and contains nearly two dozen ethnic and religious minorities living alongside the Sunni Arab majority.
The US looting of Syria has continued even amid the escalation of attacks on its illegal bases by militias in solidarity with Gaza from October onward, with an attack on the Conoco Military Base near the country’s largest gas field on Saturday constituting the 100th rocket or drone attack on US forces across Syria and Iraq, according to calculations by US media. Dozens of US troops have suffered traumatic brain injuries in the spate of attacks, with a minority of US lawmakers calling for their immediate withdrawal from the war-torn nation.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231217/us-plunders-nearly-100-more-trucks-worth-of-syrian-oil-wheat-and-barley-1115646033.html

Gwin Ru

18th December 2023, 16:13

...

... Colonel Macgregor: Redacted 12/17/2023 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y_XDzOaDQM) 43:51

Dec 18, 2023

https://yt3.ggpht.com/HRWWkilYpw0caaUv5fTvcx_-Uc7LxNs2Uy1BbNCSfDBIhQm_jMTJRxbWHd7gKD4t7bLP8uz1Rw=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj (https://www.youtube.com/@douglasmacgregorTV) douglasmacgregorTV (https://www.youtube.com/@douglasmacgregorTV)

"The U.S. is about to LOSE its Super Power status" Col. Douglas Macgregor The United States is quickly losing its super power status as the most powerful nation in the world. Col. Douglas Macgregor argues the U.S. has made a serious of strategic blunders putting America on a path of self-destruction.

1y_XDzOaDQM

Ravenlocke

19th December 2023, 18:33

https://x.com/dana916/status/1737153034428338643

1737153034428338643

Ravenlocke

19th December 2023, 18:37

Text:
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad:

Most people don't know that the rise of the Nazis between World War I and World War II was supported by the Americans. Many believe that the West defeated the Nazis during the Normandy landings, but few know that Hitler's defeat began in 1941 at the walls of Moscow. Two years after the start of the war, the West and especially the United States did not take any action against the Nazis. Stalin called on America to intervene, but she refused. The US wanted the Nazis and Communists to destroy each other so they could control Europe once both sides were weakened. The famous Nuremberg trials were carried out on Nazi leaders who refused to cooperate with America. Those who cooperated lived with honor in America.

https://t.me/vicktop55/19377

https://x.com/vicktop55/status/1737136876778062130

1737136876778062130

Ravenlocke

21st December 2023, 19:57

https://x.com/upholdreality/status/1737894547294769495

1737894547294769495

Bill Ryan

21st December 2023, 20:18

A passing thought. :)

I started this thread back in 2014, with the title Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III.

That was quite a combo of countries that I picked. (But maybe I missed Lebanon and Yemen, and of course the US should have been there in pole position.)

(Next time I might buy a lottery ticket :P)

:focus:

Ravenlocke

22nd December 2023, 02:13

https://x.com/FrishtaKargar/status/1737960716664020993

1737960716664020993

https://x.com/ramtinTVT/status/1737951662210204098

1737951662210204098

https://x.com/ZahraaziziMD/status/1737934495167246695

1737934495167246695

https://x.com/AryJeay/status/1737887339941179539

1737887339941179539

Ravenlocke

22nd December 2023, 05:16

Text:
🚨🇮🇱 WOW!

The company that X uses to verify its user's ID is an Israeli company founded by members of Shin Bet's unit 8200!

🤯

The company responsible for verifying people's ID on X is called "AU10TIX".

The CEO of AU10TIX, Ron Atzomn, was a member of Shin Bet's unit 8200.

For those who don't know, Shin Bet is Israel's main intelligence strike force.

Shin Bet is responsible for providing 90% of Israel's intelligence material.

It doesn't stop there however.

AU10TIX was founded in 2002 as the technology arm of a dutch firm called "ICTS international".

ICTS international was established in 1982 ALSO by former members of Shin Bet.

Why is the company that X uses to verify its user's ID so connected with the Israeli intelligence unit Shin Bet with the CEO and founder being a former member of Unit 8200!?
https://x.com/CensoredMen/status/1737637667028799713

1737637667028799713

Ravenlocke

28th December 2023, 02:21

This CIA network they discovered and dismantled in 2012 was undoubtedly one of the key triggers for Xi's anticorruption drive, when they noticed the extent to which they could be infiltrated... To be added to the now VERY long list of US actions on China that backfired big time.

Funny the WSJ now laments the US has "no real insight into leadership plans" as if this was somehow abnormal: it should be the norm, countries should be sovereign, free to make their own decisions in private and without foreign interference. In fact this is what International law dictates!

Sadly only China seems to actually put that in practice nowadays... I am still waiting on Europe holding the US accountable for Snowden's revelations that they basically systematically listen in on European leaders...

https://x.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1739938454409203783

1739938454409203783

Ravenlocke

28th December 2023, 02:37

https://x.com/dana916/status/1740190409102635300

1740190409102635300

Text:

🇺🇸🇮🇱🇸🇾🇮🇶After bombing the Zionist settlement of "Eli-ad" in the occupied Golan Heights, Iraqi Islamic Resistance group Harakat Hizbullah al-Nujaba SIMULTANEOUSLY struck an 'Israeli' intelligence nerve center in Erbil! The illegal Jewish installation has been destroyed completely!

Cultures_of_Resistance

https://x.com/dana916/status/1740189238115565572

1740189238115565572

Kryztian

29th December 2023, 21:25

US senator calls for bombing Iran
Lindsey Graham wants the IRGC headquarters “blown off the map”
https://www.rt.com/news/589834-lindsey-graham-bomb-iran/

https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2023.12/l/658daaa8203027372217cfd5.jpg

The US should bomb Iranian oil fields and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps HQ in retaliation for Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, Senator Lindsey Graham said on Thursday.

In a Fox News interview, the South Carolina Republican argued that Tehran was behind both the attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria and the harassment of Israeli-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea.

“I have been saying for six months now: Hit Iran,” Graham said. “They have oil fields out in the open, they have the Revolutionary Guard headquarters you can see from space. Blow it off the map.”

According to Graham, the Houthis in Yemen are “completely backed” by Tehran. “Without Iran, there are no Houthis,” he said.

The group that stylizes itself as the government of Yemen has openly sided with the Palestinians in the Israel-Gaza conflict and began targeting merchant ships owned by or headed for Israel in late October. Major shipping companies have rerouted their vessels around Africa in response, driving up prices.

Various groups calling themselves the “Islamic Resistance” have also launched drones and rockets at US troops in Iraq and Syria. Washington refuses to withdraw its forces from the region, even though they have long outlived Baghdad’s welcome and never had the blessing of Damascus.

Although the US launched airstrikes against three targets in Iraq on Monday, Graham accused Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin of showing “weakness” and “failing our troops in the field” by not retaliating more forcefully.

“I asked him a couple of months ago: Is there a red line? Would you tell our enemies publicly that if you kill an American, we are coming after you?” the senator told Fox News. “If you really want to protect American soldiers, make it real to the ayatollah, you attack a soldier through a proxy, we’re coming after you.”

Graham has a long history of promoting the use of force abroad, often in tandem with former Arizona Senator John McCain, who infamously sang “Bomb Iran” during his 2007 presidential campaign. He carried the torch after McCain died in 2018. Graham is a retired colonel in the US Air Force but spent his entire military career in the Judge Advocate General corps as a lawyer and then a judge.

https://www.rt.com/news/589834-lindsey-graham-bomb-iran/

Ewan

29th December 2023, 21:38

Ravenlocke

1st January 2024, 08:25

https://x.com/SpokespersonCHN/status/1741428812175597578

1741428812175597578

https://english.news.cn/20231231/4e0fc2697d994cd2b4dcb5dca525a611/c.html

Full text of President Xi Jinping's 2024 New Year message

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a New Year message via China Media Group and the Internet Sunday evening in Beijing to ring in 2024. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- On New Year's Eve, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered his 2024 New Year message via China Media Group and the Internet. The following is the full text of the message:

Greetings to you all! As energy rises after the Winter Solstice, we are about to bid farewell to the old year and usher in the new. From Beijing, I extend my best New Year wishes to each and every one of you!

In 2023, we have continued to forge ahead with resolve and tenacity. We have gone through the test of winds and rains, have seen beautiful scenes unfolding on the way, and have made plenty real achievements. We will remember this year as one of hard work and perseverance. Going forward, we have full confidence in the future.

This year, we have marched forward with solid steps. We achieved a smooth transition in our COVID-19 response efforts. The Chinese economy has sustained the momentum of recovery. Steady progress has been made in pursuing high-quality development. Our modernized industrial system has been further upgraded. A number of advanced, smart and green industries are rapidly emerging as new pillars of the economy. We have secured a bumper harvest for the 20th year in a row. Waters have become clearer and mountains greener. New advances have been made in pursuing rural revitalization. New progress has been made in fully revitalizing northeast China. The Xiong'an New Area is growing fast, the Yangtze River Economic Belt is full of vitality, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is embracing new development opportunities. Having weathered the storm, the Chinese economy is more resilient and dynamic than before.

This year, we have marched forward with robust steps. Thanks to years of dedicated efforts, China's innovation-driven development is full of energy. The C919 large passenger airliner entered commercial service. The Chinese-built large cruise ship completed its trial voyage. The Shenzhou spaceships are continuing their missions in space. The deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe reached the deepest ocean trench. Products designed and made in China, especially trendy brands, are highly popular with consumers. The latest models of Chinese-made mobile phones are an instant market success. New energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products are a new testimony to China's manufacturing prowess. Everywhere across our country, new heights are being scaled with dogged determination, and new creations and innovations are emerging every day.

This year, we have marched forward in high spirits. The Chengdu FISU World University Games and the Hangzhou Asian Games presented spectacular sports scenes, and Chinese athletes excelled in their competitions. Tourist destinations are full of visitors on holidays, and the film market is booming. The "village super league" football games and "village spring festival gala" are immensely popular. More people are embracing low-carbon lifestyles. All these exhilarating activities have made our lives richer and more colorful, and they mark the return of bustling life across the country. They embody people's pursuit of a beautiful life, and present a vibrant and flourishing China to the world.

This year, we have marched forward with great confidence. China is a great country with a great civilization. Across this vast expanse of land, wisps of smoke in deserts of the north and drizzles in the south invoke our fond memory of many millennium-old stories. The mighty Yellow River and Yangtze River never fail to inspire us. Discoveries at the archeological sites of Liangzhu and Erlitou tell us much about the dawn of Chinese civilization. The ancient Chinese characters inscribed on oracle bones of the Yin Ruins, the cultural treasures of the Sanxingdui Site, and the collections of the National Archives of Publications and Culture bear witness to the evolution of Chinese culture. All this stands as testament to the time-honored history of China and its splendid civilization. And all this is the source from which our confidence and strength are derived.

While pursuing its development, China has also embraced the world and fulfilled its responsibility as a major country. We held the China-Central Asia Summit and the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and hosted leaders from across the world at many diplomatic events held in China. I also paid visits to a number of countries, attended international conferences, and met many friends, both old and new. I shared China's vision and enhanced common understandings with them. No matter how the global landscape may evolve, peace and development remain the underlying trend, and only cooperation for mutual benefit can deliver.

Along the way, we are bound to encounter headwinds. Some enterprises had a tough time. Some people had difficulty finding jobs and meeting basic needs. Some places were hit by floods, typhoons, earthquakes or other natural disasters. All these remain at the forefront of my mind. When I see people rising to the occasion, reaching out to each other in adversity, meeting challenges head-on and overcoming difficulties, I am deeply moved. All of you, from farmers in the fields to workers on factory floors, from entrepreneurs blazing the trail to service members guarding our country -- indeed, people from all walks of life -- have done your very best. Each and every ordinary Chinese has made an extraordinary contribution! You, the people, are the ones we look to when we fight to prevail over all difficulties or challenges.

Next year will mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. We will steadfastly advance Chinese modernization, fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, speed up building the new development paradigm, promote high-quality development, and both pursue development and safeguard security. We will continue to act on the principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, promoting stability through progress, and establishing the new before abolishing the old. We will consolidate and strengthen the momentum of economic recovery, and work to achieve steady and long-term economic development. We will deepen reform and opening up across the board, further enhance people's confidence in development, promote vibrant development of the economy, and redouble efforts to boost education, advance science and technology and cultivate talents. We will continue to support Hong Kong and Macao in harnessing their distinctive strengths, better integrating themselves into China's overall development, and securing long-term prosperity and stability. China will surely be reunified, and all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Our goal is both inspiring and simple. Ultimately, it is about delivering a better life for the people. Our children should be well taken care of and receive good education. Our young people should have the opportunities to pursue their careers and succeed. And our elderly people should have adequate access to medical services and elderly care. These issues matter to every family, and they are also a top priority of the government. We must work together to deliver on these issues. Today, in our fast-paced society, people are all busy and face a lot of pressure in work and life. We should foster a warm and harmonious atmosphere in our society, expand the inclusive and dynamic environment for innovation, and create convenient and good living conditions, so that the people can live happy lives, bring out their best, and realize their dreams.

As I speak to you, conflicts are still raging in some parts of the world. We Chinese are keenly aware of what peace means. We will work closely with the international community for the common good of humanity, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and make the world a better place for all.

Right at this moment, when the lights in millions of homes light up the evening sky, let us all wish our great country prosperity, and let us all wish the world peace and tranquility! I wish you happiness in all the four seasons and success and good health in the year ahead!

Thank you! ■

Bill Ryan

1st January 2024, 16:58

Alexander Mercouris, who is nobody's fool and is far more often right than wrong, fears that the trigger point for a US strike on Iran is very close now.

:worried:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx-0rj7yL5M

Ravenlocke

5th January 2024, 19:10

https://x.com/TheCradleMedia/status/1743335911176486992

1743335911176486992

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/turkiye-detains-dozens-of-suspected-mossad-agents

Turkiye detains dozens of suspected Mossad agents
These arrests follow a series of recent anti-terror operations conducted by Turkiye

Turkish authorities have arrested over 30 people with suspected ties to Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on 2 January.

Yerlikaya said on social media Tuesday that “33 suspicious persons were captured in the ‘MOLE’ Operation, which was held simultaneously in 8 provinces centered in Istanbul, for the Detection and Deciphering of International Espionage Activities.”

The interior minister mentioned that police raided 57 locations across eight provinces as part of Operation “MOLE,” which was launched by the Istanbul Counter-terrorism Bureau and the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT).

“We will never allow espionage activities against the national unity and solidarity of our country,” Yerlinkaya said, adding that authorities had confiscated 43,830 euros, 23,680 dollars, various amounts of cash from different countries, one unlicensed gun, and a large number of cartridges and digital materials were also seized.

The suspects arrested were believed to be seeking to identify, monitor, assault, and kidnap foreign nationals living in Turkiye.

“Our fight against organized crime organizations and spies that disturb the peace of our families will continue with determination and determination,” the interior minister said.

This string of arrests comes as a continuation of Turkiye’s anti-terror initiative. On 29 December, the Turkish authorities detained dozens of suspected ISIS members who were plotting attacks against synagogues, churches, and the Iraqi embassy in Turkiye.

The anti-ISIS operation occurred across nine different cities, leading to the arrest of 32 suspects and the confiscation of various digital materials belonging to the group.

On the same day of the anti-ISIS operation, Turkish forces conducted airstrikes targeting Kurdistan Workers Party fighters (PKK) militants in northern Iraq and Syria along the nation’s borders.

The Turkish defense ministry said regarding the attack against Kurdish militants that 10 PKK members, eight in Syria and two in Iraq, were “neutralized,” adding that "nowhere is safe for terrorists!”

Kryztian

17th January 2024, 20:18

Alexander Mercouris and Alex Christoforou discuss the deterioration of relations between Pakistan and Iran. At least one of these nations, Pakistan, has nuclear weapons and Iran may have them too.

Background: Per Iranian media, the Sunni terrorist group Jaish al-Adl launched a deadly attack (https://www.iranintl.com/en/202312151476) on a police station on December 15, 2023, killing 12 police officers. The Iranians just retaliated by bombing a Jaish al-Adl site in Baluchistan (lawless Western Pakistan), as well as the home of one of its wealthy financiers. The Pakistanis have responded by pulling their ambassadors from Iran.

vDUri7jYPJk

ozmirage

22nd January 2024, 09:26

It may be a gross simplification, but it may be helpful to view the factions from a long distance, as well as ignore the false flag and contradictory actions.

THE THREE MAJOR FACTIONS:
_ _ Slavers & Thieves (aka "Collectivists")
_ _ Usurers (international financial powers, abominations, money masters)
_ _ Zealots (adherents to a philosophy of world domination by any means because that's what their scriptures say)

Though they may form alliances of convenience, they are mutually antagonistic.
The one thing they all can agree on is disregard for the Creator endowed rights of the muggles and chumps.

People who have the right to life, to natural and personal liberty, to absolute ownership of private property, inherent powers, and so on, are the targets.

The glorious collective State wishes to impose compulsory charity and confiscation of surplus (theft & slavery).
The usurers seeks to skim a vast fortune from their victims, via extension of credit at usury (interest) to deal with the deliberately scarce money tokens.
The zealots wish to convert, conquer or kill those who are not of the faithful.

BUT
_ _ the Zealots are told to abhor usury and not to submit to godless collective States. Yet, they will form alliances of convenience.
_ _ Banksters try to avoid politics, as long as they can control the value and quantity of the circulating money token, often lent into existence, at usury. Instead of directly spending that credit, they loan it out, at "reasonable" rates. (Contrary to popular belief, governments are not "printing up money." If they were, they would simply spend it into circulation and not need to tax their subjects for revenue.)
_ _ Ideologically challenged leftishists who support thievery and slavery as long as it's for their own benefit, are often opposed to financial powers ("greedy") and religious "extremists" who won't tolerate them.

Knowing this, consider who is fighting whom, and who shall benefit the most.
Also, do not presume that the "official" ideology is the one in actual power.

Ravenlocke

24th January 2024, 19:50

Text:

⚡️BREAKING

The US is planning to withdraw its forces from Syria, writes Foreign Policy

The US has been under constant attack in Syria for months and American troops are very vulnerable there because, unlike Iraq, the US has no ties with the central government in Syria.

According to reports, the US-backed Kurdish militias are also in negotiations to align themselves with Bashar al Assad

https://x.com/IranObserver0/status/1750198226987180110

1750198226987180110

https://x.com/OlgaBazova/status/1750232454319817052

1750232454319817052

Ravenlocke

24th January 2024, 19:54

Text:
Foreign Policy reports that the Biden administration is reconsidering its military priorities in the Middle East.

This could involve a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. While no definitive decision has been made to leave, four sources within the Defense and State departments said the White House is no longer invested in sustaining a mission that it perceives as unnecessary.

Active internal discussions are now underway to determine how and when a withdrawal may take place.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/01/24/america-is-planning-to-withdraw-from-syria-and-create-a-disaster/

https://x.com/Faytuks/status/1750191247417917682

1750191247417917682

https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/01/24/america-is-planning-to-withdraw-from-syria-and-create-a-disaster/

America Is About to Withdraw From Syria—and Create a Disaster

Since Hamas’s brutal attack against Israel on Oct. 7 and the resulting Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, tensions and hostilities across the Middle East have reached fever pitch. And with such a complex regional crisis playing out, it should not come as a surprise that the Biden administration is reconsidering its military priorities in the region.

It should be cause for significant concern, however, that this could involve a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. While no definitive decision has been made to leave, four sources within the Defense and State departments said the White House is no longer invested in sustaining a mission that it perceives as unnecessary. Active internal are now underway to determine how and when a withdrawal may take place.

Notwithstanding the catastrophic effect that a withdrawal would have on U.S. and allied influence over the unresolved and acutely volatile crisis in Syria, it would also be a gift to the Islamic State. While significantly weakened, the group is in fact primed for a resurgence in Syria, if given the space to do so.

Why they won’t rebel against the war that kills their men.

The unprecedented international intervention launched in 2014 by the United States and more than 80 partner nations to defeat the terror group’s so-called territorial state was remarkably successful, with the final pocket of territory in Syria in early 2019.

In Iraq, too, the Islamic State has almost vanished, to such an extent that in 2023, it averaged just nine attacks a month—down from about 850 per month in 2014.

But the situation in neighboring Syria is more complex. With approximately 900 troops on the ground, the United States is playing an instrumental role in containing and degrading a persistent Islamic State insurgency in northeastern Syria, working alongside its local partners, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Yet the threat remains. Early on Jan. 16, an Islamic State rocket attack was launched on an SDF-administered prison holding as many as 5,000 Islamic State prisoners, triggering a mass breakout attempt. While that operation was ultimately foiled, the U.S. deployment also plays a vital role in stabilizing an area in which 10,000 battle-hardened Islamic State militants are detained within at least 20 makeshift prisons and a further 50,000 associated women and children are held in secured camps. As the U.S. Central Command has repeatedly warned, keeping the Islamic State’s “” and its “” secured is a vital U.S. national security interest.

While U.S. troops and their SDF partners have managed to contain the Islamic State’s recovery in Syria’s northeast, the situation is far more concerning to the west—on the other side of the Euphrates River, where the Syrian regime is in control, at least on paper.

In this vast expanse of desert, the Islamic State has been engaged in a slow but methodical recovery, exploiting regime indifference and its inability to challenge a fluid desert-based insurgency. In the past few years, the terrorist group has also an operational presence in regime-held Daraa in southern Syria and markedly expanded the scale, scope, and sophistication of its operations throughout the central desert, temporarily capturing populated territory, seizing and holding gas facilities, and exerting around the strategic town of Palmyra.

In eastern and central Syria, the Islamic State’s shadow influence has returned. The group has reestablished a complex extortion operation, extracting so-called taxes from everyone from doctors and shopkeepers to farmers and truck drivers. With increasing frequency, the Islamic State is issuing them bespoke extortion demands based on acquired knowledge of local business revenue streams. In some cases, Islamic State-branded receipts are issued and when required, and threats are sent to cell phones and relatives.

While much of this activity was initially focused on rural Syria, it is now urban, and in many rural areas, the Islamic State is increasingly recognized as a shadow authority. These far less visible activities may not make media headlines, but they are the core ingredients for a resilient and deeply embedded terrorist insurgency.

Read More

For the past several years, the Islamic State has purposely concealed its level of operation in Syria, consistently choosing not to claim responsibility for attacks that it was conducting. Triggered by Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, however, the Islamic State has, for the first time, begun to reveal the extent of its Syria recovery for all to see. ISIS thrives on chaos and uncertainty, and there’s no shortage of that in the Middle East these days.

As part of the group’s worldwide campaign to “kill them wherever you find them”, the group conducted and claimed 35 attacks across seven of Syria’s 14 provinces in the first 10 days of 2024—out of 100 attacks worldwide. While the Islamic State remains far from where it was in 2013 and 2014, the group retains concerning capabilities, plenty of confidence, and a newfound sense of momentum. War in Gaza and a spiraling regional crisis are adding fuel to its fire and creating opportunities for the terror group to exploit the situation for its own advantage.

Moreover, the Islamic State’s campaign of intimidation and attacks is beginning to pay dividends in central Syria, where morale within local regime militias is eroding. Throughout the Syrian Badiya, or central desert, the Islamic State has exerted consistent attention on attacking regime security forces along key roadways and outside the region’s extensive network of oil and gas facilities. The scale and sophistication of those attacks increased markedly in 2023, as did their deadliness. According to the Counter Extremism Project, in , the Islamic State conducted at least 212 attacks in Syria’s central desert region, killing at least 502 people. As covert threats and overt attacks increase, reports are with increasing frequency of desertions within regime ranks.

While there is little that U.S. forces can do to alter Islamic State activities within the regime-controlled regions of Syria, U.S. troops are the glue holding together the only meaningful challenge to the Islamic State within a third of Syrian territory. Were that glue to disappear, a significant resurgence in Syria would be all but guaranteed, and a destabilizing spillover into Iraq a certainty.

In many respects, Iraq is key, as the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State is effectively headquartered on Iraqi soil. But amid unprecedented hostilities between Iranian proxies and U.S. forces in Iraq, with retaliatory U.S. strikes and Iranian-made ballistic missiles targeting U.S. troops on Iraqi soil, pressure is within the Iraqi political system to force a U.S. troop withdrawal from the country.

With Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani now publicly for a U.S. withdrawal in his own country, some hope remains that the U.S. military’s presence in Iraqi Kurdistan could sustain counter-Islamic State operations, including next door in Syria. This may explain why Iran’s proxies have so frequently targeted U.S. forces stationed at Erbil International Airport in recent weeks.

However, shifting counter-Islamic State coordination from Baghdad to Erbil would present its own complications, sharpening intra-Kurdish tensions between the regional government of Masoud Barzani and the PKK-linked SDF administration in northeast Syria, likely triggering unfavorable Turkish interference. Emboldened by a sense of victory in Iraq-proper, Iran and its proxies in this scenario would then undoubtedly sharpen their attacks on U.S. troops in Syria, seeking their withdrawal too.

Ultimately, events since October have placed the U.S. deployment in northeast Syria on a fraying thread—hence recent internal consideration of a Syria withdrawal. Given the disastrous consequences of the hurried exit from Afghanistan in 2021 and the impending U.S. election later this year, it is hard to grasp why the Biden administration would be considering a withdrawal from Syria. No matter how such a withdrawal was conducted, it would trigger chaos and a swift surge in terror threats. But there can be no denying the clear sense in policy circles that it is being actively considered—and that it has been accepted as an eventual inevitability.

Some within the U.S. government are currently proposing a collaborative arrangement between the SDF and Syria’s regime to counter the Islamic State as an apparent path towards a U.S. withdrawal. That would not only be a phenomenal boon to the Islamic State, but simply impossible on its own terms. Part of the SDF may have periodic contact with Assad’s regime, but they are far from natural allies. The regime would never allow the SDF to sustain itself, and Turkey would do everything possible to kill what remained.

The last time that the Islamic State surged in Syria, in 2014, it transformed international security in profoundly negative ways. Should a U.S. withdrawal precipitate a return to Islamic State chaos, we will be relegated to mere observers, unable to return to a region that we will have placed squarely under the control of a pariah regime and its Russian and Iranian allies.

happyuk

24th January 2024, 22:50

This kind of confirms what I've long been suspecting.

Xi Jinping wants to take on the US military. However his military don't.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/xi-jinping-is-in-a-battle-with-chinas-own-military-and-the-outcome-could-drag-the-us-into-wwiii/ar-AA1mZgql?ocid=socialshare

pounamuknight

25th January 2024, 23:19

Xi Jinping wants to take on the US military. However his military don't.

Bill Gate's Microsoft News copy-pastes an article from Business Insider (https://www.businessinsider.com/xi-jinpings-battle-with-chinas-military-could-drag-us-ww3-2024-1), who in turn manufacture their article around on a story from Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/china/sweeping-chinese-military-purge-exposes-weakness-could-widen-2023-12-30/)

The Reuters source links to a broken hyperlink (https://www.reuters.com/world/china/sweeping-chinese-military-purge-exposes-weakness-could-widen-2023-12-30/ousted%20nine/)

52567

But if u look at the broken link's address bar, the url is actually connected back to the original Reuters story :laughs:

However after some quick digging, I found a really good story by Axios (https://www.axios.com/2023/12/31/xi-jinping-china-military-corruption-purge) from December. It lays out China's massive two decade corruption purge as background

Between the lines, China's really battening down the hatches within their military. Probably in preparation to some crazy empire's war build-up off their shores in some place called Taiwan :sherlock:

bojancan

26th January 2024, 00:12

I think... that people of Britain, DO NOT want a war with anyone.... if politicians and the establishment do... let THEM go to fight it.
Seems PROFIT of big businesses is more important... than the lives of young people!!!! Period! :worried:

Britain readies for potential full-scale war against Russia
HqMmbzCZdKM

pounamuknight

29th January 2024, 03:58

US & mainstream media are reporting a US base in Jordan was attacked, 3 soldiers were killed

8lFi6EFsQEw
The usual warmongers are blaming Iran, no proof as usual

1751657471280652397

US claims that an outpost called Tower 22 on Jordan's border was the target. However, Jordanian government has refuted the US claim (https://www.deccanherald.com/world/jordan-says-attack-targeting-american-soldiers-was-not-on-its-soil-2868610), stating the attack happened at Al-Tanf

52591

The Al-Tanf base is in Syria, within an illegally occupied area controlled by the US. It allows the flow of US weapons & mercs into Syria, while also destabilizing the Damascus government; an ally of Russia, Iran & Palestine

52590

This has the markings of a potential false flag. A potential trigger-point to mobilize a US invasion in to Syria and escalate their desired wider regional conflict, especially against Iran (https://sputnikglobe.com/20231121/us-may-want-wider-war-in-middle-east-to-take-out-iran-1115085990.html). Sooo hope I'm wrong :worried:

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Kryztian

30th January 2024, 03:26

Put nuclear weapons in Cuba – Russian MP
Aleksey Zhuravlev has suggested that Moscow should deploy missiles in “friendly” countries
https://www.rt.com/russia/591482-russia-nuclear-weapons-us/

Russia should place its nuclear weapons in “friendly countries” near the US in response to Washington’s alleged plans to move its own tactical arms to Europe, lawmaker Aleksey Zhuravlev has suggested.

His comments came after The Telegraph reported on Saturday that the US is looking to deploy its nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time in 15 years, in order to counter a supposedly increased threat from Russia.

In a post on Telegram, Zhuravlev, who is first deputy chairman of the Russian parliamentary defense committee and leader of the Rodina (Motherland) party, pointed out that Britain has its own nuclear weapons, and that the US has already deployed part of its atomic arsenal to several European countries close to Russia.

“Therefore, it’s unlikely that additional deployment [of nuclear weapons to the UK] would have an effect on the military-political landscape,” Zhuravlev surmised.

Nevertheless, the politician suggested that Moscow should consider deploying its own nuclear weapons closer to the US and send them to “friendly countries like Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.”

Zhuravlev admitted, however, that weapons systems have made a big leap in the years since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. “Russian hypersonic missiles launched from our territory would reach the US faster than subsonic ones launched from the American underbelly,” the MP wrote.

He also pointed out that Russia has strategic aviation as well as a vast arsenal of submarines stationed in unknown locations around the world’s oceans.

“We have ways to respond to any encroachments by the US and NATO, which it controls,” Zhuravlev said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has previously warned that Moscow would be forced to enact “compensatory countermeasures” in the event that American nuclear warheads return to Britain. Russia has also repeatedly accused the West of fueling tensions in Europe, and has cited NATO’s continued eastward expansion as one of the root causes of the Ukraine conflict.

Meanwhile, a number of Western officials – including from the UK, Germany, Estonia, and even the chair of NATO’s Military Committee – have stoked fears of a supposed Russian attack on Europe in the next few years, and have called on Western governments and citizens to prepare for a major conflict with Moscow.

Russia, however, has vehemently denied any plans to invade neighboring European countries, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov calling such claims a “hoax.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has also stressed that Moscow “has no interest… geopolitically, economically or militarily... in waging war against NATO” and would instead prefer to improve ties with the US-led bloc.

pounamuknight

31st January 2024, 00:13

Put nuclear weapons in Cuba – Russian MP

His comments came after The Telegraph reported on Saturday (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/01/26/us-nuclear-bombs-lackenheath-raf-russia-threat-hiroshima/) that the US is looking to deploy its nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time in 15 years

Highlighting the context :highfive:

A good article from Arms Control Association last year reports (https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2023-10/news/uk-may-host-us-nuclear-weapons-again) the US had been plotting to move nukes to the UK for a while

It goes into a US Airforce budget report (https://www.saffm.hq.af.mil/FM-Resources/Budget/Air-Force-Presidents-Budget-FY24/) suggesting $50 million to expand RAF Lakenheath to house US nukes

52593

There's also an interesting quote from the infamous Chatham House (https://www.soulask.com/chatham-house-the-open-conspiracy-organization-emerged-100-years-ago/) about the mistrust they have of Turkey and its hold of US nukes

There has also been a fairly sensitive discussion since the coup attempt in Turkey in 2016, and the long-running civil war in Syria, over whether the nuclear weapons which are assumed to be stationed in Turkey are safe there

Ravenlocke

3rd February 2024, 01:12

Text:

🇸🇾The Pentagon has confirmed that US strikes are underway.

The Pentagon told RIA Novosti that the United States began carrying out strikes in the Middle East in response to an attack on an American base in Jordan.

Earlier, the American ABC reported something similar (that the strikes were being carried out on Syria), but soon retracted, noting that “the initial series of strikes in Syria did not come from the United States.”

https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1753531492842787227

1753531492842787227

Text:

CENTCOM Now Confirms U.S. Stikes in Iraq and Syria, Full Statement:

"At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States.

The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions. The facilities that were struck included command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aired vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces."

https://x.com/thebarrackslive/status/1753534129000292558

1753534129000292558

https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1753539795190739147

1753539795190739147

Text:

🇺🇸White House:

We do not seek conflict with Iran or in the Middle East, but we will not hesitate to defend our troops.The targets were chosen to disrupt the capabilities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the groups it supports.

Attacks against our forces[in the Middle East] must stop.

We have not communicated with Iran since the last attack targeting US troops in Jordan.

https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1753556168860205181

1753556168860205181

Ravenlocke

3rd February 2024, 18:12

https://x.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1753210521770414178

1753210521770414178

https://x.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1753239150046916950

1753239150046916950

Ravenlocke

4th February 2024, 01:22

Putting this here,

Text:
She is one of the most serious cases we have had this year. she was almost paralyzed, pregnant, full of bullets everywhere. we managed to remove some, others are risky to remove now. we don't know if she will survive but a few hours ago she also went into labor. please send all the prayers and good vibes you can.

https://x.com/theAleppoCatmen/status/1753802861350154596

1753802861350154596

¤=[Post Update]=¤

Text:
He had been missing from his family for two months, today he come back but with a deep wound in his neck, they took him to the clinic as an emergency where our vets team made him a surgery with 25 internal stitches and 25 external stitches to be able to fix his wounds. he now he is observing.
wish them a good recovery ❤️‍🩹

https://x.com/theAleppoCatmen/status/1753144041489756351

1753144041489756351

Ravenlocke

4th February 2024, 01:26

https://x.com/theAleppoCatmen/status/1744083341681238295

1744083341681238295

https://x.com/theAleppoCatmen/status/1744475893643321408

1744475893643321408

https://x.com/theAleppoCatmen/status/1748449612908650794

1748449612908650794

Text:
This morning we notified 4 bags on our door, we were hesitant whether to approach or not. 😓😥
we feared they might be bombs or explosives. we got brave and got closer and realized that they were 4 cats.
It was obviously for us they had a family that cared a lot about them, they are fed, the bag clean and with air vents, but two of them need care. so thank God there weren't explosives in the bags, but our hearts exploded with love and desire to look after these 4 little faces.
losing family is devastating, both for humans and animals.

https://x.com/theAleppoCatmen/status/1752308228614926523

1752308228614926523

Ravenlocke

5th February 2024, 21:05

Ravenlocke

7th February 2024, 01:14

Text:

🇮🇱🇸🇾Israeli warplanes carried out an aerial aggression from the direction of Tripoli in Lebanon, targeting some sites in southern and southwestern Homs governorate in the central region of Syria.

Syrian air defenses shot down several missiles while some have reached their targets causing fires.

Some shrapnel fell in Al-Hamra street, Tadmur roundabout and Al-Waar neighbourhood in Homs city.

Civil Defense and Firefighting teams rushed to the place to deal with the fire

No casualties have been reported yet

Waiting for the official statement

https://x.com/dana916/status/1754998509181284364?s=20

https://x.com/dana916/status/1755030431466962973

1755030431466962973

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https://x.com/dana916/status/1755033321505960249

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Ravenlocke

7th February 2024, 20:37

Text:

After the killings of 3 US troops, top State Dept. official Victoria Nuland declares that "the USA is not withdrawing from Syria." She adds that the US needs to stay to fight ISIS.

Pentagon documents show that this is a lie: the US is barely fighting ISIS. In fact, the US has let ISIS grow when it can threaten the Syrian government.

Which speaks to the real reason for the US occupation of Syria: as admitted quietly by a senior Biden official and other DC neocons, the US is there to steal Syria's oil and wheat in order to punish its people for successfully resisting the CIA-led regime change war. (https://aaronmate.net/p/to-keep-troops-in-syria-us-leaders)

https://x.com/aaronjmate/status/1752349976380707281

1752349976380707281

ozmirage

7th February 2024, 22:01

Behind all long duration conflicts, is the usurer, who extends credit at usury. Regardless of the reason, "they" will be instigating it. How else can you boost profits?
War, aggression or defense against agression, overcomes any reluctance to expend resources. To fail to embrace the abomination, is a guarantee of capitulation.
The apologists for usury, especially in politics and eCONomics, will offer glib explanations for each misadventure, to generate the excuses that a government needs to justify the loss of people, resources and liberty.
Without money and usury, most wars would not be sustainable.

Ravenlocke

13th February 2024, 23:46

https://x.com/WhatTheHekmat/status/1757452822612787673

1757452822612787673

Ravenlocke

14th February 2024, 00:23

https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1757538563040682429

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https://x.com/djuric_zlatko/status/1757539581761638577

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Ravenlocke

18th February 2024, 00:59

https://x.com/AkanKwaku/status/1758810305352614033

1758810305352614033

bojancan

18th February 2024, 18:08

Israel is reportedly behind the blasts in two major Iranian gas pipelines that occurred on February 14. Two Western officials and a military strategist affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps confirmed Israel's role to the New York Times. A Western official told the NYT that the strike was largely symbolic but sent a message that Israel can cause significant damage. Meanwhile, Iran's Oil Minister, Javad Owji, without taking Israel's name, said that the enemy planned to damage Iran's energy infrastructure, stirring public upheaval. Watch this video to know more.

Israel Behind Bomb Attacks On Iran Gas Pipelines, Affecting Millions: Report | Gaza War Expanding?
DN_TUY3Q9a4

Ravenlocke

19th February 2024, 02:45

https://x.com/mazzenilsson/status/1759349931939102754

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Gwin Ru

19th February 2024, 15:25

...

... context summary of the current hot spots:

The Worst Defeat for Ukraine - No Victory for Netanyahu - Huge Miscalculations | Larry C. Johnson (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYeR4nIV2ls) 53:46

Feb 18, 2024 Interviews (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzImU_KHY9-JjAIg0AZXxHaMhJD6UXfNj)

https://yt3.ggpht.com/Q9UCnaOs12cNvvrwzIZlQwAfwNatTfbWp1llrPacCNibUMT1TMMUvayJJ5gLdGddMq65Bs_QRQ=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj (https://www.youtube.com/@dialogueworks01) Dialogue works (https://www.youtube.com/@dialogueworks01)

Larry C. Johnson is a veteran of the CIA and the State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism. He is the founder and managing partner of BERG Associates, which was established in 1998. Larry provided training to the US Military’s Special Operations community for 24 years. He has been vilified by the right and the left, which means he must be doing something right.

You can also follow him on telegram (t.me/sonar_21 (https://t.me/sonar_21 (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa3VRY2hjS25HN2staGlGaGlOWmFOR3dFUXQtd3xBQ3Jtc0tsMEZPdXNZQkEwWDg1WVkxLVdOWHFhR2FR UnktMGM1YTV0TEk0S2VLYVpkeHRXVllFa1A4YWtZdGZOekxLeVYtNk8wOEJ2UWtaSUVPUUEyMmtQQXJaRENQc0FOQjhnUE9HMVpG RXlJalhhMWdlYl8zSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Ft.me%2Fsonar_21&v=nYeR4nIV2ls)) and https://sonar21.com (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa0N3QWhjWTdORF9nbm5DODdFamo4T3NhSk9Ud3xBQ3Jtc0tsNzFYZHU2RTliZmdNOHhaNlVQMFRWYWVL c0UteVZPQ04telNiaXZoaUR3dTFXeUxQWTVKWmJNdWdZcEdtQzZEOVhxM0EtVzlyZ21HUnlJd3R0WjF1d2V2TFlZX0RGZXFGUGI0 bGE5a05xazBYOXltNA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fsonar21.com%2F&v=nYeR4nIV2ls).

Please Subscribe to Larry's YouTube channel using the link below: https://www.gstatic.com/youtube/img/watch/yt_favicon.png / @former_cia_larryjohnson (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMGq8chgXya9IID72fW-HKw)

nYeR4nIV2ls

https://www.youtube.com/@dialogueworks01/videos

Vicus

1st April 2024, 17:20

IRGC Commander Killed By Israeli Strike Near Iranian Embassy in Damascus 1 hour ago

https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107921/52/1079215251_0:126:3073:1854_1920x0_80_0_0_137daa14435ca3ba19dd6c06575d7885.jpg

The strike killed Iranian Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was the head of the Quds force in Lebanon and Syria, according to preliminary reports.

Earlier in the day, media reported that an Israeli airstrike hit a building that belongs to the Iranian consulate general in Damascus and serves as the residence of the ambassador.

"At around 05:00 pm today [02:00 pm GMT], the Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus. Air defense forces were able to shoot down some missiles, the attack completely destroyed the building, killed or injured everyone inside," the ministry said, as quoted by the state-run SANA news agency.

The employees of the Iranian diplomatic mission were most likely not injured, since the building was closed on Monday, the broadcaster reported.
Later, a Syrian security source told Sputnik that at least two people were killed as the result of an Israeli airstrike.
The Quds Force is a part of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specializing in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. The force distinguished itself in the fight against terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240401/irgc-commander-killed-by-israeli-strike-near-iranian-embassy-in-damascus-1117686084.html

Ravenlocke

2nd April 2024, 23:40

Text:

🇸🇾🇮🇷President Al-Assad makes a phone call with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

During the call, he offered his deepest condolences for the martyrdom of a number of Iranian military advisors in the brutal, dirty attack that targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus, and expressed, in his name and in the name of the Syrian people, deep sympathy and condolences for this great loss to the families of the martyrs and to the dear Iranian people.

President al-Assad stressed that what the Zionist entity did in targeting the headquarters of a diplomatic mission in an area full of civilians is not surprising, as this entity was built on killing, bloodshed, displacement and plunder, and the genocides and massacres that have been continuing in Gaza for more than six months are only the clearest evidence of the barbarity of this. Entity.

SAM_Syria0

https://x.com/dana916/status/1775295643214393558

1775295643214393558

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Text:
🏴⚔️🇸🇾Syria: The director of the Military Construction Corporation branch in Hama, Engineer Basil Abdel Qader, was martyred in a terrorist attack by detonating an explosive device planted in his car in front of his house in the Al-Qusour neighborhood in the city of Hama.

SAM_Syria0

https://x.com/dana916/status/1775295986765631867

1775295986765631867

Ravenlocke

2nd April 2024, 23:45

https://x.com/dana916/status/1775251638535463414

1775251638535463414

https://x.com/Faytuks/status/1775146531974259156

1775146531974259156

https://amwaj.media/article/inside-story-israel-declares-war-on-iran-s-warrior-diplomats

Inside story: Israel declares war on Iran’s warrior-diplomats

Israel’s suspected bombing of what Iran describes as its diplomatic premises in Damascus, killing Mohammad Reza Zahedi—the top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander in the Levant—is a major escalation with reverberations on multiple dimensions. The overarching aim appears to be to provoke a response from Hezbollah and Iran as they pursue direct talks with Gulf Arab states and indirect engagement with the US.

Changing the rules of the game

In legal and operational terms, the bombing raises major questions about the state of international norms protecting diplomatic personnel and premises. Iran has described the targeted building, located next to its embassy in the Syrian capital, as a consulate that also housed the ambassador’s residence. Israeli sources have indicated that the site was bombed as members of the IRGC’s expeditionary Quds Force were meeting with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). If the building is recognized as a diplomatic site, such a gathering would be protected under international conventions.

Equally importantly, Israel has in past months signaled that all IRGC targets are fair game—regardless of any dual diplomatic credentials.

Killed alongside his deputy and five other officers, Zahedi is said to have been accredited as a staff member of the Iranian embassy in Damascus. So was Seyed Radhi Mousavi, the previous Quds Force second-in-command in Lebanon and Syria who was assassinated in a suspected Israeli operation late last year, holding the diplomatic rank of second counselor.

But as Israel signals a change to the rules of the game, Iran insists on past assumptions. Speaking on condition of anonymity, informed Arab and Iranian sources told Amwaj.media that in the days prior to his assassination, indications of an imminent threat led Mousavi to be instructed to remain at the “Damascus consulate.” This was based on the assumption that the building would be immune to attack. Ultimately, Mousavi was killed less than an hour after leaving the building for the southern suburb of Sayyidah Zainab.

Assault on Hezbollah-IRGC nexus

One distinguishing aspect of Iran’s mission in Syria is the number of high-profile casualties. In Feb. 2013, IRGC commander Hassan Shateri was slain on the road between Damascus and Beirut. Tehran quickly blamed Israel. Two years later, in early 2015, senior military commander Mohammad Ali Allahdadi lost his life in a reported Israeli airstrike alongside several other officers from Iran and members of Lebanese Hezbollah.

But while killings of high-ranking officers in Syria are nothing new, the pace of suspected Israeli assassinations has surged since the eruption of the Gaza war in Oct. 2023.

The attack on Mousavi, the IRGC second-in-command in the Levant, was on par with the US killing of former IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and Israel’s targeting of late Hezbollah military chief Imad Mughniyeh, experts say. Mousavi had been in charge of facilitating the entry of Iran-led forces and arms shipments to Syria and Hezbollah. As Tehran was reeling from the shock incident, another suspected Israeli airstrike only weeks later killed the Quds Force’s intelligence deputy in Syria.

Enter the assassination of Zahedi, the most senior Quds Force officer in Damascus. Having first arrived in Lebanon in the mid-2000s, informed sources told Amwaj.media, he quickly established a strong network within Hezbollah. Zahedi rose to become the only non-Lebanese member of Hezbollah’s Shura Council. According to one Arab source, he also served as the IRGC’s delegate on the movement’s Jihadi Council, holding effective “veto power.”

While Zahedi was replaced by senior IRGC officer Mohammad Hejazi in 2014, he returned when Hejazi got ill in late 2020. The following year, Zahedi rose in rank when the then-head of IRGC operations in Syria—Mustafa Javad Ghaffari—was recalled under contentious circumstances. Overnight, he became the top Quds Force officer in all of the Levant.

So the killing of a figure such as Zahedi is not merely a direct assault on Iran. It is also an attack on a key element of the connective tissue between Hezbollah and the IRGC, in line with the pattern of assassinations targeting Quds Force command and control in the area.

The bigger picture

Israel’s latest suspected attack is also an apparent effort to press Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to take action. Iran’s supreme leader has so far refused to retaliate for the string of high-profile killings in Syria. If the death of Zahedi compels a rash Iranian response—particularly if direct and overt—it could open the path to a genuine regionalization of the Gaza war. Tehran has avoided such an approach as it would shift focus away from the Palestinians to Iran and its regional alliance network known as the ‘Axis of Resistance’.

While a wider conflagration appears distant, the region is already halfway there. For the past eight weeks or so, there has been a cease-fire between the Axis and the US in Iraq and Syria, brokered in the aftermath of the killing of American troops in Jordan in late January. But the truce is shaky, and was forged after the Joe Biden administration showed that it is ready to kill senior Iraqi commanders in the heart of Baghdad. In Yemen, British and US forces have for months been bombing positions of the Ansarullah movement, better known as the Houthis.

These dynamics do not mean that Iran and the United States have any interest in a region-wide confrontation. To the contrary, the two sides have in past months set aside differences over Iran’s bloody crackdown on protests and arms sales to Russia and secretly spoken. Senior informed diplomatic and political sources have indicated to Amwaj.media that those talks are ongoing and conducted through multiple channels, beyond meetings in Oman. The dialogue is not likely to turn into something transformational, particularly in an election year in the US. However, the appetite for de-escalation has proven to be genuine.

But without an effort by the Biden administration to rein in the actions of its Israeli ally, Khamenei is under rising pressure to respond to the provocations. The supreme leader has exercised “strategic patience” in the face of repeated goading. As Iran is in the grip of leadership transition—and as some conservatives in Tehran are calling for more assertive foreign policy—the stakes could not be higher.

Apart from targeting the Iran-US de-escalation effort, an Israeli declaration of war on the IRGC in the region may also be geared to sabotage the reportedly Syrian-brokered rapprochement between Hezbollah and Gulf Arab states.

As Amwaj.media has previously reported, a senior Hezbollah official recently paid a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The rare public trip was focused on the release of Lebanese detainees. However, wider political issues are said to have been on the agenda—with a claimed Syrian mediation role in dealings between Hezbollah and the UAE.

Ultimately, informed Arab sources have indicated to Amwaj.media, the engagement over the Lebanese detainees could be an initial step towards Gulf Arab normalization with Hezbollah. In this context, “several meetings” are reported to have already been held between senior Hezbollah and UAE officials in Damascus.

Looking ahead

Iran has in past years sought to establish a strategic logic of deterring Israeli airstrikes in Syria by retaliating against US forces in the country via local allies. Beyond failing to prevent aerial assaults, this formula has been upturned by the current truce in Iraq and Syria between the Axis and the US.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a political insider in Tehran with knowledge of decision making told Amwaj.media, “There are a variety of options for a response. I find it unlikely that a missile will be fired at a site inside Israel. However, Israel’s diplomatic centers could be attacked where there are capabilities for such an operation, albeit without Iran claiming responsibility—taking into account the political considerations for relations with such a country.” The source described a second option as more diffuse action, with “the main point being for Iran and Israel to both understand how they respond.” He elaborated, “So there may be a response which may not be clear to you and I, but certainly clear to both sides.”

The third option, the source in Tehran emphasized, could be for Iran to avoid a response on the spot. The Iranians may wait, he explained, especially as Israel’s diplomatic missions are on high alert while Israeli forces along the border with Lebanon are in a state of readiness. “It could be that they do not want to respond imminently, to exhaust the Israelis by keeping them on their toes and then strike when their guard is lowered.” He concluded, “In my view, no specific response has been decided on, and if there is such a decision, it is not likely that they will implement it in the coming two days or so. Rather, they will seek to first exhaust Israel by keeping it on alert.”

Referring to the Iranian foreign minister’s assertion that “an important message” has been sent to the United States, a second political insider told Amwaj.media that Tehran expects a more active role from Washington in the face of Israeli escalation. “Since the US has been continuously asking Iran about de-escalation, Iran is giving the ultimatum that this is the end of its efforts if the US does not stop Israel.” The Iranian source emphasized that Tehran “will not respond directly” to the killing of Zahedi, with any retaliatory action likely to be “indirect.” Mindful of the strategic logic that the Islamic Republic has sought to impose in Syria, the latter could put pressure on the truce between the Axis and the US.

There are other complexities to consider as well. The absence of an Iranian response, some regional observers privately charge, could send both the Axis and Israel the message that Tel Aviv could, for instance, target Hezbollah’s leadership without fear of any consequences. Such an environment would be further destabilizing for the region as it could cause fractures and tensions within the Iran-led alliance network.

Last but certainly not least, the islamic Republic may feel compelled to shift away from its preference to separate between attacks in the region and operations against its nuclear program. If Iran concludes that the potential costs of extraterritorial action outweigh the benefits, it could adopt nuclear escalation as a pressure tactic. Such a response would not only undermine de-escalation with the US, but set a dangerous precedent as the wall between the nuclear and regional files would finally come down.

Ravenlocke

2nd April 2024, 23:50

https://x.com/Faytuks/status/1775270738783809995

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https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/1775207675787100363

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Ravenlocke

3rd April 2024, 00:14

Text:
China blasts Israel at the UN: "This is a grave violation of the UN Charter and international law and a breach of the sovereignty of both Syria and Iran. This attack is of an extremely vicious nature... 25 years ago, China's embassy in Yugoslavia was bombed by a US-led NATO airstrike... we feel the grief and pain of the Iranian government and people...

To allow impunity for such reckless acts would send a seriously wrong signal and would encourage even more risky acts... the red line of international law and the basic norms of international relations has been breached time and again, and the moral bottom line of human conscience has been crushed time and again."

https://x.com/upholdreality/status/1775298379372707969

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Text:
Russia at the UN: "We are extremely concerned by such blatant disregard by the Israeli authorities with the connivance of the United States for a legally binding decision of the Council... Israeli actions are absolutely unacceptable and must stop... if we do not reaffirm this position of solidarity, next time the diplomatic mission of any state could be targeted in an air raid."
https://x.com/upholdreality/status/1775303667542835682

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Text:
ASSAD: "The Zionist entity's targeting of the headquarters of a diplomatic mission in an area teeming with civilians is not surprising, as this entity was built on killing, bloodshed, displacement and looting, and the genocide and massacres that have been going on in Gaza for more than six months are the clearest evidence of the barbarism of this entity...

The unprecedented crime of the Zionist entity in targeting the embassy building of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a flagrant violation of international conventions and resolutions and indicates the height of insolence and moral decadence of this entity."

https://x.com/upholdreality/status/1775265869456879869

1775265869456879869

Ravenlocke

3rd April 2024, 00:19

Text:
The US UN delegation just issued a full throated defense of Israel's brazen attack on Iran's sovereign diplomatic facility, accusing Iran of "harboring terrorists" in its consulate in Damascus. This was also a defense of the shredding of the UN Charter and the post-WWII international order. The US rep added an unbelievably ironic call for Iran to "exercise restraint."

https://x.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/1775253686286970933

1775253686286970933

Gwin Ru

6th April 2024, 15:50

...

... MintPress' boss with Scott Ritter (cross posting since all the thread's subjects are touched upon):

LIVE with Scott Ritter: Resistance, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, NATO & WW3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erbvSLk_2nA) 1:25:23

https://yt3.ggpht.com/tq3ETzDc8k4DPewyDo7KnI4pljHT6yt-jS2KMNpyxT3ks-PKOykWtYY49Pdo2vBLWvD3I7mYZMI=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj (https://www.youtube.com/@MintPressNews) MintPress News (https://www.youtube.com/@MintPressNews)

Streamed live 21 hours ago

Support independent watchdog journalism! https://www.patreon.com/MintPressNews (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa3VMVVVEYThTM2NiZldmWGxDeVdkTUdITDh2UXxBQ3Jtc0tubXlPU3lLd19pck4tUFozYmRGQjl2RmVD Q3ZYeUxZcmNpN3VNNDVYM3FkQmVBS3RXd1V6NGNhcVlNR0YwMVNERmdqN0FEVGpyOW1JWXp0eVBQUnctWTUyR3lIYkJiOThqWEVy aGlwRF9hbFpVLWpnWQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2FMintPressNews&v=erbvSLk_2nA)

erbvSLk_2nA

Gwin Ru

11th April 2024, 17:43

...

... big Badaboom!:

WARRIOR UPDATE WITH SCOTT RITTER EPISODE 62 - RUSSIA/CHINA MILITARY ALLIANCE FORMING? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03wiBXPx2dU) 1:10:44

https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AIdro_lS-v19tb939KdNnkaIcfUJTS2ZiaQgMPHDRAOBWZHupZY=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj (https://www.youtube.com/@garlandn) Garland Nixon (https://www.youtube.com/@garlandn)

Streamed live 3 hours ago

WARRIOR UPDATE WITH SCOTT RITTER EPISODE 62 - RUSSIA/CHINA MILITARY ALLIANCE FORMING?

https://www.rokfin.com/garlandnixon (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbXQ2MDRUYUloa2tFZ2VkdHR3cHFOdHRJXzBsUXxBQ3Jtc0tsTENIMHVodlMteTdZTkUxaTVuYmYtUG5h ODR0d2pEV19PNWJ4bTNFX3UxV1pGcmtDcUtEdzZMZlVHWll4dmZVZ1lYTGFRNld2VHFZZEstc19iclE1aFJYVmtqSGt5X29IT21X N3YtVkZyN0NQUGtsWQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rokfin.com%2Fgarlandnixon&v=03wiBXPx2dU)
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paypal - garlandn@gmail.com
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03wiBXPx2dU

Gwin Ru

13th April 2024, 15:39

...

... hit where it hurts most:

Middle East Crisis: Container Ship Hijacked Near Strait Of Hormuz Amid Soaring Iran Tensions
(https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/middle-east-crisis-container-ship-hijacked-near-strait-hormuz-amid-soaring-iran)
by Tyler Durden

Saturday, Apr 13, 2024 - 01:00 PM

While Israel on Friday braced for cruise missile and suicide drone attacks (https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-restricts-diplomats-travel-israel-bracing-iran-attack-expected-weeks-end), there are new reports on Saturday morning that Iranian commandos hijacked an Israeli-affiliated container ship heading towards the Strait of Hormuz.

AP News (https://apnews.com/article/strait-of-hormuz-vessel-33fcffde2d867380e98c89403776a8ac) says the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations initially reported the hijacking of Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, a container ship linked to London-based Zodiac Maritime. Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer controls the international ship management company that owns and charters large vessels.

Video of the boarding has been circulating X for the past hour. However, "AP could not immediately verify the video, it corresponded to known details of the boarding, and the helicopter involved appeared to be one used by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which has carried out other ship raids in the past," the media outlet said.

https://twitter.com/michaelh992/status/1779091223073927484

1779091223073927484
According to Bloomberg data, MSC Aries was leaving a port from Dubai on Thursday and heading towards the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel's last known position was recorded around 1256 local time on Friday off Dubai's coast. AP noted that the ship's transponder had been switched off.

https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/Snag_345c1f1.png?itok=pX-Rds_U

X user Megatron (https://twitter.com/Megatron_ron/status/1779089962484273395) called the ship's seizure by Iran a "big game changer":
This once again is confirming that the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar are helping Israel bypass the Houthi blockade by land route from the UAE port.

Iran is now cutting that route as well.

If Hezbollah cut the Mediterranean route with its drones, Israel could fall into a complete trade blockade.

https://twitter.com/Megatron_ron/status/1779089962484273395

1779089962484273395

The incident in the Strait of Hormuz is very concerning since maritime chokepoints in the region are plagued with conflict. Off of Yemen, in the Bab-El Mandeb Strait, Iran-backed Houthis have unleashed multi-month drone and missile attacks against US, UK, and Israeli vessels.

In a recent note to clients, the global corporate & investment banking capital markets strategy team at MUFG Bank warned the key theme for 2024 would be "Higher friction geopolitics (https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/mufg-warns-higher-friction-geopolitics-puts-these-global-maritime-chokepoints-risk)."

Focusing on the Middle East, MUFG's Tom Joyce showed how 25% of global trade flows through three chokepoints: Suez Canal, Bab-El Mandeb Strait, and Strait of Hormuz. The latest incident is very concerning for global trade and flow of goods, such as energy products, through the region.

https://assets.zerohedge.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/2024-01-24_07-32-04_0.png?itok=LNEi39V_

This all comes as Israel is bracing for drone and missile attacks by Iran or its proxies as warnings flashed on Friday about retaliation for the killing last week of senior Iranian military officials at the country's embassy in Damascus (https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-restricts-diplomats-travel-israel-bracing-iran-attack-expected-weeks-end).

Ravenlocke

16th April 2024, 17:39

Text:
🇷🇺 🇺🇸 Libya: While the world community was largely focused on the preparation and organization of the Iranian strike on Israel, several interesting events unfolded in Libya.

Despite the actual end of hostilities, the political settlement of the protracted civil war is far from reaching a conclusion. Therefore, the conflicting parties are seizing the moment and actively seeking benefits from cooperation with different players.
▪️ The United States is actively engaging with the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli: it recently clarified that the training of three PNU brigades will be conducted by the Amentum PMC, associated with the State Department and the Pentagon. Although Washington dismissed the reports as unreliable, back in March, the media reported the presence of company personnel at the air base in Mitiga.

▪️ Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) operating in the east of the country is open to continuing cooperation with Russia, especially given the initiatives of the Afrika Korps. Recently, two Russian large landing craft with equipment docked at the port of Tobruk, and earlier in February, one of the LNA brigades received a shipment of T-72s.

▪️ Meanwhile, there has been little news about Turkish activity in Libya lately. Despite Ankara's earlier ambitious plans, they have not yet been able to realize them in four years, whether in terms of constructing a naval base or extracting energy resources.

Currently, representatives of both the GNU in Tripoli and the eastern government in Benghazi are taking advantage of the four-year truce, striving to strengthen their positions at the expense of those offering more. They can make lucrative promises - a post-war Libya rich in oil will be highly profitable in terms of assets.

rybar

https://x.com/dana916/status/1780062620973740118

1780062620973740118

gini

18th April 2024, 12:44

INTERVIEW: World War Three has already begun -TxQPC2NFQIw--8 Apr 2024 #WW3 #Israel #GeraldCelente
The world went to war in February ’22, they just didn’t admit it. Israel will inevitably retaliate, like a dog with a prostate problem, and WW3 will then escalate

Ravenlocke

27th April 2024, 16:27

https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1784172765777437157

1784172765777437157

Text:
‼️🇨🇳🇷🇺China is calling for the launch of an international investigation into the Nord Stream terrorist attack under the auspices of the UN.
This statement was made by the country's deputy permanent representative to the UN at a meeting of the organization's Security Council.
- RVvoenkor

https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1783916671486283980

1783916671486283980

Text:

Blinken and the slap in the face he received during his visit in China.
Received at the airport by Chinese low level official and sent back to the airport by....nobody.

He got what he deserved, he insulted Chinese government before and during his visit, it shows clearly his ignorance or lack of awareness unless he just wanted to come to China and insult Chinese government and further increase tensions between China, a re-emerging power and the US, a declining-decadent-desperate power.

https://x.com/angeloinchina/status/1784218809878118491

1784218809878118491

Ravenlocke

27th April 2024, 16:36

Text:
People don't realize just how dangerous this rhetoric is. This is in effect the US demanding China become hostile to Russia by stopping to supply items that "power its industrial base"... meaning asking China to join the West in trying to weaken Russia as a country.

As a reminder this is exactly the reason why during WW2 Japan went to war with the US: the US at some point stopped supplying oil to Japan and this directly led to Pearl Harbor. Countries typically don't take it very constructively when you're trying to strangle them economically...

The worst part is that the only rational they give China for doing this is 100% stick and 0% carrot: "if you don't do this we in turn will be even more aggressive towards you than we've been to date". With of course, in the back of China's mind the knowledge that the US's calculus is that they want to be done with Russia in order to fully concentrate on containing them.

So they're presenting China with a completely lose-lose proposition: be hostile to your neighbor now so we can contain you faster down the line, or don't be hostile to your neighbor and we'll ramp up our containment now. How attractive is that? 🙃

China will of course not start being hostile to Russia, in fact if anything this will convince them that the US is even more unhinged and unreasonable that they thought.

It's very hard to predict what they'll do... An ideal scenario for China would be to secure peace in Ukraine on terms that are agreeable to all except the US, weakens the transatlantic alliance and unites Eurasia. By the way, objectively speaking this would also be the best scenario for Europe's interests because it stands to reason that a long-term Korea-style divide with Russia would be a complete disaster. President Xi is going to Europe shortly and I am ready to bet he'll argue for something along these lines. But the thing is that he'll be speaking to Europeans who, if anything, are even less reasonable than Americans so I don't think we can be very optimistic about that prospect...

The more realistic scenario is that China does nothing and reacts to additional hostile measures against it in ways that weaken the US more than it weakens them. Some sort of Kung Fu move where you use your opponent's strength against them. For instance the US floated the idea of expelling Chinese banks from the global financial system: China, the biggest trading partner of almost all countries, can then say "from now on to trade with us, you need to use our system", which would be a big blow to the US dollar's status as the world's preeminent currency.

All in all, we're well and truly in Cold War 2, which is pretty sad. Just like WW1 was really different from WW2, Cold War 2 is different from the first one: this time it's not an ideological competition between 2 blocs, but it is still a war in all respects except a direct military fight between the world's 2 largest great powers, which is what makes it a cold war.

The key cause is because the US cannot bear to lose its global hegemony and wants to restore a unipolar order where they call the shots and try to transform the world in their own image... which is the very reason why it's a 100% certainty they won't succeed: to win a cold war you need to convince a significant share of the world that your cause is worthy and this is anything but. The whole world saw what happens when the US achieves unipolarity: insane hubris where they don't hesitate to destroy entire nations and kill millions in the process. No-one wants to get back to that, except maybe a few die-hard vassals in the West.

China's cause on the other hand is a multipolar world order, an order where the US simply doesn't call the shots, something a good 80% of the world's countries can get behind. Furthermore China can point to 1,800 years out of the past 2,000 years when it was the world's preeminent power and never tried to submit the whole world: colonialism, transforming the world in their own image or being "the world's policeman" is just not in their DNA.

So I think we can safely predict that this transition towards a multipolar world order is unavoidable, in fact we're probably already there. The question now is when will the US stop challenging this reality and start being a constructive actor in this new world as opposed to waging war and sowing conflict everywhere. And I'm afraid we can wait a long time for that... In fact it's already a de-facto characteristic of the new order: it's a multipolar world order with a revisionist power in its midst that wants to restore its former hegemonic imperial status.

https://x.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1784098974477250629

1784098974477250629

Ravenlocke

27th April 2024, 16:40

https://x.com/IranObserver0/status/1783868335286833247

1783868335286833247

Ravenlocke

27th April 2024, 17:53

https://x.com/anadoluagency/status/1784120928181293497

1784120928181293497

Gwin Ru

30th April 2024, 15:20

...

... summary of the relevant, pertinent puzzle pieces that led to where we are at:

SCOTT RITTER/ WHAT WILL PEOPLE READ ABOUT RUSSIA-UKRAINE CONFLICT IN 1000 YEARS FROM NOW? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUtWd5PMjBM) 1:25:31

https://yt3.ggpht.com/BAddv7idiQ6vOmro0D4ZP1rtwRfUqCbWLNczYP7iDL-54A-ESv5d2VFi3YezHf1VgPiW1F-H=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj (https://www.youtube.com/@Throughtheeyesof) Through the eyes of (https://www.youtube.com/@Throughtheeyesof)

64,023 views Streamed live 22 hours ago

mUtWd5PMjBM

Hermoor

30th April 2024, 22:02

https://x.com/anadoluagency/status/1784120928181293497

1784120928181293497

Clucking bell. Talk about flogging a dead horse.

I suppose they'll keep on flogging it for as long as there are enough dumb clucks still buying it.

Oh my. What a dumpster fire.

Kryztian

24th May 2024, 22:43

Starting at the 50 minutes mark below, Alexander Mercouris discusses how the Russia hawks (especially the Biden administration) and the China hawks are coming head to head, and that now, because of the US/NATO's maneuvers against Russia have failed, the China hawks are making the argument that it is time to put our focus back on China. Mercouris makes quite a few references to Ray McGoverns article "Russia & China — Two Against One (https://consortiumnews.com/2024/05/17/ray-mcgovern-russia-china-two-against-one/)" as well as an article on the Atlantic Council website (https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/).

v4upk59

Kryztian

30th May 2024, 20:00

Trump tells donors he’d bomb Moscow and Beijing – WaPo
The ex-president detailed how he would have responded while in office to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine
https://www.rt.com/news/598373-trump-bomb-moscow-beijing/

Former US President and current Republican candidate Donald Trump has told campaign donors that he “would have bombed” Moscow and Beijing if they’d attacked Ukraine and Taiwan respectively on his watch, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

According to numerous donors, advisers and other people close to him, the former president has ramped up his fundraising campaign rhetoric ahead of his likely rematch with incumbent Joe Biden in the upcoming November election.

Trump, who regularly addresses foreign policy topics at such events, reportedly claimed that he would have bombed the Russian capital in response to its Ukraine campaign, and prescribed the same response to a hypothetical Chinese move to assert its sovereignty over Taiwan. These remarks “surprised” his donors, according to the Washington Post.

Former President Trump is also said to have made a “series of audacious requests” to solicit significant campaign contributions at funding events, as he has reportedly promised tax cuts, approvals for oil infrastructure projects, and other policies that his donors might appreciate.

Some legal experts interviewed by the Washington Post noted that such promises and requests are “testing the boundaries of federal campaign finance laws.”

Trump is no stranger to hardline rhetoric, famously threatening North Korea with “fire and fury” when tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs flared in 2017. On the Ukraine conflict, however, he had earlier promised to settle hostilities within just 24 hours if reelected by sitting down with both Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

An earlier Washington Post report suggested that Trump hoped to end the conflict by pressuring Ukraine to agree to recognize at least some of its territorial losses to Russia. In the fall of 2022, four former Ukrainian regions voted to join Russia, following in the footsteps of Crimea, which did so in 2014.

The Trump campaign, however, has dismissed the WaPo report as “fake news.”

In February, Bloomberg also reported, citing an adviser to the ex-president, that if Trump wins the election, he could pressure Ukraine to negotiate peace with Russia by threatening to cut massive US military assistance to the country.

Russia maintains that it is open to talks over Ukraine; however, in the fall of 2022, Vladimir Zelensky signed a decree banning all negotiations with the current leadership in Moscow.
https://www.rt.com/news/598373-trump-bomb-moscow-beijing

Ravenlocke

19th June 2024, 23:14

Text:
🇷🇺🇨🇳 The West is pushing China into the arms of Russia, writes Politico.

The publication writes that as “the West’s demands on China increase,” the PRC’s relationship with the Russian Federation has only strengthened: trade and defense exchanges have grown significantly, and Russian citizens have become more positive about China.

Politico notes that China's skepticism toward NATO has "turned into outright disgust," and since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, China has significantly strengthened economic ties with Russia, providing it with "important economic support in the face of Western sanctions."
- ISZ reports

https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1803522497133908368

1803522497133908368

Gwin Ru

21st June 2024, 16:47

...

... put all of 'em in a blender, stir and the end result is the infamous "They all are in on it" cocktail!

Did Satanists Create Radical Islam to Overthrow Israel? (https://henrymakow.com/2024/06/radical-islamd-created.html)

June 21, 2024

https://henrymakow.com/muslim-brotherhood.jpeg

The Muslim Brotherhood which includes Hamas, Hezbollah and the Iranian mullahs are Freemasons. They are a tool of the British-based Globalists who created them to confront Israel in a third world war, as per Albert Pike (https://www.threeworldwars.com/albert-pike2.htm).

John Coleman - "Appearances belie reality. In fact, the Muslim nations are the victims of terror from the West. With their near-complete control of the media, the powers that be have instilled an inverted image of the real world."

Makow - Think of the Muslim Brotherhood as the Communists of the Muslim world. With Russia and China, they are arrayed against the Zionists (Israel & its supporters.).

As in the Second World War, Zionists (Nazis) are confronting Communists. Freemasons control both sides. Both Netanyahu and Ali Khamenei are Freemasons. Humanity is victim of a grotesque trick that is leading to catastrophe.

from Nov. 6. 2023
Source (https://groups.google.com/g/thesilaturrahim/c/5GELeQdyqPs?pli=1)

Muslim Brotherhood created by British Intelligence

Dr. John Coleman, a former British Intelligence agent...states in his report on Iran's Islamic Revolution that the Muslim Brotherhood was created by "the great names of British Middle East intelligence"...and that their mission was to "keep the Middle East backward so that its natural resource, oil, could continue to be looted..."

The Muslim Brotherhood is a London creation, forged as the standard-bearer of an ancient, anti-religious (pagan) heresy that has plagued Islam since the establishment of the Islamic community (umma) by the Prophet Mohammed in the seventh century. Representing organized Islamic fundamentalism, the organization called the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan al-Muslimum in Arabic) was officially founded in Egypt, in 1929, by the British agent Hasan al-Banna, a Sufi mystic. Today, the Muslim Brotherhood is the umbrella under which a host of fundamentalist Sufi, Sunni, and radical Shiite brotherhoods and societies flourish.

The Muslim Brotherhood is a tool by the British-based Globalists whose main objective is to overthrow the established world order and create a new one-world system of global governance.

Without the British, "radical Islam would have remained the illegitimate, repressive minority movement that it has always been, and the Middle East would have remained stable and prosperous."

https://henrymakow.com/netanyahu-end-times.jpg
( 1990-Chabad rabbi urges Netanyahu to bring about the End Times)

The real Muslim Brothers are...the secretive bankers and financiers who stand behind the curtain, the members of the old Arab, Turkish, or Persian families whose genealogy places them in the oligarchic elite, with smooth business and intelligence associations to the European black nobility and, especially, to the British oligarchy.

By fabricating a bogus war between Islamic fundamentalism and the West, the globalists are able to attack their real enemy, humanity. Pulling the strings, they will ensure that both Western and Muslim states are degraded and finally completely subjugated to their odious rule.

The globalists have long been using wars to subvert, demoralize and destroy Western civilization.

They plan a new feudalism that will impoverish the middle classes, depopulate and enslave the masses, and leave only the rich served by a technocracy. The whole world will resemble a repressive third world country governed by the IMF, UN and World Bank.

The globalists are headquartered in London and centred on the Rothschild-dominated Bank of England, MI-6 and the secretive Round Table society, which spawned the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

--
Related - Iran and Israel are Both Run by Freemasons Plotting WW3 (https://henrymakow.com/2023/10/the-final-social-cataclysm---i.html)

--
(https://www.threeworldwars.com/albert-pike2.htm Google shadowbanned this link.)

Scott Ritter and Douglas Macgregor are excellent sources of information but they refuse to recognize that both sides of the conflicts in Israel and Ukraine are controlled by Freemasons. Al Khomenei, Netanyahu, Nesrallah, Sinwar, Biden, Putin and Zelensky are all Freemasons!

The West is begging Putin to destroy it. Netanyahu is begging Hezbollah to destroy Israel. This is occult "Creative Destruction." (https://henrymakow.com/the_destuctive_principle_of_th.html) From the ashes of nuclear war, the satanic New World Order will rise like a phoenix.

Please send links and comments to hmakow@gmail.com

Finally, a YouTube video where the message is stated right away. Douglas Macgregor says Israel is invading Lebanon to widen the war and bring in the US against Iran

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXD8t7gYpTo (weaves many dots into a coherent whole - GR)

He does not rule out Israel using a tactical nuclear weapon against Hezbollah; Russia will enter the war if Iran is threatened.

Turkey could enter the war because Cyprus is supporting Israel