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Broom

Queen Elizabeth won't get involved in Julian Assange case because it's a POLITICAL matter - Buckingham Palace


RT
Sun, 16 Feb 2020 16:56 UTC

Comment: This may in fact be Her Majesty's way of weighing in on it... she has exposed it - inadvertently or otherwise - to be a POLITICAL, not a legal matter.


Queen Elizabeth II and Julian Assange
© Reuters / Richard Pohle and Henry Nicholls 52Queen Elizabeth II and Julian Assange
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman has said the Queen will not intervene to release Julian Assange, vowing to remain "non-political." The statement seemingly confirms that Assange's detention is a political, not criminal, matter.

With WikiLeaks founder Assange holed up in HM Prison Belmarsh awaiting extradition to the US, activist Chris Lonsdale penned a letter to Queen Elizabeth II last month, asking the monarch to "ensure that Mr. Julian Assange is freed from Belmarsh Prison unconditionally," in the spirit of "justice, peace and fair-mindedness."

In a reply posted by Lonsdale on Sunday, a spokeswoman for the Queen said that Her Majesty "remains strictly non-political at all times," and Assange's detention is therefore "not a matter in which the Queen would intervene."

Assange's supporters have long argued that his arrest and imprisonment are motivated by politics, not justice. Assange has languished in Belmarsh since his arrest inside London's Ecuadorian embassy last April, ostensibly on charges of skipping bail in 2012. He is also facing extradition to the US to answer to a litany of espionage charges, related to WikiLeaks' publication of classified US military documents detailing potential war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. If convicted, he faces 175 years in prison.

Comment: See also:

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Dollars

Sanders surging in polls, worried Israeli lobby drops big chunk of change on sinking his Nevada chances


RT
Sat, 15 Feb 2020 19:22 UTC
bernie sanders Nevada caucus
© Reuters / Shannon StapletonBernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 15, 2020
After emerging as the Democratic frontrunner in wake of Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, Bernie Sanders heads to Nevada leading in polls but facing new opposition: the Israel lobby and its vast cash reserves.

Despite being pipped at the post in Iowa by Pete Buttigieg (with the help of a malfunctioning voting app, his supporters claim), Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders came out victorious in last week's New Hampshire primary. With the Nevada primary just a week away, a Morning Consult poll published this week put the progressive senator ten points ahead of Joe Biden, the former vice president and until now, the supposed frontrunner for the 2020 nomination.

While the news has energized Sanders' supporters, it's also motivated mainstream Democrats and establishment talking heads, who've taken to slamming Sanders as a "communist," and a "left-wing version of Trump."

Comment: All the hue and cry about Sander's position on Israel is just theatrics. In the end he is a soft supporter, whom Israel doesn't really need to worry about.

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Star of David

Chairman of Republicans in Israel: 'Immediate' implementation of peace deal impossible

Elizabeth Blade
Sputnik
Sun, 16 Feb 2020 18:58 UTC
Israel border police west bank qalqilya
© Associated Press / Majdi MohammedIsraeli border police officers, stand in the village of Azzun near the West Bank city of Qalqilya
After announcing Israel would be able to "immediately" extend its sovereignty over vast areas of the West Bank, the US seems to be dragging its feet, warning against taking unilateral steps before the elections. But an Israeli lawyer refutes allegations that Washington backtracked from the plan, saying the sides should draw up detailed maps first.

Two weeks ago, the US administration rocked the boat when it revealed its 'deal of the century' plan, aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The initiative stipulated that the Jewish state would be able to "immediately" bite off big chunks of the West Bank - including the Jordan Valley, which makes some 30 percent of the area - in exchange for vast areas that would be given to the Palestinians in the Negev desert.

Comment:

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Light Sabers

Peter Hitchens: Kafka comes to The Hague - OPCW shamefully throws whistleblowers under the bus

Peter Hitchens
Daily Mail
Sat, 15 Feb 2020 18:45 UTC
opcw un douma
Bloody cover-up
Why you should be worried

You might think that when two honest men, with nothing to gain and much to lose, speak the truth about a major scandal in a body which might one day decide between world war and peace, that the world would immediately do the right thing.

You would be utterly wrong.

In the movies, the dissenters would quickly be recognised as the heroes of the story, their bosses would admit to doing wrong. The media would celebrate their courage. And the matter would be set right.

But the case of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) shows that it would be foolish to expect that to happen. The OPCW is an agency of the UN. It exists to ensure impartial and rigorous inspection of the alleged use of chemical weapons. But it is now charged with being neither impartial nor rigorous.

An important story has been widely ignored, to the lasting shame of Western journalism. The organisation involved has made no move to correct the wrong. The individuals involved have been unfairly attacked by their own former employer.

Politicians have continued to repeat claims based on documents which have been gravely challenged, as if nothing had happened.

Comment: See also:

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Light Saber

IRGC Commander: A 3,000 km-wide 'Axis of Resistance' stretches from Yemen to Lebanon


Sputnik
Sun, 16 Feb 2020 18:04 UTC
women militia Yemen houthi
© Reuters / Khaled AbdullahWomen loyal to the Houthi movement parade to show support to the movement in Sanaa, Yemen
Iran has rarely commented on the extent of its cooperation with Yemen's Houthi militia, which maintains de-facto control over a wide area of the war-torn country and has been fighting a Saudi-led military coalition attempting to restore its ousted government.

Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Force Commander Brig. Gen. Amir-Ali Hajizadeh has called on Iran's partners in the unofficial 'Axis of Resistance' alliance to join together to defeat the US and Israel.

"All countries of the Axis of Resistance are united, and we must join hands to kick American troops out of the region and annihilate the Zionist regime," Hajizadeh said, speaking to Yemen's pro-Houthi al-Masirah television.

Comment: Is the Middle East's "axis of resistance" in a better or worse position post-Soleimani?

Short answer: Yes.

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Vader

Blowhard Pompeo takes aim at Huawei, other Chinese tech companies: 'Trojan Horses' for Beijing spying


RT
Sun, 16 Feb 2020 17:49 UTC
pompeo wang yi esper huawei
© Reuters / REUTERS/Andreas Gebert/Andrew Caballero-ReynoldsMike Pompeo, Wang Yi and Mark Esper at the Munich Security Conference
Tech firms that receive support from Beijing serve as instruments of Chinese intelligence, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has alleged, in the latest verbal volley aimed at Huawei and other Chinese companies.

"Huawei and other Chinese state-backed tech companies are Trojan horses for Chinese intelligence," Pompeo said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. The US secretary of state took on the Chinese tech giant while speaking about what he believes are the biggest threats to modern security.

Mirroring Pompeo's sentiments, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told the conference that Washington would like to see "allied and US tech companies" develop their own technologies in order to compete with Chinese firms.

Comment: China fires back:
Beijing has issued a scathing rebuke of Mike Pompeo's claim that China is involved in covert activities as part of its desire to obtain greater power, noting that the allegation might be true - if he were referring to Washington.

"All these accusations against China are lies, not based on facts," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. "But if we replace the subject of the lie from China to America, maybe those lies become facts?"

Washington has repeatedly claimed that Huawei poses an existential security threat to its allies. However, these allegations have been largely dismissed by Europe. The UK has already decided to allow Huawei limited participation in its 5G network, and countries such as Germany, Portugal and Italy have been vocal critics of US pressure to cut all ties with the Chinese firm.
It doesn't seem to matter how many times Huawei assures the Deep State neocons it has no intention of conducting intelligence activities or how many other cyber experts confirm those assertions. China bad is the message for the masses. In the meantime, it has emerged that the US has in effect been running a global 'PRISM' illegal surveillance network, intercepting diplomatic messages of dozens of 'friendly' countries for decades, and that they did it by selling the hi-tech services of a Swiss encryption firm (which doubled as a CIA front) which had backdoor access.

Do as we say, not as we do!

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Airplane Paper

Not a big surprise: White House memo says Soleimani strike was 'response' to past attacks instead of 'imminent' threat


RT
Sat, 15 Feb 2020 17:39 UTC
soleimani
© Reuters / West Asia News Agency / Nazanin TabatabaeePeople gather in Tehran to mourn during a forty-day memorial for Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US air strike in January.
The US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general was ordered in retaliation for previous attacks, the White House said in a memo, contradicting earlier claims that an "imminent" threat justified the assassination.


Comment: You mean, they ... lied? Imagine our total lack of shock.


Now over a month removed from the targeted killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, the White House on Friday has offered yet another rationale for the operation, the latest in a series of alternating arguments offered by the president and Pentagon officials.

"The president directed this action in response to an escalating series of attacks in preceding months by Iran and Iran-backed militias on United States forces and interests in the Middle East," the memo said.

While the document notes that the assassination was meant to "protect" American troops and "deter Iran" from future attacks, US President Donald Trump previously maintained Soleimani was killed specifically "because they were looking to blow up our embassy" - later expanding the alleged Iranian plot to four American embassies.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper initially questioned that assertion, telling CBS "I didn't see [a threat] to four embassies," but eventually came around to "the president's view," all the while providing no evidence for any of the conflicting accounts.

Comment: The Iranians have a sane view of the situation:
"It's unfortunate that the United States, based on misinformation, based on ignorance and arrogance, combined on a course that has brought the region very close to the brink. [...] We were very close to a war", Zarif said, cited by NBC News.

[Regarding the retaliatory strike on the American base in Iraq:] "We wanted to show to the United States that they could not bully Iran. Actions against Iran will have repercussions, but the intention was not to kill anybody [...] The intention was to send a message, a very clear message to the United States, that if they kill Iranians, we will hit back", Zarif said, cited by NBC News.
...
Zarif detailed that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had written an "extremely inappropriate letter to Iran" at the height of the crisis in January, adding that this message contained "threats", although the Tehran diplomat carefully declined to cite the content.

"Let him say what he put in that letter", Zarif offered, cited by NBC News.
...
"The United States hit at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and these are the consequences and we can't control the consequences, nor can the United States. I mean, people are responsible for the consequences of their actions and I think people who initiated this, need to walk back", Zarif said, cited by NBC News.


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Bullseye

Is the Middle East's "axis of resistance" in a better or worse position post-Soleimani?

Elijah J. Magnier
ejmagnier.com
Sun, 16 Feb 2020 16:53 UTC
supporters iran syria iraq hamas
© Marziyah Mousavi/IRNABrothers
The Martyr Qassem Soleimani achieves even more than the Major General did

More than forty days ago a US drone assassinated Major General Qassem Soleimani, leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - Quds Brigade and leader of the "Axis of the Resistance". He was killed after midnight at Baghdad airport between the second and the third of January along with his companions. Has the "Axis of Resistance" been weakened by this event, and what has it achieved since then?

On the Syrian front, in an outstanding gain, the Syrian Army along with its allies from the Zoul-fi-Qar brigade and other partners liberated the 432 km Damascus-Aleppo road for the first time since it was blocked in 2012. It enlarged the security perimeter on its western flank. The strategic cities of Saraqeb, Rashedeen, Khan al-Asal have been liberated along with El-Eiss hil, a location that Major General Soleimani always wanted to free. Hezbollah lost 23 officers buried at the hill and wants to recover them to bring them back home.

Comment: Is the U.S., in all its arrogant, decades-long meddling, finally to reap the whirlwind?

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Dominoes

The Philippines want the US out, and they're not alone

Tim Kirby
Strategic Culture
Sun, 16 Feb 2020 11:31 UTC
maga hat sea
© Strategic Culture FoundationStrategic Culture Foundation
The pawns of the Grand Chessboard are starting to move much more boldly - in an unpredicted by the punditry decision the Philippines have asked U.S. forces to leave their islands indefinitely. It was impossible to think even 10 or 15 years ago that a country as completely militarily helpless as the Philippines would dare to stand up to Uncle Sam, but now this has become a reality. In a microcosm this move could be blamed on Duterte's fiery personal character, or as some sort of fluke, but this is a growing trend that will probably continue for at least the next few years, in which ideology actually plays a major unseen role.

The Philippines are a poor troubled island nation that is starting to get its house in order thanks mostly to a powerful charismatic central figure, but if we look at the country through the lens of "Geopolitics 101" then we can see that this nation has more value than one would think due to its location.

Comment: See also:

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Calculator

US 'defense' budget soars, driving world military spending to 10-year high

Lucie Béraud-Sudreau
IISS - Military Balance Blog
Fri, 14 Feb 2020 12:00 UTC
Defence
Figure 1. Defence spending: top 15 in 2019 US$bn
In 2019, the United States remained by far the world's largest defence spender, widening the gap between it and the second largest spender, China. US investments in weapons procurement and R&D alone were larger than China's total defence budget. The United States' defence investments in weapons procurement and R&D were also worth around four times as much as European states' combined.

IISS data shows that in 2019 the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and India retained their positions as the world's top defence spenders. Indeed, the only movement in the top 15 saw Italy and Australia swap places, with Italy taking the 12th position and Australia the 13th (Figure 1).

The lack of change in the top 15 reflects an interesting underlying trend, in that the US has if anything just restated its spending dominance. In 2019, global defence spending rose by 4.0% in real terms over 2018 figures, but spending in the US grew by 6.6%. China's spending also rose by 6.6% over 2018 data, but the trajectory of the two states' defence spending is diverging. The budget increase in the US was the largest in ten years, and spending has increased year-on-year since US President Donald Trump took office. While spending is still rising in China, the pace of growth is decelerating, in line with Beijing's relative economic slowdown. This divergence in trajectories means that the spending gap between the two countries, which had narrowed since 2010, has since 2018 increased once more (Figure 2). It remains to be seen, however, if this trend will continue given Washington's plans for a more limited defence-spending increase in FY2021.

Comment: Meanwhile the US' output is increasingly riddled with flaws, and its position on the world stage becomes ever weaker:

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