Puppet MastersS


Arrow Down

Syria: Turkey finds itself down a blind alley in an unwinnable war

Tony Cartalucci
New Eastern Outlook
Mon, 02 Mar 2020 00:00 UTC
Erdogan
© UnknownTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Fighting in northern Syria has escalated as Syrian forces retake the last remaining bastions of foreign-funded militants and encircle, cut-off, and in some cases catch in the crossfire their Turkish backers.

Turkey had been making some promising steps in the right direction since Washington's disastrous proxy regime-change war in Syria began unraveling - yet it still maintains a problematic position inside Syrian territory, backing what are unequivocally terrorists and obstructing Syria's sovereign right to recover and restore order within its own borders.

The latest and most dangerous manifestation of this untenable policy is the increasingly frequent and fierce clashes between Turkish forces occupying Syrian territory and Syrian forces themselves moving deeper into the northern Syrian governorate of Idlib.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Star of David

Israel declares war on Bernie Sanders as he AGAIN refuses to pay homage at pre-election AIPAC conference


The Times of Israel
Sun, 01 Mar 2020 03:20 UTC

Comment: Believe it or not, Bernie - unique among his Democratic elders (though Tulsi Gabbard likewise has never done so) has never abased himself before the AIPAC horde...


Sanders
© AP/Steve HelberDemocratic candidate for president Senator Bernie Sanders
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations on Sunday assailed US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders as an "ignorant fool," two days before a key test for the Jewish frontrunner when primaries will be held in 14 states in Super Tuesday.

At a conference hosted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Danny Danon made the daring remark — which could be construed as Israeli interference in the election process in the United States — in reaction to Sanders recently calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "reactionary racist."

"Whoever calls the prime minister of Israel a 'racist' is either a liar, an ignorant fool, or both," Danon said. "We don't want Sanders at AIPAC. We don't want him in Israel."


Comment: Finally, a US presidential candidate who is at least declaring that he will stand up to Israel.

Provided he makes it to the Democratic nomination.

Yesterday, during an interview with CBS's Face The Nation, Sanders said this:



The CEO of AIPAC immediately responded - at the very get-together Sanders is making a point of not attending...
AIPAC chief promises to defeat 'those who try to harm the U.S.-Israel relationship' in veiled shot at Sanders

"We face a collection of political leaders and their supporters who want to turn our political system away from Israel," Kohr said to the 18,000 attendees at the start of the three-day conference.

"The pro-Israel community will work to defeat those who try to harm our friends, and those who try to harm the U.S.-Israel relationship."
Meanwhile a rambling rant on AIPAC's Twitter page opened with this veiled threat - never mentioning Sanders by name - but clearly directed at him:

Trump strategically aligned himself with Israel to capture the presidency in the US. If Sanders attempts the opposite approach, it'll be interesting to see - again, provided Sanders isn't ousted in a coup beforehand - which bet pays off with American voters.

Read More...
Briefcase

Bested by Trump and Barr: Flynn and Stone cases derail as new management takes over

Brian Cates
UncoverDC
Mon, 17 Feb 2020 00:00 UTC
TrumpBarr
© M. Melvin/MSNBCUS President Donald Trump • AG William Barr
Two high profile cases involving former Trump associates had shocking developments in the past several days.

All hell broke loose over three straight days at the trial of former Trump associate Roger Stone who had been charged with perjury, witness tampering and obstructing a Congressional investigation.

Stone was convicted on six counts back on November 15 and the four member Mueller Special Counsel prosecution team working out of the US Attorney's office in Washington DC filed their sentencing memorandum on February 10 with presiding judge Amy Berman Jackson.

From what has been reported, Attorney General William Barr and other top Department of Justice [DOJ] officials were stunned to hear in media reports that the Mueller prosecution team had recommended that Stone, a 67 year old man with no prior criminal record, be given a sentence of between six and nine years in prison.

Barr and others were stunned because those same prosecutors had just briefed them about what their sentence recommendation would be, and this filing didn't come close to matching what they'd been told.

The DOJ took quick action to reverse the extreme recommendation, filing its own memorandum with the court.
Read More...
Attention

Russia affirms Syrian sovereignty: Can't guarantee safety of Turkish aviation as Damascus closes Idlib airspace


Sputnik
Mon, 02 Mar 2020 18:17 UTC
bombing idlib turkey
© Agence France-Presse/ Abdulaziz KetazTensions run high in Syria’s Idlib after Thursday's spike in hostilities
The Russian Defence Ministry announced on Sunday that it could no longer guarantee the safety of Turkish aircraft flying over northern Syria, after Damascus moved to close the airspace over the embattled province of Idlib.

Damascus announced earlier on Sunday that it would treat any aircraft that crosses into the airspace of Syria's northwest as a hostile target.

This comes amid media reports that two Syrian aircraft were shot down in Idlib. Both pilots survived after ejecting, according to reports.

SANA reported that the "Turkish regime's terrorist forces" struck the planes, without specifying whether they were Turkish troops or Ankara-backed militants.
Read More...
Bad Guys

Erdogan's whipsaw Syrian policy: Claims Turkey now wants lasting ceasefire in Idlib


SouthFront
Mon, 02 Mar 2020 17:21 UTC
erdogan
© Presidential Press Office / Handout via REUTERSTurkish President Tayyip Erdogan
On March 2nd, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey's hope was a lasting ceasefire in Idlib, Syria and that Ankara is working towards that goal.
"My only wish is to end this struggle with victory and prevent further bloodshed, with a permanent cease-fire. For this, we are using all our diplomatic channels, along with our struggle in the field," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a gathering of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party officials.
His remarks came ahead of his meeting Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the situation in Idlib, northwestern Syria. The meeting is expected to take place on March 5th in Ankara.

Comment: Erdogan is looking more and more unhinged each day. At the same time he is floating ceasefire offers, he is making threats:
"We are just beginning to show our true strength to those who see our sensitivity as [the unwillingness] to shed blood, to hurt or [make someone] suffer, or as weakness and timidity," the Turkish president told members of his AK Party on Monday. "The human and equipment losses of the [Syrian] regime are just the beginning," Erdogan said.

Backing up his threat, Erdogan cited heavy losses ostensibly inflicted on the advancing Syrian government troops. He said Damascus has lost 2,557 soldiers and militia members, 135 tanks as well as dozens of cannons, multiple launch rocket systems, and pickup-mounted anti-aircraft guns.

While threatening Damascus with further attacks, Erdogan made an appeal to Moscow and Tehran, which have been supporting President Bashar Assad in his fight against terrorism.



A quick glance through @ragipsoylu's feed shows him to be a enthusiastic Turkish partisan, so presumably he approves Erdogan's threats.

Still the Turkish president has retained a bit of a grip on reality, with a switch to making nice with the Kremlin, despite his previous statements in which he ordered Russia (!) to stay out of Turkey's way in Syria. The proffered olive branch:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has high hopes for his upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin, saying he's optimistic an agreement will be reached with the Russian leader on ending hostilities in Idlib, Syria.

"We will evaluate the developments [in Idlib]. I hope that we [can lay the groundwork for] a ceasefire or take other steps and that we will get the job done quickly," Erdogan said in a recent speech in Ankara.

Earlier in the day, it was confirmed that Erdogan's much-anticipated visit to Moscow will take place on March 5. The Kremlin has expressed similar expectations for the meeting, saying the Putin-Erdogan summit will help defuse tensions in the troubled province of Idlib.
In the meantime, Erdogan has played the migrant card once again, opening its northern borders to Europe:
This Monday, Erdogan confirmed that Ankara will not close its borders, so the migrants can continue on into Europe. There will not be a single step back on this, Erdogan promised: "It's done, the doors are open now. You're going to have your share of this load right now."
Fierce clashes, tear gas at border as Greece vows to 'turn back' flow of migrants from Turkey

Russia has stayed the course in trying to bring some order to the area:
Russian military police have been deployed to Saraqeb in Syria's Idlib province, the Defense Ministry has confirmed. Until recently, the strategic town has seen heavy fighting between Syrian forces and Turkish-backed militants.

The police presence is especially important because of the key role that Saraqeb plays in assuring the safety of vehicles and the civilian population travelling along the M4 and M5 highways.

There was heavy fighting between Syrian government forces and the militants, who were backed by Turkish artillery, over the town in recent weeks. In late February, the jihadists even announced that they were able to get hold of Saraqeb, but the Russian military sources denied those claims, saying that all of the attacks were repelled.

The Syrian forces established full control over Saraqeb on February 5. That triggered quite a response from Ankara, which demanded Damascus draw back its forces to the positions they occupied in late 2019. It also tried persuading Moscow to pressure its Syrian allies to retreat.
Why is Erdogan so focused on Idlib? One factor resurfacing is that if Turkey loses Idlib, jurisdiction over the neighboring province of Hatay, once under Syrian governance but handed to Turkey by France in 1939, may come back into the picture:

Read More...
Propaganda

Dear mainstream media, do you really think Modi is behind all India's problems?

Ashish Shukla
RT
Sun, 01 Mar 2020 03:10 UTC
Modi
© REUTERS/Amit Dave
It's a tedious time to read Indian or Western mainstream media as it unleashes venom against PM Narendra Modi and pours scorn on ordinary people, to be gobbled up by elites. Or perhaps there's never been a better time to read it.

The negative headlines keep coming: "India's politics of hate" (Washington Post), "Millions of Indians could be in detention camps" (Bloomberg), "New Delhi turns into battleground" (New York Times). Then there's Newsweek, warning of the ruling party's agenda to "marginalize Muslims."

Without further inspection, these diatribes are guaranteed to produce anger and fear. But it could also be an occasion to brush up your primer on Western Media - and to understand why they frame stories as they do.

Of course, these stories above refer to the awful violence which erupted on New Delhi's streets over a controversial citizenship law and claimed 20 lives, even as the President of the United States Donald Trump was beaming from ear to ear over the massive welcome he received from both the masses and the Indian establishment this week.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Bad Guys

Idlib is mine, says Erdogan: Explaining the recent Turkey-Syria clashes

Elijah J. Magnier
ejmagnier.com
Mon, 02 Mar 2020 17:35 UTC
turkey-backed militants jihadists idlib
Turkish backed jihadists and foreign fighters preparing an attack against the Syrian Army position around Idlib.
A significant development took place in Syria on Friday. A Russian attack on a Turkish convoy in Idlib in north-west Syria killed 36 Turkish soldiers and officers. In retaliation, Turkey launched an unprecedented armed drone attack that lasted several hours and resulted in the killing and wounding of over 150 Syrian officers and soldiers and their allies of Hezbollah and the Fatimiy'oun. The Turkish drones destroyed dozens of tanks and rocket launchers deployed by the Syrian Army along the front line. Russia ceased air support for Syria, and its allies demanded from Russia an explanation for the lack of coordination of its unilateral stoppage of air support, allowing the Turkish drones to kill so many Syrian Army and allied forces. What happened, why, and what will be the consequences?

In October 2018, Turkey and Russia signed an agreement in Astana to establish a de-confliction zone along the Damascus-Aleppo (M5) and Aleppo-Latakia (M4) highways. It was agreed that all belligerents would withdraw and render the roads accessible to civilian traffic. Moreover, it was decided to end the presence of all jihadists, including the Tajik, Turkistan, Uighur and all other foreign fighters present in Idlib alongside Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (former ISIS, former al-Qaeda in Syria), Hurras al-Din (al-Qaeda in Syria), and Ahrar al-Sham with their foreign fighters and all "non-moderate" rebels. Last year, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took full control of Idlib and its rural area under the watchful eyes of Turkey.

Over a year later, the Turkish commitment to end the presence of jihadists and to open the M5 and M4 had not been respected. The Syrian Army and its allies, along with Russia, agreed to impose the Astana agreement by force. In a few weeks, the jihadists' defence line crumbled under heavy Russian bombing. According to field commanders, the jihadists left fewer than 100 men in every village, who withdrew under the heavy bombing and preferred to leave rather than be surrounded by the Syrian Army and their fast advance.

Turkey, according to the military commanders in Syria, saw the withdrawal of jihadists and decided to move thousands of troops into Syria to lead a counter-attack against the Syrian Army and its allies. This action made it impossible for Russia to distinguish between jihadists and the Turkish Army. Moreover, Turkey refrained from informing Russia - as it had agreed to according to the deconfliction agreement between Russia and Turkey - about the position of its regular forces. This was when Russia bombed a convoy killing 36 Turkish officers along with 17 jihadists who were present together with the Turkish Army.
Read More...
Target

Huawei is in the crosshairs of intense US-China struggle for global economic dominance

Mike Whitney
The Unz Reader
Fri, 21 Feb 2020 00:00 UTC
Huawei
The Trump administration's appalling treatment of Huawei shows that the United States will risk anything, even a nuclear conflagration with China, to maintain its tenuous grip on global power.

Huawei is China's behemoth technology company that has recently come under fire by the Trump administration for violating sanctions against Iran and for providing network equipment that (allegedly) poses security risks for its customers. Both charges are baseless, but they're being used as the pretext for launching a full-blown war on China's telecom-equipment giant.

Huawei's troubles stem from the fact that the company has taken the lead in fifth generation wireless technology (5-G) and left the US behind eating their dust. The situation creates an insurmountable problem for the US which wants to preserve its role as global superpower into the next century. That dream will not be realized if China dominates communications technology and continues to be the industry leader in next-generation mobile infrastructure. That's why Trump has taken off the gloves and is preparing to do whatever it takes to sabotage Huawei and prevent its cutting edge infrastructure technology from being installed around the world.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Rocket

North Korea fires two short-range missiles into sea, says S. Korea's military


The Japan Times
Mon, 02 Mar 2020 16:29 UTC
Kim Jong Un
© KCNA / KNS / VIA AFP-JIJINorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in this undated photo released Saturday.
North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday, the South's military said, weeks after Pyongyang threatened to demonstrate a "new strategic weapon" and its deadline for Washington to offer sanctions relief expired.

The launch was the nuclear-armed North's first for more than three months and came as nuclear negotiations with the United States remain at a standstill.

The two devices were fired eastward over the sea from the Wonsan area on the east coast and flew 240 kilometers (150 miles) at a maximum altitude of 35 kilometers, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

They were "believed to be short-range ballistic missiles," a JCS official said.

Comment:

Read More...
Mr. Potato

Hey, it's not just covid-19 that has the Dems' brains addled

Howard Kunstler
Clusterfuck Nation
Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00 UTC
Stupid democrats
Whatever the Democratic Party is infected with may be worse than covid-19. The symptoms presented point to a rare illness known as kuru. By now, we all understand that diseases easily jump between continents in this era of incessant air travel. The National Institutes of Health's MedlinePlus bulletin has this to say about it:
Kuru is found among people from New Guinea who practiced a form of cannibalism in which they ate the brains of dead people as part of a funeral ritual. This practice stopped [allegedly] in 1960, but cases of kuru were reported for many years afterward because the disease has a long incubation period.... Kuru causes brain and nervous system changes similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease... bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also called mad cow disease. The main risk factor for kuru is eating human brain tissue, which can contain the infectious particles.
Does this account for the public's preoccupation with Zombies? Is something deeply sinister roiling in the dark interstices of American life? The public still doesn't know for sure what was going on in the congressional SCIF chamber (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) deep in the Capitol's sub-basement back in January, where Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) was busy spirit-cooking impeachment testimony. Was something else bubbling away on his Coleman stove down there? Say, a fricassee of Jeffrey Epstein's frontal lobes? Did Nancy Pelosi come back for seconds? Her subsequent behavior implicates acute kuru infection, the inappropriate laughter, slurred speech, tardive dyskinesia, paranoia.

Comment: Aside from the ponerological effects of greed and lust for power, we have found another excellent descriptor for the collective madness that Washington has been displaying for the past how many ever years: Wetiko :

Read More...