Puppet MastersS


Arrow Up

The coming war on China: the real target are the American people

Alex Krainer
Substack
Sat, 15 Apr 2023 18:24 UTC
"If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." - James Madison
US Carrier Group
© Alex Krainer's TrendCompass / Substack
Empire's proxy war on Russia is rapidly coming to a head in Ukraine and the imperial guard might urgently need a new war. Their next target is China and once more we witness a relentless escalation of provocations and hostility. In his Wall Street Journal column this week, former National Security Advisor John Bolton laid out his "grand strategy" to confront Russia and China. His genius idea is to give Taiwan "much more military aid" from western nations and "embed Taipei into collective-defense structures."

Preparations for war

Bolton's warmongering is only the last in the long sequence of proclamations by US officials indicating the direction of their foreign policy. Last month, U.S. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth told an audience at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) that the United States has "to prepare, to be prepared to fight and win that war" against China. This is not just idle talk: they really are preparing.

On Sunday, 10 January, Lieutenant General James Bierman, the commanding general of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force gave an interview to the Financial Times in which he said that his command is working hard to replicate the empire's military success (!) in Ukraine. Bierman explained that the US and its allies in Asia were recreating the groundwork that had enabled western countries to support Ukraine's resistance to Russia in preparing for scenarios such as Chinese invasion of Taiwan:
"Why have we achieved the level of success we've achieved in Ukraine? ... because after Russian aggression in 2014 and 2015, we earnestly got after preparing for future conflict: training for the Ukrainians, pre-positioning of supplies, identification of sites from which we could operate support, sustain operations. We call that setting the theatre. And we are setting the theatre in Japan, in the Philippines, in other locations."
In other words, the US is creating the same conditions to draw China into a war over Taiwan in order to replicate the success they've had in Ukraine. Truly, whom gods would destroy, they first make them mad.
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Bad Guys

Donbass soldier: A chilling warning about where the Russia-Ukraine conflict can lead

Andrey Korobov-Latyntsev
RT
Sat, 15 Apr 2023 17:45 UTC
russian wagner soldier donbass
© Sputnik/Evgeny BiyatovA serviceman of Russia's private military company Wagner Group's assault detachment walks in a street in central part of Artyomovsk, also known as Bakhmut, as Russia's military operation in Ukraine continues, Donetsk People's Republic, Russia
An academic turned fighter believes those who think the fighting can be contained are misguided

For a philosopher, the military path - the path of war - is quite natural. In reality, such a scholar is always engaged in this process - the conflict of ideas. He understands that war is the forefather of all things and since he is looking for the origin of everything, turning to war, both as a subject and an element of existentialism, is natural. Of course, it is also a great honor for me to be part of the armed forces of Novorossiya and the Donetsk People's Republic.

There were a lot of theoretical discussions on this before the start of the military operation in Ukraine, last year, when the new realities of combat first emerged on such a grand scale. There is a military saying that generals always prepare for the previous war. So, in a way, no one knew how this would look. Of course, the robotization of fighting develops new means of combat and warfare. This especially concerns drones, intelligence capabilities, and the range of weapons.

However, in existential terms, it doesn't work like Fallout. As German military theorist Carl von Clausewitz said, war is a chameleon. Its external appearance changes all the time, but its inner core and essence remain the same. It always means risk and involves questions like death, victory, and defeat. These key factors never change.

Comment:
This is an enemy with whom you can't negotiate, since he has only one goal: total annihilation.
Unfortunately, this seems to be the conclusion that Russia and its allies have come to. To preserve themselves and the vision they have for humanity, it is necessary to neuter the rabid West, not through physical annihilation, but by economic and 'soft' military means. Both are being accomplished through the formation of new, independent trade blocs that dispense with the need for the dollar, and the catastrophic drawdown of the West's military inventory through Russian attrition tactics in Ukraine. Brian Berletic's New Atlas channel details the latter in meticulous detail.

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Bad Guys

The IMF's punitive loan system makes struggling countries poorer, it must end

Frederik Johannisson, Rasmus Alenius Boserup
Middle East Eye
Fri, 14 Apr 2023 21:59 UTC
International Monetary Fund IMF
© AFPHeadquarters of the International Monetary Fund, Washington DC. Loan surcharges cripple already-struggling economies such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Jordan. They conflict with human rights law and the IMF's own statutes and have to go.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) imposes punitive additional fees on struggling economies - because they are struggling economies.

In the MENA region, the fund has hiked the loan costs of Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan, by adding so-called surcharges, putting the countries under increased financial strain. The justification for the policy is invalid and must be called out by European Union states for being discriminatory.

Without additional loan fees, Egypt could pull hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty. The country pays more than $167m in surcharges every year, in addition to its annual debt servicing and loan fees to the IMF. The country is also one of several in the region at serious risk of defaulting.

Comment: Meanwhile nations that are able to do business with Russia and China often benefit from loan forgiveness in exchange for mutually beneficial deals:

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Alarm Clock

Lavrov slams US bioweapon activities near Russia for creating 'very dangerous precedents' and the 'direct threat to public health'


PressTV
Fri, 14 Apr 2023 15:28 UTC
US Army
© US ArmyThe US Army's corporate research laboratory.
Russia's Foreign Minister has slammed the United States military-biological activities in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), citing it as a security threat.

Speaking at a news conference following his visit to Uzbekistan on Friday, Sergei Lavrov warned that "there are threats of terrorism and threats posed by military-biological activities in our space by the United States and its allies, which create very dangerous precedents in terms of biological security. Also, there is a direct threat to public health and the environment."

Lavrov pointed out that removing dangers threatening peace and safety in the region was of utmost importance and required a joint effort.

Comment: See also: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Wine

Waiting for the end of the world

Pepe Escobar
VK
Fri, 14 Apr 2023 15:28 UTC
Waiting
© Press BlackWaiting...
We were waiting for the end of the world
Waiting for the end of the world, waiting for the end of the world
Dear Lord, I sincerely hope You're coming
'Cause You really started something

- Elvis Costello, Waiting for the End of the World, 1977
We cannot even begin to fathom the non-stop ripple effects deriving from the 2023 geopolitical earthquake that shook the world: Putin and Xi, in Moscow, de facto signaling the beginning of the end of Pax Americana.

This has been the ultimate anathema for rarified Anglo-American hegemonic elites for over a century: a signed, sealed, comprehensive strategic partnership of two peer competitors, intertwining a massive manufacturing base and pre-eminence in supply of natural resources - with value-added Russian state of the art weaponry and diplomatic nous.

From the point of view of these elites, whose Plan A was always a debased version of the Roman Empire's Divide and Rule, this was never supposed to happen. In fact, blinded by hubris, they never saw it coming. Historically, this does not even qualify as a remix of the Tournament of Shadows; it's more like Tawdry Empire Left in the Shade, "foaming at the mouth" (copyright Maria Zakharova).

Xi and Putin, with one Sun Tzu move, immobilized Orientalism, Eurocentrism, Exceptionalism and, last but not least, Neo-Colonialism. No wonder the Global South was riveted by what developed in Moscow.
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Attention

Disorder is the order of the day

James Howard Kunstler
Clusterfuck Nation
Fri, 14 Apr 2023 00:00 UTC
Biden
© Unknown
"We are fueling a proxy war in Ukraine in order to defend freedom, such as the freedom to censor dissenting views on our proxy war in Ukraine" — Aaron Maté
How long do we have to wait before Volodymyr Zelensky opens a disco in Boca Raton? That's one of the questions raised by the secret CIA documents leaked last week, supposedly by a 21-year-old National Guard airman in Massachusetts named Jack Teixeira. Since that's about the lowliest rank in the whole US military, you have to wonder how Jack got his mitts on all that embarrassing info, and what it says about the Pentagon's command structure and its relations with the Intel "Community."

I guess our cyber-security isn't what it's cracked up to be. But then, neither is our war effort in Ukraine. Yes, our war effort. We own this war from tail to snout, lock, stock, and barrel, the whole shootin' match. We started it (in 2014, when we began the preps there), we goaded the Russians into it in bad faith, and now we're losing it. Why? Because it was a stupid venture from the get-go. Now, it's really a matter of how psychotic our government's reaction will be when the Russians restore order to the place.
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Binoculars

The US spied on its key allies. Will they finally resist?

Bradly Blankenship
RT
Thu, 13 Apr 2023 15:21 UTC
press conf
© Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesOfficials told the news agency that accounting confusion meant the value of stockpiles sent to Kiev has been "overestimated"
US President Joe Biden's administration is in a serious bind after officials were made aware last week that a cache of secret documents was leaked in March showing the US spied on allies.

One of the most damning leaks revealed extensive details of US military support in Ukraine and the exact location of troops, supply specifications and other information related to Kiev's upcoming spring offensive against Russia. But another important leak surfaced too.

Korean media reported that the CIA files revealed that the US appears to have been spying on the South Korean National Security Office (NSO) in Seoul. The NSO is described as the "control tower of South Korea's security decision-making." Additionally, the leaked reports show that the US has also been spying on the UK, Canada and Israel.

Comment: Strategic 'losses' for Washington? It has 'ways and means' to not let this happen.

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Briefcase

Trump giving deposition in New York as part of AG Letitia James' lawsuit

Brooke Singman
Fox News
Thu, 13 Apr 2023 12:51 UTC
LJames
© Matt Rourke/APNY AG Letitia James has been pursuing Trump for years.
Former President Trump is giving a deposition as part of New York State Attorney General Letitia James' years-long investigation into his businesses and his family.

The former president is being deposed in Manhattan — this is his second deposition as part of James' investigation, which has been ongoing since James took office in 2019.

Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment rights during the first deposition in August. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has said the investigation is politically motivated and a "witch hunt."

Trump attorney Alina Habba said Thursday:
"President Trump is not only willing but also eager to testify before the Attorney General today. He remains resolute in his stance that he has nothing to conceal, and he looks forward to educating the Attorney General about the immense success of his multi-billion dollar company."

Comment: If there was something for James to legitimately prosecute - versus suing - it would have been done by now.

See also:

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Briefcase

Judge admonishes Fox lawyers over evidence gap in libel case

Randall Chase
AP
Wed, 12 Apr 2023 00:00 UTC
Murdoch
© unknownRupert Murdoch founder of Fox News
The judge presiding over a defamation case against Fox News admonished its attorneys Wednesday for potentially withholding evidence and said he is inclined to order an independent review by a special master that could lead to sanctions.

The move by Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis came amid a burst of fresh revelations in the $1.6 billion defamation case filed by Dominion Voting Systems against the conservative network and its parent company, Fox Corp.

The judge expressed anger and frustration during a pretrial hearing after learning that Fox only recently turned over recordings of Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo talking with two lawyers for then-President Donald Trump, Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani. That came after the disclosure a day earlier that Fox lawyers had withheld critical information about the role company founder Rupert Murdoch, who is chairman of Fox Corp., played at Fox News.

"I am very concerned that ... there have been misrepresentations to the court," Davis said.

Comment: Dominion issues aside, prior to the next election, defamation of certain news outlets from the top down is on the agenda.

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Arrow Up

Syria, Tunisia restore diplomatic ties after decade with appointment of new ambassador in Damascus


Fox News
Wed, 12 Apr 2023 08:23 UTC
Syrian embassy
© File/APSyrian Embassy in Tunisia
Syria will reopen its embassy in Tunisia after the North African country announced the appointment of a new ambassador to Damascus, Syrian state media reported Wednesday.

Tunisia has become the latest Arab state to reestablish diplomatic ties with Syria, after cutting off relations a decade ago.

The move by Tunisian President Kais Saied to appoint a new ambassador was immediately approved and reciprocated by the Syrian government, a joint statement from the two countries' foreign ministries read, according to Syrian state news agency SANA.

The announcement is the latest step in a regional trend of rapprochement with the war-torn country, which has picked up pace since the deadly Feb. 6 earthquake in Syria and Turkey and the Chinese-brokered reestablishment of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Comment: Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is holding talks with Syria with great progress:
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has completed a breakthrough visit to Saudi Arabia, the first such trip since Riyadh cut diplomatic relations with Damascus in 2012. In a joint press statement issued after the visit Saudi Arabia endorsed Syrian unity and integrity, condemned terrorism, and backed a political solution to the 12-year war.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud had invited his Syrian colleague to Jeddah to discuss "efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis that preserves Syria's unity, security, stability, Arab identity, and territorial integrity while also serving the interests of its brotherly people," according to the statement cited by the state news agencies of both countries.

Prince Faisal and Dr. Mekdad agreed on the need to address humanitarian issues and allow aid "to reach all areas of Syria," establish conditions for the return of refugees and displaced people, and "stabilize the situation in the entire Syrian territories."

The two sides also committed to enhancing security and "combating terrorism in all its forms," and agreed on the need to "support the institutions of the Syrian state to extend its control over its territories to end the presence of armed militias and external interference in the Syrian internal affairs."

Parts of northern Syria are currently under control of Turkish-backed militants, while the area northeast of the Euphrates River is held by US-backed Kurdish militias. Several hundred US troops are also in the country in violation of international law, controlling most of the Syrian oil wells.

The two foreign ministers also discussed steps needed to reach "a comprehensive political settlement of the Syrian crisis," so the country could return to the "Arab fold," their joint statement said.

Damascus and Riyadh have begun the procedures needed to resume air travel and consular services between the two countries, while Syria thanked Saudi Arabia for the humanitarian aid provided after the catastrophic earthquakes in February. Much of the aid to Syria has been impeded by the US-imposed 'Caesar' sanctions against Damascus.

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Syria in February 2012, joining the US in backing the militants that sought to overthrow President Bashar Assad. With the backing of Russia and Iran, the government in Damascus eventually prevailed over the collection of rebel militias that included terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).

Rumors that Riyadh was preparing to reverse course began to circulate last month, shortly after China mediated an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to normalize relations. Since then, the kingdom has also launched peace talks to end the eight-year conflict in Yemen.


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