belarus russia flag paralympcs
© SputnikBelarusian Andrey Fomachkin carries a Russian flag during the opening ceremonies of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on September 7.
PolitRussia's Ruslan Ostashko has an interesting take on Putin's recent interview with Bloomberg, pointing out that John Micklethwait, Bloomberg's chief editor and the man who conducted the interview, is a card-carrying member of the Western elite, being a long-time Bilderberg club participant. This may explain why Putin seems to have treated him as an "expert" rather than just a journalist, and may explain the line of force of not only the questions, but also Putin's answers. Recommended watching:


(You can read coverage of the interview on SOTT here, here, here, here, and read the full transcript here.)

Turkey & Syria

TV personality and former Lebanese minister Wiam Wahhab made an interesting allegation recently (broadcast on September 5), saying that Turkish President Erdogan spent part of the night of the failed Turkish coup at the Russian military base on the coast of Syria. He says that's where he was when he gave his FaceTime update to Turkey on CNN Turk. No sources provided, of course. What do you think?


Turks feeling vengeful: A recent poll from Turkey's MAK Research Company revealed the not-too-surprising news that 90% of Turks do not regard the U.S. as a strategic partner. That number was less than 50% before the failed U.S./NATO/Gulen coup. We wouldn't be surprised if Turks want all U.S. NGOs, diplomats and spies (same thing, we know), not to mention leaving NATO.

Istanbul attack thwarted: Turkish special services arrested a female Kurdish suicide bombing suspect, according to Sabah, who "was detained at the airport after arriving from the southeastern city of Diyarbakir. Her name was given as Ebru Firat and a photograph released by the publication allegedly pictured her next to the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Murat Karayilan."

U.S.-Turkey take on Raqqa: Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu followed up on Erdogan's acceptance of a U.S.-proposed joint U.S.-Turkish assault on Daesh-held Raqqa in northern Syria, saying such a ground operation is vital, but would require thorough planning:
"If we want to cleanse Syria and Iraq of Daesh [IS], it is important that we mount operations both in [Iraqi] Mosul and in Raqqa. We have always said that if we do not support local forces on the ground, if there is no land operation, it will not be possible to eliminate or even stop Daesh exclusively from the air," Cavusoglu said, as quoted by the Anadolu news agency. ... "It is not just us but other countries that must train and equip local forces that must contribute and give direction," Cavusoglu stated.
In a briefing today, US Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. John Dorrian said that the US Defense Department is working with both Turkey and the YPG/SDF on the plan. After calling the Turkish advances in Syria "extraordinarily helpful and a real setback for Daesh" (fact check: it isn't), he added: "There were some challenges between the SDF and the Turkish military for some period of time. We have opened lines of communication and coordination to make sure that we deconflict the things that are going on there." Really? Good luck getting Erdogan to collaborate with the very Syrian Kurds his military is fighting!

Assad can stay, for a bit: Turkey has consistently conformed to the Western/GCC "Assad must go" party line, only softening this stance slightly in recent months to say essentially "Assad must go, but he can stay for a little while." Cavusoglu reiterated this after a meeting with the "exiled representatives of terrorists in Syria" group, otherwise known as the Syrian High Negotiations Committee (HNC) in London, saying:
To accept Assad means the continuation of conflict and chaos. That is why we cannot remain stuck upon one person and we must instead discuss Syria's future. The vision outlined by the opposition covers this entirely. I think it is realistic, but countries that support Assad must see this too.
Reminder, courtesy Maria Zakharova: "The links between a number of illegal armed groups and recognized terrorists are a fact, it is obvious not only to us but also for the militants themselves"

Russia says Turkish op illegal: The Russian, Syrian and Iranian response to Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria has been fairly muted, perhaps because of either tacit or reluctant approval. The Russian Foreign Ministry today clarified their perspective, with slightly stronger language, expressing "grave concern" over the Turkish presence and emphasizing their illegal nature (no Syrian or UN Security Council approval):
The Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that the Turkish incursion undermines the "sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic." The Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that Turkish actions "could further complicate an already challenging military and political situation in Syria and negatively affect international efforts to devise a settlement platform that would ensure a more sustainable ceasefire, uninterrupted humanitarian access and would provide a solid foundation for conciliation and overcoming the crisis in this country. "Russia calls on Ankara to put these objectives above immediate military and tactical aims and refrain from steps that could further destabilise the Syrian Arab Republic."
According to Turkish political scientist Mesut Hakkı Casın, for example, "unlike the US, Turkey and Russia do understand each other on Syria," citing their shared concern for Syria's territorial integrity. Of course, Turkey could have ulterior motives. Russian political analyst Elena Suponina thinks the "sharper and more direct" wording of the FM's statement suggests that there never was any "secret deal" between Russia and Turkey regarding the Jarablus operation.

Here's today's Syria War Report from South Front (also, Sept. 6 and Sept. 7 if you missed them):


As for the so-far-failed Russia-U.S. agreement on Syria, early today, the U.S. said it had sent its "final proposal" to Russia, and was awaiting Moscow's response. But Russia announced that Kerry and Lavrov will meet today in Geneva to hammer out details on the plan (the U.S. has "declined to confirm" that the meeting will actually take place).

Don't miss Eva Bartlett's SOTT photo essay from her recent trip to Aleppo: The villages in Aleppo ravaged by the U.S.'s "moderate" rebels.


Russia Paralympics Team Ban Fallout

Alternative Paralympics opens in Moscow after Rio blanket ban for Team Russia: After the childish, illegal, unfair, and primarily political blanket ban on all Russian paralympic athletes, Russia decided to have their own competition. 263 athletes will take part in the games, which run until September 10: "Participants will compete in seven sport disciplines, and workshops will be held for the remaining 11 sports. ... The winners of the competition are expected to receive the same prizes and awards they would have gotten for their successes at the Paralympic Games in Rio." Thankfully, it's not only Russians who are incensed:

'Pure hypocrisy, ugly anti-Russian move': Activists in Canada protest Russian Paralympic team ban
Participants of the anti-WADA rally, mostly from the Russian-speaking community, were waving Canadian, Russian and Olympic banners and carrying signs that read: "Stop WADA," "No to blanket ban of Russian Paralympians," "Mr. McLaren, at least provide the evidence!"
...
"Collective punishment, firstly, flies in the face of anything remotely passing for law and justice... It speaks of barefaced bigotry and racism and we have experienced that in the past, not only in colonial times but more recently," Kenneth Fernandez, political consult and representative of the Indo-Canadian community, told RT's Alex Mihailovich. "It decided in favor of politics rather than sport," he argued, dubbing the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) decision a"profoundly disturbing" and "purely political move."
Belarusian athletes showed their solidarity for their Russian colleagues by flying the Russian flag during the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Brazil, despite the threat of sanctions from anti-Russian officials. As a result, a Belarusian official was kicked out of the games: "The International Paralympic Committee announced the decision on September 8 against Andrey Fomachkin, one day after Fomachkin was seen carrying the Russian tricolor during the Paralympic Games' opening day event."

The propaganda rag The Guardian responded with equal parts hysteria and paramoral indignation that anyone could engage in such a display of support for justice, fairness, and good sportsmanship, calling it "mutiny". The Russian Foreign Ministry rightly condemned the piece as a display of "modern fascism":
"After the appearance of the Russian flag at the stadium, this media outlet [the Guardian] wrote in its article that 'the color, noise and goodwill on show during the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games was punctured when the Belarus team mounted a protest...' And it is written by a media outlet of a country that considers itself to be civilized!" Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Thursday. "Such articles alongside statements concerning the unavoidability of punishment are [displays of] true modern fascism disguised as something very civilized...," she added as she criticized the "terrible" Guardian article.

Zakharova also said she "would like to officially invite representatives of the Guardian newspaper to Russia in order to meet Russian Paralympic athletes," adding that if the newspaper's journalists "are able to write such things in your warm comfortable offices, [they] probably have enough, if any, strength, courage and conscience to look these people in the eyes."
...
During the Thursday briefing, Zakharova said the Belarusian who carried the flag was a "hero." She said the gesture "showed solidarity with the people who were meanly, inhumanely and absolutely groundlessly banned from the Olympic Games," adding that the man's actions are beyond politics. Zakharova also called the actions "a true human deed" which is "of great importance for [Russian] Paralympic athletes and for all of us," and expressed gratitude to the Belarusian team.
Russia is clearly taking sports doping seriously (unlike other countries, like the U.S., who dope and get away with it), and a Russian senator is seeking to make doping offences criminally punishable with prison:
Senator Valery Ryazanskiy told Izvestia daily that he considered it important to completely eliminate situations in which relations between sports professionals are built solely on the principle of achieving victory at any cost. "We must protect the athletes and clerks from various sports organizations from these sorts of temptations and felonies," he said.

The senator's bill introduces amendments to the administrative code that stipulate fines of between 500,000 and 1 million rubles ($7800 - $15,600) for illegal doping. The lawmaker also said that he planned to introduce additional amendments to the criminal code that would mandate prison sentences for coaches and other specialists involved in doping abuse. The bill is expected to be considered by the Upper House at the very first meeting of the forthcoming fall session.
Middle East & Africa Death & Destruction

A memory card recovered in Iraq's al-Khalidiya showed that Daesh paid its militants to marry, according to a source in the Iraqi military. Terrorists who married an underaged girl received about $38, with an additional $12 for every child she gave birth to:
"The women's faces on those papers were all crossed out with pens and markers because a wife's face must not be seen by outsiders. And all of the 'wives' were dressed in black burkas," the source said. Apparently, the terrorists actively competed with each other to see who could get more 'wives' and earn more money. However, these 'contests' quickly became unsustainable due to the financial crisis and military defeats that Daesh started to experience.
UK's new PM may be looking for a radical suitor herself, as she continues to defend her Saudi friends' from criticism that they are psychopathic baby-killers. Yesterday, she staunchly defended selling weapons to Saudi Arabia after the Paliamentary Committee on Arms Export Controls published a damning report on the UK's Yemen foreign policy, arguing that Saudi war crimes use British weapons (d'uh!). May responded: "Actually what matters is the strength of our relationship with Saudi Arabia on issues like dealing with terrorism, on counter-terrorism issues. It is that relationship that has helped to keep people on the streets of Britain safe." And arming baby-killers does that how exactly?

Saudi FM Adel al-Jubeir happened to be in London yesterday. As Sputnik puts it: "He too has claimed that if the UK were to withdraw support from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, the West would be more vulnerable to terrorism." In other words, a typical Saudi threat to the UK for daring to question the Saudis' right to kill babies in any way they see fit, using whomever's weapons they want.

Saudi war crimes are impossible to deny, and harder still now that cell phone footage filmed in January has recently emerged showing Saudi jets bombing a college in Yemen. Attacks on schools are a violation of the Geneva Convention, making this yet another war crime committed by the head chopping government in Saudi Arabia.


Jeremy Corbyn confronted the PM over the issue:
"That is why I remain concerned that at the heart of this government's security strategy is apparently increased arms exports to the very part of the world that most immediately threatens our security," he said.

May dismissed Corbyn's idea that "what happened in Saudi Arabia was a threat to the safety of people here in the UK."

"Actually, what matters is the strength of our relationship with Saudi Arabia. When it comes to counterterrorism and dealing with terrorism, it is that relationship that has helped to keep people on the streets of Britain safe," she insisted.
Best way to prevent terrorism: align with terrorists and commit terrorism, apparently.

Today, the U.S.-based Center for International Policy is expected to release a report showing the Obama administration has offered more arms to Saudi Arabia than any other administration, amounting to over $115 billion in weapons. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia continues killing civilians in Yemen, bombing a residential neighborhood in Amran, northwestern Yemen, and killing at least 8 civilians:
Saudi Arabia has stepped up its attacks, especially against Sana'a, since the Yemenis unveiled a council to administer the country. On Wednesday, Saudi warplanes struck the Razih district in Yemen's northwestern province of Sa'ada, leaving a child dead and six others injured. Saudi military aircraft also carried out three airstrikes against the Baqim district, and bombarded a school in the Sahar district of the same Yemeni province. There were no reports about possible casualties and the extent of damage.

Additionally, four civilians sustained injuries on Wednesday when Saudi warplanes pounded the Fisheries Building in the southern Yemeni port city of Mokha, situated 346 kilometers (214 miles) south of Sana'a.
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on the "sue Saudi Arabia" bill in the next few days, before 9/11. The Senate version passed unanimously back in May, but the White House is threatening to veto it, saying the bill "undermines national sovereignty" and damages relations with Saudi Arabia (ya think?):
One of the leading champions of the bill, Representative Peter King (R-New York), said he received the green light from Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), contingent on the backing of Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia). "Ryan said so long as Goodlatte approves it, he would approve it. And I spoke to Goodlatte, and [Goodlatte] said he approves it and supports it," King told Politico. "There is no reason now for it not to come to a vote. The House Judiciary Committee chairman supports it. It should be over and done. Cut and dry." "There is no reason for delay. There should be a vote, and there will be a lot of deep anger if it's not" put forth on the House floor soon, King added.
More news from the Middle East and Africa: Europe

IMF approves $620 million in loans for Bosnia, with conditions: $88.7 million will be available immediately, the rest over the next 3 years, but as usual, with conditions. Bosnia must conform to the IMF's imperial template, with "economic reforms, including improvement of the business environment, restructuring and privatization of state-owned enterprises, and tax cuts to encourage employment", and "gradual fiscal consolidation to reduce public debt and shrink the government". Then, maybe they can join the EU.

U.S., Ukraine To Deepen Defense Cooperation, root out corruption (yeah right!):
The Pentagon said in a statement released on September 8 that [retired U.S. general] John Abizaid will advise Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak as Ukraine tries to reform oversight of its armed forces and root out the endemic corruption that has hobbled it in its fight against Russia-backed separatists. The announcement came as Washington and Kyiv agreed to cooperate further on defense technology and improve Ukraine's forces. ... U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter [said] Abizaid's appointment should not be interpreted not a signal of U.S. plans to help Ukraine in offensive operations.
The goal is to bring Ukraine's forces "in line with Western principles and standards". That's a nice imperial euphemism for making sure Ukraine acts in accordance with the Empire's demands. One of the reasons that the US pulled off a coup in Ukraine was so they could control Ukraine's military and foreign policy. Western "standards" (i.e., killing innocent civilians and bombing the homes and businesses of those same civilians) are merely creating death and destruction so that the U.S. Empire can more easily control countries around the globe. There is nothing principled about their standards.

Other news (partially compiled by Information Clearing House):