carter
Secretary of War Ash Carter - de facto POTUS?
The US and Imperial Japan might be a lot more alike than many people imagine.

Imperial Japan committed some of the worst atrocities of the entire 20th century, despite its crimes largely remaining unknown among the general non-Asian populace. Tokyo also adhered to a fascist ideology during this time as well, which it relied on to 'justify' its genocide of the Chinese people and others.

The US, just like Imperial Japan, has also carried out abominable horrors that it's attempted to 'justify' with the fascist ideology of "American Exceptionalism", but there are even more similarities to these two Empires than initially meets the eye.

Japan invaded northeastern China ("Manchuria") in 1931 after the fabricated Mukden Incident, which was a false-flag attack carried out by the Imperial Army in order to set into motion the establishment of the "Manchukuo" puppet state. What's especially notable about this ploy, however, is that it's generally regarded that the military did this outside the purview of the formal government, and that this false-flag activity was essentially designed to pressure the government into eventually accepting the invasion and occupation of northeastern China as a fait accompli.

The Mukden Incident is thus seen in hindsight as confirmation that the military had de-facto seized control of the Japanese Empire's foreign policy, which was formally validated years later when the Emperor himself was reduced to a symbolic figurehead during the height of World War II. This historical episode is important to recall because it appears as though something very similar is currently taking place in the US.

The US Secretary of War Ashton Carter and the Pentagon attempted to sabotage the 'ceasefire' agreement that Figurehead Obama and Secretary of Lies Kerry promulgated, taking the unprecedented step of commissioning an hour-long bombing attack against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in Deir ez Zor last month and nonchalantly chalking it up as a "mistake" when they inevitably got caught.

The exact same thing that the Imperial Japanese military had done in 1931 to the Emperor by operating outside the chain of command in carrying out a false flag attack to justify a forthcoming War on China is precisely what the Pentagon had done to the President in 2016 by attacking the SAA and thenceforth actively trying to ignite a conventional War on Syria.

For all of Obama and Kerry's lies, aggression, and subterfuge that they carried out on behalf of the US "deep state" (the permanent military-intelligence-diplomacy bureaucracy) over the years, it sincerely appeared as though they were serious about enforcing the cessation of hostilities agreement that they invested so much of their political capital and legacy in attaining, but Carter and his own "deep state" allies desperately tried to sabotage it and override the President's wishes.

The US' present situation is thus very dangerous and highly unstable, since just like in the aftermath of the 1931 Mukden Incident, nobody knows who is truly the one that's calling the shots in the imperial capital. It appears as though some elements of the "deep state" attempted to carry out a small-scale coup through the insubordination that they demonstrated in bombing the SAA and trying to spark a conventional War on Syria, one which could dangerously turn into a hot conflict with Russia.

Right now the President looks to have regained control, though that might only just be because he effectively surrendered to the Secretary of War and is now doing his and his supporters' bidding. After all, the Figurehead and his Department of Lies have almost completely reversed their rhetoric from earlier last month and are no longer talking just about the 'ceasefire', but about also possibly carrying out "intentional" bombing attacks against the SAA.

Again, the experience of 1931 Imperial Japan during the Mukden Incident comes to mind, since it frighteningly appears to be the case that the military has seized control of US foreign policy in the 21st century just like it did with Japan in the 20th century. The practical effect that this has on the international situation is that Ashton Carter, and not Barack Obama, is the go-to man for interfacing with the US when it comes to the War on Syria, and that Russian decision maker and their analogous "deep state" members need to understand and act upon this if they are to avoid a repeat of Cuban Missile Crisis brinksmanship over the War on Syria.

Looking forward, the American presidential election will be pivotal in determining the future viability of the Pentagon's "deep state" coup in seizing control of American foreign policy. Frankly speaking, Carter jumped the gun by a few months in doing what Hillary herself likely planned to do if she got into office, and the Secretary of War's actions are pretty much just a preview of what's to come under a possible Clinton Presidency.

Donald Trump, however, has the backing of pragmatic "deep state" elements within the Pentagon such as former Defense Intelligence Agency chief Michael Flynn, which could replace Carter and his clan once President Trump decrees it. There would probably still be some resistant holdouts that could make a bit of trouble during the prospective shuffle-up, but by and large, a Trump Presidency is predicted to reverse the damage that de-facto President Carter did in the last months of the Obama Administration, but only if the usurper doesn't succeed in first setting off a conventional war with Syria and Russia while he still has the chance.