The Empire of Chaos threatened to throw the world into an unfathomable darkness. Instead, an Axis of Resistance has arisen
Putin praying
© Unknown
The New American Century project was supposed to extend the original American century (the 20th) by thwarting Eurasian integration (including Africa) and maintaining US hegemony. Rather than sit back as economic development transforms vast swathes of Asia and Africa, anglo-American imperialists wrecked country after country and used the chaos produced to justify their sales pitch of the world being one big war zone that must be 'managed' by the world's policeman. Nice work if you can get it.

But this modus operandi has suffered a heavy defeat. Islamic State (IS) - a geopolitical chess piece of the US - lies in ruins two years after the Russian intervention in Syria and the world's bully is walking around with a black eye. 16 years after 9/11 unleashed the imperialist reign of terror, Vladimir Putin has made the first decisive move to halt it. The US and its proxy forces can no longer terrorize the world with impunity.

A New Hope

While the US has worked itself into trillions of dollars of debt by waging (proxy) wars and neglecting its own infrastructure, education systems and social safety nets, Russia and other nations, in clear contrast, are investing trillions in long-term, multi-lateral economic projects, while establishing parallel financial governance structures such as the AIIB and BRICS New Development Bank. So far, some invested $1 trillion has been earmarked for investment in both Asia and Africa. Russia's and China's alternative vision of 'win-win mutual cooperation' between nations shows that another world is possible, though the US is obviously not on board with the plan.

The Empire of Chaos - of psychopaths and for psychopaths - brews the most evil elements among mankind, whether it be jihadists in the Middle East, neo-nazis in the Ukraine or extremists elsewhere. Putin's Russia, on the other hand, empowers the better parts of mankind and allows countries and people of conscience to resist the imperial menace.

Putin Assad huge photo
© UnknownBashar al-Assad thanks Putin for 'saving our country'
Last November the Syrian president expressed heartfelt thanks to Russia for saving his country as the Russian intervention enabled the return of refugees and plans to rebuild the country.

Putin syria
© UnknownSyrians feel immense gratitude towards Russia and President Putin.
The transformative effect of Russia's new military might is not limited to Syria however. Putin stands ready to assist affected countries and to stymie the destructive influence of the world's bully. Last May during the Russia-Islamic World Conference, the Russian president pledged support and cooperation to all countries beset by terrorism and extremism, an offer of help we see answered in the three following examples.

The Filipino president Rodrigo Durterte asked Russia for modern weaponry after IS overran a province in his country in May. During a brief statement to the press where Putin was present, Duturte expressed his gratitude to Russia for delivering free shipments of arms to the country. "In a way you helped us turn the tide... because of your assistance... so again I thank you very much and the Russian people... we will remember you for all time." Incidentally, in August, the Philippines National Democratic Front alleged that the CIA was plotting to overthrow Duterte for reorienting his country towards Russia and China.

Sudanese President Omar Bashir visited Russia for the first time in November and reported that his country needs protection from US aggression: "We have information that the US desire is to divide Sudan into five states if we don't find protection." In an interview with Sputnik, the president shared that he spoke with Putin about the possibility of establishing a permanent Russian military base in Sudan.

In August, the Afghan ambassador to Moscow Abdul Qayyum Kochai reported that Kabul preferred Russia's aid in restoring peace in the war-torn country, rather than that of the US or other Western countries. Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai even recently commented that ISIS is an American instrument to destabilize the region. "In my view under the full presence, surveillance, military, political, intelligence, Daesh [ISIL] has emerged," he said. "And for two years the Afghan people came, cried loud about their suffering, of violations. Nothing was done."

Putin peacemaker
© dailystarPutin banner that says 'Peacemaker' hangs over Manhattan Bridge, New York, 6 Oct, 2016
The Russian president is strongly against imperialism. Routinely pointing out its destructive nature, Putin is a resistance fighter against psychopathic ideologies that strive for world domination. "In such a unipolar, unified world there is no place for sovereign states. Such a world needs merely vassals" he said. (source)
Instead of progress and democracy, free rein is given to radical elements and extremist groups that reject civilization itself and seek to plunge it into the ancient past, into chaos and barbarism. [...]

[...] Instead of working together to redress the situation and deal a real blow to terrorism rather than simulating a struggle against it, some of our colleagues are doing everything they can to make the chaos in this region permanent. Some still think that it is possible to manage this chaos (source)
You need to overcome the desire to always dominate and act on your imperial ambitions. You need to stop poisoning the minds of millions of people with the idea that US policy can only be a policy of imperial ambitions. (Source)
Putin envisions a world where countries do not want to dominate each other but work together towards a common peaceful future.

The following speech given during the last Valdai conference is an interesting read and shows what kind of world Putin has in mind:
Poetin's Valdai Conferentie-toespraak
© SputniknewsPutin Valdai speech 2017
[...] However, in recent decades, there have been several attempts to belittle the role of this organisation, to discredit it, or simply to assume control over it. All these attempts predictably failed, or reached a dead end. In our opinion, the UN, with its universal legitimacy, must remain the centre of the international system. Our common goal is to raise its authority and effectiveness. There is no alternative to the UN today.

With regard to the right of veto in the Security Council, which is also sometimes challenged, you may recall that this mechanism was designed and created in order to avoid direct confrontation of the most powerful states, as a guarantee against arbitrariness and recklessness, so that no single country, even the most influential country, could give the appearance of legitimacy to its aggressive actions.

Of course, let us face it, the experts are here, and they know that the UN has legitimised the actions of individual participants in international affairs after the fact. Well, at least that is something, but it will not lead to any good, either.

Reforms are needed, the UN system needs improvement, but reforms can only be gradual, evolutionary and, of course, they must be supported by the overwhelming majority of the participants in the international process within the organisation itself, by broad consensus.

The guarantee of the UN effectiveness lies in its representative nature. The absolute majority of the world's sovereign states are represented in it. The fundamental principles of the UN should be preserved for years and decades to come, since there is no other entity that is capable of reflecting the entire gamut of international politics.

Today, new centres of influence and growth models are emerging, civilisational alliances, and political and economic associations are taking shape. This diversity does not lend itself to unification. So, we must strive to harmonise cooperation. Regional organisations in Eurasia, America, Africa, the Asia-Pacific region should act under the auspices of the United Nations and coordinate their work.

However, each association has the right to function according to its own ideas and principles that correspond to its cultural, historical and geographical specifics. It is important to combine global interdependence and openness with preserving the unique identity of each nation and each region. We must respect sovereignty as the basis underlying the entire system of international relations.

[...] We can have only a shared future. There can be no separate futures for us, at least, not in the modern world.
Whereas the US threatens to withdraw from the UN because it does not always bend to its will, Putin wishes to reinforce and reform the only body he sees as being able to guarantee global peace and stability. The UN as an international body is meant to be representative of its constituent members, but the extent to which this is not so can be gauged by the fact that of the world's 195 countries, the US is militarily active in 149 of them.

The dollar as world currency is one of the pillars holding up the Empire. The world effectively 'sponsors' the American war machine, allowing the US to create a gigantic amount of money out of thin air without the immediate consequences (hyperinflation) usually attached to it. This is why Russia and China encourage trade and investment in local currencies. Putting the dollar out of commission would soon bring the US war machine to a grinding halt.

The US is also losing the information war, with public confidence in their controlled media plummetting while other international media such as RT, Sputnik and independent media attract an ever larger audience. No longer is the MSM alone in shaping and managing the media landscape.

Recently, Voice of America reported that the West is "losing the Information War against Russia". Yet Western imperialists fail to realize that, for Russia, this is not about 'winning an information war'. Russian and independent media do not need to manufacture and then 'catapult' propaganda. It is enough to simply highlight the obvious lies and distortions in the American and Western narrative about what is happening in the world, for Russian and independent media outlets to pose a serious threat to the West.

While the US and its vassals try to isolate Russia with lies, blackmail and intimidation. Russia isolates the US by using the truth and shedding light on the immoral acts of its empire.

It's easy to see where this can lead and what the West really fears: contagion. By standing up against the bully of the world and promoting mutual cooperation between countries, Russia sets an example and gives other nations the chance and courage to do the same.

In this article, Sott.net's Niall Bradley said the following:
In realpolitik terms, as long as it remains the dominant military and financial power, America still reigns supreme. But perception of that power is as foundational to it as its physical reach. With even CNN asking the question 'Is Russia the Middle East's New Power-Broker?', it is clear that the US is becoming increasingly isolated on the international stage.

The way things are going, the transition away from Pax Americana will be gradual, with the stewards of empire using up, bit-by-bit, what is left of their credibility. As global perception of the US as 'global leader' diminishes towards becoming a thing of the past, so too will its military-financial empire. Certainly this is in part due to active measures taken by the Russians, Chinese and others, who are chipping away at US 'interests' abroad - largely by bypassing those interests - but the death-knell or push over the edge will ultimately be the result of the US' reputation being destroyed.
And what happens when the majority of the countries around the globe no longer fear the global bully?

It should be noted that Russia does not want to see the downfall of the US. This is seen repeated Russian offers to normalize relations with the USA. The olive branch that Putin offers has a clear message: adapt to the peaceful and multipolar world that lies before us or continue to follow the same self-destructive course, create more resistance, get exposed even more and eventually drown in your own lies.

When the Russian intervention in Syria began, Putin offered the US the chance to work towards the defeat of IS together. But the US refused and over the course of the conflict in Syria, Russia repeatedly provided evidence that the US uses IS and other related terrorist groups for its own goals. The Russian president also pointed to the possibility of a false flag when another chemical attack was again falsely attributed to the Syrian government.

The Empire strikes back

The Russian intervention that saved Syria shows that Putin will never bow down to US dictates. He stood up against the world's bully and has formed an alliance of a growing number of countries and people of conscience willing to resist.

This forces the US to attempt to increase its position, power and influence more, eventually it will over-extend itself.

Imperialism reflects psychopathy at the geopolitical level. Where a single psychopath seeks to dominate another, a country run by psychopaths seeks to dominate the entire world. In both cases, deception covering up a lack of empathy are the defining characteristics.

Putin, on the other hand, understands that with power comes responsibility:
''The question is not about having a lot of power, it's about using the power that you do have in the right way'' (Source - Oliver Stone: The Putin Interviews)
This is the essence of the battle between psychopaths and people of conscience.

Vladimir Poetin
© Unknown
This battle, according to a former classmate of Putin, is a fight he has been waging ever since he was a small-boy. It is no surprise that Putin has a history of standing up for those weaker than himself:
A Russian friend (a psychologist) since 1983 came for our usual visit. My first question was, "Lena what do you think about your new president?" She laughed and retorted, "Volodya! I went to school with him!" She began to describe Putin as a quiet youngster, poor, fond of martial arts, who stood up for kids being bullied on the playgrounds.
What Putin does at an international level - standing up against bullies and creating order out of chaos - is a function of his nature. The tyrants on the schoolyard are no different to him than the tyrants on the world stage. An international poll showed that a majority of the world's population sees the US as the world's bully. A valid conclusion.

The lonely battle of Vladimir Putin is a struggle, and has no doubt taken a toll on him. In standing up for humanity he sends a clear message to the psychopaths who would transform the world into their playground where they can torment the other 'kids'.

2018 will undoubtedly be a year where global tensions will continue to rise. No matter how the battle will turn out, the following words from the Russian president on the question of hope in our apparently dark world should serve as a reminder to us all:
''Hope? There is always hope.'' (Source - Oliver Stone: The Putin Interviews)
The psychopathic elite of this world have nothing to offer but fear. Putin on the other hand offers hope, and hope is, when all is said and done, much stronger than fear.