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The Refugee Crisis and the Destabilization of Europe - Is Putin Behind It All?

Antti Joukahainen & Seppo Ilmarinen
Sott.net
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 21:46 UTC
Putin
Finland is at a crossroads. The choices its leaders make today could determine the fate of Finland and Finns for decades to come. The atmosphere has become toxic as the loudest voices take aggressive, black-and-white positions over the refugee crisis. The 'hunt for the guilty ones' is on, with different parties pointing the finger at each other, both through the media and on the street. When common sense is lost in the midst of so much spin, history shows that heightened rage and hysteria gives way to reactionary decision-making, social chaos and even war.

With more turmoil in the world than ever before, and in a world that is more interdependent and interconnected than ever before, is it possible for any (so-called) civilized nation to 'hold the center'? In Finland's case, has it become a pawn of geopolitics and international corporations? From where does all this social chaos and quarreling come? Is someone responsible for it, or did these things occur by chance?

Since the beginning of time, the beliefs and choices of groups of people and entire nations have been manipulated via inducing in them strong emotions, especially hatred and fear. A state of increased chaos most benefits the most unscrupulous in society: selfish opportunists and psychopaths, who cynically exploit disorder and conflict to acquire more profits and more control. This perpetuates and worsens instability because they quickly realize that it's in their interest to 'prevent things from returning to normal'.
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Chess

The US-Russia ceasefire: A map of affected areas


Russia Insider
Sun, 28 Feb 2016 06:08 UTC
Syrian flag
© Sputnik/ Iliya Pitalev
The ceasefire in Syria has begun, and it seems to be holding. According to the Guardian:
A fragile, temporary and partial cessation of hostilities has come into force in Syria after 97 fighting groups, as well as the Syrian government and Russian air force, signed up to a ceasefire.
A monitoring group said early on Saturday that fighting appeared to have stopped across most of western Syria
To be clear, because ISIS and Al-Nusra control such a larger portion of Syria, the ceasefire only applies to small (but critical) conflict zones. The areas affected by the ceasefire are in blue:

Comment: Further reading:
Responding to arguments posited that al-Nusra should be included in the [ceasefire], given that they operate in areas where other rebels are and thus Russia can use this as an excuse to bomb them, Max Abrahms, Professor at Northeastern University and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, explains that these recent developments show that Nusra and the other rebels are one in the same. "If you're pro-rebel in Syria, you're pro-al Qaeda in Syria. The rebels are now begging for Russia to stop bombing their al-Qaeda partner."

It's official U.S. policy to protect al-Qaeda in Syria: Will the ceasefire expose it?


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Quenelle

Syrian army has taken control of the critical Khanaser-Aleppo supply route


Russia Insider
Sun, 28 Feb 2016 05:51 UTC
ISIS
© Sputnik/ Andrey Stenin
Multiple reports have confirmed that the Syrian army and its allies have successfully taken the strategic town of Khanaser, the key to controlling the main supply route to Aleppo.

Who controls the road is less clear. As we reported earlier this week, ISIS launched a surprise (and somewhat desperate) attack on the crucial supply route in an attempt to stop the Syrian army's rapid advance. A map from February 25 shows how ISIS attempted to drive a wedge through the Syrian army:

Khanaser supply route Syria map

ISIS was able to temporarily cut a crucial supply route to Aleppo

Comment: Further reading: The Syrian Army scores major strategic victories in Latakia, Aleppo, Homs

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Penis Pump

Sabre rattling: U.S. test fires nuclear ICBM, says "we are prepared to use nuclear weapons"

Tyler Durden
Zerohedge
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 21:24 UTC
The unarmed Minuteman III missile
© U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kyla Gifford
An unarmed LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test Feb. 20, 2016, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Less than two years ago, news of Russia test-firing an ICBM just as the east Ukraine civil war was heating up, was sufficient to send the stock market into a brief tailspin. Since then, the launches of nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles has become an almost daily occurrence, with the market hardly batting an eyelid.

In fact, it happened just last night at 11:01pm PST at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where - for the second time this week - the US test-fired its second intercontinental ballistic missile in the past seven days, seeking to demonstrate its nuclear arms capacity at a time of rising strategic tensions with Russia, North Korea, China and the middle east.

The unarmed Minuteman III missile roared out of a silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California late at night, raced across the sky at speeds of up to 15,000 mph (24,000 kph) and landed a half hour later in a target area 4,200 miles (6,500 km) away near Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands of the South Pacific.

The entire launch was caught on the following video, which was released by Vandenberg just 4 days after the previous ICBM launch.

Comment: What stupid pathological bluster. Take note: this is what empires do and say when they are on the ropes and fast approaching their end.

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Play

PressTV documentary: Dirty Game - Imported Mercenaries

Harrison Koehli
Sott.net
Wed, 20 Jan 2016 01:07 UTC
isis
This is a great resource, providing insight not only into how Syrians see the conflict in which they find themselves, but also into the true nature of Daesh. Aside from the obvious American/Israeli support, these two quotes from the production sum it all up:
"No human being can do such horrible things. No one with human nature commits such savage crimes." --Ashwaq Abbas, Political Sciences Lecturer, Damascus University
And the ones that do have a name: psychopaths.
"These groups commit crimes only against Muslims. Show us what positive measures these groups have taken so far. Have they gone to Palestine?" --Nabil al-Halbavi, Syrian member of AhlulBayt World Assembly
The fact is, the people most in danger from so-called Islamic terror are Muslims. Daesh has killed far more Muslims in Iraq and Syria than any other group. Think about that the next time you see someone even slightly "Arab-looking" and feel a bit nervous. And if they're Syrian, not only have they had to deal with barbaric groups like Daesh back at home; they also have to deal with the barbaric bigotry of Westerners who are convinced every Muslim is a potential terrorist. Statistically speaking, it's an utterly absurd notion.

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Life Preserver

John Kerry: Syria safe zone requires up to 30,000 troops


Investment Watch
Thu, 25 Feb 2016 00:00 UTC
refugees
© www.washingtonpost.com
Why we need real safe zones.
John Kerry said it would take between 15,000 to 30,000 ground troops to maintain a 'safe zone' inside northern Syria.

Citing previously unheard of Pentagon estimates, the Secretary of State asked a Senate panel today: "Now are we ready to authorize that?"

ABC7News reports: Although a ceasefire is planned for this coming Saturday, there are growing calls within Washington for a so-called "Plan-B": options for military action if the truce fails. Many Republicans, including Donald Trump, are calling for a "safe zone" in northern Syria to protect the increasing number of displaced people.

Kerry said today that creating a safe zone isn't as simple as it sounds. In addition to controlling the airspace, Kerry said, a large troop presence would be required to shield the population from ISIS attacks on the ground. "All this talk about safe zones does not go through the process of what it really means," Kerry said. "Our Pentagon estimates that to have a true safe zone in the north of the country you may have upwards of fifteen to thirty thousand troops. Now are we ready to authorize that? Are we ready to put them on the ground?"


Comment: Interesting. The West didn't much care about protecting the civilian populations before, especially to the tune of 30K boots on the ground.


Aside from the inherent physical and political risks of putting a large number of U.S. troops on the ground inside Syria, the U.S. worries about potential conflicts with Russia, which is also conducting an aerial bombing campaign over Syria. Creating a no-fly zone would most likely mean the U.S. would have to enforce that rule against Russian jets — a potentially dangerous scenario.


Comment: Which is quite ridiculous since Russia abides by regulation and rules. It is the US and its cadre of authoritarian followers that need enforcing.


Comment: You don't even have to read between the lines to know that there are foul things afoot, the ramifications of which will change Syria for the worst. Plans have been in the works for years and contingencies have been generated. Nothing in politics or the military happens unintentionally. Kerry is lining up his ducks. All that is left to be decided is when the shooting begins.

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Newspaper

Do Americans live in a false reality created by orchestrated events?


Paul Craig Roberts
Wed, 24 Feb 2016 20:30 UTC
media false reality
Most people who are aware and capable of thought have given up on what is called the "mainstream media." The presstitutes have destroyed their credibility by helping Washington to lie—"Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction," "Iranian nukes," "Assad's use of chemical weapons," "Russian invasion of Ukraine," and so forth. The "mainstream media" has also destroyed its credibility by its complete acceptance of whatever government authorities say about alleged "terrorist events," such as 9/11 and Boston Marathon Bombing, or alleged mass shootings such as Sandy Hook and San Bernardino. Despite glaring inconsistencies, contradictions, and security failures that seem too unlikely to be believable, the "mainstream media" never asks questions or investigates. It merely reports as fact whatever authorities say.
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Extinguisher

It's official U.S. policy to protect al-Qaeda in Syria: Will the ceasefire expose it?

SteveMC
Reports from the Underground
Sat, 27 Feb 2016 22:23 UTC
LavrovKerry
© www.govexec.com
Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Kerry: A planned "Cessation of Hostilities" Syria
In the weeks leading up to the agreed upon cessation-of-hostilities (CoH) agreement between the US and Russia, it was John Kerry's diplomacy that was instrumental in "downgrading" the truce from a more forceful and legally binding 'ceasefire' agreement to the less intensive 'cessation-of-hostilities' now taking effect.

As described by Kerry: "So, a ceasefire has a great many legal prerogatives and requirements. A cessation of hostilities does not." He goes on to note that "a ceasefire in the minds of many of the participants in this particular moment connotes something far more permanent and far more reflective of sort of an end of conflict, if you will. And it is distinctly not that. This is a pause dependent on the process going forward."

So why the insistence on non-permanence? Especially if, as Kerry says, the ultimate objective is to "obtain a durable, long-term ceasefire" at some point in time?

According to the 29-year career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service, India's former ambassador to Uzbekistan and Turkey M. K. Bhadrakumar, it is plainly because "the Russian military operations have met with devastating success lately in strengthening the Syrian regime and scattering the Syrian rebel groups," leading "the US and its regional allies" to "stare at defeat." Therefore, they "forthwith need an end to the Russian operations so that they can think up a Plan B. The Geneva talks will not have the desired outcome of President Bashar Al-Assad's ouster unless the tide of war is reversed." Therefore, "a cessation of hostilities in Syria is urgently needed."1

Comment: While the cessation of hostilities in Syria will no doubt be used as the pretext for all kinds of provocations and lies from the U.S. and their allies, it also has the potential to expose their support for terrorists. By the letter of the agreement, they must provide information about participating groups to Russia. Either their moderate rebels will sign on to the ceasefire (in which case, Russia will know when and if they break it), or they will not (in which case, they'll become justified targets in the Syrian Army's advances). If few of the so-called moderates sign on, they'll be exposed as the al-Qaeda stooges they are.

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Black Cat

24 years of the Clintons in politics has enriched Wall Street while destroying the rest of America

Richard W. Behan
Counter Punch
Sat, 27 Feb 2016 03:00 UTC
hillary killary clinton wall street

Hint: Wall street isn't giving her millions of dollars if they aren't expecting a return on their investment
For twenty four years the Clintons have orchestrated a conjugal relationship with Wall Street, to the immense financial benefit of both parties. They have accepted from the New York banks $68.72 million in campaign contributions for their six political races, and $8.85 million more in speaking fees. The banks have earned hundreds of billions of dollars in practices that were once prohibited—until the Clinton Administration legalized them.

The extraordinary ambition displayed in the careers of Bill and Hillary Clinton defies description. They have spent much of their adult lives soliciting money from others for their own benefit. A 2014 story in Time magazine said this:
"Few in American history have collected and benefited from so much money in so many ways over such a long period of time...the Clintons have attracted at least $1.4 billion in contributions..."
Time failed to dig deeply enough. A more thoroughly researched expose' in the Washington Post a year later doubles the amount to $3 billion.

Comment: While Hillary Clinton claims to be a populist presidential candidate, her actions clearly show that she just panders to Wall Street. She and Bill have been wreaking havoc on the American people for decades, while getting paid by Wall Street to do it. How many times do her chronic, significant lies have to be exposed for the American people to realize what she is: The enduring awfulness of Killary: A case study in narcissism... or psychopathy

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USA

Poking the bear: Is the U.S. planning a color revolution for Russia?


RT
Sat, 27 Feb 2016 22:14 UTC
PUTIN
© Sergei Guneev / Sputnik
Via the former Indian ambassador M K Bhadrakumar we learn that the Russian government is preparing for a "color revolution" attempt during the parliament elections in September:
The annual meeting of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), which is the successor organization to the Soviet-era KGB is an important occasion to take the temperature in the 'East-West' relations. (The Cold War cliche is becoming useful once again.) President Vladimir Putin's customary address at the FSB meeting was the hallmark of the occasion on Friday in Moscow.
The sensational part of Putin's speech is his disclosure that the FSB is in possession of definite information that plots are being hatched in the West to stir up political turmoil in Russia as the country heads for crucial parliamentary election in October. Putin avoided the use of the expression 'color revolution' but hinted at it.
The various U.S. services and the neocons in the State Department would certainly like to invite some revolt in Russia. But the chances for a successful putsch in Moscow are tiny. There is no competent opposition to the current government and a bit of economic trouble is not what incites Russians to take on the state. They would have hanged Yeltsin every other day if it were so.

Comment: The full text of Putin's address to the FSB can be read here. Here's what he had to say on the election:
Colleagues, we will hold elections to the State Duma this autumn. All constructive political forces and parties want these elections to go ahead in full compliance with the law, in a spirit of fair and open competition, and hope their results will be objective and reflect the real mood and opinion of our country's people.

The FSB and other agencies have the task of doing everything necessary to prevent the activity of those who attempt or might attempt to use nationalist, xenophobic or radical slogans to divide our society.

Of course, you must also prevent any attempts from outside to intervene in our election and our country's political life. As you know, such methods exist and have been put to use in a number of countries. Let me say again that this is a direct threat to our sovereignty and we will respond accordingly.
Putin also discussed the FSB's role in fighting corruption, combatting terrorism (including further cooperation with the UN, SCO and CSTO), monitoring refugee flows, catching foreign spies,and information security.

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