In the immediate aftermath of Russia's announcement of a partial withdrawal from Syria upon accomplishing its initial objectives, pundits, politicians, and analysts in the West attempted to capitalize on it by portraying Russia in retreat, broke economically, and attempting to avoid a quagmire it had entangled itself in.

However, more honest and thoughtful analysis noted that Russia's partial withdrawal was more diplomatic than strategic - a grand gesture by Moscow to the West that it was able and willing to give the perpetrators of this proxy war a graceful exit out - and that enough Russian assets would remain in theater to ensure all gains made by Russian and Syrian forces were not only maintained, but expanded upon further in the near and intermediate future.

Since the announcement, this analysis has proven to be accurate, with Russia continuing to conduct effective military operations in Syria, and most notably, helping the Syrian Arab Army liberate the ancient city of Palmyra - which was overrun by the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS) ironically at the height of the United States-led coalition's alleged battle against the internationally listed terrorist organization.

Despite the fact that Russia is assisting the Syrian government in eradicating an internationally listed terrorist organization from Syrian territory, Western analysts are now crying foul over Russia's continued military activity in Syria despite its announcement of a partial draw down.

Iranian officials have reiterated their complaints that the US is violating the recently agreed-upon Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal by sabotaging Tehran's attempts to conduct business internationally.

"The Americans are now acting in violation of the nuclear agreement," Iran's Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani told high-ranking officials on Monday, referring to the agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 nations, including the US, UK, China, Russia, France, and Germany.

"The Americans should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran would never compromise its interests and would never agree with investment of foreign firms in the country at any price, while it enjoys rich resources and abundant talents," he said, according to Fars News.

On March 24th US Secretary of State John Kerry stepped off a plane at Moscow's Airport carrying a valise in his right hand. Arriving for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the familiar tall statesman looked a bit out of character carrying such a large briefcase, but few took notice. On sitting down across a table from the Russian president though, it soon became clear at least one Russian was paying attention. The scene, with Putin seemingly poking fun at the American dignitary, it became the newsreel of the day. Speculation still reverberates on what was in that briefcase, but the real signs point to one big win for Putin, and a last ditch battle over Europe for the Americans.

"Today, when I saw you coming down from the plane and carrying your effects, I got a little upset. On the one hand, it is very democratic; on the other, I think: things are really bad in the U.S., there is no one even to help the secretary of state carry his briefcase." - President Vladimir Putin

Thinking like a true Russian, at least doing my best impression of one, I can decipher what Vladimir Putin conveyed in those few seconds we all saw via RT. First of all, he was delighted. Seldom has the Russian president [been] seen in such a jovial mode of late, so whatever he and Kerry were really meeting about was a very positively charged subject, the meet-up was on the subject of another win for Putin, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Compromise from the United States of America was the sparkle in Vladimir's eye, and in Sergey Lavrov's honest grin as he sat next to his boss. Even Kerry seemed to have lost a monkey off his square shoulders, all this was so readily apparent. So what was the big secret, what kind of state treasure could have been carried in that satchel? We saw it lying open and empty later on, via a press photo...


"I think you'll be surprised, pleasantly," Kerry said.

Here's what I believe was in the briefcase. A big fat dossier that was too sensitive to be sent digitally, too important for anybody but Kerry to touch, too valuable for anything but a hand-to-hand pass-off, between America and Russia.

The Syrian "civil war" was supposed to create another Libya: A destabilized, lawless nation that could be used as a safe haven for terrorists, arms smugglers and human traffickers -- another ripe target for endless US military intervention. (And, according to Hillary Clinton's e-mails, a destroyed Syria was in the "interests" of Israel.) But things didn't go quite according to plan.

Because Obama stopped short of direct military intervention, much of Washington's strategy in Syria was carried out covertly by the CIA. And now that the plan has (largely) failed, the CIA has decided to throw Obama under the bus:

The CIA in 2012 proposed a detailed covert action plan designed to remove Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, but President Obama declined to approve it, current and former U.S. officials tell NBC News.

International Military Review - Syria & Iraq (Apr. 4)

Among the pile of jihadi documents recovered from a town liberated by Syrian Kurds, an RT Documentary crew found several foreign passports. A Russian one has led RT to the home city of the man, who brought his entire family to an apparent death at the hands of terrorists.

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) recruits its followers and potential fighters from across the entire world, with many of them bringing their whole families to Syria or Iraq, only to find their final resting place there.


After the liberation of the town of Shaddadi, located in the Syrian province Hasakah from IS jihadists, an RT Documentary team traveled to the area and had the chance to examine piles of documents that had been left behind.

Some 600 Israeli companies and 850 Israeli shareholders are listed in the leaked documents of Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, a leader in creating shell companies that often serve to conceal ownership of assets.

The leaked files, which were obtained by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists with Haaretz and other media organizations, provide a glimpse of the economy that until now had been hidden from the Israeli public.

There is a number of prominent names among the shareholders. It is important to note that as long as holdings in the companies and their revenues — if any — are reported as required to Israeli tax authorities, owning the company is not against the law.

Mossack Fonseca's branch in Israel is headed by attorney Amir Maor. Callers to the branch are informed by a voicemail message that they have reached the offices of "The Company for Establishing Companies."

Whoever leaked the Mossack Fonseca papers appears motivated by a genuine desire to expose the system that enables the ultra wealthy to hide their massive stashes, often corruptly obtained and all involved in tax avoidance. These Panamanian lawyers hide the wealth of a significant proportion of the 1%, and the massive leak of their documents ought to be a wonderful thing.

Unfortunately the leaker has made the dreadful mistake of turning to the western corporate media to publicise the results. In consequence the first major story, published today by the Guardian, is all about Vladimir Putin and a cellist on the fiddle. As it happens I believe the story and have no doubt Putin is bent.

But why focus on Russia? Russian wealth is only a tiny minority of the money hidden away with the aid of Mossack Fonseca. In fact, it soon becomes obvious that the selective reporting is going to stink.

"The unborn person doesn't have constitutional rights."—Hillary Clinton, Meet the Press (April 3, 2016)

When presidential candidate Hillary Clinton declares that unborn babies do not have constitutional rights, she's not just spouting partisan rhetoric in the heated national debate over abortion. She's providing us with a glimpse into an increasingly troubling mindset among government officials who believe that the government not only has the power to determine who is deserving of constitutional rights in the eyes of the law but also has the authority to deny those rights to an American citizen.

The unborn are not the only persons being denied their rights under the Constitution.

American families who have their dogs shot, their homes trashed and their children terrorized or, worse, killed by errant SWAT team raids in the middle of the night are being denied their rights under the Constitution.

Disabled individuals who are being strip searched, handcuffed, arrested and "diagnosed" by police as dangerous or mentally unstable merely because they stutter and walk unevenly are being denied their rights under the Constitution.

School-aged children as young as 4-years-old who are leg shackled, handcuffed and strip searched for violating school zero tolerance policies by chewing a Pop Tart into the shape of a gun and playing an imaginary game of cops and robbers, or engaging in childish behavior such as crying or jumping are being denied their rights under the Constitution.

Unarmed citizens who are tasered or shot by police for daring to hesitate, stutter, move a muscle, flee or disagree in any way with a police order are being denied their rights under the Constitution.

Likewise, Americans—young and old alike—who are shot by police because they pointed a garden hose at a police officer, reached for their registration in their glove box, relied upon a cane to steady themselves, or were seen playing with air rifles or BB guns are being denied their rights under the Constitution.

Female motorists who are unlucky enough to be pulled over for a questionable traffic infraction only to be subjected by police to cavity searches by the side of the road are being denied their rights under the Constitution.

Male pedestrians and motorists alike who are being subjected to roadside strip searches and rectal probes by police based largely on the color of their skin are being denied their rights under the Constitution.

American citizens subjected to government surveillance whereby their phone calls are being listened in on, their mail and text messages read, their movements tracked and their transactions monitored are being denied their rights under the Constitution. The same goes for individuals who are being denied access to body camera footage of their interactions with police, school officials and even medical professionals.

The investigation into former Russian Press Minister Mikhail Lesin's death was referred to the Justice Department's Criminal Division. Despite that, US media say authorities don't see the death as suspicious, citing sources in law enforcement. The New York Times has reported that the referral of Lesin's case to the Justice Department's Criminal Division in March was merely a formality, suggesting that no criminal investigation followed. Citing the same unnamed sources, the New York Times says neither the FBI, nor the US Justice Department have been taking an active part in the ongoing investigation.

Initial reports following Lesin's death in DC's Dupont Hotel on November 5, 2015 said he suffered a heart attack. Four months later, in March, Washington police and a DC medical examiner announced the cause of death as blunt head trauma. They added that "blunt force injuries of the neck, torso, upper extremities and lower extremities" contributed to the 57 year old's death.

Nevertheless, the manner of death was still classified as "undetermined," with the autopsy unable to reveal the cause of Lesin's injuries, meaning they could have been the result of a physical assault, a fall or a vehicle accident. Following the medical examiner's statement, Russia's prosecutor general sent an official request to the US Justice Department, demanding more information about Lesin's case on the basis of a bilateral treaty on mutual legal assistance on criminal cases dating back to 1999.