Puppet Masters

Peace through strength? Trump boasts building new nukes and weapons he will 'never use'

RT
Sun, 30 Jun 2019 16:08 UTC

US President Donald Trump touted his upgrades to the military that cost billions of dollars but said he never wanted to use them, despite the fact that...he already did.

"We are totally revamping and improving and in some cases getting brand new nuclear weapons - never wanna have to use them - but we have the most and the best in the world," he told American soldiers, sailors and marines at the Osan Air Base near Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday. "It's getting to a level where it wasn't even close," Trump said. "Hopefully we'll never have to use it," he said, speaking about the military's capacity in general.

Though Trump repeatedly stressed that he never wants to use nuclear weapons, some of his administration's recent actions have raised the threat of nuclear confrontation in Europe. Washington's decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia earlier this year raised fears of a Cold War-style nuclear buildup in Europe.

In addition, the US military's Missile Defense Review - released in January - revealed plans for space-based missile defense systems, plans that Russia has warned could lead to a new arms race in space.

Trump certainly seems to be a believer in 'peace through strength.' A scathing opponent of America's wars in the Middle East during his campaign, then-candidate Trump called the Iraq War "a tremendous disservice to humanity," and promised to bring American troops home from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and to embrace a more isolationist foreign policy.

Comment: See also:

US will fight back as Russia/China encourage BRICS to exit dollar trade

RT
Mon, 01 Jul 2019 12:48 UTC

While Russia and China's push to reduce the role of the US dollar in trade is catching on, don't expect Washington to give up its global economic dominance without a fight, political expert Jack Rasmus, told RT.

The two countries' presidents, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, recently announced their intention to expand the use of their national currencies - the ruble and the yuan - in bilateral financial transactions. The two states have agreed to develop financial instruments for this purpose and signed an intergovernmental agreement to boost cross-currency settlements. Both are also working on their own alternatives to the globally recognized SWIFT payment system.

"It's only at the very beginning and we're talking about only two countries. They're fairy large countries and it could be a significant amount of trade in non-dollar currencies or in kind," Jack Rasmus, professor of political economy at Saint Mary's College of California, told RT.

While Russia has already called on allied emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) - to develop settlement instruments in national currencies, the anti-dollar push will not go unnoticed and will face a response from Washington, according to the analyst.

"Dollar is still the global currency. I think it'll be a fight with BRICS. The US won't stand by and do nothing if BRICS join the China-Russia payment system," Rasmus said. He added that if BRICS countries finally join Russia and China, Washington will definitely "take counter-actions overtly and covertly to discourage it."

Comment: See also:

Tripoli: Haftar's forces 'destroy' Turkish drone, airport halts air traffic

RT
Sun, 30 Jun 2019 19:22 UTC

Traffic at the only operating airport in Libya's capital, Tripoli, was halted after an airstrike on Sunday. The Libyan National Army of Khalifa Haftar said that it had targeted a Turkish military drone on the runway.

The LNA announced that its fighter jets have "destroyed" a Turkish UAV during takeoff at Mitiga airport outside Tripoli on Sunday. Haftar's information division claimed on Facebook that the drone was delivered to Libya by Ankara to carry out attacks against LNA forces.

Mitiga airport authorities confirmed that the facility was hit by an airstrike, saying that all flights have been put on hold until further notice.

Iran-Germany trade cracks under pressure of US sanctions, down 48%

Sputnik
Mon, 01 Jul 2019 11:06 UTC

European countries that criticised Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal have pledged to shield their commercial relations with Teheran from US sanctions in order to keep the Islamic Republic compliant with the agreement. Iran, however, has repeatedly stated that their efforts are insufficient.

The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry has stated that the trade volume between Iran and Germany collapsed by 48 percent from January to April in comparison to the same period in 2018 and reached 529 million euros. According to the newspapers from the German media group Funke, many German companies preferred to abide by US sanctions, fearing that they would lose access to US markets.

According to the report, the sanction policy most impacted Germany's mechanical engineering sector. It tops the list with a 41 percent share in exports, followed by the chemical industry with 24 percent, and food exports with 13 percent. At the same time, imports from Iran to Germany decreased by 39 percent to 80 million euros over the same period this year. The lion's share of Iranian exports to Germany consists of food and natural resources.

Comment: See also:

Saudi Arabia increases security measures citing recent attacks on oil tankers

Sputnik
Mon, 01 Jul 2019 15:54 UTC

Last month two oil tankers were targeted in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, with the United States and some of its allies immediately accusing Iran of being behind the attacks. Tehran has strongly denied the allegations and urged to stop "warmongering".

Saudi Arabia has moved to boost security measures in its territorial waters in the wake of recent "sabotage attacks" on several oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in May-June, the country's Energy Minister Khalid Al Falih told reporters on Monday. Previously, Falih called for a "swift and decisive response to the threat against energy supplies... created by the recent terrorist acts in the Arabian Gulf".

The decision comes a few days after the UN Security Council member states condemned the attacks on oil tankers as a serious threat to international maritime navigation and international security.

Hasbara on tap: Israeli spies are flooding Facebook and Twitter to counter BDS

Asa Winstanley - translation by Dena Shunra.
Electronic Intifada
Tue, 25 Jun 2019 16:26 UTC

hasbara twitter facebook Yarden Ben Yosef

Israel secretly operates a troll army of thousands, partly funded by a government department.

The Ministry of Strategic Affairs is dedicated to a global "war" against BDS, the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement for Palestinian rights.

To conceal its involvement, the ministry has admitted to working through front groups that "do not want to expose their connection with the state."

The troll army Act.IL is one of many such groups. It focuses on spreading Israeli propaganda online.

What does it do with its million dollar budget?

Comment: More background on the points raised by Mr. Winesley

Soros and Koch team up to end US 'forever war' policy, fund new anti-war think tank

Stephen Kinzer
Boston Globe
Sun, 30 Jun 2019 17:03 UTC

Besides being billionaires and spending much of their fortunes to promote pet causes, the leftist financier George Soros and the right-wing Koch brothers have little in common. They could be seen as polar opposites. Soros is an old-fashioned New Deal liberal. The Koch brothers are fire-breathing right-wingers who dream of cutting taxes and dismantling government. Now they have found something to agree on: the United States must end its "forever war" and adopt an entirely new foreign policy.

In one of the most remarkable partnerships in modern American political history, Soros and Charles Koch, the more active of the two brothers, are joining to finance a new foreign-policy think tank in Washington. It will promote an approach to the world based on diplomacy and restraint rather than threats, sanctions, and bombing. This is a radical notion in Washington, where every major think tank promotes some variant of neocon militarism or liberal interventionism. Soros and Koch are uniting to revive the fading vision of a peaceable United States. The street cred they bring from both ends of the political spectrum - along with the money they are providing - will make this new think tank an off-pitch voice for statesmanship amid a Washington chorus that promotes brinksmanship.

"This is big," said Trita Parsi, former president of the National Iranian American Council and a co-founder of the new think tank. "It shows how important ending endless war is if they're willing to put aside their differences and get together on this project. We are going to challenge the basis of American foreign policy in a way that has not been done in at least the last quarter-century."

Since peaceful foreign policy was a founding principle of the United States, it's appropriate that the name of this think tank harken back to history. It will be called the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, an homage to John Quincy Adams, who in a seminal speech on Independence Day in 1821 declared that the United States "goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own." The Quincy Institute will promote a foreign policy based on that live-and-let-live principle.

Two 'Russians' in Steele dossier were both Western intel assets not living in Russia

Joe Hoft
The Gateway Pundit
Sun, 30 Jun 2019 16:51 UTC

MI6 English agent Christopher Steele won't tell who his Russian sources were for his bogus dossier. The entire thing was a sham but he did attempt to put faces to some of his sources. Regardless, we've identified two of the 'Russians' likely used in the Steele dossier.

Simon Kukes

The first real Russian identified and linked to the Steele dossier is Simon Kukes. We know Kukes is related to the bogus dossier because Steele mentioned Kukes in his meeting with State Department official Kathleen Kavalec. Kavalec said that the CIA's Firestone brought Kukes in.

Remember, Firestone was kicked out of Russia because he was turning Russians into spies. Perhaps Firestone turned Kukes?

The Tulsi Effect in 2020 Primary Debates: Forcing War onto the Democratic Agenda

Danny Sjursen
American Conservative
Fri, 28 Jun 2019 00:00 UTC

She is the only candidate who has made ending the wars a centerpiece of her campaign, which will likely lead to her undoing.

Democrats, liberals, progressives-call them what you will-don't really do foreign policy. Sure, if cornered, they'll spout a few choice talking points, and probably find a way to make them all about bashing President Donald Trump-ignoring the uncomfortable fact that their very own Barack Obama led and expanded America's countless wars for eight long years.

This was ever so apparent in the first two nights of Democratic primary debates this week. Foreign policy hardly registered for these candidates with one noteworthy exception: Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard-herself an (anti-war) combat veteran and army officer.

Now primary debates are more show than substance; this has long been the case. Still, to watch the first night's Democratic primary debates, it was possible to forget that the United States remains mired in several air and ground wars from West Africa to Central Asia. In a two-hour long debate, with 10 would-be nominees plus the moderators, the word Afghanistan was uttered just nine times-you know, once for every two years American troops have been killing and dying there. Iraq was uttered just twice-both times by Gabbard. Syria, where Americans have died and still fight, was mentioned not once. Yemen, the world's worst humanitarian disaster, courtesy of a U.S.-supported Saudi terror campaign didn't get mentioned a single time, either.

Comment: Would Tulsi Gabbard be the best choice for US president?

AOC bashes Ivanka for not being qualified to act as diplomat, Piers Morgan points out that AOC was a bartender

RT
Mon, 01 Jul 2019 16:21 UTC

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has gotten into internet fisticuffs with Piers Morgan after the Good Morning Britain host suggested that Ocasio-Cortez, a former bartender, shouldn't criticize the job qualifications of Ivanka Trump.

The e-sparring began after the freshman Democratic lawmaker took aim at Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka for her conspicuous participation in the recent G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. In a video that quickly went viral, Ivanka was seen hobnobbing at the summit with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Ocasio-Cortez argued that "being someone's daughter actually isn't a career qualification" and that Trump should have brought a "qualified diplomat" to the international gathering.

The gibe didn't sit well with Morgan, who apparently felt that the New York Democrat was in no position to accuse Ivanka of being unfit to serve as an adviser to her father.

"Could be worse... Ivanka could have been a bar-tender 18 months ago," the British television personality quipped.

Comment: They're both right - kind of. It probably would be better if more government representatives had backgrounds so that they could relate to working Americans. And there are some who are born into privilege that still make competent leaders. But having a working class background doesn't guarantee you'll be any better in a leadership position. And neither does being raised privileged. It's the individual who matters, regardless of their class.

.. .. Is the Brits' Prince Pedo ok? [Link]

Jibrish

.. .. jUS Con gress shid show [Link] Let's go pfhizer [Link]

Jibrish

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Kevin Smith

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Ruth

I believe this is intentional. To create a feeling of dispair, depression, and approaching end times. Provoke the sheeple to make the next step in...

codis

Puppet Masters

Peace through strength? Trump boasts building new nukes and weapons he will 'never use'

US will fight back as Russia/China encourage BRICS to exit dollar trade

Tripoli: Haftar's forces 'destroy' Turkish drone, airport halts air traffic

Iran-Germany trade cracks under pressure of US sanctions, down 48%

Saudi Arabia increases security measures citing recent attacks on oil tankers

Hasbara on tap: Israeli spies are flooding Facebook and Twitter to counter BDS

Soros and Koch team up to end US 'forever war' policy, fund new anti-war think tank

Two 'Russians' in Steele dossier were both Western intel assets not living in Russia

The Tulsi Effect in 2020 Primary Debates: Forcing War onto the Democratic Agenda

AOC bashes Ivanka for not being qualified to act as diplomat, Piers Morgan points out that AOC was a bartender

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