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Russiagate Hysteria is Fostering More Cold War Extremism And Crises

Stephen F. Cohen
The Nation
Wed, 03 Oct 2018 20:54 UTC
Overshadowed by the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, US-Russian relations grow ever more perilous
russia hysteria usa
Russiagate, even though none of its core allegations have been proven, is now a central part of the new Cold War, severely limiting President Trump's ability to conduct crisis-negotiations with Moscow and further vilifying Russian President Putin for having ordered "an attack on America" during the 2016 presidential election. The New York Times and The Washington Post have been leading promoters of the Russiagate narrative even though several of its foundational elements have been seriously challenged, even discredited.

Nonetheless, both papers recently devoted thousands of words to retelling the same narrative, on September 20 and 23 respectively, along with its obvious fallacies. For example, Paul Manafort, during the crucial time he was advising then Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, was not "pro-Russian" but pro-European Union. And contrary to insinuations, General Michael Flynn did nothing wrong or unprecedented in having conversations with a representative of the Kremlin on behalf of President-elect Trump. Many other presidents-elect had instructed top aides to do the same. The epic retellings of the Russiagate narrative by both papers, at extraordinary length, were riddled with similar mistakes and unproven allegations. (Nonetheless, a prominent historian, albeit one seemingly little informed both about Russiagate documents and about Kremlin leadership, characterized the widely discredited anti-Trump Steele dossier - the source of many such allegations - as "increasingly plausible.")
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Eye 2

The Military-Industrial-Humanitarian Complex: Spreading Western Hegemony Under The Guise of Virtue

Tomasz Pierscionek
RT
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 19:43 UTC
humanitarian bombs
Shakespeare once wrote that the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. Nowadays, we see the terms 'humanitarian' and 'democracy' abused to justify death and destruction.

Traditionally honorable words such as 'humanitarian' and 'democracy' have come to acquire a darker and more cynical meaning following their misappropriation to justify the invasion of sovereign nations and to promote the spread of Western military and cultural dominance across the globe. The mainstream media, alongside some human rights activists, assist these ventures by helping disseminate mistruths and by tapping into the emotions of fear, anger and revulsion to soften public opinion and make aggression against a sovereign state appear justified.

Running parallel to politicians' lies that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD deployable within 45 minutes, a strategy was deployed to shock and awe the public into accepting the invasion through attention-grabbing headlines crafted to abhor readers with 'evidence' of Saddam's butchery and to generate strong emotional reactions which would cause people to think with their hearts rather than their heads. One such story written by Labour MP Ann Clwyd, and published in The Times just two days before the US-led Coalition of the Willing began destroying Iraq, asserted that Saddam possessed a 'human-shredding machine' into which adversaries were fed feet first and turned into fish food. The article titled "See men shredded, then say you don't back war" had the double effect of causing a reader to feel revulsion and of making the anti-war lobby appear callous and indifferent to the plight of the Iraqi people. The existence of a human shredder was later challenged and such a machine is yet to be found.
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Footprints

US trains Turkish soldiers for joint patrols in Syria


Sputnik
Tue, 02 Oct 2018 23:39 UTC
Turkish Army soldiers
© AFP/Ilyas Akengin
Turkish Army soldiers
The US has started training Turkish troops ahead of joint patrols the countries will conduct around the Syrian city of Manbij, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said on Monday as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan railed against US support for groups he called Kurdish terrorists ‒ and who are America's main anti-Daesh partners.

The city was liberated from Daesh militants in the summer of 2016 by the Kurdish-dominated and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Turkey considers inextricably linked to militant groups it has designated as terrorists, including the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey.

The US and Turkey have been independently patrolling the Turkey-Syria border by Manbij. Closing ranks in the effort is intended to prevent the outbreak of any violence between the various factions in the area.

Not everybody agrees that will be the case, however. "Joint patrols between Turkey and US will increase the chances of conflict and deaths of US soldiers," Rick Sterling, a member of the Syria Solidarity Movement, told Sputnik News.
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Bullseye

Pence believes Russia's influence and meddling pales in comparison to China's


RT
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 04:25 UTC
Pence
© Win McNamee/Getty Images/KJN
The White House has stepped up its showdown with China, casting it as the new top bogeyman, with Mike Pence declaring that the notorious Russian interference and meddling 'pales' in comparison to Beijing's influence in US affairs.

China is increasingly assuming the role of number one villain for the White House administration, ahead of the US midterm election and amid the spiraling trade war between the two nations, the US vice president is due to announce in a speech this week at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, DC.

Amid the ongoing Robert Mueller probe into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, Pence will present America with another, even more powerful malefactor ahead of the upcoming midterm polls. Citing US intelligence sources, Pence will claim that Russian influence on American minds and democratic processes "pales in comparison to what China is doing," excerpts of his speech, seen by Reuters, declare. In particular, Pence will blame Beijing's "covert actors, front groups and propaganda outlets," for subverting the opinions of US policy makers. "It's using wedge issues, like trade tariffs, to advance Beijing's political influence" in the trade war, Pence will reportedly claim.

Comment: Firing on all burners and lacking even a modicum of diplomacy, the US is setting itself up for a 'day of reckoning'.

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Star of David

DM Lieberman: Israel won't stop operations in Syria despite S-300s


Sputnik
Wed, 03 Oct 2018 12:56 UTC
Lieberman
© VosizNeias
Israeli DM Avigdor Lieberman
On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Moscow had delivered 49 units of S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Syria in order to enhance the security of Russian servicemen in the country.

Speaking on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Tel Aviv wasn't "happy" about the S-300s deliveries to Syria, but it could not give up on its military operations in the war-ravaged country.

"I cannot say that we are happy about the deployment of the S-300s. At the same time, we have no choice here. We have no opportunity to make decisions [on military operations in Syria]," he said.

The minister further stated that it was important for Russia and Israel to restore normal ties despite their disagreements over the downing of the Il-20 reconnaissance plane.
"I think the most important thing for us today is...to return the working relationship to normal. It is today the most important task - to return to normal operation, coordination, to more actively use the 'hot line' to prevent conflict situations. We need to work," said Lieberman.
Lieberman once again reiterated that Israel blamed Syria for the Il-20 crash, thus dismissing Moscow's version that Israeli F-16 jets had used the Russian aircraft as a shield against Syrian air defenses.

Comment: Sorry Israel, NEW RULES!

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Laptop

Brits accuse Russia's 'reckless' GRU of cyber-attacking multiple Western targets


RFE/RL
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 10:15 UTC
Jeremy Hunt
© file photo
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt
Britain is accusing Russian military intelligence of being behind a host of recent cyberattacks seeking to undermine critical Western institutions from sports and transportation authorities to election processes.

A British national security report released late on October 3 concludes that the Russian military intelligence agency, or GRU, is "a pernicious cyber-aggressor" that has used a network of hackers to spread discord and confusion across the world.

The Russian Foreign Ministry on October 4 described the accusations as "fantasy," as British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson condemned Russia as a "pariah state" whose "reckless and indiscriminate" attacks had left it isolated in the international community.

The GRU, the British report said, was almost certainly behind the "BadRabbit" ransomware attack last year that targeted a Ukrainian international airport and Russian media outlets, as well as the hacking of the World Anti-Doping Agency in Switzerland.

It also concluded that the GRU was behind hacks and leaks of U.S. Democratic National Committee e-mails that embarrassed President Donald Trump's opponent Hillary Clinton in the weeks before the 2016 election, among other high-profile and damaging attacks.

"The GRU's actions are reckless and indiscriminate: they try to undermine and interfere in elections" in a clear assault on Western democracy, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in releasing the report.

But some of the GRU's cyberattacks "serve no legitimate national security interest, instead impacting the ability of people around the world to go about their daily lives free from interference, and even their ability to enjoy sport," Hunt said.

Comment: Amazing how one source conveniently fits all accusations.

More from RT:
"If anyone had questions in their mind about Russian military involvement in the Salisbury attacks this will put to rest those doubts," Hunt said to the BBC.

"Russian government needs to know that if they flout international law in this way there will be consequences, they will be exposed and people will see the Russian government for what they are - which is an organisation that is trying to foster instability throughout the world."

See also:

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X

Netherlands expelled 4 Russians last April who allegedly targeted chemical weapons watchdog


RT
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 10:14 UTC
Passport/car
© Dutch Ministry of Defence
Passport and car allegedly belonging to the accused Russians.
The Netherlands expelled four Russian intelligence officers in April, who allegedly targeted the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Moscow has dubbed the allegations "spy mania."

The operation was the work of Russian military intelligence agents from the GRU, Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld said during a media conference on Thursday. The minister insists that the Russian agents were targeting the Hague-based chemical weapons watchdog. Four Russian intelligence officers were expelled from the country in April, she added.

According to Bijleveld, the alleged operation was disrupted on April 13. The Russians had diplomatic passports, she said, adding that the men had taken photos of the organization's surroundings in The Hague.

On April 13, they allegedly parked a car next to the office of the watchdog. Their vehicle contained high-tech equipment that was able to hack into the organization's WiFi network.
Accused Russians
© Dutch Ministry of Defence
The four accused Russians

Comment: Another timed release of allegations to support the US, UK, Canada effort to tarnish Russia. See also:

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Arrow Up

Canada joins the international chorus of accusations against Russia for 'malicious cyber attacks'


RT
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 15:06 UTC
hacker
© Unknown
The Canadian government has joined its allies to accuse Russia of being behind a slew of recent "malicious" cyber attacks, including on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The move from Canada comes as the US introduces new charges against a number of alleged Russian intelligence officers which it accuses of hacking the anti-doping agency.

A statement issued on Thursday by Global Affairs Canada said that "a series of malicious cyber-operations by the Russian military" had been exposed, including an alleged attempted hack on the organization responsible for investigating the Salisbury poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in March - an attack which the Russian government has denied involvement in and which British authorities have not been able to conclusively blame Moscow for.

The Global Affairs statement said the acts
"form part of a broader pattern of activities by the Russian government" which lies "outside the bounds of appropriate behavior" and demonstrate "a disregard for international law and undermine the rules-based international order". Canada called on countries that value "international order" to "come together in its defence."

Comment: A 'concerted' effort to implicate and malign Russia to influence public opinion, an obvious set-up to influence the NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels.

See also:

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Laptop

US charges 7 Russian intel officers with hacking OPCW and World Anti-Doping Agency


RT
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 13:43 UTC
WorldAntiDopingAgency
© Christinne Muschi/Reuters
The Justice Department has indicted seven Russian military intelligence figures for their alleged role in leaking Olympic athletes' drug-test data, and targeting organizations probing the poisoning of the Skripals in the UK.

The hackers' efforts have been labeled as part of an ongoing Kremlin conspiracy to "undermine and interfere" with Western democracy.

Prosecutors say that the intelligence officials, who apparently worked for Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, targeted officials who had supported a ban on Russian athletes in international sports events. They also allegedly targeted a Pennsylvania nuclear energy company, and the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons, a watchdog group that had been investigating a series of poisonings in the UK, which the British government has blamed on Russia.

The suspects have been named as Dmitry Badin, Artem Malyshev, Aleksey Minin, Aleksey Morenets, Evgeny Serebryakov, Oleg Sotnikov, and Ivan Ermakov. The men are currently believed to be in Russia and therefore unable to answer to the charges. Still, DoJ assistant Attorney General John Demers told reporters that "if we could get our hands on these folks one day, we would have no problem bringing them to justice."

Comment: See also: Ambassador Yakovenko: Hacking accusations against Russia - timed with NATO cyber warfare meeting

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Attention

Ambassador Yakovenko: Hacking accusations against Russia - timed with NATO cyber warfare meeting


RT
Thu, 04 Oct 2018 16:18 UTC
Alexander Yakovenko
© The National
Russian Ambassador to Britain Alexander Yakovenko
The latest wave of accusations against Russia over alleged government-ordered hacking looks very much like a coordinated media attack timed with a NATO meeting of cyberwarfare, the Russian ambassador to UK told RT.

On Thursday, the UK and the Netherlands claimed that they had foiled cyber attacks by Russian government hackers while the US indicted seven agents of Russian military intelligence for a series of alleged hacking attacks. Canada joined in the chorus, saying that "malicious cyber-operations" also targeted the nation.

The media storm that immediately ensued is simply part of a coordinated attacks on Russia that lack proper proof and are meant to smear its reputation, believes Russian ambassador to Britain Alexander Yakovenko.

"There is a meeting of NATO countries in Brussels today and they are discussing cyberwarfare. NATO countries are basically planning to create their own cyber forces," Yakovenko told RT, referring to a meeting of NATO defense ministers in the Belgian capital. Among other things the ministers agreed to share cyber capabilities while NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg used the occasion to condemn Russia for its alleged hacking operations.


Comment: Are the attacks legit for all these countries and particular circumstances or is it a case of here's our accusation; what can you provide?
See also:

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