Puppet Masters

Lavrov: UN Secretly Prohibited by Sec. Gen. from Restoring Syrian Economy

Sputnik
Mon, 20 Aug 2018 20:35 UTC

© AP Photo / Hassan Ammar
People stand in front of damaged buildings, in the town of Douma, the site of the suspected chemical weapons attack, near Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 16, 2018

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil and discussed Syrian issues.

The UN Secretariat secretly banned the organization's divisions from taking part in restoring Syria's economy, Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

"It turned out that the political department of the UN Secretariat really published and disseminated throughout the UN system a secret directive in October last year prohibiting organizations participating in this system to take part in any projects to restore the Syrian economy. Only humanitarian assistance, nothing more," Lavrov said.

Russian reconnaissance planes monitoring jihadist movements around Idlib

Leith Aboufadel
Al Masdar News
Wed, 22 Aug 2018 20:20 UTC

Russian strategic bombers

The Russian Air Force has been stalking the jihadist forces in the Idlib province over the last 72 hours.

Russian reconnaissance planes have been repeatedly flying over the southern and western countrysides of the Idlib Governorate in order to monitor and identify jihadist movements around the province.

The Russian Air Force typically conducts these flights whenever the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is preparing to launch a large-scale operation.

Making a comeback? Ahmadinejad throws down gauntlet, calls for Rouhani's resignation

Mahan Abedin
Middle East Monitor
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 17:16 UTC

As Iran sinks deeper into economic crisis, the establishment is scrambling to contain the situation. To illustrate the point, establishment grandees, like Ahmad Jannati, who is chairman of both the Assembly of Experts and the Council of Guardians, are calling for speedy trials and tough sentences to punish economic "criminals".

This follows on the heels of the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei's approval of the creation of "special courts" to tackle corruption and financial crimes. It is a sign of the gravity of the crisis - and its potential intensification once full US sanctions are re-imposed in early November - that Iranian leaders and officials are calling for the execution of economic criminals on the grounds of "spreading corruption on earth".

These measures may deter the most egregious offenders, and more broadly they may create the psychological conditions to withstand the US sanctions and their far-reaching economic and political impact. But they are not going to resolve the deep-rooted causes of corruption and inefficiency in the Iranian economy.

By contrast, former Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is demanding a root and branch approach by calling on the current President, Hassan Rouhani, to step down. Whilst Ahmadinejad's critics and enemies have predictably accused him of political opportunism, the basic fact is that the former president represents a significant constituency in the Islamic Republic which is clamouring for radical solutions to the country's intensifying economic and political problems.

Comment: Listen to this speech from Ahmadinejad from 2006:

He leaves the door open for good relations with the U.S. If the U.S. isn't really seeking regime change (as the Trump administration officially states), maybe they could get along with the Iranian Trump? That's what Thierry Meyssan seems to think, at least: Is there more to Trump's anti-Iran image than meets the eye?

Thierry Meyssan: Is there more to Trump's anti-Iran image than meets the eye?

Thierry Meyssan
Voltaire Network
Tue, 21 Aug 2018 16:27 UTC

On 16 August 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the creation of the "Iran Action Group" tasked with coordinating US policies after their withdrawal from the 5+1 nuclear agreement (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) [1].

This announcement was made as President Trump decided to postpone sine die the implementation of his plan for the Middle East (The Deal of the Century). But nothing can change in Palestine without the support of Iran.

Let's remember, by the way, that Barack Obama's JCPoA Treaty was not conceived only to guarantee that Iran is not making nuclear weapons. This was only the pretext. Its true aim was to prevent Iran from having access to high-level scientists and developing state of the art techniques [2]. Incidentally, the agreement forced Iran to close several faculties.

According to the US Democratic opposition, the Trump administration is reprising the neo-conservative policy of régime change, as indicated by the choice of the date of the announcement - the 65th anniversary of the Anglo-US coup d'etat against Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. However, although "Operation Ajax" of 1953 did indeed inspire the neo-conservatives, it occurred years before their movement was born, and has no connection with them. Besides which, the neo-conservatives served not only the Republican Party, but also the Democrats.

Comment: Meyssan's assertion that the Trump administration supports Ahmadinejad's party is obviously speculation. But it would definitely be a blast to see the return of Ahmadinejad:

Iraq now faces a choice - Iran or US - and both have their downsides

Elijah J. Magnier
ejmagnier.com
Tue, 21 Aug 2018 16:10 UTC

In the coming month, following Eid al-Adha (August 21st), Iraq will be on the horns of a dilemma. The Federal Court has confirmed the results of the manual recount of the May parliamentary elections with insignificant changes to the previously announced results. After the holiday the Iraqi coalition that can assemble more than 165 parliamentary seats will have to choose the new ruler of the country. Whoever is selected as Prime Minister, whether he is pro-US, pro-Iran or even a neutral personality, will not save Iraq from serious consequences and difficult years ahead. If the new government implements the sanctions on Iran announced by interim PM Abadi, internal unrest and insecurity can be expected in the country. Many Iraqis, including some armed groups, will refuse what is perceived as US interference, and US forces themselves will likely come under fire. If the sanctions are not implemented, Iraq will face serious US sanctions in turn, international companies will pull out, and the return of the terrorist group ISIS (ISIL, Daesh) cannot be excluded. Any decision will certainly have a major effect on the economy of Mesopotamia, and perhaps even on its security.

The Iraqi government is normally formed following an agreement between one or more groups with the largest number of MPs, with several Iraqi parties (Shia, Sunni, Kurds and other minorities) holding a smaller representation in the Parliament joining in. The largest coalition is then eligible to select the future Prime Minister within one month of forming a governing coalition. Members of the coalition decide amongst themselves the distribution of power and posts including not only that of Prime Minister, but also Speaker, President and all the other key positions (Vice-Presidents, vice ministers, and the various ministerial positions in the government).

Max Blumenthal: US whines about 'Russian meddling' while it funds organizations that sow chaos abroad

RT
Wed, 22 Aug 2018 11:54 UTC

Americans are unaware that a state-funded organization is working hard to topple undesired governments, journalist Max Blumenthal has told RT. This does not stop the US from complaining about alleged Russian meddling though.

Award-winning American author and investigative journalist Max Blumenthal visited the 2018 Democracy Award, which was organized by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) - a non-profit organization that was founded in 1983, and is supported by both the Democratic and Republican parties. The group claims to help non-governmental groups promote democracy around the globe.

The NED's award ceremony was meant to honor a collection of Korean activists who promote regime change in North Korea. The timing of the event - where Blumenthal managed to interview an NED grantee, the Transitional Justice Working Group's director, Hubert Younghman Lee, as well as catching a few words from Democratic House minority Leader Nancy Pelosi - was very interesting. It coincided with the US-North Korean landmark summit, thereby essentially "undermining a US government initiative to foster peace between North and South Korea," according to the journalist.

Comment: Some background on the 'democracy promotion' antics of NED: Non-governmental organizations or NGOs are the Deep State's geopolitical Trojan horses (VIDEO)

USAID's black ops programs for undermining foreign governments go all the way back to the founding of the agency itself. Some of the lowlights include USAID's "Office of Public Safety" and its part in running a CIA front program for training foreign police in torture and terror tactics in Latin America; co-funding (with the CIA) the opium-smuggling Xieng Khouang Air Transport, a private airline for narcotics trafficker (and CIA point man in Laos) General Vang Pao; and co-funding opposition groups in Ukraine (prior to the 2014 coup) with Glenn Greenwald-backer Pierre Omidyar and, of course, George Soros.

A selection of NED's covert destabilization campaigns:

Bankrolling the "Project Democracy" program that became the core of Oliver North's secret government during the Iran-Contra years.
Manipulating the elections in Nicaragua in 1990 to oust Ortega and the Sandinistas [And NED isn't quite 'finished' in Nicaragua: US meddling machine NED boasts of 'laying groundwork for insurrection' against Nicaraguan government]
Overthrowing the governments of Bulgaria in 1990 and Albania in 1991.
And backing every major color revolution of the modern period, from the Rose Revolution in Georgia to the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan and Orange Revolution in Ukraine a decade ago to the recent unsuccessful "Electric Yerevan" in Armenia, and many others in between...

Facebook, Twitter ban Iran-linked 'disinfo' accounts, MSM blames Russia

RT
Wed, 22 Aug 2018 16:01 UTC

Facebook and Twitter have reported successes in battling alleged information manipulation by Iran-linked accounts. However, an overexcited mainstream media eager to expose 'Russian meddling' did not hesitate to blame Moscow.

"We've removed 652 Pages, groups and accounts for coordinated inauthentic behavior that originated in Iran and targeted people across multiple internet services in the Middle East, Latin America, UK and US," Facebook wrote, in a long blogpost detailing the suspicious behavior, allegedly linked to Tehran. The company noted that they were acting based on a tip from a cybersecurity firm FireEye, known for its work in exposing 'Russian hackers' and funding the controversial Center for European Policy Analysis.

Nearly simultaneously, Twitter announced that "working with our industry peers today, we have suspended 284 accounts from Twitter for engaging in coordinated manipulation. Based on our existing analysis, it appears many of these accounts originated from Iran."

The news probably wouldn't get that much attention, if Facebook did not mention Russia in the very end of their blogpost, explicitly calling it a totally "unrelated" case.

Comment: Facebook and Twitter have dug themselves into a hole, and it will be very hard to climb back out of it. By taking on the role of censor, they must now deal with the endless task of monitoring content for offenses and dealing with the fallout.

Russian Foreign Ministry criticizes US for refusing to attend Afghanistan peace talks with Taliban in Moscow

RFE/RL
Wed, 22 Aug 2018 15:52 UTC

Russia's Foreign Ministry has criticized Washington's reported refusal to send delegates to Moscow-hosted peace talks on Afghanistan after Interfax quoted a U.S. State Department spokesperson as saying the United States would not take part in the September 4 meeting.

A statement from the Russian ministry on August 22 said Washington's "refusal to attend the Moscow meeting on Afghanistan show Washington has no interest in launching a peace process in Afghanistan."

"We have learned with regret from the United States Department of State's statement that the Americans will not take part in the Moscow" meeting, the ministry said. "Admittedly, this step does not cause great surprise."

In a push to have a more prominent role in Afghanistan, Russia says it invited representatives from 11 other countries to the talks, including the United States.

Comment: There has been a recent push for peace in Afghanistan. See:

Peace is the only option, and the U.S. knows it. The U.S. is in a worse position now than they were when the war started. The Taliban have control of vast swathes of Afghan territory, and there is no victory in sight. The only sane option is to leave. But Americans are exceptional. If there is to be peace, it must be peace on their terms, and that means rejecting any proposals - no matter how good - especially if they're produced by the Russians. Petty, destructive, counter-intuitive, and oh-so-American!

Putin finds meeting with Trump 'useful', says US establishment behind 'senseless' Russian sanctions

RT
Wed, 22 Aug 2018 15:13 UTC

© Leonhard Foeger / Reuters
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018.

The position of US establishment is to blame for the counter-productive policy of sanctions against Russia, President Vladimir Putin said while describing his Helsinki meeting with President Donald Trump as "useful."

"It's not only about the position of the US President. It's about the position of the so-called establishment, which is ruling [the US] in a broadest sense of the word," Putin said.

Putin was responding to a question about his July meeting with Trump at a joint briefing with the Finnish President Sauli Niinistö near Sochi on Wednesday.

Comment: Putin and his team fully understand that Trump is hamstrung by the Deep State machinery. It does help Putin to know what the president's personal views and goals are regarding the US' position in the world, but Russia's policies will be formed knowing that Trump's ability to translate that into action is limited.

China mulls replacing defunct 1-child limit with 1-child tax as population ages and birthrates don't keep up

RT
Wed, 22 Aug 2018 15:23 UTC

A proposal to tax adults who have fewer than two children has sparked a heated debate in China, after Beijing dropped its one-child policy in the hope of countering a looming demographic crisis.

The idea of requiring childless or one-child adults to contribute towards a "reproduction fund" to assist families with more than one child was among the most controversial policy suggestions made by two Chinese academics in an article published by Communist Party mouthpiece Xinhua Daily last week.

The controversial article comes amid a nationwide campaign to encourage people to have more children, with Beijing scrambling to reverse a rapidly ageing society, shrinking workforce and falling birth rate, creating a demographic time bomb.

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Puppet Masters

Lavrov: UN Secretly Prohibited by Sec. Gen. from Restoring Syrian Economy

Russian reconnaissance planes monitoring jihadist movements around Idlib

Making a comeback? Ahmadinejad throws down gauntlet, calls for Rouhani's resignation

Thierry Meyssan: Is there more to Trump's anti-Iran image than meets the eye?

Iraq now faces a choice - Iran or US - and both have their downsides

Max Blumenthal: US whines about 'Russian meddling' while it funds organizations that sow chaos abroad

Facebook, Twitter ban Iran-linked 'disinfo' accounts, MSM blames Russia

Russian Foreign Ministry criticizes US for refusing to attend Afghanistan peace talks with Taliban in Moscow

Putin finds meeting with Trump 'useful', says US establishment behind 'senseless' Russian sanctions

China mulls replacing defunct 1-child limit with 1-child tax as population ages and birthrates don't keep up

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