Welcome to Sott.net
Thu, 04 Nov 2021
The World for People who Think

Puppet Masters
Map

Snakes in Suits

Trump: 'We're coming out of Syria very soon, let others take care of it'

US soldiers Aleppo, Syria
© Khalil Ashawi / Reuters
U.S soldiers ride a military vehicle in al-Kherbeh village, northern Aleppo province, Syria October 24, 2016.
President Donald Trump has made a surprise announcement that US forces will be withdrawing from Syria, citing the defeat of Islamic State and the need to defend US borders and rebuild "crumbling" infrastructure.

"We're coming out of Syria very soon. Let the other people take care of it now," Trump said during a speech in Richfield, Ohio on Thursday, dedicated to his infrastructure initiative.

Hearts

Over 52 million people tune in to watch anticipated 'Putin' documentary

putin documentary
The release of the legendary and much-anticipated documentary "Putin" is upon us. In the video below, Dmitri Kiselyov, Russia's Top Anchor, covers the premier in which 22 million Russians tune in. If even one million Americans did so, US-Russia relations may improve incredibly, by listening to the wise words of Vladimir Putin free of "interpretation" by low-brow western propaganda.


Comment: Putin is a brilliant leader and an incredible statesman; who wouldn't want to watch a documentary about him? See it here in full:




Bullseye

Analysis: Will America accept its defeat or will it foolishly challenge the Russian Bear and the Chinese Dragon?

Votel defeat syria
© The American Conservative
Following the liberation of eastern Ghouta from the jihadists, and their departure to the northern city of Idlib under al-Qaeda and Turkish control, the city of Duma is now engaged in negotiations with the Russian side to find a way out for the militants of the "Army of Islam" (Jaish al-Islam). These militants fought against many jihadists and rebels and have therefore no remaining friends in the Syrian arena. However, this negotiation has become a tactical detail because the capital, Damascus, has become safe and is no longer exposed to daily shelling as was the case before the liberation of Ghouta.

What next?

The Yarmouk Camp and al-Hajar al-Aswad:

The elimination of the "Islamic State" group (ISIS) and the remnants of al-Qaeda in the Yarmouk camp and the nearby area of al-Hajar al-Aswad, south of Damascus, is also a tactical detail because there is no way out for these militants, trapped on all sides : the liberation of the area is not an issue.

The Syrian Steppe (al-Badiya):

In the Syrian steppes (al-Badiya), ISIS has still a pocket that the Syrian army is expecting to deal with this summer. This area is also totally besieged, ISIS can go nowhere and, while waiting, its willpower and morale are deteriorating and reaching a minimum level.

People

Kim Jong Un's Beijing visit confirms China's influence in Korean Peninsula

Kim Jong Un
© REUTERS/ KCNA
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un smiles during a banquet, as he paid an unofficial visit to Beijing, China, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang March 28, 2018.
As the North Korean leader successfully departs the Chinese capital after concluding his first foreign visit, analysts ponder what he might have discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping and how it may affect the future of the region.

Commenting on the recent official visit made by Kim Jong-un to the Chinese capital, Russian political analyst Alexander Lomanov told Sputnik that this voyage reminded everyone that "things aren't being done on the Korean Peninsula without China's say-so."

"When China supported international sanctions imposed against North Korea, some experts speculated that Beijing no longer considers Pyongyang its ally. Now, however, it turns out that things are exactly the opposite: China remains an important and respected player [in the region], and North Korea does not publicly hold any grudges against China. Kim Jong-un came to Beijing, shook hands with Xi Jinping and discussed future plans with him, including apparently both countries' stances on the upcoming summits with South Korea and the United States," Lomanov said.

Target

Unproven allegations against Trump and Putin risk nuclear war

USRUSSIA words
© Unknown
"Russiagate" and the Skirpal affair have escalated dangers inherent in the new Cold War beyond those of the preceding one.

Cohen begins by expressing to the Russian people and government profound sympathy and sorrow for the death of scores of Russians, most of them young children, who perished in the fire at a Kemerovo shopping and entertainment complex. He does so on his own behalf but also, he hopes, on behalf of most Americans.

Cohen then discusses several subjects related to his long, often-stated belief that the new US-Russian Cold War is more dangerous than was its 40-year predecessor, including the possibility of nuclear war. Having previously discussed other factors (see his postings at TheNation.com), he turns to current developments:

1. "Russiagate" and the attempted killing of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in the UK have two aspects in common. Both blame Putin personally. And no actual facts have yet been made public.

Having discussed the fallacies of "Russiagate" often and at length, Cohen focuses on the Skripal affair. Putin had no conceivable motive, especially considering the upcoming World Cup Games in Russia, which both the government and the people consider to be very prestigious and thus important for the nation. No forensic or other evidence has yet been presented as to the nature of the purported nerve agent used or whether Russia still possesses it; or, even if so, whether Russia really is the only state whose agents did so; or when, where, and how it was inflicted on Skripal and his daughter; or why they and many others said to have been affected by this "lethal" agent are still alive. Nonetheless, even before the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has issued its obligatory tests, and while refusing to give the Russian government a required sample to test, the British leaders declared that it was "highly likely" Putin's Kremlin had ordered the attack.

Comment: Despite instincts and promises to the contrary, Trump has unwillingly been made to go down the 'chosen' road and once on that path, the demands have grown exponentially. The time to have solidly refuted this choice (given there was ever an option) was at the very beginning. Given the obstacles and pressures, it is anyone's guess. Trump has surprised us before and could again.


Arrow Down

Brussels, Paris, Berlin will opt to get rid of nation states in EU

Protester EUflag
© Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP
Greek protester burns EU flag.
The idea that unanimous support among member states should not be necessary for foreign policy decisions is gaining traction in the EU. The end-game is to get rid of nation states, a former German diplomat told RT.

The concept of at least some foreign policy decisions being made by the EU without universal backing from member states was floated recently by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. He suggested the change during the Munich Security Conference last month. Some German officials have also spoken in favor of the proposed reform.

In particular, Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth told Der Spiegel that the unanimity principle exposed the Union to malign foreign influence. Juergen Hardt, an MP and foreign policy expert, suggested to the magazine that switching to a simple majority would "increase the EU's ability to act."

Comment: This is a doomed strategy, only tenable by the voting elite. Any pretense that this proposed method streamlines decisions is more likely a cover for creating a continental entity that caters to the edicts of the few.


Calendar

Coming together: North and South Korea summit set for April 27

SK/NK dignitaries
© Korea Pool/Yonhap/Reuters
SK Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon • NK counterpart Ri Son Gwon
In a breakthrough move, Pyongyang and Seoul have finally set a date for a summit between the two nations' leaders. The meeting - the third ever of this kind - will be on April 27.

The summit will take place in the demilitarized zone in the village of Panmunjom, 53km north of Seoul. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are scheduled to meet at the Peace House in the 'truce village,' South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported. The date and place for these rare talks were made public after negotiations between high-level officials on Thursday.

The summit will be the third in the history of the two nations. The previous two meetings, both of which had political and economic issues on the agenda, were held in 2000 and 2007.

Speaking ahead of the Thursday meeting, South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon noted that the issue of denuclearization will top the agenda. "That's the issue that we will focus on for discussion," he said. Representatives of the two Koreas are also said to be set to gather on April 4 to sort out the details of the upcoming high-profile meeting.


Comment: Positive developments for the Korean Peninsula. See also:


Arrow Up

Qatari professor Ali al Heil: Russia to help resolve Gulf crisis

Putin/AlThani
© Sputnik/ Michael Klimentyev
President Putin and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
Sputnik has discussed the recent visit by the Qatari Emir to Moscow, which is his first trip to Russia as the head of state, with a Qatari professor.

Russia and Qatar will strengthen their efforts to search a political solution in Syria, achieve stability in the energy markets, and also co-operate closely in preparation for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup. These and other issues were discussed in Moscow during President Putin's meeting with Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Comment: The victim of a recent Arab nations blockade and vehement accusations, Qatar may have gained a broader perspective. Forced out of the hive, it received little support and lukewarm fealty from the US. In retrospect, this may have been an eye-opener for the Qatari regime to better evaluate its choices going forward.


Chess

Russia's Skripal mistake: Hoping to deal with honest players

May/Police
© AP Photo/ Toby Melville/PA
PM May and police at site where the Skripals were found critically ill in Salisbury, UK.
Nearly two dozen countries have joined the UK in expelling Russian diplomats over the poisoning of ex--spy Sergei Skripal in southern England. Speaking to Sputnik, Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity, shared his thoughts on the broader implications of the case, and what Russia's approach should be.

Sputnik: What are your thoughts on what's going on with this expulsion of the Russian diplomats?

Daniel McAdams: I think it's something that's very well coordinated. I don't think anybody would claim that this is some sort of a spontaneous act that arose out of an alleged poisoning.

We haven't seen the alleged victims of the poisoning. We haven't seen any evidence whatsoever. In fact the High Court in the UK contradicted what Prime Minister Theresa May said when she said she was certain that [Skripal and his daughter] were poisoned with a military grade nerve gas and certain that it was of the Novichok variety. The Court itself in their investigation of the blood contradicted that. So this is a well-coordinated attack, probably by the US and the UK.

Sputnik: What do you think is the pretext for this move, if you're saying that this was some sort of a coordinated move?

Daniel McAdams: I have a theory. It's just a theory, but if you look at what is going to happen in May, I think it becomes very plausible and worth considering.

Comment: McAdams offers straight-forward logic, and whether Iran is the target - true or not, it is likely in the ballpark as far as motivation and spin by the US and UK. There is no doubt these two are looking for a groundswell of support for something and this was a test of whose toes are in the water.


Magnify

Top DOJ watchdog Horowitz to investigate FBI over FISA abuses

IG Horowitz
© Aaron P. Bernstein / Reuters
Inspector General Michael Horowitz
The Department of Justice inspector general has announced it will investigate the FBI over the use of a FISA court order to spy on a Trump campaign adviser, after the House Republican memo claimed the process was abused.

The review will determine whether the FBI followed proper procedure when it obtained a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant "relating to a certain US person," DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz said in a statement on Wednesday.

The OIG will also "review information that was known to the DOJ and the FBI... from or about an alleged FBI confidential source" and review the DOJ and FBI's "relationship and communications with the alleged source as they relate to the FISC applications."

Horowitz's review was prompted by the memo published last month by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, which revealed that the warrant to spy on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page was based on the infamous dossier authored by British spy Christopher Steele and paid for by Hillary Clinton's campaign.