Puppet MastersS


Star of David

Best of the Web: Genocide isn't a mistake. Which is why the media can't tell you the truth about Gaza

Hind Rajab Hamada
Hind Rajab Hamada
A new film about Hind Rajab's murder points to a deeply sick Israeli society, driven into the darkest of places by a racist ideology that says Jewish lives count, Palestinian lives don't

The Voice of Hind Rajab, a devastating dramatised retelling of Israel's slow-motion murder of a five-year-old in Gaza, arrives in UK cinemas next week. Please take the opportunity to see it. The vast majority of Americans were denied such an opportunity when it was released there last month.

Here's what happened to the film in the US, via New York Times columnist M Gessen:
The Voice of Hind Rajab had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September and took the Grand Jury Prize, the second-highest honor. A few days later, it was screened to great acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival.

High-profile US distribution companies came calling. But then, the producers Odessa Rae and Elizabeth Woodward told me, one by one the companies peeled off.

In the end, Woodward, who has a small distribution company, put together something akin to self-distribution. The movie opens in New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday. Elsewhere in the world this film, shortlisted for the Oscar for best foreign movie, has major distributors - but not in the United States or Israel. That's a kind of coordination, too.

Question

Why are EU leaders suddenly being nice to Russia?

The German chancellor, French president and Italian prime minister appear to have seen reason in making up with Moscow. But is it genuine?
EU Leaders
© unian.net
Sometimes a surprising statement made almost in passing on a minor occasion can pack a lot of political oomph. And sometimes, it's just a slip and won't tell you much about either the present or the future. But how do you know?

That is the challenge posed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's recent - and very unusual - talk about a "compromise" ("Ausgleich" in German) with Russia, which, he also stressed, is "a European country," indeed "our greatest European neighbor."

Outside the context of current Western and, in particular, German and EU politics, such a statement may seem almost commonplace. Obviously, it would make sense for Berlin - and Brussels, too - to work toward a peaceful, productive, mutually beneficial relationship with Moscow. Equally obviously, this is not merely an option but, in reality, a vital necessity (as Merz may have been hinting at when emphasizing that Russia is Germany's greatest European neighbor: Greatest as in indispensable?).

Yet once you add the actual context of escalating German and EU policies toward Russia since 2014 at the very latest, Merz's sudden insight into the obvious appears almost sensational. For over a decade, German and EU policy toward Moscow has been based on three simple - and self-damagingly insane - ideas: First, Russia is our enemy by default and "forever" (see the refreshingly frank admission by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul). Second, using Ukraine (and a lot of Ukrainians), we can defeat that enemy with a combination of economic and diplomatic warfare and a very bloody proxy war on the ground. Finally, there is no alternative: it is VERBOTEN to even think about genuine give-and-take negotiations and any compromise that would also be good enough for Moscow.

Merz, moreover, has no record as a doubter of these moronic dogmas. On the contrary, he has been a consistent uber-hawk, combining the requisite constant Russophobic undertone with a long series of hardline initiatives and positions. Just a few months ago, for instance, Merz fought tooth and nail for confiscating Russian sovereign assets frozen in the EU. That he lost that fight was due to resistance from Belgium - which would have been exposed to absurdly irrational risks by permitting that robbery - and France and Italy, whose leaders tripped up their hapless German "ally" at the last minute.

Snakes in Suits

Lindsey Graham Drowns Sorrows After Trump Refrained From Iran Attack On 'No Guarantees'

FILE PHOTO: Lindsey Graham.
© Susan Walsh - Pool / Getty Images
NeoCon Senator Lindsey Graham wants to "go bigger" on Iran and is so disappointed that President Trump hasn't bombed it yet that he appears barely able to speak, with the color draining from his face.

Journalist Ryan Grim comments on the below video clip of Graham responding to the lack of action by the US, "His life force is being drained in front of us by the lack of bombing." When this armchair general is deeply disappointed and shattered by American non-action abroad, it without doubt means something good for America.

Dear Lindsey, the adults in the room took over, now go cry outside...

Attention

The falsification of history and the significance of culture

Dwight D. Eisenhower asked the question that every politician should be asking themselves today: "Is there no other way to live?"
Manifest Destiny
© John GastJohn Gast, American Progress, 1872. Oil on canvas. Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles.
When we look at history books, we usually only learn what we are allowed to learn and what we are supposed to know. A recent example of this is the portrayal of the Ukraine conflict. It allegedly began in February 2022 when the Russian army invaded its neighboring country. The background to the conflict is concealed; according to the prevailing opinion, it is an unprovoked "brutal war of aggression," an attack on a sovereign, democratically governed country.

Only in passing is mention made of a "change of government" that took place in 2014. Wikipedia states: "In February 2014, as a result of Russia's annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, a conflict broke out between the two countries that continues to this day. Crimea and parts of Donbas have been under Russian control ever since. (...) On February 24, 2022, the invasion of Ukraine began..."[1]

The fact that 2014 was in reality a bloody coup organized by foreign forces and prepared over a long period of time is something that history buffs can learn about at best from banned books and the so-called alternative media and their reporting on the Internet and YouTube, insofar as this is not deleted as "disinformation" or "fake news." AI will contribute significantly to falsifying world history in the interests of fanatically held opinions and ideologies.

Gingerbread

UK urges Western Europe to arm Ukraine instead of talk to Russia

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, December 9, 2025, London, England.
The British foreign secretary has dismissed calls from France and Italy to resume dialogue with Moscow

Western Europe must increase support for Ukraine rather than restart direct talks with Russia, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Politico on Thursday.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have previously argued it is time to negotiate directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They are reportedly concerned EU interests will be sidelined in US-mediated Ukraine peace talks and are pushing to create a special diplomatic envoy role for the bloc to engage Russia.

Comment: The war party is nervous about peace breaking out and hence the politicians are sent out to push the war narrative. Peace would be terrible for the British establishment as attention then inevitably will fall on the domestic problems which have accumulated unhindered.


Star of David

Best of the Web: Unmasking the Flames: Israel's shadow over Patagonia and Milei's betrayal of Argentina

Map ArgentinaChile
Maps: Argentina • Chile
From Conspiracy to Reality? Fires Clear the Way for Foreign Control in the Last Frontier

As I was scrolling through news feeds, trying to keep up with some of the chaos unfolding around the world, I stumbled across a flurry of reports from Argentina about raging wildfires tearing through Patagonia. Starting around January 5, 2026, flames have devastated thousands of hectares in Chubut province, areas like El Hoyo, Puerto Patriada, and near Epuyén, and prompting evacuations amid thick smoke, destroyed homes, and threatened ecosystems. Thousands of Argentines and other Spanish speakers were flooding the replies on X posts about the blazes, most of them incredibly irate at the Milei government. Phrases like "The Zionists are trying to steal Patagonia!" and "Milei has sold us out to Israel!" popped up repeatedly in viral threads, with users sharing videos of suspicious activity and linking the fires to foreign interests.

I thought, sure, these could be bots amplifying outrage, but Elon's bot army has always been staunchly pro-Milei, relentlessly boosting his image as a free-market hero and his tight alliances with Israel. So why were genuine locals, from southern Patagonians to urban commentators, reacting with such raw, widespread fury, accusing their own president of enabling a Zionist takeover? I jumped down the rabbit hole, cross-checking eyewitness accounts, viral clips, and the mounting public backlash, and what I discovered was yet another stark instance of Zionist imperialism sweeping across the globe, this time setting South America's pristine frontiers ablaze to pave the way for control and exploitation.

Magnify

Clarifications on the military intervention in Venezuela and international law

Delcy Rodriguez sworn in
© UnknownAfter denouncing Israel's role in preparing the US operation "Absolute Resolve", Delcy Rodríguez is sworn in as interim president.
Following the voluminous correspondence we received after Thierry Meyssan's last column, we asked him to respond to his readers. He explains here that Operation Absolute Resolve does not violate any commitments made by the United States and is therefore not contrary to international law. He expresses surprise that his readers are offended by this intervention when they have accepted, often without protest, many other interventions that did violate our own commitments. This clarification provides an opportunity to reflect on the difference between the rules of the Cold War — which we still follow — and international law — which has become the standard in the multipolar world.
.....
The article I published last week about Operation Absolute Resolve [ 1 ] generated a flood of protest letters. I've only been able to respond to a small portion of them. I'm well aware that I may have expressed myself poorly, as some of you interpreted things I never wrote or said. I would therefore like to offer some clarification.

Green Light

Why Washington will take Greenland

Trump
© RT composite/Mlenny/Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesUS President Donald Trump • Greenland
America's ambitions demonstrate that Western Europe is no longer protected by the very system it helped to build.

American political culture is drifting openly toward the annexation of Greenland. This may sound surreal to European ears, but it is not an exotic idea in Washington. It follows a logic that is deeply rooted in how the US historically became a great power and how it still proves its strength today.

The United States rose through territorial expansion at the expense of weaker neighbors. It seized land from those who could not defend it. There is no serious reason to assume that this instinct has disappeared. The only reliable guarantee of borders is the ability to fight for them. And history shows something very simple: the US does not attack those who can resist.

Modern world politics suggests that Western Europe is no longer among those who can resist.

Comment: In Greenland's favor, US would take it to a new level in purpose, development and protection.


Footprints

US evacuating some troops from Middle East bases as it considers attacking Iran

KC-130 Tanker
© US Marine CorpsUS Marine Corps KC-130 tanker aircraft at Al Udeid Air Base on September 14, 2024
The US is pulling some troops from several of its bases in the Middle East, as European officials told Reuters on Wednesday evening that a US attack on Iran could come within the next 24 hours. The US pulled forces from bases in the region before the start of the 12-day US-Israeli war against Iran in June 2025.

One of the bases the US is pulling troops from is the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which Iran attacked in June in retaliation for the US bombing its nuclear facilities. Iran gave the US advanced warning ahead of the attack, giving the US military time to evacuate its forces and prepare to intercept the missiles.

Iranian officials have been warning they will strike US bases and ships in the region in response to any attack, and it's likely this time they won't give advanced notice.

Bullseye

"What Will They Do?! Nuke the US?": Russia Mocks Emasculated Europe As Trump Eyes Greenland

VON DER LEYEN with German jet plane
Russian officials have been quick to seize on President Trump's renewed efforts in seeking a way ahead to take control of Greenland, accusing the West of "militarizing" the Arctic while also mocking Europe's ability to defend the strategically important, mineral-rich island.

Trump had on Wednesday even suggested the large island is "vital" to his proposed Golden Dome air and missile defense system. The same day, European countries made clear they would bolster their forces on the territory which is a possession of Denmark.

France, Sweden, Germany and Norway have confirmed they would deploy military personnel to Greenland, as Copenhagen tries to convince the White House to join a permanent NATO mission on the island as an alternative to taking it over.

Comment: Leave it to Russia to provide levity to the Greenland situation.