Puppet MastersS


Bad Guys

Korybko: Lukashenko isn't a dictator, but neither is he blameless

Andrew Korybko
OneWorld
Tue, 11 Aug 2020 18:56 UTC
Lukashenko
© AP Photo/Sergei Grits; REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
It was entirely predictable that the Color Revolution unrest that Lukashenko himself earlier kindled by partially laying the blame for this regime change attempt on Russia, which he did in a misguided attempt to co-opt this movement and use it as a post-election pretext for accelerating his pro-Western pivot, would ultimately end up backfiring after the rioters' real Western patrons thought that they could intensify their pressure upon him in order to squeeze more concessions out of the geopolitically confused Belarusian leader.

Maidan In Minsk

Belarusian President Lukashenko is being portrayed in polar opposite ways by the Mainstream and Alternative Media following the onset of the "Maidan in Minsk" (MiM) Color Revolution attempt against him, with the first-mentioned painting him as a "power-hungry dictator" who's desperately clinging to power at all costs while the latter is making him out to be an "innocent victim" who's being punished by the evil West for his quasi-"socialist" policies and traditional ties with Russia. Neither narrative is entirely true, though both have their merits. This analysis therefore aims to debunk the myths behind the man, after which it moves along to explaining the structural and strategic origins of the present crisis. It'll be revealed that Lukashenko has no one but himself to blame for all of this since it's the direct result of his failed "balancing" act between East and West. When all's said and done, he might very well be compelled to completely reorient his country back towards Russia, though he'd be doing so out of desperation and would therefore be unable to leverage Belarus' geostrategic position for the benefits that he originally sought to obtain by "balancing" between Moscow and the West in the first place.

Comment: See also:

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No Entry

'You're being used as cannon fodder': Lukashenko urges people to stay home, blames protests on foreign meddling


RT
Sun, 16 Aug 2020 18:13 UTC
lukashenko
© Andrei Stasevich/BelTA/Handout via REUTERS
President Aleksandr Lukashenko has called upon Belarusian citizens to not "go into the streets" and to avoid protests, blaming foreign agents for stoking the unrest that has gripped the country after the controversial election.

"Don't go out into the streets now! Understand that you and your children are being used as cannon fodder," Lukashenko said Friday, during a meeting with the country's National Security Council.
They've already come here in large numbers from Poland, the Netherlands, Ukraine, from this 'Open Russia' - [Russian opposition figure Alexey] Navalny and so on and so forth. The aggression against the country has already begun.
Addressing the handling of the protests by the police, Lukashenko has all but defended the sweeping police action. At least 6,700 people have been detained over the past few days, while the authorities have been accused of excessive force and even "torture" of incarcerated protesters. Lukashenko insisted that, as a "military man," he has no other option than to deal with the unrest, however.

"Do you want me to sit and wait until the whole of Minsk is upside down? We'll stabilize the situation later," the president said, promising to "deal with" the foreigners who allegedly came to Belarus to take part in the unrest.


Comment: According to Lukashenko, Belarus would "cease to exist as a country" if the authorities conceded to demands for a new election.
At a rally outside the government's HQ in Minsk, Lukashenko urged his supporters to "defend your country, independence and families."
I am kneeling for you, for the first time in my life. You have deserved it!
"The leadership of NATO demands new elections. If we concede, we will die as a country," Lukashenko said, warning about "the sound of the NATO armies' tracks at our gates."


"Despite all the difficulties, all its flaws, we've built a beautiful country together. Who did you decide to surrender her to? If somebody wants to surrender the country, even when I am dead, I will not allow it," he said.
Putin has told Lukashenko that Russia is willing to provide military assistance to Belarus if necessary to ensure Belarus' security.

Meanwhile, on the protest front, several state television presenters have resigned in support of the protests - others from the police and security forces have done the same.

See also:

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Boat

US seizes four vessels loaded with Iranian fuel UPDATE

John Bowden
The Hill
Thu, 13 Aug 2020 07:49 UTC
Tanker Bella
© www.justice.govTanker 'Bella', one of four seized ships
U.S. officials reportedly seized four tankers loaded with Iranian fuel and are transporting them to port in Houston.

A U.S. official confirmed the seizure of the four vessels, dubbed the Bering, Bella, Luna and Pandi, in a statement to the Wall Street Journal, and explained further that the craft were seized without the use of military force. It wasn't immediately clear where the seizures occurred or which U.S. agencies were involved.

The Justice Department declined to comment to the Journal on the seizures. The tankers were all allegedly part of a scheme set up by an Iranian businessman affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps., which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist organization, to evade U.S. sanctions on business with Iran and its military.

Comment: The DOJ claims this seizure was the largest so far - 1.116 million barrels of fuel - but details are scant as to who is helping the US police foreign tankers:
Iran's ambassador to Venezuela, Hojat Soltani, insisted in a tweet that "the ships are not Iranian" while calling the claim about the seizures "another lie and psychological warfare from the propaganda machine of the US."

Washington's high-seas score stems from a July court complaint demanding the four tankers in question "forfeit all petroleum-product cargo" due to its having been shipped by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the statement.

The Trump administration has leveled a bewildering array of sanctions against Iran, flooded the Persian Gulf with US military assets, and offered millions of dollars in bribes to Iranian ship captains to deliver their oil tankers into the hands of Uncle Sam.

Trump confirmed in a press conference on Friday that the Iranian cargo had been diverted to Houston, though he demurred when asked what would be done with the ships once they arrived. "We'll be announcing," he told reporters.
Predictably, Iran rejected the US report, refuting claims of seizure by the US:
Iran's Ambassador to Venezuela, Hojat Soltani, further stated that Tehran would retaliate against any hostile actions directed against its ships and Iran's legal right to ship its goods.

The Marine Traffic service shows that all four vessels presumably seized by the US have not updated their positions in the tracking system since May or June, with most of them sailing under the Liberian flag.

However, the media claims that the tankers were privately owned and allegedly hired by Iran for the job. The Wall Street Journal claims they were originally a part of a larger flotilla allegedly sailing towards Venezuela and escorted by an Iranian Navy ship, but these four peeled off from the group at some point.
UPDATE 15/8/2020: Rouhani denies US statements on tanker seizures as fake news.




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Handcuffs

Too bad, so sad: Kiev angry Belarus released alleged 'Russian mercenary group' that Kiev set up to be arrested


RFE/RL
Sun, 16 Aug 2020 18:05 UTC
belarus kgb
Belarusian KGB officers detain a Russian man in a sanitarium outside of Minsk on July 29.
Kyiv has expressed anger over a decision by Belarus to release a group of alleged Russian mercenaries that was detained near Minsk in late July.

In a post on Facebook on August 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote that Minsk's decision to send the men back to Russia "does not correspond to the spirit of relations" between Ukraine and Belarus.

"The consequences of this decision will be tragic," he added.

Minsk detained 33 Russian citizens on July 29 and accused them of plotting to destabilize the situation in Belarus in the run-up to the August 9 presidential election.

Belarusian authorities identified the men as employees of Russia's Vagner private military company, which is believed to have ties to Russian military intelligence and has sent fighters to Ukraine, Syria, Libya, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other countries.

Comment: Hilarious. Kiev set up this lamely executed provocation in the first place. It failed (but not before Belarus' KGB took the bait, seemingly), and now Kiev is angry that their duped "Russian mercs" aren't being extradited to Kiev. Better than slapstick comedy.

Notably, RFE/RL - an American propaganda outlet - fails to mention Kiev's hand in setting up the entire plot. See:

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Network

Trump eyes Putin meeting before November election, say sources

Carol E. Lee, Courtney Kube
yahoo! News
Sun, 16 Aug 2020 17:33 UTC
TrumpPutin
© AFPUS President Donald Trump • Russian President Vladimir Putin
President Donald Trump has told aides he'd like to hold an in-person meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the November election, according to four people familiar with the discussions.

Administration officials have explored various times and locations for another Trump-Putin summit, including potentially next month in New York, these people said.

The goal of a summit would be for the two leaders to announce progress towards a new nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, the people familiar with the discussions said. One option under consideration is for the two leaders to sign a blueprint for a way forward in negotiations on extending New START, a nuclear arms control treaty between the U.S. and Russia that expires next year, three of the people familiar with the discussions said.
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Brick Wall

Trump orders TikTok parent company to sell US assets within 90 days

Jesse Byrnes
The Hill
Fri, 14 Aug 2020 16:03 UTC
tiktok Trump
© Getty Images
President Trump on Friday issued an order calling on Chinese company ByteDance, which owns the popular video app TikTok, to divest from the social media platform's U.S. operations, citing national security.

"There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance Ltd. ... might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States," Trump said in the order released Friday night.

The order cites ByteDance's 2017 acquisition of the social media app Musical.ly, which merged into TikTok, in making the case that the Chinese company poses a national security risk to the U.S.

Comment: Is China using TikTok to spy on the US? Probably. All Chinese corporations are ultimately beholden to their government. Not so different from the US!

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Che Guevara

Best of the Web: Belarus 'revolution' is imperialists running the same tired old script, day after day

Caitlin Johnstone
RT
Fri, 14 Aug 2020 19:13 UTC
protests white march belarus
"What do we want? The right to wear muzzles! When do we want it? NOW!"
The Western establishment narrative managers always follow the same patterns. Just like they fixated on Hong Kong protests, while ignoring those in US-aligned France or Israel, now they're cheering on protests in Belarus.

Imperialist pundit and Obama administration Cold Warrior Michael McFaul recently tweeted the following:

"Belarusians, inside and outside of the country, have reached out to me this week to ask why the West is so indifferent to their courageous fight for democracy. I can't explain. Can you?"

I am not highlighting this tweet because it is remarkable (except for the extremely dubious claim that anyone ever reaches out to Michael McFaul). I am highlighting it because it is completely unremarkable.

Comment: RT has apparently changed its tune on the Belarus protests. For more analysis on the situation, see:

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MIB

Best of the Web: Meet Cybereason: The Israeli intelligence cyber-security front company that has been "simulating" the cancellation of the 2020 election

Whitney Webb
The Last American Vagabond
Mon, 27 Jul 2020 00:00 UTC
protect the vote
A cybersecurity firm tied to Israeli intelligence's Unit 8200 that simulated a series of terrorist attacks occurring on the U.S. 2020 election has announced a new hire with deep ties to the U.S. intelligence and defense communities with the goal of gaining greater access to U.S. government networks.

A cybersecurity company tied to Israeli intelligence and a series of unnerving simulations regarding cyber-terrorist attacks on the upcoming U.S. elections has recently announced a new hire who plans to aid the company in further penetrating the U.S. public sector. Last Wednesday, the company Cybereason announced that it had hired Andrew Borene as its Managing Director for its recently launched U.S. public sector business. Borene, who boasts longstanding ties to the U.S. intelligence community and the Pentagon, "will accelerate Cybereason's partner and customer presence in the U.S. public sector," according to a Cybereason press release.

"My goal is to build a strong business for Cybereason within the U.S. public sector and I am planning to recruit a group of direct support executives, veterans and alumni of the elite [U.S.] military units and agencies that have defended our nation in the information age. I'll also work to establish a network of the best channel and delivery partners for federal, state and local governments," Borene said per the press release.

Comment: Israeli intelligence-related companies have been popping up out the woodwork like crazy lately: And on the subject a predicted "failed" presidential election: How Government and Media work together preparing America for a failed 2020 election

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Eagle

How the US helped push Lebanon to the brink of collapse, now threatens more sanctions, and just started a color revolution

Ben Norton
The GrayZone
Thu, 13 Aug 2020 00:00 UTC
Beirut explosion aftermath
While the media blames the crisis in Lebanon solely on corruption, the US government unleashed a "maximum pressure" campaign to push regime change and crush Lebanese resistance with sanctions and aggressive hybrid warfare.

As the people of Lebanon suffer through one of the worst economic crises in their nation's conflict-ridden history, the Donald Trump administration is exploiting the disaster to force regime change and weaken Lebanese resistance groups.

A massive explosion on August 4 devastated Lebanon's capital Beirut, killing more than 150 people, wounding thousands, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless, and ravaging a sizable chunk of the city.

The massive blast also destroyed Lebanon's most important port, where 80 percent of food was imported into the country.

Even before the apocalyptic incident, Lebanon was enduring an economic calamity that had caused hyperinflation and wiped out the wealth of much of the country, fueling widespread food shortages and 20-hour blackouts.

Lebanon's economy is now in a state of total collapse. The value of its national currency has plummeted by 80 percent, and more than half of the population is languishing in poverty.
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Black Magic

Still hanging on: Killary angles for spot in Biden government - would 'certainly consider' serving

Ally Mauch
MSN
Fri, 14 Aug 2020 22:14 UTC
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton is "ready to help" presidential hopeful Joe Biden, should he win the November election.

Speaking at The 19th* Represents Virtual Summit on Thursday, the former secretary of state-turned-Democratic presidential nominee was asked whether she would serve in the former vice president's potential administration, if he wins in November.

She didn't rule it out.

"I'm ready to help in any way I can because I think this will be a moment where every American — I don't care what party you are, I don't care what age, race, gender, I don't care — every American should want to fix our country," Clinton, 72, said. "So if you're asked to serve, you should certainly consider that."

Comment: So imagine an administration that held both Kamala and Hillary. Would it be a cage match for policy dominance? Or perhaps the teaming up of Killary and her Mini-me? Or then again, the Dems might be tacitly conceding this term to Trump (odds are good) and plan to regroup for 2024. They certainly couldn't have come up with a more unlikeable pair for this election.

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