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Bad Guys

US embassy's sordid role in stoking October protests in Iraq revealed in Lebanese paper

Drago Bosnic
Fort Russ News
Sat, 26 Oct 2019 12:00 UTC
Lebanon
A leading Lebanese newspaper revealed the role played by the US embassy in the October protest rallies in Iraq which turned violent. The Arabic-language al-Akhbar paper wrote on Saturday that it has gained access to a security document that shows the US mission's role in organizing a secret formation to add fuel to the flames of unrest in Iraq last month.

According to the newspaper, the US embassy has formed a high committee of protests, which coordinated field activities during the protests and the embassy provided it with intelligence and a number of politicians and government workers supported it.

A psychological operations team to guide the media and spread rumors, an electronic mobilization team to lead people through social media, a team, trained in Erbil and Amman, to report on the security services' mistakes and produce fake news on the protests, a team to exert international pressures on the Iraqi government, to organize protests in front of Iraq's embassies in foreign states, a team for releasing reports about the protest rallies in cooperation with different media outlets, an IT team to resolve problems related to filtering of the internet and social media, a medical team stationed near the protestors and hospitals to help the wounded and a team to provide logistical support, including food, water and preliminary aid, to the protestors were also formed by the US embassy's secret committee to foment unrests in Iraq, al-Akhbar added.

Comment: It appears there was even more nefarious meddling during the protests: Unidentified snipers blamed for Iraqi protester bloodshed, news bureau stormed by masked gunmen

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Stock Down

2019 US federal budget deficit surges to nearly $1 trillion, highest in 7 years

Martin Crutsinger
USA Today
Fri, 25 Oct 2019 04:48 UTC
US congress
The federal deficit for the 2019 budget year surged to $984.4 billion, its highest point in seven years, and is widely expected to top the $1 trillion mark in coming years.

The 26% surge from the 2018 deficit of $779 billion that the government reported Friday reflected such factors as revenue lost from the 2017 Trump tax cut and a budget deal that added billions in spending for military and domestic programs.

Forecasts by the Trump administration and the Congressional Budget Office project that the deficit will top $1 trillion in the current budget year. And the CBO estimates that the deficit will stay above $1 trillion over the next decade.

Comment: Cutting the military budget would benefit the US the most, and in so many areas, but the powers behind those offices are unlikely to relinquish their ailing cash cow anytime soon:

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Briefcase

Federal judge orders Justice Department to turn over redacted portions of Mueller grand jury material

Dareh Gregorian
NBC News
Sat, 26 Oct 2019 17:42 UTC
trump hillary debate 2016
© Rick Wilking / Reuters fileDonald Trump and Hillary Clinton debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, on Oct. 9, 2016.
A federal court judge on Friday ordered the Department of Justice to turn over grand jury material referenced in redacted portions of special counsel Robert Mueller's report to the House Judiciary Committee.

Beryl Howell, the chief judge for the Washington, D.C. district court, ordered DOJ to turn over the materials by Wednesday, Oct. 30.

"The Department of Justice claims that existing law bars disclosure to the Congress of grand jury information," Howell wrote in the 75-page ruling. "DOJ is wrong."

The ruling — which DOJ is expected to appeal — would allow House investigators to see redacted portions of the report that involve Donald Trump Jr.'s Trump Tower meeting with Russians promising dirt on rival candidate Hillary Clinton, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort's sharing of internal polling data with a Russian business associate, and "information about what candidate Trump knew in advance about Wikileaks' dissemination in July 2016 of stolen emails from Democratic political organizations and the Clinton campaign," the judge noted.
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Footprints

Kurdish SDF to comply with Moscow-Ankara deal for withdrawal from Turkish border


RT
Sun, 27 Oct 2019 14:04 UTC
SDF fighter
© Reuters/StringerSDF fighter in village of Baghouz, Deir Al Zor province.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to withdraw from the Syria-Turkey border, in compliance with a deal brokered by Russia. The Kurdish group said it agreed to pull out after extensive consultations with Moscow.

The Kurdish-led fighters said the Syrian Army will deploy along the border with Turkey, and called on Moscow to initiate negotiations between Damascus and Kurdish leaders in the country's northeast.

A deal between Turkey and Russia inked earlier this week in Sochi gives Kurdish forces 150 hours, starting at noon on October 23, to withdraw 30km (about 20 miles) from the border. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to clear the area of any militias if they do not leave by October 29, when the deal is set to expire.

Under the agreement, Russian military police will supervise the withdrawal of Kurdish forces and heavy weapons.

Comment: From Sputnik, 26/10/2019: Syrian army deploys near 'de facto capital' of Kurdish Rojava
Syrian Army forces have moved from Qamishli, the capital of the de-facto Kurdish autonomous territory known as Rojava, into the surrounding countryside, receiving a warm welcome from local residents. Footage of troops waving Syrian national flags, chanting and gesturing the victory sign:


According to SANA's correspondent, the forces entered the village of Umm al-Keif in Hasaka province. The Army was said to have expanded its deployments across the northeastern Syrian region to protect local residents from possible attacks. Russian military police have been deployed to the city of Qamishli proper, and that they were engaged in peacekeeping patrols there. Footage of Russian units:


Footage shows city residents pelting withdrawing US forces with tomatoes and shouting "America liar" and chanting "America is running away" in Arabic.

Sputnik, 26/10/2019: Erdogan will clear the border of 'terrorists' if deal fails
Ankara will resume operations in Syria against Kurdish forces if they remain inside the 20-mile security zone agreed with Russia, Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan said.
"We agreed with Russia, but if after 150 hours the terrorists remain in the agreed zone, then we will continue to do what we should, we will take control of the zone and clean it ourselves. We will not sit down at the negotiating table with the terrorists."
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Target

Interview with Fidel Narvaez: 'I was fired for helping Julian Assange and I have no regrets'


Jacobin
Fri, 25 Oct 2019 00:00 UTC
Fidel Navaez
© Jack Taylor/GettyImagesFidel Narvaez, former Ecuadorian counsel to London • Kristinn Hrafnsson editor-in-chief WikiLeaks
We talk to Fidel Narvaez, the ousted Ecuadorian diplomat who handled Julian Assange's case about why Lenín Moreno caved to international pressure, broke his promises, and gave Assange up to British authorities. Interview by Stefania Maurizi.

Assange had been granted asylum in 2012, at the height of Latin America's Pink Tide, when progressive governments across the continent challenged US interference in the region. Six and a half years later, Assange's expulsion reflects a rightwards shift in Ecuadorian politics and a new president, Lenín Moreno, willing to serve US interests.

For his cooperation, Moreno has been warmly received by Washington, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressing his enthusiasm to "continue to work in partnership" with Ecuador.

To discuss the dynamics behind Ecuador's decision to expel the Australian Wikileaks founder, Jacobin spoke to Fidel Narvaez, the former Ecuadorian consul in London, who was instrumental in obtaining asylum for Assange in 2012, and who spent six years at the embassy with him.

SM: When did you first hear about Julian Assange?

FN: I first heard of Julian in 2010, when Wikileaks began publishing the archives of American military and diplomatic document. I personally approached him in 2011, because my government was interested in making public all the diplomatic cables on Ecuador. We were not looking for privileged access to the cables, but we did want them available in the public domain. To that end, in May 2011, Wikileaks released all those documents — and with no strings attached.
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Star of David

Will third time be the charm if coalition talks fail to create unity government?


Sputnik
Sun, 27 Oct 2019 16:27 UTC
Israelicampaign billboards
© AP/Oded Balilty
As Blue and White leader Benny Gantz starts coalition talks, a former Netanyahu spokesman says everyone will need to make concessions to create a unity government. If efforts fail, Israel might find itself going to the polls for the third time in a year.

Israel's interim Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz are set to meet on Sunday evening in Tel Aviv in a bid to form a coalition. This would be the first meeting between the two since Gantz received a mandate from President Rivlin tasking him with forming a government, after Netanyahu failed to do so and handed back his mandate on 21 October.

Gantz might have more chances to form a government, believes Shai Bazak, Netanyahu's former media director and the person who has been his spokesperson for years.

The Deal
"Gantz is set to offer Netanyahu a deal. Netanyahu will be the first in rotation as prime minister but in exchange he will ask him to split from the block with the Ultra-Orthodox parties for several months. During this time, the coalition of Netanyahu's Likud and Gantz's Blue and White will pass several laws - including the controversial draft law - and only then will the Orthodox parties be asked to join the coalition," he said, adding that regardless of what the proposition would be both sides will have to make a series of concessions.

"There is no chance for a coalition to emerge if both sides stick to their campaign promises so they will need to compromise."
During the election campaign, Blue and White made voters a number of promises, including vowing to create a secular government that has little or no space for Israel's Ultra-Orthodox parties and not to form a coalition with Netanyahu as long as he is under an actual or recommended indictment.

Comment: See also:

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Attention

Erdogan claims Turkey will 'clear terrorists' from Syrian border if Sochi deal fails


RFE/RL
Sat, 26 Oct 2019 16:10 UTC
Erdogan/YPG
© Reuters/ekurd.netPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that Turkey will "clear terrorists" on its border in northeast Syria if Kurdish fighters do not withdraw by the end of a deadline agreed with Russia.

"If the terrorists are not cleared at the end of the 150 hours, we will take control and clean it ourselves," Erdogan said during a speech in Istanbul on October 26, referring to the YPG militia. Turkey says the YPG is a "terrorist" offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a guerrilla campaign inside Turkey since the 1980s.

Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed a deal in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on October 23 under which Moscow will "facilitate the removal" of the fighters and their weapons from within 32 kilometers of the border. The deadline ends at 6 p.m. local time on October 29.

Erdogan said Turkey has "to a large extent" achieved its goal in terms of setting up a "safe zone" against attacks from the Islamic State (IS) militant group and the YPG. He also urged the international community to support establishing a "safe zone" for some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.
"If there is no support for the projects we are developing for between 1 and 2 million in the first stage for their return, we will have no option but to open our doors and let them go to Europe."
Erdogan insisted he was "not blackmailing anyone" but "putting forward a solution."
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No Entry

Pompeo: US bans air travel to all Cuban cities except Havana

Li Cohen
CBS News
Fri, 25 Oct 2019 11:17 UTC
Cuban street
© oilprice.comWelcome to Cuba
Starting in December, the U.S. will ban flights to all major airports in Cuba, except for the one located in Havana. The decision, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, comes in response to Cuba's support for Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and aims to ensure that the Cuban government cannot profit from U.S. travel.

In a tweet, Pompeo said he asked Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao to suspend air service so Cuba cannot profit from U.S. air travel and use the revenues to "repress the Cuban people."
Today, I asked @SecElaineChao to suspend scheduled air service between the U.S. and all Cuban airports, except Havana's Jose Martí Airport. This action will prevent the Castro regime from profiting from U.S. air travel and using the revenues to repress the #Cuban people.

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 25, 2019
According to a notice published by the Department of Transportation, the policy was created at the Department of State's request. On October 25, Pompeo wrote to Chao that banning travel to the majority of Cuba will "strengthen the economic consequences to the Cuban regime."

Comment: The US demands control and servitude. Cuba has never 'bent the knee'.
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Snakes in Suits

Moscow: Pakistan, China, Russia and US agree to revive US-Taliban talks


Sputnik
Fri, 25 Oct 2019 22:34 UTC
TalibantalksKabul
© marshaalradio.comTaliban talks in Kabul, Afghanistan
Envoys from Pakistan, China, Russia and the United States "categorically" agreed at Afghan consultations in Moscow on Friday that the US-Taliban talks should be resumed, Pakistani Additional Foreign Secretary Muhemmed Aejaz revealed.
"The forum has been supportive of this and we are hopeful that it [talks] restarts as soon as possible ... If you look at the joint statement it says very categorically [that the talks should be renewed] and of course the US side was part of it [joint statement]."
US President Donald Trump broke off in September after a US soldier was killed in a Taliban-claimed bomb blast in Kabul. The Pakistani diplomat said it would only be natural for the US-Taliban talks to continue after so much understanding had been reached and "a lot of effort has been put in it," Aejaz said.
"There is a general hope that it needs to be restarted because the progress that has been achieved after painstaking efforts by the two sides - the US and the Taliban - in nine rounds of talks is something very important."
He added that the four participants of Moscow talks had reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful solution for the decades-old conflict in Afghanistan.

Comment: See also:

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Arrow Up

Losing the mandate of heaven

James Corbett
Corbett Report
Sun, 27 Oct 2019 18:13 UTC
Japanese Emperor
© Corbett Report
"The President of the United States is in danger of losing the mandate of heaven."

Thus spake Pat Robertson during the recent brouhaha over Syria, where the unthinkable notion that the US might actually pull out of a war zone instead of sending more troops in began to materialize last week.

Now, you might be tempted to dismiss this as just another raving of Pat "God blessed the Gulf War" Robertson, and you wouldn't be wrong. But still, that's quite the phrase: The "mandate of heaven." What does it mean?

Well, it turns out he didn't just make that up himself.

The "Mandate of Heaven" is an argument for the legitimacy of government that arose in ancient China. Called "天命" (Tianming) in Chinese, the concept rests on four basic principles:

-Heaven grants the emperor the right to rule;

-As there is only one Heaven, so there can be only one emperor at a time;

-The emperor's right to rule is dependent upon his virtue; and

-The right to rule is not granted to any particular family line in perpetuity.

Now you might wonder what the "mandate of heaven" has to do with the modern American presidential system, but, in fact, it points to something very important. It is one of those things that is so obvious that it is never spoken out loud except in times of extreme crisis. It is the question of where the legitimacy of the government — and our would-be "rulers" — comes from in the first place.
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