Puppet MastersS


Handcuffs

Former Philippines President Duterte 'forcibly taken' on plane bound for The Hague

Duterte
© APFormer Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte before a 'war on drugs' senate inquiry • Manilla • 2024
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has over the years issued plenty of arrest warrants for members or leaders of governments and militaries which are basically unenforceable. Such is the case with its recent arrest warrants for Russia's Vladimir Putin and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu. However, they've certainly begun avoiding flying into most European countries as a result.

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has also for years had a warrant hanging over him issued from The Hague-based court, but he too seemed of high enough stature to be beyond enforcement. This is why the Tuesday headlines of his being "forcibly taken" onto a plane headed for The Hague comes as such as surprise.

Comment: The ICC's effectiveness remains the 'judicial question':
The pursuit and arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant proves that the Hague-based court is 'evidence of selective justice' and a 'weapon of Western influence'.

Duane Dizon, a geopolitical and regional economy expert, has told RT:
"The ICC's actions were more about asserting clout than accountability. The ICC has consistently shown a pattern of targeting leaders from developing nations while giving powerful Western countries a free pass to control 'weaker' nations. This could drive a deeper wedge between Southeast Asia and the West."
On Sunday, Duterte told his supporters:
"If that's my fate, that's fine I will accept it. We can't do anything if I'm arrested or imprisoned."
According to Dizon, the former president's arrest proves that the court exists to "undermine independent leadership," prompting other nations to seek stronger ties with non-Western powers like China and Russia.

Established to prosecute grave crimes, the ICC has faced persistent criticism for its disproportionate focus on developing nations, particularly, on Africa, with many accusing it of neo-colonialism and selective justice, serving Western interests rather than impartial law.

The ICC's authority is also compromised by the absence of major powers such as the US, Russia, China and Israel from its jurisdiction.
Expert says ICC picks 'easiest targets':
The International Criminal Court (ICC) took advantage of a feud between two of the most powerful families in the Philippines to arrest the country's former President Rodrigo Duterte, Daniel Hugo Santos of the ASEAN Youth Organization has told RT.

The ICC opened an inquiry into anti-drug operations by the Philippine police in 2021 and issued an arrest warrant against Duterte in January, three years after his term in office expired.

According to Hugo Santos, the former president's rift with the current leader Bongbong Marcos "has caused the ICC to speed up the process."

The feud between Duterte and Marcos, representing the two most powerful political dynasties, was triggered by personal accusations and policy disagreements. Duterte accused Marcos of consolidating power and drug use, while Marcos dismissed these claims, referencing Duterte's use of the painkiller fentanyl. Duterte's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, publicly threatened President Marcos and his family, leading to the start of impeachment proceedings last month.

The ICC picks the "easiest targets" such as "developing countries in the Global South," exposing its own "double standards," Hugo Santos said.



Arrow Down

'Ukraine will not recognize any territory occupied by Russia': Zelensky

RusUkr guys
© The Leaflet
Update (1210ET): On Wednesday Zelensky shut the door on territorial concessions, awkwardly at a moment Ukraine has just agreed to a US plan for a 30-day ceasefire intended to pave the way for extended peace negotiations. An initial statement from the Kremlin said that Putin likely to eventually agree to truce but with own terms as Moscow "studies" the Trump-sponsored proposal hammered out during the Tuesday Jeddah talks.

Zelensky said in fresh comments:
"We are fighting for our independence. Therefore, we will not recognize any occupied territories as Russia's. This is a fact. Our people have fought for this, our heroes died. How many injured, how many passed. No one will forget about it... This is the most important red line. We will not let anyone forget about this crime against Ukraine."
But Russia's red line in any near-future negotiations will be to demand recognition of the Russian Federations sovereign control over the four easter territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions - which President Putin has previously referred to as "our citizens forever."

As for Zelensky's new proclamation that he won't cede territory, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters just after the Ukraine-US talks in Saudi Arabia that discussions with Kiev's delegations included "territorial concessions" as part of a negotiated settlement. The suggestion from the US side is that Ukraine showed openness and willingness on this question. So either the two allies can't get on the same page (which is no surprise), or else Zelensky is trying to tank these negotiation efforts before they ever get off the ground, also as the White House has pressed Kiev to hold new presidential elections.

Attention

The EU's precarious position: Awaiting the Trump pendulum effect

The European Union stands at a breaking point, grappling with internal discord and external threats that undermine its unity and global influence.
European Union
© New Eastern Outlook
The EU is in tatters as the bloc's leadership feigns solidarity with the tide rising against globalism. With a trade war looming between the EU and its biggest customer, the United States, heads in Brussels can be heard clanking together to stabilize a horrendous situation. A U.S. Russia reset and Donald Trump's refocus on America's problems first spell big trouble for a European confederation already on the ropes.

Ursula - The PANIC Button!

One look at the mainstream media assures us that EU President Ursula von der Leyen and her handlers are in deep panic mode. Take this Financial Times report as a case in point. British Journalist and Barack Obama cheerleader Gideon Rachman claims Donald Trump's policies toward Europe have already caused "fundamental steps toward greater European unity." As you might expect, Rachman cherry-picks some polls to prove his claims. According to polls in France, Germany, and the UK (naturally), most people see Trump as a threat. Naturally, the polls are from the UK's YouGov truth tellers, primarily focused on Western European citizens.

What FT reports is, of course, not the complete story? Let's forget that this data only comes from a small sampling of Western Europeans. Some key questions collide with the World Economic Forum altar boy's thesis. First and foremost, when asked if they'd agree to be taxed more to build a giant European military, the majority of respondents replied not just no, but hell no. The same holds true for Europe, which borrowed more to fund a new European war machine. The numbers are here (PDF). Interestingly, only the British respondents thought their country was spending too little on defense (46%). On the other hand, the Italians believe their government is spending too much already (41%).

Here, two or more significant variables have yet to be considered. First, the devastating blows to an already weak EU economy if Trump does launch a trade war would undoubtedly drive a giant VW axle in the hearts of every German. Secondly, dear Ursula's pledge of hundreds of billions for a spanking new EU army is not doable even with massive borrowing. The EU is already nearly $20 trillion in debt. Austerity in poorer EU nations has already drowned the hopes of hundreds of millions of people. And Romania becoming a dictatorship by annulment of the will of the people has only made matters worse.

Jet3

Western F-16s 'can't compete' with Russian Su-35s - Ukrainian Air Force

F-16
© Photo by John Keeble/Getty ImagesA Royal Danish Air force F-16 performs during the Farnborough International Airshow 2024, July 22, 2024.
US-made F-16 fighter jets supplied to Ukraine by Western nations cannot fully compete with Russia's Su-35 multirole fighter in aerial combat, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuri Ignat has said.

Washington approved F-16 deliveries to Kiev in mid-2023, allowing NATO allies to send jets and train Ukrainian pilots.

Comment:
No matter what happens with Ukraine, the request for better weapons comes at a time when many countries in Western Europe are trying to find the means to make war last.


Bullseye

WSJ's chief foreign correspondent says 'it's over' for Ukraine in Kursk

sudzha kursk drone russia advance
© Social Media via REUTERA drone view shows the centre of Sudzha town in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, as Russian troops reportedly advance in the Kursk region, Russia, in this screengrab obtained by Reuters from a social media video on March 12, 2025.
Update(1259ET): It's a major turning point in the conflict when the Chief Foreign-Affairs Correspondent for The Wall Street Journal declares that Ukrainian forces are now in a full-on withdrawal from Russia's Kursk amid rapid Russian gains...

Reuters too is reporting that Ukrainian forces are losing in Kursk:

USA

Is Donald Trump managing the possible collapse of the "American empire"?

Maralago
© The Washington Post/Getty ImagesThe tiled patio at Mar-a-Lago, a focal point of the estate
For a month, the accumulation of critical events around the United States, Ukraine and the European Union has been difficult to interpret because each power has been advancing in disguise. European leaders assume a stupid air by assuring that they continue to support the Ukrainian integral nationalists while Washington and Moscow have already agreed on a peace agreement. However, it is possible that the diplomatic summits are hiding another issue: the prevention of a major economic crisis in the West. In this case, Washington must terrorize its allies to force them to pay off its debts.

It was in the kitsch decor of his Mar-a-Lago residence that Donald Trump convinced allied central bankers and finance ministers that he was going to make them pay the United States' debts.

De-dollarization, that is, using the dollar only at the national level of the United States and no longer in international trade, is the sea serpent of finance. However, following the unilateral coercive measures that the United States imposed on its allies, first against Iran, then against Russia (measures wrongly described as "sanctions" by Atlantic propaganda), Russia created a Financial Message Transfer System (SPFS), China the Interbank Payment System (CIPS) and the European Union the European Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX). As a result, the use of the dollar has declined by about a quarter in international trade.

Comment: Wow. Quite the hypothesis and with such, the result.


Bad Guys

Last stand of the Alawites

2 girlsmombaby
© UnknownOn the move in Syria
There are still some good people in the corridors of power we can appeal to and, if we can leverage them, then maybe, just maybe, the Chinese will finally do the right thing and oppose these ongoing genocides.

Since I last wrote about NATO's ongoing genocide of the Alawites in mid January, their plight has deteriorated to one of absolute desperation. There are open culls of entire Alawite villages, female students and men in their 90s are being systematically executed, Christians are also being slaughtered and thousands of civilians have fled into Russia's air force and naval bases in hopes of being spared this latest Holocaust.

Not only must we oppose this, but we must oppose those European fat cats, who rubber stamp genocides like this. Though these include senior British, French and German collaborators like the notorious Annalena Baerbock, who flocked to Damascus to wish their puppet, Jolani, happy hunting, a special shout out goes to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who collaborate with Jolani's moderate rebels, who previously beheaded Lebanese soldiers they took hostage.

Make no mistake about it. Once NATO's proxies hack their way through Syria, Lebanon will be next in line literally for the chopping block. The situation in Lebanon is that their economy is totally in the toilet, with the lira trading at 90,000 to the Yankee dollar, down from its long term average of 1500 to the dollar. As in Syria itself, starvation is prevalent and the Lebanese are in no doubt that the worst lies ahead. Though Hezbollah are keeping their heads down as they dig in and make preparations for their own last stand, they can be under no illusion that the same ultimate fate the Alawites are now enduring awaits them.

Comment: The depth and breadth of human atrocity: The annihilation of mankind by man.


Dollars

Anti-Musk protester admits "getting paid" to protest as DOGE focuses on ActBlue, Soros-funded NGOs

MuskActBlue
© Leon Neal/Alexander Grey/Unsplash/ActBlue/KJNActBlue • Elon Musk
It seems some far-left NGOs still have funds to deploy despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio neutering USAID.

A video shared by X user DOGE Designer shows what appears to be an anti-Musk protester admitting in front of a Tesla showroom during a protest: "I get paid to be out here."

Георгиевская ленточка

Best of the Web: Incredible, daring Russia operation liberates Sudzha from Ukrainian occupation

russia pipeline liberate Sudzha kursk
© RT
How Russia's 'pipeline operation' crushed Ukrainian defenses in Kursk: 'We burst out unexpectedly, like demons':

The mission to help liberate Kursk Region took place under harsh conditions, with soldiers displaying remarkable bravery, forcing the enemy to retreat

The Russian army is conducting a major counteroffensive in Kursk Region, which was invaded by Ukrainian forces in August 2024. In just the past 24 hours, Russian troops have liberated 12 settlements and recaptured over 100 square kilometers of territory. This week, the industrial zone in Sudzha, the largest Russian city under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), was also retaken.

Ukrainian forces are retreating. This was made clear by the AFU commander-in-chief, General Aleksandr Syrsky, who said that "units are taking timely measures to maneuver to favorable defense lines."

Comment: A summary from ZeroHedge:
How did they do it? I get much of my real news from Telegram channels. This is how one explained the plan:
1) The gas pressure pumps were stopped and the gas was sucked out

2) Oxygen was pumped into the pipeline

3) Diggers dug out rooms for assembly and toilets were installed

4) Water, food and ammunition was brought in to these assembly rooms

5) 800 soldiers went through the pipe to the assembly rooms

6) The soldiers waited 4 days in the assembly rooms and in the pipe close to the exit

7) When the signal was given, they ran out and went into the industry zone of Sudzha

8) The Ukrainian army was surprised to see such a huge force in their rear, they began to panic and became disorganized

9) Russians liberated many settlements in Kursk region, due to this
sudzha pipeline operation liberated areas
© Kalibrated maps on X.blue=Ukrainian control
orange=recaptured by Russia

yellow=current fighting
red=Russian incursions into Ukraine)
Geopolitical commenters Alexander Mercouris and Alex Chistoforou have much more details describing how it unfolded here.

My question to the diehard pro-war deadenders, is this: how exactly do you plan to prevail over a country whose soldiers would do THIS?



Briefcase

Best of the Web: USAID director ordered staff to shred, burn classified documents as agency dismantled

Usaid broken box
© AFP via Getty ImagesStaffers at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have been ordered to help start burning and shredding classified records, an internal directive shows.
Remaining staffers at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have been ordered to start burning and shredding classified records as the Trump administration forges ahead with dismantling the agency, an internal directive shows.

In a Tuesday email to staffers, USAID acting executive director Erica Carr called for an "all day" effort to help destroy sensitive agency documents at the all-but-shuttered headquarters in Washington, DC.

"Thank you for your assistance in clearing our classified safes and personnel documents," began the email, which bore a USAID logo.

"Shred as many documents first," the email continued, adding that staffers should stuff remaining classified material into designated "burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break."

Comment: Fox News updates the story, which seems to be a nothing-burger. Still the optics of it was a stumble on the part of the administration:
The White House dismissed concerns that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is instructing employees to destroy classified documents amid efforts by the Trump administration to shutter the agency.

USAID's acting Executive Secretary Erica Carr instructed employees to begin shredding and burning documents, according to a motion that government labor unions filed in a federal court Tuesday.

But the documents remain available on computer systems - and the order comes as U.S. Customs and Border Protection is poised to move into the USAID building, according to White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.

"This was sent to roughly three dozen employees," Kelly said in a Tuesday night X post regarding Carr's order.
"The documents involved were old, mostly courtesy content (content from other agencies), and the originals still exist on classified computer systems. More fake news hysteria!"
Everyone involved in the process of eliminating the documents had a secret security clearance or higher, and were not among those placed on administrative leave, an administration official told Fox News Digital Wednesday.

As a result, those involved were familiar with the content they were handling and were specifically appointed by the agency to review and conduct the purge, the official said.