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Best of the Web: Pepe Escobar: Kashmir, Korea, Venezuela, Iran - Hot, cold, hybrid war

Pepe Escobar
Asia Times
Thu, 28 Feb 2019 12:00 UTC
convoy Kashmir
© iStockThe hottest border in Asia is now the Line of Control, but talk of regime change centers on other states
Turning and turning in a widening gyre, the geopolitics of the young 21st century resembles a psychedelic mandala conceived by Yama, the Lord of Death.

Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, fresh from a 70-hour train journey, meets in prosperous, communist Hanoi with fellow Nobel Peace Prize contender Donald Trump under the benevolent gaze of Uncle Ho.

This very sentence, if announced not long ago, would have elicited transcontinental howls of derision.

Chairman Kim, owner of a small nuclear arsenal, is deemed worthy of dialogue by the hyperpower while the nuclear-deprived leadership in Iran is not, even as the hyperpower ditched a multilateral, UN-approved, working nuclear deal.

In parallel, the hottest border in Asia reveals itself not to be the DMZ between the Koreas, but once again the Line of Control between nuclear powers India and Pakistan in Kashmir.

Comment: See also: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Passport

Michelle Malkin excoriates abuse of US immigration system at CPAC meeting - slams both political parties

Michelle Moons
Breitbart News
Fri, 01 Mar 2019 20:16 UTC
Michelle Malkin CPAC
© c-SPAN2Michelle Malkin speaks at the 2019 meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)
Conservative powerhouse Michelle Malkin took aim directly from the CPAC main stage Friday, at the lack of immigration focus while delivering fuel for the fight against longstanding abuses of the American immigration system.

"The most important issue we face is immigration and we need to be talking about it for more than one panel for 20 minutes," Malkin charged from the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) stage. "My first CPAC in 2002 was to talk about my very first book Invasion which exposed how border failures and systemic non-enforcement of our visa program rules created the national security crisis that led to 9/11."

Immigration was a defining issue in the 2016 election that saw the American people make Donald Trump President of the United States. Malkin hailed President Donald Trump "as he battles the Beltway swamp, the deep state, the administrative state, and the fake news fourth estate. But there is no sugarcoating America's long-term forecast."
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Binoculars

US envoy to Venezuela and convicted felon Abrams confirms plans to hold direct talks with Russia


TASS
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 19:47 UTC
Elliot Abrams
© EPA-EFE/JIM LO SCALZOUS Special Representative for Venezuela and convicted felon Elliott Abrams
US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams confirmed on Friday US plans to hold direct talks with the Russian side.

"Yes, there are conversations, obviously constantly between the United States and Russia on a variety of issues including this one [Venezuela]," the diplomat said, noting that he takes part in these talks.

The special envoy noted that on Thursday he had "a very nice conversation" with Russia's UN Envoy Vasily Nebenzya prior to the UN Security Council's session on Venezuela.

Comment: Time and time again Russia in recent years has given individuals following world events the ability to see the lawlessness of the actions of the United States. They have pointing toward the direction of the importance of international law and the rule of law in the conduct between nations mostly in response to the United States' total disregard for such things. In the process of doing so, the United States has been exposed for all to see as a nation with the characteristics of a bully, a liar and a murderer. Convicted felon Abrams' involvement in the openly acknowledged attempted coup in Venezuela is a sign in itself of just how far the United States has strayed. One must wonder what the leaders of Russia actually think of those they are forced to interact with.

From the New York Times in 1991:

"Mr. Abrams stands convicted of two misdemeanors, violations of the contempt of Congress law. Its felony counterpart would have been perjury, but the charges employ the euphemism that he "withheld" information when he told two Congressional committees something other than what he knew. What he "withheld" were the facts that the Reagan Administration was hip-deep in the contra arms supply business and that Mr. Abrams had solicited $10 million in purported contra aid from the Sultan of Brunei.

Few members of the Iran-contra crew more symbolized the lawlessness of the Reagan Administration than Mr. Abrams. His guilty pleas, and whatever help he can give to ferreting out other offenses, are as welcome as they are late."

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Broom

Netanyahu cries leftist conspiracy over decision to indict him for bribery and corruption

Yumna Patel
Mondoweiss
Fri, 01 Mar 2019 12:00 UTC
Netanyahu
© AP/Sebastian ScheinerIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases, pending a hearing.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced his decision on Thursday after two years of investigations and months of speculation as to whether he would pursue charges prior to April 9 elections.

When Netanyahu first called for snap elections last December, it was widely believed that his decision was made in attempts to get ahead of any indictment announcements that could potentially hurt his prospects of winning.

The premier's legal team had previously pressured Mandelblit to delay his announcement until after the elections, to which the Attorney General responded saying postponing his recommendations would "be a violation of the principle of equality before the law" and "is not in keeping with the public's right to know."

Comment: It seems Netanyahu's time may be up. But you can bet another head will emerge from the hydra to take up where he leaves off:

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Brick Wall

Moscow and Damascus begin Rukban refugee evacuation plan - UPDATE: Access Denied! US military blocks buses from entering


Sputnik
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 19:58 UTC
rukban camp evacuation
© Russian Ministry of DefenseBuses accompanied by Russian miltiary policy heading to the Rukban refugee camp in the US-controlled zone of Syria
Russia and Syria have sent bus convoys to the Rukban refugee camp to evacuate people seeking to leave the US-controlled territory, with no response received from the United States to guarantee the safety of the operation, head of the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation Lt. Gen. Sergei Solomatin said on Friday.

"In accordance with the 1 March decision made at the meeting of the Russian-Syrian Joint Coordination Committee for the return of refugees, in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the Rukban refugee camp, bus convoys were formed and sent to the Jleb checkpoint for the voluntary and unhindered return of Rukban camp residents from at-Tanf to the places of their permanent residence", Solomatin said.

Solomatin added that "no response has been received from the American side to allow the passage of the humanitarian convoy and guarantee the safety of its movement" in the 34-mile zone around the US base in at-Tanf.

The Syrian government, meanwhile, guarantees the security of returning temporarily displaced persons and a simplified procedure for retrieving their documents, according to Solomatin.

Solomatin also added that as of 28 February, a total of 224,740 Syrian refugees returned to their home country.

Comment: The US government is insane. Even as it berates Damascus for 'not assisting the poor refugees' trapped in the camp near At-Tanf, it has today blocked the aid convoy from entering.
...the planned operation was apparently aborted after the US military, which controls the 55km area around the US military base at Al-Tanf, which also includes Rukban camp, refused to grant permission for the buses to proceed, Sergey Solomatin, head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria, said on Saturday.
What else can we conclude from this but that the US government is holding 40,000 war refugees hostage as a bargaining chip against Damascus/Moscow?

See also:

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Info

Canada approves Huawei extradition proceedings

David Ljunggren
Reuters
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 19:49 UTC
huawei
The Canadian government, as expected, on Friday approved extradition proceedings against the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, prompting a furious reaction from China.

Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of Huawei's founder, was detained in Vancouver last December and is under house arrest. In late January the U.S. Justice Department charged Meng and Huawei with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Meng is due to appear in a Vancouver court at 10 a.m. Pacific time (1800 GMT) on March 6, when a date will be set for her extradition hearing.

"Today, department of Justice Canada officials issued an authority to proceed, formally commencing an extradition process in the case of Ms. Meng Wanzhou," the government said in a statement.

China, whose relations with Canada have deteriorated badly over the affair, denounced the decision and repeated previous demands for Meng's release.

U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman Nicole Navas Oxman said Washington thanked the Canadian government for its assistance. "We greatly appreciate Canada's steadfast commitment to the rule of law," she said in a statement.

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

Ilhan Omar is charged with invoking 'myth of dual loyalty' - but according to many Jewish writers it's no myth

Philip Weiss
Mondoweiss
Fri, 01 Mar 2019 17:58 UTC
Ilhan Omar caraciture
© Katie MirandaIlhan Omar
In an appearance at Busboys and Poets two nights ago Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar called out Israel supporters for advocating for a foreign country:
"I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country."
Omar's critique is similar to Rep. Rashida Tlaib saying in January that Senate supporters of anti-boycott legislation "forgot what country they represent."

Both congresswomen have come under a rain of attack from Israel supporters for these comments. Which is no surprise, given that the two Muslim women are Israel's strongest critics in the Congress.

Comment:

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Mr. Potato

Ocasio-Cortez face-plants: Cites debunked Cohen testimony in Don Jr. "gotcha" fail

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 16:49 UTC
ocasio-cortez trump jr.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is catching major heat after she tweeted fake news about Donald Trump Jr. being the "second executive involved in criminal conspiracy," a misstatement by Michael Cohen that the Wall Street Journal corrected shortly after it happened.

Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: "In Case You Missed It: Rep. Khanna got Cohen to testify that Don Jr. is the "second executive involved in criminal conspiracy.""

Except as the Wall Street Journal reported hours after Cohen's Wednesday testimony: "Cohen Erroneously Identifies Donald Trump Jr. as Executive Cited by Federal Prosecutors."

Comment: Ocasio-Cortez shows herself once again as (to put it charitably) a neophyte politician. All the public attention she's garnered has made her awfully big for her britches. Even Whoopi called it over a month ago:



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Chess

The struggle for Uzbekistan: A key component of Washington's Central Asia pivot?

Grete Mautner
New Eastern Outlook
Fri, 01 Mar 2019 17:27 UTC
Donald Trump greets Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoev
© ReutersU.S. President Donald Trump greets Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoev at the White House in Washington on May 16.
Out of all of the former USSR-dominated regions, Central Asia remains the only one where the US hasn't acquired sustainably aligned satellite countries. For this very reason, we can expect the US to start making steps towards economic integration with a number of leading regional players in the immediate future. To facilitate the study of association options it has with Central Asian states, Washington would establish a number of research institutes that are being supported by a myriad of NGOs that the US has typically used anywhere it seeks to establish a political foothold to start shaping regional processes according to its own interests. However, many analysts remain ignorant of this fact, as they don't understand that an association of Central Asian states may become a strong economic and political competitor to both the US and EU.

The notorious American geopolitical intelligence platform - STRATFOR has recently published its geopolitical forecast for 2019, which puts an emphasis on Washington's attempts to strengthen its ties with the countries located along the former Soviet periphery. This means that Russia will face what is essentially described in the American military language as multi-level warfare aimed at undermining the political, economic, energy and military security of the state.
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Eye 1

No surprise: Moscow reports Washington preparing 'global strike' to overthrow undesired govts like Venezuela


RT
Sat, 02 Mar 2019 17:19 UTC
Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
© AFP / Yuri Cortez
The US is using the technologies of color revolutions to bring down unwanted regimes and is set to deploy a new warfare strategy dubbed "Trojan Horse", Russia's top army official said on Saturday.

Countries whose governments are left out in the cold by Washington should beware of a mix of military and soft power, Valery Gerasimov, Russian Staff Chief said. According to the Russian general, Washington is already using technologies of color revolutions and is working on several types of offensives which he called a "global strike" and "multi-sphere battle."

"It was that way in Iraq, Libya, and Ukraine. Similar activities are now seen in Venezuela."

The Pentagon's new "Trojan Horse" warfare strategy, which is currently underway, would rely on "protest potential of the fifth column" to destabilize the situation in the countries with unwanted governments. Simultaneously, precision-guided munition would be deployed to launch strikes on key infrastructure, according to Gerasimov.

Comment: It is good Russia is shedding light on Washington's machinations. Is anyone listening?

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