Puppet MastersS


Pirates

The bigger picture behind the military defeat of ISIS

TrumpISIS
© The Free Thought Project
President Trump says that in the coming week the US and its allies will announce that they have captured all of the land previously controlled by Isis. He claims that US-led forces "have liberated virtually all of the territory previously held by Isis in Syria and Iraq ... we will have 100 per cent of the caliphate."

The prediction has sparked a sterile and misleading debate about whether or not Isis is finally defeated, something which will remain unproven since the movement is unlikely to run up a white flag and sign terms of surrender. The discussion has - like all debates about foreign policy in the US - very little to do with the real situation on the ground in Syria and Iraq and everything to do with the forces at play in Washington politics.

In discussing the demise or survival of Isis, pundits make the same glaring omission. They ignore the fact that by far the largest stronghold in Syria held by an al-Qaeda type group is not the few shattered villages for which Isis has been battling in the east of the country. Much more important is the jihadi enclave in and around Idlib province in north-west Syria which is held by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Liberation of Levant Organisation), a powerful breakaway faction from Isis which founded the group under the name of Jabhat al-Nusra in 2011 and with whom it shares the same fanatical beliefs and military tactics. Its leaders wear suicide vests studded with metal balls just like their Isis equivalents.

Vader

Venezuela: US pursues the 'humanitarian aid' path to war

protest consulate venezuela
© Peter BoyleA protest outside the United States Consulate in Sydney on January 23 2019 to demand no US intervention in Venezuela.
The United States has been working with oligarchs in Venezuela to remove President Maduro since he came to office in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez and was re-elected that year. After he won re-election to another six-year term in 2018, the regime change planners sought new strategies to remove Maduro, including an assassination attempt last August. The coup campaign escalated recently with the self-appointment of president Juan Guaido, who President Trump and US allies have recognized. Now, the ongoing coup attempt is escalating through a strategy of humanitarian intervention.

Trump has been talking openly about war to take control of Venezuela's vast oil reserves since mid-2017. Pentagon and former administration officials, who have since been removed from office, opposed the action. Now, Trump is surrounded by neocons who share his goal of removing Maduro and taking control of the country's natural resources. War is an option being openly considered.

Comment: RT adds:
Washington's decision to send aid to Venezuela now is pure hypocrisy as it was the US that caused the nation's economic woes with its sanctions, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez told RT. She believes the aid foreshadows an invasion.

The US seeks to create conditions that would allow it to invade Venezuela, Rodriguez said, slamming Washington for the decision to send humanitarian aid at the request of the opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president, Juan Guaido.


Washington seeks to present a distorted view of the situation in Venezuela to create a "false positive" impression about its own policies against Caracas, the vice president said, adding that, although the nation does struggle with social and economic problems, it does not suffer from a full-scale humanitarian crisis and by no means requires any help from Washington.

"This [humanitarian assistance] is a big lie," she said, adding that Venezuela's social "wounds" were the result of the US economic "blockade." What Venezuela does need is a national dialog between the government and the opposition - something that she says the US actively impedes.

"We say: 'yes to dialog' and 'no to war'," Rodriguez said, adding that her country has been facing "total political and ideological rejection" by the US and some of its allies. She also accused Washington of directly "giving orders" to the opposition led by Guaido.

"Washington believes that [Venezuelan President] Nicolas Maduro should go. Washington's response is its distorted doctrine of regime change [in] democratic nations that do not like it when someone twists their arms and forcibly interferes into their internal affairs," Rodriguez explained.


Washington would be wrong to believe that it still "rules the world," Rodriguez said, adding that an increasing number of nations seek to establish a multipolar system of international relations.

Her words came less than a day after Guaido told AFP he could potentially "authorize" a foreign military intervention to topple the elected president Maduro. Over the last two weeks, the US administration also made it clear that the military option is not off the table if Maduro refuses to voluntarily surrender his power and launch a 'democratic' political transition in Venezuela.

Meanwhile, both Guaido and his backers in Washington urged the Venezuelan officers to defect and support the opposition. However, the army has remained overwhelmingly loyal to Maduro.

The Venezuelan president has repeatedly called for dialog and invited the opposition to the negotiations table, but his proposals have been rejected while Washington claimed that the time for negotiations has long passed.

As Venezuela continues to struggle with an economic crisis and hyperinflation, Guaido, who has been recognized by the US, its regional allies in South America, as well as several western nations, has called on his international support base to send humanitarian aid. The US promptly complied with this request but the convoy was stopped at Venezuela's border with Colombia as Maduro refused to let it in.

This development further escalated tensions in the Latin American country as Guaido called on his supporters to continue protests until the 'usurper' Maduro lets the convoy in. Meanwhile, Venezuela's Supreme Court judge in turn accused the opposition leader of an attempt to usurp presidential powers.



Arrow Up

'Germany will never be susceptible to blackmail': German economic minister vows to stick with Nord Stream 2, backs Moscow as reliable partner

Nord Stream 2
© Global Look Press / Danny GohlkePipes for the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline seen at the port of Mukran, Germany on February 8, 2019.
As the US tries to impede Berlin from a joint energy project with Russia - Nord Stream 2 - the German economy minister says that his country will stick to the enterprise, backing Moscow as a reliable partner.

Speaking to the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, Peter Altmaier was quizzed about Donald Trump's 2018 comments that Berlin is "a captive" of Russia, when it comes to gas supplies.

Altmaier brushed off the argument, saying that Germany "will never be susceptible to blackmail." What's more, there is no reason to believe that Moscow will somehow neglect its commitments and hamper gas supplies, given that it's been safely providing energy to Germany for decades, he argued.

Even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Moscow stuck to its obligations and "I do not doubt [its] contract compliance," the minister maintained. However, Berlin is still looking to diversify its energy supplies and is also keen to keep Ukraine as a transit country for gas that flows into Europe.

Comment: See also:


USA

Trump's latest immigration offer is too good for Democrats to pass up

trump pelosi pence sotu
© Doug Mills/Pool The New York Times
There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical that President Donald Trump actually wants to increase legal immigration to "the largest numbers ever," as he claimed this week. Yes, he backed up that (apparently ad-libbed) remark the day after his State of the Union address, but not even Trump's own aides take his comments seriously. Is there any reason anyone else should?

In this case, yes: Democrats should take Trump up on his offer - and make it a centerpiece of their 2019 congressional agenda. More immigration would do enormous good for the U.S. economy, the U.S.'s long-term fiscal deficit, the U.S.'s looming retirement crisis and - not incidentally - the lives of the immigrants themselves.

But forget the policy for moment. What about the politics? There is still a strong case for a Democratic overture, even if it goes nowhere. Pressing the president on his proposal would expose Trump's vulnerabilities with both suburban swing voters and his base.

For suburban swing voters, Trump's refusal to accept an increase in legal immigration, especially when coupled with robust border security, would highlight his backwards-looking vision of America. Such voters may be uncomfortable with the more radical proposals of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, but they are even more turned off by the white nationalists on the far right. If Democrats can make the case that Trump is doing the bidding of this nationalist element, then they may find it easier to attract and retain suburban voters.


Comment: That's all assuming Trump isn't serious. He very well may be. It's the art of the deal, and there's no reason to believe that Trump wasn't always willing and even planning to be more moderate in his policies, given that he gets there by 'winning' and not appearing to capitulate.


Russian Flag

Ex-Afghan President Karzai praises Russian-hosted talks with Taliban, denounces US failures

Karzai
© Reuters / Maxim ShemetovAfghan former President Hamid Karzai and other participants pray during talks in Moscow, Russia, on February 5, 2019.
By hosting a meeting between the Taliban and other Afghan delegates, Moscow has greatly contributed to a peace process in Afghanistan, ex-President Hamid Karzai said, denouncing years of "failed" US military presence and policies.

"We would like to express our deep gratitude to the Russian government for the efforts it took to create conditions for the intra-Afghan meeting in Moscow," Karzai told Sputnik news agency, adding that the two-day talks "exceeded all expectations."

The former Afghan president called the talks a "historic step" and called Moscow's approach "successful and effective." Karzai spoke highly of Russia's role and expressed his hope that Moscow would continue to contribute to intra-Afghan reconciliation until "Afghanistan gets back on its feet."

In contrast, his assessment of the 18-year US-led military campaign in Afghanistan was far less positive. The NATO mission in Afghanistan has failed, Karzai said, adding that the military presence of American troops and their allies on Afghan soil had only led to "many people suffering at their hands." The ex-president also said he would like to see all foreign troops withdrawing from his country "as soon as possible," even though he admitted that it would likely be a "very difficult process." Karzai also dismissed US claims about providing security for Afghanistan.

Comment: See also: US envoy admits positive Russian role in Afghan peace process


Handcuffs

Public Safety Minister: Canada will not be making U.S. 'suggestion' to repatriate ISIS fighters a priority

Ralph Goodale
© The Canadian Press/Sean KilpatrickMinister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale
The Canadian government will not be prioritizing the return of foreign fighters from Syria despite a call from the U.S. State Department on Monday to do so.

Instead, the focus will remain on searching for ways to lay charges against those fighters and considering whether it is feasible to retrieve children born to Canadians who went overseas to fight with ISIS and are now being held in Kurdish or Syrian prisons.

Dollars

US suing Lockheed for false claims, kickbacks on multi-million-dollar contract to clean up nuclear site

Lockheed Martin
The United States has sued Lockheed Martin Corp, Lockheed Martin Services Inc, and Mission Support Alliance LLC, as well as a Lockheed executive for alleged false claims and kickbacks on a multibillion-dollar contract to clean up a nuclear site, the Justice Department said on Friday.

The complaint alleges Lockheed paid more than $1 million to Mission Support Alliance executives in order to win a $232 million subcontract for providing management and technology support at the Hanford, Washington site from 2010 through the middle of 2016 at inflated rates.

It also says the defendants lied about the amount of profit included in Lockheed's billing rates.

A Lockheed Martin spokeswoman denied the allegations, saying the company "rejects the suggestion that the corporation or its executives engaged in any wrongdoing. Lockheed Martin will defend this matter vigorously."

At the time, MSA was owned by Lockheed Martin Integrated Technology LLC, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., and Centerra Group. It awarded the subcontract to Lockheed's technology group without competition, according to the Justice Department.

Comment: This is standard operating procedure for Lockheed, one of the biggest corporate welfare queens in the United States. Only this time, they got caught. Usually the revolving door of politicians-become-board-members shields them from exposure. It's the only way they're able to overbill taxpayers for projects that can be completed at a fraction of the cost from the private sector, and with better quality. If there's any plus side, it's the fact that what they produce is usually also crap, like the F-35.


Star of David

HRW official accuses Israel of meddling in UK, predictably gets called 'anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist'

Sarah Leah Whitson
© REUTERS/StringerSarah Leah Whitson
Human Rights Watch (HRW) Middle East Director Sarah Leah Whitson is under fire from Jewish organizations after claiming Israel is meddling in UK domestic politics by summoning a "manufactured" anti-Semitism crisis.

The incident began when Asa Winstanley, a journalist for the Electronic Intifada, a US-based pro-Palestinian news outlet, warned that new accusations would soon rock the UK's Labour Party, which has been dogged by scandals ever since Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader in 2015.

"We're on the cusp of a major new wave of manufactured 'Labour antisemitism crisis' stories, much like spring/summer 2018," Winstanley tweeted, linking to his own article from last year, which suggested that Jewish activists had been taking instructions from a government-developed phone app to criticize Corbyn en masse.

Whitson, who is one of the public faces of HRW, and oversees the advocacy group's work in 19 countries, including Palestine and Israel, appeared to endorse Winstanley's stance in a retweet, to which she added her own thoughts.

"Why is this #israel interference in domestic UK politics acceptable? Is it only a problem when Russia does this?" she wrote on the social media network.

Comment: Repeat after us: The Israel Lobby has absolutely zero influence in UK politics and absolutely does not, ever, meddle in the affairs of the UK or any other country: See also: Israeli attorney files FOIA request to determine Israeli govt's role in anti-Corbyn campaign


NPC

Ocasio-Cortez botches 'Green New Deal' unveiling

ocasio cortez
© Reuters/Jonathan ErnstU.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) moves through a group of reporters after a news conference for the proposed "Green New Deal" to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 10 years, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 7, 2019.
Staff took web page down after several policy gaffes were called out

Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez kicked off Thursday unveiling her highly-anticipated "Green New Deal" resolution to cheers from Democrats and environmentalists, but by the day's end, her staff was forced to take a gaffe-riddled summary of the bill offline.

Ocasio-Cortez gave NPR the scoop. Her office provided NPR the Green New Deal resolution and its accompanying FAQ document that laid out its goals, namely to "[m]ove America to 100% clean and renewable energy" within 10 years.

What immediately became clear, however, was that the legislative language didn't match with Ocasio-Cortez's FAQ, especially when it came to nuclear power, welfare programs and "farting cows."

Comment: The 10 most insane requirements of the Far Left's Green New Deal


Black Cat

How Canada's Chrystia Freeland organized Trump's coup in Venezuela

Chrystia Freeland
© MSC / HildenbrandChristina Alexandra "Chrystia" Freeland PC MP Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada
On Monday, February 5th, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that the 14 countries of the Lima Group - who had actually formed themselves under her direction into this new group on 8 August 2017 in order to overthrow and replace Venezuela's current President Nicholas Maduro - have now been joined (though she didn't say to what extent) by the EU, and by 8 other individual countries. She stated:
"Today, we have been joined by our Lima Group partners, from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Saint Lucia. We have also been joined in our conversations with our partners from other countries, for this Lima Group ministerial meeting. These include Ecuador, the European Union, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States."
She, along with US President Donald Trump, had, all along, been the actual leaders of this international diplomatic effort, to violate the Venezuelan Constitution blatantly, so as to perpetrate the coup in Venezuela.

Comment: Chrystia Freeland is a busy little bee. She has had a hand in stirring the pot in many parts of the world, mostly promoting Russophobia, but her activities apparently have ranged beyond that. What are friends of fascists for?