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Russia to US: Destroy Tomahawk launchpads and attack drones for return to INF compliance


RT
Thu, 07 Feb 2019 17:07 UTC
Missile/drone
© Reuters/Josh Smith/Lt. j.g Matthew Daniels/ReutersUSAF MQ-9 Reaper drone armed with Hellfire missiles • Tomahawk land attack missile launch
The US was in breach of the INF treaty for years, the Russia's defense ministry told the summoned US diplomat, calling on the US to destroy cruise missile launchpads, target-missiles and attack drones to return to INF compliance.

The Ministry of Defense (MOD) summoned the US military attaché in Moscow on Wednesday to hand him the treaty-related memo.

The Russian side suggested that the Americans "return to strict compliance" with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty before it expires in six months.

In order to achieve this, the US must "destroy its Mk-41 universal launchers, designed for launching Tomahawk cruise missiles and target missiles," which in fact have the same specifications as ground-based medium- and shorter-range ballistic missiles prohibited by the INF.

The American attack drones should also be disposed of because they fall under the definition of "land-based cruise missile" in accordance with the deal, the ministry added.

Comment: Is there a forthcoming renegotiated treaty with multiparty compliance guarantees? Or has the recent withdrawal merely actuated another step on the path to global chaos and destruction? There is no 'winner take all' option.

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Arrow Down

Denouncing recognition of Guaido, MP Mélenchon posits: Can a Yellow Vest leader declare himself president?


RT
Thu, 07 Feb 2019 10:02 UTC
Yellowvests
© Reuters/Charles Platiau
France's recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's president sets a dangerous precedent, MP Jean-Luc Mélenchon has warned, arguing it's similar to declaring a Yellow Vest protester as France's legitimate ruler.

Mélenchon, a firebrand of the left and outspoken critic of Emmanuel Macron, said that France's decision to support Guaido was tantamount to "recognizing an adventurer who proclaims himself president." Describing such a policy as "not a good thing," the head of the leftist La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party drew a parallel to the current political upheaval in France.

"If we do that, Mr Drouet will be President of the Republic," Mélenchon quipped, referring to a prominent figure in the protest movement which has rocked France since November.

Mélenchon previously expressed support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, condemning the "coup plotters" who are trying to overthrow him.

Comment: See also:

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Stock Up

DC hawks and US defense giants race to gain profits from INF demise


RT
Thu, 07 Feb 2019 10:44 UTC
Missile launch
© Missile Defense Agency/Handout via Reuters
After the US withdrawal from the milestone Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, military industry giants are already lining up to show their offerings to the Pentagon as top DC officials praise "the beauty of our weapons."

The US chose to bury the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) which banned the entire class of short- to medium-range nuclear-capable missiles. Russia says the international community has much to lose from ditching the landmark accord, but who would be the winner of a potential arms race?

Top Pentagon officials say they now feel free to develop and test the weapons the treaty had prohibited, and companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon apparently have a lot to offer. Meanwhile, some in the US establishment are openly cheering a new arms race, being "guided by the beauty of our weapons."

RT's Murad Gazdiev explores why few in the US want a new deal.


Comment: See also:

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Arrow Up

According to DoD officials, irregular warfare and info ops are key to winning the next war

Matthew Cox
Military.com
Wed, 06 Feb 2019 00:00 UTC
3 army guys
© U.S. Army photo/Benjamin HaulenbeekLithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces and US Army Special Forces conduct a raid during Saber Junction 2018 exercise in Germany.
As the U.S. military ramps up for a possible major battle with Russia or China, the Pentagon is taking steps to ensure that irregular warfare is not forgotten as a critical tool for defeating near-peer adversaries before the fight begins, Defense Department officials said.

"As a department, we have often exhibited a historical preference in the past century for traditional high-end force rather than irregular solutions," Andrew Knaggs, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism, told an audience Tuesday at the National Defense Industrial Association's Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict symposium.
"As DoD shifts to meet the demands of great power competition ... we are hard at work institutionalizing the substantial expertise in [irregular warfare, or IW] that we have over the last 17 years of irregular conflict."
The National Defense Strategy requires that irregular warfare become a core competency for the DoD, said Owen West, assistant secretary of defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict. Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wanted to end the habit of "standing up and standing down advisory capacity" in past conflicts, West added.

Knaggs said the U.S. military needs to reframe "irregular warfare as the key pillar for a proactive campaign to fight and win in an era of adversarial competition," an approach that will likely favor controlled messaging and other influencing tools rather than counter-terrorism missions.
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Footprints

US senior official: Pullout from At Tanf in Syria is conditions-based


Sputnik
Wed, 06 Feb 2019 23:14 UTC
US troops
© CC0 / Staff Sgt. Jacob Connor/5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)Members of the 5th Special Forces Training Group (A) conducting special weapons training during counter ISIS operations at Al Tanf Garrison, Southern Syria. CC0 / Staff Sgt. Jacob Connor/5th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Syria's At Tanf region will be the last place in the country that US troops leave as they implement a planned withdrawal, a senior US administration official told reporters on Wednesday.

"In terms of Al Tanf - that is, in terms of the drawdown plans - Al-Tanf would be the last place that we would withdraw from, and I think that's something that has not been scheduled; it would be conditions-based," the official said.

A senior administration official also said that the United States will continue "being number one humanitarian donor to Syria" but will refrain from any efforts that would strengthen the leadership of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"We are going to stick to our current policy [on Assad] while being the number one humanitarian donor to Syria. We are not going to do anything in terms of reconstruction that would bolster the regime absent fairly significant political concessions on the part of Assad."
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Megaphone

'Russiagate' is a tool to destroy anti-war resistance.


The Canary
Thu, 07 Feb 2019 14:45 UTC
US army Afghan post
© REUTERS/Lucas JacksonUS soldiers at an Afghan National Army guard post.
In the US, the likelihood of being smeared as a Russian stooge seems to be directly related to the popularity of your anti-war message.

Anti-interventionists who fly too close to political power get scolded by the corporate media, which consistently (and falsely) links them to Vladimir Putin. If Russia also opposes US imperialism, so it goes, you must be with them.

The lack of evidence for Russiagate smears doesn't matter, though. Because they are of service to the US war machine. And if opposition to US aggression can be written off as a Russian conspiracy, resistance is weakened and the war machine can roll on unaffected.

The latest victim of such Russiagate smears is aspiring presidential candidate and US army veteran Tulsi Gabbard. And the attacks show just how desperate the political and media establishment are getting.

Russiagate

Demonising Russia is not a new technique. But it's certainly effective. Throughout the Cold War, the US consistently exaggerated the Soviet threat to justify its own imperialist plundering. And after almost two decades of the 'war on terror', the propaganda machine has come full circle.

Comment: The 'enemy out there' narrative serves many agendas one of which is to create false enemies inside: Also check out SOTT radio's:

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Cell Phone

New documents show US telecoms sold user data to bounty hunters for more than five years


RT
Thu, 07 Feb 2019 20:00 UTC
cell phone tower
© Pixabay / marcusspiske
Telecom companies have been selling user location data for years, with some of their 'clients' making tens of thousands of requests, documents obtained by Motherboard show - far from the isolated incidents previously portrayed.

About 250 bounty hunters and similar companies purchased extremely accurate customer location data from Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile, some of them using the service tens of thousands of times - a system that operated for more than five years in total secrecy, allowing trackers to see where their target was down to the room they occupied inside a building, according to internal documents obtained from location data seller CerCareOne.

Some of the bounty hunters then resold the location data to unauthorized third parties, according to multiple independent sources familiar with the company, which survived by keeping itself a trade secret among the bail bondsman and bounty hunter community.

Comment: This is likely just the tip of the iceberg.

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Bizarro Earth

Pompeo makes hash of Fox interview: America 'obligated' to fight 'Hezbollah' in Venezuela to save 'duly elected' Guaido


RT
Thu, 07 Feb 2019 19:54 UTC
Pompeo
© Reuters/Carlos BarriaPompeo's 'mob boss' delusion?
Straining to explain Washington's eagerness for regime change in Caracas, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Cuba was already occupying Venezuela, misunderstood how democracy works, and claimed Iran had a presence in the country.

While navigating extremely delicate issues like international diplomacy for most world leaders requires finesse and sophistication, Pompeo opted for a more ham-fisted approach in an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday. Weaving together a loosely-knit narrative of garish moralizing and lists of countries on America's naughty list, President Donald Trump's chief diplomat attempted to help American audiences understand what the State Department is doing in Venezuela.

Comment: Wouldn't it be Fox's Trish Rogan, who never met a neocon she didn't like:



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Family

Maduro holds rally in Caracas to support 10mn-signature petition drive: 'Hands off Venezuela'


RT
Thu, 07 Feb 2019 19:30 UTC
maduro rally flag
© Miraflores Palace/Handout via ReutersVenezuela's President Nicolas Maduro attends a rally in support of his government, January 23, 2019.
Large numbers of Venezuelan citizens have come out to sign a petition against possible US intervention, as government activists began gathering signatures for a campaign to showcase "support for peace" amid mounting threats.

Maduro announced Tuesday that the pamphlet openly condemning President Donald Trump's potential intervention in the ongoing political turmoil would be circulated country-wide.

"I thank people that came to Bolivar Square in Venezuela to sign a petition and speak against the interference of the US empire into the affairs of our Motherland. This is a wonderful manifestation of love and consciousness. We are going to collect 10 million signatures for peace!" Maduro tweeted.
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Bullseye

Former Ukrainian President Yanukovich: Meddling in Orthodox Church sows 'division and hatred'


RT
Thu, 07 Feb 2019 19:43 UTC
Yanukovich
© Sputnik / Vladimir Trefilov
Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, who was ousted in a West-backed coup in 2014, has slammed Kiev politicians for meddling in the Orthodox Church affairs, in a rare press appearance in Moscow.

"It was intolerable of the state, the politicians and the president to interfere in church affairs," Yanukovich told journalists, arguing that the creation of the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine was aimed at sowing "division, enmity and hatred."

Throughout the history of Ukraine "none of the presidents have meddled in church business" and the church has always been separated from the state, he said.
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