Puppet MastersS


Chess

Europe has a choice after Trump withdraws from Iran deal - Become a vassal state or be independent

Finian Cunningham
RT
Fri, 11 May 2018 09:18 UTC
merkel macron
© Kay Nietfeld / Reuters
Donald Trump's trashing of the Iran nuclear deal this week was not just an attack on Iranian sovereign interests. The US president was also poking European allies in the eye.

In abruptly withdrawing the US from the international nuclear treaty, Trump warned that his administration was preparing to re-impose harsh sanctions on Tehran, and that those sanctions would also hit European commercial interests in Iran.

The American president's high-handed manner was to be expected towards Iran. He has constantly denigrated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in July 2015 by his predecessor Barack Obama, along with other members of the UN Security Council, Britain, France, Russia, China plus Germany. Trump's contempt for Iran as an alleged state terrorism sponsor has also been relentless.

But what stood out more in his dismissal of the nuclear deal this week was Trump's brazen disregard for European allies.
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Red Flag

Pompeo: US promises not to 'regime change' N. Korea's Kim Jong-un


RT
Mon, 14 May 2018 09:35 UTC
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
© KCNA / ReutersNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
The US will have to assure North Korea it won't seek to undermine its leader Kim Jong-un, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has implied. That comes after years of slamming him as a dictator and squeezing his country with sanctions.

With less than a month left before the hugely-anticipated talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, the US top diplomat has indicated that any deal paving the way for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula will have to include certain US safeguards allowing Kim to stay in power.

"We will have to provide security assurances to be sure. This has been the trade-off that has been pending for 25 years," Pompeo told 'Fox News Sunday.' Pompeo was speaking to Fox's Chris Wallace just a few days after he returned to the US from his second meeting with Kim, during which they were supposed to thrash out the details of the Trump-Kim summit on June, 12.

Comment: What a turnaround from a year ago.

Clearly, North Korea is operating from a greatly strengthened position, in largest part thanks to China.

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Bug

Shining light on scurrilous stories (Minister of External Affairs): Who is really undermining Canadian democracy?

Brian Cloughley
Strategic Culture Foundation
Fri, 11 May 2018 00:00 UTC
Freeland
© Unknown
Canada is a very pleasant country, if you don't mind being cold for long periods, and in The Economist's 2017 Democracy Index is described approvingly as ranking sixth of the 167 countries examined. It "scores highly in the electoral process and the functioning of government categories, and also for civil liberties. Freedom of expression and religious and cultural tolerance are championed..."

Regrettably, there has been recent movement towards disapproval of freedom of expression, largely because of a campaign against Russia, which seems strange, because Russia poses no threat whatever to Canada. Certainly there is a Canadian battle group deployed in Latvia in accordance with the Pentagon-NATO policy of 'Enhanced Forward Presence' which involves stationing warships, combat aircraft and troops to confront Russia as close as possible to its borders, but this is just one of the public relations fandangos aimed at justifying NATO's continuing existence.

Comment: Canadian history professor, Michael Jabara Carley (Université de Montréal) had this to say of Chrystia Freeland, among others, in a penned article 'Lament for Canada' written January 2018:
Then came a brief glimmer of hope... at least for me. Justin Trudeau, the son of Pierre Elliot, became prime minister in late 2015, defeating the by then widely hated Mr. Harper. The Liberals campaigned amongst other items on better relations with the Russian Federation. Stéphane Dion, a sensible intellectual, former leader of the Liberal party and former professor of political science at the Université de Montréal, became minister for external affairs. He indicated his intention to improve relations with Russia, but nothing came of it, and he was sacked in January 2017.

Chrystia Freeland, a Ukrainian-Canadian and former journalist with a long list of anti-Russian articles under her by-line, succeeded Dion. Freeland's grandfather was a mid-level Nazi collaborator in German occupied Poland, whose life Freeland celebrates. Sins of the fathers, or grandfathers, should not of course be visited upon their descendants, unless they want to boast of them. Ms. Freeland's Ukrainian "nationalism" leads her to turn a blind-eye to her grandfather's Nazi collaboration, and to the fascist torchlight parades in putschist Kiev. I sarcastically referred to her as the Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs in Ottawa.

Freeland's Russophobia makes her persona non grata in the Russian Federation. Trudeau appointed her to External Affairs, surely knowing of her background and her hatred of Russia and its president Vladimir Putin. One can only conclude that Trudeau decided to abandon his campaign promise to improve relations with Russia, and to revert to Harper's foreign policy.


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X

Woops! Mueller indicted a Russian company that didn't exist

Ryan Saavedra
The Daily Wire
Sat, 12 May 2018 00:00 UTC
Robbie Mueller
© UnknownSpecial Prosecutor Robert Mueller
This week, one of the Russian companies accused by Special Counsel Robert Mueller of funding a conspiracy to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election was revealed in court to not have existed during the time period alleged by Mueller's team of prosecutors, according to a lawyer representing the defendant.

U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey asked Eric Dubelier, one of two lawyers representing the accused Russian company, Concord Management and Consulting LLC, if he was representing a third company listed in Mueller's indictment.

"What about Concord Catering?" Harvey asked Dubelier. "The government makes an allegation that there's some association. I don't mean for you to - do you represent them, or not, today? And are we arraigning them as well?"

"We're not," Dubelier responded. "And the reason for that, Your Honor, is I think we're dealing with a situation of the government having indicted the proverbial ham sandwich."

"That company didn't exist as a legal entity during the time period alleged by the government," Dubelier continued. "If at some later time they show me that it did exist, we would probably represent them. But for purposes of today, no, we do not."

Comment: Another invisible straw for the invisible case.

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Jet5

Best of the Web: Damascus Imposes New Rules of Engagement on Israel: Syrian Counter-strikes Successful in Golan

Sayed Hasan
sayed7asan.blogspot.com
Thu, 10 May 2018 13:00 UTC
axis of resistance
Middle Eastern Axis of Resistance
On Thursday 10th May 2018, an unprecedented exchange of strikes happened between Israel and Syria. The mainstream media, as well as some "alternative" media like Russia Today, were quick to relay the Israeli army version, according to which the Zionist entity "retaliated" against an "Iranian attack by Revolutionary Guards' Al-Quds Force" consisting of "twenty rockets" fired at Israeli positions in the occupied Golan, four of which were "intercepted by the Iron Dome" and the others "crashed into Syrian territory", no damage being recorded in Israel. Israel has reportedly responded to this unprecedented "act of aggression" with a "large-scale operation" that destroyed "the entire Iranian infrastructure in Syria", in order to deter the Islamic Republic from any stray impulse of conducting future strikes.

This narrative takes for granted the postulates, data and myths of the Zionist entity's propaganda - which imposes permanent military censorship on the Israeli media, exposing any offender to a prison sentence. And, reading the international media, one might get the impression that, like American economic sanctions, this censorship is extraterritorial. In any event, the narrative cannot withstand scrutiny.

Comment: Middle East correspondent Elijah Magnier had a similar analysis: Syria and Iran establish new rules of engagement with Israel: Golan Heights no longer off limits

See also: Joe Quinn's The Real Story Behind Israel's Attack on "Iranian" Targets in Syria and Trump's Abandonment of the Iran Deal

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Snakes in Suits

Flashback Genie Energy Granted Drilling Rights in Occupied Golan Heights by Israeli Regime - Rothschild, Cheney & Murdoch Claim Syria's Oil

Claire Bernish
True Activist
Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:00 UTC
Chaney, Rothschild, Murdoch
© realitieswatch.com
Backed by Murdoch, Cheney, Rothschild, and others, Genie Energy has been granted drilling rights in Syria's Golan Heights region.

After concluding the flow testing phase, Afek Oil and Gas will now begin analyzing samples drawn from the Ness-2 drilling site, euphemistically dubbed "Deborah's Well," in the Israeli-occupied region of Syria known as the Golan Heights. New Jersey-based Genie Energy, Ltd., Afek's parent company, claims a dubious cadre of investors cum war profiteers, including Rupert Murdoch, Dick Cheney, Lord Jacob Rothschild, James Woolsey — as well as a number of current and former U.S. politicians.

Prior testing at a separate Afek site did not meet expectations, so the company sought other "sweet spots" in the area. Analysis of samples from additional wells will be performed by Afek scientists in conjunction with "external international experts."

To understand U.S. involvement in the quagmire in Syria, Afek's oil exploration is of critical import.

Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights region violates international law — thus, Israeli permits granting Afek the ostensible right to perform exploratory tests of a possible "large reservoir" of natural gas and light oil is [are] also illegal. But in a world where Big Oil remains powerful enough to drive foreign policy of the U.S. empire, this direct violation of the Geneva Convention might not even be worthy of a footnote — except to the people of Syria.
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USA

SOTT Focus: Why America is the Greatest Country

Chris Kanthan
Sott.net
Sun, 13 May 2018 22:59 UTC
Murica
There is no doubt that America is the greatest country today - and in the history of mankind. It feels really silly to even write an article about such an indisputable fact. We are the sole superpower with the biggest economy, the most desired currency, the greatest culture and of course the mightiest (not to mention coolest) military. If you're reading this, you can thank the American innovation called the Internet. Throughout the world, people listen to American music, watch American movies and pay a premium for American brands - from clothing to electronics to food - and dream of immigrating to America. That's called Soft Power, and it's really cool.

Of course, America is not yet a complete paradise where everything is perfect, and there are always those who will nitpick the small details and try to blow them out of proportion. So let's address some of those concerns.
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Attention

The mysterious informant who originated CIA director John Brennan's "electronic communication"

sundance
The Last Refuge
Fri, 11 May 2018 19:30 UTC
  • On July 31st, 2016 the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation against the Trump campaign. They did not inform congress until March 2017.
  • At the beginning of August (1st-3rd) 2016 FBI Agent Peter Strzok traveled to London, England for interviews with UK intelligence officials.
  • On August 15th, 2016 Peter Strzok sends a text message to DOJ Lawyer Lisa Page describing the "insurance policy", needed in case Hillary Clinton were to lose the election.
Nunes
Recently there has been a great deal of interest in the origination OF the 2016 FBI counterintelligence operation, and how the FISA court was later used to gain Title-1 surveillance warrant against U.S. person Carter Page; part of that operation.

The current line of inquiry surrounds the originating "EC" or "electronic communication" that was generated by CIA Director John Brennan and passed on to FBI Director James Comey. The EC initiated the FBI Counterintelligence Operation.

Specifically, House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes has asked about a redacted name within the "EC", which has led to the DOJ and FBI claiming to release the name would compromise the individual.

All of these inquires, and refusals, center around the origination authority for the FBI Counterintelligence operation. The origination led to the FISA warrant. Remember that.

Comment: Looks like they have their man - or not. The FBI/CIA won't give that up so easily and without any hard evidence it's just speculation, although very interesting at that. See also:

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Star of David

It has become the 'Bolton-Bibi agenda'

Patrick J. Buchanan
The American Conservative
Fri, 11 May 2018 12:01 UTC
Bibi
© Buchanan.org
Brushing aside the anguished pleas of our NATO allies, President Trump Tuesday contemptuously trashed the Iranian nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions.

Prime Minister Theresa May of Great Britain, President Emmanuel Macron of France, and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany were put on notice that their ties to Iran are to be severed or secondary sanctions will be imposed on them.

Driving the point home, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin ordered Airbus to cancel its $19 billion contract to sell 100 commercial planes to Iran.

Who is cheering Trump's trashing of the treaty? The neocons who sought his political extinction in 2016, the royals of the Gulf, Bibi Netanyahu, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC had warned Iranians that the Americans were duplicitous.

After Trump had finished speaking, Bibi launched strikes on Iran's bases in Syria, and flew to Moscow to persuade Vladimir Putin not to give the Iranians any air defense against Israeli attacks.

Iranian forces responded with 20 missiles fired at the Golan, which ignited a massive Israeli counterstrike Thursday night, a 70-missile attack on Iranian bases in Syria.


Comment: It was Syrian forces responding to an Israeli attack. There was no Iranian attack. See also:

Comment: It may be the 'Bolton-Bibi agenda', but there are numerous factors that could counter the impact of this narrow and specific perspective, compromise anticipated results and shift dynamics away from war. Consider the reality check: Iran doesn't have to do anything and look who has its back.

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Take 2

Going inside Trump's 'shock and brawl' strategy with foreign leaders

Jonathan Swan
Axios
Fri, 11 May 2018 00:00 UTC
Trump
© Rebecca Zisser/Axios
President Trump isn't afraid to punch on foreign turf, even after getting the red carpet.

The big picture: As the White House prepares for the summit with North Korea in Singapore on June 12 ("a once unimaginable encounter," the N.Y. Times calls it), we've put together a look at [how] President Trump handles foreign leaders when the doors are closed:
  • Trump wound up U.S. Trade Representative Bob Lighthizer and let him go to town in Beijing when meeting with President Xi Jinping and a whole bunch of Chinese representatives in November.
  • In fact, Trump egged Lighthizer on. POTUS asked Lighthizer leading questions at the table in the bilateral meeting, which included Xi and the U.S. and Chinese delegations.
  • Trump: "Bob, why don't you walk them all through what our trade deficit is and [how] all these dialogues have produced nothing? ... Take them through the history." Lighthizer was all too happy to do it.
Trump likes to walk into a meeting with a head of state and throw out the protocol, which he believes throws rivals off balance.

Comment: As this piece is an attempt to describe an enigma, we still do not have a fix on the working mind of President Donald Trump. Unpredictability is a trait he has mastered. No matter, the nasty group of swirling neocons are set on pre-determining outcomes - give or take a few presidential curveballs.

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