Puppet MastersS


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Why Trump had to cancel the Iran deal

Eric Zuesse
Strategic Culture Foundation
Fri, 10 Aug 2018 00:00 UTC
ObamaTrump
© beta.dotmsr.comFormer President Obama • President Trump
The following is entirely from open online sources that I have been finding to be trustworthy on these matters in the past. These sources will be linked-to here; none of this information is secret, even though some details in my resulting analysis of it will be entirely new.

It explains how and why the bottom-line difference between Donald Trump and Barack Obama, regarding US national security policies, turns out to be their different respective estimations of the biggest danger threatening the maintenance of the US dollar as the world's leading or reserve currency. This has been the overriding foreign-policy concern for both Presidents.

Obama placed as being the top threat to the dollar, a breakaway of the EU (America's largest market both for exports and for imports) from alliance with the United States. He was internationally a Europhile. Trump, however, places as being the top threat to the dollar, a breakaway of Saudi Arabia and of the other Gulf Arab oil monarchies from the U.S. Trump is internationally a Sunni-phile: specifically a protector of fundamentalist Sunni monarchs - but especially of the Sauds themselves - and they hate Shia and especially the main Shia nation, Iran.
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Target

What might the intel community's 'insurance policy' against President Trump look like?

Sharyl Attkisson
The Hill
Thu, 09 Aug 2018 03:45 UTC
Trump silence
© Watson Mere'My Brother's Keeper'
Let's begin in the realm of the fanciful. Assume, for the sake of argument, that powerful, connected people in the intelligence community and in politics worried that a wildcard Trump presidency, unlike another Clinton or Bush, might expose a decade-plus of questionable practices. Disrupt long-established money channels. Reveal secret machinations that could arguably land some people in prison. What exactly might an "insurance policy" against Donald Trump look like?

He would have to be marginalized at every turn.
Strategies would encompass politics, the courts, opposition research and the media. He'd have to become mired in lawsuits, distracted by allegations, riddled with calls for impeachment, hounded by investigations. His election must be portrayed as the illegitimate result of a criminal or un-American conspiracy.

To accomplish this, bad actors in the intel community could step up use of surveillance tools as a weapon to look for dirt on Trump before his inauguration. They could rely on dubious political opposition research to secretly argue for wiretaps, plant one or more spies in the Trump campaign, then leak to the press a mix of true and false stories to create a sense of chaos.

Comment: Gosh, this sounds so familiar!

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Snakes in Suits

Giuliani: This case won't fizzle, it will blow up on Mueller

Ian Schwartz
Real Clear Politics
Wed, 08 Aug 2018 01:00 UTC
Giuliani, Trump
© Mike Segar/ReutersPresident Donald Trump and attorney Rudi Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani, attorney for President Trump, appeared on Hannity Wednesday night to explain why the legal team rejected special counsel Robert Mueller's terms for an interview.

"The reality is, the real story is not that this case isn't going to fizzle," he said to host Sean Hannity. "It's going to blow up on them. The real question is, what we talked about before, there's a lot more to what they did that nobody knows about yet. A lot more to the obstruction of justice, to the collusion, to the fake dossier," Giuliani added.

"I know some of it," Hannity revealed.


Comment: If Giuliani is totally right, what is the 'hoax' really covering up? It has sucked the air out of Washington for two years and still is in play.

More from Seraphim Hanisch, The Duran:
Former Prosecutor and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani insists the whole Russiagate investigation is predicated on false premises.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani wasn't mincing words as he directly called the Mueller special investigation a massive hoax:
"What do [sic] we need to know, that this is a totally illegitimate investigation, based on a report, a 'dossier', that was paid for by Hillary Clinton and the Democrats; probably the biggest illegality so far, the biggest collusion so far... completely made up... led to nothing except several fraudulent FISA wires, and now we have Mueller, who doesn't seem to care that he is sitting on top of a totally illegitimate investigation."
This segment is interesting theatre, especially considering that Mr. Giuliani is acting as President Trump's attorney on the Russiagate matter, and that he is going public about anything at all having to do with the investigation and its case, in full knowledge that anything he says publicly will be noted. Nevertheless, "America's Mayor" made several very strong assertions:
  • Mueller doesn't need to ask a single question on obstruction; he has all the answers already and those answers are not going to change in a direct interview with President Trump.
  • Mueller is trying to trap the President into perjury.
  • The reason Mueller is trying to trap the President is simply because he does not have a case.
  • According to Mr. Giuliani, the case will not fizzle; it is going to blow up on them
  • This is because there is a lot more that they (meaning the Democrats) did, that no one knows yet.
  • It will wind up with Mr. Mueller himself having a lot to answer for.
These and other points are included in Mr. Giuliani's responses in his discussion with Sean Hannity.

The question that would logically arise with such a set of claims is "why would this investigation even be happening in the first place, if it is only guaranteed to lose?"

And this question is what gives lie to the massive conspiracy of the Deep State and various powerful figures such as Bill Browder, the neo-con establishment, and secular humanist liberals, all banded together to stop President Trump at any cost from changing America's headlong plunge into the darkness of the soft tyranny of modern-day liberalism. Russia stands as the one great power in the world that declares with great strength that this group of people is wrong, and therefore, Russia, and anyone who wishes to grant her legitimacy - must be stopped.

A speculative question that next arises is this:

What happens when President Trump gets vindicated?

There is a massive power play in motion here, and the stakes are much higher than anyone cares to admit.


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Star of David

Bret Stephens: Israel's new law is not alarming - just codifies Jewish rights

Philip Weiss
Mondoweiss
Sat, 11 Aug 2018 00:00 UTC
Bret Stephens
© Jason SmithBret Stephens
The new basic law declaring Israel the "nation state of the Jewish people" continues to create problems between Israel and the rest of the world, including many Jews. Notably a devoted British Zionist named Vivien Duffield, who has given tons of money to Israeli projects, announced "I hate Israel" and "My Israel is dead," and averred that the law establishes apartheid. And David Rothkopf, the former editor of Foreign Policy, said the racist law makes it the "duty" of American Jews to oppose Israel, including by boycott.

Such views must be taken on, and Bret Stephens does so in a column - in the New York Times of course - saying that while the law was unnecessary, provocative, and divisive, the press has misreported the law because it does not change anyone's real status in Israel. Alan Dershowitz's line, too.

Here are two ways Stephens is wrong.

Comment: Israel has always been apartheid, now it's just official. Does the law confirm what is wrong or does it confirm what is true...or both?

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Light Sabers

'The war is nearing to an end?': Syrian army starts Anti-Terror operation in the last rebel stronghold


Sputnik
Sun, 12 Aug 2018 00:00 UTC
Syrian War
© Sputnik / Iliya Pitalev
In late July, a military source told Sputnik that the Syrian government forces were preparing for a large-scale offensive in the country's northwestern province of Idlib, which is currently home to "tens of thousands of terrorists," according to Syria's President Bashar Assad.

The Syrian Army has launched a series of shelling attacks on terrorist positions in Idlib province in the country's northeast, according to media reports.

The offensive was preceded by the Syrian military dropping leaflets urging jihadists to lay down arms and accept the government's requests.

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

Netanyahu demands 'total ceasefire' with Hamas after Gaza 'flare-up'


Sputnik
Sun, 12 Aug 2018 17:26 UTC
Palestinians
© Adel Hana/APA shot in the dark.
The remark comes amid a recent uptick in violence, in which the IDF and Hamas militants traded heavy fire across the Gaza border. According to a senior Israeli official, the country doesn't plan to do anything more than restore the status quo that changed in late March with the start of Hamas-led border protests.

The Israeli military will continue its campaign against Gaza's ruling organization Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, as quoted by The Jerusalem Post. "We are in the midst of a campaign against the terror in Gaza. There has been an exchange of blows and this will not end in one blow," Netanyahu said ahead of a cabinet meeting, adding that Israel had one clear demand: "a total cease-fire."

For his part, Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Ze'ev Elkin, who is a member of the high-profile Security Cabinet, said that Israel was not negotiating with Hamas under fire and that all the talks that had been held were between the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority and other envoys. He added that Israel was not planning to do anything more than restore the situation that existed before the latest flare up with Hamas at the end of March.

Comment: Any demands from Netanyahu should receive the same caliber of consideration demands from Palestinians have experienced. See also:

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Attention

Declassified: Cables sent by CIA Director Gina Haspel detail extreme torture of al-Qaeda suspect


RT
Sat, 11 Aug 2018 18:45 UTC
Watertorture
© The Stuff of Life
The extreme torture of a suspected al-Qaeda terrorist, including waterboarding, forced nudity and a "walling technique," have been detailed in newly declassified cables sent by a current CIA director Gina Haspel.

The cables, sent by Haspel to agency headquarters in late 2002, reveal the torture of suspect Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri at the secret US detention facility in Thailand. The CIA believed the Saudi Arabian suspect was involved in the planning of the USS Cole bombing in Yemen in 2000 and believed he knew about other planned attacks.

The cables, most of which were either written or authorised by Haspel, reveal Nashiri's weeks-long interrogation included waterboarding, forced nudity, shackling, being slammed against walls, confined in a small box and enduring mock executions.

Comment: There is no accountability by perpetrators and agencies for torture. There are only victims whose horrific endurances are glossed over for the clueless public and squeamish politicians.

See also: Cables from secret CIA black site read like Haspel's torture journal

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X

Erdogan denies Turkey is crumbling, belittles 'fictional currency plots'


RT
Sat, 11 Aug 2018 20:08 UTC
erdoganmoney
© Erdogan Murad Sezer/Reuters/Citifmonline.com/KJN"What currency crisis? It's a plot!"
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denied that his country is in a currency crisis, insisting that the plunge of the lira is merely a result of what he called "fluctuations."

"Those who can't compete with us on the ground have brought online fictional currency plots that have nothing to do with the realities of our country, production and real economy," Erdogan told a provincial meeting of his AK Party in the town of Rize on Saturday, as quoted by Reuters.

He declined to specifically mention any countries by name, although the comments come amid an ongoing row with the United States and after the Trump administration increased tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum on Friday. "The country is neither crumbling, nor being destroyed or bankrupt or in a crisis," he said, adding that the way out of the "currency plot" was to boost production and "minimize interest rates."

The lira has lost about 40 percent this year alone, largely due to worries about Erdogan's influence over the Turkish economy and his calls for lower interest rates in the face of high inflation and deteriorating ties with the US. The currency hit a new all-time low on Friday. The collapse of the lira led to a plunge on Wall Street on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average sliding 245 points - almost two percent - during early hours of trading.

Comment: See also: Dow down 245 as emerging markets crash on US-Turkey geopolitical concerns

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Hourglass

Erdogan lashes out at the US: Don't worry, 'we'll get new friends!'


RT
Sat, 11 Aug 2018 19:23 UTC
Erdogan
© ReutersPresident Erdogan addresses supporters in Rize, Turkey, August 11, 2018
Washington has "upset" Turkey with its "unilateralism and disrespect," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a rally. He also wrote in the New York Times that Ankara will be forced to look for "new friends and allies."

Speaking to a crowd in his hometown of Rize on Saturday, Erdogan addressed the recent US decision to sanction two Turkish officials over the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been held in Turkey since 2016 over claims that he was linked to the failed coup attempt in July of that same year.
"If the US is turning its back on us...choosing a pastor instead, sorry...we continue our path with decisive steps," Erdogan said, as quoted by Reuters. "This treatment by America of its strategic partner has annoyed us, it has upset us."
Erdogan's speech came after the New York Times published an op-ed by the Turkish president, in which he said the US has
"repeatedly and consistently failed to understand and respect the Turkish people's concerns," adding that "in recent years, our partnership has been tested by disagreements."

Comment: The US-Turkey tug-a-war over Gulen and Brunson has both sides 'digging in heels'. Erdogan has a tradable commodity the US wants and vice-versa. Leverage.

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Jet5

Russian military campaign in Syria (2015-2018) that broke American hegemony in the Middle East (VIDEO)


South Front
Sat, 11 Aug 2018 00:00 UTC
Russia in Syria

INTRODUCTION

The Russian military operation in Syria is nearing the end of its third year. Since 2015, Moscow has been employing its air power, military advisors and diplomatic resources to defeat a multitude of terrorist groups, to support the legitimate Syrian government, and to promote a peaceful dialogue across the country, thereby creating the framework for a diplomatic settlement of the conflict on the international and regional levels.

Russia's capabilities of providing military supplies to Syrian government forces and humanitarian aid to the local population, have both played an important role in establishing Russian forces as an influential and reputable power within Syria, which can play the role of a mediator among various factions on the ground in the war-torn country. In comparison, all other foreign powers involved in the conflict are forced to rely on a limited number of proxy forces, which have often proven to exhibit a harsh attitude toward, and competition with their counterparts and competitors.

On the other hand, this situation puts restrictions on Moscow's actions in some spheres, because it must balance its public and formal positions to push forward the promoted political settlement while pursuing Russia's own national security and political goals simultaneously.
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