© Real VisionWilliam White is the ex-chief economist for the Bank for International Settlements
The world financial system is as dangerously stretched today as it was at the peak of the last bubble but this time the
authorities are caught in a 'policy trap' with few defences left, a veteran central banker has warned.
Nine years of emergency money has had a string of perverse effects and lured emerging markets into debt dependency, without addressing the structural causes of the global disorder.
"All the market indicators right now look very similar to what we saw before the Lehman crisis, but the lesson has somehow been forgotten," said William White, the Swiss-based head of the OECD's review board and ex-chief economist for the Bank for International Settlements.
"The roundups are getting worse. The checkpoints are getting worse. The harassment is getting worse. The things we were worried would happen are happening."-Angus Johnston, professor at the City University of New York
No one is safe.
No one is immune.
No one gets spared the anguish, fear and heartache of living under the shadow of an authoritarian police state.
That's the message being broadcast 24/7 to the citizens and residents of the American police state with every new piece of government propaganda, every new law that criminalizes otherwise lawful activity, every new policeman on the beat, every new surveillance camera casting a watchful eye, every sensationalist news story that titillates and distracts, every new prison or detention center built to house troublemakers and other undesirables, every new court ruling that gives government agents a green light to strip and steal and rape and ravage the citizenry, every school that opts to indoctrinate rather than educate, and every new justification for why Americans should comply with the government's attempts to trample the Constitution underfoot.
Here in Amerika, things are getting worse-not better-as the nation inches ever closer towards totalitarianism, that goose-stepping form of tyranny in which the government has all of the power and "we the people" have none.Take
what happened recently in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
File photo of a US drone
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Sir Isaac Newton called it his Third Law of Motion.
The CIA calls it "
blowback."
As the late historian of empire and one-time consultant to the CIA, Chalmers Johnson,
explained in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, blowback is "a metaphor for the unintended consequences of the U.S. government's international activities that have been kept secret from the American people."
Time and again, the United States and its allies have intervened in a faraway conflict, typically in the Muslim-majority Middle East; they've dropped some bombs, killed some "bad guys," and then declared "mission accomplished." Time and again, these interventions have ended up resulting in bloodshed and conflict later down the line - often on U.S. or Western soil. "Historical data show a strong correlation between U.S. involvement in international situations and an increase in terrorist attacks against the United States," the Pentagon's Defense Science Board
observed back in 1997.
Comment: For Mehdi Hasan's first video of the 'Blowback' series, please visit
The Intercept article.
Regarding Hasan's examples, it is true that there is such a thing as blowback. However, it is also possible that in some cases the blowback itself was part of the desired and calculated effect. After all, it is hard to make war when everyone is your friend.
Finian Cunningham
SputnikTue, 23 Jan 2018 17:25 UTC
© REUTERS/ Ints Kalnins
The United States and its NATO allies are facing an existential threat. But the threat has nothing to do with Russia, China, or any other external "enemy" for that matter.
The West's own worst enemy is itself. Or more precisely, the intellectual bankruptcy of its political and military leaders and their dominant public discourse.
This week Nobel literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa
reportedly condemned the US for descending into "political and intellectual poverty." He said:
"The consequences are predictable: China and Russia are taking the positions that the US is withdrawing from, gaining political and economic influence."Perhaps the clearest expression of Western intellectual impoverishment and dishonesty is the relentless Russophobia touted by American and European politicians, military leaders, think-tanks and mainstream corporate news media.
Alexander Mercouris
The DuranTue, 23 Jan 2018 17:05 UTC
Local citizens wave Kurdish and American flags during the Kurdish regional government new year's celebration in Dahuk. The celebration was witnessed by Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, the 1st Armored Division and Task Force Iron commander and other military leaders.
On 6th October 2017 I wrote a lengthy
article for The Duran in which I said that the US's two previous plans in Syria having failed - Plan A being regime change through US backing of violent Jihadi groups, Plan B being the attempt to set up an anti Assad 'Sunnistan' in eastern Syria - the US was resorting to Plan C, which was to establish a US backed Kurdish protectorate in northern Syria, so as to undermine the Syrian government from within.
In that
article I outlined in detail how that was being done, with the massive supply of arms to the YPG, the Kurdish militia in northern Syria, and through the permanent deployment of US troops in the Kurdish controlled regions of northern Syria.
US President Donald Trump has hailed the end of the government shutdown as a "big win" for Republicans.
The Democratic leadership agreed to back the bill after accepting promises from Republicans for a debate later on the future of young illegal immigrants.
Mr Trump said the Democrats "caved" as he signed a bill to end the three-day shutdown.
But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said: "The great deal-making president sat on the sidelines."
Thousands of federal employees who had been placed on temporary, unpaid leave since Saturday prepared to return to work.
RTTue, 23 Jan 2018 16:58 UTC
© Reuters
Moscow is in negotiations to sell its "unique" S-400 air defense systems to Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian states, the Russian defense minister said. The talks follow a recent deal between Russia and Turkey.
The "unsurpassed performance capabilities" of the S-400 lie at the heart of Ankara's decision to purchase the Russian-made systems, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said during his tour of the Southeast Asian countries."Other countries have also expressed their interest in purchasing the S-400 complexes, including states in the Middle East and Southeast Asia," Shoigu said on Thursday, adding that "the relevant negotiation work is currently underway."
Two of the "unique" S-400 missile complexes have been deployed in Syria to ensure security at the Russian Khmeimim Airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia, and the maritime facility located in Tartus, according to the minister.
He also stressed that nearly all negotiations with foreign counterparts touch upon purchasing Russian weapons.Turkey's decision to strike an S-400 deal with Russia has sparked concern among Ankara's NATO allies and Washington in particular. In July, while the deal was still being negotiated, American military officials
said Turkey purchasing S-400s would be worrying. However, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
said that it is Turkey's "national decision."
© Fox NewsPeter Strzok and Lisa Page
According to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, 50,000 text messages were exchanged between Peter Strzok and his mistress Lisa Page. These 50,000 text messages do not include the 'missing' texts.
Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) said after reviewing the new text messages he believes there may have been a "secret society" of folks within the DOJ and FBI working against Trump.Fox News
reports:
More than 50,000 texts were exchanged between two FBI officials who have come under fire for exchanging anti-Trump messages during the 2016 election, Attorney General Jeff Sessions revealed Monday.
The figure surfaced as lawmakers have been pressing for answers after revelations that the FBI "failed to preserve" five months of texts between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.
"We will leave no stone unturned to confirm with certainty why these text messages are not now available to be produced and will use every technology available to determine whether the missing messages are recoverable from another source," Sessions said in a statement provided to Fox News. "If we are successful, we will update the congressional committees immediately."
"After reviewing the voluminous records on the FBI's servers, which included over 50,000 texts, the Inspector General discovered the FBI's system failed to retain text messages for approximately 5 months between December 14, 2017 to May 17, 2017," Sessions said.
The '50,000' number does not include the 'missing' text messages, according to Fox News.
Matteo Salvini
For years Italy's Northern League kept to itself, being focused on secession rather than reform from within. That change began last year with their non-binding referenda to petition Rome for more fiscal autonomy. But, as the Italian parliamentary elections come into view, the Northern League is playing politics.
And doing it well.
Having made a coalition with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and two smaller center-right parties, the Leag Norda (Northern League) is now in a great position to win the election. It's leader, Matteo Salvini has wholly embraced populism and is now in open opposition to Europe as a whole. From a report
at Breitbart:
Comment: Many EU countries are seeing a rise in parties against mass migration and suffocating, centralised bureaucracy so the Eurocrats have a real problem on their hands:
© Ahmad Abdo/Agence France-PresseUS presidential envoy Brett McGurk
The denial expressed on 17 January by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson concerning the declarations of the commander-in-chief of CentCom, General Joseph Votel, on 23 December, and of the spokesman of the anti-Daesh Coalition, Colonel Thomas Veale, on 13 January, has sowed confusion.
The denial did not satisfy Turkey who, after having warned the US Chargé d'Affaires, Philip Kosnett, on the 10 January, and on 13 January, began preparing military operations in Afrine and Manbij, effectively launched them on 20 January.
Contrary to the declarations proffered by various participants,
the US programme was not intended to create a sovereign, independent State in the North of Syria - that is the French plan -
but a non-recognised State, like the Puntland State of Somalia or the Iraqi Kurdistan. The latter structure is absolutely independent, and despite the Iraqi Constitution, does not respond to orders from Iraq, of which it is nonetheless a part. Iraqi Kurdistan also has its own embassies abroad.
The Syrian Border Security Force should officially be composed of 30,000 men, half of whom should be ex-Democratic Syrian Forces. These combatants should receive three weeks of training in interrogation techniques and biometric scanning. 230 cadets have already followed this course.
In practice, the other half should be composed of 15,000 ex-jihadists from Daesh who would thus be discretely recycled.
Comment: It's the State Department/Pentagon conflict from the Obama admin all over again, it seems. See SOTT's discussion of the dynamics behind the recent Turkish op in Syria here:
Behind the Headlines: Turkey Launches Military Operation Against Syrian Kurdish 'Rebels'Meanwhile, here's what's been going on in northern Syria since yesterday: the UN is
preparing a large-scale humanitarian operation for Afrin. Despite claims from Kurdish sources of multiple Turkish casualties, the Turks announced they experienced their
first combat death yesterday: a serviceman was killed in Gulbaba village in Kilis province. A
second soldier was reportedly killed today. The Turkish opposition party CHP expressed their
support for the military operation, calling it "inevitable".
The SDF
countered the Turks' claim to have progressed 8 km into Syrian territory, saying it's "fake news". YPG say they drove Turkish-backed FSA forces
out of Bulbul, close to the border with Turkey. Sputnik has shared
photos of FSA fighters in Afrin. After
capturing the al-Sheikh Khurz hill near Afrin city (along with capturing several Kurdish fighters). YPG reportedly conducted a counteroffensive, retaking the hill.
Turkish FM Cavusoglu said he believes the future of relations with the U.S. will
depend on how the U.S. deals with the current situation. The U.S.,
via Tillerson, says they are "engaged with Turkey" on the operation, asking both sides to "show restraint" and "minimize the impact on civilian casualties". The U.S. wants to "work together to address Turkey's legitimate security concerns in a way that's satisfactory to Turkey". Meanwhile,
Mattis "urged restraint", saying the Turkish op "distracts from the international effort to defeat Daesh".
Moon of Alabama shared these two gems today:
The delusions the Syrian YPG/PKK Kurds have of their position is truly amazing:
[Sinam Mohamad, a senior official in the YPG-backed Syrian Kurdish administration in northern Syria and] currently in Washington with fellow Syrian Kurdish representative Nobahar Mustafa, said the Syrian Kurdish people expected the United States to declare a no-fly zone over the Kurdish-controlled north, "including Afrin." Mustafa, who was present at the interview, concurred that Afrin "presents a very real and immediate test of US commitment to their Kurdish partners." The United States "must and can stop Turkey," Mustafa said.
That statement is a real head scratcher. The main U.S. operation base in the area is the NATO airbase Incerlik in Turkey. Should the U.S. fly its jets from Incerlik to fight off the Turkish jets over Afrin which also take off from Incerlik? And what about Syrian and Russian air defenses that cover the area? Do the Kurds expect the U.S. to start World War III over their inability to compromise with the Syrian government?
---
Is this diplomatic artistry or are these helpless gestures?
U.S. allied Turkish forces invade Syria to kill and "cleanse" U.S. allied Syrian YPG/PKK Kurds in Afrin. The Trump administration immediately steps in to assure the respective allies of its continued support:
- Today the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, the U.S. diplomat Rose Gottemoeller, visited Ankara to tell the Turkish allies that everything is fine. The U.S. will stand with them.
- Today Commander of U.S. Central Command General Votel and U.S. Diplomat Brett McGurk visited Kobane to tell their Syrian YPG/PKK allies that everything is fine. The U.S. will stand with them.
The U.S. also called on 'both sides for restraint' after Turkey attacks Afrin.
My hunch is that despite these visits neither the Turks nor the Kurds were happy with their U.S. allies.
Comment: See also: World Bank report: Global economy set for a decade of gloom