Puppet MastersS


Arrow Down

Hungarian FM: Sanctions on Russia don't work

David Reid, Geoff Cutmore
CNBC
Wed, 04 Oct 2017 20:25 UTC
Peter Szijjarto
Hungary's minister of foreign affairs and trade told CNBC Wednesday that European Union sanctions placed on Russia aren't hurting Vladimir Putin's regime.

Both the European Union and the United States have imposed penalties on Russia, citing interference in the 2016 U.S. election, human rights violations, the annexation of Crimea and the alleged destabilization of eastern Ukraine.

Speaking at the Russian Energy Week in Moscow, Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said if people looked at the situation rationally then it's clear sanctions are failing to hurt Russia.

"You see that neither the political nor the economy goals that have been attached to the sanctions by the European Union have been successful," he said.

"They were totally unsuccessful because Russia is not on its knees economically, but also because there have been many harms to our own economies and, politically speaking, we have had no real forward progress regarding the Minsk agreement."

Comment: He's right: Economic sanctions against Russia flop: First comprehensive study shows they hit EU much harder. You'd think Washington policymakers sat around trying to come up with the ideas with the least chance of success. In that regard, they're a total success.

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Arrow Up

Bloomberg admits Putin is winning in Syria, has "made Russia a factor in the Middle East"

Henry Meyer and Donna Abu-Nasr
Bloomberg
Tue, 03 Oct 2017 19:58 UTC
Rasistički govor o manjinama kojeg Putin nikada nije izgovorio
The Israelis and Turks, the Egyptians and Jordanians -- they're all beating a path to the Kremlin in the hope that Vladimir Putin, the new master of the Middle East, can secure their interests and fix their problems.

The latest in line is Saudi King Salman, who on Wednesday is due to become the first monarch of the oil-rich kingdom to visit Moscow. At the top of his agenda will be reining in Iran, a close Russian ally seen as a deadly foe by most Gulf Arab states.

Until very recently, Washington stood alone as the go-to destination for such leaders. Right now, American power in the region is perceptibly in retreat -- testimony to the success of Russia's military intervention in Syria, which shored up President Bashar al-Assad after years of U.S. insistence that he must go.

"It changed the reality, the balance of power on the ground," said Dennis Ross, who was America's chief Mideast peace negotiator and advised several presidents from George H. W. Bush to Barack Obama. "Putin has succeeded in making Russia a factor in the Middle East. That's why you see a constant stream of Middle Eastern visitors going to Moscow."

Comment: About time.

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Pirates

Moscow says ISIS attacked Syrian troops from U.S.-controlled territory, used sophisticated data


RT
Wed, 04 Oct 2017 19:52 UTC
ISIS soldiers
© Medyan Dairieh / Global Look Press
A series of recent Islamic State attacks against Syrian forces used sophisticated intelligence and originated from a US-controlled area near al-Tanf on the Syria-Jordan border, Russia's Defense Ministry said.

"We have repeatedly pointed out that the major obstacle to the complete elimination of IS (Islamic State, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Syria lies not in the fighting capability of the terrorists but [in the fact] that American colleagues are supporting them and are 'flirting' with them," the Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov, said in a statement.

He went on to say that the successful advances of the Syrian Army, supported by the Russian Air Force, as well as the "rapid liberation"of the Euphrates Valley from Islamic State are "apparently at odds with the plans of US colleagues."

The ministry's spokesman then said that the recent well-coordinated actions of the terrorists indicate that they possess intelligence data that can only be obtained as a result of air reconnaissance. He noted that all the terrorist attacks originated from the same US-controlled area.

Comment: The Pentagon has predictably denied the allegations:
"Coalition forces remain focused on the defeat of ISIS [Daesh]. Any suggestion that US forces or our Coalition partners work with terrorist groups is baseless and unhelpful to the operation to defeat ISIS," Rankine-Galloway said.
Sorry if anyone with a brain, and a memory that goes back further than 24 hours, doesn't believe you, Mr. Rankine-Galloway.

See also: Putin calls global community to abandon double standards in war on terror as other officials accuse U.S. of collaborating with ISIS

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Arrow Down

New study bolsters Trump claim that the media is hugely biased against him

Jack Heretik
The Washington Free Beacon
Wed, 04 Oct 2017 19:50 UTC
Trump SCourt
© nasdaq.com/The Hill
A new study released Monday found that most of the media's coverage of the Trump administration has been negative, bolstering President Donald Trump's claims that the press is biased against him.

The Pew Research Center conducted the study on media coverage of the Trump presidency and showed in a content analysis that 62 percent of the coverage was negative, while only five percent was positive, NBC News reports.

Trump's predecessor in the White House, Barack Obama, was treated very differently by the media in the early stages of his presidency, according to the study. In early 2009, 42 percent of Obama's coverage was positive and only 20 percent was negative.
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Pirates

The unholy SDF/Daesh alliance, consecrated by the U.S.

Sarah Abed
The Rabbit Hole
Tue, 03 Oct 2017 19:37 UTC
Kurdish terrorist
© Haidar Sumeri on TwitterInfamous Kurdish terrorist, "Abu Aisha Al-Kurdi", carried out a suicide bombing vs. #Iraq's army west of Makhmur.
After six years of death and destruction which resulted from a carefully calculated and executed invasion and staged war against the sovereign country of Syria, a sense of normalcy is returning to most parts of the country. Many civilians have returned to their homes in government-held areas, and are living as normal a life as possible, given the fact that they are still under the threat of attack by one of the many terrorist factions embedded in the country.

Although the Syrian government and people in every sector are trying to repair and rebuild what the West and their allies have destroyed, the fact remains that Syria is still involved in an ongoing, internationally imported, and unjustly imposed war.

In a last-ditch effort to continue the war in Syria and destroy all of the progress that has been made to return stability to the country, the United States is combining its 'on the ground' terrorist proxies to create a formidable force against the Syrian Arab Army and its allies. Testimonies, pictures, investigations, and confessions have all brought to light a claim that cooperation between the SDF and other terrorist factions exists in Syria, which has been previously stated by myself and others that are following the Syrian conflict closely. Although reputable sources have proven that these unorthodox partnerships exist, these statements have been mostly ignored by the international community. In previous articles, I have brought attention to these alliances, here is one such article.

Comment: The Russians have been doubling down on their statements tying the U.S. and SDF to ISIS: Putin calls global community to abandon double standards in war on terror. Are the gloves coming off, one finger at a time?

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Snakes in Suits

Erdogan, Rouhani meeting offers a united front against Kurdish secessionists

Adam Garrie
The Duran
Wed, 04 Oct 2017 17:08 UTC
Rouhani Erdogan
© Times of IsraelRouhani and Erdogan in Tehran
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has just concluded a press conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Both leaders stated that they are firmly committed to the territorial unity of Iraq and also Syria, in the wake of the unilateral secessionist referendum in northern Iraq. While Rouhani called regional Kurds "brothers", each said that dialogue with legitimate central governments is the only way forward, thus echoing calls of the wider international community, with the exception of Israel whose leaders support Kurdish secession.

Both Presidents also affirmed their commitment to expand growing economic ties, while speaking positively about the Astana peace process for Syria in which Russia, Iran and Turkey have worked jointly to create de-escalation zones in Syria, each of which has also been approved by the Syrian government.


Comment: Turkey's loyalties and alliances have shifted with the sands over the past few years rollicking from one heady crisis to another. Has Erdogan finally found his footing and usefulness by pivoting to Russia and Iran? If so, he may have become a better leader than his previous track record would indicate, and valued as such.

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Whistle

Tillerson debunks claims he threatened to resign as 'petty nonsense'


RT
Wed, 04 Oct 2017 15:52 UTC
RexTill
© Newsweek"Never!"
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters he had "never considered leaving" his post and described the story about friction between him and President Donald Trump as "erroneous" and "petty nonsense."

"The vice president has never had to persuade me to remain as secretary of State because I have never considered leaving," Tillerson said Wednesday morning, addressing the press at the State Department after an NBC News story accused him of calling Trump a "moron" and threatening to resign earlier this year, only to be talked out of it by Vice President Mike Pence.

The NBC story was "fake news" and was "totally refuted" by Tillerson and Pence, Trump tweeted shortly after the State Department press event, calling for the network to apologize "to America."


Comment: Must have been a slow headline day?

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Attention

Masoud Barzani's miscalculation amounts to political suicide, pushes Kurdistan into the abyss

Martin Jay
RT
Wed, 04 Oct 2017 12:45 UTC
Barzani
© Azad Lashkari / ReutersIraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani
Corruption, dirty politics and betrayal by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has led to Iran and Turkey becoming a tad closer over the political suicide of President Barzani. Will the Kurdistan leader take his own country down with him?

There could never be a more fitting adage to describe the President of Iraqi Kurdistan Massoud Barzani's recent move in Iraqi Kurdistan than Charlotte Bronte's apt quote: "give a man enough rope and he will hang himself."

Barzani's capricious, if not reckless move to plow ahead with a referendum - in an erroneous bid to galvanize more political support for himself - is likely to backfire on a grand scale. Certainly, he has whipped up a plethora of feel-good nationalism as the Kurds' dream of an independent state was stoked following the demise of ISIS in the region.

But how long will that euphoria last if Iran and Turkey - the two key players who have both Kurdistan's and Barzani's fate in their hands - agree to a blockade? While the Kurdistan quandary helps to bring these two countries slightly closer, the prospect of Kurdistan's oil lifeline being closed becomes a stark reality as the clock ticks.

Comment: See also:

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Rocket

Putin: A strike launched on N Korea possible, but outcome uncertain


RT
Wed, 04 Oct 2017 12:11 UTC
Putin
© Sputnik News/KJN
A global strike to disarm North Korea would be possible, yet its outcome uncertain, as it is a "closed state," Russian President Vladimir Putin stated.

"Let us speak to the point, after all - can someone launch a global disarming strike? Indeed. Will it reach its targets? It's unclear because no one knows for sure what is where," Putin said while addressing the 2017 International Forum on Energy Efficiency on Wednesday. He added there is no "100 percent knowledge" about North Korea's objects as it is "a closed country."

Meanwhile, Putin said, coercive rhetoric against Pyongyang and attempts "to speak from a position of strength" only give more power to the North Korean leadership. The Russian leader urged all sides to cool down their rhetoric and engage in dialogue.

"All sides must ease rhetoric and find ways for face-to-face dialogue between the United States and North Korea, as well as between North Korea and countries in the region," he said. "Only this would help find balanced and reasonable decisions. At any rate, it is not my cup of tea to define and assess policies of the United States president," Putin added.

The president stated that Russia cannot remain mute to the Korean crisis as it has a border with North Korea. "We have a shared border and the Korean nuclear testing range lies 200km away from the Russian border," he added.

Comment: A country perceiving itself to be backed into a corner is a danger to all. It must have options and a way forward to come to resolution. And therein lies the difference in Russian and American diplomacy.

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Magnet

US will stay in Afghanistan indefinitely, so say Pentagon chiefs


RT
Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:54 UTC
Dunford Mattis
© Press TVGenerals Dunford and Mattis
Despite the $12.5 billion annual price tag for US involvement in Afghanistan, the US will continue its longest war indefinitely so that the Taliban don't think they can "wait us out," top Pentagon officials told Congress.

A bolstered offensive against the Taliban will drive the insurgents to a reconciliation that will end the war, US Defense Secretary James Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, testifying alongside Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford.

Previously, the Taliban had a timetable for the US leaving and it motivated them to fight, but they don't have such a timetable anymore, Dunford said, explaining the new administration's strategy to skeptical senators.

"We want them to have no hope of ever winning," Mattis said.

Many lawmakers at the hearing seemed to have lost hope for the US ever winning the 16-year war, the longest in American history, as they repeatedly asked if it was even winnable.

"Yes," Dunford replied.

"We're at a stalemate," Mattis acknowledged. "We're not at a point where we can bring an effective political solution to the war."

Comment: Clever strategy: stay forever. Given an admitted stalemate and no political solution to the war, the logical thing is...spend another $700 billion and put more lives in jeopardy.

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