Puppet MastersS


Light Sabers

NATO preparing for 'protracted wars' - Pentagon


RT
Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:06 UTC
KHicks
© Alex Wong/Getty ImagesUS Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks
Western defense spending will remain high for years to come to counter Russia and China, a US official has told weapons makers.

The US and its allies are planning to continue ramping up defense spending, which will ensure long-term demand for weapons, US Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told a gathering of arms manufacturers during a NATO event on Tuesday.

Speaking at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum, the official praised NATO members for boosting their military budgets since the initial flare-up of the Ukraine conflict in 2014, and particularly after the open hostilities between Ukraine and Russia erupted in 2022. She said:
"Over the past decade, the average annual increase in spending was 72%, adjusted for inflation. That reversed a period when defense industries across the Atlantic were affected by decades of inconsistent funding and blinkered demand signals. The current thinking is: 'Production matters. Production is deterrence'.

"Western arms manufacturers have the ability 'not just to compete, but to out-compete and prevail' over Russia and other nations that the US considers its rivals, including China, North Korea and Iran.

"That includes ensuring we are prepared for the possibility of protracted war, which every ally must be prepared for - and not just in Europe, either."

Comment: 'Defense' is big business. In order to 'need it' there must be an adversary.

Read More...
Attention

We are NATO. And we're comin' to get ya

Pepe Escobar
Strategic Culture Foundation
Thu, 11 Jul 2024 17:14 UTC
Two Weirdos
© Public Domain
We are the world. We are the people. We are NATO. And we're comin' to get ya - wherever you are, whether you want it or not.

Call it the latest pop iteration of the "rules-based international order" - duly christened at NATO's 75th birthday in D.C.

Well, the Global Majority had already been warned - but brains under techno-feudalism tend to be reduced to mush.

So a gentle reminder is in order. This had already been stated in the first paragraph of the Joint Declaration on EU-NATO Cooperation, issued on January 9, 2023:

"We will further mobilize the combined set of instruments at our disposal, be they political, economic, or military, (italics mine) to pursue our common objectives to the benefit of our one billion citizens."

Correction: barely one million, part of the 0.1% plutocracy. Certainly not one billion.

Cut to the 2024 NATO Summit Declaration - obviously redacted, with stellar mediocrity, by the Americans, with the other 31 assorted vassal members duly assenting.

So here's the main 2024 NATO "strategic" trifecta:
  1. Extra tens of billions of dollars in "assistance" to the upcoming rump Ukraine; the overwhelming majority of these funds will be slushing around the industrial-military money laundering complex.
  2. Forceful imposition of extra military spending on all members.
  3. Massive hyping up of the "China threat".
As for the theme song of the NATO 75 show, there are actually two. Apart from "China Threat" (closing credits), the other one (opening credits) is "Free Ukraine". The lyrics go something like this: it looks like we are at war against Russia in Ukraine, but don't be fooled: NATO is not a participant in the war.

Well, they are even setting up a NATO office in Kiev, but that is just to coordinate production for a Netflix war series.
Read More...
Bad Guys

PM Starmer faces renewed scrutiny over allegations he protected UK's most 'prolific predatory pedophile' Jimmy Savile

Kit Klarenberg
The Grayzone
Sat, 06 Jul 2024 13:55 UTC
jimmy savile keir starmer
© The Grayzone
As the UK's new, MI6-aligned prime minister takes power, questions are resurfacing about how key files on infamous British pedophile Jimmy Savile disappeared under his watch.

In October 2012, a documentary exposed how veteran British media personality Jimmy Savile sexually abused vulnerable, underage girls throughout his lifetime. This led to an eruption of reports of abuse, spanning decades, and official inquiries into multiple institutions to which Savile was linked. Today, the full extent of his crimes, and the total number of his victims, is unknown. It has nonetheless been confirmed that the BBC, NHS, British police, and many journalists had full knowledge of his pedophilic and necrophilic perversions well before his death.

Along the way, there were multiple "missed opportunities" to stop Savile's industrial scale sex crimes. Most substantively, in 2007, police made contact with a number of women who had come forward to testify they were assaulted and raped by Savile, leading to the star being grilled by police about the allegations. That investigation was however shut down, and never publicly acknowledged. Details of how the probe was torpedoed didn't emerge until much later, implicating both investigating officers and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Comment: For more on PM Starmer's sinister past and present, and why it's perhaps no coincidence he has been foisted into power at this time, see:

Read More...
Cardboard Box

Israel's munition shortage worsens as western states impose 'informal boycott'


The Cradle
Tue, 09 Jul 2024 13:22 UTC
Israeli soldier idf
© AFPAn Israeli soldier inspecting artillery shells. Several European countries have stopped responding to Israeli requests to purchase weapons and the raw materials to produce munitions in response to its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel's Ministry of Defense is concerned about a shortage of ammunition after several western countries informally stopped supplying weapons and raw materials to Israel, Calcalist reported on 9 July.

The Israeli business newspaper has learned that arms suppliers from several European countries have stopped responding to Israeli requests. Additionally, a major foreign power other than the US that previously traded with Israel has since 7 October refused to supply Tel Aviv with raw materials to manufacture ammunition.

Calcalist cites a report by the New York Times, which states the Israeli army is facing a shortage of 120 mm tank shells. Tank gunners stationed in Gaza have been warned to preserve shells in case they are needed in Israel's north, where the possibility of a full-scale war against Hezbollah in Lebanon has been growing.

Comment: Unfortunately, it seems Israel has sufficient supplies to continue its genocide in Gaza, and should it find itself short, or it feels its war of terror is threatened, it may be more liable to use the even more destructive weapons - the US and UK continue their covert supply efforts - in addition to its other hybrid warfare tactics.

Read More...
Dollar

Shanghai Cooperation Organization speeding up de-dollarization - Putin


RT
Thu, 04 Jul 2024 08:00 UTC
Money
© Getty Images/shadrin_andrey
Use of national currencies in Russia's settlements with fellow SCO members has exceeded 92%, the president has said.

Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are ramping up settlements in national currencies, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday at the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Founded in 2001, the SCO is an economic and security bloc covering most of Eurasia and accounting for more than 20% of global GDP. The organization includes India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and now Belarus.

Currently, 14 countries, including Egypt as the only African state, hold SCO dialogue-partner status, allowing them to participate in the organization's specialized events at the invitation of its members.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Life Preserver

Putin and Xi expect Ukraine peace talks by end of year - Orban


RT
Wed, 10 Jul 2024 15:53 UTC
Viktor Orban arrives for a NATO summit in Washington DC, July 9, 2024
© AFP / Brendan SmialowskiViktor Orban arrives for a NATO summit in Washington DC, July 9, 2024
The EU should play a leading role in organizing negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, the Hungarian prime minister has said

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has told EU officials that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping foresee peace talks between Russia and Ukraine before the end of 2024, according to documents seen by Spanish newspaper El Pais.

Orban made his claim in a diplomatic cable sent to European Council President Charles Michel and the leaders of EU member states, El Pais reported on Wednesday. According to the newspaper, Orban was asked by several EU leaders to explain his recent meetings with Putin, Xi, and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.

Orban reportedly argued in the document that with American officials preoccupied with the upcoming presidential election, the time was right for "a European initiative" to settle the conflict, which the US could then support.

Comment:
1)
Orban reportedly argued in the document that with American officials preoccupied with the upcoming presidential election, the time was right for "a European initiative" to settle the conflict, which the US could then support.
Perhaps Victor Orban watched the debate between Trump and Biden and thought that after the election in the US in November, there will be more peace favouring in the White House, but given how deeply seated the Democrats are in the US power structure that is not a certainty. His initiative is an expression that the US and the EU do not really have the same interests in continuing to support the conflict.

2)
Given the scale of Ukraine's losses on the battlefield, he added, Putin is "surprised" that Kiev outright rejected Orban's proposal of a "quick ceasefire" aimed at speeding up peace negotiations.
Does Kiev even have the authority to accept or reject any proposal that could speed up the end of the conflict in Ukraine? As much as Zelensky argued for peace before being elected, see this video:

he now keeps talking about the necessity of more weapons and more money, to the extent that his response was not surprising, but it is diplomatically more correct of Putin to express himself as he does. It is a way of keeping the possibility of negotiations open.

If "Kiev" in the above quote is replaced with "West", is it surprising that the idea of a ceasefire and negotiations is turned down?

Judging from the latest EU parliamentary election results, a significant majority of citizens support parties that want spending in Ukraine and preparations for more conflict. Orban is doing the people in the EU that do not support more war a favour. He gives them hope, and sets an example which apparently includes the risk of Hungary or Orban being removed from the EU Presidency for trying.

Read More...
Revolver

NATO member to fight 'pro-war propaganda' - official


RT
Mon, 08 Jul 2024 17:49 UTC
FILE PHOTO: Head of Hungarian Prime Minister's Office, Gergely Gulyas
© AFP / Attila KisbenedekFILE PHOTO: Head of Hungarian Prime Minister's Office, Gergely Gulyas
Budapest wants media financing. to be "transparent" as part of its "anti-war action plan," said Gergely Gulyas

Hungary is set to introduce a new "anti-war action plan" which will include measures aimed at countering "war propaganda," Gergely Gulyas, the head of the Hungarian Prime Minister's Office, announced at a press conference on Monday.

Under the plan, any political forces or media outlets accused of promoting belligerent policies would be required to reveal their funding sources. The goal is "full transparency," Gulyas said. The measure is primarily aimed at the media, the nation's news outlets reported, noting that political parties in Hungary are already legally barred from receiving funds from abroad.

Comment:
1)
"Hungary would like to be in contact with any country that can contribute to peace". That would not involve many countries in the Western sphere of influence.

2)
When asked if "foreign funding" included money coming from within the EU, Gulyas said that the measure would be focused on financing coming from outside the bloc. He argued, however, that the EU itself is dominated by "war propaganda" focused on the ongoing conflict between Kiev and Moscow.
From outside the bloc could be countries like the US, and the UK.

3) The move from Hungary comes after the visits of Victor Orban. 4) On SOTT, there are many articles about propaganda. The numbers below are from 2022 but they give an idea.

Search: Propaganda
Title: 1538 articles
Summary: 3707 articles
Text: 11185 articles
Comment: 2611 articles
Title and summary: 536 articles
Title, summary, and text: 372 articles,
Two examples:
On Covid-19 and beyond, Western democracies are deploying military-grade propaganda to fight dissent In this case some Western democracies oppose dissent from the demanded support for more war efforts in Ukraine, increased military spending, and more US bases in Europe
Meta claims US military link to pro-US online propaganda on Facebook

Read More...
Yoda

UK: JK Rowling launches a fresh attack as Keir Starmer appoints TWO women and equalities ministers

Greg Heffer
The Daily Mail
Wed, 10 Jul 2024 19:40 UTC
Bridget Phillipson Anneliese Dodds
© Anadolu/Getty ; ReutersDowning Street revealed both Bridget Phillipson (L) and Anneliese Dodds (R) would hold the title of women and equalities minister in the new Government
One thinks trans women with penises can use female loos and another who said there are 'different legal definitions' for 'a woman'

JK Rowling launched a fresh attack on Labour as Sir Keir Starmer appointed two women and equalities ministers to sit around his Cabinet table.

In a surprise move, Downing Street revealed both Bridget Phillipson and Anneliese Dodds would hold the title in the new Government. It led to confusion about who would ultimately be in charge of fulfilling Labour's pre-election promise to 'simplify' the process for trans people to legally change gender.

Rowling this morning questioned the choice of Ms Dodds for the role, having previously clashed with Ms Phillipson over Labour's stance on transgender issues.

Comment: Heaven bless J.K. Rowling for continuing to defend women as women though over the years it has cost her and her family and friends dearly. Still she has her supporters and they are growing in number.

Read More...
Dollars

Sanctions will eventually end dollar dominance - Russian tycoon


RT
Thu, 04 Jul 2024 20:14 UTC
Andrey
© Valeriy Levitin/SputnikAndrey Melnichenko
A new multipolar order is in the making, EuroChem founder Andrey Melnichenko told Tucker Carlson.

US sanctions policies will eventually result in the dollar losing its longstanding dominance in the global economy, the founder of fertilizer producer EuroChem, Andrey Melnichenko, has told American journalist Tucker Carlson.

In a nearly two-hour interview published on Carlson's YouTube channel on Wednesday, the two talked on a range of matters, including the Western sanctions imposed against the businessman over the Ukraine conflict.

Melnichenko, who founded EuroChem and coal-producing company SUEK two decades ago, was placed on the US and EU sanctions list in 2022, along with his wife. He was also blacklisted by other Western countries, including the UK and Switzerland.

Talking about the sanctions, Melnichenko said that he considers himself "collateral damage of the bigger conflict."


Comment: Melnichenko offers level-headed perspective to the range of Carlson's questions.

Read More...
Hiliter

Major Russia-Iran treaty remains on track - president-elect


RT
Mon, 08 Jul 2024 12:37 UTC
Pezeshkian
© Majid Saeedi/Getty ImagesMasoud Pezeshkian during a campaign rally.
The finalization of the cooperation agreement was paused due to death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last May.

Iranian President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian has told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that a stalled comprehensive cooperation treaty between the two nations will soon be signed, according to local media.

The proposed deal was intended to bolster bilateral relations but progress was paused after Pezeshkian's predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, was killed in a helicopter crash in May. The incoming leader of the Iranian government, who was elected last week, promised progress on Monday after Putin called to congratulate him on his victory.

The new government will follow up on the work done by Raisi's cabinet, the president-elect told Putin, as reported by ISNA news agency on Tuesday. He expects the finalized treaty to be signed on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, which Russia will host in Kazan in October. BRICS is a group of non-Western economies that promote a new multipolar world order.
Read More...