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Why Iranians should be thankful for Trump

Andrew Korybko
Katehon
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 19:58 UTC
iran
It probably sounds illogical the first time that someone hears it, but Iran should truly be thankful for Trump, and precisely for the fact that he's slated to be so anti-Iranian. The logic is simple enough - the US never intended to fully normalize relations with the Islamic Republic and has always remained committed to destabilizing the country, it's just that Obama sought to go about it in a fundamentally new way by tricking the Iranian masses with the nuclear deal (just as he did the Arab masses with his disingenuous 2009 Cairo speech) in anticipation of an accelerated asymmetrical war against their leadership.

Trump, however, is a "straight shooter" that doesn't deign to such deceptions and says things just as directly as Reagan and Bush did, (international) "political/diplomatic correctness" be damned. Iranians should be thankful that Trump is revealing what America's intentions have been all along because this signals to their leadership that they must continue taking preemptive action in mitigating these imminently more intense threats and shouldn't ever let their guard down again like some of the elite did over the past couple of years.

The Western-friendly "moderates" represented by Rouhani were lured by the promises of an economic-strategic partnership with the US, particularly one which Washington hinted could be used to "balance" an "out of control" Saudi Arabia, while the "conservatives" led by the Ayatollah and the nation's influential security forces knew better than to fall for such a ruse and have consistently remained cautious - if not outright opposed - to the US-Iranian rapprochement.
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Bad Guys

Do or die: Syrian opposition militants prepare to break through Aleppo siege


Sputnik
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 20:47 UTC
smoke in battle for Aleppo
© REUTERS/ Omar Sanadiki
Militants in eastern Aleppo will attempt to break through the siege in near future, a senior Syrian opposition figure said Tuesday.

Aleppo militants refuse to surrender to Syrian government forces, Samir Nashar, member of National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces told RIA Novosti. "Militants apparently have supplies, and they are counting on them. They are likely to make new attempts to break through the siege soon," Nashar said.

Comment: Sounds like a last gasp effort for the militants since they refuse to surrender.

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Airplane

Trump blasts Boeing's Air Force One contract: 'Cancel order!'

Andrea Shalal and Amy Tennery
Reuters
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 20:21 UTC
Air Force One jet
© Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump urged the government on Tuesday to cancel an order with Boeing Co for a revamped Air Force One - one of the most prominent symbols of the U.S. presidency - saying costs were out of control.

It was the latest example of Trump using his podium, often via brief Twitter messages, to rattle companies and foreign countries as he seeks to shake up business as usual in Washington. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, took aim at what he called cost overruns even though the plane is only in development stages.

"Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!" Trump said on Twitter. It was not immediately clear what prompted the timing of his complaint.

Comment: This is another hit on Boeing after the Iran deal was blocked: Job creation not important? US House Republicans halt commercial airline deals with Iran approved by Obama administration

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Network

Putin calls Maduro to discuss strategic bilateral cooperation, global oil market situation


Sputnik
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 20:39 UTC
putin maduro
© Sputnik/ Alexei Druzhinin
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro discussed in phone talks the situation on the global oil market as well as issues of bilateral strategic cooperation, the Kremlin said.

The presidents talked by phone on Tuesday, discussing implementation of joint projects in trade, energy and other economy sectors and deal on slashing down oil output.

"The sides discussed current issues of Russia-Venezuela strategic cooperation, including the implementation of joint projects in trade, energy and other economy sectors," the Kremlin press service said in a statement.

"The leaders also exchanged opinions on the situation on the global oil market in the context of the agreement on reduction of oil production coordinated by the OPEC and the upcoming meeting of energy ministers of OPEC and non-OPEC oil producing countries in Vienna on December 10," the statement said.
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Snakes in Suits

Chosen Leaders, Proven Failures and Political Debacles: The Oligarchical Process and Identity Politics

Prof. James Petras
Global Research
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00 UTC
us empire
With a few notable exceptions, political leaders are chosen by political leaders, and not by electorates or community-based organizations or popular assemblies. Popular media figures and the so-called 'pundits', including academics and self-declared experts and 'think-tank' analysts reinforce and propagate these choices.

A collection of terms and pseudo concepts are essential in validating what is really an oligarchical process. These concepts are tagged onto whoever is chosen by the elite for electoral candidates or for the seizure of political power. With this framework in mind, we have to critically analyze the symbols and signs used by popular opinion-makers as they promote political elites. We will conclude by posing an alternative to the 'propaganda of choice', which has so far resulted in broken pre-election promises and political debacles.

Language and Pseudo-Concepts: Subterfuges for Manipulated Choices

The usual suspects in the business of mass-manipulation describe their political leaders in the same folksy or pseudo-serious terms that they attribute to themselves: Experts/ intuitive improvisers/ trial and error 'muddlers'. The 'experts' often mean wrong-headed policymakers and advisers whose decisions usually reflect the demands of their current paymasters. Their stated or unstated assumptions are rarely questioned and almost never placed in the context of the contemporary power structures. The experts determine the future trajectory for their political choices. In this way, the views expressed by 'experts' are primarily ideological and not some disembodied scholarly entity floating in an indeterminate space and time.

Comment: The putrefying con job that is much of Western politics and its sycophantic politicians is now being laid bare for all to see.

Again it comes down to this: "The question is not about one's race or identity, but whose interests are served..."

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Bulb

Russia and China defeat US attempt to save jihadis in Aleppo

Alexander Mercouris
The Duran
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 20:25 UTC
un resolution
Confirmation that the US has backtracked on its own proposal to withdraw Jihadi fighters from Aleppo comes just hours after a vote in the UN Security Council in which China joined Russia to veto a Western backed Resolution which would have imposed a 7 day ceasefire on the fighting in Aleppo.

It is clear from the UN Press Office's summary of the discussion in the UN Security Council that the ceasefire, though initially for just 7 days, would have been subject to further extensions thereafter.

Moreover, though it seems the Resolution specifically referred to Aleppo, the ceasefire was intended to be more all-encompassing, and would have extended to every part of Syria, though groups specifically designated 'terrorist groups' - ie. ISIS and Al-Qaeda's local branch Jabhat Al-Nusra - would have been excluded from it.

A few days ago I suggested that the latest US diplomatic initiatives - including the proposals made to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov a few days ago in Geneva by US Secretary of State Kerry - were intended to delay the fall of the Jihadi pocket in eastern Aleppo until after US President Obama quit the US Presidency in January.
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Magnify

Pat Buchanan, well known for his anti-Russian stance: Russian 'fake news' meme is a load of bunk

Dean Parker
Russia Insider
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 20:09 UTC
reagan pat buchanan
Who knew Reagan's speeches were written by a Chekist
When it comes to the strength of their Cold War convictions Pat Buchanan is up there in the highest echelons, up with Harry S. Trumam, the butcher of Pyongyang and Rocky Balboa, the vanquisher of Ivan Drago. There are few men who detested "the evil empire" more than this speechwriter for Nixon and Reagan and supporter of the Vietnam War. So with the Russian propaganda brouhaha this Russkie-hating national treasure of a man has of course proclaimed Moscow is obviously back to its old Soviet tricks trying to infiltrate the minds of vulnerable Americans with filthy communist lies. -- Except that he has not.

To the contrary ole Pat has perpexingly and completely without reason suggested the far likelier source of "fake news" targeting Americans are America's own allies and its own war-crazed politicians:
What brings these episodes to mind is the wave of indignation sweeping this capital over "fake news" allegedly created by Vladimir Putin's old KGB comrades, and regurgitated by U.S. individuals, websites and magazines that are anti-interventionist and anti-war.

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman says the "propaganda and disinformation threat" against America is real, and we must "counter and combat it." Congress is working up a $160 million State Department program.
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Snakes in Suits

Tony Blair warns dangerous times ahead for Western democracies

Susan Page
USA Today
Mon, 05 Dec 2016 19:57 UTC
Tony Blair and USA TODAY's Susan Page.
© David Baratz, USA TODAYCapital Download with former British prime minister Tony Blair and USA TODAY's Susan Page.
Former British prime minister Tony Blair warns that political upheaval from Great Britain's Brexit vote in June to the collapse of the Italian government on Sunday signals the most dangerous time for Western democracies in decades.

"It does feel perilous, actually, because I think there are decisions that are being taken of vast moment in circumstances where systems are fragile," he told Capital Download on Monday. "And that is troubling."

It has been a year of unexpected victories by populist and nationalistic forces that are challenging the establishment: passage of the referendum pulling Britain from the European Union, the election of Donald Trump as president in the United States, defeat of a measure in Italy that prompted the prime minister to announce his resignation.

And in the Austrian election Sunday, the candidate representing the party founded by former Nazis lost — but after commanding 46% of the vote.

Comment: Hmm, no mention of his mistakes and how he helped Europe along its current path.

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Better Earth

UN will pursue further inquiry into the mysterious death of UNSC Dag Hammarskjold

Jamie Doward
Guardian, UK
Sat, 03 Dec 2016 19:48 UTC
hammarskjold
Dag Hammarskjold
What caused the 1961 plane crash that killed former UN secretary general Dag Hammarskjöld? A Swedish-led UN inquiry the following year concluded that the plane, the Albertina, had crashed in northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) as a result of "pilot error". But this failed to satisfy many who have long suspected foul play.

There were claims that the Albertina, which was carrying Hammarskjöld and a 15-strong team seeking to negotiate a ceasefire in the breakaway African republic of Katanga, was riddled with bullets. Several witnesses said they saw as many as eight white men, armed and in combat fatigues, at the crash site.

An industrialist in the copper belt of the old northern Rhodesia apparently saw convoys of Land Rovers heading into the bush after the crash.

Even the former US president Harry Truman was suspicious. The day after the crash he told reporters that Hammarskjöld was at "the point of getting something done when they killed him. Notice that I said 'when they killed him'."

Comment: For more on the assassination see SOTT's Truth Perspective shows on the topic:

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Eagle

Trump, the Secretary of State, and the Master Persuader "Brand" Decision

Scott Adams
Scott Adams' Blog
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 19:27 UTC
john bolton
When half the country thinks you're Hitler, picking a war-loving white guy with a mustache is a really bad move.
The most important job opening that Trump has to fill - at least from a "brand" perspective - is Secretary of State. You can get away with hiring loyal supporters for less-visible cabinet positions, but you need to get the Secretary of State job right because it directly reflects on the brand of the presidency. And Trump knows branding.

If you look at the Secretary of State from a Master Persuader perspective, it's hard to know who would do the best job among the candidates under discussion. They're all highly-capable people. And their opinions are not so different, otherwise they wouldn't be in the final consideration. The big differentiator is how the country will view Trump's choice, and how that changes their impression of Trump's brand as president. Let's take a look at the candidates through that filter.

Giuliani probably has some foreign business interests that could be problematic once the mainstream media sinks their teeth into him. That doesn't help Trump's brand because Trump has the same type of foreign conflict-of-interest issues. You don't want to add to the problem you already have.

Comment: Further reading:

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