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Hellmeyer: “The USA is not a democracy anymore, it's an oligarchy!”
The article originally appeared at German Economic News. Translated for RI by Alexander Samarkin
Folker Hellmeyer, chief economist at Bremer Landesbank, has no doubts about the future of the global economic system: The axis Moscow-Beijing-BRICS will prevail against the old hegemon USA. These countries have had enough of the West, because they want to pursue a long-term strategy and not opportunism. The EU is likely to be among the losers, due to its blind sanctions-obedience.
German Economic News: The EU-countries report continuing losses because of the sanctions against Russia. What damage have the sanctions already done, in your estimation?
Folker Hellmeyer: The damage is much more comprehensive than the statistics show. Let's start with the economy and the hitherto accumulated damage. The view on the decline of German exports of 18% year-over-year in 2014 and 34% in the first two months of 2015 includes only primary losses. There are also secondary effects. Economies of European countries with a strong Russia business, amongst others Finland and Austria, suffer massively. As a result, these countries place less orders in Germany. Moreover, in order to circumvent the sanctions, European conglomerates consider to create production facilities at the highest efficiency level in Russia. Therefore we lose this potential capital stock, which is the basis of our prosperity. Russia wins the capital stock.
© Sputnik/ Sergey Averin
"Whatever happens in Minsk, DPR is an independent state and will never be a part of Ukraine," Zakharchenko said during a meeting with residents of the town of Oktyabrsky, which repeatedly has been subject to shelling by Kiev-led forces.
The region proclaimed independence from Ukraine in April 2014 amid a standoff with authorities in Kiev. Following the start of the military operation against southeast's militias the same month, the Donetsk region held a referendum in May and finalized its secession, creating a people's republic with its own government in Donetsk. The vote has not been internationally acknowledged.
A series of negotiations, brokered by Russia, Germany, France and the Organization for Security and Co-operation, has led to an agreement in early 2015 that conditioned the republic's reintegration into Ukraine on Kiev overhauling the country's constitution to grant it a special status within the nation's borders.
The recent escalation of tensions in the region has so far hindered the progress in talks between the warring parties.
© AFP Photo / STR
The execution took place on Monday in the northern region of Jawf. Syrian Ismael al-Tawm smuggled"a large amount of banned amphetamine pills into the kingdom," the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement, as cited by AFP.
The man was sentenced to death according to the nation's strict version of Sharia law, under which such crimes as murder, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking are punishable by death. Public executions are mostly conducted by decapitating the accused with a sword.
The 100th execution has surpassed the 87 recorded by AFP in 2014, but is still some way below the highest figure of 192, recorded by the human rights group Amnesty International in 1995. The watchdog has been scathing of the Kingdom's human rights record, saying they "fall far short" of global norms.
© Reuters / Annika AF KlerckerSweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom
"It hurts the credibility of the entire UN when something like this happens. You could question the whole treatment of the case in Geneva and the way they have handled Anders Kompass," Wallstrom told the Swedish television channel, SVT, as cited by the Local.
The Swedish foreign minister added she had received support for opening an independent investigation into how Kompass's case was handled by the UN. Kompass was initially suspended on April 17, before the ban was lifted on May 6.
"It is good that there will be an independent and hopefully speedy investigation of what really happened. I spoke to some of the participants [at the meeting in Johannesburg] who also say they want to make a statement on this issue. Those who take part with troops in peacekeeping efforts and policing efforts need to show that they take these kinds of signals seriously," she added.
Nikolai Starikov, one of Russia's most popular politicians
Among other things he says that Ukraine will attack Russia at the behest of the US if they are successful in subduing the rebellious East - so Russia has no choice but to support the rebels.
Starikov is a fixture on Russian TV - and is a very popular author and speaker who has started a conservative party called "The great fatherland party". One of his more controversial positions (to westerners) is that Stalin was a great leader, unfairly maligned and misunderstood.
Interesting note: the intellectual level of discourse in Russia in politics is head and shoulders above what it is in the US. Starikov is a classic example of this.
Transcript below:
© Reuters / Jim YoungU.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary
"No other country is better equipped to meet traditional threats from countries like Russia, North Korea, and Iran - and to deal with the rise of new powers like China," the candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton, said during her first major campaign speech on Saturday. "As your President, I'll do whatever it takes to keep Americans safe."
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Press and Information Department, Maria Zakharova, struck back at the ex-US Secretary of State and former first lady, saying that the Democrats were apparently trying to create a "new dragon" in order to gloriously slay it.
"In order to defeat a dragon, the Democrats first needed to create it, which they have been doing successfully in recent years," Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page, adding that a proper election campaign required a new and worthy global enemy.
Comment: The real threat is Hillary herself: Hillary Clinton's lucrative life of crime
"Behind every great fortune," Balzac maintained, "lies a crime." If there were any justice, the Clintons would be in prison for a generation of criminal activity that has left America a corrupted, Third Worldified nation, poorer for having been looted by the companies and banks whose criminality they aided and abetted.
© Reuters / China Daily
The understanding mainly concerns a deepening of cooperation between the two nations, following a meeting between Fan Changlong, the vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission and US Defense Secretary, Ashton Carter.
Fan and US army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno witnessed the signing of the dialogue understanding at the National Defense University in Washington, DC.
Comment: Wonder what US has up its sleeve?
© Sputnik/ Vladimir PirogovFreedom and democracy is a warm gun.
1) War sustains the (very) profitable log-rolling contracts for supplies in key congressional districts, grants for university faculties to study strategy, new funding for new weapons. During wartime who dares question almost any Pentagon cost "to defend America?"
2) Continued conflict postpones hard decisions about cutting defense spending such as closing surplus bases, cutting duplicate systems, and focusing on waste. See 16 Ways to Cut Defense. Shakespeare put it well, advising a king to have lots of foreign wars in order to have tranquility at home.
3) Starting wars is the historic way for kings (and presidents) to gain popularity and avoid doing tough domestic reforms for problems that cry out for solutions. War lets them be postponed. Think of George W. Bush winning election on promises to balance the budget, have health care reform, reform our bankrupt social security commitments, tackle the EPA, take on the teachers' unions, rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and such. Instead, with war, all those issues were swept aside. He won his re-election by having even bigger deficit warfare/welfare spending and increasing the national debt by trillions.
Comment: TAC bills itself as an anti-war, 'paleoconservative' alternative to the neoconservatives. It's good to see not all American conservatives have drunk the Neocon Koolaid.
Months ahead of Palestine joining the International Criminal Court on April 1, an ICC prosecutor began a "preliminary examination" short of an official investigation into Israeli war crimes.
It covered violations "in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem since June 13, 2014" - focusing on Israel's 2014 summer Gaza war, Operation Protective Edge. It was strictly procedural with no commitment for further action. The court so far never held Israel accountable for indisputable crimes of war and against humanity.
In April 2012, former chief prosecutor Jose Luis Moreno Ocampo rejected the Palestinian Authority's bid to investigate Israeli war crimes during its December 2008/January 2009 Cast Lead Gaza aggression.
His reasoning was spurious - claiming under the Rome Statute "only internationally recognized states can join the court." His official statement said:
"(T)he current status granted to Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly is that of 'observer,' not as a 'Non-member State,' (and only) relevant bodies at the United Nations" or group of states that make up the court may decide if Palestinians can become part of the Rome Statute.
"(T)he Office has assessed that it is for the relevant bodies at the United Nations or the Assembly of States Parties to make the legal determination whether Palestine qualifies as a State for the purpose of acceding to the Rome Statute and thereby enabling the exercise of jurisdiction by the Court."
"The Rome Statute provides no authority for the Office of the Prosecutor to adopt a method to define the term 'State.' "
Comment: It is possible that Israel's crimes have become so heinous and stunningly obvious that something might come of this ICC investigation. As Mr. Lendman points out, Israel has gotten away with wholesale murder for years and years. Too many people in a position to DO something are turning a blind eye to it. This historical blindness is not likely to change, so we aren't holding our breath, but we do hope.
Comment: Starikov's take on the West's intentions has a lot of support: