Puppet Masters

China's conundrum: What to do with the 'Young Marxists'?

Andrew Korybko
Eurasia Future
Thu, 22 Nov 2018 00:00 UTC

The constitutionally communist People's Republic of China has found itself in a conundrum about what to do with the student activist groups popularly known as "Young Marxists", since their well-intentioned attempts to carry out grassroots reform of the country's current variant of communism inadvertently risks destabilizing the entire system.

A seemingly unexpected story is making the rounds on NPR about how the Communist Party of China has supposedly had to crack down on the student activist groups popularly known as "Young Marxists", with the report stating that their grassroots efforts to reform the country's current variant of communism have put them on a collision course with the authorities. This might initially sound surprising to those who don't have any background knowledge about communism and wrongly assume that its adherents are ideologically homogenous, as well as those who fell for the foreign fear mongering about what China's system supposedly entails. In truth, while China is a constitutionally communist country run by the Communist Party of China (CPC), its domestic situation and the rapidly changing international environment that it's operating in have compelled it to move beyond the dogmatic teachings of Engels, Marx, Lenin, and Mao to "flexibly improvise" its socio-economic policies into what has since been described as socialism with Chinese characteristics and Xi Jinping Thought.

UK to supply extra military forces to Ukraine: An irresponsible policy with dangerous repercussions

Arkady Savitsky
Strategic Culture Foundation
Sat, 24 Nov 2018 00:00 UTC

Ukraine's Constitutional Court green-lighted a bill on amending the country's main law by enshrining into it the final goal of obtaining NATO and EU membership. The decision was announced the next day after the UK and Ukraine's defense ministries made a joint statement, stressing the need to expand military cooperation. The defense chiefs agreed that Operation Orbital, the Army training program started in 2015, was a success to be continued at least till 2020. Instructors from the British Army, most of who have significant experience in participating in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, have trained over 9,500 Ukrainian servicemen. An unspecified number of UK soldiers would be sent to train Ukrainian special forces and marines, in addition to the 100 personnel deployed currently in the country.

A multi-role hydrographic survey ship will be deployed in the Black Sea next year to demonstrate Britain's support for Ukraine and ensure "freedom of navigation". HMS Echo is not a warship but it flies the naval ensign. In September, Great Britain made known it planned to increase the warships' presence in the Black Sea next year with increasingly frequent port calls to Odessa.

NATO naval presence there is seen as provocative by Russia amid increasing tensions in the Azov Sea. A conflict appears to be imminent and the West has taken the side of Ukraine despite the fact that it was Kiev who has been provoking it. EU High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini believes many vessels flying European Union flags were threatened to make Brussels consider "appropriate targeted measures" to be taken as a signal to Moscow.

Comment: The region is becoming a flashpoint in the making. See also:

Despite Trump's trade war, US trade deficit with China INCREASED in 2018

Jeffrey Bartash
Market Watch
Tue, 20 Nov 2018 01:39 UTC

The U.S. is on track to post the largest trade deficit ever with China in 2018

President Trump and his Chinese counterpart might find it impossible to resolve a hardening dispute over trade at an upcoming meeting, with the U.S. on track to record its largest deficit ever with the Asian economic powerhouse.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet at the end of the month at a G20 summit in Argentina that brings together leaders of the world's largest economies. The two recently held a phone conversation that raised hopes for an end to growing trade tensions, but now those hopes seem misplaced.

Both Trump and Xi have since been more critical of each country's stance on trade and diplomats from both countries exchanged barbs at another international event in Papua New Guinea over the weekend at which Vice President Mike Pence attended.

Stiffer U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made goods are set to go into effect on Jan. 1 absent a deal, though analysts say it's possible the two sides could agree to a delay in order to keep talking.

Comment: Trade deals, schmade deals. China is way too big. Yes, even bigger than Trump's ego.

Remember, we're witnessing a country with 4 times the US population industrialize AND modernize simultaneously in a quarter of the time it took the US.

Tijuana government is reeling, 100+ caravan migrants arrested on criminal charges

Benjamin Arie
Conservative Tribune
Sun, 25 Nov 2018 06:21 UTC

© Mario Tama/Getty Images
Central American migrants who arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, as part of a caravan trying to enter the United States line up for breakfast Saturday.

Are the migrant caravans currently in Mexico harmless and innocent, or are they full of problems and troublemakers? That's the question that many people both in the United States and south of the border are asking after thousands of immigrants began arriving in the border city of Tijuana.

Liberal voices, predictably, have insisted that it's the former while yelling "racist!" any time somebody suggests otherwise.

More and more, however, there is mounting evidence that there are far more delinquents in the caravans than was previously reported ... and now even Tijuana residents are starting to question the "open borders" narrative.

Comment: As more arrests and deportations are made, Mexico continues to validate Trump's warnings regarding 'problematic' members of the march. See also:

The Ukraine govt seizes religious site

Seraphim Hanisch
The Duran
Mon, 26 Nov 2018 00:00 UTC

Ukraine uses its historical training in Communism technique to usurp one of the Orthodox Church's most holy sites for nefarious purposes.

OrthoChristian.com reported a recent development in the ongoing effort to throw the Russian Orthodox Church out of Ukraine by techniques used under Communism.

The Union of Orthodox Journalists reported on November 23rd that the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice canceled an existing agreement to allow the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate the right to live and serve at Holy Dormition - Pochaev Lavra in Kyiv, which is one of the most holy sites in all of Ukrainian Orthodoxy. This move is ostensibly the continuing effort by powers within the Kyiv government led by Petro Poroshenko and aided and abetted by powers in Europe and the United States.

At the center of this as far as the West is concerned, is the creation of an "independent Ukrainian Church". But the real story is far darker. The goal is to use this "church" which is at its center comprised of schismatics who don't honestly say one single thing about Jesus Christ. This church will serve the government of Ukraine and the West as an Orthodox-resembling vehicle, in which to import all the secularization that has taken place in the West.

Comment: One more avenue to repression. See also:

Iran claims China's CNPC is replacing France's Total in gas project

Reuters
Sun, 25 Nov 2018 06:30 UTC

China's state-owned CNPC has replaced France's Total in Iran's multibillion-dollar South Pars gas project, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said, according to the semi-official news agency ICANA on Sunday.

"China's CNPC has officially replaced Total in phase 11 of South Pars but it has not started work practically. Talks need to be held with CNPC ... about when it will start operations," Zanganeh told ICANA, without giving further details.

Total, which had a 50.1 percent stake in the project, and CNPC could not immediately be reached for comment.

The French company said in August it had told Iranian authorities it would withdraw from the South Pars gas project after it failed to obtain a waiver from U.S. sanctions against Iran. In May, industry sources said CNPC was ready to take over Total's stake in the project.

The offshore field, which Iran calls South Pars and Qatar calls North Field, holds the world's largest natural gas reserves ever found in one place.

CNPC already holds a 30 percent stake in the giant field, while National Iranian Oil Company subsidiary PetroPars holds the remaining 19.9 percent.

Comment: Financial partnerships are in shake-up mode as sanctions take their bite.

Ukrainian forces shell Donbass residential areas with heavy artillery

Sputnik
Sun, 25 Nov 2018 23:40 UTC

The Ukrainian army on Sunday opened up with massive artillery fire, shelling residential areas of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), an RIA Novosti correspondent has reported.

The shelling began at about 19:50 GMT, according to the correspondent. The Ukrainian army is using various weapons, including heavy artillery.

The number of attacks by the Ukrainian army in the Donbass region is likely to increase following new deliveries of Polish weapons to Ukraine, Eduard Basurin, deputy commander of the DPR Operational Command, said Friday.

According to Basurin, in mid-November, a Polish company supplied Kiev with over 23,000 60-mm mortar shells and noted that Ukrainian forces in Donbass would receive this ammunition in the near future.

Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdrawal from their country - a violation of their sovereignty

Sputnik
Sat, 24 Nov 2018 20:25 UTC

The US promised to "gradually reduce" its presence in Iraq in February after Baghdad declared victory over Daesh (ISIS) last December, but has declined to withdraw its contingent from the country. In August, the US-led coalition said the estimated 5,200 US troops in Iraq would stay in the country "as long as needed."

Iraqi lawmakers have urged Washington to end what they consider its illegal military presence in their country. Speaking to Iran's Press TV on Friday, Council of Representatives MP Amer al-Shebli argued that continued US presence was "a violation of the Iraqi sovereignty."

Fellow lawmaker Adnan al-Assadi added:

"After ending terrorism, the previous parliament should have taken a serious action to force all foreign forces to leave Iraq. The presence of US forces in Iraq is illegal. As a member of the parliament's Security Committee, we voice our concern over the presence of the US military and the constant increase in the number of the soldiers. They have thousands of soldiers here. Yet the government says they are advisors."

"Sovereignty is the most valuable asset in any nation," legislator Kadhim al-Sayadi said. "The sacrifices of the Iraqi people in their fight against Daesh show how important their country's sovereignty is for them. Today, no country will allow foreign military bases on its land."

Other lawmakers said that the US could maintain a military presence in Iraq, but only if it reached agreement with Iraq's parliament and government first. "The presence of any foreign forces inside Iraq can only be done through agreements with the Iraqi government, and these agreement cannot be passed without the approval of the parliament," Kurdish Democratic Party lawmaker Diar Barawri said.

Comment: The US will never give up a strategic location...evidenced by the hundreds of bases it has accumulated around the globe.

Trade activity between Russia and Britain on the rise despite sinking relations

RT
Mon, 26 Nov 2018 13:08 UTC

Trade turnover between Russia and the UK may reach $14 billion by the end of 2018, according to Boris Abramov, a Russian trade representative in the UK. Businesses are clearly shrugging off the singularly fraught relationship.

"The volume of mutual trade has nearly reached $10 billion from January through September of the current year, marking a 29 percent growth compared to the same period a year ago," Abramov said at the 4th Russian-British Business Forum, kicking off in London.

The Russian official added that non-resource exports had increased by eight percent during the indicated period.

"By the end of the year, we expect mutual trade to reach $14 billion," Abramov said.

Comment: The profit in having such good 'enemies'!

Mexican officials say Central American migrants who rushed US border will face deportation

Fox News
Tue, 27 Nov 2018 02:55 UTC

Migrants rush US border San Ysidro 11.25.18

As crowds amassed at San Ysidro, around 500 migrants overwhelmed federal and local Mexican police blockades and rushed toward the border.

Mexican officials say members of a Central American migrant caravan who rushed the US border Sunday will now face deportation from the country.

The Interior Ministry of Mexico said any would-be asylum seekers in the group had hurt their cause by "violently" and "illegally" trying to cross the border and that they now face deportation from the country.

Groups of Central American migrants have been converging on the Mexican border city for days in their quest to gain entry to the United States. Their presence has drawn Mexican troops, protesters and fiery rhetoric from President Donald Trump and Mexican officials.

As crowds amassed at San Ysidro, around 500 migrants overwhelmed federal and local Mexican police blockades and rushed toward the border, said freelance reporter Alfredo Alvarez, who was in the crowd. The crowds were made up of men, women and a lot of children, Alvarez said.

Comment: See also:

I said this would happen...now they are looking to mandate companies with less that 100 employees...shits getting real, people[Link]

Bezel Bub

it's all a lie ! :O

cracker

"Falling out of windows" as an occupational hazard for people with access to sensitive information - compliments of the Soviet playbook and even...

Tsakoug

covid will seem like a walk in the park when the proper cold sets in later this month and beyond...

steven23

I've got an idea to help folks like this. Anyone know of any in Central Florida? R.C.

Rowan Cocoan

Puppet Masters

China's conundrum: What to do with the 'Young Marxists'?

UK to supply extra military forces to Ukraine: An irresponsible policy with dangerous repercussions

Despite Trump's trade war, US trade deficit with China INCREASED in 2018

Tijuana government is reeling, 100+ caravan migrants arrested on criminal charges

The Ukraine govt seizes religious site

Iran claims China's CNPC is replacing France's Total in gas project

Ukrainian forces shell Donbass residential areas with heavy artillery

Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdrawal from their country - a violation of their sovereignty

Trade activity between Russia and Britain on the rise despite sinking relations

Mexican officials say Central American migrants who rushed US border will face deportation

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