Puppet Masters

China's SWIFT alternative (CIPS) and the engineered death of the dollar

James Corbett
The Corbett Report
Thu, 12 Mar 2015 00:00 UTC

Forget all the nonsense and hoopla about the Apple Watch or the GM stock buy-back. Far and away the most important economic story of the week is one you won't find on the front page of Bloomberg or MarketWatch. New reports indicate that China is ready to launch its SWIFT alternative, and for those who have their ear to the ground this is the most significant move yet in the unfolding process of de-dollarization that is seeing the BRICS-led "resistance bloc" breaking away from the financial stranglehold of the US-led "Washington Consensus."

For those who don't know, SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication and is shorthand for the SWIFTNet Network that is used by over 10,500 financial institutions in 215 countries and territories to transmit financial transaction data around the world. SWIFT does not do any of the clearing or processing for these transactions itself, but instead sends the payment orders that are then settled by correspondent banks of the member institutions. Still, given the system's near universality in the financial system, it means that virtually every international transaction between banking institutions goes through the SWIFT network.

This is why de-listing from the SWIFT network remains one of the primary financial weapons wielded by the US and its allies in their increasingly important financial warfare campaigns. In 2012, SWIFT agreed to de-list 30 Iranian financial institutions (including the central bank) from their network as part of the US/EU-led sanctions on Tehran, a move that was meant to stop billions of dollars' worth of oil and export sales from being repatriated into the country and bring Iranian business to a standstill. Throughout the recent tensions between the US bloc and Russia over the civil war in Ukraine, the idea that SWIFT could similarly de-list Russian banks has been repeatedly floated as a potential next step for the US and its allies.

Comment: "Go East, young man!" About-face seems to be the future unless countries, financial institutions and the people of the world shuck the financial bureaucracy that has chained us to systems that only benefit those who can manipulate them. That we are marching headlong into NWO seems counter-intuitive, yet imminent. We are trading one bully for another, only this time there may be NO alternatives. When humanity finally wakes up, it will be too late.

Truth takes a back seat to profiteering in West's drive to demonize Russia

Devis Ziroldo
Russia Insider
Sat, 28 Mar 2015 23:04 UTC

Sanctions against Russia are damaging the economies of many EU Countries, but "that doesn't matter," according to the Mainstream Media. The myth is "the West" must be continued, at all costs; thus, truth, or even the perception of it, must be sacrificed.

In a recent article by Italian newspaper La Stampa, "The firmness needed with Russia", about the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Renzi to Moscow, journalist Stefano Stefanini calls to arms. He has no doubts. Everything is certain. We are the good guys.

"Italy is friend with Russia, but they are objectively divided by their respective camps," "The tensions are all Putin's fault," and "This new cold war is provoked by the Kremlin" are only mild examples of the traditional anti-Russia stance by the newspaper based in Turin, which usually, in other days, is far more aggressive and biased against the Bear. The recurring theme of "the EU is united" is not missing, as you may expect. But nothing is further from the truth.

NATO adds information warfare branch in Latvia

Sputnik
Sun, 29 Mar 2015 22:41 UTC

The Latvian capital of Riga has recently become the new home of a branch of NATOChannel, a media content provider creating, video, audio, and internet content for the alliance, Latvian media reports.

The office, its staff relocated to the country from Kabul, Afghanistan, is set to join two other NATOChannel offices in Europe, located in Belgium and Spain.

NATO Communication Coordination, Public Diplomacy Division Chief Stephen Mehringer told Latvian business newspaper BB.lv that the Riga office will contain a regular contingent of only 3-4 journalists, set to report on the alliance's activities in Eastern Europe. The Riga contingent is rather modest; by comparison, the organization's Brussels office has 29 full time journalists, along with 10 freelancers.

Mehringer told BB.lv that Riga was picked because of its "good location, and because the city is home to NATO's Strategic Communications Center of Excellence."

Comment: The information warfare is starting to heat up. More preparations against Russia and winning hearts and minds of the unquestioning masses.

RAF holds biggest exercise in 13 years to repel a Russian threat

ITAR-TASS
Sun, 29 Mar 2015 22:17 UTC

The UK's Royal Air Force held the biggest exercise over British skies in the past 13 years to repel a Russian threat, The Sunday Times reported.

"The RAF has launched a series of air combat exercises to prepare for any 'mass' enemy air attack on the UK," the paper said, adding such large-scale air defense exercises over the British skies were held for the first time at least in the past 13 years.

According to the paper, the maneuvers involving more than 30 aircraft, including 20 Typhoon jet fighters and Tornado bombers were held in a day-long war game over the skies of northeast England earlier this month due to the increasingly frequent flights by Russian military aircraft in the international air space close to the UK's territory.

Similar air defense exercises dubbed the Rising Panther are expected to be held regularly above the British skies, up to six times a year, the paper said.

Comment: Are US/NATO/EU preparing before they provide some provocation against Russia?

Germanwings crash: Not the full story?

Joe Quinn
Sott.net
Sun, 29 Mar 2015 17:09 UTC

When I heard about the crash of Germanwings Flight GWI9525 in the French Alps on the morning of March 24th, I was shocked, but to be honest, not that shocked. It's not that I expected it to happen, but this was the fifth such incident in the last year. If that frequency is maintained, the statistically-very-low chances of meeting an untimely end on a commercial flight will have to be recalculated.

In the immediate aftermath of the crash I, like many others around the world, waited patiently for the details. What could possibly cause a modern, albeit a little aged, first-generation Airbus A320 to suddenly drop out of the sky and slam into a mountain side? I had a few theories, among them the incapacitating effects of an 'EMP' from an exploding overhead space rock. The shocking rise in fireball/meteorite sightings over the past 10 years makes this plausible, and might well have been the cause of the crash of AF447 into the South Atlantic ocean in 2009. But I waited, and I expected to wait because investigations of this sort can, and should, take quite a while to complete.

When dealing with airplane crashes, the most important information, even more important than the cockpit voice recordings, is the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) or ADR (Accident Data Recorder). The FDR records instructions sent to all electronic systems on an aircraft, including the auto-pilot and the security system for the entry to the cockpit.

Ukraine's oligarchs turning on each other

Robert Parry
Consortium News
Wed, 25 Mar 2015 21:49 UTC

In the never-never land of how the mainstream U.S. press covers the Ukraine crisis, the appointment last year of thuggish oligarch Igor Kolomoisky to govern one of the country's eastern provinces was pitched as a democratic "reform" because he was supposedly too rich to bribe, without noting that his wealth had come from plundering the country's economy.

In other words, the new U.S.-backed "democratic" regime, after overthrowing democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych because he was "corrupt," was rewarding one of Ukraine's top thieves by letting him lord over his own province, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, with the help of his personal army.

Comment: The vultures are feasting on the carcass.

Rick Perry says he's a 'Netanyahu guy' or in other words, a psychopath

Wendy Gittleson
AddictingInfo
Wed, 25 Mar 2015 00:12 UTC

Sometime over the last few months, the United States has gained a second president. This one was clearly not born in the U.S. In fact, he's never even lived in this country.

Our second president doesn't care about America's poor or middle class. He doesn't care about whether our children are educated. The only time our second president cares about domestic issues at all is if the money spent on them takes away from money budgeted for Israel or for wars in the Middle East.

Naturally, that second president is Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu. In many ways, Netanyahu has long been behind many of the U.S.'s policies. Israel is behind our Middle East policies. Support for Israel has long been a key to both the Jewish vote and to protecting our oil interests in the Middle East.

Evangelical Christians, especially those who believe in the end times, believe that Israel and the conversion of the Jewish people are key to the upcoming rapture.

For Republicans, support for Israel hits their top constituents - religious nuts and war mongers. It's only been in recent months, though, that they've turned Israel's Prime Minister into a Republican and like any Republican of late, he's used as some sort of anti-Obama.

Rick Perry sees him as an anti-Obama. In Bloomberg Politics, Perry was asked if he was "more a Netanyahu guy or an Obama guy." Yes, that was a serious question. Perry's answer, of course, was that he was a Netanyahu guy.

Putin to Federal Security Service: Western belligerence will not work on Russia - never has, never will

Vladimir Putin
President of Russia (Kremlin)
Thu, 26 Mar 2015 17:05 UTC

Vladimir Putin took part in a Federal Security Service board meeting. Meeting participants summed up the results of the Federal Security Service operations in 2014 and set priority targets for 2015.

Good afternoon, colleagues.

We always attach great importance to the work of the key power agencies pertaining to national security. Today, within the framework of this expanded board meeting we will summarise the results of Federal Security Service operations in 2014 and set priority goals for the future.

I would like to begin by saying that, as you all know, the past year was not an easy one. The world situation has exacerbated. We witnessed growing tensions in the Middle East and a number of other areas of the world, while a state coup provoked civil war in Ukraine.

Russia is making significant efforts to reconcile the parties and normalise the situation. We have already received and continue receiving thousands, even hundreds of thousands of refugees and are doing all we can to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

Syrian president Assad: West doesn't want to 'completely' get rid of ISIS

Jon Stone
RT
Fri, 27 Mar 2015 18:13 UTC

Bashar Assad told the Russian media that the West lacked 'seriousness' in taking on Isis

The alliance of 60 countries declaring plans to finish off the Islamic State is not serious, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Russian media. Some of its members would prefer to retain the terrorist force to blackmail different countries, he said.

The rate of airstrikes conducted by the anti-ISIS coalition member states, some of which are "rich and advanced," is only about 10 raids a day on the territory of both Syria and Iraq, Assad said in an interview published Friday.

"The Syrian Air Force, which is very small in comparison to this coalition, conducts in a single day many times the number of the airstrikes conducted by a coalition which includes 60 countries," Assad said.

"This doesn't make sense. This shows the lack of seriousness," said Syria's president. "They don't want to get rid of ISIS completely."

"There is no serious effort to fight terrorism, and what is being achieved by the Syrian forces on the ground equals in one day what is being achieved by these states in weeks," Assad said. "An anti-terrorist coalition cannot consist of countries which are themselves supporters of terrorism."

Comment: Assad is correct on all points. Well said, Mr. President. See:

US raises pressure on Israel over Palestinian statehood

Joe Lauria, Carol E. Lee, Joshua Mitnick
Wall Street Journal
Fri, 27 Mar 2015 07:17 UTC

The U.S. exerted new pressure against Israel by leaving open the possibility of letting the United Nations set a deadline for a Palestinian state, in what would be a departure from using American veto power to protect its close Mideast ally.

The prospect of a U.N. Security Council resolution arose Friday when French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Paris would introduce a measure setting a deadline for a negotiated settlement of the conflict and the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, possibly within two years.

On dozens of occasions in recent decades, the U.S. has lobbied against approval of such resolutions, using its veto authority as a permanent member of the Security Council as a last resort. In response to past resolutions concerning the Middle East, the White House has echoed Israel's contention that U.N. action cannot substitute for direct negotiations.

Comment: While Netanyahu's remarks have backed Israel into a corner, they have seemingly allowed Obama to step out of one. Perhaps there is a glimmer that the US can, for once, act on higher instincts instead of the dictates of Israel and its agenda. This is what makes other leaders in Israel cringe, not "humanitarian consideration" and certainly not the 2-state solution. And, coupled with an Iranian deal, there would hopefully advance certain checks and balances on unconfined Israeli aggression. Unfortunately, when an ally shows some independence and/or opposition, the possibility of covert events to act as "punishing reminders" to tow the line become more likely.

Western elites have made no secret of their envy of the Chinese governments complete control of their population. The Chinese social credit system...

zaddick

The truth is at the top of the pendulum which is fixed to the ceiling. For instance, Donald Drumpf did nothing when the fake erection took place,...

scrutinizer

well you sure don't have to think about anything so what would you call it

cracker

Greek acting gods have a joke “Sapiens is wise, because they know, that we know better what to do with their will, than they do.” Vicious foreign...

Orwik

Jut for laffs here's George Carlin doing a spoof as the Architect in the Matrix: [Link] * BTW, this just came out today: Leonard Cohen - Puppets...

parzival

Puppet Masters

China's SWIFT alternative (CIPS) and the engineered death of the dollar

Truth takes a back seat to profiteering in West's drive to demonize Russia

NATO adds information warfare branch in Latvia

RAF holds biggest exercise in 13 years to repel a Russian threat

Germanwings crash: Not the full story?

Ukraine's oligarchs turning on each other

Rick Perry says he's a 'Netanyahu guy' or in other words, a psychopath

Putin to Federal Security Service: Western belligerence will not work on Russia - never has, never will

Syrian president Assad: West doesn't want to 'completely' get rid of ISIS

US raises pressure on Israel over Palestinian statehood

Latest News

Picture of the Day

Quote of the Day

Recent Comments

Quantum Quirk

Contact Us