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China cancels trade talks after UK Defense Sec Gavin Williamson 'incites war' - Losing deals worth billions in the process

Kate Ferguson
The Sun
Thu, 14 Feb 2019 01:19 UTC
gavin williamson
© REUTERS
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson accused of blowing access to Chinese markets worth billions
A FURIOUS Government row has erupted after Gavin Williamson was accused of risking Britain's chances to access Chinese markets worth billions.

Chinese deputy PM Hu Chunhua was due to hold trade talks with Philip Hammond this weekend.

But he dramatically cancelled the meeting on Monday afternoon - just hours after the Defence Secretary publicly lashed China's military ambitions.

In a fiery speech, Mr Williamson said Britain must be prepared to boost our "lethality" as he threatened to deploy a British aircraft carrier to China's backyard.

Comment: A sensible move from China. This kind of behaviour isn't acceptable - although Gavin Williamson just can't seem to help himself: Also check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Perfidious Albion: If Russia is a Rogue State, What is the UK?

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Star of David

Israel's 'secret war' on Syria is likened to the US' 'secret war' on Laos

Andrew Korybko
Eurasia Future
Wed, 13 Feb 2019 00:00 UTC
Israeli airstrikes/Syrian defense
© EPA/Youssef Badawi
Syrian air defenses intercept Israeli missiles targeting an area in Damascus, Syria, January 21, 2019, targeting Iranian Revolutionary Guards targets on Syrian territory.
Observers have been struggling to find an historical comparison for the War on Syria since it first broke out over 8 years ago, and while the conflict is veritably a unique one in its own right, the best comparison that can be made to its current phase over the past couple of years is Laos because of how "Israel's" ongoing secret war on the Mideast country in the New Cold War somewhat mirrors the former campaign that the US waged on the Southeast Asian state in the Old Cold War.

The "Worst-Kept Secret" In The Mideast

Netanyahu just acknowledged that "Israel" was responsible for the latest bombing attack on Syria earlier this week when his armed forces shelled a hill, observation post, and hospital near the occupied Golan Heights in response to what he said was "Iran and its attempts to entrench itself in the region", specifically reminding the world that "Israel's" forces literally "operate every day" on this front. His remarkable chutzpah confirms what the former "IDF" chief revealed last month about how "Israel" "struck thousands of targets without claiming responsibility or asking for credit" on a "near-daily" basis, which was already more or less known to the world as the Mideast's "worst-kept secret" after the Russian Ministry of Defense practically said as much after the tragic mid-September downing of its spy plane in Syria.

Comment: Israel wants war with Iran. It just might get it. As per Associated Press 1/20/2019:
"Netanyahu...said in a statement: 'We have a defined policy: to harm Iranian entrenchment in Syria and to harm anyone who tries to harm us.'"
See also:

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Bad Guys

Elliott Abrams: The human rights horror show in three acts

Brett Wilkins
Antiwar.com
Sat, 02 Feb 2019 00:00 UTC
Elliott Abrams
© Getty Images
Special Envoy, Elliott Abrams
Last Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Elliott Abrams would once again be returning to government, this time as President Donald Trump's special envoy to help "fully restore democracy and prosperity" to Venezuela. Abrams, 71, is best known for abetting dictators and genocide in Latin America and for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal during the Ronald Reagan administration, as well as for his ardent support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and for green-lighting a failed coup in Venezuela while serving in the George W. Bush administration. He is as reviled by countless Latin Americans as he is revered among neocons who pine for a more muscular US role in the hemisphere and beyond. What follows is an overview of the human rights horror show that has been Abrams' government career, which now spans three presidential administrations over four decades.

Act I: Dictators, Death Squads and Drug Dealers

During the last decade of the Cold War, the Reagan administration staunchly supported right-wing military dictatorships throughout Latin America. The US was also instrumental in the creation and training of these regimes' military officers, troops and security forces, some of whom committed assassinations, massacres and even genocidal violence with tacit, and sometimes open, American backing. The Reagan administration also covertly - and illegally - supported the brutal Contra rebels as they waged a terrorist war against the democratically elected government of Nicaragua. This was the state of affairs at the State Department when Abrams was hired in 1981, first as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs and then as Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.

Comment: See also:

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Star of David

Netanyahu: Israel and Arab nations discuss a 'common interest of war with Iran'


RT
Wed, 13 Feb 2019 19:25 UTC
Netanyahu
© Reuters/Ronen Zvulun
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel and Arab countries are in talks "in order to advance the common interest of war with Iran", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, although the translation from Hebrew was later downgraded to mere "struggle."

The promise of a major conflict in the Middle East was floated by the Israeli leader during his trip to Warsaw. Netanyahu said as quoted by Jerusalem Post":
"From here I am going to a meeting with 60 foreign ministers and envoys of countries from around the world against Iran. What is important about this meeting - and this meeting is not in secret, because there are many of those - is that this is an open meeting with representatives of leading Arab countries, that are sitting down together with Israel in order to advance the common interest of war with Iran."

Comment: A conference for backslappers only.
See also:

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Arrow Down

Dead on Arrival: US' Iran summit is missing key European allies


RT
Thu, 14 Feb 2019 10:48 UTC
Warsaw summit
© Reuters/Kacper Pempel
Attended by over sixty countries but widely neglected by key EU nations, a controversial US-led meeting on Iran opens up in Warsaw, raising doubts that European allies will play to Washington's tune when dealing with Tehran.

A summit to promote "peace and security in the Middle East" is officially set to seek ways of making the boiling region a safer place, but its primary focus is expected to be on Iran. The meeting gathered a host of Gulf monarchs and other arch-foes of Tehran, including Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

However, Washington's key European allies, including France, Germany, and, for the moment, the UK, have downplayed the importance of the offbeat meeting. Jeremy Hunt, the British Foreign Secretary, was in Warsaw to chair a Quad meeting on Yemen but not to take part in the Iran summit.


Comment: That European nations sent second or third stringers to the meeting could mean the primary leaders want to keep their options open. Is this summit a means to relevance? Perhaps not, but it serves to promote and reinforce group confirmation bias.

More from RT 2/14/2019:
US Vice-President Mike Pence has demanded that Europe withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and lashed out at the EU's efforts to evade Washington's sanctions on Tehran. Pence chastized Europe for leading an "effort to create mechanisms to break up our sanctions" against Iran, and complained that European countries had not been "cooperative" since the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran deal last year.

Pence said the EU's newly created Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), conceived as a way to continue facilitating trade between the EU and Iran, was an "ill-advised step" which would only "strengthen Iran, weaken the EU, and create still more distance between Europe and the United States."

In January, the EU unveiled a new transactions channel aimed at bypassing the SWIFT international payments system to circumvent US sanctions. The system, called INSTEX - or 'Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges' - has limited capacity and only allows "humanitarian" trade by focusing on sectors "most essential" to Iranian people like food, pharmaceutical and medical devices. While the EU hailed the mechanism as a way to preserve the Iran deal, critics say it won't change much as European countries still worry about US repercussions if they are "caught" evading sanctions and working in Iran.

Pence said that the US had been "a force for good" in the Middle East and claimed that Trump is committed to standing with "the good people of Iran and stand up to their oppressors."
See also:

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Snakes in Suits

Giuliani calls for 'overthrow' of Iran regime from the sidelines of Mideast conference


RFE/RL
Wed, 13 Feb 2019 17:46 UTC
Giuliani
© Daily Beast
Rudy Giuliani and images of Maryam Rajavim, chief of MEK aka MKO
Rudy Giuliani, a personal lawyer of U.S. President Donald Trump, has said he favors the "overthrow" of Iran's theocratic regime. Giuliani was speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Farda on February 13 on the sidelines of a major Middle East conference in Warsaw which Iranian officials have blasted as an "anti-Iran circus."

"I believe there has to be an overthrow of this regime," Giuliani said, adding that he was speaking in his personal capacity and not as an official representative of the U.S. administration.

The Trump administration has consistently said it is not seeking "regime change" in Tehran, only a "change in behavior."

"I don't think this theocratic dictatorship can possibly become some kind of democratic, liberal democratic force," Giuliani added while accusing Iranian leaders of killing their opponents. "They're murderers, they're killers, they're assassins," he said. "I think this regime has to go."

Giuliani made the same call at a rally in Warsaw organized by the Iranian exile opposition group People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran (aka Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization, MKO), which was once blacklisted by the United States and the European Union as a terrorist organization.

Giuliani has called for a regime change in Iran at a several MKO events.

Comment: Giuliani has left no doubt he is an avid supporter of MEK/MKO, having spoken out for Iranian regime change multiple times at their rallies. While he is not an official spokesman for the Trump administration (that denies this trajectory) his stance and activity are obviously unrestrained, therefore tolerated or supported.

According to USA Today, 2/13/2019:
Giuliani has kept up many speaking engagements despite acting as Trump's attorney. He said the MEK has been a client of his for more than a decade and that he was in Poland "as a private citizen - thank God I can still do that."

Giuliani has spoken at MEK rallies before, including in Paris last year when there was a foiled bomb plot against the organization that French authorities blamed on Tehran.

Later, in an address in the rain to about 500 flag-waving MEK followers who sang revolutionary songs and held signs and large yellow balloons with messages that read "free Iran" and "Iranians want regime change," Giuliani characterized Iran's government as "assassins, they are murderers and they should be out of power."

He would not disclose whether he was being paid to attend the rally, but high-profile speakers to MEK rallies routinely get paid tens of thousands of dollars in speaking fees.
See also:

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Pills

Dems slip 'poison pill' into border security plan to prevent building the wall

Jim Hoft
The Gateway Pundit
Wed, 13 Feb 2019 00:00 UTC
M. McCon.
© REUTERS/Leah Millis
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Congressional negotiators announced on Monday night they have a border wall funding agreement they believe President Trump will sign into law.

The agreement was announced by a group of lawmakers led by Republican Sen. Richard Shelby and Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey, after a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill.

On Wednesday FOX News announced Democrats slipped a "poison pill" into the deal that will prevent the 55 miles of wall from being built.

According to FOX News, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell accused Democrats of adding "poison pill" provisions into the deal. One of those provisions allows small town mayors to veto any part of a wall built in their specific jurisdictions.

President Trump has not seen the final package yet.

Via Tucker Carlson Tonight:


Comment: Poison pill: 'borderline security disorder'

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Snakes in Suits

House's Yemen vote rebuffs Trump foreign policy

Andrew Desiderio
Politico
Wed, 13 Feb 2019 04:38 UTC
CA Rep. Ro Khanna
© AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
California Rep. Ro Khanna spearheaded the effort to pass the War Powers resolution that would cut off U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
The House on Wednesday passed a bill to halt U.S. involvement in Yemen's civil war - yet another bipartisan rebuke of President Donald Trump's foreign policy.

The legislation now heads to the Senate, where proponents expect it to narrowly pass in the coming weeks before arriving on Trump's desk, setting up the first veto of his presidency.

The War Powers resolution cuts off U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition, which is bombing Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The civil war has sparked a humanitarian crisis in the country, including widespread famine and cholera outbreaks.

Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, a member of House Democratic leadership and the Foreign Affairs Committee, said:
"This is a bipartisan effort to not only stop a very horrible conflict that's having devastating consequences and creating a serious humanitarian crisis, but also an important moment for Congress to accept its responsibilities and reassert its role in declarations of war and the use of military force on behalf of the United States."
Senate rules allow the resolution's proponents to bring the measure to the floor without the consent of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has long opposed the resolution.

Comment: See also:

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Rocket

Security guarantee: Poland to buy $414M US rocket artillery


RT
Thu, 14 Feb 2019 05:12 UTC
Rocket blast
© Global Look Press/US Army
The picture of security.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's calls to "strengthen resistance" against Russia has resonated with Poland's leadership, as the country signed a $414-million deal to purchase an American weapons system.

A product of Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, the M142 HIMARS is capable of launching both rocket artillery and tactical ballistic missiles with an estimated operational range of 480km. Along with the US Army and Marine Corps, HIMARS is presently operated by the UAE, Jordan and Singapore. In 2017, the US reportedly deployed the systems in southern Syria to protect its base in Al Tanf.

Poland has repeatedly turned to the US to complete the country's military modernization program. Warsaw has already signed contracts with Washington to buy more drones, Black Hawk helicopters, and most notably the Patriot air-defense system which alone cost a staggering $4.75 billion. The country justified the military splurges with the unsurprising refrain of "Russian aggression."

Comment: War for sale. (Peace for free.)

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Attention

Zakharova: US is openly pushing Venezuelan army into a coup


RT
Thu, 14 Feb 2019 09:02 UTC
V army
© Kurir.mk
Maduro's army
Forced regime change has apparently become Washington's priority as the US heaps pressure on Venezuela's military, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

The possible decision of the US to seize Venezuela's economic infrastructure could become the "steal of the century," Zakharova also stated during a briefing on Thursday.

In late January, the US froze $7 billion of assets belonging to the Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA and its US subsidiary Citgo. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the US sanctions "cynical," asserting that Washington's actions are in fact a confiscation of Venezuela's state property.

Last week, Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido did not rule out the possibility of "authorizing" US intervention to oust elected President Nicolas Maduro, while President Donald Trump later confirmed that this was "an option."

Comment: See also:

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