Puppet MastersS


Bulb

Nigel Farage calls for Soros' Open Society to be investigated over political collusion and subversion

Nigel Farage
© Stefan Wermuth / ReutersNigel Farage
Nigel Farage says while Russia is accused of funding Britain's 'Leave' campaign, financier George Soros' recent $18 billion donation to pro-EU charity Open Society has escaped scrutiny. "This is where the real international political collusion is," Farage says.

Speaking to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, Farage told fellow MEPs he believes that when it comes to international collusion, "we are looking in the wrong place." He says Soros' influence in Brussels is "truly extraordinary," adding: "I fear we could be looking at the biggest level of international, political collusion in history."

Farage, the leader of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group, believes Soros has spent billions in the EU to undermine the nation state. "When we are talking about offshore money, when we are talking about political subversion, when we are talking about collusion, I wonder if we are looking in the wrong place.

Cell Phone

President Trump just hinted at something YUGE upon his return to the White House

Donald Trump
© REUTERS/Thomas PeterU.S. President Donald Trump and China's Premier Li Keqiang (not pictured) meet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, November 9, 2017.

Comment: Uranium One? Hillary investigation? Pedogate? Podesta indictments? Wall prototype unveiling? Nuclear war? (We jest.) We'll just have to wait and see.


Stormtrooper

"European Values": How a George Soros-funded anti-Russian group enlisted me as "a foot-soldier in the fight against Putin"

putin european values
© europeanvalues.net
There I was minding my own business last Friday afternoon when a bunch of lobbyists in Prague suddenly enlisted me as "a foot-soldier in the fight against Putin." As Queen Victoria probably didn't say, "we are not amused."

In Russia, they have a wonderful phrase: "Скажи мне кто твой друг и я скажу кто ты," which roughly translates as "tell me who is your friend and I'll tell you who you are." And it's a sentiment which contains plenty of logic. So you can just imagine my discomfort when, the misleadingly named, "European Values," a George Soros' funded pressure group, pretended that I'd signed up to something called the "Prague Declaration" alongside a motley crew of anti-Russia opportunists.

The "Prague Declaration" is a long-winded thing, so I'll sum it up in six words: "liberal Western states, good; Russia bad." Now you've got the gist, here are some of the signatories, described as "European and American security experts and parliamentarians from 22 countries," by NATO's Atlantic Council adjunct.

Bill Browder, the controversial financier, features and is joined by Yevhen Fedchenko, a Ukrainian activist who recently suggested all Russian journalists were embedded with the state security apparatus. Meaning, even people working for anti-Kremlin outlets, who have grievances with Vladimir Putin's administration. Another signatory is James Kirchick, a neocon who has threatened a military coup against President Donald Trump and he's allied himself with Molly McKew, a key figure in what "The American Interest" dubs the "Russian Interference Racket" in the US.

Light Sabers

Lebanese politicians and bankers fearing Qatari-style economic blockade by Saudi Arabia

hariri billboard beirut
© Mohamed Azakir / ReutersA billboard depicting Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, who has resigned from his post, is seen in Beirut, Lebanon
Lebanese politicians and bankers are raising fears the country may be facing the same fate as Qatar if Saudi Arabia's latest demands aren't met. Unlike Qatar, Lebanon heavily relies on the Gulf region to keep the economy afloat.

Even though Riyadh hasn't spoken about any kind of blockade yet, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, who resigned on November 4, has warned his country that Arab sanctions could come at any time. Hariri stepped down during a broadcast from Riyadh in what Lebanese political leaders have described as pressure from the Saudis.

He spelled out Saudi conditions for Lebanon to avoid sanctions, calling on Hezbollah, Lebanon's leading political power and part of the ruling coalition, to stop meddling in regional conflicts, particularly Yemen. Hariri, who is a Sunni Muslim, condemned Hezbollah (the Shiite militant group that Riyadh claims is backed by Iran) for creating "discord, devastation, and destruction, proven by its interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries."

Bulb

Behind the scenes of the Middle Eastern pivot to Russia

Putin, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
© Sputnik/ Aleksey Nikolskyi
Turkey, which has the second largest army in NATO, has been cooperating with Russia in Syria against Washington's interests since last year and has recently placed an order for the Russian-made S-400 missile system.

Similarly, the Saudi King Salman, who was recently on a landmark state visit to Moscow, has signed several cooperation agreements with Kremlin and has also expressed his willingness to buy S-400 missile system.

Another traditional ally of Washington in the region, Pakistan, has agreed to build a 600 mega-watt power project with Moscow's assistance, has bought Russian helicopters and defense equipment and has held joint military exercises with Moscow.

Dominoes

Russia's Duma considering forcing foreign media outlets to register as foreign agents

dw office berlin
© Tobias Schwarz / Reuters"Deutsche Welle" (DW) office in Berlin
A new Russian bill regulating mass media would not automatically register foreign media outlets as foreign agents, but their refusal to do so would prevent them from working in Russia, one of the key sponsors of the legislation has said.

Deputy Duma Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy (United Russia) told Interfax on Tuesday that the new draft would not automatically mark all foreign mass media as foreign agents.

"No, the criteria used in the bill [for identifying foreign agents] are having foreign owners among the company's shareholders or any money transfers from a foreign state or foreign state agencies - even when this happens through an intermediary company registered in Russia," the lawmaker said, noting that the list of the criteria can still be expanded.

Comment: As the saying goes, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. The Americans can hardly complain about this since it would have never happened if they weren't trying to get rid of RT and Sputnik as alternative media sources in the US.


Megaphone

Will they ever stop saying "Putin invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea?"

Crimea referendum
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it" - Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister. This is perfectly applicable to the accusations about Russia and Putin regarding Ukraine. Every pundit and politician keeps repeating the mantra that Putin invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. However, like many big lies, this narrative quickly falls apart under objective scrutiny.

Putin did not "invade" Crimea in 2014. Russia has a naval base in Sevastopol, Crimea, and thus it's normal for Russian soldiers to be in Crimea.

Crimea wasn't even truly a part of Ukraine. It was known as the "Autonomous Republic of Crimea" after the dissolution of the USSR.

Putin did not "annex" Crimea. Crimea had a referendum and the people overwhelmingly (>95%) chose to go with Russia.

Why the referendum was not "rigged": More than 75% of Crimeans speak Russian as their native language. Obviously they would choose to join Russia. There's also intense and overt anti-Russian racism in Ukraine. For example, since 2014, Ukraine has banned Russian TV stations, Russian social media, websites, etc.

Even without the ethnic factor, deciding whether to join Russia or Ukraine is a no-brainer - it's similar to asking a region if they want to be a part of the U.S. or Mexico.

Comment: 3 years later and they're still making these false claims. It's quite clear that the Crimea referendum was legit and the people voted to return to Russia. See also:

U.S. needs to stop lying about Crimea
Austrian opposition party chairman calls Crimea's reunification with Russia legitimate
Crimean gov't official: Russia's sovereignty over Crimea cannot be questioned by other states
Third anniversary of Crimean referendum: 'Everyone I spoke with in Crimea wanted to secede from Ukraine'


Archaeology

Theresa May government 'smells of decline' as scandals and Brexit conflicts escalate

Theresa May
© Reuters / Toby MelvilleTheresa May is facing a tough week after cabinet ministers resigned and the EU gave an ultimatum
Theresa May is heading into what looks like the toughest week of her career so far, with her cabinet crumbling and a coup closing in around Downing Street.

Dozens of Tories are lining up to agree to a vote of no confidence, according to reports over the weekend, while even May's allies are piling on pressure from behind the scenes. As many as 40 are believed to be backing calls for May to get the boot.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove have been turning up the heat by pushing the prime minister over Brexit. A leaked letter, reported to have been sent to May after the October conference, showed the pair have been working together to lean on the PM.

Gear

NATO inadequate? EU launches its own military alliance

EU military
© New York Times/KJN
The EU has moved a step closer towards having a joint military force by signing an agreement on a permanent command structure. PESCO, or Permanent Structured Cooperation, was signed by 23 members of the 28-strong European Union on Monday.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini supported the move, hailing it as an "historic moment." Backed by a €5-billion ($6.5-billion) EU defense fund, PESCO "will enable member states to use the economy of scale of Europe and in this manner to fulfil the gap of output that we have."

The agreement signed by 23 defense ministers in Brussels will come into force in December, after which members will be legally bound to participate in projects under PESCO.

Work on the agreement started last year amid uncertainty over the UK's decision to withdraw from the European Union, and US President Donald Trump's continued criticism of European NATO members for failing to deliver on defense-spending commitments.

European heavyweights Germany and France are leading the effort to bring the EU closer to having a permanent joint armed force. The UK, which has been opposing a pan-European military force for decades, is not part of the agreement. Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, and Malta opted out; while Austria, not a member of NATO, agreed to join at the last moment.

Comment: New stabilizer? Or an additional authoritarian layer binding countries to specific military mandates?


Star of David

Netanyahu to US, Russia: Israel will continue 'acting in Syria'

Netty
© AP/MintPress News
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says he has made clear to the US and Russia that Tel Aviv will continue to "act in Syria." It comes after Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin reaffirmed joint efforts to support a ceasefire in the Syrian region bordering Israel and Jordan.

"We are controlling our borders, we are protecting our country and we will continue to do so, "Netanyahu said in remarks to members of his right-wing Likud party Monday, as quoted by Reuters. "I have also informed our friends, firstly in Washington and also our friends in Moscow, that Israel will act in Syria, including in southern Syria, according to our understanding and according to our security needs."

His comments come after Trump and Putin released a joint statement Saturday, stating that Washington and Moscow had reaffirmed their joint efforts to stabilize Syria as its civil war continues to abate. This includes the expansion of a truce in the southwestern Syrian region which borders Israel and Jordan.

Comment: Netanyahu appears willing to antagonize a military response from Syrian allies to validate its argument of vulnerability to Iran, Hezbollah and the Shia militias.