Puppet Masters
In an interview with Algerian newspaper L'Expression, Lavrov said that progress in the fight against terrorism can only be made through the joint efforts of the international community coordinated by the United Nations.
"Fighting terrorism can be efficient only if we work together, based on the solid ground of international law, with the UN in the role of central coordinator, and by putting aside double standards," he told the newspaper.
Despite the lack of enthusiasm in his presentation, Kerry went through the motions of Congressional testimony when an agreement has already been made and a public show is required for mass consumption. What was telling about his testimony, however, is Kerry's allusion to a mysterious "Plan B" if the ceasefire agreement does not work.
"There is a significant discussion taking place now about a Plan B in the event that we do not succeed at the [negotiating] table," Kerry said. But he did not go into specifics as to exactly what that Plan B would look like. That is, except for a slight comment suggesting that the U.S. may have to shift its policy from the total destruction of the Assad government and Syria as a whole to almost total destruction of the country in the form of partitioning and dividing the country into separate principalities.
Multiple award-winning filmmaker Cyrus Nowrasteh directed the 2006 miniseries, The Path to 9/11, which covered the period of time from the first bombing of the Trade Center on February 26, 1993, to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Nowrasteh included a critical examination of the former President's inexplicable failure to capture or kill Osama bin Laden on multiple occasions. Despite the series' popularity and critical acclaim, the Clintons managed to 'disappear' the film — essentially banning it in the United States.
"The amazing thing was, the Clintons were able to put pressure on Disney/ABC basically to bury their own movie that they spent $40 million on, The Path to 9/11, which did air once, by the way, over two nights, and was number one in the ratings with 20 million viewers," Nowrasteh told Brian Sussman on the KSFO Morning Show. "But Disney said it was, quote, 'a business decision' — essentially they caved to the Clintons, who, as far as censorship in my experience, are in many ways more effective than the ayatollahs in Iran."
Comment: To learn more about the shameless Clintons read:
- 24 years of the Clintons in politics has enriched Wall Street while destroying the rest of America
- The morally bankrupt Clintons earned over $3.5 million in paid addresses to pro-Israel organizations
- FBI conducting Hillary Clinton corruption probe into "intersection" between the Clinton Foundation work and State Department
- Meet the Clintons: Agents of the New World Order
"I will remain silent on the decision the court has given. But I don't need to accept it, I want to make that clear. I don't obey or respect the decision," Erdogan told reporters on Sunday. "This has nothing to do with press freedom. This is a case of spying."
Editor-in-chief Can Dundar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul were released from Silivri jail near Istanbul on Friday. The journalists, who had been imprisoned since November, were greeted by family and supporters.
With more turmoil in the world than ever before, and in a world that is more interdependent and interconnected than ever before, is it possible for any (so-called) civilized nation to 'hold the center'? In Finland's case, has it become a pawn of geopolitics and international corporations? From where does all this social chaos and quarreling come? Is someone responsible for it, or did these things occur by chance?
Since the beginning of time, the beliefs and choices of groups of people and entire nations have been manipulated via inducing in them strong emotions, especially hatred and fear. A state of increased chaos most benefits the most unscrupulous in society: selfish opportunists and psychopaths, who cynically exploit disorder and conflict to acquire more profits and more control. This perpetuates and worsens instability because they quickly realize that it's in their interest to 'prevent things from returning to normal'.
To be clear, because ISIS and Al-Nusra control such a larger portion of Syria, the ceasefire only applies to small (but critical) conflict zones. The areas affected by the ceasefire are in blue:A fragile, temporary and partial cessation of hostilities has come into force in Syria after 97 fighting groups, as well as the Syrian government and Russian air force, signed up to a ceasefire.A monitoring group said early on Saturday that fighting appeared to have stopped across most of western Syria
Comment: Further reading:
Responding to arguments posited that al-Nusra should be included in the [ceasefire], given that they operate in areas where other rebels are and thus Russia can use this as an excuse to bomb them, Max Abrahms, Professor at Northeastern University and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, explains that these recent developments show that Nusra and the other rebels are one in the same. "If you're pro-rebel in Syria, you're pro-al Qaeda in Syria. The rebels are now begging for Russia to stop bombing their al-Qaeda partner."
It's official U.S. policy to protect al-Qaeda in Syria: Will the ceasefire expose it?
Who controls the road is less clear. As we reported earlier this week, ISIS launched a surprise (and somewhat desperate) attack on the crucial supply route in an attempt to stop the Syrian army's rapid advance. A map from February 25 shows how ISIS attempted to drive a wedge through the Syrian army:

An unarmed LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test Feb. 20, 2016, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
In fact, it happened just last night at 11:01pm PST at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where - for the second time this week - the US test-fired its second intercontinental ballistic missile in the past seven days, seeking to demonstrate its nuclear arms capacity at a time of rising strategic tensions with Russia, North Korea, China and the middle east.
The unarmed Minuteman III missile roared out of a silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California late at night, raced across the sky at speeds of up to 15,000 mph (24,000 kph) and landed a half hour later in a target area 4,200 miles (6,500 km) away near Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands of the South Pacific.
The entire launch was caught on the following video, which was released by Vandenberg just 4 days after the previous ICBM launch.
Comment: What stupid pathological bluster. Take note: this is what empires do and say when they are on the ropes and fast approaching their end.
"No human being can do such horrible things. No one with human nature commits such savage crimes." --Ashwaq Abbas, Political Sciences Lecturer, Damascus UniversityAnd the ones that do have a name: psychopaths.
"These groups commit crimes only against Muslims. Show us what positive measures these groups have taken so far. Have they gone to Palestine?" --Nabil al-Halbavi, Syrian member of AhlulBayt World AssemblyThe fact is, the people most in danger from so-called Islamic terror are Muslims. Daesh has killed far more Muslims in Iraq and Syria than any other group. Think about that the next time you see someone even slightly "Arab-looking" and feel a bit nervous. And if they're Syrian, not only have they had to deal with barbaric groups like Daesh back at home; they also have to deal with the barbaric bigotry of Westerners who are convinced every Muslim is a potential terrorist. Statistically speaking, it's an utterly absurd notion.
Citing previously unheard of Pentagon estimates, the Secretary of State asked a Senate panel today: "Now are we ready to authorize that?"
ABC7News reports: Although a ceasefire is planned for this coming Saturday, there are growing calls within Washington for a so-called "Plan-B": options for military action if the truce fails. Many Republicans, including Donald Trump, are calling for a "safe zone" in northern Syria to protect the increasing number of displaced people.
Kerry said today that creating a safe zone isn't as simple as it sounds. In addition to controlling the airspace, Kerry said, a large troop presence would be required to shield the population from ISIS attacks on the ground. "All this talk about safe zones does not go through the process of what it really means," Kerry said. "Our Pentagon estimates that to have a true safe zone in the north of the country you may have upwards of fifteen to thirty thousand troops. Now are we ready to authorize that? Are we ready to put them on the ground?"
Comment: Interesting. The West didn't much care about protecting the civilian populations before, especially to the tune of 30K boots on the ground.
Aside from the inherent physical and political risks of putting a large number of U.S. troops on the ground inside Syria, the U.S. worries about potential conflicts with Russia, which is also conducting an aerial bombing campaign over Syria. Creating a no-fly zone would most likely mean the U.S. would have to enforce that rule against Russian jets — a potentially dangerous scenario.
Comment: Which is quite ridiculous since Russia abides by regulation and rules. It is the US and its cadre of authoritarian followers that need enforcing.
Comment: You don't even have to read between the lines to know that there are foul things afoot, the ramifications of which will change Syria for the worst. Plans have been in the works for years and contingencies have been generated. Nothing in politics or the military happens unintentionally. Kerry is lining up his ducks. All that is left to be decided is when the shooting begins.















Comment: The U.S. and Israeli Imperial juggernauts share a few major goals, and the means to achieve those goals, in common: