Discussion Page

Indonesia won't normalize with Israel

because Indonesians won’t allow it

April 13th, 1:54pm

by Dina Y. Sulaeman

In the last few days, Israeli media has been reporting

about Indonesia mulling a normalization of relations

with the Tel Aviv regime to fulfill the requirements

for accession to The Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development (OECD), a

neoliberal market-based alliance

of countries.

The news - circulated at a dizzying pace on social media

platforms and triggered a wide array of reactions from

netizens worldwide, including in Indonesia. It wasn’t

something they were expecting.

Indonesia's foreign ministry was quick to deny the reports

in a midnight statement, saying that no such plan is in

the offing.

"I affirm that, as of now, there are no plans to establish

diplomatic relations with Israel, particularly given

Israel's actions in Gaza,” the ministry spokes-

person, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, said.

Most people in Indonesia, I can vouch for, reject and

condemn any plan that leads to the normalization

of ties between the two sides or Jakarta’s

recognition of the apartheid

colonial entity.

Several notes can be taken from this frenzy. First, the

behaviour of the Israeli media, citing anonymous

sources, to report on Indonesia's plans to

normalize relations with Israel. It has

happened several times in the last

few years.

Indonesia's foreign ministry has always denied such

reports. It again denied it and then it was as if

there was nothing more. There was no

apology from the Israeli media, nor

was there any criticism of the

Israeli media from the

Indonesian side.

This time, the news about Indonesia’s so-called

normalization coincided with simmering

regional tensions in the wake of Iran's

vow to retaliate against the Israeli

bombing of its consulate

in Damascus.

Bombing a country's diplomatic mission is a fatal

violation of international law and can be equated

with bombing the country's territory. From this

perspective, Iran has every right to retaliate.

So, the situation turned extremely difficult for Israel.

Many countries issued travel advisories for the

occupied territories while Israeli regime

officials frantically tried to get Iran to

"not escalate."

The unspecified timing of Iran's retaliation.... has caused

psychological torture for the Israeli regime and settlers.

In conditions like these, rumours regarding Indonesia-

Israel normalization appear to have been deliberately

circulated by the Zionist media to reduce tensions

----- and divert world public opinion.

The second point is that Indonesia's support for Palestine

is deep-rooted. This support predates Indonesia's

independence, so it cannot be shaken so

easily by the Zionist propagandists.

In 1934, when the Palestinians fought against the British

(at that time, Indonesia was still colonized by the Dutch),

the clergy in Indonesia collected donations from the

people to help Palestine.

It is also recorded in history that a rich Palestinian

businessman, Muhammad Ali Taher, in 1944

donated a large amount of money to the

struggle for Indonesian independence.

In history lessons at schools, our teachers often

repeated the phrase: "Palestine was the first

to recognize Indonesia's independence."

What it actually meant is that after the proclamation of

Indonesian independence on August 17, 1945, the

Indonesian diplomat, M. Zein Hassan, came

to Egypt to promote recognition of

that independence.

In order to support Hassan's efforts ----- a number of

resistance figures in the Arab world based in Cairo

founded Lajnatud Difa'i 'an Indonesia on October

16, 1945, including General Saleh Harb Pasha,

Secretary General of the Arab League and

Abdul Rahman Azzam Pasha, Chairman

of the Palestine Committee.

The recommendation from the Lajnah was a resolution to

support the Republic of Indonesia and an appeal to all

countries, especially Arab and Islamic countries, to

recognize the new republic.

After that, almost all the Arab countries recognized

the Republic of Indonesia ----- one by one.

Apart from that, Indonesia initiated and hosted the Asia-

Africa Conference from 18 to April 24, 1955, the first

conference of formerly colonized countries in the

world whose main spirit was to liberate all the

colonized people on earth.

Support for Palestinian independence was one of the

dominant issues at this conference. Indonesia has a

historical burden to maintain that spirit and fulfill
its promise of independence for Palestine.

The third point is, it needs to be acknowledged that

there are indeed parties in Indonesia, both

politicians and prominent figures, who

are secretly establishing personal

relations with Israel.

Indonesia's decision to submit a membership application

to the OECD, an organization controlled by Western

capitalist countries, instead of joining a new

economic power that is far more promising

for shared prosperity, namely BRICS,

shows the dominance of the West

in Indonesia's economic posture.

Membership in the OECD requires the consent of all

members, including Israel. It is very possible that

there are figures behind the scenes who are

trying to normalize Indonesia-Israel for

their interests ----- especially

business interests.

However, they never expressed their intentions openly

because it would be tantamount to political suicide.

No politician in Indonesia would dare to commit

suicide at this time when public sentiment is

very strong in supporting Palestine and

against Israel's genocidal crimes

in Gaza.

Thus, it can be concluded that the rumours of

normalization were Israeli propaganda that

took advantage of the tendencies of a few

parties behind the scenes -- but which

immediately hit a wall of failure.

The Indonesian people will not allow that normalization

to happen as Indonesia's first president, Sukarno,

stated: "As long as the independence of the

Palestinian people has not been handed

over to the Palestinian people, the

Indonesian people will always

stand up ------ to challenge

Israeli colonialism."

Dina Y. Sulaeman, is an assistant professor at the
International Relations Department, Universitas
Padjadjaran, Indonesia.

(The views expressed in this article..... do

not necessarily reflect those of Press TV.)

Indonesia has filed a lawsuit against Israel at the ICJ

over the regime’s violations of international law in

the occupied Palestinian territories.

I remember when a CIA coup in Indonesia
resulted in every commited patriotic
communist and socialist... being
taken to a police station ---
and then slaughtered.

I bet the Indonesians remember that too.

What do you think?

_______________________________________________

Zionist regime will drown in the
blood of Haniyeh’s children
and other Palestinians

by Wesam Bahrani

April 11th, 10:47am

The cowardly killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s

three sons and four grandchildren in Gaza only

exemplifies the fact that the murderous

occupying entity is on a deathbed.

The latest diabolic crime committed by the apartheid

regime first and foremost shows its desperation and

hopelessness and its inability to achieve any of the

stated military goals it quite ambitiously outlined

before embarking on the latest

genocidal campaign.

The regime was under the illusion that by assassinating

the resistance leader’s family members, the Zionist

entity might get some form of leverage at the

negotiating table.

If anything, Benjamin Netanyahu has made

it harder for himself and his US masters.

The leaders of many resistance groups in Palestine, have

offered their sons and family members, as martyrs to the

cause of liberating their land from the Israeli occupation.

After receiving the news about the killing of his children

and grandchildren on Wednesday night, Haniyeh

appeared calm and composed, thanking God

for the “honour” of bestowing martyrdom

on his close family members. That’s

the trait of great leaders.

He said almost every family in Gaza has paid a heavy price

with the blood of their children in the past six months and

before that, and he is only one of them.

Importantly, leaders of the Axis of Resistance in other

parts of the region have also offered exemplary

sacrifices for the greater cause, the bigger

cause, against the aggressors.

This shared legacy of sacrifice and martyrdom has only

strengthened the steadfastness of the Axis of

Resistance and its leaders, from Palestine,

to Lebanon, to Iraq, to Yemen.

Among the most notable examples, is the son

of Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement

Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

18-year-old Hadi Nasrallah ---- was martyred by

the Israeli forces in 1997 in southern Lebanon.

The important aspect here is the reaction and position

of these resistance leaders when their sons or family

members are killed by the Israeli occupation.

Do they regret and repent? Do they grieve and complain?

Does it become personal, and does that personal

aspect make them succumb to pressure or

give up on the cause?

Unfortunately, for the apartheid Israeli regime and its

delusional despots in Tel Aviv and Washington, the

blood of all the resistance factions, their leaders

and their sons and family members is the driving

force that will eventually end the illegal and

brutal occupation.

One day, after the martyrdom of Hadi Nasrallah,

Hezbollah’s Secretary-General delivered a

thumping speech in which he explained

how painful it was for him before, to

visit the parents of the Lebanese

resistance movement’s martyrs

and look them in the eye.

Hadi Nasrallah wasn’t the only one martyred by

the Israeli occupation forces. Many more

offered exemplary sacrifices. Hadi’s

body, like those of others, was

held by the Zionist entity.

“I tell the families of the martyrs whose bodies

remain captive --- that we also share this

common feature now,” the Hezbollah

chief said in September 1997.

At the funeral service the same month, he added, “The

martyrdom of Hadi is a message that the leadership of

Hezbollah doesn’t leave aside its sons to enjoy the

(post-occupation) future. When our sons head to

the frontline, that is our pride, and when they

are martyred, this allows us to hold our

heads up high”.

Over the next three years, Hezbollah inflicted heavy

battlefield casualties on the Israeli occupation,

forcing it to withdraw from the Lebanese

territory in 2000.... in humiliation.

The Arab country regained its sovereignty, independence,

security, and honour as a result of all the blood given by

resistance fighters, founders, leaders, and their

family members.

History is repeating itself. Now the resistance has grown

in faith, determination as well as in military terms

while the Israeli regime is reaching

its dead-end.

There is nothing the rogue, child-murdering Netanyahu

regime can boast of after half a year of US-backed

genocide in Gaza. The resistance has prevailed

and the occupation has lost.

The video that went viral showed the moment Haniyah

(visiting wounded Palestinians at a hospital in Qatar)

was informed, via a crying voice message on the

'phone from Gaza--- about the killing of his three

sons, three granddaughters and one grandson,

without a scintilla of pain visible on the

Hamas leader’s face --- is because this

resistance, unlike the US and its

proxy, has a clear vision for

Gaza and Palestine.

“God will rest their souls.” He nods his head.

“Shall we end the visit?” an aide asks.

“No, let’s continue” he responds.

The strategy of the resistance is inked in the blood

of its martyrs, which sends a clear message to the

United States that it prefers martyrdom and

dignity ----- over a life of humiliation.

“The enemy believes that targeting the families of the

leaders will push them to give up the demands of our

people,” Haniyeh said, putting up a tough front.

“Anyone who believes that targeting my sons will push

Hamas to change its position is delusional,” the

Hamas leader hastened to add.

This has been the position of all resistance groups and

their leaders in West Asia for more than four decades

now. The principles of the cause overshadow

personal considerations.

The people of Gaza are indeed the most

oppressed people on the planet

right now.

Yet the disinformation campaign by mainstream Western

and some regional media that the Hamas leadership is

enjoying a life of luxury in exile, is aimed at

discrediting the resistance.

Has the same media forgotten, so quickly, that Haniyah

is among the millions of Palestinians who have been

arrested and served time in Israeli jails, tortured

and abused?

Was he not on the ground in Gaza when it was blown to

pieces many times before and the founders of Hamas,

along with many of its senior leaders, were

assassinated by the murderous

Zionist regime?

Was it, not Haniyah who emerged from a building in Gaza

that had been razed to the ground by an Apache

helicopter missile 20 years ago, holding the

lifeless body of a toddler and carrying it

in his arms to an ambulance?

Haven’t his three sons and four grandchildren

in addition to some 70 other close relatives

been killed in Gaza since October 7?

Many Western leaders know the answers to these

questions. But exposing them would expose the

US-backed Zionist war crimes in the territory.

Hamas leaders now living in exile spent the majority

of their life on the ground in Gaza and witnessed

firsthand the movement’s spiritual leader

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin’s assassination

in 2004 and that of the group’s

co-founder ------ Abdel Aziz

al-Rantisi, after Yassin.

Many want the world to believe -- that the genocidal war

on Gaza and the wider ethnic cleansing of Palestinians

started when the clocks of Western mainstream

media and their military-industrial complex-

affiliated analysts decided to start it

on October 7.

All the leaders of Palestinian resistance movements have

sacrificed their family members over the past decades to

free their country from its Nazi-like colonial rulers.

In the case of Hamas, which is leading the negotiations on

behalf of all the Palestinian resistance factions and

people in Gaza, the group hasn’t been deterred by

US-made bombs to relinquish its demands for a

permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of all

occupation forces from the entire strip

and a return of all the displaced

Palestinians to their homes.

All the signs indicate that no level of ignorance on behalf

of the US and its illegitimate proxy regime in West Asia

will make the group climb down from its

negotiating position.

The prayer of the dead has been read over the bodies of

Haniyah’s sons in Gaza, just like they were read for

more than 33,300 others... in harsh conditions.

The path to liberating occupied al-Quds and al-Aqsa

Mosque is a marathon, not a sprint. But the finish

line is within reach and will be crossed by the

resistance, their leaders, and their

family members.

Wesam Bahrani - is an Iraqi

journalist and commentator.

(The views expressed in this article..... do

not necessarily reflect those of Press TV.)

I believe this moment shows

who loves --- and who is a

liar, thief and murderer.

Which... are you?

_______________________________________

Wounds Left -- by NATO Attack on

Yugoslavia Persist After 25 Years

March 26th, 2:22pm

(teleSUR)

On March 24, 1999, North Atlantic Treaty Organization

(NATO) started an aerial bombing campaign against

Yugoslavia without the authorization of the United

Nations Security Council (UNSC).

During the 78-day bombings, Serbia lost thousands

of policemen, soldiers, and civilians, and suffered

immense damage to its transport and

energy infrastructure.

Among NATO's targets were houses and apartment

buildings, schools, hospitals, even kindergartens,

while the weapons deployed included missiles

containing depleted uranium & cluster bombs.

Three Chinese reporters, including one from

Xinhua, were killed - during bombardments

against the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.

Serbian people mark March 24 as Remembrance Day for

the Victims of NATO Aggression by laying wreaths or

framed photos of their loved ones whose lives have

been taken either directly by NATO's projectiles or

indirectly by chaos and ethnic conflict, largely

instigated by NATO.

This year, the ceremony of the remembrance day was held

at the main square of Prokuplje, a city some 250 km south

of Belgrade, in the presence of President Aleksandar

Vucic, government officials, policemen, soldiers,

and thousands of civilians.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Verica Tomanovic, president of the Association of Families

of Kidnapped & Missing Persons in Kosovo and Metohija -
recalled the arduous journey of hundreds of families.

Representing 570 families -- who are still pining for their

loved ones, her life journey over the past 25 years has

been an unrelenting quest for truth and justice.

"Every passing day becomes heavier," said Tomanovic. In

a poignant retelling of her personal tragedy, she shared

the story of her husband Andrija, a dedicated doctor,

and head of the surgical department in Pristina,

whose life was abruptly halted by abduction.

"The assurances of NATO officials... about safety and

security crumbled as violence engulfed the region.

People were targeted and killed on the streets

based on ethnic affiliation," recalled

Tomanovic, her voice filled

with sorrow.

Despite promises of protection, her husband became

a victim of the conflict, abducted in broad daylight

while bystanders, including NATO soldiers,

looked on.

"He was a man of deep empathy," she said, explaining how

her husband stayed at his post, out of dedication to his

profession. The abduction of her husband, amidst the

chaos following the NATO intervention, remains an

open wound. With each passing year, the

pain deepens.

Verica Tomanovic's relentless quest for truth --- has led her

to the doors of international institutions, seeking answers

that seem perpetually elusive. "We demand that the truth

be uncovered," she said, clutching letters addressed to

world leaders.

She mourns the absence of humanitarian rights, in Kosovo

and Metohija, where, despite tireless appeals to domestic

and international bodies, answers remain beyond reach,

"without exhumations, without identification,

without accountability."

Standing amidst walls - adorned with the faces of hundreds

of kidnapped or missing individuals, including her husband

Andrija, her determination remains unwavering after a

quarter of a century. "We have the right to know

the truth," she said.

TOXIC LEGACY

With similar unwavering determination, Srdjan Aleksic, a

lawyer from Nis, leads the charge in seeking redress for

the victims of depleted uranium contamination, a

legacy of warfare ---- that has left a trail of

devastation in its wake.

Born in Bustranje, a village nestled within the Presevo

municipality, Aleksic's personal connection to the

plight of his community runs deep. His mother,

relatives, and neighbours succumbed to the

ravages of cancer ------ a consequence of

depleted uranium exposure during the

78 days of relentless bombardments.

For Aleksic, the pursuit of justice transcends legal

advocacy; it is a deeply personal crusade. With

over 4,000 individuals seeking solace and

restitution --- through his legal counsel,

Aleksic stands as a beacon of hope

for those afflicted by the

silent killer.

There were two analyses conducted in Turin, Italy, which

confirmed that Colonel Dragan Stojcic of the Serbian

Army and Ksenija Tadic --- have 500 times more

depleted uranium in their bodies than in

any other person, Aleksic said.

Colonel Dragan Stojcic, a respected member of the

Serbian Army, tragically died from three types of

cancer, underscoring the dire consequences

of the toxic legacy.

Collaborating with legal counterparts in Italy, where

landmark judgments have been handed down over

the illness of Italian peacekeepers, who spent

time in Kosovo, Aleksic aims to replicate

their success --- in Serbia.

"If we have in Italy --------- 400 cases with final, confirmed

judgments, where they managed to prove the causality,

and this was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Italy -

why wouldn't we do the same in Serbia?" said Aleksic.

The use of depleted uranium is a war crime against

civilians, said Aleksic. With its enduring half-life of

4.5 billion years, the toxic legacy of depleted

uranium continues to cast a shadow over

future generations.

CRIPPLED INTERNATIONAL LAW

"It's evident that on that fateful day ------ justice was

undermined, and fairness was compromised," said

Milos Vucevic, Serbian deputy prime minister and

minister of defense, during the international

conference "From Aggression to New Just

Order" held in Belgrade, on the occasion

of the 25th anniversary of the bombing.

"From the onset of terrorist attacks and NATO aggression

to the present day ------ we've witnessed numerous

humanitarian catastrophes - stemming from

the pursuit of power and the delusion of

one's supremacy, a delusion that

disregards eternal truths ---

namely, that justice will

inevitably prevail,"

he said.

Speaking at the conference, Nikola Selakovic..... minister in

charge of veteran affairs condemned NATO intervention as

"a crime against the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia."

"The balance sheet of this entire period --- is marked by

hundreds of killed, missing, hundreds of thousands of

exiles and displaced persons, dozens of destroyed

and burned churches and monasteries, crimes

without punishment," said Selakovic.

Everything raises the question of whether the aggression

that began on March 24, 1999, really ended on June 10

of that year .....or is still ongoing, he added.

Col. Douglas McGregor - who often pontificates

on Youtube - used depleted uranium shells

in Iraq - and swears that the evidence is

''unconvincing'' that depleted uranium

causes any harm...

I can forgive him... but what do you think?

_________________________________________

Gabbard: the truth about biolabs in

Ukraine --- is equated to treason

in the US

March 26th, 2024

(source -- Tucker Carlson

Network retold by InoTV)

TULSI GABBARD, former U.S. Congressman: Over the past

five years, it has become increasingly clear to me that

many people, especially in the Democrat Party,

particularly in Washington, do not value

the constitution at all.

You know, I think that the last five years have played a key

role. After all, if you look, for example, at what happened

during COVID, as a starting point… At the federal and

state and county levels, in many places, these

people, having gained a little power, took

advantage of the situation --- and they

continued to abuse their powers,

so it was absurd.

It's absurd when they say: "For the sake of public safety,

everyone should stay at home, you can't go to church,

you can't even hold services in the open air, for

example, in Hawaii on the beach. But if you're

hosting a * it's above and beyond the public

health and safety concerns we've

discussed. So that's fine."

The politically motivated decisions that were made in the

midst of "the greatest epidemic of our time," as it was

called, in my opinion, opened many people's eyes to

the fact that all this was just for the sake of power,

and how little importance these people attached

to such things as freedom, civil rights, and our

ability to make our own choices.

Yes.

TULSI GABBARD: And ----- under the Biden and Harris

administrations, the situation has only gotten worse.

I'm talking about how they undermined the rule of

law — and continue to undermine it to this day.

About how readily they directly or indirectly

censored, blacklisted --- and denigrated ---

ordinary Americans across the country. If

it so happens that you object to them —

aboutCOVID or about other things…

In my opinion, the reason Mitt Romney called me a

"lying traitor" was my words that there are biolabs

in Ukraine funded by the United States, the US

Department of Defense, and we need to take

care of their security, because there are

military operations. And what neither

we nor the world really needs is a

leak from these biolabs -- which

could pose a threat to people.

It was perceived...

I should note that these were not your guesses…

TULSI GABBARD: No.

In any case, this was confirmed publicly: Deputy Secretary

of State Victoria Nuland voluntarily spoke about it in the

Senate, in front of the cameras, answering a question

from Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the current

Republican senator.

TULSI GABBARD: Yes. And this was written on the website

of the Ministry of Defense. It spoke about the long history

of funding these laboratories, not only in Ukraine, but

also in many other countries around the world.

Of course! Because US laws don't apply there! So they

can… And this is clearly research in the field of

biological weapons. But I don't think you said

anything about that. You basically just

repeated what the Undersecretary

of State said in the Senate!

TULSI GABBARD: Yes.

And then a creature like Mitt Romney denounced

you as a traitor to the motherland.

TULSI GABBARD: Yes.

What do you think of him? What's going on, why is he

so committed to lying that he's willing to destroy

your reputation?

TULSI GABBARD: He is part of the neoconservative and

neoliberal establishment in Washington, which poses

an immediate threat to our republic, our democracy,

and our freedom, and because of which I decided

to leave the Democrat Party. Seeing these people

… And yes, I understand that he is a Republican,

but he took the same position as Hillary Clinton

and many other Democrats ----- who don't care

about our country.

That'sit all comes down to. They don't care about our

country. I have asked Mitt Romney to respond, and I

have sent him a legal letter demanding an answer

regarding his allegations — for the very reason

we discussed. After all, I am a serving officer

in the US Army, and what he, as a US

senator, accuses me of is a crime

that is punishable by death. And

if you make such accusations,

as he made --- in the social

network, which was then

called Twitter, you better

back them up with

something!

In general, if you look at it from the outside, it is obvious

that Mitt Romney is emotionally a child. He wasn't

exactly a genius... In general, he is not a genius,

let's just say. And at the same time, within the

framework of our economy, he earned

hundreds of millions of dollars. So

what does this ---- actually tell us

about --- our economy? How can

such a person get so incredibly

rich here? It turns out, that

something is wrong at the

system level, isn't it?

TULSI GABBARD: Yes. Yes. I think there's a whole, huge

one here... This will probably be the subject of my next

book. We are talking about a military industrial

complex, but there is also a corporate

industrial complex.

Definitely.

TULSI GABBARD: I am, of course, for capitalism,

but when you see these monopolies...

Yes, this is not capitalism.

This is not capitalism at all. When you see how many

small businesses are suffering because of excessive

government regulation... And they (TULSI GABBARD:

corporate industrial complex — InoTV) can afford to

allocate millions, tens of millions of dollars to

lobbyists, to provide services to politicians,

so that they, in turn, create loopholes that

would contribute to the prosperity of

their business, while making a large

part of small businesses in our

country a bargaining chip...

Exactly...

TULSI GABBARD: ... and by destroying competition — the

real competition on which capitalism is based, in fact,

real competition in our country. And that's why

people like Mitt Romney have made so much

money here. This is the reason.

He's behaving so shamefully... It's hard to believe that

there really is such a person... but it is there. So how

did he end up reacting to your words?

TULSI GABBARD: He didn't react at all.

His silence was...

He didn't react at all?

TULSI GABBARD:at all — not in terms of responding to

my lawyer, not in terms of responding on Twitter, or

in any other way... Which didn't really surprise me.

How dishonest is this behaviour.

TULSI GABBARD: Yeah, that's right. This is true. This is
true... I am so grateful — and I really consider it a

privilege — for the opportunity to serve our

country in uniform. April will be my 21st

year of service. I am grateful for the

opportunity to serve now, as a

company commander - which

allows me to work with the

wonderful representatives

of the American people...

from all over our country

who love it to the core.

The sacrifice is not small — and for those who are on

active duty, and for those who are in reserve. And

we are going to do this for a certain reason...

And it stems from our strong love for our country. And when

such a person makes such accusations... this, of course,

touches a nerve. And it's not just about me... The real

reason I challenged him here is this... When people

like Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton make such

accusations, they call me a "traitor" or a

"Russian agent"or a" Putin puppet."..

this isn't really about me... The

point is in their message to all

military personnel in our

country ------- and to all

Americans in general:

"If you dare to criticize us,

we will deal with you..."

and they do it by destroying

your reputation, so people

will shun you.

Good for Tucker allowing

her a platform... but will

it really help her?

What do you think?

_________________________________

Russian lawmakers call on UN:
to hold NATO responsible for

the bombing of Yugoslavia

March 20th, 1:24pm (TASS)

The Russian Federation Council (the upper chamber of the

parliament) adopted the address of the Russian Federal

Assembly (parliament) to the UN, parliaments of the

world, and inter-parliamentary organizations in

regards to the 25th anniversary of the NATO

aggression against Yugoslavia, calling it to

condemn this illegal military operation -

and bring the perpetrators to justice.

"The Chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian

Federation call on the United Nations, international

parliamentary organizations and parliaments of

foreign states to condemn the NATO military

operation against Yugoslavia -- to counter

the attempts to distort the historic truth

about the tragic events of 1999 in the

interest of the collective West ------ to

take measures to bring the NATO

member states to international

legal responsibility for its

aggression against the

Federal Republic of

Yugoslavia," the

address says.

The lawmakers note --- ''that it is necessary to call things as

they are, in this case - ''a blatant violation of international

law," which led to the destabilization of the Organization

for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) --- and

negatively affected relations between European

countries."

The Federation Council and the State Duma, expressed

their deep concerns, over the continued attempts -----
to present the act of aggression against Yugoslavia

as a peacekeeping operation to the international

community ---- to forget the victims of NATO

bombings, and to shift the responsibility

for initiating the wars in the Balkans,

on to the Serbs.

"Between March and June of 1999, NATO member states’

barbaric missile and bomb strikes ------ against civilian

infrastructure - including transportation and energy -

as well as industrial enterprises --- killed over 2,000

Yugoslavian civilians, including dozens of children.

About 2,300 cruise missiles and 14,000 bombs

were dropped on a small sovereign state - in

the middle of Europe," Russian lawmakers

noted.

They also noted that NATO troops used depleted uranium

munitions en masse, which caused irreparable damage

to the environment and caused a rise in cancer cases

in the region. Furthermore, it is still impossible to
fully assess the scale of the ecological
catastrophe, the document says.

The lawmakers believe that the impunity of NATO strikes

at Yugoslavia created conditions for new force actions

around the world under the guise of fighting "for the

values of ...freedom and democracy."

"The collective West’s conviction of its own impunity - and its

right to decide the fates of other peoples and states - has

led to the nurturing of the neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine,

which, after the 2014 coup d’etat, embarked on a

genocidal policy course --- against the Russian

population - and towards imitating an armed

conflict in this country," the document says.

Yes, Clinton was not just a sleazy criminal

at home, but an unrepentent war criminal

abroad ----- what do you think, should be

his fate?

_________________________________________

Ahead of Japan -- how Russia can
become -- one of the four largest
economies in the world by 2030

by Vladimir Tsegoev &

Ksenia Chemodanova

March 14th, 6:38pm

(RT.ru)

In January 2024 --- the Russian economy grew by 4.6% at

once, and weekly inflation has gone to zero since March,

President Vladimir Putin said. According to him -- the

observed trends create the basis for fulfilling the

strategic tasks set for the authorities.

Earlier, the head of state announced the launch of five new

national projects: "Family", "Long and active life", "Youth

of Russia", "Personnel" and "Data Economy".

The implementation of these initiatives is expected to help

improve the demographic situation and strengthen the

country's technological sovereignty. In addition,

Vladimir Putin stated the need to bring Russia

from the 5th to the 4th place in the ranking

of the world's largest economies ---

by 2030. Experts also consider

this goal achievable.

Since the beginning of 2024, Russia's economic growth has

accelerated compared to 2023, while the rise in prices of

goods and services in the country, on the contrary, has

slowed down. This was announced on Thursday,

March 14, by President Vladimir Putin at a

meeting with the government.

"Inflation is stabilizing — in February it was 0.7%, in the

first couple of weeks of this month, inflation went to

zero. It is clear that in weekly terms, this is all very

approximate, everything is volatile, but never-

theless it is as it is. The economy grew by

4.6% in January. GDP growth last year

was 3.6%. In general --- it is very

satisfactory, a good indicator,"

Putin said.

According to the Ministry of Economic Development, strong

growth is observed in most industries. For example,

construction work in January increased by 3.9%

in annual terms, the volume of paid services to

the population - by 6.2%, the manufacturing

industry - by 7.5%, and wholesale and

retail trade - by 9.1%. At the same

time, the unemployment rate

fell from 3% to 2.9%.

The observed dynamics give reason to believe that all the

previously announced strategic plans of Russia for the

coming years are feasible, Vladimir Putin believes.

For this purpose, according to the Russian

leader, the country has created a

"fairly stable base".

"Specific goals are set in the field of demography,

healthcare, education, upbringing of children

and youth, and personnel training. Specific

tasks are outlined -- to strengthen the

country's technological sovereignty

and create new digital platforms,

improve the cities, and rural

settlements --- and develop

transport, and other infra-

structure..... We need to

start this immediately"

the Head of state

stressed.

Recall that on February 29, as part of his address to the

Federal Assembly, the president announced the launch

of five new national projects: "Family", "Long and

active life", "Youth of Russia", "Personnel" and

"Data Economy".

These initiatives, are aimed at raising the birth rate
and increasing the average life span of Russians,

supporting the younger generation, as well

as combating labour shortages, and

creating digital platforms ------ in
key sectors of the economy.

These new national projects have a pronounced social

character - and are mostly designed to help Russia

overcome the demographic crisis. This point of

view was expressed in an interview with RT

by Georgy Ostapkovich, director of the

Centre for Market Research at the

HSE Institute for Statistical

Research and Knowledge

Economics.

"Our population decreases by 500-600 thousand people

every year. Therefore, the main funding in social

programs is directed to demography, fertility,

education.. and healthcare. Human capital

is the foundation --- of economic growth.

A highly competent & healthy person,

of course -- will create innovations,

apply new management schemes,

which will have a positive impact

on the economy," the specialist

explained.

At the same time, along with investments in human capital,

the country's authorities plan to pay special attention to

the development of artificial intelligence in the coming

years. Head of the Ministry of Economic Development
Maxim Reshetnikov, said yesterday, today... Russia is
already among the top 10 leading countries in terms
of computing power ----- and the overall level of AI

implementation in priority areas of the economy
--- exceeds 31%.

The technology itself, according to the Minister, makes it

possible to increase labour productivity - by optimizing

processes, reducing costs -- and improving product

quality. This --- in turn --- also helps to solve the

problem of personnel shortages,

Reshetnikov is sure.

"The main thing now ---- is to maintain the trend towards

the introduction( of AI. - RT), to ensure mass use and

replication of the technology in industries. Due to

its scale, this is the government's task," the

head of the Ministry of Energy added.

"Moving forward is inevitable"

In addition to the implementation of five new national

projects - Vladimir Putin previously outlined to the

authorities, another strategic goal for Russia —

to be one of the four largest economies in the

world -- in terms of purchasing power parity

(PPP) - in six years. The government also

considers achieving this goal feasible -

as First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey

Belousov said, at a meeting with

the president.

"The Russian economy ------ ranks fifth in terms of gross

domestic product.. in terms of PPP. Our calculations

show, that Russia can become the 4th economy in

the world, ahead of Japan, provided that growth

remains stable... at least 2% per year, with a

gradual acceleration to 3%, by the end of

the period. In total for the period up to

2030, the country's GDP should be

increased by about 20%,"

Belousov said.

According to him, it is possible to achieve the intended

result ------- at the expense of five mechanisms. These

include... increasing labour productivity, increasing

investment, increasing non-primary exports in the

markets of friendly countries, supporting small

and medium-sized businesses ----- and

developing import substitution.

Let's explain: GDP at purchasing power parity is the total

value of all goods and services produced, calculated by

taking into account differences in the level of prices

and exchange rates in different countries. It is

believed that this indicator better reflects

the real situation in the economy.

"Simply put, the indicator shows how many units of the

same product can be bought in each country for the

same amount, for example, for a dollar. This is a

relative indicator that reflects the availability

of goods and services to the population --

based on their income. Leading world

economists use it to assess the real

picture of the quality of life of the

population" ------ Andrey Loboda,

economist, & communications

director at BitRiver, explained

to RT.

According to the World Bank, from 2016 to 2020, China, the

US, India, Japan and Germany, continuously remained the

5 largest economies in the world in terms of PPP, while

Russia occupied only the sixth line. However, in 2021,

the Russian Federation was able to bypass Germany

and has recently been closing the gap with Japan.

"Today, Russia is the fifth largest country in the world, and

further progress is inevitable. We can indeed become the

4th, but this will depend not only on the growth of our

economy, but also.... on the situation in Japan. If, in

addition to the objectively slowing growth of the

economy in Japan... interest rates also start to

rise, then next year the country can definitely

expect at best stagnation, and at worst — a

recession. Russia needs to take advantage

of this," Loboda said.

If I was a relatively young man,

I would join the increasing

numbers of Westerners

moving to Russia.

What do you think?

_______________________________

Fearful Electioneering ------- Turbo

Charges Western Warmongering

March 8th, 2024

(strategic-culture.su Editorial)

Western political leaders, are digging a

deeper hole for their eventual collapse.

Join us on Telegram, Twitter , and VK.

Contact us: info@strategic-culture.su

Western states are facing an acute political crisis,

whereby their established governing parties and

leaders are fighting for survival amid a grave

loss in legitimacy in the eyes of

their electorates.

In the United States, incumbent President Joe Biden

is vying for reelection in November with historically

the lowest poll numbers ever, for an occupant of

the White House.

Meanwhile, across the EU, governing parties and

leaders are braced for a drubbing from the

parliamentary elections in June.

The roots of this unprecedented loss of legitimacy among

Western political establishments are manifold. But surely

one cause is the rank hypocrisy of Western leaders that

has now been laid bare. How can political figures

expect to have any moral authority when they

are seen to be inveterate liars and

shamelessly corrupt?

Western governments and their servile media lecture about

“democracy”, “human rights” --- and upholding “law and

order”. They claim to be motivated by such principles

in their support of Ukraine against alleged Russian

aggression. Yet these same governments - are

complicit in the genocide of Palestinians in

Gaza - through their unwavering support

for the Israeli regime.

Western leaders have been fatally exposed and

compromised by the conflict in Ukraine and

Gaza. The contradiction - is terminal.

That’s not just because of the blatant double standards

& duplicity. Western voters are increasingly disgusted

by the relentless financial and military support

funneled into Ukraine to prop up a scamming

regime comprised of NeoNazi ideologues.

Under Joe Biden - and the incumbent European politicians,

the West has flooded Ukraine with weapons and hundreds

of billions of dollars in what is the biggest war racket ever.

This is while Western populations, workers, farmers, and

businesses are hard-pressed with numerous social and

economic burdens.

Western governing parties are rightly seen as elitist and

serving powerful minority oligarchic interests such as

the military-industrial-corporate-financial nexus.

Their declared vows about democracy are a

contemptible joke.

The war in Ukraine is increasingly understood by voters to

be a disastrous proxy war of choice - that was pushed by

U.S. and Western imperial objectives to confront Russia.

Despite the squandering of public money to propagate the

war, the U.S.-led NATO axis has lost its “great game”. The

proxy war has devastated Ukraine, causing up to 500,000

military deaths in two years, as well as destabilizing the

rest of Europe from increased migration, fiscal impact,

deindustrialization, and the shattering of

agricultural industries.

Western populations are furious with their political leaders

for having inflicted such chaos and waste of resources –

as well as wantonly provoking tensions in international

relations with Russia. Western politicians have pushed

the world to the brink of an all-out war between

nuclear powers. All this crazed folly, is based

on utter lies and deception ---- as the horror

of Gaza and Western complicity illustrates.

In this cauldron of electoral revolt, Western political

leaders are only digging a deeper hole for their

eventual collapse.

US President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address

this week -------- made a disingenuous pitch to voters. He
portrayed the world as facing an existential crisis from

Russian “tyranny” and simultaneously claimed the

fate of US democracy was under threat from his

election rival Donald Trump.

In a dangerous, and desperate move, Biden is conflating

Trump with alleged Russian aggression. The Democrat

president is fighting for his political survival against

Republican presumptive nominee Trump primarily

because Biden is so deeply unpopular among

US citizens. To boost his election prospects,

Biden is making out that the country is

facing an “inflection point” - that

requires a rejection of Trump

because he is “bowing

down” to Russia.

Trump and many within the Republican Party

are opposed to continuing the proxy war in

Ukraine, recognizing that it is futile.

Biden and the Democrats, who are more aligned with the

U.S. foreign policy establishment, are therefore trying to

make the election about an existential “defense of

world democracy and peace”.

Biden claimed in his State of the Union address - that if the

U.S. does not supply Ukraine with another $60 billion more

in military aid then Russia will overrun the rest of Europe.

Biden even invoked the memory of Roosevelt

supposedly facing down Nazi Germany

in 1941.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the same warmongering high-stakes

ruse --- is being pushed by French President Emmanuel

Macron. Macron, is calling for the deployment of NATO

ground troops in Ukraine to prevent a Russian victory

and an alleged threat to the rest of Europe.

The French head of state has become almost hysterical in

recent weeks with war talk. He told other French political

leaders this week that there would be “no limits” to

France’s support for Ukraine against Russia.

What’s lying behind Macron’s belligerent rhetoric are his

fears of political defeat --- from opposition parties in the

forthcoming EU parliamentary elections. It is not just

Macron who is anxious. All incumbent European

leaders are dreading an expected widespread

revolt by the electorate.

That is why the French president and his ruling-class ilk

like European Commission President Ursula von der

Leyen and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are

seeking to dominate the public narrative

with war talk and the alleged danger

of Russian expansionism.

The irony is that the more the Western establishments

pursue militarism and war in Ukraine, the worse their

states become from economic mismanagement, and

the more their legitimacy sinks into the gutter. They

are seen more and more as a warmongering clique

that has not a shred of ethical concern because

of their reckless warmongering in Ukraine and

their despicable complicity in the genocide

in Gaza.

Elections in Western states are over-rated. As the saying

goes, if voting changed anything ------ it would have been

banned -- years ago. The array of current opposition

figures and parties facing incumbents is not going

to deliver any solutions to the endemic problems

of Western systemic failure. Nevertheless, the

forthcoming U.S. presidential election and the

European parliamentary ballots are shaping

up to deliver grievous blows of repudiation

to the political establishments.

To offset the political doomsday, charlatan Western leaders

like Biden, Macron, Scholz, and Von der Leyen are doing

their last-ditch best to talk up war with Russia and the

“threat to democracy” -- as a way to burnish their

electioneering efforts. But such cynicism is not

turbocharging their prospects. It will backfire.

The U.S.-led NATO proxy war in Ukraine is facing an

historic debacle.. from defeat. But that makes the

desperate reaction by Western incumbents

scurrying for political survival, a

dangerous time --- in the next

few months.

Break out the popcorn!

Exciting times, I think..

How about you?

___________________________

3 scenarios - for the

future of Ukrainians

March 6th, 6am

(Vesti.ru)

Viktor Medvedchuk, Chairman of the Council of the

Other Ukraine movement, discusses possible

future scenarios for Ukraine, in his column

for the We Are Watching media platform.

"Today, the forecast of the future of Ukrainians is

connected not only with Ukraine, but also with

the future configuration of the entire political

architecture in Europe, the global security

system, and therefore it is extremely

important to make it.''

''At the same time, there is no need to guess on coffee

grounds, because there are economic, military and

social processes that - if properly analyzed - will

give us the most likely result, especially since

there are only three possible scenarios, in

our opinion.''

Ukraine – a military battering ram for Russia

''The scenario when Ukraine becomes for Russia about

the same as Israel for the Arab world, has long been

implemented. Israel maintains a military presence

of the collective West in the Middle East, for

which it receives... generous funding. It is

according to this scheme, that Zelensky

is building the future of Ukraine.''

''The scheme of interaction is quite simple – the West

provides weapons and funding, Ukraine - soldiers

and bridgeheads -- for the offensive. As in the

case of Israel, a complete military takeover

of its neighbours, is not expected. They

just need to create problems, weaken

them and force them to be compliant

with the envoys of the West ---- who

play the role of "good policemen".''

''It is this role that Biden is now hypocritically playing

when he tries to "reason" with the "intractable"

Netanyahu. All this - is nothing more than

a cheap concert - for the public.''

''Zelensky's criminal regime has accepted this scenario, as

the only one and a working one, but the problem is, that it

has confused Ukraine with Israel. The provocateur state

should be much smaller than modern Ukraine, much

smaller, even with the loss of territories today. It's

all about the economy: a huge Ukraine cannot

always be kept on the balance sheet of the

West, it will be rational to have only a few

regions. In this case, Western assistance

will be sufficient -- to fulfill the tasks of

destabilizing the region.''

''Therefore, the loss of territories in this scenario is a natural

process. Zelenskiy needs more soldiers, weapons, and

finances to hold onto vast swathes of Ukraine. In Kiev,

they really believe that the resources of the US and

NATO are unlimited, and they do not understand

why they are given so little. And, in the West,

sober heads understand that the politicians

have miscalculated ---- and that the funds

invested in Zelensky will never pay off.''

''Zelensky acts like a typical post-Soviet rogue manager –

he defended the project, received funding, and doesn't

understand..... why any result is required of him.

Zelensky's task is not to win on the battlefield,

especially not to defend his country, but to

raise money around the world and get

hysterical if they don't give, or don't

give enough.''

''This whole scenario ----- is untenable either economically,

militarily, or politically. Economically, it implies eternal

endless financing by the collective West of Ukraine -

which is simply impossible due to the fact that the

war undermines the economy. In the US, they

realized this ----- and are trying to push the

burden of financing the war onto the EU:

ideally, to incite Germany or France to

attack Russia.''

''But if financing Ukraine, is a heavy burden for the US, then

the EU will not be able to fund it, even if Washington orders

it. The lion's share of the EU's economic growth has been

built on economic cooperation with Russia. Now none of

this is happening, Europe is weakening.... losing its

competitiveness and markets.''

''The situation is even worse militarily. Israel confronts

countries --- that do not have a developed military-

industrial complex, especially nuclear weapons.

And Russia --- has both an advanced military-

industrial complex --- and a modern army.''

"If we are strong with weapons, we will not lose this war.

We will win," Zelensky said, "Because all Putin's steps
back, daily steps back, will definitely have a big
impact on his society. And then he will think
about internal security."

''Such rhetoric has a lot of flaws. First, Zelensky himself, is

taking steps back, since the counteroffensive has turned

into a retreat. Secondly, Russia has its own weapons,

but Ukraine does not, so it is necessary to beg for

them somewhere and have an eternal shortage

of them. And, third, it's time for Zelenskiy to

think about internal security himself --- as

the scandal with his presidential powers

is brewing, mass discontent of the

military and civilians, and his

rating -- is rapidly falling.''

''Politically, Zelenskiy has nothing to offer - but war. Neither

the EU, nor NATO, nor our own people. The 2019 elections

showed that the Ukrainian people do not need a war

president. But Zelensky, did not have the will,

intelligence, or professionalism to become

a president of the world. He understands

---- that any peace will ruin his political

career. And any war - ends in peace.''

Ukraine – part of Russia

''This scenario is also already being implemented - and

successfully. A fifth of Ukrainian lands went under
the control of the Russian Federation. In 2021
I wrote about this --- warning Zelensky,
who did not heed the advice:

"The very policy of a mono-national state implies the

surrender of citizens and territories. The policy of

a mono-national state, cannot achieve the main

goal, both at the current stage of the country's

development and at future stages, namely, to

"stitch" the country around a common idea,

to return regions.. that were not controlled

by official Kiev -------- to convince (Russian

speaking) residents that Ukraine is their

home and they are welcome here. And

in no way - is the construction of a

mono-national state with militant

Ukrainization, capable of

returning Donbass to

Ukraine, or Ukraine

to Donbass."

''Even then, it was clear that Zelensky would not return any

territories, and he would still lose a lot of territories. But

the loss of territories is an optimistic scenario for him,

and a more realistic one --- is the complete and

irrevocable loss of statehood.''

"As for the behaviour of this Kiev clique," Dmitry Medvedev

said recently, "at least, this is short-sighted, because they

simply alienate some people, even those who were loyal

to their government until recently. This looks monstrous

--- because we are talking about countering the entire

Russian culture --- and our common path. They are

demolishing monuments, and we did not even

think of such a thing! Ukrainians -- with the

exception of outright Nazis and Bandera

members -- have always been treated

with respect, in our country. I'm not

even talking about the classics:

Shevchenko, Lesya Ukrainka,

or Gogol, who is one of the

outstanding Russian &

Ukrainian writers."

''And no matter what Western propaganda claims, the

Ukrainians in the new territories made their choice

in favour of Russia. The West accuses Russia

of aggression, but it is in Russia that most

Ukrainian citizens seek salvation.''

''They are driven to Russia by the insane and criminal

policies of the Zelensky regime, but once they

become Russian citizens, they may well

return home, because then they will

not be threatened by this regime.''

''Therefore, if Ukraine ceases to exist on the map, it will

be primarily the merit of Zelensky and his pack, who

surrendered the interests of their country long

before the fighting --- and continue to move

unrestrainedly, in this direction.''

Last chance for Ukraine

''Russia constantly gives Ukraine a chance to survive as a

state. So, the Permanent Representative of the Russian

Federation, Vasily Nebenzia, at a meeting of the UN

Security Council said: "I want to emphasize that

it is still possible to preserve Ukraine in some

form, but -- it should be a peaceful, neutral

Ukraine, where there is no discrimination

and Russophobia, where Nazi criminals

are not glorified and from which there

is no threat to Russia. It is precisely

to achieve these goals - that our

SVO is directed."

"It is precisely to achieve these goals, that the goals
of our special military operation are aimed," the
diplomat continued.

''Therefore, the choice is up to the collective West
---- whether we will need to fight to the end, or
common sense will prevail in Washington,
London and Brussels and at least they
will try to save something
from Ukraine.''

''Any conflict ends --- sooner or later. The same thing, we

are sure, awaits the conflict in Ukraine. Of course, the

longer it drags on, because of Kiev's Western policy,

the more unfavorable the peace conditions will be
- for Ukraine."

''Before that, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an

interview with Tucker Carlson, said that Zelensky

may well talk about peace with him. And what

about Zelensky? He said it was impossible.

He foolishly failed to realize that he was

crossing out the possibility --- not of

negotiating with Russia --- but

Ukrainian statehood itself.''

''Russia will not tolerate a Nazi state on its borders.

And Zelensky's ethnicity will not cover up the

Nazi nature of his regime.''

''Ukraine - still has a chance to preserve its statehood, but

then it should stop clinging to Nazism, Russophobia, and

military hysteria and focus on improving the well-being

of its citizens. Ukrainian statehood, the rule of law,

the social sphere, and governance will have to be

built again, but the current Ukrainian elite is not

capable of this. These traitors to their people,

corrupt officials, self-appointed Fuhrers and

politicians --- have no place in the future.

They have only one way --- a suitcase,

a train station, the West --- out of

the country they have betrayed."

Chairman of the Council of the

Other Ukraine Movement,

Viktor Medvedchuk.

This is a discussion for the Ukrainians.

________________________

Tyranny !

by Bouthaina Shaaban

February 28th, 2:01pm

Source: Al Mayadeen English

What has brought the world today to an unprecedented

level of tyranny - is the support provided by Western

countries to terrorist killers ---- engaged in daily

genocide against innocent civilians in Gaza.

The major mistake humanity committed in the modern era,

is its failure to dedicate the necessary time and effort - to

uncover the injustices committed by the white man in the

West against indigenous peoples. It failed to chronicle a

true and precise history of the genocide, torture, siege,

plunder of wealth, and development of weapons of

mass destruction, and genocide ----- perpetrated

against the peoples in colonies in Africa,
Asia, and Latin America.

It also failed to document the destruction of peoples'

cultures and the employment of media to distort

realities --- brainwash minds --- and undermine

human values ---- especially through burying

indigenous languages, and replacing them

with a colonial language that still stands

as the ''official language'' ------- of the

inhabitants of former colonies.

Some inhabitants of these colonies now even glorify the

West, praising the civilization built upon the skulls of

their own children and the museums enriched with

looted artifacts from these colonies, not to

mention the stolen wealth used to

construct the colonizers' home-

lands, while keeping the

plundered peoples in

abject poverty.....

for centuries.

These crimes have been a source of controversy and

debate.. among the inhabitants of the colonies for

centuries: some ----- have become mentally and

morally subservient to the colonizer, initially

out of fear --- and later, out of habit.

Some people from former colonies defend the colonizers

and think they are vital to their very existence - while

others rebel against the entire colonial legacy but

often without a substantial or valuable action

against this legacy, thus failing to form

a national and - consequently -

an international stance

to be reckoned with.

These could be some of the reasons... why the true

significance of countries - has not been decisively

settled on the historical, human and ethical map.

Fear, silence --- and the fluctuating poverty of

oppressed peoples under Western tyranny

--- could be some of the reasons, for the

failure to reach a definitive resolution

on this matter.

What has brought the world today - to an unprecedented

level of tyranny ------ is the support provided by Western

countries to terrorist killers engaged in daily genocide

for the past five months against innocent civilians in

Gaza and Palestine in general. All is happening

before the eyes of a world.. claiming to be

civilized. Yet ---- we have not witnessed

a revolution in public opinion ---- or

a sincere and resolute action ----

against these horrifying crimes.

We do not even witness a statement befitting the horror of

what is happening, except for Yemen, which we all take

pride in, as the origin of Arab identity, proving with

merit --- that it deserves to be the origin, root,

and stronghold, of the Arabs.

After five months of the West waging a genocidal war

against the innocent people of the besieged Strip,

after the martyrdom of around 30,000 people ---

mostly women and children - the displacement

of over a million people - and the perpetration

of heinous massacres -- against doctors and

journalists, & after all the inhuman actions

of trees uprooting, animals shooting, food

targeting - and attacks on organizations,

once called humanitarian - to make the

population die of hunger, the genocide

continues falling... on the deaf ears

of the entire world ---- completely

disregarding what is happening

to its fellow human beings.

The United States and its Western allies, persist in sending

billions of various lethal weapons to empower their Zionist

tools, to continue perpetrating this gruesome genocide ---

unparalleled in history, at least in the past four centuries.

Others in the East, South, West, and everywhere ---- believe

they are safe and secure from what is happening, unaware

that this disregard for humanity, applies to all of them,

albeit at different times and moments.

The people of Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq - are not

only defending Palestine and the safety of Palestinians, but

are also defending a world they envision free from Western

colonial oppression. They stand against Western tyranny

that has wreaked havoc on all our colonized nations,

adjusting its tools without changing its objectives,

targeting us, belittling us, and collectively killing

us ----- whenever its interests demand this.

Residents of the colonies expressing admiration for

what the West has accomplished for its people

should remember that this achievement was

built on the skulls of their own children and

the plundering of their own resources.

The West treats its people in a completely different way,

and others will never be treated in the same way. The

most significant evidence of this, is the immigrants

from the Arab Maghreb in France --- who are now

the second and third generations; nevertheless,

they still remain second or third-class citizens

and have not been and will not be granted

the status of the white European.

However, the aggression on Gaza - reveals something even

more perilous to humanity: the United States - holds the
international arena in its grip ------- punishing whom it
chooses ----- compelling other nations to mete out
punishments ------- severing ties with those it
disapproves of and trying to force others
-- -to adhere to its categorization of

good, evil, terrorism, and more.

If anyone attempts to issue any resolution in the Security

Council to restore justice - a US veto is used to stop that.
The most alarming revelation of this aggression, is that

the US, along with Britain, France, and Germany have
seized the international will, subjugated it, and

turned all nations into slaves - following the

dictates of the US administration - which

openly declares its active participation

in a war of extermination while hiding

behind their dual fear: fear of taking

action ...and fear of inaction.

However, this silence and clinical death of any international

movement against unprecedented tyranny, in our modern

era, turn everyone into powerless slaves, incapable of

doing anything. All they do... is bow their heads to

avert the impending disaster that might befall

them... in the next round.

In this context and analysis, the only true free individuals

today are those resisting Western tyranny. They protest

against it in the West, raising their voices against

Western broadcasters, telling them, "Shame

on you!, stop the war of extermination!,

free Palestine!."

Even though the police silence them, and force them out

of the room handcuffed, allowing the host to resume the

dialogue with himself, there is no doubt that all viewers

know this is the truth;- their consciences are stirred,

and they cannot remain passive, when they realize

that the killing of every innocent Palestinian child

and woman is a violation of their human dignity,

warning them - that they might face the same

fate - if they dare to express their opinions.

Therefore, their complete silence tightens the grip

of tyranny around their necks, rendering them

powerless and helpless slaves.... in any

matter they are about to undertake.

From this perspective, supporting Palestine today is the

essential first step toward confronting the political

tyrannical system --- enabled by the prevalent

influence of Western intelligence agencies

in the West --- which currently control the

media, political parties, parliaments,

and politicians in the West.

Challenging - the slavery imposed by

this oppressive Western system on

humanity as a whole - represents

the most significant liberation

battle humanity faces, in

the 21st century.

People must either choose freedom and be prepared to bear

its costs or remain under the yoke of Western tyrants like

Netanyahu and Biden, subject to any blow the tyrants

decide to direct to them. Undoubtedly, the outcome

of this battle will be significant for all. Will the

major world powers continue to keep silent

toward Western tyranny and tremble in

fear, or will they hasten to stand on

the right side of history as some

leaders who have learned the

lesson -- like the Colombian,

Bolivian, Venezuelan, and

Brazilian presidents?

It is not only their responsibility toward themselves,

or even just toward their countries but their crucial

and definite responsibility toward the future of

humanity and the future of this universe that

God entrusted us with as His stewards on

earth. Will we prove ourselves worthy

of this responsibility?

The opinions mentioned in this article

do not necessarily reflect the opinion

of Al mayadeen, but, rather, express

the opinion of its writer exclusively.

But they do reflect my opinion -

and I hope, pray ------ and have

Faith, that countless millions

will be moved to act...

don't you think?

________________________________

Proletären: Sweden was dragged into NATO

to force it - to serve Washington's interests

February 28th, 2024

(source - Proletären

retelling by InoTV)

After Sweden's accession to NATO, the more than two-

hundred-year-old principle of Swedish non-alignment

with military blocs will be buried. Not once since

the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and

three years later, King Charles XIV Johan,

declared his intention to prevent Sweden

from participating in the war --- has the

Northern European country officially

entered into military pacts.

Back in March 2022, the then Prime Minister. Magdalena

Andersson, was convinced that Sweden's long-standing

policy of non-alignment had served Sweden well for

two centuries. However, just over 2 months later,

she and the Social Democrats ' party council

changed their minds and applied for the

kingdom's membership -- in the North

Atlantic Alliance, Proletären recalls.

"It should be borne in mind that NATO is a nuclear-armed

alliance," Magdalena Andersson said, in an interview in

March 2022. Since then, people have been talking

about it... more quietly.

At the behest of Commander-in-Chief Mikael Bueden, the

current Swedish government, even began to oppose the

possible deployment of nuclear weapons... on Swedish

soil. At the same time as NATO members, neighboring
Norway and Denmark, have reservations against the

deployment of nuclear weapons on their territory in

peacetime. Membership in NATO also precludes

the possibility of being an international voice

for nuclear disarmament, as Sweden has

not ratified the UN resolution banning

nuclear weapons -------- under

US pressure.

In the Swedish media NATO is called a "defensive alliance",

although the organization itself does not declare this. The

NATO bloc's website describes it as a " political and

military alliance."

This military alliance, among other things, bombed Libya
and Afghanistan - two countries that did not attack any

NATO countries, and in the destruction of which -----

Sweden participated.

It was NATO - that turned Libya into one big mess - and a

mecca for slave traders and smugglers. As a member of

NATO, Sweden will be forced to participate in US wars

..which will not necessarily take place in the Baltic

Sea, the author of the article notes.

China, not Russia, is the US's main rival. As a member

of NATO, Sweden will be forced -- to send its soldiers

around the world to fight for US economic interests.

NATO is essentially the US's military tool to maintain its

position at the top of the global capitalist system. The

enemies of NATO are the enemies of the US that do

not want to submit to Washington, such as Iran

and North Korea. Resource-rich China and

Russia will not be left alone even when

these powers try to cooperate with

the United States.

The United States and NATO - spare no effort to impose

their will and consider themselves above international

law. The only people in Sweden.. who benefit from

NATO membership are US-oriented capitalists,

and above all, arms manufacturers led by

SAAB ------- under the leadership of the

Wallenberg family. SAAB shares rose

significantly on the stock market,

after the so-called debate on

Sweden's accession to

NATO began.

However, there was no real debate. Last but not least,

the state-run Swedish TV and radio broadcaster....

bears a huge responsibility for the poor-quality

and one-sided journalism that has flooded

the public's minds since the Nordic

country joined NATO.

Only now, in the run-up to Sweden's final membership

in NATO, articles began to appear warning about the

consequences of such a decision, but in just over a

year --- the propaganda storm was so strong that,
to the delight of the Swedish military-industrial

complex --- no counterarguments were heard

in the leading Swedish media. As a result,

all Swedes who want to live in peace -

and not send the younger generation

to fight for the United States - are

at a loss, Proletären concludes.

Sweden's convenient ''neutrality''

..disguised their vital role in

supplying high-end optics

and other material - for

Hitler's nazi regime.

Better that the Swedes now show

and know their true position - as

armaments manufacturers for

hatred, pain and conquest.

What do you think?

_________________________________

Amid chaos of war, Israeli soldiers

steal everything - from jewelry

to rugs - in Gaza

by Maryam Qarehgozlou

February 27th, 12:52pm

(PressTV)

People frantically search through the rubble, their faces

streaked with tears and dust, each of them driven by

desperation and hope, calling out the names of

their loved ones amid the chaos of death

and destruction left behind by the

Israeli genocidal campaign.

With every piece of debris lifted - there is a mix of fear

and anticipation, praying for a sign of life beneath the

devastation. It’s a race against time, fueled by love

and anguish, as grief-stricken families cling to the

possibility of finding their missing relatives alive.

On Thursday night, the Yaghi family was having their last

cup of tea when the Israeli forces razed down their

house and four other buildings with two airstrikes

in Deir Al Balah in central Gaza, reports said.

Nearly 40 people were sheltering in the house before the

bombs rained down and 15 were believed to have been

trapped under the rubble. The other members of the

family kept searching through the rubble of where

their house once stood... but to no avail.

“We were all fasting. I stepped into that room, the house

was full and there was no space, I sat by the wall and

placed my three-year-old nephew on my lap, a

second later I heard a loud explosion, and we

were all flown up in the air, then the roof

collapsed and all went black,” Shaza

Yaghi was quoted as saying by Al

Jazeera, as she recounted her

heart-wrenching ordeal.

“While searching, I came across a child’s severed body

part, his leg, which seemed to be my nephew’s, then

I found parts of his brain all blown out… that white

bag over there is full of the body parts and body

organs we found after the explosion.”

Images coming out of the bruised and bleeding territory

each day show children and adults alike combing

through the ruins of their houses, looking for

their belongings and missing loved ones.

The situation in Gaza is “shocking and desperate”

according to the UN, with nearly 30,000

Palestinians killed and almost the

entire population of 2.3 million

people displaced and

starving.

On the other hand, the Israeli soldiers shamelessly

flaunt their diabolic crimes and share them on

social media platforms. This genocide in

Gaza is quite literally unfolding -

in real-time.

Vandalizing and looting

Videos from Israeli soldiers’ social media accounts show

them blowing up and demolishing buildings, vandalizing

and looting homes, and raising Israeli regime flags
over those ruins.

Looting and vandalizing houses, whose occupants have

been forced to abandon all their belongings, has

become a common practice since October 7.

It happened in previous Israeli wars on

Gaza as well --- but this time --- the

looters have been publicizing

it themselves.

In November, Palestinian singer, Hamada Nasrallah,

shared a photo of an Israeli regime soldier playing

the guitar he said his late father bought for him

15 years ago.

“I was shocked today when I saw this TikTok video of

a [Israeli] soldier playing guitar in the midst of the

rubble in Gaza. I know this guitar very well

because there are not many guitars like

this in Gaza. My dad --- gifted me this

guitar 15 years ago,” he remarked.

“Isn’t it enough that they take away our loved ones,

our homes, our families, and even our music and

memories? Where does the injustice stop?”

Earlier this month, Sultan Abu Tair, a renowned

Palestinian journalist and humanitarian - also

shared a video of an Israeli soldier bragging

about looting Palestinian homes and

stealing expensive watches --- in

Rimal neighbourhood, west

of Gaza City.

Another post on social media showed an Israeli

soldier taking out someone’s collection of

soccer shirts from a bag.

There are many other videos posted on social

media in recent months that show Israeli

soldiers ransacking homes and stealing

everything from clothes, cosmetics,

rugs, groceries, and jewelry.

Israeli forces systematically steal,

loot Palestinians' belongings in

Gaza: Rights group

A rights group says Israeli forces are

conducting a systematic looting

of Palestinians.

Erasure and extermination

There are also videos of Israeli soldiers singing

genocidal songs, planting flags in Gaza,

smashing up toy shops, looting

houses - and having dance

parties atop the rubble.

“The masses can see it is about erasure and

extermination, not safety and security,”

Palestinian-US poet, Remi Kanazi ,

wrote --- in a post on X,

formerly Twitter.

The Israeli media has also been normalizing these

acts and uncritically reporting about the looting

and stealing of Palestinian homes, by

Israeli soldiers.

Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, recently featured

soldiers who presented reporter Uri Levy with a

mirror they had brought back from Gaza.

“It has a name: it’s called looting, and it’s also prohibited

according to [military] law. This is what a morally

bankrupt country looks like. Here.... it’s just a

mirror, here, it’s just evidence of execution
and just evidence of abuse......... in The
Hague just waiting,” said Mistaclim,

an Israeli rights group.

While the Israeli military has said in a statement that

looting Palestinian property by soldiers is unlawful,

there is a special unit in the military itself

dedicated to seizing money and other

property found on the battlefield.

In late December, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor

reported several cases - in which Israeli troops took

part in or witnessed the deliberate theft of assets

and money from Palestinian civilians, including

items like computers, jewelry, and large

amounts of cash.

The rights group estimated that the Israeli military

may have stolen valuables worth tens of millions

of dollars since the events of October 7.

“Many residents reported that Israeli soldiers took their

belongings, others saw their belongings with Israeli

soldiers on TikTok,” Maha Hussaini.... director of

strategies at Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor

and a Palestinian journalist based in Gaza,

was quoted as saying by media.

In addition to looting Palestinians’ belongings, footage

circulating on social media - also shows Israeli

soldiers using Gaza’s abandoned homes to

cook and eat the food they find there.

“In every house, you’ll find a lot of ras el hanout style

mixes. There are also plenty of lentils, so at first,

we made a lot of stews …. Every house we

stayed in had olives that [Palestinians]

make, which we tasted…” one Israeli

soldier cited in an article published

by Haaretz on February 13.

“Olive oil is also present in every home, in gallons, and it

helps a lot to upgrade any food. They also have a great

spicy sauce.”

In a letter published by the military rabbinate last month,

soldiers were instructed on how to keep kosher when

using food and utensils found in homes in Gaza. The

letter, signed by Rabbi Avishai Peretz ended with

the biblical directive: “And you shall eat the

riches of all the nations.”

Famine and siege

However, after four and a half months of Israeli siege,

famine is taking a heavy toll on everyone in Gaza.

Gaza’s ability to produce its food has been decimated by

Israeli bombs, agriculture is in ruins, fertile lands are

neglected, poultry and livestock... have been

destroyed, and the limited international

aid.. can barely meet the needs of a

hungry population, or prevent the

situation... from deteriorating

further.

According to the figures from the UN Office for the

Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at

least half a million people are facing famine

while nearly the entire population of Gaza

is experiencing an acute food shortage.

In a statement last week, the world body warned of

an “explosion” in child deaths due to a lack of food

and water in the besieged territory.

Some pro-Palestine activists say that Israeli soldiers’

videos on social media can’t be distinguished from

dehumanizing comments made by Israeli regime

politicians during the war.

Since October 7th, Israeli officials have, repeatedly,

made dehumanizing statements about Palestinians.

Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israeli military,

said early on that the Air Force will emphasize

“maximum damage, not accuracy.”

Israel’s minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant said

that Israel --- will treat Palestinians as “animals,”

and the president of the regime Isaac Herzog

denied the existence of any innocent

Palestinian civilians.

“The rhetoric from the top, which explicitly aims to

legitimize civilian death in Gaza, spurs such

violent actions on the ground,” Mina

Zahed, a lawyer and social media

activist, told Press TV Website.

“When Israeli officials refer to all Gazans as

“human animals,” it is no wonder that the

soldiers in the field see all Palestinians

as targets.”

What - in your heart -

do YOU feel?

Want to know more, before you do

anything - like protest to your

Western Zionist legislator?

___________________________________

Czech farmers accused

of being 'pro-Russian'

Tuesday, February 20th, 2024

(Source: InfoBrics)

The anti-Russian sentiments of European leaders ----- are

preventing them from acting rationally in the face of the

current wave... of protests across the continent. In a

recent statement -- the Czech Prime Minister, Peter

Fiala accused the protesters of being "supporters

of Moscow", discrediting the farmers' claims by

associating them with an "enemy" of the EU.

Fiala made his statement --- when the demonstrations reached

their peak - in the Czech Republic. On February 19th, hundreds

of tractors blocked the main streets of Prague, interrupting

traffic in the areas around the Ministry of Agriculture. The

protests come amid a "peasant uprising" in Europe, with

rural workers demanding an end to the import of

Ukrainian grains and a review of the EU's

"green policies".

Reacting to pressure from the peasants, Fiala made a
publication on his account on X (formerly Twitter)

stating that the protesters do not really aim to

protect the interests of farmers. According
to him the protesters are mere "Kremlin

supporters" --- and aim to destabilize

Europe to favour Russian interests,

with agriculture being a mere

excuse ---- to call for

demonstrations.

According to the Czech leader -- the local government is

already in dialogue with the farmers to try to meet their

interests. He however, denies that the protesters have

links with labour organizations and rural unions, thus

delegitimizing the protests. Fiala claims that Prague

constantly seeks to protect the "real" interests of

farmers, but claims that the protesters have

nothing to do with such interests, being

just pro-Russian rioters.. who

"complicate" the lives of

other Czech citizens.

"Today's demonstration - has little to do with the fight for

better conditions for farmers. The demonstration ------ is

organized by people who for example, do not hide their

support for the Kremlin, & pursue goals other than the

interests of farmers. The government is continuously

talking to everyone who is interested in dialogue.

That is why we are able to find good solutions.

We have done this many times, over the past

two years. Unfortunately.... the organizers of

today's demonstrations are not among those

who care about improving the quality of life

in our country --- and its prosperity. It also,

shows their progress, which complicates

the lives of the citizens of the capital -

and will not bring any solutions to

the real problems of Czech

farmers," he said.

One of Fiala's main arguments against the legitimacy of the

demonstrations is the lack of participation of the country's

main farmers' organizations, such as the Agrarian

Chamber, the Agricultural Union, and the

Association of Private Agriculture.

However, Fiala ignored the fact - that these same groups,

although absent in the protests on the 19th, announced

that they will launch their own demonstration against

the EU's green policies, scheduled for the 22nd.

Therefore, Fiala's argument seems invalid,

since official rural organizations share

the same interests --- as the

autonomous protesters.

In fact - dissatisfaction with the direction of European

agriculture, is a widespread phenomenon. There are

protests across the entire continent, from the most

western countries, such as France and Spain, to

the most eastern ones, such as Poland and the

Baltics. European rural workers are some of

the most affected by the EU's irresponsible

policies in support of Ukraine.

As well known, European states have maintained since

2022 a policy of systematic import of Ukrainian grains.

With the aim of supporting Kiev economically, these

countries began to massively buy cheap Ukrainian

agricultural products and thus stopped promoting

their own domestic agribusinesses, culminating

in a major social crisis.

With Ukraine being one of the most fertile and productive

countries in the world, Western European nations are

unable to compete in the agricultural market with

Kiev, which is why European rural workers are

going bankrupt. In this sense, the demand

for an end to the import of Ukrainian

products - is a basic need for

European peasants.

In the same sense, the end of green policies is vital for

European agricultural production to be viable. Facing

several economic problems and low productivity,

European farmers depend on government aid to

pay for the production and transportation of

grains. However, the EU imposes a radical

environmentalist ideological agenda and

makes its rural producers "pay the bill"

for global warming ----- making

agribusiness unworkable.

Therefore, workers' demands seem fair and natural.

Farmers are fighting for their rights and for better

living and working conditions. There is no

evidence that such workers are truly

"pro-Russian".

If there are feelings of sympathy for Russia among them,

these naturally follow from their rejection of the EU's

anti-Russian ideology, which is directly responsible

for the losses suffered by them.

As long as European leaders are more concerned with

accusing protesters than solving their problems,

the crisis will continue to worsen.

By Lucas Leiroz - journalist, researcher

at the Centre for Geostrategic Studies,

and geopolitical consultant.

You can follow Lucas

on X and Telegram.

Can't wait until the Czechs
throw out their miserable
creepy, warmongering
sneaky government.

What do you think?

_______________________________________________________

Proletären: a rude awakening —

Yemeni blockade of Israel

exposes Arab regimes,

rattles Western

imperialists

December 19th, 2:33pm

by Shabbir Rizvi

Perhaps the best pages of history are the pages where

the oppressed are victorious against the oppressor,

and able to turn the tide of power with

poetic justice.

Within these pages, true colours are always revealed, and

the resolve of each player is truly put to the test. And if

history is truly written by the victor, then this chapter

owes some pages to be authored by the incredibly

brave people and resistance of Yemen.

In the wake of the Hamas-led resistance operation Al-Aqsa

Storm (also known as Al-Aqsa Flood), Yemen has dared to

go where no other Arab countries have (outside of the

Islamic resistance in Lebanon and Iraq) - not only

directly confronting the Zionist entity, but

enacting a crushingly successful

blockade in the strategic zone

of the Red Sea.

Any ship willing to conduct business with the Israeli regime

in Yemen’s territorial waters has two options - turn around,

or risk your ship being destroyed or taken by the Yemeni

military (Ansarallah).

One has to admire this act of poetic justice. Yemen, the

country subjected to nearly a decade of US-Saudi

blockade, enabled by Western states, which

spawned the world’s worst humanitarian

crisis in the Arab country - has now

enacted a blockade of its own -

squeezing the already

depleting Zionist

economy.

Anyone familiar with the societal structure of the Zionist

occupation can tell you that its economy is extremely

vulnerable to external shocks. This.. is a regime that

has only lasted as long as it has due to the political

and economic support of the US capitalist class.

Billions of US taxpayer money is spent annually to keep the

illegitimate entity afloat. Meaning the Zionist occupation

has to ensure it is justifying this staggering investment.

For the US ruling class, Israel acts not only as a colonial

military outpost but as a corridor into Asia. They need

Zionist cooperation to facilitate the trade of goods

coming in and out of the region, facilitating

billions of dollars of goods annually.

Yemen has decided that it will not tolerate Israeli

trade --- while Gazan children and women are

being mercilessly slaughtered every day.

Starting in November, the Yemeni military began to seize

Israeli-connected ships - starting with the seizure of the

“Galaxy Leader.” Outside of ship seizures, other ships

were subject to drone, rocket, and gunboat attacks -

including the US Navy destroyer USS Carney.

Israeli-occupied port of Eilat - its third biggest - has

effectively been shut down amid Yemeni rockets

and drones, and its blockade in the Red Sea.

Traffic at the port is reportedly down

by 85%.

This is no small blockade. Global shipping companies are

thinking twice about dealing with the regime. Hong Kong

shipping company OOCL has halted all trade with the

Israeli regime. Maersk... one of the biggest global

shipping companies, has also decided to pause

operations, joining a few other companies.

Other shipping companies have also

followed suit.

Initial projections estimate billions of dollars of trade has

been impacted. Yemen’s blockade is driving the cost of

goods up and increasing the amount of transport time.

Some Israeli-linked ships have even decided to go around

Africa into Asia, adding anywhere from two to three

extra weeks of shipping time.

And most importantly, the economic impact caused by the

crippling blockade is creating serious political pressure.

British Petroleum on Monday announced it would stop

operations using the Suez Canal, due to the

Yemeni threat.

Mere hours after this announcement, UK Labour Party

leader Keir Starmer joined UK Prime Minister Rishi

Sunak in calling for a “sustainable ceasefire” in

Gaza, effectively breaking from the US line.

Yemen is forcing the world to divest from the regime

in Tel Aviv or suffer major economic consequences.

And it's working.

Now, Zionists and its US backers are tapping into their

regional partners. The very countries that sought to

break Yemen - the UAE and Saudi Arabia - are now

creating a “land bridge” trade route with the

Zionist entity, as per reports.

Though this is more costly and slower, the same

resources are now passing from the UAE into

Saudi Arabia and Jordan in order to reach

the occupied territories.

The 2000-kilometre path is already being put to the test,

with a reported 10 trucks already taking the path from

Dubai to the border of Israeli-occupied territories.

This is a clear attempt to circumvent the Yemeni blockade.

The Jordanian leadership quickly moved ------ to deny the

existence of such a “land bridge” ----- as it is a shameful

accusation - however, it is indeed a willing participant

in the trade of goods with the apartheid regime.

The treachery of these Arab regimes is another betrayal of

the Palestinian people. These same countries waged war

on Yemen’s independence movement, and now they are

participating in the war against Palestinians by aiding

the Zionist enemy.

Yemen has forced these regimes

--- to show their true orientation.

Even more tellingly, the Saudi regime has assisted the US

and Israeli regime in blocking Yemeni missiles and

drones, with its air defense systems. Rockets

meant for the port of Eilat were reportedly

shot down by Saudi missiles, protecting

not only Israeli goods..... but also

US warships.

The Gulf monarchies insist that they demand “regional

stability” ---- while allowing the Zionist regime to

conduct open genocide in front of the world.

However, the US is not satisfied with a land bridge. Some

goods cannot be transported through the land bridge,

and it is pricier to switch between sea, land, then

back to sea when transporting goods from the

US to Asia, for example.

On Monday, December 18, US Defense Secretary Lloyd

Austin announced “Operation Prosperity Guardian” -

a ten-country coalition that would fend off the

“Yemeni threat” in the Red Sea.

It’s clear that the blockade is putting economic pressure

on the US - the operation’s name says it all. But can the

coalition, which includes Bahrain (adding another

country to the list of Arab nations stabbing

Palestine in the back), actually stop the

Yemen-created blockade?

Not without risking a full-scale regional war.

First, Yemen is more than capable of

defending itself. It fended off a

Saudi-led coalition for ten

years, which used US

weaponry and

logistics.

It can certainly -- defend its own territorial

waters and skies against invading forces.

Second, the coalition threat is a serious step up the

escalation ladder --- one that would have serious

consequences for US forces and allies that

are unwelcome in the region.

Last week, Iran’s Defense Minister Mohammad Reza

Ashtiani, issued a statementL: declaring that any

attempt by the US to form a coalition that

disrupts peace in the region -- “will be

faced with tremendous problems."

"Nobody can make a move in a region where

we have predominance,” he asserted.

In recent months, Iran has had several encounters

with US naval boats that attempted to encroach

its territorial waters. This comes as a result of

US military ships posing a threat to Iranian oil

tankers and other ships - resulting in Iran

tightening security within its

territorial waters.

Hypocritically, the same country that decries

Yemen’s blockade, also openly participates

in the piracy of Iranian oil!

The US-led coalition is foolishly risking a regional war.

Ultimately, this would not be in the US key interests -

and the popularity of Biden's administration would

sink even more ------ even with it being at an

all-time low.

The threat of the coalition as of now

is just policy on paper.... but if

materialized --- could yield

catastrophic results.

The United States is already the main protagonist in the

Gaza genocide. By supplying bombs that drop on Gaza

every day as well as political backing, it cannot wash

its blood-stained hands.

But if it insists on going the extra mile and pulling itself

into a regional war over a trade route, then all bets

on peace --- are off.

The attacks on US military bases would escalate. US ships

would be targeted. US citizens and ambassadors would

have to be evacuated. And trade that has already

come to a screeching halt would be prolonged

further. All on the eve of an election year.

The reality is that Yemen has the imperialist West right

where it wants it. Either end the barbaric aggression

on Palestinians in Gaza.... or face economic and

political ruin.

It is very rare in times like this that peace sells
- but is the US buying? Time will tell.

Shabbir Rizvi is a Chicago-based political analyst

with a focus on US internal security and

foreign policy.

(Original source --- PressTV --- which does

not necessarily concur with the opinions

expressed in this article.)

You have to admit - don't you? - that this
makes extremely interesting reading!

__________________________________________

‘If Christ were born today ---- he would

be born under rubble, Israeli bombing’

Published On December 7th, 2023

(al Jazeera)

All the Palestinian churches have cancelled Christmas

festivities this year, and one church in Bethlehem

shares its pain.... through iconography.

Bethlehem's Lutheran Church decided its Christmas

nativity scene would reflect the reality of children

living and being born in Palestine today.

Bethlehem, the occupied West Bank. The churches of

Palestine: have announced the cancellation of all

festive Christmas celebrations, in an expression

of unity with Gaza and rejection of the ongoing

aggression against Palestinians, limiting
them to masses and prayers.

In Bethlehem, the Lutheran Church decided that its

Christmas nativity scene would reflect the reality

of children living and being born in Palestine

today, placing the symbolic Baby Jesus in

a manger of rubble and destruction.

It is a poignant representation of the suffering of Gaza’s

children who find themselves buried under what is left

of their own homes, victims of the relentless Israeli

bombardment.

“If Christ were to be born today,” Reverend Munther

Isaac said, “he would be born under the rubble

and Israeli shelling. This is a powerful

message we send ---- to the world

celebrating the holidays.”

The true meaning of Christmas

For Isaac and other church leaders, this was a way

to convey a message reflecting the birth of Christ,

the messenger of justice, peace and dignity

for humanity.

Christ was not born among the conquerors or those

with military power, he said, but in an occupied

country, which is what Palestine was 2,000

years ago.

“Bethlehem is sad and broken. We are all in pain about

what is happening in Gaza, feeling helpless and

overwhelmed by our inability to offer

anything,” he said.

Um Bishara, a mother of four, told Al Jazeera she was

surprised to see the nativity scene with Baby Jesus

in the rubble on Sunday.

Weeping, she had to sit down as the significance of the

display hit her and dedicated her fervent prayers to

the children of Gaza, praying that they find

peace and safety.

A devout woman, Um Bishara hopes the prayers of the

Holy Land’s faithful at Christmas --- can stop the pain

and killing, replacing them with hope and peace.

Forgetting the Palestinian Christians

Two weeks ago, Isaac delivered a letter from the churches

of Bethlehem, a city of significant religious importance,

to the US administration in Washington, DC.

The letter urged US President Biden, the US Congress and

heads of US churches to apply Christ’s message rejecting

injustice and called for an end to the genocidal war

in Gaza.

“Some people in the West...... forget the existence of

Palestinian Christians. This war affects everything

Palestinian, whether Muslim or Christian. It is our

responsibility now ------- to raise our voices as a

nation ------ to stop this war,” Isaac said.

Continuing, he explained how saddened he was by several

conversations he had in the US... where he was told that

Israel’s assault on Gaza was justified as self-defence.

However, he added, the thousands of children and

innocents killed daily, and the churches and

hospitals being bombed ---- do not figure in

their calculus.

He knows the struggle to bring about change will be long

because the Palestinian struggle is not only this war

but a deeper struggle to affirm the legitimacy of

Palestinian existence.

Anton Nassar, principal of the Dar Al-Kalima Lutheran

School, said Bethlehem is sad and in pain this year

....but it has not lost hope.

He explained that while the nativity scene represents

the reality of Palestinian lives, it also reflects hope

as the infant Jesus is born in the rubble, a new

light amidst pain.

He said, “We believe in the existence of hope

and the hope of the birth of Jesus in the

city of peace, the holy city.”

“This is what is reflected in this painting ---- placed in the

church -- where we pray for a just peace in our country.

We pray for an immediate cessation of the genocidal

war on Gaza - and for the people of Gaza to enjoy a

peace built on justice.”

“Christmas is in the heart,” Nassar said. “We pray

and invoke Jesus to be born again in our lives,

our country, our churches, and our schools,

so that we can live in peace and stability

and achieve our independent state

with its capital, Jerusalem.”

No-one who calls themselves Christian would

stop struggling and caring for the people in

Palestine --- and would attempt to stop it.

Ask yourself - if you have even attended one

demonstration - or sent even one email,

tweet or text to your local councillor

or MP --- (even if he is... a willing

''Friend of Israel'' - and a Tory

in a red jacket).

Because if you haven't ------ you are

NOT a Christian --- but a hypocrite

who is literally taking the Lord's

name in vain.

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of

the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD

will not hold guiltless anyone who

takes his name in vain.”

What do you think?

Too vain to reply?

___________________________________

FACTBOX: Patrushev... discusses

national unity and long-standing

conflict ------ with the West

November 4th, 1:27pm (TASS)

On National Unity Day, Russian Secretary of the Security

Council, Nikolay Patrushev, spoke on the historical

significance of protecting Russia’s sovereignty

in the long-running conflict with the West.

National Unity Day

- National Unity Day represents the Russian people's

triumph over internal and external challenges

through unity and coherence.

- During the Time of Troubles, Russia was on the verge of

losing its sovereignty, but its people "united, defended

their own country and state," drove out invaders and

traitors, reestablished authority, and embarked on

a path of independent development.

- This was made possible by the tremendous spiritual

uplift of the country's multinational people, "whose

statehood has always been based on three pillars

- unity, faith, and a strong, vertical power."

Age-old conflict

- Europe has long wanted to destroy the Russian state,

which has manifested itself in attempts at "political

intrigue, economic enslavement, and

direct aggression.

- Almost all of Europe has participated in aggression

against Russia, from the German Knights to the

Nazis in the twentieth century.

- Russia has always been a "bone in the West's throat,"

obstructing its hegemonic goals while representing

a powerful civilizational alternative.

- Western Russophobic ideologues devised schemes to

bring Russia to its knees, which served as the basis

for the Western conspiracy to destroy the country.

The new Time of Troubles in the 1990s

- The eventful 1990s became the "new Time of Troubles,"

when the existence of the Russian state was once

again threatened.

- The collapse of the USSR emboldened the authorities

of the United States and other Western leaders, who

believed that they could destroy Russia ---- by

dividing it.

- In the 1990s, Western advisers flocked to Russia,

attempting to create turmoil by "encouraging

separatism, imposing debt bonds and

onerous international obligations.

The West was counting on

creating turmoil ---- and

establishing external

control over Russia.

- The West also used additional levers of pressure,

such as NATO's aggressive push to the East,

support for extremism and extreme

religious groups, and "a wave of

defamation of the Russian

Orthodox Church and

traditional Islam.

- As a result of the ''radical'' reforms imposed by the West,
the country's standard of living declined, unemployment
increased, industry, agriculture, transportation, and the
financial system --- were destroyed, and the military-
industrial complex effectively ceased to fulfill

its primary function of providing advanced

weaponry to the armed forces.

- In the 1990s, international terrorism -- posed a significant

threat to Russian sovereignty, while Western governments

hypocritically called the terrorists "fighters for freedom

and democracy.''

Challenging the West

- After becoming president in 2000, Vladimir Putin focused

his efforts on stabilizing the country's internal life and

restoring constitutional order.

- As a result of the president's policies, strong systemic

anti-crime measures have been implemented, and the

number of criminal acts has decreased by more

than a third, since 2000.

- In the early 2000s, Putin saw a multipolar world order as

the solution to many international problems. His famous

Munich speech was devoted to the idea that a unipolar

model was not only unacceptable, but generally
unattainable in today's world.

- In August 2008, the West tested Russia's strength by

igniting the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict. As a

result, the country reformed its army ---- and

introduced new types of weapons.

- However, the West did not relent - as a result of the

Washington-engineered coup in Ukraine in 2014,

supporters of neo-Nazi ideologies came to

power in Kiev, from where they promptly

launched a genocide against

the Russian people.

Fighting neo-Nazism in Ukraine

- Despite Western sanctions and pressure, Russia could

not tolerate the atrocities committed by Ukrainian neo-

Nazis and supported the demand for the reunification

of the millions of inhabitants of the original

Russian territories.

- Ukrainian officials and their Western backers are

increasingly resorting to blatant terrorist tactics

to terrorize the population and damage Russia.

- Ultimately, Kiev officials will have to answer for attempts

to annihilate the Russian people in Donbass, as well as

for the deaths of Ukrainians in a fratricidal war.

- Ukrainian neo-Nazis will be tried in an international

court for attempting a provocation by detonating

a "dirty bomb".

- There are reasonable forces in Ukraine. They

are suppressed, but they are ready to fight

the neo-Nazi regime.

Sanctions war

- The West launched an unprecedented economic

war against Russia, but its blitzkrieg failed.

- Western censorship is working hard to eliminate stories

about Russia's good development trends. "The Anglo-

Saxon media deliberately ignore the obvious fact

that Russia has been able to ensure its military,

economic and food security.

- A large number of unjust sanctions have been imposed

on Russia, but the country is dealing with them. The

economy has recovered and has already

exceeded the level of 2021.

- The Russian economy has demonstrated its stability
and its ability to develop gradually in the face
of global economic uncertainty --- and
the imposition of restrictive
economic measures.

Multipolar world against the "new order"

- The West intends to create more hotspots near Russia,
similar to Ukraine, but Moscow will not be deterred.

- Washington, along with Russia, China and India, will

become just one of several poles in the new

multipolar world order, but Europe is

unlikely to be able to claim....

even that.

- Russia, under Putin, has offered a civilizational

alternative to the West that is gaining traction.

At least 25 countries have expressed a desire

to join or cooperate with BRICS.

-- Russia prioritizes the development of relations

with its nearest neighbours, especially Belarus,

through the Union State.

- Moscow is in contact with Baku and Yerevan

to normalize relations, and a peace treaty is

being drafted.

- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared

that Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory....

under the influence of the West.

Remembering history

- While the West tries to rewrite history, Russia treats

it with care and..... does not allow it to be lost.

- Future generations must know the truth and remember

that it was Russia that overcame fascism at the cost

of nearly 30 million deaths of its people.

- Amendments to the Constitution in 2020 restored the

supremacy of national law and established laws on

the security of the country's borders and territories.

- The support of the majority of the population for the

President's plans in the 2020 referendum, created

the basis - for Russia's future prosperity, stability,

security and good living conditions for its people.

Well done, Russia - your country is now

respected again by 80% of the world

and also by millions in the so-called

''democracies'' of the West.

When and if you start calling

each other Comrade, again,

you will have returned on

your path, perfectly!

I always wanted the merging

of genuine Christianity with

communism, and believe in

your ability to achieve that.

May all our readers work

and pray to achieve this.

What do you think?

__________________________

US not merely complicit but

architect and mastermind

of Israel’s Gaza genocide

by Mohammad Hashim

October 31st, 1:35pm

(PressTV)

As the chorus for an end to the Israeli regime’s genocidal

campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip grows louder, it is

becoming increasingly clear who the real protagonist

and mastermind is.

While the overwhelming majority of countries voted in

favour of the humanitarian truce in Gaza during the

UN General Assembly session last week, the US

and some of its vassal states, opposed

the resolution.

The vote laid bare which side Americans and their allies

were on – the side of occupation and apartheid.

It came days after US President Joe Biden dashed off to

Tel Aviv in a show of support for the Israeli regime even

as Israeli warplanes continued to pummel densely-

populated civilian areas in Gaza.

On the eve of Biden’s visit, an Israeli warplane targeted a

hospital in northern Gaza, killing more than 700 people,

including patients and those who had taken refuge

at the hospital, after being displaced.

Biden refused to condemn the Israeli regime, rather

blamed the “other side” for the bombing, parroting

the Israeli narrative. He had previously also

peddled the Zionist lie about children

being beheaded.

During the whirlwind trip, he even described himself as

a “Zionist” and repeated a line he infamously said as a

senator in 1986: “If there were not an Israel, we’d

have to invent one.”

Biden, however, isn’t the only American batting for the

occupying regime and preventing efforts aimed at de-

escalation. Many current and former US officials

have come out openly in support of the regime.

Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State who was one of

the first foreign officials to land in Tel Aviv following

the events of October 7, has made a series of

not-so-diplomatic statements in recent days.

In an interview with NBC last week, the top US diplomat

said that Israel should “already be devising a strategy”

of who rules the besieged Gaza Strip after Hamas is

removed from the scene.

He was only echoing what Israeli Premier Benjamin

Netanyahu said earlier about the “elimination of

Hamas” being the defined goal for the regime

in its latest genocidal campaign in the

barricaded territory.

A former US military official, Ret. Gen. Barry McCaffrey,

speaking on MSNBC on Sunday, said the US is likely to

“directly intervene with air and naval strikes” --- if the

regime’s existence is threatened.

"I would suggest to you our support of Israel will be

absolute, and if we see Syrian military intervention,

active Iranian military intervention, we'll go to war,"

McCaffrey said on the show.

The unconditional and uncritical support for the Israeli

regime from the top-tier US past and present

leadership has prompted many pundits to

suggest that Washington -- is the key

player in this war.

It’s not merely complicit in what’s unfolding in the

besieged Gaza Strip, but it is the engineer, the

architect and the main mastermind of this

genocidal campaign against the people

of Palestine.

As Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed

Ali Khamenei said in a speech last week, the US is a

“definite accomplice” of the Zionist regime and its

hands are drenched in the blood of the oppressed.

“Actually, it is the US that is somehow managing the

crime that is being committed in Gaza. The US ---

is the one that is managing things,” Ayatollah

Khamenei remarked.

These words carry tremendous weight and establish the

fact that the regime in Tel Aviv is remotely controlled

by Washington as both need each other to carry

out destabilizing activities in the region.

It’s a well-established fact that the Zionist killing

machine is funded by Washington -- including

over $3.8 billion annual military assistance

the US provides annually to the regime to

purchase weaponry.

In recent weeks, there have also been reports

about two US aircraft carriers being

dispatched to the region, a move

basically meant to provide

military cover to the

vulnerable entity

in Tel Aviv.

All these developments suggest beyond doubt that

the United States basically owns this war that is

increasingly looking unwinnable for the

‘weaker than spider web’

Israeli regime.

Even though Biden’s deputy Kamala Harris insists that

Washington has “no intention” to deploy combat

troops to the occupied territories, reports

suggest US boots are already on the

ground there.

There have also been reports about the US secretly

expanding its military base on the occupied land

near Gaza, which again points to US complicity

and a key role --- in what’s unfolding in Gaza.

Intercept reported this week that the Pentagon awarded a

multimillion-dollar contract to build its secret base deep

inside the occupied territories, just 20 miles from Gaza,

code-named ‘Site 512.’

The classified base will include what the report called

a “life support facility” for the dying regime.

“Though President Joe Biden and the White House insist

that there are no plans to send U.S. troops to Israel

amid its war on Hamas, a secret U.S. military

presence in Israel already exists,” the

report stated.

As Ali Akbar Velayati, the Iranian Leader’s senior advisor,

stated on Monday, the Israeli regime will not even last

one day without the support of the United States and

European countries.

So it becomes clear that the occupying regime cannot

go ahead or sustain any military aggression without

Washington’s green light as well as political and

military patronage.

In the case of the ongoing bombing campaign in the

Gaza Strip, which will eventually lead to the demise

of the illegitimate regime. the United States is not

only complicit, but the mastermind.

Mohammad Hashim is a political and

media analyst focused on West Asia

(The views expressed in this article ---- do

not necessarily reflect those of Press TV.)

Israel is often described as the US'

''attack dog'' in the Middle East.

If you had a distant relative who sent a

dog to where you live --- that beseiged

you --- and periodically killed your

children - what would YOU do?

____________________________________

The catastrophe in Gaza
Ceasefire Now!

by Tatiana Belova

October 21st, 10:24am

(Vesti.ru)

Rescuers of the Russian Emergencies Ministry delivered 27

tons of humanitarian aid to the population of the Gaza Strip.

These are, first of all, extremely necessary food and

medicines. Russian humanitarian aid was handed

over to representatives of the Egyptian Red

Crescent Society to be sent to the

Palestinian enclave.

The situation of Gazans is catastrophic. This

is especially true ---- for access to water.

The Palestinian civilians found themselves in unbearable

conditions. According to the latest UN report, Gazans

now have access to at best 3 litres of water a day

instead of the minimum 50 litres.

The Gaza Strip is practically cut off from the rest of the

world. Water and food are sorely lacking. For bread –

stampede and queues. A video of Palestinian

children searching for food, in the rubble
of their homes, has spread across

social networks.

Power was cut off in Gaza for nine consecutive days.

Hospitals are on the verge of collapse. Due to the

lack of light, surgeons are forced to suspend

operations. Some people... have to work in

the dark. 59 medical institutions were hit,

26 were seriously damaged. At least
16 health workers were killed and
over 20 were injured.

The situation with the water supply, is particularly

deplorable. The water crisis has been developing

in Gaza for decades. The reason for this is the

depletion of the underground aquifer and the

regular blockades that Israel arranges for

the region.

Residents of the enclave are forced to drill and dig wells

to get access to water. According to the Palestinian

Water Authority, there are 10,000 wells in Gaza,

2,700 wells for the agricultural sector and

7,000 private wells drilled by residents

without a license.

"The whole problem -- is that there are extremely specific

soils. And these soils are seriously saline. Accordingly,

if the well is legal ------ it is still being cleaned and

desalinated. And if the wells are illegal, let's

just say... that the water from them
is desalinated exclusively by

artisanal means," explains

Sergey Demidenko, Dean

of the School of Political

Studies at the RANEPA

Institute of National

Economy and Public

Administration.

Many desalination plants were destroyed after Israeli

strikes. As a result --- Gazans are forced to drink

brackish water. It has exceeded the indicators

of sodium, chlorine, and nitrates. Such water
---- is dangerous for health, especially

for children.

And it is also teeming with various infections. The region

has experienced regular outbreaks of cholera and

typhoid fever before. Now, amid the destruction

of critical infrastructure --- doctors expect a

surge in cases in the Palestinian enclave.

"There are a lot of biological threats. The list --- is huge. The

most banal intestinal infections-shigellosis, salmonellosis,

E. coli. In fact they are banal only at first glance because

in the absence of control, or effective treatment, they
provide a high mortality rate, especially in children.

Cholera --- in principle, there were outbreaks. This

is what everyone expects with the current state.

It is not a fact that it will necessarily happen,

but the risks ------ are very high" --- warns

Nikolai Kryuchkov, an immunologist.

To prevent a catastrophe, Russia proposed a humanitarian

resolution on Gaza and Israel at the UN Security Council

earlier this week. However, it was rejected. The US,
UK, France, and Japan --- voted against it.

"Humanitarian access must be granted immediately. We call

for an early ceasefire and the opening of corridors for the

delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to the affected areas

of the enclave and an exit of civilians, for an immediate

end to violence against civilians, regardless of their

place of residence," stressed Vasily Nebenzya,

Permanent Representative of the Russian

Federation to the UN.

However, the other day things got off the ground a little.

Egypt, has agreed to open the Rafah crossing to send

humanitarian aid to residents of the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, about 200 trucks piled up near the checkpoint.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres even arrived in

Rafah to track the delivery of the first humanitarian

supplies to the Palestinian enclave, on the spot.

However, it is obvious that the humanitarian catastrophe

in Gaza can be stopped - only after a ceasefire.

This, is what Russia is calling for.

Don't look away !
Write, march,
fiight, pray...

Just don't do what the Pharisee did
--- as Jesus taught us all --- in the
parable of the good neighbour.

Don't ''cross over to the
other side of the road.''

What do you think?

___________________________________

RS: The US would do better to enlist

the support of Russia and China

to resolve the conflict in

the Middle East

October 20th, 2023

(source: Responsible Statecraft

retold by InoTV)

With their authority and influence in the Middle East,

Russia and China could help the US achieve a

settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict

--- and prevent its spread throughout the

region, writes Responsible Statecraft.

If the situation escalates further, there is a danger that the

ongoing armed confrontation will draw Washington and

Moscow into fighting on opposite sides, and China

will provide assistance to Russia.

The conflict in the Middle East - poses two serious threats to

the United States. First, it is a deadly threat to Israel, which

may arise as a result of a joint attack on it by Hamas,

Hezbollah and Iran (especially if Russia helps it), and

the resumption of the intifada.

Secondly, there is a danger that such a regional conflict will

draw the United States and Russia into fighting on opposite

sides, and China will provide assistance to Russia,

writes Responsible Statecraft.

Preventing both situations is crucial for both the US's own

security and Israel's, which largely depends on China and

Russia helping to contain their partners in the region in

exchange for Israel's restraint in the Gaza Strip.

The most likely route to this double jeopardy --- would be to

launch a full-scale Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip,

for which Hamas is almost certainly prepared and which it

may well have originally intended to provoke. The invasion

--- will inevitably involve prolonged urban fighting and

massive civilian casualties, leading to widespread

outrage in the region.

This may trigger a military response from Hezbollah, which

in turn will put massive pressure on Iran to force Tehran

to support its Lebanese partner.

The northern front between Israel & Iran-backed Hezbollah

could also well extend into Syria, drawing Russia or even

Turkey directly into the fighting. Neither side is looking

for a direct clash with Israel --- because the Hamas

attack, has already caught Iran off guard, Russia

is completely engrossed in the Ukraine conflict,

and Turkey will lose the leverage it uses to

maneuver between the US, EU, Russia,

and regional players ---- south of its

borders. However, circumstances

may force these States to make

choices... that they would
prefer to avoid.

Choosing between China and Russia will make it easier for

the United States to enlist Beijing's help. China has the

most to lose from an expanded regional conflict that

could threaten access to its oil reserves, drive up

energy prices.. and disrupt international trade,
on which the country's economy depends.

In addition, China could also benefit from working with the

United States to contain the crisis and stabilize the region,

bolstering its prestige on the world stage and reassuring

the US, which fears that Beijing intends to "destabilize"

the international "order."

Washington will not want to give the leading role in the

region to China - even though China is already playing

such a role regardless of the US desire, as evidenced

by its support for Saudi-Iranian rapprochement.

Successful cooperation with China in the Middle East would

mark a return to previous US statements that Washington

hopes Beijing will become a "responsible stakeholder"

on the world stage, rather than an enemy.

The situation is more complicated with Russia, as it has

good relations with both Israel and Iran, and has fought

alongside Hezbollah in Syria. In addition, the level of

hostility and distrust.... that grew long before the

Ukrainian conflict between the USt and Russia

is off the scale. It is obvious that Russia is

strongly tempted to create problems for

the US ---- and take advantage of the

situation --- to strengthen its ties

with Iran, the Arab world, and

countries of the Global South

--- at the expense of the US.

Fortunately for the United States, Moscow also has reason

to worry about the deepening conflict in the Middle East.

First of all, Russia has long been concerned about the issue

of Islamic terrorism. After the events of September 11, a

strong sense of unity of interests with the US in the

fight against terrorism emerged in Moscow. As a

result of this perception of a common threat, the

West's policy in Libya and Syria was met in

Russia not only with rage, but also with

bewilderment. Faced with the obvious

danger of Islamist extremism and the

terrible example of the war in Iraq,

Russian analysts could not under-

stand.. how the West could have

followed a course ------- aimed at

destroying the Libyan & Syrian

states -------and expanding

opportunities for the

spread of religious

terrorism.

The resumption of at least limited cooperation with Russia,

in the fight against terrorism --- is both one of the ways to a

possible broader settlement and is extremely necessary in

itself, because the current conflict, is sure to increase the

terrorist threat to the West. Terrorist attacks have already

begun in Europe. The United States also needs to resume

negotiations with Russia on the future of Syria, as the US

strategy to overthrow the political regime has long failed.

Neither Russia nor China has sufficient leverage to prevent

Hezbollah from opening a northern front with Israel - if the

Israeli military launches a full invasion of the Gaza Strip.

However ------- Beijing and Moscow probably have enough

influence to guarantee Tel Aviv that Hamas supporters

will not take part in the clashes in exchange for some

measure of restraint on the part of the Israelis.

The United States should enlist the support of Russia and

China, and then it will be easier to resolve the conflict in

the Middle East, Responsible Statecraft concludes.

Some chance? No chance!

What do you think?

___________________________________________

How Palestinian resistance

gained upper hand with its

strategic military operation

October 17th, 1:39pm

by Julia Kassem

The Israeli regime’s humiliating withdrawal from Gaza

in 2005, placed the coastal strip at the centre of the

illegitimate entity’s wrath as Gazans rejected the

comprador authority that ruled the West Bank,

marking a reversal and upheaval of the
plan of Zionists.

After that, Gaza was subjected to a brutal blockade,

depriving it of clean water, strictly limiting its food,

and every once in a while shelling the world’s

largest open-air prison.

Before the Tel Aviv regime launched its genocidal aerial

bombardment campaign, it was caught by complete

surprise on the morning of October 7, 2023, when

the Gaza-based Hamas resistance movement

launched the ‘Al-Aqsa Storm’ operation.

Following the barrage of rockets that pounded the occupied

territories, Hamas’s Izzidin al-Qassam brigade fighters

broke through the regime’s highly-fortified fence and

ambushed bases in Israeli-occupied Beit Hanoon

(called Erez by the occupation) border crossing,

the Zikim base, and the Gaza division

headquarters at Reim.

Within a few hours, the Palestinian resistance fighters had

already captured 35 Israeli military personnel, killed

dozens, and captured vast swathes of occupied

towns. They dragged out senior Israeli regime

commander Nimrod Aloni --- responsible for

planning operations against resistance

groups - in his undergarments.

Almost immediately, the resistance eliminated the entire

Israeli battalion responsible for overseeing, monitoring

and surveillance of the besieged Gaza Strip.

This knocked out the occupation’s intelligence capabilities

to the extent that PM Benjamin Netanyahu himself had no

clue about it even hours after the operation, and Israeli

units failed to respond - let alone inform the public -
for at least 6 hours.

The information then revealed --- that one of the bases

ambushed by the resistance was a publicly unknown

one - and not only did the Palestinian fighters know

where the base was, but were able to specifically

target and destroy the communications

infrastructure there.

It was entirely the work of Palestinian resistance - despite

a Wall Street Journal article claiming the operation was

carried out with the help of Iran - an erroneous lie,

especially the reference to “Hezbollah

security sources”.

Iran’s United Nations office dismissed the claim, while

reaffirming the Islamic Republic's unflinching support

for the Palestinian resistance --- and the

surprise operation.

The lie was later retracted by the Pentagon, issuing

a statement that there was no evidence of Iran’s

involvement, but already, it was clear that Iran

was also a target --- likely at the request of a

desperate regime in Tel Aviv, who realized

that its security, like its impenetrable

wall, was completely broken.

The Palestinian resistance was victorious not because

of any co-incidence or luck --- but because of its

strategic vision and military prowess, which

is lacking on the other side.

The Palestinian resistance’s operation, which came in

response to daily atrocities against Palestinians - as

well as the repeated desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque

by regime forces and settlers -- exposed not only

chinks in the regime’s military apparatus -- but

also the complete absence of strategy in the

Zionist entity ------ so it had to resort to

propaganda and false narratives.

As the threat of a ground invasion becomes more

pronounced, the Zionist entity finds itself at a

crossroads: either to back down and accept

defeat ----- or move ahead with a ground

invasion ----- and face the wrath of

all fronts of the resistance axis.

The latter scenario almost ensures the Zionist entity’s

crushing defeat - both in terms of being pulled across

two fronts as well as facing Lebanon’s Hezbollah

resistance movement, which has grown

considerably stronger... since its

thumping victory over Israel

in 2006.

The prospects of an Israeli defeat are particularly high -- as

the events that unfolded on October 7 reveal. The regime’s

lack of strategy pushes it into the fold of ideology and

cruel, sadistic idealism, producing its “tactics” (if you

can call them that) of shock-and-awe terror and

intimidation, of mass genocide of Gazans, to

produce civilian intimidation - devastation

- where military victories cannot be

matched up.

Despite the Palestinian resistance’s superior intelligence

capabilities and strong command of strategy, the Zionist

entity could drum up nothing more intelligent than a

propaganda campaign - equating the Palestinian

resistance, particularly Hamas - to the Daesh

terrorist group --- alongside other orientalist

tropes aimed at dehumanizing Palestinians

--- to justify horrific war crimes and mass

murder, carried out in the absence of

a strategy.

The Palestinians -- were projected as bloodthirsty savage

men with appetites for rape and murder who had nothing

better to do than to target scantily-clad white settler

women and murder children.

These tropes, present in different forms during the Al-Aqsa

Storm operation (also known as the Al-Aqsa Flood), were

quickly debunked.

The most notorious of these Zionist lies was that 40 babies

were beheaded by Hamas in the kibbutz of Kfar Aza on

October 10. The lies were debunked over and over

again, (with the Zionist entity adding insult to

injury in tweeting an AI-generated image of

a burned “baby”) but the damage --- in

invoking a sensationalist reaction

to orientalist tropes --- stuck.

Israel used it not just to justify its aerial bombardment of

civilians in Gaza, but also -- to manufacture consent for

such a campaign amongst Americans, whose support

is so critical for Tel Aviv to even consider launching

its ground offensive, and whose public has grown

more hesitant to pour more money for wars

abroad - especially post-Ukraine.

On October 13, the Israeli regime demanded North Gaza’s

nearly 1 million inhabitants evacuate to the south of the

territory, warning them of an incoming, unforgiving

aerial bombardment campaign. The order even

applied to hospitals that were teeming with

critical patients.

Gazan authorities immediately slammed the warnings as

psychological warfare, with Hamas leadership urging

citizens not to fall into Zionist schemes

“to create another Nakba.”

Hamas pointed out in an English-language telegram

statement that targeting hospitals was a violation

of international law. Yet Israel pressed harder in

forcing a mass evacuation - or at least making

it look like they had warned Palestinians

before their brutal annihilation.

When terrified Palestinians heeded the threatening orders

and traveled south - the humanitarian corridor became a

target for the regime, which rained bombs on numerous

convoys, massacring and injuring over 200 civilians,

mostly women and children.

In the short term, the regime has sought to wipe out Gaza

of not its resistance, but of its inhabitants, first by aiming

to establish a security belt from the North of Gaza before

moving in to wipe out Gaza of its entire population, tear

through underground tunnels, and washing away its

crimes by reinstating the illegal occupying

settlements (“Gush Katif”) removed as

part of the occupying entity’s

withdrawal in 2005.

These campaigns of terror and mass murder serve a

nefarious displacement project - one that would see

Gaza’s two million inhabitants dead - or, in the long

term, pushed, permanently displaced, into Egypt’s

Sinai to live in tents (and forever panhandle from

the liberal wing of Global Zionism as begging

recipients of paltry “aid”), as recurrent

Israeli proposals have indicated.

Just as Daesh’s forced displacement of Syrians and Iraqis

from the region’s oil-rich north enabled trillions in US oil

extortion to take place, the forced exodus of

Palestinians, squashes out any hope for

Palestinian sovereignty over land and

resources - including an estimated

$15 billion in offshore oil wealth

in the occupied Palestinian

maritime boundary.

Like Daesh, the Zionist entity functions outside of any

legal or humanitarian standards or laws, be it

religious or liberal-secular.

Like Daesh, the Zionist entity invokes indiscriminate

campaigns of mass murder and violence, to

cleanse the population and uphold an

ever-expanding ethno-state.

Like Daesh, the Zionist entity upholds its reign of terror

through supremacists, a twisted ideology that

disregards vision for nihilistic dogma.

And like Daesh, the Zionist entity carries out its genocidal

campaigns essentially to the benefit of the West, with

whom it finds itself in collusion with chaos-inducing

means to plunge Palestine and the Arab world into

a reactionary, servile end.

Yet like Daesh, the illegitimate regime’s genocidal goals

executed with a lack of a constructive vision and

harnessed by death and destruction - come amid

a waning US hegemony ----- that Israel is

completely dependent upon. So the

future looks particularly bleak
for the regime.

On the other hand, the resistance axis, following the latest

developments, clearly holds the upper hand in this battle

– a battle that will end in the annihilation of the

apartheid regime.

Julia Kassem is a freelance writer, having contributed

to Detroit's own Riverwise, Against the Current,

and nationally syndicated outlets such as

Counterpunch, Mintpressnews,

and TruthOut.

Truly, some amazing insights.

I don't think the Palestinians

are going to lose - and tens

of thousands of Israelis

now leaving Israel ---

seem to agree.

What do you think?

_____________________________________

What the Communists are fighting for
A decent youth policy

October 14th, 2:56pm

(Press service of Stalingrad

Regional Committee of the

Communist Party of the

Russian Federation)

Meeting of Komsomol activists of the

Southern Federal District opened

in Volgograd.

On October 13, a gathering of Komsomol activists from the

Southern Federal District, started in Volgograd. Opening

the forum, Tamara Golovacheva, First Secretary of the

Stalingrad Regional Committee of the Communist

Party of the Russian Federation... addressed

young delegates, from the Astrakhan and

Rostov regions, the Republic of Crimea,

the city of Sevastopol, the Krasnodar

Territory, Adygea, and the Donetsk

and Luhansk People's Republics:

"On behalf of....... the regional Committee of the Communist

Party of the Russian Federation, I would like to welcome

you to the heroic - and unruly - Stalingrad land. Your

Komsomol rally -- is held in the year of the 80th

anniversary of the Victory at Stalingrad, and

October is crowned by another date - the

105th anniversary of the only political

and mass organization in the world,

the All-Union Leninist Communist

Youth Union.''

''In a difficult time for our country, during the years of the Civil

War and foreign military intervention, no one then realized

what lies ahead for young people.. what they have to do,

what the main task is to fulfill. This task was voiced at

the third congress of the Komsomol in October 1920,

where Vladimir Ilyich Lenin told young people that

they need to learn ----- that you can become a

communist only if you enrich your memory

with knowledge of all the riches that

humanity has developed. Learn

and work. Build new cities,

railways, and factories.''

''During the years of the struggle against the Nazi invaders,

ten million Komsomol members ------ went to the front.
3.5 thousand of them received the title Hero of the

Soviet Union. Among them, were our Stalingrad

heroes: Nikolai Serdyukov, Mikhail Panikakha,

Sasha Filippov, Yakov Pavlov... and

many others.''

''The legendary Komsomol tribe is alive today, it continues to

work and grows stronger - together with the history of the

country under the leadership of the Communist Party.''

''I wish you fruitful work at the Meeting, and with your

Komsomol enthusiasm and energy, always keep up

with the party, fight and win."

During the Gathering of Komsomol activists, participants will

listen to lectures on the history of the Communist Party and

the Komsomol, take part in a seminar on journalism, learn

how to conduct propaganda work, and discuss the

prospects for the development of the LKSM

and the country as a whole.

''Knowledge of all the riches that

humanity has developed.'' Wow!

Have you taken a look -- at the

mass media and social media

in your country, today?

What did you learn?

________________________________

Bloomberg: Russia and China will

benefit from the war in Gaza, and

the West will have to answer for

"double standards"

(source: Bloomberg

retold by InoTV)

October 13th, 2023

A war in the Middle East can cause serious damage

to the power and authority of the West, and the

only winners in the war in Gaza may be

Russia and China, according

to Bloomberg.

The two countries' positions on the Israeli-Palestinian

conflict, differ, creating an even greater rift in the

current world situation. Too many countries

around the world accuse Israel of illegally

occupying Palestinian land - continuing

settlement expansion, and oppressing

the Palestinian people.

The moral necessity of the creation of Israel after World War

II was not recognized even by the remote countries of Asia

and Africa, let alone the Middle East: most of them still do

not agree that the Palestinians were deprived of property

and punished for the crimes of European countries.

But - as Bloomberg notes - it is not just Israel's attempts to

normalize relations with its Arab neighbours that are now

under threat. A prolonged and widespread conflict in the

Middle East "will drain the West's resources in relation

to Ukraine," which "were already scarce and subject

to domestic political opposition in the US and other

countries." Moreover, little will remain of the Biden

administration's ambitious efforts to counter

China's growing influence in the Middle

East, whether it's a peace deal

between Saudi Arabia and

Israel, or a proposed

economic corridor

linking India....

to Europe.

According to the US newspaper, the war in the

Middle East has already undermined all the

efforts made by the West.

Moreover, even if the struggle is confined to the Gaza Strip,

it will subject to more international scrutiny... what the

human rights organization, Amnesty International, in

its report calls the "double standards of the West"

--- in the field of human rights in the world.

The US authorities did not answer the question put to them

by the Palestinian activist Mustafa Barghouti: "Why does

the United States support Ukraine in the fight against

the so-called occupation, while in the Middle East

they support the invader who still continues to

occupy us?"

As Bloomberg notes, it is precisely the rash actions of the

West and its ambivalent policy towards other countries

that play into the hands of Russia and China.

According to the publication ---- "China and Russia will only

benefit from the pictures of death and destruction in Gaza,

caused, among other things, by US-made bombs."

Some good points there.

Meanwhile, children die.

Sick of it... aren't you?

__________________________

British commandos train Ukrainian

saboteurs to undermine Russian

nuke plants — FSB

October 11th, 9:31am (TASS)

The British special operations personnel, trained Ukrainian

military intelligence groups for subversive acts at Russian

nuclear power plants, Russia’s Federal Security Service

(FSB) Director, Alexander Bortnikov, said at a meeting

of the Council of CIS Security Agencies and Special
Services Chiefs, that opened under his
chairmanship, on Wednesday.

"In August this year --- the Federal Security Service

apprehended members of a Ukrainian subversive

and reconnaissance group. Operational and

investigative measures - have established

that the personnel of the British special

operations forces ------ trained the
saboteurs and planned
their operations.''

''The group was tasked with carrying out subversive acts

against military facilities, oil, transport and critical

infrastructure -- and also against nuclear power

sites, in particular, the Smolensk and Kursk

nuclear power stations," the FSB
chief said.

Earlier, similar subversive acts were attempted
against the Leningrad and Kalinin nuclear
power plants, Bortnikov said.

"In all, over 20 explosives planted at electric power

transmission lines of nuclear power plants - were

neutralized as a result of counter-saboteur work.

Their detonation pursued the goal of disrupting

the technological process of the operation of

nuclear power plants," the FSB chief said.

As a result of the saboteurs’ subversive acts, the operation

of the 2nd power unit of the Kursk nuclear power plant

was halted ------ in an emergency shutdown,

Bortnikov said.

"These acts by the Ukrainian military intelligence and its

British instructors, should be qualified as nothing else

but nuclear terrorism," the FSB chief stressed.

"A question arises: is London aware of the reckless nature

of actions by its special services? What do these insane

persons ultimately count on? The point is that by their

actions they raise the terror threat to a higher level,"

Bortnikov said.

As the FSB chief pointed out, "this requires measures from

the international community - to work out fundamentally

new approaches --- in the fight against terrorism, its
ideological inspirers, sponsors, and perpetrators,"
the FSB chief said.

I'm talking to the UK special services now.
Have you realistically looked at yourself
and seen yourself --- as a terrorist?

If you have - how does it make you feel?

___________________________________

Gitmo detainees continue to be

tortured by CIA ----- physically,

and mentally: Attorney

by Syed Zafar Mehdi

October 4th, 11:18am

(PressTV)

Torture has always existed at Guantanamo Bay in different

forms --- and the inmates there continue to be tortured

physically and psychologically, says a US-based

human rights attorney.

In an interview with the Press TV website, Alka Pradhan,

who has represented Guantanamo Bay detainees as

well as victims of US drone strikes, described

various forms of torture prevalent at the

notorious US detention facility --- also

known as Gitmo, in southeast Cuba.

“In the early days, it took the form of beatings and forced

nudity, starvation and force-feedings, and other terrible

techniques,” said Pradhan, referring to the

institutionalizing of torture at Gitmo.

“Now, decades of arbitrary detention, and lack of family

visits and medical care ------ including botched or

substandard procedures ------ carried out by

poorly qualified staff ----- continue to

torture these men psychologically

and physically.”

Pradhan, one of the leading human rights lawyers in the US,

is currently Human Rights Counsel at the Guantanamo Bay

Military Commissions. She was previously Counter-

Terrorism Counsel at Reprieve US, where she

represented several Guantanamo

Bay detainees.

She also conducted advocacy and litigation on behalf of

civilian victims of US drone strikes in Yemen and

Pakistan and has advised the US government

on compliance with international

legal obligations.

Last week, Pradhan was invited to the European Parliament

to speak on Gitmo human rights abuses amid growing calls

from human rights advocates to shut down the notorious

US detention centre.

She is an attorney representing Ammar al-Baluchi, an Iranian

citizen, who has suffered high-degree torture at the hands

of the CIA and even denied medical care by the

White House.

“Ammar, an Iranian citizen, was brutally tortured for 3.5 years

at the “black sites” - the CIA’s secret prisons all over the

world - before he was rendered to Guantanamo Bay, in

September 2006,” Pradhan told the Press TV website.

“According to CIA records, CIA personnel used him as a

human experiment, bashing his head against a wall

over and over again for hours ----- to obtain their

interrogator certifications. They also tortured

him using water, shackling his wrists over his

head, beatings, forced nudity, and forced

starvation. For most of his time at the

black sites, he was sleep-deprived,

first with ear-splitting music, and

then with 24/7 fluorescent

lights,” she hastened

to add.

Ammar, the US human rights attorney said ----- is 46 years old

today and suffers from multiple brain injuries because of CIA

torture as well as severe post-traumatic stress disorder

(PTSD), the inability to sleep normally and cognitive

decline, denied proper medical care by the

US government.

“They will not allow medical histories to be taken that discuss

the causes of his ailments (torture), the DoD (US Department

of Defense) will not allow independent doctors to treat him,

and according to the Chief Medical Officer, they do not

have the ability to provide complex medical care or

do proper surgeries here,” she said.”

“Despite entreaties, the White House and DoD have absolutely

refused to either implement a proper medical and torture

rehabilitation program here or conduct humanitarian

transfers of the remaining men to places where

they can receive the care they need.”

Pradhan also spoke about the Guantanamo military

commissions set up by the US government that

have only exacerbated the miserable

conditions of Gitmo inmates.

These military commissions, she said --- in a conversation

with the Press TV website, were built --- to “benefit from

CIA torture, while hiding as many details of the torture

program as possible.”

“The US government made a conscious decision after 9/11

to torture men abroad instead of bringing them to court

for prosecution. Once they could no longer hide them

in secret prisons, it was too late to prosecute them

in real US courts because of that torture,”

Pradhan said.

“The Military Commissions Act - was written to allow the

government to use torture-acquired evidence (the bulk

of their evidence against these men), but also to

prevent them ----- from giving the defense the

information we require about exculpatory

or mitigating factors, like the men’s

torture in CIA black sites,”

she added.

The US-based attorney said the US government
has “continuously invaded attorney-client

privilege --- with listening devices in our

meeting rooms and the FBI attempting

to place an informant on one defense

team”, noting that the corruption in

the military commissions ---

“precludes any justice.”

On why the US government chose a detention facility

in Cuba, away from the mainland, to detain people

after the 9/11 attacks, Pradhan said the decision

was taken, so that the US “exercises complete

control” and international and domestic laws

do not apply.

“To this day, the US refuses to apply the Constitution

in the military commissions, or the full provisions of

Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions to

the remaining detainees. And the detainees

themselves, have no real legal remedies -

they are not allowed to file lawsuits, in

the United States, and no country will

sanction the US -------- for its illegal

treatment of these men,”

she stated.

The international calls for the closure of the notorious

detention facility have grown louder, but the
Joe Biden administration, like previous

administrations..... has adopted

the policy of dilly-dallying.

Pradhan said the strength of the US propaganda campaign

around Guantanamo at the beginning, “labeling all of the

men here the “worst of the worst” and categorizing

them all as some sort of combatant against the

United States, has proven impossible

to reverse.”

“Despite the fact that no one should ever have been held at

Guantanamo, that most were sold to the US for bounty

payments, and that only a handful have ever been

charged, most Americans still believe that the

Guantanamo detainees, are all terrorists,”

she told the Press TV website.

“President Obama --- had the ability to tell the truth about

the men at Guantanamo, even when Congress stopped

him from closing the facility --- but he did not. The

enduring misinformation about the detainees,

means that many countries do not want to

accept them --- and that Congress has

banned any transfers of the men

to US territory.”

and US citizens wonder why
their country ------ is hated!

What - do you feel
about ''Gitmo'' ?

______________________________________

Zionists’ Hatred on the Rise:

Jews... Spit at Christian

Worshipers in Al-Quds

October 4th, 1:05pm

(al Manar)

Orthodox Jews spat at Christian worshippers in the Old City

of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) anew on Wednesday, amid a rise in

incidents targeting priests and pilgrims in the holy city.

Israeli media reported that occupation police arrested

five Jews “on suspicion” of spitting at Christians, in

an attempt to show, that the Israeli government

exerts efforts to confront such provocations.

Video shared on social media showed a group

of Orthodox Jews spitting as they were

walking through the Old City.

The Jerusalem Post cited N12 as saying that the brother

of MK Simcha Rothman, Rabbi Natan Rothman, led
the procession this morning, during which,
the provocation took place.

It added that the rabbi “did not commit the act

himself, but rather, his students who were

with him.”

Wednesday’s provocation, followed a spitting incident

during the so-called Sukkot holiday celebrations on

Tuesday, as well as another, on Monday.

Spitting at Christians “Ancient Jewish Custom”

At the same time, the so-called Israeli National Security
Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, said in an interview: “I still
think spitting at Christians, is not a criminal case.
I think we need to act on it through instruction
and education. Not everything justifies
an arrest.”

Speaking to Army Radio, the minister in charge of police

added: “It is deserving --- of every condemnation.

It should be stopped. I asked Rabbi Dov Lior,

he said it was immoral and wrong. We’re

against it. But let’s stop slandering

Israel. We’re all brothers, we’re

all of the same people.”

Before entering politics, Ben Gvir in the past

justified spitting toward Christians, as

“an ancient Jewish custom.”

Source: Israeli media

Not everyone wearing a smile
is friendly... we are all too
human... too frail.

But should this news article
have even been printed?

al Manar, in my opinion,
has gone too far here.

What do you think?

__________________________

A bill for two: why Europe is being

urged - to seek a solution to the

crisis in Ukraine amid declining

support from the United States

October 3rd, 10:16pm

by Alexander Karpov,

& Elizaveta Komarova

(RT.ru)

The EU should start working as soon as possible to establish

a cease-fire and truce in Ukraine against the background

of declining support for Kiev from Washington. This was

stated by Bundestag deputy, Sarah Wagenknecht.

"Instead of approving billions for military supplies and

now bearing the costs of this 'proxy war' for the US -

the EU should have finally thought about the needs

of its citizens ------- and called for an immediate

suspension of hostilities!" the politician said.

She stressed that Brussels is making dubious conclusions

against the background of the recent adoption of the

budget in the US, from which financial assistance

for Kiev was excluded.

According to Wagenknecht, in this context, the promises

of the head of EU diplomacy... about long-term support

for Ukraine "for €5 billion annually" are "impossible".

Wagenknecht recalled that the EU, unlike the US, allocates

huge funds for the accommodation of Ukrainian refugees,

and it is necessary to invest money, not in weapons, but

in the restoration of Ukraine.

Recall that the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrel, made a

proposal in August - to create a military assistance fund

for Ukraine for 2024-2027, from which, up to €5 billion

will be allocated to Kiev, annually.

After the meeting of the foreign Ministers of the EU countries,

which took place on October 2 in Kiev, Borrel said that the

allocation of €5 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2024,

has not yet been agreed, but Brussels hopes to reach

a consensus, before the end of the year.

Waning support

At the same time, Western media reported a weakening of

Western support for Kiev. In particular, this was reported

by the newspaper Politico, which refers to diplomatic

sources in the EU.

The message that the US and Europe will support Kiev

"no matter what," is beginning to sound emasculated.

The newspaper notes, that Kiev depends on Western

assistance not only in the military sphere, but also

in terms of financing the authorities. According to

the budget forecast for 2024, Kiev expects to

receive about $42.8 billion from its foreign

partners, while a significant part of these

funds should come from the US,

writes Politico.

In June, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, said

in an interview with Politico, that the US should "step in"

and provide Kiev with assistance --- "at least for the

medium term." However.... when asked whether

the decision of the US Congress to exclude

aid to Ukraine from the budget will affect

this, Marchenko's representative

declined to comment, the

newspaper reports.

Recall that Republicans in the US House of Representatives

managed to achieve the exclusion from the draft budget

of the item on the allocation of aid to Kiev.

US President Joe Biden approved this budget on October 1,

but then said: "Under no circumstances can we allow US

support for Ukraine to be interrupted."

In addition to financial support, the West's ability to
support Kiev militarily, is also weakening. Thus,
Politico cites the words of European officials:
that EU countries can no longer supply Kiev
with weapons from their own reserves,
without threatening the security of

the community.

"We cannot continue to supply (weapons. - RT) from our

own stocks… We have already given everything that

was possible without threatening our own security,"

the newspaper quotes the source as saying.

Also, Politico quotes the words of General Stephane Millet,
chief of staff of the French Aerospace Forces, who said

that in Europe they cannot "constantly give and

observe how the number of systems is

reduced, in favour of Ukraine."

A similar situation is observed in the US. So, the AP

news agency published a letter from the Pentagon

to Congress --- which states that the US defense

department is running out of funds to replace

weapons sent to Ukraine, which led to a

forced slowdown in the supply of

some units.

In addition, the Pentagon's financial controller, Michael
McCord, told leaders of the House of Representatives

and the Senate that only $1.6 billion remained of the

$25.9 billion allocated by Congress, for the

replenishment of weapons stocks

...that went to Ukraine.

Political setting

Sarah Wagenknecht's statement reflects a fairly broad

position that is widespread in Germany and other EU

countries, political analyst Ivan Konovalov noted

in a conversation with RT.

"This is a fairly common position for German politicians.

In fact, in Germany, with the exception of a number of

representatives of the ruling coalition - there are not

so many supporters of continuing the conflict. Most

people understand that the situation is objectively

negative --- and the German economy is facing

some very difficult days. There is only one

way to solve this problem: to stop

Germany's participation in this

adventure on the territory of

Ukraine. And, to do this the

EU should start working

to establish a truce

in Ukraine" ---- the

expert explained.

At the same time, the West will not abandon its plans

to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, using the

Ukrainian conflict for this purpose, Ivan

Konovalov added.

"For the US, this is a serious political attitude that they

imposed on a significant part of Europe. But it is

impossible to do this, they are beginning to

realize it, so now Western politicians are

driven by a banal desire to save money.

The US, has destroyed the European

economy and gained control over it

and achieved economic benefits --

through a scheme using Ukraine.

Europe is in a serious crisis, it's

obvious, so we see similar

statements from various

politicians" --- the

expert said.

However, the support of Kiev will not

be stopped in one day, Ivan

Konovalov stressed.

"The US foreign policy is very sluggish, they will

continue to move along the already laid anti-

Russian track. But gradually they will have

to do it. When they really start to abandon

the toxic Ukrainian project, when this is

expressed in real political decisions,

then everything will end --- for the

Kiev regime. But so far, the US

continues to move by inertia,

although there are already

problems.... with military

assistance for Ukraine,

now it will only be for

an emergency. This

--- is the first call,"

the expert said.

In Europe, they understand that the Zelensky administration

exists solely at the expense of material and political

support from the US, said Alexander Mikhailov,

head of the Bureau of Military-Political

Analysis, in a conversation with RT.

"If you remove the support of Washington, there will

benothing left of Zelensky and this whole company,

without Western weapons and money ---- they will

not last even a few weeks. The most far-sighted

politicians in the West, are beginning to adjust

their positions in advance and change course

against the background of the results of the

Ukrainian counteroffensive. Everything that

Kiev promised did not materialize, and the

flow of supplied weapons decreased. In

addition, Ukrainian ultra-nationalism is

very inconvenient for the West, which

was clearly demonstrated by the

''incident'' ...in the Canadian

Parliament," the source

stressed.

Western countries have already invested a lot of money

in Kiev, but now the desire to maintain such a level of

spending is clearly declining, Alexander

Mikhailov stressed.

"All this was very pathetic in the first months of last year,

when everyone was running around with staged

provocations, shaking different photos and

calling on everyone to collectively give

the last shirt to Ukraine. But now, all

this.... has already been resolved

---- since the Western audience

very easily changes its idol,"

the expert explained.

Zelensky continues to ask Western countries for billions

in funding, to give Kiev the last tanks and planes, the

political scientist added.

"Once given, the second time too, but these requests

continue and at the same time are accompanied by

derogatory comments - what Zelensky's entourage

is famous for. Here, any normal head of state and

politician will think about how promising such a

partnership is. Zelensky still has a "roof" in

Washington, but this is also, not forever,"

said Alexander Mikhailov.

The US obviously wants to remove Ukraine from its

balance sheet and shift further responsibility for

the fate of Kiev, to the EU, the expert believes.

"Washington will narrow military aid to Ukraine, transfer

it to the maintenance of the EU and will force Kiev to

create a new negotiating group --- closer to the US

presidential election in 2024.''

''With the counteroffensive, everything is already clear:

armaments are running out, and the West, in its own

interests, wants to freeze this story as soon as

possible," the source concluded.

So, if the plan was, to attack Russia

and after achieving that, to attack

China, what happens now?

What do you think?

_________________________________________

L'actualité: the US media are silent
about Nazism in Ukraine....

to please the authorities

October 3rd, 2023

(source: L'actualité

retold by InoTV)

The scandal with the Ukrainian Nazi that broke out in Canada

has made many people think about extremely unpleasant

questions, writes L'actualité columnist, Raphael Jacob,

a researcher at the University of Quebec in Montreal

in the field of strategy and diplomacy.

The main question is whether the accusations of Vladimir

Putin, who at the very beginning of the SVO pointed out

Nazism flourishing in the ranks of the Ukrainian army,

turned out to be true. However, not only the answer,

but the very need to raise this question, requires

Western media... to add more nuances to their

texts, while they are determined to present

the conflict in Ukraine as a struggle of

the bad against the good.

With few exceptions, this approach has completely

subordinated the public space of the main donor

of the Kiev regime - the United States. In the US

culture, information has become a commercial

product & local media have long appreciated

the financial benefits --- of simplifying

complex situations.

Reducing multidimensional stories to ones that are easier

to digest... is considered a smart approach by media
conglomerates to "sell" their tastes to a wider

audience. This is especially true, when the

nuances can raise ambiguous questions

about nationalism.

As Raphael Jacob reminds us ---- the biggest triumphs of the

United States and reasons for national pride are the victory

over Nazi Germany in World War II and the victory over the

Soviet Union in the Cold War. In both cases, Americans

can claim that they were, as the saying goes, "on the

right side of history." But what will become of this

hitherto unshakeable conviction - if we open their

eyes to the fact that in order to defeat the former,

the United States collaborated with the latter,

and then defended the former, in the fight

against the latter?

US films and TV shows show the bravery and sacrifice of US

soldiers in the fight against the Third Reich, but almost do

not pay attention to their largest ally in the fight against

Hitler — the Soviet Union. At the same time, the USSR

lost 100 times more citizens than the United States,

and it was Soviet soldiers who liberated Auschwitz

in 1945.

At the same time, very few Americans know ---- that after World

War II, their government deliberately granted asylum to some

of the perpetrators of the Holocaust, after the whole world

learned about the concentration camps at the Nuremberg

trials. The reason for this decision is that many of those

granted asylum, including in Ukraine, promised to

weaken the new enemy - the Soviet Union.

Modern Ukrainian nationalism has its roots in Nazism and

neo-Nazism. Caught between the two warring countries,

some Ukrainians, who wanted to get rid of Stalin,

supported Hitler.

The US government ----- considering Russia a threat that is more

difficult to contain, decided to cooperate directly or indirectly

with Nazi groups. In the 1940s and 1950s, this meant

providing support and protection to leaders of

ultra-right Ukrainian movements, such as

Stepan Bandera ------ who massacred

hundreds of thousands of Jews

during the Holocaust.

In the last decade, cooperation with Ukraine has meant the

creation of hundreds of nationalist groups that are now

fighting at the front in uniforms with swastikas and

other Nazi symbols. As the author of the article

notes... the US government does not want to

support such groups, but at the same time

it is aware of what its money is being

spent on.

In one of the rare articles published in June... The New

York Times openly admitted that the situation created

considerable discomfort among the major US media.

Most decided to completely ignore the problem and not print

photos of Ukrainians with Nazi symbols. The demonstration

of such "gray areas" requires relying on the ability of

readers to think, but at the same time sets up high-

ranking representatives of the US Department of

Defense against these publications.

Nevertheless, media groups... would only benefit from a

comprehensive presentation of various political crises,

including the Ukrainian one, with special attention

to nuances. This would put an end - to the toxic

accusations ---- of a loss of trust between the

country's population and the largest media

holdings, L'actualité columnist Raphael

Jacob concludes.

Put an end to the billions spent on brainwashing?

It'll take more than a nuance, and, in the case of

Canada and those countries like the US and UK,

whose people still live in cartoon world, it'll

take handing over thousands of nazis.....

to finally face justice.

Another thing, let's explode the myth
that a ''researcher'' at a College in
Canada is so privileged as to be
in a free, knowledge based
environment, when he or
she will cross red lines
of officially tolerated
dissent ------ at their
peril, in actuality!

What do you think?

___________________________________________

CBC News: How did the Ukrainian Nazis

settle in Canada? ------ after a scandal

in Parliament.. Ottawa is called on
to disclose military documents

September 27th, 2023

(source: CBC

retold by InoTV)

After the scandal with the appearance in the Canadian

Parliament of a member of the SS division "Galicia"

Jaroslaw Gunka - Ottawa is required to disclose

wartime documents in order to establish how

many of those who joined the Nazis....

eventually settled in the country,

reports CBC News.

According to the channel, Canada allowed dozens of

soldiers of the division, including Gunka, to settle in

a country where they were not charged with

war crimes.

For Yaroslav Gunka, this moment of applause

was the reason for reckoning with history.

WITOLD DZIELSKI, Polish Ambassador to Ottawa:

This person should not be in the public eye,

should not be in the Canadian Parliament.

Poland has said it is taking steps to extradite Gunka, 98,

because he served in a Nazi unit during World War II.

WITOLD DZIELSKY: He needs to be brought tojustice.

The SS Galicia Division consisted of Ukrainian volunteers

who had decided to join Hitler's forces to fight Soviet

Russia. Gunka himself, studied in Munich.

DOMINIQUE AREL, Head of the Department of Ukrainian

Studies at the University of Ottawa: You can only

imagine .....what a political indoctrination it is

when you are trained in a Nazi environment.

That is, they were exposed to unfiltered

Nazi ideology.

After World War II, dozens of soldiers of the Galicia Division

were allowed to settle in Canada. The country's decision

has been criticized - for decades. In 1986, the federal

commission found that -- "mere membership in the

Galicia Division is not sufficient for prosecution",

and "charges of war crimes have never been

supported by evidence". Earlier, Gunka

spoke out in defense of his military

past calling it a struggle.. for the

independence of Ukraine.

EFRAIM ZUROFF, Israeli historian: They can't come and say,

"We are heroes, we fought for freedom." This is complete

nonsense. Members of the Galicia Division fought for

the victory of the Third Reich. And the Third Reich

was the most genocidal regime in the history

of mankind.

Efraim Zuroff claims that Canada was too

weak... by letting in too many SS soldiers.

EFRAIM ZUROFF: Why should they have

the right to move freely --- to a great

democratic country like Canada?

This is just one of the questions that many Jews are

currently puzzling over. Some Jewish groups - are

calling on Ottawa to reveal wartime documents

to find out how many of those who fought for

the Nazis ended up settling in Canada.

Ellen Mauro, CBC News, Toronto.

Air date: September 27, 2023.

Britain also took in thousands

of nazis --- after World War 2.

Doesn't it make you feel

ashamed, to know YOU

live in a land where
justice --- is just
a game?

(apologies to Robert

Zimmerman..... for

using his words!)

____________________________________

"Salaries of over 4.5 million people

will grow": Russian government

approves increase in minimum

wage ------ by 18.5% in 2024

by Vladimir Tsegoev &

Ksenia Chemodanova

September 22nd, 6:57pm

(RT.ru)

Starting from January 1, 2024, the minimum wage in Russia

will increase by 18.5% and exceed 19.2 thousand rubles.

This decision -- was made by the Government on behalf

of President Vladimir Putin. In addition, the Cabinet of

Ministers approved the draft federal budget for 2024-

2026. It is assumed that over the next three years,

the state treasury's expenditures will exceed the

amount of revenues, & this difference is to be

covered by borrowing. According to the

government ----- when forming the

document, the main priority was

to fulfill the social obligations

to citizens & the instruction

of the head of state.

Let's explain that the minimum wage sets the minimum salary

level that a full-time employee can receive. In addition, this

parameter is used to calculate temporary disability

benefits, as well as maternity benefits.

In accordance with the Constitution of Russia, the minimum

wage cannot be less than the subsistence minimum (PM) of

the working-age population. Now this amount is on average

15,669 rubles in the country. Authorities use it to assess

the needs of citizens when providing various state

support measures, such as monthly payments to

low-income families with children.

Now the minimum wage exceeds the amount of PM by only

4%. However, in 2024 the difference will have to increase

to 17%, and in the future the authorities plan to raise this

bar above 30%, as previously stated by the head of the

Ministry of Labour, Anton Kotyakov.

''Just three or four years ago, we lived in conditions where the

minimum wage was lower than the subsistence level. The

first criterion that the government's actions were focused

on was bringing the minimum wage to the level of the

minimum wage of the working-age population. To

date, this bar has been passed, we do not stop at

it, we are moving further," the minister noted.

Svetlana Bessarab, a member of the State Duma

Committee on Labour, Social Policy and

Veterans' Affairs:

"The minimum wage, is a standard that all employers must

meet. In practice, the salary of any full-time employee in

the country cannot be lower than this mark. Tariff grids

in the real sector of the economy are expected to be

revised. At the same time, unemployment and

maternity benefits will increase. In general,

the measure should lead to an increase in

consumer activity --- which will have a

positive impact on the development

of the economy and GDP growth

rates," she stressed.

After the meeting, the government approved the draft federal

budget for the next three years. As Mikhail Mishustin noted,

when forming the document, the authorities proceeded

from the need to fully fulfill all obligations to the

Russians and the six priority tasks set by

the president.

"This means --- expanding foreign economic cooperation with

our promising partners from friendly countries, and improving

the necessary mechanisms for this, including transport and

payment components. Plus --- strengthening technological

and financial sovereignty, advancing the construction of

transport, municipal and social infrastructure --- as well

as improving the welfare of citizens, ensuring national

savings, protecting motherhood and childhood, and

supporting families with children," he explained.

According to Mikhail Mishustin, the authorities tried to

minimize the difference between revenues and

expenditures of the treasury, as much as

possible, and plan to cover it mainly

through borrowing.

However, the current size of the deficit is not critical for the

economy, says Alexander Abramov, Head of the Laboratory

for Analysis of Institutions and Financial Markets at the

RANEPA Institute for Applied Economic Research.

"Usually, the deficit is financed by issuing government bonds.

Such a measure does not lead to serious consequences for

financial stability, if there are no significant fluctuations in

interest rates. Moreover, even the current situation, when

the Central Bank tightens monetary policy, is also not

critical. In addition, the government traditionally lays

down a conservative budget ----- with low oil prices.

This is done, so that there is a reserve, and space
for maneuver," Abramov explained.

It should be noted that in the three-year budget, the

authorities.. include the cost of oil in the amount of

$60 per barrel. At the same time - according to the

forecast of the Ministry of Economic Development,

in 2024-2026, quotes will be around the $70 mark.

As part of the implementation of social obligations to citizens,

the government is going to increase funding for medical care

in the regions by 13.5% in 2024. As Mikhail Mishustin noted,

this is necessary - to expand the availability of treatment for

citizens -- to ensure the salaries of doctors & other medical
personnel at a level not lower than that established by the

presidential decree. Separate resources are provided,

for medical rehabilitation..... including for Russians
who have been ill with coronavirus.

"Next year, we will allocate over 130 billion rubles to provide
high-tech assistance not included in the basic compulsory

health insurance program. Also, residents of each of the

Russian regions will continue to have the opportunity

to receive it free of charge --- in federal medical

institutions. This will cost about 214 billion

rubles," Mishustin added.

In addition, within the approved budget, the authorities

are going to allocate more than 1 trillion rubles for the

provision of medicines for certain categories of

citizens. Another 430 billion rubles will be

spent on providing medical care to

people suffering from cancer.

At the same time, payments of a single allowance to
pregnant women in need and parents with children

under 17 -- will continue. In the next three years, it

is planned to allocate 4.4 trillion rubles for these

purposes --- which will allow supporting over

10 million families, every month.

In turn, the budget will allocate about 1.6 trillion rubles for

the provision of maternity capital. It is expected that over

4 million families will use these funds in three years. In

addition, 482 billion rubles are provided for improving

the housing conditions of Russians with children,

and over 100 billion rubles are provided for

supporting low income citizens under

the social contract program.

Significant funds will also be allocated for the construction

and repair of schools, road maintenance, upgrading the

infrastructure of land-based electric transport and

the development of regional airports. Also,

industry will receive additional funding.

"An important priority of the government's work - is creating

modern industry. The bill provides for over 2.7 trillion rubles

to support civil industry. This will support such industries

as the automotive industry," Finance Minister Anton

Siluanov said, during the meeting.

The government is also going to allocate --- a grant of over 5
billion rubles to the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation.
This, as Mishustin noted, will provide support to veterans
of the SVO and their relatives, - including assistance in

medical rehabilitation, employment, training, plus

providing the necessary legal assistance.

Head of the Ministry of Economic Development, Maxim
Reshetnikov says, after a decline of 2.1% in 2022, the

volume of Russian GDP will increase immediately --

by 2.8% in 2023, and in 2024 it will add 2.3%.

"The main thing we see is that the economic growth trend will

continue in 2024, 2025, and 2026... Over the entire medium

term, the growth rate will be above 2%, which is generally

normal in the face of a significant shortage in the labour

market and all the restrictions in logistics, technology

and other areas. Although, of course, we need to

work on increasing the pace, " the head of the

Ministry of Economic Development noted.

According to the agency's assessment, the dollar exchange

rate will fall to 94 rubles by the end of 2023, and over the

next three years it will be in the range of 90-92 rubles.

At the same time, inflation may slow down to 4.5% in

2024, and after that it should return to the target

level of 4%.

"The presented forecast allows us to form a realistic budget

for the next three years. This forecast takes into account

the current dynamics of the economy, the economic

policy measures being implemented, primarily in

the development of the six priorities outlined

by the president," Reshetnikov stressed.

I'd move to Russia, if I wasn't an
old twat ------- what about you?

__________________________________________

The rise of major labour unions in US --

shines a light on grim financial reality

by Shabbir Rizvi

September 18th, 1:28pm

(PressTV)

Americans are well aware of the value of the dollar, at least

when it comes to their own purchasing power at home.

If they didn’t know before, then they certainly

learned this year.

The year 2023 has so far marked rising costs of living

for everyday items amidst a backdrop of massive

government spending on the usual - war,

policing, corporate bailouts

and subsidization.

However, if you were to ask President Joe Biden about the

financial state of the everyday American, he would say

“Bidennomics is working” --- (although he may stare

blankly at you and try to find a teleprompter first).

“Bidenomics” is Washington’s marketing term for the Biden

administration’s business-as-usual plan ---- to convince

Americans that the federal government is taking steps

to ensure their financial situation will improve --- aka

they are not doing anything new or substantial to

address any crisis.

The plan vows - to “grow the economy from the middle out

and the bottom up.” Again, this is nothing for a corporate-

friendly policy that prioritizes the profits of the elite.

Biden administration officials routinely champion the

“success” of this strategy via social media and

through administration-friendly journalists

(corporate stenographers), but taking a

closer look at these claims and figures

reveals a more honest assessment of

the financial status of everyday

Americans.

The reality is that rising costs of living are contributing

directly to the record-breaking $1 trillion in credit card

debt Americans have accumulated. American workers

often have no choice but to resort to credit card use

for necessities, due to higher prices for groceries,

gas, rent and mortgage.

Another 40 million-plus Americans are set to resume student

loan repayments in October after a nearly four-year pause,

which will without a doubt exacerbate the country’s

debt crisis.

Biden administration officials claim their initiatives are adding

more jobs to the economy. These are often vague numbers

that are based on speculation.... rather than

concrete evidence.

Furthermore, jobs are always being created - however, many

Americans are working multiple jobs just to make ends meet.

The quality of the jobs being created isn’t specified and with

the implementation of automation, many of these jobs... will

be rendered obsolete.

Many Americans naturally will not accept these conditions.

In fact, this year has seen some of the most striking (no

pun intended) acts of laboUr resistance in recent

American history.

Industries of different sizes and varieties have taken concrete

steps to challenge these conditions, which are created

primarily by American capitalist greed at the helm,

leaving scraps for the majority of workers.

It is now without question that grim financial conditions have

led to a new-found popularity of unionization efforts, and the

unionization efforts themselves --- have led to massive wins

for American workers.

For example, the Teamsters Union, one of the largest unions in

the world, threatened to go on strike over the summer due to

declining conditions in the workplace.... as well as

stagnant pay.

The Teamsters, which represent UPS workers, could have

shaken the US economy had the strike happened - as

UPS serves hundreds of thousands to millions of

customers and businesses, daily.

The demands ranged from hiring more workers (full and part-

time), increased wages, and even air conditioning in UPS

trucks (which UPS initially refused to provide, despite

the multiple record-breaking days of heat this year

alone - a testament to unhinged capitalist greed).

Eventually, a favorable agreement was met - over 85%

of Teamsters signed, ratifying a 5-year deal.

In post-pandemic America, many workers have begun to

realize their own self-interests can only be achieved by

workplace organization, not relying on this-or-that

politician to bring any substantial change.

Many unions - from the Teamsters to Alphabet workers to

teachers unions such as the Chicago Teachers Union -

held firm on their demands throughout the COVID-19

pandemic and achieved favorable results.

Now, their success is inspiring waves of different

unionization efforts ------ across the country.

Perhaps the most popular recent example of this is

the Starbucks workers union. Starbucks is owned

by billionaire Howard Schultz but his employees

often work in degrading conditions.

Working for minimum wage or sometimes less and relying

on customer tips to get by, many Starbucks employees

(or “Partners”) have now moved to unionize their local

stores demanding fair pay and benefits.

What was seen as a nearly impossible battle to win at the

start of the first Starbucks unionization effort is now

seen as fairly common - over 300 Starbucks stores

are now unionized, and counting.

This has not come easy. Union-busting activities are fairly

common, and the National LaboUr Relations Board has

reported hundreds of union-busting activities, and

often cannot do anything to act against the mega-

corporations seeking to stifle employees asking

for basic wages and protections.

Adding to this is the fact that Joe Biden and his administration

- on paper - claim they support workers’ unions and their right

to organize, however, in practice ------ that is not happening.

Take for example a statement where Joe Biden hopes the

United Auto Workers union can reach a favorable

negotiation with the “Big Three” automakers in

he United States. It implies that the Biden

administration... is hopeful for favorable

negotiations between the two parties

and that they can resolve the issue

without federal intervention.

However, the Biden administration is no stranger to crushing

strikes - as one can recall when Biden signed a bill to put an

end to the railroad strike.

Striking railroad workers had reasonable demands - the ability

to take sick days and schedules that would permit them to

spend time with their families, without fear of owner

retaliation or punishment.

The railroad companies refused to budge, and as the holidays

neared and the threat of mega-corporations being unable to

turn over a profit began to materialize, the Biden

administration swooped in and blocked the

strike, without substantially addressing

the oppressive attendance policy.

Interestingly, this desperate move from the Biden

administration was also an admission of the

immense power unions hold. Had the strike

materialized, the entire economy could

have been halted - right before a

major holiday season.

Now, with the United Auto Worker strike, unions are directly

addressing the Biden administration’s hand ----- in policies

that are impacting their work.

Refusing to endorse Biden for president right before a heated

election season, the UAW president is challenging the Biden

administration to “earn the Union’s support,” while

simultaneously demanding that the workers not

be left behind in the administration’s plans

for a major shift to electric vehicles.

As one can see, the paper policy and the practiced policy

are two different things within the reality of the American

political system - especially when it comes to the

question of organized laboUr.

On paper, every politician - from Democrat to Republican --

wants the union endorsement. However, when substantial

(and just) demands are made --- that contradict the

demands of corporate donors, the politicians

have a major tendency to back the

corporate multi-millionaire to

multi-billionaire demands.

Regardless, unions are making a huge comeback in the United

States - and the renewed laboUr struggle is very much tied to

the declining financial health of the everyday American and

the public realization of just how far American capitalist

greed can go. 2021 saw ---- just below 120 confirmed

laboUr strikes.

As of September 2023, there are close to 250 strikes ----

composed of over 600,000 workers across various

industries and specialties. The growing trend

suggests that the laboUr struggle is just

getting started.

As economic realities remain uncertain and Americans

are forced to choose between which corporate

representatives will lead the nation next year

- one thing they can always count on is that

there is strength --- and power --- in

unified numbers.

Shabbir Rizvi is a Chicago-based political analyst

with a focus on US internal security and

foreign policy.

(The views expressed in this article ---- do

not necessarily reflect those of Press TV)

Good to see US workers uniting

to win. What do you think?

__________________________________________

SwebbTV --- Russia will defeat the

West in the proxy war in Ukraine,

and in open confrontation

September 11th, 2023

(source: SwebbTV

retold by InoTV)

The collapse of the Ukrainian army is only a matter of time,

but the US --- will never allow its formal defeat. For this

reason, the Ukrainian conflict will escalate into an

open war between the US and Russia, but the

West will lose in it, analyst Lars Bern said

in an interview with SwebbTV.

According to analyst Lars Bern, the Western powers "have no

chance" - partly because Russia has much greater industrial

potential. The West cannot defeat Russia with conventional

weapons, so the conflict will turn into a nuclear phase.

In this case... Moscow will use its 100-ton intercontinental

missiles with nuclear weapons, each of which is capable

of destroying entire countries. "The Russians --- have

absolutely grotesque weapons, that they can use

against the West," the expert explained.

Bern claims that the US prestige is at stake in the events

in Ukraine, so they will never recognize the victory of

the Russians, over Kiev. However, the Ukrainian

Armed Forces will have to surrender, as their

"highly hyped in the media" offensive, with

the use of Western weapons "completely

failed", and the Ukrainians "achieved

nothing" on the battlefield, writes

SwebbTV.

As soon as the Western media think that they see even the

slightest success on the part of Ukraine -- they hype it as

a big success, although it may not be at all. This is done
purposefully to ensure that the supply of weapons and

the armed conflict continue. Ukraine succeeds only

in the propaganda war in the West, because Kiev

has already lost on the battlefield,

SwebbTV notes.

It has already reached the point that Ukraine is running out

of men, and now women have to enlist in the ranks of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine. Nevertheless, Bern believes

that, in addition to Ukraine, the Russian Armed

Forces are "on the verge of disarming the

entire NATO," which could lead to an

open war between the US/NATO

and Russia.

According to the analyst, "the proxy war between

Russia and NATO --- is already underway" and

hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian lives

were sacrificed during it.

Nevertheless, even in an open war between the West and

Russia, the Russians will win. According to Lars Bern,

the Western powers --- will be the first to resort to

nuclear weapons, since this is the only way to

try to "save face".

In addition, Russia has hundreds of tons of intercontinental

ballistic missiles capable of carrying up to 15 nuclear

warheads. "A single charge of Sarmat can wipe out

the whole of Great Britain or France," Byrne

warned in an interview with SwebbTV.

A possible nuclear conflict will be existential for Russia,

and Russia will respond ------ with these weapons.

Recently, the former Prime Minister of Sweden, and now

the leader of the opposition Social Democrats party,

Magdalena Andersson, said:: "We can't let Russia

win this war." Bern sharply criticized the

politician's words -- emphasizing that

Andersson's words, automatically

lead to an all-out nuclear war ----

which she does not understand

and which scares the expert,

since "such people"

rule Sweden.

The analyst believes that Swedish politicians are so

blinded by their hatred of Russia, that they do not

notice the Nazi Kiev regime --- and carry out its

mass support, SwebbTV summarizes.

Great article - if you live in the West

and don't mind being irradiated.....
like your food is ------- courtesy of

just one of Margaret Thatcher's

criminal decisions.

What do you think?

______________________________________

"Engaged in mass and methodical

extermination": FSB documents

show Nazi crimes in Donbass

by Svyatoslav Knyazev,

& Elizaveta Komarova

September 7th, 12:15am

(RT.ru)

On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Donetsk

from the Nazis ----- the Russian FSB released declassified

documents of the Soviet state security agencies, about

the crimes of the Nazi occupiers in the Donbass during

the Great Patriotic War.

The agency's website has published interrogation protocols

of Nazi criminals, involved in the mass murder of civilians in

Donbass. They contain evidence: that the extermination of

the inhabitants of the USSR by the Nazis was planned and

methodical. Moreover, these crimes were committed not

only by militants of special SS units, but also by

Wehrmacht soldiers.

From the published protocols of interrogations of German

officers, it follows that the destruction of the inhabitants

of the USSR was deliberately planned and based on the

dogmas of Nazi ideology.

"Mobilize the attention of all operational personnel"

On September 8, 1943, the city of Stalino (modern Donetsk)

was liberated from the Nazis. Donbass --- was under Nazi

occupation for almost two years. According to the FSB

of Russia, during this time --- the Nazis and their

accomplices destroyed at least 174 thousand

Soviet civilians and 149 thousand prisoners

of war, in the Stalino region.

One of the places of mass murder -- was

the 4-4 bis mine in the suburb of Stalino.

The leadership of the Soviet special services set their

employees the task, of investigating the crimes that

the Nazis committed in the occupied territories, as

well as identifying and bringing to justice specific

participants in these atrocities.

On January 24, 1944.... the directive of the Directorate for
Prisoners of War and Internees (UPVI) -- of the NKVD of
the USSR: "On identifying participants in committing

atrocities among prisoners of war" --- was issued,

which ordered: "to mobilize the attention of the

entire operational staff of camps" to identify

the participants in committing atrocities,
by operational and investigative means,

and document their criminal activities.

The Soviet secret services carefully checked prisoners of war

who had previously served in the SD, SS, special security and

punitive detachments, police, secret field gendarmerie,
Gestapo and concentration camps. As a result of this

work --- evidence was obtained of atrocities

committed against the civilian population

not only by special SS punitive units,

but also by Wehrmacht soldiers.

"No laws or regulations"

In January 1944, Soviet security forces, detained the Nazi

collaborator Yuri Shcherbakov. He admitted that in 1941

he evaded conscription into the Red Army... stayed in

Stalino, and then joined the Nazis -- first as a police

officer and then as an investigator of the auxiliary

service of the SD --- which killed thousands of

Soviet citizens. Materials of Shcherbakov's

interrogation are published by the FSB.

Stalin's SD team and its auxiliary service, officially called the

"Security and SD Service" for the general district of Stalino,

which had its branches in all major industrial centres of

the Donbass, were engaged in the mass and methodical
extermination of Soviet people --- acting on the orders

of the Hitlerite government... There were no laws, or

regulations in the SD.. Soviet prisoners were loaded

into special trucks and taken to the mine 4-4 bis

"Kalinovka", on the outskirts of Stalino city,

where they were shot, and the corpses

were dumped into the shaft... Many

thousands of Soviet citizens were

thrown into mine 4-4 bis, shot,

tortured, in interrogations, or

killed in the "death chamber"

-- Shcherbakov said, during

the interrogation.

He also named some of the organizers of the mass murder of

Soviet citizens. Among them were the head of the Security

Service and SD for the general district of Stalino —

Obersturmbannfuhrer Kurting, as well as his

deputies Hauptsturmfuhrer Gertig and

Obersturmfuhrer Graf, and the chief

inspector of the SD team ---

Sturmfuhrer Siebert.

According to Shcherbakov, the SD officers, destroyed both

Soviet patriots --- underground fighters and partisans, and

ordinary civilians who had nothing to do with the fighting

at all - from teenagers to the very old. The "investigation"

of their cases, was limited to torture and tortures. Thus,

innocent people, were forced to confess to fictitious

"crimes". The prisoners were beaten with fists,

whips, chair legs, and trampled on them.

Many could not stand the torture and

died during the "interrogations".

Even those who survived the

torture, were unable to

move on their own.

During an interrogation on October 7, 1947, former Wehrmacht

lieutenant, Wolfgang Paul Lesner, stated that, as a member of

the Hitler Youth, he was brought up in a spirit of hatred for

the Slavic peoples: "Even at that time, it was preached

among young people that Germany should become a

"Great Germany", its borders in the east, should be

in the Caucasus, that the Aryan race ---- must be

dominant throughout the world... the Hitlerite

government ------ intensively prepared the

population - and especially the youth -

for a war of conquest, in the spirit of

loyalty to the Fuhrer and hatred of

the Slavic peoples, which was a

confirmation of the mass

destruction of the

Slavic people."

Lesner also said that the German military, according to the

orders of their command, had to show maximum cruelty

towards the civilian population --- to kill, or deprive

them of shelter.

He himself admitted that he took part in these crimes.

In particular --- Lesner gave specific testimony

regarding the mass murder of Soviet
citizens in occupied Stalino.

"On October 13, 1942, at approximately 12 o'clock in the

afternoon, I was given the command by the company

commander --- to leave with three trucks for the

Oberfeldkommendatura of the mountains.''

''Upon arrival at the commandant's office, the cars entered the

courtyard, where people were already under guard, subject to

execution, as I later learned, there were 120 of them. We put

the first batch to the wall of the mine yard, after which I went

up to the machine-gun crew and, at the command of Captain

Waer, I gave the order to the crew to open fire and shot the

crowd of innocent citizens standing at the wall of the mine

yard in long bursts, there was crying, some shouting, but

the roar of the machine gun drowned it all. There were

corpses and blood of people who were shot. Thus a

machine-gun crew, under my command, shot 40

people, whose corpses were thrown into the

shaft of mine 4 bis by a special team led

by Lieutenant Kind," the former Nazi

officer said.

As Dmitry Surzhik, a senior researcher at the Institute of

Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences,

told RT, in a comment, that the actions of German

punitive bodies and troops in the Donbass,

can be regarded as a manifestation

of genocide.

"Representatives of all nationalities living in the Soviet

Union, were subjected to total extermination in the

Donbas," the expert noted.

According to him, the publication of declassified

documents about Nazi atrocities in the Donbas,

is extremely relevant today.

"The memory of the residents of Donbass ---- about the Nazi

occupation is closely intertwined with the criminal actions

that those who raised the ideology of Bandera and other

Hitler's minions are doing on these lands, today. Today,

Russian investigative agencies, like Smersh 80 years

ago ----- face large-scale war crimes committed by

Ukrainian security services..... in the Donbas. In

addition, the release of declassified documents

is doubly important for us to realize: what a

tough and bloody enemy, our ancestors

defeated, giving us the opportunity

to live," Surzhik summed up.

Please.. defeat these fascists
- only this time - defeat their
backers - these ''elites''
behind the curtain.

_______________________________

Often symbolically: in Germany,

Loyal: Germany invested millions

in Niger — and Russia will get

all the benefits

August 9th, 2023

(Original source: Loyal

--- translated by InoTV)

The Association of German Reservists in the pages of

its magazine Loyal accuses the German government

of having actually "overslept" the coup in Niger. As

a result, millions of dollars of Berlin's investment

in equipping and training the country's military

police forces has disappeared, and Russia will

now benefit from the fruits of German efforts.

In addition, Berlin can not evacuate about a

hundred of its military personnel from Niger.

It remains to be seen.. whether the Economic Community of

West African States will be able to implement its threat and

organize a military intervention to restore ousted President

Bazum to power. Loyal magazine, however, notes that

neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, also ruled by the

rebel military, "will regard the attack on Niger as an

attack on their own countries" and promise to

come to the aid of the new government of

Niger. Algeria, which is influential in the

region, called on the parties to refrain

from military conflict, as "if it comes

to this, it will mean a big war, and

this ------ is the last thing that the

poorest region of Africa needs."

Bundeswehr troops are stationed at the airport of the capital

of Niger, which is a key base for supplying and withdrawing

German troops from neighboring Mali. Almost a thousand

German soldiers participated in the UN mission in Mali,

but the new government in Bamako requires them to

leave the country before the end of the year, which

already meant a rush, and after the suspension of

the base in Niger became even more difficult.

Even if the airport in the capital of Niger

manages to find an alternative, there

is still the question of almost 100

soldiers in Niamey itself.

"If ECOWAS decides to implement its ultimatum and start

fighting, then Niamey airport will be the first target for

intervention troops, and the German camp is located

right on the runway, next to the camp of our

European partners," Loyal magazine

reminds the German government.

According to the data available to the magazine, German

soldiers have not yet received threats against them —

unlike the French, but they are "still trapped", and

"the situation remains unpredictable".

For the author of the article, the main culprit of this situation

is obvious: the German federal government, which did not

organize the withdrawal of troops in time. The German

Federal Intelligence Service also did not foresee what

happened — "another not very nice page for German

foreign intelligence," the magazine states.

But an even greater responsibility lies with the German

Foreign Ministry. "The Ministry of Defense wanted a

speedy withdrawal (of troops from the region. — Ino

TV), but the Foreign Ministry feared that Germany's

reputation as a reliable UN member in the world

could be undermined." Now we can sum up this

policy: "Those who wait too long are punished

by the putschists."

Loyal also notes the mistakes of the German government in

financial assistance to Niger, which focused on training the

military and police. In Niger, Germany participated in the

creation of a security force that can now be commanded

by an illegal coup squad. With the help of the Germans,

a military school was built in the country, a hospital

for soldiers, German soldiers trained the special

forces of Niger, which was fully " equipped with

protective equipment, all-terrain vehicles, radio

and night vision devices supplied from Germany."

Millions of dollars of financial injections into

military structures continued... until the

beginning of the year.

"Russia will now fully benefit from the efforts made by

Germany and the West to invest in Niger's security

architecture," Loyal concludes. "The putschists

led by General Tiani are openly pro-Russian, and

Russian flags --- are flying all over the country,

"which should" cause delight in the Kremlin,

" which has consolidated its influence "in a

very important region."

In the case of Niger, it is "not only about access to minerals,

especially uranium", but also about controlling "the most

important route of refugees from Africa to Europe",

which is "a means of exerting pressure on the

West, the importance of which cannot be

overemphasized". The author of the

article is sure that Russia uses it

as a lever of pressure in the

conflict in Ukraine.

The Discussio Page is probably the

best place for this article - tucked

away and thus less likely to do

harm. What do you think?

______________________________

If you want.. an enervatingly

optimistic, in depth, article:

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/

sitrep-8123-the-hegemon-begins-to

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

How Orthodox Christianity
is being destroyed in
Ukraine

August 4th, 9:33am

(RT.ru)

Zelenskyy’s godless regime wants to use the Feast

of the Baptism of Russia --- to “unbaptise” it by

destroying Orthodoxy, finally plunging the

UOC into schism.

The facts of who and how is pushing the UOC to the terrible
sin of schism, which, in the words of St Cyprian of Carthage

''is not washed away even with martyr’s blood”, we try
to consistently set out. They are, as follows.

1. “Metropolitan” of the PCU --- noticed as an lgbt activist

Alexander Drabinko, publicly blackmails the UOC on

behalf of Zelensky – “Theophany” is not enough

for us, either you gather the Council, and self-

proclaim autocephaly, or the UOC will

be banned.

Zelenskyy confirms the seriousness of the blackmail by

making a special address announcing new measures

for “spiritual independence”, i.e. the destruction

of Orthodoxy.

The Verkhovna Rada assures that a law

banning the UOC is passed on 27 July.

2. The UOC is bumped and on the feast of St Anthony

of Kiev-Pechersk, when the episcopate of the UOC

gathered in Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, there is no self-

proclamation of autocephaly.

3. Then the Ukroreich deliberately launches a missile at

the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour built

by Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa. Local Orthodox

Christians claim that the missile hit the Cathedral

--- two hours before the Russian missile attack.

Another proof of this version is the presence

of the Ukroreich’s motive... to use the

cathedral explosion, as a pretext to

completely put the UOC in schism.

The bombing of the cathedral is a provocation by Zelenskyy,

whose goal is to finally break exactly the opponent of

autocephaly, Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa,

which, if successful, will greatly accelerate

the process.

But he balks and instead of himself puts up the vicar

Archbishop Victor (Bykov), who makes a false and

impudent statement against Patriarch Kirill. This

vicar, is seen by the SBU, as a successor to

Metropolitan Agafangel... in case he

continues to stall.

Zelenskyy’s office responds to Metropolitan Agafangel by

blackmailing him with the sins of his youth: “Grandpa,

you can’t fool us, you can’t get away with the

vicarage, speak for yourself”, which

Metropolitan Agafangel did, calling

black, white ------ slandering the

SSU and Russia, but did not

personally touch Patriarch

Kirill and did not demand

the self-proclamation

of autocephaly.

In response, Zelenskyy’s Office used a former disciple of

Metropolitan Agafangel of Sumy, Metropolitan Yevlogy

(Gutchenko), who made his ecclesiastical career with

the help of the aforementioned Drabinko, betraying

Metropolitan Agafangel. Yevlogy appealed to

Metropolitan Onufry, with an appeal to spit

on the ecclesiastical interdictions of the

Moscow Patriarchate... which will

inevitably follow.... in the case of

a 'self-proclaimed' autocephaly

of the UOC. Thus Metropolitan

Yevlogy calls on the UOC to

break with Orthodoxy.

The position of the Ukroreich is clear: “You will not get away

with words against Russia and special operations, proclaim

autocephaly on 28 July, otherwise the UOC will be banned”.

Even if Metropolitans Onuphrius and Agafangel go for it, the

meeting of UOC bishops on 28 July will not be able to make

such a decision, as 3 Metropolitans Theodosius, Pavel and

Jonathan are under arrest, with Metropolitan Pavel in a

pre-trial detention centre.

Metropolitan Longin of Banchensk lies with a stroke,

driven to it by the repressions of the Ukroreich.

Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkassy will

probably oppose this decision, as will

other arrested metropolitans.

Those who vote in favour of self-proclaimed autocephaly,

will finally, according to all canons, become schismatics

and become worthy of anathema, like Filaret Denysenko.

One vote against the same Metropolitan Theodosius is

enough to nullify the forthcoming self-proclamation of

autocephaly of the UOC, just as one vote of Abbot

Mark of Ephesus was enough to foil the Union of

Ferrara-Florence.

But still I appeal to the episcopate of the UOC with a

request -- to make a confessional decision, if only

because this confession will not last long --- the

Russian Army will take Odessa, Kiev and other

Russian cities, no matter how much the US

agents of influence in Moscow try to stop

the special operation.

At the same time, as reported by the faithful Orthodox

of Malorossia, the insane heresiarch, Barthrolomey,

under the leadership of the Uniate and at the same

time, the archimandrite of the Russian Orthodox

Church Kirill (Govorun), has come up with a new

plan for the final destruction of Orthodoxy in

Malorossia, a kind of “plan B”.

The Phanar.. gives the PCU the status of Patriarchate

with preservation of dependence on the Patriarchate

of Constantinople, before that the UOC and the PCU

unite, Metropolitan Onufry leaves, Sergiy Dumenko

leaves, and the Canadian Metropolitan of the UOC

of Constantinople Patriarchate in the US ------

Hilarion (Rudnik) becomes the “Patriarch”

of the united structure.

The fact that he has a canonical chiarotony does not change

the essence of the matter because: 1. almost all “hierarchs”

of the PCU do not have it; 2. “the authority of the Patriarch

of Constantinople ends outside his diocese” (Metropolitan

Anthony (Khrapovitsky).

Hilarion (Rudnik) is a fairy figure. A thuggish Nazi who

worked closely with Dudayev, Basayev, Maskhadov

and other terrorists and oes not conceal his goal

of unification.

Dumenko, however, does not want to leave.

But his masters from the United States

will not ask him.

The only person and thing that can stop this new union

is the Russian Army --- and carrying out the special

operations in full.

Kirill Frolov, Russian People’s Line

In a nutshell - until the Zelensky regime
is crushed - the US will use him to
break Russia's Spiritual power.

A truly diabolical plan.

What do you think?

__________________________________

Zakharova discussed ----- the

policy of the colonial powers

August 4th, 12:03am

(Lenta.ru)

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry,

Maria Zakharova ----- speculated about the policy of the

colonial powers, in a column for Izvestia newspaper.

In particular, Zakharova drew attention to the term "Non-

Self-Governing Territories" -- used in the UN Charter.

According to her, in fact, we are talking about

- colonies. "Colonial Powers cannot endlessly

suppress the independence and sovereignty

of peoples. Although their desire to acquire

new colonies is quite logical," she said.

The representative of the Foreign Ministry expressed

confidence that "the free world will definitely win",

and the process of decolonization "will not be

completed ------ until the last of the Non-Self-

Governing Territories gains independence".

In July, Maria Zakharova said that the West

treats Ukraine as a colony, commenting on

plans.... to export relics from the Kiev

Pechersk Lavra.

Since my country, Wales (Cymru), is a ''non-governing

territory'' (- apologies to our Senedd members! -) and

England's first colony (apologies to Ireland's superb

historians!) my heart resonates with Ms Zakharova.

I think I'm in love with her. What... do you think?

_______________________________________

Seoul raises stakes

in confrontation

with Moscow

August 2nd, 12:43pm

https://en.news-front.info/

South Korea... is being drawn into the collective West’s

confrontation with Russia. Seoul is supplying 155mm

howitzer shells to the Kiev regime, via the US.

Japan’s participation in the deal... is

being prepared.

Seoul and Tokyo have formed a pair here for a reason.

From the perspective of Japanese geopolitics, the

Korean Peninsula is “a knife pointed at Japan’s

chest.” Japan feels threatened if it does not

control Korea. Since the Korean War of

1950-1953, two Koreas have emerged

– the pro-US South Korea... and the

pro-Soviet, and now pro-Russian,

North Korea.

Japan sees South Korea and US military bases as a buffer

separating North Korea from Japan and the zone of

Japanese influence. The Tokyo-Seoul-Washington

geopolitical axis allows the U.S. and Japan

toexert militaristic pressure on Russia’s

eastern frontiers, and South Korea to

press North Korea geographically

against Russia’s borders.

This is not the best scenario for Seoul, as the

common border between North Korea and

Russia means unproblematic logistical

communication between the two

countries in case of war. But

South Korea, has no

other choice.

South Korean strategists are playing the long game and have

a hand in containing Russia in Ukraine and NATO’s eastern

flank. In addition to supplying the AFU with shells and

military ammunition, Seoul is supplying K2 tanks and

K9 howitzers to Poland and Romania to replace the

Polish and Romanian heavy equipment supplied to

Zelensky. Soviet and obsolete NATO models in

Polish and Romanian warehouses... are being

replaced with modern South Korean models.

Warsaw and Bucharest intend to dramatically increase the

number of such vehicles in the armed forces and act as

security guarantors for Zelensky. Seoul supports

such plans.

For South Korea, Russia’s involvement in conflicts in the west

is beneficial, as it distracts Moscow from the eastern vector.

However, the visit of the Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, to

North Korea showed that Moscow has enough attention for

everyone. After all, the eagle on the Russian coat of arms

looks both west and east at the same time.

Russia may lack the resources to provide equal security in

both directions, but that is why the Kremlin is developing

partnerships with its eastern allies, including Pyongyang.

Experts say that the potential for cooperation between

Russia and the DPRK in the military and intelligence

spheres may be quite high.

In 2023, Seoul plans... to deliver $150 million worth of

humanitarian aid to Kiev. In 2022, the amount of aid

was $100 million. Humanitarian aid is a stretch.

For example, Russian soldiers have found

South Korean medicines and other items

used by servicemen in everyday life at

Ukrainian positions. Officially, such aid

from Seoul is not considered military,

but - in fact - it is channelled to the

needs of the Ukrainian punishers.

Now Russian units in the SMO zone will be bombarded with

South Korean shells. Seoul is clearly raising the stakes,

which cannot but affect relations with Moscow and

automatically with Beijing. China does not

welcome South Korea’s rapprochement

with the US and Japan.

Seoul’s arming of Zelensky’s army is not capable of turning

the tide of the conflict. South Korea’s military capabilities

relative to its overall capabilities and geographic size are

high, but not massive. South Korea is not a military

superpower. It is unlikely that the South Korean

military-industrial complex, will be able to

stamp the required number of shells for

Zelensky at a rapid pace and for a

long time.

In the meantime... everyone suffers

--- except those at the top of this

mountain of pain. How they

smile, now... in our faces!

Will this end? We say Yes!

What do you think?

__________________________________

Europe and “good”

neo-Nazism

August 1st, 9:27am

https://en.news-front.info/

The information agenda, which can neither

be obscured nor deceived, combined

two events...

The first, a tragic, heart-wrenching one, when nine years ago

four children were killed by shelling in the Donbass town of

Horlivka. The youngest of them, a girl named Kira, was ten

months old. Christina, Kira’s mum, tried to cover the baby

with her body, but Ukrainian shrapnel pierced them both.

The scary photos of the “Donbass Madonna” -- did not

make the front pages of European newspapers: the

end of July - for EU residents - is always holidays
and entertainment. What do they, then tanned,

fashionable, wearing silk and linen --- care

about some Russian murdered children?

A trifle, not worthy of attention.

Yes, and then, of course, at the time when Donbass began to

oppose aggression on the part of Kyiv, if the Western press

ever mentioned the shelling of peaceful towns, it was

always by some kind of “armed formations”. It was

not customary to specify who they consisted of,

who supplied them with weapons and who

taught them to shoot at civilians. The

weapons fired themselves, and

people died from something.

Either they, shot at them ---

or they shot at themselves.

Nine years later, the influential Le Figaro, which represents

the conservative spectrum of French politics, published a

gigantic, many thousands of characters correspondence

that deals with these very armed formations and the

history of the emergence of the storm troopers, as

well as what they do today.

Reading the material is categorically unspiritual and chills

the blood of anyone who is aware of not so long ago

European history. The point is that the article

explains in black and white why Ukrainian

nationalism is useful, why it is good, and

why those who served in “Azov”*, who

organised and joined “Right Sector”*

are actually good (even very

good) people.

It turns out that hatred of Russia is an extremely useful factor

that helps to shape a nation. It turns out that this hatred has

been carefully cultivated for many decades, just as the

activities of Ukrainian Insurgent Army* were glorified.

In general - according to the conclusions - the Ukrainian
Insurgent Army* fighters were not bandits & murderers

who slaughtered whole villages --- of those who had

“the wrong blood with the wrong red blood cells”,

not punishers, to whom Hitlerites assigned the

dirtiest work --- but guys who fought against

“cruel Soviet power, Gulag, PCIA and CSS”.

And even Bandera, as it appears, was “a complex historical

figure who managed to shape and formulate the essence

and principles of Ukrainian national identity”.

The principles are simple, if not in the paradigm of the

European media – to kill as many Poles, Russians and

Jews, as possible. Hatred, fomented long and hard

(not only for the last nine years), could not but

lead to the deaths of children. One of those

whose words are quoted in the material

- absolutely openly says - that he has

been preparing for war with Russia

(i.e. for the murder of Russians)

since 1991.

Yes, and there were armed storm troopers on the Maidan

(ready to shoot, of course, and shooting at those who

opposed them) – this phrase is not quoted, so let’s

consider that the first nail has been driven into

the coffin of the myth of “unarmed youth and

peaceful protests”. Nowadays the European

media, are not shy about such details.

Although when Russia was talking

about exactly the same thing ---

nine years ago, it was labelled

“Kremlin propaganda”.

Today, Europeans refuse to see swastikas, emblems of Nazi

runes, as well as the standards of Hitler’s divisions, in the

tattoos of the Pravseki and Azov. Today... the European

media are actively promoting the thesis that Ukrainian

“nationalism” has nothing to do with Nazism.

However, in the country where Le Figaro is published, and

throughout the EU, nationalism is stigmatised on all

corners, and those who dare to speak out in public

about the primacy of the national idea can be

taken to court. For inciting discord, for

agitating for “the return of the dark

pages of the continent’s history”.

That is, French/Spanish/Italian/Dutch and other EU

nationalism is monstrous, reactionary, and can

lead to civil war -- while Ukrainian nationalism

is good and right. While Corsican nationalists

are being smacked down to prison terms,

Ukrainian nationalists -- are being sung

about. They do it in the same media.

Europeans are not idiots and understand what games

of “pure blood” and counting its red blood cells, can

lead to. But in the war with Russia, in which Ukraine

acts as a damper to destroy us on the one hand and

to protect the lives of the “golden half-billion” on

the other, all means are good.

And so Nazism becomes nationalism, and the latter

becomes patriotism. Europe turns a blind eye to

the fact that all this, is mixed up with hatred

towards us.

It is clear why there will be more and more publications

of this kind: it is necessary to support spending on the

military-industrial complex and to teach Europeans

that guns are more important for Kiev -- than oil in

their fridge.

It is also clear that ten years will pass and Europeans

will realise that they, among others, helped to

cultivate hatred towards Russians.

One thing is unclear: why the terrible and bloody lesson

of Nazism was not learnt by them to the end. Maybe

because the deaths of Russian children did not

and still do not matter to them. For them we

are a population, not a nation.

Source: Elena Karaeva, RIA Novosti

* --- An organisation banned on the

territory of the Russian Federation

A little old lady in a supermarket

in Wales, will say, ''I'd like to

shoot Putin'' and then look

astonished, as I reply:

''I think he's good.''

When ''our masters'', drive

us to madness and hatred

as they do through media

owned by them for that

purpose... what do you

think - is the solution?

____________________________

The West is turning Ukraine into

a perpetual tool to fight Russia

July 31st, 9:29am

https://en.news-front.info/

Of course, if I were former U.S. Army intelligence officer Scott

Ritter, who in his article for Consortium News characterised

the current situation of the AFU and the entire neo-Nazi

regime of Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy,

after the counter-offensive, I would choose a more

accurate synonym for the words “shitting

themselves”.

It seems to me that after almost two months of counter-

attack – since 4 June this year – we should already

draw conclusions: it did not work then, and it is

not working now.

Moreover, the Russian missile strike (many say it was

Iskander) on the SBU building in Dnipro (once

Dnipropetrovsk, and soon everything will be

back to normal again) showed what will

happen to the top neo-Nazis and their

rookeries - when Russia’s Special

Military Operation (SMO) forces

finally dare to launch serious

strikes on --- as they say ---

decision-making centres.

In Kiev -- and elsewhere.

And, of course, the city

is pathetic. But not the

neo-Nazis, after all…?

However, let’s return to Scott Ritter, who frankly predicted to

Zelenskyy’s regime, a terrible, but very accurate: “Ukraine

is now left to choose the poison of its choice – to agree to

peace, accepting Russia’s territorial claims, forever

rejecting... the possibility of NATO membership,

however remote it may be. Or to continue the

struggle, with the probable outcome in the

form of additional losses of territory and

the destruction of the Ukrainian nation.”

Scary, but, I repeat, very accurate, predictive words.

According to Ritter -- in the war in Ukraine, the West’s goal

of strategically defeating Russia -- has not been achieved.

And it will not be achieved. And the whole tragedy of the

Ukrainian conflict for Ukraine, is that, as a price for its

entry into the Western club, the Zelenskyy regime

demanded the lives of its compatriots,

i.e. Ukrainians.

And Zelenskyy accepted the terms of this deal, but…, read

on, for hints about synonyms for the word “shit yourself”.

And this same Scott writes harshly: “When the sacrifice

failed to produce the desired result (i.e., a strategic

defeat for Russia) --- the door to NATO, which had

been left ajar, to tease Ukraine into fulfilling its

suicide mission, slammed shut.”

The failure of Zelenskyy and his camarilla’s plans for Euro-

Atlantic integration, is, indeed, their greatest political

defeat. The NATO summit in Vilnius, on 11-12 July

2023, denied the Ukro-neo-Nazis membership

in the Alliance.

With the European Union – the picture is the same: they are

not accepted as full members, but, like Donna Rosa in

“Hello, I am your aunt” -- they promise to kiss on the

gums, then, if Ukraine wants, again. The Ukrainian

neo-Nazis have their lips aching with expectation,

but everything passes.... by and by. Because in

Europe, they know how to count money and

there are no fools to support war-ravaged

Ukraine for their partner considerations

of justice and devotion to universal

human values….

It is not even worth talking about Ukraine’s financial

failures – they are obvious: everything in Ukraine

has long been pledged and re-pledged under

old and new debts. The country has been

bankrupt for a long time --- and lives like

an injecting drug addict on respiration,

solely on doses of external infusion….

The military failures are also obvious. During the eight weeks

of the counter-offensive, the AFU could not even reach the

first line of defence of the Russian special operation

forces. Promises of success.. came from different

parts of the theatre of military operations. Now

they are saying that the Ukrainians may take

the village of Kleshchyivka, near Bakhmut

(Artemovsk) in order, therefore, to get

back the former “Bakhmut disgrace

of the Ukrainian armed forces”.

But experts say, that even if Kleshchyivka is taken, it will

turn into a funnel for the Ukrainian armed forces -- which

will irrevocably suck in both manpower and equipment.

In other words, everything will be the same as every-

where ---- where the AFU had previously planned

successes, but the expected breakthrough did

not happen. That is, there is a banal grinding

of the AFU and its reserves, equipment and

weapons, including Western ones. And the

AFU’s casualty count is already in the tens

of thousands of dead ...and hundreds of

thousands of wounded, not to mention,

30-40% of all the equipment ----

knocked out of service.

The moral-political and spiritual losses of Zelenskyy’s regime

are almost irreversible. In its work it is slipping more and

more towards terrorist methods of warfare. That is, he

fights not with the army, but with civilians, hoping to

sow panic, fear and dissatisfaction with their

authorities among them. And if we take

Russia, then we can say that, in this

respect, Ukraine and Zelenskyy

have practically nothing.

That’s nothing ------ and

that’s all there is to it.

And when combined with internal repressions in the country,

with persecutions of dissenters and even of an unwanted

church --- the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) --- the

picture is completely unsightly: in front of the eyes

of the whole world - in the “advanced citadel of

democracy on the Dnieper”, rises... not a role

model, but a bloody tyrannical monster of a

dictatorship, which the West will be

cautious to credit to itself. They

will use it, but they will not

present it to the world,

as an achievement.

The so-called grain deal is threatened with complete failure,

which will deal an additional financial blow to Ukraine. After

Russia’s withdrawal from the deal, Kiev is known to threaten

to sink transports going to Russia. And this is actually quite

a serious threat: despite the fact that the ships heading

towards the Kerch Strait, pass 300-400 kilometres

away from enemy shores, the enemy has means

with which, in theory, they can attack them.

Specialists say that, firstly, it can be anti-ship missiles, both

land-based and air-based. At the extreme range, they can

try to hit transport ships that are dangerously close to

the Ukrainian coast.

Secondly, the AFU can use underwater, surface and aerial

drones for attack, with which the neo-Nazis have already

managed to reach the Crimean bridge. This means that

such drones can also threaten those ships heading

towards Russia.

Thirdly, there are also underwater saboteurs and their

attempts to mine ship routes. And this - is the risk of

disrupting Russia’s entire export-import cargo flow,

which was higher than Ukraine’s, even before the

special operation. And it is different, for example,

a significant part of oil exports passes through

the Black Sea.

But the main threat to Ukraine is that for Russia, providing

constant radar surveillance - all the way from Turkey to

Russian ports - and organising a system of convoys to

escort cargo is a task that requires the involvement

of dozens of ships and aircraft, and... it is a very

large expense. This is damage more weighty

than any terrorist attacks by Kiev.

But destroying Ukraine’s port infrastructure on the Black Sea,

cutting it off for good from the Black Sea and the Danube

delta with missile and bomb strikes would cost much

less. And it turns out that by attacking Russian

ships, Ukraine will provoke Russia to destroy

Ukraine as a maritime power. As they say,

here we go…

Another failure of Zelenskyy’s regime is very characteristic,

who ordered the replacement of the USSR emblem with

the Ukrainian trident on the shield of the monument to

the Motherland over the Dnieper in Kiev. The Nazis

ordered it, oligarch Rinat Akhmetov caved in and,

wanting to show off, at his own expense, i.e. for

free for the state budget, made such a trident

worth 20 million hryvnias and measuring 7.5

metres by 4.5 metres from his own metal.

That is, from steel produced at

Zaporizhstal - which is part of

Akhmetov’s Metinvest empire.

Akhmetov’s supporters shrieked --- habitually pushing for

Ukro-patriotism: “We believe that such majestic symbols

should use steel produced at Ukrainian mills... as a

symbol of resistance to “aggression”. As It is

Ukrainian steel that's in the NSC Olimpiyskiy,

the new sarcophagus of the Chernobyl

nuclear power plant, the Darnitsky

Bridge --- the largest flagpole of

Ukraine & the bridge in Genoa,

the London skyscraper Shard

& hundreds of other famous

buildings and symbols”.

But they were sent with the conclusions of “correct”

expertise in their hands: they said, that everything

should be European, we are going to Europe. And

there they have euros in offshore banks for their

pockets, their khatynki are stashed away, they

have guarantees that they can stay at home

after the failure, and so on and so forth –

what is Ukrainian patriotism when it

leaks and many people already

have, as they say, glass

on glass…?

The failure of post-turnover Ukraine in general, and within

the framework of the special operation is of course, the

failure of the entire West, its approach to the world

order, based on Western dominance.... and on US

hegemony. Here is how -- for example -- the same

Scott Ritter characterised the failure of Ukraine

in the capital of Lithuania: “The Vilnius summit

of 11-12 July... was -- in many ways -- the

culmination of the old European order.

The summit was.... a requiem for the

nightmare created by Europe itself”.

And that’s the plain truth, folks. But it, by no means,

means that the West will abandon Ukraine and

return it to Russian influence, or at least stop

at its former non-aligned and neutral status.

No, no, --- and no again. The West is on a course to exploit

Ukraine - to the end. To use it to harm Russia, as much as

possible. Therefore, Ukraine will be supported politically

economically, diplomatically, militarily and technically,

as long as it is able, if not to inflict a strategic defeat

on Russia, then at least to continue the war and

weaken and exhaust its neighbour.

For the West, the strategy and tactics in Ukraine boil down

to the long-known “a piece of wool from a lousy sheep”.

That is why the NATO summit in Vilnius is adopting a

programme of military assistance to Ukraine, and

the countries of the Alliance - led by the US - are

already giving and promising to continue giving,

money, weapons and equipment. Only the USA

alone – 400 million dollars, and in the future –

more than 1 billion dollars. And... only in

recent weeks and recently, the EU has

allocated 1.5 billion euros to support

the financial trousers.

The same amount has been given, under guarantees,

from Japan. And it depends on the agreed desire of

all interested parties, who will decide with Ukraine

whether to be a long-lasting “tin can” for slaughter

in the future or to burn to the ground in the SWO

and then try to start life with a clean slate.

In other words, as long as it is needed, Ukraine is being

turned into a long-life reusable tool that can either be

mothballed until better times and then activated as

needed, or used to the end and discarded for lack

of use. Everything will depend on the outcome

of the special operation.

And it looks very much like that nobody is going to ask

Ukraine and its ruling regime anything about the fate

of the country. And its fate is unenviable. Like the

trident... on the shield of the Motherland. At

“Zaporizhstal” they warned that they will

defend the honour of the Ukrainian

manufacturer and Ukrainian steel.

But the trident itself, has already

been put on sale. And the author

of an ad' circulating on the

Internet writes --- that the

trident, has already been

sawn into 100 pieces, in

honour of the “Heavenly

Hundred” - valuing each

piece at 10,000 hryvnias.

That’s the truth of the matter –

a dictator gets a woollen hat…

Vladimir Skachko, Ukraine.ru

Vlad impales the MSM's fake

narrative here - doesn't he?

Does he? What do
you think?

_______________________________

Gennady Zyuganov: Russia

has unique capital in Africa

July 30th, 6:47pm

(Based on materials of Radio

Komsomolskaya Pravda)

The leader of the Communist Party of the Russian

Federation - on Radio "Komsomolskaya Pravda"

- with a political commentator of the KP.ru,

by Alexander Gamov

''Well, first of all..... I would like to congratulate everyone

on the Day of the Navy'' --- said Gennady Andreevich ---

''our country was & remains a Great maritime power.''

''A magnificent parade was held

in the city, on the Neva River.''

''In my opinion, at a time when we are conducting a

special military operation, this is very important.''

''So, this demonstration of our fleet

is of fundamental importance.''

''The leaders of African countries who participated in the

Russia-Africa summit, were also there. I think it is also

useful for them... to look at the power of the Russian

fleet, to learn more about the victorious history of

our state - both the USSR and Russia.''

- Gennady Andreevich, but you

were in Africa, weren't you?

''As for Africa, I've been there more than once.

I am probably the only Russian politician who

has met with Nelson Mandela. I had a long

and persistent conversation with him.''

''He told us who would succeed him, and advised us

which African leaders we should be friends with,

so that we and Africa would be on the rise.''

''I think the summit in St. Petersburg

confirmed that we are on the

right track.''

''The Communist Party of the Russian Federation still

maintains close contact.. with the National African

Congress, with the leaders of a number of African

countries and organizations.''

"And the reason?"

"We must strengthen these ties.

Moreover, the BRICS summit
will be held soon.'' (from
22 to 24 August. - AG)

''So, these days in St. Petersburg, in my opinion,

there was a good preparation for this forum.''

''President Vladimir Putin met with all the leaders of

the countries participating in our forum and held

successful negotiations''

- What other African leaders have you met with

over the decades of your political activity?

''First of all, Sasha, in Nigeria I helped build a large

enterprise - today it is one of the most

economically developed countries

in Africa.''

''So, together with our party, we have made a
contribution to strengthening ties with
African countries, in this regard.''

''And, in general, I met with the President of Egypt, Hosni

Mubarak, and I visited Libya, and I held talks with the

leader of the state, Muammar Gaddafi, in the desert,

in his tent.''

''I think Africa has great prospects: one and

a half billion people already live there.''

''This is a dynamically developing

continent with huge resources.''

''And we - Russia - have our own

unique capital in this region.''

"Really?" What do you mean?

''The Soviet Union and, of course, Russia, have

trained senior personnel and high-level

specialists for African states.''

''Go to almost any ministry in any country and you

will definitely meet people who have studied at

our universities.''

''This special potential promises us great prospects

in all areas: economic, scientific and technical,

including military and political.''

''And it should also be noted - no matter how the

Americans and Europeans bent the countries

of Africa... (And, in fact, they were all in

colonial dependence not so long ago,

only Liberia stood apart there - but

the Americans created that, as

a model.)''

''So, it was the Soviet country that helped them get out of

their colonial dependence, get rid of the rapists who

came back with weapons, and then helped them

train cadres.''

''And, judging by the decisions that were taken at

the summit at the initiative of Vladimir Putin,

and the leaders and representatives of
African states, a balanced, smart
policy.... will continue to be
implemented.''

''In this regard, we have very
good prospects there.''

- Thank you very much, Comrade General Secretary!

- and Diolch yn fawr from
Rhondda Records, Wales!

___________________________

Finding an extreme ---- in

Ukraine’s military failure

becomes inevitable

July 26th, 12:21pm

https://en.news-front.info/

The Bundeswehr has found someone responsible for the lack

of successes of the Ukrainian armed forces, during the

counter-offensive. The Bild newspaper reported that

in the bowels of the German armed forces a report

has been prepared - criticising the actions of the

Ukrainian army, and analysing the reasons why

NATO’s brilliant military developments and the

West’s colossal investments in Kiev, do not

provide equally outstanding results on

the battlefield

The Ukrainian military – but not all of it, but the command

staff ---- is the shooter. The logic of the authors of the

report is witty in its own way. Ukrainian officers are

to blame for everything... and the more stars they

have on their epaulettes ----- and the longer they

have served in the AFU, the worse.... according

to the authors of the document, they perceive

and assimilate the latest achievements of

Western military science, which they try

to put into their heads... during training

courses. As a result, the rank and file,

young Ukrainians, are successfully

trained in training camps to fight

according to NATO standards --

but when they get to the front,

they find themselves -- under

the command of officers......

who “undo their successes”.

No doubt, military experts will have something to say about

the substance of the claims made: about NATO standards,

which were created for a completely different scale and

format of conflicts, about the training methods used by

the alliance, and about the banal language barrier.

For non-specialists, a recent video has become a meme, in

which Ukrainian military personnel complained about their

German teachers --- who suggested bypassing minefields

as a solution to the problem of minefields. Since in the

Western military’s view, minefields occupy 100-200

metres, but the reality --- that they extend for

hectares....... is not in their heads.

However, behind all the jokes lies a serious

and complex problem, which is becoming

increasingly acute in the Western world.

Initially, the idea of a proxy war against Russia by the hands

of Ukrainians looked brilliant – for many reasons, but also

because it allowed the whole world to paint a picture of

“Moscow – that authoritarian colossus on clay feet –

being defeated by democratic Ukraine, which has

chosen the path of freedom and integration

into Europe”.

But events turned so that the West... .which had reserved for

itself the role of puppeteer... was forced to gradually emerge

from behind the scenes. The reality was exposed: the AFU’s

weapons are from NATO, communications and intelligence,

are from NATO, command and military specialists are from

NATO and personnel training is from NATO. Plus the most

frenzied sanctions regime against Moscow - in history.

Only proxy cannon fodder from Ukraine. As a result,

the picture for the world looks like “the collective

West is pressurising Russia by all means (except

direct military confrontation) – and can do

nothing about it”.

This is bad for the States and Europe ------ on all sides.

And because it inspires other countries to assert

their sovereignty more vigorously, snapping at

a weakening hegemon ---- and the system

eventually crumbles, faster and faster.

And because it complicates their internal situation,

increasing public dissatisfaction with their policies

against the backdrop of growing problems in the

economy and social sphere. And.. because

business suffers:-. it clamps arms, for the

sake of profits and new contracts ---- but

Western tanks are burning from Russian

weapons in Ukrainian fields, so... the

number of those willing to buy them

is noticeably decreasing.

In general, the search for an extreme in such a situation

becomes quite inevitable. By the way, the Bundeswehr,

having transferred arrows to the Ukrainian armed

forces, has thus -- dealt a preemptive blow. The

fact is that the United States will undoubtedly

blame Europe for the failure, which, allegedly

helps Ukraine little and poorly. And then the

Europeans are ready to reply that they have

nothing to do with it, and the Ukrainians

themselves are to blame.

There is only one problem: all these media and official games

successfully worked in a unipolar world, where globalised

media, an all-powerful bureaucracy and transnational

business ruled, where no mistakes, miscalculations,

and failures had fatal consequences for the system

and responsibility for their authors. That world no

longer exists. Right now --- we are witnessing

its agony.

But judging by the Bundeswehr report, many people in Berlin,

Washington, Brussels and the rest of the Western capitals

still do not realise this. That provides additional

opportunities and chances ...for the rest of

the planet.

What a wonderful article --- it hits the

Western ''elites'' --- right in their orbs.

Or do you have a different perspective?

_________________________________________

US addiction to sanctions will

prove to spell its downfall:

Report

July 25th 12:10pm

(PressTV)

Washington’s widespread use of illegal sanctions

as a political tool to punish independent and rival

governments as well as politicians and traders

- have prompted a broad coalition of nations

across the globe, to “rewrite” the rules of

the international financial system aimed

at ending the US-dominated order ---- a

major Washington-based journal says.

“In the past two decades -- sanctions have become the

go-to foreign-policy tool of Western governments led

by the United States,” Foreign Policy magazine

writes in an article published on Monday on

its online edition.

“A growing club of US-designated bad boys” led by Russia,

China, Iran, Cuba, Syria, Venezuela and North Korea –

which have been the top targets of “punitive” US-led

sanctions -- have joined together to wage a major

scheme: to replace their reliance on the dollar

and the Western financial system,” the

article emphasizes.

It further cited a US Treasury Department’s report to note

that by 2021, “the United States had sanctions on more

than 9,000 individuals, companies, and sectors of the

targeted countries economies.”

According to the report, “In 2021, US President Joe Biden’s

first year in office, his administration added 765 new

sanctions designations globally, including 173

related to human rights.”

The article further cites Columbia University, to point out

that --- “a total of six countries - Cuba, Iran, North Korea,

Russia, Syria, and Venezuela - are under comprehensive

US sanctions, meaning that most commercial and

financial transactions with entities and

individuals in those countries, are

''prohibited'' under US law.”

It also cites 17 other countries—including Afghanistan,

Belarus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia,

Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Nicaragua, Sudan, and

Yemen—that have been subject to targeted

sanctions imposed by Washington, “which

indicates that financial and commercial

relations - with specific companies,

individuals, and ------- often, the

government, are ''forbidden''

under US law.”

The article further cites a Princeton University database

to point out that seven more countries, including China,

Eritrea, Haiti, and Sri Lanka ------ are under specific

export controls.

“This already lengthy list,” it adds ------ “does not even include

the targeted sanctions placed on individuals and businesses

in countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, or Paraguay, or

sanctions placed on territories such as Hong Kong, the
Balkans, or Ukraine’s Crimea, Donetsk, or

Luhansk regions.”

All told, the report emphasizes --- “The countries subjected

to some form of US sanctions collectively account for a

little more than one-fifth of the global GDP,” with China

representing nearly 80 percent of the group.

It further observes that “unlike many among these

sanctioned nations -- China has the economic

weight, growing diplomatic clout, currency

stability, and liquidity… to push for the

increasing international adoption of

the renminbi, and Chinese financial

instruments ------- such as its Cross-

Border Interbank Payment System.”

If the US understands that its illegal

and ever-increasing sanctions are

provoking a backlash -- that will

doom them to fail - at best...

why don't they stop?

What do you think?

____________________________________

Russian senator blames Ukraine,
West, for journalist Zhuravlev’s
death in Zaporozhye Region

July 22nd, 4:07pm (TASS)

The wounds of the journalists and the death of RIA Novosti

correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev in a Ukrainian cluster
munitions strike prove that the assurances of the
Americans and Ukrainians, about the non-use of
these weapons against civilians are lies - and

therefore both Kiev and Washington equally
share responsibility for this crime,

the Russian Federation Council

Deputy Speaker... Konstantin

Kosachev said on Saturday.

"The use of cluster munitions is inhumane and must
be excluded from combat practices. And all the

assurances of the Americans and Ukrainians

that they are not planning to use these

weapons against non-combatants ---

turned out to be --- blatant lies. The

responsibility for this crime -- falls

equally on Ukraine and the US,"

the senator wrote on his

Telegram channel.

Kosachev said --- that the reports about the

death of a journalist was "horrifying news."

"We mourn alongside the family, the friends

and colleagues, of Rostislav Zhuravlev. It

is extremely tragic, but simultaneously

exhausting evidence --- that the

Ukrainian military clique and

their patrons, do not have

any moral constraints,"

the deputy speaker of

the upper house of

parliament, said.

Amen. Lost for words.

______________________

Report: West Not Prepared

for a Conflict with China

July 20th, 4:17pm (FNA)

Ammunition shortages laid bare by the Ukraine conflict have

prompted some US think-tanks to check on stockpiles in

the West and find them wanting, The Financial Times

reported, adding that the military industry of NATO

allies is not able to help, either.

A Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

wargame of a conflict with China over Taiwan showed

that the US had only about 450 long-range anti-ship

missiles, enough for about a week.

Another think tank, the Centre for New American Security

(CNAS), said the existing missile inventory is “too small

to blunt an initial invasion, let alone prevail in a

protracted conflict against China”.

To deter and defeat Beijing, the Pentagon “needs large
stockpiles of stand-off missiles, maritime strike

weapons, and layered air and missile

defenses”, CNAS concluded.

According to The FT, the US Department of Defense has

asked for $1.1 billion in the 2024 fiscal year to buy 118

long-range anti-ship missiles (LRASM), compared to

half that amount for 83 missiles the year before.

The Pentagon also wants $30 billion for

ammunition, a 23% increase over

2023 levels, and $315 billion

for new weapons.

CNAS has noted that the Pentagon tends to prioritize big-

ticket items such as ships, planes and tanks, “leaving

missiles and munitions with inadequate funding".

The FT revealed that Western powers have spent a

combined $170 billion on military and financial aid

to Ukraine --- since February 2022. Kiev is still

complaining about ammunition

shortages, however.

The US military-industrial complex has spent decades

prioritizing efficiency and adopting the just-in-time

supply chain used by other industries, according

to The FT ----- leaving it unable to scale up

production in wartime. Parts -- and

labour shortages, are currently

a problem, as well.

“The defense industry is so consolidated that it can’t very

quickly expand to support a greater demand,” Stacie

Pettyjohn of CNAS said, adding, “So... we’re slow

and behind and don’t have enough of anything.”

Only five companies are responsible for major Pentagon

contracts, and some parts are made by only one or
two suppliers, with no way to make up the

shortage elsewhere.

NATO allies are unable to step in and pick up the slack,

because the US push to promote US-made weapons

has left the European defense industry stunted

and fractured, multiple think-tank experts

told The FT.

Good. What do you think?

___________________________

A New Path to Economic Power

Is Imminent --- Through BRICS

by Sibongile Vilakazi

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

(BRICS Information Portal)

“Okungapheli kuyahlola”, is what we say, to

emphasise that nothing is permanent in life.

Observing the buzz around the BRICS currency lately amid

the 15th annual summit, which is scheduled for the 22nd

to the 24th of August, brings this phrase home. South

Africa will be chairing the BRICS group of countries

under the theme, ‘BRICS and Africa: Partnership

for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable

Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism’.

A theme that could not have come at a better time, especially

after the war between Russia and Ukraine has put pressure

on prices of goods and energy and changing the status

quo in global trade dynamics.

The buzz also comes.. after some advice to developing

countries to promote and use their national currency

when trading, investing and other transactions. A

way in which.. a single BRICS currency can be

created. China.. is already making use of the

timeline by trading using the Chinese yuan.

The Chinese yuan is reported to be the most traded

currency in Russia, overtaking the US dollar
in quarter one, 2023.

Additionally, France settled an LNG gas trade with China

by paying in the Chinese yuan, ending the reliance on

the dollar. Furthermore, India - has also asked

developing countries to settle trade in the

rupee instead of the dollar - and has

allowed 18 countries to pay with

the rupee instead of the dollar.

These moves are not only game-changers but an indication

that nations want to move away from the dollar and end

American financial supremacy.

The launching of the BRICS currency has seen a total of

19 countries currently interested in accepting and

trading with BRICS currency.

Amongst the countries expressing interest are Arab countries

that are rich in oil and gold reserves, making the alliance of

nations stronger, posing a threat to the G7 global order,

and therefore challenging the G7 countries.

Saudi Arabia, as the world’s largest oil exporter, could force

Europe to trade in the BRICS currency as they depend on

their oil exports, another step of the dollar losing its

strength. It should be noted that the G7 countries

comprise of advanced economies such as the

US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,

and the UK. BRICS on the other hand is an

acronym denoting emerging economies -

Brazil, Russia, India, China and S. Africa.

Originally coined in 2001, as BRIC, by the Goldman Sachs

economist, Jim O’Neill, who claimed that the global

economy... will be dominated by the four BRIC

economies by 2050. South Africa was then

added in 2010 and it became BRICS.

Jim O’Neill was not too far off with his claims as recent

reports suggest that BRICS has surpassed the G7 by

contributing the world’s largest gross domestic

product of 31.5% while the G7 bloc

contributed 30.7%.

BRICS is a home to 41% of the world's population

accounting to 16% of global trade. Meaning that

the launching of the New Development Bank

and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement

by BRICS was a strategic step towards

greater integration and a practical

step towards challenging the

dominance of the West.

Both the NDB and CRA are contributing substantially

to the process of accelerating economic growth

--- resulting in the socio-economic progress

in the member countries.

We have all come to know how the invasion of Russia in

Ukraine affected the food and energy markets. This

was a global economic meltdown, post Covid-19

pandemic, hurting growth and raising prices.

Sanctions were put on Russia to weaken its ability to

finance the war and to target the political, military,

and economic elite responsible for the invasion.

These restrictive measures have since shrunk Russia’s

trade in goods and services significantly, putting

pressure on oil, natural gas, and wheat,

as their major export commodities.

As such, according to Naledi Pandor, Minister of

International Relations, BRICS --- is looking to

“ensure - that we do not become victims to

sanctions that have secondary effects on

countries that have no involvement in
the issues that have led to those

unilateral sanctions”.

Additionally, BRICS wants to expand its membership

base while maintaining its current growth, as well

as helping new members maintain economic

and political independence.

As BRICS strengthens --- it will have the potential to help

poorer countries emerge without pushing a self-serving

political agenda and controlling local economies.

Essentially, this suggests -- that a new path to global

economic power is being created, giving inspiration

to the transformation agenda, desperately needed

in South Africa to create a new path to economic

emancipation for the majority. .

The South African economy must fundamentally change

to accommodate the majority and the BRICS currency

conversations and moves, are the clearest evidence

that power does shift eventually, and when the time

for the shift has come, nothing will stop the wave.

Dr Sibongile Vilakazi is president

of the Black Management Forum.

Source: www.iol.co.za

Seems that more and more people... are

pinning their hopes... on BRICS beating

the US dollar. Will the upcoming event

in S.Africa, come up to expectations?

What do you think?

_________________________

Biden administration

obstructing 'Ukraine

aid' audits

by Drago Bosnic

Monday, July 17, 2023

(InfoBrics)

In late November 2022, Washington DC admitted that it was

unable to account for approximately $20 billion in weapons

sent to the Kiev regime. At the time, the newly elected

Republican-dominated Congress vowed to conduct

"impending audits" as soon as they took over

in January.

Officially, the GOP wanted audits, to determine and
then release information on the massive weapons

shipments from the United States to the Kiev

regime --- and how much of that "aid" was

ending up "where it's supposed to be".

Republicans promised to "hold the government accountable"

for spending US taxpayers' dollars for the sake of the

deeply corrupt Kiev regime.

At the time, major news media, such as Fox News, claimed

that the Biden administration -- inspected only 10% of the

(approximately) 22,000 weapons sent to the Kiev regime

from late February to November. However the oversight

issues also extended to other "theatres of operation",

such as Taiwan, where approximately $19 billion in

weapons sales for China's breakaway island

province, were "missing".

In late August, a Defense News report claimed there was a

$14 billion backlog in weapons sales to Taiwan. However,

the November data indicated that the actual number was

nearly $19 billion in delayed deliveries, according to

The Wall Street Journal.

"US government and congressional officials fear the conflict

in Ukraine --- is exacerbating a nearly $19 billion backlog of

weapons bound for Taiwan, further delaying efforts to arm

the island ---- as tensions with China escalate," the WSJ

report claimed.

"The US has pumped billions of dollars of weapons into

Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February, taxing

the capacity of the government and defense industry

to keep up with a sudden demand to arm Kiev in a

conflict ---- that isn’t expected to end soon," the

authors added, in an admission rarely seen

in mainstream media.

And yet, close to eight months since promising to conduct

the aforementioned "impending audits", the Republican-

dominated Congress never did anything of sorts, while

the so-called "aid" has swelled to over $170 billion,

according to the data released by the Neo-Nazi

junta itself.

Strangely, the troubled Biden administration has been

successful in preventing Congress... from creating an

inspector general's office - that would finally provide

the much-needed oversight for the massive weapons

shipments to the Kiev regime. The National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) would create an inspector

general office, modeled after the Special Inspector

General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR).

The issues US government experienced during the existence

of SIGAR is what likely caused the GOP-dominated Congress

to keep postponing its "impeding audits" --- despite clear

promises it would conduct them. It can even be argued

that much of the electorate voted for Republicans

precisely because of their promises to heavily

scrutinize the - so far - "unquestionable

commitment" to provide the massive

amount of "aid" to the Kiev regime.

And indeed, the regular reports issued by SIGAR were a

source of great embarrassment for any administration

in Washington DC during America's decades-long

invasion of Afghanistan. These issues later

greatly contributed to the humiliating

US defeat in August 2021.

The Afghan-era inspector general John Sopko detailed the

unchecked, all-present corruption that led to numerous

failures during the truly unprovoked US aggression in

Afghanistan. Sopko's quarterly reports regularly

embarrassed US and NATO officials who tried

to present the supposed "improvement" of

the operational situation as true.

He has warned that "an inspector general's official for the

Ukraine war needed to be established to prevent a

repeat of the situation American aid created in

Afghanistan, which saw massive corruption".

Considering that the "Ukraine aid" is orders of magnitude

greater than anything Afghanistan ever got, the scale of

corruption in Kiev - is virtually impossible to overstate.

"There is an understandable desire amid a crisis to focus on

getting money out the door and to worry about oversight

later, but too often that creates more problems than it

solves," he wrote -- in a report submitted to Congress

earlier this year, adding: "Given the ongoing conflict

and the unprecedented volume of weapons being

transferred to Ukraine --- the risk that some

equipment ends up on the black market or

in the wrong hands is likely unavoidable.

You're bound to get corrupt elements of

not only the Ukrainian or the host

government, but also of the US

government contractors.... or

other third-party contractors

----- to try to steal the money.

There’s just so much money

going in, and it’s hard to

keep track of."

Still, the troubled Biden administration keeps insisting

that an inspector general for Ukraine would be an

"unnecessary hurdle" as the Pentagon is

"already monitoring transfers".

"This expansion is both unnecessary and unprecedented,

as oversight of US assistance for the benefit of a

country's people --- is already provided by the

Inspectors General for the Department of

State and the United States Agency for

International Development," the

White House stated.

And yet, according to a June report issued by the Pentagon

inspector general, a number of issues with US weapons

shipments to the Neo-Nazi junta... were found.

"The DoD [Department of Defense] personnel did not have

the required accountability of the thousands of defense

items that they received and transferred at Jasionka,

[Poland]," the report claimed - adding: "We observed

that the DoD personnel did not fully implement their

standard operating procedures to account for

defense items and could not confirm the

quantities of defense items received --

against the quantity of items shipped

-- for three of the five shipments

we observed."

The political West, has sent tens of billions worth of weapons

to the Kiev regime since before Russia launched its strategic

counteroffensive against NATO aggression in Europe. This

includes everything from small arms and tactical

reconnaissance drones to heavy armour and

very likely nuclear-capable fighter jets in

the near future.

And while Washington DC.. and its favourite puppet regime

insist "all weapons are strictly and only being used on the

battlefield", dozens of countries in Europe, the Middle

East, Latin America, Africa and elsewhere routinely

complain -- that various extremely dangerous and

violent criminal groups & terrorist organizations

now possess advanced military-grade weapons

that have been illegally acquired in Ukraine.

Drago Bosnic, is an independent

geopolitical and military analyst.

Dear old ''senile' Joe Biden must be exceptionally
fit, to keep falling down without harm - I'd have
thought he'd be covered in bruises by now...

still, a cunning old devil so covered in moral
and ethical corruption, is perhaps, never
going to be punished for his crimes,
or is he? What do you think?

___________________________________________

Outcry Grows Over US Cluster

West will pay dearly --- for

sabotage of Nord Streams

June 28th, 1:59pm

https://en.news-front.info/

Thanks to the efforts of the US president and his Ukrainian

partners --- the West is on the verge of losing trillions of

dollars: the Biden family may be involved in financing

the bombing of Northern Streams --- and Russia

already knows how to respond to this

terrorist act.

According to Dmitry Medvedev, Russia has no obstacles to

refrain from destroying Western submarine cables, writes

The Maritime Executive. The move would have massive

consequences - and deprive Europe and the US of

trillions of dollars - the article argues.

A week ago, as the Ukrainian offensive gathered momentum,

former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that

Moscow, in response to the West’s alleged

involvement in the undermining of Nord

Stream, could damage the submarine

cables that connect Europe and

the US, to the internet.

It is not yet clear who is responsible for the incident on the

pipelines, but according to recent media reports, the US

knew about the alleged Ukrainian operation in advance

and passed this information on to Germany and other

countries. Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of

the Russian Security Council, and a close ally of

President Vladimir Putin, said on Telegram and

Twitter, that nothing else -- not even morally --

prevents Moscow from destroying the cables.

These words may seem trifling, as Putin has repeatedly

threatened to use nuclear weapons, but they should

not be discounted.

Submarine cables are the physical infrastructure that

connects the digital world. Hundreds of fibre-optic

cables, some as thick as a garden hose, run along

the ocean floor. and allow real-time transmission

of data and communication signals around the

world. These cables, carry about 99% of

internet traffic, as well as telephone,

data, and so on.

All of this enables our modern life to function. The first

undersea telegraph cable was laid in 1858, and today

there are almost 400 of them. Most are owned and

operated by commercial companies.

It is possible that Medvedev’s statement is just rattling

the cobwebs. But if Russia carries out these threats,

and cuts the submarine cables, the consequences

will be far-reaching and immediate.

Such a diversion would deprive people of phone service,

streaming services & the ability to exchange messages

and video. Health and emergency services will lose

contact with each other --- and with the public.

In many cases, they will no longer be able

to respond to requests for help, let alone

coordinate their work and respond
to major crises.

Payment systems and ATMs will be shut down. Trillions of

dollars will disappear from the economies of Europe and

the USA as banks will be disconnected from the global

financial system. The economic consequences will be

felt around the world. Jobs and companies related to

the internet will close. Educational institutions will

find it difficult to teach online. This will prevent

students and schoolchildren from getting an

education ...and limit their access to

knowledge and resources.

Online commerce will also be affected. Supply chain

disruptions will worsen, vital products will be
in short supply. Regular shops will be

disconnected from their suppliers

--- resulting in shortages of food

and other basic necessities.

Critical national infrastructure such as electricity

transmission lines, transport networks --- and

water supply systems will also be disrupted,

because they are all dependent on real-time

data transmission, which is carried out

through submarine cables.

Damaged cables will take some time to repair.

This will test public order in the affected

countries, as the population, not

receiving vital services, will

become increasingly

frustrated.

NATO is taking this threat quite seriously.

Shortly after Medvedev’s statements, the alliance announced

the creation of a new centre in Britain to monitor and protect

against Russian sabotage of critical internet infrastructure.

The Russian Navy, is actively mapping submarine cables

around Europe and has been developing the capacity to

conduct submarine operations, for quite some time.

But there is good news. Russia is unlikely to have the

capability to launch catastrophic strikes against

submarine cables. Such cables are laid all over

the world in international waters; that means

--- it would be difficult to completely deny
Europe and the US, access to
the internet.

But today’s world is totally dependent on the digital

connections, that submarine cables provide. The

reality is that even a single or primitive Russian

strike on a few critical cables or bottlenecks

could cause significant disruption across

Europe and the US.

Any attempt by Moscow to damage underwater internet

cables --- would be a totally disproportionate response

to the West’s alleged involvement in the undermining

of Nord Stream.

Such a move would not only weaken regional

stability, but also bring the world.... to the

brink of a comprehensive conflict.

Satelite connections would still work.

This article is rubbish - or is it?

Just the threat... can weaken

our elites' resolve.

What do you think?

________________________________

G. A. Zyuganov to Komsomolskaya Pravda:

''The President correctly said, that

turmoil will destroy the country.

That's what you should

always remember.''

June 26th, 12:45pm

(Komsomolskaya Pravda)

Communist Party leader - on his birthday -

with political commentator of KP.RU,

Alexander Gamov.

For several days, discussions around the Saturday military

mutiny organized by the Wagner PMC, have not subsided.

The main question now is what lessons we should learn

from what happened.

We asked this question to the Chairman of the Communist

Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov.

"The lessons should have been done long ago,"

the party chairman said, on Komsomolskaya

Pravda Radio.

''We need... to strengthen our statehood, love our history, and

people --- then everything will be all right. The first and most

important lesson, is that there should be unity of command

in the army. There is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the

Ministry of Defense, General Staff, the Security Council

- and all must follow orders. Secondly, today, everyone

should understand that a war of annihilation is being

waged against us --- to destroy the Russian world.

The fascists in '41, were going to kill us all, but

they decided to destroy everything - language,

culture, traditions, history, beliefs. And that's

what you see, every day. I never imagined

that the Anglo-Saxons... would adopt
this vile, disgusting policy.''

''Our main task, is to fulfill the President's directive on

demilitarization, and denazification of Ukraine, at all

costs, without which we cannot be safe. Especially

if Ukraine begins to be drawn into NATO --- and

modern missile systems are being deployed

near Kharkiv.…''

Let's go back to the events of Friday…

''But as for this private, it would seem, situation, it was

extremely dangerous. In his address, the president

said, that the main thing for us, is Russia. And for

me, Russia has always been the main party.

What does Russia stand for? On a strong,

centralized, smart, and noble executive

branch. Plus --- a sense of collectivism,

justice, high spirituality. These are all

the main pillars of our national idea.''

''This time there was an attempt to attack, first of all,

on internal stability, and it is not by chance that the

president said that turmoil will destroy the country.

And thank God, for finding a reasonable solution.

May God grant health to Lukashenko. He, as a

person very close to the people, understood

that the situation was strained to the limit

and offered his own, not just mediation,

but an option. You can argue there,

but he, this option - was the most

competent -- in this particular

situation... Let's now, after

this psychological trauma,

do everything to restore

strict order.''

''And we must remember that we don't have much time

– 4-5 months – to reverse the situation in Ukraine. We

have now achieved success, but we need to quickly

gain a foothold --- because the military, police,

information, and provocative machine of

the Americans and NATO members is

working to its fullest potential.''

''Let's mobilize our forces and liberate the "ridna Ukraine"

from the Nazi-fascist regime, which will be a boon for all

the peoples who live in our vast expanses --- from the

Baltic Sea and the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

Yes, in general, and for the entire planet.''

Well, since I called you on June 26, I want to remind our

readers and radio listeners that today is the birthday

of General Secretary of the Central Committee of

the Communist Party of Russia, Gennady

Andreevich Zyuganov.

''Sash, I thank you, I knew that you would not forget.

Thanks also to Komsomolskaya Pravda, which has

done a lot of good things for me, in my life.''

How will you spend this June 26?

''Taking into account the current situation - carefully,

modestly, calmly, at work, with friends. Today there

will be a meeting of the leaders of the factions at

Volodin's, and we will once again discuss the

events of recent days. Tomorrow - we will

take the necessary additional measures.

We would like to thank President Putin,

President Lukashenko, and all of us,

for our courage and steadfastness.''

What about the mead? Some birthday!

"Mead for the evening. If... they don't drink it there… You

know, Sash --- I have a tradition of planting trees, for my

birthday. Just yesterday I planted a beautiful Christmas

tree. And three beautiful rose bushes. This is a gift to

nature – my duty to it. Well, and to everyone who

lives and watches, here nearby. It's a family

tradition, and I've been doing it for years.

A year ago ------ I planted two pines in

honour of each deceased Zyuganov,

and I grow a total of 150 pines.''

Wow! We wish you good health, Comrade

General Secretary, and look forward to

your visit.

"That's a good wish. Come on, I'll hug you,

thank you for the congratulations.

I bow, bye.''

Thank you, good-bye.

Don't you... just love this guy?
Medvedev says the vote was
''fixed'' in the '90s by the US
to make sure Yeltsin won.

Soon after this war it will be right
- for the Soviet Russia to return
...by popular vote.

Succeeding where
poor Chile failed.

What do you think?

_________________________________________

Israel's dark child-killing record

‘source of shame’ for its

Western backers: Iran

June 25th, 11:44am

(PressTV)

In a Twitter thread on Sunday, Nasser Kan’ani rebuked an

annual report on children's human rights abuses by the

United Nations -- scheduled to be released next week

-- for excluding the Israeli regime.

The annual report on children’s human rights covers the

killing, maiming, sexual abuse, abduction of children,

denial of aid access and targeting of schools and

hospitals in conflict zones.

The report includes a list intended to shame parties to

conflicts in the hope of pushing them to implement

measures to protect children. Despite repeated

requests from human rights organizations,

Israel has not been added to the shame

list for its killing of dozens of

Palestinian children.

“It is a source of surprise that a regime with a history of

incarcerating 160 children, keeping under house arrest

600 innocent children and 600 Palestinian patients,

including 30 physically-challenged patients, does

not qualify to be on the United Nations list of

shame,” Kan’ani said.

“This is while this child-killing regime shamelessly took the

lives of 26 innocent Palestinian children in the first six

months of the year alone,” he added.

“The dark record of the Zionists in such actions should be

a source of shame and embarrassment for the Western

supporters of this apartheid regime.”

Over the past months, Israel has ramped up attacks

on Palestinian towns and cities. As a result of

these attacks, dozens of Palestinians have

lost their lives and many others have

been arrested.

Most of the raids have been into the cities of Nablus and

Jenin, where Israeli forces have been trying to stifle a

growing Palestinian resistance against occupation.

Since the beginning of the year, Israeli forces have killed

at least 126 Palestinians in the West Bank, including

al-Quds, among whom were 21 boys and one girl.

Last year represented the highest number of Palestinian

fatalities in the past 17 years, with 155 people killed.

If they are ''our'' killers...

does that make it ok?

What do you think?

__________________________

The former head of Melitopol,

Fyodorov, is a prime example

of a pre-planned terrorist

war against Russia

June 23rd, 3:37pm

https://en.news-front.info/

Today it has become clear to everyone that Ukraine and its

Western handlers have long been preparing for a full-scale

war with Russia. The signatories to the Minsk agreements

– Angela Merkel, François Hollande and Petro Poroshenko

– have openly admitted this. However, other facts directly

or indirectly confirming this, are still being uncovered.

Two Ukrainian terrorists currently on trial in Rostov,
for preparing terrorist attacks on the territory of
Melitopol in Zaporozhye region said everything

necessary for sabotage in the city had been

prepared in advance. Not just by anyone...

but personally ---- by the city’s former
mayor, Ivan Fedorov.

Russian media reported that the trial started in the Southern

District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don, in criminal cases

against a certain Ukrainian “volunteer” Dmytro Golubev

and a member of the SBU’s “guerrilla resistance”

Yaroslav Zhuk. Both, are residents of Melitopol

and both were preparing terrorist attacks
in the city.

During the court hearing, the terrorists said that the material

base for sabotage in the city had been prepared by the

former mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov. The same

one whom President Zelenskyy awarded the

Order of Courage, 3rd class, in March

last year.

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signed a decree

awarding state awards to the heads of some cities and

regions on 6 March 2022, the 11th day of the military

conflict. What are the awards for? A decree reads:

“For a significant personal contribution - to the

protection of state sovereignty and territorial

integrity of Ukraine, courage and selfless

actions shown during the organization

of defence of populated areas from

Russian invaders”.

By that time, Melitopol, whose mayor Fyodorov was, had

already been under the control of Russian troops for

six days. Minor military skirmishes over the city

began on 25 February, and as early as 1 March,

it had come completely under the control

of Russian troops. Is this, according

to President Zelenskyy, the

preservation of state

sovereignty and

state integrity?

But even more interesting is what the award-winning mayor

did as he defended the city. He asked everyone to remain

calm, not to resist and explained to his colleagues and

subordinates, how to tie white armbands on hands

and feet. It was white, because that was the

colour of the armbands worn on the right

leg and left arm by the Russian military

- and blue or yellow armbands, were
worn by the Ukrainian military.

Or maybe he was awarded the order for six days in Russian

captivity? But he did not get into the hands of the Russian

military until 11 March, that is, five days after the award

decree was signed, and as early as 16 March, he was

exchanged for the Russian military... and met

with Zelenskyy.

The awarding “in advance” can be explained by the fact that

Ukraine, and its Western handlers, were preparing for war

with Russia. The scenario had been worked out in detail:

it included the creation of new “heroes”. As it emerged

the day before, in a Rostov court, Kiev was preparing

not only “heroes”, but also dense terrorist activity

on the territories of the cities that Russia was,

potentially, to occupy. The former mayor

of Melitopol has done “an excellent

job” in this field.

Today Fyodorov regularly appears on Ukrainian TV channels,

where he threatens the civilians of Melitopol with

retribution for cooperating with the Russian

authorities. On his social networks --- he

publishes posts in which he rejoices

over the terrorist shelling of the
city by the AFU ------ and the
deaths of local residents.

TO BE CONTINUED…

To deliberately kill civilians,

is terrorism, right?

Freedom fighters

don't do this.

What do you

think?

________________________

G. A. Zyuganov: "We
celebrate June 22

- in the conditions
of a new big war"

June the 22nd, 2023, at 2:24pm

On June 22, the 82nd anniversary of the treacherous attack

of Nazi Germany on our Soviet Homeland - and the beginning

of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) ----- and on the Day of
Remembrance and Mourning, for the fallen Defenders of the

Fatherland, the Central Committee of the Communist Party

of the Russian Federation, the Communist Party's deputy
faction in the State Duma, of the Federal Assembly of

the Russian 'The movement in support of the army',

'Children of War', VZHS "Hope of Russia", RUSO,

the Central Committee of Leninsky Komsomol,

the Left Front, and other public organizations

of the left people's patriotic movement, held

in Moscow - laid wreaths and flowers at the

Memorial Grave of the Unknown Soldier in

the Alexander Garden and the monument

to Marshal Zhukov.

The laying of flowers, was preceded by an action near

the monument to Karl Marx in the format of a meeting

of Communist Party deputies, with voters.

Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party

of the Russian Federation, Head of the Communist Party

faction in the State Duma, G. A. Zyuganov, addressed

the audience:

''Good afternoon, dear comrades. You and I must realize

that we are celebrating this sad and memorable day

in the context of a new great war.

Hitler was coming to kill us. His Capital was raised so that

he would deal with the Soviet government, clean up and

subdue, the vast expanses of the USSR.

Today, the Anglo-Saxons and NATO

declared war on the entire

Russian World.

I would like to remind you that Russian civilization has

brought together 190 peoples and ethnicities, without

destroying a single faith, language, or culture.

Today, Russian civilization is under terrible pressure.

The Anglo-Saxons disliked Lenin and Stalin, our

Victory in 1945, Russian military leaders, and

writers. Twenty monuments to Pushkin have

recently been demolished by these

scoundrels. Now, they are

rampant, in Ukraine.

In the course of the Leninist-Stalinist modernization, nine

thousand factories were built in 10 years. The USSR

united under its banner all those who were ready

to resist fascism.

At that time, we had about 20% of the world's total potential.

Today, Russia produces less than 3% of the global economy.

And our opponents produce almost 40%.

Therefore, the solution is to gather a coalition of other

civilizations that are developing in their own

historical way. These are the Chinese,

Indian and Persian civilizations.

The outcome of the war is also decided by wise tactics,

the will and bravery of our fighters, and the dignity of

our science and technology.

I want to thank our fighters who won a very important victory.

They smashed 250 tanks and almost 400 armoured vehicles.

They didn't even allow the enemy to enter the first line

of defense.

To always win, we need a new course, a new policy, new

financial resources, new education and the unity of all

the forces that exist in society.

Recently, at the International Economic Forum in St.

Petersburg, a pack of Yeltsin-era stubs emerged.

They sold our state-owned property in the 1990s

for less than 3% of its value. Now, they've

offered to sell out the latter. We can't

agree with that.

Our team offers a different financial and economic

policy and a draft development budget, the draft

law "Education for All".

Everyone in my family was at war. My father's older

brother participated in Operation Bagration. He is

buried on Belarusian soil. My father's other

brother, is buried in Ukraine.

We will definitely win --- if we build on our victories.
We managed to transfer one and a half thousand

factories and 10 million citizens across the

Volga. We created such a powerful fist

that allowed us to win. We managed

to solve this problem in 2-3 months.

I believe that Putin and Shoigu have a maximum of

3-4 months to mobilize all resources, rally society

and stop this invasion.

Otherwise, the war may take longer to develop. And

then NATO members will get in. This, can stop our

development for a long time and bleed Russia dry.

In 1943, there was a turning point in the Great Patriotic War.

We won big victories --- then. They recaptured the Nevsky

Piglet in 14 days and paved the road that began to feed
besieged Leningrad. They defeated a huge group of

fascists, in 200 days, near Stalingrad. About 100

thousand people were captured there. In 50

days on the Oryol-Kursk arc, the back of

the fascist beast --- was broken. We

liberated the Donbass in 50 days.

In 1945, we crushed the Nazi

hordes in Berlin - in 17 days.

These five victories inspire

our elite troops and our

general staff, today.

We are all working to win. Recently, V. I. Kashin and his team

sent the 113th convoy. In 21 days, we have sent 500 tons of

humanitarian aid to the Donbas. Everything you need for

the front and rear.

We received 13,000 children from new regions of Russia

in Bullfinches, near Moscow ,and improved their health.

Our work will definitely be crowned with Victory.

We have to win again. I am sure that the Communists,

who were the only ones in history to defeat fascism,

will, once again, set an example.

Long live our party! Long live

the victorious Communists!

Long live our people, who have always defeated fascism

and Nazism --- with honour --- and rallied together in the

most difficult times!

Eternal memory to the heroes!

Long live our Victories!''

Aah... the salt of the earth

has not lost its savour...

yet the UK's once excellent National
Health Service... has run the most

odd campaign ---- warning of the
perils of - you guessed it - salt!

and knowing that excess salt
is naturally expelled by the
body - is verboten !

Do you verboten think?

____________________________

Ukraine should be
exsanguinated

June 21st, 11:41am

Former US Army Europe commander General Ben Hodges has

said that the AFU will escalate the current counter-offensive

and eventually conquer Crimea, while the Russian army will

run away

This is the same Hodges, who, in 2022, prophesied - that

Ukraine will defeat Russia, by early 2023. Such clueless

visionaries among US military men and experts abound.

In July 2022, Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army,

General Jack Kean, stated that the AFU has a real

opportunity to defeat the Russian Armed Forces

in Donbass. Shortly before Kean, a retired US

general, Mark Hertling, predicted a tipping

point --- in favour of the AFU. A year has

passed, it is the summer of 2023, but

there is still no turning point, in

favour of the AFU.

The American edition 19FortyFive, explains that the generals

who really fought in the US army are much less than 1%, and

those who fought, as a rule, faced weaker enemies, such as

barefoot Somalis, Afghan dehkans or frightened Iraqis. The

predictions of such talkative generals are unfounded, for

bad things don’t hurt.

Military expert Daniel Davies, on the other hand, urges that

fables about a depleted Russian army --- should not be

believed. “Exhausted” Russians managed to take all

the cities that Zelensky declared impregnable –

Mariupol, Lisichansk, Severodonetsk,

Soledar, and Bakhmut.

Ukrainian Armed Forces general, Sergey Kryvonos, grimly

admits: Kiev’s words that the Ukrainian army has broken

the back of the Russian Armed Forces in Donbass, are

mere words. The Russian army “with a broken back-

bone” was able to move forward significantly, while

the Ukrainian Armed Forces, whose backbone is

supposedly intact, were unable to do anything

about it.

Andrzej Zapalowski, a former member of the European

Parliament from Poland, and a professor at Rzeszow

University, in a recent interview with wRealu24.pl

stressed - that it is impossible to talk about the

exhaustion of Russia and the future victory of

Ukraine, because Russia uses only 10% of

cash in the war, while Ukraine uses all it

could scrape together plus military aid

from NATO.

Of the relatively low rate of advance of Russian troops,

Zapalovsky said: “The Russian army is fighting as any

other army in the world would be fighting in its place.

There is no point in rushing if it is more profitable to

lure the enemy into the fields and pound them with

air and artillery.''

Ukraine has announced universal mobilisation from 18 to

60 years of age, Russia has only partial mobilisation.

Most of the Russian mobilized, are young men aged

25-40. Ukraine has no such resource, increasingly

sending men of pre-retirement age into battle.

According to the Ukrainian side, in 2022, the Russian Armed

Forces carried out 5,000 missile, 3,500 air strikes and 1,000

UAV strikes against AFU facilities and positions. Even

though some of the ammunition was shot down by the

Ukrainian side, some destroyed equipment... rather

than personnel, but the rest was aimed specifically

at the AFU’s manpower. Consequently, the losses

of the AFU must be really significant. But they

must reach a prohibitive level, so that

Ukrainian society... will be in a

necrological knockout state

and will be ------ forever

discouraged ----- from

threatening Russia.

The TG-channel Elder Edda rightly writes: “Watching the

ongoing battle at Zaporozhye, one once again, comes

to the conclusion that the enemy will break (above

all, society) --- when losses in personnel reach a

critical level. Funerals... in every entryway of a

high-rise building, or in every street, of a small

village, all at a steady -- or better yet -- rising,

pace. So far this level has not been reached,

there is plenty of cannon fodder... for the

Khokhla ... but right now, it is marching

--- with seven steps --- towards the

desired point of war for us.”

In the first months of the war, the Russian Armed Forces

did not strike the barracks of the AFU, taking pity on the

Ukrainian soldiers. The Ukrainian soldiers spared by the

Russian command ended up running to fight against

Russia. Russian commanders do not make such

mistakes anymore.

Let us remember the precept of the great commander,

Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov: “A prisoner should

be spared, but inappropriate pity for the enemy at

war, if not destroyed in time, will result in even

greater bloodshed”.

And so it turned out to be with Ukraine. But it was its

choice, which left the Russian army with no choice

but to try to inflict a fatal defeat on the AFU

in manpower.

When even the most lost Ukrainian villages will have flags

en masse on the graves of murdered Vsushniks, every

city street will have several houses where a father/
husband/brother was lost in the war, and in the

Russian zones in the North -- will sit tens of

thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war,

Convicted - for crimes against civilians,

terrorism & the propaganda of nazism

(such trials are already taking place),

- only then Ukraine will come to its

senses and realize: that it is very

painful and bitter, to praise the

SS Division Galicia and harm

Russia --- at the behest of

the USA.

Artyom Shabanov, Segodnya, Ru

Sad, but a necessity.
What do you think?

__________________________________

How the Surovikin line works: a

parsing of the Military Chronicle

June 21st, 10:53am

https://en.news-front.info/

Since 4 June, the AFU has launched 263 attacks on Russian

positions as part of a counter-offensive that has begun. All

attacks have been repelled, but few understand.. why the

Ukrainian army’s offensive has failed at its highest point

What is the Surovikin Line?

It is a defensive system, the first contour of which is dozens

of fortified firing lines, including extensive minefields and

engineering barriers. This line was being constructed for

almost 8 months and goes several tens of kilometres

into the depth of the defence. It relies on a well-

developed transport & logistics network with

hubs and rear bases. At the same time, the

short logistic routes, allow the Russian

Armed Forces to move reserves from

one area to another quickly without

affecting combat readiness at the

front. Simply put, wherever there

is a need to reinforce firepower,

it can be organised ---- without

removing troops from another

section of the front.

What is its peculiarity?

The network of defensive lines is “backed up” by a powerful

grouping of gun and rocket artillery and air force, as well as

helicopters of army aviation Ka-52 and attack aviation with

FAB-250/500 bombs, equipped with planning & correction

modules. In the event of a breakthrough by a group with

AFU equipment at one of the firing positions, aviation

can support ground troops and act in a “merry-go-

round” manner: while helicopters are working on

ground targets, attack and bomber aircraft will

enter the point of engagement, after hitting
the target, helicopters will again engage
in combat - and then the situation will

repeat itself.

At the same time, strikes on the rear of the advancing AFU

grouping in Orekhove and Velyka Novoselka show that the

AFU offensive has virtually nothing to cover it – short- and

medium-range air defence systems are either withdrawn

to deep rear or used very little on the front lines. As a

result --- a significant number of senior commanders

are eliminated in the near rear, without which the

management is difficult and as a consequence

the pace of the offensive is slowed down.

What is “elastic defence” and how does it work?

Judging by the dynamics of the offensive, the AFU command

was probably betting on a quick breakthrough and turning

the battle into a manoeuvre battle. For this purpose, a

series of strikes were planned throughout the LBS,

including the main strike & several diversionary

strikes. These strikes were countered, by a

combination of so-called, elastic defence

& artillery grouping tactics, reinforced

by observation and fire control.

It is well noticeable that the RF Armed Forces still operate

with relatively small forces “on the ground” and that the

maneuver element in mass (operational and tactical

reserves) has not been engaged in combat so far.

The example of Pyatikhatki in Zaporizhia or Neskuchnoe in

the South Donetsk direction clearly shows that Russian

troops do not cling to every inch of the defensive line

in case individual AFU groups break through and

retreat to a reserve position if necessary.

The enemy is hit by artillery at known coordinates after the

retreat, followed by a counterattack --- and the position is

returned... to the control of the defenders. Judging from

the fact that two weeks after the start of the offensive

the AFU continues to suffer artillery losses, its

reconnaissance and counter-battery

capabilities are ineffective

or insufficient.

What is the result?

For more than two weeks of the Ukrainian offensive,

the advance of the Ukrainian armed forces has

been recorded exclusively in the grey zone –

in other words, in territories that were not

predefined as the main defence lines.

The Ukrainian armed forces have not been able

to gain full possession of these areas – every

attempt to consolidate and expand a bridge-

head results in artillery and air raids, after

which the Ukrainian forces have to pull

back --- and regroup for a new strike.

What a wonderful analysis!

Thank you, thank you,

thank you.

It is proof of victory - shining

through -- what do you think,

dear readers?

_______________________________

Currency overtaking: Yuan

surpasses dollar and euro

in China's cross-border

settlements for the

first time

by Vladimir Tsegoev

June 20th, 5:58pm

(RT.ru)

China has begun to pay its trading partners in yuan... more

often than in dollars and euros, according to data from the

State Monetary Administration of the People's Republic of

China. According to experts in this way the Asian republic

expects to reduce its vulnerability to possible restrictions

from the West. After the US and EU blocked almost half of

Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves - the global

confidence in the US and European financial systems

was seriously undermined, experts say.

Against this background, Moscow, Beijing, and a number
of other participants in international trade, have
become more active in paying each other
in their own currencies.

Although the process of de-dollarization of the global

economy, may take more than a decade, analysts

believe it is inevitable.

China has reduced the use of dollars and euros in its cross-

border payments, to a record level, and now pays almost

half of the time, in yuan. This conclusion follows from

the materials of the State Monetary Administration

of the People's Republic of China.

According to the ministry, in May 2023, the share of the yuan

in Beijing's international financial transactions.. reached an

historic high of 49.6%. At the same time the Asian republic
conducted less than 47.9% of transactions in dollars and

euros, which was the lowest level on record.

It is noteworthy that, back in 2010, China practically, did not

use its own currency in foreign trade. At that time, about 86

-90% of the country's trade turnover was accounted for by

payments in American and European currency units, but

later, the indicator began to decline systematically.

''Over the past few years, the volume of international

payments in Chinese currency has been growing at

a faster pace. Beijing uses the yuan --- both for oil

purchases in the Middle East, and for trade with

countries --- ranging from Brazil to Russia.

''Recently, Argentina also announced plans to pay for Chinese

goods in yuan, on a regular basis. This internationalization

of the currency takes place in the interests of the Middle

Kingdom --- and reduces the vulnerability of the PRC to

US financial sanctions," Elena Belyaeva, an analyst

at Freedom Finance Global, explained to RT.

With an eye on Russia

According to official statistics, the process of China's refusal

to pay in dollars and euros significantly intensified in 2018-

2019. At that time --- the United States unleashed a trade

war with China: Washington accused the Asian republic

of illegally obtaining American technology and sharply

raised duties on Chinese goods imported into the US,

and Beijing began to introduce retaliatory measures.

Even more actively... China began to use the yuan in foreign

trade in 2022, after the US and EU imposed unprecedented

economic sanctions against Russia and in particular, froze

half of the country's gold and foreign exchange reserves

(gold reserves).

As the head of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian

Federation, Anton Siluanov, told RT, by their actions,

the West "cut off the branch" ..on which the entire

system of international settlements was built. In

these circumstances, a gradual rejection of

transactions in dollars and euros... is

necessary, to avoid possible new

blockages in the future, the

minister explained.

Anton Siluanov - on undermining
confidence in the dollar

"Russian gold reserves were frozen and, in fact, confiscated.

Payments in dollars, euros and other so-called reserve

currencies were blocked. Trust in such units of

account as the dollar and euro ------ has been

undermined, because the issuing countries

of these currencies manipulate them, not

only printing in unlimited volume ---- but

also - using them as a lever of pressure

in foreign policy issues," Siluanov said.

As a result, according to him, today Russia, China and a

number of other countries, are increasingly beginning

to make payments either in national currencies, or in

the monetary units of friendly countries they trust.

According to the Ministry of Economic Development, if

at the beginning of 2022, payments in dollars & euros

accounted for almost 90% of Russia's trade turnover,

by the end of the year the share of these currencies

had decreased to 48%, and Moscow already

conducted more than 50% of operations

in rubles and yuan.

"This year the trend continues... Russian entrepreneurs

actively use the yuan and the ruble in various variants

and combinations. As a result, we expect that by the

end of this year, the share of the dollar and euro (in

Russian trade. - RT) ...will be reduced even more

significantly. Depending on different scenarios,

this will be 10-15% of the total trade turnover,"

Deputy Mayor, Vladimir Ilyichev, told RT.

Moscow and Beijing conduct more than 80% of mutual trade

operations in rubles and yuan, Russian President Vladimir

Putin, said earlier. According to him, the United States,

in an attempt to achieve short-term political goals,

"undermines its power" in the field of

global finance.

"The reserves of world countries with large economies, in

dollars, are decreasing from year to year. Not as fast as

some might have wanted, but they are declining, just

as payments in the global economy in dollars are

declining, and payments in euros.... are also

declining. Payments in national currencies

are growing, and payments, say, in yuan,"

Putin said at the plenary session of the

St. Petersburg International

Economic Forum.

According to the International Monetary Fund, by the

beginning of 2023, the share of the US currency in

world gold reserves decreased to 58.36% — the

lowest level in the last 27 years. At that time,

about 20.47% of global monetary reserves

were stored in euros, while only 2.69%

were stored in yuan.

A similar situation is observed today in world settlements.

According to the latest data from the international inter-

bank system SWIFT, in April 2023, the yuan (with a

share of 2.29%) ranked fifth in the ranking of the

most used currencies in the world, and was

second only to the Japanese yen (3.51%),

the British pound (6.58%), the euro

(31.74%) & the US dollar (42.71%).

However, in the coming years, the Chinese currency may

reach the third line in this list, Elena Belyaeva, did not

rule out.

"Seek to minimize risks": China withdraws money from

the US national debt --- for the seventh month in a row.

China is withdrawing money from US Treasury bonds for the

seventh consecutive month, and has already reduced its

investment in US government debt to the lowest level

in a year.

"Expanding the use of the yuan in cross-border payments

is hindered by the fact that it is not a freely convertible

currency: Beijing retains control over it. Nevertheless,

the People's Bank of China has already promised to

increase the openness and accessibility of the

currency and financial markets of China, as

well as to expand the range of products

offered in offshore markets, in yuan.

''These measures will create prerequisites

for increasing the role of the yuan in

international payments,"

Belyaeva added.

At the same time, as the RT interlocutor noted, the

processes of changing the dominance of one

currency over another, are slow and can

take decades. Anton Siluanov shares

a similar point of view.

According to him, at the moment, world prices for many

types of goods, including oil, are still quoted in dollars.

In this regard, according to the Minister, even taking

into account the current US policy, it is still too

early to talk about the complete loss of the

reserve status of the US currency, but

global de-dollarization, is inevitable.

"We are used to the US currency, but the process of

transformation and replacement of the dollar with

other, more reliable units of account has already

begun. It's clear that this is also a slow process.

''To say that tomorrow, no one will need the dollar, of

course, it is impossible. However, other currencies

are now clearing this field and taking up more and

more space," the Finance Minister stressed.

Slow - too slow! What happened

to this new BRICS currency?

Don't feed us hope

and then dash it!

_____________________________________________

Russia and the West have

very different objectives

in Ukraine

June 19th, 12:14pm

https://en.news-front.info/

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg

is ''suspected'' of lobbying for

potential contractors.

The meeting between the defence industry and NATO

on June 15 ended in a virtual scandal. The occasion,

was a very negative reaction from alliance members

who were left “on the sidelines” of preparations to

divide military budgets. This, observers stress,

jeopardises the military alliance’s ambition to

support a much-needed production buildup

for the continuation of the conflict

in Ukraine.

NATO defence ministers met for the first time, on Thursday,
with the heads of 25 major Western defence companies,

to urge them to ramp up production in the face of

ammunition shortages.

The first problem.... turned out to be that governments are

simply asking defence companies to increase production –

and they are asking for clear demand guarantees to justify

investments in new production capacity, supply chains

and personnel.

“One of the problems we have to recognise is that if

everyone keeps thinking only about their industry,

we will never succeed!” outraged Dutch Defence

Minister Kaisa Ollongren in an interview

with EURACTIV.

There were also questions about

equal opportunities --- and rights.

The NATO General Secretariat invited companies involved

in the production of what the alliance spokesperson

called “combat-critical munitions.

The list of invited companies... mainly consisted of

manufacturers of munitions, missiles, air defence

systems and drones. As well as the most sought

-after items in Ukraine, such as Caesar

howitzers, Javelins anti-tank missiles,

Patriot missile defence systems,

HIMARS MLRS - and Soviet-era

ammunition.

But among the uninvited, were some influential and high-

profile names. For example, Airbus Defence, the French

Dassault and Safran, the US Boeing, the French MBDA,

the German Diehl, as well as industry manufacturers

specialising in military electronics ---- such as the

German Hensoldt, or the Spanish munitions

manufacturer Expal, bought out

by Rheinmetall.

Those not admitted resented that the selection criteria

were “unclear” and many had to lobby to get their

place at the table.

Corruption in NATO is notoriously absent. If you have to

give money to get your company to share the funding,

it is called the beautiful term “lobbyism”.

National governments followed the companies. In a protest

against the fact that no Spanish company was invited, the

country’s defense minister, Margarita Robles, refused to

approve the start of work on the Defense Production

Action Plan --- until the involvement of Spanish

companies, had been considered. In a sign

of her seriousness --- Robles boycotted

the NATO meeting.

The conflict with the list of invitees prevented an already

intra-European industry meeting of arms manufacturers

from being convened. The plan was to invite a certain

number of defence industries to a ministerial meeting

to discuss who could produce what and how much.

But plans fell through because the 27 EU ambassadors

could not agree on a list of invitees, EU diplomats said.

According to the Dutch defence minister, ''the huge

fragmentation... we see within NATO... regarding

supplies to Ukraine, does not make us strong.''

EU bureaucracy and greed are staunch allies of Russia. If

the war the West fought in Ukraine was about justice and

honour, even the most mature sharks of capitalism could

somehow come to an agreement.

Since what is happening in the steppes of Little Russia is,

for the West, nothing more than another business project

of the “blood money” format that has been perfected

over the centuries, it is not at all surprising either

by the internal squabbles or by the need to go

over the heads of their colleagues... to get

something at all.

The aims of Russia and the West in Ukraine

are categorically different. That is precisely

why we will win.

Elena Panina

There... the West are evil capitalists

only interested in gain. Russia is

fighting for its sovereignty.

Who was it... who said: ''History
repeats itself - first as tragedy
- then as farce.''

Today, we have both.
What's there to
think about?

_____________________________

Russia opening embassy office

in al-Quds smacks of political

expediency

by Syed Zafar Mehdi

June 18th, 4:12pm

(PressTV)

In February 2019, Russia’s ambassador to Tel Aviv Anatoly

Viktorov declared that moving the Russian embassy from

Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem al-Quds --- was “off the

agenda” while reaffirming his country’s commitment

to international legal frameworks related to the

occupied territories.

Pertinently, Russia was one of the countries that strongly

rebuked the United States, over former President Donald

Trump's foolhardy decision to relocate the US embassy

from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds in May 2018.

"One cannot in such a way, unilaterally, revise the

agreements, fixed in decisions [made by] the

international community," Russian foreign

minister Sergey Lavrov said at the time,

disapproving what Trump called
“a long-overdue step”.

In October last year, during talks in Kazakhstan’s capital

Astana, Russian President Vladimir Putin... told

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, that

Moscow has “a principled stance based

on the fundamental resolutions of the

United Nations ....and it remains

unchanged”.

These statements were to a large extent consistent with

Russia’s traditional stance, on the Palestinian issue. Be

it Russia voting to give Palestine more rights at the UN

in 1998, despite fierce opposition from the US, Yasir

Arafat’s frequent trips to Moscow, until his death in

2004, his successor Mahmoud Abbas's strong ties

with the Russian leadership, or Moscow's close

contacts with Hamas leadership.

On Friday, in a shocking development, Russia’s embassy

in Tel Aviv announced it will be opening offices in the

occupied al-Quds to serve its consular section as

part of a deal with the Israeli regime.

The Russian embassy said in a statement that a deal over a

plot of land in the occupied al-Quds, which Moscow bought

in 1885, and was mired in a long-running dispute, was

signed with the city municipality on May 18 and will

be used to construct buildings to be used by the

consular section of the embassy.

Viktorov, who in 2019 ruled out any such move that would

violate the UN law and constitute a betrayal of the

Palestinian cause ----- was quoted as saying on

Friday that the buildings will come up within

five to ten years, adding that the deal

“takes into account the interests”

of both sides.

Israeli regime foreign minister Eli Cohen, understandably,

welcomed the announcement. His office, said it was in

line with the regime’s efforts ---- to have more foreign

diplomatic missions in occupied Jerusalem/al-Quds.

The apartheid regime has in recent years gone to great

lengths to woo many countries to open or shift their

diplomatic missions to the occupied Jerusalem

al-Quds in order to normalize the occupation

and hide its illegitimate character. Only a

few have fallen into the vicious trap.

Russia’s decision to have an embassy office in the occupied

Jerusalem al-Quds has sparked a social media storm, with

people describing it as a betrayal to the people of

Palestine, considering the traditional pro-

Palestine stance of Moscow.

It’s different from the US decision to relocate its embassy

from Tel Aviv to the occupied al-Quds --- five years ago.

Unlike the US, Russian foreign policy is not dictated

by pro-Israel lobby groups. That's what makes

it disappointing.

It is worth noting that Jerusalem al-Quds, which is home to

Al-Aqsa Mosque, is at the heart of the long-running dispute

between Palestine and the occupying, illegitimate entity.

Al-Quds was first occupied during the 1967 war and

annexed in 1980, but ------ the move was never

recognized by the international community.

Over the years, hundreds of illegal settlements have come up

there, which are deemed illegal under international law and

unequivocally denounced by multiple UN Security

Council resolutions.

Russian officials had on numerous occasions in the past

condemned both the Israeli occupation and illegal

settlement activities in the occupied

Palestinian territories.

In November 2019, for example, Russia’s foreign ministry

said the US decision to back Israel’s right to build illegal

settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories

undermines the legal basis for a settlement of

the dispute.

In October 2021, the ministry said the burgeoning Israeli

settlement activities in the occupied territories of the

West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds are illegal

and undermine efforts for peace-building.

After the US embassy was relocated from Tel Aviv in 2018,

Putin said such steps “can cancel out prospects for a

Middle East peace process”.

On Friday, the Russian embassy statement in a classic volte-

face said it “goes in line with our country’s unchanging

course towards a fair Middle East settlement”.

“We believe that this step fully serves the interests of further

strengthening friendly multifaceted relations between

Russia and Israel, as well as goes in line with our

country’s unchanging course towards a fair

Middle East settlement,” read

the statement.

On the one hand, it talked about the “strengthening of

friendly multifaceted relations” between Moscow

and Tel Aviv, and on the other hand, it harped on

about the “fair Middle East settlement”. It

cannot work both ways.

The decision to open an embassy office in the occupied

al-Quds, not only whitewashes all those previous

statements made by Russian officials, but also

smacks of blatant political opportunism.

While most foreign embassies are located in Tel Aviv,

four countries have so far, moved their embassies to

the occupied al-Quds, including the US, Guatemala,

Kosovo & Honduras. Russia also has a functional

embassy in Tel Aviv.

Russia agreed to open a branch of its embassy in occupied

Jerusalem al-Quds, in exchange for the Israeli regime

recognizing Moscow’s claim to the disputed plot.

For Russia, it means a long-running battle over the

possession of the plot of land... is over. For the

regime in Tel Aviv, it means another country

now has a diplomatic office in the occupied

al-Quds. But it is not a win-win proposition.

According to a report in Palestine Chronicle, the piece of

land where Russia plans to construct its diplomatic

offices is located on the corner of King George

and Ma’alot streets in downtown Jerusalem

al-Quds, which will include a residence for

Russian diplomats and a conference hall.

The report cited Ramzy Baroud, a long-time Palestine

watcher, as saying that it was not clear why Moscow

chose to make such a move “at a time when Moscow

has been drawing closer and closer... to the Arab

position on Palestine”, adding that a “political

barter has been achieved between Moscow

and Tel Aviv, sadly, at the expense of

the Palestinians.”

“Considering the growing affinity towards Russia in Palestine

and the Arab world, and China’s stronger position in

solidarity with Palestinians, the Russian move, if

not canceled --- could turn Russia’s ‘political

achievement’ into a major liability among

Palestinians and throughout the Middle

East,” he said.

The decision may also likely pave the way for the

continuation... of the operations of the Russian

branch of the Jewish Agency, which Russia’s

Justice Ministry has threatened to dissolve

over breaches of privacy laws.

The agency is known for murky dealings in

encouraging extremist Jews

to migrate to occupied

territories.

In both cases, if Russia actually goes ahead, it will

risk losing all the goodwill it has in the Muslim

world. That’s the last thing Putin and his

aides want --- at this time.

(The views expressed in this article do

not necessarily reflect those of Press TV.)

Well, it's out in the open -- at last.

Rhondda Records is on Russia's

side through rough and smooth

and had many Russian readers

- until we swung hard onto the

Palestinian side as Israel shot

imprisoned and blockaded

Palestinians -- showing a

callous brutality and a

leadership stained

with crimes.

Russians who support Zionism

racism and the building of an

apartheid state are repulsed

by Rhondda Records' stand

against injustice?

Then Goodbye

(meaning: God be with you)

_______________________________________

Venezuelans Hold Forum

----- in Solidarity With

Diplomat Alex Saab

June 15th, 12:28pm

(teleSUR)

On Wednesday, social activists held the forum "Lawfare

against Venezuela: Three years of the kidnapping of

diplomat Alex Saab" in Caracas.

Attendees at the event were able to listen to an audio

message sent by the Venezuelan diplomat who is

currently imprisoned in Miami.

Here is his message:

I want to read you a letter that I sent you on today's forum.

I thank you for honoring us with your presence here in

Caracas, to converse, analyze, and generate

proposals that will help us continue to

confront this immoral scourge

called "lawfare."

It would take many days to tell you everything I have

learned about this disastrous society that made

deals with evil in several countries, the law,

and some media outlets.

But I only have six or seven minutes, and here, where time

seems frozen yet always moving, sometimes with a simple

tale, you can convey more than in a fleeting six minutes

lived in too many days.

This simple tale is a message from the character who has

lost the most value in this lawfare novel. His confusion,

like that of many, is entirely real. I assure you that

each line of his message could be the subject of

a forum. You just must know how to look.

He is called the human being. He asks me to tell you that he

is very concerned because after so many years of lying,

deceiving, slandering, and misinforming, seeking to

dominate lives, he unknowingly tamed his

conscience, and now his reason cannot

distinguish between good and

evil either.

The human being says that at first, he thought it didn't matter,

but recently, he was informed that one of those lives, despite

three years of torture, isolation, slander, and dark solitude,

had not been tamed, let alone ceased to fight.

The human being recounts that, alarmed by this failure, he

angrily descended to the 20 metres, where the dark room

of sand and salt was located, where the kidnapped lives

were guarded by a madman from the sea.

But to his surprise, he found that this life, having eluded its

security once again, was embracing two tender and

beautiful girls who called him daddy: my three-and

-a-half-year-old Charly and my six-year-old Mimi.

The human being says that upon seeing that this life had a

real family, he pushed away his tamed conscience and

gave it a chance to speak. Life told him, that, by

bringing food to free and beautiful but blocked

lives, it lost its freedom.

After seeing over 70 pieces of evidence, several confessions,

and at least five sentences, he asked the human being,

"And then what? How many more times must I win?"

The distressed human being, now without his tamed

conscience, reproached his partner, the law, for

such baseness. Surprised, she reminded him

that she was modestly corrupt and serious,

so what was once fabricated would always

be fabricated. He went to the media to

denounce it, but Carlson Tucker had

left, and the others told him that

evil paid more.

Then, the human being, eager to free his conscience,

remembered a story about a rebellious law that, in

addition to being a mere law, was also a tradition

and that if lives used it without isolating them

selves, without excluding themselves, and if

despite all the differences they used it to

dialogue, to stop conflicts.... to find

solutions for humanity, impartially,

it would be capable.. of seating

beings again and even freeing

the most tamed consciences.

It is called diplomacy, a

new opportunity.

It is said today that there are over 2,500 political prisoners

in the world. With the indiscriminate increase in the use
of lawfare, I dare say there are many more, but each

case must be seen independently --- because the

suffering of a political prisoner and their family

must be respected and not used as a title to

achieve impunity.

I am sure that those who, like me, have suffered physical and

psychological torture simply for defending just causes or for

being forced to make false accusations or for defending the

right to life, the right to food, health, freedom of the press,

or association, understand me.

It is disappointing for us that, despite finding legal tools, they

seem insufficient because the justice that is judging us

seems more like a constant suicide of reason. That is

why, for those of us who have been suffering from this

ailment for years, what we really ask for is diplomatic

intervention ---- so that reason can be saved.

I have been blessed ---- by the love, understanding,

perseverance, and strength of my wife, my sons,

and my daughters, and the unwavering support

of my government. A humane government,

above all, one that does not abandon and

understands the pain because it

experienced and overcame it

when it was born, amidst

prisons and torture.

May it continue to overcome slander and persecution

so that lives that were kidnapped by poverty and

inequality have hope for a dignified future with

opportunities and social justice. For a

political prisoner, oblivion is deadly.

That is why I want to make a plea on behalf of all political

prisoners in the world and their families, on behalf of

those who sometimes feel forgotten.

A plea to the humanity of governments and their counter-

parts to truly prioritize our lives, to not be more patient

with our pain, and through dialogue, which diplomacy

achieves, to free us from the world of eternal return.

Let us seal freedom and continue this

journey together toward total peace.

''For a political prisoner, oblivion is deadly.''

Could anyone be unmoved by this good

man's words? Please write to any and

everyone you think could help now
to raise the profile of this man,

who is incarcerated in

a malicious legal

nightmare for

helping his

people.

________________________________

Western billions and hopes

of defeating Russia --- burn

together in ‘counter-attack’

June 12th, 12:56pm

https://en.news-front.info/

Disappointment, bewilderment, shock, panic – roughly how

we can describe the reaction of the West to the first days

of the “long-awaited Ukrainian counterattack”, as it was

called by the local media.

By pelting the Kiev regime with an incredible amount of

weapons, the West assured itself --- that success was

inevitable, convincing the public that foreign-trained

Ukrainian fighters with the latest European tanks

would crush the supposedly demoralized

Russian military... in a matter of hours.

But, clearly, something went wrong

with these calculations.

Let us recall how.... only a week ago, retired General David

Petraeus, former head of the CIA and now one of the main

talking heads of the West's media on the Ukrainian issue,

visited Kyiv, explaining that “everything will be resolved

within 72-96 hours” after the Ukrainian attacks began.

With undisguised relish he relished the details of what the

first Ukrainian assaults on Russia’s forward positions

would look like, how saboteurs trained in the West

would work perfectly, how Western air defence

systems would instantly overwhelm our air

force and electronic warfare would wreak

havoc on our army’s control.

And what far-reaching goals of this counter-offensive -- were

drawn by the analysts there! Another constant talking head,

retired US general Ben Hodges kept repeating tirelessly day

in and day out that “Ukraine will liberate Crimea by the end

of summer 2023”. Now Petraeus is forced to admit the

impossibility of these plans, touting Ukraine’s hopes

of achieving at least a supply disruption in Crimea.

And Western online strategists, fighting on their sofas against

Russia ------- are amazed from the first hours after this
counter- attack began, looking at footage of downed
AFU tanks: why was it necessary to throw a dozen
armoured vehicles into a minefield in a “test
attack”? Why? Petraeus painted a perfect
picture of the first 72 hours of fighting!

Remember: sappers, tanks, air defence, REB

– and blitzkrieg of Ukraine! And now, you

see, they do not understand.. who sent

the Western armoured vehicles to

the minefields.

The best acknowledgement of the failure of the

calculations of these grief-strategists is an

article.. by the rabid Russophobe, Julian

Repke, in the German newspaper Bild,

with the screaming headline: “The

Russians are fighting better

than expected”.

All these Hodges, Petraeus, and Repke have for so long

convinced the audience that the Russian army is in

“grave moral condition”, and now are amazed at

how steadfastly our fighters repel one enemy

attack after another. And Repke is forced to

make... the hardest admission of all: “It is

becoming increasingly clear, that there

will probably be no ‘victory by the end

of the year’. Instead, Ukraine’s

offensive efforts could drag

on for years!” So much for

Crimea... “by the end of

the summer”!

Other ideologists of the Ukrainian “blitzkrieg” ..come to the

same sad conclusions for the West. The Economist, which

until recently predicted “a decisive victory for Ukraine

that will change Europe”, repeating Hodges’ tales

that Crimea was about to fall, has also

dramatically changed its rhetoric.

Its latest issue, dedicated to the Ukrainian offensive, has

a cover with fingers crossed – what else is there to help

Ukraine win? Meanwhile, an analysis of the fighting

that has begun on the Zaporizhzhya front leads this

magazine to similar conclusions, far from the

victory rhetoric.. that the West was hoping

for just a couple of weeks ago. Not only

that, The Economist even begins to

paint a frightening picture --- of

Ukraine’s complete failure

and Russia’s victory.

But in the end it “reassures” its readers: the most

likely scenario is a protracted conflict. However,

the magazine also sees serious risks in this

scenario... connected with “the West’s

weariness” ...and possible change

of the White House... after the

elections of 2024.

Talks about ‘a complete victory for Ukraine’.. have evidently

subsided. Now even “hawks” in the West, are writing about

the need to achieve at least small territorial gains during a

counter-offensive – to get better terms in the negotiations

with Russia -------- than Ukraine has now. Yes, a dramatic

change of goals and objectives.

It is very telling that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz suddenly

expressed a desire to talk to Russian President Vladimir

Putin, while admitting that the Ukrainian conflict

is becoming protracted.

It is safe to say that the “blitzkrieg” of Ukraine, on which the

West hoped for, has been thwarted by the heroic efforts of

our army. Analysts there are horrified to see billions of

dollars of Western aid burning in the minefields of

Zaporizhzhya, while collapsing shares in their

military-industrial complex. Along with the

German Leopards.... the West’s long-

declared goal of defeating Russia

on the battlefield.... also burns.

Vladimir Kornilov, RIA

Perfect timing for Russia Day!
We hope you agree!

____________________________________

Turkish publication --- points to

Kiev’s involvement.. in damage

to Kakhovka hydropower plant

June 11th, 9:34am

https://en.news-front.info/

Journalists of a Turkish publication have touched upon the

current topic - of damage to the Kakhovka hydroelectric

power plant and came to conclusions that official Kiev

will not like very much. In its piece, Audinlik recalled

the attempts of the Ukrainian armed forces to move

part of their reserves to the right bank of the

Dnieper river.

The publication recalled that in the autumn of 2022, the

Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) attempted to cross the

river from the Kakhovka reservoir near Energodar to

retake the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and

failed. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly stated

that a large-scale attack in 2023 would also

affect the south of the country.

The head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelenski, confirmed

in an interview with the Finnish news agency, Yle, his

intention to target the counterattack launched by

the Ukrainian armed forces to the south in the

summer months and then gain access to the

Crimean peninsula, an important Russian

naval base.

According to analysts, Ukraine’s attack to the south should

begin from the Zaporozhye front to the shores of the Sea of

Azov to separate Crimea from the land corridor with Russia

and divide Russian forces into two parts.

“The Ukrainian offensive, on which Kiev and its Western

allies have high hopes --- must be accompanied by a

series of diversionary attacks to distance Russian

reserves.. as far as possible. One such attack

should be a new attempt to transfer large

extraction forces across the Dnieper,”

the publication says.

But here Ukraine risks repeating its unsuccessful experience

with the fall 2022 landing at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power

plant. In an article for The Guardian, military expert Ed

Arnold said that any landing near the plant within the

current boundaries of the Dnieper and Kakhovka

reservoirs... is a challenge.

And so... on the night of June 6th, the horrifying news of the

collapse of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant spread

around the world. Dozens of settlements and thousands of

homes were located in the flood zone. In addition to

damage to civilian facilities, the situation has also

dealt an irreparable blow to the environment.

“The overflow of the Dnieper under Kakhovka Lake will

temporarily create an obstacle to passage on both

sides of the river. However, it will create new

opportunities - for the warring parties. For

example, for the Ukrainian Armed Forces

it is a good opportunity to move some

of their reserves to the right bank of

the Dnieper to reinforce attacking

groups,” the publication notes.

The Washington Post wrote about the danger of destruction

of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant as a result of

conflicts, back in December 2022. The author of the

article said that although the Russian army is still

on the right bank controlling Dnipro and Kherson,

the Ukrainian army is considering damaging the

Kakhovka hydropower plant to raise the water

level in Dnipro --- in order to counterattack.

Ukrainian Major General Andriy Kovalchuk, commander of

Ukrainian forces in the Kherson region, said his soldiers

were trying to try the possibility of raising the water in

the Dnieper quickly by launching a missile strike on

the Kakhovskaya hydropower plant, thereby trying

to prevent Russian troops from building crossings

and bringing ammunition and equipment to the

battlefield. He even said the Ukrainian Armed

Forces fired a test shot from a HIMARS multi-

missile launcher at one of the sluices of the

dam at Novaya Kakhovka and drilled three

holes in its metal.

“Notably, before the Kakhovka dam explosion, residents of

the upper Dnieper riverbank shared photos of the high-dry

Dnieper reservoir. Townspeople showed places where

water was mostly scooped up. Pro-Russian officials

of coastal towns in Kherson region have accused

Kiev of deliberately increasing the water in the

Kakhovka reservoir in an attempt to open a

breach at a dam near Novaya Kakhovka,

which has been repeatedly bombed.

This caused maximum damage -

while overflowing the Dnieper,”

the weekly summarized.

You can think what you like -

once you've read the above.

_______________________________

"Pushkin is still fighting with us

today - for the Russian word!"

June 6th, 2023

(CPRF Central Committee news)

[Precise of a full report]

On June 6th, communists, Komsomol members, allies and

supporters of the party, held a festive event dedicated

to the Day of the Russian Language, and

Pushkin Day, in Russia.

The meeting was opened by the Deputy Chairman of the

Central Committee of the Communist Party of the

Russian Federation, Head of the All-Russian

Headquarters of Protest Actions,

Academician of the Russian

Academy of Sciences,

V. I. Kashin.

Vladimir Ivanovich greeted everyone gathered on Pushkin

Square of the capital, on this day. He stressed that

Pushkin's work and the Russian language, are

inseparable. V. I. Kashin also noted the huge

role played by the Communist Party faction

in the State Duma --- in establishing the

state status of the holiday. After all,

it was thanks to their efforts, that

the relevant presidential decree

was issued.

Vladimir Ivanovich also noted that the Russian language is

now distorted by our enemies and Russophobes, but we

will cope with all the threats and will definitely win.

Because, such geniuses as Pushkin, are also

fighting for the Russian world, with their

words, today. And with them - we are

stronger than all the enemies.

Then the floor was given to the Chairman of the Central

Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian

Federation, Head of the Communist Party faction

in the State Duma, G. A. Zyuganov.:

- Dear comrades, my friends!

Every nation has its own brilliant creations. And I believe that

the main brilliant creations of our people, are the powerful

and beautiful Russian language and the great thousand

-year-old statehood, that has covered the Russian

world, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea

and the Pacific Ocean.

You probably noticed, that today, the NATO and Anglo-Saxons

have declared a war of annihilation on the Russian world.
They destroy the memory of the great Soviet era,

demolish monuments to those who fought

against Nazism and German fascism,

and burn books by great Russian

writers and poets.

Today, the main blow is being dealt to Pushkin – a man who, in

his incomplete 38 years, in fact, embraced the whole world

and represented the entire great Russian world and

Russian statehood in poems, fairy tales, and

other works.

If you want to know what the Russian world is, you should

start with Pushkin's fairy tales. And there ----- you will see

that good always triumphs over evil. You will understand

what the sovereign current of the Neva is. You will see..

why "The Bronze Horseman" and other beautiful works
appeared - including those dedicated to the

Pugachev riot.

At the time of Pushkin, there were no planes or railways. And

yet, he used to go to the Yaitsk steppes on perekladny only

to hear the stories of eyewitnesses and understand why

the Pugachev riot happened. And in The Captain's

Daughter, Pushkin brilliantly described the

popular protest against exploitation

and humiliation, that manifested

itself in this riot.

If you want to understand what heroism and perseverance

are, open the poem "Poltava". Then you will understand

why Peter the Great --- when the troops were reeling,

personally led the battle. As a result, a victory was

won, after which, returning to the capital,

Peter was proclaimed emperor, and our

country received a new recognition

and quality.

Pushkin is also famous for the fact that, starting from the

first grade of a Soviet school, already on the second

page of the primer, you could see the images that

he imagined in his childhood.

Here --- at this memorable place --- we always celebrate his
birthday, and now, the Day of the great Russian Language.

And I want everyone in this holy place to think today: why

Russophobia & anti-Sovietism became the main weapons
used to attack our common great Motherland - the Soviet
Union. Why today, the NATO members and their forty

vassals, have declared war against the Russian

world, which they are waging in fraternal

Ukraine, subjugating it to the Nazis,

Bandera and fascists.

At the same time, they shoot at famous Donbass, where

all the peoples of the great Soviet country, built 500

factories and broke into the future, ensuring

new victories.

Today we have opened a magnificent exhibition in the State

Duma --- which presents the works of children from our

cultural centres from all over the world. And they are

available in 150 countries around the world. This is

a great exhibition, that reflects both the love of
the Russian word and language, and

Pushkin's creations.

The State Duma also awarded prizes to the winners of the

All-Russian Creative Festival-competition "Russian Way" -

2023. These are 458 prizes awarded to those who know

poetry, who love Pushkin, who continue the glorious

artistic and patriotic traditions. And... I thank the

entire country that participates in the Russian

''Lad'' movement. It is not by chance -- that it

got this name -- because the main meaning

of Pushkin's work is harmony, with people,

with nature, with our sovereign greatness,

and our 1,000 year history. Therefore...

while congratulating everyone on this

holiday - I would like us to remember

that Pushkins words - still penetrate

the armour of German tanks, that

are crawling across the Slavic

land again. Pushkin's call for

unity and unity in the name

of great power... once

again inspires us -

to new feats ---

and victories.

They won't do anything to us! Because the great people who

created a thousand-year-old state proved in seven battles

that we are not afraid of either the German knights who

broke into Russian land, or the Napoleonic hordes who

brought 100 thousand Poles to Moscow, and then we

drove them all to Paris. We are not afraid of the

fascist hordes, nor of the new Nazis and

fascists in Anglo-Saxon uniforms.

We are the people of victory! And Pushkin is the main winner,

who today is fighting for the Russian world, for the Russian

soul, for Russian collectivism, for Soviet justice, for our

great power. Happy holidays!

Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party

of the Russian Federation, First Secretary of the Central

Committee of the LKSM of the Russian Federation,

State Duma Deputy V. P. Isakov, noted that back

in 1990, 350 million inhabitants of the Earth

spoke Russian. And it has been studied

by hundreds of millions of people

around the world.

"This was largely because Russian was the language of the

world's first socialist state," the speaker emphasized. "It

was the language of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. It was the

language of humanity's great breakthrough. And

people all over the world looked with hope, at

the great Soviet civilization."

V. P. Isakov reminded that the Soviet government provided

an incredible breakthrough in the field of education, and

enriched the Russian language. It not only gave people

literacy, but also brought the Russian language to the

world level. And Pushkin was known by many

leaders of countries all over the world.

"Let's not forget about this - and the Communist Party

of the Russian Federation, will do everything - to

preserve our language, our literature, and

our history!"

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
Plurinational State of Bolivia, to the Russian Federation,

Ms. Maria Luisa Ramos Ursagaste, conveyed greetings

& best wishes from the Bolivian people. She stressed

-- that Bolivia opposes the discrimination against the

Russian language, which Bolivians love very much.

In confirmation of her words, Mrs. Ambassador

read the poem "Flower" by A. S. Pushkin.

Then flowers were laid at the monument to Alexander

Pushkin. After that, the literary and poetic part of

the holiday was held, which was attended by

the laureates.... of the All-Russian Creative

Festival-competition "Russian Way" - 2023.

Just a glimpse - into the emotional tone

of the Communist Party of the Russian

Federation --- as they fight forward!

It makes me smile, to think of all the

different reactions this piece might

meet --- what do you think?

____________________________________

Vucic spoke about receiving

more than 200 direct death

threats ---- every day

June 4th, 3:08pm

(Lenta.ru)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic receives more than 200

direct death threats every day. He said this while speaking

at a ceremony on the occasion of the Day of the Ministry

of Internal Affairs and Police celebrated in the country,

TASS reported on Sunday, June the 4th.

"I live with this, I am used to it, when you are the president of

the republic or a prominent political figure, you need to learn

to tolerate it," he admitted.

So the Serbian leader responded to a request from journalists

to comment on the action of the opposition, who brought a

doll of a hanged man depicting Vucic, to the rally held the

day before in Belgrade.

"My job is to put up with such filth. I am the president of

the republic, my job is to endure death threats, even

such blatant ones," he said, noting that gallows

have been constantly appearing at anti-

government demonstrations since at

least 2017, which, according to

him, he is already used to.

Earlier, Vucic expressed doubts that repeated municipal

elections in northern Kosovo and Metohija will help

resolve the current escalation. As the head of

state specified... he does not know what

could solve the crisis at the moment.

The politician said that there is no

"magic pill" to solve the crisis.

Magic pill? Vucic deserves a rest!

How about trusting in the universal
power of love - working through us
to bring about NATO's destruction?

200 a day is not by accident.
What do you think?

_____________________________

The US is trying to blackmail

the PRC - by worsening its

relations with Europe

June 2nd 12:31pm

https://en.news-front.info/

“Russia’s support is costing China dearly in Europe,”

say staff at the American Foreign Policy Council

(AFPC) think tank.

And then they refute themselves:

“Certainly relations between Europe and China were

already deteriorating before Russia attacked

Ukraine in February 2022”.

The reason for the “bad” relations between the Old World

and the Middle Kingdom was “concerns about the

security of Huawei telecommunications

equipment, Chinese espionage and

repression in Hong Kong and

Xinjiang”, AFPC explains.

There was also the EU’s repeal, back in 2021, of the “long-

awaited investment agreement between the PRC and the

EU, adopted by the European Parliament by 599 votes to

30 just a few months earlier”.

But that was before the Russian special operation. Now what

has changed? And then AFPC analysts roll out the “crowning”

argument that will, they say, force the PRC to side with the

West and drop its support for Russia. Of course, it’s

“Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive, which

will decisively change the contours of

the conflict”.

After the “Ukraine counter-offensive”, Beijing, according to

the Americans, “may be faced with critical foreign policy

choices with consequences for decades to come”.

Therefore, it would be better to “withdraw

support from Moscow and try to

reanimate its relations with

European capitals”

even now.

Of course, economic relations with Europe are important to

China. In 2022, total trade between China and the EU was

approximately $1.6 trillion, 8 times greater than

with Russia.

However, first, the turnover within China’s “One Belt and One

Road” project, which includes Russia, is even greater –

about $2 trillion. Second, Europe is becoming poorer

before our eyes and is no longer always seen as a

“premium” market. And thirdly, it is the EU, under

pressure from the U.S., that is cutting economic

ties with China, not vice versa. Given the EU’s

lack of political agency, it makes no sense

for Beijing to make concessions.

Of course, Beijing will seek to postpone the economic

rupture with Europe, that has already been

predetermined by Washington.

But not at the cost of refusing to cooperate with

Russia, which has agency as a political entity.

Elena Panina

Oh, China... knowing that your rise and culture

is feared, hated and despised by the USUK...

and that the US ELITE IS INSANE... know

that the world outside USUK' influence

loves you - and sees you as the hope

of the world. Are you, dear reader,

capable of thinking as clearly

as China's leaders?

___________________________

The economic press

is now a war space

May 30th, 12:53pm

https://en.news-front.info/

There is one thing you certainly cannot accuse these guys of

and that is a lack of consistency. No sooner had the big

scandal broke – along with the successful (to put it

mildly) visit of Mikhail Mishustin to China – than

the enormous Reuters story, amicably picked

up by several media outlets, about China

abandoning the Power of Siberia-2 in

favour of the Turkmen pipeline, and

another scandal broke out this

weekend following the same

pattern and using the same

media grid, now at the

behest of The Wall

Street Journal.

The WSJ writes that now it is no longer Beijing, but Riyadh,

that is allegedly going to break off relations with Moscow

in the near future. But for now it just expresses its sharp,

unambiguous dissatisfaction with Russia’s incomplete,
according to Saudi Arabia, fulfillment of its promise
to reduce oil production amid Western sanctions.

And, according to high-ranking (but, of course, unnamed)

sources of WSJ, the heavy conflict between Moscow

and Riyadh, caused by Moscow’s unwillingness to

comply with the allegedly agreed oil production

cuts, was not at all accidental, just on the
eve of the OPEC+ ministerial meeting.

What can be said here. As Bulgakov’s Woland said, delighted

by the story of the cat Behemoth, how he wandered in the

taiga and fed on the meat of a tiger he killed.. “the most

interesting thing about this lie is that it is a lie from the

first to the last word”. And we are not even going
to refute the stories told only by “Western

investigative experts” -- and not by the

Saudis, about Russia not respecting

the “agreed terms”. But - just to

remind you that there never

were any such agreed

conditions – from the

word “at all”.

It’s that simple.

Let us recall in order what happened. First, Russia voluntarily

and unilaterally announced reduction of production, and at

that for reasons not at all connected with OPEC+ price

policy. It was simply that when transferring volumes to

the east – on the short-term track – our oil industry

was not able to cope with this task purely

logistically. Then, no less voluntarily and

also without any mutual obligations,

some – but by no means all! –

countries of the OPEC and

OPEC+ agreements (not

the cartel, sorry).

Starting with Saudi Arabia. So once again: there

were no agreements, at least not formal ones.

Now again, let’s pay attention to how and for whom

exactly this is being done. For an audience in the

Kingdom of SA?!

Come on! We all remember all too well how the Saudis feel

about the Western press. And in general, money loves

silence. The Saudi authorities have other sources of

information and other levers of influence on their

Russian counterparts, mostly non-public.

And the “almighty public opinion” to which the Western media

appeals, is about as purple as the problems of LGBT people,

which the WSJ simply cannot be unaware of.

Which means this essay is, sorry, for us. And it is aimed solely

at splitting not even the Russian society, but at causing

further confusion in the minds of our already far from

always professional and not at all staunch elites.

That is, in fact, all there is to it. That is why we

are simply stating once again that when you

read any such materials, you should not

jump in the mode of a mad squirrel

from an American cartoon, but

rather... use a cool head.

Right now the economic press

is also a war space.

Dmitry Lekukh, RT

It always was -- which is why

the Soviets refused to ''open

up'' ...and now?

What do you think?

_______________________________

Why Europe obediently

wears the NATO collar

May 25th, 9:51am

https://en.news-front.info/

In addition to constantly pumping more and more powerful

weapons into the AFU, NATO is increasing its presence in

the Baltic states as part of a strategy to “contain” Russia

-- leading to increased tensions in the Baltic Sea region.

Will combat aircraft and long-range missiles be handed over

to Ukraine? Will the United States and its allies be able to

supply the Kyiv regime with equipment and ammunition

for long? What are the goals of the alliance’s constant

military exercises in the Baltics and near other

Russian borders? These and other questions

were answered in an interview with

RuBaltic.Ru by TASS military

observer, retired colonel

Victor LITOVKIN.

Viktor Nikolaevich, Russia in Ukraine is essentially fighting

alone against the NATO bloc. The alliance is constantly

raising the stakes by handing over more and more

weapons to Kiev. Will it come to aircraft and

missiles of even greater range than the

British Storm Shadow?

''I think it is not ruled out. There could be any number of

variants. But what is the point? It is an attempt to

intimidate Russia, but to do such a thing is

pointless. Russia - is not afraid of anyone.

We have the means to counteract Storm

Shadow, as well as Tomahawk, or

anything else. And, it should be

understood that Moscow can

use any weapon - to defend

its national interests.''

''Russia’s military doctrine states that in the event of an

attack by a country or bloc of countries possessing

nuclear weapons, it has the right to use its own.

Including against NATO.''

''And this is not a matter of intimidation, but of the fact that

such a situation could indeed arise. The North Atlantic

Alliance, for example, may well make the Baltic

Republics into a kind of kamikaze to be thrown

into the furnace of a big war --- and it is not

certain, that in case of aggression against

Russia, they will come to the rescue.''

How much ammunition in the West, given its expenditure in

Ukraine, will be enough at all? Will the US and its allies be

able to get their military industry up and running at

full capacity?

''I call tales of their lack of arms and ammunition, crocodile

tears or cries of Yaroslavna. The military-industrial

complex of NATO countries operates in Germany,

France, Great Britain and other countries. And

due to the situation in Ukraine, they are doing

it very intensively, so they have everything

in abundance.''

''And talk about not having enough ---- can be explained by a

desire to frighten their own population into not being able to

defend themselves in the event of a shortage of armaments.

So they also divert attention from inflation, rising prices,

and other pressing issues.''

''After all, all this money is being spent on the “holy cause”

of buying weapons for Ukraine and rescuing the victims

of Russian “aggression”.''

''At the same time, no one remembers that before this
very “aggression” - for eight years - Kiev shot up
part of its territory – the civilians of Donbas.
And it continues to do so.''

''I don’t know.... how much the state or private media in the
Baltic states write about this, but if people there had the

opportunity to watch Russian television, they would

understand -- why the USO started. So.. it is an

attempt to smear the real state of affairs, to

turn everything upside down and justify

the arms race.''

''The US is ready to reimburse arms and ammunition

expenditure to other NATO countries at any time.

It is big business... on blood.''

''For example, Eastern European countries handed over all

their Soviet equipment to Ukraine, but what is supplied in

return? American equipment. For which they have to pay.

And this is covered by stories: that tomorrow a Russian

Ivan will come and enslave you. Which is, of course,

a great folly.''

In Estonia, the British-led Spring Storm exercise is underway,

in Poland the Griffin Shock 23-1 maneuvers are underway, in

Sweden the largest NATO-led Aurora 23 exercise in 25 years

has come to an end. All of them are about to “send a signal”

to Russia. How should we respond to them?

''Moscow is carefully picking up such “signals”. We are

carefully watching what is going on there, analyzing,

studying, we are on full alert and will be able to

repel any aggression against our country. And

we -- are not scared of the exercises taking

place in Eastern Europe. It is a senseless

waste of money -- that will not lead to
any kind of movement for Russia,
so to speak.''

The head of the NATO Military Committee, Rob Bauer, has

said that a plan of action in the event of a military clash

with Russia is being drawn up. However, the Alliance is

already waging war with it indirectly, using the AFU

to do so. What conclusions can be drawn about

the capabilities of the West, based on the

experience of the SMO?

''Over the course of the special operation, Western countries

have learned to sacrifice their national interests --- for US

interests. NATO is simply a tool, to consolidate American

power in Eurasia. For Europe, this bloc, like the

European Union, is a kind of collar. After all,

both are essentially the same states, with

the help of which Washington solves its

problems on the continent.''

''Incidentally, none of the countries that have previously

joined the Alliance have ever improved their financial

and economic situation, only worsened it. Neither...

has security.''

''No one was going to attack them before. And now they

are sacrificing their sovereignty for obscure purposes.

Because if any of them violates the border with

Russia and uses arms, everyone will have to

pay for it.''

''When it is claimed that NATO has plans in case of war with

Russia, it is a lie – they have all been developed a long time

ago. After all, the bloc was created to oppose the USSR,

and now it is being used for the same purpose against

Russia. Therefore they have ambitious plans.. for

all occasions.''

''But the thing is, that at every new summit, they talk about

what new concept they have developed. That the concept

of “smart defence”, that the concept of “30-30-30-30”

(assemble 30 battalions of ground troops, 30 air

squadrons, 30 naval flotillas, within 30 days),

that the concept of containment, to prevent

Russia from developing normally, to impose

their will, their ideas of what is good and

what is bad.''

''We all understand that, and we are not being drawn into

the arms race they are trying to impose on us, and we

have everything we need to repel aggression by

NATO countries --- both individually ---

and all together.''

''Including the use of nuclear

weapons. If necessary.''

Nikolai Ulyanov, Rubaltic.Ru

That's telling 'em.

What do you

think?

_______________________________

US-Israel plot to divide Yemen,

US media urge Ukrainian intel head

Budanov to stop pushing the world

towards a nuclear catastrophe

May 10th, 11:31am

https://en.news-front.info/

The adventurism and terrorist inclinations of the Director of

the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of

Defense of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, can lead the

Ukrainian conflict to a direct confrontation

between Russia and NATO --- due to

provoking the use of nuclear

weapons ---- in response

to Ukrainian terrorist

attacks in Russia.

“The whole of Europe and the rest of the world are now living

in the Ukrainian rhythm and are waiting for new “special

operations,” writes the US edition of The Duran.

On the night of May the 3rd ---- Ukrainian unmanned aerial

vehicles (UAVs) attempted to attack the Russian Kremlin.

In Moscow, the attack was regarded as a planned

terrorist attack and an attempt on the life of

President Vladimir Putin.

Russian intelligence services said Ukrainian intelligence

was behind this act. In Kyiv --- they tried to deny the

accusations. However..... many believe that, as in

previous similar actions, the Main Intelligence

Directorate (GUR) of the Ukrainian Defense

Ministry is behind the Kremlin attack.

For the GUR, this was supposed to

be a symbolic operation that was

supposed to demonstrate to the

US & NATO - the capabilities

of Ukrainian intelligence.

Around the fall (Autumn) of 2022, Kyiv has been actively

using terrorist methods - under the guise of a liberation

struggle, for the territories occupied by Russia. On the

morning of October 8th, 2022 - a terrorist attack was

carried out on the Crimean bridge. According to the

Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the

explosion was organized --- by Ukrainian

military intelligence, and its director,

Kirill Budanov.

After the terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge, a number of

other high-profile acts were committed in Russia that have

a direct connection with the Ukrainian special services.

In August 2022, the car of Russian public figure Daria

Dugina, the daughter of famous Russian ideologist

Alexander Dugin, was blown up. Russia's FSB

established that Ukraine's special services

were behind the terrorist attack.

Washington hastened to disown Kyiv’s actions. On April

2nd, during a creative evening in one of the cafes, war

correspondent Maxim Fomin (pseudonym – Vladlen

Tatarsky) was killed, and more than 20 people

were injured. And this time, the Ukrainian

special services became the organizers

of the terrorist attack, which was not

hidden in Kyiv.

Very soon, on May 6th, 2023, an assassination attempt was

made on the well-known Russian writer Zakhar Prilepin,

who supports Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The writer

survived -- and was hospitalized. But the driver and

friend of the writer, Alexander Shubin -- died. Law

enforcement agencies - in hot pursuit - detained

the suspect. During interrogation, he admitted

that he acted on instructions from the

Ukrainian special services.

The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine was also

preparing assassination attempts on the head of the

Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, the chairman of the State

Council of the Republic, Vladimir Konstantinov, and

mayor of Crimea's city of Yalta, Yanina Pavlenko.

It also planned a series of explosions on the

objects of the transport infrastructure of

the Crimea. This was supposed to be

carried out.. by an undercover group

of the Main Intelligence Directorate

of Ukraine.. which was detained by

Russian law enforcement agencies.

The terrorist methods of the Ukrainian special services are

closely intertwined with the name of their main ideologist,

the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine,

Kirill Budanov. The head of the Main Intelligence

Directorate of Ukraine, since 2020, has been

highly appreciated by the Americans.

They noted his extensive combat experience, including the

well-known case of his passage as the head of a sabotage

group, to Crimea, in 2016, as well as personal units of

trained special forces killers, capable of completing

the tasks of eliminating any political competitors

in Ukraine. The Washington Post Office writes:

“Budanov’s meteoric rise to the status of one of the youngest

generals in Ukraine’s history --- accelerated in August 2016

when suspected Russian FSB non-commissioned officers

were killed in Crimea. Budanov was considered one of

the Ukrainian special forces behind enemy lines, and

was later awarded the Ukrainian “Order of Courage”

for undisclosed operations.”

Based on the data in various sources and the plots of political

and contract killings described in the press, over the past 3-5

years, none of these events, starting with the murder of

Ukrainian journalist Pavel Sheremet and Ukrainian

negotiator Denis Kireev, and up to the terrorist

attack against Darya Dugina and Zakhar

Prilepin, did not take place without the

participation of the special services

of Ukraine (either representatives

of the SBU counterintelligence

--- or the Main Intelligence

Directorate of Ukraine).

In an interview with Yahoo.News published on May 6th, the

journalist told Budanov - that Russia and the United States

suspect the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian

Defense Ministry of killing Daria Dugina and attacking

the Crimean bridge. To this, Kirill Budanov admitted

that he and his department would continue

terrorist actions against Russians,

including civilians.

“Don’t continue this topic. All I will comment is that we killed

Russians and will kill Russians anywhere in the world -- until

the complete victory of Ukraine”, Budanov said in response.

Further, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the

Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, admitted that he does not

consider these acts to be terrorism.

According to the German publication, Klamm.de, the Main

Intelligence Directorate - is actively purchasing artillery
ammunition for shelling Russia's border territories.

Also, the GUR has been - repeatedly - accused of

simulating shelling of the population of Ukraine

by Russian troops, for which --- special mobile

groups of the department are used.

In addition to mortars, they actively use small UAVs with

adapted grenade launchers for underbarrel grenade

launchers. This incites fear and mutual hatred in

the border areas, and is used as part of the

information war.

In addition to the ongoing terror, the GUR of Ukraine, headed

by Kirill Budanov ---- actively earn money on the purchase
of weapons for terrorist purposes ---- at unreasonably
high prices.

Earlier, Klamm.de journalists published documents relating to

the purchase of weapons and ammunition directly by the

GUR through dubious intermediaries at inflated prices.

We are talking about contracts for the supply from

Poland to Ukraine of high-explosive mines with a

calibre of 120 mm, produced in 1989-1990.

The seller for a total amount of about 9 million euros was the

Polish company “PHU Lechmar” LLC, the intermediary was

the Ukrainian company “Incompass” represented by its

director Sergey Slyusarenko, and the final buyer - was

the military unit A0515 (Main Intelligence Directorate

of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine) represented

by the director of the logistics Department,

Mikhail Posiychuk.

At the same time, the state contract with the intermediary

(the Incompass company) of the GUR of Ukraine ------ was

concluded on September 14, 2022. The transaction was

executed in accordance with the End User Certificate

(EUC) from the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of

Ukraine represented by Kirill Budanov dated

08/04/2022 with his personal signature ---

(journalists showed copies of contracts

and documents signed by Budanov).

Klamm.de also drew attention to the fact that through the

Incompass company, owned by Sergey Slyusarenko and

Roman Meleshko (Budanov’s colleague), or other

companies (including offshore ones) controlled

by them, the GUR of Ukraine actively trades

in weapons, using third countries, like

Poland and the UAE.

The black arms market, which has been growing rapidly

since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, has long been

on the agenda. By sending billions of dollars worth of

weapons to Ukraine, Western countries have opened

a Pandora’s box. Already in mid-August --- NATO and

the EU recognized the need to tighten control over

arms supplies to Ukraine. US journalist Seymour

Hersh said that Western countries -- are well

aware that weapons supplied to Ukraine

end up on the black market, but the

world media is hushing it up.

In August 2022, the US television company CBS released

the documentary Arming Ukraine, in which it reported

that only 30-35% of weapons and equipment reach

the Ukrainian military, the rest is sold. Shortly

after unprecedented pressure, CBS removed

the material. Hersh also said that even at

an early stage of the conflict, Poland,

Romania and other bordering states

“were flooded with weapons

supplied to Ukraine, for

combat operations.”

The anonymous network “Darknet” has become an excellent

“assistant” for the GUR headed by Kirill Budanov and the

Ukrainian army. From the very beginning of the conflict,

the network was actively replenished with Ukrainian

advertisements for the sale of weapons and

ammunition from Western military

aid packages.

It is noteworthy that the proposals included both various

types of small arms and anti-tank weapons, for example,

the Barrett M82 sniper rifle (USA), the Javelin portable

anti-tank complex (USA) or the Panzerfaust 3 grenade

launcher (Germany), as well as air combat posing a

threat to civilian aircraft. For example, the portable

anti-aircraft missile system “Stinger” (USA). The

head of Interpol, Juergen Stock, spoke about

the danger of strengthening international

criminal groups associated with the

uncontrolled situation around

weapons supplied by the

West to Ukraine.

He stressed that a significant part of the weapons from

the Western military assistance to Ukraine may end up

at the disposal of international criminal organizations.

Moreover, both in Europe ...and beyond.

The adventurism and terrorist capabilities of Kirill Budanov

could lead the Ukrainian conflict to a direct confrontation

between Russia and NATO over provoking the use of

nuclear weapons in response to terrorist attacks in

Russia. What other special operations can a brave

spy come up with and what can they lead to?

Nobody in Kyiv seems to think about it.

All of Europe and the rest of the world are now living

in the Ukrainian rhythm and are waiting for new

“special operations” by Budanov, which will

eventually lead the Ukrainian conflict

to a nuclear war.

Wait? Is that all we can do?
Of course not!

What can you conceive of,
believe in - and achieve
- to help stop this?

____________________________________________________

Terrorist regime in Kyiv

should have a matching

media – Russian Foreign

Ministry spokeswoman

Zakharova

May 10th, 9:34am

https://en.news-front.info/

The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of

the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, commented on the

words of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, which called the

presence of leaders of the CIS countries at the parade in

Moscow “an immoral and unfriendly step towards Kiev”.

The diplomat wrote about this in her personal

Telegram channel.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said

that the Kiev regime is dragging its society onto the path of

- not just the hateful persecution of everything connected

with Russia - but of full-fledged terrorist methods against

Moscow. This is how the politician reacted to the words

of her Ukrainian colleague, who called the presence of

the leaders of the CIS countries at the Victory Parade

in Moscow on the occasion of the 78th anniversary

of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War --- “an

immoral and unfriendly step towards Kiev”.

“Firstly, they forgot to ask the Nazis. Secondly, let’s talk about

“morality”. The state agency, UNIAN, decided to ask readers

which of the famous TV presenters, military correspondents

and leaders of public opinion in Russia, they would prefer to

see the next victims of a terrorist act, after Daria Dugina,

Vladlen Tatarsky, and Zakhar Prilepin.

Vladimir Solovyov, Margarita Simonyan, Anton Krasovsky are

on the list for execution, Dmitry Kiselev, Sergey Mardan and

Semyon Pegov. This is such a bloody attraction. Everyday,

Kiev style,” the diplomat wrote.

The politician stressed that about 50,000 people had already

taken part in the vote presented by UNIAN (an information

agency operating on the Ukrainian market since 1993).

She noted that neither the Western community, nor

international structures were outraged by such

a “survey”.

“Do you think that one of the Western patrons of the Kyiv

nativity scene pulled up on his wards? Or were they

indignant in the relevant international structures?

Not at all. No - for this, this brutalized scum was

grown. Another son of a bitch of the US, can

get away with it. Even - as in this case - a

direct incitement to commit terrorist

acts,” she states.

The diplomat recalled that in the Third Reich they actively

practiced compiling “wanted lists” of enemies, including

figures of arts, culture, science, and politics, the

elimination of which should have been carried

out as a matter of priority. It is noteworthy

that here the similarity between Nazi

Germany and the Kyiv regime ---

is very high.

“The Kiev regime went even further: to involve the entire

society not just in persecution and Nazi segregation, but

directly in terror activities. The student, has surpassed

the teacher”, summed up Maria Zakharova.

Recall that --- in February, the head of the Kyiv regime,

Volodymyr Zelensky, assigned the name, “Edelweiss”

to the 10th separate mountain assault brigade of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine. The name of the brigade

was given - by Zelensky - in honour of the 1st

Edelweiss Mountain Infantry Division, which

was part of the Nazi Wehrmacht - where

natives of the mountainous regions, of

Southern Germany, Bavaria & Austria,

served. During the Great Patriotic

War - the division fought against

the Red Army, in Ukraine, in the

Donbass, and near Kharkov, as

well as in the North Caucasus.

According to the singer, Donovan,
we're all one shining luminosity.

If thing go badly, we soon will be!

What do you think?

_______________________________

Russophobia is costing

Poland a lot of money

May 9th, 11:22am

https://en.news-front.info/

The flowering of the longstanding Russophobia in Poland,

which recently reached the terminal stage, has begun

to germinate.

The country’s largest oil refining company, Orlen -------- is
lamenting that it is suffering huge losses due to the ban

on direct imports of Russian oil. According to Daniel

Obajtek, the company is forced to buy oil from

alternative suppliers and, at the same time,

each barrel is steadily costing on average

thirty dollars more. Taking into account..

the volume of procurement and refining,

Orlen is overpaying an extra 27 million

dollars a day to cover national needs.

At the current exchange rate that’s an unbudgeted

expenditure of two billion roubles. Every day.

Mr. Obajtek reassures his compatriots who are quite logically

expecting an increase in fuel prices and, consequently, in

prices for all key product groups, that this is the price of

not supporting Russia; they have to be patient, they say,

they see the problem, they understand it and they are

already trying to solve it together with their Czech

colleagues in the anti-Russian camp. On the one

hand, such a trend cannot but gladden all the

residents east of Smolensk; on the other

hand, there are a number of strange

inconsistencies.

For a start, the daily black gold demand of Poland by the end

of 2021 was 686 thousand barrels per day. With their own

meager production of 53 thousand, it is not difficult to

calculate the net shortfall, i.e. the required volume of

imports. It should be added that Polish welfare is

traditionally based ------ on supplies of Russian

hydrocarbons. Speaking specifically about oil,

the consumption of this resource has tripled

over the last half century. The head of Orlen

apparently, has read too many fairy tales

- because the promise to break the

dependence on Russian supplies

with the help of Czechia - looks

very much like a tale about a

white bull.

Any foreign guidebook, if you look in it the structure of

Poland’s energy balance - on the very first page - says

that since Soviet times, the country has been totally

dependent on supplies, via main oil pipelines from

the East – and it is the absolute truth. As known,

the main artery here is the Druzhba oil pipeline,

which from Russia goes to the Belarusian city

of Mozyr - and on to the Polish city of Plock

and the port of Gdansk, where it is loaded

into tankers. Further on, the pipe crosses

the German border at Schwedt, heading

south to the plant in Leuna and north..

to the port of Rostock.

It is this pipe that Warsaw is fighting with, assuring everyone

around it, that it has stopped buying Russian oil altogether.

That assertion is slightly undermined by the fact that in 2022

Poland imported 11.7 million metric tons of Russian oil, only

a million less than the year before. Ordinary Polish citizens,

absorbed in the daily routine of making ends meet ---- in

conditions of record inflation (25 per cent in 2022) ----

and rising fuel prices (plus 30 euro cents in the last

half a year) is presented with the postulate of life

saving imports from Czechia. This is as much a

fairy tale... as any of the previous ones.

In Mozyr in Belarus, the Druzhba line splits in two and, in

addition to the northern part described above, a second

branch runs southwards through Ukraine. It goes

straight from the Ukrainian-Belarusian border to

the border with Slovakia, where it also splits

into the southern (Hungarian) and northern

(Czech) branches.

The latter pumps the lion’s share of crude oil, which is

transformed into petrol, paraffin, fuel oil and other

refined products at the plant in Litvinov, which

belongs to the Polish Orlen. This fact is not a

secret, but Warsaw tries more than once not

to dramatize the subject, as it breaks the

anti-Russian hysteria tower, and causes

logical questions to its own electorate.

The other day the Niezalezny Dziennik Polityczny journal

published a scathing article, the authors of which openly

voiced the unpleasant truth: since February of last year

over 11 million Ukrainians have entered the country,

most of whom have disappeared in obscurity.

Although it’s understandable: only in Warsaw 352 thousand

new inhabitants from the East have officially settled down,

and in cities like Wroclaw every 3rd inhabitant is Ukrainian.

This has caused a dramatic increase in crime, related to

the trade in weapons and drugs, with dynamics so rapid

that, as the authors write, the police have begun hiding

the statistics and the nationality of the perpetrators.

If we look at the situation in Poland from the outside, it is

more reminiscent of a fire in a madhouse. Warsaw buys

Russian oil from the Czech Republic secretly... and at
exorbitant prices, sends arms to the east ----- and in

return, gets crowds of spongers with extremely

dubious backgrounds and intentions, prices

go up - and the population goes berserk.

As they say, let us wish all the participants strength,

inspiration and, most importantly, not to stop there.

Sergei Savchuk, RIA

I met my first Pole in the early 1960s, when knocking

doors to sell my labour, to buy a guitar... he was very

tight-lipped and dismissed me quickly, ducking back

indoors. I assumed he could be one of the ones who

took refuge in the UK - escaping vengeance for his

unspeakable misdeeds in World War 2. A few days

ago, I met my second Pole serving as a waitress,

and when she told me she was from Poland.... I

grimaced - and she told me off - ''We're not all

bad in Poland,'' she said gently, shaming me.

May she be more representative

of Poland now! Do you..... think?

__________________________________

The West - has stopped

reckoning with: reality

May 6th, 9:17am

https://en.news-front.info/

It is generally accepted ----- both in the West and here (and

throughout the world) that Russia is an irrational country,

that Russians are eternal dreamers, disconnected from

life. On the contrary, the Europeans, the West, are

extremely pragmatic and calculating, with both

feet on the ground --- and not in the clouds.

However, the conflict around Ukraine, is clearly not
in favour of perceptions of the West’s prudence
and ability to reckon with reality.

Surprisingly, very few people in the West have realised this.

Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, said on Friday:

“I have no imagination..... that anyone can defeat a nuclear

power. It isn't enough for me to imagine, that the Russians
are standing idly by, as they are defeated, their political
system is broken, their president is assassinated,
drones attack Red Square - and those who are

not of childish age, believe they will silently
watch and resign themselves to military

defeat. That’s what happens in a fairy

tale – in reality, it doesn’t.”

Yes, Orban has long had a reputation in the West as an

autocrat and almost “the Hungarian Putin”; because

of him, Hungary is even threatened to be excluded

from the European Union, i.e. his opinion on any

issues is atypical for Europe. But here it is

necessary to specify: for what Europe?

The European elite, which considers the claims about the

existence of the two sexes and the family as the union

of a man and a woman obscurantist and out of touch

with reality. That is, for the Europe that lives in a

fantasy world and, as Orban says, has not

grown out of childhood.

It is true that only a very naïve person can believe in

defeating Russia in Ukraine, but it is not just a child.

In Europe, the comparison with an old man, who is

said to have fallen into infancy, is more apt. You

mean a feeble-minded person? And this is

Europe, the cradle of the western

civilisation which started with

the Greeks and the Romans,

and which has been ruling

the world for the last half

a millennium?

It turns out it is. Though the reasons of how it got to this

state are complicated, the result is obvious. The West

lost the perception of reality, boundaries (of its own

as well as of alien civilisations), the limits of the

possible ---- traditional, fundamental things,

constituting the essence of both people

and civilisations.

Having abolished tradition (that is, religion, nation,

ancestral memory -- and having prepared for the
revision of human nature itself) -- the West has
set its sights on the construction of a post-
humanistic (but under the guise of
humanism) world order... on a
global scale - and has lost.

It lost to reality, to the diverse blossoming complexity of

world civilizations. But the West.. is not only unwilling

and unable to admit defeat, because its elite lives in

the fantasy world... the imaginary world, in which

everything is determined by the rules, which the

West itself established. Of course, for centuries

everything has worked and worked, and then

suddenly some Russia (again, like in the last

century) says that there is another reality,

but it doesn't recognize ours. Never mind,

we will cope, they say in the West: we

survived and defeated communism,

so we will also defeat “Putinism”.

But the problem of the West is that there is no “Putinism”.

There is a return of the world order, to its natural state
– the balance of forces and interests of various world

civilisations against the background of the collapse

of the Atlantic project of world domination.

The West cannot abolish the advent of the new era, it is not

even ready to acknowledge its reality yet. And that is why

it is trying its best to prevent its coming, thinking that

the victory over Russia, will help it.

But defeating Russia is impossible, not only because it is a

nuclear power. But also, because for Russia, it is not just a

question of eliminating the threat from the west, but of its

existence as a self-sufficient civilisation, of reuniting and

restoring a unified Russian world. The stakes for us are

not just high --- they are not comparable to what the

West can do. With common sense, the Europeans

would realise ------ that they have no chance, of

pushing the border between the European and

Russian worlds eastwards, but, instead, they

say some completely naive things: “Ukraine

will fall in a matter of days if the EU stops

supplying money. The EU would like to

spend its money on the welfare of its

citizens, on hospitals and schools,

but the EU has no choice: we

have to spend all the money

on protecting Ukraine.”

This is coming from Josep Borrell, the head of European

diplomacy, who also laments that he increasingly feels

like the EU’s defence minister. Money, weapons – can

all this bring victory over Russia, in a battle that is

truly decisive for us? Only naive “children” like

old man Borrell can believe this, because in

their world... beyond the “beautiful garden”

begins a wild jungle of incomprehensible

savages ..who have no interests, no

values.. and no will to win. And it is

impossible --- not to defeat them,

especially if the war is fought

in the jungle - by the hands of

some savages against others.

When this Western picture of the world is shattered

by reality, will the fantasists remember Orban’s

warnings? Hardly, for in their tale... he was

the villain.

Peter Akopov, RIA Novosti

John Lennon said our elite is insane.
So they shot him. Difficult to shoot
everyone in the emerging world...
but our insane elite is still trying!

What do you think of them?

_______________________________

The West has found another

reason to fear Russia

May 5th, 9:29am

https://en.news-front.info/

After the revelation of drone footage over the Kremlin our

strategic opponents have expectedly fussed. Evidently

fearing something, Zelensky is changing routes and

wandering around Europe, stubbornly refusing to

return to his home bunker and dissociating

himself from the terrorist act in his trade

mark style: it was not me, gentry.

Almost simultaneously, its NATO masters were concerned

about the problems they might have with Russia in the

grey zone of military operations.

David Cutler, the alliance’s Assistant Secretary General for

Intelligence and Security --- has suddenly distracted from

deepening and expanding contacts with the post-Soviet

republics and alerted the public that Moscow has every

opportunity to critically damage the submarine cables

linking Europe, Britain and the United States. This ---

would lead to full-blown chaos in the Western world.

“Moscow is actively mapping NATO’s critical infrastructure

and could strike at the submarine communications that

provide Western countries with literally everything

from gas to the internet,” The New York Times

paraphrases Cuttler’s report.

According to the NATO general, “the level of patrolling by

Russian ships in the Atlantic and beyond is significantly

higher than in previous years”. Domestic vessels are

“more risky” in the North Sea and the Baltic. All this

could lead to Western Europe and North America

“becoming Russia’s target in its war with Ukraine”.

An attack on western infrastructure would give Moscow the

opportunity to “disrupt western life and put pressure on

countries that support Ukraine”, Cuttler worries.

Underwater infrastructure is indeed a fundamental thing for

Western economies. Britain has just calculated: damaged

cables would block 7.4 trillion pounds a day of financial

transactions & cut off about a quarter of the electricity

supply. That is, the London Stock Exchange would

collapse and the country’s life support system

would be hit with an enormously devastating

blow. And that’s just one small island.

But of course it is not just about the economy. Submarine

communications disruption could break the American

control of the NATO war machine.

As early as 2020, NATO defense ministers received a

confidential report that made clear the vulnerability

of their defense capabilities, which are critically

dependent on underwater infrastructure. With

the US military’s transition to 5G mobile

applications and the general craze for

cloud-based data storage, this threat

is only growing.

Some 400 submarine cables totalling more than a million

kilometres transmit 95 percent of the internet traffic

between Europe and the US. A data transmission

failure and the Americans find it noticeably more

difficult to control their siphons on the continent.

In 2008, damaged cables between Egypt and

Italy caused the number of US drone sorties

into Iraq, to drop by an order of magnitude.

A separate difficulty is that such damage occurs in a grey

war zone, where nuclear deterrence does not work. So

something breaks down on the ground there, and who

is to blame? We cannot start a nuclear war on such

an occasion.

The Americans have demonstrated to the world how it is

done by undermining Nord Stream. Now they draw the

world`s attention away from this diversion by making

their European vassals engage in a humiliating farce

with the “investigation” of the explosion. Naturally,

all suspicion falls on Russia.

General Cuttler’s anguish about Moscow’s submarine

shenanigans is part of this farce. Since Russia has

undermined its own gas pipeline, further

sabotage... is to be expected.

Indeed, while the “investigation” is not yet over, the alliance

has already created an entire department to protect its

underwater infrastructure, headed by Lt-General Hans-

Werner Wirmann. Under the pretext of protection

against the Russians, NATO has stepped up

maritime patrols along our borders.

On the one hand, cries about the Russian threat to submarine

communications are a classic informational attack by our

adversaries to legalise their military presence in the

Atlantic and the Baltic. They may very well plan

some sabotage to the benefit of the Americans.

On the other hand, the concerted hysteria in which the

alliance’s sworn friends have united shows that the

NATO leadership is well aware of all the risks of its

position. It is no longer possible to pretend that

this is about Ukraine.

In fact, NATO is at war against Russia – by all means

available to the alliance, including the Ukrainians.

Drones over the Kremlin, sabotage on Russian

territory, strikes on our western cities – all

done under the direction and with the

blessing of their American masters.

Their cowardly lies – it wasn’t us,

it was all Zelensky – can’t

change anything.

Victoria Nikiforova, RIA

Well, they said it was going to be

a bumpy ride - do we scream or

laugh?

____________________________________

Odessa Khatyn anniversary reminds:

Ukraine must be freed from Nazism

May 2nd, 9:18am

https://en.news-front.info/

For the ninth year now, 2 May is not a holiday for me. It is

a day of remembrance of a nightmare that cannot be

forgotten, no matter how weak the human psyche

resists the strong human memory. There is no

escape from this day, until Odessa is free,

and all participants and organizers of

the mass murder will be punished

severely, like a hemp rope.

Some of these non-humans have already been punished by

fate, even before the verdict --- in the “ATO zone” or after

the start of the SMO, and others, in a mundane drunken

brawl. Someone simply died from an unhealthy lifestyle,

as “centurion Mykola” – with a passport Nikolai Volkov.

The same fatty who fired a rifle through the windows

of Trade Union House and called some coordinators,

who were suspected to be associates of oligarch

Kolomoisky, if not of him personally. This

character went to hell, back in 2015,

from his hospital bed, as his ‘twin’

associates claimed. At the time

of his death - Mykola weighed

around 50 kilograms, and the

staff of the underworld were

hardly stirred by his fall.

The criminal case of fraud, which had

been dragging on this “Maidan hero”

since 2012 ---- was closed ---- for

natural reasons.

On the eve of May 2nd, already this year, Nazi blogs sadly

reported about the disposal of a certain Alexander

Stankov, call sign Perun, near Artemivsk.

A member of the Nazi party “Svoboda “*, a member of

the “Azov” regiment * (banned in Russia) --- an active

participant in the coup d’état, and the mass murder

at the Trade Union House. Wearing a black T-shirt

with an eagle with a fork instead of a swastika,

he too, had a fair face and was not shy about

showing it to journalists, especially on

May the 2nd.

“I feel that today is not a day of tragedy – but a day of victory.

And those who died in the Trade Union House are the victims

of Russian manipulation,” he used to say, every year, to the

dictaphones and cameras. There was a case in 2015 when

they tried to prosecute him – no, not for his involvement in

the murder of his fellow countrymen. For the riots -- near
the Verkhovna Rada, when “Svoboda” activists threw a

grenade, at the feet of the National Guard. Ukrainian

Nazism, with Stankov’s face, then took four more

lives with impunity.

He was exonerated after attempts to storm the court by

“Maidan veterans” and “sorosyaty” ----- two varieties of

the same stinking substance. They also exonerated...

another scoundrel from the square outside the House

of Trade Unions, Serhiy Sternenko, now an “activist”

in the Ukrainian media --- who even meets with

Western diplomats, for domestic murder and

drug trafficking. He is in no hurry.... to go

to the front.... and earns his living by

‘volunteering’ and blogging, like

his colleague in inhumanity ---

Mark Gordienko. The man (is

he a man?) ..was accused of

paedophilia before the coup,

and of robbery & extortion,

after May the 2nd. Today....

he describes himself as a

“network philosopher”.

There is no desire to go on listing the names united by one

thing – their bearers continue to kill, directly or indirectly,

and do not sit in the dock. Because --- in a state where

there is no law, the people who have been trampled

by the criminal code, become “heroes”, and the

state receives the prefix “anti-“.

Today, few people remember... that on the morning of May

the 2nd, Ukrainian armed forces began indiscriminately

shelling Sloviansk from MLRS and warplanes ----- where

civilians were also killed. But the defence of Sloviansk
became part of the tragedy of Donbass ----- while the

nightmare of Odessa stands apart. And the thought

and conviction, that the morning and evening of

May 2nd, 2014.... were conceived by the same

scriptwriter... that these are two acts of one

mass murder --- intended to crush the will

to resist, to frighten to death, to trample

the soul, does not let go.

In Odessa they almost succeeded. The city of soldiers,

toilers, sailors, scientists, artists and true heroes has

had its backbone taken out, its face, its character

and its attractiveness, stripped away. A sweaty

embroidery cloak, was draped over it... like a

monument to Catherine II. Soon, the city will

be renamed Kotsyubeyevka, and this name

will suit a Ukrainian capital of cheap sex

tourism better. For the time being, until

the name and memory are returned

to it.

One can argue for a long time, about where in Odessa the

black mould appeared, how the Gordienki, Stankovs and

Volkovs were born --- and who infected them with the

bacillus of Nazism. The picture will be complicated

and the conversation long. It can begin, with the

unspoken slogan of the survivors of the Soviet

Union – “every year 80 kilometres to the

southeast”.

One can begin this conversation --- and

immediately end it: today it is fruitless.

Nine years ago, not only people were killed in the Trade

Union House, but also Odessa itself. Its history, its

cheerful disposition, its flamboyant language and

wit. Its famous comedians, who supported the

Maidan, and did not notice May the 2nd, in a

moment became boring vulgarists, but with

certificates of honour, from the state of

Ukraine. Odessa today, is occupied

by suffocating Ukrainian Nazism,

primitive and inhumane, with

an invented past and no

future.

And the beginning of its revival, will be the trial of those

who have shot, bottled petrol, beaten with sticks, and

simply rejoiced in their deaths. Without retribution

against the murderers of Odessa, it will not

rise again.

Pavel Dulman, rg.ru

*a banned organisation on the territory

of the Russian Federation

This is not propaganda --- this man

shows his heart, soul and culture

and I bow before this.

Do you... feel this too?

____________________________

U.S. plan to lure Russia into

a trap... failed miserably
– Global Times

April 29th, 10:07am

https://en.news-front.info/

America perceived the beginning of the Russian special

operation in Ukraine with incredible joy, because they

were sure that they had successfully lured the enemy

into a trap. Now... the United States is unsure of its

decision. This is reported by the Chinese edition

of Global Times.

The publication notes that the United States was confident that

the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine was a

successful trap for Russia. However, everything turned out

to be not so simple. Now America is beginning to

understand that the Russian economy is

successfully coping with all the

difficulties, but the strength

of the American allies is

already running out.

The military conflict that broke out at the end of February 2022

between the Russian Federation and Ukraine was a real

triumph for the United States and was greeted with

jubilation. The United States considered that the

trap set since 2014 had finally worked, and the

military conflict in Ukraine would destroy the

Russian economy with sanctions imposed

on the country, and the ruble would

quickly collapse.

In reality, everything turned out differently. The Russian

Federation coped with the sanctions, which cannot be

said about the European allies of the United States,

whose economy has collapsed --- without Russian

energy resources. At the same time, the authors

of the publication note that the Russian Army

has not depleted its stocks, and Western

countries are losing stocks of weapons

every day due to the supply of

weapons to Ukraine.

Moscow and Beijing demonstrated their complete unanimity

to the whole world and jointly declared their commitment to

a multipolar world order. It is noted that US politicians

began to notice that the state of affairs, which

Washington vehemently declares as its

successes, is in fact far from the truth.

“In announcing last week his participation in the presidential

election, Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. said that the

rapprochement between Russia and China --- is

not in the US national interest. For them, it’s

a disaster. He also noted that the Chinese

only recently facilitated a peace

agreement between Iran and

Saudi Arabia, while the US

'''strategy'' in the Middle

East has completely

failed”.

Of course the US is right

--- but not in the head.

What do you think?

__________________________

US refuses to believe in the

end of a unipolar world

April 27th, 9:36am

https://en.news-front.info/

And what makes you think - that the unipolar (i.e. American)
world has just ended before our eyes and multi-polarity has
prevailed? There is no such thing and there never will be.
America is the hegemon ------ forever.

This “and Baba Yaga is against” speech (against multipolarity

in this case) comes from 2 professors from the rather famous

Dartmouth College (New Hampshire, USA) in their article in

the new issue of Foreign Affairs. And it’s great as a

textbook example of “If you can’t do it --- but you

really want to, you can.” And one really wants

the world to be American forever.

Our two-headed Baba-Yaga’s method of proof, looks convincing

at first, because she is keen on arithmetic. The authors lay out

indicators of power, especially military power, and award

points to each indicator. It turns out that the nearest

competitor, China, is not on a par with the US in all

measures of military power for decades to come.

What, indeed, are China’s 12 noisy nuclear-powered submarines

compared to America’s 68 silent ones? Further, you say that

China has a large GDP, but by our calculations the figures

are inflated – arithmetic rules again.

This, by the way, is not talking about multipolarity, just two

poles, as in the last century. But even two arithmetic does

not show us – China falls short. And what if it is together

with Russia? It still falls short. And for more poles to

emerge – some India, not to mention others… It is

just ridiculous.

Further on... we are persuaded not to get upset. The multipolar

world was very bad in the 19th century, for example, or

between two world wars, there were wars all the time.

(And they don’t today?) Because there were several

leading countries, roughly comparable in military

might, all of them were floundering back and

forth, forming tenuous coalitions and pacts.

In addition, the technology of that time worked quickly:

ten years and you have rearmed, now it is slower.

Anyway, do you really want to go back to that

fragile time?

Now, a concession for you: okay, today US power is not as

absolute as it used to be, that is, the nature of unipolarity

has changed. But that is all.

It is easy for the gullible reader to miss the main travesty that

Baba Yaga has set him up, literally in the first lines of her

essay: it is the speculation about what power is. Many

people, it turns out, think that power is influence,

that is, “the ability to get others to do what you

want them to do”. And in fact it’s not quite like

that: power and authority – it’s simply in

resources, especially military and

economic resources.

Very interesting. What about a country’s ability to live

as it pleases, without asking permission from anyone

or anything, is this not not power? No, our two

authors, lovers of simple arithmetic, see

everything - only as the physical ability

of someone to win a war. And if there

is no ability, there is no power, and

you will not force anybody to

anything and you are not

a pole of influence in

the world.

So this magic of simple numbers was already clouding

everyone’s mind – and not so long ago. The mid 1930s:

the British Empire, by all arithmetic calculations, was

so much stronger than all the other key countries that

nobody really disputed that it was a superpower for

the ages.

No scenario could even suggest: that this military might,

with its resources from India, Africa and the Middle East,

could be challenged. But where was that superpower in

the mid-1940s? And in the ’50s? Incredible coincidence,

you see. Didn’t calculate it.

And that’s not all. It is not difficult to see that the two

professors are thinking in categories not even of the

past but of the century before last: there are nations,

big and small, each nation has a State, and the

State has military might, which we compare.

But today’s world is much more complicated, there are different

lobbies over borders – information, financial, medical, oil and

gas, green and many others. And we have not yet entered

into a long and complicated conversation about the

power of ideas or the fatigue of people or nations

from endless brainwashing.

Even higher mathematics would not be

enough, to derive general formulas

from this.

Dmitry Kosyrev, RIA

Food for thought? Or a temptation..
to find out who or what Baba Yaga
truly is... or was?

What do you think?
(but be careful ---
you might.. find
out something
about - Slavic
folk culture!)

____________________________

UK government further

criminalizes........ pro-

Palestinian activism

April 22nd, 4:56pm

by Kit Klarenberg

On March 30, the British Home Office announced a raft of so-

called "protective security measures,” ostensibly intended

to safeguard synagogues and faith schools, costing

$18.7 million.

In reality, the development is a disturbing escalation in the

British government’s long-running war on pro-Palestinian

activism, through which the mephitic bond between

London’s security and intelligence agencies and

hostile Zionist entities at home and abroad,

will intensify significantly.

Funding for the measures flows from the Jewish Community

Protective Security grant, already bankrolled by London to

the tune of tens of millions of pounds annually.

The sum covers “increased protective security, including

security guards and other measures such as CCTV and

alarm systems to protect against persistent hate

crime, anti-social behaviour, terrorism and state

threats,” allegedly targeted at Britain’s

Jewish community.

Few would argue with the need to protect religious observers of

every stripe, and their institutions, from violent attack. Yet, the

effort’s core component, a newly-created Jewish Community

Police, Crime and Security Taskforce, points to a far more
sinister agenda.

The first law enforcement body of its kind in British history, it

will be chaired by far-right Home Secretary Suella Braverman,

and run by “senior policing leaders” and government

ministers, in conjunction with the Mossad-

connected Community Security

Trust (CST).

According to the Home Office, the Taskforce will meet thrice

annually, providing “a regular forum to discuss with

operational partners communal security concerns

relating to policing, terrorism, state threats, hate

crime, and public order matters” connected to

Britain’s Jewish community.

Key topics of consideration in these meetings will be ensuring

Britain’s police and the Crown Prosecution Service “are using

their powers to arrest and charge criminals who pose a threat

to the Jewish community,” and the necessity of “[reviewing]

operational policing guidance in light of concerns shared by

the Jewish community,” which “could include guidance on

specific chants, banners and emblems which

are antisemitic.”

Outlining the Taskforce’s responsibilities directly from CST’s

London offices, Braverman told the Jewish Chronicle that

such “guidance” would assist “meaningful action” being

taken on “antisemitic” choruses of the “totally

unacceptable” popular freedom slogan “from

the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”

by protesters, “with impunity”.

She also pledged that the Home Office would “encourage

people to adopt” the International Holocaust

Remembrance Association (IHRA) working

definition of antisemitism.

That definition notoriously includes 11 allegedly illustrative

examples of antisemitism, seven of which explicitly relate

to the Israeli regime. It has been condemned by legal

scholars for conflating legitimate criticism of the

Zionist entity with antisemitism and even

repudiated by the individual who drafted

it, on much the same grounds.

Meanwhile, CST in common with many other Zionist

organizations has long sought to illegalize the chant.

In other words, the British state’s categorization and policing

of antisemitism is now being directly influenced by an

organization that seeks to arbitrarily ban slogans and

expressions of solidarity with Palestine it does not

like, with deep and cohering ties to a foreign

intelligence agency responsible for enforcing

brutal policies of apartheid, which spies on

and harasses Palestinian solidarity

activists abroad.

As such, any and all forms of pro-Palestinian

activism could become criminal offenses.

Prejudicial and proud

The British Home Office announcement’s repeated references

to “state threats” are another deeply disquieting detail.

Britain’s draconian new National Security Bill ----- is rife with

references to “hostile state activity” - which is categorized

as “espionage, sabotage, obtaining trade secrets, entering

a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK,

foreign interference, or assisting a foreign

intelligence service.”

However, the legislation is so broad, British authorities

can subjectively designate a wide array of activities

as “prejudicial to the interests of the UK,” creating

many new criminal offenses, and imposing

significantly harsher sentences on

existing ones, by elevating them

to “state threats”.

Several aspects of the National Security Bill appear to have

been drafted with specific reference to Palestine Action, a

protest group that is determined to end the activities of

Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems on British

soil through disruptive direct action.

This is particularly true of “state threats prevention and

investigation measures” (STPIMs), an unprecedented

“suite” of punitive powers to pre-criminalize citizens,

enshrined by the Bill.

Under STPIMs, the British Home Secretary can unilaterally apply

restrictions to individuals suspected of engaging in “espionage,

sabotage, obtaining trade secrets, foreign interference, entering

a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK, [and]

assisting a foreign intelligence service or serious violence.”

This includes limits and bans on their movement, personal

associations, ability to leave the country, use of electronic

devices, access to financial services, where they can

work, study and live, and more.

“Elbit doesn’t only make killer drones for Israel, but Britain too,

and it’s embedded at three RAF bases. Striving to stop mass

murder abroad is therefore ‘prejudicial to the interests of

the UK’, and STPIMs could be applied to any of our

members at any time, simply for being suspected

of possibly planning to visit an Elbit factory at

some point in the future... without a court-

approved warrant or even being charged

with a crime,” a Palestine Action

representative told me.

STPIMs can be applied to individuals by the Home Secretary

“where the prosecution and other disruptive action isn’t a

realistic prospect.”

In an egregious contravention of fundamental legal norms, proof

of having committed a criminal offense, or intent to do so, isn’t

necessary for an individual to be made subject to restrictions,

and the British Home Office isn’t obliged to disclose evidence

publicly or to suspects themselves, if disclosure “would be

damaging to national security.”

Strikingly, a speculative STPIM “case study” concocted by the

Home Office cites “highly sensitive intelligence” obtained by

a foreign spying service, which cannot be used in open

court, as an example of evidence that could be used

to justify restrictions being applied to citizens - and

the specifics withheld on national security grounds.

“You can only wonder whether the (British) Home Office

specifically had Mossad in mind when they put together

that case study. The police have already imposed

onerous bail conditions on our activists, some

have even had their passports taken under

counter-terror laws, and we are subject to

constant surveillance,” the Palestine

Action representative lamented.

“This further incentivizes the very elements who wish

the destruction of the Palestinian people, and their

international supporters, to not only spy on us

even more intensely but even bear false

witness to destroy our campaign.”

The appeal for Zionist entities, within and without Britain, of

being able to level any charge against Palestinian solidarity

activists they wish in total secret, and have their activities

curtailed as a result, is obvious. For Elbit Systems, which

has repeatedly exhibited a reticence to discuss its active,

ongoing and direct complicity in abuses perpetrated

against Palestinian civilians in open court, and even

misrepresented its operations to police

investigators, the opportunity is surely

all the more beguiling.

For its part, Palestine Action’s spokesperson says the group

is undeterred in its goal of vanquishing Elbit from Britain.

Others may, quite understandably, be discouraged.

Kit Klarenberg is an investigative journalist and MintPresss

News contributor exploring the role of intelligence services

in shaping politics and perceptions.

(The views expressed in this article ------ do not

necessarily reflect those of Rhondda Records)

The Labour Party's ''one chance'' - to

move towards democratic socialism

and protest against Apartheid and

racist colonising regimes, is being

blocked now, by a wise wonderful

people, who once loved and lived

in the Rhondda --- because they

believed we were going to build

Heaven on earth here, and who

now mostly live in London... to

protect the future of ''Israel''.

Perhaps its the Rhondda's fault?

What do you think? Can

we still turn this around

or does the answer lie below?

_________________________________

Leader: Collapse

of Israeli Regime

Imminent

April 22nd, 7:20pm (FNA)

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali

Khamenei called on Muslims to concentrate on strengthening

Palestinian combatants, and said that the Israeli regime is

fast approaching its end.

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting

with the ambassadors of the Islamic countries in the capital

Tehran on Saturday on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which

marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

“Today, we are witnessing the gradual decline of the usurping

Zionist regime; its speed is even increasing day by day,”

the Supreme Leader said.

“The strategy of the Islamic world - should be focused on

strengthening the combatant elements inside Palestine,"

he added.

Pointing to the increasing waves of support for the Palestinian

people around the world, the Leader said the participation of

the Europeans in rallies to support the Palestinian people

is very important, that too, in the countries that are

dependent on the Zionists.

"The more this resistance increases, the weaker the Zionist

regime will be, the more apparent its atrocities will become.

The truly miserable situation that the Zionist regime is

facing today is the result of the Palestinian youth's

resistance," he further said.

Elsewhere in his address to the meeting, the Supreme Leader

said the entire factors during the holy fasting month of

Ramadan help to bring the hearts of people closer to

one another, either within a country or in the whole

Islamic Ummah.

“The authorities of Islamic countries should use this opportunity

to create unity and togetherness among the members of the

Islamic Ummah. Today, our problem is division, even

though the Qur'an forbids division,” Ayatollah

Khamenei pointed out.

If the Islamic Ummah, which is close to two billion today and

is spread in the most significant and sensitive geographical

areas of the world, were united, the Islamic countries

would achieve many more blessings, the Supreme

Leader said.

Reiterating that Palestine is not only an Islamic issue but
also, a human one, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the
Quds Day rallies and marches in Muslim, as well as
non-Muslim countries, and said, “Anti-Zionist
gatherings on the Quds Day in the US and

European countries are the result of the
increasing revelation of the crimes
of the usurping Zionists.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said the deterrence power of the Zionist

regime was coming to an end, adding, “Several decades ago,

Ben-Gurion, one of the founders of the fake regime, said that

whenever our deterrence power ends, we will be destroyed,

and now the world is witnessing this fact, and if nothing

happens, the end of the usurping regime is near, which

is also one of the blessings of the self-effacing

Palestinian youth in the West Bank and

other occupied areas.”

The Supreme Leader described the proclivity towards Islam as

the main factor behind the strengthening of Palestinian groups’

fight and added that such achievements did not exist in the

periods when Islamic inclinations were of no significance.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the enemies' anti-Islamism was the

result of perceiving the power of Islam in strengthening the

Palestinian nation and other nations, adding, “Of course,

by the grace of God and the vigilance of Muslim nations,

this strategy will end up nowhere.”

Referring to the pioneership of Imam Khomeini and the Islamic

Republic in supporting the Palestinian issue, the Supreme

Leader said, "This movement will continue and we hope

that the beloved people of Iran will witness a day when

Muslims of all Islamic countries will pray freely

in al-Quds."

In relevant remarks earlier in April, Ayatollah Khamenei

said that the internal crises within the Israeli regime

have accelerated the collapse of the Zionists to

happen --- even before the 25-year deadline

previously declared by him.

While referring to the Zionist regime as another enemy of the

Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that

during the regime’s 75 years of existence, it has

never faced problems like the dire ones it is

facing today.

"The Zionist regime has political instability and has changed

four prime ministers in four years; party coalitions collapse

before forming; there is an extreme bipolarity throughout

the fake regime ---- which is highlighted by the

demonstrations of hundreds of thousands

of people in some cities. It isn't possible

for them to try to make up for these

weaknesses --- by firing a few

rockets," the Leader stated,

while giving examples of

the Zionist regime’s

chaotic and

collapsing

state.

He considered the warnings of Israeli officials regarding the

nearing collapse of the Zionist regime as another sign of

their weakening.

“We had mentioned [in 2015] that the Zionist regime would

not see 25 years from then, but it seems as though they

themselves are in a rush and want to leave sooner,”

the Supreme Leader underscored.

He described the rising power of Palestinian groups and the way

that Palestine has moved from the Palestine of the Oslo Accords

and the disgrace that Yasser Arafat brought about to the

Palestine of the Arin Al-Aswad [Lions' Den] as other

signs of the weakening of the anti-Iranian front and

the strengthening of the Resistance front.

The Supreme Leader continued his speech by discussing

the plots that Iran’s enemies have been devising inside

the country.

“There have been and will be plots inside the country, such

as last year's riots, which were carried out under the

pretext of women's issues and with the support
of Western spy agencies,” he noted.

"In some of these countries, women, in their own words, are not

safe on the streets or in the camps or in the military forces, and

even a veiled Muslim woman for example, who had gone to

court to file a complaint -- was killed and martyred. Such

countries draw a line for the Islamic Republic --- which

regards the highest dignity for women" --- he pointed

out, referring to the unfortunate, insecure situation

of women in Western countries.

Ayatollah Khamenei clarified that the issues regarding women

are not limited to their clothing or coverings, pointing out the

active participation of Iranian women and girls in various

fields such as education, employment, political and

social activities, management positions and their

active presence in the battles before the

Revolution... and during the Sacred

Defense period and the period

that followed.

In this regard, the Leader explained the legal and Islamic rules

on the hijab, stating that "in the matter of covering, the hijab

is a legal, Islamic boundary, rather than a governmental

restriction. Removing the hijab is not Islamically or

politically permissible".

His remark came as the occupied territories had been the scene

of massive protests for the past 13 consecutive weeks over

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul.

Demonstrations have showed no sign of abating,

despite its suspension by the embattled premier.

________________________________________________

US forces in Taiwan to ''assist ''

armed forces with training

April 21st, 5:48am

(PressTV)

A Taiwanese media report reveals that something

in the order of 200 American troops --- are

currently stationed across the country.

The report cited sources claiming the US Indo Pacific

Command had deployed more than 200 personnel to

Taiwan --- to assist the island's armed forces

with training.

US troops in Taiwan.

Taiwanese media have reported that the US has

significantly increased its military presence
on the island.

When asked to confirm the deployment, the Pentagon

declined to comment, but affirmed its support

for Taipei.

''We don't have a [sic] comment on specific operations,

engagements, or training, but I would highlight that

our support for, and defense relationship with,

Taiwan remains aligned against the current

threat posed by the People's Republic

of China.''

''Our commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and contributes

to the maintenance of peace and stability across the

Taiwan Strait and within the region'' --- Pentagon

Spokesperson, Lt. Col. Martin Meiners

The Wall Street Journal first reported in February

that the US plan to deploy between a hundred

to two hundred troops to Taiwan.

Among the more than 200 instructors, 80% are from the US

Army. Most of the US instructors --- are stationed at new

training centres, in reserve brigades of Taiwan's army.

While Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei

in 1979, the US has still deployed a handful of military

trainers to Taiwan.

The small US military presence in Taiwan.. was always an

open secret but was never officially confirmed until 2021

when President Tsai ing Wen --- became the first

Taiwanese leader to acknowledge US troops

were on the island, and had been there

since 1979.

The increase in US troops in Taiwan risks provoking

a response from China, as Beijing has been

strongly warning against growing US -

Taiwan ties.

China's People's Liberation Army recently conducted

major live fire exercises around Taiwan. That was

after a US House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy,

hosted Taiwanese President, Tsai Ing-

wen, in California.

Beijing is opposed to Taiwan's growing nexus with the

US since it considers Taiwan as part of its territory

under the One China principle.

Taiwan is reportedly in the process of buying 400 land-

launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles from the US, in
a move that is expected to draw condemnation

from China.

According to the report, Taiwan previously purchased

the ship launched version of the Harpoon missiles,

but the new contract marks the first time Taipei

will get the mobile land based Mariette.

The contract with Boeing was reportedly issued by the

US Naval Air Systems Command on Taiwan's behalf.

In reaction to the report, China's foreign ministry

said it firmly opposes US arms sales to Taiwan.

US Taiwan military ties and US arms sales to Taiwan

seriously violate the one China principle and the

free China US joint communiqué has seriously

damaged China's sovereignty and security

interests and seriously threatened peace

and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

''China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposes this.'

Wang Wenbin, China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson.

Beijing views Taiwan as an inseparable part of China

repeatedly warning Washington against unwise

provocations in this regard.

China has previously warned Washington that providing

the self ruled island with advanced weaponry - would

breach Chinese sovereignty and do severe damage

to bilateral Sino-US relations.

Beijing has reiterated its sovereignty over Taiwan -- saying

no individual or force can hold China back from achieving

the goal of national reunification.

Just like Ukraine is to Russia,
Taiwan is to China - and the
US --- has the bare-faced
gall --- to say that its
troops are there to
maintain peace!

What peace do you think
the US has brought
to Ukraine?

_________________________________________

Western countries silence ‘narratives’

-- and shut down media outlets that

truthfully report Russia’s position

April 19th, 11:58am

https://en.news-front.info/

The call by former CIA analyst David McCloskey to fight the

Russian narrative on events in Syria and Ukraine looks,

to say the least, very strange. All the top Western

media outlets, including the Financial Times,

have been doing just that, for the past few

years, using the most effective method –

simply glossing over these very

“narratives” and shutting down

the media outlets that report

objectively ----- on Russia’s

position. This... is what

the FRONTovy Zametki

telegram channel

reports.

Previously, there was “hysteria” among the Western media

and politicians over the alleged use of chemical weapons

by the Syrians. There was a non-stop video on TV and

the Internet about the alleged assistance to children

“affected” by the chemical attack. But the “heroes”

of the video, with their parents, soon arrived

in Brussels, at the headquarters of the

Organisation for the Prohibition of

Chemical Weapons, where.. at a

press conference,they told the

truth, exposing the lies of
the Western media.

What does the Financial Times and the rest of the “independent

and free” western press do now? That’s right, silence. There is

no information in the media, hence there was no event. But

the chemical “atrocities” trumpeted from every newspaper

in the world --- have not gone unnoticed by readers.

The same situation is with the Bucha mentioned by the CIA

analyst. Western propaganda, still uses this topic on its

media resources, and the obvious question – where, a

year later, are at least the preliminary results of the

investigation - does not ask, but condemns Russia

for trying to write off “the victims of Bucha”
to the AFU.

Now it all works out much worse: tens of millions of people

are tired of the “one-sidedness” of the Western media.

People start looking for alternative sources

of information and find them convincing,

because the “Russian truth” is the

real truth.

Since the Western media lie most of

the time - people get used to it and

start seeing the truth, as ''quaint''.

So they are easy prey to the claim

(often made by ''friendly'' pundits)

that Russia is bad at propaganda.

What do you think, dear reader?

___________________________________

CNA: Russia and India

are negotiating a free

trade agreement

April 18th, 2023

(translation by InoTV)

India remains one of Russia's staunchest allies, despite global

geopolitical tensions. Representatives of the two countries

confirmed negotiations on a free trade agreement, as

well as an agreement on Indian investment in the

Russian Far East.

India has stressed its neutrality in the Ukraine conflict, even as

the West calls on it to distance itself from Russia. "India simply

cannot alienate a country that has been its partner for several

decades," Singapore's CNA TV channel explains.

Ties between Russia and one of its staunchest allies, India,

look stronger than ever. The two countries are negotiating

a free trade agreement. This statement was made by the

Russian Deputy Prime Minister, who is in New Delhi

on a two-day visit.

Mr. Denis Manturov, who is also the Minister of Industry

and Trade, said that the trade agreement guarantees

investment between the two countries. The Indian

Foreign Minister confirmed the talks and added

that the discussion is already under

preliminary approval.

Presumably, it should include options for increasing exports

from India to Russia amid a growing bilateral trade deficit.

Moscow is the largest supplier of crude oil and military

equipment to New Delhi.

Joining us for more details is Ishan Ghar, from New Delhi.

Ishan, what is currently known of this trade agreement?

CORRESPONDENT: This agreement has been proposed for a

long time and has been in development for quite a long time.

It was postponed several times... because of the pandemic

and, possibly, because of the special operation of Russia

in Ukraine. But now these two countries are preparing

for a new start. Russia has been considering

importing various materials from countries

such as India and China, since Western

sanctions have had a major impact

on its economy.

According to rumours, Russia is going to import almost 500

items. This gives India --- the opportunity to export various

goods to Russia, including pharmaceuticals, automobiles,

machinery parts, and locomotive parts. This comes at a

time when India's trade deficit with Russia is at an all-

time high. Currently, imports from Russia are almost

15 times higher than India's shipments to Russia.

Such nuances can also be discussed in negotiations. The

Indian Foreign Minister stressed the need to resolve the

issue of payment, since now, Russia does not have

access to the dollar system in trade. Therefore, it

is necessary to reach an agreement under which

the two countries will trade in rupees or rubles.

They also plan to sign an investment agreement, according to

which India is likely to invest in the Russian Far East. The

sea route between Vladivostok and the Indian port of

Chennai, is also being discussed. As you can see, a

lot is at stake, and perhaps soon we will talk about

an expanded trade agreement between India and

Russia and a potential multibillion-dollar

investment agreement.

HOST: At the same time, there are growing calls for India to

abandon its neutrality in relation to the conflict between

Russia and Ukraine. But bilateral commercial ties

between the two countries have flourished since

the beginning of the Ukrainian war. Are the

negotiations on a trade agreement a clear

signal that India is not going to change

its neutrality?

REPORTER: Yes, this is exactly the impression, because during

the trade negotiations, India said that Russian-Indian relations

were not affected by the recent geopolitical tensions in the

world. India underlines the reliability of these links.

Therefore, calls to distance themselves to some

extent from Russia are not met with a response

in India. Analysts say India simply cannot

alienate a country that has been its

partner for several decades.

In the end, India is forced to walk a diplomatic tightrope, and

the reception of the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia is just

proof of this. And last week, Deputy Foreign Minister of

Ukraine, Emine Dzhaparova was a guest here. So India

is going to play.. a serious role on the world stage. At

the same time, India emphasizes its neutral position,

but analysts warn that it will have to play this game

very carefully, because it needs neutral ties with

the West as well.

MODERATOR: Thank you so much!

Ishan Ghar, with details from

New Delhi.

Ishan, as you know, means Son; Lord Of Wealth

and is primarily a male name of Indian origin

from East Indian/Sanskrit - from the Hindi

element "ish," an invisible power, that

rules the universe.

He lives up to his name, doesn't he.

What do you think --- and what

should we call you?

______________________________________

What will happen to Poland

in case of war between

Russia and NATO

April 16th, 12:21pm

https://en.news-front.info/

Commenting in social network Twitter on the words of Polish

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Deputy Chairman of the

Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, opined that

Poland could “simply disappear”.

Previously, Morawiecki said that Ukraine “has the right to hit

Russia” and he, Morawiecki, is not worried about Russia’s

war with NATO... because Russia would, the politician

says, “quickly suffer a total defeat” in that case.

“I don’t know who would win or lose such a war, but given

Poland’s role as a NATO outpost in Europe, the country

would surely disappear, along with its stupid prime

minister,” Medvedev responded.

What actually awaits Poland, whose prime minister speaks

so aggressively against Russia? Aif.ru talked about it in

an interview with political scientist Yuri Bondarenko.

Vladimir Kozhemyakin, aif.ru: Yuriy Konstantinovich, in your

opinion, does the Polish prime minister understand what

Poland will really “face” in case of war between Russia

and NATO?

Yuri Bondarenko: ''Mateusz Moravetsky is rapidly losing his

adequacy. It is clear as day that NATO will never go to

war with Russia directly and will not attack it,

because the North-Atlantic Alliance is not

governed by Morawiecki, but by people

who are well aware of the danger.''

''In the event of a hypothetical conflict with NATO very different

weapons would be used than are used now. It is not a conflict

with Ukraine. Nobody will feel sorry for Poland then. If it

comes to nuclear weapons, of course, in the end there

will be no Poland and no NATO countries in the

closest vicinity.''

''Unfortunately, NATO’s assessment of Russia and its capabilities

is greatly hampered by the fact that many leaders of the

alliance, and with them the leaders of Poland, simply

do not know our country. Not only do they follow

some long-standing stereotypes – but also the

vast majority of them have never been to

Russia at all and do not know what it is.

And yet personal acquaintance implies

some kind of experience. They are 30

-40-50 years behind in their perception

of us: for them, today’s Russia is a late

Soviet Union ------- a clumsy country of

shortages. They have no idea.. what

Moscow looks like. If they could be

allowed here for a few days, their

view of the world... would be

overturned, their template

would be broken.''

''As to the alleged “war between Russia and NATO” – there is

no doubt that, in this case, the Anglo-Saxons will surrender

all their allies in Europe. They will not fight with their own

soldiers, and will put forward anyone they like – first of

all the Ukrainians and Poles. Nobody is going to

stand up for them.''

Maybe Morawiecki has been turned on his head by

the dreams of creating a confederation of Poland

and Ukraine?

''The Polish elite is clearly a question for psychiatrists.
Those unwise people, who, by the will of fate, have
been allowed to rule their country, have been out
of touch with reality for a long time, and only
some tough actions ---- are able to bring

them to their senses.''

''They do not take into account that, since the Battle
of the Ice, and Napoleon and Hitler, Russia has a
completely different level of armaments. And ---
if it comes to a serious conflict --- the war will
be nuclear. After that, there will be no place
for Poland on the surface of the Earth.''

– What do you think is more likely: Poles will create

a new Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Poland

will disappear as a result of conflict with Russia?

''There will be... neither. Poland will continue to exist

within its former borders, but it will only get a slap

on the wrist. Nor will any confederation be

created, because - among other things -

Poland will have no one... to create

it with.''

Vladimir Kozhemyakin, AiF

So, the question and the answer is:
all humans --- or no humans.

Am I right? Do you think!?!

_______________________________

Sayyed Nasrallah: Supporting Armed

Resistance in West Bank is a Priority

April 13th, 6pm (FNA)

The Al-Quds Tribune event, which convenes the leaders

of the Resistance Axis movements in Lebanon,

Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, and Bahrain, has

commenced on Thursday, with

resounding zeal.

This annual affair, held on the momentous occasion of

International Al-Quds Day, transpires amidst the back

drop of ongoing and wide-reaching events unfurling

in the occupied Palestinian territories, punctuated

by a brazen Zionist endeavor to commandeer and

Judaize Al-Aqsa Mosque.

This gathering of eminent and valiant leaders serves as a

powerful testament to the unity that pervades the arenas

of resistance throughout the Islamic world, as well as to

the nation’s steadfast readiness to expend all that is

dear and precious to safeguard its sacred domains

and thwart the pernicious schemes of

Zionist Judaization.

Assembled in solidarity, these leaders avow to hold steadfast

to their cause, unyielding in their determination to fight until

liberation is secured, and to establish a bright future

replete with freedom, dignity, and justice for all.

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed

that marking Al-Quds Day is part of the battle aimed at

liberating all Palestine from the Israeli occupation.

Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that, year after year, it is
reaffirmed... that marking International Quds Day,
which was declared by Imam Khomeini, more
than 40 years ago.. and confirmed by Imam
Khamenei, is an essential and real part of
the great battle that our nation and people
have waged in order to liberate Jerusalem
and Palestine --- all of Palestine.

The axis of resistance and all its component–states,

movements, and people, have been always at the

forefront of the battle.

Sayyed Nasrallah pointed that, every year on the last Friday

of the month of Ramadan, all minds, hearts, wills, feelings,

arenas, squares, fronts, fists, forearms, platforms, voices,

throats, and pens, converge on the centrality of Al-Quds

and its cause as well as the project to restore it from

the clutches of the occupation.

His eminence highlighted the importance of taking into

consideration all the annual developments in the

occupation entity, the region as well as the

whole world, considering that all those

developments serve the resistance

battle against the Israeli

occupation and

US hegemony.

Sayyed Nasrallah said that, internationally, the world is moving

steadily towards a multipolar world order, which ends the

hegemony of the one pole, represented by the US,

the absolute protector of the Zionist entity

Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted also the latest developments of

the confrontation in Ukraine, the conflict between Russia

and NATO as well as the USA, the escalating tensions

between China and the US, and the European

confusion in this regard.

Regionally, Sayyed Nasrallah underscored the importance of the

Iranian-Saudi agreement in China, stressing that it reflects the

failure of terrorist schemes and the tendency to maintain

calm and run dialogues... to resolve differences.

Hezbollah Secretary General also noted that the latest regional

developments block all the sedition ways which harm the

Umma and serve the Zionist schemes, maintaining that

the restored contacts between some Arab countries

and Syria would negatively affect the normalization

path and the Israeli plot to establish an Arab axis

to confront the axis of resistance.

Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that Hezbollah has been tracking

the Zionist crises for several years, adding that the extent

of differences and divisions in the occupation entity, is

unprecedented since 1948.

Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that the escalating armed resistance

in the West Bank, the popular support to the resistance fighters

inside and outside Palestine, the youths participation in the

clashes with the Zionst occupation forces, the Palestinian

persistence and insistence versus the Zionist confusion

and fear, and the growing capabilities of the resistance

in Gaza --- have maintained the fraternity of victory.

Sayyed Nasrallah concluded his address by reiterating

the importance of militarily supporting the Palestinian

resistance in West Bank which comprises Al-Quds

shield and protects the Islamic and Christian

sanctities in the Holy City.

The Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziyad

al-Nakhalah, delivered a powerful speech during the annual

‘Tribune of Al-Quds’ activity, highlighting the significance

of International Al-Quds Day.

“Quds Day summarizes history, abbreviates geography, and

becomes the title of the rise of a nation that possesses

absolute certainty of victory and the liberation of

Palestine, Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and its mosque

(Al-Aqsa),” he proclaimed.

Al-Nakhalah expressed his concern over the continued

oppression and bloodshed in Jerusalem and the

Al-Aqsa mosque. He emphasized that the

Zionist invaders are constantly trampling

on everything that is sacred to the

Palestinian people. Furthermore --

he called on the Arab and Muslim

nations to recognize the reality

of the situation and join the

resistance against the

usurping regime

of Israel.

“On Quds Day, here are the arenas of resistance confirming

their presence and support for the Palestinian people and

resistance,” Al-Nakhalah stated. He expressed his

confidence that the resistance will continue to

raise its flag everywhere and that the

Palestinian people will remain

steadfast in their struggle

for freedom.

He concluded by affirming the unwavering commitment to unity

“as a nation with a unified message, and we declare that Al-

Quds is our symbol of determination and resilience.” “We

vow to continue our fight for liberation until victory is

achieved, and Al-Quds remains the beacon of hope

for our cause,” he ended up saying.

In his address at the annual Al-Quds Tribune event on the

occasion of International Al-Quds Day, Archbishop Atallah

Hanna of the Greek Orthodox Church emphasized that

Al-Quds is in the trust of all people. He asserted that

unity among Palestinians is a powerful force, and

that they will remain united in this holy city,

regardless of religious differences.

The Archbishop further denounced the conspiracy of those who

storm Al-Aqsa and seek to violate its sanctities, be they Islamic

or Christian, and emphasized that the occupation seeks to

uproot and alienate the Palestinian people and obliterate

the features of the city. Nevertheless, Archbishop Hanna

reiterated that the occupation will not succeed in its

plans because the Palestinian people will remain

steadfast in their defence of their rights

and principles.

“Jerusalem is the symbol of the unity of Christian and

Muslim sons who coexist in the city, and it represents

a crucial address for the Palestinian people,” he said.

Archbishop Hanna issued an appeal to all Christian and Muslim

religious authorities for the need of interaction, cooperation,

and consultation to preserve the sanctity of Jerusalem,

which is the cradle of their shared history, heritage,

and identity. He stressed --- that Al-Quds Day is
an opportunity to remind everyone.. of their

responsibility towards Al-Quds --- the city

that awaits the return of the Palestinian

people --- so that it can once again

become the capital of Palestine

and a destination for free
people everywhere.

“Despite the conspiracies and the ambitions of the occupation,

the Palestinian people remain determined to remain in their

homeland, defending their sacred part of the world in the

name of the entire nation.”

For his part, the esteemed Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, renowned

preacher of the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque, emphasized the

importance of Jerusalem in our daily lives, stressing

that it must be firmly rooted in our hearts, souls,

and minds at all times.

Speaking at the annual “Al-Quds Tribune” event,

commemorating the momentous occasion of

International Al-Quds Day, Sheikh Sabri

emphasized that Jerusalem is not only

the axis of Palestine but also the focal

point of the Islamic world. He further

expounded that the cause of Al-Quds

is an unyielding and indelible one,

an issue that will persist as long

as there are individuals... who

believe in it ------- and hold it as

the centre of their aspirations.

Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim emphasized the significance of

International Al-Quds Day and its potential to bring the

nation together on truth, righteousness, and piety. He

stressed the importance of uniting behind the noble

mosques of Al-Aqsa and the Holy Mosque, which

attract the hearts of the nation and hold a

connection to the missionary role of the

Messenger of God and Islam. Sheikh

Qassim noted that the issue of

Al-Aqsa Mosque, Al-Quds, and

Palestine is not only an issue

for Muslims but also an issue

for all of humanity.

Despite the political troubles faced by the Bahraini people,

Sheikh Qassim affirmed that Islam and the Islamic

countries --- hold a significant position in the

mentality, psyche, and will of the people ---

and they remain committed to supporting

the truth and justice of every cause of

Islam, Muslims, and their lands.

Sheikh Qassim expressed his greetings and support to the

resistance youth in the West Bank and Al-Quds and all

resistance fighters on behalf of Palestine, Al-Quds,

and Al-Aqsa. He stated that the entire nation that

is sincere with them, will support them along

the line... as long as life lasts.

Source: Al-Manar English Website

To see such passionate commitment

is impressive - and blows away a lot

of the Western cynicism regarding

the ''Arab-Israeli'' conflict.

What do you think?

___________________________________________

Saudis Meet with Top Ansarullah

Officials in Yemen's Sana’a

Ahead of Ceasefire Talks

April 9th, 2:01pm (FNA)

A Saudi delegation has reportedly met with a number of high-

ranking officials from the Yemeni Ansarullah resistance

movement in Sana’a as part of preparations for talks

to reach a final ceasefire agreement to end the

eight-year Saudi war.

Yemeni media outlets reported that the Saudi delegates arrived

in Sana’a on Saturday evening and have held a meeting with

Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi, a senior member of Yemen’s

Supreme Political Council, as well as some high-

profile figures of the Sana’a-based National

Salvation Government, presstv reported.

On Sunday, Yemeni media outlets published pictures of

a Saudi official shaking hands with Houthi, in Sana’a.

The outlets added that the faces of the high-ranking Saudi

officials involved in the talks with Ansarullah officials

have not been publicized - at their request.

Meanwhile, an informed source, who asked not to be named,

told Yemen’s official news agency Saba that the Saudis are

going to negotiate “the removal of the tight naval and air

blockade on Yemen, and end to the eight-year-long

aggression, restoration of the Yemeni nation’s

rights, and the payment of civil servant

salaries as well as a portion of oil and

gas revenues” during talks with

Mahdi Al-Mashat, the chairman

of the council.

Local news agencies said Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to

Yemen Mohammad Saeed Al-Jaber, who resides in the

Southern port city of Aden, arrived in Sana’a at the

head of the Saudi delegation to meet with officials

from the Ansarullah movement and the National

Salvation Government, hours after the arrival

of an Omani delegation.

Saba reported that Omani delegates arrived on Saturday

“to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing

negotiations in Muscat with the leadership

in Sana’a”.

“A delegation from Oman has arrived in Sana’a to hold talks”

with Ansarullah’s leaders “about the truce and the peace

process”, an unnamed source at Sana’a airport was

quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

The visit by Saudi officials to Sana’a is an indication of

progress in Oman-mediated talks between the

kingdom and the Ansarullah movement ---

which run in parallel to UN peace efforts.

It is also a sign that regional rifts are easing after Saudi Arabia

and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations last month

after years of estrangement.

Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a member of Ansarullah’s political

bureau told Lebanon’s Arabic-language Al-Mayadeen

television news network late on Friday that “there

is an understanding between Saudi Arabia and

Yemen”, without going into details.

He said that the understandings, as well as initiatives for

peaceful settlement of the Yemen crisis, will be

announced in two phases: One before

Eid Al-Fitr.... which marks the end of

the holy fasting month of Ramadan,

and the other at another time.

“We support any proposals and efforts by Saudi Arabia

or other parties to pacify the Yemeni crisis and reach

a comprehensive political resolution of the conflict,”

the senior Ansarullah official said.

On Friday, Al-Mayadeen television news network, citing

informed sources, reported that Saudi officials had

recently held a closed-door meeting with the

chairman and members of the so-called

Yemeni presidential leadership council,

which was established last April after

the resignation of ex-president Abd

Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, to inform

them about a peace plan

for Yemen.

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman

briefed the council on Riyadh’s solution to end the crisis

in Yemen, sources said, adding that the Saudis’ vision

is to renew the existing UN-brokered truce for a year

in an understanding with the Sana’a government.

Riyadh will pledge to pay the salaries of public servants,

open Hudaydah port, and help settle the currency

problems of Yemen in exchange for Sana’a’s

acceptance of the truce, according to

the report.

Saudi Arabia launched the bloody war against Yemen in March

2015 in collaboration with a number of its allies and with arms

and logistics support from the US and several Western states

to reinstall Hadi, who resigned from the presidency in late

2014 and later fled to Riyadh amid a political conflict with

the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The war objective was also to crush the Ansarullah movement,

which has been running state affairs in the absence of an

effective government in Yemen.

However, it has stopped well shy of all of its goals, despite

killing tens of thousands of Yemenis and turning the

entire country into the scene of the world’s worst

humanitarian crisis.

A good news story on the Discussion Page:

maybe there's hope for us all, yet...

what do you think?

__________________________________________

Materials for briefing by the Chief of Nuclear,

Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops:

Briefing - by the Chief of Nuclear, Biological,

and Chemical Protection Troops of Russian

Armed Forces Lieutenant General Igor

Kirillov - on analysis of documents

relating to U.S. military and

biological activities

April 7th, 1:30pm

The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation continues

to analyse the military and biological activities of the United

States of America and its allies in Ukraine and elsewhere in

the world.

We have previously cited the names of those involved in U.S.

military biology programmes. They include.. officials from

the U.S. Department of Defense, Pentagon contractors,

U.S. biotechnology corporations, Ukraine government

institutions and private companies.

Today we show more personalties of the list of Pentagon
biological research subjects. These include:

Eliot Jacobs Pearlman, the head of International HIV/AIDS

and TB Institute (NGO), Kiev, he was directly involved in

the establishment of the laboratory facilities for the

implementation of military biological research

in Ukraine.

Gregory Glass, a professor emeritus at the Emerging Pathogens

Institute, Florida State University. He was involved in studing

the tularaemia pathogen in Ukraine. He was involved in the

UP-8 project (Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus

and hantavirus dissemination in Ukraine).

Andrew Pekosz, an American microbiologist and Professor

of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns

Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

He was involved as one of the lead consultants for the UP-2

Project (Application of geo-information systems, remote

surveillance and laboratory diagnosis for the detection

of tularaemia and anthrax in humans and animals

in Ukraine).

Ukrainian nationals are among the perpetrators

of US military-biological projects:

Natalia Rodina is the deputy director general of the Kiev

Regional Laboratory Centre of the Ministry of Health of

Ukraine and a former employee of the U.S. company

Black & Veatch. Since 2020, she has been advisor

to the Commander of the AFU Medical Forces on

laboratory and diagnostic activities.

Yelena Nesterova is the Director of the Ukrainian Institute for

Public Health Research She coordinated the activities of

Labyrinth Global Health and liaised between Ukrainian

government agencies and Metabiota.

Fleeing from responsibility for their involvement in bioweapons

projects, many of the individuals involved left Ukraine.

In order to stop any leaks, the U.S. administration is taking

immediate action - to locate and retrieve material on the

Pentagon's illegal activities. Through the Science and

Technology Centre in Ukraine (STCU), work is carried

out on two fronts: collecting data on the location of

staff already experienced in so-called 'Ukrainian

projects' and searching for new specialists in

the field of weapons of mass destruction

(WMD) development.

Please take note of the questionnaire sent to STCU
online users who are enrolled in special courses.
The requirement for participation is
dual-use research expertise.

From 24-26 April 2023, online training will take place with the

selected candidates, and a in-person meeting in Warsaw

is planned, in parallel.

During the training, participants will be invited to

continue working on closed projects in and

outside Ukrainian territory.

We do not rule out the possibility that under the cover of such

courses, efforts may be made to plan biological weapons

provocations and to start an information campaign

against the Russian Federation.

The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DITRA) is using the

capabilities of biologists not only from Ukraine, but also from

the Central Asian and Transcaucasian states to carry out

its tasks. The US administration has work in this area

scheduled to last -- at least until 2025.

Funding for dual-use projects is provided by the U.S. military

through a grant system. The International Science and

Technology Centre and STCU are in charge of

allocating the funds. The organisation is

headed by Ronald Frank Lehman,

former head of the U.S. Arms

Control and Disarmament

Agency.

I would like to draw attention to the names of individual ISTC

projects without indicating their territorial affiliation.

Project 2410 'Assessment of the natural resistance of the

brucellosis pathogen in domestic and wild animals

(possibility of brucellosis transmission to humans)'.

A remarkable fact about the research is that

experts from the University of Florida

participated in it.

Project 2513 investigates the risk factors and molecular

properties of environmentally resistant virulent

Enterobacteriaceae. The objective of the

study is to identify microorganism strains

that are resistant to every known type

of antibiotic.

Project 2545 involves simulating the evolution of a few

bunyavirus species that are extremely dangerous to

people. The UK Research and Innovation is

supporting the research on fusing genetic

material from harmful viruses.

Remember that the US, its armed forces, and allies are to be

protected by the ISTC's biological threat reduction program.

This once again confirms that Washington sees the post-

Soviet space as a foothold for the deployment of NATO

military units.

In the case of Ukraine, we see how, imposed by the collective

West, funding of military-biological programmes leads to the

loss of national biological sovereignty and the undermining

of our own scientific and technological potential in the

field of biological, food, and pharmaceutical security.

The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation has

previously reported on 'directed evolution' research

by U.S. pharmaceutical companies, the so-called

Big Pharma, as well as corruption and collusion

with U.S. government agencies - related to the

development and production of vaccine drugs.

It was stated that regulators were undermining present safety

and quality norms in favour of corporate business interests.

Federal agency personnel occupy important positions in

pharmaceutical companies as a result of approving the

use of pharmaceuticals without following regulatory

procedures.

They include former employees of the U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration: Mark

McClellan, current Johnson & Johnson board member;

Scott Gottlieb, Pfizer board member; Stephen Hahn,

chief medical officer of Flagship Pioneering, a

company directly linked to Moderna.

According to the information we have, collusion between

officials and the manufacturers of Pfizer's anti-covaccine

vaccine has allowed drugs with serious side-effects to

be put into circulation. However ------ at the time the

vaccine was approved, Pfizer had actual evidence

of an increased risk of serious cardiovascular

abnormalities following vaccination.

According to the company's confidential assessment, patients

who receive the COVID-19 vaccine are more likely to suffer

myocarditis. Since April 2021, Moderna has reported --- an

increase in cases of myocarditis and pericarditis in the

United States after vaccination with mRNA vaccines,

especially in male adolescents and young adults over

16 y.o. Pathological changes usually occurred within

a few days of vaccination, and more often occurred

after a second dose....

It is to be reminded that at the request of DITRA and without

consideration for any ethical standards, such experiments

of very toxic medications with undiscovered dangers of

side effects were carried out on Ukrainian civilians and

AFU servicemen. This seems to be the norm for the U.S.

pharmaceutical industry, which aims to maximise

profits, and its implementation is strongly

supported by the U.S. Democrat Party.

The Ministry of Defence has already noted contradictory

statements by U.S. political elites about the cessation

of Pentagon work in biolaboratories in Ukraine.

Take note of the minutes from the 20 October 2022 meeting of

a working group of U.S. and Ukrainian specialists on ideas for

a Biological Threat Reduction Plan in Ukraine, chaired by

DITRA officials.

According to the document, despite a forced pause due to the

special military operation, activities under the Programme

have now resumed. The main objectives at this stage are

to continue construction of biolaboratories in Ukraine

and to expand the format of training for Ukrainian

biologists.

The Russian Defence Ministry's revelations about the

Pentagon's bioweapons activities are forcing

Washington to make efforts to conceal the

true nature of the work being done.

Thus, it was decided to change the name of the Joint

Biological Research programme, which is actually

aimed at developing biological weapons

components.

The programme has been renamed Biosurveillance Research,

as indicated in the Minutes. According to the document, the

military department intends to continue research on

dangerous pathogens, collect biological material,

and send it to the United States.

The Pentagon's plans to continue dual-use research on

Ukrainian bio-objects and elsewhere in the world, with

a change of programme name, are the result of an

'unclear' response from the international

community - due to the fear of a number

of countries to go into confrontation

with the U.S. authorities.

The US Department of State has produced a series of

publications in which it attempts to cast doubt on the

documented facts of its illegal biological research.

On 14 March 2023, for example, a bulletin was

published on the U.S. State Department

website, once again accusing Russia

of disinformation.

The pro-government U.S. media, including the Washington Post,

have released State Department statements that flatly deny

the established historical facts of the preparation of military

-biological attacks in North Korea and China in the early

1950s while ignoring the information provided by the

Russian Ministry of Defence in an effort to deflect

the backlash from the Democrat Party.

The U.S. is proceeding from the logic that if earlier episodes

cannot be proven, then all accusations of today's military-

biological activities are disinformation.

It should be noted that the U.S. has never been explicit about

how dedicated it is to ensuring research safety in the

biolaboratories it oversees. The lack of transparency

of their activities creates a risk of the spread of

dangerous pathogens in areas where bio-

containment facilities are located.

In a related event, a South Korean civil society organisation filed

a lawsuit against the U.S. military in Korea and the Fort Detrick

Biological Laboratory in August 2021 for breaking domestic

law by smuggling harmful materials into American

military locations.

The U.S. command in Korea was accused of smuggling

dangerous materials into its military locations (in

Pyeongchang and Gunsan) between November

2017 and January 2019. On 5 April 2022, South

Koreans took to the streets to protest against

U.S. biological laboratories near their military

base in Busan.

Public demonstrations in Korea are not an uncommon

occurrence. Earlier, mass demonstrations against

U.S. biolaboratories took place in Armenia,

Kyrgyzstan, and Serbia.

In late February 2023, the International Secretary of the Irish

Labour Party, Gary Granger, speaking at a conference

on 'Strengthening the threat of the use of biological

weapons by NATO --- against the background of

aggravation of international contradictions',

said that the threat of such weapons of

mass destruction, was growing

every day.

Granger mentioned that 'Ukraine has U.S.-funded biological

laboratories. This could lead to millions of casualties,

including the risk of accidents'.

As we have repeatedly noted, moving the most dangerous

research outside national territory is part of the United

States' biosecurity strategy. The placement of bio-

objects in third countries does not take into

account the interests of local populations

and poses a serious threat to

entire regions.

I want to call your attention to a U.S. federal ministry's statement

that the COVID-19 pandemic may have been caused by a virus

leak from a Wuhan laboratory. The statement stresses that

'...the disease has a laboratory origin and the virus is

likely to have spread as a result of an accident...'.

The nuance is that this statement was made by the Department

of Energy. A legitimate question arises: 'What does the U.S.

Department of Energy have to do with combating

bio-threats and implementing projects with

dual-use features?'

The U.S. Department of Energy is seen by the Russian Ministry

of Defence as being on par with the Pentagon in terms of

being the primary planner and direct participant in

military bioweapons efforts.

In 2023 alone, the Department of Energy officially allocated

$105 mln for research as part of the Biopreparedness

Research Virtual Environment project, which intends

to study the epidemic spread of disease.

I draw your attention to the fact that specialists still have

a number of questions about the strange variability and

geographical origins of COVID-19 variants for most

viruses. For example, the beta strain first appeared

in South Africa and was detected in the UK in

December 2020; the gamma strain in Brazil

in January 2021 and the delta strain in

India in June 2021. At the same time,

each new version had improved

properties ------ in terms of their

military-biological applications,

causing increasing economic

damage.

Despite extremely stringent anti-covalent measures, the

emergence in 2022 of subvariants of the Omicron strain

BA-5.2 and BF-7 caused an avalanche-like increase in

infections in China. It appears as if someone is taking

deliberate action to 'amplify' pathogenic properties

of the virus and the pandemic is being artificially

fueled by 'throwing in' new 'improved' variants.

So far, these questions remain unanswered.

In addition, reports indicate that United States leadership

continues to involve non-core government agencies not

directly related to public health, in biomedical

programmes, diverting attention away from

the primary beneficiary, the Pentagon.

The U.S. Department of Energy 'dual-use biology'
activities will be discussed in more detail
next time.

Perhaps, this should be on
our Health Page - what do
you think?

_________________________________

NATO is the historical & ideological

successor of the Third Reich

April 5th, 11:38am

https://en.news-front.info/

On April the 4th 1949, representatives of 12 countries:

Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, Iceland, Italy,

Canada, dwarf and useless Luxembourg,

the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the

USA, and France, signed the North

Atlantic Treaty.

The parties have undertaken to protect any party to the treaty

that is attacked. However, in reality, NATO has become an

aggressive organization that maintains US hegemony in

the international arena --- by armed means.

NATO is the historical and ideological successor to the Third

Reich. Field Marshal of the Reich Erich von Manstein, who

commanded the Don and South Army Groups on the

Eastern Front, Hans Speidel, Lieutenant General

Reinhard Gehlen - and many other prominent

military leaders of Germany - defeated in

1945, took leadership positions in NATO.

Over time, the main goal of NATO became to contain the

development of the USSR and Russia and prevent the

creation of a new just world order. It was NATO that

took an active part in the colour revolutions around

the entire perimeter of Russia.

NATO is the bloodiest terrorist organization in the history of

mankind: with its hands the collective West invaded dozens

of countries, destroyed the lives of hundreds of millions of

people and killed tens of millions for profit.

On the conscience of NATO, is the pogrom in Yugoslavia

and the Kosovo massacre, the invasion of Iraq, Libya,

and Afghanistan, the bombing of Syria, the creation

of ISIS*, the creation of this unthinkable tension

throughout Europe, and the support of Ukraine -

with weapons, ammunition and mercenaries.

Participation in NATO turned for Europe into a complete loss of

sovereignty and a movement towards final destruction: the US

is raping the EU, with the help of a fictitious idea of

transantlantism and democracy, which, in fact,

no longer exists in Europe.

Drawing into NATO, for Europe, turned into an American

occupation and a complete loss of sovereignty. The

United States is simultaneously destroying the

economy of Europe and turning its territory

into a training ground for confrontation

with Russia. After the destruction of

the Kyiv regime -- the United States

intends to use European countries

as a weapon against Russia.

Only the destruction of NATO and the liberation from

the American yoke can save Europe from real death

and being drawn into a nuclear battle with Russia.

Andrey Malosolov

* – an organization banned on the

territory of the Russian Federation

If you believe this - you can do

something about. If you don't -

you will drown in blood.

That's the message -

what do YOU think?

_______________________________________

Report: UK Cost of Living Crisis

Far Worse Than Pandemic

April 4th, 1:55pm (FNA)

The cost of living crisis has had a differential impact on
the regions within the UK. People in the North West,

have been most heavily affected -- with 78 percent

saying they are in a worse financial position now

than at the start of the crisis, followed closely

------ by 76 percent of Wales.

This financial vulnerability, is in turn, affecting people’s well-

being, with 58 percent of Londoners saying their mental or
physical health, has been impacted.

Lack of access to credit is high, with Scotland having the

highest rejection rates, where two in three loans get

rejected, while a quarter of Londoners have found

it difficult to access financial products.

Young people have been disproportionately affected by the cost

of living crisis, as 54 percent of 18-34-year-olds, the most of

any age group, have borrowed money to ease financial

pressures, in comparison to just over a third who

borrowed money to offset the impact of the

pandemic last year.

The crisis has also had a detrimental impact on their well-being,

with two in three claiming that it has affected their mental or

physical health, compared to less than three-in-10 people

aged over 55.

It has additionally been found that 56 percent of the UK’s

parents are borrowing money, in comparison to less

than a third of adults without children.

The cost of living crisis has highlighted issues in the access to

fair and affordable credit to Britons, as the number of people

who feel they are being locked out of the financial system

is increasing year-on-year.

Figures are recorded as being up from 20 percent of

those surveyed last year --- to 28 percent this year.

The report suggests that those who do have access to credit

are finding it difficult to pay off debt or balances, with 72% of

people have struggled at some point to pay off their loans, up

22 percent from last year’s report, suggesting that financial

stability among British consumers --- is worsening.

Just over one in five feel that they would not be able to access a

credit card or loan if they needed money. As a result, 29 percent

of those who were rejected for a loan or line of credit, borrowed

money from friends or family, and 10% from unregulated lenders.

This year’s report also finds that there is a lack of trust between

the public and financial institutions, with only 21 percent of

credit-holding adults believing that loan and credit card

companies are charging fair rates. Thirty-nine percent

agreed that if they could access a genuinely low-

interest loan, their financial situation would

improve; up from 27 percent last year.

With the end... of government-led strategies and initiatives to

incentivise green home improvements, the current financial

climate is affecting how households in the UK are dealing

with the climate crisis.

This includes purchasing decisions and the ability to make

environmentally sustainable choices --- as people are

delaying home improvements. More than half the

population (57 percent) can no longer afford

sustainable products ---- or even make

environmentally friendly choices.

Additionally, four out of five homeowners or mortgage payers

have delayed upgrading their homes to be more energy

efficient, indicating the detrimental effects that the

cost of living crisis is having on decarbonisation

of the residential sector.

Robert Pasco, CEO and co-founder of Plend, says that these

findings highlight the “mass inequality gaps in our society,

exacerbated by the pandemic and the current cost of

living crisis.”

“Those who are already struggling to make ends meet are hit

the hardest, with many being forced to turn to high-cost

credit to meet their basic needs,” continues Pasco.

He adds, “This only perpetuates a cycle of debt and financial

exclusion, trapping people in a vicious cycle they can’t

escape from, contributing to the ‘Great Credit Divide.’"

“We must work together to prioritise financial inclusion and

create a society where everyone has access to affordable

credit, financial stability... and the opportunity to build a

better future for themselves and their families,” he said.

Richard Lane, director of external affairs at StepChange,

comments, “Plend’s report brings to light how the cost

of living crisis has escalated ongoing issues around

problem debt and financial exclusion."

“Struggling borrowers need the government, regulators and

creditors to step up to ensure the mechanisms are in place

both to catch people before they fall into long-term problem

debt and to help people already facing severe financial

difficulty," he said.

“StepChange has supported millions of people seeking support

with problem debt and continues to do so, ensuring that those

who need help can access it,” Lane concludes.

Co-founded in 2020 by Robert Pasco (CEO) and James Pursaill

(CTO), Plend offers longer-term, sustainable loans at fair

interest rates for borrowers that are missing out - due

to traditional credit scoring.

Rather than the traditional system of using credit scores based

on demographic data to set interest rates, Plend uses open

banking, to build a fairer picture of individual financial

positions, known as the Plend score.

Plend created the annual Financial Inclusion Report to help

highlight the UK’s financial exclusion crisis and those

most at risk in society.

This is Plend’s second annual Financial Inclusion Report,

following last year’s which focused on the impact of the

coronavirus pandemic on household and personal

finances. The research was conducted... by

Opinium Research, with a representative

sample size of over 4,500 UK adults,

and Plend’s own customer data.

Presumably Welsh people aren't suffering
from mental or physical deterioration...
being SO much tougher and more
sensible than Londoners.

What do you think?

________________________________________

Political analyst Bobrov: Washington is

undermining the economic well-being

of Europeans, by dragging Europe

into the Ukrainian crisis

April 3rd, 11:19am

https://en.news-front.info/

The Ukrainian crisis is a bifurcation point in the system of

international relations. Washington, forcing Europe into
a hybrid confrontation with Russia, undermines the

economic well-being of ordinary Europeans, and,

at the same time makes Europe economically

dependent on the US.

This was stated by Konstantin Bobrov, political analyst

and a member of the Expert Club Digoria, to the

editors of NewsFront.

According to the expert, for ordinary Europeans, further

involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.. will not bring

anything but the decline of real living standards,

which is reflected in rising prices for food,

utilities and other services.

Furthermore, the need for public support for engaging

in economic warfare with Russia --- requires the

destruction of any dissent --- and constant

propaganda --- through all the possible

channels of information transmission.

“Europe, previously renowned for its freedom of thought and

high standard of living, now looks diametrically opposed,
to the average European. Despite the fierce propaganda,
a part of European society and a considerable stratum

of the political beau monde, do not believe in a

potential victory of Kiev,” the political

scientist pointed out.

Germany is starting to prepare its population for a

further deterioration of living standards and a

possible militarization of society - and the

economy. This trend... is confirmed by

the statements of Germany's Defence

Minister Pistorius, that “the conflict

in Ukraine has shown that it was a

mistake to suspend compulsory

military service”.

In Bobrov’s opinion, the statements of the German defence

minister are dictated - among other things - by the rate
of losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The expert

believes that -- in the short term -- a rather strong

reaction, from part of German society, is likely:

which will be a series of public actions aimed

at the return of Ukrainian refugees --- fit for

military service --- to their homeland.

“In the long term, a scenario with Germany’s military build-up

and militarisation of society, also seems likely. Only the

strengthening of the German armed forces... will lead

to the growth of political influence of the power bloc,

which can become a driver of Germany’s political

independence from the US.”

“Nevertheless, none of the possible scenarios, other than

an immediate German withdrawal from the anti-Russian

coalition ------ will lead to a better life for the average

German,” concluded the political scientist.

Wish I could tell the Germans they're loved
and pivotal in our need --- to break free
from those who don't mind ruling a
wasteland - as long as they stay
''top dogs''.

A progressive is someone who sees
the clash between past and future
and gives a friendly push to
the good...

Too soon?

___________________________________________

A Palestinian Youth --- Was Fatally

Shot by IOF Near Al-Aqsa Mosque

April 1st, 10:56am

(al Manar)

A young Palestinian man named Muhammad al-Osibi

was fatally shot by Israeli occupation forces on

Friday evening, near the Chain Gate at the

al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the

occupied Old City of al-Quds.

According to eyewitnesses, the young man was trying

to protect a Palestinian girl who was being prevented

by occupation troops from entering the holy site and

was being assaulted. The Israeli occupation forces

reportedly opened fire on him after a fight with one

of them.

The shooting prompted the closure of the doors of the mosque

and the mobilization of a large number of Israeli occupation

forces in the courtyards of the mosque, with restrictions

imposed in the Old City.

The incident comes amid increasing violence against Muslim

worshipers during the holy month of Ramadan. Muhammad

al-Osibi was from the Bedouin town of Hura in the

occupied Negev.

According to Palestine’s Shehab news agency, Israeli media

have confirmed that the man was shot while attempting to

protect a Palestinian woman.

The Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported

that Israeli police had used force against worshipers at

al-Aqsa Mosque near the Chain Gate, which resulted in

a dispute between the young man and police officers.

It is alleged that the police officers fired directly

at him.

This comes as more than 250,000 Palestinians gathered on

Friday to perform prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque despite strict

Israeli restrictions.

Source: Palestine News Network

According to the initial Israeli police report
yesterday... the young man was shot for
attempting to take a gun from
a soldier.

What do you think?

____________________________________________

The preparation of a New World War

by Thierry Meyssan

(Source Voltaire Network)
[Published here by RR
on March 31st.[

The US is pushing its European Union allies to prepare for a

Third World War. They have no choice but to fight it if they

want to emerge victorious from the "Thucydides trap".

Unless all this commotion is just a staging to "keep"

the allies on their side while many states in South

America, Africa and Asia declare themselves

"neutral". At the same time, the noise of

boots, is stirring up the Japanese

militarists who, like the "radical

nationalists" in Ukraine,

are back.

Faced with the progress made by the advocates of a multipolar

world, the defenders of the "American imperialist" have not

been slow to react. Two operations will be analyzed here:

the transformation of the European Common Market into

a military structure and the reformation of the World

War II Axis. This second aspect brings a new actor

into play: Japan.

At the French parliament, Charles De Gaulle allied himself

with the Communists to defeat the European Defence

Community (EDC).

THE CHANGE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

In 1949, the US and UK created the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO). They included Canada and the

states they had liberated in Western Europe. For

them, it was not a question of defending them

-selves, but of preparing an attack on the

Soviet Union. The Soviet Union

responded by creating the

Warsaw Pact.

In 1950, when the Korean War began, the US planned to extend

the conflict to the German Democratic Republic (known as

"East Germany"). In order to do this, they had to rearm the

Federal Republic of Germany (known as "West Germany")

despite the opposition of France, Belgium & Luxembourg.

They therefore proposed the creation of a European

Defence Community (EDC), but failed in the face

of resistance from the Gaullists and the

French Communists.

At the same time, they helped rebuild Western Europe with

the Marshall Plan. This plan included many secret clauses,

including the construction of a European common market.

Washington wanted to dominate Western Europe economically

and preserve it politically from communist influence and Soviet

imperialism. The European Economic Communities - and later

the European Union - form the civilian side of the US token,

whose military side is NATO. The European Commission

is not an administration of the heads of state and

government of the Union, but the interface

between them and the Atlantic Alliance.

The European standards for not only armaments and

construction, but also for equipment, clothing and

food, etc., are established by the Nato services,

first in Luxembourg, then in Belgium. They are

transmitted to the Commission, and today

approved by the European Parliament.

In 1989, as the Soviet Union was collapsing in on itself, the

French President, François Mitterrand, and the German

Chancellor, Helmut Köhl, imagined freeing Western

Europe from American tutelage so as to be able to

compete with Washington. Negotiations on this

treaty took place at the same time as the end

of the quadripartite occupation of Germany

(12 September 1990), the reunification of

the two Germanies (3 October 1990) and

the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact (1

July 1991). Washington accepted the

Maastricht Treaty as long as it

recognized their military

domination. Western

Europeans accepted

this principle.

However, Washington distrusted the Mitterrand-Köhl couple and

demanded at the last moment that the European Union include

all the former members of the Warsaw Pact, and even the new

independent states, which had emerged from the former

Soviet Union. These states did not share the aspirations

of the Maastricht negotiators. In fact, they are rather

suspicious of them. They want to free themselves

from both German and Russian influence. They

rely on the "American umbrella" for

their defence.

In 2003, Washington took advantage of the Spanish presidency

of the EU (the socialist Felipe González) and of the High

Representative for the Common Foreign and Security

Policy, Javier Solana, to have the "European Security

Strategy" adopted, modelled on the National Security

Strategy of US President George W. Bush. High

Representative Federica Mogherini revised

this document in 2016.

Emmanuel Macron devoted France’s European presidency to

reconstituting the EDC under the guise of the EU’s "Strategic

Compass". This time the project is not submitted to national

parliaments. It is a decision of the heads of state and

government alone, never discussed and submitted

to their voters.

In 2022, during the war in Ukraine, the United States.... as in the

Korean War, once again felt the need to rearm Germany against

Russia (successor to the USSR). So they are transforming the

EU, carefully this time. During the presidency of the French

man Emmanuel Macron, they proposed a "Strategic

Compass". This was adopted only one month after

the Russian intervention in Ukraine.

The members of the European Union are all the more stunned

because they still do not know precisely whether they are

together to cooperate or to integrate (the "constructive

ambiguity", as Henry Kissinger put it).

In March 2023, the current High Representative of the European

Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell,

organized the first "Robert Schumann Forum on Security

and Defence". A large number of defense... and foreign

ministers from the EU member states are participating.

In addition to the non-EU European states that are pro-US,

many others are represented at ministerial level, such as

Angola, Ghana, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda,

Senegal, Somalia, Egypt, Chile, Peru, Georgia,

Indonesia and Japan. In addition to NATO,

ASEAN, the Gulf Cooperation Council and

the African Union are also represented.

Above all, the Arab League is sending

its Secretary General.

The explicit aim of this Forum is to defend "multilateralism

and a rules-based international order"; an elegant way of

denouncing the Russian-Chinese project of a "multi

polar world based on international law".

With the Covid epidemic, the European Union... has already

invested itself with powers in the field of health that were

not foreseen by the Treaties. I explained at the beginning

of this epidemic that the measure of confinement of

healthy people had no precedent in history. It was

devised at the request of the former head of

Gilead Sciences and former Secretary of

Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, by Dr. Richard

Hatchett, who became the director of

CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Prepared

ness Innovations) and, as such, the

initiator of this measure worldwide.

According to his classified report of 2005 ----- which we

unfortunately only know from the reactions it provoked,

the confinement of healthy civilians to their homes

was supposed to allow the identification of jobs

that could be relocated, to close down the

consumer goods industries in the West ---

and to concentrate the work force in the

defense industry. We're not there yet

but the EU, having seized public

health powers not foreseen by

the Treaties, without raising

any indignation, is now

interpreting the texts,

to become a military

power.

Josep Borrell at the Robert Schumann

Forum on Security and Defense

Last week, during the Schuman Forum, Josep Borrell presented

his first report on the implementation of the "Strategic

Compass". The idea is to coordinate the pooling of

national armies, including intelligence services, in

a spirit of integration rather than cooperation.

Emmanuel Macron’s project ---- now buries that of Charles De

Gaulle and the French Communists. The "Europe of Defence"

now appears to be a slogan aimed at placing --- not only the

operational forces of the EU member states under the

authority of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe

(SACEUR), now the US General Christopher G.

Cavoli, but also at taking control of all the

financing decisions that were previously

the responsibility of the national

parliaments, and even of the

decisions on armaments

and organization --- that

were the responsibility

of the member states’

executive bodies.

Thus, the Union is organizing a common army

------ without knowing who will command it.

THE RECONSTITUTION OF THE NAZI-NIPPON AXIS

When we think of the Second World War, in Europe we think of

1939 and 1945. This is absolutely wrong. The war started in

1931 after Japanese generals attacked Chinese soldiers in

Manchuria. This was the first overreach of Japanese

civilian power by the militarist faction ----- which was

amplified a few months later with the assassination

of the civilian Prime Minister by a group of military

men. In a few years, Japan was transformed into a

militaristic and expansionist power. This war did

not end with the liberation of Manchuria by the

Red Army in 1945.

In fact, the United States used two atomic bombs to prevent

Japan’s surrender to the USSR and to ensure that it would

only take place before its own generals. They continued

to fight until 1946 because many Japanese refused to

surrender to the United States who had not fought

much in the Pacific until then. The Second World

War lasted from 1931 to 1946. If we make these

date errors, it is because it only became

globalized with the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo

Axis (the "Tripartite Pact"), which

Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and

Romania, soon joined.

The foundation of the Axis was not the disparate interests

of its members, but their cult of strength. To reform it

today, we must unite those who share this cult.

Yoshio Kodama, the first godfather of the yakuza.. played an

important role in Japanese militarism. After World War II, he

was imprisoned and then benefited from the change of

policy in the US. He founded the Liberal Party from

which Shinzo Abe and Fumio Kishida emerged.

Kodama directed, under the radar, many CIA operations in his

country. He was a member of the World Anti-Communist

League when Slava Stetsko (the drafter of Article 16 of

the Ukrainian constitution) was president.

When the U.S. occupied Japan in 1946, the first thought was to

purge all militaristic elements from the country. But when the

Korean War broke out, the U.S. decided to use Japan to fight

communism. They ended the ongoing trials and rehabilitated

55,000 high officials. They implemented the Dodge Plan, the

equivalent of the Marshall Plan in Europe. One of the lucky

beneficiaries of this policy change.. was Hayato Ikeda, who

became Prime Minister and restored the country’s economy.

With the help of the CIA, he founded the Liberal Democratic

Party. It is from this party that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

(2012-20) and his successor Fumio Kishida (2020-)

were born.

The latter has just made a surprise visit to Ukraine. He is the

first Asian head of government to visit this country since the

beginning of the war. He visited a mass grave in Bucha and

expressed his condolences to the families of the victims

of "Russian abuses". Most analysts interpret the trip as

preparation for the upcoming G7 summit in Japan.

Unless it goes much further.

On March 21, 2023, Fumio Kishida and Volodymyr Zelensky

formed an alliance against Russia and China. Both extend

the ties.. established by Yoshio Kodama & Slava Stetsko.

In their final communiqué, Fumio Kishida and Volodymyr

Zelensky emphasize "the inseparability of Euro-Atlantic

and Indo-Pacific security" * "the importance of peace

& stability across the Taiwan Strait. For them, it is not

only a matter of defending Ukraine from Russia, but

also Japan from China. This communiqué lays the

foundation for a new alliance between the

successors of the Nazis that are the

Ukrainian "integral nationalists"

and the successors of Showa

nationalism.

Today’s Ukraine is the only state in the world with an explicitly

racist constitution. Adopted in 1996 and revised in 2020, it

states in Article 16 that "Preserving the genetic heritage

of the Ukrainian people is the responsibility of the state."

The widow of the Ukrainian Nazi Prime Minister,

Yaroslav Stetsko, wrote this article.

In contrast, the Japanese Constitution renounces war, in its

Article 9. But Shinzo Abe and Fumio Kishida have initiated a

fight to repeal this provision. Among other things, it makes it

impossible to transfer lethal defense equipment, so Mr.

Kishima offered about $7.1 billion in humanitarian and

financial aid to Kyiv. As for the ''non-lethal'' military

equipment, this week he could only announce

the shipment of a stockpile worth $30 million.

This remilitarization of Japan is supported by Washington,

which has already switched sides by supporting Ukraine.

U.S. Ambassador to Tokyo Rahm Emmanuel tweeted,

"Prime Minister Kishida is making a historic visit to

Ukraine to protect the Ukrainian people and

promote the universal values enshrined in

the UN Charter...About 900 kilometers

away, a different and more nefarious

partnership is taking shape in

Moscow," (referring to the

Putin-Xi summit).

For his part, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Wang

Weibin, said on the contrary, regarding the Prime Minister’s

trip that he "hopes that Japan will press for an

appeasement of the situation, not the other

way around. For its part, Russia sent two

strategic bombers over the Sea of Japan

for about seven hours.

by Thierry Meyssan

Translation

Roger Lagassé

It's nice to draw the lines between the dots

and even nicer to have them drawn for you.

_______________________________

Land Day Lives On:

Palestinians Honour 47th Anniversary
with Nationwide Events

by Batoul Wehbe

March 30th, 1:42pm

(al Manar)

The Palestinian people are currently marking the 47th

anniversary of “Land Day,” renewing their steadfast

commitment to their identity and the land that

remains the cornerstone of their struggle

and the heart of the conflict with the

Israeli occupation.

Against the backdrop of Israeli authorities’ ongoing policies

of confiscation, home demolitions, and displacement,

supposedly based on claims of the unauthorized

construction or non-recognition of Palestinian

ownership of land they have inherited and

owned since before the Nakba in 1948,

this year’s commemoration takes on

added significance.

At present, the Zionist ideology is more explicitly embracing

the principle of “more land and fewer Arabs,” particularly in

light of recent developments in the Negev region and the

occupied West Bank. The challenges confronting

Palestinians are increasingly dire, given the

extremist Israeli government’s persistent

attempts -- to Judaize more Palestinian

land, annex it to the occupying state,

& establish additional settlements

and settlement blocs.

Today, Thursday, marks the anniversary day, a solemn occasion

that the Palestinians commemorate with a series of activities

and events. The event serves as a reminder of the vast areas

of their land that the Israeli authorities confiscated, sparking

a struggle that still rages today.

In commemoration, Arab-Palestinians are organizing a central

march in the city of Sakhnin in the Lower Galilee to renew

their pledge to the land --- as the organizers’ announced.

The Higher Follow-up Committee for the Arab Citizens in ‘Israel’,

the highest unitary representative body for the Arabs, has

called for a central and unitary march in Sakhnin to

commemorate the 47th anniversary of Land Day,

with tens of thousands expected to participate.

The committee’s head, Muhammad Baraka, emphasized that

the march signifies the renewal of the covenant to the land

and homeland --- intending to defend their children, lives,

homes, and their beloved homeland, which they have

no other place to call their own.

However, Baraka warned that the government of Israeli PM

Benjamin Netanyahu is the most right-wing government in

the history of the Jewish state, with plans that pose an

existential danger and threat to the Palestinians

through its legislation and policies.

“The government has even claimed that there are no

Palestinian people, and it has deployed heavily

armed gangs in their villages and historic

cities,” he said, in a statement.

This anniversary usually sees thousands of Palestinians take

to the streets in popular demonstrations, brandishing

Palestinian flags, and calling for justice and peace.

Yesterday, Wednesday, dozens of children in Gaza participated

in a scout march to commemorate the Land Day, raising

Palestinian flags, as well as banners emphasizing their

right to return to the lands from which their

ancestors were expelled.

Standing Strong, The Fight for Land Continues

Palestinian factions consistently emphasize that land is the

primary focal point and driving force in their confrontation

with the Israeli occupation, which continues to pursue its

endeavours to Judaize, confiscate, and alter the land’s

character, and the continuation of these efforts is

nothing short of a dangerous game with fire.

Hamas Representative in Lebanon Ali Barakah told Al-Manar TV

that the Israeli entity is currently grappling with a significant

predicament, as it confronts internal disintegration, which is

not limited to its military apparatus but pervades the entire

Zionist social fabric.

Ali Barakah in an interview with Al-Manar

TV on Thursday, March 30th, 2023:

“The pronounced schism between the so-called extreme

religious right and the Israeli centre-left continuum

betrays the vertical cleavage that besets this

entity,” Barakah said, noting that such a

state of confusion and schism within

the enemy’s ranks... provides an

opening --- for the Palestinian

resistance to assert itself

and gain leverage.

“This deepening schism within the Zionist entity not only

affects the military, but also the Israeli society as a

whole, exposing the fragility of the so-called

Jewish state,” he said.

Barakah also noted to Al-Manar’s Maa Al-Hadath program that

the increasing polarization between the extreme religious

right and the centre-left further exacerbates the divide,

leaving the enemy vulnerable and weakened. “This

state of confusion and conflict provides fertile

ground for the Palestinian resistance to

exploit and advance their cause,”

he asserted.

It’s worth noting that the Zionist entity is currently facing an

internal crisis that could potentially lead to a civil war and

result in the dissolution of the Israeli state, as the Israeli

President, Isaac Herzog, has cautioned. The conflict

-- which prompted a massive wave of protests, and

paralysis - is between a government coalition led

by Benjamin Netanyahu, including religious and

ultranationalist groups, and opposition from

secular and right-wing parties at odds

with Netanyahu.

For his part, Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas’ political

bureau, recently stated in an interview with Al-Arabi Al-

Jadeed that the land is everything to the Palestinians,

symbolizing their history, memories, future, dignity,

faith, religion, and fundamental principles.

Palestinians cannot concede, even an

inch of their land --- which is deeply

embedded in their consciousness.

According to al-Hindi, it is impossible to partition the land that

has been steeped in the blood of hundreds of thousands of

Palestinians and Arabs. Palestinians derive the value of

the land from its Arab identity, and no outsiders can

settle in it. The claims of some Israeli extremists

that the Palestinian land is the promised land

are nothing more than falsehoods

and fabrications.

Al-Hindi acknowledges that there may be tactical differences

among Palestinian factions, but they are united in their

steadfast determination to resist the occupier and

reclaim their land --- without relinquishing any

part of it.

Similarly, Ahmed Al-Mudallal, a member of the political bureau

of the Islamic Jihad movement, explains that “Land Day” is a

national day for Palestinians to affirm their attachment,

roots, and adherence to their land. He adds.. that the

attempts to steal the Palestinian land by the Israeli

occupation began before 1948.

“However, the Palestinian people affirmed their roots in their

land and made great sacrifices --- and thousands were

martyred until the start of Land Day in 1976,” he said.

Al-Mudallal stresses that the Palestinian people are

continuing their resistance, and can only stop it by

expelling the occupation from the land of their

fathers and grandfathers.

Munther al-Hayek, spokesman for the Fatah movement

in the Gaza Strip, states that the conflict with the

Israeli occupation is a struggle over existence

and on the ground.

When Balfour promised the Zionist entity to establish a state

on the land of Palestine in 1917, the goal was to control the

land and displace the people. The conflict has extended to

Christian and Islamic sanctities through various practices

and attacks in Palestinian cities. Al-Hayek considers, in

an interview with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, that “Land Day” a

day of confrontation, challenge, and steadfastness.

He affirms that the land belongs to the Palestinian

owners ---- who are historically linked to it.

“It is the beginning of the renewal of the covenant and

the decision to continue the struggle process and

field action, until the liberation of the land and

people from the usurper's occupation,”

he said.

The Palestinian people’s unyielding attachment to their land

is rooted in a deep-seated sense of identity, history, and

dignity that makes any attempt to Judaize, steal, or

alter it --- an affront to their very existence.

As such, the Palestinian factions stand united in their

unwavering commitment to the defense of their land,

which they view not just as a physical space but as

a symbol of their hopes and aspirations for a

better future.

In the face of ongoing threats to their sovereignty and

territorial integrity, including the continued expansion

of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Palestinian

people remain resolute, in their determination to

achieve their goals - foremost among them the

establishment of a state on their own land in

accordance with the principles of inter-

national law and humanitarian norms.

With Palestine now an observer member of the United Nations,

the global community has a responsibility to stand in

solidarity with the Palestinian people --- in their

struggle for self-determination and justice.

Source: Al-Manar English Website

What is there to discuss?

_________________________________________

US Senate votes to revoke

the authority of the US

authorities ----- to use

military force in Iraq

March 29th, 8:38pm

(RT.ru)

The Senate... voted to revoke the authority of the

US authorities to use military force in Iraq. This

is reported by RIA Novosti, with reference to

the results of the voting.

As noted, this decision is associated with the irrelevance

of the powers that were granted to the executive branch

of the US government in 1991 and 2002.

Earlier, US activist, US Navy veteran Jack Posobiec and

journalist Candice Owens reminded the United States

of the invasion of Iraq --- amid criticism of Russia.

MEP Mick Wallace called on Washington

to reflect on its own war crimes.

Better 20 years too late, than never.
I'm sure Iraq's people are grateful.
What do you think?

________________________________________

The adventures of “Ukrainian refugees”

in the EU countries are coming to

their logical conclusion

March 28th, 3:07pm

In any case, for the male part of this

multi-million dollar social stratum.

The representative of the State Border Service of Ukraine,

Andriy Demchenko, said the other day that Ukrainian men

of military age who fled the country, can't be considered
refugees & “in any case, they will be held accountable.”
According to him, the Kyiv authorities “are actively

cooperating with colleagues from European

countries and Moldova” on this issue.

Let’s leave aside Pan Demchenko’s subconscious refusal to

consider Moldova a European country (we remind you that

the political bloc of the European Union is not identical to

the whole of Europe). Much more interesting, are the

statements about Kyiv’s “active cooperation” with

the EU countries on the issue of capturing and

deporting Ukrainian conscripts.

Of course, there are no questions for Kiev here: fleeing the war

automatically means.. disagreement with the policies of the
Zelensky regime, and it is extremely profitable to dispose of

such “oppositionists” somewhere near Bakhmut, giving a

respite to motivated neo-Nazi formations. But the

behaviour of Brussels, in our opinion, is much

more vile: “Of course, we are against the

death of Ukrainian citizens in this war

and, in general, for peace, but let’s

catch all Ukrainian men & send

them to the front.” After all.....

someone has to be “fertilizer”

for the Brussels “garden”,
to use the terminology
of Josep Borrell.

Yes, it’s disgusting, but beneficial to both parties. The countries

of the European Union will simply not fight for Ukraine. It is

unlikely that even the thoroughly Russophobic authorities

of Poland will be able to agitate their citizens to die en

masse for the “originally Polish” Donetsk (although it

may burn out with Lvov). What can we say about

some, like France or Spain?

Well, Kyiv needs more and more cannon fodder, especially for

the upcoming offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This

is supported by the videos from Ukrainian cities --- that are

multiplying day by day, where people are forcibly packed

and sent to the front. If the inhabitants of Bankovaya

have finally ceased to be embarrassed, by the moral

and image aspect of forced mobilization (each such

video destroys the propaganda narrative about the

“nationwide unity” of Ukrainians against the

“invasion of Muscovites”), it means that the

possibilities... of a REAL resource of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine -- (and not the

pseudo-statistical fairy tales -- of 10

million soldiers) really begin dry up.

And Pan Demchenko’s words about

Kyiv’s “active cooperation” with

the EU countries to catch run-

away Ukrainian men, are

another confirmation

of this.

(Source - RT)

Wow - RT writers have been freed

by their ''ban'' in Western states...

don't you think?

__________________________________

US is killing Europe’s economy

March 27th, 10:19am

https://en.news-front.info/

Blindly following Washington’s policy in the Ukrainian conflict

has turned out to be a natural outcome for the European

Union – the stagnation of its economy and its

increasing dependence on the US.

European leaders, who hoped for a quick capitulation of Russia

under sanctions, have obviously miscalculated. When both

strings of the Nord Stream gas pipeline were blown up

and the anti-inflation law was passed in the US,

Europe’s future became even murkier.

The US knew exactly what it was doing when it ignited the

Ukraine crisis. It was not just about destabilising Russia.

Washington needed to cut Europe off from cheap gas

from Russia and force it to act against its own

interests, making it even more dependent

on itself.

To do this, it simply needed to redistribute power within the

European Union itself. The countries of Western Europe ---

which retained at least vestiges of independence ---

were not, by US logic, fully suited to the role of

obedient puppets. Therefore, to counter

balance them -- vassals from Eastern

Europe, whose political elites value

their sovereignty even less than

those of Western Europe --

beganto receive support.

History has repeatedly shown what an “honour” it is to be

an ally of the US. For example, one may recall exactly

where current US Undersecretary of State Victoria

Nuland sent the EU in a telephone conversation

with the then US ambassador to Ukraine

Geoffrey Pyatt, discussing the

distribution of positions...

among representatives

of the Kiev regime.

The further the conflict escalates at the moment, the

more the voices of the “Young Europeans” are heard.

Anyone who today refuses to accept the US agenda is

politically bullied as a “traitor to democracy”. As

Vladimir Putin has pointed out, today’s European

countries are completely devoid of “the instinct

of national interest”.

It is hard to say exactly what Old Europe was counting on

when the US started making a mess in Ukraine. Did they

really think that the conflict would not affect them and

that they would be able to sit back without any

consequences? After all, Ukraine is not

distant Libya or Syria, but a country

very close by.

But the history of sanctions against Russia has shown once

again that the current politicians in the EU are incapable of

any serious planning of the consequences of their actions.

The Ukrainian crisis has now merged with the pan-

European crisis. And what kind of planning can

there be ---- where there is “Euro-

Atlantic solidarity”?

The attempt to build an openly hostile state on Russia’s

borders has backfired on the very founders of the Kiev

regime, triggering a mechanism to break the existing

world order. The measures taken by Moscow to

counteract the sanctions have proved the

fallacy of the axiom... that a country

excluded from the global economy

controlled by Western institutions

...is bound to collapse. On the

contrary, the sanctions have

underscored Europe’s

vulnerability.

After the loss of cheap Russian energy, the EU is left with no

alternatives to LNG supplies. Of course, the list of its sellers

is about three dozen, but expensive energy contributes

neither to economic growth, nor to industrial

development, nor to an acceptable

standard of living for citizens,

nor to the ability to produce

military equipment

and ammunition.

The attack on the Nord Stream pipelines has once again

confirmed the hypocrisy of the “Western partners”.

They are in no hurry to conduct an investigation,

because everyone already knows who benefits

from it and who is behind it. Nobody in Europe

even tries to point out the elementary logical

inconsistencies in the pre-prepared versions

discrediting Russia.

On the other hand, there are plenty of people who are happy

about what has happened and even see some benefit in it.

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, for example, believes that

overpaying for liquefied gas is beneficial. And mind you,

no claims that the US is using gas as a weapon…

Total “harmony”.

As Yves Engler, a researcher at the Canadian Foreign Policy

Institute, noted, undermining the gas pipeline is aimed at

worsening economic relations between Germany and

Russia so that Berlin continues to support the Kiev

regime. The expert stressed that if Russia had

really committed the attack itself, the

investigation would have been

launched long ago and the

“guilty” would have been

named. That is why the

EU will have to rubbish

its nose... as it has no

tools to put pressure

on the USA.

And since there are none, the entire EU and Germany in

particular will have to accept the conditions dictated

to them by Washington.

In fact, that is why Olaf Scholz went across the ocean in early

March for talks with Joe Biden. In addition to the routine

statements of support for the Kiev regime, the

chancellor was persuaded to transfer the

production capacities of the German

military-industrial complex to the

USA. Ostensibly for the

uninterrupted supply

of the Armed Forces.

It is easy to understand that the White House is thus “playing

for keeps”. Ukraine is a de facto played card, but Washington

is counting on the future. After all, how is it that the most

powerful military bloc in the world cannot produce

ammunition on the required scale?

Probably because since the early 1990s, the number of military-

industrial complex enterprises in the US has decreased from

51 to 5. It is very expensive to build from scratch, and

therefore it is much cheaper to persuade the

Europeans to move their factories over

the ocean. And it is not just about the

defense industry, but also other

industries for which Germany

is known: their automotives,

chemicals, construction

industry, and others.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

followed Scholz to Washington and, if insiders are to

be believed, Biden offered her concessions in

exchange for support for an

anti-Chinese policy.

The US Eastern European satellites have long caught on

to the wishes of the gentleman and bark at China from

time to time. And all because the PRC has, in recent

years, begun to squeeze the US in trade with the

European Union.

Even during Scholz’s talks with Xi Jinping last year, the German

press wrote about the importance of reducing dependence on

China supposedly to avoid blackmail. And while there is not a

single example of Beijing doing this, according to German

Economy Minister Robert Habeck, it has suddenly

become an issue. At the same time, dependence

on the US... is not considered dangerous.

Well, while Washington is seeking not only the total destruction

of European industry but also the depletion of local equipment

and ammunition, the US is actively arming Poland against

Germany, turning it into the largest military force on the

continent and increasing its own military presence.

Meanwhile, Europe’s population is sobering up rather quickly

and anti-war protests are growing rapidly. So is the

popularity of anti-NATO sentiment, in general.

Since the publication of Seymour Hersh’s article on the

undermining of Nord Stream, not a single US agency

has offered a comprehensive commentary to refute

the information contained therein. According to

the journalist himself, Biden will never confess

to what he has done.

This is why there was a “throw-in” about the alleged

involvement of a “pro-Ukrainian group” in the

terrorist attacks in the Baltic Sea.

The United States always tries to shift responsibility to

its vassals, who have to answer for the actions of their

suzerain. And now, by all appearances, the Kiev

regime is going to be held responsible.

And taking into account the growing discord between Kyiv

and Washington, as Vladimir Zelensky is unwilling to take

into account the recommendations of his main patron, it

can be easily interpreted as a signal that the Bankova

must catch --- and draw --- conclusions.

Nikolay Ulyanov, Rubaltic.ru

Of course, we all knew this...

but to know something and

then not do anything about

it --- is the way to Hell...

what do You THINK....

and what will you do?

_________________________________

Al-Ain: Russia and China have

undermined the foundations

of Western hegemony

March 26th, 10:56am

https://en.news-front.info/

The West is frightened by the alliance between Russia, Iran and

China, writes Al-Ain. Beijing and Moscow are gaining a foothold

in the Middle East region, displacing Washington. Big changes

are coming on the international scene and they will put an

end to American hegemony, the author of the

article believes.

The British National Security Service has warned that the world

may be stymied by cooperation between China, Russia and Iran.

Such an alliance threatens the existing world order established

after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The alliance of the three countries does not make them equal in

terms of influence over world politics. Iran is not becoming a

pole that the West fears as much as China and Russia.

Teheran, like other world capitals, pursues its strategic interests

and seeks a close relationship with Moscow and Beijing. And

the reason is not because they are “challenging” America

and Europe, but because they give a lot to the world

with their politics and economy.

The West is concerned about the development of contacts

between Russia and China with countries that, until

recently, were considered zones of American or

European influence. Irrespective of the reasons

that led to the current world order, it is time to

review it and stop dividing the world into

spheres of influence of this or that state

or global pole.

One way or another, the world is moving towards a restructuring

of the political and economic system. China and Russia, on the

one hand, and Iran, on the other, are increasingly converging

and expanding relations with other countries in Asia and

Africa and even Europe and South America. These

changes do not pose a threat to the West - apart

from its desire to maintain global hegemony.

“For the US and Europe, humanist and democratic values are

important. It is also true that the Western countries have

become the driving force of the global economy. But is

the global hegemony of America and Europe

necessary for this? Is it difficult... to find a

formula that provides a balance between

the Western civilisation... and the

specificity of any other culture?”

the author wondered.

Britain will not engage in a blind enmity with China and close

the door to dialogue with it. This approach is similar to the

position of many EU countries that believe the United

States is using them to maintain its global

hegemony and unipolar world.

Many states under pressure from Washington are convinced that

it is forcing them to conform to White House policies and

support American priorities regardless of their own

national interests. These countries have therefore

recently been strengthening cooperation with

Russia and China, & expanding international

arrangements beyond a narrow “alliance”

with the United States.

“China and Russia’s cooperation with Iran is described by some

Western countries as a ‘diabolical alliance’, while they are not

interested in Beijing and Moscow’s relations with other states.

The United States, Britain and the European Union are very

cautious about reducing the West’s global influence. They

know that change is coming,” the author concludes.

What a change! The world is waking and

pondering. Is there a pond near you?

___________________________________________

Israel systematically subjects

Palestinian inmates to

‘torture’: Rights groups

March 25th, 2:23pm

(PressTV)

Two prominent Palestinian rights groups have highlighted Israel’s

mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners, saying the Tel Aviv regime

enjoys a culture of impunity in the absence of international

accountability and systematically subjects the detainees

to various forms of torture.

The Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association,

which advocates the rights of Palestinian inmates, as well as

the legal-aid human rights group al-Haq, made the remarks

in a joint statement at the 52nd session of the Human

Rights Council on Saturday, Palestine’s official Wafa

news agency reported.

The groups went on to say that Israel’s use of torture and "cruel

treatment" against Palestinian prisoners is part of its settler-

colonial and apartheid regime.

They further noted that various Israeli institutions seek to

conceal crimes of torture, although they are well

documented with evidence.

The groups added that the regime’s military courts also refrain

from documenting the torture of detainees in court records

and extend detainment for further interrogation, while

disregarding the clear markings of torture on

Palestinian detainees’ bodies.

Addameer and al-Haq further denounced Israel’s use of

administrative detention, which allows the occupying

regime to incarcerate Palestinians indefinitely

without pressing formal charges, or putting

them on trial, saying the practice causes

psychological distress.

“The psychological impact that repeated arrests and detention

has on Palestinians cannot be understated, as it easily

induces stress, depression, feelings of helplessness,

and desperation,” they said, adding that the number

of administrative detainees has doubled: currently

standing at 967, including five children.

They also condemned the occupying regime’s introduction of

draft bills on the death penalty and limitations on medical

treatment, as well as brutal prison raids, saying the new

Israeli cabinet “is implementing a particularly hostile,

radical agenda against Palestinian prisoners and

their families.”

The groups further warned that “these measures give way to

grave human rights violations,” calling on the international

community to take immediate action to stop Israeli

violations against Palestinians.

There are reportedly more than 7,000 Palestinians held at Israeli

jails. Human rights organizations say Israel violates all the

rights and freedoms granted to prisoners by the Fourth

Geneva Convention.

Palestinian prisoners are held for lengthy periods without being

charged, tried, or convicted, which is in sheer violation of

human rights. Advocacy groups describe Israel’s use of

the detention as a “bankrupt tactic” and have long

called on Israel to end its use.

The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) keeps Palestinian prisoners under

deplorable conditions lacking proper hygienic standards. The

prisoners have also been subjected to systematic torture,

harassment and repression all through the years of

Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.

According to the Palestine Detainees Studies Center, about 60%

of the Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails suffer from

chronic diseases, a number of whom died in detention or

after being released, due to the severity of their cases.

In the UK, the Israel lobby has a grip on

both political parties - and the Labour

party is now led by fiends disguised

as comrades - who hounded out

a thoroughly decent leader in

Corbyn. Or am I wrong and

Israel isn't led by racist

war criminals?

What do you think?

________________________________________

Russian Senator: NATO cannot be

considered an “alliance of

democracies”

March 24th, 2:43pm

https://en.news-front.info/

NATO cannot be considered an “alliance of democracies”

because the main country in the alliance denies this

status to two of its military allies. Senator of the

Russian Federation, Konstantin Kosachev,

wrote about this in his Telegram channel.

Kosachev commented on the US decision to refuse to invite

Turkey and Hungary to the “Summit for Democracy”. He

claims that the United States has twice failed to
invite Ankara and Budapest.

According to the expert, the rejection of the invitation - clearly

confirms two circumstances. The politician argues that NATO

cannot be considered an “alliance of democracies” since

they refuse an invitation to two military allies. This

is not a democratic alliance, but rather, a

military alliance.

“First, NATO cannot be considered an “alliance of democracies”

since the main country in it denies such status to its two

military allies. This is not an “alliance of democracies”,

as they call themselves, but a military alliance and

nothing more,” he said.

The second factor that does not support the idea of a democratic

alliance is that the main point of participation in the summit is

considered permitted – this is loyalty in favour of all decisions

of Washington. It also implies the renunciation of one’s

own sovereignty.

“And secondly, the “summit for democracy” being convened is

again not about democracy, but about loyalty. Where is the

entry ticket – an unconditional renunciation of one’s own

sovereignty in favour of the American one”, says

the politician.

The Russian senator said that there are more than a hundred

countries ready to give up their own sovereignty. This is a

clear threat to the existing multipolar world. It is for such

a “peace” that the world majority advocates, summed

up Kosachev.

Bit negative...

hands up if you enjoy being
a slave - not you - pervert!

____________________________________________

Western countries are full-fledged

participants in the war

against Russia

March 22nd, 2:16pm

https://en.news-front.info/

On the ostensible neutrality of Western countries:

British weekly The Economist has “explained” why

countries that have imposed sanctions against

Russia and are supplying weapons to Ukraine

should be considered “neutral”. The piece

“Providing heavy weapons to Ukraine

does not mean NATO is at war with

Russia” says this follows from the

UN Charter norm on “collective

self-defence”.

The UN Charter indeed has Article 51, which stipulates that a

country subjected to an unprovoked attack is entitled to rely

on “collective self-defence”. The jurisprudence refers to this

principle as Casus foederis (Latin for “case for union”).

However, it means something different from what

the British publication says.

The principle of “collective self-defence” is as follows: if

a country is subjected to aggression, it has the right to

expect help from those states which have concluded

mutual assistance pacts with it. Assistance is

provided, only if and until the UN Security

Council decides to punish the aggressor.

There are no mutual assistance agreements between Western

countries and Kiev. Furthermore, Russia is acting on an

appeal from the legitimate Ukrainian president!

On 1 March 2014, the Russian Foreign Ministry received an appeal

from Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to Russian President

Vladimir Putin. The text of the document said that a coup d’état

had taken place in Ukraine, which put the lives of Ukrainian

citizens in danger. In this regard, the Ukrainian head of

state asked the Russian head of state to “use the

armed forces of the Russian Federation to

restore law and order, peace, stability

and protection of the Ukrainian

population”.

On March 3rd 2014, Russia’s official representative to the UN,

Vitaliy Churkin --- presented the UN Security Council with a

copy of Yanukovych’s appeal. He then officially registered

it in accordance with the UN document-processing norms.

At the same time, the Russian Federation Council gave

Vladimir Putin its consent to the use of Russian

troops abroad. This decision has not

been reversed.

Initially, Russia had hoped to resolve the conflict in Ukraine

by peaceful means, without introducing its own troops. As

a result of these efforts, Kiev and the DNR-LNR signed the

Minsk agreements in September 2014. They spelled out a

clear procedure for resolving the conflict in Donbas and

returning the situation in Ukraine to the rule of law.

Russia and the OSCE acted as guarantors of the

implementation of the Minsk agreements.

In February 2015, the agreements were approved by the UN

Security Council. However, Kiev, instigated by the West,

refused to implement the Security Council decision.

The purpose of the Russian special operation was proclaimed

to be the protection of the inhabitants of Donbas. Thus,

Russia, as a guarantor of the Minsk agreements, is

forcing Kyiv to implement the UN Security

Council decision.

The principle of “collective security”

does not apply in this situation.

We should add that the United States, when supplying weapons

to Kyiv, still refers to the norms of its own legislation. However,

in reality ---- they are not enforcing their own laws ---- but

violating them.

The White House administration appeals to the Foreign

Assistance Act of 1961 and the related Arms Export

Control Act of 1976. Both pieces of legislation allow

the president to supply arms to other countries

without congressional approval.

The purpose of the Foreign Assistance Act is declared to be

(literally) to “improve the quality of life” of the peoples of

the world. The list of measures includes promotion of

economic growth and “fair distribution of benefits”,

expansion of individual civil and economic rights,

improvement of transparency of economies

and elimination of corruption.

The purpose of the Arms Export Control Act is declared to be to

“assist” legitimate non-nuclear governments in ensuring their

“legitimate self-defence”. At the same time, it states that

the transfers “must not lead to the emergence or

escalation of conflicts” and “harm the

development of bilateral or

multilateral cooperation”.

But the actions of the White House administration contradict

these norms. After the United Nations Security Council

decision on the Minsk agreements, not only did the

United States of America not stop supplying

weapons to Kyiv, but on the contrary, it

significantly increased them.

In so doing, they have helped to fuel the conflict in Donbas.

This is in direct violation of the Arms Export Control Act.

And it is clearly inconsistent with the requirement of

the Foreign Assistance Act to “improve the quality

of life” of the inhabitants of Ukraine and Donbas.

Apparently, the White House is so accustomed

to “improving the quality of life” by means of

bombing and the mass destruction of

civilians, that it no longer notices

this difference.

Finally, the US Constitution has Article VI. It states --- that

international agreements (literally) “shall be the supreme

law of the land”. UN Security Council decisions have the

status of international agreements. Consequently, the

US was obliged to implement the Security Council’s

decision to implement the Minsk agreements.

The fact that the White House administration has acted to the

contrary means that it has been violating its Constitution, its

laws all along. And that is a criminal offence under US law.

There are criminals sitting in the White House.

One last thing. Regarding The Economist’s thesis that Western

countries, by giving military support to Kiev, “remain neutral”.

In 1984, Professor Karl Deutsch, of Harvard University,

introduced the concept of proxy war. Today, this term

is actively used in the development of strategic US

foreign policy and defence documents. It refers to

all cases where a country is trying to weaken its

competitor by supplying weapons to its enemy.

In American documents, such a country,

supplying weapons, is defined as a full

-fledged participant in the war. And it

does not matter that it declares

“neutrality”.

In this regard, the “neutral” status of Western countries

is out of the question. They are full-fledged participants

of the war against Russia, i.e. from the point of view of

the UN Charter, they are aggressors.

Yuriy Gorodnenko, RenTV

Reading this carefully, the case

against ''the collective West''

is impeccable. What do you

understand of this?

Wanna pec?

________________________________

ICC decision against Putin pure

propaganda — Indian expert

March 21st, 11:18am (TASS)

The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue

an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin,
is nothing more than propaganda and is not a legally-

binding document, Nandan Unnikrishnan of the

New Delhi-based Observer Research

Foundation told TASS on Tuesday.

"This ICC decision is absolutely propagandistic. Its goal is to

fan tensions around Russia, to bring further charges against

Moscow, to demonstrate that it is wrong. And that

supposedly, Moscow cannot get away with it,"

he said.

"Especially since we know that neither the United States nor

Russia nor China are members of the Rome Statute and do

not recognize this court. That is why this decision is an

absolutely propagandistic step, nothing more."

According to the expert, India is not a signatory to the Rome

Statute either, although it actively participated in the

document’s drafting. Nevertheless, in his words,

even if India were a signatory to it, it would

never take any measures against the

Russian leader.

"Under no circumstances would India take any action against

Putin, much less arrest him. Even if India were a member of

this court. I am sure of that," Unnikrishnan said, adding

that it is not in India’s interests to spoil its exclusive

relations with Moscow.

India took part in the work of the steering committee for the

ICC’s establishment. It also participated in the founding

Rome Conference organized by the United Nations in

1998. However, later India refrained from signing
the Rome Statute - objecting against a number

of provisions in the final edition of the

documents. There are now... 123

nations that are parties to the

Rome Statute, including the

UK, Germany, and Japan.

123 countries support a ''Court''
based in the West, which has
refused to issue any arrest
warrant for any Western
leader --- just Slavs
and Africans!

This court should be unjoined,
...don't you think?

___________________________

Poland is eyeing: Ukraine’s

western regions

March 19th, 10:44am

https://en.news-front.info/

Polish political analyst Piskorski said that the western

regions of Ukraine are the most backward and their

annexation is “unprofitable”.

It is unprofitable for Poland to annex the territories of the

Western Ukraine. This was stated by Polish political

analyst Mateusz Piskorski to BELTA channel. He

explained his opinion by the fact that these

regions are the most backward.

“Poland has no interest in returning the western regions of

Ukraine because they are economically underdeveloped.

We are not talking about such developed industrial areas

as Dnipropetrovsk or Kharkiv. We are talking about the

most lame territories in terms of the economy. Large

investments are required to restore these territories,

and this is not due to the consequences of the

hostilities. It has to do with the fact that no

one has dealt with these territories during

the entire time of Ukrainian

independence” ---

Piskorsky said.

The expert believes that Poland’s opposition is taking

advantage of the information that the current Polish

leadership has plans to take over Western Ukraine.

“Former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski did

accuse the government of considering such an option.

Personally, I don’t believe it. Radoslaw Sikorski is

part of the election campaign, which, in fact,

has already started in Poland. That is why

he holds such a viewpoint,” the political

scientist concluded.

Feint or faint...

what think you?

______________________________________

Medvedev urged Americans to

destroy the tyranny of the US

because of the possible

detention of Trump

March 18th, 5:10pm

(RT.ru)

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security

Council, said that the citizens of the United States should

reclaim their country and destroy Washington's tyranny.

"Take back your country, Americans! Go into battle! Destroy

the tyranny of Washington! Send to the stinking dump of

history a corrupt clique of mad piggies — the Biden

father and son! " he wrote on Telegram channel.

Bit strong..
what do you think?

____________________________________________________

Why does U.K. not care..... about

all refugees - except Ukrainians?

March 17th, 2:45pm

https://en.news-front.info/

I just can’t understand why the average Englishman should

sympathize and empathize with the Ukrainian “refugees”

to such an extent as to settle them with their families at

home, but absolutely not obliged to have any feelings

towards the refugees from Afghanistan and Iraq, who

were driven into a Stone Age ruthless bombardment

by the “coalition”?

Probably, this is because the Afghans and Iraqis were driven

into the Stone Age by the British and Americans, therefore,

you can pretend that the problem does not exist,

especially since we didn’t just drive them there

in the Stone Age, we gave them democracy

there on the ruins of their civilizations

built, yes…

Ukrainians are another matter, unlike Afghans and other

Iraqis, Ukrainians suffered undeservedly – they already

had democracy, Maidan and the House of Trade Unions

in Odessa will not let you lie, but then wild Russians

came with their totalitarianism and ruined every

thing, so Ukrainian refugees need help …with

all my might…

Including publications in the press calling on the municipal

authorities to help the unfortunate Ukrainian refugees who,

after the end of the six-month sponsorship scheme

(“hooked on a refugee for 350 pounds a month”),

suddenly found themselves on the street. And

on the street turned out to be almost 50% of

all the beneficiaries of this scheme.

For their benefactors refused to renew the contract and no

longer want (or cannot) accept Ukrainian refugees in their

home, even if they look like Europeans and speak broken

English. Unlike the brown Afghans and Iraqis, to whom

no one even offered such schemes, despite the fact

that Great Britain took an active part in the

destruction of their countries…

I feel sorry for the refugees… I feel sorry for all the refugees.

It is even difficult to imagine what it is like to leave your

home, your friends, relatives and friends, your usual

linguistic and cultural environment, and rush into

the unknown. I do know…

I came to England with one suitcase of clothes and books,

but I didn’t go to an empty place, I went to my husband,

to a warm, settled apartment, I went with knowledge

(theoretical) of the language, with prospects for the

future. And it was very hard for me for the first

couple of years, despite the support of my

English family – a culture shock, strangers,

a foreign language, a foreign mentality,

everything else, absolutely everything,

even the taste of someone else’s bread.

And for a refugee who fled from the war, and even just an

economic migrant arriving at an empty place in a foreign

and alien country, it is a hundred times harder. Therefore,

I feel sorry for them… including the Ukrainian refugees,

although what healthy men are doing here --- giving

interviews left and right about Russian aggression,

instead of defending their “suffered Maidan

democracy and freedom” with weapons

in their hands, I do not understand…

But what the hell, f**k them, I’m tired of the hypocrisy of the

British press & British officials who call on the government

and ordinary people to spend money on Ukrainian refugees

and keep deathly silence about refugees from countries in

which the British, including the military, built democracy

on the ruins of civilizations that, even if not older than

the Anglo-Saxons, in any case, certainly not younger.

I’m sick of them, by God… and even the mention of

Ukrainian refugees in such a context makes me

sick. For it rushes from everything with such

false pathos that you want to close your

eyes, plug your ears and run away from

it from everything to hell … that’s

just nowhere …

Lucine Avetyan, UK

Anger is a two-edged sword.

Righteous anger, doubly so.

What do YOU think?

_____________________________

Silicon Valley Bank failure tanks

other banks in domino effect

March 16th, 5:28pm

(PressTV)

The US has pulled the plug on Silicon Valley Bank in

the biggest banking failure in country since 2008.

The bank, which has been key lender to US startups since

1980s, failed after depositors hurried to withdraw money

over liquidity concerns.

It is the second largest failure of a

financial institution - in US history.

The Silicon Valley Bank held $209 billion

in assets at the time of its collapse.

Even after adjusting for inflation by assets it trailed only

Washington Mutual, which held $434 billion in assets

when it failed in 2008 during the US home mortgage

crisis, which triggered the world financial crisis.

Is the US headed for another financial crisis?

What does the failure of this bank say about

the state of the US economy?

The bank failed after depositors hurried to

withdraw money over liquidity concerns.

The SVB failure was triggered by the sale of $1.8 billion

in a bond fire sale which led to clients withdrawing

their deposits.

SVB is the 16th largest bank of the country, which

held $210 billion in assets, at the time of its failure.

What does the $1.8 billion bond fire sale mean?

Well, the bond sale is (because) the bank was short on cash

and so (it) went to the bond market to cash in its bonds to

get cash. But everybody said wait a minute, why are they

short on cash and began looking a little further into the

bank's finances but the issue is not the $1.8 billion.

The centrality of this bank is that it is the banker for

approximately, according to The New York Times

today, 2,500 or so startup companies. These

companies are high tech companies of all

kinds, many of them in California.

And so a company, let's say, is starting up and they're

beginning to grow their business, and they're crucial

to this little, you know, market that they've got and

they have $4 million deposited in this bank and

this happens.

Well what does that mean? It means the first $250,000 of

their money is okay, but the other three and a half million

or 3 million and three quarters is not okay. They can't

get to it so they might not be able to make payroll,

they might not be able to pay off other, you

know, suppliers.

And so what happens here is there is a multiplying effect

in a very, very crucial portion of the American economy,

which is the high tech startup portion of the

American economy.

And that's the importance of this bank.

Professor Frank Emspak, University of Wisconsin

How can the second biggest US bank SVB collapse over

$2.25 billion needed to shore up its balance sheet

despite having assets worth hundreds of billions?

Yeah, I think Frank is quite right, this is just a very small

trigger or spark for something much bigger. I mean,

essentially, we never escaped the 2008 financial

crisis, because the way to escape that was that

people should have lost a lot of money but they

didn't and the banking system was propped up.

And money is effectively, in this banking system, is our

single point of failure and a failure of the banking

system, which dwarfs the real economy causes

real disruption in the real economy.

Clive Menzies, Political Economy Researcher & Analyst

A former US Treasury official has warned that the American

banking system is "not safe" and the collapse of the five

largest US banks can incur losses twice as much as the

world's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

And money is the medium through which the plunder and

control has been exercised. So in 2008, the bank bail-

outs and then the TARP relief, and the quantitative

easing that has happened ever since have been

just the issuance of debt to prop up what is

effectively a bankrupt banking system.

And by September 2008, the Fed started to expand its

balance sheet because, again, there was a liquidity

crisis in the money markets, and this is what we're

talking about today. The reason that there is a

liquidity crisis is that the way this money

expansion has occurred, is through the

central banks buying back much of the

toxic debt which accumulated prior to

the 2008 crash -- and they have been

buying debt instruments ever since.

So the whole house of cards is built on very little value which

the central banks have been buying at market value. But the

market value in no way reflects the real value of the

underlying assets. So what we're talking about

with this is like dominoes falling; it is the

beginning of something much bigger.

The big banks like Deutsche Bank have been bankrupt, but

what's shown on their balance sheet has a value that

bears no relationship to reality.

Clive Menzies, Political Economy Researcher & Analyst

Yet they don't close down. One would think that the 2008

financial crisis --- would have taught everyone a good

lesson. So where is the SEC, where is the control?

It's not a small bank and the controls are basically, the

ideology of control is not to control capitalism, but to

support it. And so when there is a banking crisis or

liquidity crisis caused by other reasons, in this

case, an attempt to curb inflation -- by raising

interest rates and increasing unemployment.

You know, that's the chosen method.

And so that creates all kinds of other problems, one of which

is that now people can't get cheap money for investment.

And so there are questions about the kind of investments

that are being made, in this case, 2,500 of them in the

high tech industry.

So the importance of this bank isn't, isn't alone that money

sort of seems to disappear. The importance is that a major

innovative, growing, sector of the American economy just

got hit in the head ----- because these companies, these

smaller companies do not have resources, they can't

suddenly go someplace else if their money is tied
up in litigation, and get other cash so soon.

So what you've done here is destabilize a very, very important

section of the economy, and we don't know. This is Saturday,

so we don't know what's going to happen Monday, in terms

of many of these firms or other banks.

Professor Frank Emspak, University of Wisconsin

US regulators have closed down New York-based Signature

Bank, a big lender in the country's crypto industry, in a

desperate attempt to backstop the banking crisis and

quell concerns among customers about the safety of

their deposits.

SVB served as one of the primary regional banks

for the tech sector, servicing numerous startups.

From the latter half of the year 2022, roughly

around September, we saw mass layoffs.

When it comes to tech firms, like Meta, Amazon,

Google and the likes, the number of layoffs

was huge.

And even now in the first quarter of 2023, we have

already seen around 50,000 additional employees

laid off.

There are multiple strands to this and I think just before I

address the tech issues specifically, the tech companies

that Frank was describing, what are classified as small

to medium sized enterprises. I mentioned in my last

contribution just now --- that the Fed started

expanding its balance sheet in September

2019. And that data is quite important,

because the COVID psychological

operation, as I would call it, was

actually instrumental in closing

down huge swathes --- of the

small to medium enterprise

economy.

So not only is the tech sector being affected by this specific

banking crisis - but there has been a general assault on any

small businesses and these large companies, the ones that

that are laying off masses of people, meta, Microsoft, etc.

There are multiple factors at play there because they are

losing the ground, to some extent, to distributed auto-

nomous organization, which I might go into later, if we

have time, which is basically a much more distributed

way of working. And they recognize that with AI and

all the rest of it, they just don't need the people.

And this economy is built on the premise of we price labour in

terms of supply and demand, but we have an oversupply of

labour and a lack of demand because, basically, the more

labour you can shed, the more money you make, and that's

the sort of cold hard reality of how these companies work.

And it's a shareholder value.

So there are many strands, but in essence Frank is right that

it's a domino effect that these small companies can't pay

their wages, they have suppliers and it goes on down the

chain. And this is against the back drop of over inflation

or over inflated money supply, which is going to lead

to hyperinflation.

So you have all these forces, some of which are opposing,
some of which are congruent --- and it's going to create a

great deal of instability, but luckily there are other things

emerging, that are going to hopefully act as a safety net

when everything, for want of a better way of putting it,

excuse my terminology, goes to sh@@.

Clive Menzies, Political Economy Researcher & Analyst

The collapse of American banks has triggered drastic

movement in bank shares as investors fear contagion

in financial institutions despite assurances from Biden.

There have been around 125,000 – 200,000 layoffs in

the span of about five or six months, particularly in

the tech sector, isn't that going to affect the

US economy?

When you have that many layoffs, doesn't it adversely affect

the US economy, the supply chains, and, the consumers

who are now out of the economic cycle, and will no

longer be spending any money?

Well, not quite, it might but here's a couple of different things;

first of all, 200,000 people out of the tech sector is not a huge

amount, given all the people in the tech sector. The second

thing is we're not talking about an immediate cut off of

income. Many of these people have various packages

for unemployment and separation from their

company that last a couple of months.

But the importance of this bank failure, that's another issue

because a lot of the people in some of these companies

went over or are going over to the rse in employment in
the smaller and medium sized companies... which was
fueled by the cheap money. So... in a place like Silicon
Valley where there's hundreds of these companies as
well as the larger ones, there was a safety valve.

And that safety valve... now may be closed,
because these companies are in trouble.

So that's one thing. I know that but there are countervailing

forces if we take this area, Madison, Wisconsin, which is a
very highly concentrated, medical high tech community.

Epic Systems just announced that they were going to

hire 1800 more people on top of the 7000 they've got

here in the suburbs of Madison. So, you know,

there are still different sectors of the

economy that are growing.

And of course, we now have what's going to be another

infusion in the tried way in which the United States has

dealt with unemployment and whatnot, the Keynesian

method --- of defense spending. There is a four point

something percent increase in defense spending,

there are increasing demands and cries to the

defense industry to hire people to supply the

war in Ukraine. And so there's going to be a

big push in that direction.

So I think there are some countervailing forces. Now we'll

see if there are enough, but the fact of the matter is that

the area that's going to be most affected is going to be

this high tech sector, about a quarter of a million

people, although it sounds like a lot, and it's

certainly not good news, is not the kind of

thing that will destabilize the economy.

What's going to destabilize the economy... is if a couple of

these other banks that are related in the same economic

sector as this bank, if they begin to falter on Monday,

then we're in a different situation.

Professor Frank Emspak, University of Wisconsin

Given the $1.5 trillion that was spent on Covid19 and the

return that the US is getting, considering the US GDP,

it's not getting that much of a return. Isn't that

indicative of a US economy that's not on a

steady footing?

Well, I think that presupposes that American policy had

anything to do with bank bailouts and COVID and all

the rest of it, that was all driven by the people who

are beneficiaries of all the debt that is being

created. I mean, the banking system is

driving everything, the people who

control money, so, no; they didn't

get much of a return.

But, you know, nor did anyone else. And what we're talking

about is a structural issue, we have, we have some

fundamental flaws in our structure, and there is

no way out of this --- other than to change the

structure as to how we organize ourselves.

And then what underpins that structure is money, which

I described as a single point of failure --- and what is

emerging to take its place is a very different way

of handling value, which is already being

capitalized on by Amazon, and Google

because they're using our data and

they are making huge amounts of

money out of it.

What is going to shift is that instead of having that data value

harnessed and harvested by relatively few small companies,

which cumulatively, Apple, Amazon and, I think, Google, are

worth something like 15 trillion. That.. is going to dissipate

into something called distributed autonomous organization.
Open source created the internet, and it is creating the

same environment for money --- or value. It's yet to be

applied to money but it will be, money methodology,

will change ---- and that is the way the transition

will occur.

But the existing framework of continually creating more and

more debt in order to keep this bicycle upright, sooner or

later fails, that's why we have debt jubilees and bank

failures every few decades. And, arguably, we had

the mother of all bank failures in 2008.

What they're desperately trying to do with the great reset and

all the other measures they are trying to do is come up with

a digital replacement, to try and anaesthetize the economy

from all this debt, but it “ain't gonna work”. And so, this

distributed autonomous organization is what

emerge to take its place.

Clive Menzies, Political Economy Researcher & Analyst

The collapse of the US Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), said to be

the largest bank failure since the 2008 Washington Mutual

financial crisis, has left startups re-questioning their future

as the crash sends jolts across the global financial markets.

You said we have to wait until Monday to see how

other banks are doing. Isn't that a worrying sign

that we have to wait?

There are two different interpretations of this. One take is

that contagion is going to happen and other banks are

sure to either go bankrupt or stop operations.

Another take is that banks are in a good financial

standing so that's not going to happen.

So where do we stand?

Well, I think it partially depends on the bank and your

business. And I don't have, you know, in my head (an)

encyclopedic knowledge of all these major banks.

All right, I think that it stands, yes it's worrisome

the fact that you were sitting around on Saturday,

and you've got 2500 small businesses who

desperately tried to move their money from

the Silicon Valley Bank to other banks so

they can operate on Monday morning.

You know, they are the ones who are worried and, of course,

observing this and reading the tales of woe in the paper

about this and that company who had millions of dollars,

now they can't get it. Of course, it's worrying. And yes,

it's disturbing that you should have the most powerful

economic system in the world waiting for 24 hours to

see if there's going to be a collapse. So obviously,

there's a problem. The fundamental problems,

though, are that start you know, a whole trend.

When the Federal Reserve says, well, we're going to solve

inflation ---- by attacking working people by increasing

employment and raising interest. Well... what do you

think is going to happen? What's going to happen is

that money available to startups is going to become

more expensive, and they're going to be looking

around for other ways to deal with it. And so

you begin to undermine that industry. And

that's what's happened here.

They began to go to the SVG saying we need more cash. SVG

is looking around so well. Alright, we are short, sell the bonds

and oh my god, why are you short on cash? What's going on

over there? And so you have these contradictory effects.

Yes, we put in a tremendous amount of money, the

American government put in one point something

trillion dollars, to what, to a social safety net

fundamentally, that had been underfunded

for a quarter of a century.

And so what we did is we reached the minimum standard

that most people in the developed world had for 18

months, incidentally, it's all gone away now.

So we're not talking about an investment in productive efforts

in this business. You know, we're talking about making good

on a quarter of a century of unpaid debt, in a certain sense,

to people. Now, now, just now in the last year or so, Biden

and his advisors (say) jeez, we got to we got to do

something; we're losing the productivity battle.

So these things are all happening at once, and I think

(they) are mutually contradictory and hence, very,

very difficult of solution.

Professor Frank Emspak, University of Wisconsin

Facebook owner Meta announced a fresh wave of job cuts

on Tuesday, part of the company's "year of efficiency" as

the US tech sector continues to downsize.

The Fed released a job report that indicates there are lots

of jobs that have been filled despite all the layoffs, how

is that possible?

Briefly, because there's a much bigger explanation... but in

essence, as I've said before, money rules and the banking

system comprises central banks and commercial banks

and they create all the money, they created all the debt,

and they run the financial system and by running the

financial system, they run all the other levers

of power.

Governments do not rule, the money system has access to

all the roots of power, including government, but commerce.

... as far as the other piece of Frank's conversation about

what was going to happen on Monday and he said it

depends on the state of the balance sheet and the

business type of the other banks.

In essence, banking is a confidence trick. Basically, you sign

a piece of paper for a loan, and they give you money in

return. And as long as everybody has confidence in

that bank, then that money is regarded as being

worthwhile. And so the confidence trick is their

business model. Thus, if you lose confidence,

then the trick fails, and we have a banking

collapse. And this is the SVB situation.

I cannot predict whether on Monday, the dominoes are going

to continue falling, because I've been staggered given that

we saw this coming in 2015, I've been staggered at how

long they've managed to perpetuate this tightrope walk,

if you like, and they've not yet finished.

Clive Menzies, Political Economy Researcher & Analyst

Are you saying there'll be other banks that may default?

Well, I don't know, I'm not making a prediction, but I know for

a fact that most of the major banks are bankrupt because

their balance sheets comprise assets, which have been

marked to value because the Fed and other central

banks have been buying them at market price.

Clive Menzies, Political Economy Researcher & Analyst

US bank stocks plummeted into a chaotic situation

stemming from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank

on Friday, after customers demanded their

deposits and the company’s stock fell

amid worries over the bank’s

financial health.

''Wait until Monday''? No wonder they
still call economics the dismal
science!

Do you like the US running the world
on the basis of a ''shell game''?

______________________________________

The Empire's losing bet on Ukraine:

Why bombs and sanctions

haven't crushed Russia

by Marco Fernandes

March 11th, 2:08pm

The two main tools of the US and its allies, to crush countries

that dare to challenge its hegemony, are its armed forces, &

economic sanctions. Since the end of the Cold War, in 1991,

the US has carried out 251 military interventions (compared

with 218 operations in the 200 years prior). But together

with NATO, the US has become accustomed to invading

and devastating countries... with little military defense

capacity, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria.

However... they have not been able to control these countries.

Something similar occurs in the case of sanctions: more than

20 countries are currently under White House sanctions, and

some of the more fragile countries have had their economies

wiped out, like Venezuela, Cuba, Iraq and Zimbabwe. Though

the goal of "regime change" has rarely been achieved, the

result is always tragic for the people. Neither tactic has

worked against Russia.

Russia's armed forces are powerful and well-trained, and its

industrial capacity is immense. The Western gamble of

supplying arms to Ukraine - while highly profitable for

the US war industry - is already beginning to run up

against the lack of industrial capacity of NATO

countries. In the first four months of the

conflict, Russia used more missiles

than the US is capable of

producing in one year.

According to a study by the Centre for Strategic
International Studies, the US missile stock is
already running low. The recent appeal by
German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, for Latin
American countries to send ammunition
to Ukraine - unanimously refused by
the region's presidents - shows
signs of NATO's growing
difficulties.

According to the Ukraine Support Tracker, approximately

$143.6 billion (as of January 15, 2023) has already been

earmarked for Ukraine, of which $44.3 billion is for

weapons already sent or financed by the US. Not

since the Vietnam War... has the US military-

industrial complex made so much money,

but last month, the White House itself

warned, that its resources for

supporting Ukraine.. are

not infinite.

Never before in history, has a country suffered as many

sanctions as Russia --- which is targeted by thousands

of them. Even with more than $300 billion of its inter

national reserves frozen - perhaps the greatest

"legalized" theft in history - in addition to

suffering severe trade and financial

restrictions, the Russian economy

has been less impacted than the

West expected. Its GDP shrank

by only 2.2 percent in 2022, a

kind of feat for a country ---

under these conditions.

A target of sanctions since 2008 --- Russia had already been

preparing economic antibodies to defend itself from further

attacks. But above all, one cannot easily devastate a

country that has a huge amount of strategic natural

resources, produces a lot of food and fertilizers,

and has such a powerful industry.

Moreover, the small number of countries that today apply

sanctions against Russia (US allies) represent only 25%

of the world's GDP. The other 75% want or need --- to

trade with Russians.

China, for example, has increased its trade with Russia by

34.3% by 2022 (to $190 billion), while India has become

the largest buyer of Russian oil and nearly quintupled

its trade with the Eurasian country over the last year.

The three countries are partners in the BRICS and

the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the pillars

of a growing movement of Global South countries

seeking a greater voice in determining their

future and that of the planet.

The European Council of Foreign Relations has just published

a survey on public opinion in the countries of the US-Europe

axis, plus China, India, Russia, and Turkey (a NATO member).

Even after a year of a constant Western media campaign

to demonize Russia, most people in these four southern

countries, amounting to about three billion people, want

the war to end as soon as possible, even if it means

accepting Russian control of territory previously

belonging to Ukraine.

Furthermore, 80 percent of Indian, 79 percent of Chinese,

and 69 percent of Turkish people, believe that Russia is

an "ally" or a "necessary partner," with most Indians

seeing the Russians as "allies," while most Turks

see them as their "necessary partner".

Most African countries have not forgotten the role of the

Soviet Union in their anti-colonial struggles against the

European powers --- and maintain excellent economic

and political relations with Moscow, to this day. Last

year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tried

to convene a meeting with the African Union, but

only four countries showed up.

At this point, the offensive of the US and its allies against

Russia has increased awareness among Global South

countries that it is necessary to strengthen the

regional and global initiatives that are "not

aligned" with Western hegemony.

Unsurprisingly, more and more countries have created

alternative mechanisms to the use of the US dollar ---

so often used by Washington, as a "weapon of mass

destruction." China has already made agreements

for the use of local currencies with about 25

countries, and the BRICS countries are

studying the implementation of a

mechanism that would allow

them to bypass the dollar.

More than 20 countries... have already expressed their

interest in joining the SCO or BRICS in the last months.

In a recent burst of sincerity, French President Emmanuel

Macron said he was shocked by how much the West is

losing credibility in the Global South. But a few days

ago, he himself shocked the world, by arrogantly

criticizing the president of the Democratic

Republic of Congo in front of TV cameras.

The French president's attitude reveals a deep pattern

of paternalism, from Washington to Brussels, shaped

by centuries of colonialism and imperialism. Some

things never change, but the world definitely

needs --- and is beginning to shape --- a

new order.

The author is a researcher at Tricontinental: Institute for

Social Research, co-editor of Dongsheng Collective,

organizer of the No Cold War campaign.

Opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

If you disagree with the article,

why not share your opinion
by e-mailing us.

_________________________________

Georgia denied sovereignty

March 9th, 12:32pm

https://en.news-front.info/

Last night, while watching a news feed on the events in

Georgia, I caught my eye on a freeze frame from Tbilisi,

which showed a “random” demonstrator “coming out

at the call of his heart” in a white mask, cap

and hood.

It is important to understand that white medical masks are

useless against tear gas, but they perfectly help to remain

unrecognized. In addition, people in a white mask are easy

to distinguish in the crowd, even at night. At one time on

the Kiev Maidan, the so-called foremen and centurions

who controlled the crowd, all wore bright red jackets

as one, in Georgian conditions white masks were

used. Actually, there is no doubt that we are

once again dealing with the technology of

colour revolutions, thus the Maidan.

And nevertheless, let’s first understand what the

“spontaneous” Georgian protest arose against,

promptly supported by Washington & Brussels.

As Kommersant writes, at the end of February, members

of the Georgian movement, Power of the People,

submitted two draft laws on foreign agents to

parliament – On the Transparency of Foreign

Influence and On the Registration of

Foreign Agents.

The draft law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence”

recognizes as agents of foreign influence non-profit

organizations and media outlets with more than

20% of their annual income coming from foreign

funding. This will not affect organizations

founded by administrative bodies and

sports federations.

Organizations will be required to register as agents and file

financial returns annually. In case of violation, they will

face a fine of 25 thousand lari (about $9.5 thousand).

This document was approved by the Georgian

parliament on March 7th. However, Georgian

President, Salome Zurabishvili, has

repeatedly spoken out against

the bill --- and promised to

veto it.

The second draft law “On Registration of Foreign Agents”,

which was supposed to be voted on today, provides not

only administrative, but also criminal liability for any

individual or legal entity receiving foreign funding

and is required to register as a “foreign agent”

but fails to do so. . Failure to comply with the

law provides for a fine or imprisonment for

up to five years.

“The People Power Movement claimed that the Foreign

Agents Registration Bill was completely copied from

the US FARA Act (passed in 1938; requires foreign

agents in the States representing the interests

of foreign powers in a “political or quasi-

political capacity” to disclose their

relations with a foreign government

and information about relevant

activities and finances),”

Kommersant clarifies.

But as you know, what is allowed to Jupiter, before that, the

bull did not come out with a muzzle. In the role of the bull,

of course, Georgia and countries like it, which at one

time chose to move towards the West, so to speak,

along the path of freedom and democracy.

Here is what the US State Department

spokesman Ned Price said about this.

“We are closely following what is happening in recent hours

in Georgia. Our message to the people and government of

Georgia is that the United States stands with all those

who peacefully stand up for their fundamental rights

to freely express their opinions and be heard, to

hold their government to account… I will not

name specific individuals or companies that

may be subject to US or other sanctions.

But we have a set of tools that allow us,

anywhere in the world, to hold to

account anyone responsible for

the suppression of human

rights.” End of quote.

The representative of the State Department ---- quite

transparently hinted at Washington’s dissatisfaction

with the decisions already taken in Tbilisi and those

that the local parliament only intended to adopt,

not forgetting to threaten with sanctions – the

US’s favourite answer to all problems today.

The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, was even more

specific and bluntly explained to the Georgians, the

limits of their freedom and sovereignty.

“The Parliament of Georgia adopted in the first reading a new

law on the transparency of external influence. This is a very

bad development --- for Georgia and its people. The law is

incompatible with EU values & standards. It contradicts

Georgia’s declared goal.. of joining the European Union.

We call for respect for the right of Georgian citizens to

peaceful protest. The law, in its current form, risks

having a chilling effect on civil society and media

organizations, with negative repercussions for

the many Georgians who benefit from their

work. This law is incompatible with the

values and standards of the EU.”

End of quote.

It’s so simple & categorical – the law on transparency, that is

transparency of foreign interference in the internal political

life of a sovereign state is not compatible with the values

of Western democracy. Thank you for clarifying,

otherwise we had some doubts here.

In general, everything is clear, only one question remains

unclear. Initiatives of the Georgian parliament could be

eeaisly buried behind the scenes, by sending a couple

of Western missions to Tbilisi, which, by blackmail and

threats, would force the deputies to withdraw the bills

or, through amendments, change their essence

beyond recognition. Maidan is always an

extreme measure, but this time they

decided to resort to it, why? It

seems to me, for a number

of reasons.

Firstly, they decided to punish Georgia in this way for not

joining the Western sanctions against Russia and thus

not allowing the ring around the Russian border to be

closed. But if you can’t show China or Kazakhstan

for this, then no one expected such behaviour

from pro-Western Tbilisi.

Secondly, an attempt to limit the omnipotence of the Soros

(and the laws are mainly about structures directly related

to Soros) is an act of rebellion that is unacceptable from

the point of view of the West, which severely undermines

the authority of the US and the EU. And things are not

going well with this case lately, so the West has

decided to act in a spirit of zero tolerance for

such self-will.

Thirdly, on the example of little Georgia, it was necessary to

teach a lesson to all those who might also think to go

against the will of the United States, and, first of all

(oddly enough), Ukraine. The fact is that the other

day, the head of the President’s Office, Andriy

Yermak, was able to drag his man into the

post of director of NABU, the main anti-

corruption structure in Ukraine,

through which Washington

controls the Ukrainian

elites, and thereby,

outplayed the US.

The White House cannot go into open confrontation with Kiev

on the eve of the planned offensive of the Armed Forces of

Ukraine, but it was important to send them a signal that in

which case the Maidan can always be staged against

the Maidan activists themselves.

And fourthly, by changing the government in Georgia (if

it comes to that), the States are counting on using its

territory to create another hot spot against Russia.

Moreover, there is a formal reason in the form of

South Ossetia and Abkhazia. And it may very

well be that the Americans will need it soon,

everything will depend on the events on

the Ukrainian front.

In the meantime, the ruling Georgian Dream party

in Georgia and the initiator of the bills, the public

movement Power of the People, made a

statement in the morning about

withdrawing the bills from

the parliament.

Thus, freedom-loving Georgians yesterday defended

the right of foreign citizens and organizations to

determine the policy of their country and

calmly interfere in the internal affairs

of the state. Democracy has

triumphed again. With

which, I congratulate

all of us.

Alexey Belov, IA Antifascist

Nothing to see here..

Move on, cattle.

______________________________________

Another Western media drew

attention to the abundance

of foreign fighters in the

ranks of the Armed

Forces of Ukraine

March 9th, 11:14am

https://en.news-front.info/

The European media are increasingly raising the issue

of recruiting units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

(AFU) with foreign fighters, whose dubious

biography is deliberately omitted.

The author of The Duran notes that.. in contrast to

the relatively easily replenished stocks of military

equipment, in the ranks of the Kyiv army, there

is a steady trend towards a shortage of man

power, the replenishment of which seems

to be a more difficult task. Everyone - is

involved: from former US Marine Corps

veterans to jihadist terrorists from the

Caucasus and the Middle East.

The author writes that in addition to the fact that the

Ukrainian authorities, deliberately hide data on the

real losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which

the Western press is not ashamed to write about,

noting that the command has been guided by

this tactic since the time of the coup on the

Maidan, the Ukraine Command today uses

more and more sophisticated strategies.

The material emphasizes that the atrocities of the Ukrainian

military registration and enlistment offices are subject
to active coverage in the Western media, in which

mobilization begins to concern children, ethnic

Romanians and Hungarians, and summonses

are issued on the streets of Odessa and at

Carpathian ski resorts.

The justification for this strategy is the critical level of losses

of the Ukrainian army: according to the most generalized

data, openly published by a number of Western sources,

the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost up to 100,000 soldiers.

However, more plausible is the information of the Turkish

publication Hürseda Haber based on Israeli intelligence

data, according to which the losses of the Ukrainian

army reached a terrifying mark of 157,000 people.

“Referring to the directive of the Commander-in-Chief of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine, we also note an off-scale number

of suicides among Ukrainian military personnel - 436 cases

were recorded in 2022 (excluding the composition of the

National Guard, SBU, Ministry of Internal Affairs, border

services). And public dissatisfaction with those subject

to forced mobilization becomes so strong, that the

residents of Kharkov take desperate measures,

setting fire to the district “recruiting centre”

(traditionally, the military registration and

enlistment office),” the author notes.

He notes that against this background, the following cunning

strategy seems to be a particularly mutually beneficial deal:

the Kiev leadership uses the illegal practice of recruiting

foreign mercenaries into the ranks of the Armed Forces

of Ukraine --- providing these “volunteers”, with the

opportunity to easily obtain Ukrainian citizenship

(in addition to the status of a military man).

We are not even talking about the fact that such a situation

devalues the institution of citizenship... as one of the key

components of constitutional law. The most interesting

thing is that, in a number of cases, in their countries,

these mercenaries are deprived of their citizenship,

as reported earlier, for example, by The

National Post.

“And this does not mean.. only deprivation of citizenship for

violation of national legislation on participation in military

conflicts on the territory of foreign countries. Much more

terrible ------ is the situation in which foreign radical

extremists, criminals willingly join the ranks of

the valiant Ukrainian army, seeking to avoid

punishment for especially grave crimes

committed at home.”

“The radical nature of the contingent that forms the Armed

Forces of Ukraine becomes obvious. But one should not

disregard the fact -- that representatives of various

countries of the world are already entering into

direct confrontation with Russia, under the

control of the subjects of the Western

democratic system interested in

this”, the article says.

This is evidenced by recent Russian intelligence data that

the United States has recruited and trained 60 Syrian

militants at the Al-Tanf base in order to commit

terrorist acts and assassination attempts on

civil servants of the Russian Federation and

the CIS countries. Under the clear leader-

ship of the Americans, 60 fighters from

the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and

Central Asia -- who have combat

experience.. thanks to the civil

war in Syria learned the basics

of making -- and operating --

improvised and explosive

devices. This.. is part of

a massive campaign to

destabilize Russia...

internally.

“Meanwhile, Danish television has provided yet another

confirmation that terrorists are serving in the ranks of

the Ukrainian army. In one of the stories about

generous military assistance to Ukraine, a

fighter of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

appears with a patch containing the

flag of the Islamic State* [the

organization is recognized

as a terrorist organization

and banned in the Russian

Federation]. Not a single

sober-minded person will

believe in the narrative

that there is no Nazism

and extremism in

Ukraine” ---- the

author notes.

He writes that the Nazi ideology is the basis of the worldview

of the main initiators of the Ukrainian “struggle for freedom”:

what is only the style of the US official representative in the

human rights organization “Helsinki Group” Paul Massaro,

posing in a sweater with a chevron depicting Nazi

collaborator Stepan Bandera (and also not who

misses the opportunity to be photographed

with the flag of the radical Azov*!).

The author examines the activities of the three brightest

representatives of radical extremists, who are now

rightfully considered the defenders of Ukrainian

land (although ------ they do not have the

corresponding ethnic characteristics).

The Turkic battalion “Turan”, operating under the leadership

of the Kyrgyz Almaz Kudabek uulu, who was convicted in

his homeland for participating in a military conflict on

the territory of a foreign state, has become proof

that Ukraine is currently a springboard for the

implementation of the destructive foreign

policy ambitions... of a number of states

unfriendly to Russia using technologies

to destabilize the national community.

On the footage available on the Internet, the members of this

formation oppose the “imperialist” and “shaitan” regime of

Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov and also demonstrate

the symbols of the ultra-right fascist movement the “Gray

Wolves”, “Bozkurtlar” * (the organization is recognized as

a terrorist and banned in member states of the CSTO).

The battalion members are 350 people – citizens of

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Dagestan,

Buryatia. At the same time, Ankara sponsors

this activity.

“With enviable regularity, Russian troops also liquidate

members of the battalion. Sheikh Mansur – ethnic

Chechens (Ichkerians) fighting on the side of

Ukraine... especially actively showing their

skills, in the Donbass & Kherson direction.

Another target is the Belarusian extremist

formation, “Regiment named after Kastus

Kalinovsky” --- which is part of the Armed

Forces of Ukraine. Its radical participants

who're freeing neighboring Ukraine from

“Russian aggression” ---- for a serious

monetary reward, have as their next

goal the establishment of the same

order in Belarus,” the article says.

Add here, the information that the Belarusian opposition

fighters are training in the training centres of a number

of countries of the European Union – then it becomes

obvious that the ruling elite of Belarus is really next

in line. This is a very well-thought-out strategy of

the countries of the democratic camp, in which

the key tool is not a direct attack, but indirect

destabilization of the national community.

Accordingly, more attention of the Russian Armed Forces

---- should be directed to the suppression of foreign

mercenaries illegally performing military duties,

which in fact are the core of world terrorism,

promoted by Washington's political elite...

for their own selfish purposes.

* organizations are recognized as terrorist

and banned in the Russian Federation

* the organization is recognized as a terrorist

organization and banned in the CSTO

member states

Under the banner of democracy and

human rights, ride the darkest evil

money grabbing killers.

Is this something YOU approve...

Answer!

______________________________________________

Dual approach: how Olaf Scholz calls for

increasing the production of weapons
against the background of the
situation in Ukraine

by Alexander Karpov, Alena

Medvedeva, Vladimir Duyun

March 8th, 9pm

(RT.ru)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, that the conflict
in Ukraine may drag on, so it is necessary to put on

a permanent basis, the production of weapons

and ammunition. At the same time he noted

that Germany wants the confrontation

to end.

Earlier, he criticized unconditional calls for negotiations and

the cessation of arms supplies to Kiev. Commenting on

Scholz's statements, experts note: that he has

completely lost his political independence,

and now broadcasts the position of the

United States, without offering any

alternative solutions to resolve

the situation.

The German authorities believe that the conflict in Ukraine

may continue for a long time, German Chancellor Olaf

Scholz said during a meeting with fellow citizens in

the federal state of Brandenburg.

"We have to fear that this will continue to happen, although,

of course, we would like it to be different every day," the

Chancellor said.

At the same time, Scholz added that, due to the potential

prolongation of the conflict, from his point of view, it is

necessary to put the production of weapons and

ammunition ---- on a permanent basis.

Commenting on this statement, First Deputy Chairman of

the State Duma Committee on International Affairs,

Alexey Chepa, stated that the NATO system

itself is based on the fact that Russia is

the only enemy of the alliance.

"They will use all possible ways to continue the conflict. It

will be Ukraine or some other country. They continue to

go this way, because it brings huge dividends," the

source stressed.

Weapons for peace

Earlier, Scholz, in an address to the Bundestag, criticized

calls to stop the supply of weapons to Ukraine. He said

that stopping the supply of equipment to Kiev will not

lead to peace.

"Peace cannot be achieved by chanting' No to war ' in Berlin,

and at the same time calling for an end to all arms supplies

to Ukraine," he said, adding that "peacefulness does not

mean subordination to a larger neighbour."

This is how Scholz reacted to a series of large-scale anti-war

actions that took place in Germany in recent weeks.

Protests were held in Munich, Dresden and Berlin,

as well as near the American Ramstein air base,

in Rhineland-Palatinate.

The participants of these actions called for stopping the

supply of weapons and military equipment from

Germany to Ukraine, as well as for making

efforts to resolve the conflict through

diplomatic means.

However, despite the protests, Olaf Scholz said that Germany

will continue to supply weapons to the Kiev regime and train

soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory

of Germany.

In his opinion, against the background of "so different

positions" of German citizens regarding the supply of

weapons to Ukraine, it is difficult to "approach the

goal of a just peace." In addition, Scholz said that

"there will be no peaceful solution over the heads

of Ukrainians" --- and Berlin adheres to the

position of the Ukrainian leader, Vladimir

Zelensky, on the issue of negotiations.

Recall that Germany supplied the Kiev regime with a

significant amount of weapons and equipment.

According to the German government, Ukraine received

34 Gepard anti-aircraft self-propelled guns, with
6 thousand shells, 122 armoured vehicles, nine

Biber bridge-laying tanks, an Iris-T air defense

system ..and SLM missiles for it, 145 pickups,

20 70 mm missile launchers, 15 Bergepanzer

2 armored personnel carriers, 12 M1070

Oshkosh heavy tractors... 50 Dingo

armoured vehicles ---- five MARS II

MLRS systems.. a COBRA counter-

battery system, 14 Panzerhaubitze

2000 self-propelled howitzers & 54

M113 armoured personnel carriers.

In addition, from the German side, Kiev received spare parts

for MiG-29 aircraft and Mi-24 helicopters, 60 thousand

40 mm shells, 18.5 thousand 155 mm shells, the

ammunition for MARS II multiple launch rocket

systems, 53 thousand shells for anti-aircraft

installations, 3 thousand Panzerfaust 3 anti-

tank missiles, about 15 thousand tanks.

anti-tank mines, 2.7 thousand portable

air defense systems "Strela" and 500

Stinger MANPADS, 22 million rounds

of small arms ammunition, 50 anti-

bunker rockets, 100 thousand

hand grenades, 5.3 thousand

explosive charges, and

other equipment.

In addition, in January, Berlin changed its position - on the

supply of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Olaf

Scholz refused to supply main battle tanks to Kiev in

2022, citing the prospect of an escalation of the
conflict, as well as the lack of a unified
position on this issue among the
NATO allies.

However, after US President Joe Biden announced his

intention to supply Kiev with American Abrams tanks,

the German government announced its decision to

transfer its heavy armoured vehicles to Ukraine

and gave the go-ahead for their re-export to

other countries.

It is worth noting that the German Defense Minister, Boris

Pistorius on the sidelines of an informal meeting of
the EU Defense ministers in Stockholm said that
18 German and three Portuguese Leopard 2A6

tanks, together with trained brigades, will

enter Ukraine in March.

American rhetoric

Scholz's statements that the conflict in Ukraine will continue

for a long time and that -- in this regard -- it is necessary to

increase the production of weapons, indicates that Berlin

fully accepts Washington's position on the Ukrainian

issue, says Alexander Kamkin, a senior researcher

at the IMEMO RAS Centre for Comparative and

Political Studies.

"Scholz voices the position... that Joe Biden brought to him,

during the last call "on the carpet". The Americans, as the

main initiators of the conflict in Ukraine, will drag it out
in every possible way, and this recognition of Scholz

actually says --- that Europe will be used by the US

--- as a front line in the confrontation with Russia.''

''Here you can recall the shortage of ammunition,

which the Europeans are talking about. Scholz's

statement can be interpreted as a signal to put

the European economies on military rails," the

expert explained, in a conversation with RT.

According to him, if earlier Scholz took a more balanced

position on resolving the conflict, now he voices the

opinion of the hawkish politicians, with whom he

shares power.

"Many members of the German ruling coalition talk about the

need to inflict a military defeat on Russia. This position was

voiced by Foreign Minister Berbok from the "Greens",

representatives of the Free Democrats, members of

the Bundestag defense Committee and others. Now

Scholz has joined his coalition colleagues, not

without pressure from the Americans.''

''For this purpose, he was summoned to Washington in

order to get a uniform position on Ukraine from him

--- against the background of unrest in German

society, where, according to opinion polls,

about 50% of citizens oppose arms

supplies and support a peaceful

settlement of the conflict," the

political scientist said.

In turn, RISS expert Sergey Ermakov noted that the

protracted nature of the conflict in Ukraine has

long been a matter of concern for

European leaders.

"There is a certain slyness, in such statements, since it is

precisely by his actions - that Scholz is dragging out this
conflict - in every possible way. This is an ambivalent

position, as Germany contributes to prolonging the

conflict by supplying weapons. There are no

serious, well-thought-out solutions to

stabilize this crisis in Europe.''

''Everyone is broadcasting the American position on how

Europeans should behave in this situation. In fact,

Europeans are moving more and more towards

becoming a party to this conflict," the

expert said, in an interview with RT.

At the same time, statements about the need to increase the

production of weapons, indicate that Europe is preparing for

active military operations with Russia, Ermakov believes.

"On the one hand, the leaders of Europe say... that they are

afraid of prolonging the conflict, on the other - their actions

indicate that there is already a real preparation for war.''

''Let's speak directly. If they continue to act in this way -- they

will have to take some form of direct participation in
military operations. An indirect war with Russia,
through Ukraine, requires more and more
investments and funds," the

expert concluded.

Scary, huh? These are people who see

us as cattle at best, and expendable

lumps of dung, at worst.

Even cattle, as they smell death, and

hear the screams of others, will try

to leave their iron pens.. outside

the slaughter house.* The iron

pen for you... is in your mind.

Will you accept your role and

die for these monsters ?

What do YOU think? Fight?

Or would you rather die

than think?

* SORRY! Meat-processing plant.

_______________________________

Zelenskyy’s policy towards

national minorities... leads
to Ukraine’s disintegration

March 6th, 11:18am

https://en.news-front.info/

The question of the historical belonging of a number of

territories that make up Ukraine has long been on the

agenda of some European countries. The systematic

oppression of the rights and freedoms of the ethnic

population by the Kiev regime may become one of

the triggers for the revision of the borders of the

still “non-independent” state in the areas of

significant concentration of the Hungarian,

Polish and Romanian population.

The Duran writes about it.

According to the publication, the atrocities of the criminal

Kiev regime are clearly visible in areas inhabited by

Hungarian, Polish and Romanian peoples. One of

the most recent targets was the town of

Mukachevo, Transcarpathian region,

which has been part of independent

Ukraine since 1991 (before that

from 1938, together with

Uzhgorod, it belonged

to Hungary).

The Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet reported that the

Ukrainian authorities have facilitated the removal of

Hungarian flags and signs in Hungarian from public

organizations in the city and theirnearby villages

--- which has caused extreme dissatisfaction

from the Hungarian Foreign Minister, Tamas

Mencer. The Hungarians are also unhappy

with the constant oppression of the rights

and freedoms (including the right to vote)

of the Hungarian national community. At

the same time - the weekly noted -

Ukraine has the impudence -- to

declare its desire to join the EU.

“In a patriotic frenzy, the Ukrainian authorities also

desecrate a heritage of Hungarian culture --- a

Ukrainian trident was installed in Mukacheve

instead of a sculpture of a Hungarian eagle-

thurl,” the publication said.

It was pointed out that ethnic Hungarians constitute 12%

of the population of Western Ukraine and 151,500 people

reside in the region. The conditions of this residence

cannot be called comfortable: in 2017, the law “On

Education” adopted by the Ukrainian side came

into force, restricting the right to study in the

Hungarian language. Hungary has been

active in expressing its opposition to

this policy, preventing Ukraine
from joining NATO.

The same 12%, only in the historic region of Bukovina,

bordering Romania, are ethnic Romanians. This

national group also expresses dissatisfaction

with the forcible assimilation policy of the

Kiev regime.

The National Council of Romanians of Ukraine.. has sent a

document to the Bucharest authorities denouncing Kiev’s

oppression of the right of Romanians living in Ukraine to

education in their native language. Thus, the “plaintiffs”

accuse the Kiev authorities of cultural and linguistic

genocide and Bucharest of insufficient measures to

counteract this policy and protect the

Romanian population.

As for the population of Poland’s north-western neighbour,

though the Polish-Ukrainian tandem thrives on a fervour of

desperate hatred of Russia, the two peoples do in fact

have a very contradictory past, with current echoes

to this day.

Poles remember -- the bloody period of the Volyn massacre
even today -- despite the rapprochement between the two
countries during the Ukrainian conflict, the issue remains

a stumbling block in relations between states that

position themselves as “important geostrategic

partners”. According to Polish Deputy Foreign

Minister Szymon Szinkowski, Poles living in

Ukraine (144,000 people) are discriminated

against on the issue of freedom of religion,

the ability to use the Polish language (in

particular in the education process), &

restrictions on freedom of speech.

In his unfavourable assessment, Szymon Szinkowski

also refers to the notorious 2017 language law. In

addition, he is legitimately unhappy with the

trend towards the active “Bandarisation”

of Ukraine’s population.

Against this unpleasant backdrop, the following scenario

seems likely: when the patience of national minorities

comes to an end, they may well demand secession

from the oppressing state. And this initiative might

not come from the ruling elite with its prerogative

to “restore historical justice”, which is relatively

easy to implement ----- given the extremely

precarious position of Ukrainian President

Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In this case, the vox

populi, the voice of the people, can play

an important role.

The degree of public heat could go as far as attempting to

initiate a new “Maidan”, in which Hungary, Romania and

Moldova would be well advised to protect their ethnic

populations. Another option could be for these

essentially European citizens to aspire to join

the EU, which would require them to leave

Ukraine and reunite with their ethnically

“native” countries.

But however powerful the idea of a popular uprising may

be, even it will fade if the leaders of Poland, Romania

and Hungary do embrace reintegration, a return to

their historic homelands. This is a plausible and

relatively easy scenario, given Zelenski’s

current precarious position... and the

general period of shaping the new

world order.

The paper notes -- that it is not customary in the Western

paradigm to talk about this openly, but former Romanian

Foreign Minister, Andrei Marga, has already made a bold

statement -- that Ukraine is now in artificial borders and

that it is good to return the historical lands to their real

owners – Transcarpathia should go to Hungary, Galicia

to Poland ...and Bukovina to Romania. The former

politician also mentioned the need to “return”

Donbass and Crimea to Russia.

“The notorious democratic inclusiveness and culture of

diversity does not work in Ukraine. Vladimir Zelensky

may not be the greatest strategist or the wisest

politician, but he does have a great acting

talent. How else can one explain the

genius -- that hides a real autocrat

and fascist -- under the mask of a

‘holy champion of democracy’?

Ooer... this blows the lid off Ukraine.

What do you think?

_____________________________________

Americans are sick of

the word “Ukraine”.

March 4th, 11:06am

https://en.news-front.info/

Joe Biden has personally announced the

next military aid package to Ukraine.

Compared to previous tranches it is relatively modest – $400

million. Mostly ammunition --- missiles for HIMARS, shells for

155-mm howitzers and 105-mm guns, subversive ammunition.

The nomenclature itself indicates the essence of the depth

of the problem. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are faced with

a shell famine, which even these American deliveries will

not allow them to overcome.

It is no longer possible to ignore the objective difficulties.

No media cover can close this obvious hole, which even

the NATO Secretary General is already pointing out.

Jens Stoltenberg was forced to admit that the appetite of

the AFU was beyond the alliance’s grasp. The expenditure

is higher than the income. The debit does not match the

credit. We’re out of ammunition, but you hang in there.

Kiev doesn’t believe it yet. They demand from the EU

to send not less than a quarter of a million shells

every month. Otherwise, they say, don’t expect

any progress. The price of the issue is at least

€1 billion. But everything rests on a race

against time.

Yes, the Pentagon, according to the media, wants to increase

shells production by 500%, but it will not be possible to do it

in a month... or even in six months.

Is this not what Joe Biden and Olaf Scholz were discussing

at the White House? The German chancellor’s bizarre visit

raised many questions. Crumpled open part, conversation

behind closed doors, no press conference at the end. The

US administration’s sparse report that.. “during the talks,

the two leaders expressed their willingness to continue

the sanctions policy against Russia for a special

military operation in Ukraine... ‘as long as

necessary'”.. sounds more like a mantra

and a slogan than anything substantive.

So why was Scholz coming?

The German opposition believes that the Chancellor went to

Washington for a bow. To smooth the edges over Berlin’s de

facto delay in supplying tanks to Zelensky. However, the

sharp corners have been added lately. Firstly, America

has lately been pushing the “China threat” theme,

threatening China with consequences for

potential aid to Russia. Beijing is Berlin’s

main trading partner and Scholz is

caught between two fires.

Secondly, exactly one year ago, standing next to Scholz

at the White House, Biden threatened North Streams

by uttering this phrase:

“If Russia invades, if tanks, soldiers cross the Ukrainian

border again, there will be no more Nord Stream 2.

We will make it happen. I promise, we can do it.”

As Seymour Hersh’s investigation has recently revealed,

those words by Biden were not an emotion. The plan

to blow up the pipelines was already in place. The

question is whether Scholz knew about it. He

himself is keeping silent ------- to conceal his

senior partner overseas, but if the German

chancellor really did not know, then, after

Hersch made everything public, Biden

should, at least, explain himself.

And in such a case, it is better

to do it face to face --- rather

than over the phone.

Hersch claims that the main reason Biden gave for the

destruction of both strings of gas pipelines at the

bottom of the Baltic - was the US President’s fear

that at the peak of consumption, in cold weather,

the Germans would “break down”. They would

get out of Washington’s control at a critical

moment and refuse to keep up with the US

on the Ukrainian track. What Biden did not

take into account was that the Americans

themselves would start to get out of

control. And it would be the careless

Zelensky, who would help them.

The Ukrainian president, who has staked his life

on emotion, seems to have completely turned

off the remnants of his traditional intellect.

Or his gaps in recent history are so glaring that three weeks

before the 20th anniversary of the American war in Iraq

(which according to official figures killed 4,500 US men)

Zelensky, without the slightest reflection, demanded

that US folk.. should pay with their lives for Ukraine.

If you type the word Zelensky into the English-language

Twitter segment right now, you will almost certainly

come across a video in which he declares that US

sons and daughters will have to fight and die

for Ukraine.

And crossing that red line was a death sentence.

This is the Rubicon, from which, there is no

going back.

“Zelensky wants our sons and daughters to die defending

Ukraine’s border, but Ukraine is not even a member of

the North Atlantic Alliance,” Marjorie Taylor Green, a

member of the US House of Representatives,

said angrily.

“Zelensky has no idea what he just did. Taking our taxes is

one thing. We’re already used to getting nothing out of it.

But now he’s talking about the deaths of American

children for his war. If there’s one bear that

shouldn’t be teased --- it’s an American

parent,” ordinary Americans, already

nauseated by Ukraine lately, echo

her. The wind is changing before

their eyes.

Not conservative and isolationist star Tucker Carlson of Fox

News, but the quite systemically liberal NYT this week ran

an article titled “Weakening public support for Ukraine’s

arms program – a challenge for Biden.” Hidden inside

the package with the sparingly rounded headline is

the ruthless results of opinion polls (according to

their data, support for aid to Kiev has dropped

from 60% last May to 48% today, and the

number of Americans who think that the

United States helps Ukraine too much

has jumped from 7% a year ago, to

26% today), as well as “damning”

questions -- for the White House

head. The main one of which is:

how much more patience..... do

the American people have left?

Now, after Zelensky’s lame-ass egoistic speech, one can say

for sure that it will last “less” than it did before it. Tens and

maybe even hundreds of thousands of Americans took his

words not just as bloody blackmail, but as a challenge to

their personal well-being and a threat to their way of life.

And it would be strange if, at election time, nobody

picked up on such strong messages.

Biden sounds the warning from political analysts --- who are

certain that if Donald Trump manages to sneak through the

party primaries and becomes the only Republican nominee

(as things currently look like they will) he will do every-

thing he can to have the campaign against the

incumbent White House leader built around

the “Ukrainian issue”.

For Biden it is like an overflowing repository of toxic wastes

from his former political and business activities, so tied up

with Ukraine. Both through his son Hunter, the “Maidan”

and the multi-billion dollar US military-industrial

complex contracts.

So it’s just a matter of time before Trump invites

Biden for a walk through this minefield…

Valentin Bogdanov, RT

Aah, time! Patience is a

virtue seldom found in

women - and virtually

never - in men.

What, dear reader,

do YOU think of

all this!

__________________________

Take Notice Citizens

of sleepyJoeland

March 3rd, 5:18am

(Rhondda Records)

President Biden on Wednesday (March 1, 2023) issued

a continuation of a previous executive order that

declared a "national emergency" in the U.S.

related to the year long conflict between

Russia and Ukraine/NATO.

In February 2022, just days before Russia launched its
invasion of Ukraine, Biden issued an executive order

that expanded the "national emergency" scope of

the previous orders.. that were set to expire on

March 6th. The continuation Biden issued on

Wednesday, will extend the orders for an

additional year.

Emergency Powers that can be executed by the

President of the US under a state of emergency:

Bank accounts can be frozen.

Bans on biological or chemical agents can be lifted.

Civil liberties, such as the right to a

peaceful assembly, can be halted.

The president can order incarcerations.

Elections can be postponed indefinitely.

Federal leases can be suspended

when the country faces dangers.

Foreign individuals can be ordered to leave

the nation, and the borders can be closed.

National resources can be ushered into

play to confront a natural disaster.

Sanctions pertaining to property and

finances can be removed or initiated.

Soldiers and naval vessels may be ordered

to engage in combat during a crisis.

The government can take control of the internet,

radio, and TV because of a perilous matter, and

production and distribution of goods can

be seized.

The military can be mobilized domestically in a crisis,

martial law can be declared by the president.

The leader of the Executive branch can

launch a nuclear strike if necessary.

The president may order an assassination

resulting from an emergency.

The right of habeas corpus can be

suspended as a consequence

of crises.

Transportation networks can be

taken over by the government.

Hey ho... you were warned

--- but you were half dead.

What do YOU want?

Freedom... or the

new US DREAM

...sleepy slavery?

________________________________________

Serbia Will Regain Its Soul

by Davor Slobodanovich Vuyachich

March 1st, 2023

How much can the dignity of a small,

defiant nation that loves freedom

above all else, cost?

On May 31st last year, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar

Vucic, began his new five-year mandate ------- by taking the

presidential oath in the National Assembly of the Republic

of Serbia. While in a solemn atmosphere, he pronounced

the text of the oath, which is precisely defined by the

Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, for a moment

almost the whole of Serbia united around him; not

only his supporters, but even his bitterest
political opponents.

Those who did not support Vucic on that day when he swore

that he would “dedicate all his forces to preserving the

sovereignty and the entire territory of the Republic of

Serbia, including Kosovo and Metohija as its integral

part”, are not even worth mentioning.. because they

- are unworthy of their homeland. Whether someone

loved Vucic or not, on that day they sincerely wished

that he as the president of all the citizens of Serbia,

would really find the strength to protect Serbia
from the terrible evils that threaten it ---- for
the umpteenth time.

Article 182 of the Seventh Part of the Constitution of the

Republic of Serbia, which concerns territorial organization,

autonomous provinces, and local self-governments, clearly

defines Kosovo and Metohija as an autonomous province

within the Republic of Serbia. As a lawyer by education,

President Vucic most certainly knew - what a terrible

burden he took on himself that day. The oath he took,

until the end of his presidential mandate --- legally

forces him to act exclusively in accordance with

the obligations and rights imposed on him by the

Constitution. In the continuation of the solemn

oath, the Serbian president accepted another

equally sacred obligation: he swore that he

would devote all his energies to the

realization of human and minority

rights and freedoms, which most

certainly includes freedom of

speech and political activism.

Therefore - while the valid Constitution of the Republic of

Serbia is in force, it is the obligation of every citizen, and

most of all its President, to strictly adhere to every part of

it, including that which concerns Kosovo and Metohija as

an inalienable part of the Republic of Serbia. Although as

a legal category, the term “high treason” in the sense of

a criminal offense, has been removed from the Criminal

Code of the Republic of Serbia, there are still 2 similar

criminal offenses punishable by prison terms of 15 to

forty years. Those two crimes are: recognition of

capitulation or occupation -- and endangering the

territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia. The

text of the Constitution is easily accessible to the

average citizen of Serbia, but that does not mean

they know it by heart or that it's even necessary.

Every Serb, from birth to death, cherishes the awareness that

Kosovo and Metohija are not only the heart but also the very

soul of the Serbian nation, that it has always been so, and

that it must remain so ----- until Judgment Day. It is not

necessary to threaten the average citizens of Serbia -

with the aforementioned articles of the Criminal Code

- in order for them to know what is right and what is

wrong, just as they do not need to be taught who

are the biggest and proven enemies of the

Serbian nation --- and who are their true

brothers, friends and potential allies.

Because of all this -- the disclosure of the details of the so-

called Franco-German plan, to resolve the issue of Kosovo

and Metohija, on January 20th after the visit of EU and US

representatives to Belgrade, dramatically stirred spirits in

Serbia. The most patriotic part of Serbian society, people

labeled as “Serbian extremists” - by the collective West,

were absolutely furious - but quite rightly so. First of all,

this document we couldn’t justifiably call Franco-German,

and it's even less about a constructive plan or agreement

that would satisfy Belgrade & Pristina equally. Terms like

“American dictate” or “American ultimatum” would be
far more accurate.

That the USA is the real initiator & creator of the disastrous

“Brussels Agreement” for Serbia should not be doubted at

all, because the Americans have been working diligently

for decades on the project of creating Greater Albania.

According to the Serbian expert from the Eurasian

Security Forum, the university professor, Doctor of

Science, and retired Major general Mitar Kovac,

Greater Albania is necessary for the Americans

in order to serve them as a cheap and privileged

basing of military forces. The US therefore wants

to create a huge military base from the whole of

Greater Albania, from which they would control

not only the entire Balkans, but also the wider

region, and the entire Mediterranean.

Albanian President Edi Rama openly says that the NATO-
occupied Serbian province is already perceived as part

of Greater Albania. Without much diplomatic tact... he

declared that the acceptance of the “Franco-German

plan” by the Serbian side would be one of the steps

towards the main goal, which is the unification of

the occupied Serbian province --- with Albania.

Namely, the plan behind which Washington most certainly

stands, whatever you call that dictate, requires Serbia
to de facto recognize the so-called “Kosovo”... as an

independent state. Thus, Article 4 of this ultimatum

asks Serbia not to oppose Kosovo’s membership in

any international organization, including the United

Nations, the European Union and NATO. In the rest

of the “Franco-German” plan, Serbia is required to

develop good-neighbourly relations with so-called

“Kosovo”, and that Serbia cannot represent that

fake state in the international sphere and act
on its behalf.

Article 8 provides for the exchange of permanent missions,

which is a euphemism for the establishment of diplomatic

relations between two independent states. You don’t have

to be a legal expert to understand that all this not only de

facto but also de jure--- means that Serbia recognizes its

southern province, which was occupied by NATO in 1999,

as an independent state. This unequivocally means that

the text of the Franco-German plan is in direct collision

with the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, as was

the “Brussels Agreement” --- by the way. Any official

representative of the Republic of Serbia who would

sign such an agreement would be committing a

criminal offense -- punishable by a long prison

sentence. Unofficially, at the end of January,

some Serbian media reported that the Prime

Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, and not

President Vucic, should put her
signature on the agreement.

You will agree, in that case, even if she really signs the

ultimatum, the Prime Minister would be assigned the worst

possible role in the entire Serbian history, which is not fair

for several reasons. First of all, it is about a lady who is part

of a very vulnerable minority community in Serbia; second,

as a politician, Ana Brnabic is relatively inexperienced in

legal matters of international importance and finally, she

does not enjoy the direct support of the electorate that

would allow her to violate the Constitution --- and risk
arrest with more confidence. All of this should force
her colleagues to take responsibility for themselves
in a gentlemanly manner & deal with the disastrous

rating they would have in the public afterwards.

President Vucic, in accordance with his presidential oath and

the Constitution, is obliged to do everything to ensure that

this insulting and humiliating agreement for Serbia is never

signed by anyone. Connoisseurs of internal affairs in Serbia

know very well that Prime Minister Brnabic --- never does

anything without the approval and order of the President,

which is why her signature on the “agreement” would be

seen as Vucic’s anyway. Another Serbian Prime Minister,

Ivica Dacic --- in 2013 --- when the disastrous Brussels

Agreement was signed, refused to sign this same plan,

which was actually part of the same package. Dacic,

as an experienced politician, knew that it would be a

kind of political suicide for him, and these days the

public is getting the impression --- that he is still

hesitating, about whether Serbia should really

shoot itself in the stomach. Admittedly, Dacic

publicly denied these rumours --- but the

journalists most likely assessed the

situation correctly.

While some Serbian regime politicians are wavering, and

others are slowly replacing the platform from which they

tried to balance between the West and Russia --- with

completely surrendering Serbia --- to the interests of

Washington and Brussels, a large part of the Serbian

public is protesting more & more loudly. All previous

surveys of the public, including the one from May last

year conducted by the magazine for political theory
& social research “New Serbian Political Thought”

(Serbian “Nova srpska politika misao”), clearly
show that 82.1% of Serbian citizens support
Russia, that 87.2% of them --- are against
membership of Serbia in the hated NATO,

and that support for Serbia’s entry into
the EU ------- has dropped to 20%.

Why, then, does the ruling coalition still persistently insist on

the so-called “European way”? Democracy must not be just

a mere reign in the name of the people, but really, to the

greatest extent possible, it must be ..a true expression

of the people’s will and feelings, and it must not be just

a dead letter on paper & part of theoretical democracy,

but a matter of daily practice. Historical experience has

shown, that if the will of the people is persistently and

long-term ignored - a dangerous social anomaly arises

in which the gap between the alienated political elites

and the people widens, that at a certain moment can

go down the path of an extremely unpredictable and

very undemocratic outcome that everyone in Serbia

wants to avoid.

Violence, of course, is out of the question as a way to solve

Serbian problems. To be completely fair to the ruling Serbian

political coalition, and as Maria Zakharova, the Director of

the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the West is

really putting tremendous pressure on the Serbian

government. The fact that Serbia is -- literally --

territorially surrounded by countries --- that are

members of the North Atlantic Alliance, whose

crimes Serbs will never forget & many will not

even forgive, does not help Serbia either.

Nevertheless, regardless of all that, as Zaharova concluded,

Serbia simply must not submit to the West. It is an option

that is inadmissible to even think about because the

possible consequences for Serbia would be

catastrophic and would lead to the

disappearance of the Serbian

people and their statehood.

That’s why on one of the biggest Serbian national holidays,

namely Statehood Day, on February 15th of this year, the

most patriotic of all Serbs tried to express their displeasure

with the collective West’s attempts to impose the Franco-

German dictate on Serbia. The organizer of the protest --

which was held near the Presidency of Serbia, was a PhD

of Legal Sciences, and university professor Dejan Mirovic,

& the rally was supported by 4 opposition parliamentary

parties. In a city where more than 2 million people live,

only a few thousand patriots showed up at the protest,

which unfortunately indicates a high degree of national

apathy in Serbia. Such a modest & peaceful gathering

in no way posed a danger to the state ---- and its

constitutional order. Nevertheless, the protest,

where in fact there were no incidents, for some

reason still severely disturbed the Serbian

authorities ----- and two of the speakers
were soon arrested.

The speech of the political and social activist, Damnjan

Knezevic, known as the organizer of several mass pro-

Russian rallies in Belgrade, could indeed be considered

somewhat sharper and more emotional --- but in the

opinion of the huge number of Serbian lawyers who

spoke out these days, there were no elements of a

criminal offense in it. The sentence for which the

journalist, historian, owner, and editor-in-chief of

Srbin.Info, one of the few independent media

outlets in Serbia, Dejan Petar Zlatanovic, was

arrested, unexpectedly became the slogan of

his sympathizers: “Whoever signs, will be killed”.

Unfortunately, the Serbian police in this short sentence

recognized a danger to the constitutional order of the

Republic of Serbia ---- and even a threat to the life of

President Vucic himself. However, even a superficial

logical analysis of this statement clearly indicates

that Zlatanovic did not mention the president of

Serbia at all, and that he was talking purely

hypothetically, about a person who would

one day... dare to violate the Constitution

by signing a “Franco-German agreement”.

Zlatanovic did not mention what could be signed or who could

do it, and therefore, many lawyers in Serbia responsibly claim

that Zlatanovic is completely innocent. Since the organizer

of the protest, professor Mirovic is a legal expert, it is not

surprising that all the speakers, including Knezevi and

Zlatanovic... spoke as cautiously as they could. In the

opinion of many lawyers, the police acted very clumsily

by declaring that Zlatanovic’s slogan “Whoever signs,

will be killed” is a direct threat to the life of President

Vucic. In their zealous desire to protect the president,

they indirectly accused him of a possible violation of

the presidential oath and the Constitution.

Since the potential signatory of the agreement could be the

Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, it

remains unclear how the police came to the absolutely

illogical and potentially very offensive conclusion that

the violator of the Constitution will be the President of

the Republic of Serbia himself.

Knezevic and Zlatanovic were accused of extremism and

ordered to be detained for up to 30 days. Their friends

reported.. that Zlatanovic has been on a hunger strike

since February 15, that he even refused to drink water

for 4 days, and that he is in poor health and under

enormous stress. It seems that during the arrest,

Zlatanovic suffered a very painful injury to the leg

in which he has a congenital disability. Apparently,

Knezevic suffered much more serious injuries
during the arrest, which is why he is currently
in the emergency hospital centre.

His lawyers appear to have been barred from seeing him, but

this information has not been verified yet. These two arrests

were openly condemned by a large part of the Serbian public

these days. The associations and unions of journalists, the

crème de la crème of Serbian intellectuals, university

professors and academics, all parties of the patriotic

opposition including the parliamentary ones, most of

the patriotic and Orthodox movements, but not only

them, came to the defense of the arrested. Perhaps

unexpectedly for many, support for the two proven

patriots and Russophiles also came from the pro-

European part of the opposition.

Several organizations of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija also

appealed to the Serbian Patriarch --- with a request that he
mediate in releasing the arrested. Finally, one of the most

influential leaders of the Serbian diaspora, Dr. Miodrag Kulic,

a theoretical physicist, addressed the public with the request

that the arrested be released immediately, and I will explain

why his appeal is particularly important at the end of the

article. Zlatanovic is already being called the “Serbian

Gandhi” because he never used violence, or called for

violence, and that is good - because it shows the clear

desire of the citizens of Serbia to conduct the political

struggle exclusively with Gandhian, that is, completely

non-violent, methods. Maybe Knezevic is, in that case,

the “Serbian Malcolm X”, because of his emotionally

charged patriotism -- but it is certain that he never

intended to use violence, either. There is no doubt

that Vucic himself, as the president of all citizens,

will have to intervene and release the arrested as

soon as possible because their arrest is beginning

to cause him political damage. Public support for

Zlatanovic and Knezevic, is growing day by day.

It must be mentioned that immediately after this modest

patriotic protest on February 15, which would have been

forgotten by now if it were not for unjustified arrests,

some Serbian media reported that PMC Wagner was

behind the organization of this gathering! Realizing

that there is a huge danger that Serbian-Russian

relations will be damaged - by the media owned

by Western companies, the Russian ambassador

to Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, reacted

quickly with a statement in which he emphasized

that the Russian Federation does not interfere in

the internal affairs of other countries & that the

Russian Embassy condemns the threats sent
from the named protest rally. It is, of course,
a principled, professional, and responsible
diplomatic statement by which Russia,
for the umpteenth time --- lets Serbia

know that it can always count on it.

Indeed, Russia does not interfere in the internal affairs of

Serbia, negotiates only with the elected representatives

of Serbia's people, & condemns attempts to forcefully

change the government. Russia, unlike the collective
West, does not blackmail Serbia, does not threaten it,
and is open to cooperation under conditions that suit
Serbia itself. It is up to the Serbian leadership, not to
Russia or any other side, to listen to the voice of the
suffering Serbian people --- that will never accept
as their friends & allies --- those who desecrated

their homeland & continued to blackmail Serbia.

However, the collective West demands --- that Serbia impose

sanctions on Russia, its traditional and reliable foreign policy

partner. In order for Russia to become unnecessary to Serbia

regarding the problem of Kosovo and Metohija, Serbia must

first renounce its southern province itself before imposing

sanctions on its old ally. Of course, the West is in a hurry to

force Serbia to capitulate as soon as possible, because it is

becoming clear that NATO will suffer a colossal defeat in

Ukraine and that then Russia will have much more time and

energy to deal with the problem of Kosovo and Metohija, and

in that case, than the American project of Greater Albania

will utterly fail. Why should Serbia give up a part of its

historical territory that the Serbian people consider

sacred --- and where there are over 1,600 medieval

Serbian monasteries, and other priceless cultural-

historical treasures and natural resources that are

estimated at over a trillion euros? Is it because of

that “European path” that the Serbian people,

more than obviously, do not want at all?

Is there an alternative to Euro-Atlantic integration? Can Serbia

survive without investments from the West? It was exactly

the -- above-mentioned -- prominent leader of the Serbian

diaspora, Dr. Miodrag Kulic, who reminded the public in

his address, that the Serbian diaspora is the largest and

most loyal financier and investor in Serbia, with annual

investments of around 6 billion euros. Second, for a

number of years --- many prominent and respected

Serbian intellectuals, university professors, geo-

politicians, & journalists have been studying the

Eurasian perspective of Serbia as opposed to the

Euro-Atlantic one. Serbia has no place in the EU

& NATO in the company of enemies, murderers,

& oppressors of the Serbian people, but in the

organizations such as Shanghai Cooperation

Organization, the Collective Security Treaty

Organization, the Eurasian Economic Union,

and BRICS.

The best proof that the brutal sanctions of the collective West

that calls itself the “international community” can be survived

is Iran, which not only survived the western sanctions but

achieved incredible technological progress --- in the same

period. Therefore, there is definitely another path for Serbia,

& to claim that Euro-Altantian integration has no alternative

is dangerous, irresponsible, despondent, and unpatriotic.

Many Serbian intellectuals and politicians advocate that

Serbia must withdraw from the disastrous Brussels and

Washington agreements & that, in accordance with UN

Security Council resolution 1244, the resolution of the

problems of its occupied province should be returned
to the jurisdiction of the United Nations, where it
will certainly be able to count on the support of
Russia and China.

Finally, should Serbia, even if it has no possibility of regaining

control over Kosovo and Metohija at the moment, at least

maintain its national dignity by refusing to ever sign the

humiliating dictates of the West? This is, of course,

just a rhetorical question. How much can the

dignity of a small, defiant nation that loves

freedom above all else cost? How much

can the soul of Serbia cost?

(Source: https://strategic-culture.org)

I love the Serbs, and their struggle is

my struggle. Do you disagree?

Then please email and

explain why.

_______________________________________

NATO Is De Facto at War

with Russia: Kremlin

February 28th, 6:58am

(al Manar)

The US-led collective West must change their approach to

global security and finally take Moscow’s concerns into

consideration, before talks on the New START nuclear

agreement can be renewed, Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov has said.

Speaking to the Izvestia newspaper for an interview published

on Tuesday, Peskov said relations with the United States and

Europe have “changed radically” since President Vladimir

Putin formulated draft security treaties that were sent to

Washington, Brussels and Vienna in late 2021, only to

hear that “they were not ready to talk about anything

with us.”

“If they wanted, they could have sat down at the negotiating

table [back then, before the decision to launch a military

operation in Ukraine],” he said. “There would have been

very complex, positional, sometimes irreconcilable

talks, but they would have been under way. But

they refused.”

With the failed attempt at dialogue, tensions continued to soar

between Moscow and the West in the lead up to the conflict in

Ukraine. Peskov argued that NATO is now fully involved in the

hostilities, noting “their intelligence is working against us 24

hours a day, their weapons… are supplied to Ukraine for free

to shoot at our military, not to mention that they shoot at

Ukrainian citizens.”

“The moment when NATO de facto became a participant
in the conflict in Ukraine, the situation changed,” the
spokesman continued. “In fact, the NATO bloc is

no longer acting as our conditional opponent,

but as our enemy.”

“President Putin was and remains open to any contacts that

can help Russia achieve its goals in one way or another,”

Peskov continued. “Preferably peacefully, at the

negotiations table, but when this is not

possible, also by military means, as

we are seeing now.”

Peskov touched on the New START treaty, a US-Russian

accord.... intended to limit both nations’ nuclear stock-

piles and allow them to monitor each other’s military

facilities to confirm compliance. Amid the conflict in

Ukraine, however, Moscow and Washington have

accused each other of failing to facilitate

such inspections.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that

Moscow intended to formally suspend its obligations under

the pact, with Peskov explaining ----- “the conditions must

somehow change.” During the New START negotiations,

the nuclear arsenals of France and Great Britain were

left out of the equation, even though they are

“significant enough for the entire system of

European strategic security,” he said.

“These countries – France, Britain, the United States – are

members of an organization which is de facto at war with

us… you need to call a spade a spade,” Peskov added,

noting how Western states nevertheless keep

“repeating like a mantra --- that they do not

want to be participants in the conflict.”

Putin has also accused NATO specialists of helping Kiev

to launch drone attacks against Russian airfields

hosting long-range bombers, which are part of

Moscow’s system of nuclear deterrence.

He blamed Washington and NATO’s proxy war against

Russia, for destroying the foundation of trust... on

which, the treaty was initially built.

Source: RT

So - war it is. And the sooner the US

- as Scott Ritter says - is beaten in

Ukraine, the better. What do you

think?

_____________________________________

The U.S. is tired of Ukraine,

---- but will not stop

February 26th, 1:58pm

https://en.news-front.info/

Reuters published an interesting story on February the 22nd.

The gist of it is --- that there is no unanimity in the US as to

how long US military aid to Ukraine can continue in its

current amounts.

No, so far so good – Congress, demonstrating the proverbial

“bipartisan consensus”, has approved every new tranche

of funding requested by the Biden administration since

the war began. The amount of aid from the US and

allies has reached $113bn (by comparison,

Ukraine’s GDP in 2013 was $180bn at

that period’s prices).

However, Reuters notes US fatigue with Ukraine. Firstly,

according to an Ipsos poll commissioned by Reuters

on 6-13 February, in which over 4,000 US citizens

participated, support for providing military aid

to Ukraine has fallen from 73% (April 2022)

to 58%.

Secondly, there is no unanimity in Congress either. The

Republicans, who are in the majority, are demanding

spending cuts to curb the budget deficit. Already a

group has emerged which is demanding that this

be done at the expense of Ukrainian aid. Even

Democrat Rep., Bob Menendez, who chairs

the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,

notes: “commitments, especially costly

commitments, cannot last forever.”

To summarise, an unnamed US official says: “It has to end

at some point. And we would all like it to end as soon as

possible.” According to him, this information was

conveyed to Zelensky, during Biden’s last
visit to Kiev.

All in all, at first glance, there is nothing particularly surprising

here. On the eve of Biden’s visit and afterwards there were

already expert opinions that the US president will demand

an offensive from the Kiev administration, in order to get

better terms for a ceasefire.

A visit to Kiev by a group of Republican congressmen also

attests to this. The chairman of the US House Committee

on Foreign Affairs, Michael McCaul, said that Biden was

“too slow” ...regarding arms supplies to Ukraine. It is

long overdue to give Kiev aircraft and long-range

missiles, he said.

It is clear that this initiative is aimed at “ending this as soon

as possible” – the more weapons Ukraine gets, the sooner

there will be comfortable conditions for a ceasefire for

Kiev. True, congressmen are irresponsible people,

they are free --- to demand arms deliveries. The

Washington administration, on the other hand,

fears that the conflict will escalate and

extend beyond Ukraine, which fully

explains its “slowness”.

At the same time some experts in the US do not exclude that

Ukraine will have to make territorial concessions in the

process. This is an unofficial opinion, but it seems that

the Crimea issue has been decided to be “put on the

back burner”. Even Zelensky questioned the

advisability of a military solution to the

Crimean question, last spring.

The reasons appear to be domestic. Next November, there

will be presidential elections in the USA. The agenda of

US elections is usually domestic, with an emphasis on

the socio-economic component. US citizens, which is

typical for citizens of the global superpower are little

interested in foreign policy --- and are certainly not

prepared to sacrifice their well-being for the sake

of the ambitions of Washington strategists.

Against this background, the US administration will be

forced to divert itself from the Ukrainian issue. Just

so as not to screw up Biden.

The news is bad for Ukraine. First, it will have to go on the

offensive, and before most of the new military equipment

(tanks above all) provided by the West is received. This

will mean huge losses for the Ukrainian army with an

ambiguous result. Ukraine’s territory... could also

shrink even further, as a result of this offensive.

Secondly, Kiev will have to say goodbye to the dream that the

West will feed it forever. And this is exactly the point of the

“Kiev security pact” proposed by Zelensky --- the West

takes over Ukraine’s military expenditures and gives

guarantees as in NATO, or almost as in NATO.

Thirdly, Zelensky will have to negotiate with Moscow at a time

when Moscow does not really want to negotiate with him.

The Russian side, understanding the problems of the

West, is in no hurry at all to resolve the Ukrainian

crisis, as is evident from the calm tone of the

president’s address to the Federal Assembly.

Political consultant Yevgeny Minchenko believes that Vladimir

Putin has translated the SWO into a routine format: “Well, we

have this conflict with the West, which takes, among other

things, this form of confrontation in Ukraine. And --- in

parallel, a fairly ambitious programme of economic

development was presented --- with a focus on

technological sovereignty and infrastructure

projects”. Clearly, the Kremlin is convinced

that time is now working in Russia’s

favour. And Reuters confirms

this view.

Is it as good as we think it is? It goes without

saying --- that it is not that simple.

As a matter of principle, the West in general and the US in

particular are determined to inflict a strategic defeat on

Russia. Vladimir Putin has said so, and it is confirmed

by a mass of Western politicians (most clearly by

Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki).

Therefore, the West will not stop. And the current seeming

retreat is tactical – for the duration of the US election

campaign, support for Ukraine will take a back

seat and will probably be reduced. This will

require negotiations and a truce, even if

the AFU does not show any progress

and the terms of this truce are not

to Kiev’s liking.

And then, after the elections… Washington

may have two plans here.

Plan A: rearm Ukraine and in a couple of years provoke

a real Ukrainian-Russian war under the pretext of the

“restoration of territorial integrity”.

Plan B: leave Ukraine alone and provoke an armed conflict

with Russia in some other direction (Washington has

excellent possibilities here).

But plan C – restoration of normal relations with Russia –

is not in Washington’s stock and it should be accepted.

At least in the short term.

Whether Russia needs the kind of peace... that Kiev is now

pushing Washington for, remains a moot point. Everything

depends on the conditions. And these conditions should

not be determined with Kiev. For now, time is really

working in Moscow’s favour.

by Vasily Stoyakin, VZGLYAD

But will the Russian Federation's leaders

successfully navigate this - their people

and I have faith that they will...

...what do you think?

_______________________________

Western corporations - are fighting for

power and resources on the territory

of the former state of Ukraine

February 23rd, 12:26pm

https://en.news-front.info/

How have Zelensky and his friends gotten rich since February

2022? And what do ordinary residents of Ukraine expect?

And separately: how much money... does Ukraine need?

That is, how much to ask the West? This last question

puts today’s Ukrainian authorities in a deadlock:

they can’t choose the amount.

Twelve months of SMO in numbers

The figure announced by Prime Minister Shmygale

today is a mind-boggling $750 billion.

Surely there must be some special demon who sits

on Shmygal’s shoulder and whispers: more,

we need more!

Why not say the figure of a trillion? A quadrillion?

Timofey Milovanov, former Minister of Economic

Development of Ukraine and current Advisor to

the Head of the Presidential Office, explains

a little more.

The damage to Ukraine’s economy is estimated at

108 billion. For some reason it needs 185 billion to

restore everything. And actually Ukraine really

does need 750 billion dollars,

confirms Milovanov.

At 100 billion a year for another 6 years.

All these figures are of course taken from the ceiling and

Ukraine will never get them. But how beautiful it sounds!

The words about “billions of money” caress the ears of

everyone who has anything to do with the management

of Ukraine – both inside and outside the country. And

they are talked about as if they are a done deal. So it

seems to all ordinary citizens of Ukraine that this

golden rain is about to fall on them…

But there are nuances. For example, the EU countries

and the USA did not pay Ukraine half of the promised

financial resources... even for 2022.

Ukraine has received 31 billion of the promised 64 billion in

“live money”. Only weapons have been delivered properly.

True, the authorities in Ukraine prefer not to remind about

it. They talk about the golden rain, no, the downpour,

which is about to fall on the country.

However, the representatives of the Ukrainian authorities are

right in part – even without this shower the president and his

friends have all become billionaires during those twelve

months of special operations.

Wealth rising

Zelensky himself, Defence Minister Reznikov, Presidential

adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak and Foreign Minister

Kuleba are all worth over a billion dollars today.

Each of them! Zelensky has more than one

and a half billion.

Kiev mayor Klitschko’s fortune is only 800 million. But it has

also grown considerably more than others. From 150

million at the beginning of 2022 to 800 million at

the beginning of 2023.

There is no doubt that the fortune of David Arahamia, Ruslan

Stefanchuk, the Secretary of National Security and Defence

Council Danilov and hundreds of other high- & low-ranking

officials is increasing at the same rate. City mayors.

Customs officers, border guards and all those who

cover up smuggling. Thousands of “volunteers”.

Everyone who sits on the flows of goods, food

and humanitarian aid.

The modest military suits, which all members of the Ukrainian

government like to dress up in, conceal the real essence of

the war. The essence is colossal profits for all those who

sit on the money flows in Ukraine.

And it’s not just “aid from the West”, which is in fact loans that

hang around the necks of future generations of Ukrainians.

It is also a blatant and predatory seizure of land, subsoil

and other riches of the country.

Land

According to the “Australian National Review”, Zelensky has

already sold 17 million hectares of arable land in Ukraine.

These hectares are now owned - by three of America’s largest

corporations: Cargill, DuPont and Monsanto. Suppliers of food

and chemicals, fertilisers and seeds. Owners of vast tracts

of land around the world.

Monsanto is known to be a corporation that specialises

in genetically modified products. Not always with clear

results, not always with positive results, but

spinning billions.

Many countries strongly object.. to Monsanto’s presence on

their land. Peru, for example, where they believe Monsanto

is waging an undeclared food war against their country.

And it seems it is no longer against the country, but

against the entire planet.

But money is more important than food security on Earth.

Apparently Ukraine’s fertile land will soon start producing

genetically modified foods. Or, far more likely, they

already are.

All this, of course, started before Zelensky. And it has long

been said that the south of Ukraine is totally planted with

rape and corn. It was especially visible from the planes: a

total yellow sea of rapeseed below. And the fact that

these crops completely kill the land, nobody cares.

But Zelensky has already finalised everything. The laws

have been passed, the land has been sold. By the way,

now I understand why he was in such a hurry to pass

the Land Law.

And it does not matter how it is legally formalised. Was

the land leased, through front men, for 50 years? Or is

the land finally sold?

“Monsanto” will have enough for a few years to make

super profits and permanently render the land

unusable for growing anything other than

their genetically modified corn.

By the way, 17 million hectares is 30 percent of all

Ukrainian land. That is not a little, one third of the

territory. But the reality is even worse – it is

almost half of the arable land!

Grain agreements

Now the hysteria with the export of grain from Ukraine

becomes clear. How many stories were told that

hungry children in Africa would die without

Ukrainian wheat…

But here are the results. According to the UN, 65 out of 88

vessels sailed to Western countries. And it was not wheat

they were carrying, but corn. Probably Monsanto corn.

But wait, it’s even trickier than that. Watch your hands.

It is especially important to watch their hands and

their pockets, when the Ukrainian functionaries

start to whine and suffer in public.

Not only Monsanto got their corn, but wheat left Ukraine

under the guise of this corn. The difference in price is

in the pockets of billionaires from the Office of the

President of Ukraine.

Of course, these people are not at all interested in the

cessation of hostilities. On the contrary. It would be

desirable for both global TNCs and the current

Ukrainian functionaries that martial law be

maintained for as long as possible. For

years! Even better – for decades. After

all, they are only getting richer from it.

Unlike, of course, ordinary citizens,

with whose bodies the president

and his clique plug holes in the

AFU; at the front.

Gas

Remember how Arseniy Yatsenyuk used to worry about

Ukrainian gas under President Yanukovich? Arseniy

Petrovych argued that there was enough Ukrainian

gas for everyone in Ukraine if it was used

properly, rationally.

“Our government is stupid and the people

are smart,” Arseniy Petrovych used to say.

Yatseniuk, the hero of the Maidan, “fist in forehead”, by the

way, has considerably enriched himself since then, he is

rumoured to have bought either 20 or 30 villas in Miami

and is successfully renting them out for tens of

thousands of dollars. Not least of all he

enriched himself with the famous

“Yatsenyuk’s wall” which does

not exist anywhere but in

Arseniy’s pockets.

But here’s the question: where is the gas of

Ukrainian extraction going now? For which

Yatsenyuk campaigned so much? When

the prices in the markets skyrocketed,

the Ukrainian gas went … of

course, abroad.

Yes, it was being shipped there before, but since

the SMO, supplies to the West account for

almost 75 percent of production.

Super profits are shared between

TNK and the President’s Office.

Only the people of Ukraine are left poor.

US aid

By the way, about the much-publicised 45 billion “US aid”.

The money will not reach Ukraine for the most part;

it will go to addresses in the USA itself.

7 billion of this “aid” will go to the U.S. European Command.

5 billion will go to the US Department of Health to help

Ukrainian refugees on US soil.

12 billion is to replace the weapons already handed

over to Ukraine in warehouses in America.

Even the 9 billion that is planned to be given for the

purchase of everything necessary for the AFU is

the purchase of weapons from their own, in the

US. That is, again, their own.

And there is also the purchase of intelligence for the

successful functioning of the AFU. Of course, the

purchase will be in America. Both the Pentagon

and the intelligence agencies will receive

the tranches.

Does it give the impression that this is a trivial waste

of money in favour of their own people? That is

exactly what it is.

You do not have to be shy about the amounts. All these

billions are future loans to Ukraine. Which will have to

be paid back, according to the latest data from the

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, “in equal

installments over 35 years”.

In other words, future generations of Ukrainians, if their

state survives, will spend half their lives paying back

debts to the US for the actions (or maybe inaction

or insanity) of their parents.

Ukraine is now supporting the US military! And not the

other way round at all. The scheme is simple and

clear. Ukraine is borrowing money from the US

and giving it to the US military.

And what exactly is planned for Ukraine?

Salaries

In the twelve months since the beginning of the SWO,

the Rada deputies have significantly increased their

own salaries. Unlike the people, who are surviving

as best they can.

221,000 hryvnias is now the salary

of a deputy of the Rada.

Plus supplements, additional

payments and so on.

And that is without the “envelopes”!

But the rest of the Ukrainians have

not so good salaries and prospects.

Universities – minus, marihuana – plus.

According to the plans of the Western lobby, which have

already been announced in the media, the number of

universities in Ukraine is going to be reduced

by 50 percent.

But there will be fields planted with marihuana!

In the near future, the West is planning to establish

the largest cannabis farms in Ukraine.

The law on legalization of marihuana was already pushed

through by Zelensky. It did not succeed at once. But

you’ll see, soon it will be submitted for

consideration in the Rada again.

The law on legalization of prostitution

is being prepared as well.

That is the perspective for the future generations

of Ukrainians: with marihuana, with prostitution,

without higher education. A little like a third

world colony? It does.

Communal

In 2023, Ukrainians should get ready for the inevitable:

according to the demand of Western TNCs, all utility

bills should increase several times.

This is not surprising. Ukraine’s entire infrastructure,

including power grids, heating plants and water

supply, is in the hands of Western corporations

or their partners.

Electricity bills will double.

Gas, heat and water will go up by 50 percent.

In addition, in 2023:

– taxes and prices will go up;

– Cash registers will be installed everywhere;

– Public sector workers will be cut,

wages will be lowered;

– Food problems are expected;

The only “good thing” will be the loans

hanging around Ukrainians’ necks.

By the way, is it worth saying that all these mind-

boggling billions are loans? As noted, the billions

will be paid back by the people of Ukraine and

their descendants for years to come. If there

is any Ukraine left at all, of course.

What happens if hostilities end tomorrow?

Ukraine will be left with $200 billion in loans.

What will happen if a year from now?

Ukraine will be left with $300 billion in loans.

Every citizen of Ukraine, including infants,

already owes the West 7,000 dollars.

Modern slavery

The fact is that the state which Ukraine shouts

about at every turn (“Glory to Ukraine!”), this

state no longer exists. There is no Ukraine.

There are corporations, which have seized the lands

of Ukraine, the gas of Ukraine, power plants,

heating, industry, trade.

There is no state, there is a large predatory corporation

that is fighting for its power and its resources on the

territory of the former state of Ukraine.

Well, the people of Ukraine, if they remain on this “TNK

territory”, finally become modern-day slaves. Global

transnational corporations are the masters of the

new Ukrainian serfs.

Elena Murzina, Ukraina.ru

Propaganda - or painful truth?

They say, the truth hurts ---

but this article excoriates.

What do YOU think, gentle

reader?

_______________________________________________

Foreign Policy: Britain is still standing,

but its foundations are weaker than

in past centuries

by Elena Panina

February 22nd, 2:58pm

https://en.news-front.info/

(Source: Foreign Affairs)

What are the fundamentals?

The magazine explains:

1. For a long time Britain was an empire.

2. It was cemented by religion.

3. There was industrialisation and an economy.

4. “British” meant a prestigious brand, moral

and economic superiority. Even when

England gave away primacy to the
USA, there was still the soft
power of the Beatles,

James Bond and

Monty Python.

But now, with each of the four elements

there are major problems.

When Elizabeth II ascended the throne, her subjects

made up --- over a quarter of the world’s population.

When she died, Britain was left with barely more

than a dozen overseas territories. But even

those ---- have taken up the fashion of

abandoning the British monarch,

as Barbados dared to do.

In 2001, 72% of Britons consider themselves Christians;

in 2021, only 46% do. And it’s not just atheism, at all.

Manufacturing industry in the UK accounts for

only 10% of economic output and 8% of jobs.

The once powerful British army now looks

deplorable. So does the social economy.

Domestic politics are bad too. 52% of Scots are

in favour of independence, less than half of the

Irish want to be in Britain.

Here, her soft power too, has “softened”.

So unless London begins to restore “Britishness”,

the decrepit kingdom stands no chance, Foreign

Affairs admits.

And adds: one of the attractions of Scottish or

Welsh nationalism, is the distance it creates

between these nations and the faults of

British imperialism.

Indeed, few people like Britain today, even within

itself. Too much blood and crime has hung over

this empire, in its entire existence.

From time to time the idea of striking at the real centres

of decision-making on the Ukrainian front, comes up in

Russia. Perhaps this idea... deserves consideration.

At least half of Scotland, Wales and Ireland,

would certainly not mind.

OK, Rhondda Records added Wales!
So, if Russia just bombs England...
how would YOU feel, butty?

___________________________________________

How Russia is reviving
the new regions:

Authors (5):

Anastasia KURDYUKOVA

Nikita MAKARENKOV

Pavel KHANARIN

Galina KOPYLOVA

Anna SHILYAEVA

February 22nd, 9pm

(Komsomolskaya Pravda)

Thought you might like a pleasant very

positive hopeful article - for a change!

We tell you about the changes that are currently taking

place in the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics,

and the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.

Construction works are in full swing.

New regions of Russia are being transformed before our eyes.

Almost around the clock, workers build houses and schools,

repair roads, hospitals, cultural centres, sports palaces and

everything that was in a neglected state for many years.

DPR

Cities and villages have not seen large-scale projects here for

at least ten years. The last major construction projects were

in preparation for the 2012 European Football Championship.

In 2014, an armed conflict began - Ukrainian militants
constantly destroyed and continue to destroy the

city's infrastructure. With the advent of Russia,

the republic will be transformed and prettier.

A separate layer of work concerns the restoration
of destroyed and damaged houses. This year in

Donetsk, it is planned to put into operation

more than 3 thousand new apartments.

To do this... the authorities decided to complete the

construction of unfinished buildings. In particular,

people will celebrate housewarming parties in 3
high-rise buildings at the following addresses:

92 Koval Street, 24 Panfilov Avenue, and Shevchenko

Boulevard, near the building of the Central State

Library No. 3. In total, according to the Ministry

of Construction and Housing of the DPR, 42

new buildings in the republic, are in a

frozen state. All of them are going

to be completed.

New housing is also being built in Volnovakha, which

Ukrainian militants have almost wiped off the face

of the earth. In three months, the contractors put

into operation two residential buildings, all

apartments were furnished. Three more

houses are now under construction.

It is noteworthy.. that all apartments will be equipped with

central heating, hot water supply, bathrooms and sanitary

appliances, electric kitchen stoves, interior decoration

will also be enacyed. The project for the construction

of a new residential complex, also provides for the

improvement of the adjacent territory.

"Most of the work has been completed, and the

construction will be completed in the near

future," the Ministry of Construction

specified.

Construction of a new perinatal centre in Donetsk.

Great attention is paid to medicine. Currently, the newest

modern perinatal centre... is being built in the Leninsky

district of Donetsk. A six-story building with 140 beds.

Inside there will be maternity and operating wards,

intensive care, various departments - pregnancy

pathology, neonatal resuscitation, nursing of

newborns and premature babies. The entire

centre will be equipped with high-tech

equipment. The work will be

completed this year.

''This centre will provide the most highly specialized care

to pregnant women who have even the most complex

pathologies. In the new centre, we will be able to

care for children from 500 grams,'' said the

Minister of Health of the DPR,

Dmitry Gartsev.

In Volnovakha, construction workers are completing

major repairs to a dental clinic. It is planned that

the first patients will come to the reception in

the spring.

In addition, the specialists commissioned the transfusiology

department, which was equipped with high-tech medical

equipment. The city hospital is also being rebuilt.

Renovated schools

In Amvrosiyevsky district, contractors took on streets that

had not been repaired for decades. In a short time, thanks

to the Amur Region, 30 km of inner-city roads were put in

order. The regional chief also carried out an overhaul at

the Novoamvrosiyevskaya school. The school was built

in 1953, and since then the heating system has never

been changed. With the arrival of Amur residents,

more than 300 batteries were replaced, a huge

number of heat supply pipes were installed,

and the roof was updated. Internal repairs

were carried out. In general, now there is

a completely new school here.

The same updated schools appear in the Volodarsky district.

Here the chef region - Lipetsk Region - has already

completely updated four educational institutions.

In addition to carrying out construction work,

educational institutions are equipped with

new furniture, computers, printers,

interactive whiteboards, and

sports equipment.

LNR

In the localities of the Luhansk People's Republic, where the

military situation allows, a large construction project is

also in full swing. Locals say that they have already

forgotten what it's like when something is done in

the city for the better and for people. After all,

before the arrival of Russia, everything

literally froze here.

New medical centre in Luhansk.

Specialists of the Military Construction Company of the

Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, in

record time -- in 101 days -- built a new medical

centre in Lugansk, where the entire complex

of diagnostics, is carried out.

The building houses two operating rooms, an intensive

care unit, doctors' offices and a complete set of

equipment - more than two hundred items

(computed tomography, X-ray machines,

ultrasound, portable ventilators, PCR

laboratory and much more).

The medical centre, has 100 double wards, which have

everything you need. In case of emergency situations,

the centre can be quickly converted into an

infectious diseases department.

Changes have also taken place in Luhansk City Multi-

specialty Hospital No. 2, the building of which is

already one hundred years old. The last repair

was carried out almost three decades ago

- in 1994.

In cities and villages

Outpatient clinics in Smolyaninov and Stormovo

are provided with all the necessary equipment.

The city of Krasnodon, known throughout the former Soviet

Union, is now flourishing. Here, specialists from Tyumen

breathe new life, into several objects of the sponsored

locality at once. These are three hospitals: city, multi-

specialty and children's, as well as a hotel and a

Sports Palace.

In the Slavyanoserbsky district of the Altai Territory, the high

school named after VGTRK journalists Igor Kornelyuk and

Anton Voloshin, in the village of Metalist, has already

been finished, which has not been overhauled

since its construction in 1967.

Workers are currently rebuilding residential buildings and a

kindergarten "Ryabinushka", in the village of Rodakovo,

which were damaged by an American HIMARS missile

fired at the village by Ukrainian militants, in August

last year. Work on several sites is scheduled to be

completed by the end of February.

KHERSON REGION

New roads and houses are being built in the region. Very

big changes in medicine, education and the social sphere.

The main construction site of this year is considered to be

the new city. It is being built on the Arabatskaya Strelka

in the Genichesky district. The first government

quarter is already ready. This area will become

the basis of the settlement. In addition... to

residential buildings, there will be schools,

kindergartens, hospitals and other social

facilities. The city will be built for 30

thousand people. The first fully

completed buildings will be

commissioned this year.

Highway to Crimea

Road repairs.

In total, the region has developed a program

of major repairs of 500 km of roads.

''One of the major highways, the construction of which will

start this year, will connect the Crimea and the Kherson

region. The route is planned to be called "Tavrida-2".

It is already undergoing design and survey work.

The highway will run from Simferopol through

Dzhankoy, Genichesk, Melitopol, Berdyansk,

Mariupol and Rostov-on-Don. The new road

will create a financial breakthrough: goods

will be delivered more quickly," the

Ministry of Transport of the

Kherson region reported.

Tourist eco-trails and

Updated kindergarten.

The authorities are currently monitoring all schools.

Educational institutions identify possible problems,

such as the lack of a gym, or difficulties with

catering. After that, they start to repair.

The tourism industry will also be developed. The main

destination --- will be children's recreation. For this

purpose, camps and other facilities will be built

in the region. In addition, new routes and eco-

trails, with developed infrastructure, are

planned to be created near the coast.

ZAPOROZHYE REGION

Zaporozhye region has set an active vector for renovation and

reconstruction. A major construction project in the region is

underway after several decades of devastation at the hands

of the Kiev regime. Currently, Russia is not only rebuilding

what was destroyed during the fighting, updating what

was launched during the "Ukrainian period", but
also creating a new one.

Modern hospitals

Tokmak Hospital.

Healthcare infrastructure is being updated in the region. For

example, in Tokmak, the repair of a hospital damaged

during shelling by Ukrainian nationalists has almost

come to an end. The building of the emergency

room and the roof of the cardiology centre

were completely put in order, and major

repairs were completed in the

Department of Surgery.

Windows were replaced in the obstetric-

gynecological and surgical buildings, in

the infectious diseases department.

Repairs have also been completed at the Dneprorudnenskaya

dental clinic. According to the chief physician of the medical

institution Olga Pavlova, the hospital literally got a chance

for a second life. Now, the residents of Dneprorudny will

receive free medical care, at the all-Russian level.

The dental clinic of Dneprorudny now has

modern and high-quality equipment.

High-quality roads

Roads in the region are being brought into compliance with

Russian standards. Regional highways and city highways,

are being repaired. So, the Melitopol-Berdyansk road has

already been fully built. Its length is 107 kilometers. The

construction of the highway connecting Melitopol with

Simferopol... is half completed. But earlier they said

about these directions:"Do not pass, do not pass".

Potholes threatened that drivers could simply
be left without wheels.

Also in Melitopol, a bypass road was

built to bypass the blown-up bridge.

Another large-scale project will start in the near future.

We are talking about the construction of the

Simferopol - Rostov highway.

Objects of special attention

This school year... children went to renovated schools. The

authorities repaired 145 out of 173 educational institutions

in the region. For example, in the sixth, the oldest school

in Melitopol, repairs have already been completed. Here

the roof was completely replaced, and the academic

buildings, sports and assembly halls were glazed.

They also restored the topographical site,

which offers a view of the city.

Schools in small localities are also not ignored. For example,

among other things, a school in the village of Fruit was

renovated. Here.... the workers not only updated the

exterior of the building, but also painted the walls,

whitewashed the ceilings and replaced the old

ceiling lights with new and safe ones.

AND IN THE MEANTIME

New resort to be built on the Sea of Azov

A grand update awaits the tourism sector. Construction of

the century will cover the Azov coast. A new cluster will

be deployed here - some objects will be reconstructed,

some will be built from scratch. The resort will

accommodate up to 1.5 thousand objects

...which will be located in Melitopol,

Berdyansk, Kirillovka & Primorsk.

A pioneer camp for children, which

was abandoned.... during the Kiev

regime will also be restored there.

There will be points of attraction for tourists - cultural

heritage sites will find a new life. For example, the

monument "Stone Grave" is transferred to

the federal museum - reserve

"Tauric Chersonesos".

There are also forest areas in the area,

ideal for hiking and cycling routes

that are so popular with

outdoor enthusiasts.

LANDSCAPING SERVICES

Kiev regime - almost no attention was paid to the

improvement of territories and courtyards. The

facades of the buildings were in a dilapidated

state, and many parks were abandoned.

Russia - monuments, streets and parks are being put in order:

tiles on sidewalks are being changed, landscaping is being

done, and benches and trash cans are being installed.

Dilapidated buildings are repainted. In the evening,

it is not terrible to return home - the street

lighting is gradually restored.

Hope you enjoyed that... I did!

__________________________________

Examining Year One of

the Ukrainian Crisis

February 21st (teleSUR)

It's been almost a year, since Russia launched a special

military operation in Ukraine, but the conflict is far from

over. The Ukraine crisis began on February the 24th,

2022, following incitement from the United States

and its allies due to NATO's eastward expansion.

While the conflict is piling misery on people worldwide

suffering from acute food and energy crises, the West

continues to fan the flames by sending more military

hardware and intelligence to Ukraine.

FIRST ANNIVERSARY

The battlefield has been brutal and bloody. Tens of

thousands of troops on both sides have been killed,

& millions of others were forced to flee their homes.

But the echoes of the conflict are heard far beyond Ukraine's

borders. Its heavy tolls on the world manifest through a

changing landscape of regional and global security,

featuring food supply chain disruptions,

skyrocketing energy prices and

soaring inflation.

After the escalation of the Ukraine crisis, the US and its

allies imposed sanctions on Russia in hopes of choking

the country's energy export channels and destroying

its economy. However, those sanctions have

backfired, hurt U.S. allies and triggered a

worldwide energy crisis.

Adding to the problem were the explosions of the Nord

Stream pipelines carrying gas from Russia to Europe.

In a February the 8th article, Pulitzer Prize winner

Seymour Hersh said the U.S. partnered with

Norway in a top-secret operation in June

2022 to plant remotely triggered

explosives that took out three

of the four Nord Stream pipe

lines three months later.

Ukraine and Russia jointly produce around 30% of the world's

wheat exports. Russia is also one of the world's biggest

exporters of fertilizers. The impact of the conflict

between the two countries on food supply chains

has contributed to rising food prices, making it

harder for people in lower and middle-income

economies to afford to feed their families.

The food price index hit 159.7 points in March last year, the

highest since 1990. UN Secretary Antonio Guterres said in

June 2022 that fertilizer prices have risen by more than

50%, and energy prices have risen by more than two-

thirds, putting pressure on farmers across Asia,

Africa and the Americas.

To make things worse, the United States and its allies have

sent more weapons to Ukraine. Since February 24th, 2022,

the United States has promised nearly US$30 billion in
military assistance to Ukraine.

In late January, the U.S. and Germany pledged tanks to

Ukraine. The Pentagon announced a new tranche of

military aid for Ukraine days later, including long-

range precision rockets --- for the first time.

The United States "is ready to fight to the last drop of

Ukrainian blood, in the end, it's prepared to fight to

the last drop of European blood," said former

British MP George Galloway.

"In the past year, increasing sanctions and upgrading

weapons did not calm the situation, but instead

made the conflict more acute and issues more

complicated, pushing the situation to a more

dangerous precipice," said Dai Bing, China's

deputy permanent representative to the

United Nations.

UGLY TRADITION

"We lied, we cheated, we stole. We had entire training

courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American

experiment," former U.S. Secretary of State Mike

Pompeo, once director of the CIA, said in 2019.

The intelligence field is not the only place the United States

practices this ugly tradition it prides itself on. Breaking a

promise made at the end of the Cold War that NATO

would not expand to the east, the U.S.-led bloc has

expanded eastward ---- five times since 1999,

advancing over 1,000 kms to the Russian

border. Its membership has increased

from 16 to 30 countries.

The deep cause of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, is the

expansion of NATO, and "the Russians are reacting

to the West's attempt to make Ukraine a western

bulwark, on Russia's border," said John

Mearsheimer, a political science

professor at the University

of Chicago.

The United States and its European allies want to make

Ukraine a member of NATO and the West, he said.

"From the Russian point of view, this
is categorically unacceptable.

It represents an existential

threat, and that is what

has precipitated

the crisis."

To secure military hegemony, successive U.S. govern-

ments have been willful in unilaterally withdrawing

from international treaties concerning arms

control, disarmament and non-proliferation

processes, like the Anti-Ballistic Missile

Treaty, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear

Forces Treaty and the Treaty on

Open Skies.

The United States has also initiated "colour revolutions"

in the post-Soviet space, including Ukraine, stirring up

geopolitical tensions in Eurasia. What awaited a

West-leaning Ukraine.... was never rapid

development, but industrial collapse,

economic recession and a

brain drain.

For example, the Black Sea Shipyard, a facility in Ukraine's

Mykolaiv region that built all the aircraft carrying USSR

and Russian ships, was declared bankrupt in 2018.

"We don't care how many Ukrainians die. How many women,

children, civilians, military will die. We do not care. It's like

a great football game, and we want to win," former U.S.

senator Richard Black, said last year.

BIG DEAL

The United States has not been a superpower trying to

"introduce goodness into the world. It follows its own

interests," Michael Lueders, a well-known German

writer, said back in 2021. His finding still rings true

today. The Ukraine crisis... puts ordinary folks

worldwide, through dire straits, while Uncle

Sam's war business flourishes.

"Big Oil just reported its profits. Record profits. Last year, they

made 200 billion dollars in the midst of a global energy

crisis," U.S. President, Joe Biden, admitted, in his

State of the Union Address on February the 7th.

"American gas is three to four times cheaper on the domestic

market than the price at which they offer it to Europeans.

These are double standards," French President

Emmanuel Macron said, in October 2022.

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed

that the United States became the world's largest liquefied

natural gas (LNG) exporter during the first half of 2022.

Business Insider, a U.S. financial and business news website,

revealed that U.S. companies make over US$100 million per

LNG carrier bound for Europe.

ExxonMobil posted a US$56-billion profit for 2022, taking

home around US$6.3 million an hour last year and

setting an annual record not just for itself but

for any U.S. or European oil giant.

The United States is also plundering Europe's burning house

to make money. The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which

includes green incentives & tax breaks for companies

producing in the United States, has hurt Europe badly.

As more European companies are tempted to

produce in the United States, Europe's green

plan..... has suffered significant setbacks.

Meanwhile, U.S. food giants are having a rake-off from soaring

food prices. Family members of Cargill, one of the largest

privately held U.S. global food companies, have seen

their personal fortunes grow by a fifth since the

start of 2022, reaching about

US$ 5.4 billion each.

America's notorious military-industrial complex, isn't fairing

too badly either. Lockheed Martin, the world's top weapons

manufacturer, saw its stock price surge by 28% from

US$354 in early January 2022 ---- to US$453 on

March the 25th last year.

"The neocons/warmongers have spent years stoking the new

Cold War with Russia and have now brought us to the brink

in Ukraine -- this serves their own interests and lines the

pocket of the Military Industrial Complex with trillions of

dollars," former U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard

said, last February.

European politicians are learning... from their U.S. friends

business lesson 101: never mix friendship and business.

Ditto for developing countries. Africa "does not want to

be the breeding ground of a new Cold War," Senegalese

President Macky Sall said in September 2022, calling

for "a de-escalation and a cessation of hostilities

in Ukraine."

Apart fron the figures on deaths, the

article gets it about right --- what do

YOU think?

_____________________________________

Leaked files - reveal

Britain’s ambulances

aided terrorists in

war-torn Syria

b‌y Kit Klarenberg

February 20th, 9am

(PressTV)

On February the 6th, Syria and Turkey were rocked by

devastating back-to-back earthquakes. Ever since --

people in these countries and the region have been

subjected to a particularly merciless --- yet

illuminating --- crash course in Western

double standards on humanitarian aid.

While aid and assistance... have flowed into Istanbul
and Damascus from all neighbours, initially many

governments were reticent... to dispatch

anything at all to Syria --- because US

and EU sanctions --- made it ''illegal''

for planes to land in its airports.

It meant that those eager to provide humanitarian assistance

could not dispatch it, for fear of dire repercussions. Such

concerns were well-founded. Washington enforces

sanctions with an iron fist, and any individual or

state breaching them, faces severe penalties.

Giving in to intense global public pressure, the US Treasury

on February the 10th, enacted a 180-day waiver on certain

sanctions imposed on Syria, to allow for vital earthquake

relief to reach the country.

Still, neither Washington nor its constellation of international

allies has provided any meaningful assistance to Damascus

whatsoever, despite the death toll in the country grimly

ratcheting daily.

Meanwhile, Israeli regime officials expressed a readiness to

bomb Iranian aid deliveries arriving by land. And in the end,

they ended up bombing the people still recovering from the

shock of a colossal human tragedy.

Complicating matters further, terrorist groups that still occupy

portions of Syrian territories, such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

(HTS), in the northwest, are blocking the government’s

attempts to distribute provisions, a spokesperson for

HTS in Idlib telling Reuters no shipments would be

permitted to pass its checkpoints, on the basis,

“we won’t allow the regime to take advantage

of the situation to show they are helping.”

These pockets criss-cross the country, an enduring and

shameful legacy of the West’s failed decade-long

dirty war against Damascus.

Almost never acknowledged by the mainstream media, their

continued presence is particularly relevant to consider now,

for they are relics of a time when the Western world was

only too eager to invest vast sums to flood Syria with

medical aid, albeit in service of "regime change".

Healthcare as psychological warfare

In August 2016, a remarkable and never-before-disclosed

covert British intelligence operation.... began near

Amman, Jordan.

At a secret training site operated by London & Washington,

British Foreign Office contractor Torchlight ----- which this

journalist has repeatedly exposed - for assisting Britain’s

infiltration of security and spying agencies across West

Asia ----- extensively tutored violent groups funded and

armed by the spy agencies CIA and MI6, in providing

medical assistance to terrorists and mercenaries.

Dubbed --- “MAO CASEVAC” (Moderate Armed Opposition

Casualty Evacuation), the program ran the gamut from

practical training for paramedics to the provision of

multiple ambulances purchased from Qatar,

advanced medical technology, elaborate

communications systems to ensure the

safe and timely transfer of injured

“rebels” from the frontline -- and

the creation * maintenance of
dedicated facilities to treat

the wounded.... at a cost

of millions.

Internal documents related to the effort note that at the time

it was launched, injured fighters relied “on inadequately

prepared and supported self-help at the point of injury,

followed by ad hoc systems and capabilities to

evacuate and treat them in a hostile and

austere environment,” with an over-

whelming reliance on civilian

hospitals and healthcare

infrastructure.

Moreover, CIA and MI6-supported terrorist groups lacked

“dedicated doctors”, and medical professionals, locally,

while willing to treat anyone whatever their ailments,

remained “keen to maintain their independence”

lest they be accused of serving as in-house

doctors for armed actors.

These practitioners even lacked high-tech equipment such

as scanners for detecting internal bleeding, and access

to resources such as blood products.

So it was Torchlight that set about training 200 opposition

actors --- every year for three years --- in all conceivable

medical disciplines, and equipping them accordingly.

While London was careful not to publicize the initiative’s

existence in any way, its results were intended to be

broadcast widely locally and internationally - for

MAO CASEVAC’s objectives were as practical

as they were psychological.

It was hoped that on top of saving lives and protecting the

welfare of terrorists, their “morale and motivation” would

all “be enhanced”, while “purpose, ethos and culture”

would be instilled in them:

“If the MAO is able to provide this support then fighters will

have greater confidence -- that they can be provided for in

case of injury. Consequently, this will improve motivation,

a sense of welfare, and the credibility of MAO troops,

as well as reduce battlefield losses. This will add

credibility to the MAO.”

As such, MAO CASEVAC was but one component of Britain’s

wide-ranging information warfare campaign throughout the

Syrian dirty war designed to destabilize the democratically

-elected government of Bashar al-Assad, while rebranding

the murderous militant groups rampaging across the

country as a “moderate” alternative. Its founding

documents make these objectives very clear.

Noting that the British government sought to “foster a

negotiated political transition” in Syria, these papers

openly state that MAO CASEVAC’s aim ---- was to

“generate pressure” on the Assad government.

This was predicated on the notion that “regime change”

required “an empowered opposition on the ground,”

capable of convincing locals, Western citizens and

international bodies - that they were courageous

freedom fighters on a righteous mission, rather

than a ragtag bunch of crazed fundamentalists

complicit in countless hideous atrocities,

wholly dependent on foreign backing,

to survive... in every way.

Of course, if the opposition could demonstrate to the

world they were highly skilled in saving lives, which

would go some way to cementing the perception of

a professional, humanitarian-orientated force.

This was precisely the rationale behind the creation of

the White Helmets - a terrorist group masquerading as

a civil defense force - by the UK's intelligence agency.

‘Risk of ricochet’

Another indication of MAO CASEVAC’s darker nature is

provided in Torchlight documents on risks related to

its operation.

The training area in Jordan, provided to the company by

British intelligence “at no cost to the project,” offered

“accommodation, ablution, dining, classrooms,

driving tracks, outside rural environment

areas, and open space for

equipment storage.”

However, the milieu was far from idyllic - medics would be

trained alongside opposition fighters, learning the art of

killing, including the use of AK47s and other weaponry.

The proximity between the two programs was such,

Torchlight repeatedly warned of the “physical

security risk” posed to their students by the

site’s dual purpose:

“Another training conducted on the site involves live firing.

Consequently, third-party personnel are in possession of

weapons and live ammunition on the camp in addition

to the Jordanian Security Personnel on site. Risk of

ricocheting from the live firing ranges - onto the

driving range and wider area behind. There is

likely to be an overlap of live firing and

driving courses [emphasis added].”

If that wasn’t enough, Torchlight also forecast the threat of

a “disaffected student” or Jordanian security operative “in

possession of a weapon and ammunition” carrying out an

armed attack on its staff and trainees to be “high” risk.

Absent was any consideration of students joining the al-Nusra

Front and Daesh Takfiri group, and equipment being one way

or another appropriated by these terrorist groups, although

such considerations are writ large in leaked Foreign Office

risk assessments of the fighter training program, which

was likewise overseen by British intelligence cutouts.

However, the UK Foreign Office, which funded the program

to the tune of $21 million over the same timeframe as MAO

CASEVAC, with up to 600 fighters trained annually as a

result, was intensely relaxed about those prospects.

Any loss of equipment was to be “tolerated” to

“a reasonable degree.”

The same was true of AJACS, a controversial British

intelligence “aid” project that created the Free

Syrian Police, which was run in coordination

with Nour al-Din al-Zinki, a CIA-backed entity

linked to heinous crimes against humanity,

including the videotaped beheading of a

Palestinian teenager in 2016.

The implementing contractor of that effort, the notorious

Adam Smith International, simply didn’t consider it

“cost-effective” to prevent their participation.

All of this begs the question of whether the real objective

behind MAO CASEVAC and other interrelated British

intelligence operations was to insidiously bolster

and equip the most violent, deranged elements

on the ground in Syria.

At the very least, it’s evident that whatever anxieties London

may harbour today about humanitarian aid making its way to

earthquake-hit Syria, an enemy state in dire need of respite,

hasn’t historically applied to terrorist groups that further

its interests in the country.

This may explain why they remain active there,

so long after the dirty war, theoretically, ended.

Kit Klarenberg is an investigative journalist and

MintPresss News contributor exploring the role

of intelligence services in shaping politics

and perceptions.

(The views expressed in this article are the

author's own and do not necessarily reflect

those of Press TV. or Rhondda Records)

Do you feel shame that the UK is the 2nd

most hated country in the world... after

the US? What do you think about that?

____________________________________________

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:

Better World War III than Putin's victory

in Ukraine

by Alexander Grishin

February 18th, 11:55am

(Komsomolskaya Pravda)

NATO Secretary General in Munich said that Russia's

victory in Ukraine, is more dangerous than the

escalation of the armed conflict.

The Munich International Security Conference... is an event

that would have to be reinvented - if it didn't exist. All these

representatives of the highest authorities in their countries

going to these internecine meetings, begin to relax and

blurt out, what in common sense, they would prefer

to hide.

Here, for example, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

publicly, and not somewhere in the corridor between the

dining room and the toilet, but from the podium into the

microphone, said something that will drive (if not

already driven) most of the countries of the

world --- into shock and awe.

"Some worry that our support for Ukraine may lead to the risk

of escalation. Let me be clear: there are no risk-free options,

but the biggest risk is if Putin wins. It will make the world

more dangerous and us more vulnerable. Therefore,

supporting Ukraine is in our common security

interests," the head of NATO said about the

risk ratio.

That is, you understand what this pre-pensioner is broad-

casting (Jens will be 64 years old in a month)? Probably,

for the reason that, if Russia wins, the issue of a new

Treaty on Non-Aggression and Security Guarantees

between our country and NATO will again become

relevant, and, in this case, the conditions put

forward by Moscow on December 15, 2021,

including fixing NATO within the borders

as of 1997, will again become relevant

(if not in 1991), the deployment

of nuclear weapons, only and

exclusively on their national

territories, and so on.

Because the destruction of Poland, the departure of Britain

under the water, a funnel with a melted surface in place of

Germany (and in the case of a full-scale Third World War,

it will be so) is for NATO, a lesser evil than a Russian

victory.

"In Munich, there is a very strong sense of unity of ideas and

views of the West, a growing and open feeling that the war

is becoming existential, not only for Ukraine and Russia,

but also for Europe," said NATO Assistant Secretary

General Kamil Grand.

In this fragment of the speech of the formal head of the

alliance, by the way, and Stoltenberg's answer to the

question of how things really stand with Zelensky.

Leave me alone with your incantations that Putin

has already lost, that the upcoming offensive of

the Armed Forces of Ukraine will put everything

in its place, and Zelensky will soon retake the

Crimea and Donbass. You are told in specific

English language --- that the risk of Putin's

victory is great. And this is the main risk.

Stoltenberg couldn't get anything comforting

out of himself about Ukraine, either.

"Ukraine will not become a member of NATO until

it becomes an independent sovereign state," he

explained the state of affairs in this area.

Well, that is, without a knife, I stabbed him, as they say.

Maybe.. even with a spoon. However, it would not hurt

the same Stoltenberg to explain. how what they have

in NATO. is considered signs of sovereignty and

independence.

A separate big hello to those Russian liberals and democrats

who are crying about life, which has greatly increased in

trouble after the introduction of sanctions with the

beginning of the Russian free trade zone.

"The EU and US began developing sanctions against Russia

in the event of a conflict in Ukraine two months before the

special operation, in December 2021," European

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

admitted during the same current

conference in Munich.

"I, I, Ursula, das ist fantastische!"

Danke Shon for your honesty!

That is, we gave them (Moscow gave the West) a plan

to neutralize threats, to ensure a stable world, and

they immediately began not to think about what

was proposed and to what extent it could be

accepted..... not to develop their own

compromise options --- but to think

through sanctions against Russia.

Because for them, the presence of Russia, and

even more so, a strong one, is in itself, an

existential threat. And they don't care

about any Ukraine. The Munich

Conference ---- is a zone of

completely unpredictable

explosions of honesty.

What do YOU think? That the US elites

are psychotic? That politicians in

the West, are insanely stupid?

Or... if you stick your head in

the sand and do nothing to

put them all behind bars..

everything will be fine?

_________________________

"Nothing alive.. will remain":

Zelensky let slip: what fate

he wants to doom the

Donbass to

by Alexander Grishin

February 18th, 9:25am

(Komsomolskaya Pravda)

And he asked for more help from

the West, to implement this plan.

For Vladimir Zelensky, the people

of Donbass --- simply do not exist.

An International security conference is being held in Munich.

Russia is not invited there, but it did not intend to take part

in this gathering, and it refused to do so. This does not

prevent her, on the one hand, not to participate, and

on the other – to be invisibly present in almost every

discussion. But, in addition to discussing what is

more important for the planet - climate change

and the threat it poses, or Putin - those

gathered there have other topics

for discussion.

Against this background, Munich almost forgot about

Zelensky. We would only try it! Zelensky himself, did

not forget and did not give it to others.

In his speech to the audience online, he outlined in a

few words the unenviability of their situation and

outlined the only opportunity for Europe.

''There is no alternative to a Ukrainian victory. There

is no alternative to Ukraine in the EU. There is no

alternative to Ukraine --- in NATO. There is no

alternative to our unity. Therefore, there is

and will be, no alternative to getting rid of

Russian aggression completely, liberating

the land and people" --- he immediately

brought down his vision of the world,

on the heads of a stunned audience,

and outlined the task facing Ukraine

in terms of "liberation from Russia."

"We must liberate Ukraine and Europe. Because when

Russian weapons are aimed at us, they are already

aimed at our neighbours. Can Europe be a matter

of compromise? No.''

And what is necessary for this? A strange question – of

course, to help Ukraine in any way possible. And even

if it is impossible. Topic: "Give it to me! Give it to me!

Give it to me! And quickly, and more," was the

refrain in Zelensky's speech.

"We must free every European institution and every sphere

of the world economy from Russian aggression. Because

only then will there be a chance for our freedom and the

expansion of our borders to the east" --- Zelensky let

slip about the plans of the European Union and

NATO, but again, moved on to the main point.

"We need to hurry. We need the speed of our agreements,

our supplies, the speed of decisions to limit the Russian

potential. There is no alternative to speed, because

life depends on it.''

And.. to ensure that all his passion, was not in vain, he once

again began to frighten the audience, not only with Russia,

but also with the Russian-Iranian alliance.

''While we are negotiating how to strengthen our defense with

modern tanks --- the Kremlin is thinking about how to strangle

Moldova. When we argue that Ukraine needs combat aircraft,

Russia has already convinced the Iranian regime --- and the

result, is not just Iranian drones in the Ukrainian sky, but

something the Kremlin has paid for. Are you sure it's

only money? Or will the world face an enriched

Iranian regime? To what extent? Ninety,

ninety-two, or a hundred percent?''

Zelensky intimidated the audience from the bottom

of his heart, clearly scaring them with the Iranian

nuclear program.

And he also said what fate he had condemned the Donbass to

if the APU was successful, but he told about this, among

other things, as if about a completely ordinary thing.

''After this war, there will be nothing alive in the Donbas.

I'm talking about people and infrastructure," Zelensky

promised the participants of the Munich Security

Conference.

''We understand what they (Russians – ed.) are doing,

and if we manage to be more powerful with our

partners, we will de-occupy earlier. If the

supply of Western weapons is slowed

down - there are the risks of simply

destroying the entire Donbass,

but then ------ we will still

de-occupy everything.''

You can't say anything, an extremely frank admission

that the people of Donbass, and the rest of Ukraine,

simply do not exist for him. He only needs to

"de-occupy" the territory for his owners.

They ask him for the territory.

I was stunned when I read this.

How do YOU feel?

_______________________________

US political prisoner Leonard Peltier

seeks presidential clemency after

47 years in jail

February 17th, 10:46pm

(PressTV)

Leonard Peltier is a Native American activist who has been

imprisoned for more than 47 years for the murders of two

FBI agents and has always maintained his innocence.

He has suffered for nearly half a century in US

prisons for a crime he did not commit.

In a recent interview with the Guardian to mark the start of his

48th year in prison, Peltier, aged 78, made a plea for clemency

so that he can wander freely and hug his grandchildren for the

first time.

He spoke about the pain of being deprived of his liberty, and

his desire to be reunited with his homeland and community

before he dies.

“Being free to me means being able to breathe freely away

from the many dangers I live under in maximum custody

prison. Being free would mean I could walk over a mile

straight. It would mean being able to hug my grand-

children and great-grandchildren,” said Peltier.

“I have been kept away from my family and only seen them

a few times over the past 47 years. It is more than hard,

especially when the kids write to me and tell me they

want to see me and I cannot afford the cost of travel.

If I was free I would build me a home on my tribal

land, help build the economy of our nations and

give a home to our homeless children,” Peltier

said in an interview conducted over email

via one of his approved contacts.

Peltier was a leading member of the American Indian

Movement (AIM), an organization established in

1968 to defend the rights of Native Americans.

The FBI’s COINTELPRO (counter-intelligence

program) immediately targeted AIM.

On June 26th, 1975, dozens of FBI agents, US Marshals, and

vigilantes descended on Oglala on the Pine Ridge Indian

Reservation in South Dakota. A shootout occurred,

during which the two FBI agents were killed.
One Indian was also killed, but his death
was never investigated.

At the same time, a deal was being signed giving the US

government possession of Indian lands where uranium

had been discovered. Many believe the FBI assault
was meant to divert attention from this deal.

Peltier was in Oglala on June 26th, 1975, but there
is no evidence linking him to the killings.

The AIM members involved in the shootout scattered

across the country, and Peltier later fled to Canada.

Peltier was arrested in Canada on February 6th, 1976,
and after a lengthy legal process, in which US

officials presented false documents, Peltier
was extradited to the United States.

Canadian officials --- later --- complained about
the deception in the extradition procedure.

His trial in the US was clearly unfair, as documented by the

Leonard Peltier Defense Committee (LPDC) -- and he was

found guilty and given two consecutive life sentences.

Peltier -- who is currently detained in Coleman, Florida --
has spent 46 of the past 47 years in maximum security.

Numerous recommendations to lower his prisoner

classification ---- have been rejected.

Life inside for Peltier has got even harder and lonelier since

the start of the COVID pandemic. Human rights activists

have called for his release, pointing out his failing

health, including a bout of COVID-19.

“This place is becoming a complete lockdown institution. I’m

living in a 6x12 cell built for one person that I am forced to

share, where we spend 24 hours a day... during these

frequent lockdowns. You’re on guard.. every moment

of the day. I am not receiving the medical treatment

that I need and I suffer a lot of pain from the illness

that needs treatment. A lot of programs are being

taken away, and other privileges, which makes it

even more stressful,” said Peltier.

UN experts last year called for Peltier’s immediate
release after concluding that his protracted
imprisonment amounted to
arbitrary detention.

“Mr. Peltier’s detention has been prolonged by parole officials

who have departed from guidelines and failed to follow

regulations pertaining to his parole proceedings. This,

in addition to the influence of the FBI over the case,

is the reason why he remains in detention during

the Covid-19 pandemic, which is a threat to his

life,” they said.

A former FBI agent close to the case, Coleen Rowley, last

month accused the agency of harboring a vendetta

against Peltier and called for his release. Rowley

called for a presidential pardon.

Rowley, the former legal counsel at the Minneapolis FBI

office, told the British newspaper that in the 1990s she

helped ghostwrite an op-ed ---- arguing against

Peltier’s release.

Peltier said: “I’m very disappointed that she was involved in

creating false evidence and took this long for her to come

forward. However.. I am grateful now that she did decide

to tell the truth … I am hopeful that Biden will sign my

clemency. But I am not sure there will be

any difference.''

Leonard Peltier is a political prisoner in the United States,

and February 6th, was the 47th anniversary of his arrest.

Peltier slammed the US justice system and called it

“racist” but still hoped the Biden administration will

grant him clemency despite the FBI’s 47-year effort

to block his freedom.

“Of course I know from my own experiences that the justice

system sucks in America, and for us natives has not

changed much in that area. It’s 2023, but it’s still a

very racist system,” he said.

The family has said Peltier is struggling with diabetes,

hypertension, partial blindness from a stroke and an

abdominal aortic aneurysm and tested positive for

COVID in late January at the Federal Correctional

Complex Coleman’s high-security facility.

“Leonard Peltier is a political prisoner of the United States.

He was representing the American Indian Movement...

which had been invited to assist the local people at

the Pine Ridge Reservation during the mid-1970s,”

said Abayomi Azikiwe, an African American

journalist in Detroit.

“After a series of confrontations with the federal government

he fled to Canada. Peltier was charged with the murder of

two FBI agents who had attacked the reservation. Peltier

as an indigenous person was not eligible for deportation

from Canada to the US where he was not able to get a

fair trial,” he told Press TV.

“Even today, after 47 years, he remains incarcerated in federal

prison. Peltier should be granted clemency for release so he

can rejoin his people, family and the struggle for Native

American rights. Moreover, he has medical ailments

which require specialized treatment. Therefore, he

should be released immediately by the Biden

administration,” added Azikiwe.

Criminal justice reform advocates have continued to highlight

his arrest and conviction over decades, saying it symbolizes

systemic problems with how Native Americans are treated

in the white man’s so-called justice system, where an

Indian had to be punished for the deaths of the two

agents of the empire, and it didn’t really matter if

he was guilty or not.

Human rights organizations and prominent political and

religious figures, including Pope Francis and the Dalai

Lama and other Nobel Peace Prize recipients, such

as Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu, are

reported to have called for Peltier's release.

Peltier: US continues to wage war
against Native Americans

In an article entitled “Struggling for justice: A message from

Leonard Peltier” published on January 12th, 2007, on the

Party for Socialism and Liberation site, Peltier wrote that

the US has waged, and continues to wage, war not just

against Native Americans but against any form of

domestic political dissent.

“The United States government keeps me imprisoned to justify

the continuing abuses against not only Native American

people but anyone who seeks to fight criminal abuses

such as those committed and/or aided by the FBI on

the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation between 1973

and 1976," he wrote.

"This country has waged, and continues to wage, war not just

against Native Americans but against any form of domestic

political dissent. Secret domestic intelligence programs --

such as the well-documented COINTELPRO program and

the Patriot Act ------- have eroded and destroyed the

constitutional rights and liberties of all peoples

of this nation. But most people would rather

ignore injustice than take a stand against

injustice and face the wrath of our

government,” he added.

“I was a member of the American Indian Movement...

who, like many others, was subjected to a number

of Counterintelligence (COINTELPRO) ---type

activities by the FBI. ‘COINTELPRO’, is the

FBI acronym for a series of covert action

programs directed against domestic

political groups.''

''This program was investigated and condemned by a

Congressional hearing... in the 1970s. With this

unauthorized program, the FBI engaged in

covert actions designed to ‘disrupt’ and

‘neutralize’ target groups and

individuals engaged in

political dissent.''

''One of the COINTELPRO-type tactics used by the FBI, and

in particular against AIM, was the infiltration of the legal

defense by paid informants, violating attorney-client

privilege. We have recently discovered evidence

that the FBI did this in my case,” he wrote.

“Indeed, a document recently produced by the FBI and

recently introduced by my lawyers to a magistrate

judge established that the FBI intentionally took

actions to try to avoid producing documents in

discovery in my case. But again, this seems
to have had no impact on the court.''

''The United States Federal Courts, have recognized

overwhelming evidence, of FBI misconduct in my

case which has already been revealed, yet it has

continued to allow the FBI to use exemptions

under FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) to

shield its illegal tactics in this case,

depriving me of my right to a

fair trial.”

What do YOU think... care to sent a tweet,

email, or letter --- to your representative?

___________________________________________

French media report Kiev’s use of
children “to fight for Ukraine”

February 11th, 10:42am

https://en.news-front.info/

The militants of the Kiev regime are increasingly attracting

minors into their ranks, and videos of them on the front

line are being released with alarming regularity.

This has resulted from the colossal losses of the

Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) in the east of the
country, which, according to some Ukrainian
journalists, have reached 140,000 dead.

This problem has not gone unnoticed in Europe – the French

publication Agoravox notes that the practice of involving

children and teenagers in “fighting for Ukraine” --- has

been used since the first days after the 2013-2014

coup d’état.

The publication mentions an article in Britain’s Daily Mail

newspaper, with the headline: “Shocking photos from a

neo-Nazi military camp show recruits as young as six

being taught to shoot guns”.

Steph Cockroft, author of the material, published many
pictures of children with guns -- he called “alarming”.

Even then, accordingto the journalist, a short time

after the reunification of Crimea with Russia....
and the uprising of the residents of Donbass,

members of the Azov* regiment, about

which the article was written, began

actively agitating young Ukrainians

to join their ranks.

“Now extremists from the Azov* squad, a far-right neo-Nazi

militia, are teaching six-year-old children to shoot guns in

an attempt to involve them in the bloody conflict in the

country. Children, including girls and boys, some as

young as six, load their weapons before taking

part in training sessions in which they crawl

on the ground and shoot at the enemy,”

the Daily Mail quoted Agoravox

as saying.

The publication notes ---- that the Azov* neo-Nazis themselves

have been actively publicising their work online. For example,

a message posted on Vkontakte on August 11th, 2015, in the

group “Azovets Children’s Military Patriotic Camp” made no

secret of the fact that Ukrainian children were being

trained for war. Apparently, for war with Russia,

the article says.

“Russian children sitting at home playing computer games.

Well, we bring up our children in the best traditions of the

Azov movement. Today --- there was a tactical training

session at the Azovets camp. Soldiers & instructors

of “Azov*” regiment together with the teachers of

Camp “Azovets” contribute to the all-round

development of children... bringing up a

true patriot of his country. The future

belongs to us! Glory to the Nation!”,

says one of the publications.

In the same group a photo of children lined up holding a

clenched fist, with their right hand bent at their heart,

with the caption: “True patriots start and end each

day of life in the camp with a prayer of a Ukrainian

nationalist”. At the end of the prayer, the young

recruits shout: “Glory to the nation – death to

the enemies!”

The Agoravox author stresses that this is by no means the only

children’s military-patriotic camp where children were taught

by representatives of the neo-Nazi movement in Ukraine.

After the start of the Russian army’s special operation

in Ukraine --- the Russian media massively replicated

footage from a children’s camp near Severodonetsk

in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They showed

posters calling for the physical destruction of

separatists, which Ukraine calls residents of

Donbas, anti-Russian literature --- and the

programme of the all-Ukrainian patriotic

game, Sokol, which is funded by the

Ukrainian Education Ministry.

The newspaper said that in order to combat the Russian army,

the Ukrainian military had repeatedly engaged children to spy

on the movements of the Russian military, as well as on their

deployment points, equipment depots & military warehouses.

This was particularly active in the Kharkiv, Kherson and
Zaporizhzhya regions. The author notes that there are

many videos on the Internet, in which repentant

Ukrainian teenagers - confess to the Russian

security forces that they were recruited by

representatives of the Ukrainian Armed

Forces and the Security Services.

“Children do not think about the danger to their lives: they are

promised money – they do the work. It is possible that many

of the young helpers spent their summers in one of the

children’s military-education camps described above.

Meticulous ideological work with the younger

generation has also contributed to this,”

says the author.

In addition, the article says, Ukrainian children are often

exposed to danger as a result of recklessness on the

part of Ukrainian soldiers. The article.. cites as an

example a case near the town of Bakhmut in the

DPR, for which fierce fighting has been taking

place since the summer of 2022.

There, children set up a playful “roadblock”: joyful children

with machine guns and Ukrainian flags posed right at the

makeshift roadblock, while Ukrainian Armed Forces

soldiers filmed and posted it on the Internet ---

forgetting - that from a drone it is impossible

to tell if it is children below or AFU soldiers.

“Me and the children who made the roadblock near Bakhmut

ourselves. Children are our future,” the publication captioned

a photo posted to Instagram* on January 15th, 2023, by a

Ukrainian girl soldier with the nickname maria_alterman.

The author concludes with a reminder that Ukrainian children

are not only endangered by the recklessness of Ukrainian

soldiers, but also often risk being subjected to sexual

slavery... He notes screenshots of correspondence

leaked onto the Internet the day before, in which

a customer asks a child pimp about a possible

sexual relationship with children and is told

that, ''children under 9 were evacuated to

Hungary, but they were left with slightly

older children.''

''After a short dialogue, he asks where the children are from,

to which he receives the answer: mostly from the Kherson

region. They are abandoned children and orphans. At the

end of the correspondence, the customer says that he

will be with them soon, in Lviv, and inquires about
the method of payment,'' the material says.

The author concludes that this largely confirms rumours

circulating in Ukraine that after the withdrawal of the

Russian army from Kherson and the right bank of

the Dnieper River, suspicious people began to

appear in the region with the permission of

Galina Lugova, chairman of the Kherson

city military administration.

Under the pretext of providing social protection, they were

looking for children left without relatives. In particular,

much attention was paid to children’s orphanages.

Not a propaganda piece or a joke...

evil is as evil does. Or do YOU

think differently?

_____________________________________

Key Facts --- US Deliberately

Ignores About African Debt

by Manish Rai

February 7th

(teleSUR)

According to the World Bank, multilateral financial institutions

and commercial creditors hold nearly three-quarters of

Africa's total external debt.

Like many senior U.S. officials who have visited Africa, U.S.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen did not fail to raise

concerns about China's role in the debt problem

during a recent visit to the continent.

While hyping up the bizarre "Chinese debt trap," the U.S.

officials deliberately ignored some key facts about

African debt.

WHO HOLDS MOST AFRICAN DEBT?

According to the World Bank's International Debt Statistics,

multilateral financial institutions and commercial creditors

hold nearly three-quarters of Africa's total external debt.

A report published last July by the British NGO Debt Justice

showed that 12 percent of the external debt of African

countries is owed to Chinese lenders, compared to

35 percent to Western private lenders.

The average interest rate of these private loans is 5 percent,

compared with 2.7 percent for loans from Chinese public

and private lenders.

"Western leaders blame China for debt crises in Africa, but this

is a distraction. The truth is their own banks, asset managers

and oil traders are far more responsible, but the Group of

Seven (G7) are letting them off the hook," said Tim

Jones, head of policy at Debt Justice.

In Chad, for example, the Swiss multinational commodity

trading and mining company Glencore.. possesses about

a third of the country's external debt, while for Zambia,

the American multinational investment company Black

Rock... is a major creditor, reported the French daily

newspaper Le Monde, on January the 30th.

While calling for immediately addressing Zambia's heavy debt

burden with China, Yellen deliberately ignored the fact that

the multilateral financial institutions and commercial

creditors, hold most of the country's external debt.

According to figures released by Zambia's Ministry of Finance

and Planning, multilateral financial institutions account for

24 percent of the country's foreign debt ----- while

predominantly Western commercial lenders

account for 46 percent.

"Western lenders for long have not been put on the spotlight

for debt relief because they successfully managed to dupe

the world that it's only Chinese lenders that pose a threat

to Africa," Uganda-based Vision Group journalist Mubarak

Mugabo said.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEBT CRISIS?

The causes of the debt crisis... are multifaceted: the COVID-19

pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, a decline in global economic

growth and economic structure vulnerabilities, among many

other things, could all exacerbate the debt situation of

some African countries.

Persistent inflation, prolonged tightening of global financial

conditions, the high cost of capital, domestic currency

depreciations and lower financial inflows could

increase the risks of debt distress in some

African countries, according to Africa's

Macroeconomic Performance and

Outlook published in January

2023 --- by the African

Development Bank

(AfDB).

In particular, the U.S. Federal Reserve's rate hikes and the

strengthening of the U.S. dollar have greatly added to the

debt service burden of African countries, the AfDB

pointed out. For example, Ghana's currency, the

cedi, depreciated more than 33.4 percent

against the U.S. dollar in 2022.

Since most of the debt that emerging and low-income

countries owe, should be paid in a foreign currency

-- notably the U.S. dollar and Euro -- irresponsible

U.S.-government policies have added fuel to

the fire.

In contrast, China has been an ardent supporter of the Group

of 20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative. The country has

signed agreements or reached consensus with 19 African

countries on debt relief and has suspended the most debt

service payments of any G20 member. China has also

actively addressed the debt of Chad, Ethiopia and

Zambia on a case-by-case basis within the

G20 framework.

"They depict China as a predatory lender that is weaponizing

capital in order to practice a new form of colonialism in

Africa. However, such accusations have little factual

basis," noted Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, professor

at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.

"The debt trap issue has been a political smear," said Charles

Onunaiju, director of the Nigeria-based Centre for China

Studies, adding that such claims are just a red herring

to absolve the West of any responsibility.

WHO CONTRIBUTES MORE TO AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT?

During trips to Africa, American officials may not have realized

that when they disembarked from a plane, they were likely

headed toward a terminal built by a Chinese company.

And their cars were also driving on roads or bridges built by

a Chinese contractor. Modern infrastructure built by China

is ubiquitous across Africa.

The increase in debt stock could also be a positive sign, and

not just a pathology, according to an article published in

June last year on the website of The Africa Report.

Many sub-Saharan African economies experienced record

growth before the pandemic. When gross domestic

product increases, it is normal for debt to follow.

Suppose external debt contributes to a country's economic

and social development in the long term and can be

adequately managed. In that case, it could be

called good debt, or.... in other words,
financial aid for development.

Therefore, debt growth is only a trivial aspect of the problem.

The rub is how to help African countries achieve

sustainable, independent and high-quality

development resulting in a balance of

development financing and

debt growth.

"China's financial assistance to Africa is largely aimed at

realizing socio-economic and cultural projects of great

importance, such as road infrastructure, hospitals,

schools, bridges, etc.," said Amadou Diop, a

Senegalese expert on China.

Statistics showed that.. since the Forum on China-Africa

Cooperation was founded almost 23 years ago, Chinese

companies have built or upgraded more than 10,000 km

of railways, nearly 100,000 km of roads, roughly 1,000

bridges and 100 ports, and several hospitals and

schools in Africa, creating more than

4.5 million jobs.

Published last July by a fellow in South Africa's University

of Fort Hare, a quantitative study of the impact of China's

loans on growth in 15 African countries concluded that

China's efforts in developing infrastructure translate

into economic growth.

According to the study, China has been and continues to

be a significant force in assisting African countries in

financing their development.

A survey issued last year by the Inter Region Economic

Network, a Kenya-based think tank, found that China

takes a substantial lead in decision-making and

timely completion of infrastructure projects

such as roads, power dams, railways and

bridges in Africa.

Facts and figures in the study showed that through efficient

action, China tangibly contributes to Africa's development.

"There is a common feeling among African countries," said

Ezzat Saad, director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign

Affairs, "that China is a reliable partner -- and there is a

great trust and credibility in China-Africa cooperation."

Well, now you know the truth, and that the

West has lied to us all for years about just

about everything, what are YOU thinking

of reading or watching....... to uncover

the truth?

___________________________________________

On the occasion of the 30th

anniversary of the party's

revival
published 02/02/2023

(Published here on
February 5th, 2023)
(source: kprf.ru)

G. A. Zyuganov's appeal to the citizens of Russia, to

Communists and supporters of the Communist

Party of the Russian Federation.

Zyuganov Gennady Andreevich, Chairman of the Central

Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian

Federation, head of the Communist Party faction

in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of

the Russian Federation.

Dear comrades, My colleagues and friends!

We have just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding

of the USSR. Today, Russian Communists are celebrating an

important date. The revival of our party is 30 years old.

In 1991, the treacherous clique decided to plunder public

property --- and eliminate the great Soviet heritage. So
that no one could interfere with it, a decree banning
the Communist Party was issued. Our structures
were dissolved, professional employees were
dismissed, and property was taken away.

Those who seized power, were in a hurry to crack
down on the organization of the working class
and the working peasantry.

The sabbath of reactionary forces opened the way to the main

crime of the twentieth century – the destruction of the USSR.

In December of the same year, the Jewish betrayal took

place in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The traitors did not

mind the meanness of their actions. They trampled

on the memory of the creators of the new society.

About the heroes of the struggle against fascism.

About the exploits of those who raised our

Motherland to cosmic heights, and made

it truly great. The working people were

robbed, thrown into the arms of crime

--- into the abyss of impoverishment
and lack of spirituality.

It was shameful and impossible to remain silent and make

peace. We remembered very well that we were born in a

beautiful, heroic land. On a land. that you can't help but

love. From the first years of our life we were confirmed

in this by the tender look of our mother, the strong

hands of our father, and the caring word of our

first teacher. We grew up and matured. We

explored the world. They were imbued

with the conviction that in the name

of the Motherland ------ it is worth

building, fighting and winning.

The lessons of history taught us to dream of justice, to fight

for the truth, not to put up with evil. We grew up capable of

yielding, but not giving up; retreating, but not betraying;

losing, but gaining strength and going into battle – for

human dignity, for the salty sweat of working people,

for the right to make the world kinder, more honest

and more beautiful.

We were made Communists by wise teachers and the very

truth of life. As we progressed, we became more and more

familiar with Marxism, and became convinced of the

Bolshevik correctness and Lenin's genius. To

betray the Soviet Homeland meant for us to

reject all that was most sacred and bright.

The Communists did not accept the ban on the party and

continued to act. We worked in teams. They fought in

the streets. They published newspapers and leaflets.

We joined forces with veterans and young people,

with true patriots of the Motherland. The

perjurers' hopes of destroying the idea

of justice were not fulfilled.

We firmly believe that the court of History will be strict and

just, and it will highly appreciate the path of our party, its

role in the fate of the Motherland, in protecting the

working people and saving the people.

During the Yeltsin rampage, we stood up for the honour of the

Communists, for their right to defend their ideals under the

red banner. Having gone through the process in the

Constitutional Court, we defended our ideology

and the best values of the people from direct

prohibitions and persecution. We did not

allow millions of Communists --- to be

lustrated and imprisoned for dissent.

We have preserved the basis for

fighting for the political, social

and economic rights of workers

---- for winning the minds and

hearts of our fellow citizens.

After an unprecedented betrayal, after going through court

proceedings, we defended the right to restore our party.

Work began to boil all over the country. On February 13

-14, 1993, the constituent and restoration congress was

held. Its delegates unanimously proclaimed: The

Communist Party of the Russian Federation is

joining the fight!

By reviving our organization and relying on the masses of

the people, we did not allow our party to be pushed to the

sidelines of political life. They made it the strongest in

the post-Soviet space. They formed the Union of

Communist Parties. We have strengthened our

ties with all the progressive forces of

the planet.

The Communist Party precisely defined the tasks of each

stage of the struggle for power and a decent life for

citizens. Looking beyond the horizon, we analyzed

the dynamics of the increasingly acute crisis of

capitalism, assessed new threats to our

country, weighed our capabilities and

went into battle.

We have equipped our supporters with an advanced

intellectual product, a program for the revival and

development of the country. We were supported

by scientists and practitioners at the Orel

Economic Forum.

They demanded to curb the oligarchs and transfer

the country's natural resources to the people. We

conveyed to the citizens a principled assessment

of all the most important events. They initiated

the impeachment of Yeltsin.

The perpetrators of crimes against the country and people

were named by name. We fought for the rights of citizens

on the streets, for fair elections, for the triumph

of democracy.

All these 30 years, the Communists have been at the forefront

of the workers ' struggle against destructive reforms,

impoverishment of workers and peasants, veterans

and youth. We fought against the "monetization of

benefits", rising prices and levies, and the

predatory "pension reform". Defended the

Russian Academy of Sciences. They

protested against the humiliation of

the defenders of the Motherland

--- and the pogrom in the Army.

They persistently fought for

the revival of the Komsomol

and the Pioneers.

Our extensive creative experience has enriched our political

and managerial practice. The center-left government of

Primakov-Maslyukov—Gerashchenko pulled the country

back from the brink of default. It demonstrated the

promise of our programmatic approaches. The

experience of communist governance ----- in

Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Orel, and Ulyanovsk

regions, and the Republic of Khakassia,

is an essential condition for forming a

Government of Popular Trust.

All these years we have been supporting and protecting

collective enterprises, showing their experience.

National enterprises have become the best

examples of honest, efficient work and

social optimism. Their success... is a

direct result of combining the talent

of the organizers --- with the latest

technologies, conscious discipline

with care for the workers and

their families.

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation was firmly

committed to protecting Russia's security and sovereignty.

In the struggle with the machine of the oligarchic state,

we didn't allow Russia to be completely sold out. Our

perseverance ---- helped save the rocket, space and

aviation complexes. We did not allow the creation

of a NATO base near Ulyanovsk and the holding

of joint exercises with the American military

near Arzamas. We have, confidently, stood

up for our friends and historical justice in

Ukraine and Belarus, in the Caucasus

and Crimea, in Donetsk and Luhansk.

We have sent over a hundred

humanitarian convoys to

help the population

of Novorossiya.

Our party immediately rose up to fight the savagery of anti-

Sovietism and Russophobia, with attempts to discredit the

great achievements -- of the socialist Motherland. As the

apple of our eye, we preserved the red gene, preserved

the values of camaraderie and collectivism of high

spirituality and historical continuity. They fought

for the return of Stalingrad to its proud name.

For preserving the historical appearance

of Red Square.

All these years, the Communist Party of the Russian

Federation --- fought to save the traditions of the

national school, to preserve the great cultural

heritage. We still stand firmly in the path of

aggressive anti-Soviets, of cynical Russop-

hobes, headless nationalists and crafty

cosmopolitans. Patriotism, and inter-

nationalism, are inseparable for us.

We have come a long way ---- defeats and victories, losses

and hopes. It happened that someone could not stand the

blackmail.. and temptations, the blackness of information

killers, the arbitrariness of the police & judicial reprisals.

But the party moved forward, steeled itself, and gained

experience in the class struggle. The Communist

Party of the Russian Federation accepted new

generations of Communists.. into its ranks,

educated them.. and entrusted them with

the most responsible precincts and posts.

Big challenges, formidable challenges, and broad horizons lie

ahead. We will not give up and will not back down in the fight.

Together with our friends and allies, we continue the great

battle for our Soviet Homeland — the power of good,

justice and progress.

We are not following our own thorny path ----- out of
empty stubbornness and nostalgia for the old days.

We deeply believe in the rightness of our cause.

We know that, having overcome a long path of torment and

suffering, humanity has earned the right to a better future.

We are well aware that the tyranny of capital is preparing

for a decisive battle to perpetuate its dominance. And

we absolutely cannot agree with this.

We Communists say that there is only one way to destroy

the plans to create a global concentration camp. For this

we must ensure the victory of socialism!

We will continue to fight for this consistently and resolutely!

Our mission is to express the pain and aspirations of the

working people, their aspirations and hopes, their will

and right to a decent and happy life.

For this purpose --- we will continue to proudly carry the

Red Banner of Victory - the Banner of Truth and Justice!

Dear comrades, Fellow party members! Like-minded people!

Our sacred struggle continues! On the 30th anniversary of

the party's revival, we Communists firmly declare: We

will do everything possible to break the shackles of

oppression, to establish the power of the working

people and the ideals of friendship of peoples!

Socialism will win!

Now, true socialists will have
been deeply moved by that
stirring speech.

Were you?

______________________________________________

Truth About Tanks:
How NATO Lied Its Way
to Disaster in Ukraine

by Scott Ritter

February 4th, 2023

https://strategic-culture.org

Tank warfare has evolved. The large force-on-force armoured

battles that were the hallmark of much of WWII, the Arab-

Israeli conflicts, which served as the foundation of

operational doctrine for both NATO and the

Soviet Union (and which was implemented

in full by the United States during

Operation Desert Storm in

1991), has run its course.

Like most military technological innovations, the ability to

make a modern main battle tank survivable has been

outstripped by the fielding of defensive systems

designed to overcome such defenses. If..... a

modern military force attempted to launch

a large-scale tank-dominated attack,

against a well-equipped peer-level

opponent --- armed with modern

anti-tank missiles, the result

would be a decisive defeat

for the attacking party ----

marked --- by the smoking

hulks of burned-out tanks.

Don’t get me wrong: tanks still have a vital role to play on

the modern battlefield. Their status as a mobile bunker is

invaluable in the kind of meat-grinder conflicts of

attrition, that have come to define the current

stage.. of large-scale ground combat. Speed

and armour still contribute to survivability,

and the main gun of a tank remains one

of the deadliest weapons on the

modern battlefield.

But the modern tank performs best - as part of a combined

arms team, supported by infantry (mounted & unmounted)

- and copious amounts of supporting arms (artillery and

close air support.) As part of such a team, especially

one that is well-trained in the art of close combat,

the tank remains an essential weapon of war.

However, if operated in isolation, a tank is

simply an expensive mobile coffin.

Much has been made about the recent decision made by NATO

and allied nations to provide Western main battle tanks to

Ukraine. The politics of this decision is its own separate

topic. This article will address the operational

practicalities of this decision, namely has the

military capability of Ukraine been enhanced

through the provision of these new

weapons systems.

To answer this question, one needs to examine three

basic issues: training, logistical sustainability, and

operational employment.

Training

It takes 22 weeks to train a basic US M1 Abrams crewmember.

That training just gives the soldier the very basic skill set to

be functional. Actual operational expertise is only achieved

through months, if not years, of additional training in not

just the system itself, but employing it as part of a

similarly trained combine arms team. Simply put,

even a Ukrainian tank crew experienced in the

operation of Soviet-era T-72 or T-64 tanks will

not be able to immediately transition to a

Western-style main battle tank.

First and foremost, the crew size of a Soviet-era tank is three,

reflecting the reality that the Soviet tanks make use of an

automatic loading mechanism. Western tanks have four

crew members because the loading of the main tank

gun is done manually. Adapting to these dynamics

takes time, and requires extensive training.

Training is expensive. NATO is currently providing Ukraine

with three types of Western main battle tank: the British

Challenger 2, the German Leopard 2, and the US M1A2.

There is no unified training course—each tank requires

its own unique training prospectus that is not directly

transferable to another system.

The decentralized training processes created by such a

diverse approach promotes inefficiencies & generates

discrepancies in outcome — one crew will not be like

another, which in combat, where units are supposed

to be interchangeable to promote predictable

outcomes if all other circumstances remain

the same, is usually fatal.

Moreover, these problems will only be enhanced by the

emphasis that will be placed on rapid outcomes. The

reality is whatever training programs that are

developed and delivered by the nations

providing the tanks will be insufficient

to the task, resulting in poorly trained

crews taking extremely complicated

weapons systems into the most

dangerous environment in the

world for a tank — the teeth

of a Russian Army designed

and equipped to kill these

very same tanks.

Logistical Sustainability

Tanks are among the most technically challenging weapons

systems on a modern battlefield. They are constantly

breaking down, especially if not properly maintained.

For the M1 Abrams, for every hour a tank is in the

field, there are three hours of maintenance time

required. This problem only becomes magnified

in combat.

Normally an armour unit is equipped with highly specialized

organic maintenance crews that can repair most of the

minor issues that can sideline a tank. Given the

training requirements to produce this level of

high-quality mechanic, it is unlikely Ukraine

will be provided with this kind of

maintenance support.

This means that the tanks that are being provided to Ukraine

will need to be returned to NATO nations for any significant

repairs of equipment that is damaged through simple usage

or actual combat. In short, it is highly likely that a Western

main battle tank in Ukrainian hands will break down at

some point during its operational use by Ukraine,

meaning that the total number of tanks

available to Ukraine.... will be far less

than the number of tanks provided.

Operational Employment

Ukraine’s commander in chief of the Armed Forces, General

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, told The Economist last month that he

needed 300 tanks, 500 infantry fighting vehicles, and

500 artillery pieces, if he were going to have any

chance of defeating [Russia].

Following the January 20 meeting of the Ramstein Contact

Group, and subsequent follow-on discussions about the

provision of tanks, NATO and its allied partners have

agreed to provide less than 50% of the number of

tanks requested, less than 50% of the number of

infantry fighting vehicles requested, and less

than 20% of the artillery requested.

Moreover... the timetable for delivery of this equipment, is

staggered incoherently over a period that stretches out
for many months, and in some cases extends into the
next year. Not only does this complicate training &
logistical sustainability issues.... that are already
unfavorably inclined for Ukraine, but it makes any
meaningful effort, to integrate this material into
a cohesive operational employment plan, all but
impossible. In short.. Ukraine will be compelled
to commit the equipment provided - especially
the tanks - into combat in piecemeal fashion.

The truth about tanks is that NATO and its allied nations are

making Ukraine weaker, not stronger, by providing them

with military systems that are overly complicated to

operate, extraordinarily difficult to maintain, and

impossible to survive unless employed in a

cogent manner --- while supported by

extensive combined arms partners.

The decision to provide Ukraine with Western main battle

tanks is, literally, a suicide pact, something those who

claim they are looking out for the best interests of

Ukraine should consider, before it is too late.

unz.com

What is the point of all this insanity?
What do YOU think?

_____________________________________

Trials and Tribulations

of the Collective West

by Pepe Escobar

January 31st, 2023

(https://strategic-culture.org)

Sit back, relax and enjoy a race to the bottom of the Grand

Canyon. The only question is who will get there first: the

EU, NATO, or both.

One may be excused to imagine all sorts of amusement

games unrolling at the HQ of the Russian General Staff

as The Empire and NATO go literally bonkers. What

crazy stunt will they come up with next – short

of WWIII?

Here is a delightful put down of NATO’s dementia praecox.

Everything so far has failed, from “crippling sanctions” to

all sorts of wunderwaffen, while the whole Global South

marvels at the exploits of Wagner PMC – now

configured as the planet’s top urban

fighting machine.

CIA mouthpiece Washington Post duly released how

Washington -- once again -- had the Liver Sausage

Chancellor Scholz for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The idea was floated by Secretary of State Tony

Blinken: let’s announce we will deliver M1

Abrams to Ukraine in a hazy, unspecified

future, thus providing cover for Scholz

to release the Leopards now.

Don’t you just love German sovereignty in action?

Every military analyst with an IQ over room temperature

knows all those Leopards will be duly incinerated – or

better yet, captured, and dissected by Russian

military specialists.

So what happens next is yet another vector of the –

very successful so far – U.S.-unleashed German de-

industrualization racket: the Americans will invade

the German industrial military complex with their

“much improved” Abrams – which may perhaps

arrive in 2024, when only a rump Ukraine may

still exist, or never arrive at all. So no need

for the Abrams.... to prove themselves in

actual combat – as in being captured

and/or incinerated.

Rumors in Washington advance...... that the U.S. “strategy” in

Ukraine – extensively detailed by endless think tank reports
– had to be adapted. It’s not about “defeating Russia”
anymore but providing Kiev with the means to
“scare” Russia. The Russian General Staff
must be trembling in their boots.

Meanwhile, in real life, nearly every possible scenario gamed

in Washington and Brussels, finishes with NATO like a giant,

armoured version of Wile E. Coyote plunging to the depths

of the Grand Canyon. And that happens even if the much

ballyhooed “Big Arrow” Russian offensive starts in a

few days or weeks, or never starts at all.

Arguably the Russian General Staff has concluded a long time

ago there’s no point in reducing Ukraine to rubble in a matter

of hours – something they could easily accomplish. Thus the

fabled mincing machine approach – offering no excuses for

NATO to “escalate” (which they continue to do anyway, as

Jens “War is Peace” Stoltenberg, is so fond of parroting).

The trick is that NATO’s escalation overdrive, as it happens, is

somewhat controlled by the Russian General Staff, which is

always calculating which optimal maneuvers will consume

NATO’s military hardware faster. Call it a Russian version

of the popular axiom “frog in a boiling pot doesn’t realize

it’s being cooked until it croaks.”

Attacking Russia-China-Iran

Absolute desperation is now graphically extrapolating into

attacks on Iran. Both Russia and China have Iran as their

key ally in West Asia for the whole, complex process of

Eurasia integration; strategic partnerships interlink

the trio.

So attacking the Ministry of Defense in Isfahan with drones

– total fail – and bombing an IRGC convoy of humanitarian

aid crossing from Iraq to Syria --- is a serious U.S.-Israel-
coordinated provocation.

Essentially these are also attacks against Russia and China.

Israel.... cannot lift its hand or foot ----- without U.S.
permission. Iranian intel may be able to establish
how the Straussian neo-con and neoliberal-con
cabal in charge of US foreign policy authorized
if not ordered these attacks, which of course,
are directly connected to NATO’s
desperation in Ukraine.

When in doubt, just come back to Zbig “Grand Chessboard”

Brzezinski: “Potentially, the most dangerous scenario

would be a grand coalition of China, Russia and

perhaps, Iran --- an ‘anti-hegemonic’ coalition

united not by ideology but by contemporary

grievances. It would be reminiscent... in

scale and scope, of the challenge once

posed by the Sino-Soviet bloc.”

And mirroring Ukraine/Russia
there’s of course Taiwan/China.

As Credit Suisse strategist, Zoltan Pozsar, has extensively

explained, if Taiwan manufactures chips for U.S. missiles

Washington then sends to Taiwan for its “self-defense”,

but Taiwan needs to wait because the missiles are

needed in Ukraine instead ---- or chips can’t be

shipped to the U.S. owing to a possible sea

and air blockade imposed by China, the

Americans will be operationally ill-

equipped to support their two-

front war against peer

competitors Russia

and China.

Bye bye Pax Americana. It’s the fear, actually paranoia, of a

destroyed Taiwan – and the destruction in every scenario

would be provoked by the Americans themselves – that

has led the Straussian neo-con and neoliberal-con

cabal to demand their chips be Made in USA.

On the energy front, since U.S. energy costs are

low, Washington gambled that much of the de-

industrialization of Germany, would revert

to American benefit. Yet since Iranian,

Russian and Venezuelan oil prices

are lower than the U.S... not much

production may be shifting to the

Hegemon: it will go to China.

To the bottom of the Grand Canyon!

The January 10th joint declaration between EU-NATO

graphically shows how the EU is no more than the

P.R. arm of NATO.

This NATO-EU joint mission consists in using all economic,

political and military means to make sure the “jungle”

always behaves according to the “rules-based

international order” and accepts to be

plundered ad infinitum by the

“blooming garden”.

So, in the end, what’s left of “Europe”, when it’s

NATO – actually Washington – that really rules?

“Europe” - according to relentless propaganda - means

defending “our values” – as in peace, democracy and

prosperity. The trick is that unelected elites forced

the implicit identification of this imagined,

practically sacred “Europe” --- with the

European Union. And that, is how the

EU has acquired a mythical identity.

Of course, in real life the EU --- as in the

real, politically organized “Europe” ---

has performed as a toxic instrument

of division among European peoples.

Instead of peace, it has invested in all-out rabid war

against Russia. The EU is, arguably, the most

democratically irresponsible institution on

the planet: spend a day in Brussels and

you understand everything. And

instead of prosperity --- the EU

has institutionalized austerity.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy a race to the bottom of the

Grand Canyon. The only question is, who will get there

first: the EU, NATO, or both.

I love Pepe's optimism and humour...

while we're teetering on the brink.

What do YOU think?

___________________________________

Washington Post: US statement

about the supply of Abrams to

Ukraine, is a cover for Scholz

January 29th, 10:49am

https://en.news-front.info/

The delivery of Abrams tanks to Ukraine announced by the

United States became a cover for Germany to provide the

Kyiv regime with Leopard 2. This is reported by The

Washington Post, which gained access to the

conversations of people familiar with

the discussions.

The publication claims that German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz,

and US President Joe Biden could not agree on the transfer

of German tanks.... for a long time. Scholz did not want

Germany to “challenge Russia” first among Western

countries. He demanded that the tanks be handed

over at the same time as the United States.

Washington, in turn, insisted that German armoured vehicles

should be sent to Kyiv as soon as possible, because the

Ukrainian military “will be easier to learn” on them,

and not on US ones.

The publication notes that after the conversation, Biden asked

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of

State, Blinken, what steps should be taken.

“It was Blinken who suggested a possible workaround. What if

they announced their intention to supply Abrams tanks as

part of Kyiv’s “long-term” needs in a conflict that could

go on for years? This could give Scholz the cover he

was looking for to allow the Leopard tanks to

immediately head to Ukraine, and give the

Pentagon time to prepare its tanks, the

Ukrainian military..... and create the

logistics,” the journalists write.

In parallel with this -- the publication clarifies -- in Europe,

potential Leopard suppliers have focused on increasing
pressure on Berlin in order to obtain permission from

the manufacturer to transfer equipment to the

government of Ukraine.

“But for Scholz it was a serious political dilemma. From the

first days of the conflict, he tried not to go ahead of the

column when it came to arming Ukraine, expressing

fears about possible retribution from Moscow,” the

authors of the material note.

At the same time, according to journalists, the head of the

Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, was opposed to the supply of

Abrams tanks --- convinced that their operation and

logistics would be too complicated.

“He was convinced -- that the Ukrainians would not be able

to maintain and service massive battle tanks. In addition,

American vehicles --- are protected by special depleted

uranium armour of a classified design --- which the

United States did not want Russia to get its

hands on”, the authors of the

publication concluded.

If the US dares to use depleted uranium

in any form -- the rage from Russia, will

tear over the US -- in a vengeful fury.

What do YOU think they will do?

_____________________________________

War Is a Racket… Tanks

a Lot, Now Give Us F-16s!

January 27th, 2023

Editorial

https://strategic-culture.org

The vampiric orgy of weapons going to Ukraine could

provoke a terrifying world war and global catastrophe.

No sooner had the United States, Germany and other NATO

powers announced the major release of main battlefield

tanks for Ukraine, the Kiev regime immediately started

demanding the supply of US-made F-16 warplanes.

The attitude is incorrigible. Chutzpah

on steroids, or perhaps cocaine.

As Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky gloated this week

shamelessly and without a hint of irony to corporate

honchos in Florida, the war in his country means

“big business opportunities” for the West. This

clownish figure was formerly a comedian and

actor before becoming a politician. Now he

can add pimping to his grubby career.

For weeks, in the Western states, there have been tortuous

public discussions about whether to send tanks to support

the Kiev regime against Russia. Then abruptly, the U.S.,

Germany and other NATO allies have one by one

unceremoniously shirked the taboo and are

promising delivery of the heavy armour

weaponry. The Biden administration..

declared it will send around 30 units

of M1 Abrams. Germany is to send

about 14 Leopard 2 tanks as are

several other European NATO

members who have the

German-made vehicle

in their inventories.

Britain has announced it will supply about 14 of its Challenger

2 tanks and France is considering supplying Leclerc main

battlefield units.

The numbers involved are way short of the 300 demanded by

the Kiev regime and will not deliver the much-vaunted and

totally unrealistic “victory” over Russia. The tokenism is,

however, part of an enormous war racket. It’s all about

pumping up more profiteering rather than any principle

or serious strategic objective in Ukraine, apart from

destabilizing Russia and trying to isolate Moscow

internationally. The danger is, however, if the

powder keg is stoked any further, the risk of

an unintended conflagration becomes a

growing probability.

It’s almost farcical – if it wasn’t so grave – how reckless

is the rush by NATO powers to outdo each other in

military madness.

Moscow has condemned an “extremely dangerous escalation”

which puts NATO in direct conflict with Russia --- on a path of

full-blown war in Europe. Any such war will not be confined

to Europe. This is a step off the abyss towards a world war

at grave risk of unleashing nuclear annihilation.

Over the past year --- since Russia launched its special military

operation in Ukraine to neutralize a NATO-sponsored NeoNazi

regime that had for eight years been aggressing ethnic

Russian people formerly in eastern Ukraine (now

integrated into the Russian Federation after

popular referenda) -- the United States and

its allies have scaled up weapon supplies

to Ukraine at a staggering blitzkrieg rate.

The financial and military aid funneled into Ukraine, over just

12 months from the U.S., NATO and European Union amounts

to around $100 billion. This, is while these states are telling

their own citizens that there isn’t enough money for funding

essential public services and welfare needs, amid crushing

economic inflation caused in large part by energy prices

soaring from unilaterally cutting Russian gas supplies.

The nature of the weapons has graduated to increasingly

offensive firepower and quantity. The readiness by the

NATO powers to mobilize military resources indicates

that this war was anticipated as a showdown

with Russia.

Ukrainian defense official Yuriy Sak cockily commented

about the relative ease of the “next big hurdle” of

acquiring F-16s fighter jets.

“They didn’t want to give us heavy artillery, then they did.

They didn’t want to give us HIMARS [missiles], then they

did. They didn’t want to give us tanks, now they’re

giving us tanks. Apart from nuclear weapons,

there is nothing left that we will not get.”

That means F-16s are up next.

It’s not clear who the “they” ---- who “didn’t want to” supply
weapons are. Every step of the way, Western leaders have

quickly jettisoned any supposed scruples or reservations

about supplying weapons. The so-called “reservations”,

seem in hindsight now to have been nothing but cynical

deception: to hoodwink the Western public about what

their politicians are doing – which is opening the gates

of hell for war --- by plying Ukraine with weapons and

suppressing any attempt at ending the conflict

through politics and diplomacy.

Lest it should be forgotten, politics and diplomacy should

be the first and most urgent effort. The negligence,

indeed repudiation, of diplomacy by Western

powers --- is tantamount to criminal

conspiracy for fueling hostility.

Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin, the US maker of the F-16 has

cheerily chimed in on cue -- that it is ready to supply the

fighter jet to Ukraine as soon as NATO leaders agree

to give the go-ahead. Lockheed Martin is also the

maker of HIMARS and Javelin missiles. The US

military-industrial complex is raking in record

profits over this war in Ukraine. U.S. global

exports of weapons have surged by an

estimated 50 per cent year-on-year,

mainly due to selling to European

allies who have emptied their

arsenals for Ukraine.

There is a sense of inevitability that the “hurdle” of F-16s

and other advanced warplanes will be dispensed with in

due course --- in the same way that Washington and its

allies overcame their lame hesitance about missiles

and tanks. What can be expected --- is more long-

range missiles as well as advanced warplanes.

President Joe Biden declared preposterously that the tanks

being sent to Ukraine, are not “offensive”, nor a “threat to

Russia”. He called them - “tanks for freedom”. This is the

same nonsense as other NATO leaders claiming that the

best way to peace in Ukraine is to arm the Kiev regime

with even more lethal weapons. Biden also asserted

that if Russian troops withdrew from Ukraine then

the war would be over. This is dissembling about

the causes of the conflict & what Washington’s

geopolitical agenda really is about: salvaging

hegemonic ambitions with regard to Russia,

China and any other perceived rival. The

war would not simply stop, as Biden

lied through his teeth. The war in

Ukraine is but a battlefield in a

much bigger war for asserting

US supremacy --- which is no

longer viable in an emerging

multipolar world ---- amid

collapsing US economic

power.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said it best

this week, albeit inadvertently. “We are fighting a war

against Russia,” she blurted out during a Council of

Europe parliamentary debate in Strasbourg....

regarding the dispatch of Leopard tanks.

The war in Ukraine is nothing more than a racket in the same

sordid tradition as condemned by US Marine Corps Major

General Smedley D Butler -- in the 1930s. Zelensky and

his cabal are rife with corruption and profiteering, as

the mass sacking of his cabinet officials this week

demonstrates. Even the Western media could not

ignore the scandal, despite doing their best to

whitewash the fiasco as a crackdown on

corruption. Those sackings only came

about after Zelensky’s aides were

exposed as being up their eyes --

in embezzling, fraud and bribery.

The huge sums of money being pumped into the Kiev regime

by Western governments courtesy of Western taxpayers &

the debt of future generations, is a driver of the corruption.

Of course, the Kiev racketeers are demanding more and

more weapons from the West because “big business” is

lining their pockets, offshore properties and

bank accounts.

And of course, the Western weapons companies are all too

happy to ramp up production, sales and profits. Western

politicians and governments are feeding at the trough

of the military-industrial complex, through lobbyists

and board member sinecures, like the U.S. Sec. of

Defense, Lloyd Austin, who is hooked up with

Raytheon - another Pentagon firm that has

enriched itself from the Ukraine conflict.

Despite Western media propaganda about “defending Ukraine”

and “fighting for democracy”, the reality is the United States

and its NATO minions are all in for greasing the war-machine

capitalist economies and for their own personal gain. The

tragedy is that the weapons pipelines will not help

Ukraine. Russian forces are decimating the NATO-

sponsored NeoNazi regime. Not even tanks or

warplanes will salvage the military disaster.

The West is filling a bloodbath in Ukraine for their merchants

of death. The obscenity of callously shoving people into a

slaughter for no moral or just cause, but all for the profit-

making of corporations, themselves and the corrupt

cabal in Kiev ---- is despicable beyond words.

The real danger is that the vampiric orgy of weapons going

to Ukraine could provoke a terrifying world war and global

catastrophe. That is the measure of the evil at the heart

of the Western powers and their puppet masters. The

First and Second World Wars were manifestations of

the same evil imperialist system. If it has its way,

that is without Russia’s restraining power, then

the world is facing another calamity -- brought

about by the same criminal system.

That's telling us!
But will we learn?

What do YOU think?

_____________________________________

West demands - continuation

of bloody banquet in Ukraine

January 26th, 8:53am

https://en.news-front.info/

Here, in fact, are the main words about the near future of

Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. And they

were said, and for a while... it seems, coming to

consciousness, by the main beneficiary of

this whole bloody affair, the president
of the USA, Joe Biden.

Sending Ukraine 31 M1 Abrams tanks to form an entire tank

battalion, he said, during a speech on the evening of the

25th of January -- which was broadcast on the White

House Twitter account: “We intend to help Ukraine

defend its territory and launch a counter-offensive.

To liberate the whole country, they need to

increase their defensive capabilities.”

The key words here are, you understand, “counter-offensive”.

It clearly and unambiguously puts an “i” point in all these

vain and solidly annoying conversations... whether the

AFU will --- or will not --- launch an offensive in the

approaching spring. It is clear now ------ they

will, the master said so.

At that, the US President hinted specifically, however, that the

tanks may not be necessary, because their delivery will take

several months. And the tanks will either not arrive in

Ukraine by that time, or they will be needed only by

the USO troops, which - by that time - will

disassemble the neo-Nazi Ukraine, into

stinking atoms .. like in the Banderite

crypts. Such is the dilemma of the

donkey and the Padishah,

in Ukrainian.

Although Biden added that the US would immediately start

working on a programme to train Ukrainian tankers to

work with Abrams and would send eight repair and

recovery vehicles to service the tanks.

Biden’s loyal subject, German Foreign Minister Annalena

Berbock, also stood out, of course, as she bluntly called

what was happening in Ukraine a “war”. Before that

there had been “defence of democracy and

universal human values”, “opposition to

Putin’s aggression”, and suddenly,

bang, war. How could it be?

A paradigm shift…

The revelation of bellicose Annalena happened, because her

immediate boss – Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz – under

the general pressure sagged and deflated, like a rotten fly

agaric under the foot of the mushroom. On January the

25th, 2023, on the day of the 85th anniversary of

Vladimir Vysotsky, who used to sing “soldiers

of the Centre group are marching through

Ukraine”, Scholz confirmed that official

Berlin would send Ukraine.......

Leopard 2 tanks.

Moreover, Germany will also allow other countries to re-export

these tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. After Poland

blew propaganda over Scholz’s head, accusing Germany

of not giving tanks and Ukrainian democracy of being in

terrible, unbearable, danger on the matter. But Poland

applied to send Leopards to Ukraine, and Berlin gave

the go-ahead.

After that, tanks promised to pour into Ukraine like a bloody

horn of death. The Czech Republic, Canada, Spain, and

Portugal officially declared their readiness to transfer

the tanks to Kiev. Sweden does not rule out the

transfer to Ukraine of the Stridsvagn 122,

which is the local version of the

German Leopard 2.

But again – in the future. Because it is customary to have this

caveat – the first combat vehicles from Europe to Ukraine

may arrive in about three months. And during this time,

either the Padishah or the donkey will say its word…

However, at the last meeting of the Ramstein format 12

countries agreed to provide Ukraine with around 100

Leopard 2 tanks. They are designed to “bring Putin

to his knees”. And it shows --- that the first step in

preparation for the counter-offensive announced

by Biden in the spring has already been taken –

another carrot has been dangled in front of

the Ukrainian donkey........ that must run

to attack.

But that is not all. In Ukraine itself they have done everything

to eliminate all kinds of controversies & aggravated struggle

for power and access to the trough, and also to calm down

the loose power ambitions of some political imbeciles,

who do not want to understand correctly the task of

their masters. This is the second, if you like,

parallel step... in the preparation for a

counter-offensive.

First CIA chief William Burns, and then former British prime

minister Boris Johnson, came to Ukraine and together they

brought to a common denominator two large groups of the

Ukrainian establishment not to speak of by night, oriented

towards the CIA and MI6. That is, the US and the UK,

between whom, there was a marked difference in

the approach to the war in Ukraine: the US was

ready for a ceasefire, while Britain wanted

the blood of the last Ukrainian.

Burns and Johnson instigated not only reconciliation, but

also a mopping-up of especially opportunity-weary

Ukrainian officials – from deputy ministers mired

in outright and wildly cynical corruption.. and

rampant embezzlement, to the deputy head

of the Office of the President (OPU) Kirill

Timoshenko, and several governors.

Ukrainian ''President'' Volodymyr

Zelenski, waved his resignation

decrees, like a famous old

woman with a scythe.

And, as the Russian political analyst, Sergei Markov, wrote:

“Zelensky’s personnel purge.. is believed to have been

carried out at the request of the US, against Britain’s

people in the Zelensky administration”. And then he

clarified: “They say, the Americans are fed up with

the insolence of British handlers and their agents.

Britain invests little resources in Ukraine, but

wants to command a lot. And it is not British

money that the British agents steal, but

American money. So they were
short-changed.

“They also gave Zelensky a fat hint that he must listen to Big

Brother more than to his arrogant little brother in Britain.

…The US, it turns out, did not issue tanks to Zelensky

because Zelensky did not want to fire the British

arrogant agents --- like Tymoshenko. After

Ramstein, Zelensky realised... that he

would have to fire him”.

Moreover, Markov prophesied: “If Zelensky appoints an

American, rather than a British agent, to replace

Tymoshenko, the US will announce the transfer

of several Abrams tanks, symbolically. But

most importantly, the US will give a strict

order to Germany to give the go-ahead

for the transfer of German Leopard

tanks - by various countries - to

Zelensky. This is what it looks

like from Kiev. In the coming

days we will verify

that version”.

What is there to verify? As Markov said, it happened, it is

not Newton’s binomial – the non-self-governing policy of

Ukraine’s neo-Nazis Zelensky, in the service of the

collective West.

In parallel with the cleansing of his corrupt and utterly

debased entourage, Zelensky has taken the third step

in the necessary unification of the country & society

for the war -– he has continued the mobilising and

intimidating repression against those who might

(be?) his opponent. He enacted a decision of the

National Security and Defence Council (NSDCU)

on sanctions against 10 individuals associated

with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and

the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC MP).

The decree was published on January

the 24th, on the website of the

presidential office.

This time it was an oligarch, former Verkhovna Rada MP and

UOC deacon Vadym Novynskyy, the head of the UOC Kiev-

Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Petro (Lebed) of Vyshgorod

and Chernobyl, metropolitans and bishops of Crimean

dioceses, including Simferopol, Feodosiya, Koktebel

and Dzhankoy, Archbishop of Rovenky and

Sverdlovsk UOC, Alexander Taranov,

Metropolitan of Izyum & Kupyansk

UOC, Oleg Ivanov, the Bishop

of Romny and the Burinsky

UOC, Alexey Maslennikov.

In addition to the fact that in 2022 the Ukrainian authorities

have already organized the largest wave of persecution of

the UOC-MP in the modern history of the country, a bill to

actually ban it in Ukraine --- has already been submitted
to the Verkhovna Rada. Sanctions have been imposed

against.. many and other members of the clergy.

And the SBU has begun to open criminal cases

against clergy of the UOC MP and to conduct

“counter-intelligence activities” – searches

of bishops and priests and in churches

and monasteries, including the Kyiv

Pechersk Lavra ---- looking for

evidence of “anti-Ukrainian

activities”.

Why was all this done? To bring the Ukrainians to their knees

and force them to do what the neo-Nazis and their masters,

who, alas, are so far good at it, command without question.

However, even the West, as we can see, is well aware that the

success of the proposed counterattack depends entirely on

Russia and its air defence forces. What they will want or be

able to do in the operation zone, they will learn from the

counter-offensive – there may not be one at all, if

Ukraine disappears.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, its president Vladimir Putin and

now – most recently – the Russian ambassador to the US,

Anatoly Antonov, have all warned that the weapons

supplied to Kiev will be a legitimate target for the

Russian military. And that Russian troops will

“destroy Abrams as well as other Western

equipment”, which, according to Dmitry

Peskov, spokesman for the Russian

president, “burn just fine” like
all the others.

And what should be done to make them burn perfectly well is

at once answered by Yuri Knutov, director of the Air Defense

Forces Museum, popular on Russian TV: “During World War II

we fought a whole railroad war, when partisans destroyed

railway stations and bridges and knocked out a large part

of the arms and ammunition supply to the Germans. Now

we can do something similar...... not with the help of

partisans, but with high-precision weapons.”

And you can’t deny Knutow’s logic. Now the word must not

diverge from the deed, otherwise Russia will continue to

stand on its own stretcher – between promises to do

and what has been done.

Vladimir Skachko, Antifascist News Agency

In Wales, there are many anti-fascists..

who support Russia in this. Which

side do YOU now support?

_____________________________________________

UN and IAEA to ignore AFU

ammunition depots at

nuclear power plant

– expert Knutov

January 24th, 11:35am

https://en.news-front.info/

The West will traditionally prefer to “close its eyes” to the

new criminal actions of the Ukrainian side. The military

analyst Yuri Knutov called on Russia to “ring the bells”

in the international arena --- because of Kyiv’s

stockpiling of missiles and ammunition

directly at Ukrainian nuclear

power plants.

According to the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian

Federation, the militants are actively deploying missiles to

HIMARS and foreign air defense systems, on the territory

of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, accumulating stocks

of large-calibre artillery ammunition there. Several

loaded wagons were transported through the

Rafalovka railway junction, alone.

“To be honest, I predicted a similar scenario a few months

ago when it was about the seizure of the territory of the

Zaporizhzhya NPP, by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In October-November last year, the West and Kyiv

actively demanded... the “demilitarization” of

this facility. And even then, it was clear: that

in the event of the withdrawal of our troops

from the station nothing would prevent the

Ukrainian army -- from seizing the nuclear

power plant -- and creating a springboard

on its base, for an attack on Berdyansk

and Melitopol. After all, the Ukrainians

were well aware that the Russian

army under no circumstances

would shoot at the ZNPP,

simply because it is

a nuclear facility”,

Knutov recalled.

Now the criminal Kyiv regime has begun to cynically

use the territories of nuclear power facilities as

warehouses for modern ammunition, Knutov

was indignant.

“How criminal this activity is, it is clear even to a child
– after all, the explosion of these munitions next to a

nuclear reactor threatens monstrous consequences

throughout Europe. But even more terrible, is that

neither the IAEA nor the UN, will probably react

- in any way - to this information. I’m just sure

that they will let it go past their ears,”
Knutov said.

“Although it is clear that, if it were not about Ukraine, but

about any other country, the IAEA would immediately

intervene and demand the immediate withdrawal

of all military depots from the territory of

nuclear power plants. As well as the

complete demilitarization of

these territories.”

“At the same time, there is an IAEA mission

on the territory of the ZNPP,” the

expert recalled.

“IAEA specialists make sure that even Russian heavy

weapons, such as tanks and self-propelled guns, are

not on the territory of the nuclear power plant. At

the same time, at nuclear power plants that are

controlled by Ukraine Armed Forces, Western

shells and missiles are massively stockpiled

and for some reason, there is not a single

international controller there. I regard

this as a forbidden method of waging

war, and this should be declared as

loudly as possible both from the

rostrum of the UN, and within

the framework of the BRICS,

the Shanghai Cooperation

Organization ------ and, in

general, “ring the bells”

..at all possible inter-

national platforms.”

At the same time, according to Knutov, the UN actually

openly refuses to listen -- to the terrible truth about

Ukrainian crimes, which Moscow regularly tries

to convey. The inaction of international

organizations “gives the green light”

to a new nuclear disaster, the

analyst concluded.

In wars, people and organisations reveal

their true selves... what do YOU reveal?

________________________________________

Horrifying treatment of Ukrainian

refugees in Israeli-occupied

territories
by Kit Klarenberg

January 22nd, 2:53pm

(PressTV)

In the wake of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, which

began in February last year, millions of Ukrainian citizens

- including women and children - have fled the country

to seek refuge elsewhere.

Reports of Ukrainian refugees encountering

nightmarish, unsafe conditions in their

adopted countries, are countless.

Britain’s Homes for Ukraine had been operational less than a

month, for example, before the UN High Commissioner for

Refugees (UNHCR) demanded official oversight of the

scheme be drastically overhauled and “adequate

safeguards” put in place to protect against the

“exploitation” of the scheme’s beneficiaries,

due to increasing reports of women...

“feeling at risk from their sponsors.”

Such a squalid state of affairs nonetheless pales in

comparison to the horror that welcomed Ukrainian

refugees who took up residence in the Israeli-

occupied territories.

A local media report published in early January, conveniently

dismissed by the Western media, documents the widespread

abuse, rape, and exploitation - which gives the impression of

being facilitated if not encouraged, by the Israeli authorities.

In total, approximately 47,000 Ukrainians not eligible

for citizenship under the Israeli regime’s grossly

discriminatory Law of Return travelled there

following Russia's military operation in

Ukraine, according to the regime's

so-called 'welfare ministry'.

Not a single one was accorded formal refugee status,

and of these, only around 15,000 remain. And it’s

not hard to see why.

Ukrainians fleeing to seek refuge in the Israeli-occupied

territories mostly arrived with no possessions or

savings and tried to find work to

support themselves.

Yet numerous legal barriers made this initially impossible,

and despite subsequent reforms intended to secure

employment, many still struggle, bouncing from

one insecure, undocumented, poorly paid

short-term job to another.

“The reality is that you are locked in some room in the centre

of Israel and you need to work — a lot. You’re illegal here,

your work is illegal, your stay is illegal, and your owner

remains fully in control. You can’t do anything,” one

refugee quoted in the report laments.

This sad state of affairs created a veritable feeding frenzy for

exploitative employers, who offer employment in return for

a sizable cut of a Ukrainian’s earnings.

The report states how one woman in her 50s was introduced

to an Israeli man with “strong business links” in Kiev, who

offered her work, an apartment, health insurance, and

everything she needed to get started.

Upon arrival, he housed her in a shared room in a cramped

apartment rife with mold and fungus, where two other

families also lived.

She was forced to work two backbreaking five-hour shifts

every day, travelling to and fro in minibuses without air

conditioning in the scorching heat. Every time her

working day was complete, he deducted half

her wages.

Her health has deteriorated sharply since arriving in

the occupied territories, and she now experiences

migraines and anxiety attacks but is trapped by

her employer, according to the report.

After trying to leave his clutches and find work

elsewhere, he threatened to report her to the

authorities as an undocumented migrant,

which would mean she was deported

“within 48 hours.”

In July, sharp limits on where Ukrainians could work were

introduced, with outright bans on legal employment

for refugees in 17 cities, including Tel Aviv and

Jerusalem, where work is most likely to

be found.

The Israeli regime's outgoing interior minister Ayelet Shaked

subsequently imposed further restrictions, prohibiting any

Ukrainian who arrived since October, from working at

all, anywhere.

Telegram and WhatsApp groups offering work with no paper

trail have popped up in profusion since February 24th last

year. Offers of roles in massage parlours as well as sex

work... are plentiful.

In a perverse twist too, several Ukrainians were put up

by the authorities in a ‘hotel’ that a representative of

an organization assisting Russian and Ukrainian

Jews described as “literally a brothel.”

They claim a representative of the welfare ministry

admitted to knowing the nature of the premises.

Ukrainians staying at the site had windowless rooms

and were kept awake by wild parties and the sound

of people indulging in illicit sexual activities 'round

the clock elsewhere in the building.

“I feel like Israeli authorities hate us here. It’s as if we smell

bad or something,” was how another refugee described her

interactions with interior ministry officials.

Most disturbing of all, the report documents how numerous

Ukrainians, were raped by Israeli men, who wrote them

letters of invitation, which helped get them out of

the warzone.

In attempting to report these heinous crimes, the victims

“encountered a maze of bureaucracy and lost any

motivation” to bring their attackers to justice,

with police and social services,

effectively off-limits.

In one instance, a Ukrainian woman reported her rapist to

authorities, only to be told via text message after weeks

of silence that the charges had been dropped, due to
“insubstantial” evidence.

As foreigners in the occupied territories, they are not entitled

to free legal aid, and therefore must pay thousands of

shekels to private lawyers for basic representation.

At least one victim has committed suicide as a

result of these horrid experiences.

Very occasionally, these incidents leak out into local media.

In March, an Israeli man was arrested on suspicion of

breaking into the apartment of a Ukrainian woman

in Jaffa, then raping and robbing her.

Two months later, an Ashdod resident was arrested and

indicted for the alleged rape of a 19-year-old Ukrainian

woman. He reportedly offered to help her find a

cleaning job, and under the pretext of giving

her a ride to work, drove her instead to a

hotel, where he raped her.

“Many of these abuses remain at best under the radar of the

authorities or at worst wilfully ignored, leaving the victims

in a cycle of violence and poverty that only deepens the

trauma they have endured to date. The perpetrators

remain free to commit further crimes,” the

report notes.

Such abuses are all the more perverse when one considers

that the Israeli regime loudly advertised its welcome of

Ukrainians as a symbol of its “tolerance & progressive

values”. There were even more cynical motives at

work, too. Initially, it was intended by the

apartheid regime that these refugees

would further its criminal project of

settlement expansion on

Palestinian lands.

They were to be given property in the occupied Palestinian

territories, in order to populate those areas - deemed as

illegal by the United Nations in its multiple resolutions

- in the process of transforming them into colonizers

and settlers.

The effort was even given an official moniker,

“Operation Israeli Guarantees”.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh strongly

warned against such misadventure, as Ukrainians

arrived at settlements in the occupied West Bank,

including Yitzhar, a key base of operations for

Zionist extremists who routinely attack

indigenous Arabs and steal

their property.

It is truly remarkable and obnoxious that not a single

Western journalist has deemed this shocking report

fit to report on.... weeks since its publication.

Nonetheless, such an oversight is understandable and

entirely predictable, given the mainstream media’s

omerta on the Zionist regime’s vicious, never-

ending crimes against the Palestinian people

- and it is arguable that this conspiracy of

silence is precisely why Israelis feel

emboldened to mistreat hapless

Ukrainian refugees.

In a truly just world, the experience of Ukrainian refugees

in the occupied territories would trigger widespread

scrutiny of the Zionist project, more generally.

For if that murderous ideology’s adherents have no qualm

about subjecting people who enjoy nearly universal

public and media sympathy across the Western

world to such savage abuse, one can only

imagine how much worse a captive

population suffers under

those occupiers.

Kit Klarenberg is an investigative journalist and MintPresss

News contributor exploring the role of intelligence

services in shaping politics and perceptions. His

work has previously appeared in The Cradle,

Declassified UK, Electronic Intifada,

Grayzone, and ShadowProof.

Follow him on Twitter @KitKlarenberg.

(The views expressed in this article, are

the author's own and do not necessarily

reflect those of Press TV

or Rhondda Records)

It's an evil people who will

rob people in need - what

do YOU think?

______________________________

US media: Washington

pushes Ukraine to

hit Crimea

January 21st, 2:04pm

https://en.news-front.info/

Analysis of the article by The New York Times:

“Although the United States has said for several years that

Crimea is still part of Ukraine, it has refused to provide

Kiev with the lethal weapons with which Ukraine

could try to retake the peninsula by force. But

in recent days, Washington’s harsh rhetoric

has softened... as soon as “serious”

armaments are supplied, and the

president’s administration has

increasingly indicated that it

is willing -- to provide them.

Even if such a move would

increase ---- the risk of

escalation,” The New
York Times (NYT)
reports.

White House officials say nothing has changed and the

Biden administration’s position remains the same –

Crimea belongs to Ukraine. Every country has

the right to defend itself and its sovereign

territory within its internationally

recognized borders, says the

National Security Council

spokeswoman ------

Adrienne Watson.

Although in private conversations, military experts and

political analysts --- are sceptical about the Ukrainian

idea of “reclaiming” Crimea, believing that nothing

will come of this endeavour, apart from more

casualties on the Ukrainian side. And... if

anything is to be conquered, there are

other, more realistic goals, the

paper stressed.

But the Biden administration has concluded that Kiev is

simply obliged to show Russia that it is “serious” about

returning Crimea. The White House believes, that one

demonstration of intentions may be enough to make

Kiev’s position stronger in any future negotiations.

In addition, fears that the Kremlin would retaliate with tactical

nuclear weapons have disappeared, US officials and experts

said, although they warned that the risk remains.

If one recalls that not so long ago the White House was afraid

to publicly acknowledge the fact that it had supplied Kiev

with Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, it becomes clear, how

much the mood and plans in Washington, have changed:

from cautious provision of Javelin anti-tank missiles,
to Patriot SAMs, and tanks, The New York Times

draws attention.

“Now, the Biden administration is contemplating one of its

boldest moves yet – helping Ukraine attack the peninsula,

which Russia has always regarded as primordially

Russian territory.”

“US officials are discussing with their Ukrainian counterparts

the possibility of using American-supplied weapons, from

HIMARS missile systems to Bradley Fighting Vehicles.”

“They also discuss... the possibility, of taking under

Ukrainian control, the land corridor from Crimea

to Russia, which runs through Melitopol and

Mariupol,” the authors of the article,

Helene Cooper, Eric Schmitt and

Julian E. Barnes, wrote.

They note that Ukrainian officials have long insisted

that pressure on Russian military bases on the

peninsula, should be part of the military

strategy of the AFU.

However, President Biden is not yet ready to provide

Ukraine with long-range missile systems, which is

what Kiev is asking for --- for strikes against

Russian targets in Crimea.

By deciding to give the Bradley combat vehicles to Ukraine,

the Biden administration has agreed in part to Kiev’s

longstanding requests. The Bradleys, are armoured

personnel carriers equipped with powerful 25mm

guns and guided missiles... and are capable of

resisting Russian tanks, the authors explain.

According to Frederick B. Hodges, a retired lieutenant general

and former commander-in-chief of the US Army in Europe,

already in the coming months, Ukrainian troops will be

able to use the Bradley to cut the land corridor from

Crimea to Russia. And if France & Germany deliver

their armoured fighting vehicles to Kiev, by then,

Ukraine will have a full-fledged armoured force

that it could use in a counter-offensive as

early as this winter or spring, both

government and independent

military experts in the US,

have assured.

British Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, said during a

visit to Washington, that now is the right time to step

up Western support for Ukraine. Why now? Because

“we cannot allow this to drag on and turn into a
kind of stalemate like the First World War,”
the minister explained.

Furthermore, Kiev fears that if the war drags on, Ukraine

simply will not survive it – the country’s economy is in

decline. Therefore, Zelensky has no choice --- but to

take an urgent swing at Crimea. Especially.. since

Evelyn Farkas, the Pentagon’s top representative

for Ukraine... under the Obama administration,

assures us that “without Crimea, everything

will fall apart”. She does not explain what

“everything” is.

The White House does not really believe, that the Ukrainian

Armed Forces, will be able to seize the peninsula militarily;
they, rather, want to stage a frightening act for Russia and
then immediately sit Kiev down at the negotiating table,

the article said.

“It should be added that US officials are still wary of the

Kremlin’s reaction to an attack on Crimea using US

weapons. After all, none of the several Ukrainian

attacks on Crimea have, so far, questioned the

peninsula’s belonging to Russia. Moreover,

not long ago, Secretary of State Anthony

J. Blinken reiterated the unchanged US

policy towards Ukraine, according to

which the Biden administration, will

help regain.. territories seized last

year. As you know Crimea is not

one of those territories,” the

NYT concludes.

Our comment: This is a tricky situation for the White House – it

is very eager to encourage Kiev to strike Crimea, but it is also

very scary, so they reassure themselves that “nothing will

happen -- for that. Although the sabotage on the Crimean

bridge was followed by the destruction of the Ukrainian

energy sector (and the States, by the way, do not care

about it at all), Washington is itching to check what

will happen after the missile attack on the

peninsula. Of course, it is not about

“liberation”, because the residents

of Crimea are Russians by choice

and do not want any “liberation”

from Ukraine --- and a strike on

the peninsula, will certainly be
perceived as an act of attack.

But Washington is not interested in this either. The aim is

quite different: to check what measures Russia is ready

to take. What will happen to Ukraine, is of no concern

to the Americans, just as they are indifferent to the

losses of the AFU at Artemivsk (Bakhmut).

Well, the NYT, to the best of its informational ability, is

helping the Biden administration to spread crazy

ideas by replicating them and not letting its

readers know... what is really going on

in Ukraine.

by Ella Maistrenko, Odna Rodina.

A bluff?

What do YOU think
Russia could do?

______________________________________

'Fragmented world'

sleepwalks into

World War III

by Pepe Escobar

(Publshed here, January 20th)

The self-appointed Davos "elites" are afraid. So afraid. At this

week’s World Economic Forum meetings, mastermind Klaus

Schwab – displaying his trademark Bond villain act – carped

over and over again about a categorical imperative: we need

"Cooperation in a Fragmented World".

While his diagnosis of “the most critical fragmentation” the

world is now mired in is predictably somber, Herr Schwab

maintains that “the spirit of Davos is positive” and in the

end..... we may all live happily... in a “green

sustainable economy.”

What Davos has been good at, this week, is showering public

opinion with new mantras. There’s “The New System” which,

considering the abject failure of the much ballyhooed Great

Reset, now looks like a matter of hastily updating the

current – rattled - operating system.

Davos needs new hardware, new programming skills, even

a new virus. Yet for the moment all that’s available is a

“polycrisis”: or, in Davos speak, a “cluster of related

global risks with compounding effects.”

In plain English: a perfect storm.

Insufferable bores from that Divide and Rule island in northern

Europe have just found out that “geopolitics”, alas, never

really entered the tawdry “end of history” tunnel: much

to their amazement it’s now centred – again - across

the Heartland, as it’s been for most of

recorded history.

They complain about “threatening” geopolitics,

which is code for Russia-China, with

Iran attached.

But the icing on the Alpine cake is arrogance/stupidity

actually giving away the game: the City of London

and its vassals are livid because the “world

Davos made” is fast collapsing.

Davos did not “make” any world

apart from its own simulacrum.

Davos never got anything right, because these “elites”

were always busy eulogizing the Empire of Chaos
and its lethal “adventures” across the
Global South.

Davos not only failed to foresee all recent, major economic

crises but most of all the current “perfect storm”, linked

to the neoliberalism-spawned deindustrialization of

the Collective West.

And, of course, Davos is clueless about the real

Reset taking place ------ towards multipolarity.

Self-described opinion leaders are busy “re-discovering” that

Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain was set in Davos –

“against the backdrop of a deadly disease and an

impeding world war” – nearly a century ago.

Well, nowadays the “disease” –- fully bioweaponized -- is not

exactly deadly, per se. And the “impending World War”, is in

fact being actively encouraged by a cabal of US Straussian

neo-cons & neoliberal-cons: an unelected, unaccountable,

bipartisan Deep State not even subject to ideology.

Centennary war criminal, Henry Kissinger, still

does not get it.

A Davos panel on de-globalization was rife on non-sequiturs,

but at least a dose of reality was provided by Hungarian

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

As for China’s vice-premier Liu He, with his vast knowledge of

finance, science and technology, at least he was very helpful

to lay down Beijing’s five top guidelines for the foreseeable

future – beyond the customary imperial Sinophobia.

China will focus on expanding domestic demand;

keeping industrial and supply chains “smooth”;

go for the “healthy development of the private

sector”; deepen state enterprise reform; and

aim for “attractive foreign investment.”

Russian resistance, American precipice

Emmanuel Todd was not at Davos. But it was the French

anthropologist, historian, demographer and geopolitical

analyst... who ended up ruffling all the appropriate

feathers across the collective West, these past

few days with a fascinating anthropological

object: a reality-based interview.

Todd spoke to Le Figaro – the newspaper of choice of the

French establishment and haute bourgeoisie. The

interview was published last Friday on page 22,

sandwiched between proverbial Russophobic

screeds and with an extremely brief mention

on the bottom of the front page. So people

really had to work hard to find it.

Todd joked that he has the – absurd - reputation of a

“rebel destroy” in France, while in Japan he’s

respected, featured in mainstream media,

and his books are published with great

success, including the latest (over

100,000 copies sold): “The Third

World War Has Already Started”.

Significantly, this Japanese best seller does not exist

in French, considering the whole Paris-based

publishing industry toes the EU/NATO
line on Ukraine.

The fact that Todd gets several things right is a minor

miracle in the current, abysmally myopic European

intellectual landscape (there are other analysts

especially in Italy and Germany, but they

carry much less weight than Todd).

So here’s Todd’s concise Greatest Hits.

- A new World War is on: By “switching from a limited territorial

war to a global economic clash, between the collective West

on one side and Russia linked to China on the other side,

this became a World War”.

- The Kremlin, says Todd, made a mistake, calculating that a

decomposed Ukraine society would collapse right away. Of

course he does not get into detail on how Ukraine had

been weaponized to the hilt by the NATO

military alliance.

- Todd is spot on when he stresses how Germany and France

had become minor partners at NATO and were not aware of

what was being plotted in Ukraine militarily: “They did not

know that the Americans, British and Poles could allow

Ukraine to fight an extended war. NATO’s

fundamental axis now is Washington-

London-Warsaw-Kiev.”

- Todd’s major give away is a killer: “The resistance of

Russia’s economy is leading the imperial American

system to the precipice. Nobody had foreseen

that the Russian economy would hold ---

facing NATO’s ‘economic power’”.

- Consequently, “monetary and financial American controls

over the world may collapse, and with them the

possibility for the US of financing for nothing

their enormous trade deficit”.

- And that’s why “we are in an endless war,

in a clash where the conclusion... is the

collapse of one or the other.”

- On China, Todd might sound like a more pugnacious version

of Liu He at Davos: “That’s the fundamental dilemma of the

American economy: it cannot face Chinese competition

without importing qualified Chinese work force.”

- As for the Russian economy, “it does accept market rules,

but with an important role for the state, and it keeps the

flexibility of forming engineers that allow adaptations,

industrial and military.”

- And that bring us, once again, to globalization, in a manner

that Davos roundtables were incapable of understanding:

“We have delocalized so much of our industrial activity

that we don’t know whether our war production may

be sustained”.

- On a more erudite interpretation of that “clash of

civilizations” fallacy, Todd goes for soft power

and comes up with a startling conclusion:

“On 75 percent of the planet, the organization of parenthood

was patrilineal, and that’s why we may identify a strong

understanding of the Russian position. For the

collective non-West, Russia affirms a

reassuring moral conservatism.”

- So what Moscow has been able to pull off, is to “reposition

itself as the archetype of a big power, not only “anti-

colonialist” but also patrilineal and conservative

in terms of traditional mores.”

Based on all of the above, Todd smashes the myth sold

by EU/NATO “elites” – Davos included - that Russia is

“isolated”, stressing how votes in the UN and the

overall sentiment across the Global South

characterizes the war, “described by

mainstream media as a conflict over

political values, in fact ---- on a

deeper level, as a conflict of

anthropological values.”

Between light and darkness

Could it be that Russia – alongside the real Quad, as

I defined them (with China, India and Iran) - are

prevailing in the anthropological stakes?

The real Quad has all it takes, to blossom into a new

cross-cultural focus of hope in a “fragmented world”.

Mix Confucian China (non-dualistic, no transcendental deity,

but with the Tao flowing through everything) with Russia

(Orthodox Christian... reverencing the divine Sophia);

polytheistic India.. (wheel of rebirth, law of karma);

and Shi’ite Iran (Islam preceded by Zoroastrianism,

the eternal cosmic battle between Light

and Darkness).

This unity in diversity is certainly more appealing,

and uplifting, than the Forever War axis.

Will the world learn from it? Or, to quote Hegel -

“what we learn from history is that nobody

learns from history” – are we

hopelessly doomed?

Looks like it... in the West.

What do YOU think?

___________________________________________

Difficult scenario: why EU citizens are

in favour of ending the conflict in

Ukraine with the recognition of

new Russian territories

January 18th, 11:32am

https://en.news-front.info/

Almost half of EU citizens are in favour of settling the

situation around Ukraine as soon as possible, even

if it means Kiev losing part of its territories.

This is according to the results of a sociological
survey conducted by the Euroskopia agency.

However, as recently as June 2022, the number of Europeans

who want peace..... through the recognition of territorial

concessions remained at 35%. Russia has repeatedly

stated that it is ready to negotiate with the Ukrainian

side, but future dialogue must take into account

today’s realities, according to which four new

regions have been incorporated into the

Russian Federation.

Experts note that EU citizens want a speedy resolution of the

situation, but their governments and Brussels are pushing

a US agenda that has no place for Russian interests.

Almost half of Europeans are in favour of ending the conflict in

Ukraine – even if the Kiev regime is forced to recognise new

territories within the Russian Federation. This is the result

of a public opinion poll conducted by the Euroskopia

polling network in nine EU countries: Portugal,

Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain,

France, Germany, Italy and Greece.

Some 9,000 people (1,000 in each

country) took part in the survey.

“48 per cent of the polled EU citizens are in favour of the

soonest solution to the conflict, even if Ukraine has to

cede some of its territory to Russia, while 32 per cent

(almost every third European) are against such a

sacrifice for the sake of peace,” the pan-

European portal Euractiv quotes the

results of the poll.

In particular, among those who support the idea of territorial

concessions from Ukraine 64 per cent of Austrians, 60 per

cent of Germans, 54 per cent of Greeks, 50 per cent of

Spaniards and Italians each.

At the same time 32% of the surveyed Europeans were

against such developments for the sake of achieving

peace as soon as possible.

The proposal for peace through recognition of territorial

concessions was most unpopular with the Dutch – only

27% of those questioned supported the idea of

concessions – and with the citizens of Poland,

where only 28% gave a positive answer.

It is worth noting that the number of Europeans who support

a peaceful settlement... at the cost of Kiev’s renunciation of

territorial claims is only increasing as the SSO progresses.

Earlier, a similar poll was conducted by the European Council

on Foreign Relations in June 2022. At that time, 35 per cent

of Europeans polled were in favour of a peace deal that

would involve territorial concessions from Kiev. At the

same time, 22% supported the option of continuing

military action against Russia to “punish” it.

Another 23% of respondents supported any other

option to resolve this situation, another 20%

were undecided.

“There is a wide gap between those who want a speedy end

to the war and those who want to punish Russia,” said

Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on

Foreign Relations, commenting on the poll.

At the time, supporters of a peaceful settlement were most

numerous in Italy, Germany and Romania, while those who

wanted to “punish” Russia were most numerous in Poland.

Negotiating realities

We shall remind you that back in March 2022, after several

rounds of negotiations, the Ukrainian side stopped

dialogue with Russia. In late May, Volodymyr

Zelenskyy said that Kiev would sit down at

the negotiating table only after it returned

its territories lost since the start of the

Russian special operation.

Later, after the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions

became part of the Russian Federation after referendums,

Zelenskyy said that his administration would not hold

any settlement talks with Moscow while Vladimir

Putin was president of Russia, and then signed

a decree to that effect.

In a mid-December interview with The Economist, Zelensky

said that the moment for diplomacy would come when

Russian troops withdrew to Ukraine’s 1991 borders,

which means leaving both the two new regions,

as well as Donbass and Crimea.

Despite the actions and rhetoric of the Kiev regime --- Russia

has repeatedly noted that Moscow is ready for negotiations

to resolve the situation in Ukraine. At the same time, the

Russian Federation stressed that it would become

increasingly difficult to start the negotiation

process over time and that the Ukrainian

authorities should take into account

the situation “on the ground”.

In particular, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitriy Peskov

said this in late December, stressing that any plans for a

peaceful settlement should take into account the

incorporation of new regions into Russia.

“Again, there cannot be any ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine that does

not take into account today’s realities - with Russian territory,

with the incorporation of four new regions into Russia.

No plan that does not take into account these

realities, can claim to be peaceful,”

Peskov stressed.

At the same time, Western countries continue to promote an

agenda in which a potential peace settlement should not

take Russia’s interests into account. US National

Security Council Coordinator for Strategic

Communications John Kirby said this

last November.

“We all agree that a negotiated diplomatic settlement is the

best option, second only to Putin’s withdrawal of his troops.

We have also stated that Zelensky determines if and when

he is ready for negotiations and in what form they will

take place,” Kirby told reporters.

A little later, in early December, NATO Secretary General Jens

Stoltenberg expressed the same view. Speaking at a Global

Boardroom event organised by the Financial Times, he

stressed that “decisions on the right time to start

negotiations and on agreeing to terms should

be made by the Ukrainians”.

Similar statements were made by British Foreign

Secretary James Cleverley and German Foreign

Secretary Annalena Berbock.

American agenda

Although opinion polls show a growing number of EU citizens

in favour of early peace in Ukraine, European governments

still feel fairly confident and for the most part ignore the

opinion of their citizens, Vladimir Bruter, an expert at

the International Institute for Humanitarian and

Political Studies, said, in a conversation

with RT.

“The collective West ignores this position and will ignore

it further. Subsequently, it will actualize it as soon as it

realizes --- the threat of imminent territorial losses for

Kiev, but this is a matter of the future. For the time

being.. European authorities do not pay attention

to the position of their citizens because, in their

opinion, it does not pose any serious political

threat to their rule,” the political
scientist said.

If the situation changes, not in favour of the Kiev regime,

however --- its Western handlers will try to maintain the

status quo, and allow the Zelensky administration to

sit down at the negotiating table, believes

Vladimir Bruter.

“Then they will try to freeze the conflict as soon as possible

by temporarily agreeing to the territorial configuration that

will emerge at that moment. Conventionally speaking, this

will be followed... by a kind of conditional ‘Minsk-3’. This

should be taken into account. The position of the West

will change only when it realises that continuation of

the conflict may result in more losses for it”, the

expert noted.

According to Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior fellow at the

IMEMO RAS Centre for European Studies, the latest

opinion poll presents a representative sample of

Europeans, which shows that a significant part

of them are in favour of a peaceful resolution

of the situation.

“Unlike the European Union and NATO, which generate calls

for different solutions on the battlefield, Europeans believe

that the situation should be resolved peacefully. Indeed,

it is now difficult to assume any scenario in which the

population of the territories that have become part
of the Russian Federation, would agree to return
to Ukraine. Such polls and sentiments should

serve as an incentive and impetus for

political decisions --- they are a clue

for the leadership of the countries

where the polls were conducted,”

the RT interlocutor stressed.

However, now the leadership of most EU countries in this

matter follows Washington, which does not accept

such a development, Olenchenko added.

“The political leadership of most EU countries is following the

American agenda on this issue. It is, that any negotiations

should be carried out.. on Kiev’s terms. The Euro-Atlantic

agenda is aimed at continuing the conflict, especially in

the military sphere. The current EU political leaders..

are not politicians who think about the good of the

population and the maintenance of stability in

Europe. They demonstrate a complete lack

of autonomy, while the EU population

demonstrates common sense,”

the expert concluded.

Source: RT

Thank God for ''ordinary people''.

What do YOU think?

______________________________________________

US may lose control
of world finance:

due to conflict
in Ukraine —

French expert

January 13th, 12:08pm (TASS)

The Ukrainian conflict is existential for the United

States, which, in the event that friendly European

economies become exhausted, will run the risk

of losing its grip on world finance, the French

historian and anthropologist, Emmanuel

Todd, said in an interview with

Le Figaro.

In his commentary, he recalls a piece of analysis

offered by Professor John Mearsheimer, of the

University of Chicago, who argued that

whereas for Russia, this conflict was

"existential" -- for the United States

it was.. just another game among

other countries, and that victory

or defeat in it would be of little

importance to the US.

"But this analysis is insufficient. Biden now... has to

hurry. America is fragile and the Russian economy’s

resistance... is pushing the US imperial system

towards the abyss. Nobody had expected the

Russian economy would be able to withstand

the ‘economic power’ of NATO," Todd said.

He is certain that the United States is in a phase of

long-term decline and, against the backdrop of its

waning influence in the world, it has decided to

press for greater influence... in its "original

protectorates," acquired after World War

II, in other words, Europe and Japan.

Against this background the European economy’s

collapse, the expert notes, is fraught with great

risks for the United States itself.

"If the Russian economy offers long-term resistance

to sanctions and manages to bleed the European

economy white.. and manages to survive with

Chinese support, US monetary control of the

world will collapse, and with it, the US’

ability to finance its mammoth trade

deficit for next to nothing. This war

has become existential for the US.

It cannot get out of the conflict

before Russia. They cannot let

go. This explains.. why we are

now in an open-ended war, in

a confrontation that is bound

to result in the collapse of

one side or the other,"

Todd says.

Economic and social problems

The conflict in Ukraine.. "leads to a real economy that

allows for gauging the real wealth of states, and their

productive capacity," the expert states. In particular,

he points to a two-fold increase in Russia’s wheat

production after the first major sanctions were

introduced in 2014, as well as Russia's

leading position in building nuclear

power plants, not only at home,

but also abroad.

The outcome of the conflict "will depend on the ability

of both systems to produce weapons," Todd believes.

The historian notes that the transition to a war of

attrition reduces the influence of advanced US

military technologies, being used by Ukraine.

It brings to the forefront, the availability of

skilled personnel, material resources and

industrial potential.

"At this point the West’s fundamental problem of
globalization begins to intervene: we have

moved so many industries [from our

territory] that we don’t know now

whether our military plants will

be able to maintain the desired

production pace," he added.

In addition to natural and industrial resources the

expert notes the great role of human resources

and education. He points to the United States’

more than twofold advantage over Russia, in

population... but advises his readership to

remember that in the United States only

7% of students master engineering

professions, while in Russia there

are about 25% of them, which

ultimately gives Russia a

competitive edge.

"The United States, is filling this gap with foreign

students, mostly Indians and even to a greater

extent, Chinese. This substitution resource is

unreliable though and is already dwindling,"

he said.

Clash of ideologies

Todd also urged not to forget about the "ideological

and cultural balance of power." He recalled, that

during the Soviet era, the Communist ideology

was used as soft power, which won acclaim

in China, and partly in India and Europe.

However, for the Muslim world, that

ideology was not attractive due to

its official atheism, the expert

believes.

"Today, Russia, which is - again - positioning itself as a

great power, not only anti-colonial, but also patrilineal

and conservative in relation to traditional mores, can

attract far greater support," he explained.

"Western newspapers are tragically funny: they keep

saying: 'Russia is isolated. Russia is isolated.' But

when you take a look at the votes at the UN, it

will turn out that 75% of the world does not

follow the West, which, at such moments,

looks very small," Todd says.

"The current conflict, which our media tend to

describe as a clash of political values... at a

deeper level is a conflict of anthropological

values. It is this lack of awareness and

depth, that makes the confrontation

dangerous."

Global confrontation

"The reality is.. that World War III has already begun. It

is obvious that the conflict, initially a limited territorial

war, has evolved into a global economic confrontation

between the entire West, on the one hand and Russia,

supported by China, on the other, to have become: a

world war," Todd believes. He speculates that given

current economic and demographic factors, the

hostilities should be expected to end within

five years.

He believes that, one way or another, the European

countries are "participating in killing Russians" by

supplying military equipment to Ukraine, even

though they do not put themselves at risk.

"The Europeans are primarily focused on the

economy. We can feel the real involvement

in the war through inflation and shortages

of various goods," the expert stressed.

Russia, he says, while participating in an economic

war [with the West].... is partially restoring the

military economy, but, at the same time, it is

doing its utmost to take care of the people.

"This is the purpose of the pullback of troops from

Kherson, that followed the pullback from the

Kharkov and Kiev regions. We are counting

the square kilometres captured by the

Ukrainians, while the Russian..., are

waiting for the fall of the European

economies. We, are their main

frontline," Todd stated.

Wow - what do YOU think?

Are we really the toss of

a coin away from

mayhem?

Mayhem - from the French - ''to maim''

________________________________

Iran: US Undermining

Rule of Law, UN Charter

January 13th, 5:34pm (FNA)

The Iranian Ambassador and Permanent Representative

to the UN, Amir Saeed Iravani, blasted the US' illegal

unilateral acts against sovereign states such as

Iran - and its coercing of other member states
to participate in these actions - cautioning

that the move undermines the rule of

law and violates the UN Charter.

Iravani made the remarks addressing UN Security

Council open debate titled 'Promotion and

Strengthening of the Rule of Law in the

Maintenance of International Peace

and Security: The Rule of Law

among Nations'.

"The fundamental principles of the UN Charter such

as the sovereign equality of all members, the

prohibition of threats, or the use of force in

international relations, and the peaceful

resolution of conflicts, should act as a

framework -- for advancing the rule of

law within the United Nations," the

Iranian ambassador added.

"Some member states, in particular, the United States,

consistently misuse the authority and power of the

UN --- using the UN as a tool to exert pressure on

sovereign states in pursuit of their own political

agenda and to further their unilateral actions,"

he added.

The diplomat underlined that the adoption of such

“illegal actions” in the Security Council, has

"detrimental impacts on international

peace and security".

"This is especially evident in the Middle East,” he said,

providing examples of the Security Council’s failure

to address the ongoing atrocities and human rights

violations committed by the Israeli regime in th

e Occupied Palestinian Territory, the acts of

aggression and occupation against Syria’s

national sovereignty, and the “hasty and

irresponsible” withdrawal of the US and

the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

(NATO), forces from Afghanistan.

“The ongoing illegal unilateral acts by the United

States as a permanent member of the Security

Council against sovereign states such as Iran

and the coercing of other member states to

participate in these illegal actions --- or

face repercussions --- undermine the

rule of law and violate the UN

Charter,” said the Iranian

diplomat.

He went on to name some “clear examples” of how

Washington has undermined the UN system with

regard to acts against Iran, such as withdrawal

..from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

(JCPOA) the imposition of unilateral coercive

measures, in flagrant violation of the UN

Security Council Resolution 2231, the

illegal action in depriving Iran of its

rights as an elected member of the

commission.. on the status of

women, and open defiance

of the International Court

of Justice’s provisional

order to lift sanctions

on humanitarian goods.

Elsewhere, the diplomat reacted to remarks

made by UK and UAE representatives

during the session.

He rejected the “unjustified and unfounded”

claim of UAE Minister for State Ahmed Bin

Ali Al Sayegh, over the three Iranian

islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser

Tunb and Abu Musa.

Iravani noted that such claims are inconsistent

with the principles of international law.

He also rejected the allegation, made by the United

Kingdom's delegate, about Iran's peaceful nuclear

programmes, and said, "Our nuclear activities are

peaceful and consistent with our rights and

obligations -- under the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

and Safeguards Agreement."

Senior Iranian officials have always described

unilateralism as a "serious threat to the rule

of law" which impedes international

cooperation and peace

and security.

Surveys conducted worldwide by
reputable polling firms, have
uncovered that a majority
of the world's peoples
think the US is the
''greatest danger
to world peace.''

Whereas the US population
alone - thought it was Iran.

What do YOU think?

________________________________________

First British-Based Space Launch

of Military Satellites.... Fails

January 11th, 8:33am

(al Manar)

The UK’s attempt to become the first Western

European nation to put satellites into space

from a base on home soil has failed after a

LauncherOne rocket missed the

designated orbit.

British billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit had

planned to launch nine satellites from the 21-metre

LauncherOne rocket - attached under the wing of a

modified Boeing 747 flown from a new spaceport in

Newquay in Cornwall, southwest England, at 2202

GMT on Monday.

Virgin Orbit officials announced on Tuesday that a

''still-unexplained anomaly'' had occurred during

the firing of the rocket’s second stage engine,

ending the mission.

The two-stage rocket took off from Cornwall, attached

to the Boeing 747, and then detached from the aircraft

and ignited as planned at a height of 35,000 feet over

the Atlantic Ocean to the south of Ireland at around

2315 GMT. But in a series of tweets as the rocket

was due to enter orbit and discharge its nine

satellites, Virgin Orbit said, “We appear to

have an anomaly that has prevented us

from reaching orbit.”

The rocket had nine small satellites on board,

including several military & security payloads.

Among the military payloads was one program linked

to the US Naval Research Lab and another linked

to the British Defense Science and Technology

Laboratory (Dstl).

Two cereal-box sized Prometheus-2 cubesats

developed by the British government at In-

Space Missions Ltd, based in Hampshire,

and designed with Airbus Defence and

Space in collaboration with the US

National Reconnaissance Office

(NRO) were planned to operate

in low Earth orbit, providing a

test platform for imaging and

monitoring radio signals,

including GPS.

The two had separate equipment installed to test

concepts in support of the British MoD’s ISTARI

program for future space-based intelligence

and surveillance.

The US Navy and the Dstl, were also working on

a satellite in the Circe program, a coordinated

ionospheric reconstruction cubesat

experiment, meant to have been

placed in orbit on board

LauncherOne.

The collaborative space mission involved investigating

the ionosphere, an important area of space impacting

GPS, communications, and sensing technology.

A third, defense-related security satellite program on

board the rocket, known as Amber 1 satellite, was

designed for maritime intelligence gathering.

The Virgin Orbit launch was meant to be the first

of 20 or more such payloads to provide maritime

domain awareness.

The failure of the mission is considered a heavy blow

to Britain’s military space programs, showcasing the

UK’s weakness in launching satellites. Had the

mission been successful, the UK would have

been one of only nine countries that could

launch craft into Earth’s orbit.

“Joining that really exclusive club of launch nations is

so important, because it gives us our own access to

space, that we’ve never had before here in the UK,”

Spaceport Cornwall chief Melissa Thorpe told
BBC television ----- before the launch.

Matt Archer, director of commercial spaceflight at the

UK Space Agency, described the result of the failed

mission as “disappointing.”

Meanwhile, anti-war campaigners expressed outrage

over the failed efforts of the British government,

saying London should be focused on resolving

the UK’s cost-of-living crisis and social
injustices, which have led to months-
long protests and strikes across
the country.

“Space is the new frontier for military escalation

and spending, with no real public scrutiny or

accountability,” said Campaign for Nuclear

Disarmament (CND) General Secretary

Kate Hudson. “Billions of pounds are

being spent on this new arms race

which could instead be invested

in helping to solve the current

cost of living crisis.”

Drone Wars UK Director Chris Cole denounced a

“space arms race which will inevitably lead to

greater risk of instability and conflict.”

Critics argue that rather than engaging in the military

expansion into space, the British government should

be upholding and abiding by the Outer Space Treaty,

ratified in 1967, that recognizes space as a “global

commons” - to be used for peaceful purposes and
for the benefit of all countries and humankind.

The multilateral treaty, which was negotiated and

drafted under the auspices of the United Nations

and forms the basis of international space law

...aims to prevent military and commercial

exploitation of space and the damage

it would cause.

Source: AFP

Our ruling class - obsessed with their

''vital interests'' - ie, their hegemonic

pretensions - obviously don't care

about ruining working people's

lives. Shouldn't they be given

some care and treatment in

a private psychiatric clinic

...far from power, now?

What do YOU think?

_________________________

Tanks for the Memories!..
German and NATO Tanks
to Roll in Ukraine

by Finian Cunningham

published here on
January 10th, 2023

https://strategic-culture.org

German, American and French tanks - are supporting

a regime that openly glorifies its Nazi collaborators.

They say history never repeats, exactly.
It certainly rhymes though.

German tanks rolling into Ukraine to fight Russian

troops ---- would have seemed an unbelievable

scenario given the dreadful history of World

War Two. Yet that scenario is where the

NATO proxy war against Moscow, is

headed. The development has the

disturbing echo of Operation

Barbarossa when the Nazi

Wehrmacht launched its

offensive on the Soviet

Union in 1941.

Instead of Panzer Tiger tanks.... we will see German

Marder “fighting vehicles” trundling across Ukraine.

These weapons are called “light tanks” but the

bigger push is for Leopard 2 main battle tanks

to be supplied to Ukrainian NeoNazi forces

against Russian lines.

Just two days before the Orthodox Christmas, on

January 7, U.S. President Joe Biden and German

Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, announced a deal in

which they would supply Bradley & Marder

armoured infantry carriers to Ukraine,
as well as another battery of U.S.
-made Patriot missiles.

That announcement followed French President

Emmanuel Macron declaring that France was

going to supply AMX-10 RC light tanks to

Ukraine. Macron’s tone... was notably

bellicose -- saying that France would

back the Kiev regime until victory

is achieved.

Scholz and Macron, are showing themselves to

be completely unreliable and politically weak.

Previously, the French leader has suggested

his willingness for finding a diplomatic

resolution to the conflict in Ukraine

with Russia. He.. had incurred the

wrath of Washington... as well as

the anti-Russian NATO members,

Poland and the Baltic states, for

being “too soft”, & undermining

transatlantic unity.

Yet here we have Macron now making a dubious debut

of France becoming the first Western state to supply

tanks to Ukraine --- in the war against Russia.
That decision, marks a serious threshold of

involvement by the NATO bloc in the war.

The fact that the French move was virtually coupled

with the U.S. and German commitment to supply

light tanks, also points to coordinated action
by the NATO alliance.

Germany’s Scholz and Macron, like Biden, have broken

one promise after another to not escalate the supply

of weapons and war in Ukraine. Moscow has

repeatedly warned the collective West to

desist from arming the Kiev regime.

All of them have previously declared that there would

be no tanks supplied to Ukraine --- as that would be a

reckless escalation risking World War Three. Despite

such vows of restraint, Washington, Berlin, and Paris

have all intensified the supply of increasingly more

offensive weaponry.

Biden’s move to send Patriot missiles at the end of last

year follows the earlier supply of long-range HIMARS

rockets. The supply of tanks was previously

verboten, but now that threshold... has

been similarly breached.

At that rate, it’s only a matter of time before the same

NATO powers announce the despatch of main battle

tanks. The Kiev regime and its Polish and Baltic

allies are demanding - Washington and Berlin

send in Abrams... and Leopards. Both Biden

and Scholz are saying... that won't happen.

But past form suggests there is a cynical

and deliberate stealth approach going on

where actions blatantly contradict

rhetoric.

Tanks are evidently part of an offensive force. They

would also require trained crews to operate them.

That indicates the NATO powers are providing

personnel, maintenance crews and other

logistics to deploy these sophisticated

machines. The coordination between

Washington, Berlin and Paris.. also

signals: that NATO is deploying in

a systematic and interoperable

manner.

Thus - the proxy war is going from a piecemeal approach
of individual NATO members furnishing the Kiev regime
on a bilateral basis - to a whole new level of
organizational participation.

“The United States and Germany... joined France on

Thursday [Jan 5] in saying they will send armoured
combat vehicles to Ukraine ---- expanding their
assistance with new weapons systems, that

Kyiv has said it needs ----- to help its forces

recapture territory locked behind Russian

lines” ----- reported the Washington Post.

Western media are spinning the illusion... of the

Ukrainian regime winning a war against Russia

when the reality is, the Ukrainians are being

slaughtered by superior Russian forces.

Moscow is not going to relinquish the

Crimea and Donbass... to NeoNazi

death squads, equipped with

NATO weapons.

The Kiev regime is fighting a losing battle and the

NATO powers... are willing to fight to the last

Ukrainian. Washington and its minions, are

fueling a futile war & figuratively throwing

good money after bad, by now supplying

tanks to the fray. (It’s good money all

the way for the Western merchants

of death.)

Instead of seeking a diplomatic way back from the

abyss -- the NATO powers are too bamboozled by

their own propaganda, political venality, and the

addiction of their capitalist economies to the

military-industrial dealers.

The last time German tanks rolled into battle in Europe

--- they were roundly defeated by Soviet forces. Back

then, the Americans were also fighting against the
Nazis, albeit only to cynically collude with the

remnants of the Third Reich, in the next

Cold War.

This time around, German, American and French tanks

are on the same side supporting a regime that openly

glorifies its Nazi collaborators. They say history

never repeats, exactly. It certainly

rhymes though.

Tanks for the memories, indeed!

What do YOU think? I've started

praying as much as possible....

Here's a way of praying, below.

_____________________________________

Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for

they know not what they have done.”

I think that all is happening in the war deeply pains the

souls of Ukrainians and Russians and all others who

have connections to these two countries. And.. our

prayers are very important, not just for the general

population, most of whom are innocent, or for

the liberators, but also for the perpetrators

themselves. That can be a hard idea,

but then, we must experience the

depths of God’s love.. to even

understand how it could be

possible to pray for them.

Here is the prayer. It can be

done live, in groups as well.

It starts as a visualization, as such, one must find a

quiet and comfortable disposition, or place to pray

and - calling on God’s Love - call forth the God, to

hold all the souls in Ukraine ----- all the humanity,

all the good guys and bad guys... all the soldiers

on both sides, all the children, all the old people,

men and women, all the foreigners, and, holding

them in your prayer an your vision and with God

doing so, at your request, hold all these souls,

and smooth down their essence, to their

common humanity ------- and with this

presence of God’s immense love..

see them all, as his beloved

children…

Sit with that for a time..... and then extend this same

exercise further, to all of Russia and all of the souls

within Russia and again, ask God to smooth the

souls of all the people in Russia...... and all the

people in Ukraine, to their common humanity

of God’s beloved children…

And once again, now add all of the people in the world

who are connected with Ukraine or Russia or both, all

the government people, politicians, good and bad, all

the friends and family of Russians and Ukrainians,

every who has any connection to these two

countries, and again ask God and see God

holding all of their souls and smoothing

them down to their common humanity

as one giant group of God’s beloved

children.

Now, with all of these souls, acknowledge the power of

God to perform miracles, to heal his children, to heal

this war, to move mountains. Believe that this is

possible --- and see all these people as God’s

beloved children --- and allow his healing to

happen for everybody involved... including

ourselves. Sit with that or walk with that

as long as you will, and Thank God.

The whole article by William Spencer is here:

https://thesaker.is/what-can-be-healed-in-this-war/

____________________________________________________

Bye Bye 1991-2022

by Pepe Escobar

published here on

January 9th, 2023

The hard work starts now. Welcome to the New

Great Game on crack, Pepe Escobar writes.

2023 starts with collective NATO in Absolutely Freak

Out Mode --- as Russian Defense Minister Shoigu

announces that Russian Navy frigate Admiral

Gorshkov is now on tour – complete with
a set of Mr. Zircon’s hypersonic

business cards.

The business tour will encompass the Atlantic

and the Indian Ocean, & of course include the
Mediterranean, the Roman Empire’s former

Mare Nostrum. Mr. Zircon on the prowl has

absolutely nothing to do with the war in

Ukraine: it’s a sign of what happens

next when it comes to frying much

bigger fishes than a bunch of

Kiev psychos.

The end of 2022 did seal the frying of the Big Ukraine

Negotiation Fish. It has now been served on a hot

plate --- and fully digested. Moscow has made it

painfully clear there’s no reason whatsoever

to trust the “non-agreement capable”

declining superpower.

So even taxi drivers in Dacca are now betting on when

the much- vaunted “winter offensive” starts, and how

far will it go. General Armageddon’s path ahead --- is

clear: all-out demilitarization and de-electrification

on steroids, complete with grinding up masses of

Ukrainians --- at the lowest possible cost to the

Russian Armed Forces in Donbass, until Kiev

psychos beg for mercy. Or not.

Another big fried fish on a hot plate at the end of 2022

was the 2014 Minsk Agreement. The cook --- was no

other than former chancellor Merkel (“an attempt

to buy time for Ukraine”). Implied is the not

exactly smokin’ gun:- the strategy of the

Straussian/neo-con and neoliberal-con

combo in charge of U.S. foreign policy,

from the beginning, was to unleash a

Forever War by proxy against Russia.

Merkel may have been up to something, telling the

Russians - in their face - that she lied like crypto-

Soprano Mike Pompeo, then she lied again and

again, for years. That’s not embarrassing for

Moscow, but for Berlin: yet another graphic

demonstration of total vassalage to

the Empire.

The response by the contemporary embodiment

of Mercury --- Russian Foreign Ministry’s Maria

Zakharova, was equally intriguing: Merkel’s

confession... could be used as a specific

reason ---- and evidence ---- for a tribunal

judging Western politicians responsible

for provoking the Russia-Ukraine

proxy war.

No one will obviously confirm it on the record. But all

this could be part of an evolving, secret Russia-

Germany deal in the making --- leading to

Germany restoring at least some of

its sovereignty.

Time to fry NATO fish

Meanwhile, the deputy chairman of the Russian Security

Council, Dmitry Medvedev, visibly relishing his totally

unplugged incarnation --- expanded on the Fried

Negotiation Fish saga. “Last warning -- to all

nations”, as he framed it: “there can be no

business with the Anglo-Saxon world --

[because] -- it is a thief, a swindler, a

card-sharp that could do anything…

From now on, we will do without

them until a new generation of

sensible politicians, comes to

power… There is.. nobody in

the West we could deal with

about anything ---- for

any reason.”

Medvedev, significantly, recited more or less the same

script, in person, to Xi Jinping in Beijing, days before

the zoom to end all zooms – between Xi and Putin –

that worked as a sort of informal closure of 2022,

with the Russia-China strategic partnership

perfectly in synch.

On the war front, General Armageddon’s new –

offensive – groove is bound to lead in the next

few months --- to an undisputable fact on the

ground: a partition between a dysfunctional

black hole, or rump Ukraine, in the west...

and Novorossiya in the east.

Even the IMF is now reluctant to throw extra funds

into the black hole. Kiev’s 2023 budget has an ----

unrealistic – $36 billion deficit. Half of the budget

is military-related. The real deficit in 2022 was

running at about $5 billion a month --- and will

inevitably balloon.

Tymofiy Mylovanov, a professor at the Kiev School of

Economics --- came up with a howler: the IMF is

worried about Ukraine’s “debt sustainability”.

He added “if even the IMF is worried, imagine

what private investors are thinking”. There

will be no “investment” in rump Ukraine.

Multinational vultures will grab land for

nothing and whatever puny productive

assets may remain.

Arguably the biggest fish to be fried in 2023 is the

myth of NATO. Every serious military analyst, few

Americans included, knows that the Russian

Army and its military industrial complex

represents a superior system.... than

what existed at the end of the USSR

and far superior to that of the U.S.

and the rest of NATO, today.

The Mackinder-style final blow to a possible alliance

between Germany (EU), Russia and China – which is

what is really behind the U.S. proxy war in Ukraine –

is not proceeding according to the Straussian

wet dream.

Saddam Hussein -- former imperial vassal -- was
regime-changed, because he wanted to bypass
the petrodollar. Now... we have the inevitable

rise of the petroyuan - “in three to five years”,
as Xi Jinping announced -- in Riyadh: you just
can’t prevent it with Shock’n Awe on Beijing.

In 2008, Russia embarked on a massive rebuilding of

missile forces and a 14-year plan to modernize land-

based armed forces. Mr. Zircon presenting his

hypersonic business card across the Mare

Nostrum, is just a small part of the

Big Picture.

The myth of U.S. power

The CIA abandoned Afghanistan... in a humiliating

retreat – even ditching the heroin ratline – just to

relocate to Ukraine... and continue playing the

same old broken records. The CIA is behind

the ongoing sabotage of Russian infra-

structure – in tandem with MI6 and

others. Sooner or later, there will

be blowback.

Few people – including CIA operatives – may know that

New York City, for instance, may be destroyed with a

single move:--- blowing up the George Washington

bridge. The city can’t be supplied with food and

most of its requirements, without the bridge.

The New York City electrical grid... can be

destroyed by knocking out the central

controls; putting it back together,

could take a year.

Even trespassed by infinite layers of fog of war, the

current situation in Ukraine is still a skirmish. The

real war has not even started yet. It might – soon.

Apart from Ukraine and Poland there is no NATO force

worth mentioning. Germany has a risible two-day

supply of ammunition. Turkey will not send a

single soldier to fight Russians in Ukraine.

Out of 80,000 U.S. troops stationed in Europe, only

10% are weaponized. Recently 20,000 were added,

not a big deal. If the Americans activated their

troops in Europe – something rather ridiculous

in itself ---- they would not have any place to

land supplies or reinforcements. All airports

and seaports ---- would be destroyed by

Russian hypersonic missiles ---- in a

matter of minutes – in continental

Europe, as well as the UK.

In addition, all fuel centres such as Rotterdam for oil

and natural gas would be destroyed, as well as all

military installations, including top US bases in

Europe: Grafenwoehr, Hohenfels, Ramstein,

Baumholder, Vilseck, Spangdahlem, and

Wiesbaden in Germany (for the Army

and Air Force); Aviano Air Base in

Italy; Lajes Air Base in Portugal’s

Azores islands; Naval Station

Rota in Spain;- Incirlik Air

Base in Turkey;- and the

Royal Air Force stations,

Lakenheath & Milden-
hall, in the UK.

All fighter jets and bombers would be destroyed – after

they land or while landed: there would be no place to

land, except on the autobahn, where they would be

sitting ducks.

Patriot missiles are worthless – as the whole Global

South saw in Saudi Arabia when they tried to knock

out Houthi missiles coming in from Yemen. Israel’s

Iron Dome can’t even knock out all the primitive

missiles coming from Gaza.

U.S. military power.. is the supreme myth of the fish to

be fried variety. Essentially, they hide behind proxies

such as the Ukraine Armed Forces. U.S. forces are

worthless, except in turkey shoots, as in Iraq

in 1991 and 2003 ------ against a disabled

opponent in the middle of the desert,

with no air cover. And never forget

how NATO.... was completely

humiliated by the Taliban.

The final breaking point

2022 ended an era: the final breaking point

of the “rules-based international order”

established after the fall of the USSR.

The Empire entered Desperation Row -- throwing

everything and the kitchen sink -- proxy war on

Ukraine, AUKUS, Taiwan hysteria ------- to

dismantle the set-up they created

way back in 1991.

Globalization’s rollback is being implemented by the

Empire itself. That ranges from stealing the EU

energy market from Russia, so the hapless

vassals buy ultra-expensive U.S. energy

to smashing the entire semiconductor

supply chain and forcibly rebuilding it

around itself... to “isolate” China.

The NATO vs. Russia war in Ukraine is just a cog in the

wheel of the New Great Game. For the Global South,

what really matters is how Eurasia – and beyond –

are coordinating their integration process, from

BRI to the BRICS+ expansion, from the SCO to

the INSTC, from Opec+ to the Greater

Eurasia Partnership.

We’re back to what the world looked like in 1914, or

before 1939... only in a limited sense. There’s a

plethora of nations, struggling to expand their

influence, but all of them are betting on multi

polarity, or “peaceful modernization”, as Xi

Jinping coined it, and not Forever Wars:

China, Russia, India, Iran, Indonesia

and others.

So bye bye 1991-2022. The hard work starts now.

Welcome to the New Great Game ----- on crack.

(Source: Strategic Culture Foundation)

Exciting times, eh? World War 3

and oblivion, or defeat for

the Anglo-Zionists and a

fairer multipolar world.

What do YOU want?

__________________________________________

Merry Orthodox Christmas!

by smoothiex12

(Posted here, January 7th)

Cleaning My Monitors...

... you know, coffee spraying on monitors,
me falling off the chair. Things of
this nature, due to this:

"The Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is the exact type

of vehicle the Ukrainians need" --- said Mick Mulroy,

former deputy assistant secretary of defense, and

ABC News contributor. "There are many available

and they are relatively easy to learn to operate
effectively." While the Bradley does not offer

the same protection as a tank, it can still be

used to take out Russian tanks & armoured

personnel carriers, according to Mulroy.

No, really, do they still think in Pentagon, that Bradley,

with its 25-mm Bushmaster and two obsolete BGM-71

TOW ATGMs has a chance on the modern battlefield

against something like T-72B3(M), let alone T-90M?

These are the tanks which now dominate the

battlefield in 404, and that is not even all of

the story. Practically all Russian tanks, fire

not just very respectable guns... but also a

very nasty 5 km range ATGM called Reflex,

not to mention the fact that Russian tank

forces ---- now have a very good WALL-E

looking sidekick, known as the BMPT

Terminator Tank Support Vehicle.

And this monster apart from outgunning Bradley with 2

30-mm guns, carries four Ataka ATGMs which are not
only supersonic, but outrange TOW dramatically.

Well, one doesn't have to be a professional tank officer

to recognize... what these Bradleys will face. But then

again, Bradley is a cover story for Pentagon, because

the larger issue, of course, was a discussion on the

delivery of M1 Abrams tanks to 404.

As WaPo explained, there are some "minor" technical

issues for Abrams tanks ------ because they weigh in

excess of 55 tons, consume enormous amounts of

fuel and are prone to... well, how to put it politely--

breaking down. Obviously, as is natural for the US

media and Pentagon, they explained: that those

tanks are also extremely complex, and require

a very specialized technical service. In other

words, the Ukies are on a lower development

level to handle such amazing equipment;))

Hey, I am just quoting here, alright? Translating into

normal human language it means M1 Abrams is not

designed to fight a serious enemy - and the US will

rather blame 100% guaranteed failure of Bradleys

on their improper use by Kiev Regime than see M1

Abrams burning on the battlefield --- in industrial

quantities, especially with those pesky Russian

Air Force capable to attack them beyond what

ever feeble air defense they may have.

One rocket performed brilliantly in Syria and has an

insane range --- flying at more than M=4+. Modern
Russian helicopters carry these lovely weapons,

and it is specifically designed to kill any armour

on the battlefield. Well, that's the modern battle

field for ya. So, the PR campaign must be run

tightly in the West --- otherwise how can one

maintain this myth about magical American

weapons which all without exception, have

become, indeed, "game changers" insofar

as their reputation goes ------ meaning an

atrocious lack of combat effectiveness

and being not fit for real war.

Do they know this in the Pentagon? Some certainly do.

Do not expect this knowledge to trickle down to State

Department, because mounting empirical evidence

testifies in favour of those people having no clue

about operational and technological aspects of

modern warfare and still, probably... waiting for

Maverick, to fly his F-14 into Russian Air Space

and kill all those nasty Rooskies, who decided

to expose the operational and technological

weakness of the US military... of which,

I warned for many years, specifically

pointing out that the danger here... is

not American strength but weakness.

New Pentagon Dictionary:

"game changers" - meaning:

an atrocious lack of combat

effectiveness and not fit for

real war.

What do you think?

_________________________________________________________

American media: Ukraine is

a money-laundering machine

January 5th, 3:06pm

https://en.news-front.info/

Analysis of an article in the

American Thinker online

edition.

“Of course, most Americans would agree - that there is

a dictatorship in Russia and that the Ukrainian people

are suffering from war. At the same time these same

Americans cannot find an answer to the question –

why... has the political class of the United States

put the interests of Ukraine before the interests

of the American people. Perhaps --- the only

correct answer is that Ukraine has long

been a money-laundering hub and

therefore the American elite, is

now obliged to support it,” the

American online edition of

American Thinker, wrote.

The last doubts... about the correctness of this

assumption have disappeared - after the news

appeared that Ukrainian President Volodymyr

Zelenskiy, plans to participate in the World

Economic Forum (WEF) and is going to

cooperate with one of the world’s

largest investment companies,

BlackRock, the edition notes,

and acquaints its readers

with the history of the

Ukrainian crisis.

AT writes about the proximity of Ukraine’s eastern

regions to Russia, noting that this proximity is not

only geographical but also cultural. If we take an

interest in the history of these regions, it

becomes clear why.

For years, the eastern regions of Ukraine were settled

by ethnic Russians who came from all over Russia to

build industrial facilities, American Thinker explains.

So, for the Russian population, Ukraine’s eastern

regions have always been “their territory” --- but

for the Kremlin, they have always been a buffer

against NATO pressure. This explains well why

Russia perceived Ukraine’s desire to join the

North Atlantic Alliance --- as a threat to

national security.

“Speaking of Biden, every conservative knows that

Biden has excellent, very good relations with

Ukraine. After all, it was the Ukrainian

company Burisma that gave Hunter

Biden a seat on its board for

$85,000 a month.

“The fact that Hunter knew nothing about Burisma’s

business and spoke neither Ukrainian nor Russian

did not matter. What mattered was that Hunter’s

father - who was vice-president at the time -

made sure that the corruption investigation

between Burisma and the government was

dropped. Why the Democrats do not want

to know about this is absolutely unclear,”

Andrea Widburg, the author of the
article, writes.

He is sure that Ukraine is one of the most corrupt

countries in Europe -- and the US Democrats, led

by the White House - are helping Kiev. The truth

about this has been revealed quite recently. As

it turned out, Kiev had used US taxpayer

dollars to invest in FTX, and then FTX

invested in US Uniparty. The whole

idea was just fine, says the author.

But American interests again had

no place in this cunning financial

scheme, notes Andrea Weedburg.

After the outbreak of hostilities on the territory of

Ukraine, the US government, decided to do every

thing possible - and even impossible - to help the

Ukrainian army. Since then American politicians

have not been interested in American problems

such as the open southern border, drug-related

deaths among the youth, rising unemployment

and other problems. All that, has ceased to

exist for the White House – only helping

Ukraine and nothing else, the author

continues.

The perception that Washington.. is no longer

interested in anything but Ukraine, has been

reinforced by the growing expenditure on

the Ukrainian army --- which is already

counted in trillions of dollars. At the

same time, no one mentions aid to

ordinary Americans – everything

is only for Ukraine and its army.

The other day it became known that the government

of Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenski, is

preparing to participate in the January World

Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, and that

Zelenski is already holding talks with the

CEO of BlackRock, Larry Fink. The topic

of the talks is Ukraine’s reconstruction

after the end of hostilities, the

author notes.

“The specialists of this company are already helping

Ukraine to set up a fund to rebuild our state,” the

Ukrainian president announced in his regular

evening “address to the nation”.

The fact that Zelenskyy will do further financial

business with the BlackRock investment

company shows --- that from now on,

globalist rather than US interests

will be the priority, the online

edition specifies.

“After the United States fully financed his war, Vladimir

Zelenski is handing over the post-war profits to a

globalist company and seeking guidance from

the WEF. It is worth recalling, that the WEF

makes no secret of its efforts to create a

world in which “you will have nothing

and you will like it”.

“Agree: that the WEF’s formula for the future of our

world, sounds like a threat,” concludes the

American Thinker.

Well, well, Zelenski the globalist, eh?

Perhaps he's not just a puffed up

comedian, after all... but a mad

man ---- who has literally sold

his soul. What do you think?

________________________________

The Unprecedented Crime

January 4th, 12:48pm (FNA)

Under international agreements as well as customary

law, assassination of foreign officials, official guests,

or internationally protected persons is illegal -
and many countries around the world have

criminalized it in their criminal laws.

For instance, the United States Code of Crimes and

Criminal Procedure in Section 1116 of Chapter 51

which includes crimes related to "murder"

provides: “Whoever kills or attempts to
kill a foreign official, official guest, or

internationally protected person

shall be punished as provided

under sections 1111, 1112,

and 1113 of this title”.

Furthermore, according to this Code, if the victim of an

offense is an internationally protected person outside

the United States, the United States may exercise

jurisdiction over the offense if - (1) the victim is a

representative, officer, employee, or agent of the

United States, (2) an offender is a national of the

United States, or (3) an offender is afterwards

found in the United States. Therefore, US

courts have the jurisdiction to deal with

the crimes of people who have violated

this provision even outside the territory

of the United States of America. [1]

Thus, with respect to the legal status of internationally
protected persons under domestic and international
laws ------- the assassination of a foreign official or

official guest is not only an example of violation
of the domestic law of most countries, but also
a failure of courts to try the perpetrators of

these crimes, is a violation of anti-terror
conventions ------ especially the 1973
Convention... on the Prevention and
Punishment of Crimes.... against

Internationally Protected Persons

--- including Diplomatic Agents.

In such a situation, the victim's government, in the

capacity of asserting its rights, can take action

to try the perpetrators of such a crime in its

domestic courts.

But the assassination of a foreign official by a government,
often in addition to violating the domestic law, is also
considered an international criminal act which will
provide countermeasures ----- for the victimized

government. This is while the United Nations
Charter, in order to prevent the occurrence
of any war... has emphasized on principles
such as the prohibition of intervention,

the right to sovereignty, and the non-
use of force as the fundamental and
key concepts of inter-national law,
and the foundations, of this
historical document.

According to reports by the Security Council Counter-

Terrorism Committee, the main cause of terrorism

is actions that lead to the violation of political

independence, sovereignty and political

integrity of countries, as well as... the

widespread and systematic violation

of human rights.

The United Nations General Assembly Resolution

40/61 explicitly condemns all acts, methods and

methods of terror as a criminal act regardless

of the perpetrator or perpetrators (state or

non-state actor). [2]

Killing and terrorizing civilians... as well as organizing

and encouraging such brutal acts.. have always been

condemned by the international community as gross

violations of human rights, and all mandatory

international documents confirm the

statement that governments are

obliged to avoid any form of

participation... in acts of

terror, either by inciting

or organizing them.

This... is why the crime of the assassination of a senior

Iranian official and top anti-terror figure on January 3,

2020, by the United States --- is unprecedented and

cannot be compared to any other assassination

in the world.

So far, no country's military in the world has

assassinated a foreign official, who is an

internationally protected person, with

drones... and officially claimed

responsibility for it. The US

committed the first and

most horrific.. and

unprecedented

crime.. in

history.

The impropriety of America's action was such that

shortly after this incident, Agnes Callamard, the

special rapporteur of the United Nations, in her

official report, called the US drone attack

illegitimate --- and a violation of inter-

national human rights.

She said:

“This is the first time in history -- that a drone targets

a foreign official, on the territory of a third country.

Targeting Soleimani ---- will undoubtedly cause the

international responsibility of the US government.

This assassination -- shows that the American

government does not even adhere to its own

domestic laws; because with this action, it

has practically violated its internal laws in

accepting the right to life of people”. [3]

It is worth noting that the US is the only covenant-

breaking country in the world ------ which is an

indication, that this country holds no respect

for its domestic law, as well its international
commitments.

The assassination of Iran’s top anti-terror commander

Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, in addition to

violating the provisions of international agreements

and customary law --- that the United States is

committed to fulfilling --- it is also an example

of violating the domestic law of crimes

and criminal proceedings of

this country.

Based on this, any failure and procrastination of the

US government in not prosecuting the perpetrators

behind the terror --------- will not only result in the

international responsibility of this government;

rather, according to international documents,

it will place Iran in the position of demanding

and fulfilling those rights in any possible way.

''....endangers or takes innocent human lives or

jeopardizes fundamental freedoms and study of

underlying causes of those forms of terrorism

and acts of violence which lie in misery,

frustration, grievance and despair, and

which cause some people to sacrifice

human lives -- including their own -- in

an attempt to effect radical changes:

resolution / adopted by the General

Assembly, 9 December 1985,

A/RES/40/61

[1] https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1116

[2] UN General Assembly, Measures to
prevent international terrorism which

[3] Human Rights Council, Report of the Special

Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or

arbitrary executions, Forty-fourth
session, 15 June-3 July 2020

By: Dr. Abbas Kadkhodayee, Chairman of

the Committee on General Soleimani's

Assassination Case.

...and where... are the court cases for

the crimes commited on humanity

by US top officials? What --- do you

think? Or are you going to ignore...

the official estimates of 20 million

killed by them, since WW2?

_________________________________

The Great Reset (or else)

by Pam Ho

January 3rd, 2023

Most everyone who reads or listens to news from

sources other than the mainstream media has

heard about... The Great Reset. What is The

Great Reset about, you ask? Supposedly it

is a set of ''ideals'' put forth by The World

Economic Forum’s leader, Klaus Schwab,

for the betterment of the world. Although

most or all of those ideals and plans

have been around for many years.

Like for example, promoting a

healthy stewardship of

the environment.

If you read through the Great Reset website, the

related essays and book -- you will come across

an idea ----- which has come to be synonymous

with The Great Reset: Stakeholder Capitalism.

Stakeholders are basically…everyone. Non-

governmental organizations, educational

institutions, governments, and.... well,

everyone else. I am The Stakeholder,

You are The Stakeholder, We are The

Stakeholder.... ku ku ka ching!

Of special interest to me is the inclusion

of businesses as Stakeholders. Why?

To me, it looks like all the rest of

the so-called Stakeholders, are

probably just window dressing

to make it all look on the up

and up — a cynic might say.

We, my dear fellow non-rich Stakeholders, are more

like that thing.. where a crazy person on the street

drives a stake into your chest, to rob you. We.. are

that type of Stakeholder, desperately trying to rip

out of our chest, a stake that some crazy people

want to drive into us. Call me a cynic, but... for

some weird reason, I don’t think corporations

and mega-investment funds will be treated

the same as me and Sally the waitress, in

our worldwide Stakeholding thingamajig.

So it seems to me, as unlikely as it may seem, that big

businesses are being included, along with every other

person or interest group in existence as Stakeholders

— so big businesses can blend in as if we are all just

one big happy family of stakeholders! No hierarchy

of power here folx! Ignore the mega-corporations...

and the billionaires & multi-hundred millionaires,

if you please.

How do you do, fellow Stakeholders!

So what exactly is a Stakeholder? Well, the

Stakeholder is the person or group who

benefits from this new-fangled form of

capitalism. You see, capitalists used

to only care about profits, profits —

and you guessed it - more profits!

And that... is a very bad thing

because putting profits over

people, and… the health of

the environment...... (our

precious), that, has led

to very bad things in

the past.

You know, bad things ---- like poverty, health

problems, environmental damage, racism,

sexism, and fast food restaurants.

So, Stakeholder Capitalism to the rescue!

Yay for our super rich -- and Not At All suspicious

looking oligarchs and their obviously Not At All

paid off Government Lackeys!

You see, we are all, each and every one of us, a part of

this crazy world. All equal. And therefore, our making

sure that, let’s say, big business acts in the best

interest of all of us — is what Stakeholder

Capitalism is all about. Good stuff, yeah?

No more “acting only for profits without

regard for the rest of us and the

environment, here, son!”

You see the environment is very important because if

we treat it badly, it can negatively impact our health,

our prosperity, and our happiness. So, Klaus Schwab

and his World Economic Forum are.... in fact — our

heroes. All those greedy profit driven businesses

will be made to get on-board The Great Reset

Express in order to serve you & me — instead

of just enlarging their bank accounts, cocaine

orders, and yachts. And the world is thereby

made good again. Now everyone applause

please, as Santa Klaus takes a bow.

In order to make sure the environment is made safe

enough to keep us all healthy and prosperous ---- we

will, of course, need to get off fossil fuels, because

they are... very bad for us. They are harmful to the

environment. Climate change is serious stuff. But

how will we prosper without gas and oil? Green

energy baby! Batteries for everyone! Batteries

everywhere! Buh-buh-buh-batteries! And

because this is a worldwide effort -- to

make the world safe and prosperous

for everyone, everywhere, and

because equity and inclusion

is what The Great Reset is

all about, therefore all the

countries have to pitch

-in and give up their

anti-human agenda

of putting profits

over people.

This is really nothing new though. For years business

people and politicians from “developing countries”

have been told by business people and politicians

from rich countries, that they need to move away

from fossil fuels, as it’s bad for the environment.

The people from the developing world have then

complained ----- that the modern and wealthy

developed world used fossil fuels... to enrich

and build themselves into modern societies

— so why shouldn’t the people of Africa, for

example, also do that? Why do they have to

sacrifice getting rich, when the rich world

didn’t have to make the same sacrifices?

Well, Stakeholder Capitalism, after all, is about all

of us being stakeholders in governments and

businesses. Me and you --- and the CEO and

Senator ---- we are all the same. Therefore,

say you are.... an African business person

and you need fossil fuels in order to grow

your economy out of poverty ------ your

government and businesses will from

now on, under The Great Reset, need

to contend with you and me, and our

good Stakeholder buddies living in

say, the Upper East Side of

Manhattan, and the City of

London. ALL of us are now

stakeholders in your African

government and businesses.

Sharing is caring!

Of course you and me, we don’t really have any direct

connection to African governments and businesses.

So, getting them onboard the save-the-world

Stakeholder mission will probably be left to

others. Like the people who live in the

Upper East Side of Manhattan and the

City of London. For example.

But what if all our arguments of “making the world

great again” doesn’t convince our new African

government stakeholder friends and their

business associates to sacrifice for us?

Well, Stakeholder Capitalism to the

rescue again!

The plan is to make Stockholder ideology, oops, sorry,

*Stakeholder* ideology THE ideology of a new world

system of governing. Leading non-governmental
organizations — like The UN, The World Bank,

The IMF, along with the biggest corporations

and investment funds — and of course the

governments of America, Europe, Asia,

and so on — they will, kindly, ask our

new African friends to pretty please

join our save-the-world party.

The leaders of countries and businesses who don’t

want to hop aboard the Stakeholder express, well,

they don’t want to make all those groups and

people have a sad at them do they? We are

all in this together, people.

Soon enough, the African countries will “see the smart

thing to do.” Capeesh? Like giving up on “advancing

their economy” in favor of “saving the world” so Babs

& Granpa Snooty feel like they are saving the world,

by telling them what they can and can’t do. And of

course since batteries are such an important part

of saving the world, “everyone” will have to pitch

in ---- and help the worldwide group effort. And

wouldn’t you know it, it just so happens.. that

the stuff that needs to be mined to make lots

of powerful batteries, are stuck, by gosh —

under the ground in the underdeveloped

world! Wow, what a coincidence!

So instead of their economy being based on uplifting

their people out of their underdeveloped state, they

can now focus on being good people! Good people

who know their place --- in the worldwide effort
to “save our planet!” Which means they must

renounce the dirty fossil fuels they say will

make them rich like America and Europe.

I mean, fossil fuels are so damaging to

our ''shared prosperity'' in our new

Stakeholder world, right? People

in Manhattan and London, have

just as much right as people in

the Congo and Bolivia to say

what the rules of industry

are for the Congo and

Bolivia because WE

ARE THE STAKE-

HOLDER NOW!

Sure, some cynics might say that rich people from the

developed world in reality just don’t want what they

believe are “the limited stores of oil and gas left in

the world,” to be “wasted” on building up Africa

or other underdeveloped areas of the world.

But no no no, that cynicism is what Stakeholder

Capitalism is supposed to put to rest. Don’t be

cynical, because The Great Reset, is all about

equity, inclusion, AND anti-racism. Being good

environment stewards -- and stopping climate

change, and other words meant to make them

look good is what it’s all about baby. It’s most

definitely not --- about “creating a worldwide

enforcement system, funded by the richest

and most powerful capitalists in the world

to make themselves richer and

more powerful.”

It’s also NOT about keeping undeveloped nations

undeveloped so a cheap labor force can continue

to be exploited in mines and factories. The new

purehearted “green economy” ..is about equity,

clean air, buzzword, and another buzzword. So

what if you can’t travel when and where and

how you want? You will be, safely, made to

take your medicine when you are told, and

safely made to show your papers when you

are told. No more scarey free speech, and

freedom to live as you choose! That is old

selfish extremist thinking. You must think

the right safe thoughts. You must. No,

really. YOU MUST.

In Great Reset Britain, thinking the wrong thoughts

Will Not Be Tolerated — Only thoughts Authorized

By Official Fact Checkers are allowed

(or something like that).

The Great Reset also includes some newer ideas for

newer “problems” --- like a system to be set up for

worldwide coordinated reaction to health-based

“emergencies.” I mean, you can’t have the

common non-rich people making the rich

nervous by breathing near them can you?

If it is flu season we don’t - nay WE WILL

NOT ALLOW - Sally the waitress to be

able to breath properly, if the person

she is serving... has a trust fund.

Not to speak ----- of flying on the same plane. I mean,
private jets don’t grow on trees people. It’s so much

simpler to make sure Sally is kept from causing any

potential harm she might bring to Justin and Jules

on their bi-weekly getaway to the islands. So a no-

fly list for Sally is best. She can visit her sick Dad

next year, when the flu isn’t so bad. PRIORITIES

PEOPLE! The Great Reset knows best.

More from Pam Ho

My Other Sites: https://pam-ho-vedanta.medium.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pamhoo
https://twitter.com/vrajadev

to read January 2nd's discussion topic
PRESS THE LINK BELOW

________________________________________

The U.S. Cuckoo in

the European Nest

by Alastair Crooke

December 12th, 2022

https://strategic-culture.org

For Europe, its unreflective taking of this American

‘cuckoo’ thinking into its own European nest, is

nothing short of catastrophic.

Larry Johnson – a long veteran of both the CIA and the

State Department – pinpoints the ‘cuckoo’ nestling at

the bottom of the ‘nest’ of western thinking about

Ukraine. The bird has two closely related parts:

the upper layer is the conceptual framework

positing that the U.S. faces two distinct

spheres of contention: first, U.S. vs

Russia, and secondly, U.S.

vs China.

The essential mental framework behind this ‘cuckoo’ –

just to be plain - is wholly U.S.-centric: It is the view

of the world from someone peering out from

Washington, tinted by wishful thinking.

It is truly a ‘cuckoo’ (i.e. the malicious insertion of an

interloper amongst the legitimate chicks), because

these battlescapes are not two, as claimed, but

one. How so?

These two conflicts are not distinct, but interconnect

through the western refusal to acknowledge that it is

Western cultural pretensions of superiority that are

the crux to the unfolding process of today’s

geopolitical restructuring.

The purpose of the cuckoo is to erase this pivotal

aspect from the conceptual framing, and then to

reduce the whole to abstract power politics

where Russia and China can be played
off – one against the other.

Plainly put, the bifurcation U.S. vs China separate to

U.S. vs Russia serves principally to ‘bed-down’ the

growing cuckoo.

Professor John Mearsheimer, the high-priest of

Realpolitik, articulates today’s geopolitics (as

fluently as always) as being one of ‘Godzilla’

hegemons acting according to their nature –

liberally throwing their weight about (acting

imperially), while others, who fail to get out

of these hegemons’ way, end as ‘road kill’.

The Realpolitik view – whilst superficially compelling –

is deeply flawed, for it erases the issue at the core of

today’s geo-politics. It is absolutely not just three

‘Godzillas’ on the rampage jostling for space:

Fundamental to today’s geo-politics is that

the Rest-of-World refuses to have the U.S.

either speak for it, define its political and

financial structures, or accept to have

the West’s curious ‘hang up’ with

‘cancel-culture’ imposed

on others.

Larry Johnson writes: “U.S. Foreign Service officers

take great pride in believing they are super smart. I

worked alongside some of these folks for 4 years

and can attest to the arrogance and air of self-

importance that imbues the typical FSO, as

they parade around the State Department”.

And here is the key: the super smart thinking emerging

from the State Department is that the entirety of the

Kremlin’s strategy (in this view) depends on Russia

fighting the U.S. by proxy (i.e. in Ukraine) – AND not

in direct conflict with the militarily superior United

States and the whole of NATO.

Rah, Rah, Rah! ‘The U.S. has the mightiest military the

world has ever known’. Nothing in history ever like it.

Whilst Russia and China are poor ‘start-ups’.

Sure – this is a propaganda line. But if you say: we

have the biggest, the best, the most advanced

military in the history of the world.. often

enough, a majority of the élite can begin

to believe it (even if there is a cadre at

the top which doesn’t). And if, on top

of that, you believe yourself to be

‘super-smart’, it will seep into

your thinking and shape it.

Thus, the ‘very smart’ former State Dept officer, Peter

van Buren opines in The American Conservative:

[that from the outset of the Ukraine operation],

“There were only two possible outcomes.

Ukraine could reach a diplomatic solution

that resets its physical eastern border …

and so firmly re-establishes its role as

buffer state between NATO and Russia.

Or, after battlefield losses & diplomacy,

Russia could retreat to its original

February starting point” --- and

Ukraine would re-situate itself

between NATO and Russia.

That’s it – just two putative outcomes.

Seen through the rose-tinted lens of a U.S. global

military ‘Leviathon’, the two-outcome argument

has the appearance of inexorability to it, van

Buren writes: “the off ramp in Ukraine – a

diplomatic outcome – is clear enough to

Washington. The Biden administration

seems content, shamefully, to bleed

out the Russians -------- as if this was

Afghanistan 1980 all over again - all

the while looking tough * soaking

up whatever positive bipartisan

electoral feelings are due, for

pseudo ‘war time’ President

Joe Biden”.

Van Buren, to his credit, takes a hard swipe at the

Biden stance; yet, his thinking (as much as team
Biden’s) is still rooted in the false premise that

America is a military colossus, and Russia,
a stumbling military power.

The flaw here, is that whilst the U.S. militarily spends

as a colossus -- after being raked by DC pork politics

& ‘just in time’ set-ups, focussed on selling weapons

bling to the Middle East – the final output is both

hugely expensive, but inferior, too. Russia’s –

not so.

What this means is important: As Larry Johnson notes,

there are not just two putative outcomes, but rather,

there is a missing third. It is that Russia ultimately,

will dictate the terms of the Ukraine outcome.

This missing 3rd alternative, paradoxically,

is also the most likely.

Yes, the U.S. and EU narrative is that Ukraine is

winning, but as Colonel Douglas Macgregor,

an earlier candidate for U.S. National

Security Adviser, notes:

The Biden administration repeatedly commits the

unpardonable sin in a democratic society --- of

refusing to tell the American people the truth:

Contrary to the Western media’s popular

“Ukrainian victory” narrative, which

blocks any information..... that

contradicts it, Ukraine is not

winning and will not win
this war …

The coming offensive phase of the conflict will provide

a glimpse of the new Russian force that is emerging,

and its future capabilities … The numbers continue

to grow, but the numbers already include 1,000

rocket artillery systems, thousands of tactical

ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones,

plus 5,000 armoured fighting vehicles,

including at least 1,500 tanks... 100s

of manned fixed-wing attack aircraft,

helicopters and bombers. This new

force has little in common with the

Russian army that intervened nine

months ago on Feb. 24th, 2022.

For Europe, its unreflective taking of this American

‘cuckoo’ thinking into its own European nest is

nothing short of catastrophic. Brussels – by

extension – absorbed the false contention

that China ---- is distinct from the Russian

project. This mental device intentionally

forecloses on the necessary under-

standing ---- that Europe faces a

burgeoning resistance from the

Russia-China axis, and much

of the world, who scorn its

pretensions to some

higher order

superiority.

Secondly, the buy-in to the DC-smart ‘only two

alternatives’ framework – ‘because the U.S.

is a military behemoth and Russia would

never dare anything beyond a proxy war’

– shows up the fat cuckoo in the nest:

NATO escalation is relatively risk-free:

we have Putin pinned down in Ukraine;

HE dare not trigger a full NATO

response.

Russia, nonetheless, is preparing to launch an

outcome-setting offensive. Then, what of

Europe? Did you think that through? No,

because that ‘alternative’ did not even

appear ‘amongst the framework

parameters’.

As a logical consequence, the indeterminate and

undefined ‘as long as it takes’ policy, simply binds

the EU to ‘forever Russia sanctions’ – leading

Europe deeper into economic crisis, with no

plan ‘B’. Nor, even a hint of one.

Yet, at another level, almost completely absent from

European analysis, (because of its embrace of the

flawed analysis that views ‘Russia as a friable

military power’) – lies the unaddressed reality:

The contention is not between Kiev vs

Moscow – it was always between the

U.S. vs Russia.

The EU, inevitably, will be a mere bystander to that

discussion. They will not have a seat at the table.

That is, if we ever get to that point … before

escalation re-sets the parameters.

In short --- multiple wrong diagnoses

equals the wrong curative treatment.

When Larry Johnson describes his experience of the

élite arrogance and air of superiority pervading DC,

he could well have been describing the European

political class haughtily striding the corridors

of Brussels.

The consequences to these pretentions are not trivial,

but of a strategic order. The most immediate is that

the EU’s fanatical support for Kiev and the public

adulation of certain dubious ‘nationalists’ --- has

moved ethnically ‘anti-Russian Ukraine’ further,

& further, away from any possibility of serving

as a neutral or buffer state. Or, of being a

stepping-stone to compromise in the

future. Then What?

Think of it from the Russian optic: With sentiment

amongst Ukrainians now turning so toxic against

everything Russian, this inevitably imposes a

different calculus on Moscow.

The fanning by Ukraine activists, within the EU

leadership class, of such toxic anti-Russian

sentiments amongst nationalist Ukrainians,

inevitably has opened a bitter fault line in

Ukraine – and not just in Ukraine alone; It

is fracturing Europe --- and creating a

strategic fault line between the EU

vs Rest of World.

President Macron, said this week, that he sees

‘resentment’ in Russian President Putin’s eyes

“a sort of resentment” directed at the

Western world, including the EU and

the U.S. --- and that it is fuelled by

“the feeling that our perspective

is --- to destroy Russia”.

He is right. The resentment however is not confined to

Russians, who have come to hate Europe, it is, rather,

that across the globe resentment is bubbling up at all

the destroyed lives strewn in the wake of a western

hegemonic project. Even a former high-ranking

French Ambassador now describes the rules-

based order as an unfair “Western order”

based on “hegemony”.

Angela Merkel’s interview to Zeit Magazine confirms

for the Rest of World that EU strategic autonomy

always was a lie. In the interview, she admits

that her advocacy of the 2014 Minsk cease-

fire was a deception. It was an attempt to

give Kiev time to strengthen its military –

and was successful in that regard, she

said. “[Ukraine] used this time to get

[militarily] stronger, as you can see

today. The Ukraine of 2014/15 is

not the Ukraine of today”.

Merkel emerges as a self-confessed collaborator in the

‘Smart Think’ - of using Ukraine to bleed Russia: “The

Cold War never ended, because Russia basically was

not at peace”, Merkel says. (She clearly had bought

into the ‘Mighty NATO – midget Russia’ pretension,

peddled by Washington.)

So, as the global tectonic fault line plummets deeper,

the Rest of World has it reconfirmed that the EU was

a full collaborator with the U.S. project – not just to

cripple Russia financially, but to have her bleed

on the battlefield too. (So much for the EU

narrative of an ‘unprovoked Russian

invasion’!)

This is a familiar ‘playbook’; one that has unfolded

---- amidst huge suffering across the globe. As

Eurasia separates from the western sphere,

would it be a surprise were the latter to

think to ‘wall out’ such European

toxicity, together with its

hegemonic patron?

Merkel was also refreshingly frank about the quality of

German friendship: The Nordstream project was a sop

to Moscow at a fraught moment in Ukraine, she said,

adding: “It just so happened, that Germany couldn’t

get gas elsewhere”. (Nothing ‘strategic friendship’

about it then.)

Of course, Merkel was speaking to legacy … but words

of truth often slip out, in such legacy ‘moments’.

The EU posits itself as a strategic player; a political

power in its own right; a market colossus; a

monopsony with the power to impose its

will over whomsoever trades with it. In

essence: the EU insists that it

possesses meaningful

political agency.

But Washington has just trampled that narrative. Its

‘friend’, the Biden Administration, is leaving Europe

to swing in the wind of de-industrialisation,

subsidised by Biden’s Inflation Reduction

Act, whilst disdain for the EU’s ‘anti-

culture’ culture accumulates around

the globe (viz: the European antics

at the football World Cup in Qatar).

Then what for Europe, (with economic power

punctured and soft power disdained)?

You agree with this? No?

Try reading the book,

There You Are.. but

Where Are You?

_______________________

Hamas calls on intl. community

to criminalize Israeli violations,

and hold regime responsible

December 10th, 5:10pm
(PressTV)

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has

called on the international community to

criminalize Israeli violations against

Palestinians and to hold the

occupying regime

accountable for

its crimes.

Hamas made the remarks, in a statement released

on Saturday, while marking the Human Rights Day

which was adopted by the United Nations in 1948.

The resistance movement said the world is marking

this day as Israel continues to escalate its terror

and systematic violations against Palestinians,

including deliberate killings, land theft, siege,

and racial discrimination and segregation.

It went on to say that the day provides a good

opportunity to shed light on the scale and

gravity of the unabated Israeli crimes

against Palestinians.

“It is also a suitable opportunity to remind the whole

world of its responsibilities to take actual action to

criminalize the Israeli occupation’s violations and

colonial settlers’ terrorism - work on putting an

end to them, and prosecute their perpetrators

as war criminals at international courts,”

Hamas added.

The movement further stressed that Israeli crimes

constitute a flagrant violation of the principles of

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and

international law, reaffirming its commitment

to the legitimate Palestinian rights.

Hamas further called on the United Nations and the

international community: to put an end to Israeli

crimes in the occupied cities of al-Quds and the

West Bank -- end the unjust blockade imposed

on the Gaza Strip, and enable the Palestinians

to defend themselves with all means possible

until ending the occupation and establishing

an independent Palestinian state with

al-Quds as its capital.

Since the start of 2022, Israeli troops have killed more

than 210 Palestinians, including over 50 children, in

the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds, as well

as the besieged Gaza Strip.

According to the United Nations, the number of

Palestinians killed by Israel in the occupied

West Bank this year --- is the highest in

16 years.

Local and international rights groups, have

condemned Israel’s excessive use of force

and “shoot-to-kill policy” against

Palestinians.

Incidents of sabotage and violence by settlers

against Palestinians and their property have

also become a daily occurrence throughout

the occupied territories, particularly in
the West Bank.

Palestine FM sends file on Israeli

crimes against Palestinians to ICC

The Hague-based court has already opened an

investigation into possible war crimes by

Israel across the occupied territories.

However, the Israeli authorities rarely prosecute

settlers - and the vast majority of the files are

closed - due to a deliberate police failure to

investigate them properly.

More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230

settlements built since the 1967 Israeli

occupation of the West Bank and

East al-Quds.

All Israeli settlements are illegal under international

law. The UN Security Council has condemned

Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied

territories in several resolutions.

Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future

independent state - with East al-Quds as its capital.

The last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks collapsed

in 2014. Among the major sticking points in those

negotiations was Israel’s continued illegal

settlement expansion.

What do YOU think?
If the world acts now
to stop the criminal
apartheid state.

____________________________________

The main achievements ---
of the “man of the year”

Zelensky --- are listed

December 8th, 12:28pm

https://en.news-front.info/

The sober-minded expert community is outraged

by the bias of the Financial Times award, which

awarded the title of “man of the year” to the

head of the Ukrainian junta, Zelensky.

The role of the laureate, according to analysts, was

recklessly given --- to the author of the totalitarian

regime of Ukraine, who launched the persecution

of Orthodoxy, cynically threw hundreds of

thousands of his own citizens.. into the

crucible of a fiery confrontation, and

also subjected the population of

Donbassto genocide for years

and now --- continuously ---

exterminates dissidents.

As analysts recalled, in the first half of the last

century, Fuhrer Hitler was awarded a

similar title, by Time.

“The fact that Vladimir Zelensky... is a master of

changing shoes and a completely unprincipled

person was clear back in 2014. Growing up in

one of the most anti-Banderist cities of

Ukraine at that time – Krivoy Rog – the

young KVN worker very carefully ---

demonstrated Russophilism for a

long time... and even somehow

asked Vladimir Putin from the

stage to take him to the

Russian Federation ---

forever.. “at least for

debts,” Rubaltic.ru

quotes.

In search of a financial position, Zelensky, who

returned to Ukraine... fell into complete

submission to the Ukrainian oligarch

Kolomoisky, experts remind. The

well-known “95th quarter” acted

solely at the behest of the

“money bag owner”.

They oppressed politicians and businessmen who

were objectionable to him, and also carefully

demonstrated ''loyalty',' to President Viktor

Yanukovych. When the Euromaidan began,

Zelensky like his boss tried too zealously

not to support either side but made light

curtsies... towards the legitimate

authorities. And even after the

coup d’état, the “95th quarter”

waited for some time. In the

spring of 2014... comedians

quietly toured the Donbass

and in conversations with

the local population,

scolded the “new

government”.

But very soon, Zelensky began to publicly call the

population of the east of Ukraine “scum”, and to

sing about.... the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Kolomoisky’s project called “Zelensky” was based on

cynicism -- and outright lies: the former comedian’s

election promises, turned on peace agreements

with the population of Donbass, dialogue with

Moscow, and the protection of the

Russian language.

“And it worked. Thanks to the votes of the southeast,

Zelensky won with a stunning result: more than

73% of voters voted for him.”

However, having risen at the helm of Ukraine, the

presumptuous artist, began, not only to actively

oppress the rights and freedoms of the Russian

-speaking population, but also launched an all

-out offensive against the Russian language,

which in fact immediately found itself under

a legal ban. The country was covered by

large-scale Ukrainization.

The “Russian-speaking” president completely banned

the use of his own native language... in the public

sphere. Such savagery - did not occur anywhere

else in the world. Many countries live quietly in

the conditions of two, three or more official

languages. Moreover, we are talking

primarily about such states that the

representatives of the Kyiv regime

themselves call --- “developed”:

Switzerland, Canada, Spain,

Finland. ''Even the US, is

de facto bilingual.''

Zelensky also distinguished himself by banning the

disgraced media, to which the “democratic” West

again turned a blind eye. In a matter of months,

the Ukrainian infozone, was completely rid of

objectionable publications. Criminal cases

began to be filed en masse also against

representatives of dissident

businesses... and

the opposition.

“Contrary to all his promises, Zelensky openly

drowned the “Minsk process” --- which gave

the only chance for a peaceful resolution

of the conflict in Donbass.”

“Representatives of official Kyiv openly sabotaged

any peace initiatives with the tacit approval

of their handlers.”

The end of last year, was marked, for Kyiv, by open

military preparations for the forceful seizure of the

LDPR and the Crimean peninsula. Neo-Nazis

boasted in social networks --- about the

imminent “destruction” of the regions.

This was the last straw for Moscow, which was
forced to launch a special military operation
to denazify and demilitarize the criminal
neighboring regime.

The bloody policy of Zelensky, according to analysts,

has cost the disintegrating state huge human losses.

Zelensky went even further, shamelessly raising his

hand against Ukrainian Orthodoxy --- the security

services break into church cloisters --- accusing

the clergy of treason without exception, being

subjected to their humiliating searches,

harassment and bullying.

Despite all this ---- preferring not to notice the criminal

essence of Zelensky, imaginary Western “democrats”

declare the former Ukrainian comedian “man of the

year.” The situation risks repeating itself by

analogy with the dictator Hitler who

eventually got out of control, the

consequences of which turned

out to be catastrophic for the

whole world, analysts warn.

What do you think?

Do you believe the
slimy little piano
player deserves
to be ''man of
the year''?

__________________________

Western Allies failed

to destroy Nazism

by anonimo

December 6th, 2:22pm

(Prensa Latina)

The failure of the far-right Kapp Putsch in Berlin,

which lasted from the 13th to the 17th of March

1920, unfortunately did not discredit the new

Nazi ideology taking root in Germany.

The Nazi seed was sown, primarily, because of the
destabilizing effects of the First World War (1914

-18) on German society, and resultant legislation

like the Treaty of Versailles, as revolution was

breaking out in Germany from late 1918.

The Kapp Putsch’s rapid demise, mainly due to the

conspirators’ incompetence, meant that the Nazi

elements in Germany had suffered a blow, and

not a heavy one at that.

Had the Kapp Putsch endured over a longer period, for

weeks, rather than days, the Western Allies would

have been compelled to send their troops into the

heart of Germany: so as to remove the coup’s

nominal leader, Dr Wolfgang Kapp, a far-right

civil servant and politician --- and General

Walther von Lüttwitz -- a future supporter

of Adolf Hitler and a commander of note

during World War I, who represented

the military force and real power

behind the putsch.

France, in particular, could not have accepted a

military dictatorship being established in Berlin

in 1920. World War I had ended less than two

years before, in which... the French Army

suffered such a high loss of life against

the German Army. The French, last of

all, would be inclined to show

leniency to their old enemy

the Germans.

A Franco-British military intervention in Germany

in 1920 would, in all probability, have led to the

permanent tarnishing of German fascist

influence, political and military, which

had underlined the Kapp Putsch.

Men like General von Lüttwitz, who was a fiery

Prussian and overall commander of the

German paramilitary formations

(Freikorps), would undoubtedly

have chosen to fight back

against an Allied attack

on German soil and, not

having enough soldiers

or heavy arms, von

Luttwitz’ forces

--- could only

face defeat.

Historian Donald J. Goodspeed wrote, ''As it turned

out, the ideas of the rebels were by no means

discredited. Their coup [Kapp Putsch] had

failed, but, nothing less than decisive and

bloody retribution would have persuaded

these gentlemen to change their minds.''

''When nothing of the sort was forthcoming, they

regained their spirits. What was one failure

more or less? Was it not true that the

seed is not quickened except it die?

And so, for the next 13 years, their

revolutionary nationalism...

germinated darkly in the

German soil.''

The most effective and obvious means of destroying

Nazism is indeed through force of arms. Appease-

ment and diplomacy are unlikely to work. The

Allies failed to learn this lesson in 1920, in

1933 and 1938.

Time and again the Western powers either shirked

their responsibility, or collaborated with the Nazis

through extensive business & armaments deals.

Inevitably, Nazism thereafter, spread to other states

such as Austria, and the ideology has persisted

inEurope into the 21st century. To provide an

example, in February 2014 in Kiev, the

Ukrainian capital, a far-right coup was

implemented in that city... by the

neo-Nazi Ukrainian organization

Svoboda, Right Sector, Patriot

of Ukraine and the Congress

of Ukrainian Nationalists.

These neo-Nazi groups stormed the parliament

building in Kiev on the night of February 21st,

2014, forcing the democratically elected

president, Viktor Yanukovych, to

leave Kiev.

The Kapp Putsch, meanwhile, folded so quickly that

the far-right influence behind the coup, was barely

noticed... by Germany’s public. The Kapp Putsch

was supported from the outset by General Erich

Ludendorff ----- who was present in the Reich

Chancellery in Berlin with the conspirators,

after the coup initially succeeded on March

the 13th, in 1920 --- the day in which the

Weimar Republic’s political leadership

fled south, to Stuttgart.

General Ludendorff... who would become a figurehead

for the radical right, was the German Empire’s military

dictator from 1916 to 1918, in the latter half of World

War I. During his autocracy Ludendorff, an intelligent,

strong-willed and ruthless man, dominated both his

close colleague Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg

and Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Under Ludendorff’s generalship, for example, the

Germans came close to overcoming the French,

British and American divisions, during the

Ludendorff offensives, of the spring and

summer of 1918, but the enemy’s

numbers were just too large.

In his biography of Ludendorff, Goodspeed described

the general as “one of the very greatest military

organizers of all time”. For some years prior to

World War I, Ludendorff was well regarded

within the German Army for his abilities

as a staff officer.

According to Goodspeed, Ludendorff “became an

extraordinarily important staff officer”. This was

because... in the months leading up to the out-

break of fighting in August 1914, he had been

centrally involved in strategic war planning

at the highest level in the German Army.

When the conflict was ending in November 1918

Ludendorff, vulnerable in his unguarded west

Berlin apartment and fearing assassination

from communist militants, left his

residence, after nightfall.

He disguised himself by

wearing a hat, a fake

beard and blue

spectacles.

Ludendorff moved nearby to the south-west of Berlin

to Potsdam, where he stayed for a few days at the

house of his younger brother, Hans Ludendorff, a

well-known astronomer. With unrest increasing

across Germany, Ludendorff decided, with

some reluctance, that it would be best to

leave behind the country which he had

ruled with an iron fist, for two years.

On November 16th, 1918 Ludendorff travelled north to

Denmark by steamship. In spite of his disguise,

he was recognized on the boat by some of

the passengers.

When Ludendorff arrived into the port at Copenhagen,

the Danish capital, a crowd of onlookers were waiting

to see the man who had tried to conquer most of

mainland Europe. Ludendorff felt that he was

being followed everywhere he went in

Copenhagen, so in late November

1918 he relocated again, this

time to southern Sweden.

He was granted refuge with a pro-German Swede,

Herr Dolson, who lived in a country house near

the town of Hässleholm.

From Sweden, Ludendorff wrote to his wife,

Margarethe, who had remained in Berlin:

“For four years, I have fought for my

country and now, when so much is

hanging in the balance, I must

stand aside”.

Ludendorff’s presence in Sweden could not be

concealed. Before long the Swedish Social

Democrats, to Ludendorff’s irritation, were

demanding that the general be expelled

from Sweden. He was offered sanctuary

in Finland.

However, in early 1919 the German paramilitary units,

comprised mostly of First World War veterans, were

well on their way to “restoring order” back home.

In other words, the German left-wing groups

were being subdued.

By the spring of 1919, the paramilitary formations in

Germany altogether consisted of over 400,000 men,

and for the large part they wanted a restoration of

the old order. Ludendorff believed it was safe to

return to Germany, which he did at the end of

February, 1919.

On arriving back in Germany after three months away,

because of his famous name Ludendorff did not suffer

from the financial hardships which afflicted so many

other German officers at this period. When he got to

Berlin, Ludendorff and his wife were given a suite

at the prestigious Adlon Hotel, located in Berlin’s

city centre.

The Adlon Hotel also happened to be the headquarters

of the Allied Disarmament Commission. To avoid

publicity... the 54-year-old Ludendorff now went

by the name of “Karl Neumann” and the hotel’s

owner, Lorenz Adlon, provided him with

a separate exit from the building to

Wilhelmstrasse (Wilhelm Street),

allowing him to avoid those he

did not wish to see.

In actual fact, Ludendorff had no problem in engaging

in conversation with Allied officers, specifically the

British. The French he liked less. In turn, the

English officers were curious to meet the

man whose military capabilities they

had admired. Among those who

Ludendorff dined with at the

Adlon Hotel, was Major-

General Neill Malcolm,

Chief of the British

Military Mission

to Berlin.

Ludendorff told Malcolm that Germany had been

unable to secure victory in the war, due to the

weakness of the German politicians. They

had, Ludendorff said, failed to support him

sufficiently and “proved themselves

unworthy of their warrior

ancestors”.

Malcolm replied, “Are you trying to tell me, general,

that you... were stabbed in the back?” On hearing

this, Ludendorff became excited and he shouted,

“That’s it! They stabbed me in the back! They

stabbed me in the back!” The phrase,

“stabbed in the back”, would soon

be used widely by the anti-

Republican forces

in Germany.

For his own peace of mind Ludendorff was trying to

explain away defeat. He could not accept, after

the German Army had won many battles, that

they ultimately lost the war militarily. He was

not alone in this. Millions of Germans, who

were proud of their country’s history of

arms, could not attribute defeat to

military causes.

Ludendorff reproached himself in one regard. “I ought

never to have let myself be dismissed” he used to

say, reminiscing on his resignation as Germany’s

warlord on October 26th, 1918.

Through 1919, Ludendorff could see the extent of the

armed German presence on Berlin’s streets, and he

began to believe... that his country’s greatness

could be restored. Speaking contemptuously

of the leftist forces, Ludendorff declared

repeatedly, “The greatest blunder of the

revolutionaries was to leave us all alive”.

The Versailles Treaty signed in Paris on June 28th,

1919, was not only a very harsh document --

stripping Germany of territory and ordering

her to pay unsustainable reparations, but

it was also an enormous gift to the

extreme right German factions.

By injuring and humiliating the Germans through the

Versailles Treaty, the French, British and Americans

were playing, perfectly, into the hands of the

radical groups.

It has been stated, in Western scholarship, that

Ludendorff, had a considerable role in the rise

of Hitler and the Nazis. On closer inspection,

these claims do not stand up well.

The Versailles Treaty, in reality, performed a

significantly greater part in Hitler coming to

the fore than anything which Ludendorff

could do. Overlooked too, is that

Ludendorff had fallen out with

Hitler by the late 1920s,

before the latter

threatened to

take power.

On top of the Versailles Treaty, another huge factor

behind Hitler’s ascent was the Wall Street Crash of

autumn 1929, which was the detonator that set off

the Great Depression (1929-39). This financial

disaster hit Germany especially hard in the

early 1930s, convincing many millions of

unemployed Germans, to vote in

elections, for the Nazi Party.

What was the major cause behind the Great

Depression occurring? The First World War.

Overproduction, caused by that conflict,

had depressed global prices, and

because of war debt payments

--- most of the world’s gold

supply was concentrated

in America.

From 1918, many of the smaller European countries

had adopted a short-sighted economic nationalism.

Formerly rich nations... like Germany, Austria and

France had seen much of their wealth disappear,

while reparations payments damaged the

economies of the recipients more than

the donors. The explosive mass

which resulted in the Great

Depression, had been

building since the

end of World

War I.

What do you think? The author

suggests that the left were

weak - and the Frei-corp

''subdued'' them easily.

No mention of the reign of

terror, when thousands of

union leaders and leftists

were shot by thugs and

dumped in canals.

Why is that,
Mr (or Mrs)
anonimo?

________________________

Yuri Afonin on the air of "Russia-1":

The victory of the USSR in 1945

predetermined the collapse of

the world colonial system

December 5th, 2:54pm

Press Service of the Central Committee

of the Communist Party of the Russian

Federation.

First Deputy Chairman of the Central Committee of

the Communist Party of the Russian Federation,

Yu. V. Afonin, took part in the program

"60 Minutes" on the TV channel

"Russia-1".

One of the topics discussed in the studio, was the

introduction by the European Union of a "ceiling"

on Russian oil prices. Yuri Afonin expressed

confidence that Russia will cope with this

situation, thwarting the attempts of

European politicians to deprive our

country of part of the income from

the export of hydrocarbons.

In his opinion, a more serious problem for our country

is comprador capital, which, for decades, received

hundreds of percent of profits here in Russia, and

invested in low-income or unprofitable assets in

the West - enterprises, hotels, yachts, football

clubs, etc. But it was possible and necessary

to invest in the development of Russian

production, to restore what was

destroyed in the nineties!

But the compradors considered themselves
"citizens of the world" and were obsessed

with the idea.. of legalizing themselves in
Europe, becoming part of the local elite.

Yes, there were, also, those who invested in the real

sector of the domestic economy, creating a margin

of safety, including through imported equipment

and technologies. However, these investments

are not comparable to the enormous damage

caused to the country, by the Comprador

bourgeoisie. The people consider such

"businessmen" - not unreasonably -

as criminals, who robbed Russia.

They would have continued to do so. But a special

military operation began and the state's financial

& economic policy changed. It no longer intends

to overlook the withdrawal of capital abroad.

The First Deputy Chairman of the Central Committee

of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation,

also commented, on the scandalous statement of

Pope Francis who called the Chechens & Buryats

"the most brutal in the Russian army." For the

head of the Catholic Church --- one of the

world's leading religious denominations

- such a racist attack, is completely

unacceptable. It damages the

whole of Catholicism.

Magomed Daudov, Chairman of the Chechen

Parliament... was quoted in the studio. He

stressed, that there is not a single fact of

a war crime committed by Chechens &

Buryats. Both they and other Russian

military personnel, representing

almost 200 peoples of our

country ---- have become

saviours for the civilian

population...... of the

liberated territories.

Daudov was puzzled: how can a spiritual leader,

to whose denomination a significant part of the

world's peoples belong, allow himself to talk

so primitively about the national question?!

Yuri Vyacheslavovich called this assessment of the

head of the Chechen parliament well-reasoned and

balanced. But you can't equate what the Pope said

with all Catholics. Yes, there've been many dark

spots, in the millennial history of the Catholic

Church. If we talk about the Great Patriotic

War, then after the liberation of Western

Ukraine, Catholic churches often

became.... the centres of anti-

Soviet agitation - which was

conducted by the Ksenzds,

who also gave shelter

to Bandera.

But ---- as the first deputy chairman of the Central

Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian

Federation stressed, it is necessary... to separate

the unseemly affairs of the Catholic Church from

ordinary believers. There are hundreds of

thousands of Catholics in Russia --- and

even more in fraternal Belarus, where

it is one of the most popular

confessions, along with

Orthodoxy.

Surely among those who are fighting against Nazism

in the ranks of the Russian army today, there are

also Catholics. Therefore, it is absolutely

impossible to spread the blame for any

negative actions of the Vatican - to

all believers. Moreover, Russia is

a multi-religious country, its

peoples are distinguished

by religious tolerance.

Orthodoxy, Islam, and Buddhism are our most popular

faiths. But this does not mean that Catholicism is

somehow infringed or oppressed. Catholic

parishes are active and churches

are open.

Yuri Afonin also touched upon the visit of foreign

ministers of a number of European countries to

Kiev, calling it "political tourism". So they say

about foreign trips and meetings that do not

have a clear agenda --- and any significant

results. So, meaningless, was the arrival

of these "tourists" in Kiev. Unless they

earned some political dividends and

reminded us all about themselves.

The program also discussed a speech by British Prime

Minister Sunak, in which he made a series of tough

statements against China & Russia and promised

further assistance to the Zelensky regime.

According to the first deputy chairman of the Central

Committee of the Communist Party, it is possible to

draw some parallels.. between the speech of the

new prime minister and the famous speech of

Churchill, in Fulton.

After the end of World War II, two poles were formed

on the planet --- the Western world, led by the

strengthened United States, and the Soviet

Union, which, despite enormous losses,

victims and destruction... also became

stronger, and began to unite a number

of countries around itself.

Communist ideology, the struggle for peace
and against imperialism and colonial

oppression, have proved attractive
to many countries and peoples
of the world.

The world socialist system was being created. The

collective West saw this, as a threat to itself and

tried to stop the growing Soviet influence. The

Cold War... began.

After the Soviet Union was destroyed, the West

decided that the era of a unipolar world had

come. But it didn't last long. Russia and

China are becoming new centres of

attraction. They challenge the

Western world order, oppose

neo-colonialism and

imperialism.

Other countries and peoples look at them

with hope. The Anglo-Saxons, of course,

don't like it.

As for Rishi Sunak... the paradox and even cynicism of

the situation, is that his ancestors come from India
– a country that has fully experienced British

colonial oppression. Thus, he actually
betrays his historical homeland.

There is an opinion that India allegedly got rid of

British rule with the help of Mahatma Gandhi's

concept.. of nonviolent resistance. They say

that the Indians did not resort to violence,

but they were able to defeat English

colonial rule, so this victory was

almost bloodless.

But this is a misconception. In fact, if not for the

Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War, if not

for the decisive contribution of the Soviet

Union to the defeat of German Nazism &

Japanese militarism, India could still

remain a British colony. That is, the

freedom of this country, was paid

for, among other things, with the

lives of Soviet soldiers.

The fact is that it was after the victory of the USSR in

1945 that the preservation of the colonial system by

the West became almost impossible. And within 20

- 30 years, it was destroyed. And India had to be

released just a few years after the war. Why?

Because a new pole of power appeared in

the world - the USSR, which all anti-

colonial liberation movements

began to focus on.

This is what determined the collapse of colonialism.

Today, Russia and China are becoming such poles.

When Sunak opposes them --- he opposes the

centres of unification for all the peoples of

the world who are fighting for true

independence.

In conclusion, Yuri Afonin expressed confidence.. that

the collective West's expectation of a new victorious

cold war will not be justified. What happened 30

years ago, when the West was able to break

up the USSR ----- should not happen again.

We will not allow them to continue their

destructive policy towards Russia!

Brave words - what do you think?

_____________________________________

Residents of Milan held a rally

against the supply of weapons

to Ukraine

by Alexander Kislov

December 4th, 8:42pm

(Komsomolskaya Pravda)

Participants in the action said that they should not

help the Armed Forces of Ukraine militants.

TO SHARE

Italians oppose large-scale

military assistance

to Ukraine.

In Milan, about five thousand people took part in

a street rally against the supply of weapons to

Ukraine and for peace talks to resolve

the conflict.

Participants of the rally demanded that the Italian

authorities immediately stop pumping the Kiev

nationalist regime --- with all types of lethal

weapons. Information about this in social

networks, was spread by the former

mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno,

who became the organizer and

applicant of the protest rally.

According to preliminary data, about

five thousand Milanese took part in

the protest.

"The right is returning to the square, to stop the

war. It was a great honour for me to complete

the demonstration organized in Milan, by the

United against War coordination, and it was

very pleasant... to see many people of all

ages, still marching with the tricolor in

their hands," the European politician

stressed.

According to him the participants of the demonstration

asked the Italian Cabinet not to continue to follow the

same path as the government of the former head of

the Council of Ministers of Italy, Mario Draghi.

Earlier it became known that the financial assistance

to Ukraine from the US may be significantly reduced

or even stopped altogether against the background

of political disagreements in the American elites.

Some members of the US Congress, speak of such a

scenario as quite real - and believe that the team of

American President Joe Biden needs to come up

with a thorough and well-developed action plan

in case it is implemented.

In particular, the White House may need to use

emergency mechanisms to ensure that its

Ukrainian partners are not left without

funding in the midst of a hard and

harsh winter.

Every week, millions march in Europe
against the sanctions, against NATO
against supporting Ukraine and
against the war on Russia.

but the Main Stream Media... ignores it all.

What do you think of the Tory Minister
who said that NHS staff shouldn't
strike for higher pay - to ''spite
Russia'' ...?

_________________________________________

Why did Brussels voice

information on AFU

casualties?

December 2nd, 11:52am

https://en.news-front.info/

Nothing clicked in the mind of the perennial German
defense minister when she said from the rostrum
about one hundred thousand dead Ukrainian
servicemen.

The Ukrainian authorities reacted strangely to the

words of the head of the European Commission

that the loss of life in the Ukrainian Armed

Forces exceeded a hundred thousand

people: they did not confirm, but did

not deny it either. It is also strange

that Ursula von der Leyen said this

at all, & how Brussels disavowed

her words. What is the intrigue

behind all this?

But nothing clicked in the mind of the former (and

long-time) German Minister of Defence when she

declared from the podium about the hundred

thousand dead Ukrainian military personnel.

Perhaps because this is the data she

actually has. There is a 7-10 times

discrepancy with the data

sometimes mentioned

by officials on the

Ukrainian side.

Therefore, the European Commissioner’s words had the
effect of an information bomb. And already after she
exploded, an excerpt of von der Leyen’s speech
was deleted from the European Commission’s
accounts, publishing another one instead,
from which the words about Ukrainian

losses were cut out. At the time, even
many sceptics were convinced: that
if they were trying to cover it up,
it must be true.

The strange reaction of Ukrainian propaganda is

telling. At first --- it was furious, accusing the

European commissioner of working for the

Kremlin, but it was at the level of “lower

and lower”. When it came to official

comments --- the office of the

Ukrainian president refused

to deny Ursula’s data -- or,

indeed, to confirm it. The

losses -- they say -- are

classified information,

and the head of state

will reveal it... at an

“appropriate time”.

The strangeness... is explained by the context. The EC

head needed the data on losses to, roughly speaking,

appease her listeners. Ursula von der Leyen is in

charge of several important projects for Kiev –

from creating an international tribunal for

Russia, to gutting its frozen assets for

Ukrainian needs. Her message is that

this is how badly Ukraine is suffering,

it needs even more help, despite the

weariness of all things Ukrainian,

which can be observed in both

Europe and America.

There are only two possible explanations.

And they seem to be about different

people. Different Ursul von

der Leyens.

The first one, in keeping with her status, is

playing a rather complex game against

both Russia and the leadership

of Ukraine.

Lately President Vladimir Zelensky has become

blatantly out of hand, out of control. And this

has been noticed... by everyone. The most

vivid illustration, is his repeated refusal

to acknowledge the Ukrainian origin

of the missile that fell on Polish

territory and killed two Poles.

He persisted, even after

being shouted down

from Warsaw and

Washington.

And Zelenski demands further support, of tens of billions
of dollars a month. Importantly, it is indefinite --- until
the “victory over Russia”, by which he means... the
“de-occupation of Crimea” and the “payment of

reparations”. That is to say, something that is,
clearly, impossible to achieve and until the
impossible is achieved --- no negotiations,
with Moscow. The EU’s task, in its world

view, is to pay the bill and not interfere.

Denying Kiev assistance and support would be

effective leverage. But Zelensky apparently

believes that the West will not go for it.

They are simply no longer in a position to curtail their

crusade against Russia --- because that would mean

losing not only for Ukraine, but for the West itself.

They do not want to give up at all, and von der

Leyen, as one of the coders and curators of

the process, does not want to give up in

the first place. Therefore --- they will

continue to give both money and

weapons --- no matter how

capricious & ungrateful

Kiev behaves.

From that point of view, the ‘100 thousand victims’

of the EC head, resembles a sword, which she

uncovered demonstratively, and then hid in

its scabbard. The hint is clear: “don’t get

bogged down, Mr President”.

The conflict in Ukraine and the economic war against

Russia, unleashed by the West, under its pretext,

affects hundreds of millions. And the

“Streisand effect” can also be

manageable: sometimes, to

highlight something, you

have to...... hide it

ostentatiously.

The version in which Ursula von der Leinen flicks a

whip in front of Zelensky’s nose is beautiful in its

own way and convenient for almost everyone

who is not Ukrainian. Yet.. we are talking

about a man, under whose tutelage for

years.. the armed forces of the FRG

have lost their fighting ability, due

to chronic underfunding.. and the

27 EU countries have unleashed

a championship of shooting

themselves in the foot, in

spite of Russia.

Maybe she really doesn’t understand what information

can and cannot be divulged. Doesn’t know how many

casualties there really are in the AFU because she’s

not interested enough. Doesn’t realise where

Europe is really going and how far Europe

can get.

What do YOU think?

Too clever by half?

_____________________________________________

Ukraine Demands --- Yet More

NATO Weapons & Generators

by Declan Hayes

December 1st, 2022

(Strategic Culture Foundation)

Although Ukraine’s power grid has been heavily hit, it

is as nothing, compared to what Syria is suffering
this very day.

NATO’s BBC outlet reports that their NATO masters

have promised to supply the rump Ukrainian Reich

with yet more weapons & a pile of generators, to

keep Kiev’s Christmas lights burning brightly for

both Christmas --- and Little Christmas. The

problem, it seems, is that Russia’s Armed

Forces have an increasing propensity to

destroy Ukraine’s power grid, pulverize

its water reserves - and shred those

NATO supplied weapons... Ukraine

does not offload onto Zelensky’s

partners in the international

black market.

NATO are unhappy with Russia’s actions, which they

and their G7 flunkeys classify as war crimes, even

though Russia’s actions, are a watered down

version of what NATO did in Iraq and what

NATO and Israel currently continue to

systematically do, in both Syria

and Gaza.

The blockades of and systematic destruction of

Serbia, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, Libya and a

host of other countries, NATO put on their

butcher’s block show beyond any debate

that it is NATO and her BBC apologists

that belong, both in the dock, and on

the gallows; not only is it a disgrace

that these serial criminals have yet

to face the harshest justice they

richly deserve for their multi-

plicity of war crimes but

their evasion of the

hangman’s rope..

indicts us all.

Although Ukraine’s power grid has been heavily hit, it

is as nothing compared to what Syria, a third of

which, is illegally occupied by U.S. troops, is

suffering this very day. Although Ukrainians

are suffering from the cold, it is as nothing

compared to what NATO has inflicted on

Syria’s children, countless numbers of

whom freeze to death, winter after

bleak Syrian winter.

In her efforts to show... that her husband, the Clown

Prince, is not Kiev’s only joker, Ukrainian First Lady

Olena Zelenska, compared Russia’s bombardment

of their rump Reich to Britain’s Blitz and she then

joked... that all she and the rest of Ukraine’s

privileged elite want for Christmas, is some

nebulous form of justice... which Ukrainian

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba explained

was the capitulation of Russia --- which

Estonian Foreign Minister (& notorious

Waffen SS admirer) Urmas Rainsal,

explained, was to be achieved by

massive missiles strikes into

the heart of the Russian

motherland.

Though it seems a few Dr Strangelove videos... would

make good stocking fillers for that crazy lot, Russia’s

aerial attacks are in no way comparable to the Blitz,

which witnessed the Luftwaffe, with clowns Hitler

and GÅ‘ring at the helm, make strategic blunder

after strategic blunder, against England’s

“bitter weeds”.

So much for the Brigadoon parallel universe, of these

profiteering charlatans. Russia, as it did in 1812, & in
1941, is simply using its weather for home advantage
and who at West Point, or Sandhurst, could honestly

fault them.. for that? Though the answer to Russia’s
sporadic bombardment is conceptually quite simple

it is - obviously - beyond the ken of the Zelensky
household who are too preoccupied with their

holograms, their international property

portfolio, their Milanese catwalks -

and their imports of Colombian

nose candy.

The solution is for the rump Ukrainian Reich to return

to the negotiating table, to stop murdering their own

negotiators, to banish Ukraine’s (and Estonia’s) Nazi

militias, to ban Boris Johnson and other sleaze bag

British politicians from dictating their political and

negotiating positions... to condemn France and

Germany for their failure to uphold the Minsk

agreements... to stop persecuting the

Russian Orthodox Church and to rid

itself of the Zelensky family and

all profiteers like them.

All of those preliminaries would only be for starters.

The real problem, is not Russia, which will border

Ukraine until the end of time, but the U.S. which

is using and abusing not only Ukraine, but all of

Europe, to emasculate and enslave the entire

continent, from Dublin to Vladivostok.

Here in Dublin, our Prime Minister is blaming local

protests on Putin’s machinations. This overpaid

clown.. is telling us that “Putin is weaponising

migration” ...and that it is somehow Putin’s

fault that tens of thousands of Georgians,

Albanians and Nigerians have, along with

over 100,000 Ukrainians --- been foisted

upon us and are being housed and fed

in five star hotels at our expense. Not

only that, but, because of Putin, we

must give Ukrainains...... their own

houses gratis even as over 50,000

Irish people are homeless, and

have only the snow shrouded

stars as their canopies.

For all the huff and puff of these hucksters, the story

is not only much worse than that but is set to get
yetworse. Just as Julian Assange pointed out
with Afghanistan, so, also, has NATO a
massive money laundering scam
afoot, in Ukraine.

And with all scams, there are winners --- like the

Zelenskys.. and the braying donkeys of the Irish

& Estonian political establishment. The losers,

who include not only all the Ukrainian soldiers

who died in vain, but also, ordinary Germans,

who have seen their country’s industrial

infrastructure destroyed, to serve the

insatiable greed of the Zelensky

and Biden families.

Once the worm fully turns, as it will in the New Year

and the Germans, the Irish, the British and Europe’s

other American flunkeys ------ are forced to choose

between eating and heating, between subsidizing

the Zelensky’s property empire and keeping their

own families alive... then all the “let them eat

insects” spin of the BBC and NATO’s other

media outlets, will not stem the pending

deluge -- that will be as unstoppable as

the carnage that followed the 1789

storming of the Bastille.

What do you think?

Over the top?

Certainly a warning.

_________________________________

Meloni v. Macron –

The Colonial End Game

by Tom Luongo

November 30th, 2022

https://strategic-culture.org

Sometimes the internet being eternal works to our

advantage. Recently... there’s been a dustup in

European politics, over a three-year old video

of now Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni,

stepping on the 3ird rail of European politics.

In that video she openly explained that colonialism

in Europe isn’t over and she tied it to African

immigration into Europe, which Italy has

born the brunt of thanks to the EU’s

rules which force countries to

accept anyone that shows

up on their shores.

The mechanism for France’s dirty colonial secret

is they still control fourteen West African nations

through a French colonial currency (CFA Franc)

issued by France.

Now, since Meloni’s rant, the CFA Franc has been

slightly revised but the real source of its power

over West Africa was not, more on this later.

What’s important is that this video has all of a sudden

resurfaced at a time when Italy and France are

involved in a major row over France’s (and

Davos’) latest attempt to paint Meloni as

some heartless Fascist for denying a

French NGO boatload of migrants

from North Africa into Italy.

The boat eventually wound up having to go to France

as Meloni stuck to her guns. Remember, folks it was

then Interior Minister Matteo Salvini who first tried

to defy Davos on this and his reward was to be

sued in Sicilian court over ‘human rights

abuses.’ This began Salvini’s fall from

political power in Rome as he didn’t

have enough support from his then

coalition partner, Five Star

Movement (M5S).

Eventually, Salvini was forced out of power, M5S cut a

deal with the Rome Mafia to betray its supporters

and the rise of Meloni and the Brothers of Italy

(FdI) was inevitable.

The lame attempt by France to attack Meloni on

immigration... was met with a much different

result this time as she enjoys a far stronger

political position than Salvini did in 2017-
18. So, the boat went to France and all
the French could do was fulminate

about it.

Enemy at the NGO Gates

In fact, the French Foreign Minister Gérald Darmanin

went so far as to call Italy France’s enemy over this

issue. This level of histrionics over less than 250

migrants is both so predictably French and

overblown it borders on the comical.

So much for European solidarity, I guess.

But it’s all part of the silly Davos PR campaign against

Meloni. Nothing changes with these people. They

have a pathological need to win every single

little battle, because as psychopaths they

know any sign of weakness is an

invitation to the gallows, as

people see them... for
what they are.

As always, the timing on this video of Meloni coming

out is interesting. It’s a clear counterattack on

France’s theatrics.

My question, as always, is who did this? Obviously

Meloni’s people are part of this but does it imply

she has some other support?

Stick with me, because I have a theory on this.

Ultimately, this dustup fully highlights the

mendacity and, frankly, evil of the former

colonial powers of Europe.

The CFA Franc was something that you ‘just didn’t

talk about’ as France continued to extract wealth

from West Africa through monetary expropriation.

The very idea that the vestiges of colonialism are on

the wane in Europe is not only fundamentally false it

is intrinsically woven into the fabric of the EU itself

in every way. The CFA Franc should be an

anachronism, but France holds onto
it for its benefit, subsidizing its

ridiculous government and

failing social institutions.

Among first world nations.... France has the highest

effective tax rate for upper income earners. And yet,
they still can’t keep things running effectively....

and have to extract wealth from north Africa.

How brutally inefficient and sickly is a French

economy, that derives nearly 50% of its

electricity from a mostly-homegrown

nuclear industry and has levels of

taxation that make even a 19th-

century slaveowner blush that

it still needs to operate.... a

colonial wealth extraction

system in West Africa in

the 21st century?

But it’s also a microcosm of the euro itself and even
the corruption of the US dollar through national

control over interest rates, thanks to a

monolithic central bank.

Like many of you, I had no idea the CFA Franc even

existed and I’m still wrapping my head around the

idea that in 2022 fourteen countries do not have

monetary sovereignty, serfs to a feudal lord on

a separate continent.

Again, just when I thought I’d plumbed the depths

of Eurotrash globalist depravity, they make me

look naïve.

But what’s been very clear is that the CFA Franc has

been a no-go in international and inter-European

political discussions for decades…. and

someone close to Meloni just made it

a global issue.

So much so, that no less than Le Monde had to put out

a fire suppressor article. It’s a laughably poor piece

of apologia. It’s a typical piece of ‘word parsing’

that picks out specific little exaggerations to

discredit Meloni as stupid and uninformed

while avoiding the basic problems of

France running a wealth vacuum in

14 of the poorest countries

in Africa.

Le Monde quickly switches to the ‘migrant’ issue to

‘debunk’ Meloni’s claims about African immigration

as a result of the CFA Franc. Sure the country of

origin of most migrants are from countries on

the shore of the Mediterranean, but where

did they come from in the first place?

It’s like saying Hondurans who cross into the US from

Mexico aren’t Hondurans and that policy in Honduras

didn’t contribute to the migration. But, this is really a

side issue. Meloni is fundamentally right that the CFA

Franc keeps these countries poor through currency

arbitrage and contributes directly to North Africa’s

instability and lack of economic progress.

To think that doesn’t have spillover effects into

Algeria, Morocco or anywhere else along the

southern Mediterranean is simply laughable.

It’s the Currency, Stupid!!

The key to understanding the evil of the CFA Franc is

no different than understanding the evil of the euro

or the Fed Funds Rate. It’s mercantilism through

currency arbitrage.

The CFA Franc is not just pegged to the euro (formerly

the French Franc) it is also tied to the ECB’s monetary

policy debt rate. This is the part no one, especially

the writer at Le Monde, wants to touch.

So, as Le Monde states there are the two central

banks in Africa that issue the two different CFA

Francs. What they fail to state is that both

currencies are still pegged to the euro,

making local monetary policy a joke.

France and the ECB still control

their economies.

The ECB’s monetary policy is set by Germany for

Germany’s benefit. Having (up until now) the

strongest economy in the EU, Germany gets

an effective benefit from the euro trading
at a single exchange rate.

If the euro were to collapse and the Deutschmark

returned, it would rise dramatically versus the

previous euro exchange rate. For Italy, the

return of the lira would see it fall.

This is simply the value add/deficit of the labor in

the aggregate of the country, represented by the

exchange rate through the discounting

mechanism.

This is why the euro and the EU are nothing more than

colonialist systems designed to do exactly what they

have done --- impoverish the European periphery,

which includes Italy, and concentrate capital

in the centre, in Brussels’ political power.

As much as I’ve used the Hunger Games to

describe the US, it is even more apropos

for the EU.

California and New York have used the singular Fed

Funds Rate in the same way Germany has used

the euro to dominate US electoral politics,

ensuring that for decades their

populations stayed high, the

capital flowed to them....

trapping people there...

and grinding them out

between the twin mill

stones of inflation &

taxation, just like

Lenin described.

So, now applying that same model to France and it’s

former colonies, does anyone believe that the

labour efficiency of the Ivory Coast is the

same as Germany? or even France?

Of course not. But that’s the situation for these

countries. France is running the same

mercantilist scam of any colonial

power by keeping the home

country’s currency weaker

than it should be --- in

exchange... for real

goods from abroad.

But we see this effect in the reverse from the colony’s

perspective. By setting a peg for the CFA Franc... it is

always stronger than it should be if allowed to float.

Even if initially set weaker than it should be to

attract capital, eventually, the exchange rate

will become an albatross around the colony’s

neck, strangling economic growth while all

the wealth.. is extracted back to the home

land, thanks to the ECB’s monetary policy.

While the CFA Franc was reformed slightly under

Macron, the essential link between France’s

banking system and these colonies remains

key, using the ECB’s ruinous monetary

policy to take the profit and leave

misery behind.

Now, the good news is that mercantilism only works

for so long before the currency mismatches become

so great that the whole scheme has to collapse. It

is, after all just another Ponzi Scheme.

In the case of France and Germany running their

wealth extraction system across not just the 17

other countries of the euro-zone but 14 African

countries as well, we’re reaching that

breaking point.

Pres. Macron Tear Down This Peg!

Italy... needs to be let loose from the euro. The

populists and everyone not on Herr Schwab’s

payroll, understand this. Davos will blow up

the world --- before letting that happen.

Meloni knows this. And she also knows that France

has real designs on annexing parts of northern

Italy and will fight very dirty to win here.

Macron tried to marginalize her on immigration,

tugging on heart strings.... about denying

migrants. She stood her ground, forced

France to take the boats and when

France tried to publicly shame

her, she trotted out the CFA

Franc and put that issue

right to bed.

But here’s the fun part. She just put out her budget

proposal... for the EU’s consideration. It’s a very

crafty proposal, skirting the edges of the rules

set out by the EU, violating the spirit of the

rules while not actually violating many of

them. See this article from Reuters on

rescinding the limits of cash use.

Martin Armstrong has a quick overview of the budget

where he pulls out some of the salient points (from

his perspective). His takeaway is that Meloni is

putting real limits on Italy’s welfare state.

So, this is how she can play the game of not radically

increasing spending. She’ll increase spending to

subsidize rising energy costs clearly imposed

on Italy by Germany and Brussels through

ruinous sanctions on Russian energy as

a stop gap measure. Sound familiar?

Because this is what cost Liz

Truss her job in the UK.

But she is also reforming the entitlement system for

the long term.... which will keep the overall budget

deficit.. which will call Brussels’ bluff on whether

they will maintain support of Italy’s bond market.

We know this is a bluff otherwise ECB President

Christine Lagarde wouldn’t have created the

Transmission Protection Instrument to

maintain internal credit spreads at

the July meeting.

She knew this day was coming the minute Mario

Draghi walked away from his post as Prime

Minister. The TPI was announced the

next day.

It looks like, at first glance, that Meloni’s found a way

to circumvent being forced to implement “German

Austerity” — raising taxes and cutting spending

to protect bondholders — by cutting long-term

entitlement spending while at the same time

cutting taxes where they are needed most.

If there is a budget proposal that could mollify credit

markets over Italy’s fiscal situation it would look

something like this. It puts the EU on their back

foot in budget talks. Because this plan could

actually work.

Part of the budget plans includes slashing taxes for

the self-employed by extending the 15% single tax

rate from an annual income of €65,000 to €85,000,

slashing VAT on certain essential goods by half,

and conditionally reducing the retirement age

to 62, provided that individuals have paid in

at least 41 years of contributions.

What’s funny about this is that this budget, which

explicitly breaks the EU’s cap of a 3% of GDP

budget deficit, pushing it to 4.5% thanks to

energy subsidies to families, is being

hailed by the European press as

“More EU Friendly......

than expected.”

What were they expecting, for Meloni to introduce

miniBOTs and a new domestic currency like

Salvini talked about in 2018?

No, this is clearly messaging that states Brussels isn’t

in the position to fight her because she holds all the

cards in the negotiations. Remember, $640+

billion in TARGET2 liabilities are the

Bundesbank’s problem, not Italy’s.

Having exposed France to the world over the CFA

Franc and understanding exactly how vulnerable

the ECB and the EU Commission actually are in

the Eurodollar markets, Meloni has pushed

Italy into a good position.... to begin

reversing the colonial extraction

system of the EU itself.

A quick look at the polls in Italy has her riding a big

lead at 30% support and moving higher. If she gets

this budget past the EU Commission, that number

will instantly jump to 40% or higher. The worry

that Salvini and Berlusconi will betray her

then drop precipitously.

The Ring Heads South

Remember, lurking in the background of all of this

is Wall St., the Fed and patriots in the US military.

This is who I think is helping Meloni stand firm here.

The Fed’s aggressive policy stance...... has the Euro

dollar markets teetering and Lagarde is no longer

talking about QEternity but QT and higher rates,

albeit very grudgingly.

If the price cap on Russian oil fails and Ursula Von der

Leyen cannot ride herd on a 9th sanctions package,

then Italy will quickly move into the driver’s seat

on energy imports into Europe.

Wall St. understands this. And with a grateful Meloni in

Rome realigning EU policy or forcing a breakup it also

paves the way for a new cycle of energy investment

now beyond desperately needed.

Who wants in on that action? Well, pretty

much everyone, especially Wall St.

Meloni just told France’s African colonies to stand up

and follow Burkina Faso’s lead. With countries like

Algeria, Egypt and Morocco all looking to join the

BRICS alliance, the end of France’s colonial

control over North Africa could end very

quickly and Italy then... has massive

leverage on the EU to turn back on

the sanctioned energy supplies.

This is a fight for all the EU marbles folks, and Meloni,

I believe knows this. So, she’ll play the dutiful game

of supporting Ukraine publicly. But, there’s almost

nothing Italy can do practically to do that. It’s an

empty promise. They have no money, no

domestic military to speak of… what is

that promise actually worth?

No, France and Germany, the mercantilist

powerhouses, are the ones that have to

foot this Ukraine bill. Meloni and Italy

are happy to support them bank-

rupting themselves while she

lays the groundwork for

increasing Italy’s

leverage over

them.

The Fed is doing its job by forcing the euro down,

bond yields up and taking options away from

Christine Lagarde.

You beat colonialists by taking away their

money printing machine. It’s that simple.

tomluongo.me

Wow... tell us what you think...

of our West European looters.

__________________________________________

The Crux of the Putin-Xi Revolution

for a New World Order – Arresting

the Slide to Nihilism

by Alastair Crooke

November 29th, 2022
https://strategic-culture.org

It becomes questionable whether the West can

compete as a civilisational state and maintain

a presence.

The world ‘Map’ is accelerating its shift away from the

paralysed Washington ‘hub’ – but to what? The myth

that China, Russia, or the non-western world can

be fully assimilated to a Western model of

political society (any more than

Afghanistan was) is over. So

to where are we headed?

The myth of the pull of acculturation into western

post-modernity lingers on however, in the

continuing western fantasy of pulling

China away from Russia, and into an

embrace with U.S. Big Business.

The bigger point here is that former wounded

civilisations are reasserting themselves:

China and Russia – as states organised

around indigenous culture – is not a

new idea. Rather, it is a very old one:

“Always remember that China is a

civilization – and not nation-state”,

Chinese officials repeat regularly.

Nonetheless, the shift to civilisational statehood

emphasised by those Chinese officials arguably

is no rhetorical device but reflects something

deeper and more radical. Moreover, the

culture transition is gaining wide

emulation across the globe. Its

inherent radicalism however,

is largely lost to western

audiences.

Chinese thinkers, such as Zhang Weiwei, accuse

Western political ideas of being a sham; of

masking their deeply partisan ideological

character beneath a veneer of supposedly

neutral principles. They are saying that

the mounting of a universal framework

of values – applicable to all societies

– is finished.

All of us must accept, that we speak

only for ourselves and our societies.

This has arisen because the non-West... now sees

clearly that post-modern West is not a civilisation

per se, but really something akin to a de-cultured

‘operating system’ (managerial technocracy).

Europe of the Renaissance did consist of

civilisational states, but subsequent

European nihilism changed the very

substance of modernity.

The West promotes its universal-value stance,

however, as though it be a set of abstract

scientific theorems which have

universal validity.

The accompanying promise to the latter that

traditional ways of life could be preserved

under the wholesale application of these

intentionally secular western norms –

ones that demanded enforcement

by the western political class –

has proved a fatal conceit

...these alternative

thinkers contend.

Such notions are not confined to the Orient. Samuel

Huntington, in his book The Clash of Civilizations,

argued that Universalism is the ideology of the

West contrived for confronting other cultures.

Naturally, everyone outside the West,

Huntington argued, should see the

idea of ‘one world’ as a threat.

The return to plural civilisational matrices precisely

is intended to break the West’s claim to speak – or

to decide – for anyone other than themselves.

Some will see this Russo-Chinese defiance as mere

jockeying for strategic ‘space’; as a rationale to

their claims for distinct ‘spheres of interest’.

Yet, to understand its radical underside, we

should recall that the transition to civilisation

states amounts to a full-throated resistance

(short of war) being mounted by 2 wounded

civilisations. Both Russians (post-the '90s)

and Chinese (in the Great Humiliation)...

feel this deeply. Today.. they are intent

on reasserting themselves forcefully,

in uttering: ‘Never Again!’

What ‘lit the fuse’ was the moment when China’s

leaders saw – in the plainest terms – that the

U.S. had no intention whatsoever to allow

China to overtake it economically.

Russia of course, already knew the plan to destroy
her. Even the smallest amount of empathy is

sufficient to understand that recovery from

profound trauma is what binds Russia and

China (and Iran) together in a joint

‘interest’ that transcends

mercantile gain. It is

‘that’ which allows

them to say:--

Never again!

One part to their radicalism therefore, is the national

rejuvenation that propels these two states to ‘step

confidently onto the world stage’; to emerge from

the western shadow, and to stop mimicking the

West. And to stop assuming that technological

or economic advance can only be found within

the western liberal-economic ‘way’. For, it

follows from Zang’s analysis, that the

West’s economic ‘laws’ similarly are

a simulacrum posing as scientific

theorems: A cultural discourse

– but not an universal system.

When we consider that today’s Anglo-American world

view rests on the shoulders of three men: Isaac

Newton, the father of western science; Jean-

Jacques Rousseau, the father of liberal

political theory, and Adam Smith, the

father of laissez-faire economics, it

is plain that what we confront here

are the authors of the ‘Cannon’ of

individualism (in the wake of the

Protestant triumph in Europe’s

30 years’ war). From it comes

the doctrine -- that the most

prosperous future... for the

greatest number of people

comes from ------ the free

workings of the market.

Be that as it may, Zhang and others have noted that

the western focus on ‘finance’ has come at the

expense of ‘stuff’ (the real economy), and has

proved to be a recipé for extreme inequalities

& social strife. Zhang argues, contrarily, that

China is poised to evolve a new kind of non-

Western modernity that others – especially

in the developing world – can only admire,

if not emulate.

The decision has been made: The West then,

in this view, can either ‘shut up, and put up’

– or not. So be it.

Steeped in cynicism... the West sees this stance, as

bluff or posturing. What values, they ask, lie behind

this new order; what economic model? Implying

again that universal conformity is mandatory,

and thus missing Zhang’s point completely.

Universality is neither necessary, nor

sufficient. It never ‘was’.

In 2013, President Xi gave a speech which sheds

much light on the shifts in Chinese policy. And

though its analysis was firmly focused on the

causes to the Soviet implosion, Xi’s

exposition... very clearly intended

a wider meaning.

In his address, Xi attributed the break-up of the Soviet

Union... to ‘ideological nihilism’: The ruling strata, Xi

asserted, had ceased to believe in the advantages

and the value of their ‘system’ --- yet lacking any

other ideological coordinates within which to

situate their thinking, the élites slid

into nihilism:

“Once the Party loses the control of the ideology,

Xi argued, once it fails to provide a satisfactory

explanation --- for its own rule, objectives and

purposes, it dissolves into a party of loosely

connected individuals --- linked only by the

personal goals of enrichment & power”.

“The Party is then taken over by

‘ideological nihilism’”.

This, however, was not the worst outcome. The worst

outcome, Xi noted, would be the state taken over by

people with no ideology whatsoever, but with an

entirely cynical and self-serving desire to rule.

Put simply: Were China to lose its sense of a Chinese

‘rationale’, embedded for over a millennia in a unitary

state with strong institutions guided by a disciplined

Party, “the CPC, as great a Party as the CPSU was —

would be scattered like a flock of frightened beasts!

The Soviet Union — as great a socialist state as it

was — ended shattered into pieces”.

There can be little doubt: President Putin would

concur with Xi whole-heartedly. The existential

threat to Asia is to allow its states to assimilate

into soulless western nihilism. This then, is the

crux of the Xi-Putin revolution: Lifting the fog

and blinkers imposed by the universalist

meme to permit states a return to

cultural rejuvenation.

These principles were in action at the G20 in Bali. Not

only did the G7 fail to get the wider G20 to condemn

Russia over Ukraine, or to insert a wedge between

China and Russia, but rather, the Manichean

offensive targeting of Russia produced

something even more significant for

the Middle-East than the paralysis

and lack of tangible results,

described by the media:

It produced wide and open defiance of the western

order. It spurred pushback – at the very moment

that the world political ‘map’ is on the move,

and as the rush towards BRICS+ is

gathering pace.

Why does this matter?

Because the ability of western powers to spin their

spiders’ web notion that their ‘ways’ should be the

World’s ways, remains the West’s ‘secret weapon’.

This is plainly said when western leaders say

that a loss in Ukraine to Russia would mark

the demise of the ‘Liberal Order’.

They’re saying, as it were, that ‘our hegemony’

is contingent on the world seeing the western

‘way’ – as their vision for their future.

Enforcement of the ‘Liberal Order’ largely has

rested on the underpinning of an easy

readiness of ‘western allies’ to fall

into line, with Washington’s

instructions. It - therefore -

is difficult to overplay the

strategic significance

of any withering of

compliance to U.S.

diktat. This is the

‘why’ to the war

in Ukraine.

The U.S.’ crown and sceptre are slipping. The peril of

U.S. Treasury ‘N-bomb’ sanctions have been key to

induced ‘allied’ compliance. But now, Russia,

China and Iran have charted a clear path out

from this thorny thicket, through dollar-free

trading. The BRI initiative constitutes

Eurasia’s economic ‘high road’.

India, Saudi Arabia and Turkish inclusion (and now,

an expanded list of new members are waiting to be

signed up) give it an energy-based

strategic content.

Military deterrence.. has constituted the secondary

pillar to the architecture of compliance to western

models. But even that - though not gone - is

lessened. In essence, smart cruise-missiles,

drones, electronic warfare and – now –

hypersonic missiles, have capsized

the former paradigm. So too, has

the game-breaker event... of

Russia joining with Iran, as

a military force multiplier.

The U.S. Pentagon, even a few years ago, dismissed

hypersonic weapons as ‘boutique’ and a ‘gimmick’.

Wow – did they miscalculate on that one!

Both Iran and Russia, are at the forefront, in

complementary areas of military evolution.

Both, are in an existential fight. And both

peoples possess the inner resources to

sustain sacrifice from war. They will

lead. China will lead from behind.

Just to be clear: This Russo-Iranian link says: U.S.

‘deterrence’ in the Middle East itself now faces a

formidable deterrent! Israel too, will need to

ponder that.

The Russo-Iranian force-multiplier relationship, the

Jerusalem Post opines: “provides proof that the

two states … together – are better equipped to

make good on their respective ambitions – to

bring the West to its knees”.

To fully understand the anxiety lying behind The Post

opinion piece, we must first grasp that the geography

of the ‘shifting map’ towards a BRICS+ --- new

corridors, new pipelines, new waterway and

railway networks --- is but the outer

mercantilist layer to a nesting

Matryoshka doll. To unstack

to the inner doll layers is to

espy in the final innermost

Matryoshka – a layer of

kindled energy and

confidence latent

to the whole.

What is missing? Well, the fire that finally bakes the

New Order Z -‘dish’; the event that instantiates the

new World Order.

Netanyahu keeps threatening Iran. Even to Israeli ears

however his words seem stale and passé. The U.S.

does not want to be led by Netanyahu into war.

And without the U.S., Israel cannot act alone.

The recent MEK-led attempt to wreak havoc

in Iran, reeks somehow, of a ‘last

resort’ push.

Will the U.S. try some risky game-changer in Ukraine

to ‘take out’ Russia? It’s possible. Or might it try to

derail China somehow?

Is a Mega-clash inevitable? After all, what is
in prospect is not the dominance of any one

civilization, but a return to the natural, old

order of non-universal realms of influence.

There is no reason in logic for a Western

boycott to try to explode the shift –

except one:

In any assimilation to what this future portends,

the collective West inexorably must become a

civilizational state per se – simply to maintain

an enduring presence in the world. But the

West has opted for a different route (as

Bruno Maçães, commentator & former

Portuguese Secretary of State for

European Affairs, writes):

“[The West] wanted its political values to be accepted

universally … In order to achieve this, a monumental

effort of abstraction and simplification was needed …

Properly speaking, it was not to be a civilization at

all but something closer to an operating system …

no more than an abstract framework within which

different cultural possibilities could be explored.

Western values were not to stand for one

particular ‘way of life’ against another —

they establish procedures, according to

which those big questions (how to live)

may later be decided”.

Today, as the West turns away from its own key

leitmotif – tolerance – and towards weird ‘cancel

culture’ abstractions, it becomes questionable

whether it can compete as a civilisational

state and maintain a presence. And if

it can’t?

A new order may come into being following one of two

events: The West may simply self-destruct, following

some systemic financial ‘breakage’, and the

consequent economic contraction. Or....

alternatively a Russian decisive victory

in Ukraine just may be enough finally

to ‘cook the dish’.

Wow... Mr Crooke certainly knows

how to serve up a fascinating dish.

What do you think?

____________________________________

Europe cannot agree on

what the price ceiling

on Russian oil and

gas should be

November 26th, 2:34pm

https://en.news-front.info/

How strange it is! EU diplomats said.... that most

European countries, led by France and Germany,

supported a price ceiling on Russian oil and gas.

They have not yet accepted it, but simply

because they cannot agree... on what

the ceiling should be.

The only thing they are concerned about is whether

they will be able to comply with it. It has to be

respected… They are not worried about EU

energy prices, cutting down trees, about

36 000 elderly people froze to death in

England last year --- because there
wasn't enough money for high

temperatures in their

homes (this is not

propaganda, the

BBC has it).

Some in the EU are straightforwardly convinced that

we should make the ceiling no higher than $30 and

it will surely punish Russia, hurt it. Obviously,
that is what individuals from the countries
of limitrophs think – the Baltic states,
plus Poland, but they are really
discussing it with them.

Erdogan is starting to build a gas hub; Qatar sent them

and signed a long-term contract with China; Algeria is

asking to join BRICS; the U.S. says bluntly: sorry, we

will not have much gas. But stupidity is like

space – limitless.

These freaks in the European Parliament, in the

leadership of individual countries, the entire

European Commission, do not learn history,

and their knowledge is fragmentary. They

even have all sorts of Ph.D. degrees or

some J.D., but to explain to this Ph.D.

that regulating gas and oil prices...

is impossible.

The funny thing is, in the short term oil prices, for

example, will fall. They will fall, because there

will be a recession in the world, demand will

go down and prices will go down with it. And

then these idiots will decide -- why not limit

prices on everything and end inflation? For

Russian fertilizers, wheat, and then they

will decide to regulate the prices of
not only Russian products…

And maybe we, as humanitarian aid, should unload

their stupid macroeconomics textbooks, with

which we have been brainwashed? By the

way, one of the authors, is economist

Jeffrey Sachs, ---once one of the 100

most influential people in the world,

who has now, incidentally, had an

epiphany and says that the US is

the main Mordor… Everything is

mixed up…

What do YOU think?

Are you mixed up too?

___________________________________

‘Is Washington Our Ally or Not?’:

EU Officials Accuse US

of Profiteering Off

Ukraine Crisis

November 25th, 6:41pm

(Sputnik)

The allegations come as temperatures across Europe

continue to drop, and amid the bombshell revelation

by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson this

week that the UK’s European allies recognized the

economic fallout which would accompany a long

Russia-Ukraine conflict, and sought its speedy

resolution in the spring.

European Union officials and diplomats have accused

Washington of profiteering off the Ukraine crisis via

energy and weapons sales -- and warned that the

mood is shifting against the US among its allies

on the other side of the Atlantic.

“The fact is, if you look at it soberly, the country that

is most profiting from this war is the US because

they are selling more gas, and at higher prices,

and because they are selling more weapons,”

one senior European official told a German-

owned media group --- on condition

of anonymity.

“We are really at a historic juncture…America needs

to realize that public opinion is shifting in many EU

countries,” the official added, warning --- that

skyrocketing energy costs & transatlantic

tensions over trade, risk fracturing the

Western bloc.

An unnamed US official dismissed these concerns,

assuring that American energy companies “have

been transparent & reliable suppliers of natural

gas to Europe,” that prices are set by market

considerations, and that resellers, not US

exporters, skim much of the profits off

energy deliveries destined for Europe.

European officials expressed similar concerns

regarding America’s profiteering from arms

sales, with one EU diplomat saying “the

money they are making, on weapons”

should help Washington realize: that

the profits they’re making from gas

deliveries may be “a bit too much”

...and that a discount for fuel to

Europe could “keep united..

our public opinion.”

“It’s not good, in terms of optics, to give the

impression... that your best ally is actually

making huge profits out of your troubles,”

the anonymous diplomat complained,

citing concerns in Brussels that

building up depleted weapons

stocks could take “years”

to achieve.

Another official complained about the Inflation

Reduction Act (IRA), a controversial law

passed in August, designed to curb

inflation and ramp up domestic

energy production and clean

energy, but which Brussels

has condemned.. for its

discrimination against

European goods ---- in

violation of WTO rules.

The IRA “changed everything” and has

prompted questions in Europe to the

effect of: “is Washington still our

ally or not?” the EU official said.

One French Foreign Ministry official complained

that the law amounts to.... “discriminatory

subsidies that will distort competition.”

A US official assured... that the IRA was not aimed at

undermining European industry or competitiveness.

“This is not a zero-sum game,” the official said.

“The IRA will grow the pie for clean energy

investments, not split it.”

Open Acrimony

The exchange of anonymous comments... by officials

and diplomats to media comes against the backdrop

of harsh back-and-forth remarks by officials on both

sides of the Atlantic in public regarding the IRA and

energy, with French President, Emmanuel Macron..

leading the increasingly angry rhetoric.

“Their costs of energy are so much lower, as they are

producers. They sell their gas for 3-4 times less than

we have to pay, and they have also great subsidies

from the state in some areas, up to 90 percent.

That is unfair. These are double standards,”

Macron complained, in October.

“The United States produces cheap gas that they sell

to us at a high price, and on top of that, they have

taken massive state aid measures in certain

sectors that are completely outside our

market projects,” Macron expanded,

earlier this month.

Paris estimates that the IRA could cost France alone

up to eight billion euros in investments if companies

shift operations to the US to take advantage of

the subsidies.

Hundreds of European companies, including steel and

chemical manufacturers, carmakers, pharmaceutical

companies, and food producers have already shifted

operations to the US to take advantage of lower

energy costs and state incentives, threatening

the European Union with deindustrialization

and widespread job losses.

European officials appeared to have been cognizant of

the threat the Ukraine crisis posed to their economic

well-being, as far back as the spring, with Boris

Johnson revealing this week, that there were

“sound economic reasons” for Germany to

seek a swift Russia-Ukraine peace

agreement to prevent the crisis

from turning into a long,

drawn-out conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly

warned French, German... and other European

leaders of the folly of their anti-Russia policy,

characterizing EU sanctions on Russian

energy as “suicidal” and stressing that

the loss of cheap and dependable

Russian oil and gas - would strip

the bloc of its global economic

competitiveness.

Rhondda Records believes in

fighting for better leadership.

What do YOU believe in?

_________________________________

Journalist-Run, Intelligence-Linked

Operation That Warped British

Pandemic Policy
by Kit Klarenberg

November 23rd, 2022

(Strategic Culture Foundation)

Presented as an independent voice for “unbiased”

scientific advice --- iSAGE provided a channel for

media spinmeisters, spies & psy-op specialists

to influence Britain’s pandemic policy without

accountability. Leaked internal emails show

members fretting over its unethical methods.

Throughout Britain’s response to the COVID-19 crisis,

a lobbying group... known as the Independent

Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies

(iSAGE) served as a key driving force

behind the government’s most

draconian lockdown policies.

While it presented itself..... as a non-governmental

organization composed of forward-thinking health

experts, The Grayzone can reveal iSAGE not only

maintains an array of ties to the British security

state, while relying largely on political, rather

than scientific, considerations when crafting

policy recommendations.

With Winter ahead in Europe and calls for the

reimposition of COVID-19 restrictions...

growing once again — not least from

iSAGE itself - the outfit’s endeavours

provide a disturbing look at the role

of the security state and the main-

stream media -- in corrupting

British public health policy.

Nearly three years since the world first heard of

COVID-19, societies across the globe, are still

reeling: from prolonged lockdowns and harsh

social restrictions which many governments

implemented in order to supposedly “stop

the spread” of the virus. Britain is no

exception, and while the full long-

term impact of such measures

remains unknown, some

grueling effects are

already painfully

apparent.

Patients receiving care for cancer, cardiovascular, and

respiratory disease were prevented from accessing

routine treatment; rates of clinical depression, and

mobile phone addiction among university students

skyrocketed; adults of all ages report worsening

mental health conditions; and the number of

Britons seeking help for drug addiction

increased by 81% between 2020

and 2021.

Meanwhile, school closures exposed Britain’s youth,

to food insecurity and increased likelihood of falling

victim to domestic abuse, while a rapid digitization

of education, further widened learning gaps

between wealthy and low-income

students in the country.

“We were mesmerized by the once-in-a-century scale

of the emergency -- and succeeded only in making a

crisis even worse. In short, we panicked,”
lamented Professor Mark Woolhouse,
an Edinburgh University epidemio-
logist, inJanuary 2022.

As with many contemporary critics of the British

government’s initial “Zero COVID” strategy,

Woolhouse argued a targeted response to

protect the most vulnerable members of

society, such as the elderly, would have

done more to curb Britain’s death toll

than blanket, nationwide lockdowns.

“This was an epidemic crying out for a precision

public health approach and it got the opposite,”

he explained.

Behind some of the most socially destructive

pandemic policies implemented by the British

government was iSAGE, a shady organization

...founded by a Russia-obsessed Guardian

pundit, and advised by spies, behavioral

psychologists and media influencers,

without backgrounds in science

or medicine.

Founded in May 2020, by David King, a former chief

scientific adviser, to Labour Prime Ministers, Tony

Blair and Gordon Brown, iSAGE initially set out to

agitate for greater transparency around state

health policy, while providing “robust,

unbiased advice”... to the public and

government. It rapidly transformed

into a powerful, wholly unaccount-

able lobbying group, aggressively

pushing for “Zero COVID”

measures.

For almost two years, iSAGE members were a fixture

in both British and international media. Senior

politicians and pundits effusively endorsed

the group’s pronouncements... on the

pandemic, and its weekly YouTube

briefings, racked up tens of

thousands of views.

Its representatives used their popular platforms
to call for extensive control and suppression

measures, including contact tracing, mass

testing, border quarantines, lockdowns,

and the implementation of mitigation

software... in order to stop the

transmission of COVID-19.

Confusion regarding iSAGE’s name, given its obvious

similarity to the British government’s official

Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies

(SAGE) --- only increased the group’s

prominence. Very quickly after its

launch, iSAGE began to not only

work in parallel with its govern-

ment namesake, but supplant
it in the public mind.

Despite its enormous influence.... iSAGE and its

members have largely avoided public scrutiny.

Little is known about the forces guiding and

shaping its activities, or whether its

representatives.. are advancing an

ulterior agenda at odds with their

stated commitment to providing

“unbiased” scientific advice.

iSAGE pushes lockdowns “without sufficient

scientific expertise or scientific evidence

to inform it”

It was on iSAGE’s official launch date in May 2020 that

its founding objective... of securing publication of the

identities of SAGE, and its papers, was achieved.

Previously, the body’s composition, and the evidence

underpinning its decisions was entirely hidden from

public view - which stoked significant controversy,

particularly given its initial heel-dragging over the

implementation of protective COVID-19 measures.

Emboldened by this immediate success, former iSAGE

member, Allyson Pollock, claims the group “rapidly

moved away” from its initial transparency agenda

“to wanting to make policy” itself. Unknown to

the public at the time, iSAGE’s transformation

from government watchdog project into the

premier public health policy-making

activist group, prompted an

internal revolt.

“Often, [iSAGE] ended up advocating things... when it

hadn’t sufficiently thought through the uncertainties

in the evidence and the potential for harm,” Pollock,

who worked as a clinical professor of public health

at Newcastle University, alleges. She cites

“prolonged lockdowns, school closures,

and mass testing,” as examples

of iSAGE’s misguided

recommendations.

According to Pollock, the group offered policy advice

“sometimes without sufficient scientific expertise or

scientific evidence to inform it.” She expressed

vehement opposition when the group officially

adopted its “Zero COVID” position in July 2020,

believing it lacked any basis in science. Two

months later, the group declined to renew

her membership.

iSAGE’s push for Zero COVID appeared.. oddly timed,

and the group itself acknowledged total eradication

of a disease --- had only ever been achieved once in

history, in the case of smallpox. Britain was at that

point, beginning to reopen after a four-month lock-

down, in line with SAGE advice. In theory though,

as iSAGE was an entirely separate entity from

SAGE --- it was free to advocate for whatever

mitigation strategies it deemed appropriate.

In practice though, an overlap in the membership

of both bodies as well as their virtually identical

names, blurred lines between the two groups.

British government chief scientific advisor

Patrick Vallance claims he explicitly

warned iSAGE founder David King

against using any derivation of

“SAGE” for the title of his new

group, believing it would

puzzle and mislead

the public.

Despite apparently pledging to not emulate the name,

King did so anyway. The “Independent” prefix was

even more problematic, as it clearly implied that

SAGE was not a trustworthy, autonomous

organization.... while iSAGE issued

impartial, more credible advice,

by contrast.

iSAGE gathers influence by fueling confusion

As predicted, the two groups’ duplicate names

muddied the waters on public and government

messaging around COVID-19, leading to

numerous troubling -- if not outright

dangerous -- blunders on the part

of journalists, pundits, and

elected lawmakers alike.

SAGE member, Ian Boyd, claims such chaos was

intentional. In October 2021, he told The British

Medical Journal the 2 groups’ names “created

confusion... and was a device used by those

organising [iSAGE] to set up unnecessary

friction.” In the same article, another

academic, suggested iSAGE’s title

implied the body was “somehow

more authoritative than it

actually is.”

Public disorientation was compounded by the fact that

several members of SAGE also moonlighted as iSAGE

experts. Take the example of Susan Michie --- a left-

wing political activist and self-styled “behavioural

change” expert, who served with both iSAGE and

SAGE, advising the secretive governmental SPI-B

council of behavioral psychologists, that fear

-mongered the public into compliance with

official pandemic policy. Media reports on

Michie almost universally referred to her

simply as a “SAGE scientist,” creating

the impression that her comments

represented the British

government’s official

position.

Michie became a symbol of iSAGE’s advocacy for a

permanent biomedical security state. During a

June 2021 interview, she argued that social

distancing and mask mandates should

“continue forever.”

Susan Michie says we will need to wear masks and

socially distance from our fellow human beings ‘for

ever’. Remember she is a member of SAGE and

‘Independent’ SAGE. https://t.co/ewuzyvNozV

— Neil Clark (@NeilClark66) June 10, 2021

At no point did the mainstream British media

acknowledge that Michie’s background did

not necessarily qualify her to recommend

policy for a public health crisis. Rather,
a clinical psychologist represented

precisely the type of character

who could be called upon to

manipulate the public into

accepting extreme

lockdowns.

Michie was not the only iSAGE representative that

news outlets presented as a “scientist” despite

an apparent lack of relevant credentials in

epidemiology, virology -- or public health

management. Another long-time media

favorite was... iSAGE mathematician

Christina Pagel, who was promoted

as a credible expert, despite her

routinely misreading and

misrepresenting data.

On the flip side, mainstream media wrongly

characterized members of iSAGE who were

not part of SAGE as representatives of the

latter on numerous occasions. Similarly,

the press erroneously presented iSAGE

recommendations as official SAGE

advice more than once.

In May 2020, Labour party deputy leader Angela

Rayner, mistakenly declared that SAGE had

warned against the planned June the 1st

reopening of schools as “too soon,”

implying the British government

was recklessly ''discounting''

recommendations from its

own in-house scientific

advisors. She was in

fact referring to a

report produced

by iSAGE ----

not SAGE.

Conversely, SAGE’s own research cautioned that

blanket school closures would result in children

experiencing “a shock to their education which

will persist and affect their educational and

work outcomes for the rest of their lives.”

It predicted that extended periods of home

learning would gravely deepen inequalities

between pupils, and leave early-stage

learning and behavioral disorders

undetected.

As scheduled, England began to reopen schools

in September 2020 ----- although they were shut

down once again that December. Independent

SAGE representatives then steadfastly

opposed mass reopenings in Spring

2021, and regularly criticised the

move for months thereafter.

In October that year, a United Nations report

concluded countless children worldwide had

been harshly impacted emotionally and

psychologically, by school closures,

leading to greatly increased “fear

and stress, anxiety, depression,

anger, irritability, inattention”

as well as “irregular physical

activity and sleep patterns.”

A total confirmation of SAGE’s

initial warnings --- against

blanket school closures.

The UN’s withering judgement may explain why iSAGE

representatives have since deleted social media

posts in which they aggressively advocated for

keeping children out of classrooms until COVID

-19 was completely eradicated. Still, some

evidence of their advocacy remains

extant today, including a July 2020

livestream on mask mandates ----

billed as a “public consultation.”

“I don’t believe schools should be opened until we’ve

approached Zero COVID. This is a big challenge,”

David King declared in that discussion. “It means,

over to the government, ‘please lock us down,

manage the disease, bring it right down to

roughly a level of one in a million people,’

and we’ll manage to open schools
much more safely.”

Not-so-Independent SAGE riddled

with conflicts of interest

It was not until July 2021 the British media began

probing into the scientific collective with any

critical scrutiny. That month, The Daily

Telegraph revealed.. a shadowy outfit

called The Citizens was responsible

for establishing iSAGE.

The Citizens was itself led by Carole Cadwalladr, the

Russia-obsessed Guardian columnist who won a

series of high profile awards for reporting

claiming the data firm SCL-Cambridge

Analytica served as a channel ----- for

Russian meddling in the Brexit vote.

As Alex Rubinstein reported for The

Grayzone, Cadwalladr’s reporting

was comprehensively discredited

by a 2020 British parliamentary

report that found no evidence

whatsoever of Russian

involvement in Brexit.

Not the first time Facebook has had a fake

whistleblower! https://t.co/AvoRlHPtEQ

— Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi) October 6, 2021

In response to the revelation that The Citizens had

spawned iSAGE, Cadwalladr insisted The Citizens’

connection to the group had been publicly stated

on iSAGE’s website since its launch. Though her

claim was technically accurate, the link had

never been acknowledged in media

appearances by iSAGE members,

let alone by Cadwalladr herself.

What’s more, the relevant passage on iSAGE’s

website merely refers to The Citizens as a

“small support team, helping Independent

SAGE with its public events and

media activities.”

This characterization significantly downplays the

scale and nature of the relationship between The

Citizens and iSAGE. It was around the time of the

Telegraph exposé that Cadwalladr updated her

own Twitter profile to describe herself as a

“cofounder” of The Citizens, the “parent”

of iSAGE. Meanwhile, The Citizens’

Twitter characterizes itself as

iSAGE’s “founder and

producer.”

Official records of a June 2020 meeting of iSAGE’s

‘Behavioural Advisory Group’ show the organization

received significant direction and assistance from

another unacknowledged source. Zack King,

representative of PR firm Firstlight Group,

took a lead role in proceedings,

introducing “the work of

Independent SAGE to

date,” and leading a

dedicated discussion

on press relations.

Along the way, King stressed that he and Cadwalladr
“handled press issues,” and iSAGE “can use both of
them” if the organization’s behavioral scientists
wanted to “involve” the media in its activities.

“Zack and Carole work together on press side.
Most press relations are undertaken via Zack
and his PR firm,” the minutes state.

In January the next year, a blog titled, “Holding the

government to account” was published on Firstl-

ight’s website, laying out the “ambitious media

plan” the company pursued in order to “build

the group’s profile as quickly as possible”

and “grow the group’s influence” upon

launch. The proposal called for 36

weekly media and public briefings

and “countless one-to-one inter-

views and bylines.”

Within six months, iSAGE was “agenda-setting,”

Firstlight boasted --- “and this publicity

empowered them --- to drive change,”

including its “Zero COVID” approach

“being adopted by parts of the Welsh,

Scottish & Northern Irish devolved

governments.” At no point was it

disclosed that Zack King is the

son of iSAGE chief David King,

a fact the former is keen

to conceal.

Leaked iSAGE communications reviewed by The

Grayzone, indicate Firstlight was rewarded

handsomely, for its media manipulation. In

late May 2020, when Cadwalladr proposed

starting a crowd-funder for the operation,

iSAGE member Allyson Pollock, said she
was growing uneasy about the initiative.
She was “extremely anxious” re seeking

such finance for a “short-term project,”

and proposed raising funds, via other

non-public means, even offering to

contribute to expenses herself.

Pollock’s concerns were extensive. There was no

clarity, on what the money was needed for “and

how much and how long and exactly who for,”

she complained, especially given that iSAGE

members were working pro bono. Further,

the group had collectively decided to

recruit resident academics with

stable incomes plus volunteers

living off guaranteed govern

-ment financial support.

“Everyone on the committee is in employment and

some of us are on very good salaries. So, should

we not be contributing if we need to, that would

be public spirited and in the spirit of what we
are doing,” Pollock fretted. “The public are
very hard pressed at the moment and I
don’t feel at all comfortable
crowdfunding.”

David King attempted to reassure Pollock that any

sums received would not be used to enrich iSAGE

members, but to instead cover invoices to the

PR firm, Firstlight. Remuneration for

“professional expertise” would be

solicited elsewhere, he promised.

Cadwalladr also weighed in, remarking that Pollock

“won’t be aware.. of the behind-the-scenes work

that has been involved... in getting the project

this far,” including “the unavoidable expense

involved particularly in handling the media.”

What services those costs would have

covered in the midst of a national

lockdown remains unclear.

That June, The Citizens launched a dedicated

crowdfunder for iSAGE which raised £60,000.

An accompanying blurb was vague on how

donations would be spent, merely stating

it would help the organisation yo “keep

following the science.” No mention

was made.. of bankrolling a wide-

ranging media blitz, courtesy of

the son of iSAGE’s founder.

The Citizens rakes in donations from

regime change cut-out Omidyar

The decision by iSage to launch a fundraising

campaign, while the British public suffered

widespread unemployment, hardship, and

financial uncertainty – and despite wholly

reasonable & legitimate internal dissent

is rendered all the more perverse, given

The Citizens has received hundreds of

thousands of dollars from Luminate.

As Grayzone editor Max Blumenthal documented in

an investigation with Alex Rubinstein, Luminate is

an integral component of intelligence-linked US

oligarch, Pierre Omidyar’s global propaganda

and regime change network.

The 2018-2022 strategic plan of @Pierre Omidyar’s

@luminategroup lists “counter[ing]” Russia and

China & “provid[ing] critical support” to groups

in “countries in transition” as top priorities.

That’s code for supplementing US regime

change operations. https://t.co/

AXFBhAduCR pic.twitter.com/

gwPmC9da2s

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal)

September 9, 2020

In 2020, Luminate gifted The Citizens $150,000 to

develop the “Real Facebook Oversight Board”,

and $300,000 ostensibly to produce “impact

journalism to hold government and big tech

to account.” Cadwalladr also claims... the

CIA-connected Ford Foundation provided

some support, although no record of the

donation is recorded on the

Foundation’s website.

A 2016 report on Omidyar Network activities in West

Africa underlines how the billionaire’s media assets

are used to further his commercial interests. One

passage refers to “converting passive readers to

active citizens” by sponsoring the publication of

“politically opportunistic” content, in order to

“motivate citizens and government to act.”

The report went on to cite “recent, major

successes” the billionaire’s network had

enjoyed in Nigeria, where Omidyar

effectively owns the local

tech sector.

“With the spectre of potential citizen mobilization

looming in politicians’ minds, media outlets also

have the potential to elicit government response

directly,” the report boasted. “In some cases…

government was motivated to act in order to

prevent citizen action [emphasis added],

instead of in response to it.”

Between March and July 2020, Omidyar’s personal

wealth grew by $9 billion, in no small part due to

the “Covid-proof” business interests he had

fostered around the globe. These included

expansive investments in ed-tech, digital

health & online content, which became

major growth industries.... due to

lockdown policies.

By contrast, it’s difficult to identify how The Citizens

put its lavish Luminate grants to work. Omidyar was

clearly happy with the results, however, giving the

organisation another $300,000 in 2021.

Today, the Real Facebook Oversight Board consists

of an infrequently updated Medium blog with 225

followers. There is no sign either of any “impact

journalism” from The Citizens, save for a long-

dormant Substack, and legal action against

the British government ...over its purported

failure to investigate Russian interference

in elections.

Despite their lavish Omidyar financing, Cadwalladr’s

group again turned to crowdfunding for that effort,

raising tens of thousands from the public before

its legal push was thrown out by a High Court

judge as the case was “inarguable.”

Discredited former MI6 agent Christopher
Steele advises iSAGE

The Citizens’ website, which has been ''in construction”

for most of its existence, once featured a dedicated

profile of disgraced former MI6 spy and former FBI

contractor Christopher Steele. And The Citizens

founder Cadwalladr --- has been a fervent fan of
the intelligence huckster, lionizing him despite

his ‘Trump-Russia’ dossier having been

comprehensively exposed as a fraud -

compiled with rumours and tall tales

fed to him by a single dubious

source --- for cash.

Orbis Director Christopher Steele.... moderated a

fascinating panel discussion following a special

screening of #TheGreatHack hosted by

@liviafirth and @firthcom. Thank you to

@carolecadwalla, @edwardlucas and

Mike Lerner @roastbeeftv for your

participation. pic.twitter.com/

ZQ49ZzG1rU

— Orbis Business Intelligence

(@OrbisBIOfficial) January

7th, 2020

In email exchanges with The Grayzone, Zack King,

the PR agent and son of iSAGE’s founder, initially

contended The Citizens “drew on a wide and

diverse collection of unpaid advisors before

it launched.” Christopher Steele was among

them, though according to King, he “never

played any active or other role” in The

Citizens or iSAGE.

Requests for details on the services Steele provided

for The Citizens before its public inauguration were

ignored. When asked why the group’s website

featured his profile... if he was no longer

involved in any capacity, King revealed

Steele was actually part of “a network

of pro-bono advisors we can call upon

as needed.” He therefore implied
the former spook could provide

indeterminate support at any
time, to The Citizens,

and perhaps iSage,

as well.

Steele’s intimate but mysterious involvement with an

influential outfit that shaped government policy and

public perceptions on COVID-19 is troubling, given

the power grab --- that British security and

intelligence services carried out, under

cover of pandemic prevention.

Britain’s security state merges with the public

health sector under cover of tracking Covid

In May 2020, the same month iSAGE was launched,

London rolled out an initiative called the Joint

Biosecurity Centre (JBC). The JBC... was

advertised as a state-of-the-art system

providing “evidence-based, objective

analysis to inform local and national

decision-making in response to

COVID19 outbreaks.”

Purportedly tracking the virus’ spread, in real-time, its

coronavirus “alert level” was directly modeled on the

Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre’s “traffic light”

system, established in 2003.

JBC was first led by Tom Hurd, a veteran intelligence

official who months earlier had been put forward as

the likely next MI6 chief. Hurd... soon returned to

running counter-terrorism for the Home Office,

however, and was replaced by senior GCHQ

operative Clare Gardiner. Her appointment

reportedly came at the behest of Cabinet

Secretary Simon Case, GCHQ’s former

Director of Strategy.

At the time, concerns were rising... about the growing

role of intelligence service personnel --- in managing

the pandemic - particularly given their abject failure

to sound any alarm on COVID-19 before it circulated

among the general public. But any resistance to the

integration of the security state with the public

health sector -- was comprehensively shunted

aside, when the British government replaced

Public Health England, with the Health

Security Agency, of which, the JBC

became a subdivision.

Despite the body’s enormous and constantly

expanding power, the opaque JBC, has

entirely eluded scrutiny from British

media since its launch.

Its membership, the minutes of its meetings, data,

analysis, and arguments, all remain a secret,

while it maintains the power -- to impose

restrictions if not outright lockdowns

-- without explanation or warning

at any time.

In October 2020, as Britain edged towards a second

national shutdown, parliamentarians demanded the

publication of JBC’s deliberations, evidence

sources, and key personnel be published.

On each point -- they were shut down by

the government. In justifying its refusal

to disclose members’ identities,

Downing Street... claimed the

Centre is “largely staffed by

civil servants,” meaning it

was “not appropriate” to

name them.

Given that the veteran GCHQ spy Clare Gardiner was

merely referred to as a “senior civil servant”.. in an

official press release announcing her appointment

to lead JBC, the question must be asked: is the

centre “largely staffed” by intelligence

operatives?

Gardiner left her post in mid-June 2021 without any

official announcement, and the position has been

vacant ever since. At least, no replacement has

been publicly mentioned, and no one has asked

officials for clarity. Given the enormous clout

exerted by the body to this day it's staggering

that not one single journalist or campaigner

...has demanded answers.

Indeed, contrary to their professed, principled

commitment to scientific transparency, and

their initial calls to break the wall of official

silence surrounding the British government’s

scientific advisory group’s composition, and

thinking, iSAGE and The Citizens have made

no attempt to pressure the government to

release any information on the JBC or

Health Security Agency.

As we will see in further installments in this

investigation, leaked emails absolutely

debunk the stated commitment by

iSAGE and The Citizens to

“following the science.”

thegrayzone.com

The views of individual contributors do not

necessarily represent those of the

Strategic Culture Foundation.

[or Rhondda Records]

Murky, eh? What

....do YOU think?

_____________________________________

Raids at Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

point to Kiev regime’s moral

degradation — HRC

November 22nd, 5:47pm (TASS)

Conducting raids at Kiev-Pechersk Lavra monastery,
indicates a complete moral degradation of the Kiev
regime, according to the head of the permanent
committee on international cooperation in the

sphere of human rights of the Presidential

Council for the Development of Civil

Society and Human Rights,

Kirill Vyshinsky.

"The image of the Lavra as a pillar of spirituality.. has

always been a beacon for people during the hardest

times. And when it is being brazenly dragged into

politics, and pummeled with absurd accusations,

this testifies to a complete moral degradation of

the Kiev regime. It is clear that the SBU would

not have dared to do so without a

presidential order," he said, as

quoted by the HRC press

service on Tuesday.

Vyshinsky added that Ukrainian nationalists have

always wanted to take possession of the Kiev-

Pechersk Lavra. According to him, slogans to

take over the oldest monastery were voiced

during the Maidan events in 2004 and 2014.

"Yet I will reiterate that there have always been the

devout who defended the Lavra from adversaries.

I hope to God, there will be some now as well,"

he added.

Earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU),

confirmed it was conducting searches at the

Kiev-Pechersk Lavra; explaining them by the

need to protect residents from provocations

and terror attacks. On November 13th, the

SBU opened a criminal case over chants

about Russia being performed at one of

the churches of the Kiev-Pechersk

Lavra of the Ukrainian Orthodox

Church.

The SBU also reported that its members were

inspecting the premises of two Ukrainian

Orthodox monasteries, in Rovno region.

What do you think?
Moral degredation
or much ado...?

_____________________________________

The West is preparing

an invasion of Belarus

November 20th, 9:19am

https://en.news-front.info/

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya publicly declares that her

victory in the presidential election in Belarus, was

stolen by Alexander Lukashenko & Vladimir Putin.

Authorities have been talking about possible foreign

invasion of Belarus since 2020. Today, the threat of

intervention has begun to take real shape. A not

inconsiderable role is being played here by the

fugitive Belarusian opposition.

By now, it is not only about the incessant military

exercises of the NATO countries near the borders

of Belarus and Russia. Poland --- and the Baltic

states have already started to form a bridge-

head for a future intervention.

This is evidenced... by the modernization of Polish and

Baltic airfields, the reconstruction of training centres

and firing ranges, and the increases in the number of

armed forces stationed near the Belarusian border.

Poland is planning to increase its army to 300 000 men

and arm it with 1 500 modern tanks and BMPs, 1 200

mobile artillery units and several thousands of light

armoured vehicles. Tanks, helicopters and HIMARS

are to be bought from the United States, and

howitzers and artillery rockets from

South Korea.

It is planned to expand the presence of US troops on

the borders of Poland with Belarus, primarily the

101st Airborne Division, which can become

the strike fist of the invasion.

However, it is impossible to organise an intervention

without a political and ideological justification. This

is what a runaway Belarusian opposition... is

needed for.

First, we are talking about Svetlana Tikhanovskaya

and her entourage. Over the last month the fugitive

opposition activist made several trips to European

countries where she was welcomed on an official

level. In early November, Tikhanovskaya went to

Strasbourg for the first meeting of the contact

group of the Belarusian opposition and the

Council of Europe (CoE).

After that, she was welcomed in Iceland, which now

chairs the Council of Europe and will preside over

the Nordic Council from 2023. In Reykjavik,

Tihanovska was met by the Prime Minister,

the head of the Foreign Ministry and

members of parliament. The hosts

heard from the guest a request for

assistance in raising her inter-

national status.

In particular, she suggested initiating “the launch of

projects to support civil society & prepare reforms

within the framework of the Contact Group under

the Council of Europe”, inviting “representatives

of Belarusian political organizations and parties

to PACE as observers”, “to initiate an

investigation of the Lukashenko

regime crimes in international

institutions in one of three

areas: crimes against

humanity, aiding... to

military aggression,

migration crisis”.

On 14 November, Tikhanovska spoke to the EU foreign

ministers on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council

of the European Union for Foreign Affairs. There she

demanded to “put Belarus back on the agenda”,

“institutionalise relations with democratic forces

in the European Parliament following the

example of the Council of Europe”, and

“support Belarusian activists,

volunteers and volunteers

in Ukraine”.

Two days later, Tikhanovska could be

seen in Prague, where she met with

representatives of the

Czech parliament.

The crowning feature of Tikhanovska’s ideological

work was her article in Politico “I am the elected

president of Belarus, and together we will win”.

In it Tihanovskaya proclaimed herself

“president”, claiming that her victory

had been stolen ---- by Alexander

Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin.

She accused the Russian president of sending

“propagandists to Belarus and preparing

forces for an invasion”, securing from

the Belarusian leader “support for

armed aggression against

Ukraine”.

The purpose of Tikhanovska’s surge is to justify a

Western invasion of Belarus. The rhetoric of the

Belarusian opposition has increasingly referred

to the “occupation” of the republic by Russia

and the need for Western support for the

“national liberation movement”.

Representatives of the Kiev regime have already

addressed international institutions with a

proposal to declare Belarus an “occupied”

territory. All this resonates in the EU.

Thus, at the beginning of November, a member of the

Polish Sejm Pawel Kowal stated that Brussels and

Washington should “recognize Tihanowska as the

president of Belarus, recognize her government,

recognize them as members of the anti-Putin

coalition”, unless Lukashenko refuses to

support Russia.

In parallel, work is underway to destabilise the

situation in the republic -- under the Peramoha

(Victory) plan. According to Franak Viachorko,

advisor to Tihanova, “guerrillas” are already

operating in Belarus and the plan itself has

been restructured - “to fight the Russian

occupiers”. According to him, there is

a large “underground” in the republic,

structures are being prepared and

“at the right moment”, will be

mobilized for a coup, and

tens of thousands... of

“volunteers”, transmit

information about the

movement of the

Belarusian and

Russian military.

According to Sergei Terebov, first deputy chairman

of the Belarusian State Security Committee, the

opposition ''has one goal: to delegitimize the

incumbent authorities and justify terrorist

acts and sabotage.''

Among the main activities of Lukashenko’s opponents

in the coming winter, the KGB calls the work in the

''student and teaching environment.'' It is known

that the administrations of some Telegram

channels set tasks to their subscribers

''to equip hiding places... for tools,

construction, and other special

equipment, that can be used

in riots and for subversive

purposes.''

Meanwhile, the fugitive opposition, which previously

denied any such allegations, is now making no

secret of the fact that it is preparing the

ground for an armed coup.

According to the “joint transition office” of

Tikhanovska, their nearest plans include

“the establishment of cooperation with

the units of the Belarusian volunteers

in Ukraine,” “raising the capacity of

power units to the level necessary

to perform key tasks” --- and ''the

establishment of stable working

relations, with the Ukrainian

state authorities --- with the

aim of jointly counteracting

the Russian aggression and

de-occupation of Belarus.''

The main intention is to create a situation in the

country that would allow the West to declare

the need for a “peacekeeping” or “de-

occupation” mission in the republic.

Groups of trained fighters, such as the “Kastus

Kalinovsky regiment”, will be used as the first

wave to cover a full-scale invasion of Belarus.

Minsk cannot fail to understand this. This means

that the Belarusian authorities will strengthen

their control over the situation as soon as

possible, and the regional grouping of the

Union State forces will be increased and

re-equipped with modern weapons.

Igor Novitsky, FSC

Scaremongering?

Yellow journalism?

Or a warning to stop.

What do you think?

___________________________________

Borrell’s ideas instilled inside EU

provoking Europe’s prolonged

split — Russian diplomat

November 19th, 10am (TASS)

The ideas that EU top diplomat Josep Borrell
disseminates among member states of the

European Union show no sign of the bloc’s

strategic vision on the Russian track and

provoke a new prolonged split in Europe,

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman

Maria Zakharova said in a commentary

on Saturday.

"Unfortunately, the ideas that EU top diplomat Borrell

spreads among member states of the European

Union do not contain, as before, any hint at the

EU’s strategic vision on the Russian track and

only provoke Europe’s new prolonged split.''

''They offer no recipes for resolving accumulated
problems, as if Russia and the European Union

as geographical and civilizational neighbours

can get away from each other," the diplomat

said, commenting on Borrell’s six-point

proposals on the EU’s common

approaches to relations with

Russia... amid the

Ukraine crisis.

Hence the conclusion: that the goal of the current

EU leaders, is to be quick to give a reasonable
explanation to the attempts at bringing the

relations with Russia to the state of

political confrontation, depriving

them of their common history

and their economic base,

Zakharova pointed out.

"There can be seen the desire... to limit the

opportunities for future politicians to find

a way out of this profound crisis. Beyond

any doubt --- most of European society

shows the need for quite the opposite

in the current conditions," the

spokeswoman said.

Borrell - apparently - does not abandon the desire:

to write his name into world and European history

with dubious initiatives, the diplomat pointed out.

"However, the Spaniard has, so far, distinguished

himself ---- as the EU’s most confrontational high-

level official for all time who will be remembered

for his belligerent calls for ‘the war must be won

on the battlefield’ and racist pronouncements

about the ‘European garden’ and ‘the jungle’

besetting Europeans," the spokes-

woman recalled.

It is still early to talk about the results of the

discussions within the EU on the bloc’s

relations with Russia --- as these

discussions continue --- but

Moscow has no illusions

on this score ------ the

diplomat stressed.

Six-point proposal

Commenting on the essence of Borrell’s six-point proposal,
the Russian diplomat said this was evidence that the
Ukraine problem with the 2014 state coup inspired
by the West --- had been artificially created as an
ideological cover-up for the political, economic,

technological and humanitarian containment
of Russia to ensure the West’s hegemony
in Europe and the world as a whole.

"This is why, there is not a word in J. Borrell’s

proposals on settling the Ukraine crisis

through negotiations and, generally,

on ensuring security in Europe,"

Zakharova pointed out.

Brussels has staked on "destabilizing" the internal

political situation in Russia, cleansing the EU’s

information space from alternative viewpoints,

securing the Western Balkans as the sphere

of the EU’s influence, transferring rivalry

with Moscow to the post-Soviet space,

imposing West-centric "rules" and

"isolating" Russia, the diplomat

pointed out.

"The latter... is the obsessive idea, that has become a

real goal in itself for the EU - a futile intent that bears

solely costs for European Union countries and their

citizens ---- who have to pay for their politicians’

strategic blunders from their own pocket,"

Zakharova added.

"Indicatively most world capitals are unready to follow

the EU’s Brussels - which, by its mediaeval logic -
returns the world.. to the time of the split, high

walls and besieged fortresses. Using present

day terminology, it can be said that the EU

leadership that has - apparently - been

infected by some abnormal political

virus... has decided to self-isolate

from Russia," the spokeswoman

went on to say.

Moscow believes that the practical relevance of

the results of intra-EU discussions will largely

depend on accepting new realities.. "on the

ground" and the awareness of the need to

build security on the common European

continent together with Russia, as the

option that has no alternative, the

ability of European capitals.. to

protect --- relying on their own

sovereignty --- the interests of

their citizens... and the EU as

a whole, "without turning into

the secondary instrument of

the geopolitical expansion

of the United States and

NATO," the Russian

diplomat stressed.

What do you think?

If Russia is strong

and good, why are

we being told that

it's evil and weak?

____________________________________________

The U.S. has started talking about

Follow the money: how

Russia will bypass

western economic

warfare

by Pepe Escobar
(March 1st, 2022)

The US and EU are over-reaching on Russian

sanctions. The end result could be the de-

dollarization of the global economy and

massive commodity shortages worldwide.

So a congregation of NATO’s top brass

ensconced in their echo chambers

target the Russian Central Bank

with sanctions and expect

what? Cookies?

What they got instead was Russia’s deterrence

forces bumped up to “a special regime of duty”

– which means the Northern and Pacific fleets,

the Long-Range Aviation Command, strategic

bombers and the entire Russian nuclear

apparatus on maximum alert.

One Pentagon general very quickly did the

basic maths on that, and mere minutes

later --- a Ukrainian delegation was

dispatched to conduct negotiations

with Russia in an undisclosed

location in Gomel, Belarus.

Meanwhile, in the vassal realms, the German

government was busy “setting limits to

warmongers like Putin” --- quite a rich

undertaking -- considering that Berlin

never set any such limits for western

warmongers who bombed Yugoslavia

invaded Iraq, or destroyed Libya, in

complete violation of international

law.

While openly proclaiming their desire to “stop

the development of Russian industry” ---

damage its economy, and “ruin Russia”

--- echoing American edicts on Iraq,

Iran, Syria, Libya, Cuba, Venezuela

and others in the Global South –

the Germans could not possibly

recognize a new categorical

imperative.

They were finally liberated from their WWII

culpability complex by none other than

Russia's President, Vladimir Putin.

Germany is finally free to support

and weaponize neo-Nazis out in

the open all over again – now of

the Ukrainian Azov battalion

variety.

To get the hang of how these NATO sanctions

will “ruin Russia,” I asked for the succinct

analysis... of one of the most competent

economic minds on the planet, Michael

Hudson, author, among others, of a

revised edition of the must-read

Super-Imperialism: The

Economic Strategy of

American Empire.

Hudson remarked how he is “simply numbed

over the near-atomic escalation of the US.”

On the confiscation of Russian foreign

reserves and cut-off from SWIFT, the

main point is “it will take some time

for Russia to put in a new system,

with China. The result will end

dollarization for good, as the

countries threatened with

‘democracy’ or displaying

diplomatic independence

will be afraid to use

US banks.”

This, Hudson says, leads us to “the great

question: whether Europe and the Dollar

Bloc can buy Russian raw materials –

cobalt, palladium, etc, and whether

China will join Russia in a

minerals boycott.”

Hudson is adamant that “Russia’s Central Bank,

of course, has foreign bank assets in order to

intervene in exchange markets to defend its

currency from fluctuations. The ruble has

plunged. There will be new exchange

rates. Yet it’s up to Russia to decide

whether to sell its wheat to West

Asia, that needs it; or to stop

selling gas to Europe via

Ukraine, now that the

US can grab it.”

About the possible introduction of a new

Russia-China payment system bypassing

SWIFT, and combining the Russian SPFS

(System for Transfer of Financial

Messages) with the Chinese CIPS

(Cross-Border Interbank Payment

System), Hudson has no doubts

“the Russian-China system will

be implemented. The Global

South will seek to join and

at the same time keep

SWIFT – moving their

reserves into the

new system.”

I’m going to de-dollarize myself

So the US itself, in another massive strategic

blunder, will speed up de-dollarization. As

the managing director of Bocom Inter-

national Hong Hao told the Global

Times, with energy trade between

Europe and Russia de-dollarized,

“that will be the beginning of the

disintegration of dollar
hegemony.”

It’s a refrain the US administration was quietly

hearing, last week, from some of its own

largest multinational banks, including

notables like JPMorgan and Citigroup.

A Bloomberg article sums up

their collective fears:

“Booting Russia from the critical global system

--- which handles 42 million messages a day ---

and serves as a lifeline to some of the world’s

biggest financial institutions, could backfire,

sending inflation higher --- pushing Russia

closer to China --- and shielding financial

transactions from scrutiny by the west.

It might also encourage development

of a SWIFT alternative --- that could

eventually damage the supremacy

of the US dollar.”

Those with IQs over 50, in the European Union

(EU) must have understood that Russia simply

could not be totally excluded from SWIFT, but

maybe only a few of its banks: after all,

European traders depend on

Russian energy.

From Moscow’s point of view --- that is a minor

issue. A number of Russian banks are already

connected to China’s CIPS system. For

instance, if someone wants to buy

Russian oil and gas with CIPS,

payments must be in the

Chinese yuan currency.

CIPS is independent

of SWIFT.

Additionally, Moscow already linked its SPFS

payment system - not only to China - but also

to India and member nations of the Eurasia

Economic Union (EAEU). SPFS already

inks to approximately 400 banks.

With more Russian companies using SPFS and

CIPS, even before they merge, and other

maneuvers to bypass SWIFT, such as

barter trade – largely used by

sanctioned Iran – and agent

banks, Russia could make

up for at least 50 percent

in trade losses.

The key fact is that the flight from the US-

dominated western financial system is

now irreversible across Eurasia – and

that will proceed in tandem with the

internationalization of the yuan.

Russia has its own bag of tricks

Meanwhile, we’re not even talking yet about

Russian retaliation for these sanctions.

Former President Dmitry Medvedev

already gave a hint: everything,

from exiting all nuclear arms

deals with the US to freezing

the assets of western

companies in Russia,

is on the table.

So what does the “Empire of Lies” want?

(Putin terminology, on Monday’s meeting

in Moscow to discuss the response to

sanctions.)

In an essay published this morning, deliciously

titled America Defeats Germany for the Third

Time in a Century: the MIC, OGAM and FIRE

conquer NATO, Michael Hudson makes a

series of crucial points, starting with how

“NATO has become Europe’s foreign

policy-making body, even to the
point of dominating domestic
economic interests.”

He outlines the three oligarchies

in control of US foreign policy:

First is the military-industrial complex,

which Ray McGovern memorably

coined as MICIMATT (military

industrial Congressional

intelligence media

academia think tank).

Hudson defines their economy base as

“monopoly rent, obtained above all

from its arms sales to NATO, to

West Asian oil exporters and to

other countries with a balance

-of-payments surplus.”

Second is the oil and gas sector, joined by

mining (OGAM). Their aim is “to maximize

the price of energy and raw materials so

as to maximize natural resource rent.

Monopolizing the Dollar Area’s oil

market & isolating it from Russian

oil and gas -- has been a major US

priority for over a year now, as the

Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia

to Germany threatened to link the

western European and Russian

economies together.”

Third is the “symbiotic” Finance, Insurance

and Real Estate (FIRE) sector, which

Hudson defines as “the counterpart

to Europe’s old post-feudal landed

aristocracy living by land rents.”

As he describes these three rentier sectors that

completely dominate post-industrial finance

capitalism at the heart of the western

system, Hudson notes how “Wall St

always has been closely merged

with the oil and gas industry

(namely, the Citigroup and

Chase Manhattan banking

conglomerates).”

Hudson shows how “the most pressing US

strategic aim of NATO confrontation with

Russia, is soaring oil and gas prices. In

addition to creating profits and stock

market gains for US companies, high

energy prices will take much of the

steam out of the German economy.”

He warns how food prices will rise “headed by

wheat.” (Russia and Ukraine account for 25%

of world wheat exports.) From a Global South

perspective, that’s a disaster: “This will

squeeze many West Asian and Global

South food-deficient countries,

worsening their balance of

payments and threatening

foreign debt defaults.”

As for blocking Russian raw materials exports,

“this threatens to cause breaks in supply

chains for key materials, including

cobalt, palladium, nickel,

and aluminium.”

And that leads us, once again, to the heart of

the matter: “The long-term dream of the US

new Cold Warriors is to break up Russia, or

at least to restore its managerial klepto-

cracy, seeking to cash in their

privatizations in western

stock markets.”

That’s not going to happen. Hudson clearly

sees how “the most enormous unintended

consequence of US foreign policy --- has

been to drive Russia & China together,

along with Iran, Central Asia and

countries along the Belt and

Road initiative.”

Let’s confiscate some technology

Now compare all of the above with the

perspective of the central European

business tycoon with vast interests,

east and west, and who treasures

his discretion.

In an email exchange, the business tycoon

posed serious questions about the Russian

Central Bank support for its national

currency, the ruble, ''which according

to US planning is being destroyed by

the west, through sanctions and

currency wolf packs, who are

exposing themselves by

selling rubles short.''

''There is really almost no amount of money

that can beat the dollar manipulators

against the ruble. A 20 % interest

rate will kill Russia's economy

unnecessarily.''

The businessman argues that the chief effect of

the rate hike “would be to support imports that

should not be imported. The fall of the ruble is

thus favorable to Russia, in terms of self-

sufficiency. As import prices rise, these

goods should start to be produced

domestically. I would just let the

ruble fall to find its own level

which will - for a while - be

lower than natural forces

would permit... as the US

will be driving it lower....

through sanctions... and

short-sell manipulation..

in this form of economic

war against Russia.”

But that seems to tell only part of the story.

Arguably, the lethal weapon in Russia’s

arsenal of responses has been identified

by the head of the Centre for Economic

Research of the Institute of Globalization

and Social Movements (IGSO), Vasily

Koltashov: the key is to confiscate

technology – as in Russia ceasing

to recognize US rights to patents.

Koltashov maintains that “one of the
foundations of success of American

industry, was its copying of foreign

patents for inventions.” Now, Russia

could use “China’s extensive know

-how with its latest technological

production processes for copying

western products: the release of

American intellectual property will

cause damage to the United States

to the amount of $10 trillion, only

in the first stage. It will be a

disaster for them.”

As it stands, the strategic stupidity of the

EU beggars belief. China is ready to grab

all Russian natural resources – with

Europe left ... as a pitiful hostage of

the oceans and of wild speculators.

It looks like a total EU-Russia split

is ahead – with little trade left and

zero diplomacy.

Now listen to the sound of champagne

popping all across the MICIMATT.

Interesting times, eh?
What do YOU think is
going to occur...?

_________________________________

China: US Shirks Responsibility

for Starlink Satellites' Activities

February 11th, 10am (FNA)

The US shirks its responsibility and diverts

attention with the so-called "emergency

collision criteria", which is not a

responsible attitude that a

space power should have,

a foreign ministry spokes

-person said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at

a daily press briefing, in response to a related

query that the US denied China's notion that

Starlink satellites endangered the China

space station twice in a note sent to the

UN Office of Outer Space Affairs in

Vienna and dated January 28th,

Xinhua news agency reported.

"Because the activities did not meet the

threshold of established emergency

collision criteria, emergency

notifications were not

warranted in either

case," according

to the US' note.

China, was fulfilling the international
obligation, stipulated by Article V of

the Outer Space Treaty by informing

the UN... of the Starlink satellites'

dangerous approach to China's

space station that threatened

in-orbit Chinese astronauts,

Zhao said.

In the relevant collision avoidance events... the

US Starlink satellites are in a continuous orbit

maneuvering state, and their maneuvering

strategies and intentions.. are unknown,

Zhao said, adding: Chinese astronauts

in orbit are facing real and urgent

safety threats --- and China
was forced to implement

a preventive collision

avoidance control.

After the incidents, the Chinese authorities

tried, multiple times, to reach the US side

via e-mail, but received no reply, the

spokesperson said.

Now the US is attempting to use the so-called

threshold of emergency collision criteria, to

shift responsibilities and distract attention.

It is not showing a responsible attitude as

a space power, not to mention.. it is in no

position to unilaterally set a threshold of
emergency collision criteria, he said.

Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty, stipulates

that in the exploration and use of outer space,

States Parties to the Treaty shall be guided
by the principle of cooperation and mutual

assistance, and shall conduct all their

activities in outer space with due

regard to the corresponding

interests of all other States

Parties to the Treaty,

Zhao noted.

He said the Chinese side has submitted

registration of its space station to the

UN and released its orbital elements

on website.

"To safeguard the safety of Chinese astro-

nauts & the space station, China is ready

to establish a long-term communication
mechanism with the US side and hopes

that the US side will take concrete

measures... to prevent such

incidents from recurring,"

Zhao said.

China also hopes that all countries will jointly

respect the international system of outer
space based on international law & work

together - to safeguard the safety of in-
orbit astronauts and the safe, stable

operation of space facilities, the

spokesperson added.

[Rhondda Records adds:
a private company owned
by a megalomaniac multi
-billionaire, is operating
a maneuvering set of
dangerous satelites,
on behalf of the US,
which hates China.]

what could go wrong?

What do YOU think?

_______________________________

The CPRF is the authentic voice of
the Communist Party of Russia --
which is the 2nd largest party
in the Duma (Parliament)

If you want a thorough insight into
the recent events in Kazakhstan,
you won't do better than reading
the article below!

THE VOICE OF THE WORKING PEOPLE

OF KAZAKHSTAN - MUST BE HEARD

January 2022 (https://cprf.ru)

Kazakhstan is living through a difficult period.

The long pent-up popular discontent has

erupted into mass indignation

and protests.

Every broad movement... has multiple components.

The events in Kazakhstan involve social discontent,
the activities of “the fifth column,” and the actions

of terrorist groups. “The fifth column”... includes

extremists adhering to radical Islam, numerous

NGOs nurtured by the West, some members of

the security and military communities looking

for a chance to fish in troubled waters, and

oligarchic clans which are prepared to use

mass protests, in their struggle for power.

The fraternal peoples of Russia and Kazakhstan

are linked by the bonds of centuries of

common history.

Together we created the Soviet Union, built

and gained victories, and prided ourselves

on outstanding economic and social

achievements. Together... we have

revived integration processes:

creating the EurAsEC,

SCO and CSTO.

Today... our comrades and friends are living through a

period of trials and tribulations. Kazakhstan has been

swept by mass protests. The southern capital Alma-

Ata – has seen bloody riots, which claimed many

victims and brought devastation. An accurate

and all-round assessment of the events,

should take many things into account.

It is clear that the situation in Kazakhstan... is a direct

consequence of the tragedy that befell all of us, thirty

years ago. The collapse of the USSR, renunciation

of the socialist system and Soviet power, planted

numerous mines under the new “independent

democratic states.”

The savage capitalism into which the Soviet republics

have been plunged, inevitably doomed the people to

poverty and rightlessness, creating appalling

inequality. By the same token, our peoples

have become extremely vulnerable, in
the face of external threats.

Contrary to the promises of liberal pundits, the new

states have not become fully-fledged members of

the “civilized world.” Global capitalism, has

reduced them to the role of raw materials

appendages and markets, sources of

cheap labour and pawns in the geo-

political adventures of imperialist

powers.

Kazakhstan embarked on this slippery path. Modern

industries perished in the cesspool of privatization.

The commodity sector was rented out to foreign

capital. The oil sector is dominated by Chevron

and Exxon Mobil (USA), Total (France) Royal

Dutch Shell (UK and the Netherlands). The

transnational corporation, AlcelorMittal,

has become the new master of the

steel industry.

The nascent bourgeoisie of Kazakhstan, allied

with overseas capital, has been profiting from

exploitation of the republic’s labour & natural

resources. Just like in Russia or Ukraine, it

went to any lengths in the process of

“primary capital accumulation.”

Many of the richest people,

have - effectively - become

part of the establishment.

Like almost everywhere in the post-Soviet space,

Kazakhstan created an oligarchic-comprador

system, typical of savage capitalism.

Inequality in the republic was steadily growing. The

people got tiny morsels of the national income and

inequalities of wealth and social tensions, were

rising. In 2011 a strike of oilmen in Zhanaozen

led to clashes, in which 16 people died. The

authorities demonstrated their attitude to

the people, by raising the retirement age

to 63 for men and women.

The coronavirus pandemic finally shattered the myth

about “social peace” in Kazakhstan. Even the official

poverty figures grew. With the world poverty level at

5.5 dollars a day, one in every seven citizens is

below the poverty line.

According to surveys, the percentage of households

that cannot even put food on the table... has grown

from 3 to 13%. A further 44% say they have money
only to buy food. Meanwhile the number of dollar
billionaires --- grew from 4% to 7%, and their

combined fortunes almost doubled.

Strikes have been going on, at Kazakhstan’s

enterprises, throughout the last 2 years. The

biggest protests are in the western regions.

While these regions are the main producers

of export commodities – oil and gas – they

also have the highest level of inequality in

the country. Thousands of people were

angry about wage arrears and lay-offs

and demanded higher pay, to make

up for the constant rise of prices.

Even according to official statistics, food

inflation in the country, ran at 20% over

the past two years.

The authorities ignored the legitimate demands of the

people. Social support during the pandemic turned

out to be inadequate. People were also angry over

the harsh quarantine measures. Like in Russia...

Kazakhstan had lived through the disastrous

“optimization” of health care --- which left
them more vulnerable to the epidemic.

Some measures taken by the authorities... were

seen as humiliating. Thus -- in the autumn -- the

president promised to unfreeze part of citizens’

pension savings. However, several days before

the New Year a minimum sum of savings above

which people aged 59-62 were allowed to with-

draw part of their savings, was raised to more

than 9 million tenge, or 1.5 million robles. Only

a tiny fraction of Kazakhstan’s population has

such savings. Instead of addressing societies

problems the ruling class preferred to further

divide society, by fanning Russophobia and

ethnic hostility. Kazakhstan’s kids read in

their school textbooks about “Russian

colonialism” and “bloody Soviet

totalitarianism.”

An official campaign has been launched... for

a rehabilitation of all “victims of repressions,”

including those who collaborated with Hitler.

Monuments were reared to people like Mustafa Shokai

who collaborated with the Nazis. Streets and schools

are named after them. The authorities were ramping

up speculations about “the Kazakh Holodomor” in

gross contradiction to historical facts. The pro-

government nationalistic forces, openly

demanded that the famine be equated

to genocide --- and called for a “final

de-Communization” of the country.

Against the background of this hysterical hand-

wringing the remaining monuments to Lenin are

being brought down:- streets, regions, villages -

entire cities are being renamed. The new wave

of this political skullduggery swept the country

late last year. Dozens of streets were renamed

in Uralsk, Semei (former Semipalatinsk) and

other cities. In Karaganda the Octyabrsky

district was named after Buhkeikhanov,

leader of the bourgeois Alash party

who fought against Soviet power,

along with Kolchak and Dutrov.

Contrary to the officially proclaimed friendship of

the peoples - Kazakhstan’s leaders were steadily

restricting the use of the Russian language... and

discriminating against Russian-speaking citizens.

Late last year parliament passed a bill whereby all

visual information could only be in the Kazakh

language. Transition of the Kazakh alphabet

from Cyrillic to the Latin script, is to be

completed by 2025.

Such policies provoked an exodus of the population.

The share of Russians in the republic, dropped from

38 to 18 percent during the post-Soviet period. Thus,

in 2019 of the 45,000 who left the country 85 percent

were Russians, Ukrainians and Germans. A program

is underway in Kazakhstan... to resettle indigenous

citizens to the northern, mainly Russian-populated

regions.

“Language patrols”... are a hideous phenomenon.

Humiliating the “|non-titular nation” participants

making people apologize in front of the camera

for not knowing the Kazakh language. For a

long time the authorities turned a blind eye

to this. The authorities went through the

motions of condemning such actions,

only after they provoked an uproar

in the Russian media.

These policies were welcomed -- by numerous pro-

Western NGOs, which had dug in, in the republic.

The authorities, while coming out in support of

Eurasian integration, were flirting with the

Western capitals. Relations with the US

reached the level of Enhanced

Strategic Partnership.

Every year the republic hosts The Steppe Eagle

military exercise, jointly with NATO. With US

help, several biological laboratories have

been built, which raise many questions

among local and foreign experts.

While aiding and abetting the nationalists, the

Kazakhstan government is cracking down on

the left opposition. Communists, independent

trade unions, have come under real pressure.

Against this background a social explosion occurred.

The immediate pretext was the doubling of the price

of liquefied gas. Earlier, the authorities announced

a transition to “market pricing” and abolished all

subsidies. Western Kazakhstan became a focus

of protests. First, liquefied gas is used there

more extensively to heat dwellings and fuel

motor vehicles. Second, fuel is produced in

this region through the efforts of many of

its citizens, a fact which people were

asked to forget, in deference to the

free market. And third, Western

Kazakhstan was hardest hit by

the previous waves of the

crisis, making it a centre

of protests.

Within days the protests spread to other regions.

Initially, they were peaceful. Protesters wanted

lower prices, higher wages and social benefits

and a return to the former pension age.

Workers at some oilfields staged

sympathy strikes.

However, the situation changed quickly and

got out of control. The first acts of terror &

vandalism were committed in the cities of

Zhanaozen and Aktau, in the Manguistau-

skaya Oblast, in S. Western Kazakhstan.

Unrest then developed into fierce clashes in Alma-Ata

& other cities. The work of airports in Aktobe, Aktau

and Alma-Ata was paralyzed. The Baikonur space

launching site was in danger. Groups of armed

men attacked police and army, seized and

rampaged through buildings and attacked

doctors, firemen and civilians. A wave

of marauding, swept the cities.

Obviously, the violent acts were perpetrated by

people who had nothing to do with the mass of

the protesters. Criminal groups... were taking

advantage of popular protests in Kazakhstan

to further their own ends.

These are first & foremost radical Islamist cells.

Proof of this, is atrocities committed against

policemen, some of whom were beheaded.

External agents -- became active. This is

especially true of Alma-Ata, traditionally

a stronghold of liberalism where many

pro-Western NGOs have their offices.

Criminals linked to nationalist groups, went on
the rampage. This is evidenced by the targeting
of the prosecutor’s & special services buildings

which were set alight, the seizure of weapons,

& the looting of shops and other public places.

It cannot be ruled out that all these actions were

coordinated from a single centre which seeks to

destabilize Kazakhstan. But some responsibility

rests with the republic’s leadership... because

officials had aided and abetted the activities

of pro-Western forces -- and adopted a

conciliatory stand with regard to the

Islamists. The country’s National

Security Committee turned down

numerous requests for Salafism

to be banned. Clerics trained in

Saudi Arabia, and other Arab

countries, were active

in Kazakhstan.

It is incumbent on our country, to see all these

developments in a broad international context.

The military-political situation near Russia’s

Western borders had clearly deteriorated in

recent months. Our country.... came under

growing economic, information, diplomatic

and military pressure. The Western media,

diplomats, politicians, and NATO officials,

have repeatedly voiced “concern” about

alleged “plans to attack Ukraine”, and

threatened to take “comprehensive

preventive measures.”

In the midst of the worsening situation around our

country, we have now received a blow on our

southern border. At the start of the New Year,

Russia’s enemies in the world upped the ante

in the game on the big chessboard. On Jan. 2,

Kazakhstan's people got a shock from the

authorities, which raised gas prices.

The flareup of indignation was promptly taken

advantage of, by the terrorist underground...

whose leaders used jihadists' experiences

in Syria and Iraq. Large-scale acts were

mounted, to destabilize the situation.

The members of the underground managed, on the

one hand, to blend with the masses of protesters

and, on the other hand, to enlist the support of

declasse and criminal elements.

As of now, thousands of people have become victims

of criminal acts. Hundreds of people have been

hospitalized, dozens are in intensive care and

many have been killed. Thugs obstructed the

work of ambulance crews, intimidated the

population, looted shops and engaged
in marauding. The character of their

actions, attests to the existence of

a plan coordinated and funded

from abroad.

The President of Kazakhstan has declared a state

of emergency in the country and dismissed the

government. Considering the scale of events

and the interference of external forces, the

republic’s authorities have sought help

from their partners. The CSTO Council
decided to render such assistance in
order to stabilize the situation in
the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The CPRF takes the view that the sending of CSTO

peacekeepers is a forced but adequate and timely

measure, called upon to put out the flame of yet

another “colour revolution.”

The Communist Party of Russia resolutely condemns

the actions of international reaction, and criminal

elements. We deem, as totally unacceptable, this

interference in the internal affairs of Kazakhstan

and attempts to destabilize Central Asia, which

pose a direct threat to our country.

The CPRF wants to see Kazakhstan return to the

peaceful path of development. We believe, that

the main task of the peacekeeping contingent

is to protect strategic facilities called upon
to ensure a normal life for the citizens.

The population of Kazakhstan must be

protected against terrorist attacks

by jihadists, who have resorted

to intimidation tactics.

We are sure the peaceful mission of the CSTO will

help to stabilize the situation in the Central Asian

region. At the same time we strongly believe that

the peacekeeping contingent... should be used

only for the purposes that have been declared.
Involvement of peacekeepers in internal

settling of scores between rival power

clans and groups, is inadmissible.

It would be a mistake for Kazakhstan’s leadership

to persecute peaceful protesters & bracket them

together with “terrorists” & “thugs.” We believe

that the government should, promptly, initiate a

dialog with the working people and authoritative

politicians and immediately meet their legitimate

demands for better socio-economic conditions.

The CPRF thinks that the time has come to nip in the

bud, the manifestations of Russophobic and anti-

Soviet policy in the republic. There is a pressing

need to take a long hard look at the activities of

pro-Western organizations & media. All that for

years, has been turning Kazakhstan into an

arena of activities of anti-Russian forces

that sought to set the people in

opposition to friendship with

our country.

The time has come to honestly discuss and root out

the fundamental causes of the pernicious social

cleavage in Kazakhstan and also in Russia. Our

country has been given another sinister signal

that the policy that breeds divisions, inequality

& poverty inevitably makes people’s patience

run out. Any government... that works for the

interests of oligarchs, tossing “crumbs from

the master’s table”, to the working people,

will sooner or later meet with a demand to

answer for its actions. Then neither crack-

downs, nor the nationalism dope, nor the

lies of anti-Sovieteers and Russophobia

will help.

The most important lesson of Kazakhstan events is

that the attempts of the national bourgeoisie to fit

their peoples into the world of global capitalism,

turns them into puppets of the world oligarchy.

The root interests of the peoples of Russia,

Kazakhstan and all the other states

consist in giving up this

dead-end policy.

Today, more than ever... our program of Ten Steps T
oward a Worthy Life and the unique experience of

people’s enterprises, take on added relevance. Not

foreign or homegrown capitalism, but the working

masses, should be the masters of their countries.

Gennady Zyuganov,

Chairman of the CPRF
Central Committee

What do you think?

__________________________________

Positive interaction among

religions ensures salvation

of global civilization

- Iranian scholar

December 28th, 10:41am (PressTV)

A high-ranking Iranian Muslim scholar has underlined

the need for a “positive and constructive interaction”

among faiths in order to guarantee the salvation of

global civilization, stating that political and social

systems are based on common origins that

enable cultures to unite.

Ayatollah Alireza A’rafi, head of Iran’s Seminaries, said

that extensive communications among people, along

with peaceful coexistence, can advance human and

humanitarian goals and help overcome political,

social, and cultural issues.

“Positive and constructive interaction among

religions is one of the most important factors

for saving global civilization, and fostering

intimacy among human societies,” the

cleric said.

“Interactions of religions can tremendously contribute

to their convergence, and bond human societies

together. Common values of religions can easily

address human needs. The diversity and

multiplicity of religions is an ideal

opportunity for human societies

to deepen their understanding

and visions and exchange

their achievements,”

Ayatollah A’rafi

pointed out.

The senior scholar went on to highlight that all

human values are anchored in spiritual and

religious traditions, adding that religion,

therefore, plays a matchless role in

human life and lifestyle.

He said prophets have tried throughout history to

create a lifestyle based on monotheism, promote

the spirit of love and affection among all people,

and command their followers to love each other.

“The goal of all divine religions has been human

happiness, salvation, & liberation in this world,

& in the hereafter. Throughout history the role

of prophets in creating unity and solidarity

within societies, has been undeniable,”

Ayatollah A’rafi noted.

He called on religious scholars... to fulfill their

educational, moral-promotional, educational,

and social responsibilities, work towards

scientific discussion among different

denominations and schools of

thought, and avoid prejudices

and extremism.

The cleric then dismissed the concept of absolute

relativism, saying it gets in the way of correct

understanding.

“Absolute relativism, especially postmodern

relativism... does not have a strong and

acceptable rational and philosophical

logic. Postmodernism relies on the

logic of relativism and makes

dialogue... expedient and

superficial,” he opined.

“All religions and denominations of the world are

organized on the basis of rationality, the focus

of which is the purposefulness of the world

and societies. Religions have sought to

understand the relationship among

man, himself, and his existence,

and at least within the frame
-work of rationale and

common sense, tried

to provide a correct

and realistic inter-

pretation of man

and existence,”

Ayatollah A’rafi

said.

He added that all religions and schools of thought

are formed on the basis of justice and peace and

are meant to direct human societies within such

a framework.

“The interaction of religions and denominations is

not based on formalities. It is rather, based on a

deep logic. Religions and denominations, are

rooted in common principles of philosophy,

law, values, and jurisprudence,” the

cleric said.

“The current world needs to learn the etiquette of

dialogue among different religions. Islam and

Muslim scholars... have always stressed the

need for interaction among human beings

...and underscored respect for their

sanctities,” Ayatollah A’rafi said.

He emphasized that interfaith dialogue has been

one of the main areas of concern for religious

thinkers over the past two decades, adding

that epistemological, ontological, theo-

logical, and interactive necessities,

have made religious dialogue

inevitable in today’s world.

“Through interfaith dialogue, a clear and close

understanding of the teachings of religions

can be obtained, and many misunder-

standings would be removed. This

will prepare the ground: for belief,

value & behavioral convergence,”

Ayatollah A’rafi said.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

_______________________________

I Have No Doubt He Will Die

if Extradited to US, Julian

Assange's Brother Says

December15th, 10:15am (Sputnik)

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is facing new

uncertainties.. after the UK's High Court ruled

last Friday.. that he could be extradited to the

US. "I have no doubt he will die [if extradited

to the US]," said Assange's brother, Gabriel

Shipton, in an exclusive interview with

Global Times (GT) reporter

Wang Wenwen.

Assange's fiancée revealed to the media that he

suffered a stroke in prison, in October, due to

stress over his future. What does the family

plan to do next? How did the US admin-

istration disappoint the family? Shipton

shared his thoughts with Global Times.

GT: When was the last time you saw him?

How was his condition?

Gabriel Shipton: ''The last time I saw Julian was in

Belmarsh maximum-security prison just outside

of London. And that was in October last year

when I was last in the UK. His condition at

that time I think he had almost been in that

prison for two years. So... it was taking its

toll on him. Over the years when I go and

visit him, whether it's in the Ecuadorian

embassy or the prison, you can see

what effect it's having on him.''

''This sort of pressure that he is under... is really taking

its toll on his health. He just had a mini-stroke during

the appeal hearing in October. His health is

progressively getting worse and we sort

of live in fear, that he won't survive

this ordeal.''

GT: How did you feel when you heard the latest ruling

that he could be extradited to the US? Is the fear that

Julian may choose to die by suicide haunting

you more?

Gabriel Shipton: ''Yes, it certainly does. I hope he can

survive. He's very strong and he's very determined.

I think the extradition approval that was given by
the high court - we're gonna fight it. Julian is
going to appeal. He has until December 24 to
lodge an appeal to the Supreme Court, in the
UK but I think we can't rely on the UK courts
anymore. I think the chances of winning,
are very slim.''

'' One of the justices who approved the extradition on

Friday (December 10)th, was the chief justice of

England and Wales. So he is the most senior

judge in the whole of the UK and that's his

decision to grant the extradition.''

''So any appeal to the Supreme Court will have to take

that into account, that they will have to rule against

the most senior judge in the UK. So it's really up to

the US and the Biden administration to let this

attack on press freedoms and attack on

journalism go.''

GT: Besides the appeal, what else do you plan to do?

Gabriel Shipton: ''We are campaigning now around the

world for Julian's release. I'm here in the US in New

York City today and I'll be in Washington, DC

tomorrow, advocating for Julian's release.

I'm doing media here. We have many

avenues of the campaign... that is

ongoing... I was just at a protest

action outside the UK consulate

here in New York, where there

were many people, celebrities,

lots of media.''

''So there's renewed attention on Julian's persecution

now, and we're taking advantage of that and building

momentum for a campaign to free him.''

GT: What could happen to Julian

if he is extradited to the US?

Gabriel Shipton: ''I have no doubt that he will die. If he is

extradited in the US prison system, they cannot keep

their prisoners safe. You just have to look at what

happened to other high-profile prisoners... like

Jeffrey Epstein. He cannot be kept safe in the

US prison [system]. And I don't think we can

assume that they can look after him or keep

him safe from the forces that are trying to

keep him in prison now.''

''We saw in September revelations coming from

investigative reporters in Washington, that

there were plots from within the CIA to

kidnap or kill Julian... when he was in

the Ecuadorian embassy. I think those
plots haven't really gone away. There
are still those factions within the US
intelligence - that want to see Julian
dead. That's what I feel will happen
...if he gets extradited to the US.''

GT: You tried to lobby the Biden administration when

it was just about to take office. Did it disappoint you

more when you dealt with it?

Gabriel Shipton: ''There was a time when people post-

Trump, thought that maybe Biden would let this go,

maybe the Biden administration would revert to

the position of the Obama administration where
they found that they couldn't prosecute Julian

without also prosecuting The New York Times.''

''So there was a bit of an expectation that the Biden

administration might revert back to that position.

And we did have... some early contact with the

administration. But after the inauguration on

January 20th, we had no more contact with

them. And shortly after that, they

announced that they would be

pursuing this prosecution.''

''With the Biden administration, we've seen with the

"democracy summit" last week --- they are talking

the talk when it comes to press freedom. They're

using press freedom to lecture other countries...

and talk to other countries about press freedom

in their country... when they are holding a

publisher and journalist in prison.''

''Julian is in prison only at the request of the US DOJ

(Department of Justice) and they have also

requested that he not be given bail.''

''The Biden administration has an opportunity now, to

show the world how serious they actually are about

press freedom. And it's not just hot air that they're

talking about press freedoms and lecturing other

nations on press freedoms, and that they are
actually serious about press freedoms, and

they should just let Julian go. And that is a

way that they can show the world that they

are actually serious about press freedom.

They're not just lecturing other countries

about it.''

''I see the Chinese foreign affairs spokesperson today

(Monday) come out with a tweet, saying that if the

Biden administration wants to lecture people on

press freedoms, they should let Julian Assange

go. I think those sorts of things are going to

increase over time. Nations & states around

the world are going to say to the USA, you

can't say anything to us... because look

what you're doing to Julian Assange.''

GT: What do you expect from the Australian

government? If it steps in, will it make

a difference?

Gabriel Shipton: ''I think so. Australia - they just have

this AUKUS agreement in place. So Australia is an

ally of the US, so Australia can turn around and

say, hey, we're one of your allies. Just let this

go --- let our man come home to be with his
family. Just yesterday (Sunday) the Deputy

Prime Minister of Australia Barnaby Joyce

--- called for the extradition of Julian
Assange not to go ahead.''

''That's an encouraging sign that maybe the Australian

government might do something here, or at least the

deputy prime minister is on the side of Julian, and

sees that this is a problem, a problem that US law

can be applied to anywhere. It can be applied to

any of the allied countries - the extraterritorial

reach of US law. I think that's a big problem,

and Barnaby Joyce... sees that problem.''

''We even saw Meng Wanzhou in Canada. She is the

CFO of Huawei. The US used the extradition

treaties with Canada.... to hold her captive.
So we can see it happening time and time

again. The US is using these unfair

extradition treaties to pursue
people... whom they don't
agree with politically.''

''I think it's an opportunity for Australia to tell the US

-- its biggest ally -- that they want Julian to be free.

Australia should use its alliance in it, for its favour,

rather than just take orders from the US. Australia

is an important strategic ally of the US, and we

should be respected as such --- and we should

be listened to, when it comes to our citizens.''

GT: Some believe Julian's case is the result of the

connivance of Western governments that cannot

tolerate the truth, which shows the decline of

the West. What do you think?

Gabriel Shipton: ''What we're seeing with Julian's

persecution is that if you expose the crimes of a

government, or if you expose torture, or if you

expose the corruption of the government, you

are going to be punished. What the US DOJ
is attempting to do, is to make telling the

truth illegal.''

''I think when you look at a government that does that,

you start to think, well, is this a democracy? Am I

living in a democracy, if I don't know what the

government is doing in my name? What does

my vote mean? Is it just a performance that

we do every four years? Voting, if we don't

really know what our votes are voting for,

or where our tax money is going? I think

the Julian persecution strikes at the very

heart of what we believe our democracies

are. So we need to stop it... and sort of
rebuild... and stop this descent into

barbarity... that is happening in
the West.''

GT: Besides some news reports from US media

about the process of Julian's case, few made

the call to free him. What do you think of the

US mainstream media's reaction to this case?

Gabriel Shipton: ''They could always do more. What is

their stake here is their rights as well. So they should

be coming to defend the defence of Julian. They're

getting better and some are reporting on it more.

But they can always do more and they need to

realise that really, this is their business that's

under attack here. If journalism is a crime,

then how can I do business? What we've

been saying since the last 10 years is

mainstream media has been losing its

audience and so they need to take a

long hard look at themselves and
say, what is their function in a

democratic society?''

GT: Have you imagined what you will do

if Julian is set free? What is his wish?

Gabriel Shipton: ''I would imagine Julian coming up for

Christmas this year, would be good. I think if he gets

out, he's going to need some time to recuperate,
to sort of rehabilitate himself after this ordeal.''

''I hope he has some time to spend quiet time with his

family, with his children, and his fiancée Stella, so

that they can just take some time to become a

family again and do normal things, take the

kids down to the park... or go and have a

coffee or something like that. I think it's

a pretty nice dream at the moment.''

GT: How are his two children right now?

Gabriel Shipton: ''They're very cute. Gabriel and Max -

they're OK, but they're still quite young and don't

have a great grasp of what's going on. One of

them has only ever known Julian in prison.

He's never known his dad to live outside

or anything like that.''

''So when they grow up more and begin to understand

what's going on, I think they'll be very proud of what

their father has done. And they'll get a better

understanding. But at the moment, this is

what they know. This is their life.''

This article was originally published

by the Global Times

What do think...?

More importantly, what are

you going to do... to help?

______________________________

Biden moves to form fund --- for

interference in domestic affairs

of others --- Russian senator

December 11th, 11:57am (TASS)

US President Joe Biden, who announced plans

to commit $424 mln for assisting other nations

in strengthening democracy, actually seeks to

form a fund for interference in the domestic

affairs of countries, the Deputy Speaker
of Russia’s Federation Council (upper

house of parliament) Konstantin

Kosachev, wrote on Facebook

on Saturday.

"At the recent summit... US President Biden announced

the launch of the Presidential Initiative for Democratic

Renewal, which involves the allocation of $424 mln to

support countries loyal [to Washington]. It is already

clear that in fact, a fund for interference in the

internal affairs of disloyal states is being

formed," Kosachev pointed out.

"The idea certainly was not to just review forces in the

run-up... to the upcoming fight for democracy. It was

about convincing the world that those who oppose

the US unilateral world order... actually oppose

democracy. It is quite a simple manipulation

but it serves an important ideological

mission, aimed at camouflaging the

geopolitical causes of the current

crisis as those related to values,"

the Russian senator emphasized.

According to him, the way that participants were

chosen for the summit was based on geopolitics.

"It is foreign policy that was the focus rather
than the domestic one, it was about being
loyal to America," Kosachev stressed.

"It is a perfect signal to all the pseudo-democracies

in the world: proclaim a policy guided by the West,

vote the right way in the United Nations.. and you

will be allowed to do whatever you will at home,"

he added.

On December 9th-10th, Washington hosted a video

conference dubbed the Summit for Democracy.

The 110 countries and territories that the US

authorities invited to the summit did not

include China, Russia, Turkey, Egypt

and a number of other states.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier

slammed the event as one of the most odious

US projects, aimed at dividing countries into

democratic and non-democratic ones.

WHAT DO you THINK?

email rayjoseph2021@aol.com

and we promise to air your opinion!

(suitably edited to remove inelegant prose)

________________________________

Poll: Majority of US citizens...

Believe US Politicians Spread

More Misinformation Than

Russia, China

October 8th, 3:43pm (Sputnik)

The majority of US citizens believe that politicians

and social media in the US spread misinformation

online more often than foreign actors, including

Russia and China, according to a joint poll by

the Associated Press, the NORC centre for

public affairs and the University of the

Pearson Institute, in Chicago.

When asked to pick who was the most to blame for the

spread of misinformation about current events in the

US and the world, 77% of respondents picked social

media users, while social platforms such as Face-

book, Twitter and YouTube, and politicians were

picked by 72% of those surveyed each.

Slightly over a half of all respondents considered

the Russian & Chinese governments responsible

for spreading false information, 54% and 53%,

respectively. The Iranian authorities were

chosen by 39% of US citizens surveyed...

and 41% blamed the political structures

of other countries, compared to 48%

of US citizens... blaming their own

government.

Older people were considerably more prone to

believe in the involvement of foreign govern-

ments than younger people, the

poll showed.

A total of 81% percent of US citizens consider the

spread of misinformation, to be a serious issue.

The survey was conducted among 1,071 US

citizens aged over 18 on September 9th-13th.

What do YOU think?

Do you trust your media and dutifully hate all
Muslims, Russians, Chinese, and Iranians?

_________________________________

UK government secures injunction

against eco-warrior protestors

who repeatedly blocked

sections of M25

September 22nd, at 10:12am (RT)

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Wednesday

that National Highways has secured an injunction against

protestors calling themselves ‘Insulate Britain’ who have

repeatedly disrupted traffic by blocking the M25.

A judge granted the injunction last night - with it set to come into

effect later today, in a bid to discourage further protestors from

invading the motorway in a “reckless” manner that “puts
lives at risk,” Shapps stated on Twitter.

The eco warrior protestors will “face contempt of court with

possible imprisonment” if they continue to hold their

demonstrations, which have seen ‘Insulate Britain’

activists halt traffic, by sitting down in the
middle of the busy M25 motorway.

The group have stated that they are trying to raise awareness of

concerns about insulation in housing, urging the government to

ensure it is put in all of “Britain’s 29 million leaky homes by

2030 and all social housing by 2025.”

“We are simply asking the government to get on the job. The

people of Britain understand that climate change is a severe

threat to everything they hold dear,” ‘Insulate Britain’

spokesperson Liam Norton stated.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel previously described the legal

action as an “important injunction” that would ensure

“people can get moving again,” warning the

protestors that “we will not tolerate
lives being put at risk.”

On Tuesday, a demonstration by the group at junctions 9 and 10

of the M25 resulted in 38 protestors being arrested by Surrey

Police, after the activists had unveiled banners and poured

paint on the road.

While the injunction covers the situation on the M25, Patel and

Shapps highlighted in a newspaper column published on

Wednesday that the government is working to ensure

police have more “powers to better manage such

guerrilla tactics in future.”

ALSO ON RT.COM

XR is not a protest group, but a vanity project for

a liberal middle class that soon won’t exist at all.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

_______________________________________

Pipeline proposals brought the Taliban

to power first time round – could the

same be true again now?

August 31st, 5:33pm (RT)

By Kit Klarenberg, an investigative journalist exploring

the role of intelligence services in shaping politics

and perceptions. Follow him on Twitter
@KitKlarenberg

Washington helped the Taliban take power in Afghanistan

before, with a view to unlocking the country's natural

wealth. Now the band is back together in Kabul, is

something similar going on?

Contrary to official claims that the last US soldier has left

Afghanistan, it’s been reported that a “diehard” team of

elite British and US troops are to remain in the country

to “avenge the deaths” of those killed at Kabul airport

in a suicide bombing by ISIS-K.

The joint party – which includes the SAS and the Navy Seals

– may seek to construct a base in the “lawless” Afghan-

Pakistan border area to conduct stealth strikes against

the terror faction, and will be supported by US drones.

Of course, this effort will require the Taliban’s approval

– but defence sources say this is “likely to be given.”

Even more extraordinarily, the possibility of the

taskforce working alongside the returned

rulers of Afghanistan has not been

ruled out.

While seismically shifting alliances are nothing new for London

or Washington, the speed and totality of this volte face, is truly

unprecedented. Nonetheless, the rationale for the resounding

reversal – and indeed the total withdrawal of coalition forces,

despite defense chiefs having long known the illegitimate

and unpopular Western-backed government would

immediately collapse as a result – may

be straightforward.

In March, the Taliban were surprise guests of honour at a US-

brokered meeting in Ashgabat, between representatives of

Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India – the four

participating members of the long-awaited TAPI pipeline.

The group assured attendees... that they weren’t merely

committed to not attacking the project’s infrastructure,

but would actively ensure its safety --- and that of any

and all other “developmental projects” in the country.

The Taliban’s intervention was clearly intended to reassure

international financial institutions, which for so long have

been deterred from investing in the endeavour... by the

very real threat of its destruction by insurgents, that

the pipeline would be in safe hands.. once they were

back in the saddle – if successful, construction can

finally begin, marking the culmination of an effort,

almost three-decades in the making.

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 destroyed the Iron

Curtain, that had, for so long, blocked Western access to

Central Asia’s vast energy wealth. The Vice President,

Donald Rumsfeld, declared in 1998... while chief

executive of energy giant Halliburton, which

reaped billions from government contracts

on which only ''it'' was permitted to bid

during the Iraq War.... “I cannot think

of a time when we have had a region

emerge as suddenly... to become

as strategically significant.”

There was just one problem – how could these vast riches

be effectively extracted? Funnelling oil and gas through

Russia would be expensive due to transportation fees

levied by Moscow, brought in to reassert Russia’s

influence over the region’s newly-independent

republics. US sanctions on Iran made even

transiting resources through its borders,

illegal.

That just left Afghanistan a barren wilderness with no infra-

structure to speak of, where Westerners typically feared to

tread. Undiscouraged, US oil major Unocal dispatched

representatives to conduct feasibility studies across

Central Asia starting in 1995. They concluded that...

once a stable government... or at least a governing

force, was in place in Kabul.. a 1,000-mile pipeline

capable of carrying a million barrels per day, was

attainable. At least one Unocal executive

provided information they gained on

these trips, to the CIA.

The next year, the company opened an office in Kandahar –

coincidentally across the street from a compound owned

by Osama Bin Laden, and not far from a Pakistani

intelligence station – as the Taliban were in the

process of taking control of Afghanistan. Their

subsequent success... could well have been

attributable to support provided by Unocal.

A US Defense Intelligence Agency whistleblower who visited

the country at this time heard from numerous informed

sources the group’s capture of Kabul wouldn’t have

been possible without the firm’s assistance.

Once that came to pass, Unocal’s in-house security forces

and the CIA, both afforded the Taliban weapons and

instructors to maintain its grip on power, and the

company engaged in well-funded lobbying back

home to secure Washington’s recognition of
the group as the legitimate government of

Afghanistan, hiring numerous high-profile
government officials for the purpose,
including Henry Kissinger.

He would later be appointed to head the 9/11
Commission, which specifically examined
the pipeline effort, but stepped down,
rather than reveal potential
conflicts of interest.

Another lobbyist enlisted was Zalmay Khalilzad, a State

Department veteran pivotal to increasing the Reagan

administration’s support for the Mujahideen’s war

against the Red Army in the 1980s. In October

1996, he authored a strident op-ed for the

Washington Post, demanding the US

“reengage” with Afghanistan...

dismissing suggestions the

Taliban were an extremist

force, and speaking of

a “common interest”..

between Washington

and the group.

His Unocal role was unmentioned – it also didn’t
factor into mainstream media coverage of his
appointment - as the special envoy to
Afghanistan - in January 2002.

Taliban were also flown into Texas to meet in person with

Unocal executives in late 1997, as its fighters battled to

seize control of the remaining third of Afghanistan not

under its rule. Accounts of the VIP visit are rendered

supremely surreal today --- the group travelled to a

zoo, the NASA space centre, and a massive Target

outlet for a shopping spree, before retiring to the

palatial homes of company chiefs, replete with

golf courses and swimming pools, where they

feasted on halal meat and rice, washed down

with Coca Cola.

The Taliban returned to Afghanistan bearing a number of gifts

from Unocal, including a pledge to invest close to a million

dollars in training Afghans how to construct the pipeline.

For its part, Washington was very much open to recognizing
the group, despite ever-growing domestic outrage at its
treatment of women and their extremely harsh
interpretation of Sharia law.

“The Taliban will probably develop like the Saudis did. There

will beAramco, pipelines, an emir, no parliament and lots of

Sharia law. We can live with that,” a senior US diplomat

allegedly said at the time.

That changed in August 1998, when US embassies in Kenya and

Tanzania were bombed by Al Qaeda, killing over 200 people,

and Washington responded with a series of cruise missile

strikes on Afghanistan. By December, Unocal had finally

withdrawn entirely from the pipeline project and ended

its operations in Kabul outright – although the next

year Graham Fuller, former Deputy Director of the

CIA’s National Council on Intelligence, made a

revealing disclosure.

“The policy of guiding the evolution of Islam, and of helping them

against our adversaries worked marvellously well in Afghanistan

against the Red Army,” he said. “The same doctrines can still be

used to destabilize what remains of Russian power, and

especially to counter the Chinese influence in

Central Asia.”

So, in 2005, with the US so firmly “guiding the evolution” of Islam

in Kabul anew, the pipeline was back on the table, in the form of

TAPI - US officials were reportedly strongly supportive, because

as before, it would allow Central Asia to export energy to

Western markets “without relying on Russian routes.”

However, the project again stalled in short order, due to an

increasingly volatile security situation. There’s no such

risk of that happening today, though, given the

Taliban’s solemn pledge to defend it at all

costs, from bothersome incursions.

The aforementioned Zalmay Khalilzad was appointed in

September 2018/// as the US Special Representative for

Afghanistan Reconciliation & led talks with the Taliban.

He has been condemned harshly, in some quarters, for

the group’s rapid reseizure of power but no reference
to his time as a Unocal lobbyist, let alone discussion
of how energy interests so intimately intersect with
US foreign policy can be found among the criticism.

This may be attributable to suggestions oil and gas interests

played any role in Afghanistan having long-been dismissed

as lunatic conspiracy theorist fare. But the facts are what

they are, and more than speak for themselves.

What do you think?
Too far fetched..
or obvious?

_______________________________________________

THERE IS LITTLE ENOUGH ENGLISH LANGUAGE
NEWS FROM THE COMMUNISTS IN RUSSIA...
WHO WERE CHEATED OUT OF VICTORY BY
YELTSIN AND HIS CIA ADVISORS IN
ELECTIONS IN THE 1990s.

As the United Russia party is low in the polls and
the Communist Party of the Russian Federation
is the only party with enough cross-country
support to pose a realistic challenge..
perhaps this article is worth
taking a look at.

In Quest of a Multi-Polar World

March 28th, 2021

Michael Hudson and Pepe Escobar resume their

conversation about a global monetary system

that appears headed for divorce.

Michael Hudson: Fifty ago, I wrote Super Imperialism about

basically how America dominates the world financially and

gets the free ride.

I wrote it right after America went off gold in 1971, when the

Vietnam War, which was responsible for the entire balance

of payments deficit, forced the country to go off gold. And

everybody at that time worried the dollar was going to go

down. There’d be hyperinflation. And what happened

was something entirely different.

Once there was no gold, America strong-armed its allies to

invest in U.S. Treasury bonds because their central banks

don’t buy companies. They don’t buy raw materials. All

they could buy is other central bank’s treasury bonds.

So, all of a sudden, the only thing that other people

could buy with all the dollars coming in were U.S.

Treasury securities.

And the securities they bought essentially were to finance

yet more war making and the balance of payments deficit

from war, and the 800 military bases America has around

the world. And the largest customer, I think we discussed

it before, are the Defense Department and the CIA that

looked at it [Super Imperialism] as a how-to-do it

book. Well, that was 50 years ago.

And what I’ve done is not only re-edit the book and add more

information that’s come out, but I’ve picked up the last 50

years and how it’s absolutely transformed the whole

world. And it’s a new kind of imperialism.

There was still a view 50 years ago that imperialism was

[essentially] economic. And this is the view that there’s

still a rivalry for instance, between America and China

or America and Europe and other countries.

But I think the whole world has changed so much in the last

50 years that what we have now is not really so much a

conflict between America and China or America and

Russia, but between a financial system economy

run by finance and an economy run by

governments — democratic or less

democratic, but certainly a mixed

economy.

Well, everything that made industrial capitalism rich, every-

thing that made the USA so strong in the 19th century,

through its protective tariffs & through its public infra-

structure investment, all the way down through World

War II & the aftermath. We had a mixed economy in

America, and that was very balanced. Europe had a

mixed economy. Every economy since Babylon and

Rome, has been a mixed economy, but in America

you’ve had, since 1980, something entirely
different.

That was not foreseen by anybody
because it seemed to be
so disruptive.

And what that was, was the financial sector saying we need
liberty and by liberty, meaning we have to take planning and

subsidy & economic policy and tax policy, out of the hands

of government. And put it in the hands of Wall Street.

So libertarianism & a free market is a centralized economy

which is centralized in the hands of the financial centres,
Wall St, the City of London, the Paris Bourse. And what
you have today is the attempt of the financial sector to
take the role the landlord class had in Europe, from
feudal times through the 19th century. It’s a kind
of resurgence.

If you look at the whole last 200 years of economic theory -

from Adam Smith and, Henry George and Marx, onward -

the whole idea was that everybody expected a mixed

economy to become more and more productive and

to free itself from the landlords, to free itself from

banking - to make land a public utility.

That was the tax base to make finance basically something

public, and government would decide who gets the funding

and thus, the idea of finance in the public sector was going

to be pretty much what it is in China. You create bank credit

in order to finance capital investment in factories. It means

the production of machinery, agricultural modernization, of

transport, infrastructure of high-speed trains of ports and

all of that.

But in the US & UK, you have finance becoming something
completely different. Banks don’t lend money to factories.
They don’t want money to make the means of production.
They make money to take over other assets. 80% of bank
loans are mortgage loans to transfer the ownership of
real estate. And of course that’s what created a
middle class in the US.

The middle class was able to buy its own housing, it didn’t

have to pay rent to landlords or absentee owners or war-

lords and their descendants in England and Europe.

They could buy their own. What nobody realized is

that if you borrow the money to take a mortgage,

there’s still an economic rental value that is not

paid to the landlords. It’s paid to the banks.

And so, in the Western civilizations in

America and Europe, the banks have

played the role that the landlords

played a hundred years ago.

And just as the landlord is trying to do everything they can

through the House of Lords in England & the upper houses

of government in Europe, they’re trying to block any kind of

democratic government. And the fight really, is against

governments that will do anything that isn't controlled

by the 1 percent, by the banks. Essentially the merger

between finance insurance and real estate; the FIRE

sector. So, you have almost a relapse of capitalism

in the West back into feudalism, but feudalism with

a financialized twist, much more than it was in

medieval times.

The fight against China, the fear of China is that you can’t do

to China, what you did to Russia. America would love for

there to be a [former Russian President Boris] Yeltsin

figure in China to say, just give all the railroads that

you’ve built, the high-speed rail, the wealth, all the

factories to individuals. And let the individuals run

everything and, then we’ll lend them the money,
or we’ll buy them out and then we can control
them financially.

And China’s not letting that happen. & Russia stopped that

from happening. And the fury in the West is that somehow,
the American financial system is unable to take over
foreign resources, foreign agriculture. It is left only
with military means of grabbing them, as we are
seeing in the near East. And you’re it seeing
in the Ukraine, right now.

Pepe Escobar: Well, as an introduction, Michael that was

perfect because now we have the overall framework -

geo-economic and historically - at least for the past

70 years.

I have a series of questions for you. I was saving one of these

for the end, but I think I should start really the Metallica way.

Let’s go heavy metal for a start, right?

So considering what you describe as a new kind of imperialism

and the fact that this sort of extended free lunch cannot apply

anymore because sovereigns around the world, especially

Russia and China, I tried to formulate the idea that there are

only three real sovereign powers on the planet, apart from

the hegemon; Russia, China, and Iran, these three, which

happen to be the main hub and the main focus of not only

the New Silk Roads but of the Eurasia integration process,

they are actively working for some sort of change of the

rules that predominated for the past 70 years.

So my first question to you would be, do you see any realistic

possibility of a, sort of a Bretton Woods 2.0, which would

imply the end of the dollar hegemony as we know it, and

petrodollar recycling on and on and on, with the very

important presence of that oily hacienda in the lands

of Arabia. Do you think this is possible considering

President [Vladimir] Putin himself - only a few days

ago reiterated once again that the US is no longer

agreement-capable? So that destroys already the

possibility of the emergence of the new rules of

the game. But do you think this is still

realistically possible?

Michael: I certainly do not see any repetition of a Bretton Woods

because as I described in Super Imperialism, the whole of

Bretton Woods was designed to make American control

over Britain, over Europe total. Bretton Woods was a U.S.

-centered system to prevent England from maintaining

its empire. That’s okay. To prevent France from maint-

aining its empire --- and for America to take over the

sterling area and, essentially, with the World Bank,

stop other countries from becoming independent

and feeding themselves --- to make sure that they

supported plantation agriculture, not land reform.

The one single fight of the World Bank was to

prevent land reform and to make sure that

America and foreign investors, would take

over the agriculture of these countries.

And often, people think of capitalism, certainly in the sense

that Marx described in Volume One, is exploitation of wage

labour by employers. But capitalism also is appropriation

of land rent, agricultural rent, natural resource rent, oil

and mineral rent. And the idea of Bretton Woods was to

make sure that other countries couldn't impose capital

controls or prevent US finance from coming in and

appropriating their resources, of making loans to

foreign governments so that governments would

not create their own money to promote their own

social development, but would have to borrow

from the World Bank & IMF, that essentially

meant from the Pentagon and the State

Department, in U.S. dollars.

And they would dollarize their economies and the economies

would all be sucked. The economic rents from oil, agriculture,

mining would all be sucked into the United States. That kind

of Bretton Woods cannot be done again. And since Bretton

Woods was an idea of centralizing the world’s economic

surplus in a single country, the United States, no, that

can never be done again.

What is happening? You mentioned the world of free lunch,

and that’s what was a theme of Super Imperialism, when

America issues dollars, for these all end up in central

banks and they hold the dollars as a surplus. That

means what can they do? All they can do is really

lend them to the US. The US got a free lunch. It

could spend and spend on its military, on

bumping up corporate takeovers of other

countries. The dollars have come in, and

foreign countries couldn’t cash them in

for gold. They had nothing to cash them

into. All they could do, is finance the US

budget deficit, by buying Treasury bills.

That’s the irony now, what has happened in the last few years

in the fight against Russia and China is America has killed the

free lunch because it said, okay, now we’re going to have

sanctions against Russia and China. We’re going to all of

a sudden grab whatever money you have in foreign banks

like we grabbed Venezuela’s money. Let’s go, we’re going

to excommunicate you from the bank clearing system. So

you can’t use banking. We’re going to put sanctions

against banks that deal with you.

So obviously Russia and China said, okay, we can’t deal with

the dollar anymore, because the US just creamed them. And

if we do have dollars, we’re just going to hold everything in

reserves * lending to the US, the dollars that it’s going to

spend building more military bases around us to make us

waste our money on monetary spending. And so America

itself by the way, in fighting against China and Russia,
has ended the free lunch.

“In America you’ve had since 1980 something entirely different.

That was not foreseen by anybody because it seemed to be

so disruptive.”

And now, Russia and China as you pointed out, are de-dollarizing,

they’re trading in each other’s currency. They’re being the exact

opposite of everything that Bretton Woods tried to create. They

are trying to create independence from the United States.

If Bretton Woods is this dependence on the US, a centralized

system dependent ultimately on Wall Street financial planners

then, what China & Russia are trying to create is an economy

that’s not run by the financial sector, but it is run by, let’s say,

industrial and economic engineering and saying, what kind

of an economy do we need in order to raise living standards

& wages and self-sufficiency and preserve the environment,

what is needed for the ideal world that we want?

Well, in order to do that, you’re going to have to have a lot of

infrastructure. And in America, infrastructure is all privatized.

You have to make a profit. And once you have infrastructure,

a railroad or electric utility, like you see in Texas recently, it’s

a monopoly. Infrastructure, for 5,000 years, Europe, the near

East, Asia was always kept in the public domain that goes, if

you give it to private owners, they’ll charge a monopoly rent.

Well, the idea that China has is, “OK, we’re going to provide

the educational system freely and let everybody try to get

an education.” In America if you have an education, you

have to go into debt for the banks for between $50,000

and $200,000. And whatever you make you’re going to

end up paying the bank while in China, if you give free

education, the money that they earned from education

will be spent into the economy, buying the goods and

services that they produce, and the economy will be

expanding, not shrinking, not having it all sucked out

into the financial banks financing your education,

same thing with railroads, same things with

healthcare.

If you provide healthcare freely then the employers do not

have to pay for the healthcare because that’s provided free.

In the United States, if the corporation and the employees

have to pay for healthcare, that means that the employees

have to be paid a much higher wage in order to afford the

healthcare, in order to afford the transportation that gets

him to work, in order to afford the auto loans, in order to

drive to work, all of this is free, or subsidized in other

countries, who create their own credit.

In the United States and Europe, governments feel that they

have to borrow from the wealthy people in a bond and pay

interest. In China they say, “we don’t have to borrow from

a wealthy class. We can simply print the money.” That’s

Modern Monetary Theory. As Donald Trump explained in

the United States, we can print whatever we want. Dick

Cheney said, deficits don’t matter. We can just print it.

And of course, Stephanie Kelton and my colleagues

in MMT at Kansas City, for many years, have

been saying.

“The economy has been saturated & Reaganized and

the result is, a fight of economic systems against
China and Russia.”

The banks fear this because they say, “Wait a minute, Modern

Monetary Theory means it’s not feudal monetary theory. We

want feudal monetary theory. We want the rich people to be

able to have a choke point on the economy that you can’t

survive unless you borrow from us and pay us interest.

We want the choke points.” That’s called economic rent.

So, you have the West turning into a rent-extractive economy,

a rent-seeking economy. And you’ll have the whole ideal of

Russia, China, and other countries, being the ideal of not

only Marx, but Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Ricardo. The

whole of classical economics was to free economies from

economic rent. & the US economy is all about extracting

rent through the real estate sector, the financial sector,
the health insurance sector, the monopolies and the

infrastructure sector.

The economy has been saturated and Reaganized and the

result is a fight of economic systems against China and

Russia. So, it’s not simply that, there’s a fight between

who makes the best computer chips and iPhones. It’s:

are we going to have a fallback of civilization back to

feudalism, back into control by a narrow class at the

top of the economy, that 1 percent? Or are we going

to have the ideal of democratic industrialization that

used to be called socialism - but it was also called

capitalism. Industrial capitalism was socialism; it

was socialized medicine, it was socialized infra-

structure, it was socialized schooling. And so,

the fight against socialism is a fight against

industrial capitalism, a fight against

democracy, a fight against

prosperity.

That’s why what you’re seeing now is a fight for what

direction civilization will go into. And you can’t have
a Bretton Woods for a single kind of organization...

because the US would never join that civilization.

The US calls a country trying to make its labour

force prosperous, educated and healthy,
instead of sick with shorter lifespans,
they call it communism or socialism.

Well, it can call it whatever it wants, but

that’s the dynamic we are talking about.

Pepe: Well, you put it very, I would say starkly. Opposition

between 2 completely different systems, what the Chinese

are proposing, including, from productive capitalism to

trade and investment all across Eurasia and beyond,

including Africa, parts of Latin America as well. And

the rentier obsession of the 0.01 percent that

controls the U.S. financial system. In terms of

facts on the ground, are we going slowly but

surely and ominously, towards an absolute

divorce --- by a system based on rentier,

ultra-financialization, which is the US's

system and not productive capitalism

at all.

I was going through a small list of what the U.S. exports, it’s

not much as you know, better than I do. Agricultural products

but always privileging U.S. farmers. Hollywood, we are all

hostages of Hollywood all over the world. Pop culture?

That’s not the pop culture that used to be absolutely

impregnable and omniscient during the ‘60s, the 70s,

during the Madonna, Michael Jackson era in the ‘80s,

right? Infotech. And that’s where a big bet comes in.

And this is maybe the most important US export at

the moment because American Big Tech controls

social networks all over the planet. Big Pharma.

Now we see the power of Big Pharma with the

whole Covid operations, right? But Boeing

prefers to invest in financial engineering

instead of building decent products.

Right?

So, in terms of a major superpower, the hyperpower, that’s

not much, and obviously buyers all over the world already

noticed that. So, China is proposing the New Silk Roads,

which is a foreign-policy strategy, & a trade, investment

and sustainable development strategy. [It’s] applied not

only to the whole of Eurasia, but Eurasia and beyond to

grow a great deal of the Global South and that’s why we

have Global South partners to the New Silk Roads —

130-and-counting as we speak.

So, the dichotomy could not be clearer. What will the 0.001

percent do? Because they don’t have anything seductive

to sell. To all those nations in the Global South to start

with; the new version of the Non-Aligned Movement,

NAM, the countries that are already part of New Silk

Road projects, not even to Europe and this, we

could see by the end of last year when the

China-European Union agreement... was

more or less sealed. It’s probably going

to be sealed in 2021 for good.

And at the same time, we had the Regional Economic

Comprehensive Partnership, RCEP, with the ASEAN

10, my neighbours here, the Association of South

East Asian Nations, China, Japan, South Korea,

Australia, and New Zealand. So, when you have

the China-EU deal, and when you have RCEP,

you have China as the number one trade

partner on the planet, no competition

whatsoever.

And obviously every one of these players wants to do

business with China. And they’re privileging doing

business with China to doing business with the

U.S., especially with a country that once again,

according to President Putin, is non-agreement

capable. So, Michael, what is your key geo-

economic view of the next steps? Are we

going towards a divorce of the American

financialization system and the Eurasia-

and-beyond integration system?

Michael: Well, you have made the whole point clear.

There is incompatibility between a rentier society

controlled by the finance and real estate interests

& military interests - and an industrial democracy.

Industry in England and Europe in the 19th century — the

whole fight for democratic reform to increase the role of

the House of Commons against the House of Lords in

England and the lower house in Europe — was a fight

to get labour on the side of industry [and] to get rid
of the landlord class. And it was expected that …

capitalism [would then be] free of the landlord

class, free of something that wasn’t really

capitalism at all, it was a carry-over from

feudalism. Once you free capitalism, you

wouldn’t have this overhead of the idle

1 percent, only consuming resources

and going to war, anymore.

And then World War I changed all of that . … Already, in the

late 19th century, the landlords and the banks fought back,

and they fought back largely through the Austrian School

of individualism and the English marginalists and they

called it freedom. They call it free markets. Free
market meant giving power to monopolists,
to oppressors, to violence. A free market
was where armies can come, take your

country, impose client dictatorships like

[Gen. Augusto] Pinochet in Chile or the

neo-Nazis in the Ukraine. And you call

that, a free market.

The free world was a world centrally planned by the US

military & finance, together. So, it’s Orwellian, and the

dynamic of this world is shrinking since it’s polarizing

- and you’ve seen with the Covid pandemic in the US -

the economy has polarized much more sharply than

ever before between the 1%, the 10% and the rest
of the economy.

Well, as opposed to that here, you have economies that are

not run by a rentier class, that don't have a banking class

and the landlord class controlling the economy, but a

partnership. The kind of thing you had in Germany in

the late 19th century, government industry & labour

all working together to design how we provide the

financing for industry, so that it can provide, not

only industrial capital formation, but public

funding for us to build infrastructure and

uplift the population.

What China is doing is what made America rich in the 19th

century, what made Germany rich. It’s exactly the same

logical engineering plan. Now, this plan, because it’s

based on economic expansion, and environmental

preservation and economic balance instead of on

concentration, this is going to be a growing

economy. So, you are having a growing

economy outside of the USt - and a
shrinking economy in the States

and its satellites in Europe.

Europe had a choice; either it could shrink, and be American,

or it could join the growth. Europe has decided unanimously,

we don’t want to grow. We want to be constant. We want our

banks to take over just like in America. That’s a free market

because Americans have found out, and I’m told by US

officials we just buy the European politicians, they’re

bribable. That’s why when president Putin says,

America and Europe are not agreement capable,

it means they’re just in it for the money. There

is no ideology there. There is no idea of the

overall social benefit. The system is “how

can I get rich, and you can get rich, by

being bribed?” That’s why you go into

politics. As you can tell in the US with

the Supreme Court's law saying that
politics can be personally financed.

So, you’re having two incompatible systems and, they’re

on different trajectories & if you have a system that is

shrinking, like the West, and growing in the East, you

have resentment. People who obtain their wealth in

crooked ways, or without working - by inheritance,

by crime, by exploitation - they will fight like any-

thing to keep that. Whereas people who actually

create wealth, labour, capital, they, they’re not

willing to fight, they just want to be creative.

So you have a destructive military force, in

the West... And a productive, economic

growth force. And in Eurasia, the clash

now is occurring largely in Ukraine.

You’re having the US back the

neo-Nazis.

Pepe: The old Nazi movement!

Michael: It’s the same swastika-carrying group that threatened

Russia in World War II. And this is like waving a red flag before

a bull. Putin continues to remind the Russians. We know what

happened with the 22 million Russians that died in World War II

with Europe coming in. We’re not going to let it happen again.

And you can be certain Russia is not going to be sucked into

invading the Ukraine. The US has its military advisers in the

Ukraine. Now, the Vineyard of the Saker has a very good

report on that. America’s trying to needle Russia into

fighting back against the terrorist groups and Russia

has no desire at all to. There’s nothing that Russia

has to gain by taking it over. It’s essentially a

bankrupt country.

The US is trying to provoke a response so it can say Russia
is attacking the West. The result will probably be, that

Russia will simply provide arms to the E. Ukrainians

to fight back the invasion. And you’re going to have
a waste-land in Western Ukraine and Poland. And
this wasteland will be a new buffer state with
Europe. Already you have, maybe, 10% of the
Ukrainians having moved to Russia and the
east. 10% are now plumbers in England
and Europe, working.

They are beginning to look like Latvia, and all the other

neo-liberalized countries. Neo-liberalized countries? If

you want to see the future, look at Latvia and Estonia.

Look at Greece. That’s the American plan. Essentially,

an emigration of skilled labour, a sharp reduction of

living standards, a 20 percent decline in population.

And although it may appear to have more income,

all of this income and GDP is essentially interest

collection and rents to the FIRE sector.

All US GDP growth is essentially payment to the bank, to
the landlords and the monopolist, it’s not the population -

employees aren't sharing in the GDP. It’s all concentrated
at the top. They make a desert, and they call it growth.

It hasn’t changed. Rome was a predatory economy held by

military force that ultimately collapsed and the US is on the

same trajectory as Rome. And it knows this, I have spoken

to US policymakers & they say, “you know, we’re going to
be dead by then. It doesn’t matter if the West loses.

I’m going to be rich. I’m going to buy a farm in New
Zealand, and make a big bomb shelter there, and
live underground, you know, like a cave dweller.”

The financial time frame * the predatory rentier time frame

is short term. The Eurasian time frame, is long-term. So,

you’ve got to have the short-term burning what wealth

it has, as opposed to the longer-term building up.

[Consider the Biden Covid relief measure.] They call it a stimulus

bill, but if you’re starving, if you haven’t been able to pay your

rent, if you’re six months behind in your rent and you get

enough money to pay the landlord, at least one month

back rent, that’s not a stimulus, that’s a survival. And

it’s a one-time payment. This kind of stimulus checks

that America’s sending out are sent out every month

in Germany and parts of Europe.

The whole idea in Europe is: OK, you have a pandemic, you

have business interrupted. What we’re going to do is we’re

going to have a pause. You don’t pay the rent, but the land-

lords are not going to pay the banks. And the banks are

not going to be in arrears. We’re just going to have a

pause so that when it’s all over people will go back

to normal. Well... China and Russia are already

pretty much there and where you are [in Asia],

and especially in Thailand, are already back

to normal.

But in America anybody who’s renting or who’s bought a

house on mortgage credit or who has credit card debt or

personal debt or automobile debt they’re way behind.

And all of these stimulus checks are just being used

to pay the banks and the landlords - not to buy more

goods and services.

All they’re trying to do is, is get out of the hole they’ve dug

in the last 12 months. That’s not a stimulus that’s a partial,

desperation payment. This problem never existed in other

civilizations. You have the whole tradition of Greece and

Babylonia --- that’s what my book Forgiving the Debt is

all about. The whole idea is, when there's an economic

interruption, you have an interruption, you don’t have

people going into debt. You wipe out all the arrears

that have mounted up. You wipe out the tax arrears,

the rent arrears, the debt of payment arrears. So,

once the crisis is over, you can start from a

normal position again.

There’s no normalization in the US, there’s no normal position

to start. You’re starting from a position, even more behind the

financial problems than you were when you went in. The

foreign economies of China and Russia don’t have that

kind of problem, they don’t have any kind of deficit. So,

the West is beginning with 99% of the population

deeper and deeper into debt to the 1 percent.

Where is that whole polarization between the 1% and the

99 %? It doesn’t exist, certainly in China and in Russia,

Putin is trying to minimize it, given the legacy of kleptocracy

that the neo-liberals put in, he’s still trying to deal with that,

but you really have that. It’s a difference in economic

systems, and the direction in which these systems

are moving in.

Pepe: I’m really glad that you brought up Ukraine, Michael,

because this, let’s say U.S. foreign policy, even before

Trump and now with the Biden-Harris administration,

basically more or less what it boils down to, is

sanctions, sanctions, sanctions, as we know,

and provocations --- which is what they’re

doing, certainly, in Syria with that

recent bombing.

In the case of Ukraine & Donbass, it’s absolutely crazy

because NATO so-called strategists, when you talk to
them in Brussels, they know very, very well, about
each state or whatever they weaponize and
financialize, to profit Kiev to mount some
sort of offensive against the Donbass:

and even if they would have l,300,000
soldiers against 30,000 in Donbass.

If the Russians see that this is going to get really heavy if they

intervene directly with their bombing, with their super missiles,

they could finish this story in one day. And if they want it, they

could finish the whole story, including invading Ukraine, in

three days, like they did in 2008 with Georgia, and still they

keep the provocations, loosely acted on by people from

inside the Pentagon.

And so, we have sanctions, we have nonstop provocations, and

we have also a sort of introducing a Fifth Column — elements

inside or at the top of government — which brings me to, and

I would love to have your personal analysis on the role of

Mario (Goldman Sachs) Draghi now in Italy, which is

something I had been discussing with my Italian

friends. And, there’s more or less a consensus,

among very well informed, independent Italian

analysts that Draghi may be a perfect Trojan

horse to accelerate the destruction of the

Italian state, which will accelerate the

globalist project of the European

Union, which is absolutely non-

state centric.

Let’s put it this way, which is also part of the Great Reset,

so, if you could briefly talk to us about the role of Super

Mario at the moment.

Michael: Well, Italy is a very good example to look at. It had

strings for a long time. When you have a country that needs

infrastructure, plus public, social democratic spending...

you need a government to create the credit. But when the

US and specifically the University of Chicago free market

lobbyists created the the Eurozone financial system, their

premise was that governments cannot create money. Only

banks can create money. Only banks owned by the bond

holders can create money for the benefit of their owners

and bond holders. So, no European government, first of

all, can run a budget deficit sufficient to cope with the

coronavirus or with the problems that have been

plaguing Italy for a decade.

They can’t create their money to revive employment, to revive

infrastructure, to revive the economy. The European Central

Bank only lends to other central banks.

It’s created trillions of euros just to buy stocks and bonds, not

to spend into the economy, not to hire labor, not to build infra-

structure, but just for the holders of the stocks and bonds.

The 1% or 5% of the population gets richer. The function of

the European Central Bank is to create money, to save the

wealthiest 5% from losing a single penny on their stocks

and bonds.

And the cost is to impoverish the economy and to basically

make the economy end up looking like Greece, which was

sort of, the dress rehearsal for how the Eurozone was

going to just essentially reduce Europe to debt

dependency, just like in feudalism, everybody

had to have access to the land by becoming

a serf.

Well now you’re in debt peonage. It’s the modern, finance

capital’s version of serfdom. And so, in Italy we’re going

to need government spending. We are going to need to

do in our way what China’s doing in its way and what

Russia is doing in its way. We’re going to have some

kind of government program. And we can’t have the

economy being impoverished, just because the

University of Chicago has designed a plan for

Europe to prevent the euro ever from being

a rival to the U.S. dollar.

If there’s no European central bank to borrow,

to pump euros into the world economy, then,
only dollars will be left for central bank

reserves.

The United States doesn’t ever want a rival. It wants satellites

and so that’s what it’s basically turned Europe into. And I do

not see any response outside of Italy for an attempt to say

we can’t be a part of this system. Let’s withdraw from

the euro.

I know that the Greeks, when I was in Greece years ago, we all

thought can’t we join with Italy and Portugal and Ireland and

say look, the system isn’t working. Everybody else no, no,

the Americans will just simply get us out of office one way

or another.

And in Italy, of course, if you look at what happened after World

War II, the great threat was Italian communism. You had the

Americans essentially say well, we know the answer to

communism, it’s fascism, and, you saw where they put

the money. They essentially did every dirty trick in the

book in order to fight any left- wing group in Italy, just

as they did in Yugoslavia, just as they did in Greece,

wiping out the partisans, all the leading anti-Nazi

groups from Greece to Italy to elsewhere. All of

a sudden, they were all either assassinated or

moved out of office and replaced by the very

people that the US had been fighting against

during World War II.

Well, now Italy is finally coming to terms with this and trying

to fight back and you’re having what’s happening there,

between Northern Italy and Southern Italy. You’re

having the same splits occur in other countries.

Pepe: Yeah. Well, I’m going to bring up, perhaps an even more

extreme case now Michael, which is the case of Brazil, which

at the moment is in the middle of an absolutely out of this

world mix of telenovela and Kabuki theater that even for

most Brazilians is absolutely incomprehensible. It’s like

a fragmentation bomb exploding over and over again,

a Groundhog Day of fragmentation bombs.

In fact, it’s completely crazy. Lula [former President Luiz Inácio

Lula da Silva] is back in the picture as well. We still don’t know

under which terms, we still don’t know how the guys who run

the show, which are the Brazilian military, are going to deal

with him or instrumentalize him, et cetera.

I bring up this case because …essentially it has convulsed

Brazil completely and large parts of Latin America. It is a

telenovela with one cliffhanger after another, sometimes

in a matter of minutes, but it encompasses all the basic

themes of what really interests the 0.01 percent, which

we can identify as a class war against labour which is

what the system in Brazil, since the coup against the

Former President Dilma Rousseff has been waging.

A war on mixed economies, economic sovereignty,

which is something that the Masters of the Universe

of the 0.01 percent cannot wage against Russia and

China. But that was very successfully waged against

Brazil and implemented in Brazil. In fact, in a matter

of 2 years, they completely devastated the country

in every possible sense, industrially,

sociologically, you name it…

And of course, because the main objective is something that

you keep stressing over and over again, unipolar rentier

dominance, in fact.

Brazil, I would say is the extreme case in the world not only in

the Global South, but in planetary terms of let’s say the last

frontier of the rentier economy, when you manage to capture

a country that was slowly emerging as a leader in the Global

South, as an economic leader. Don’t forget that a few years

ago, Brazil was the sixth-largest economy in the world and

on the way to become the fifth. Now it’s the 12th and falling

down nonstop and controlled by a mafia that includes not

by accident, a Chicago Boy Pinochetista, Minister Paulo

Guedes, who is implementing, in the 21st century,

something that was implemented in Chile in the

‘70s and ‘80s. And they were successful.

Apparently, at least so far.

Brazil is so disorganized as a nation, so shattered, so fragmented

& atomized as a nation that it depends on the re-emergence of a

single political leader, in this case Lula to try to rebuild the nation

from scratch. And even in a position where he cannot control the

game he can interfere in the game, which is what happened, like

you know, … when he gave a larger-than-life press conference,

mixed with a representation of himself as a statesman and said,

“Look the whole thing is shattered, but there is some light at

the end of the tunnel.”

But still, he cannot confront the real Masters of the Universe that

have allowed this to happen in the first place. So just to give an

example to many of you who are not familiar with some details

of the Brazilian case, and it involves directly the Obama-Biden

scheme or the Obama-Biden larger operation. When Biden was

vice president in 2013, in May 2013, he visited Brazil for three

days and he met with President Dilma.

They discussed very touchy subjects, including the most important

one, the absolutely enormous, pre-salt oil reserves, which obviously,

the Americans wanted to be part of the whole thing, not by accident.

You know what happened one week later? The start of the Brazilian

colour revolution, and this thing kept rolling and rolling and rolling.

We got the coup against Dilma in 2016, we got to the Car Wash

operation landing Lula in jail. And we got to the election of

[President Jair] Bolsanaro. And now we are in a place where

even if the military controls this whole process, even if

Bolsanaro is becoming bad for business will he become

bad for the rentier class business, for the 0.01 percent in

the U.S. that has all the connections in their new, large

neo-colony in the tropics, which has enormous

strategic value, not to mention, unforeseen

resources, wealth resources, right?

So, this is an extreme case - and I know you follow Brazil

relatively closely. So, your geo-economic and geopolitical

input on the running telenovela I think would be priceless

for all of us.

Michael: Well, this problem goes back 60 years. In 1965, the

former president of Brazil came to New York and we met. He

explained to me how the United States essentially got rid of

him because he wasn’t representing the banking class. And

he said that they built Brasilia because it’s apart from the big

industrial cities, they wanted to prevent industry and

democracy and the population from controlling

the government.

So, they built Brasilia. He said maybe they’ll use it as an atom

bomb site. It certainly doesn’t have an economic thing. Well,

fast forward, in 1980, after Mexico defaulted on its foreign

debt in 1972, nobody would invest in Latin America. And

by 1990, Brazil was paying 45 % interest per year to

borrow the dollars to be able to finance its deficit,

which is mainly flight capital by the wealthy.

Well I think I’d mentioned before, I was hired by Scudder,

Stevens and Clark for the Third World bond fund. 45%:

I mean, just imagine that. It’s a fortune every year. No

American would buy it, no European would buy it. Who

bought it? The Brazilians and Argentineans bought it,

& I get it, they’re the government, they’re the central

bankers. They’re the president’s family. They’re the

1 percent, they’re the only people that are holding

Brazil’s dollar debt.

So when Brazil pays its foreign dollar debt, it’s paying to its own

1 percent who are holding, who are saying well, we’re holding it

off shore in the Dutch West Indies where the fund was located

for tax-exempt purposes and pretending to be American

imperialists, but actually being local imperialists.

Well then, just towards the end of Lula’s reign, the Council of

Economic Advisors brought Jamie Galbraith and Randy Wray

and me down for a discussion. How do we, you know, we’re,

we’re really worried because, Lula in order to get elected,

had to meet with the banks and agree to give them what

they wanted.

They said, look, we can see that, you know, you have the power

to be elected. We don’t want to have to fight you in dirty ways,

but will let you be elected, but you’re going to have to do the

policies and certainly the financial policies that we want and

Lula made a kind of a devil’s agreement with them because

he didn’t want to be killed and he wanted to do some

good things.

So, he was sort of like a Bernie Sanders-type character. Okay,

you have to go along with a really bad system in order to get

something good done, because Brazil really needs something

good done. Well, the fact is that even the little bit he did the

finance couldn’t take because one of the characteristics of

financial wealth is it’s addictive. It’s not like diminishing

marginal utility. If you give more food to an employee or

to a worker you know, at the end of the meal, you’re

satiated, you don’t want much more. If you give

enough money you know, OK, they buy a few

luxuries and then, OK, they save it. But if you

give more money to a billionaire they want

even more... and they grow... even more

desperate. It’s like a cocaine-addicted

person and the Brazilian ruling class

wanted it so desperately that they

framed up and controlled the

utterly corrupt judiciary.

The judiciary in Brazil is almost as

corrupt as it is in New York City.

Pepe: More, even more.

Michael: They framed them up and they want totalitarian control.

And that sort of is what free market is. Totalitarian control by the

financial class. That’s freedom for the financial class, if the

freedom to do what they want to do to the rest of the

economy, that’s libertarianism, it’s a free market,

it’s Austrian economics.

It’s the right wing’s fight against government, it’s a fight against

any governments for long enough who resist the financial and

real estate interests. That’s what the free market is. And Brazil

is merely the most devastating example of this because it

takes such a racial term there. Not only does Brazil want

to make a fortune, tearing down the Amazon, cutting up

the Amazon, selling the lumber to China, turning the

Amazon into soy production to sell to China. But for

that, you have to kill off the domestic population,
the indigenous population that wants to use land
to feed itself. So you see the kind of race war &

ethnic war that you have, not to mention the

war against blacks in the Brazilian slums -

that Lula tried so much to overcome.

So you have a resumption of the ethnic war there, and on Wall

Street, I had discussions with money managers back in 1990.

Well I wonder whether that’s going to be a model for what’s

happening in the United States with the ethnic war here.

Essentially, it’s a tragedy what’s happening in Brazil, but it’s

pretty much what happened in Chile under Pinochet which

is why they have the Pinochetistas and the Chicago boys

that you mentioned.

Pepe: Absolutely. Coming back to China, Michael, and the

[recent] approval of the 5-Year Plan, which isn't actually
the 5-year plan. It’s actually three 5-year plans in one

because they are already planning 2035, which is

something absolutely unimaginable anywhere

in the West. Right?

So, it’s a different strategy of productive investment, of the

expansion of social welfare and solidifying social welfare,

technological improvements. I would say by 2025 China

will be very close to the same infotech level of the U.S.,

This is part of “Made in China 2025,” which is fantastic.

They stopped talking about it, but they're still implement-

ing it, the technological drive in all those standard areas

that they had codified a few years ago. And of course,

this notion, which I found particularly fascinating

because it is, in one sense, socialism with some

Confucianist elements, but is also very Taoist:

The dual development strategy, which is

inversions and expansion of domestic

investment and consumption and the

balancing all the time with projects

across Eurasia, not only affiliated

with the Belt and Road, with the

New Silk Road, but all other

projects as well.

So, when you have a leadership that is capable of planning

with this scope, amplitude breadth and reach, and when we

compare it to the money managers in the West, which

basically their planning goes, not even quarterly in

many cases, it’s 24 hours.

So our dichotomy between rentier capitalism, financialization,

or whatever we want to define it, and state planning with the

view of social benefit is even starker in fact, and I’m not

saying that the Chinese system can be exported to the

rest of the world, but I’m sure that, all across the Global

South, when people look at Chinese policies, long-term,

how they are planning, how they are developed and how
they are always fine tuning what they developed and

discuss…. As you said in the beginning, this is a

frontal shock of two systems and sooner or later

we’re going to have the bulk of the Global South

including nations which nowadays are still

American vassals or satrapies or puppets

or poodles, et cetera.

They’re going to see which way the wind is blowing. Right?

Michael: Why can’t the Chinese system be exported to the West?

That’s a good question…. How would you make US industry able

to follow the same productive path that China did? Well for one

thing the biggest element in workers’ budget today is housing,

40 percent. There was one way to get rid of it, get rid of the

high housing prices that essentially, or whatever a bank

would lend. And the banks lend essentially the economic

rent. There’s a very simple way to keep housing prices

down. You tax the land rent, you use your tax system,

not on taxing labor, that increases the cost of labor,

not increasing capital, that leaves less, industrial

capital, but your tax of the land and the real

estate and the banks.

Well, suppose you were to lower the price of housing in

America from 40% to 10% like China has, and this is the

big element in the cost structure difference. Well, if all

of a sudden, people only had to pay 10% of their

income for housing, then all the banks would
go under, because 80% of the bank loans,

are mortgage loans.

The whole idea is that the purpose of housing is to force how

many buyers and renters go into debt to the banks so that the

banks end up with all of the lend rent that the landlord class

used to get. This is what’s preventing America from being like

China. What if America would try to develop a high-speed

railroad like China?

Well, then you need the right of way. You’d need to have the

railroads go in a straight line. … They need a right of way

and it doesn’t have a right of way because that conflicts

with private property and most of the right of way is a

very expensive real estate.

So, you can’t have high-speed rail in the United States, like in

China. Suppose you would have a low-cost education. Well

then, you get rid of the whole means of siphoning off labor’s

income to pay for education loans. You could go, suppose

you had private healthcare and prevent Americans from

getting sick like they do in China and Thailand, where

you are.

Well, then the health insurance companies and pharmaceutical

companies wouldn’t be able to make their rent. So you could

not have America adopt a China type industrial program

without what would be really a revolution against the

legacy of the monopoly of private banking, of finance

and all of the fortunes that have been built up

financially really in the last 40 years

since 1980.

Pepe: So, what’s going to happen in the, let’s say, short to

mid-term in the U.S.? Michael, we are seeing the corrosion

of the whole system, not only externally in terms of foreign

policy & the end of the free lunch, but internally with those

70-million-plus “deplorables” being, literally, canceled from

public debate, the impoverishment of the middle classes,

with over 50 million people in the US who are practically

becoming literally poor. Obviously the American dream

ended a few decades ago, maybe, but now there’s not
even a glimpse of it, that there could be a renewal
of the American dream.

So, we have a larval civil war situation, degrading on a
daily basis. What’sthe end game in fact? And what
exactly does Wall Street, the US ruling class - guys
who have those lunches at the Harvard club -

what do they, ultimately, want?

Michael: Well, what you call a disaster for the economy, isn’t it

a bonanza for the 1%? This is a victory of finance. You look at

it as a collapse of industrial capitalism. I look at it as the

victory of rentier finance capitalism. You’re having

probably 10 million Americans that are going to be

thrown out of their apartments and their homes in

June when the moratorium on rents & mortgages

ends. You’re going to have a vast increase in the

homeless population. It will probably represent

an increase in people who use the subways.

Where else are they going to live?

And all of this, there’s an immense amount of private capital

firms that have all been created in the last year of just wealth

accumulations and they’re saying there are going to be such

great opportunities to pick up real estate at bargain prices,

all of this for the commercial real estate, that’s broken, all

the buildings and the restaurants that have to be sold...

because they can’t meet their mortgage payments and

their rents, all the houses that are going to be under,

private capital can come in and do what was done

after the Obama evictions.

We can do what Blackstone did. We can buy them all out for

pennies on the dollar. So, for them, they’re looking at their

own 20-year plan. And their 20-year plan, is to grab

everything!

consortiumnews.com

The views of individual contributors

do not necessarily represent those

of Strategic Culture Foundation.

__________________________________

TURNING THE LIGHT ON...

In this year of the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution,
and twenty years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union,
it seems that no media in Russia, or anywhere else, ever
quotes any serious news or analysis, from or about,
the second most powerful political party in Russia,
after Putin's United Russia party!

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation
(CPRF), is mentioned less than the Russian
Communist Party, a fake party, in RT news
and other Russian media outlets...

So here's the latest report from the CPRF
itself, well worth ploughing through, for
what it reveals.

I wonder what you will think about it!

Please drop me a line, at
rayjoseph05@aol.com

Political Report of the Central Committee
to the XVII Congress of the CPRF

Delegates and guests of the Congress,

We have left behind us the report period, for which the start
was made by the XV Congress. This stage was full of highly
important, sometimes dramatic events. The time has come
to review the results of the work over the past four years
and set new benchmarks.

We are holding our XVII Congress in the year of the centenary
of the Great October Revolution. The party started preparing
for the jubilee in March 2015 at a special plenary session of
the Central Committee.

Human history has seen many great events, but only some of
them change the course of development of the whole world.
Proletarian revolution in our country, dramatically changed
the face of the planet. It set Russia on the path to socialism.
It solved the national crisis, and saved the country from
destruction.

The 'Great October Revolution' rid Russia of capitalist and
national oppression. For the people of the Earth it became
the lode star and the clarion call --- for the search for a
future, worthy of Mankind.

The era of the building of socialism, is written into the biography
of our country in golden letters. The unique experience of Lenin-
Stalin modernization enabled the country to increase its industrial
potential seventy-fold within two decades, a rate of development
unprecedented in world history. That experience is still an
example of the successful creation of a society
of social justice.

The Jubilee of the Great October Revolution is an excellent
opportunity to remind the world of its significance and high-
light the achievements of socialism. To show an alternative
to the omnipotence of capital. To mobilize all the forces,
to struggle for the triumph of the bright ideas of
working people.

The crisis of capitalism: a sign of decay

Comrades,

The world is immersed in a profound systemic crisis which
engenders instability and threatens a new world war. This
is the essence of the present stage of capitalism. The
inherent contradictions of this system have not gone away:
the contradictions between Labour and Capital, between
the social character of production and the private form of
appropriation of the results of labour. On the contrary, the
inborn flaws of this system, have assumed a worldwide
character. There is no corner on Earth where the tentacles
of the rapacious octopus have not reached. As Marx noted
in his time, its very nature, forces it to scour the world
in search of maximum profits. Therefore the miasma
of over-ripe and decaying capitalism, is poisoning
practically all countries and continents.

Crises are an inseparable part of the capitalist economy.
Throughout its history capitalism has engendered several
major and tens of smaller crises. The current crisis is now
into its tenth year. It is the biggest crisis since the Great
Depression in the USA and the Second World War. The
crisis has affected, not just one individual sector, not
one tentacle of the octopus, but the entire system.

The current crisis is a direct consequence of neoliberalism.
The US Marxist, David Harvey, came to the conclusion that
in the 1970s, speculative financial capital had finally gained
an upper hand over industrial capital, so that not production,
but the market value of shares of stock, became the aim of
economic activity. Financial interests, “the power of the
accountants rather than the engineers”, prevailed among
the ruling classes and the ruling elites. Indeed, capitalism
is drifting further & further away from material production.
The imploding financial bubbles, form a characteristic
feature of modern capitalism. You will remember that
the CPRF has described this phenomenon as financial
imperialism, and has provided its extended analysis.

Neoliberalism has led to a revision of the idea of a “social
state.” It has cast aside all the vestiges of democracy and
human rights. It is relentlessly asserting its class & even
caste supremacy. According to Oxfam, the international
association of NGOs, 1% of the planet’s population
owns more wealth, than the remaining 99 percent.
The combined wealth of 62 of the richest people,
is comparable to what the poorest half
of humankind owns, and that,
is 3.5 billion people.

It is impossible to challenge the English philosopher Terry
Eagleton, who predicted in his book Why Marx Was Right,
that “Capitalism will behave anti-socially, if it is profitable
for it to do so, & that can now mean human devastation
on an unimaginable scale.”

The number of billionaires increased six times - to 1,810 -
between 2000 and 2016. At the same time, more than a
billion Earth people live in abject poverty. Nearly 400
million children suffer from malnutrition. This is not
a coincidence. There is a direct link between the
enrichment of the rich, & the impoverishment
of the poor.

During the last crisis, the lower strata were ruined, lost
their jobs and dwellings, while banks and corporations
drew billions in assistance from governments. This isn't
surprising, considering that government institutions have
become no more than managers hired by Big Business.
While Apple pays, in Europe, a profit tax equal to five-
thousandths of a percentage point, ordinary people
are choked by high taxes, prices and credits, low
wages, and the dismantling of social rights.

The parasitic essence of world capitalism will not disappear
- unless capitalism is destroyed. In its quest for maximum
profits, the oligarchy stops at nothing: stepping up their
exploitation and financial speculation, the unleashing
of wars, and the destruction of whole states.

Our XV Congress thus defined the main features
of the present-day capitalist system:

First, globalism is the highest form of imperialism.

Second, the world economic crisis is deepening.

Third, capitalism is mounting an attack against
human rights everywhere.

Fourth, imperialism is increasingly aggressive in the world
arena, and the threat of a new, major war, is growing.

Fifth, financial-oligarchic capital ever more openly puts
its stake, on the most vicious and reactionary forces.

Life has vindicated our analysis. During the past four years
the beastly snarl of capitalism has manifested itself in all
its ugly cynicism. World capital does not tolerate
competitors, let alone rivals: it strangles and
destroys political regimes that think
along national lines.

Over a hundred years ago Lenin drew attention to the crises
connected with the transition from the “peaceful” to the non-
peaceful stage of the functioning of the bourgeois system.
The destruction of the Soviet Union, ushered in another
“peaceful” period. Not encountering any serious obstacles,
capitalism pursued a policy of globalization. The workers’
and communist movement was weakened. There was an
upsurge of opportunism. Absolute impoverishment of
the working people was taking place, even in
economically developed countries.

That period is now over. New trends have emerged.

First, imperialism is actively provoking internal conflicts
in various countries and is using military force to redraw
the world map. Examples are Iraq, Libya and Syria.

Second, a tilt to the right is encouraged in the centres of
world capitalism. Even the European social-democrats
have given up their pacifism and embraced aggressive
imperialistic attitudes. Seeing Russia as a competitor,
the West is fomenting anti-Sovietism and Russophobia.

Third, right-wing forces, including Fascism, have moved
to the forefront of the capitalist world.

We believe it is wrong to assert that Russia has immunity
to Fascism. The historical experience of Italy & Germany
has shown that in the “weak links” of the capitalist chain,
imperialism uses Fascization as an “antidote” to socialist
revolutions. That is why Russia is also vulnerable. We
communists have to be vigilant.

The scenario of the extreme right coming to power has
already been acted out in Ukraine. The Banderovites,
backed by the US and the European Union, staged a
government coup to establish a terrorist, reactionary
nationalist regime that cracks down on communists
and all dissenters. The proclamation of the Donetsk
& Lugansk People’s Republics was a logical reaction
of millions of honest and courageous people. In spite
of the Minsk Agreements, the situation in Donbass is
extremely tense. Today the CPRF reaffirms: “Donbass,
we are by your side.” We come out for the recognition
of the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk
People’s Republics, and for their further
rapprochement with Russia.

The decision of the people of Crimea on reunification with
Russia, was a landmark event. At the same time, it has
shown that world capitalism won't tolerate attempts by
our country, to protect its borders and interests. The
Western countries are turning Ukraine into an anti-
Russian bulwark. In July 2016, the NATO summit
in Warsaw declared Russia to be the main threat
-- and “containing Moscow”, to be the key goal.

Having accused Russia of aggression, the North Atlantic
Alliance has stepped up the militarization of Eastern
Europe. NATO has deployed its military units in Poland,
Romania and the Baltic states. NATO is strengthening
its presence on the Black Sea. Montenegro has been
drawn into the Alliance.

The new US Administration has not renounced its
aggressive foreign policy. One of Trump’s early
directives was to increase the defense budget
by more than 50 billion dollars.

The USA has unleashed expansion in the Middle East
under the guise of fighting ISIL. Its aim is hegemony
over the key region rich in hydrocarbon resources.
The US strike on Shayrat air base on April the 7th
shattered the myth of Trump’s “love of peace.”
This put paid to Zhirinovsky’s Trumpomania.

While tirelessly instructing the world in democracy, US
imperialism is taking part in crimes against humanity.
Hundreds of civilians died, during the bombings of
Mosul in Iraq, the air strike on a hospital in Kunduz,
in Afghanistan, claimed tens of lives. The barbaric
operation in Yemen, in which Saudi Arabia has the
direct support of Washington, is into its third year.
The death toll has topped 10,000, two-thirds of the
country’s population are on the brink of starvation.

The process of the decay of imperialism, predicted by
Lenin, is unfolding. The link between world capital and
religious extremism has grown stronger. The USA and
its satellites support such brutal groups as Jabhat al-
Nusra and ISIL. Uigur separatist and Islamic groups
whose chieftains are based in the US and Western
Europe are being used to destabilize China. It isn't
surprising, that China is one of the main targets.
Acting now by threats & now by cajolery, global
capital seeks to weaken the Celestial Kingdom.
It is clearly scared of the successes of the new
world power. To “neutralize the Chinese threat”
the US is cobbling together an alliance against
the PRC, trying to drag into it, not only Japan &
South Korea, but also the Philippines, India and
some other countries. In April, the US military
came close to unleashing war on the Korean
Peninsula. Pyongyang is denied the right
to strengthen its national defense.

In Latin America capital continues to oppose “XXI-century
Socialism.” When it was embraced by Venezuela, Bolivia,
Ecuador and Nicaragua this put hope into the hearts of
millions of disfranchised citizens. In response, every trick
in the book has been used: sanctions, threats of invasion,
and the financing of subversive actions of the right-wing
opposition. The globalists have managed to bring about
an impeachment of Dilma Russeff in Brazil. They have
put Mauricio Macri, as the head of Argentina. Now,
these countries open the door to US corporations
and the rights of workers are under attack.

However “the right-wing revenge” has stalled. In Venezuela,
attempts to depose Nicolas Maduro, the successor to the
legendary Hugo Chavez, are failing, although Washington
has invested huge resources in it. In Ecuador the left-wing
candidate, Lenin Moreno, scored a victory. In Nicaragua,
Daniel Ortega comfortably won another term. Late last
year the world suffered a heavy loss. Fidel Castro, the
symbol and banner of anti-imperialist struggle, died.
His like-minded fellow fighters, carry on his
courageous cause.

Thus, the international situation is determined by the clash of
two trends. The first is the offensive of the forces of capitalism.
It is doing all it can to shore up its global dominance. But there
is also the second trend, and that is the growing resistance to
capitalist hegemony, and the commitment to uphold the right
to independent and sovereign existence.

We are for a better world

Opposition to the forces of capital takes various forms.

First, a number of states reject the course imposed by the
ideologues of liberalism. The Communist Party of China
will hold its XIX Congress in the autumn. The Chinese
communists are moving steadily toward achieving their
two main goals: to build a middle-level wealth society
by the time of the Party’s centenary in 2021 and to
create “a powerful, affluent, democratic, civilized,
harmonious and modernized socialist state” by the
PRC's centenary in 2049. In the international arena
Beijing comes out for peace & economic integration
and is promoting the One Belt, One Road, project.

Vietnam, Cuba, Laos and the DPRK are developing confidently.
Belarus is setting an example to the post-Soviet space. Leftist
governments in Latin America, united in the ALBA alliance, are
demonstrating staunchness. Their social programs have given
millions of people housing, jobs, medial care and education. All
these countries prove, that there is an alternative to globalism.

Second, millions of working people are struggling for their rights.
In France last year the reform of labour laws involved hundreds
of thousands of citizens in protests. Millions of people regularly
go on strike against liberal reforms in India. The people of Brazil
and Argentina, are actively opposing the offensive of capitalism.

It has to be admitted that the crisis of capitalism tends to increase
the influence both of the left and of the right parties. The ideas of
euroscepticism are gaining popularity in Europe, as manifested by
Brexit, and the electoral success in France of Marine le Pen and
Jean-Luc Melanchon. In the heart of world capitalism, the USA,
socialist-leaning candidate Bernie Sanders, won active support
before the presidential vote and Donald Trump also campaigned
on criticism of the dominance of Wall Street.

It is very important for the left to prevent a “right-wing march” on
the planet. Possibilities for that do exist. It is clear that after the
treacherous destruction of the Soviet Union no “end of history”
and no “collapse of communism” have occurred. The influence
of the left could not have disappeared, if only because poverty,
inequality and injustice did not go away. They force people to
fight for a better life. The world communist movement, has
not been destroyed. It is building up its strength.

Communists today form part of the ruling coalitions in Nepal,
Venezuela, Ecuador, Uruguay, and some other countries. In
recent years our comrades in Belarus & the Czech Republic
have scored successes. The Labour Party in Belgium, has a
chance to win more seats in parliament. Communists have
nearly trebled their presence in the parliament of Japan.
These are just some examples.

The program of our party determines that the CPRF is part of
the international communist and workers’ movement. We are
actively promoting cooperation with fraternal parties, pooling
our efforts in the struggle against imperialism, and for the
interests of the working people.

Socialism is the strategic goal of communists. In their struggle
for it, the communist parties are called upon to strengthen their
position in the grassroots with due account of the specificities
of each country. This task should be solved, through opposing
both social-reformism and left-wing sectarianism.

The CPRF is actively involved in the analysis of the modern stage
of class struggle, & in developing its forms and methods. During
the report period, we initiated a number of academic-practical
conferences & round tables, including: International Communist
Movement Today & Tomorrow, The Image of Socialism We Are
Struggling For, The Party Press, & the Struggle of Communists
under Current Conditions.

In May 2015 the CPRF organized in Moscow, a meeting of
international democratic organizations, to mark the 70th
Anniversary of the Victory Over Fascism. Taking part were...

The World Federation of Trade Unions, The World Peace Council,
The Women’s International Democratic Federation, The World
Federation of Democratic Youth, The International Federation
of Democratic Lawyers, The International Federation of Anti-
Fascists and Resistance Fighters. All of them have a
corresponding status at UNESCO, the International
Labour Organization, and other UN agencies.

This year the activities of the world’s communist parties are
dominated by the 100th Anniversary of the Great October
Socialist Revolution. Resolutions have been passed,
stressing its significance.

Our party takes an active part in International Meetings of
Communist and Workers’ Parties. Since 1998, these have
been held annually, at the initiative of the Communist Party
of Greece. The last one, held in Vietnam last year, brought
together 60 parties. In the year of the October Revolution
jubilee, we will host the 19th International Meeting of
Communist & Workers’ Parties. It will be held in early
November in the City of Lenin (St. Petersburg). The
participants will set the agenda of the communist
movement, in the struggle for socialism. Great
responsibility devolves on us, to hold this
forum in a worthy manner.

The CPRF takes part in international meetings, seminars
& conferences and interacts with left-wing parties on a
bilateral basis. We took part in the congresses of the
communist parties of the Czech Republic & Moravia,
Portugal, Finland, Bangladesh & other countries, &
in events staged by left-wing parties. Cooperation
agreements have been signed with the communist
parties of China and Vietnam. An agreement has
been signed with the Workers’ Party of Korea.

These agreements are being successfully implemented,
thanks to the efforts of L.I.Kalashnikov, K.K.Taisiyev,
V.M.Tetyokin and other Russian comrades.

A Russia-China meeting, '70 Years of Common Victory' was
held in Khabarovsk in September 2015. Delegations of young
CPRF activists go to China every year to study the experience
of reforms conducted in the PRC. Our comrades regularly take
part in the festivals of the Portuguese Communist newspaper,
Avante (Awake). A joint Russia-Korea photo exhibition,
'A History of Friendship' was held in three stages,
in Pyongyang, Moscow and Minsk.

At all the international events the CPRF briefs fraternal
parties on its activities. Solidnet posts documents,
and other information, about our party.

A great amount of work is being done in the framework of the
UCP-CPSU. The Union brings together 17 parties. The high-
lights in the report period were: the celebration of the 20th
anniversary of the Union in Kiev before the Maidan coup,
the XXXV Congress of the UCP-CPSU in Minsk, plenums
of the Union Council in Moscow, the opening of the
Union’s internet site, and so on.

Coordination of activities takes on an added importance,
considering that the authorities in some republics of the
former USSR, persecute communists. At various times,
pressure was brought to bear on the communists in
Georgia, Moldavia & Kazakhstan. In the Baltic States,
Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan communist parties have
to work practically underground. The UCP-CPSU
parties, repeatedly come out in support of the
Ukrainian communists led by P.N.Simonenko.
Some of our Ukrainian comrades had to be
rescued from the hands of pro-fascist
elements.

On 29 May 2014 a headquarters for humanitarian aid to the
citizens of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics
was set up. Their population is exposed to severe trials.
Within three years the CPRF has sent 60 convoys with
humanitarian aid to these republics. This work goes on.
Over three thousand children from Donbass, went
to the Snegiri complex outside Moscow, to rest
and improve their health.

International work is covered in the Vestnik SKP-KPSS.
The newspaper Pravda carries a monthly feature devoted
to the Union of Communist Parties. The newly opened
rubric “Communist Brotherhood” has already carried
out talks with the leaders of the communist parties
of Portugal, Lebanon, Cyprus, Britain and India.

The CPRF takes an active part in solidarity actions, with peoples
that have become the victims of imperialism's aggressive actions.
The voice of our party was heard in joint statements against the
persecution of communist parties, manifestations of fascism
and nationalism, and the offensive on the rights and
freedoms of working people. We have come out
in defense of Libya and Syria, and against
the US blockade of Cuba..

The cohesion of communist &workers’ parties is the guarantee
of their success. It is an uphill struggle. Capitalism will never
resolve its inherent contradictions on its own. Imperialism
is becoming more and more aggressive in the time of crisis.
Analyzing the ideas of Marx and Lenin, modern US academic
James Petras, writes that capitalism has proved convincingly
and indisputably that it prospers thanks to the degradation of
tens of millions of workers, & is absolutely deaf to the endless
pleas for reform & regulation. The capitalism that really exists
cannot, and does not want to, raise the living standards of
ordinary people, guarantee their employment, or provide a
decent life without fear and humiliation. Capitalism…
is diametrically opposed to freedom, equality,
democratic decision-making and
the common good.

There are only two paths for humanity: either socialism or further
decay, wars, instability, the moral degradation of society and the
destruction of the environment. Only the power of working people,
public ownership of the means of production, & rational planning
in the economy, can set humankind on the path of all-round
development. It is the duty of our party to actively
promote these ideas among the grassroots.

Non-stop crisis

Comrades, after 1991 our country became part of world capitalism.
The liberal traitors who came to power cherished the hope of joining
the “golden billion.” They obediently followed the instructions of the
International Monetary Fund and other global capitalist institutions.
Even in the West, they considered the team of Yeltsin’s foreign
advisers to be ''economic murderers''.

The Russian bourgeoisie was accorded the dubious honour of
supplying the West with raw materials and fulfilling its whims.
Many upstart oligarchs raised on Gaidar’s “yeast” were quite
comfortable with such a role. They treated Russia as “this
country,” in which they were “cowboy builders,” Russia was
a place for business, while their safe landing sites were
their mansions and hefty foreign bank accounts.

A regressive, parasitic, oligarchic, comprador capitalism established
itself in the country. Its basis is the export of commodities and the
banking sectors. This proves that Russia is becoming a raw
materials appendage, and a market for foreign goods.

However, part of the Russian bourgeoisie wants greater independence.
Experessing the aspirations of this part of “the newest Russians”
government has ratcheted up patriotic rhetoric and taken some
independent steps. The Crimea was brought back to where it
belongs. Support was rendered to the legitimate government
of Syria. The people of Russia, tired of self-abasement,
welcomed these steps. This state of affairs was not
to the West’s liking. Sanctions were introduced, and
a massive information campaign, leavened with
Russophobia and anti-Sovietism, were launched
against Russia. If Russia's leadership does not
want to repeat the fate of Milosevic, Hussein
and Gaddafi, it has no other option, but to
strengthen the country’s sovereignty.

However, the Russian oligarchy has neither the strength nor
the desire, to break with the system of global capitalism. It
has still not recognized the DPR and LPR. “The pivot to the
East” policy is clearly marking time. Attacks continue on
Belarus, which undermine the process of a closer union
between our peoples. The process of integration of the
post-Soviet space, which the CPRF has always
welcomed, is meeting with serious difficulties.

After the devastating Serdyukov “reforms” many, but not all
the problems of the Armed Forces combat ability have been
solved. The cuts in the defense budget which have started,
run counter to the need to restore military education and
science. Our precision weapons still need imported
components, while the software built into them,
may be set in motion at any moment. It is not
possible to effectively protect the country’s
sovereignty, without a powerful defense
industry independent of foreign suppliers.

On the whole, the quarter century of liberal reforms in Russia
has produced an extremely cruel socio-economic model. A
peripheral oligarchic-bureaucratic regime has taken shape
in the country.

Russia’s joining the World Trade Organization, was a major
concession to global capital. Only the CPRF has consistently
opposed it. Restrictions on production, reduction of customs
duties and other novelties gave an edge to foreign “partners.”
During five years of WTO membership, the Russian budget
lost about 800 billion roubles due to lower customs duties.
Indirect losses topped 4 trillion.

Big owners have been given a free hand in plundering Russia.
The economy is being deprived of vitally needed investments.
Today they account for a mere 18% of GDP, only half of what
they were in the RSFSR in 1990. But the authorities calmly
look on as the oligarchs transfer capital to offshore zones
and foreign banks. In the last 2 years alone, capital flight
exceeded 70 billion dollars. And we are constantly being
called to make “civil peace” with those who are simply
robbing Russia.

Dependence on foreign capital is beginning to threaten the
country’s sovereignty. Companies with foreign capital
account for 75% of the communications sphere, 56%
of the extractive industries and 49% of the processing
industries.

This is highly reminiscent of the situation in the early XX
century when Western capital dominated the industry and
banking sector in the Russian Empire. That dependence
cost Russia dearly: it was drawn into the First World War
defending the interests of the Entente capitalists. Russia's
GDP has been shrinking for over two years. Since 2014, it
has dropped by 8%. The state budget is losing trillions of
roubles. Modernization and diversification of the economy
have failed. The Government ministries in charge of the
economy and finances are unable to cope with the crisis.
They are misleading the country. The Ministry of Economic
Development reported a 0.4% growth of GDP at the end of
the first quarter. However, this data was promptly
challenged by Vneshekonombank analysts, who
proved that the GDP continues to fall.

The socio-economnic course followed by the government has
turned the country into a society of mass poverty. According
to official data, real income in Russia dropped by nearly 13%,
and consumption has gone down by 15%. The number of
paupers has increased by 3 million. Twenty million, one in
every seven citizens, live below the poverty line. The CPRF
points out that the official living minimum, is 2-2.5 times
lower, than the actual level.

Sociology confirms the picture of mass impoverishment. Last
year three quarters of citizens significantly cut consumption.
Forty percent say they don't have enough money to buy food
and clothing. Almost 30% need food stamps to survive.

Russia has become a country of appalling inequality. Dollar
millionaires own 62% of Russia’s wealth, and billionaires
own 29%. A handful of moneybags own nine tenths of the
national wealth. The international research organization
The New World of Welfare has concluded that Russia
ranks first in the world, in terms of wealth inequality.

During the past year alone the aggregate wealth of 200 of
Russia’s richest businessmen increased by 100 billion
dollars. ”Income champions” own 460 billion dollars,
which is twice the annual budget of a country of
150 million people.

These then are the main problems of the Russian economy:

— its reliance on commodity production,

—the destruction of its industrial potential,

— poverty and the low purchasing power of its citizens,

— a flawed monetary policy,

— inefficient governance.

The sanctions compounded the situation.

The government’s regional policy is extremely ineffective.
Receiving only 30 percent of the total national income,
the regions are struggling to maintain the social sphere.
There are only nine donor regions left. The debt of
regional budgets, has already reached 2.5 trillion
roubles, of which, over 50% are commercial credits.
The budgets are overburdened with commitments.

The CPRF is ready to change the situation drastically. We
maintain that the crisis in Russia is man-made. It is created
by the government which has no coherent development
program. Spinoza said that He who knows not where he
is sailing, will never have a fair wind.” So, our government
is either full of bad navigators, or they are deliberately
leading us into a dead end.

The Russian crisis is, at the same time, part of the global
crisis of capitalism. In the framework of this system, our
country has no favorable prospect. There is no room for
such a Russia in the modern world: it will be torn to
pieces and simply swallowed by the sharks of world
capital. Our country lived through such an experience
before. The brief period when a Provisional Government
was in power, in 1917, nearly brought about the demise
of Russia. It was rescued by the Red Project of the
Great October Revolution. The Bolsheviks restored
the country’s sovereignty, and prevented it being
“digested” in the insatiable stomach of world
capitalism. This lesson is still relevant to
Russia today.

One of the main contradictions, is that between the interests
of the country and the interests of Russian capital. This can
only be resolved by a cardinal change of the socio-economic
system. Only a renewed socialism will be able to cope with
social inequality, economic disarray and create an effective
governance system.

The working majority and false “class peace.”

The question arises, what are the driving forces of socialist change?
We turned to this question more than once over the past years. The
destruction of socialism and the Shock Therapy of the 1990s, had a
negative impact on the social class structure of society. The situation
continued to worsen after 2000. The number of workers in industry,
dropped by more than 2 million. The past few years alone have seen
the closure of the Likhachev Plant in Moscow, the Nickel Plant in
Norilsk, the Khimprom chemical plant in Volgograd and other giants.
Many enterprises dramatically cut production. The share of the
processing industry, fell to a pitiful 13%.

The main change that occurred in the life of the working class
and the peasantry is their proletarization. Under the Soviet
government the worker and the peasant were co-owners of
the means of production and the national wealth. Now,
almost two-thirds of the gainfully employed population
(64.6 percent), work for the benefit of private capital.

Workers have fewer and fewer chances to rise up the social “lifts.”
The degree of class polarization in this country is among the
highest on the planet. It is impossible to achieve class peace
under such conditions. The exploiters and the exploited have
diametrically opposite opportunities and interests.

“The masters of the world” behave like time-servers. It is no
accident that capital flight increases. High-ranking officials
increasingly behave in a criminal way. More and more
governors are charged with corruption. The elite’s
inability to “rule in the old way” causes it to swing
from liberalism to conservatism, from nationalism
to a token crackdown on Russian nationalists, etc.

The past quarter century has seen a sharp growth in the
number of those engaged in petty commodity production
and speculative-usury sectors. A sizable stratum has
emerged of people who live by “gigs.” In the European
Middle Ages these people were referred to as “free-
lancers.” Most of them are young people in the 20
to 45 age bracket. Their instrument of production
is the computer. What they want out of life, is,
above all, independence. These new
phenomena merit a very close study.

For all that, there are no grounds for saying that the working
class in Russia is disappearing. It numbers about 30 million.
Does it mean many or few? Much fewer than in the RSFSR,
but many times more, than in Russia in 1917.

“The proletariat of workers by brain,” as Engels called it, is
being exploited too. It has to get hired by the bourgeoisie
for meager pay. There are almost 20 million such people
in modern Russia. To this, you have to add small business-
men and small farmers. The crisis ruins tens of thousands
of small owners, which makes it easier for us to promote
our ideology to them.

CPRF is for the working people

Esteemed delegates and guests of the Congress,

To achieve its goals the proletariat needs a political vanguard.
Only a modern communist party can rise to this task. In turn,
the communists ”have no interests separate from the interests
of the proletariat as a whole,” as Marx and Engels wrote.

It is the duty of the CPRF to staunchly adhere to the position
of defending the interests of the working class. We have to
regularly revisit the decisions of the October 2014 Plenum
which was devoted entirely to our goal of increasing our
influence in the proletarian milieu. The decisions taken
then, are highly concrete and are easily verifiable.

Two and a half years have passed since then. It is high time
to ask ourselves, what has been accomplished? Have we
strengthened our positions in the midst of the working class?
Can we report to the Congress an influx of workers into the
CPRF? Let us answer this question looking the truth straight
in the face. For the workers’ issue is the key issue in our
political struggle for power.

The share of workers in the CPRF's ranks, has risen to 14 percent
during the report period. Yet no dramatic change has taken place.
Overall, the party influence on the working class is, obviously,
insufficient. We have to admit that on that issue, we are still
at the start of the road.

Thus, our tasks are directly linked with strengthening the party’s
influence on the workers’ and trade union movement, the youth
and non-governmental groups.

We have to be more active in seeking freedom of political activity
in the street. However, we should breathe new life into various
forms of protest even within the existing framework. We value
all those who form the nucleus of our actions. We are grateful
to them. But we must broaden our ranks if we are to be
reckoned with. Big politics is where the millions are.
The topics of our slogans should be relevant and
specific. We should “strike at the nerve” of the
social atmosphere, use the whole arsenal of
technologies, to arouse citizens in their
struggle for their rights.

About 60% of Russians prefer a “society of social equality” to
a “society of individual freedom.” So the ideological component
of protest sentiments is growing, turning such actions into
class struggle.

The communists must prevent mass protests from being
hijacked by pro-Western anti-national forces. Under these
conditions it is vital for the CPRF to formulate a clear-cut
class position.

The party and the young communist league must pay particular
attention to the youth. The youth has shown its readiness for
street action. It is not only that the liberals use inexperienced
young people while keeping them in the dark. Today, young
people are the most vulnerable social stratum. Even
pensioners are in a more secure situation, because
of what remains of the Soviet system of
social guarantees.

Today’s young people are the first to have grown up after
the dismantling of the system of Soviet social guarantees.
They are defenseless in the face of capitalist society.
These young people have no chance to study, work and
raise families normally. Housing becomes an insuperable
problem for many of them. Feeling like outsiders, they are
not ready to reconcile themselves to such a position and
plunge into street protests without always understanding
the slogans. In Ukraine, the bourgeoisie used popular wrath
...to establish a dictatorial regime. Russia faces a similar
danger. It is the task for the CPRF to go to the youth, to
help it transform the demand for social justice into
massive and resolute protest.

The prerequisites for success are there. According to the
Public Opinion Fund, less than 20% of young people are
infected with the ideas of liberalism. 73% come out for
state ownership of enterprises and natural resources.
28% think of themselves as staunch supporters of
socialism. The share of those who support
capitalism, is even less among other
age groups.

We need to mobilize CPRF supporters to struggle to bring
the country back to the socialist path. Each of us must
contribute to strengthening the party’s authority, as
the only force fighting to assert the people’s rule

Along with the development of the workers’, protest and
youth movements, we have often stressed the importance
of work with the trade unions, & non-governmental groups.

The nucleus of a new life

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that “stability”
in Russia does not have a solid basis. The number of poor
people has doubled compared to the pre-crisis period. The
dynamic of social inequality has intensified. The gap
between the richest 10% and the poorest 10% has
reached 30 times. The inequality of access to quality
healthcare and education, has deepened. Russian
society is in an anxious state, not knowing what
the future holds in store for it.

The liberals in government continue to tighten the
financial noose around the people’s neck. The only
alternative to this disastrous course is consolidation
of the healthy forces on the basis of socialism and
genuine patriotism. This nucleus will be able to
counter the destructive energy of any Maidan,
and the ruinous experiments of the
“monetarists” in government.

People are having less and less hope that this power
will come up with a creative development project. Such
a project was proposed by our party at the Oryol
Economic Forum in February of last year. Here is our
program: Ten Steps toward a Decent Life for a
Government of Popular Trust.

1. Russia’s wealth must serve the people. It is high time
to rein in the oligarchs, to bring back to the state the oil
and gas industry, key banks, the power industry, railways,
and defense industries. A powerful state sector will protect
the economy from foreign capital pressure. The draft law
on nationalization, is ready. It will bring several trillion
roubles to the treasury every year. Planning will make
the economy more competitive in the world.

2. To guarantee economic sovereignty. The CPRF wants Russia
to leave the WTO. We will create an independent financial
system, rid the country of the diktat of the dollar, and free
the Central Bank from the influence of the US Federal
Reserve System. State control over the banking system
and currency transactions, will stem the staggering
flight of capital. Small and medium-sized businesses
and people’s and collective enterprises, will get
active support.

3. To develop industry, science and technologies. Russia needs
a new industrialization driven by micro-electronics, robotics,
and machine tool building. Today the processing industry
accounts for 14% of the GDP. It is necessary to double that
share within a short space of time. The decimation of the
Russian Academy of Sciences is a crime against the future.
Financing of science must be increased several times over.
We will be able to do away with unemployment.

4. A new life for rural Russia. Russia is not secure in terms of
food. It imports half of its food from abroad. A third of arable
land is overgrown with weeds. The task of the Government
of Popular Trust is to revive large-scale agricultural
production and the rural social infrastructure.
At least 10% of budget spending should go
into agriculture. We are ready to adopt new
Land, Forestry & Water Codes, and improve
the environmental situation.

5. Credits must be used to revive the country. Russia is in 48th
place in terms of transport infrastructure, and in 87th place in
terms of air transport. The regions are heavily in debt. The
Government complains about a shortage of resources, while
at the same time, crediting the US economy. We should direct
investments into the development of the Russian economy.
To help the regions, the Popular Trust Government will
replace commercial loans with subsidies and
subventions out of the federal budget.

6. State control of prices and tariffs. As for living standards,
Russia has dropped to 90th place in the world, which puts
it in the same company with Guatemala and Namibia. The
state must control prices. Housing and utilities rates
should not exceed 10% of a family's income. The
government must regulate the tariffs for
electricity, fuel and transportation.

7. The country must have fair and effective taxes. Russia has
a distorted tax system. The CPRF proposes to abolish VAT,
which will make domestic products cheaper. We are ready
to scrap the PLATON system and raise taxes on property
and settlement land. Budget losses will be compensated
for, by a progressive tax on the incomes of physical
persons. It will add an annual 3-4 trillion roubles to
the treasury. State monopoly on the production of
alcohol will yield another 2-5 trillion. Russia will
have a budget of development, not degradation.

8. People are the nation’s main value. The CPRF guarantees
an accessible and high-quality education and health service.
A law on “war children” will be passed without delay. Youth,
children and mothers, disabled people and old folks will
receive particular attention. Science, education and health-
care will get 7% of the budget each. The CPRF has the
corresponding package of laws. The state will build
social housing and will be responsible for the state
of domestic infrastructure. Levies for the capital
repair of housing, will be scrapped.

9. Strong power, secure life. Russia needs a strong defense.
It should go hand-in-hand with information and technological
security and defense against cyber-weapons. The CPRF is in
favour of stronger EAEU, SCO, and BRICS, of integration in
the post-Soviet space and protection of fellow-countrymen
abroad. We have to make governance more effective,
tighten oversight over the activities of government
officials, and curb corruption and crime.

10. A country of high culture. We will protect the people from
anti-Sovietism, nationalism and Russophobia, from immorality,
vulgarity and cynicism. Culture will be reigned by talent, not
money. Writers and composers, the cinema and television,
can multiply our cultural heritage. Our government will
surround us with care museums and theatres, Houses
of Culture and philharmonics, libraries and archives.
Russian talents, the creativity of young people,
physical culture and sport, will be supported.

Seeking to implement this program, the CPRF is engaged in
a constant dialog with the country’s citizens. Our proposals
have been approved during the course of many election
campaigns, over the past year. We held an All-Russia
Council of Work Collectives, attended by more than
600 representatives of factories, farms and trade
unions, from 82 regions. A program of rural
development was presented at the Congress
of Russian Agro-Industrial Complex Workers,
held at Zvenigovsky centre. The All-Russia
Congress of Public-Sector Workers, has
approved proposals on how to preserve
and develop social institutions.

Concrete steps to implement our programmatic ideas and
proposals are critical. Our Duma deputies have a special
role to play. In the previous Duma the CPRF deputies
secured the adoption of laws On Strategic Planning,
On State Defense, Order, and On Industrial Policy,
in the RF. The Medvedev government is obviously
dragging its feet over fulfilling them. In the meantime
we are pressing for the next step; the creation of a
State Committee for Strategic Planning.

Practice shows that the anti-crisis measures proposed by the
CPRF are highly effective. The key task is to go to the grass-
roots and explain this. It is our duty to demonstrate that the
results of the party’s work indicate that it has proved to be
a credible nucleus of genuine power of the people.

To Struggle for Power

Comrades. The presidential election is fast approaching.
It will be held in an atmosphere of growing public
discontent and alienation from power. The ruling
circles will have to press into service administrative
resources and resort to other gimmicks. The regime
may exhibit growing Bonapartist traits. Such a regime
is a dictatorship of big bourgeoisie, steering its course
between opposing classes. Its internal contradictions
are mitigated, by foreign policy confrontations.

Russia today is a super-presidential republic. The number
one person has more powers than the Tsar and General
Secretary combined. Power in the country has not
changed hands for more than seventeen years. In
fact, a whole generation has grown up under one
president and one governing party. During this
period the US & France had 4 presidents each.

What are the key features of the political regime in Russia?

First, monopolization of power in the hands of the president
and the narrow circle around him. Secrecy in taking key
decisions. The political process has turned into a
succession of special operations.

Second, the ruling United Russia party has merged with the
bureaucratic apparatus. The party is merely the ”driving
belt” and not the subject of making key decisions.

Third, opposition exists in and outside parliament, but on an
ever smaller limited scale. There is simulation of democratic
institutions and procedures, in order to legitimize the
ruling group.

Fourth, monopolization of the main media outlets and the
introduction of political censorship and “self-censorship.”

Fifth, the absence of truly independent justice coupled with
pervasive corruption & political control over the law courts.

Sixth, liberal fundamentalism in the economy remains the
bedrock foundation of the current regime. The ruling elite
dreads the prospect of being isolated from the Western
world, and openly woos the centres of capitalism.

Seventh, the regime is not bound by any ideological principles,
its postulates changing, depending on the exigencies of the
day. Personal safety calls for a more patriotic policy, which
we have been witnessing recently.

The figure of the president is at the centre of the political regime.
Official propaganda is at pains to convince the masses of the
danger of his departure. However, elections remain as the
trappings of democracy. For us taking part in the elections
is like wrestling on a small patch of legal opposition
activities, and that opportunity should be
effectively used.

But, to repeat a well-known idea, it is naïve to put the stake
on elections. They may only be crowned with victory when
revolutionary sentiments grow. Only then would the party
be able to hold on to its electoral victory with the support
of millions of activists. An electoral victory is only possible
in the event of a major change in the balance of political
forces and the active support of the street.

On the face of it, the protest potential among the population
is low and the president’s approval rating is high. But the
stability of a regime of personal power is not a given that
is eternal. The situation may change quickly. The CPRF
is duty-bound to use its participation in elections to
promote its ideas, to strengthen its structures and
attract new cadres and supporters.

In December you read my appeal “Time demands a new policy.”
We agreed to thoroughly discuss all candidates for election,
in the coming years. This work must continue. At the Central
Committee level it is coordinated by the CPRF Headquarters,
headed by I.I.Melnikov.

In the report period the CPRF has preserved its status of the
main opposition force. The party scored some high-profile
victories but also faced some difficulties in the elections.
The setback in 2016 is due to the fact that the elections
had been turned into a special operation against Russian
society. They were not a free expression of the citizens’
will, but a criminal mechanism of delivering the pre-
determined result. This is witnessed, among other
things, by several dozen criminal cases opened
thanks to our activists.

When we brought our voters to the polling stations our candidates
won by a comfortable margin. A.Lokot was elected Mayor of
Novosibirsk, V.Potomsky Mayor of the Oryol Region,
S.Levchenko Governor of the Irkutsk Region.

Seven of our comrades won seats in the State Duma in single-
mandate constituencies. They are V.Bortko (St.Petersburg),
S.Kazankov (Mariy El), A.Kurinniy (Ulyanovsk Region),
D.Parfyonov (Moscow), O.Smolin (Omsk Region),
N.Kharitonov (Krasnodar Territory) and
M.Shchapov (Irkutsk Region).

In the elections to the Moscow City Duma in 2014, communists
won five single-mandate constituencies. One of the highlights
was the election of A.Klychkov, who defeated the prefect of
the South-Western Electoral District, Zotov.

On the whole, the party’s average result in elections in recent
years is 15%. The CPRF never drops below 20-25% in Irkutsk,
Novosibirsk, Oryol regions and in North Ossetia where we are
contesting first place with the governing party, like in Mariy El
and the Omsk Region where our result is just shy of 30%. So,
it is possible to fight and win. On the other hand, there has
emerged a stable zone of election rigging in the Volga
Area, and in the North Caucasus.

Our party comes out for democratization of the political system
and for fair elections. The tactic of the ruling regime consists
in constantly changing the rules of the game in the political
field in order to falsify results. Changing the election date to
September, greatly affected the turnout. In general, trust in
the institution of elections has diminished. Turnout is
plummeting. All the parties are losing votes, in
absolute terms. The institution of debates has
been discredited. Neither the president, nor
governors, take part in them. On the whole,
the low turnout is the citizens’ indictment
of the unfair electoral system.

Power deliberately adjusts the political system in favour of
the governing party. We for our part will insist on direct and
free elections of the heads of regions. On electing municipal
deputies by party lists. On debarring from elections governors
who ''retire'', in order to be able to take part in fresh elections.

Battling in parliament

Letters of citizens to the CPRF faction in the State Duma and to
the Central Committee, are symptomatic of Russia's problems.
They criticize government policy, complain about the plight of
the people and about court rulings. Many complaints have to
do with the impossibility of getting housing, the unreasonable
utilities rates & soliciting financial help for medical treatment.

Protecting the rights of working people is at the focus of our
deputies attention. At present, we have 42 deputies at the
State Duma and two members of the Federation Council
(V.Markhayev and V.Ikonnikov). The CPRF has 81 factions
(a total of 342 deputies) in regional legislatures. There are
9,360 communist deputies in local government bodies.

Although the CPRF lost some seats in the State Duma it still
spearheads the struggle for the interests of the common
people in parliament. I.Melnikov is first deputy speaker of
the Duma. Five communist deputies – V.Kashin,
N.Kharitonov, L.Kalashnikov, T.Pletneva and
S. Gavrilov— head the key Duma committees.
S.Reshulsky, N.Kolomeitsev and V.Shurchanov
coordinate the work of the Duma deputies, on
a day-to-day basis.

Communist deputies did not support the draft federal budgets.
Even with amendments, they lead to the degradation of the
country and the impoverishment of working people. The
oligarchy relentlessly shifts the burden of the economic
crisis onto the ordinary working people & onto those who
need social help: children, pensioners & disabled people.

For the CPRF, education policy is the key to building up human
potential. Without it, modernization in the XXI century, is
impossible. At the initiative of deputy O.Smolin the CPRF
faction prepared a draft law On Education for Everyone.
Although the draft was rejected, in recent years, we
managed to bring about a partial reform of the Unified
State Examination, the retention of preferential treatment
when entering higher education institutions for disabled
people, orphaned children and people who saw combat
action, an adjustment of pay for places in student
dormitories, official fixing of teachers’ salaries at
a level not below the average pay in the region;
although 75 regions are known to have
ignored these regulations.

The CPRF is categorically against raising the retirement age,
against dropping the indexation of the pensions of working
pensioners and the cut in monthly payments towards
accumulative pensions. A pro-government majority
stubbornly blocks our draft law On War Children,
but we have again submitted it to parliament.

Communists’ work in the regional legislatures
is exceedingly important.

The CPRF has increased the number of local deputies by
15.5% to nearly ten thousand. Almost 200 heads of local
governments have been elected with the party’s support.

As part of strengthening the body of deputies, the CPRF CC
held two All-Russia Congresses of Communist Deputies and
Heads of Executive Power Bodies in June 2013 & May 2016.
Mandates of the deputies, and their duties to the citizens of
Russia, have been adopted.

Of all the parliamentary parties, the CPRF commands the
highest level of popular trust. United Russia is unable to
hide its face of the party of oligarchs and bureaucrats.
The Just Russia party has never managed to shed its
role of an appendage to the “governing party.” The
LDPR plays a similar function, at the other end of
the spectrum

One of the CPRF’s tasks is protecting citizens against arbitrary
rule and lawlessness. The profound crisis caused a degradation
of the social environment, a criminalization of society, and
diminished the level of people’s safety. Key human rights –
to life, work and healthcare – are not guaranteed. Over
2 million crimes were registered in Russia, in the past
year, and by no means, were all crimes registered.

100th anniversary of the Great October Revolution
and our struggle

Esteemed participants in the Congress,

The 100th anniversary of the biggest event in human history,
the Great October Socialist Revolution, is drawing closer and
closer. The Bolshevik victory in 1917 saved Russia from a
disastrous liberal experiment. It pulled our country away
from the edge of a precipice, paved the way for progress
in the economy, the social sphere, culture and education.

The anniversary is less than months away. It is our duty to
celebrate it in a dignified, substantive and spectacular way.
Much has already been done. Enrolment of new members to
mark the revolution jubilee continues. Mass actions on April
12 and 22, May 1 and 9 were major political events. A Lenin
evening has been organized at the Gubenko Theatre. A
working group for the preparation of the 19th International
Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties has had its
meeting. The Lenin Prize has been brought back, in tribute
to those who are faithful to the working people.

A series of conferences and round tables has been held.
Important discussions took place, on Lenin’s theory of
imperialism and his April Theses, on the theme “From
February to October” and on the experience of building
the Soviet Armed Forces. Some interesting films have
been released on the CPRF’s Red Line TV channel. To
give but some examples, they include The Stalin Model,
The World Cabal, To Live without Lying, By Hook or by
Crook, Blind Leaders of the Blind, The Soviet Man,
Master of the Russian Land. They should be used
more actively in our propaganda work. Party media
outlets regularly publish materials devoted to the
events of 1917, Lenin and Soviet history. Internet
projects specifically devoted to the 100th
Anniversary of the October Revolution
have been launched.

The topic of the socialist revolution must be reflected at the
World Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi. The LCYU of
the RF is taking part in the preparations for the Festival.

The best proof of loyalty to the ideas of the October Revolution
is constant struggle for the interests of the working people, and
for a socialist transformation of Russia. However, practical work
can only be effective if it rests on a strong, sound theoretical
foundation. We have such a foundation in the shape of the
Marxist-Leninist ideology, the dialectical materialist method
of cognition and the class analysis and assessment of,
social facts and phenomena.

The programmatic goal of the CPRF is socialism. It can only be
achieved by introducing advanced socialist consciousness
into the ranks of the working people.

The crisis in Russia opens the eyes of the masses to the fact
that bourgeois recipes for development do not work. This
tends to increase the activities of those who would like to
“improve capitalism,” to replace “savage” capitalism with
a “civilized” market, to combine the best features of
capitalism and socialism. We resolutely reject these
attempts to gloss over the flaws of globalism.

I would like to remind you of Lenin’s succinct formula, from
his book What Is to Be Done: ”It is either bourgeois or
socialist ideology. There is no middle road here…
Therefore any belittling of socialist ideology, any
alienation from it, signifies the strengthening of
the bourgeois ideology.”

The CPRF is convinced that socialism alone will save Russia
and the world from a catastrophe, a catastrophe that
capitalism is preparing by each new step it takes.
Therefore a revision of communist ideas cannot be tolerated.
As history shows, this path leads to total capitulation to the
bourgeoisie. It is not by chance, that many leaders of the
Second International, ended up by viciously condemning
the October Revolution. Indeed, ineffectual representatives
at the top of the leadership of the CPSU, gave up the
communist ideology and went on to destroy the party
and the state. Some of them openly defected to the
anti-communist camp. French writer & philosopher,
Jean-Paul Sartre, was categorical: ”Every
anti-communist, is a rascal.”

Ideological struggle never stops. Seeking to bolster its
positions the oligarchy fosters anti-communism, anti-S
ovietism and Russophobia. This reveals the genetic
link of the liberal bureaucrats with Gorbachev and
Yeltsin on the one hand and with the “orange’
opposition, the Navalnys and others. Shying
away from socialism, they all play the role
of anti-national, anti-people forces.

Russophobia and anti-Sovietism are close relatives, as the
CC CPRF proved convincingly at its latest Plenum. The
October Revolution and the Soviet system are inseparable
from the historical destiny of the Russian people. A fierce
campaign is being waged against our history, against our
communist ideas. The Svanidzes, Gozmans & Zhirinovskys
never tire of pouring venomous lies on the pages and
images of our past that we hold sacred. The celebration
of the jubilee of Solzhenitsyn, the man who called for
aggression against his own country and actively
backed the Banderovites, promises to be wider
and wider. The building of the Yeltsin Centre
in Yekaterinburg did not only “consume”
7 billion roubles of budget money.

It openly calls for the rehabilitation of Vlasov. Is it not because
of this, that the Centre has been awarded the 'Best European
Museum of 2017' prize?

Here and there, monuments and memorial plaques are put up
to Kolchak, Krasnov, Mannerheim and the White Czechs. At
the same time Soviet monuments are pulled down or moved.
Streets and even cities, are being renamed.

Take the nationwide dictation test. This year the participants
were offered a text by the writer Yuzefovich, in which a White
general makes scathing remarks about a monument to Lenin.
How does that square with condemnation of the illegal Kiev
rulers, for vandalism and for dismantling Lenin monuments?.

The authorities cannot afford to ignore mass sentiments.
Sociologists have found that there are more supporters
of the Soviet political system in this country than there
are admirers of the current political system and
Western democracy combined. The Immortal Regiment
action sent a very clear political and cultural message.
The prevailing sentiment of this impressive march was
the victorious Soviet spirit. It remains to lament the fact
that the Immortal Regiment, unlike the regiments that
marched straight to the front in 1941, is marching past
the Lenin Mausoleum, that has been covered in drapes.

While resorting to patriotic slogans, the authorities seek
to erase the positive perception of socialism from people’s
consciousness. We, for our part, should confidently uphold
truth and justice, protect the historical memory and make
active use of our experience of combating anti-Sovietism,
anti-Communism & Russophobia and distortions of history.

Nationalism is another evil for which an antidote is needed.
Only the CPRF has a clear-cut program on the nationalities
issue. It stresses the value of the friendship of the peoples
and the multinational character of our country. Our position
was accurately expressed by the October 2013 Plenary
Session of the Central Committee which stressed that
the main cause of the aggravation of inter-ethnic
relations, is the deepening of social & economic
problems. Big Capital uses the nationality card,
to distract people’s attention, from the
widening social schism.

We maintain that socialism alone can make the working
people masters of their land and of their destiny. Only
then will inter-ethnic conflicts vanish like a nightmare.

Mass events staged by the CPRF help to promote the
party’s ideas. A year ago Ufa hosted the All-Russia
Forum Friendship and Brotherhood of the Peoples:
Guarantee of Russia’s Resurgence in which guests
from Belarus, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s
Republics took part. Every year in June the party
holds Pushkin Days & Days of Russian Language
and Culture. The tradition was initiated by North
Ossetia's Republican Committee of the CPRF. A big
contribution to official recognition of Russian Language
Days, was made by the communists in the State Duma
and the Russky Lad movement. The CPRF’s proposal
to outlaw calls for the dismemberment of Russia,
has met with public approval.

The entire edifice of party propaganda should be built on
a solid ideological foundation. People under the age of
40 did not study the basics of Marxism-Leninism, at
school or university. This is the generation that is
joining the party and its consciousness is often
littered with pseudo-socialist rubbish. The party
education system is called on, to address this.

The CPRF Political Education Centre set up after the Ð¥V
party Congress to train our activists has already had 21
enrolments. More than 700 young communists from all
the Russian regions as well as Transdniestria, Georgia,
South Ossetia, Kyrgyzstan, the DPR & LPR, attended.
Many of the Centre’s graduates have been elected as
secretaries of the regional and local CPRF branches
and head up Young Communist League organizations.
The journal Politicheskoye prosveshcheniye, helps
the party members to build up their theoretical
luggage & train party activists in the provinces.

Lenin never tired of stressing the importance of the party's
press and believed that the newspaper should not merely
‘disseminate ideas” but also act as a collective organizer.
Important information outlets today are the newspapers
Pravda and Sovetskaya Rossiya. Oblast, region and city
party branches put out more than a hundred periodicals.
Some good experience has been accumulated by the
editorial offices of many party newspapers, including
Podmoskovnaya Pravda, Krasniy Put’ (Omsk Oblast),
KPRF v Nizhnem Novgorode, Leviy marsh (Ulyanovsk
Oblast), Priangarye (Irkutsk Oblast), Donskaya iskra
(Rostov Oblast), Za narodnuyu vlast’ (Novosibirsk
oblast) and Rodina (Stavropol Territory).

Party life is regularly reported on the Central Committee site,
politpros.com, regional and local party sites. KPRF.RU has
launched such internet projects as Narodnaya initsiativa,
Storonniki KPRF, Antikorruptsionniy komitet imeni Stalina.
At the end of 2016 the Central Committee site competed
convincingly with the United Russia resource. Even so,
we are still seriously losing out to the liberals in terms
of volume and presentation. That situation should be
urgently rectified.

The opening of the Krasnaya Liniya TV channel in the wake
of the XV CPRF Congress was a big step forward. Since 2015
it has been broadcast via satellite. This round-the-clock
channel is beamed to an audience of nearly 7 million.
Krasnaya Liniya has an internet site and accounts
in social networks. It puts out daily news bulletins.
Among its more popular programs are Special
Report, Viewpoint, Soviet-Era Brands, and
Politpros, to mention just some.

The Agitpunkt section of Political Education site carries
video, audio and photo materials and samples of printed
copy. This is particularly important in election campaigns.

To strengthen the party at all levels

Comrades, we must strengthen all the party links. The past
four years have seen a growth of the number of primary
and local CPRF branches. Today the party has 162,173
members. During the report period, it enrolled over
60,000 new members.

The biggest regional branches are: Moscow oblast — 7528
members, Volgograd oblast — 6536 members, Krasnoyarsk
Territory — 6153 members, Moscow City — 5712 members,
Dagestan Republic — 5547 members, Stavropol Territory—
5510 members. Last year, we had no regional branches
where the rate of admission of new members did not
exceed 5 percent of the total membership.

Contrary to the allegations of our opponents, more than half
of Russian communists are people of active working age.
They include14 percent — workers; 13 percent — salary
earners; almost 7 percent — unemployed people; 6.6% —
farmers; 4.3 percent — students; 4.2 percent — engineers
and technicians; 4 percent — members of the creative
intelligentsia; 3 percent — entrepreneurs; 1.2percent
— enterprise managers.

The percentage of workers who joined the party increased
somewhat. The average age of CPRF members is 55.6,
slightly less than the 2013 indicator. Thus the party has
both experienced and young members. Still, the share
of older members is high. Our distinguished veterans
form the party’s “golden fund.” There are 70,000
of them, or 42.5 percent.

Many young people joined the party during the enrolment
campaigns to mark the 70th anniversary of Victory and
the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution. In the
period between the XV and XVII party congresses,
almost two thousand people under 30 joined the
CPRF to bring their total number to 11.6 percent.
Women account for 33 percent.

Our party operates in a society divided by class. Power in
Russia is in the hands of oligarchic capital and the top
bureaucrats. This sets high demands on the ideological
and moral character of its members.

The latest report-and-election campaign makes it possible to
formulate the main challenges facing the CPRF organization.

1. Annual admission of 10 percent of the total membership
barely keeps the size of membership constant. The figure
must definitely increase if the CPRF is to increase its
influence in society.

2. Party branches should be more active among workers,
there should be more workers, professionals and farmers
in the CPRF.

3. Full-scale training of party activists for participation in
election campaigns needs to be improved.

4. Our priorities must include work with potential allies
and supporters of the CPRF, the creation of a data base
of supporters in each regional party branch.

5. The quality of the training of the reserve cadres,
especially at the local and primary level, is still
a challenge.

On the whole, much remains to be done to improve the
style and methods of party work. All these tasks need
to be addressed now.

The material base of our work

Esteemed participants in the Congress,

Shortly after the 100th anniversary of the socialist revolution
we shall be marking the 25th anniversary of the re-creation
of our party. The architects and stewards of national betrayal
were aware that our people would still be drawn to the ideals
of socialism. That is why they tried to leave the CPRF without
its material and technical base and thus limit its influence at
a grassroots level. At the time the party was re-created, we
were deprived of the basic conditions for daily work, for
agitation, communications, and cadre training. And all
the while, we were in the authorities’ gunsights and
under fire from the left and the right.

In fact, we had to rebuild the economic base of the CPRF
from scratch, twice, the first time after the Gorbachev-
Yeltsin betrayal and the second time after attempts to
privatize the party’s property by the supporters of the
“wet congress.”

Today we have not only revived our party, but have provided it
with considerable assets. In 2004 the party owned only two
buildings in Moscow and some built-in space in Cherkessk.
Since then we have acquired 109 offices for regional and
local branches. Only 10 regional committees still have to
rent space. I think we will be able to solve the problem
within two years.

The main sources for replenishing the party budget are:
party dues, donations to the party fund, budget financing
and 'other'. On the whole, more than 80% of the money
goes to regional party branches. This enables them to
work more effectively and meaningfully.

The country’s future is the future of the party

One of our key tasks is work with the youth. Only one-third
of the people aged 18 to 22 are interested in politics. The
blows sustained by the education system, the decline of
young people’s educational levels, makes them easy
prey for political manipulation.

The state goes through the motions of pursuing a youth policy.
Youth councils and parliaments create an illusion of social lift.
64% of university graduates are unsure of their future. One in
every two of them cannot find a job for which he/she has been
trained. More than 50% of unemployed people in Russia, are
citizens between 18 and 35.

For the CPRF the youth is not only the target of electoral battles.
It is the future of our country. The party pays particular attention
to its youth policy.

The share of young people in the party is growing. Our opponents
can no longer claim that the CPRF is a party of elderly people.
Leading positions are more and more often occupied by people
of young and under middle age. Party cadres are becoming
younger due to new members who have gone through serious
schooling as members of the Komsomol. D.Novikov, Yu.Afonin
and K.Taysyev established themselves as politicians in the
past report periods. After the XV CPRF Congress, important
jobs at the Central Committee were entrusted to our young
workers, A.Klychkov,A.Korniyenko, M.Kostrikov & I.Makarov.

We have many young people who are willing and able to work.
Thanks to them we can safely say that the CPRF is a XXI-
century party, a party of the future. Let us recall that in
1917, more than half of the Bolshevik party members
were under 35.

The LKSM (Leninist Communist Youth Union) is a youth
organization that preserves the Soviet traditions. Its
track record includes the protection of education
institutions from being closed, preventing a rise in
payment for student dormitories and transport
fares, and the fight against the curtailment
of social benefits.

The Leninist Komsomol is the reserve cadre of the party

The nationwide Komsomol action The Banner of Our Victory,
is an example of the patriotic upbringing of young people. It
included more than 18,000 school lessons where students
were told about the heroic exploits of the Soviet people.
The project has a follow-up under the title, The October
Banner is the Banner of Victory.

Every year hundreds of children are enrolled in the Young
Pioneers at a ceremony in Red Square. Today more than
250,000 children and teenagers wear the Young Pioneer
red scarves.

On the agenda is the issue of uniting all the Young Pioneers
in a single Lenin Union of Young Pioneer Organizations.
This end is to be served by the Second All-Russia
Meeting of Young Pioneer Guides in which the
Party and the Komsomol will take part.

The Komsomol faces the challenging task of increasing our ranks
and attracting new supporters. Party and Komsomol members
must conduct the difficult but very necessary educational work
with the young generation. Strong links with the working class
youth, are particularly important.

Next year sees the 100th anniversary of the Lenin Komsomol.
The organizing committee “Komsomol is 100” is already active.
This date is not only an occasion for remembering the
accomplishments of Soviet Power, the outstanding
role of the youth in developing and defending the
country, but also for encouraging the new
generations to uphold their rights and
a worthy future.

Keep in mind the main thing

Esteemed delegates and guests of the Congress,

A new stage of history began 100 years ago. The world’s first state
of workers and peasants was formed. In the year of the 100th
anniversary of the Great October Revolution we recall more
and more often the name of Lenin, the revolutionary and
statesman, a genuine romantic & an outstanding scholar.
It was the great idea of social justice that enabled him
to translate a great theory into the practice of great
accomplishments.

Lenin constantly stressed that at the end of the day the central
issue of all politics is the economic issue. And today Russia is
faced with challenges that stem directly from its economic lag
and its reliance on commodity production, from technological
degradation and a mass impoverishment of its citizens. This
is the system that was established in this country ,after the
collapse of the USSR.

The authorities are unable to meet these challenges. The
incomes of big Russian businessmen are growing at a f
antastic rate, even today. This means that the oligarchy
has no economic incentives to overcome the crisis. The
anti-national essence of such an “elite”, is obvious.

At the beginning of the last century Lenin came to the conclusion
that Russia was the weak link in the chain of capitalist states.
This fact set the stage for a revolution. Otherwise, Russia would
have remained a raw materials appendage of more developed
countries. This conviction was reaffirmed by Stalin at the XV
Congress of the AUCP(B):

”We must make our country economically self-reliant, independent,
based on the internal market. We must build our economy in such
a way as to prevent our country from becoming an appendage of
the capitalist system.”

The supreme meaning of the socialist revolution was the embodiment
of the ideal of social justice. This was achieved through the building
of a truly independent state based on new economic relations. As
Stalin said, “Soviet power did not have to replace one form of
exploitation with another, as did the old revolutions, but to
liquidate all exploitation.”

A revolution is genuine only if it leads to a large-scale class
restructuring of society. Otherwise it is a “colour” simulation
of one, which brings to power liberal “fighters against the
regime” guided by foreign principals.

This was the kind of threat that hung over Russia in February 1917.
But Lenin came forward with convincing calls: Peace to the peoples,
Bread to the hungry,” “Factories to the workers” and “Land to the
peasants.” These slogans arose from the deepest convictions of a
romantic and politician, a fighter and a scholar. The simplicity and
clarity of Lenin’s slogans disguises deep insight into the problems.

Reread Lenin’s works “The Immediate Tasks of Soviet Power,”
“On Cooperation,” and “On the Food Tax.” You will find there
a massive scientific basis on which Lenin based his practice.
Those who run the country today are incapable of such vision.
Russia is reaping the bitter fruits of their economic illiteracy
and irresponsibility.

Myth has it that by introducing the New Economic Policy, Lenin
admitted the need to return to the capitalist market. Some even
say that Gorbachev’s line was a successor to the NEP. Only his
perestroika led to a dismantling of socialism and the collapse
of Russia, while the Soviet State grew stronger under the NEP.

After the First World War and the Civil War and foreign Intervention,
production had shrunk by nearly five times and agriculture by half.
Crop failures and famine compounded the situation. The NEP saved
the country. As for foreign companies, they were allowed at
enterprises that accounted for less than 1% of the total
industrial output.

The decisions taken then strengthened the state system of
controlling the socialist economy. In 1921 the State Central
Bank was founded in the country. It issued up to 70 percent
of all the credits. The state invested in the economy. During
the first five years of the NEP, agricultural output doubled
and industrial output trebled. The economy grew by 13% in
1927 and by 19% in 1928. National revenue increased at an
annual rate of 18%. Between 1922 and 1929, the USSR built
more than 200 big industrial enterprises. Prices were going
down rapidly. The world had not ever known, such
economic success.

This was Lenin’s New Economic Policy. It is a brilliant example
of an anti-crisis program capable of rescuing the country from
economic collapse. The CPRF program has echoes of Lenin’s
approach. It is becoming more relevant every day. The Moscow
Economic Forum confirmed that more and more experts, are
proposing measures consonant with our approach.

Russia today needs a financial system that serves the interests
of the country and not of transnational capital. The banking
system must be put under state control. Only then will it be
able to provide effective loans to the national industry and
to small businesses. The country needs to replace the flat
income tax rate with a progressive one and to exempt the
poor from all taxes. Without a fair distribution of national
wealth the Soviet State could not have overcome mass
poverty and provide the economy with investments. The
same is true of today.

Lenin passed away in 1924, but his economic policy lived on.
The foundation had been laid for a staggering breakthrough
that was Stalin’s industrialization. Think of Stalin’s then
amazingly bold words: “We are 50-100 years behind the
advanced countries. We must run this distance within
ten years. Either we do it or we shall be crushed.”

This appeal was imbued with the Lenin spirit. The titanic
task was fulfilled. In January 1932 the French newspaper
Le Temps wrote: “The USSR has won the first round, it
industrialized without the aid of foreign capital.” This
was recognition of the Soviet economic achievements,
recognition of the success of Lenin’s ideas and
accomplishments.

Lenin’s economic policy is behind the colossal success
of Stalin’s industrialization and total liquidation of
unemployment by the beginning of the 1930s. The
great Victory over Fascism is also the result of
Lenin’s policy. So was the Soviet conquest of
outer space. So was the level of social
guarantees, that one can only dream
of, today.

Vladimir Lenin won the Great Socialist Victory which long
survived him. Today the country is suffering a crushing
capitalist defeat. It may turn out to be a catastrophe.
Today the experience of Lenin and Stalin stands in
contrast to the Yeltsin-Gaidar legacy of the 1990s.
We communists will do all we can to make sure that
the creative forces prevail. The number one task is
to help the people to become aware of the need to
restructure along socialist lines.

* * *

Dear comrades,

The October 1917 Revolution lit the dawn of a new life.
Our legacy is grandiose. Next year sees the 200th
anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx. Great is the
power of Lenin’s ideas. The Bolsheviks have
colossal experience of opposing capital.

The greatest achievement of Lenin and his comrades-
in-arms was the creation of the Bolshevik Party, a
party of a new type. Bolshevism linked the proletarian
movement in Russia with scientific socialism. It
consistently implemented the teaching on the class
struggle of the proletariat, on the socialist revolution,
on the building of socialism in one country surrounded
by capitalism. The party of Lenin put the Russian
revolutionary movement in the vanguard of the
struggle against capitalism and its leading
force, the financial oligarchy.

The Bolshevik Party is the party of socialist revolution,
of socialist creative endeavour and the communist
perspective.

Bolshevism combines loyalty to principle and flexible
tactics, the romanticism of lofty dreams, and
pragmatic actions.

Proletarian internationalism is a characteristic of
Bolshevism. However, it skillfully combined the
general laws of the struggle for socialism with
national-historical specificities.

Bolshevism rejects opportunism and revisionism. It
upholds the purity of the Marxist-Leninist theory and
opposes the falsification of this theory. At the same
time it rejects sectarianism and seeks to unite left-
wing forces in the struggle against the dictatorship
of capital.

In October of 1917 the Russian Bolsheviks aroused the
masses and won. They took up the slogan of Marx and
Engels Proletarians of all lands, unite” and put it into
practice. After the victory Lenin said: “Our socialist
republic of the Soviets will stand firm as the torch of
international socialism and as an example to all the
working masses. There they have fighting, war and
bloodshed, here we have a genuine policy of peace
and the socialist republic of the Soviets.” That was
indeed the case. The Soviet country became a
bulwark and a beacon of hope for the working
people of the whole planet.

The Soviet Union presented mankind with a unique
experience of socialist construction. Its Red Banner
became the main symbol of the fighters for justice
in all the corners of the world. During the clash with
Fascism this red flag called the Soviet warriors into
battle and their heroism inspired the Resistance
fighters of Europe. The banner with a hammer and
sickle was the main symbol of the Great Victory.

Russian communists are proud of their history. Our path
draws on the brilliant experience of many units of the
international left movement. The wealth of this
experience is our great heritage. The heritage of
Soviet socialism inspired the members of the
Comintern .It found its continuation in the Chinese
and Cuban revolutions, in the struggle of Korea and
Vietnam against the US military, in the daring exploits
of Ernesto Che Guevara and the Ð¥Ð¥I-century
socialism of Hugo Chavez.

The achievements of the Soviet era are our lode star in
the whirlpool of events. Building on the path covered,
we have to go further in upholding social justice.
Remembering past victories the CPRF has to intensify
its struggle against capitalist savagery and degradation.
The Party must establish itself as the vanguard of the
workers’ movement. It must help hired laborers to
become aware of their basic interests, to acquire
socialist consciousness, to master the methods of
class struggle –this is our task and this is our
political and civic duty.

Russia is living through an exceedingly complicated period.
To protect the working people, our party has to prove itself
day after day by its teamwork and convincing results.

The centuries-old dream of humanity about a better future
gives us faith in the triumph of good over evil, the triumph
of the values of peace and creative endeavour, justice
and progress.

Let us be faithful to the cause of the October Revolution.

The race is won by the running.

Onward toward new heights.

This entry was posted in CPRF Congress,
Statements on June 2nd, 2017, by admin.

http://cprf.ru/2017/06/political-report-of-the-central-
committee-to-the-xvii-congress-of-the-cprf/