Who takes the oil?

Posted by: Musburger | Mar 24 2017 18:27 utc | 3

is it anti-american to talk about this that and the other thing? apparently some folks think so… i see it that they are attached to the ‘rah rah, we are the greatest’ myself..

Posted by: james | Mar 24 2017 19:14 utc | 5

With regards to money and monetary policy.
The issue here is arithmetical and relates to the right to private property.
In a system where:
1 – Government imposes one unit of account by law
2 – Government bestows property of said unit of account to an unelected third party
3 – Irrespective of underlying economic conditions or political persuasion, succeeding incumbent governments run perpetual fiscal deficits
The diminishing marginal utility of debt ensures that the outcome is dialed in.
1,2 and 3 taken together guarantee that, eventually, government must face off against the people
1,2 and 3 however, also guarantee that shortly after taking on the people, governments will be fighting on 2 fronts: against the people and against the owners of the unit of account
This is an arithmetical identity
It does not matter whether a society opts to make use of stones, shells, gold or cabbages in designing a monetary system. The only thing that matters is whether the system is geared towards the distribution of wealth through the acquisition of private property or whether the system is geared towards the concentration of wealth through the concentration of title.
Because of the diminishing marginal utility of debt, 1,2 and 3 guarantee that the time differential between, on one hand, the generation of new money and credit and, on the other hand, the time it takes for this new money and credit to penetrate all levels of the economy, first users of the unit of account enjoy an asymmetrical purchasing power advantage over entities that get to use the same money and credit later in the cycle.
In time, this can only result in the concentration of title thus wealth, thus political power.
The diminishing marginal utility of debt results in gradually more onerous fiscal pressure.
Increasing fiscal pressure results in ever more stifling legislation.
Taken together, these 3 dynamics monopolize and raise barriers to entry in industry and business thereby inducing off-shoring which results in increasing unemployment.
In a context of electoral politics, politics have little to do with changing one’s quality of life.

Posted by: guidoamm | Mar 24 2017 19:36 utc | 7

Outlaw US Empire invasion of Iraq provided the basis for Daesh being brought to life by the Empire in an attempt to control a political situation it couldn’t. Elements of Daesh were then used to destroy Libya. After gaining experience there and getting further training, Daesh was introduced into Syria to destroy it too. Daesh then developed its own ideas about its destiny, but still obeyed orders from its creator and its allies. Meanwhile, the Empire’s previous creation, al-Ciada, was doing its part to help fulfill the Empire’s plans for the region.
On the previous thread, Outraged asks why the Empire continues to rely on its terrorist death armies instead of its own military to forward its political goals. I think it’s to keep them in reserve to use against one of the main Multipolar Alliance nations–Russia, China, or Iran–whose militaries are too powerful–not that the terrorists won’t be used to derail the Eurasian integration projects of China and Russia since that’s the reason they exist.
Clinton was all about above board confrontation. Trump seems to favor more covert action while talking reconciliation–the Bush/Reagan method. I don’t see any reversal of the Outlaw US Empire’s drive begun during WW2 to establish Full Spectrum Dominance; rather, just a change in tactics is occurring that hopefully isn’t fooling anyone.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 24 2017 19:42 utc | 9

The Truth Behind the War on Immigrants
Short video from TRNN:
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:18739:The-Truth-Behind-the-War-on-Immigrants

Posted by: ben | Mar 24 2017 20:08 utc | 11

Karlofi @ 9: The US and its allies use ISIS and al Qaeda terrorists to fight their wars in the Middle East and Africa because they’re cheaper to train and recruit. Social media networks take the headache out of going out to the backwoods of Appalachia or the degraded suburbs of Flint or Detroit where military recruiters might not be welcome anyway. The unemployed or dysfunctional types who sign up to ISIS and al Qaeda only need enough training to act as shock troops to gain new territory. If they are badly injured, they can be left to die – this saves the Empire from having to spend money and resources on patching them up and sending them out to fight again.
Would the US risk sending its own troops to eastern Europe to fight Russia? I’d say only if and when western European countries have exhausted their own armies and societies trying to fight and invade Russia. Similarly would the US risk sending troops against China? Only after Japan, South Korea and other US allies in the western Pacific region (Australia in particular) have banged their own armed forces into oblivion again and again against that nation.
Truth is, the US has not fought a prolonged land war with foot-soldiers that it eventually won since 1865, and even then that was against much smaller fry.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 24 2017 20:17 utc | 13

Apologies if this has already been discussed, but I found it rather interesting that here in the U.S. a new instalment of the “documentary” series Frontline appeared this week about Iraq. For those unfamiliar with the series: it is generally speaking very well-done propaganda that consistently represents the official .gov position, and appears on public TV. It subtlety panders to a more “discriminating” and “educated” audience than regular broadcast TV.
This latest episode was titled “Iraq Uncovered”. I found it particularly interesting that the main takeaways for the audience appeared to be: (1) the shia militias (Iran) are the main troublemakers on the ground (the terms shia militia and hezbollah brigades were used almost interchangeably), and that (2) the gov of Iraq is so weak and ineffective they are not only unable to provide basic services to the population at large but has no ability to protect sunnis from the rampaging shia/hezbollah brigades in areas reclaimed from ISIS.
It seems clear to me that regardless of what Trump may have intended to do with respect to Iraq/Syria (assuming he ever had a coherent policy in mind), the partition of this region will continue unabated and the unhinged Wolofitz doctrine true believers are still in control of long-term policy.

Posted by: duncan_idaho | Mar 24 2017 20:28 utc | 15

Re reluctance to commit US Boots … IMV
As for jen & peter AU. As well as:
~$165 Billion USD for the Dept of Veteran Affairs, annually and growing due to last 16 years wars Iraq & Afghan, plus smaller … loss/cost of political capital/soft power, foreign & domestic … UN Charter, International Law, Laws of War, Geneva Conventions, War Crimes.
The above means using disposable proxies, as opposed to unsustainably expensive ‘Private Contractors’, is no bodybags nor photos of, no ongoing VA costs, no compensation nor pensions, plausible-deniability and attempted evasion of all the above re responsibility & accountability, however unlikely. Win-win from their perspective. Conventional military application of lethal force is becoming burdensome/constrained, yet the threat of, has uses as well as the financial/corruption rort. Hence, lethal Drones instead of a manned strike aircraft, etc.
@ Posted by: duncan_idaho | Mar 24, 2017 4:28:17 PM | 15
Yes, even IF. Regardless, the efforts to constrain, corral & then control, are relentless, re PNAC, etc

Posted by: Outraged | Mar 24 2017 21:31 utc | 17

The recent attack on the UK parliament, also minor/reminder incident in Germany – part of preparing the population for UK, France, German participation in Raqqa?
Brits are in Syria with the SOHR intel operation. France similar with @24 intel operation.

Posted by: Peter AU | Mar 24 2017 22:20 utc | 19

Regarding the London attack. There seems to be a racial component. Plus a lot of personal anger.
“He had a middle-class upbringing and lived with his attractive partner in a neat bungalow with a nameplate.
Khalid Masood’s background in the heart of Middle England was as far removed from the stereotype image of an Islamic State ‘soldier’ as it is possible to imagine.”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4347458/Terrorist-Tunbridge-Wells.html

Posted by: dh | Mar 24 2017 23:18 utc | 21

Terrorism … attacks on purely civilian targets
Guerilla warfare … attacks on Military/Government targets?

Posted by: Peter AU | Mar 24 2017 23:50 utc | 23

Thanks Jen, Peter AU and Outraged for your replies. The implication of them is that the Anti-War Movement did indeed succeed in fomenting change in Imperial Policy making it an illegal, covert endeavor that ought to shame any true patriot who takes their oath of service seriously. The deeper implication is that the 1787 Constitution’s violated 24/7/365 and is now 100% useless in keeping the executive from waging war anywhere at anytime. Inverted Totalitarianism Indeed!

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 25 2017 0:03 utc | 25

In thinking about the definition of terror, the US moving to using mostly terror tactics rather than a combination of conventional military with a smaller component of terrorism to achieve their objectives…
ISIS with their very professional brand management and marketing – the message to west in the snuff movies, disseminated to and pushed hard by MSM – be afraid, be very afraid, this is why you need boots on the ground.

Posted by: Peter AU | Mar 25 2017 0:54 utc | 27

MRW – if you are reading here.. thanks for your march 24 reply on sst.. pat has decided he has had enough of my anti-american attitude and banned me (again).. this guys sense of rightness and conviction is only superseded by his ignorance.. john scofield won a grammy for his latest recording – ‘country of old men’… i wonder who he was thinking of with that title? lol..

Posted by: james | Mar 25 2017 1:39 utc | 29

@11, agree that society splits upon class lines, not artificial, racial or national origin ones, but Horne is wrong about Marine le Pen. She knows Enemy Numero Uno is Imperialism. The Reptilian Broadcasts consistently vilify her; there’s a clue.

Posted by: ruralito | Mar 25 2017 1:45 utc | 31

Luxembourg Leader Urges Trump to Value EU Relations More – (AP)
AP Interview: The leader of European Union founding nation Luxembourg is warning U.S. President Donald Trump that if he turns a cold shoulder on the EU it will be “a lose-lose situation” for both sides on the Atlantic.

Posted by: Outraged | Mar 25 2017 2:13 utc | 33

Some five computers were confiscated as well as other equipment, including antennas he used to access other people’s networks and to commit the alleged crimes undetected. This initially threw off the police and it led them to question others whose networks were used. Eventually, the police created a profile of the suspect and the technology to find him. Police say that he attempted to grab the gun of an officer who came to his home to arrest him.
The first incident attributed to the Israeli suspect is a bomb threat that a Jewish institution in New Zealand received in 2016. Police in New Zealand identified the IP address as originating from Israel. A similar incident occurred in Australia, and Israel was also identified as the source.
The Israel Police initially struggled to locate the suspect but then received several reports of threats from 16 Jewish centers in nine U.S. states – Florida, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and North Carolina. The FBI began investigating. Delta Airlines also received a threat about a bomb on one of its planes, causing it to halt flights to check their aircraft and forcing a plane already in the air to land.
The FBI handed over the information to the Israel Police after finding that these threats too had originated from Israel. Using innovative technology, the police were able to identify the suspect’s home.
The Rishon Letzion Magistrate’s Court is expected to extend his custody on Thursday.
An audio of one of the calls was obtained by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in which the caller stated:
“It’s a C-4 bomb with a lot of shrapnel, surrounded by a bag (inaudible). In a short time, a large number of Jews are going to be slaughtered. Their heads are going to [sic] blown off from the shrapnel. There’s a lot of shrapnel. There’s going to be a bloodbath that’s going to take place in a short time. I think I told you enough. I must go.

read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.779087
So the guy has dual Israeli/American citizenship and his lawyer is pleading mental issues defense, but he had the wherewithal to use technology to pull this off without detection for months.
In the meantime the media was yapping on and on about the rise of anti-Semitism; obliterating the rise of Islamophobia, and since the narrative was very Zionist-friendly every second day we were hearing about this, but now that the FBI caught up with up, after Israeli intelligence just couldn’t figure out where he was (riiight?) and he turned out to be a Zionist Jew with dual citizenship suddenly the media went silent and not another word.
If he had been Muslim or even a Christian; it would have been a media blitz for weeks on end.

Posted by: Circe | Mar 25 2017 2:29 utc | 35

Guidoamm @ #7–
Nice overview.
Even as we worry ourselves with details and timing.
–Gaianne

Posted by: Gaianne | Mar 25 2017 2:55 utc | 37

@38 Call me cynical but it seems to me any group of people sooner or later develops its own class system. Some lead, others are lead. Like Lord of the Flies. You could give everybody on the planet a million dollars and within months in would all be in a few hands.

Posted by: dh | Mar 25 2017 3:11 utc | 39

@ dh who is a TINA (There Is No Alternative) thinker and myself
dh, I would encourage you to read a bunch of anthropology and maybe you will change your mind. There is this concept called evolution and it is screaming for the chance to try anything but the God of Mammon approach…… to which I want to add the important concept of “to own” to the compete, rape and consume list a the end of my previous comment.
dh, people who are treated like animals, act like them, to the extent necessary to survive. When some people put themselves above others for specious reasons over centuries it limits the species ability to adapt and I think we may reap what we have sown as a species or we will adapt…..and we seem to be approaching a watershed moment along that existence path.
We are an amazing species with potential if some of us would just stop believing they/us are gods. We all stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us and tend to forget that…..none is or can be an island in our petri dish called Earth.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 25 2017 3:32 utc | 41

@41 “In rapport we thrive, in rivalry we strive”..

Posted by: Lozion | Mar 25 2017 3:51 utc | 43

@ dh who doesn’t share my faith in human nature.
Who said I had faith in human nature?
I have faith in evolution and believe it is working its magic as we write our textual white noise. At 68 will I get to witness a social earthquake? I hope so. It beats watching TV.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 25 2017 4:00 utc | 45

@28, jfl
so the air defense system the Russians sold Syria is pretty much worthless?

Posted by: Cahaba | Mar 25 2017 4:09 utc | 47

Posted by: dh | Mar 24, 2017 10:25:40 PM | 34
They conceded by giving the guy the space to say what he did say.
This here is the BBC coverage

Khalid Masood spent a number of years working in Saudi Arabia teaching English as a second language at the General Authority of Civil Aviation in the port city of Jeddah, the BBC understands.
He arrived there having already converted to Islam in the UK.
He was described as not having interacted socially with other teachers in Jeddah but as being popular among students and a keen weight trainer.
He was said not to have shown signs of extremism, the BBC has learned.

This here is the Daily Mail

In his CV Masood described himself as British, ‘friendly and approachable’ and a good listener, and claimed to have an economics degree.
He claims to have taught in Saudi Arabia before setting up his own teaching firm in Birmingham, where he was said to be living with a woman and her family in Winson Green.
The Department for Education has said he never held qualified teaching status and never taught in any state school in England.

This here is the BBC

Tom Wilson, of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, tells the BBC he thought it “very unlikely” that Masood had acted alone.
Even in a single-handed attack, they are usually still part of a wider network or have communicated with them online, he says, adding that only 10% of cases his group has looked at involved “lone wolves”.
He says Masood, who was 52, did not fit the stereotype of a terrorist – the average would be in his early 20s.
The crude method of attack, which bore similarities to attacks in Nice and Berlin, suggested Masood did have a connection to the so-called Islamic State group, he goes on to say.
The group’s message has been to use whatever tools you have available to you, whether a knife or a car, says Mr Wilson.
In contrast, al-Qaeda put an emphasis on aviation bomb plots, he points out.

They have been milking it for whatever they can.

Posted by: somebody | Mar 25 2017 4:50 utc | 49

@ Peter AU who wrote: “……It seems that periodically we have to take up the pitchforks, guillotines and assault rifles to skim off the scum that has risen to the top…….”
Very good points but I believe that history doesn’t always repeat but sometimes rhymes…..and am hoping this is one of those times.
I do think that our “character” is evolving and will continue to as we learn more about ourselves. Neurofeedback, which I am 69 sessions into….2X/week since last July, is one of those technologies that will help us evolve to be better humans. If I can ever get to the end of my healing from taking the side mirror of a SUV at highway speed with the back of my head and being dropped on same head in early childhood with this fantastic therapy I will write it up for a MoA Open Thread….stay tuned.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 25 2017 5:16 utc | 51

i guess elijah j m is anti american too, lol… better not let pat lang read it….
Al-Qaeda will not leave the Levant and Russia has no choice but military escalation

Posted by: james | Mar 25 2017 5:56 utc | 53

@ Posted by: james | Mar 25, 2017 1:56:33 AM | 53
Some who were soldiers once, & young, never ‘awake’, due to not evolving their world view & personalities as the ‘ages of a man‘ proceed to the inevitable conclusion … tragically permanently trapped in the fourth stage … or lack a life event/s to challenge long held & indoctrinated beliefs, myths & perceptions … one in particular, is nostalgic for a rigidly held romanticized (mythical?) world view and youth long gone, and though ‘retired’, even now, still … ‘actively serves‘ ? YMMV

Posted by: Outraged | Mar 25 2017 6:30 utc | 55

Moral Failure at the United Nations

On 15 March 2017 the United Nations’ Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) published a report on Israeli practices and policies toward the Palestinians. Using international law as its comparative criterion, the report came to a “definitive conclusion” that “Israel is guilty of Apartheid practices.” The term Apartheid was not used in the report merely in a “pejorative” way. It was used as a descriptor of fact based on the evidence and the accepted legal meaning of the term.
Such was the immediate uproar from the United States and Israel that U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a moment of moral failure, ordered the report’s withdrawal. The head of ESCWA, the Jordanian diplomat Rima Khalaf, decided that she could not, in good conscience, do so and so tendered her resigation.

The Inside Story on Our UN Report Calling Israel an Apartheid State

Almost within hours of its release on March 15, our report was greeted by what can only be described as hysteria. [1] The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, denounced it and demanded that the UN repudiate it. The newly elected secretary general, António Guterres, quickly and publicly called for ESCWA to withdraw the report from its website, and when Rima Khalaf, the head of the commission, resisted, Guterres insisted. Rather than comply, Khalaf resigned. Soon thereafter, the report was withdrawn from the commission’s website, despite its having been published with a disclaimer noting that it represents the views of its authors and not necessarily that of ESCWA or the UN.
What is striking about this response, which resembles in many respects the US government response to the Goldstone Report, [2] is the degree to which Israel’s supporters, in response to criticism, have sought to discredit the messenger rather than address the message.
Tilley, a professor of political science at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and I, as well as ESCWA, would welcome substantive discussion of and critical feedback on our report, and we had hoped that our analysis and conclusions would provide the basis for dialogue and further consideration of the recommendations appended at the end. ESCWA, for its part, took steps to ensure that the report lived up to scholarly standards, submitting the draft text to three prominent international jurists, who anonymously submitted strong positive appraisals along with some suggestions for revision, which we gratefully incorporated before the final text was released. For government officials and others to dismiss our report as a biased polemic is irresponsible, with respect both to the authority of the UN and to international law.

the falk/tillerson report : Israeli Practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid

Posted by: jfl | Mar 25 2017 6:46 utc | 57

@ Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 25, 2017 2:32:51 AM | 56
Have been pressured numerous times to accept ECT to attempt to treat service induced PTSD & depression. Steadfastly refuse. With other limiting physical trauma that has also caught up with age, ones acuity, whilst it remains, is closely guarded.
Good luck with your recovery & journey. Best wishes, also.
@ Posted by: Peter AU | Mar 25, 2017 2:24:04 AM | 54
Indeed. Cared for a parent struggled with dementia for two long years, before being granted the mercy of passing. Would wish it on no-one. If ever diagnosed, would have no hesitation in finalizing affairs & taking the last long walk, on my own terms.

Posted by: Outraged | Mar 25 2017 6:52 utc | 59

@ Gaianne #37
The hallmark of this type of dynamic going critical is the parabolic phase.
The debt the USA accumulated over 150 years, doubled over the last 8.
This is the definition of parabolic.
Ergo, the time is now
The reason US debt is important is related to the Floating Exchange Rate Mechanism (FERM) and the US$ being the reserve currency of most countries that subscribe to FERM

Posted by: guidoamm | Mar 25 2017 7:22 utc | 61

Reading Elija J M’s article & analysis at #53, a particular phraseology triggered something … that has been troubling me for some time …

Moreover, the US is not expected to be in harmony with Russia’s objective in the country, hence the targeted killing of leaders of al-Qaeda without crippling the organisation.

As far as I can best recall, approximately late 2005(?), we started an extensive program of ‘targeted killings’ against AQ and ‘insurgent’ leadership, specific individuals, whenever the SIGINT or HUMINT created an opportunity … Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
Shortly after the Invasion of Afghanistan & subsequently Iraq post 9/11 thanks to the ambitions/influence of the PNAC’ers, we realized a distinct, in fact crippling deficiency, in arabic & other ME language interpreters/interrogators/analysts and covert ‘Operatives’ … this normally takes 3-5 years to overcome in operations re the latter given the need to recruit suitable individuals and/or language/cultural training of suitable existing, as well as establishing solid covers/history to enable infiltration/insertion …
So, late 2005(?) would coincide with such Ops starting to come to initial fruition re results.
What if a number of these ‘targeted killings’ re individual leaders was co-ordinated to allow for the advancement, as replacements, of OUR chosen operatives/agents/assets into more senior roles/positions as a consequence ?
This type of Operation would become more sophisticated over time as internal knowledge of the head-choppers leadership culture, dynamics and interactions became known in greater detail, from the inside.
Could such explain the many years now of little more than desultory strikes against ISIS, in particular, with the exception of ‘targeted killings’ of individual leaders ?
Have we gained significant control and influence, from within the very leadership of ISIS, for example, by progressing our ‘own’ into those created vacancies ?
‘Perfidious Albion‘ was a master of this, though using imprisonment without charge as the primary tool/technique re creating ‘vacancies’, for generations in Northern Ireland re the IRA, PIRA, etc …
This could rationally explain the numerous instances of ‘Actions’ on the ground by head-chopper ‘cannon-fodder’ as directed by AQ & off-shoots as well as ISIS ‘leadership’ that coincidentally often directly benefits the Empires aims, objectives & strategic goals, inexplicably often at a tactical and also operational level, cost.
Do we through such placements of ‘Agents of Influence’, directly covertly influence, or even on occasion, almost completely plausibly-deniably, literally control the ‘Decisions’ and/or ‘Decision Cycle’ of the ‘Head’ of various ‘Snakes’ ?
Hm ?

Posted by: Outraged | Mar 25 2017 8:30 utc | 63

@ Peter AU
Indeed. 😉
Why with all the resources & capabilities available to the US ‘coalition’ in Syria/Iraq for years, yet the total infrequent & sporadic damage done to ISIS/AQ organizations (non crippling) over that lengthy period was less than what the small RuAF expeditionary force could accomplish in only it’s first three months of airstrikes, with the exception of periodic leadership, ‘targeted killings’ ?

Posted by: Outraged | Mar 25 2017 9:00 utc | 65

@49 Milking it? The BBC and the Daily Mail are news organizations. Their reports differ but they both seem factual and unbiased. The London attack is big news. Are you saying they shouldn’t report the story at all?
Posted by: dh | Mar 25, 2017 5:42:30 AM | 66
No. Somebody @ 49 is saying they’re milking it, and he’s being far too kind. The flag-waving authorities were bloviating about solidarity within an hour of the event. The thing that’s wrong with all these ‘surprise attacks’ is that the perp is, more often than not, known to the authorities.
The 7/7/2005 London Bombing was so patently ‘overseen’ by the security wonks that Manchester United set up a web-site listing the multitude of inconsistencies in the Official Story together with the conflicts between eye-witness accounts of events and the Official Account of the same events. This event was preceded by Tony Bliar telling the Yanks that they were pulling out of Iraq. And I remember wondering how long it will be before there’s a ter’rist attack in England. It was a fortnight or less and the Brits changed their mind. So Ter’rism works, among politicians at least.
One of the misfortunes which befell the investigators was that many security cameras, which might have provided clarity at the site of some crucial events, weren’t working on the day. The Brazilian bloke whose brains were blown out on a train (seven shots to the head – no warnings or small-talk prior to the shooting) just happened to be a ELECTRICIAN. Shooting to kill suspect is ALWAYS suspicious and can only be interpreted as conducive to massaging the truth. It is NEVER justifiable in the specific circumstances when measured against the value of the info which dies with the suspect.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Mar 25 2017 11:48 utc | 67

add to 68
Young people at a certain age are very receptable to this kind of contagion.
Goethe managed to spark a wave of copycat suicides in 18th century Germany with a novel.

Posted by: somebody | Mar 25 2017 12:07 utc | 69

#60
The assets NATO currently at Russia’s borders has wouldn’t last a day if they moved into Russia. And that’s without using tactical nukes. Its not a problem. If China even offered assistance in just an event, Russia would rightly be offended.
The down tempo is because…
Russia’s interests in Syria is to stop/delay both the Qatari and the Iranian pipelines.
If Assad went down, the Qatari pipeline would have go thru. Now is to delay the Iranians and once if the Qatari pipeline starts making progress well, that has to be stopped and you will see the Russians blasting the shit out of them.
Iran needs to get it into its head, sell only to China and edge out the Saudis. Take the price offered to them by China and stop pissing off the Bear. Wearing those turbans might have constricted the bloodflow to these shiite “wahabbis”. They don’t look that tight though. The faster they learn their place and not overreach, the faster things will look up for them.

Posted by: ThatDamnGood | Mar 25 2017 13:44 utc | 71

Different websites(communities) have different rules. Go with the flow. Obey them or go out and start your own.
Golden rule.

Posted by: Morongobill | Mar 25 2017 14:19 utc | 73

@74 It’s hard to take you seriously. What would you consider ‘strange’ in a relative? Changing your name? Going to Saudi Arabia? Making your daughter wear a hijab? That’s all perfectly normal behaviour in some quarters.
Separate traffic by car blocks? Great idea. Start with every street in London and work outwards. By the time you get to the smaller villages there will be a shortage of concrete.

Posted by: dh | Mar 25 2017 15:07 utc | 75

dh 76
Interesting read at fortruss on Belarus.
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/03/no-turning-back-belorussian-security.html

Posted by: Peter AU | Mar 25 2017 15:39 utc | 77

@78 “Like a kid spending all his time surfing the internet and not talking to anybody.”
That describes thousands of kids in the Western world. I guess you never had a teenage son.
Believe me if some nut ploughed into a bunch of people in an English village you’d hear about it.
But you’re right in a way…..people do forget quickly these days….just another atrocity.

Posted by: dh | Mar 25 2017 15:50 utc | 79

Very interesting reading about Khalid Masood’s life.
quote
A CV he reportedly circulated until last year recorded that in the same year he was married he earned a qualification to teach English as a foreign language under the Tesol programme. It would be his passport to Saudi Arabia.
Turning 40, his first stop was reportedly Yanbu, a Red Sea town about 40 miles from Medina – the burial place of the prophet Muhammad. He took a post teaching English to workers at the General Authority of Civil Aviation in Jeddah. He also taught in Jubail on the east coast.
Going to Saudi Arabia to teach English is a common path for converts, according to security sources. It remains unknown if he was radicalised here.
endquote
So again we see the influence of Saudi Arabia upon this Muslim terrorist. And again we see that Iran had absolutely zero influence upon his life.
Yet USA/UK/Israel continue to support Saudi and demonize Iran.

Posted by: mauisurfer | Mar 25 2017 16:17 utc | 81

Jen@13. “Similarly would the US risk sending troops against China”?
How many millions would they need? Word has it that the Chinese army are only allowed to march in an uncoordineted fashion, since if they marched in step like a normal army, the earth would rotate off its axis.

Posted by: harrylawh | Mar 25 2017 16:54 utc | 83

Wwinsti @ 60
Could you give a link to Putin’s ‘reaction’?

Posted by: B2 | Mar 25 2017 18:00 utc | 85

Btw, this construct dawned on me during the Aleppo campaign by Russia. Many here lost patience with Putin when he ceased the momentum in taking Aleppo only to give diplomacy a chance. Well, we all know how useless all of that turned out BUT that move by Putin brought in much needed sunlight.
That is, why on earth would the Obama administration not want to liberate thousands of humans from the torment of their captors? We’re the good guys, aren’t we? Obama and teams actions didn’t fit the good guy/bad guy narrative at all.
Once sunlight penetrates darkness, even if for only a few moments, one’s reality gets jarred. Even if one is already skeptical.

Posted by: h | Mar 25 2017 18:32 utc | 87

Re Jolani an big brother. Some interesting pics.
https://twitter.com/thomasjoscelyn/status/845299514307174400
Genuine or just a photo shoot with props? Commercial UHF radios? Five handhelds, two in-vehicle radios hooked to a battery with external aerials most likely mounted on the roof of the building. Standard 5 watt handhelds range 10k? depending on terrain. 5 watt base or in vehicle radios with roof mounted aerials range 40k depending on terrain.
One career military advisor – Turk? If props for photo shoot why blurred face of mil advisor?
Large scale map on floor taken from internet and printed on cloth. Green AQ area, blue/purple frontlines, red government area shading courtesy of one @abdulwahab2070.

Posted by: Peter AU | Mar 25 2017 19:08 utc | 89

– The website “Indian Punchline” has now a number of very interesting articles.
E.g.:
“American Civil War is good for world peace”
(think: Democrats vs. Republicans)
http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2017/03/22/american-civil-war-is-good-for-world-peace/
For the being I am not convinced that the Trump administration will do “the right thing” to decrease tensions in the world. Or that the “Deep State” in the US will allow Trump to decrease tensions with Russia & China.
But the latest articles on this website do suggest that the Trump administration does have some good intentions. It will be a matter of “wait & see”.

Posted by: Willy2 | Mar 25 2017 20:23 utc | 91

– Another worrying sign: Israel has been bombing Palmyra, Syria. The website “Indian Punchline” has a very interesting take on the reason why. It seems that with Assad winning the war in his country, iranian influence in Syria has grown to a point that it could/will put israeli “Security” will be endangered. (think: Golan Heigths).
The article confirms my notion that Hezbollah has no intention of attacking Israel but that it can and will retaliate when Israel tries something “funny”.
My simple braincells would say that Israel should make peace with Iran, Syria & Hezbollah. But that would mean that (among others) the Israeli “Deep State” will get “offended” as well. Israel also spends lots of money on defense and that means (like here in the US) A LOT OF jobs & toys for the boys.

Posted by: Willy2 | Mar 25 2017 20:46 utc | 93

Harrylawh @ 83:
I was replying to Karlofi (comment 9) who asked why the US relied mainly on terrorists to do its fighting in the Middle East and who speculated that the US was keeping its military in reserve to fight Russia or China.
The US tactic would be to let (or force) everyone else to fight Russia and/or China until both sides were decimated and exhausted. Only then would the US deign to “fight” or scrape up any easy pickings.
Do you think the US would go to a lot of trouble to train and send thousands or even millions of its own to fight foreign wars if Washington thought there would be any opposition on the part of the US public at sending its own sons and daughters into battle and never returning home alive or whole in body and soul?
Afghanistan and Iraq are different because originally in 2001 and 2003 when US ground troops were sent there, those countries were expected to be cakewalks. The US cannot let go of those countries because of their resources: Afghanistan is a treasure chest of rare earth minerals and Iraq of course has oil and natural gas. The various business and financial lobbies, and others that have interests in mining those countries for their resources will not pass them up.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 25 2017 21:06 utc | 95

@b2 #85 It would appear that I have conflated 2 stories, one about ISIS threatening to move into China, the other about a reporter asking Putin about instability in Kyrgyzstan. As you can see, said reporter never mentioned Isis or terrorism.
https://youtu.be/wYRx2_NgyZk

Posted by: Wwinsti | Mar 25 2017 21:22 utc | 97

Willy2 @ 93: The right thing for Israel to do would be to accept peace with Syria, Hezbollah and Iran but this would require Israel to respect Syrian territorial integrity and consequently return the Golan Heights to Damascus. This would create a precedent for Gaza and West Bank who would see a way towards freedom by asking or demanding that they be returned to Egypt and Jordan respectively.
Of course there’s no way Israel will give up the Golan Heights that easily, especially not since Genie Energy (whose board directors include Dick Cheney and Rupert Murdoch) has the “right” (granted by Israel) to drill for oil or natural gas in that area.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 25 2017 21:27 utc | 99