Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
August 24, 2017
Notes On The Junta, An Unnecessary Land-Corridor And A Regular Russian Maneuver

According to a 1950s political theory The Structure of Power in American Society is mainly build on three elite groups, the high military, the corporation executives and the political directorate. (The "political directorate" can best be described as the bureaucracy, the CIA and their proxies within Congress.)

On election day I noted that only the military had supported The Not-Hillary President. The corporate and executive corners of the triangle had pushed for Hillary Clinton and continued to do so even after Trump had won. (Only recently did the "collusion with Russia" nonsense suddenly die down.) I wrote:

The military will demand its due beyond the three generals now in Trump's cabinet.

That turned out to be right. A military junta is now ruling the United States:

Inside the White House, meanwhile, generals manage Trump’s hour-by-hour interactions and whisper in his ear — and those whispers, as with the decision this week to expand U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, often become policy.

At the core of Trump’s circle is a seasoned trio of generals with experience as battlefield commanders: White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and national security adviser H.R. McMaster. The three men have carefully cultivated personal relationships with the president and gained his trust.

Kelly, Mattis and McMaster are not the only military figures serving at high levels in the Trump administration. CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke each served in various branches of the military, and Trump recently tapped former Army general Mark S. Inch to lead the Federal Bureau of Prisons. […] the National Security Council [..] counts two other generals on the senior staff.

With the firing of the renegade Flynn and various other Trump advisors, the Junta has already removed all independent voices in the White House. It is now  attaching more control wires to its "salesperson" marionette:

The new system, laid out in two memos co-authored by [General] Kelly and Porter and distributed to Cabinet members and White House staffers in recent days, is designed to ensure that the president won’t see any external policy documents, internal policy memos, agency reports, and even news articles that haven’t been vetted.

Trump has a weakness for the military since he attended a New York military academy during his youth.

But he does not like to be controlled. I expect him to revolt one day. He will then find that it is too late and that he is actually powerless.

The Zionist propaganda is claiming that Iran is taking over Syria and that its sole concern is to create a land-corridor between Iran and Lebanon. The AP is now reporting this myth as if it were fact. The argument the AP writers make is illogical and fails:

The land-route would be the biggest prize yet for Iran in its involvement in Syria's six-year-old civil war. […] It would facilitate movement of Iranian-backed fighters between Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon as well as the flow of weapons to Damascus and Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iran's main proxy group.

That landline would facilitate something that, according to further AP "reporting", has already been achieved without it:

The route is largely being carved out by Iran's allies and proxies, a mix of forces including troops of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Hezbollah fighters and Shiite militias on both sides of the border aiming to link up. Iran also has forces of its own Revolutionary Guard directly involved in the campaign on the Syrian side.

So, apparently, Iran needs a land corridor to move weapons and fighters to Syria and Lebanon. To open that currently closed-off land corridor it has moved weapons and fighters to Syria and Lebanon. Somehow that argument is not convincing at all.

The usual NATO propaganda outlets are retching up fear over an upcoming Russian maneuver:

Russia is preparing to mount what could be one of its biggest military exercises since the cold war, a display of power that will be watched warily by Nato against a backdrop of east-west tensions.

Western officials and analysts estimate up to 100,000 military personnel and logistical support could participate in the Zapad (West) 17 exercise, which will take place next month in Belarus, Kaliningrad and Russia itself.

It follows a lot of speculation and obvious bullshit. In reality Zaphad is a series of smaller maneuvers taking place over some six month. It includes local police and civil defense agencies which lets the numbers look big. Each year such maneuvers take place in one of the four military districts of Russia. The number of soldiers at the core of the exercise will amount to about a division size force of 13,000-15,000 troops. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is unusual with that maneuver but the NATO propaganda attempts to make it look like an imminent Russian invasion of western Europe.

Comments

@64 V Arnold “If one applies Occam’s razor; incompetence would be a logical assunption.”
Why would I apply a scientific principle to military operations?
Let’s not get confused.
Occam’s razor does not apply to all situations. The murders solved worldwide would be a lot lower if it did.
“Cui Prodest” better applies.
With respect to the “If” at the beginning of your statement.
b4real

Posted by: b4real | Aug 26 2017 14:13 utc | 101


He might as well have said wipe them off the map.
While Israel and its supporters likes to accuse of Iran saying that, but it never happened. The usual fake claim.
Posted by: Harry | Aug 26, 2017 9:14:17 AM | 100

O no?
Read about Al Quds Day.
See that tweet of Khamenei #97
See this:
Video: What is awaiting Israel in the next war?
http://english.khamenei.ir/news/4932/Video-What-is-awaiting-Israel-in-the-next-war
Ends with:
“We will witness the decline and destruction of the Zionist regime”

Posted by: From The Hague | Aug 26 2017 15:57 utc | 102

@ From The Hague | 102
“Wipe Israel off the map” is a fake claim which never happened, look it up.
“We will witness the decline and destruction of the Zionist regime” – yes, now see the difference between regime and a nation. ‘b’ also wrote about it many times.

Posted by: Harry | Aug 26 2017 16:44 utc | 103

The Iranians have always been very careful to talk about the disappearance of the Zionist regime, nothing more than that. Perfectly legitimate aim. Anything genocidal is an Israeli deliberate mistranslation, though there was I think once an Iranian mistranslation. You have to look at the Persian – it’s usually pretty clear.

Posted by: Laguerre | Aug 26 2017 16:57 utc | 104

yes, now see the difference between regime and a nation.
Posted by: Harry | Aug 26, 2017 12:44:46 PM | 103

You have to look at the Persian – it’s usually pretty clear.
Posted by: Laguerre | Aug 26, 2017 12:57:53 PM | 104

Now for the 4th time (59, 97, 102) I have to mention that tweet of the Supreme Leader of Iran.
Read it yourself:
https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/22815824658
It’s about the nation.
And Khamenei himself chooses the English language.

Posted by: From The Hague | Aug 26 2017 17:33 utc | 105

@ From The Hague | 105
Thats your interpretation, as that tweet can be interpreted as either nation or regime. For that you need to clarify. I’m pretty sure Supreme Leader doesnt use Twitter himself. He just tells his aide to tweet xxx in Persian, it gets translated and posted. This could lead to further confusion due to mistranslations. Like that famous “Wipe Israel off the map” is a mistranslation from “Israel’s regime will be wiped off from the pages of history.”
Also tweets are just very short remarks, and taken out of content, can be misunderstood as well.
As Laguerre said, Iran’s leaders arent using any genocidal remarks (if its reported they do, check original Persian and whats the contents), but they dont mince their words about Israel’s regime (cancer of the Middle East, will be annihilated, etc).

Posted by: Harry | Aug 26 2017 18:45 utc | 106

106 Harry
Thats your interpretation, as that tweet can be interpreted as either nation or regime. For that you need to clarify.

clarify clear words???
What’s the matter with you?
Ayatollah Khamenei tweeted: “Israel Is A Hideous Entity In the Middle East Which Will Undoubtedly Be Annihilated.”
ISRAEL IS A NATION
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel

Posted by: From The Hague | Aug 26 2017 19:12 utc | 107

@Hague
I explained all the aspects of this subject, whats curious is your inability to understand it. Do you hate Jews and cherish on such (mis)interpretations? Or you hate Iran and try to demonize it?
One last time to get through to you – by mentioning country one can mean different things. Like saying “America is evil”, does one means that all Americans are evil as nation, or just their leadership who is evil? Its pretty clear what it usually means, but if its not clear in some cases then clarify.

Posted by: Harry | Aug 26 2017 19:21 utc | 108

I am carrying this comment forward from the end of the last Open Thread
I am posting this link about India because of the last two sentences which I will quote after the link
Death toll of violence rises to 28 in India following “spiritual leader” rape conviction

Fearing mobilization of crowds and rumourmongering, authorities have snapped internet in Haryana and Punjab, reports said.
A high alert has been sounded in Punjab, Haryana and New Delhi.

Is the rest of the world ready for your government deciding if/when to “snap” the internet on you?

Posted by: psychohistorian | Aug 26 2017 20:52 utc | 109

@ psychohistorian who is copy/paste challenged today….see Open Thread for proper placement of the above comment

Posted by: psychohistorian | Aug 26 2017 20:54 utc | 110

Pathetic Israeli Media: Israel is Defeated in Syria

…“We are defeated because we suffer from the complex of the first Lebanon war”, he further added.
The analyst considered that Israel could have entered the south of Syria and even proceed to as far as the outskirts of Damascus, where it would align itself with the so-called “moderate rebels”, but eventually opted out from doing so, namely due to safety concerns, in addition to its government constantly being pressed not to make such moves, noting that such practice contradicts that of the early Zionist movement from times before the establishment of the State of Israel when the Zionist agents would try to penetrate into every Arab section within the British Mandate of Palestine.
“The rebels are no longer the key actors, and it’s only a matter of time before they are completely eliminated”, the analyst said, noting that the so-called “Free Syrian Army” practically no longer exists.

Posted by: ProPeace | Aug 27 2017 2:12 utc | 111

Wind of change? L’Arabie saoudite s’apprête à changer de politique étrangère

Saudi Arabia continues to prepare for the abdication of King Salman and his replacement by his son, Prince Mohammed.
– First, she is preparing to withdraw from Yemen. Although Prince Mohammed was at the origin of the conflict, he understood that he could not win it and could blame this disastrous adventure on King Salman. This approach is confirmed by e-mails exchanged between US Ambassador Martin Indyk and the United Arab Emirates ambassador, made public by Middle East Eye [1].
– Secondly, Arabia would cease to be the champion of the Sunnites vis-a-vis the Shiites to become again that of the Arabs vis-a-vis the Persians. Riyadh could thus find a way out of the civil war that is currently taking place in the Qatif region where the Shiite Saudi peoples have risen [2]. Again, it was Prince Mohamed who, while suggesting the execution of the opposition leader, Sheikh El-Nimr, aroused this revolt, but the change of king would provide an excuse for the mistakes of the past. The idea is confirmed by the official receptions of Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia’s charge d’affaires in Lebanon, Walid Boukhari, by Shiite superior Shaykh Abdel Amir Kabalan. Still in line with this logic, Saudi Arabia has just reopened the border posts of Arar and Jumaima with Iraq, closed for more than thirty years…

Posted by: ProPeace | Aug 27 2017 2:24 utc | 112

If you’ve not yet been boycotting that patheti Bilderberg puppet – Apple – think again:
Apple Purges All Iranian Apps From iPhones, Citing US Sanctions
Apple CEO Pledges $2 Million to SPLC and ADL, Attacks Trump over Charlottesville

Posted by: ProPeace | Aug 27 2017 2:40 utc | 113

Thank you for your article about the military junta now in charge. But when I saw the title, I thought maybe it was about the ruling body (committee) provided for by the procedures of Continuity of Government. When I last heard, only a privileged few are allowed to know whether our country is being run by them.

Posted by: chan bartlett | Aug 27 2017 9:56 utc | 114

Hague et al,
I don’t know if we are still beating this topic to death but the only benign interpretation of the Ayatollah’s statement would be that he is predicting, rather than suggesting that Iran will cause, the end of Israel. It also leaves open the possibility that Iran would take active measures. Iran has stated that they would never be the first to initiate hostilities in any conflict.
Though I am not running for office, I feel compelled to quote the U.N. charter that no member state shall use, or threaten to use force against another member state. I wish Nikki would read it sometime. I condemn any statement that suggests that a state or regime should disappear other than for self defense. Iran does this but the U.S. and Israel also do it, but hey, we are masters of the universe. We are used to our stink.
Hague, I don’t have the same visceral reaction to the Ayatollah simply because I haven’t seen him as much as Bibi. When I used to read his tweets, most of them were about him visiting sports teams, schools, disabled veterans and unlike his predecessor who had the facial expression of a buzzard, he has a nice smile. I am not claiming that I know him correctly, just being honest about my visceral reaction. As a rule, I try to avoid allowing my emotions get in the way of analysis. This is why I just say that Iran is a hostile but rational entity and leave it at that.

Posted by: Christian Chuba | Aug 28 2017 1:49 utc | 115

“After negotiations, in Zionist regime they said they had no more concern about Iran for next 25 years; I’d say: Firstly, you will not see next 25 years; God willing, there will be nothing as Zionist regime by next 25 years. Secondly, until then, struggling, heroic and jihadi morale will leave no moment of serenity for Zionists,” the quote from Iran’s top leader read in broken English.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-army-chief-warns-israel-will-not-survive-next-25-years/

Posted by: From The Hague | Aug 29 2017 21:51 utc | 116

hague – trust the times of israel to give you the ”’straight”’ story on it, lol…

Posted by: james | Aug 29 2017 22:51 utc | 117

116
Whats your point with all this bullshit?
So what?
Isreal has been loudly and publically calling for the US to commence the complete destruction of Iran by bombing, since at least as far back as the year 1984.
But you’re completely silent about that.
You don’t get to try and arrange, for over 30 years, the bombing and destruction of a country and then turn around and whine like a spoilt brat, and oretend you’re some sort of innocent victim, when your targets return the favour and start talking about destruction, of any sort, for your country. Its not like, after at least 30yrs calling for the destruction of Iran, the Israelis havent earned a little quid pro quo.
And talk is cheap. So who cares? Who but you and a bunch of racist Judeo Nazis gives a damn?

Posted by: Just Sayin’ | Aug 30 2017 1:06 utc | 118

Who but you and a bunch of racist Judeo Nazis gives a damn?

Not convincing

Posted by: From The Hague | Aug 30 2017 22:03 utc | 119

Israel has been loudly and publically calling for the US to commence the complete destruction of Iran by bombing, since at least as far back as the year 1984.
But you’re completely silent about that

. . . and you’re still silent about it.

Posted by: Just Sayin’ | Aug 30 2017 23:46 utc | 120