thanks b for the great coverage and for the updates to it all here too..
i did read elijah j magniers post yesterday and was discouraged by the prospects.. didn’t know many ballot boxes had been burned as well..

Posted by: james | Jun 10 2018 16:41 utc | 3

That’s a good one – just on the radio – firefighters are tackling a blaze in a warehouse in Baghdad, where, curiously enough, the paper ballots from the election are stored for re-count.

Posted by: Laguerre | Jun 10 2018 17:13 utc | 5

Interesting that the Daily Mail article on Hala Jaber’s interview with the Syrian President was not open for BTL comments. I presume this could be because many DM readers might well agree with Bashar al Assad on much of what he says about Britain’s role in the West’s war against Syria and the White Helmets in particular. As a whole, DM readers tend to be much more skeptical about the MSM in Britain than, say, followers of The Guardian or the BBC.

Posted by: Jen | Jun 10 2018 21:01 utc | 7

For the second link in #9 I meant to paste Checklist, new species and key to the cicadas of Cuba. Recordings of the mysterious sound are available. One could easily crosscheck against the chirps of these 12 species, so why is the US government still perpetuating the sonic attack meme? Same reason why “The Russians did it”?

Posted by: Joost | Jun 10 2018 21:36 utc | 9

Here’s a funny one I noticed a reddit:
netanyahu offers israeli water tech to iran
https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-offers-israeli-water-tech-to-solve-irans-growing-environmental-crisis/
Gee, how generous. So does he advise Iran to take the water resources of their adjacent neighbors like Israel has?

Posted by: Curtis | Jun 10 2018 22:19 utc | 11

Actually I didn’t particularly agree with Magnier’s assessment of Iraq as having a weak and “unbalanced” future. You know, when you’ve got the US on your back, you have to take things slowly-slowly, not rush at trying to get rid of the US (which is certainly coming). Maliki took his time, and succeeded, but then his obsessions got the better of him. Haydar Abbadi is doing quite well. Muqtada al-Sadr won’t actually get into power, and probably doesn’t want it – just to have his position recognised. He’s a sort of equivalent of a Western populist – and so probably not the best
person in power. Though why they went so far as burning down the warehouse with the ballots, I don’t know. It’s bizarre when you have the US, Iran and Saudi all supporting the continuation of Abbadi.
The weak and divided bit I don’t agree with. Magnier is ignoring the fantastic coup last September when Baghdad retook Kirkuk with scarcely a shot fired, and knocked back the Kurds into their KRG borders and acceptance of non-independence. That was a massive re-balancing of power in Iraq, and put Baghdad back on the road. Not one that Magnier would appreciate though.
The corruption is very bad of course (it wasn’t before 2003 of course), and it’s proving very difficult to get rid of the last Da’ish members in the back country, though they’ve declined a lot. But the real problem is getting rid of the US, and that’s not easy to do.

Posted by: Laguerre | Jun 11 2018 0:39 utc | 13

@8 jen.. i see the daily mail editor is changing after 26 years as paul darce steps down.. i wonder how that will changes things at the dm?
@9 joost.. i remember that being reported on cbc shortly after it happened in cuba last time..
@14 laguerre… thanks for the additional perspective.. the taking back of kirkuk and area has to count for a lot.. i agree – getting rid of the usa out of iraq, afgan, or syria, is like trying to get rid of cockroaches in manhattan – not easy to do..

Posted by: james | Jun 11 2018 1:30 utc | 15

Assad interview:
>
> Question 14: Russia appears to be making a lot of decisions about Syria, whether about foreign troops withdrawing to deals being struck with Israel over southern Syria, to which weapons you may or may not have. Does Russia now make your decisions?
>
> President Assad: Russia is fighting for the international law, and part of this international law is the sovereignty of different countries, of the sovereign countries, Syria is one of them. Their politics, their behaviors, their values are not about interfere or dictate; they don’t. We’ve had good relations with Russia for more than six decades now, nearly seven decades. They never, during our relation, try to dictate, even if there are differences; because there is a war and because there’s high dynamism now in the region, it’s natural to have differences between the different parties, whether within our government or other governments; Russia-Syria, Syria-Iran, Iran-Russia, and within these governments, that’s very natural, but at the end the only decision about what’s going on in Syria and what’s going to happen, it’s a Syrian decision. No one should have any doubt about this, regardless of the statements that you may hear, because I know on which base the question is.
>
> Question 15: So, why has Russia not given you the S300 they promised for years, at a time when Israel is striking Syria practically every week, and why is Russia coordinating these strikes’ targets behind the scenes with your enemies?
>
> President Assad: Russia never coordinated with anyone against Syria, either politically or militarily, and that’s contradiction; how could they help the Syrian Army advancing and at the same time work with our enemies in order to destroy our army?
>
> Journalist: But they usually know in advance where the attacks are going to happen…
>
> President Assad: No, no, that’s not true, that’s not true, definitely. We know the details. Regarding the S300, why they announced it and then they stopped talking about it, you better ask the Russian officials. It’s a political statement, they have their own tactics. But whether they send it or they’re going to send it or not, this is a military issue; we don’t talk about it.
>
> Question 16: Senior Pentagon officials have warned they will militarily retaliate should you mess with their alliance. Are you ever going to get rid of the US military presence in Syria, are you prepared to fight them directly?
>
> President Assad: Since the beginning of the war, the Americans and their allies haven’t stopped threatening Syria, they haven’t stopped supporting the terrorists, and they haven’t stopped attacking us directly on numerous occasions. But in spite of this we have been advancing against the terrorists, and we have said that we’re going to liberate every inch of Syria regardless of any statement or any attack. This is our land and this is our duty; it’s not a political opinion, it’s a national duty. We’re going to advance in that direction regardless of the military or political position of our adversaries.
>
> Question 17: You’ve said that you will take back every inch of Syrian territory, how long you anticipate this will take you?
>
> President Assad: This is not only about the Syrian Army and the terrorists, or about the events within the border of our country, otherwise I would have given you, let’s say, maybe a precise timeframe. But I have always said that in less than a year we can solve this conflict, it’s not very complicated. What has made it complicated is the external interference. The more we advance, the more support the terrorists have from the West. Look, for example, we were about to achieve reconciliation in the southern part of Syria only two weeks ago, but the West interfered and asked the terrorists not to follow this path in order to prolong the Syrian conflict. So, we think the more advances we make politically and militarily, the more the West, especially US, UK, and France, will try to prolong it and make the solution farther from the Syrians. But in spite of this, we are closing the gap between the two.
> Question 22: Your wife is British, and you’ve lived in London for many years, is there anything in particular that you miss from your days there?
>
> President Assad: I lived in London, I learned as a doctor. It’s impossible for you to live in a city and you don’t feel there is a special link with that city or with the people that you work with on a daily basis. So, you miss maybe this relation, but you live sometimes in contradiction; that the same city that you like is the same country that’s been attacking your country, which is not good.
read whole interview here
https://sana.sy/en/?p=139864

Posted by: mauisurfer | Jun 11 2018 3:07 utc | 17

Noirette @4
I’m still up in the air about this. It seems to me that the US establishment is united against Russia, socialism (in any form), and the middle class (squeezing them economically to enrich themselves and reduce resources available to activists). Some have summarized these elite proclivities as neo-feudalism and neoliberal/NWO hegemony.
Looking at the US political system, it has worked remarkably well for The Powers That Be (TPTB). Democratic Party failures (their focus on identity politics, corruption, etc.) have destroyed the progressive left. Yet, while Hillary is recognized as very establishment, the media portrays the Democrats and Republicans as being in constant struggle.
Would Hillary have doubled down in Syria with a ‘no-fly’ zone that could lead to WWII? I think not. I think the ‘smart’ move was to do exactly what Trump did. I think the establishment knows this. And I think we should also assume that the top people (Hillary, Obama, McCain, Feingold, Schumer, etc.) know that the “Russian influence” investigation is bogus.
It’s difficult not to see (by now) that Trump is a faux populist President like Obama. They both had crazy opposition that called into question their loyalty to America (Trump was a leader of the anti-Trump ‘birther’ movement). And both found reasons to betray promises made to their base (Obama: nice-guy “bipartizanship”; Trump: seeming reasonable attitude toward Russia fuels “Russian influence” investigation). Both said they would extract US from foreign wars. Both said they would fight corruption (Obama: “most transparent administration in history”; Trump: “drain the swamp”). Both gave big tax cuts to the wealthy.
Trump just nominated Gina Haspel for CIA Director and she was confirmed quickly. Suprisingly (or not) Gina Haspel was recommended by John Brennan(!), who was (supposedly) a leader in the Obama Administration efforts against Trump.
So, while I can see the outlines of a struggle (“elite civil war”) between Muslim Brotherhood-Hillary-Soros “globalists” and Saudi-Trump-Netanyahu “nationalists”, I am very skeptical about whether it is real or put-on. TPTB have gotten very good at controlled opposition and psy-ops. (Consider: Obama’s “Change You Can Believe It” and the oft-repeated claims that he was anti-Israel; as well as the White Helmets.)
What might shed some light on this is the very curious Orlando Pulse Nightclub (OPN) attack in June 2016 and (what appears to be) the uneventful demise of ISIS. When wars are lost, there are bound to be people that are outraged on the losing side. Especially when those people are religious fanatics and ideologues.
IMO there were clear reasons for the San Bernadino (SB) and OPN attacks. SB was about pluging a whole in the narrative (Russia was attacked within weeks of entering the Syrian conflict but USA had not been attacked despite bombing ISIS for over a year), and it seems clear that the OPN attack was meant to influence the Presidential election. The attack seems to favor Hillary because of her experience and Democratic Party’s large and vocal gay constituency, but Trump actually won the exchange between himself and Hillary by pointing out that Saudi Arabia provides no rights to gays. The attack was attributed to “domestic terrorism” but may have helped Trump in making his case for leaving Syria. In any case, afaik Hillary refrained from bringing up the attack during the remainder of the campaign.
Note: In what I wrote earlier, I had speculated that OPN was ordered by a rouge op ordered by an ISIS sympathizer that bought into the goodcop-badcop routine run by Hillary-Trump. That’s because both candidates seem to have ignored the attack for most of the remaining race (as though it was an embarrassment).
Then we have the curious case of MbS’s elevation. Would that have been done without CIA approval/guidance? Was it related to the (anticipated) reigning in of ISIS? Isn’t it reasonable to assume that there are there Saudis that are angry with the setback in Syria and the failure (from their perspective) to do “what ever it takes” to win (i.e. more support to ISIS)? Was/is the elite civil war (along with “Russian influence” allegations) part of a rouse to mollify ISIS sympathizer discontents and thereby forestall ‘blowback’?
This line of thinking leads to questions about the Vegas attack (covered up to look like a lone nut?) and MbS’s “shakedown” of wealthy Saudis weeks later. It might also shed some light on the apparent coup attempt against Erdogan in July 2016 – about 6 weeks after OPN. (I still maintain that strengthening Erdogan HELPED the ‘Assad must go! effort – a real coup would’ve meant disruptive civil unrest in Turkey.)
What do you think? Is there an elite civil war? Or just more psy-op where minor differences and/or opinions of a very small minority is blown up to look like a real conflict?
PS Apologies for the lengthy comment.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Jun 11 2018 4:15 utc | 19

Last Exit to the Road Less Traveled – J.D. Alt
Alternatives. Very clearly written and accessible…kinda doomy, but kinder and gentler that Kunstler or McPherson in it’s optimism.

Posted by: Dr. Wellington Yueh | Jun 11 2018 11:39 utc | 21

“Poland Wants An American Garrison: Let Germany Do It!” (ZH)
I think that was tried in 1939.
Only caused a little WW2.
Might just work this time round?

Posted by: imo | Jun 11 2018 13:53 utc | 23

Jack R. @ 20. Up in the air, right, me too.
What versions of corruption – Killary / Trump / other – lead directly to WW III ? I still stick with Killary as the most dangerous.
(Imho.) The Orlando ‘terror’ attack was spun by the media as ‘repressed gay’, shifting all to identity politics. Omar Mateen informed loud and long why he ‘acted’ – killing peaceful muslims in many places in the world required revenge. (He went to that night club cos it was the top of Google, not kidding. His wife has now been judged innocent..) His father is a Killary groupie. CNN reported:
Hillary Clinton is good for the United States versus Donald Trump, who has no solutions,” Seddique Mateen told WPTV. He could clearly be seen standing behind Clinton as she addressed the audience. His son, Omar, killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub, a gay club in Orlando, in June in the worst incident of domestic terrorism since 9/11.
https://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/09/politics/orlando-gunman-father-clinton/index.html
The ‘terror’ attacks actually represent underground ‘mafia’ type hate + murder, that are in a way tamped down, made light of.
Presented to the public as vicious idiosyncratic ‘random terror’ with revolving spin. The major last one, las Vegas shooting, Paddock… don’t get me started…
Is there an elite civil war? Yes. Fought on many confused fronts, it is subsumed under a ‘terrorim’ label that hides many sins.

Posted by: Noirette | Jun 11 2018 15:16 utc | 25

Jonathan @28–
The WTO was a creation of the Washington Consensus and is being turned against its initial master since it no longer wants to play by the rules it formulated–the WTO’s too democratic for its taste. Putin and Xi as well as many other national leaders share a different interpretation. They see the WTO as a tool:
“Of course, it is much easier and more efficient to work with the most advanced logistics technology while minimising associated administrative costs. In achieving this goal, we can rely on the substantial and valuable experience of the World Trade Organisation. Let me remind you that last February, WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement came into effect. Of course, we must expand such agreements and develop a more robust Eurasian agreement on facilitating trade.”
And to use that tool to achieve the following goals:
“On a final note, I would like to stress that Russia does not simply view the future of the Eurasian partnership as the mere establishment of new ties between states and economies. This partnership must shift the political and economic landscape of the continent and bring peace, stability, prosperity and a new quality of life to Eurasia.
“Understandably our citizens need security, confidence in the future and the opportunity to be productive and improve the wealth and well-being of their families. It is our common duty and responsibility to ensure they have these opportunities.
“In this respect, the greater Eurasia is not an abstract geopolitical arrangement but, without exaggeration, a truly civilisation-wide project looking toward the future.”
Neoliberalism aims at Zero-sum outcomes. What’s described above is Putin’s version of Xi’s Win-Win development dynamic. For more, see my latest post on The ‘West” is Past thread.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 11 2018 16:25 utc | 27

add to #30.
There is no doubt in my mind that ABC.au has been ORDERED to call the Korean Negotiations a Nuclear Summit by Zio-AmeriKKKan lap dogs PM Bibi Turnbull and FM Bibi Bishop. Or el$e…

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jun 11 2018 16:57 utc | 29

Nuclear Weapons capability is not a bane, it is the absolute savior of North Korea. Without it, NK may have already been attacked by the U$ and its “allie$”. (“Don’t forget Poland.” – Dubya Bu$h).

Posted by: fastfreddy | Jun 11 2018 17:53 utc | 31

et Al @32–
Yeah! Twitter is on fire over that utterly idiotic choice. I’d like to see all World Cup teams having shoe contracts with Nike tear them up!
PH @30–
This is my 63rd year, which will be marked by my Continuance Day in November. Here’s another view of the G6+1, and I’m actually pleased Trump declined to sign its Communique of Lies. And here is yet another essay looking at the creation of a Greater Eurasian Partnership that would be bigger than the sum of its BRI and EAEU parts.
More than a few commentators are apprehensive that this massive undertaking will result in the Who’s “Meet the New Boss; Same as the Old Boss” outcome. Of course, currently all possible results are just conjecture; and as the Monthly Review article I linked to suggests, we should remain cautiously vigilant as certainly China has previously pursued imperialistic goals, although not in its present political-economic guise. However, I remain optimistic that it’s possible for a nation to pursue its national interest while enriching those abetting its policy–but not in an Asian version of the Comprador who works against his own national interest while abetting his master. We get to watch as it unfolds!

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 11 2018 19:15 utc | 33

@32 et al.. nike – headquartered in beaverton, oregon? the company that gets everything made in china, like every other usa corporation? what a laugh… i hope everyone boycotts nike here on in… stupidity reigns supreme in trumpland..

Posted by: james | Jun 12 2018 0:57 utc | 35

@32,35
Maybe Nike is spiteful because Iran qualified for the World Cup and the U.S. didn’t.

Posted by: Circe | Jun 12 2018 5:15 utc | 37

http://keyhani.blog.lemonde.fr/2018/05/30/en-iran-letudiante-qui-a-durement-critique-la-situation-du-pays-face-au-guide-supreme/
for ppl who think Iran is a dictatorship, google Sahar Mehrabi or check her on twitter

Posted by: Mina | Jun 14 2018 9:48 utc | 39

The new Open Thread isn’t up yet and I want to see this read by MoA barflies
Nomi Prins: The Central Banking Heist That Put The World At Risk
The take away quote:
”
“What we’ve witnessed, since 2008, is the unbridled ability of the so-called people at the top to implement socialism for the banks,” Prins tells me. “If anyone had said we are going to give $21 trillion to the global banking sector, it would never have happened – so we’ve had a backdoor process instead, under the pretense it would help ordinary people.”
”

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jun 17 2018 15:46 utc | 41