Well, a article i just posted on Southfront, and a MUST READ for anyone who wants to know the truth about how Russia has abandoned Assad and Syria:
https://www.globalresearch.ca/why-isnt-oil-rich-russia-helping-syrian-ally-survive-fuel-crisis/5674753

I apologize for posting such long quotes, but their informations is already so compressed, it would loose major parts. With the analysis being so important and striking, i hope the relevance makes up for the long quotes:

" Evidently, the Russian leadership is deliberately holding off on helping its Syrian “ally” for reasons that have nothing to do with economics but everything to do with politics."
"To explain, President Assad dealt his Russian counterpart an unprecedentedly humiliating diplomatic defeat when his government refused to implement the many controversial clauses of the Russian-written “draft constitution” that was first unveiled during the inaugural meeting of the Astana peace process back in January 2017, something that President Putin has never forgotten. Practically every one of the many growing differences between Russia and Syria can be traced back to that moment when Moscow caught Damascus completely off guard by presenting this surprise document to it at the same time as it gave this proposal to the so-called “rebels” that also attended the event, which was an unthinkable affront to Syria’s dignity and “face” even though it was “well-intended” and meant to revive the stalled peace process. Worse still, Russia then began “gently” seeking Iran’s “phased withdrawal” from the Arab Republic and entered into open collaboration with Syria’s hated Zionist foe to this end, resulting in the “nightmare scenario” of “Putinyahu’s Rusrael” emerging on Damascus’ doorstep and even becoming the most powerful military force within its own borders."

"The Messenger
President Putin is so angry with President Assad ever since the September spy plane tragedy that he’s no longer on speaking terms with him anymore after talking to his counterpart only once nearly a full week after what happened, instead dispatching Defense Minister Shoigu to deliver a message to him recently when he could have just picked up the phone and called like he often does whenever he wants to talk with Erdogan or Netanyahu, both of whom it should be pointed out are Assad’s enemies. It can only be speculated what the latest message was about, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it included a “reminder” about President Putin’s insistence that his Syrian counterpart complies with the many constitutional changes that Russia “suggested” over two years ago and which are once again becoming relevant ahead of the commencement of the so-called “constitutional committee” that Moscow compelled Damascus to “compromise” on by agreeing to only have a 1/3 representation in."

"“Diplomatic Blackmail”
Had Damascus agreed to Moscow’s speculative demands, then there’s no doubt that Russia would have already “rode to the rescue” by now and saved it from the current fuel crisis, but it’s very likely that Syria refused to give in to this “diplomatic blackmail” and that’s why Russia is “punishing” it by withholding much-needed supplies at this crucial time despite knowing that the exacerbation of this crisis could very well lead to Color Revolution unrest. Unlike what many might think, that scenario wouldn’t necessarily be detrimental to Russia’s strategic interests since it’s already “grooming” several members of the Syrian “opposition” like Jamil Qadri who often meet with high-level diplomats in Moscow and could possibly replace him “if need be”. Furthermore, “Russia’s Reshaping Syria’s ‘Deep State’ In Its Own Image” by actively “reforming” its armed forces in order to eliminate Iranian influence and replace it with its own, so it’s not far-fetched to imagine that Moscow has several ” back-up plans” if President Assad doesn’t do what President Putin wants."

Are The Saudis Pulling The Strings?

Another fact that deserves mentioning is that Russia currently controls the global oil market through the OPEC+ duopoly that it jointly manages with its new Saudi strategic partner, which it’s bidding to build 16 nuclear reactors for and just delivered state-of-the-art rocket launchers to. The aforementioned shipment also occurred right around the time that Russia’s UN Ambassador praised the Saudi-led coalition for “playing a very constructive role” in Yemen and just prior to the news that Russia replaced Venezuelan and Iranian crude on European markets as a result of Trumps sanctions regimes against both of the country’s “partners”. Given the ultra-lucrative cooperation that Russia currently has with Saudi Arabia and the growing closeness between these two Great Powers, it’s very possible that Russia intends to also replace Iranian crude on the Syrian market as part of its regional “balancing” strategy and is just waiting for the fuel crisis to become so unbearable that Damascus ditches Tehran and practically begs Moscow for oil at any price, possibly after promising to implement Russia’s “proposed” constitutional “reforms” and initiate Iran’s dignified but “phased withdrawal” from the country.

Concluding Thoughts
The entire population of Syria is seriously suffering from the current fuel crisis that was caused by American sanctions but could easily be relieved through the support of the country’s oil-rich Russian “ally”, though Moscow is holding off on helping Damascus until the latter complies with the Great Power’s most important political demands such as implementing the Russian-written “draft constitution” and initiating Iran’s dignified but “phased withdrawal” from the Arab Republic. The worsening crisis is making it more difficult for refugees to repatriate to their homeland from neighboring Lebanon and could also potentially result in a Color Revolution against President Assad, though Russia doesn’t seem to fazed by any of this because it already has several back-up plans that it could rely on in those scenarios in order to safeguard its strategic interests. After all, none other than Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov loudly proclaimed in 2016 that “Assad is not our ally” so it doesn’t matter to Moscow whether he remains in office or not. Alt-Media won’t admit it, but it looks like President Putin is no longer afraid of the “Assad must go” curse.

Now, as someone who followed the Syrian war nearly since the start, and as someone who sees the new cold war as the major threat of this century, i have sympathy for thoose who defend Russia and much more Putin at all costs.
Sadly, those facts in the article should make us all question both sides, the NATO AND Putinists Russia. Those who believe that Russia together with China Iran and others are coming to save the world from the Empire, will find out later that they act not much different, at least at the core.
Oligarchic states, using their geopolitical clout for their own advantage and for no one elses.
Ruled by corrupt autocrats who are part of the global elite, no matter if in NYC, Moscow or Beying.

Posted by: DontBelieveEitherPropaganda | Apr 20 2019 19:09 utc | 1

thanks b... regarding syria - i have been following that and it is noteworthy what is going on...

Posted by: james | Apr 20 2019 19:16 utc | 2

Syria: The war isn't over. Over the last days Syrian troops were attacked by ISIS remnants in desert and by Al-Qaeda fighters around Idleb.

The same will go on for years, but it doesn't have more than nuisance value. The same in Iraq. When I went to Samarra in 2017, Da'ish were in the villages all around, and things haven't changed, according to my news feed. Some Sunni villagers may well continue to support Da'ish, out of resentment against the government, though not the urban Sunnis.

Posted by: Laguerre | Apr 20 2019 19:17 utc | 3

Why is Moscow not allowing Assad "more than 1/3" representation? Who are the other 2 parties? Kurds I would guess, and then Sunni Arabs? Why isn't Assad deemed a Russian ally?

" that Moscow compelled Damascus to “compromise” on by agreeing to only have a 1/3 representation in."

Posted by: Schmoe | Apr 20 2019 19:34 utc | 4

Posted by: DontBelieveEitherPropaganda | Apr 20, 2019 3:09:47 PM | 1

I don't believe this stuff about Putin being annoyed with Syria. Russia has a policy on Syria, and it will be pursued. It won't be overturned on a whim of momentary annoyance.

If there is a fuel crisis in Syria, the reason is quite simple. All during the war, Syria rolled on oil from the Khabur. Even when the oil-fields were occupied by rebels, and then Da'ish, deals were done and oil flowed. Now the oil-fields are occupied by the Kurds. Although the Kurds might well be ready to make a deal, the US says no, and the Kurds are forced to obey. It's the US behind this.

Posted by: Laguerre | Apr 20 2019 19:43 utc | 5

On the last MoA article I was about to post the following
It seems that the Wagner Group, a private mercenary organisation supposed by Western mainstream news media to be connected to the Kremlin, in the way that just about every businessperson who heads a sizeable company in Russia is Putin's best buddy, is actually assisting Khalifa Haftar's forces instead. Jen @ 49 very interesting indeed..

who can say more about this Wagner group..?/ who are these poeple and who are the counter parts in other corporations in the USA, UK, Sandi, Irsael?

Libya and Venezuela both look to be private oil company projects..that's why the USA and Russia are dancing.. Private Zionist owned oil and inter ocean transport company wealth highly distributed throughout Britain, USA, Saudi, France, Venezuela, and Israel seem to be behind this? The exact same thing seems to be going on in other places in Africa its just the activity has not matured to see which target Donkey is to be pinned by whom?

It was the Arab Spring AnneR @69 < yes that is why Sisi is supporting Haftar..

This fits with DontBelieveEitherPropaganda @1 above.. i think the persons in control are not the nation states
Russia, USA, China, but the wealthy owners in oil and transport business who most likely control the governments of UK and Saudi Arabi governments. It also explains why the intelligence agencies and private armies instead of the regular military are involved..

Posted by: snake | Apr 20 2019 19:44 utc | 6

DPEP @ 1
Thanks for this article that validates my world view. There is also a hilarious link in the article that explains the groupthink dogma of 'alt media' comment threads. Lmao. Ill post it later. Cant wait for the dogmatics to start their howling at the moon in protest of reality. Not that this either will be anything new...

Posted by: donkeytale | Apr 20 2019 19:54 utc | 7

By the way, if the US is cutting the oil supply to Syria, it must be intended to prevent the Syrians overwhelming the last jihadi hold-out in Idlib. If that were to happen, the US position in the Jazira (the area beyond the Euphrates) would be very isolated.

Posted by: Laguerre | Apr 20 2019 20:01 utc | 8

Since b's analysis on Mueller Report is delayed, I'll reposting mine from the previous thread:

1. Trump's interactions with Russia are deemed suspicious whereas even greater interactions with allies and frenemies like Israel are not.

2. Many of the Russian "influence operations" that Mueller details are minor (a few facebook ads) or ordinary course of business (meeting with Russian ambassador).

3. Fails to note the problems raised with regard to supposed "Russian hacking" (no reliable connection to Russia) and the failure of the Mueller team to interview Assange and other knowledgeable sources.

4. The clear exonerations (there are many) are the strongest aspect of the Mueller Report and demonstrate that Russiagate concerns were exaggerated and hyped by media.

5. Neither "Steele" or "FISA" can be found in this summary, probably because they are not in the Mueller Report itself (which I haven't read in detail). Using the Steele dossier to get a FISA warrant to fish for "Russian influence" should be prosecuted - Mueller could've made such a recommendation, but didn't.

6. There are surprisingly few actors in this drama. This is important because it is entirely possible (as I've proposed numerous times) that the new McCarthyism is a Deep-State psyop as part of a response to the Russia-China Alliance that threatens AZ Empire's NWO.

The meeting at Trump tower seem clearly to have been a set-up.

Mueller determined that Manafort had Russian ties
Note: whether Manafort had/has Russian ties or not, his work in Ukraine is easily spun. And that makes Trump's elevation of Manafort to campaign manager very strange.

7. Mueller highlights "intent" but FAILS to note that:

- a Presidential candidate can legitimately want improved relations with another country;

- Trump's actions after taking office have not unduly benefited Russia. In fact, Trump's charm offensive has been accompanied by actions that cause Russia much consternation and concern.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 20 2019 20:04 utc | 9

If the US has succeeded in cutting the oil supply to Syria, then who is going to supply? Only Russians can get through the US blockade. I don't see Russia simply abandoning its long held policy. Russian tankers will be docking at Latakia.

Posted by: Laguerre | Apr 20 2019 20:20 utc | 10

Jackrabbit still hard at work spinning Trump's defense. Lol. Cool man. Meanwhile your 'new cold war' thesis appears headed for the trashbin of history. You need to get to work spinning a new conspiracy theory to explain it all to the very smart/engaged readers so they and you can continue to disbelieve.

Posted by: donkeytale | Apr 20 2019 20:22 utc | 11

Jackrabbit says:

Since b's analysis on Mueller Report is delayed, I'll reposting mine from the previous thread

you mean the 400 page one that you 'haven't read in detail?'

don't you ever go on vacation?

Posted by: john | Apr 20 2019 20:23 utc | 12

I just saved this page that has lots of useful links to:

https://web.archive.org

Posted by: librul | Apr 20 2019 20:28 utc | 13

Laguerre @10

Al Marsda reports: Crimea Vows to Ship Oil to Syria Amid Ongoing Fuel Crisis (also picked up by ZeroHedge), and cites Sputnik as the source. But I haven't been able to find a Sputnik article.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 20 2019 20:34 utc | 14

john @12

Well, as I mentioned in my comment @9, I haven't read the report in detail. My analysis is based off a detailed analysis done by the lawfareblog.com which can be found here: What Mueller Found on Russia and on Obstruction: A First Analysis (Note: I included that link in my original comment).

If you've followed my previous comments, you know that I think the Mueller Report is part of an overall effort to initiate a new McCarthyism. That makes the Mueller Report more propaganda than investigation.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 20 2019 20:42 utc | 15

A different Russian collusion story debunked.

EU finds no 'evidence' Kaspersky Lab software spies for Russia, despite claims by US

Meanwhile Joe Biden deals with Ukraine and his sons kickbacks are being questioned.

Joe Biden's 2020 Ukrainian nightmare: A closed probe is revived

Posted by: TJ | Apr 20 2019 20:44 utc | 16

Brennan on trial

Did he order the new McCarthyism (aka "Code Red") which included electing Trump as President, setting up Wikileaks to be smeared as a foreign agent, and settling scores with Michael Flynn?

Acting on 'Deep State' approval from the likes of Clinton, McCain, Mueller, Bush Sr., et al.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 20 2019 21:02 utc | 17

I read on RT or more likely TASS yesterday or today (the news could be older, I like using RSS and sometimes don't pay attention to how old the news might be) that Crimea is in the (perhaps very early) progress of delivering (exporting) oil to Syria (as well as importing Syrian goods) which would conflict with the Southfront take on things. Of course reading something in the news doesn't make it true but at least it was claimed.

Assad is the leader of a government administrating a society, one can't expect to remove him without impacting the rest so just how much are the Russians supposed to be willing to lose over whatever grievance they might have? Sounds foolish to me and I would assume it also seems too foolish in the opinion of the Russian government (both they and China do seem to act foolishly or erroneously at times which is to be expected since demanding perfection is far too unrealistic but they are still far better than others we can all think of).

Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Apr 20 2019 21:09 utc | 18

France: Alain Soral Discusses His Sentencing To One Year In Prison With Arrest Warrant for Blasphemy

The video is in French with no subtitles. For those who can understand French, it is a Must Watch video (13min). And pay attention to the yellow vest he is wearing… THAT is what the yellow vest movement is truly about and THAT is what is making the Macron government very anxious and this is why Soral is being sentenced to prison

In the video Soral makes it clear that he is being imprisoned for blasphemy (against political Judaism) however during "Je suis Charlie" blasphemy (as long as it was against Islam or Catholicism) was not only authorized by the State, but even encouraged

Posted by: r.brekelmans | Apr 20 2019 21:18 utc | 19

Here's a link to the Alain Soral video (app 13 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=306&v=olpwxRmErC4

Posted by: r.brekelmans | Apr 20 2019 21:22 utc | 20

Michael Tracey’s interview with George Papadopoulos is also available on YouTube (for those who have difficulty playing it on Patreon). It’s two hours long, but if you have any interest in the Russiagate, you should listen to it. It wasn’t just Mifsud and Halper, it was everyone — the head of the London law firm where Papadopoulos was working, as well as his immediate boss at the firm — everyone was working to set him up as “Trump’s liason with the Russians”.

Posted by: S | Apr 20 2019 21:40 utc | 21

DBEP @ 1:

I'd be wary of taking anything that Andrei Korybko says about Russian-Syrian relations or even Russian geopolitical intentions seriously. He writes a fair amount for the Katehon think-tank which publishes a lot of loony stuff and the occasional quality gem.

The September "spy plane" tragedy Korybko refers to is Syria's accidental shootdown of a Russian military transport plane when Syria's S-200 missile defence system had spotted and targeted Israeli airforce fighter jets which were hiding in the transport plane's radar shadow. It was after that incident that the Russian Minister of Defence (Dmitri Shoigu) then override any resistance or hesitation from other quarters in the Kremlin to demand that S-400 missile defence systems be transported to Syria ASAP.

As Laguerre @ 5 says, Russia has a long-term policy with regard to Syria which will not be swayed by accidents or other incidents of the type Korybko attaches so much importance to, particularly incidents Israel initiates in the hope of dividing Russia and Syria.

Russian long-term policy includes respecting the will of the Syrian people in deciding what government and what constitution they want. The current Syrian constitution dates from 2012 after public approval of changes via referendum in late 2011. The occasions when Russia passes "draft constitutions" with a wink to Syria who then looks at these documents (they could blank sheets of paper for all we know) and then pass them back with a wink could all be for show to impress European politicians when they have their little shindigs in some expensive hotel in Geneva or Lausanne.

Posted by: Jen | Apr 20 2019 21:42 utc | 22

"Those who believe that Russia together with China Iran and others are coming to save the world from the Empire, will find out later that they act not much different, at least at the core." @1
You are missing the point. What is in question is not whether the rulers of China, Iran and Russia have intentions or motives different from those of the imperialists, that is of little relevance.
What is important is that there is a big difference between a multi-polar international order and the total hegemony of a single superpower.
In a situation in which states compete with one another the ability of their exploited subjects to influence and overthrow government is much greater than it would be under global hegemony.
There are regular comments to the effect that the Russian government, China's CP or the Iranian rulers are not very nice people and are caught up in administering neo-liberal economies. None of which is news to anyone.
And none of which matters: now that the ISO in the US has disbanded itself the time is ripe for those who follow the Cliffite (Neither Washington nor Moscow but International Socialism) theory, which is idealistic not marxist, to re-evaluate it. It invariably leads to blunting the positions of the anti-imperialists.

Posted by: bevin | Apr 20 2019 21:49 utc | 23

On the North Korean embassy raid has been a new development:

Source: Reuters US Arrests former Marine connected to North Korea embassy raid in Spain

Posted by: Dr Gonzo | Apr 20 2019 21:59 utc | 24

@r.brekelmans #19

Actually, the subtitles are available, starting at 1:05.

To watch the video with English subtitles:
1. Enable subtitles by clicking the “Subtitles” icon in the lower-right corner.
2. Click “Gear” icon in the lower-right corner, then “Subtitles”, then “Translate”, then “English”.

Posted by: S | Apr 20 2019 22:27 utc | 25

Just to be clear regarding my comment @16

"Brennan on trial" is an imagined future occurrence based on informed speculation that I've previously described. My reasoning starts with a desire to counter Russian and Chinese assertiveness as proposed by Kissinger in an WSJ Op-Ed of August 2014 in which Kissinger expressed a desire for a strengthened USA - very much aligned with what one might expect a MAGA nationalist President to achieve.

Kissinger is considered to be the "dean" of US FP establishment and his opinions are respected by 'Deep State' leaders that I mentioned.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 20 2019 22:34 utc | 26

"China’s Belt and Road Continues to Win Over Europe While Technocrats Scream and Howl" A welcome update to BRI happenings not penned by Pepe Escobar but rather bolsters his analysis. Much omitted happenings thanks to Mueller Report's distraction in dealings between EU and China plus the 17+1 meeting I linked to yesterday. Nice map graphic showing the beyond Eurasian geographical extent of the project. An event to watch for is "the second Belt and Road Summit which will take place in Beijing at the end of April, involving over 126 nations who have already signed MOUs with the BRI and thousands of international businesses." [My Emphasis] By comparison, there are 193 nations of the UNGA. As the article notes, the Outlaw US Empire has nothing at all that's comparable to offer; instead, it continues to tout the failed IMF-World Bank Neoliberal debt immiseration plan. Clearly, the propaganda posted @1 is just that and ought to be ignored.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 20 2019 22:43 utc | 27

@ 17

Al-Masdar News – Crimea vows to ship oil to Syria amid ongoing fuel crisis
– references Sputnik News
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/crimea-vows-to-ship-oil-to-syria-amid-ongoing-fuel-crisis/

Posted by: Desolation Row | Apr 20 2019 22:55 utc | 28

I'd posted this at the end of the last open thread and am reposting here so more see it.

Something for barflies to do over the weekend, watch Empire and Economics: The Long History of Debt-Cancelation from Antiquity to Today a 2 hour long in-depth discussion with "Dr. Michael Hudson, New Testament Scholar Dr. Aliou Niang and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Biblical Scholar and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, for a discussion on the history of debt and what it means for our context today. Moderated by Shailly Gupta Barnes and the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice."

Seriously. Get a beverage, a snack and note taking material, get comfortable and watch Hudson provide a far deeper explanation of his work than what's been provided so far. What he's presenting is potentially revolutionary, and he knows it. His challenge is to disseminate his findings as far as he can before the Money Power shuts him down--and he knows they will try as that power bloc has a very long and sordid history of doing so.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 20 2019 22:56 utc | 29

DontBelieveEitherPropaganda.. (with a name like that), i''ll go with laguerre, jen and bevins take on this.. thanks either way...

Posted by: james | Apr 20 2019 23:26 utc | 30

I second that link @26 from karlof1

It's an excellent review of the state of play of the BRI, and serves as an excellent measure of how the world is shifting (has shifted?) in the balance. It also contains some very interesting links. Written by the founder of the Canadian Patriot Review, Matthew Ehret.

Posted by: Grieved | Apr 20 2019 23:45 utc | 31

@ 11 donkeytale

This comment of yours does not contribute to the conversation.

I usually overlook your misinterpretations of JR’s comments. But, previously, after you attack a straw man variant of JR’s ideas, you offered your own ideas. Which is fine, as everyone is entitled to read the tea leaves differently and try to support their propositions. But, this comment has no signal, only noise.

Posted by: oglallo | Apr 20 2019 23:57 utc | 32

@21 Jen

Korybko is a compelling example of a syndrome that I will struggle to put into words. He reads too much into things. We all grasp the wrong end of the stick on occasion, but sometimes when we persist in forcing that wrong end to make sense, we dig the hole even deeper.

It was a struggle of metaphors apparently ;)

But it's as if, once you've committed to a worldview, you force yourself to see everything through that lens, sometimes making things needlessly complicated or byzantine, when Occam's Razor could supply the simpler answers authentically on display. The warning from the many examples of this that we can see - some as close as these very comment threads - is that one must leave a little room not to know things, in order to let the simple truth of matters reveal themselves. Sometimes. The trick of course, is knowing when that sometime is.

I've said before, with no satisfaction whatsoever, that Korybko once struck me as brilliant, but somewhere he dived beneath the wave and starting cutting through it against its roll, instead of lazing along with the given insights that matched the true currents of affairs.

I don't read him, but I live in hope that he becomes readable again. Even more than this, I ponder that syndrome. It seems to happen to a lot of people, which means it could happen to any of us.

Posted by: Grieved | Apr 20 2019 23:59 utc | 33

Grieved @31--

Yeah, he gets a bee in his bonnet and overly fixates on it yet doesn't know that's what he's doing. Jon Schwarz has a similar problem as reflected in this sad conflation. Rachal Maddow Syndrome it might be called.

Do enjoy your Easter Sunday!

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 21 2019 0:19 utc | 34

The Caitlin Johnstone article that b links to in his post is a wealth of advice on how to deal with serious argumentation:

Debunking All The Assange Smears

From her itemized advice she offers this principle:
E. Never let them trick you into expending more energy than they’re expending.

She posts an image of an earlier tweet that I thought was good enough to type out in full:

Life pro tip: the goal of every internet troll is to suck you into an exchange where you're expending more energy than they are. When anyone tries to debate your posts, insist that they substantiate their claims and use complete thought. If they refuse, you're being trolled.

She goes on:

This one’s important. The internet is full of genuinely trollish individuals who spend their time acting out their inner pain by trying to suck the life out of other people, and political discussion is certainly no exception to this. A common tactic is to use short phrases, half-thoughts, or word salads which contain few facts and no actual arguments, but contain just enough of a jab to suck you into wasting energy making thorough, well-sourced arguments while they just lean back and continue making weak, low-energy responses to keep you going. This enables them to waste your time and frustrate you while expending little energy themselves, while also not having to reveal the fact that they don’t know much about the subject at hand and don’t really have an argument. Don’t let them lean back. Force them to lean in.

I've realized what it is that impresses me so much about Johnstone: she's a great logician. This was obscured for me by her great writing ability, and this she has indeed - but it's her fiercely clear reasoning ability that is ringing through that declamatory writing and causing the bells to resonate in the mind.

Posted by: Grieved | Apr 21 2019 0:27 utc | 35

There is an implied assumption by those that believe the Mueller Thingie (hereafter appropriately referred to as THE Thingie) is anything other than misdirection aimed at keeping the shallow political consumer entranced by the vague machinations of their political overlords.

That unwarranted assumption is that Elections In The United States Matter and are somehow exercises in political expression that intend to give power to "the people" through the mechanism of The Vote.

Now a subset within that unwarranted assumption is that there are two different parties that represent two different ideologies and offer two different sets of platforms and policies and from these two "oppositional" (sic) parties The People get to choose how they will be governed and how policies that impact their lives will be shaped.

In reality the entire political show is little more than carefully crafted theater- but to the shallow political consumer these theatrical differences between "Good Dems" and "Evil Repubs" are enough for them to contend there are "real differences" even as there is an uncanny consistency in the actual operations of The Empire from one administration to the next even as one cycle it is supposedly the Blue Team in control, then supposedly followed by the Red Team taking control.

To understand the political system, one must step back and regard its operation as an integrated whole.

Who makes the decisions in our society? Who writes public policy?

Years of social engineering has caused people to be deluded on this matter.

The White House and Congress don’t really make the decisions, Wall Street and the Pentagon do.

Who wins the election in the US capitalist Uni-Party system makes little difference because all politicians must do what the elite want. Elections in their current form are a scam whose function is to neutralize resistance movements and dupe ordinary citizens into thinking they have a say in matters of The State.

Voting in the United States isn't about "democracy"—it's about perpetuating the illusion of democracy.

Elections in the capitalist dictatorship do not secure popular control over The State, they do help secure State control over the populace. Voting is a hollow civic ritual that reinforces obedience to State authority. It creates the illusion that “The People” control The State, thereby masking elite rule. That illusion makes rebellion against The State less likely because it is seen as a legitimate institution and as an instrument of popular rule rather than the oligarchy it really is. Embedded within all electoral campaigns is the myth that “The People” control The State through voting.

In today's US, especially at the national level, elections are worse than worthless -- they simply perpetuate illusions and waste time. They are degrading and repulsive exercises in Madison Avenue PR techniques, where "the truth" is off limits from the get-go. Efforts should be directed not at participating in and validating this system, but at exposing its corrupt essence and building genuinely constructive alternatives.

Posted by: Allen | Apr 21 2019 0:30 utc | 36

b have safe and fun time and we'll see you when you return.

Posted by: jo6pac | Apr 21 2019 0:42 utc | 37

For what I see, there is whole campaign by the "alt-media" to discredit anybody daring to have reasonable doubts about Assange, curiously, or not so, many of those who as well supported Trump election as if there was no tomorrow.

While the MSM focus in the schatologic aspects of Assange daily routine described by Ecuadorian ambassador, you have that what anybody tells is about the nitty-gritty, what Wikileaks was created for:

Just found this old interview with Daniel Stulin author of "Dismantling Wikileaks"

Daniel Estulin: "The CIA created Wikileaks to justify the closure of free Internet access".

The interview was made in Spanish.

Interesting points he tells are:

-Assange is an old known of intelligence services even in the 80s-90s, as member of a hacking group Kaos Computer Club in Hamburg, who used to sell information to the different intelligence agencies.

-Wikileaks is a joint NSA/CIA operation. Amongst the funders of Wikileaks are, Freedom House,NED, Afghan Aid Commitee...Amongst the Steering Committee of Wikileaks yo ucan find the Chinese dissidents linked to the Tiananmen events of 1989 ( first US intend on Colour Revolution )along with Sillicon Valley start-ups, like Ben Laurie, a very important person at Google ( a CIA creation through IN-Q-TEL ).

-Time before Wikileaks appeared, Time and The Washigton Post advanced that a media will appear which would tell the truth, named Wikileaks.

-Information about the childhood of Assange, especially in the cult-sect he was introduced by his mother is kept by the Australian government as double-top-secret.

-That the project of mental control Assange was allegedly submitted to was carried out in Australia since the US law forbids submitting US citizens to such programs. At the result of that Assange is not an agent but a tragic remote-controlled asset.

-The disclosed information by Wikileaks are not written documents, but digital archives, which means, manipulable. Then this information was delivered to the main MSM in the Anglo-Spanish language.

-Main goal, amongst many, of Wikileaks, to close free access to internet. From 2009 there exist the Patriot Act Cybernet version. They need a huge event like 11-S at cybernetic level to push the kill-switch, which is possible by confiscating the servers.

-Second goal, sell and buy information.

-Third goal, change paradigm of society, by leaking information which deviates the light on truth from one actor to another, as was the case with Pentagon Papers, prepared by RAND Corporation to change the focus from the CIA in the Vietnam War.

-In this vein he wonders why from all the information which Wikileaks disclosed, there was nothing about what the US/NATO are doing in Afghanistan around drugs. He adds that amongst about a 6% of information which is true or of real value, sacrified by the US government to gain credibility, there are hundreds of documents which are false information, which gets in a knot the various agents and intelligence services around the world trying to decide which is false and which is not.

-Main prejudiced by the information leaked by Wikileaks, Pakistan and Iran, main enemies of the US.

Well, there are other interesting information and comments....

Posted by: Sasha | Apr 21 2019 1:02 utc | 38

Allen @34

Well said. Superb summary.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 21 2019 1:09 utc | 39

@21 Jen, S300 system but yes agreed with your comment. Korybko reminds me of Meyssan at times, a bit too much political fiction for my taste..

Posted by: Lozion | Apr 21 2019 1:14 utc | 40

Sasha @36

The info that you pretend to innocently pass on strikes me as FUD - mean to cause Fear, Uncertainty, or Doubt in uninformed readers.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 21 2019 1:16 utc | 41

Dear b, have a lovely Easter,and thank you for being a light in dark times:)

Posted by: frances | Apr 21 2019 1:28 utc | 42

Allen | Apr 20, 2019 8:30:06 PM | 34

That which you articulate has a name: Polyarchy

Posted by: Desolation Row | Apr 21 2019 2:09 utc | 43

@Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 20, 2019 9:16:09 PM | 39

Why adding information to the data available would cause fear in anybody?
Why it would cause uncertainty?
And,uncertainty on what? On that Assange is a "hero of the freedom of press", as it is the authorized general line in most of the blogs except scarce exceptions? Not to me.
Reasonable doubt is always healthy, to my view.
And, btw, I am not passing information, I am researching to debunk a myth which is intended to extend a veil on reality.
Why people who allegedly is so well informed and aware as you who comment here swallow the official story, published as I just have informed you, by Time and The WP, about Wikileaks is beyond me.

I expressed the same doubts about Trump, who seemed also to me a coordinated operation by various blogs to sell him, and you see, time gave me the reason.
Of course, I suffered the same questioning, disqualifications and even insults and silencing through banning then. Too much for freedom of speech.

Posted by: Sasha | Apr 21 2019 2:18 utc | 44

Desolation Row | Apr 20, 2019 10:09:06 PM | 41

Polyarchy – socio-economic dictatorship and free elections.
Source: https://vimeo.com/14772678 @ 48:15

Posted by: Desolation Row | Apr 21 2019 2:21 utc | 45

Interesting thread on Wikileaks....on connections by Assange with Jacob Appelbaum, relations of the later with trainning of activists of Arab Spring, Open Society, and the creation of Tor browser, Tor financers, connections with Snowden, and connections with Filtrala ( Spanish Wikileaks ).. for those who want to have the whole picture. Those who could feel fear, uncertainty or doubt, or may be feel they will not be able to sleep this night and the next, please, better skip it....

https://twitter.com/andrei_kononov/status/908727192800124930

Posted by: Sasha | Apr 21 2019 2:29 utc | 46

Professor Stephen Cohen is doing a series on Russia Russia Russia with Paul Jay (TRNN/RIA)
Part 1 Part 2

Posted by: Desolation Row | Apr 21 2019 2:46 utc | 47

@Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 20, 2019 9:16:09 PM | 39

...mean to cause Fear, Uncertainty, or Doubt in uninformed readers.

What is the possibility of uninformed readers happening to be reading MoA?

That you summoned me for bringing in well documented information and then you happen to own a blog which wears the banner "Inconvenient Truth", is, well, like the pot calling the kettle black....

Posted by: Sasha | Apr 21 2019 2:49 utc | 48

@Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 20, 2019 9:16:09 PM | 39

He said Daniel Stulin in the interview linked above, that intelligence information operations always include a portion of truth, so as the target, the public or another intelligence agency, concedes it enough credibility.

It is not me who spread confussion, fear and doubt, but Assange, his outlet Wikileaks, and through them, their handlers, the CIA/NSA/Pentagon.

Posted by: Sasha | Apr 21 2019 2:53 utc | 49

DPEB @ 1 said;"Ruled by corrupt autocrats who are part of the global elite, no matter if in NYC, Moscow or Beying."

bevin @ 22 said;" What is in question is not whether the rulers of China, Iran and Russia have intentions or motives different from those of the imperialists, that is of little relevance.
What is important is that there is a big difference between a multi-polar international order and the total hegemony of a single superpower. "

Guess we'll just have to wait and see if the motives are different from the imperialists,
or are their actions are just a coordinated multi-polar effort to gain hegemony globally?

Is enslavement by four nations better or worse than by one?

Posted by: ben | Apr 21 2019 3:19 utc | 50

Sasha, your FUD is so bad that it's comical.

Like watching someone stand on a rake. Or, piss in the wind.

LOL.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 21 2019 3:32 utc | 51

@22 bevin

The point I was making about what Russia is doing in Libya in regards to Haftar and in Syria in regards to Israel's ongoing attacks on Syrian an Iranian installations is that Russia is not fomenting a polar balance with its actions in these two countries. Instead, it is supporting and/or appeasing two negative forces in each that are in fact securing the Empire's agenda. So my point is not the one you made. I agree with your point. Multi-polarity overrides everything especially considering the truism that absolute power corrupts absolutely and therefore the paramount goal is to break up and obstruct imperial hegemony.

I just happen to believe that in Libya, Russia supporting Haftar does not favor multi-polarity since Haftar is an asset of the Empire. In Syria, Russia should not tolerate Israel's persistent attacks on sovereign Syrian soil. Putin's appeasement of Israel at the expense of Iran does not favor multi-pokarity or demonstrate good faith considering Iran's contribution in regaining Syrian territory from all the malicious groups involved in the war.

Posted by: Circe | Apr 21 2019 3:36 utc | 52

In the end might makes right, Putin is not appeasing Israel, but recognizes that the Russian Federation is the weaker party should it come to war. The situation calls for long-term pragmatism.

Posted by: Hassaan | Apr 21 2019 4:06 utc | 53

The idea of never spending more energy than an "enemy" (seldom if ever a person in my experience but instead concepts and thought) is a perfect example of why dogma is so harmful; it's a completely nonsensical and practically useless generalization no matter how well intentioned and "helpful" and appropriate it can appear because the exceptions will always be more important than the generalization. It is nowhere close to being logical or rational and those are both words of less value and meaning than so many like to believe and cling to.

Instead do what you yourself deem appropriate (which is almost guaranteed to seem completely irrational to someone or perhaps everyone) and learn from as many as possible of the mistakes anyone is bound to make.

Not a single comment of mine here or elsewhere would ever have been written had I followed that dogma on energy, not a single one.

If I followed that dogma I would never have spent what could easily have approached half a day finding stuff like the ICAO FIR WORLD GIS (see my comments on page two of "Open Thread 2019-22" opened by b on April 17th for more) only in order to write a few short comments here. An action and result which to me was very valuable even if no one here ever sees the comment which as far as the context of it goes might even be entirely incorrect in its assumptions and answer (I ran out of both time and energy before learning any more and have not gotten back to it and might never).

Likewise I would never have annoyed myself deeply enough to in some other recent thread finally look closer at what the VIPS were claiming regarding the "transfer speeds" of the DNC files being copied which turned out to be equally as silly and blatantly untrue as the Russian collusion story itself and it would have been my loss if I did not do that even if the rest of the world couldn't care less —and it very clearly can't care less because otherwise I wouldn't have had to do it :D

Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Apr 21 2019 4:23 utc | 54

And to avoid misunderstandings in those examples the "enemies" were one extremely relevant and good unanswered question in the first case and the reasoning (or lack thereof) in the analysis supported by a VIPS memorandum in the second case.

The first example was a case of a question any and all involved journalists should have asked themselves and shared the answer to when writing about the news item and the second example was a case of missing scrutiny the VIPS and anyone sufficiently knowledgeable about computers should have remedied or drawn attention to as soon as they first saw the claim (and that sadly includes me; I failed myself as much or more as anyone else failed me).

Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Apr 21 2019 4:42 utc | 55

On the mueller report from Truthdig;

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/five-critical-takeaways-from-the-mueller-report/

Posted by: ben | Apr 21 2019 4:49 utc | 56

@51 H

Israel is a miserable speck of desert next to Russia.

Posted by: Circe | Apr 21 2019 4:57 utc | 57

April 18 - First Thoughts On The Mueller Report Release
Still reading it. Mueller left out many important issues. The genesis of Russiagate is missing from the report as is any word on the falsehoods in the Steele dossier. The DNC "hack" is taken as fact even though the allegation of Russian involvement is solely based on the word of Crowdstrike, a company with well known anti-Russian bias hired by the DNC.

I admire your tenacity and dedication, b, and hope that it proves to be worth the effort. The fact that it's a redacted version of the report speaks volumes for the perceived absence of trust between the 'government' and the 'governed'.

If and when the un-redacted version is made available for Public Scrutiny, a careful contextual evaluation of the omitted passages of text should reveal the validity of the government's mistrust of the governed and why it is, or isn't, justifiable.

If "our" government was conducting its affairs honestly, and with the best interests of The People foremost, then not only would it not need to keep aspects of its affairs secret, it would also be telling as about all of the "Wouldn't it be Loverly" things it's doing and planning to do for us, and on our behalf, would it not?

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 21 2019 5:32 utc | 58

Grieved @ 31:

Maybe Korybko, being based in Moscow and having access perhaps to far too much information continuously coming out of the Kremlin than he can handle all at once, is suffering from what you say he has. It's called the Dunning-Kruger effect. See here an article of Korybko's at Global Research where he believes Putin and Netanyahu are allies working together.

John Helmer is another Moscow-based commentator who comes to mind who also tends to read too much into various issues based on his worldview (which I believe treats Putin in a fairly negative way) and his having lived in Moscow for the past 30 years.

Lozion @ 38: Yes, sorry, I should have said S-300 instead of S-400. I am always sloppy dealing with that level of detail!

Posted by: Jen | Apr 21 2019 5:40 utc | 59

I want to take this time of the monotheistic religions death/resurrection to write about Western culture and the bastardization of it.

Humanity is social and we desire community. That community does not have to be monotheistic in structure but could be totally secular instead. Community does not have to be capitalistic or socialistic but Western community is locked into the capitalistic myth which is word salad cover for those that own global private finance, most property, business and governments. I call that forced community the God of Mammon religion that all in the West are forced to not only belong to, BUT, if you want to “succeed”, you have to play the God of Mammon game which is aniti-humanistic at its kindest description.

Lets digress for a moment and discuss other monotheistic religions. Like the religious myth humanity produced before and around monotheistic religions, they document rules and suggestions about how to live your life. The monotheistic religions define the line between good and evil and tell you what you must do to live a “good” life. In defining good, the monotheistic religions are clear about showing respect for others, telling the truth, and sharing life’s abundance with less fortunate.

But the God of Mammon religion that all in the West are required to live under obviates all the “good” of monotheistic religions by their focus on usury, private ownership of property, inheritance and the whole world of private finance that has existed since the Enlightenment period humanity didn’t finish going through. In my opinion , humanity needs to finish going through the Enlightenment period and agree that logic and reason should be basis for decisions about social organization……and not the faith we currently have in those that own our world through the God of Mammon religious bastardization of human faith. We need to take the precepts of the monotheistic religions and incorporate their meaning into the rest of the myths we have accumulated along our evolutionary path that we would use along with logic and reason to find our way forward.

Let me end with a quote from the origin of my moniker

’There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life: nurtured by the false notion that democracy means “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”’ - Isaac Asimov

Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 21 2019 5:42 utc | 60

@55 C
Yep, that is true, but I can't envision a scenario where USA, NATO and the various vassals/lackeys don't immediately become involved if Russia and Israel come to blows. Things are changing, though, 5 years from now if China/Russia/Iran continue to strengthen their ties and develop their militaries as they are now, the dynamics will have changed. Thus, I believe, Putin/Xi are pursuing the right strategy by playing the long-game.

Posted by: Hassaan | Apr 21 2019 5:46 utc | 61

Any minute now Jacinda Ardern will tell us how to feel about the church bombings in Sri Lanka. Any minute.... wearing a nun's habit... where are you JA?

Posted by: Jezabeel | Apr 21 2019 5:48 utc | 62

@52/53 srb.. thanks for the posts here and on the other thread..
here is the vips article in case anyone else wants to read it..

jr - some folks are too easy to read!! i don't even bother..

Posted by: james | Apr 21 2019 5:57 utc | 63

Korybko is a compelling example of a syndrome that I will struggle to put into words. He reads too much into things.
Posted by: Grieved | Apr 20, 2019 7:59:43 PM | 31

Many years ago I found Korybko very interesting, but he seems to have been turned at some point - part of what he writes seems to be deliberate (garbage) misinformation designed to confuse and obscure. Meyssan likewise. John Helmer is a bit of a mystery to me but while a lot of what he writes is not to be trusted I think he is actually just a complete nutcase. I avoid all three. There are so many worthy and valuable sources available on the internet, why waste precious time on untrustworthy sources?

Posted by: BM | Apr 21 2019 6:24 utc | 64

On the North Korean embassy raid has been a new development:
Source: Reuters US Arrests former Marine connected to North Korea embassy raid in Spain
Posted by: Dr Gonzo | Apr 20, 2019 5:59:45 PM | 23

Most likely designed to confuse and obfuscate, I would say. The US have been caught with their pants down and are frantically scrambling for half-plausible alibis. What they have done is serious and can't just be shrugged off. Hong is probably safely hidden in a CIA safe house somewhere. The allegations of a "raid" on Hong's house while the location of the man himself is "unknown" is laughable in my view. The US knows perfectly well where he is.

Posted by: BM | Apr 21 2019 6:34 utc | 65

The DNC "hack" is taken as fact even though the allegation of Russian involvement is solely based on the word of Crowdstrike, a company with well known anti-Russian bias hired by the DNC.

On January 25, 2019, the Dutch mainstream media, i.e. Volkskrant (newspaper addressing the left) and NOS-Nieuwsuur (= state television), fabricated a fantasy story, sold to the public as investigative journalism, about a AIVD (= state secred services) leak, that 'proved' the Russian hack operation. It was a very idiot story, but because the Netherlands seem to have no real investigative journalists anymore, it was accepted without dissent and copied in all national and international msm.

search on duckduckgo
search on duckduckgo (Dutch pages)

The Volkskrant even made a English version of their fantasy story, to deliver the needed 'proof' to the neocons:
english fantasy story, made by the Dutch VolksKrant

The main 'proof' of the story, was a picture of the security camera above the door outside of the office of the Russian hackers group Cozy Bear. With that picture, the storytellers alleged to proof that the leak (!!) showed that the AIVD actually hacked the cozy bear since summer 2014, and thereby accidentally witnessed that this Russian hacker group hacked the DNC servers. It was Big News on the Dutch Television for more then 2 days, that January 2018, without any skepticism.

It was not the first and last time Dutch authorities and/or mainstream media helped the neocons in cases they needed such help.

Posted by: iano | Apr 21 2019 6:58 utc | 66

In Macron's latest TV speech (not the expected one on the reforms, now announced for 25/4) but the one on Notre Dame Macron displayed a very particuliar way of "uniting the people". In fact, he states that rich and poor have a different rank to which they should stick.
https://www.elysee.fr/emmanuel-macron/2019/04/16/adresse-du-president-de-la-republique-a-la-nation
"Hier soir, cette nuit, ce matin, chacun a donné ce qu’il avait. Les pompiers ont combattu au péril de leur vie avec héroïsme. Les policiers, les soignants étaient là, comme à chaque fois. Les Parisiens se sont réconfortés.(...)
Des riches comme des moins riches ont donné de l’argent. Au fond, chacun a donné ce qu’il a pu, chacun à sa place, chacun dans son rôle, et je vous le dis ce soir avec force nous sommes ce peuple de bâtisseurs."

Now all the media is making the parallel between Jesus' resurrection and that of the French Catholic Church "after so man scandals in the latest months" (but they won't be more precise, let's brush it off).

Posted by: Mina | Apr 21 2019 7:43 utc | 67

Grieved @33 et al:

Medium has not only taken down that article by Caitlin Johnstone, but suspended her account. Fortunately, there's still her own site:

https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2019/04/20/debunking-all-the-assange-smears/

Posted by: John Anthony La Pietra | Apr 21 2019 8:15 utc | 68

Just checked that tab again and Caitlin's Medium account is back -- just without the "All Smears Refuted" magnum opus. I'm overdue for bed, but I hope others will keep an eye out for developments.

Posted by: John Anthony La Pietra | Apr 21 2019 8:23 utc | 69

In his interview, Chaix gives all the links supporting his evidences. In the case of Qatar's al-Thani's aknowledgement of his and the West+Gulf role in the war on Syria, only the interview with Charlie Rose is mentioned
http://archive.is/BdM4u#selection-611.0-631.274
It is very infortunate that the more than 1 hour long interview al-Thani gave to Qatari TV
https://journal-neo.org/2017/11/18/revelations-of-a-high-profile-qatari-officials-reveal-a-wider-anti-syria-conspiracy/
In 2017, the Qatari former minister gave an interview to the BBC where he restated the statements he gave in the Haqiqa interview. As usual, the Qatari TV interview was ignored by the monolingual pundits of our main news outlets, and obviously, the BBC interview and a series of interviews he gave at the time were largely ignored.
It is available on Youtube (or at least it was) and deserves to be read entirely. The complete absence of feeling towards the victims during the "big game" then implemented by KSA/Qatar in the first place, with the help of Turkey/West is revealing of the psychology of these people.

All this is very relevant in the European context of debates regarding the return of djihadists and the possibility of an international court to judge the crimes in Syria. No wonder, many, including France, are against it, and they have suddenly decided (after announcing the contrary 2 weeks ago) to drop the idea of repatriation. Some local actors (in deradicalization in Germany) have called attention to the fact that these people would be more dangerous when roaming freely... The only answer European states have found for now is to start cancelling citizenships of the djihadists (as for the children they are not even registered so this facilitates the move)
Some elements on this
http://www.rfi.fr/emission/20190417-europe-jihadistes-retour-syrie-irak-allemagne-france-suede-begum-turquie-assange
http://www.rfi.fr/emission/20190417-allemagne-decheance-nationalite-certains-jihadistes

Posted by: Mina | Apr 21 2019 8:44 utc | 70

Here is the Arabic interview to Qatari TV's program "al-Haqiqa"
https://youtu.be/nOdwO4XCwHk

Posted by: Mina | Apr 21 2019 8:56 utc | 71

@69 John Anthony La Pietra

Medium Has Removed My Article “Debunking The Assange Smears”

Posted by: TJ | Apr 21 2019 12:03 utc | 72

Just when i was about to take a read: Medium Has Removed My Article “Debunking The Assange Smears”

I found a copy here which I'll take a look later today: Debunking All The Assange Smears

Enjoy a fine Easter guys and gals.

Posted by: Vasco da Gama | Apr 21 2019 12:16 utc | 73

Better link from Caitlin Jonstone's site.

Posted by: Vasco da Gama | Apr 21 2019 12:19 utc | 74

ben @ 50

Nicely stated and you captured the essence. Bevin will never relinquish his pose of "all knowingness" [projection alert]. That's not what bloggers do. But his statement which you quoted is breathtakingly vacuous. At best.

For a self-proclaimed marxist he seems to be very confused regarding how capitalism works in the globalist age. Polarities or wtf he thinks matter are in fact mutable, situational. Politics shift, driven mostly if not entirely by financial and economic goals which matter to upper class.

We are witnessing frequent close collaboration between the US, Russia, Israel and Saudi Arabia on a growing range of issues. Trump is a charter member of this club. Makes one wonder for what those off the record talks with Putin in Helsinki entailed. I would guess they had much to do with coordinating or understanding the developments what have unfolded recently in the Middle East.

Pft who unfortunately no longer seems to inhabit here had this subject matter nailed. I hope he/she returns. It is important to understand. We are trapped in a globally interconnected financial system where the corrupt autocrats at the top have banded together to fuck us over more efficiently than they have already done since time immemorial. The vise grows tighter with each passing day. Whether this is four autocrats acting in concert on all matters, or one going off on his own or different combinations acting and reacting situationally scarcely matters so long as they remain coordinated and in communication.

This is the existential essence of "oligarchy."

Pretending that one or another autocratic nation state is actually on "our" side is lazy, reactionary and counter productive thinking if your goal in life is to achieve equality for the 99.9%, much less destroy the .01%.

Deferring to one autocrat, or supporting one or constantly apologising for one's actions...renders you absurd.

You are either for fascism or against it.

Posted by: donkeytale | Apr 21 2019 12:28 utc | 75

karlof1@29

At 10 minutes in Hudson comments on what his research shows happens to civilizations that don’t cancel large unjust debts or otherwise look after large groups of their population that live at or near poverty levels.

‘They get conquered by someone who offers a better deal’

Posted by: financial matters | Apr 21 2019 12:30 utc | 76

I have the impression that with all this issue of Wikileaks, that goal is to refreshing or bringing into light some information already released through them which could have passed unadverted by many or they in the US need to higlight right now

Curiously, this information, which starts being published at certain blogs ( which curiously are banning any post which could pose any somber of doubt about the real nature of Wikileaks. I have experienced this by trying to answer commenter Larchmonter445 asking for argumentative comments under Pepe Escobar article comments section, but my comments did not appear, while it appeared then a response to my absent comment by this same commenter, saying that my arguments were weak.... with the reader getting unable to test it for itself...This is foul play in my book, I had already experienced at the same site before..) targets main US enemies, in this case China. You will see that, apart from having extracted the Wikileaks leak referred to Tibet/China, the commenter have taken the effort of collecting a whole record of MSM articles about the issue, as a proof on how the MSM have fed from Wikileaks more in order to attack US enemies than the population from any hint of truth unveiled:

http://thesaker.is/moveable-feast-cafe-2019-04-20/#comment-639339

This is why I have the impression of a coordinated effort, on harsh censure and intends of desacreditation of anybody who could argue anything against Wikileaks/Assange, by certain blogs of the so called "alt-media".

Of course, innocent people is being dragged with the current, as the good Javier Couso, who will never be grateful enough to Julian Assange for providing the graphic proof of who are the responsibles of the killing of his brother in Bagadad, Member of GUE/NGL of EP, he most probably have influenced a lot the concessio nof the prize on journalism by his group to Julian Assange. The thing is, in spite of the leak who denounced that some US marines were responsible for the killing, the US embassy put enough pressure over the Spanish government, and this at his time over Spanish judiciary so as to bury the issue. This is the kind of pieces of truth which were leaked os as to gain credibility amongst people fighting for the truth, going along with other information more useful for US imperialists purposes ...

Posted by: Sasha | Apr 21 2019 12:31 utc | 77

Oglalla @ 32

Thanks for the helpful criticism. To better understand and correct my thinking could you kindly illustrate in however greater or lesser detail how I've misinterpreted Jackrabbit?

Posted by: donkeytale | Apr 21 2019 12:35 utc | 78

Reading through the comments one comes across the totally expected. Discredit the facts by discrediting the author. Never challenge the ideas which you oppose by countering with your own arguments. Simply discredit the author. He's been turned, of course. He works for the CIA and/or Mossad and/or MI6

Korybko (who I don't recall reading before the link at 1) has been in Russia too long, he can't keep up with the 5th dimensional chess, etc. is the too facile response which of course doesn't require the responder to think much at all.

Uhm, maybe Korybko is more clued into what is happening because he's lived in Moscow all these years and has sources and relationships who can explain to him? You know, what journalists do?

Either way, you haven't actually discredited him with this line of argument. You have discredited yourself.

Posted by: donkeytale | Apr 21 2019 12:53 utc | 79

I've just been reading a really weird article on the Mueller report by Wayne Madsen here:

Trump’s Attempt to Weaponize NSA Against His Enemies

Wayne Madsen is one of a couple of regular contributors to Strategic Culture whose hatred of Trump is so intense that he is liable to become incoherent. This is evidently the case here. He makes blatently inappropriate comparison to Nixon's attempt to use the intelligence agencies to spy on Americans to look for dirt against his critics as leverage to protect him from legal investigations - wait, wait, wait, isn't that precisely what Obama, Brenner, Comey, Mueller et al were doing, using illegal surveillance to find dirt on Trump and his campaign team & administration? Isn't that precisely what 90& of the Muellergate "investigation" consisted of?

BUT, Madsen is instead trying to compare Nixon's actions with the actions of Trump in requesting the NSA to produce evidence to refute the Russiagate accusations. I could be wrong, but my understanding of the article is that Trump was asking the NSA to produce - from its mass surveillance archives - the evidence that Trump assumed must exist that would disprove the Russiagate allegations. If that is the case (and Rogers has stated that Trump's request was neither illegal nor immoral), then it would seem to be little different from Binney's rhetorical exhortation of NSA to produce the NSA's evidence of Russia hacking the DNC, which evidence Binney asserts must exist if the DNC allegations of hacking by Russia were true. Asking the NSA to produce anticipated exonorating evidence is not conspiracy, rather the opposite.

Now, I am not talking about performance of the request (which the NSA apparently declined) but only Trump's actions in making the request. If the performance of the request would involve viewing the results of mass surveillance, that would inherently be within the capability of the NSA if the NSA had the relevant data, and the legal procedures that have been laid down to protect the rights of those surveilled could at least potentially have been followed (applications to FISA court, proceedures for unmasking persons, or whatever is specified in this case) - that (or an accounting for legal impediments to carrying the request out) is not the responsibility of Trump to carry out but his officials in processing his request.

In any case, even if Trump were to break the laws regarding surveillance to lay his hands on pre-existing proof that exonnerated him of the accused Russiagate collusion, that would be many orders of magnetude less serious than using dirt on Trump and his colleagues dug up by illegal surveillance made under wilfully fabricated FISA court applications to obstruct the elected president and to cover up the illegal misuse of intelligence agencies by the previous administrations and their hangovers in the Trump administration. Which is precisely what Mueller et al HAVE done.

I am not a Trump supporter, but attacks against Trump should be against the bad things he has done not nonesense like this.

Have you gone a little bit mad, Wayne Madsen?

Posted by: BM | Apr 21 2019 13:22 utc | 80

donkeytale to oglallo:

Please waste your time debunking my bullshit.

If you're foolish enough to take the bait, maybe I'll use you as a punching bag instead of JR, 'cause JR punches back.

:)

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 21 2019 13:27 utc | 81

karlof1@29

‘Democratic Party after 2008. Taken over by Wall Street.’

We definitely have had neoliberalism in both parties for longer than this but I think he is referring more specifically to the handling of the mortgage crisis.

Posted by: financial matters | Apr 21 2019 13:35 utc | 82

Korybko: Alt-Media and its corresponding online community can be treasure troves of knowledge and insightful discourse in an increasingly censored world, but just like their Mainstream Media counterparts that they go to great lengths to openly differentiate themselves from, there are certain dogmas inherent in this informational space that sometimes make it difficult to tell the difference between objective facts and “wishful thinking” narratives.

The US Lied Before, So that Means That It’s Always Lying And Nothing That Its Representatives Say Should Ever Be Believed

The US/”Israel”/Saudi Arabia/Turkey/Etc. (“The Other Side”) Are Inherently Evil And Never Do The “Right Thing”

Anything That The “Other Sides’” Representatives Support Is The “Wrong Side”

Russia/China/Iran/Syria/Etc. (“Our Side”) Are Inherently Righteous And Always Do The “Right Thing”

“Your Side” Is Deified, The “Other Side” Is Demonized

Everything Is Black And White And There Is No Gray Zone, The Battle Lines Are Always Clearly Defined And Never Change

All Dogmatic Contradictions Can Be Explained Away By The “Master Plan” Theory

All US Partners Are Puppets In All That They Do And They Can’t Make Any Decision Without America’s Prior Approval

“Our Side’s” Cold War-Era Allies Will Always Remain The Same, Just Like Their Enemies

All Countries That Aren’t American Puppets Are Opposed To It, And They’re All In Perfect Agreement With One Another All Of The Time

It’s Impossible To Explain An Event Without Endorsing It

Viva Trotsky! Permanent Revolution Lives On In Alt-Media

The “Other Sides’” Intelligence Agencies (CIA/Mossad/MI6/Stratfor/Soros/Etc.) Have “Infiltrated” The Community

The Loudest And Nastiest Community Members Guide “The Cause”

The Alt-Media Community Protects The Free Speech Of Its Members Unlike The MSM

Constructively Criticizing A Country On “Our Side” Is Tantamount To Crucifying Its Leader And Crushing Its Soft Power Credibility

What The Community Thinks “Our Side” “Should” Do Is What It “Will” Certainly Do No Matter What

Events Can Only Be Interpreted Through The Prism Of A Single-Issue Cause That Everything Ultimately Leads Back To

Facebook Articles, Posts, And Arguments Are The Most Powerful Way To Change International Relations

Victory Is Inevitable And “Our Side” Is Always Winning

All Unrest Is 100% An American-Backed Conspiracy That Came Out Of Nowhere

All Elections By “The Other Side” Are Predetermined And Nothing More Than Staged Steps In Carrying Out Their “Master Plans”

It’s Not Abuse Or Trolling If Someone In Alt-Media Does It

The First Rule Of Fight Club Is To Never Talk About Fight Club, Just Like The First Rule Of Alt-Media Is To Never Talk About Its Dogmas

Posted by: donkeytale | Apr 21 2019 13:37 utc | 83

JR @ 81

I must report your comment to Oglallo because:

This comment of yours does not contribute to the conversation.

LMAO. Happy Easter bro

Posted by: donkeytale | Apr 21 2019 13:44 utc | 84

Just seems that all this was already known quite time ago. I do not know when this blog was opened/created, but some of the points made by Daneil Stulin in that interview I linked above, are also held by F.William Engdahl in this old article and others linked below.

Wikileaks: a big dangerous US Government Con Job by F. William Engdahl

But for anyone who has studied the craft of intelligence and of disinformation, a clear pattern emerges in the Wikileaks drama. The focus is put on select US geopolitical targets, appearing as Hillary Clinton put it “to justify US sanctions against Iran.” They claim North Korea with China’s granting of free passage to Korean ships despite US State Department pleas, send dangerous missiles to Iran. Saudi Arabia’s ailing King Abdullah reportedly called Iran’s President a Hitler.

Being you readers at MoA so used to consider all the possible angles on every event, it is astonishing, and quite suspicious, how some of you deny the huge elephant on this issue.
But, well, I got astonished too at the other day abundance of experts on explosives...

Posted by: Sasha | Apr 21 2019 15:28 utc | 85

@Posted by: Sasha | Apr 21, 2019 11:28:57 AM | 85

Another relevant excerpt, from F.William Engdahl´s article linked above, which comes to some of the same conclusions the information in the thread of Andrei Kononov´s Twitter thread included:

He selects as exclusive newspapers to decide what is to be leaked the New York Times which did such service in promoting faked propaganda against Saddam that led to the Iraqi war, the London Guardian and Der Spiegel. Assange claims he had no time to sift through so many pages so handed them to the trusted editors of the establishment media for them to decide what should be released. Very “anti-establishment” that.

The New York Times even assigned one of its top people, David E. Sanger, to control the release of the Wikileaks material. Sanger is no establishment outsider. He sits as a member of the elite Council on Foreign Relations as well as the Aspen Institute Strategy Group together with the likes of Condi Rice, former Defense Secretary William Perry, former CIA head John Deutch, former State Department Deputy Secretary and now World Bank head Robert Zoellick among others.

Indeed a strange choice of media for a person who claims to be anti-establishment. But then Assange also says he believes the US Government version of 9/11 and calls the Bilderberg Group a normal meeting of people, a very establishment view.

Posted by: Sasha | Apr 21 2019 15:32 utc | 86

@79 donkeytale... there is so much bs in that article, it is hard to know where to start... take this line for example - "President Putin is so angry with President Assad ever since the September spy plane tragedy" - how does this Korybko come up with shit like this?? he makes it sound like he is best of buds with putin and knows exactly how putin feels, or what putin thinks.. i don't think he does and this line is one example of him making stuff up as i see it.. either way it is too subjective to know, but adds flair to his article... it adds a lot of flake too!

Posted by: james | Apr 21 2019 15:41 utc | 87

Can we all agree now that Russian interests in Syria are completely self-serving and that Putin doesn't give a damn about protecting Syria's sovereignty FROM THE EMPIRE?

Here is yet more proof of Israel's egregious violations of Syria's sovereignty and right to create weapons to deter aggression from malicious actors in the region, the lunatic state being one and KSA, UAE others.

Israeli F-16s strike Syria

Hawkish Israeli website Debkafile alleged that “Western intelligence sources” claimed that technical experts from Iran, North Korea and Belarus were killed or wounded in the strike.

However, as has happened in over 200 other Israeli air strikes on targets in Syria, the defensive fire proved inadequate. The weapons struck three Syrian targets.

The first was a training base called the “Academy.” A second site was reportedly a storage facility for surface-to-surface missile launchers located near the Masyaf National Hospital. Afterward, the pro-Assad Al-Masdar news agency published a picture of an annihilated M-600 Tishereen ballistic missile launcher.

However, the S-300’s silence may reflect a new understanding reached between Putin and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who won reelection just a week prior to the strike. Apparently, the latter agreed to provide fifteen minutes of advance notice of strikes to Russian forces.

Conflict analysis website T-Intelligence argued “The fact that the Syrian-operated SA-20B remained idle during last night’s IAF operation confirms that the use of the SAM system requires Russian approval. As expected, the Kremlin seems unwilling to authorize SAM attacks on IAF aircraft to protect Iranian assets.

So is Putin on the side of the Empire? Sure looks that way! THIS IS OUTRIGHT BETRAYAL.

Posted by: Circe | Apr 21 2019 15:53 utc | 88

On the Korybko issue that is being discussed here, around his stelar promotion at site like The Saker some years ago, I researched a bit to find hat he is really a US citizen who some years ago went to study at MGIMO.
I thought, by the first line he followed at those times in his articles, which always had that very marked high-school structure, that he could well be a US guy of Russian origins of those who have decided to return to Russia due their agreement with the current development of affairs there and government line. But, due his current u-turn, coincident with his new home at EurasiaFuture, well, we could also consider he could be a US agent undercover as journalist.

Well, everything is possible, who knows... Daniel Stulin says in his interview that the CIA has had no less than 400 journalists on payroll around the world....What gets us to believe that some authors and so called "alt-media" are not, as well?

Welcome to the smoke and mirrors world....This is war...by ther means....

As the same Julian Assange said about his leaks in interview with Der Spiegel

"the documents I had unearthed will change our perspective on not only the war in Afghanistan, but on all modern wars”. ”I enjoy crushing bastards.”

Just fitting one of the goals of Wikileaks named by Daniel Stulin, as a tool for paradigm change...

As I see it, the spectacular "extraction" of Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy along with the process of "santification" we are witnessing in the "alt-media" ( take into account that this time the MSM are enough discredited by world events and two years of demonization by The Donald as "enemies of the people", thus, no more useful for campaigns or leaks on "the truth", as they were in the beginning...)are aimed to serve the 2020 Trump re-election, whose campaign has already started, around which a significant event will take place so as to unleash war on one of US foes ( I bet Iran, but could well be Pakistan or Lebanon... ) and/or the switching off of the internet.

The switching off of the internet could well not be simultaneous to the WoT, but could well be kept in the waiting for the huge economic crack coming, to make it coincide with the general looting of bank assets of the population, most of whom have been pushed to have e-accounts and who will not be able to get to them to see what´s happening with their money.

All this passes through my imagination in this Sunday of Passover....

Posted by: Sasha | Apr 21 2019 16:33 utc | 89

- The New York Times reported that there is A LOT wrong with the production of the Boeing 737 Dreamliner.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/20/boeings-dreamliner-jet-now-facing-claims-of-manufacturing-issues-nyt-report.html

https://www.businessinsider.nl/boeing-787-dreamliner-south-carolina-factory-production-problems-2019-4/

https://skift.com/2019/04/21/boeing-dreamliner-manufacturing-plant-cited-for-aircraft-safety-lapses/

Posted by: Willy2 | Apr 21 2019 16:46 utc | 90

financial matters @76--

Exactly! And look at what's happening with BRI/EAEU at the linked article I provided--the proverbial "better deal"!

Easter's death and resurrection put into the Jubilee Year context--Debts are declared dead so that society can be reborn. Give that a long think and then look at the Ishtar story.

I'm making a strata for brunch then lamb with rice and roasted artichokes from the plants in my yard! Happy Easter!

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 21 2019 16:55 utc | 91

https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2019/04/291144.htm

especially SoS (sack of shit) comments in the Q&A

Posted by: Desolation Row | Apr 21 2019 17:22 utc | 92

james @ 82 -

All you really need to do is follow the sequence of events since roughly Astana 2017 up to present. It all adds up. The blog drama has been completely bonkers off the rails wrt Middle East since roughly Astana 2018, when the long predicted, hoped for and relished with baited breath final reconquest of Syria by Assad's tinpot army was put on hold. Or when the spy plane was shot down by Israel and....Putin apologised for letting his spies get in the way of Nutty's missiles.

When it was revealed Israeli missiles targeted Hez in Syria 200+ times with Russia in the field, obviously with Putin's tacit approval. When Erdogan called halt to Assad's reconquest of Idlib and Putin said nada against, in fact he passively agreed to the terms of the lesser Turkish leader.

A complete and total misreading of the facts on the ground and in the air pretty much every day here with a rather very few exceptions.

Putin is MBS's buddy, Trump's buddy and Netanyahu's buddy, Erdogan's buddy....not yours, not mine nor even Assad's buddy. Putin owns Assad's ass.

Assad is merely Putin's buttboy.

The next opportunity for scales to fall from many eyes will be the upcoming rapprochement between the Trump Regime and China wrt trade. You can book it james. The US and China need each other like no other couple in their gross global capitalist embrace. Trump will soon enough yet again need something/anything he can spin as a "win" for a cheap political gain and the Chinese oligarchs are stockpiling too many trinkets made by their indentured slaves which they need to sell to the indentured slaves of their biggest trading partner.

Still, will many eyes actually open? No, of course not as it is very difficult to review much less change our long held assumptions in light of changing circumstances especially when we have invested so much time and energy building and believing in the many false narratives of the internets.

It is much easier to keep churning the same ennervated dogma and much, much more comforting to continually see and feel the loving support from our fellow blog dogmatics. The only price we pay is cheap enough: living in a state of delusion.

We are free james to think for ourselves if we will only awaken from your dogmatic slumbers.

Peace be with you.

Posted by: donkeytale | Apr 21 2019 17:26 utc | 93

lol "our dogmatic slumbers." For I too have sinned.

Posted by: donkeytale | Apr 21 2019 17:33 utc | 94

@ 84 donkey

Ha! Yes, thank you for bringing that to my attention.

JR, I give you a yellow card, too! ;-)

Happy Easter or April 21st to you both.

Posted by: oglala the volunteer bored moderator | Apr 21 2019 17:41 utc | 95

Happy Easter to you Oglala....

Posted by: donkeytale | Apr 21 2019 17:46 utc | 96

@93 donkeytale... i think the differences are partly explained in what defines the concept of winning and losing.. russia has prevented the overthrow of assad.. the usa has succeeded in turning the area into an ongoing shithole... you could define that as a win for russia and a win for the usa... either way, the characterizations of putin and assad, especially from americans - is pretty rich and usually really whacked out... same deal for korybko.. maybe he is appealing to american group think with these types of lines - "President Putin is so angry with President Assad ever since the September spy plane tragedy"...? either way, i think it reflects on his lack of objectivity..

we'll have to agree to disagree! happy easter to you!

Posted by: james | Apr 21 2019 18:04 utc | 97

Ukraine election exit poll:
Comedian Zelenski wipes floor with Porkie.
Z = 75%: P = 23%

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 21 2019 18:31 utc | 98

Sen. Mike Gravel is running for president - not to win, but to qualify for the debates to push the field to the left on foreign policy and political reform.

https://www.mikegravel.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0770rsZIaFc

Posted by: John Doe | Apr 21 2019 18:46 utc | 99

@Posted by: John Doe | Apr 21, 2019 2:46:41 PM | 99

Wow, how moving, at his age!
How bad he must be seeing the state of affairs in the US to decide to run at such age of his, when what everyone wants and needs is to rest.

Sounds hopeful, at least to unmask the puppets of the deep state. I hope he gets a lot of donations.

Posted by: Sasha | Apr 21 2019 18:56 utc | 100