@b
I have been investigating the layout problem in the comment section and learned a little CSS. When someone posts a long link that cant be wrapped properly the with of the comments body increases to fit it, making the page too wide for mobile phone displays. This is difficult to solve for mobile browsers because they are very agressive in scaling content.
I am using the following CSS in a custom userscript to modify this website’s stylesheet and it works quite well to mitigate the problem:
div.comments-body {
max-width: 95vw;
overflow-wrap: break-word;
}
The max-width puts an upper limit to each comment’s width in percent of the device screen width. I tried other possible solutions but only this works.
The oveflow-wrap causes very long words or hyperlinks to break no matter what, otherwise the text would flow out of its container.

Posted by: Joost | Aug 2 2019 18:21 utc | 3

Joost : GOOD WORK !
I’m on an ipad mini, and this problem happens regularly, regardless of browsers. Fixing that would be GREAT.

Posted by: Featherless | Aug 2 2019 18:25 utc | 5

How many barflies have Zarif’s Twitter in their favs? IMO, the world would be a better place if Lavrov also tweeted. Do check out Zarif’s latest as they’re quite good.
No New Arms Race–NATO:
“VIDEO: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance will avoid “a new arms race” with Russia and will not deploy new nuclear missiles on European soil after a Cold War missile pact ended.”
Now if only European nations would finally begin to deal with the actual, genuine, true threat to their interests–which the documents show has been ongoing for 75+ years–the Outlaw US Empire.

Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 2 2019 18:40 utc | 7

While I am aware of Eric Zuesse being somewhat controversial to some people, I do concur with his assessment of the party that should be stripped of the ‘Democratic’ prefix. There is nothing democratic in this organization and its members are either willful stooges, or the most gullible people on earth – responsible for heinous crimes against humanity under the cover of ‘humanitarian aid’.
To even consider to allow this organization to continue in its deception of the American electorate, shows the deepest infiltration of foreign influence, for whom this deception is not only natural, but also compulsive. You may have guessed it, it’s not the Russians.
The Democratic Party’s AIPAC Candidates
However, an article by the Strategic Culture Organization, linked to on MOA yesterday
The ‘Special Relationship’ is collapsing, goes even further. It makes obvious the unholy filth that has been plaguing humanity for a very long time. And while some may find it questionable, it turns out that the Queen does appear to be the longest sitting Fascist in the history of mankind.
Sometimes it is necessary to connect the dots beyond personal beliefs in regards to the real conspiracy against working people all over the world.

Posted by: nottheonly1 | Aug 2 2019 19:08 utc | 9

Below is a link to a Xinhua.net posting about the US Fed holdings since the 2008 crash
Socializing the profits of Wall Street 10 years on from 2008
The take away quote
”
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) — Data released by the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) on Thursday showed that the central bank lowered its holdings of U.S. Treasuries and Mortgage Backed Securities.
For the week ending July 31, the average daily figure of Fed holdings of U.S. Treasury securities dropped 1,814 million U.S. dollars to 2,092,212 million dollars.
The majority of U.S. Treasury securities that the Fed holds were longer term securities issued by the U.S. government like Treasury notes and Treasury bonds, which totaled 1,952,410 million dollars, according to the Fed.
The U.S. Federal Reserve purchased government-issued securities and other securities like Mortgage-backed securities (MBS) from the market in order to boost the money supply and encourage lending and investment after the 2008 financial crisis.
The unconventional monetary policy, commonly known as “Quantitative Easing,” left the central bank with a massive holding of securities.
”
This brings me to the question that is growing in my mind. I read on Xinhua.net last night about US/China trade details (something like 3 papers/agreements) and then the concept words like upholding multilateralism, and urging “…the U.S. side to grasp the situation, abandon its illusions, correct its mistakes and return to the right track of settling problems via consultations based on equality and mutual respect.”
So my question in relation to the context that I continue to push about what the premise of WWIII that we are in is, global private/public finance.
What is in the negotiations about that issue?
Is China being open more than the US about the contents of the negotiations?
The concept of multilateralism is not completely clear to me in relation to the global public/private finance issue and I am not of faith but of questions….

Posted by: psychohistorian | Aug 2 2019 19:36 utc | 11

div.comments-body {
Posted by: Joost | Aug 2 2019 18:21 utc | 3
I suggested similar rule to B two weeks ago, seems he can not add this to forum template.
also, i believe your CSS selector is too generic, user agents (browsers) and sites in general often have special rules for “anchors”, so your CSS rule better add yet one more, the anchor-specific selector there, or it can easily be ignored as not specific enough

Posted by: Arioch | Aug 2 2019 19:56 utc | 13

I’m on an ipad mini, and this problem happens regularly, regardless of browsers. Fixing that would be GREAT.
Posted by: Featherless | Aug 2 2019 18:25 utc | 5
Frankly, this problm is not problem of B and his site, it is problem of programs we use to read internet, web-browsers. Because those are OUR programs which render his forum on our screens as they see fit.
For example, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera_Mini – first appeared in 2005, and on Apple phones in 2010 – but since then Apple periodically bans it to keep Safari monopoly despite it being obsolete, like Internet Explorer 20 years ago…
Opera in 2005-2006 solved the problem of too long links or other texts back then. Frankly, “small screen rendering” and “medium screen rendering” (aka Fit To Screen Width) were great features even on desktop computers (they were ported from phones to computers quickly) and absolutely needed on phones.
I don’t know if they survived in Opera for Apple, it is not specified on Opera site in features list, Apple could request their removal to un-ban competing browser on iPhones.
For example Yandex Browser, which sought to copy many features of original Opera (it was quite popular in Russia), has that “Fit to Width” feature in their desktop and Android version: https://yandex.com/support/browser-mobile-android-phone/personal-settings/site-appearance.html
But for iOS it seems to only have a read-only analogue: https://yandex.com/support/browser-mobile-ipad/useful-features/read-mode.html

Posted by: Arioch | Aug 2 2019 20:26 utc | 15

Did a coup by Rosenstein just happen?
Ratcliffe is a no go for the DNI.
“Deputy DNI Sue Gordon is a proven patriot who understands foreign threats, respects the nonpartisan truth, and protects America 24/7. Daughter of a Navy Vice Admiral, mother of 2 Marine captains. Gordon is a great @realDonaldTrump appointee!”
Says Rosenstein.

Posted by: bjd | Aug 2 2019 20:44 utc | 17

@ Posted by: ben | Aug 2 2019 19:22 utc | 10
The Nordic nations are capitalist. The problem with social-democracy is that: 1) it is only possible in some very small countries and 2) even in those countries, it has an expiring date.
The welfare state is essentially dead. For the Nordic mirage of the 21st Century, see this.
Social-democracy is utopic essentially for two reasons:
1) its material base is what Marx called “super profit”, i.e. when a national economy has a general profit rate above the global average. This happened in the post-war boom of 1945-1974, essentially because the so-called First World countries — which make up a tiny fraction of the world population — enjoyed overwhelming trade surpluses with the vast majority of the world population, which comprise the so-called Third World.
2) besides super profit, the country must have an exceptionally well-organized working class, with the backup of a decisive exterior menace to maximize the danger of a communist revolution. Western European working classes were blessed in the post-war period by its neighbor, the Soviet Union. Imagine the negotiations between the main trade unions of the UK with their bosses: “well, you can deny us that 15% raise, but then all we need to do is ask for some help of our Soviet friends and topple you”. To put it simply, it was very easy for the unions at the time to, with minimum effort, extract maximum raises and rights.
When it became clear the USSR was not a menace, and the super profits dried up, social-democracy quickly fell in Western Europe very easily. From the oil crisis of 1974-5 to the double dip recession of 1980-2, there was nothing left standing up besides some remnants in the Nordic countries, France and the NHS in the UK (a relic from the welfare state era which will probably be destroyed now). Welfare State in Germany was finally destroyed in the 2000s, with the Hartz reforms. Italy, the Iberics and the USA never had true welfare states — which speaks volumes about its restricted nature.

Posted by: vk | Aug 2 2019 20:59 utc | 19

Beijing calls on US to resume compliance with INF Treaty /A>
“By violating its international obligations, the US “actually seeks superiority in strategic weaponry,” according to the Chinese diplomat. “It will seriously affect stability and undermine the global balance of power. Tensions will escalate and mutual mistrust on the international stage will grow.” – from the link…
is china calling the usa on it’s bullshite more frequently?? this is refreshing to see, even if in rt news…

Posted by: james | Aug 2 2019 21:38 utc | 21

I posted a recommendation on two books for this summer, but, I fear, as it got somehow long with the reviews translated, dissapeared into the ether…
A pity, me thinks….

Posted by: Sasha | Aug 2 2019 21:57 utc | 23

interesting article from john helmer yesterday on russia and iran alliances in connection with navy and more… worth a read..
BLITZ WOLF CAUGHT IN PERSIAN GULF – IRAN AND RUSSIA STRONGER IN DEFENCE THAN THE US AND UK IN OFFENCE

Posted by: james | Aug 2 2019 22:31 utc | 25

@ 18 & 19; Soooo What is it you folks don’t get about a MIXED economy?
It’s a Capitalist Socialist mix. Maybe your Neo-liberal roots are showing?
So maybe you wanna’ privatize Fire, police, public ed, and pay tolls for the highway system, to name just a few.

Posted by: ben | Aug 2 2019 23:04 utc | 27

good article from M. K. BHADRAKUMAR at indian punchline
Iran’s Zarif drives Trump to insanity
getting the mental midgit pompeo was only a small part of the problem..

Posted by: james | Aug 2 2019 23:30 utc | 29

psychohistorian @11–
You ask, “The concept of multilateralism is not completely clear to me in relation to the global public/private finance issue and I am not of faith but of questions….”
Wikileaks definition:
“In international relations, multilateralism refers to an alliance of multiple countries pursuing a common goal.”
The key point for the Chinese during negotiations as I understand them via their published White Paper on the subject is development and the international rules put in place at WTO for nations placed into the Developing category, which get some preferential treatment to help their economies mature. As China often reminds the global public–and officials of the Outlaw US Empire–both the BRI and EAEU projects are about developing the economies of developing economies, that the process is designed to be a Win-Win for all the developing economies involved. This of course differs vastly from what’s known as the Washington Consensus, where all developing economies kowtow to the Outlaw US Empire’s diktat via the World Bank and IMF and thus become enslaved by dollar dependency/debt. Much is written about the true nature of the Washington Consensus, Perkins Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and Klein’s Disaster Capitalism being two of the more recent and devastating, and many nations are able to attest to the Zero-sum results. The result is very few nations are willing to subject their economies to the pillaging via Washington Consensus institutions, which Hudson just recently reviewed.
The Empire is desperate and is looking for ways to keep its Super Imperialism intact and thus continue its policy aimed at Full Spectrum Dominance. But the Empire’s abuse of the dollar-centric institutions of international commerce has only served to alienate its users who are openly and actively seeking to form parallel institutions under genuine multilateral control. However as Hudson illustrates, Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing regarding his trade and international monetary policies. Today’s AP above the fold headline in Eugene’s The Register Guard screamed “Trump threatens 10% tariffs;” but unusually for such stories, it explains that the 10% is essentially a tax on US consumers, not on Chinese companies, which provides a message opposite of the one Trump wants to impart–that he’s being tough on the Chinese when the opposite’s true. China will continue to resist the attempts to allow the international financial sharks to swim in Chinese waters as China is well aware of what they’ll attempt to accomplish–and it’s far easier to keep them out than to get them out once allowed in, although China’s anti-corruption laws ought to scare the hell out of the CEOs of those corps.
The Empire wants to continue its longstanding Open Door policy in the realm of target nations opening their economies to the full force of Imperial-based corps so they can use their financial might to wrestle the market from domestic players and institute their Oligopoly. China already experienced the initial Open Door (which was aimed at getting Uncle Sam’s share of China during the Unequal Treaties period 115 years ago) and will not allow that to recur. China invokes its right under WTO rules for developing economies to protect their financial services sector from predation; the Empire argues China is beyond a developing economy and must drop its shields. We’ve read what Hudson advised the Chinese to do–resist and develop a publicly-based yuan-centered financial system that highly taxes privatized rent-seekers while keeping and enhancing state-provided insurance–health, home, auto, life, etc–while keeping restrictions on foreign land ownership since it’s jot allowed to purchase similar assets within the domestic US market.
The Outlaw US Empire insists that China give so it can take. Understandably, China says no; what we allow you to do, you should allow us to do. Trump and his trade negotiators continue to insist on China agreeing to an unequal trade treaty. Obviously, the latest proposal was merely a repetition of what came before and was rejected as soon as the meeting got underway, so it ended as quickly as it started. IMO, China can continue to refuse and stand up for its principles, while the world looks on and nods its head in agreement with China as revealed by the increasing desire of nations to become a BRI partner.
It should be noted that Trump’s approach while differing from the one pushed by Obama/Kerry/Clinton the goal is the same since the Empire needs the infusion of loot from China to keep its financial dollarized Ponzi Scheme functioning. Russia’s a target too, but most of its available loot was already grabbed during the 1990s. D-Party Establishment candidates have yet to let it be known they’ll try to do what Trump’s failing to do, which of course has nothing to do with aiding the US consumer and everything to do with bolstering Wall Street’s Ponzi Scheme.

Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 2 2019 23:55 utc | 31

@ karlof1 with the response…thanks
If I would have had my act together last night I would have posted another link fro Xinhuanet (can’t find now) about how China wants to retain developing nation status and provides as data that the (I think) per capita GDP had gone down….gotten worse in relation to the US per capita GDP.
I keep going back to believing that multilateralism is a code word for no longer allowing empire global private finance hegemony and fiat money.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Aug 3 2019 0:10 utc | 33

psychohistorian @11 asked: “The concept of multilateralism is not completely clear to me in relation to the global public/private finance issue and I am not of faith but of questions….”
karlof1 @31 covered it pretty well I think, but I want to try to answer in just a couple sentences (unusual for me).
Global private finance is driven by one thing and one thing only: making maximum profits for the owners quarter by financial quarter.
Global public finance is driven by the agendas of the nations with the public finance, with profits being a secondary or lesser issue.
This boils down to private finance being forever slave to the mindless whims of “The Market™” (hallowed be Its name), while public finance is, by its nature, something that is planned and deliberated. Nobody can guess where “The Market™” (hallowed be Its name) will lead society, though people with the resources like placing bets in stock markets on the direction It is taking us. On the other hand, if people have an idea which direction society should be heading in, public control over finance is a precondition to making it so.

Posted by: William Gruff | Aug 3 2019 0:28 utc | 35

Latest Jimmy Dore show. More subterfuge from our corporate masters.
https://jimmydorecomedy.com/

Posted by: ben | Aug 3 2019 1:05 utc | 37

William Gruff @35–
Nice analogy! Thanks much for your endorsement!

Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 3 2019 1:18 utc | 39

Kamala Harris (Dem.-AIPAC) goes full-bore Mccarthy after Tulsi Gabbard skewers her in the debates. After attacking Biden in the first debate with a proven winning argument (Racist!), Harris and her campaign now employ the other proven winning argument (Assad apologist! Putin Apologist!) all over the Twittersphere: suddenly #5 trending on Twitter is Assad(!), with MSM joining the frenzy to attack Gabbard. NPR’s approach is to never mention Gabbard’s name; maybe the only lesson they learned from the 2016 election is to not give coverage to a candidate they despise. https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2019/08/01/propagandists-are-freaking-out-over-gabbards-destruction-of-harris/
Gabbard needs 130,000 donors ($2 will work) to qualify for the September debates; hope folks will step up, as she’s the strongest voice breaking the MIC/Neocon Narrative. Without her in the race, I’d predict those issues will disappear from the media and Presidential campaigns. Of course that’s the goal for those forces, but 2020 may be the best chance yet of bursting open that rotten fruit.

Posted by: kabobyak | Aug 3 2019 1:22 utc | 41

@ William Gruff who wrote
”
Global private finance is driven by one thing and one thing only: making maximum profits for the owners quarter by financial quarter.
”
I agree with the rest but survival comes before the quarterly focused, nose-to-the-grindstone-so-you-can’t-look-up profit aspect of the religion.
And right now I posit, China and late empire with the face of Trump are duking it out behind the scenes about public versus private finance changes going forward.
Us pond scum just don’t have any view of the process, nor rights to effect the outcome other than through our textual white noise at MoA

Posted by: psychohistorian | Aug 3 2019 2:06 utc | 43

Is the UK the next target of US disaster capitalism and its asset-stripping vulture capitalists? An article at TruePublica claims exactly this.
A Hard Brexit as pursued by Boris Johnson and his neoliberal cadre in the cabinet would result in financial chaos in Britain – prime conditions for the carpet-baggers such as Paul Singer. Singer is already targeting post-Brexit acquisitions. Soros too would enjoy another crack at shorting the Pound, as he so notoriously did once before.
The Global Alliance Taking Over Britain
Brexit. I haven’t really studied it, and emotionally I thought it was a good farewell to EU rule. I’ve noted that TruePublica has been against it but I resisted their stories until now. There does indeed seem to be a large financial-criminal environment promoting Brexit, and the outline of neoliberal deregulation and plunder rings pretty true to me:

They are rich, powerful, right-wing and made up of individuals, global transnational corporations and religious bigots. On their side, they have the social media and search engine giants. Their connections are a spider’s web that centres around the battle-hardened organisational skillsets of the American ultra-conservatives, and American corporations.
Their aim is to dismantle the civil rights and civil liberties protections that have been fought over for the last 100 years. Collectively, they all despise media freedom and the true principles of properly functioning capitalism and of democracy.
[…]
In Britain, Brexit – the Trojan Horse of their values will come with the signing of the UK/US trade deal. A propaganda campaign will sell it to the public as the trade deal Britain cannot afford to lose. Any failure will be blamed at the feet of EU or those Remainers branded as disloyal to the nation-state. Once signed, they will start the real work of asset stripping Britain, tearing apart a way of life and reimaging the country in their distorted worldview.

I especially liked some of the links to the crimes both underlying and undermining the Brexit push. I found the article courtesy of Strategic Culture but linked directly to TruePublica, as the source, and because some of the collateral includes their previous stories at the same site.
The article itself paints on a fairly large canvas, large enough to think that in the US, and wherever else these global predatory corporations live, Europe itself must look like really rich pickings, if it could be edged increasingly into growing chaos and fragmentation.

Posted by: Grieved | Aug 3 2019 2:50 utc | 45

re Posted by: Arioch | Aug 2 2019 20:26 utc | # 15
Has anyone ever got the Yandex browser to function reliably using english or any other non-Cyrillic script long term. Despite updating uninstall reinstall ad infinitum I have lost count of the number of times it decides to translate every site into Brazilian Portuguese for what reason I do not know. It is a shame because I would like to use it figuring that even if it is as nosily instrusive as all the other browsers which is doubtful, the data Yandex gathered off me from the other side of the planet wouldn’t be much use to them,.
Most of the issues begin when I use a vpn and that it a nuisance because who doesn’t use a vpn in 2019?

Posted by: A User | Aug 3 2019 3:15 utc | 47

It’s oh-so-easy to fall for fake news
=
someone somewhere @39: Epstein wanted to ‘seed’ human race …
They don’t want you looking any further than Epstein the perv.
I’m looking forward to the next mintpress.com article (last in the series) that will talk about Epstein’s connections to the Mega Group and Mossad.
=
kabobyak @45: Empire coming for Tusli
LOL. Democracy Works!
Anyone that places any credence in this election farce is smoking something.
=
Grieved @48: A Hard Brexit as pursued by Boris Johnson
Fears of a harsh neolib regime and US takeover is simply FUD to allow BoJo to deliver exactly what the establishment wants: to remain in the EU.
The establishment have bemoaned the Brexit vote from the day it was cast, complaining that the people didn’t really understand what they voted for. Now BoJo has tricked Corbyn into calling for a vote on his Brexit plans and Corbyn has said that Labor doesn’t like those plans, they will campaign for “Remain” – which clearly indicates that ‘Remain’ (or suffer!) will be on the ballot.

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Aug 3 2019 3:24 utc | 49

737Max.—Boeing’s Secret Nightmare.
Earlier in the 737 program, long before MCAS software addition, there were instructions for using “roller coaster ” procedure to recover from stuck-stabilizer failure when excessive forces had to be overcome to use the manual correction wheel [next to each pilot’s inboard knee] . At some early point, that procedure was no longer taught as there were only very rare causes of stuck/failed stabilizer that were easily handled [no MCAS software program that repeatedly forces the stabilizer to pitch-down, which counters each crew correction toward level flight].
With MCAS added to 737MAX, that “rollercoaster” procedure was neither taught nor even available in the existing simulators used for training. WHY?
Q–Well, what if it was taught? And in the manual? Then either the procedure must be added to all the existing simulators, worldwide, or new simulators designed and sold before any pilots could qualify.
Now you ask “So what?”
Kaboom! Then the real debacle would be discovered and quickly exposed to all training pilots and obxervers.
Namely, in simulator training, some male pilots would fail by not have the strength to manually turn the correcting wheel. Even more female pilots would almost certainly fail.
Recall that the wheel is next to the inboard knee of each pilot. Thus, except for ambidextrous pilots, the week arm would often be next to the wheel! [To wit: Right-handed left-seat pilot has strong arm next to wheel; but right-handed right-seat co-pilot would have weak arm next to wheel.
The 737 series was introduced in operation in late 1960s, when female commercial pilots were a rarity.
Now it is 2018, with MCAS added, how were the huge numbers of female pilots, worldwide, going to be accomodated? De-selected? A marketing nightmare!
Furthermore, without hugely expensive re-design/engineering/certification and re-training of all pilots and maintenance in brand new simulators? Well, that gives the lie to 737MAX being a routine upgrade needing just quickie updates for any 737-series pilots. And thus no sales advantages vis-a-vis Airbus ! Or Bombardier or Embraer. In fact, there would clearly be sales disadvantages including unworkable profit margins.
Besides, existing management will get rich and retire long before the problems ever appear!
We can just gum it to death and let the lawyers howl and feast on billable hours. Our personal success is certain. [The hired,chief execs viewpoint, as opposed to the long-dead founder’s intent.]

Posted by: chu teh | Aug 3 2019 3:50 utc | 51

@ 51 said; “We don’t need more mixed-up definitions of what constitutes a viable National Economy. We need whatever variety of National Economy we have at present to be strictly REGULATED for fairness and the Greater Good.”
Mixed economies isn’t a definition, it’s a reality, and you too live in one, if you have national healthcare. I Agree totally
with the STRICTLY REGULATED part. As long as fairness and the greater good are served…

Posted by: ben | Aug 3 2019 4:10 utc | 53

jackrabbit @ 52
To add to that, Gabbard and Putin have been having sex for years. The NYT has discovered a sexual relationship has gone on for years having been conducted off Hawaii on a Russian ship.
Seriously, send her a donation. I would love to see her demolish a few more candidates.
Kamala Harris: A Study in Showboating
Kamala Harris: Part 2

Posted by: dltravers | Aug 3 2019 4:33 utc | 55

@ 58; LOL!

Posted by: ben | Aug 3 2019 4:36 utc | 57

Is Josh Rogin at The Washington Post paid by MIC to trash a current U.S.service member Gabbard ? Thank you for speaking Truth Tulsi. BDS !!! Free Assange and Manning. Moosad may hire him. Oh wait, AIPAC if not already. What Freshman D # R Congress Critters are going on all expense paid visit to Israel very soon? A free young women from Israeli Occupied area hopefully will be in the U.S. for maybe a year. BDS

Posted by: chucknobomb | Aug 3 2019 5:21 utc | 59

@57 ben quote – “P.S. Any service paid for collectively through taxes is Socialism.”
you mean like wall street circa 2008??? is wall st now socialism?? looks like it..

Posted by: james | Aug 3 2019 6:03 utc | 61

Turkey, Russia and Iran’s joint statement rejects Kurds’ ‘separatist’ agenda in Syria

The three countries also declared their opposition to the autonomous regions set up by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and predominantly Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, saying in the statement that they “rejected … all attempts to create new realities on the ground under the pretext of combating terrorism.”
The Kurdish groups established a large, self-governing territory in the north and east of Syria after driving the Islamic State (ISIS) out of the area.

Kudish take on the US position

Jeffrey also provided some insight into the nature of the Islamic State: it is primarily local. That is similar to what Najmaldin Karim, governor of Kirkuk province until the October 2017 Iranian-Iraqi assault on Kirkuk, told Kurdistan 24.
Jeffrey explained that the SDF holds some 10,000 “terrorist fighters” from the Islamic State. “Most of them, about 8,000, are Iraqi or Syrian nationals,” he said.
Similarly, the families of Islamic State members are predominantly Iraqi and Syrian. There are some 70,000 women and children at Al Hol camp, of which 60,000 are Iraqis or Syrians.
The Islamic State fighters from Iraq are to be moved to Iraq, Jeffrey explained, while the Syrian fighters are to be put on trial in Syria. He called on other countries to take their nationals back and put them on trial, as well.
Amb. Nathan Sales, the State Department’s Counterterrorism Coordinator, spoke alongside Jeffrey. Inadvertently, Sales suggested the inefficacy of the war on terror that the US has fought since the September 11, 2001, attacks: nearly 19 years ago.
The George W. Bush administration believed it would finish that war during its eight years in office. But, of course, that has not proven to be the case at all.
As Sales explained, the Islamic State may be largely defeated in Iraq and Syria, but its “brand lives on around the world.”
“ISIS-linked groups are on the rise,” he continued, citing Africa as a particular example. “ISIS branches and networks now span” the entire continent “from east to west and north to south.”
Asked about al Qaida, Sales responded that it “is as strong as it has ever been,” suggesting it has been rebuilding, while the US has been focused on the Islamic State.
The briefing concluded with the question: where have you been successful?
Sales responded, “Every time somebody is taken off the battlefield and incarcerated” and “especially every time one of those detainees is then taken back home and prosecuted, that’s a success story right there.”
A retired Army officer responded to that comment, asking “Does he remember Vietnam? That’s body counts!”
A key metric for the US military in Vietnam was the number of enemy killed in conflict. It proved meaningless.
Another retired officer, involved in post-Vietnam military reform, related a telling story. Older officers resented his efforts, which, in effect, were tantamount to the charge that their strategy had been fundamentally flawed.
They claimed the US had won in Vietnam. “How could they say that?,” this reporter asked in astonishment. “Because we killed more of them than they killed of us,” he replied.
But, of course, the US really did lose that war.

Posted by: somebody | Aug 3 2019 7:18 utc | 63

The debate over Capitalism vs. Socialism is BS. The economies that work best are MIXED economies. by: ben @ 10
I beg to differ. <=The factor which shot the Capitalist Dream in the foot was the ability of the Rich to buy politicians in order to reduce, and all but eliminate, sane financial, and electoral, regulation. A Socialist govt could fall into the same trap if its politicians were For Sale to the highest bidder. <=Prior to the 1970's in the West, the income of The Rich was taxed at a very high rate. When Rich individuals died their Estate was was subject to Inheritance Tax (Death Duty). <=We (capitalism) (as opposed to economic Zionism) need whatever variety of National Economy we have at present to be strictly REGULATED for fairness and the Greater Good. by: Hoarsewhisperer @ 51 < I agree.. the problem is corruption at every level throughout USA occupied America. moreover, it is that only the corrupt are allowed to occupy a place of decision making in either government or corporations. The USA has totally corrupted America! Brexit push links to anticipatory criminal predatory corporate plunder and the growing chaos and fragmentation. by: Grieved @ 48 <= i think you nailed it.. “Turns out it was Britain that was the foreign country interfering in American affairs,” (hope I got this right )
“Turns out it was Britain that was the foreign country interfering in American affairs,” former MP George Galloway told RT, speaking about the new revelations published by the Guardian about early British involvement in the ‘Russiagate’ investigation. <= blaming the UK for the Russian interference in USA politics.. ???

Posted by: snake | Aug 3 2019 7:41 utc | 65

Piotr Berman @59
Thanks for the bow, bow, I’m glad the appeal worked so successfully! I had underestimated MOA’s wide reach; should be easy now to get Tulsi’s polling to above 1%.
No claim here that Gabbard is perfect on every issue; even MOA commentators would disagree on defining what that would be. Her vote (along with 397 other Reps.) the other day for the awful Anti-BDS bill was disappointing, I’m not sure if that vote was heartfelt or just for expediency to avoid political suicide, but if she’s going to shift at all the Empire’s war stance acquiescing to AIPAC is not the way to do it.
As Caitlin Johnstone writes, the fact that Gabbard is under such attack by war cheerleaders like Lindsey Graham and Josh Rogin shows they view her as a threat to their narrative control. As Jackrabbit@52 says, the election may be a farce; but Tulsi Gabbard is using her campaign, appearances on MSM (and other media like Joe Rogan and Jimmy Dore), and the debates to expose some rot to millions that is otherwise mostly hidden. I hope she’s still in it for the September debates.

Posted by: kabobyak | Aug 3 2019 8:55 utc | 67

kabobyak #45
Whats the appeal of Tulsi? She is a former CFR member that is also in bed with the Adelsons. At best she would be another Obama, at worst a new Trump.

Posted by: d. | Aug 3 2019 10:31 utc | 69

I used to think the Guardian couldn’t sink any further into hypocrisy but it has:

The internal emails, released after a freedom of information request by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, revealed the council attempted to assess the Big Ride website according to the rubric of the controversial IHRA definition.

A few months back the Guardian was pushing for various organisations, including the British Labour Party, to adopt the IHRA definition to combat so-called anti-semitism. I don’t remember it suggesting then that the IHRA definition was controversial then.
BTW, it has become very clear to me that the US withdrawal from the JCPOA with Iran was co-ordinated with the western European signatories (France, United Kingdom, Germany and EU) so that “maximum pressure” can be maintained on Iran while F/UK/DE/EU do nothing to honour their commitments at the same time making it appear that it’s Iran in breach rather than the US/F/UK/DE/EU. Iran is aware of this and taking action to ensure its preservation. War is coming and F/UY/DE/EU will be involved on the side of the Great Satan.

Posted by: Ghost Ship | Aug 3 2019 10:55 utc | 71

@ karlof1 | Aug 2 2019 23:55 utc | 31
A bit of quibble: The definition used:

Wikileaks definition:
“In international relations, multilateralism refers to an alliance of multiple countries pursuing a common goal.”

That definition sounds more like a treaty for common support, much like the treaties among the Axis and the treaties among the Alliance that led into both world wars.
Multilateralism would be better defined as agreement that eack can pursue their own interests within the bounds stipulated by such agreement.

Now to take the time to read your essay and the intervening commentaries.

Posted by: Formerly T-Bear | Aug 3 2019 11:08 utc | 73

@ # 41 > “With the USAF and the military as a whole, increasing amounts of money are thrown at ever increasingly complex weapons systems yet performance in all sectors deteriorates while the ability to recruit also degrades. The problems are widely written…”
Indeed, Ruskie General recently remarked specific to electronic countermeasures/jammers that the more complex they are, the easier they are to confound or defeat.
The general principle operates in all realms.
I did make a note of the guy’s name…but it is obvious, isn’t it? I mean one has only to look…

Posted by: Walter | Aug 3 2019 11:27 utc | 75

I would like to point to the following article ,for those who read French and are interested in the policies of the Macron regime towards protests from french citizens.It appeared on the website Agoravox,which offers a forum for anyone wanting to write and publish.Of course there are regular authors that publish on one specific subject,like Ukraine,or the Empire,but if you want- to write about gardening,or climate change ,you can do it.At the moment there is even an article of some iranian defending MEK,and an emirati author,who gives always a hallugenic view on middle-eastern events.
Anyways,this article provides a lot of information about the violence that is bestowed upon the protesting citizen,by an unleashed police force,who becomes more and more violent beacause of its uncountability.Whenever there is enquiry,it is police enquiring police.
https://www.agoravox.fr/tribune-libre/article/l-incroyable-violence-de-la-216974
I translate and paraphrase some quotes:
Since the beginning of the yellow vest protests end of november 2019 there have been made 11000 arrests,without proof,it’s the police that decides.There are 2000 condemnations of people that never were known to be outside the law.The arrested people are kept in a small cell ,with up to twenty persons,without sanitary equipment,stinking piss,and maybe released after 24 hours.The Order of French Lawyers sais it has nothing to do with exercising justice,when after such a confinement you must chose to accept or refuse “comparution immediate”,thus to accept being judged immediately,with a lawyer appointed,who has no time to study your file,or staying in detention for maybe months,to prepare your trial.
There have been 4000 injuries,300 grave injuries,like head injuries,losing hands,comas,26 people lost an eye.(While Macron and his ministers are concerned about the health of Navalny,they say bluntly that- those injuries are all fault of the protestors,who’d better stay home.)Police make a lavish use of LBD granade lancers,a weapon of war class A2 according to international standards.France is the only european country that uses them,and the Swiss manufacturer needed a derogation to export them.There have been 19000 shots of LBD and 4000 grenades fired.
The death of Zaynab Ridouane,in Marseille,a lady 82 years,on the second floor of her appartment,who was closing the volets of her window when two shots were deliberately fired.The enquiry said she died of heart failure.The death of Steve Maya Caniço,which is now focused upon in the media,was caused,on the day of la fête de la musique,when a police charge drove 14 people assisting a techno concert at 4 A.M on the quai of the Loire right into the river,after falling down seven meters.The young man,who couldnt swim drowned and his corpse was found last week.Police inquiry sais he was drowned but not in relation to the police charge.Now the prefect of Nantes has prohibited a memory march for Steve.At the same time white collar criminals like tax evading ministers are still walking free.Officials,ministers and Macronist party representatives are lying all the time now,rarely confounded in MSM.
The author’s main point,and I think he is right,is that Macron has to fulfill the recommendations of the European Council,a.k.a. GOPE(Grand Orientations de la Politique Economique)like his predecessors Sarkozy and Hollande,and that in view of the protests to come he is doubling down on state violence to put fear in the citizens so that they will stay home.Of course the media in France,who put Macron in power,and 95% of which are owned by a handful of billionaires and weapon industrials,are minimizing protestors in numbers and legitimacy.,in the same time worrying about Russian and Chinese state violence towards Putin-contestot no.1 Navalny and HongKong protesters.
The GOPE are actually the directives that would completely abolish all the post-war social achievements of the french people.After the war de Gaulle and the communists put on a welfare system pensions,and other social and equal laws.Since the fall of the USSR they are demolishing it,bit by bit.Now the GOPE for 2019 show this:diminishing of social spending,and public spending.Gains in efficiency,etc.There is also the pension reform coming up.
Violence is the last resort of Macron and his fascist clique to get those thçngs done,and with less than 15% population support you can reign the world in France.
Where will it all end?Suicide among police man have reached 45 cases this year up till now,more than last year’s total.This is not getting away by itself.

Posted by: willie | Aug 3 2019 11:50 utc | 77

@70
This almost makes me think shes a Zionist plant to destroy the Democratic candidates, not to win.

Posted by: j | Aug 3 2019 12:39 utc | 79

j@80
Yes, Zionists have been working overtime for years trumpeting their message of anti-interventionism, no war with Iran, and curtailing the chaos wars in Iraq, Syria… Makes perfect sense they would recruit Tulsi Gabbard to spread those agendas far and wide to the masses. I’m glad to finally see the plot revealed.

Posted by: kabobyak | Aug 3 2019 12:57 utc | 81

Anacharsis @ 71 and d @ 70
There is plenty not to like about Tulsi Gabbard. Maybe someday I will dislike her as much as I dislike Kamilla Harris and some of the others. Whoever wins, we will end up with the same bureaucracy anyway so it will pretty much business as usual.

Posted by: dltravers | Aug 3 2019 13:30 utc | 83

Posted by: dltravers | Aug 3 2019 13:30 utc | 84
“Maybe someday I will dislike her as much as I dislike Kamilla Harris”
Not a chance in hell–Kamala takes the despicable cake: people don’t know the tip of the iceberg with regard to how genuinely corrupt she is. I’m pretty sure it is a travesty she’s not in prison right now.

Posted by: Anacharsis | Aug 3 2019 13:48 utc | 85

Bemildred @ 87:
I have no illusions that there are any perfect candidates, but out of how many people in the U.S.?–These are as good as can be put up on a stage???

Posted by: Anacharsis | Aug 3 2019 13:56 utc | 87

An acting Russian diplomat on Russia’s motivation to intervene in the Syrian conflict and its relationship with the Syrian authorities.
For those wishing to better understand what and why Russia is doing in Syria.

Posted by: alaff | Aug 3 2019 14:17 utc | 89

I know you’re addressing political-economy, but did you see this report about the continuing deterioration of USAF readiness, now below 70%? The accompanying chart shows USAF B-1 & B-2 strategic bombers at 51.75% & 60.7%, …
Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 2 2019 18:59 utc
Ouch, and so far I dwelled in USA with the blissful conviction that of all things, I do not need to be afraid of a foreign invasion. Now my nightmare-free sleep is gone.
Perhaps our Pentagon should get more inspiration from a movie “Il deserto dei Tartari”. “Young lieutenant Giovanni Drogo is assigned to the old Bastiani border fortress where he expects an imminent attack by nomadic fearsome Tartars.” Thus the lieutenant, and later captain etc. starts his long life of unceasing dedication. Weapons are checked and tested, patrols are regular, from time to time a “false positive” raises a few companies to enter more deeply into the desert and check more thoroughly, troops occasionally succumb to exercise mishaps, exhaustion on patrols etc. but the spirit of readiness never abates. The closing scene shows Drogo, now the fortress commander, on his death bed, and seeing, for the first and last time, Tartar galloping from the horizon, presumably a hallucination.
Now imagine the fate of the Empire if we replaced this dedicated unit with a bunch of slackers.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Aug 3 2019 14:22 utc | 91

Tulsi, Elizabeth, and Bernie, any will do, lets see who gets traction when people start to pay attention again.
Posted by: Bemildred | Aug 3 2019 13:50 utc | 87
“The people” are a bottleneck of the democracy. They have to select representatives to decide on complex issues that they scant idea about, and their access to information reminds my “The Library of Babel”, a short story by Argentine author and librarian Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986). The library contains every possible book, and for any “genuine book”, every possible variation, with truth replaced with something else in every possible pattern — the paradoxes of infinity were a major theme in Borges stories.
Creating a message that relates these issues to everyday experience of the people, so their common sense is switched on, is hard, but not impossible. For example, for all ravages of “imperial complex”, military plus weapon making plus economic impositions and distortions, the largest loot is collected by business in all aspects of healthcare, be it making drugs and devices, administering insurance, “providing healthcare” etc. More than a sixth of American GDP at hugely inflated prices adds to… surely, these are trillions. This rapacity can be contained by a “single payer” system that can provide more care for more people at smaller costs (e.g. compare costs and outcomes in USA and Australia). Not so long time ago, you were a Commie or a Socialist (equally bad) if you were proposing that. Sanders championed it and failed, but now, it became a mainstream idea with a decent chance of being implemented in the next decade.
Even now there is unceasing propaganda for “creativity and efficiency of free market” in healthcare, but the shift in public opinion AND in political programs is clear.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Aug 3 2019 14:49 utc | 93

The empire via the NYTimes has it’s knives out for Tulsi Gabbard doing a large front page hit piece spread on her today.
“Tulsi Gabbard Thinks We’re Doomed”
The author tries to mock her repeatedly and this is but one example
“Tulsi Gabbard is running for president of a country that she believes has wrought horror on the world, and she wants its citizens to remember that.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/02/us/politics/tulsi-gabbard-2020-presidential-race.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
It seems like they are pushing Kamala after Tulsi threw water on her in the debates and she melted.

Posted by: Stever | Aug 3 2019 14:51 utc | 95

VK @ 93
Once more another false narrative becomes you. The Korean Japanese “love story”? Lol.
The Korean people maintain a lasting historical enmity for the Japanese that may never be fully washed away no matter the ebbs and flows of their trading patterns.

Posted by: donkeytale | Aug 3 2019 14:58 utc | 97

@97 donkey
Ok, now you’re just riffing on yourself. lol
Clear sign that you are cracking up, sir. 😉

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Aug 3 2019 15:35 utc | 99