Open Thread 2022-51 (Not Ukraine)
News and views NOT related to Ukraine ...Posted by b on April 21, 2022 at 14:22 UTC | Permalink
Does anybody know what happened to the websites https://www.strategic-culture.org/category/world/ and https://www.globalresearch.ca/? Can you access them? I only get "Access denied"
Posted by: Outspoken | Apr 21 2022 15:13 utc | 2
China has finished researching and developing more than 80 percent of the key technology in fusion energy, and is expected to use the fusion power in 30 to 50 years, a Chinese scientist told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.China is constructing a new grand research facility for fusion technology, the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT), which is expected to be completed by 2025. Based on the CRAFT and experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST), or the Chinese "artificial sun," we are planning to build a compact fusion energy experimental reactor to realize the burning of plasma and produce fusion energy, laying a solid foundation for future fusion reactor construction, Hu Jiansheng, deputy director of Institute of Plasma Physics at Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, told the Global Times.
After the compact experimental reactor, Hu said he hopes the construction of Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) could be started as soon as possible aiming at future fusion development and application.
"With all these years of development all over the world, the scientific feasibility of fusion power has been proved. So far China has finished more than 80 percent of the key technology research and development. If the construction of CFETR gets a 'green light,' it's expected that we could achieve the application of fusion energy in about 30 to 50 years," Hu said.
Yes, I know. The catcallers will say "That's what they've been saying about fusion for the last 50 years, that it will become available 30-50 years hence." And while that's true, there was never the experimental successes to back that prognosis; now there are. Just imagine the materials breakthroughs required that weren't at all possible 10-30 years ago. And with CRAFT, their pace will increase. With Russian, Chinese and South Korean scientists and engineers doing the primary work on the project, I know it will continue moving forward as the bankrupt and corrupt West can't afford it nor does it have the technical expertise anymore.
Outspoken @2--
This is from Strategic Culture's VK page:
Strategic Culture Foundation
💡Dear followers,
Due to migration to another server ⚙, our website may be temporarily unavailable. Please, don’t worry, we continue as usual!
I get globalresearch okay, although it doesn't appear to be very active as its last major article was posted on the 17th.
I just reread this comment from May 2019 referenced on the MoA front page under Current Topics:
With the information that has come to light since, it is pretty clear which managerial decisions by Boeing's management caused/contributed to the tragic events that followed. The profit motive trumped safety concerns at every turn.
It occurred to me that had Boeing been a Japanese company the president and at least one vice-president would have committed hara-kiri. If European, a few senior execs would have been demoted/fired in disgrace. As it is, in Seattle they resigned and ran, having presumably first collected their incentive bonuses.
Posted by: augrr | Apr 21 2022 15:37 utc | 5
Late yesterday, psychohistorian posted Xi's speech at the Boao Forum as reported by Xinhua News to the week in review thread. Here's Global Times recap and here's the full transcript in English from cgtn. When I read what was posted last night, it was clear that much of the content was straight from the China/Russia 4 February Joint Declaration.
After a preamble dealing with the Covid pandemic, Xi digs into the interrelated issues of security, peace and development:
We need to work together to maintain peace and stability in the world. An ancient Chinese philosopher observed, "Stability brings a country prosperity while instability leads a country to poverty." Security is the precondition for development. We humanity are living in an indivisible security community. It has been proven time and again that the Cold War mentality would only wreck the global peace framework, that hegemonism and power politics would only endanger world peace and that bloc confrontation would only exacerbate security challenges in the 21st century. To promote security for all in the world, China would like to propose a Global Security Initiative as follows:It is important that we stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and work together to maintain world peace and security; stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, uphold non-interference in internal affairs, and respect the independent choices of development paths and social systems made by people in different countries; stay committed to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, reject the Cold War mentality, oppose unilateralism, and say no to group politics and bloc confrontation; stay committed to taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously, uphold the principle of indivisible security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the pursuit of one's own security at the cost of others' security; stay committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises, reject double standards, and oppose the wanton use of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction; stay committed to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains, and work together on regional disputes and global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, cybersecurity and biosecurity.
We need to work together to tackle global governance challenges. Countries around the world are like passengers aboard the same ship who share the same destiny. For the ship to navigate the storm and sail toward a bright future, all passengers must pull together. The thought of throwing anyone overboard is simply not acceptable. In this day and age, the international community has evolved so much that it has become a sophisticated and integrated apparatus. Acts to remove any single part will cause serious problems to its operation. When that happens, both the victims and the initiators of such acts will stand to lose. In today's world, unilateralism and excessive pursuit of self-interest are doomed to fail, so are the practices of decoupling, supply disruption and maximum pressure and the attempts to forge "small circles" or to stoke conflict and confrontation along ideological lines. Instead, we need to embrace a global governance philosophy that emphasizes extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promotes the common values of humanity, and advocates exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations. We need to uphold true multilateralism and firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law. It is particularly important for major countries to lead by example in honoring equality, cooperation, good faith and the rule of law and act in a way befitting their status.
The rest of the speech is tailored to his audience and speaks of China's development and how China will contribute to humanity's progress. It's only seven more paragraphs after the above passage, so it's not nearly as long as the Joint Declaration. IMO, the speech is very timely and needed, and ought to soothe the Global South and Eurasia's mind. Of course, the Outlaw US Empire and its NATO vassals won't like it since they're called out as the main problem facing humanity--which of course is 100% correct. I didn't give it emphasis, but do take note that China's security proposal for the world is based on Russia's security proposal for Europe. And that global governance must be based on the primacy of the equal sovereignty of all nations, which is the primary UN Charter principle and foundation for International Law.
Posted by: Outspoken | Apr 21 2022 15:13 utc | 2
For the past couple of days SC has been giving me a blank page plus a sign-in prompt for username and password.
Posted by: farm ecologist | Apr 21 2022 16:01 utc | 7
@6 karlof1 | Apr 21 2022 15:58 utc
I just left a comment on the older Week in Review in response to psychohistorian's post. I'll just copy it here also:
"Many thanks. That's a huge statement from Xi, an architecture for the whole world.What I like best is how it all unrolls from his initial statement with the nugget of wisdom from the Chinese philosopher. I've noticed that ultimate wisdom is like that: it comes in supremely condensed form, and when you start unpacking it you can unpack for miles and miles.
And it's clear that Xi isn't just quoting a pithy aphorism - he takes this to heart, resonates with its meaning, and unpacks it as a plan for prosperity for the whole world.
This kind of shows us China's view of the world, and its hopes for the world, and why and how China naturally feels itself extended into all of the world, like roots (or Mycelium even), while still standing as its own solid tree.
Fascinating glimpse into Chinese thinking. Thanks again."
Thanks, karlof1, for running with this and extending it - it does seem very important. Much to unpack here - off now, to read the whole thing :)
Posted by: Grieved | Apr 21 2022 16:37 utc | 8
Migratory birds of mass destruction and US bio labs around the globe,
https://www.indianpunchline.com/migratory-birds-of-mass-destruction/
Posted by: Rd | Apr 21 2022 16:50 utc | 9
9 - on the new Bhadrakumar piece. thanks - highly recommended.
some nuggets:
“The UN Security Council held an extraordinary event on April 6 under the rubric Arria Formula Meeting on Biological Security regarding the biological activities in countries including Ukraine. Predictably, the US and UK representatives didn’t show up at the event and the western media also blacked out the proceeding.”
“A mind-boggling “discovery” that Russian forces in Ukraine stumbled upon is the use of numbered birds by the Pentagon-funded labs. This almost falls out of science fiction and Sir Alfred Hitchcock could have made an epic movie out of it where deception mixes with innocence and man’s cruelty to nature becomes unbearably grotesque. The project works like this…”
“…the US has so far point-blank refused to accept any supervision and verification of such incriminatory evidences and has stonewalled the demand for a verification mechanism. It is unlikely that the US will permit an international verification process that holds the potential to expose it as indulging in crimes against humanity…”
https://www.indianpunchline.com/migratory-birds-of-mass-destruction/
Posted by: jayc | Apr 21 2022 16:56 utc | 10
None of us are privy to the inside reasons why Putin submitted a proposal to the Duma that Elvira Nabiullina retain her RCB position. The RT item on the issue:
"Her current five-year term ends in June, and federal law had required the president to nominate her or another candidate by March 24. The Kremlin said then that Putin’s high respect for the central bank’s work resulted in the proposal."
Here's her April 18th Duma Testimony which seems rather usual. The Bank seems very transparent as lots of info is available at its website, which is in English. The Russian might have more, which I'll look into. I'd really like to find transcripts of her meetings with Putin. The bank has a VK page in Russian where direct queries can be submitted and announcements are made, which looks promising. Here's the Russian language web page that doesn't seem to differ much from the English. I do see that the bank's bulletins are readily available in Russian but not in English.
So, I've opened the door to Russia's Central Bank. Barflies are welcome to explore and see what else can be discovered.
This piece at Tom Dispatch documents the class nature of the pandemic, and, incidentally, is a reminder of the profoundly reactionary nature of the campaign to trivialise or deny the existence of an outbreak which seems, increasingly, likely to be related to the diabolical machinations of the imperialist ruling class (see Bhadrakumar link above).
"...A new report about the disproportionate effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on poor communities has just been issued by the Poor People’s Campaign (which I co-chair with Reverend William Barber) and the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The Poor People’s Pandemic Report connects data about Covid-19 deaths at the county level with other demographic information to demonstrate that, during the pandemic so far, poor counties have experienced twice the number of deaths as higher-income ones — and up to five times the number at the height of various waves of the disease. It reveals that Covid-19 has, in fact, been a poor people’s pandemic, one that exposes the depth of the racism, poverty, and ecological devastation that preceded it in poverty-stricken communities. That should be shocking news, don’t you think? But throughout the pandemic, the story of its unequal impact has largely not been covered by the mainstream media.
@Quite the opposite. Over the last two years, there have been countless stories about how Covid-19 was the great equalizer — how, unlike us, pandemics and plagues don’t discriminate. All too sadly, the new report shows clearly that, though a virus may not be able to discriminate, our society has in fact discriminated in the most virulent ways. Consider it an outright indictment of a society that allowed the deaths of almost 250,000 poor and low-income people in the year 2000 alone, two decades before the pandemic even hit our shores. It should be a wakeup call for a society that has become far too accustomed to death, at least when it’s poor people who are dying..."
https://tomdispatch.com/the-poor-at-the-crossroads/?utm_source=TomDispatch&utm_campaign=36d80dfba2-
I hope that link works.
Posted by: bevin | Apr 21 2022 17:15 utc | 12
Grieved @8--
Thanks for your reply and for adding your commentary which will hopefully induce more barflies to read the entire speech. Yes, I find it's just as important as Putin's decision to cease further assaults on the steel mill fortress. Of course, the big problem is the West will censor Xi's speech, which is extremely irresponsible but in line with its behavior. I guess we have no choice but to let the self-inflicted pain to escalate until the West's public screams bloody murder. It might turn out to be a rerun of the 1960s Long Hot Summers, although the places and ethnic mixes will differ.
Just eye candy
https://t.me/iloveru/186
https://t.me/iloveru/196
https://t.me/iloveru/195
https://t.me/iloveru/190
https://t.me/iloveru/203
https://t.me/iloveru/178
Posted by: Arioch | Apr 21 2022 17:38 utc | 15
@karlof1
I believe that's the first time Chinese leadership has echoed the phrase indivisible security, at least in an intl forum.
that's a thing now，interesting.
the substance of it is an extrapolation of china's long-standing views about global governance but the phrasing is new,as it emphasizes Russia's position.
Posted by: mastameta | Apr 21 2022 17:45 utc | 16
I would be very interested in b. giving us his take on recent events in Pakistan. Was it likely a US regime change operation?
Posted by: Rob | Apr 21 2022 18:10 utc | 17
mastameta @16--
No, the term's been used before by Chinese media and government officials since Russia's December security proposal was announced, here for example:
"'Indivisible security principle' established by the OSCE should be put into practice: Chinese envoy to the UN concerning Ukraine."
Here we have FM Yang Yi telling Sullivan one month ago:
"He called for taking a long-term view, actively advocating a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and encouraging relevant parties to conduct equal-footed dialogue, and set up a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework based on the principle of indivisible security in a bid to preserve peace in Europe and around the world." [My Emphasis]
And many more examples are available. It forms the core of the UN Charter's Security System, although it's been violated wantonly by the Outlaw US Empire since 1945. IMO, there really is no other way unless a completely totalitarian arrangement a la Hobbes is desired.
Rob @17--
Well, I'm not b, but the situation does look that way, although we read things like this:
"Exclusive full interview with Pakistani ambassador: China-Pakistan ties are significant regardless of leadership change."
That's something you'd think the Empire would want to scuttle. IMO, the immense popular support shown for Khan has caused the new criminal PM--he actually is out on bail awaiting trial for corruption--to tread very carefully. I see Khan's party rallying and attaining an outright parliamentary majority that would almost eliminate the possibility of another no confidence vote in the future.
Nice Infographic detailing "China's perspective on security for countries around the world" as delivered during Xi's speech. Quite suitable for posting on walls.
Bevin@12
“Documents the class nature of the pandemic and is a reminder of the profoundly reactionary nature of the campaign to trivialize or deny the exists of an outbreak”
Many people are aware that the “ pandemic” was an engineered event. It was used in the US to create an emergency and the need to alter the way people vote in order to steal the 2020 election. The Zuckerberg funded NGO that illegally donated millions of dollars to inner city districts in swing states along with hastily changed rules about mail in ballots and ballot harvesting were cited in a Time magazine article boasting of the fact that a small well connected group of influencers were instrumental in swaying the election result.
The cultural Marxist BLM riots and the extended antifa take over of a Seattle district as a stunt were also part of the color revolution.
The Zionist media including the network of a failed candidate Bloomberg were 100% all in on the color revolution.
The only media campaign that even comes close to the kind of dishonest coverage is the current media campaign regarding Ukraine or what is hoped to become Israel 2.0
Was COVID an initial stage of a plan or conspiracy to create Israel 2.0? That is the question we should be asking.
Posted by: Obamavirus | Apr 21 2022 19:08 utc | 21
I would bet that by far the most important reason covid disproportionately affects the poorer and darker-skinned is Vitamin D deficiency. The easiest and cheapest remedy would be handing out Vitamin D supplements. Something the media never discuss.
Posted by: Lysias | Apr 21 2022 19:13 utc | 22
Escobar deviates from his geopolitical norm to write "Big Tech’s ‘Cancel Culture’ Love Affair":
"Cancel culture is inbuilt in the techno-feudalist project: conform to the hegemonic narrative, or else. Journalism that does not conform must be taken down."
He asks that it be made viral. Just this portion ought to be reason enough:
Every silicon fragment in the valley connects Facebook as a direct extension of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s LifeLog project, a Pentagon attempt to “build a database tracking a person’s entire existence.” Facebook launched its website exactly on the same day – Feb. 4, 2004 – that DARPA and the Pentagon shuttered LifeLog.No explanation by DARPA was ever provided. The MIT’s David Karger, at the time, remarked, “I am sure that such research will continue to be funded under some other title. I can’t imagine DARPA ‘dropping out’ of such a key research area.”
Of course a smokin’ gun directly connecting Facebook to DARPA will never be allowed to surface. But occasionally some key players speak out, such as Douglas Gage, none other than LifeLog’s conceptualizer: “Facebook is the real face of pseudo-LifeLog at this point (…) We have ended up providing the same kind of detailed personal information to advertisers and data brokers and without arousing the kind of opposition that LifeLog provoked.”
So Facebook has absolutely nothing to do with journalism. Not to mention pontificating over a journalist’s work, or assuming it’s entitled to cancel him or her. Facebook is an “ecosystem” built to sell private data at a huge profit, offering a public service as a private enterprise, but most of all sharing the accumulated data of its billions of users with the U.S. national security state.
IMO it's safe to assume Twitter has similar genetics. And of course, there's more. I don't plug VK as much as I might, but I've found it helpful in my pursuit. Telegram now seems essential as Twitter's usefulness implodes. Fear of other nations doing the same as the Outlaw US Empire used as reasons to not drop Meta or Twitter are stupifidic.
An update on who/what was responsible for the assassination of Dag Hammarskjold. It appears as a French Fascist/Racist organization was likely responsible given the current evidence, although it doesn't negate the CIA, IMO. It appears that an entity known as "OAS (Organisation Armée Secrète, or Secret Armed Organization), a far-right French dissident paramilitary group opposing Algerian independence and the Gaullist regime," had motive and opportunity.
Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 21 2022 19:25 utc | 23:
IMO it's safe to assume Twitter has similar genetics. And of course, there's more.
You're absolutely right. Hong Kong is electing new Chief of SAR on May 8, 2022 and there is only one candidate on the ballot. He is viewed as being pro-China. Sure enough his Twitter account was sanctioned right after he was nominated as a candidate.
The Empire acts in ways very petty these days. It reflects on the quality of the leadership.
Posted by: Oriental Voice | Apr 21 2022 20:55 utc | 25
Pepe Escobar walking the beaches of Normandy whilst musing on cancel culture
Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 21 2022 19:25 utc | 23
Please tell Pepe that he's in good company - I understand Fyodor Dostoievski has also been cancelled. I had been intending to post a pertinent paragraph from Crime and Punishment, which I'm in the middle of enjoyably re-reading --- oh, shucks, I'll do it anyway. The main character is discussing his recently discovered article with his friends plus the Petersburg prosecutor, sort of a cat and mouse conversation developing:
"...You have been pleased to say [the prosecutor, that is] that my article is unclear; I am prepared to clarify it for you as far as I can. I will perhaps not be mistaken in supposing that that seems to be just what you want. As you please, sir. In my opinion, if, as the result of certain combinations, Kepler's or Newton's discoveries could become known to people in no other way than by sacrificing the lives of one, or ten, or a hundred more people who were hindering the discovery, or standing as an obstacle in its path, then Newton would have the right, and it would even be his duty...to remove those ten or a hundred people, in order to make his discoveries known to all mankind....Further, I recall developing in my article the idea that all...well, let's say, the lawgivers and founders of mankind, starting from the most ancient and going on to the Lycurgises, the Solons, the Muhammeds, the Napoleons, and so forth, that all of them to a man were criminals, from the fact alone that in giving a new law they thereby violated the old one, held sacred by society and passed down from their fathers..."[Pevear translation]
I was taken by this convoluted argument of Raskolnikov, in that it has a mixture of what we would call a philosophy of exceptionalism along with the very Russian observation of rules-based law usurping the traditional international law and thereby violating it.
Of course there's lots to debate also in his lumping together all those historical figures -- that's Dostoievski even lampooning himself in younger years. But that half-truth sewn into the character's description of his own ideas is so beautifully done.
They are great, these Russian novelists!
Posted by: juliania | Apr 21 2022 21:30 utc | 26
karlof1 | Apr 21 2022 19:25 utc | 23
I see little difference between large mobs of sheep and large mobs of people. Cancel culture sort of like a large mob of sheep burying their heads in the sand and pretending to be ostriches.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 21 2022 21:46 utc | 27
---- see little difference between large mobs of sheep and large mobs of people. Cancel culture sort of like a large mob of sheep burying their heads in the sand and pretending to be ostriches.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 21 2022 21:46 utc | 27
I don't understand why sheep have such a bad rep. They are neither violent nor stupid. But they are vulnerable by design, and need to be shepherded.
Human mobs are a completely different animal, one might say uniquely different, because that's not a natural state for humans.
Posted by: Anne Brit | Apr 21 2022 22:31 utc | 28
Test 123 – mmh, somehow one of my comments is not getting posted :-(
Posted by: zet | Apr 21 2022 23:01 utc | 29
"...Many people are aware that the “ pandemic” was an engineered event..."
"...It was used in the US to create an emergency and the need to alter the way people vote in order to steal the 2020 election..."
You do realise that the two statements are contradictory? Either it was an engineered event-by whom? for what purpose? Or it was used to create an emergency.
Or are you arguing that it was engineered, elsewhere, for other purposes but used in the US to create an emergency?
It was an emergency wherever it occurred. In the US its peculiar characteristics were largely reflective of the total abandonment of lower income people by the system. It was this, which includes a neglect of public health measures, that gave the "emergency" its deadly nature.
The idea that the Covid crisis was invented to steal the Federal Election tells us more about the people who arrive at the conclusion than anything else.
The real winners from the sort of nonsense that you are promoting are the oligarchs, around the world, who would sooner undergo the minor inconvenience of picking their way through the corpses of their countrymen than diverting some of the trillions spent on arms into a public health programme.
Posted by: bevin | Apr 21 2022 23:08 utc | 30
So, I've opened the door to Russia's Central Bank. Barflies are welcome to explore and see what else can be discovered.
Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 21 2022 17:10 utc | 11
I didn't have the time yet to really dive into all the details but after having read the latest interview with Glazyev [1] as well as one his essays [2] I'm also quite flabbergasted that Nabiullina is still there and allowed to follow the paths of IMF...
The Cradle: Elvira Nabiullina has been reconfirmed as the head of the Russian Central Bank. What would you do differently, compared to her previous actions? What is the main guiding principle involved in your different approaches?Glazyev: The difference between our approaches is very simple. Her policies are an orthodox implementation of IMF recommendations and dogmas of the Washington paradigm, while my recommendations are based on the scientific method and empirical evidence accumulated over the last hundred years in leading countries.
Quoted from [1] – be sure to read into [2] though, quite some nuggets in there...
[1] thecradle [DOT] co/Article/interviews/9135
[2] rentry [DOT] co/sanctions-and-sovereignty
Posted by: zet | Apr 21 2022 23:11 utc | 31
Sorry for the two broken links in my previous comment but it didn't let me post it with them intact :-(
Just add a https:// in front and replace [DOT] with .
I'm sorry.
Posted by: zet | Apr 21 2022 23:13 utc | 32
Elon Musk has designated approximately $46.5 billion in financing in a possible tender offer for the social media company, a Thursday SEC filing disclosed. https://sputniknews.com/20220421/elon-musk-secures-financing-to-take-twitter-buyout-bid-to-investors-1094945796.html
The filing noted that the billionaire “is exploring whether to commence a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of [Twitter’s] Common Stock”, offering $54.20 per share, “but has not determined whether to do so at this time."According to the filing, the financing includes commitments from Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., along with "certain other financial institutions".
Posted by: Laurence | Apr 21 2022 23:15 utc | 33
An excellent article that sums up the feelings of Chinese Australians, the China/Australia relationship and the current Australian elections. By
Teow Loon Ti .
Teow Loon Ti was a researcher in aquaculture; and a teacher. Teow Loon Ti has a BSc.(Hon) in Zoology, an MA(Lit. & Comm.) and a PhD in Education.
https://johnmenadue.com/teow-loon-ti-why-intemperate-views-on-china-will-cost-chinese-votes/
I noticed the many Asian and Chinese - Australian people at the massive anti Iraq war demonstrations in 2003. One really had to be there to appreciate the broad cross section of society represented and its size and scope. A member of parliament's spouse told me the demonstrations were, "the largest gathering of people ever in Sydney, including the 2000 Sydney olympic games". Of course the numbers were downplayed by the MSM.
People are sick of cynical and endless wars of choice then and more so now. Political parties ignore this at their peril.
Posted by: Paul | Apr 21 2022 23:18 utc | 34
The cultural Marxist BLM riots and the extended antifa take over of a Seattle district as a stunt were also part of the color revolution.
Posted by: Obamavirus | Apr 21 2022 19:08 utc | 21
Please explain what qualifies as "marxist" in any of this, and according to which criteria.
Posted by: Arganthonios | Apr 21 2022 23:26 utc | 35
@23 karlof1 | Apr 21 2022 19:25 utc
Slightly off-topic but Escobar in that piece mentions his latest book, Raging Twenties, and also links to a review of it in 2021 at the Saker, and penned by Larchmonter445. I somehow missed it at the time, but having just now read it, I must say it's a wonderful review. Larchmonter absolutely nails the specifics of Escobar's brilliance in a masterful review.
I think those who like Pepe Escobar will like this review of his book:
Raging Twenties Book Review – Pepe Escobar – the philosopher, the court jester, the mystic, the historian.
The review will make you want to buy the book, and unfortunately the link supplied at the end of the review no longer works, so I linked the title above using Pepe's link from his Consortium News article.
And I agree with Escobar, as revealed in the review, that the despotism working to perfect itself today will be worse than any known to history. I guess we all get to decide if it will actually prevail.
Posted by: Grieved | Apr 21 2022 23:38 utc | 36
Bevin@30
You should do a search for the Time article I mentioned. It explains quite explicitly how and by whom the pandemic was used to steal the election. It is written by the people responsible, it’s not a hit piece or speculation. They called it “ fortifying democracy” LoL . Use that term in the search.
Regarding how poor people were treated during the COVID crisis I think you are delusional. They were able to cancel rent, get easy unemployment, get free gene therapy injections, Wow you are way off on this. The people who were treated unfairly were the business owners who had to close their restaurant or other business, the small rental property owners and school age children who had to stay out of school. Newsom in CA even put all the homeless he could find up into hotels for the duration supplying them with drugs! LoL!
Posted by: Obamavirus | Apr 21 2022 23:41 utc | 37
zet @31--
Thanks for your reply. I've read many of Glazyev's articles and part of his book, The Last War, and I've commented here about my issues with him and opined on why Putin put him to work at EEU instead of RCB. Galzyev can protest all he wants and attest that his methods and ideas would have worked better, but all those are assertions, not proof. His valid critique about banking culture and the primary class it serves is fine as far as it goes, but there's zero evidence of the types of corruption and collusion we see in the Western banking and financial systems. Did you read her recent Duma testimony I linked so you can form a critique? Furthermore, just because Putin renominated her didn't mean the Duma would confirm. I'm sure there's a record of the discussion that was had over the vote to reconfirm where some objections might be found. Bottom line is you must gather evidence to present your case. All you offer is assertions, just as Galzyev. As for the theft of Russia's foreign reserves, do you think the Kremlin would admit they were used as bait since previous behavior showed that was very likely to be done? Hudson said that act cut 5 years from the process to formulate a new international trading currency and institutions and thus ending Dollar Hegemony. And Putin himself has stated those funds will easily be replaced.
Arganthonios@35
Cultural Marxism is a widely used term for the “woke” cancel culture, critical race theory etc. There is even a long winded and overly technical Wikipedia page on the term. There are some people who object to the term because Marx never talked about race, but this is a word game. I also believe that CM is the basis of the Democrat party platform today.
Posted by: Obamavirus | Apr 21 2022 23:54 utc | 39
Posted by: Obamavirus | Apr 21 2022 23:54 utc | 39
I do not care for gringos' word games.
What is Marxist in it, and according to what criteria?
Posted by: Arganthonios | Apr 22 2022 0:05 utc | 40
Grieved @36--
Thanks for your reply and linking the review. I've been in the Wayback Machine most of the afternoon digging around the roots of the Problem Tree and am about ready to call it a day. IMO, the 7/8ths of the world outside the West knows very well what's happening. Every day, I read the log at Russia's MFA and see much of the Global South conversing with Russia's diplomats and continuing relations while the West throws them overboard. It appears the G-20 will no longer have any Western or Japanese members and they'll be replaced by ASEAN and EAEU members.
At times it appears the world's gone crazy, but we must remind ourselves that only 1/8th of it has while the rest remains sane.
@ karlof1 6
Even if Xi is just blowing smoke, his rhetoric is a lot more rational and practical than anything coming out of the West.
Compared to the rhetoric of “the rules based” global hegemon, Xi sounds like a philosopher.
Keep it coming. I’d rather this global war be fought with words and ideas than bombs and blockades.
Posted by: Cadence Calls | Apr 22 2022 1:24 utc | 42
h/t to popbitch who has this link to an expose of the zionist NSO spyware mob.
The article is a long, but interesting read, although it is written by the oleaginous Ronan Farrow, it does contain some interesting facts.
e.g. The chair of the Maxwell-Epstein board, former occupied Palestine PM & Mossad boss Ehud Barak has grabbed a couple of NSO's former engineers to kick off yet another Occupied Palestine based spyware manufacturer & spruiker.
NSO's legal & financial problems are almost certainly gonna bring it down, so all of these money grubbing zionists are jumping ship to try and grab a slice of the spy for bent politicians pie before the entire industry goes tits up once the world is confronted by the torture and assassination which that industry engenders.
It seems as though NSO has resorted to using Occupied Palestine thugs Black Cube to stand over lawyers from firms suing NSO, so natch Farrow who gained great mileage over Black Cube standing over him during the MeToo carry-on is not a fan. Well not too much of a fan, he appears to believe it is OK to shit all over the rights of 'criminals' but not politicians or lawyers which is a perverse take on 21st century ethics. Still one wonders why NSO didn't have their shit together enough to give him an example of how NSO spyware jagged a shirt-lifter.
Probably because the product has never been about crime despite NSO's protestations to the contrary, these hand curated viruses have always been about securing power, boring old laws be buggered.
Posted by: Debsisdead | Apr 22 2022 1:53 utc | 43
@ Arioch | Apr 21 2022 17:38 utc | 15
thanks for the pictures... the last one was a bit off the theme...
Posted by: james | Apr 22 2022 4:07 utc | 44
We know Russia does things different. Some of that difference is a carryover from Soviet times. Read this transcript of the report given to Putin by Transneft--Russia's Big Oil--CEO Nikolai Petrovich to find out how Russian Big Oil fits into the national scene:
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Nikolai Petrovich, Transneft occupies a special place in the energy sector, providing practically – how much?Nikolai Tokarev: 83 percent of the oil produced in Russia...
Vladimir Putin: ... goes through the transport system.
Nikolai Tokarev: And 30 percent of oil refined products.
Vladimir Putin: In other words, this place is quite unique in the entire energy sector.
Nikolai Tokarev: Mr President, if we talk about Transneft's assets, first of all, these are 123,000 specialists who work in 64 regions of Russia, this is 67,000 kilometers of main oil pipelines, this is more than half a thousand oil pumping stations. Colossal, of course, numbers in themselves.
The team works clearly, stably, reliably, fulfills all obligations for the transportation of oil in Russia and abroad. I would say that this became possible due to the fact that the last 15 years – it was the period of the most dynamic development of the company, it has become simply different during this time.
24.5 thousand kilometers of new highways were built, of which 10.5 thousand are large, serious projects: [pipeline systems] ESPO-1, ESPO-2, Baltic pipeline system-2, these are [oil pipelines] Kuyumba - Taishet, Zapolyarye - Purpe - Samotlor, this is the expansion of the oil product pipeline to Primorsk by 25 million tons of petroleum products, this is a total modernization of all technological processes.
In my opinion, a very important advantage of all these transformations of the company was that today there is no shortage of pumping capacities in almost any direction. If earlier oil workers had to rack their brains, think, "bow" to go somewhere with their oil for export or enterprise, today, perhaps, only the ESPO has some restrictions: this is a premium direction, everyone wants to go there, it is fully loaded.
Vladimir Putin: To Asia?
Nikolai Tokarev: Yes, China and the Asia-Pacific region. Today, 50 million [tons of oil] are the second stage of the ESPO, and 80 million are the first, of which 30 million pipes go to China, to Mohe.
During the same time, we have completely resolved the issues of import substitution in terms of the production of main pumps. We used to buy them in Ukraine and abroad. Today, the entire line is fully produced here, in Chelyabinsk, at our enterprises. Electric drives, electric motors for these pumps are fully produced at our enterprises, provide all the needs of the company. Now we are cooperating with the railway, we will produce traction motors for locomotives at our enterprises.
Previously, we bought anti-turbulent additives from American companies, today we produce them in Tatarstan at our plant. Thus, 29 items on import substitution, which were in our program, have been fully implemented for today.
I am not even talking about the fact that today there is a new course for the digitalization of the enterprise. Over the next three years, we plan to invest about 30 billion rubles in this area. Of course, this allows us to ensure all the planned indicators and work as provided for by all our programmes.
For the current year, our main tasks are to improve the reliability of oil pipelines and reduce accidents. It is already about ten times lower than the world average, the median value in this part, but we will go to zero. This is the task, and there are opportunities for this.
Therefore, we have allocated 175 billion rubles of investment for the current year for all tasks related to technical re-equipment, modernisation and overhaul of our facilities. So far, everything is going according to plan.
Of course, in addition to production activities, the company implements a serious social policy. We have our own non-state pension fund – 31,000 pensioners. On average, our corporate pension is 10,000. Then housing policy, assistance to families with children, sanatorium and resort services, medical insurance of specialists at the expense of the enterprise, a healthy lifestyle is carried out, of course. We try to make it a priority.
And another important component, which is a priority for us, is charity work. Over the past three years, we have helped to overhaul 107 schools. As a rule, this is in small settlements. Repair, equipping classes of chemistry, physics, mathematics with devices, computers, that is, everything necessary to make it interesting and normal.
55 medical institutions were put in order: this is the construction of new FAPs, and the repair of polyclinics. A new direction, which is now receiving dynamic development, is mobile clinics. We help in the regions to purchase polyclinics on the basis of heavy vehicles. This is a full range of medical services, medical examinations in the most remote settlements. Even here, in the central part, we helped the Tula Region – we purchased two such mobile units.
And of course, in the field of culture, these are museums. We have been helping the Moscow Kremlin Museums for a long time. We are fully financing the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin. This is the Tretyakov Gallery. On the ground, of course, our subsidiaries are actively working in the same way. [My Emphasis]
The emphasized portion describes what was the norm during Soviet times, and is part of the public service regime that was restored by Putin that had almost disappeared during Yeltsin's Era. That's one of the reasons why factory works are so huge in Russia; they are often combined into one big factory town.
It is unfortunate for people living in Europe that Green Politics drives the Anti-Russia Fossil Fuel Agenda in line with Agenda 2030
They now have the cover story for generating an Energy Crisis plus Food Crisis plus Inflation Crisis to cower the populace and lock it into a New Corporatist Reality.
The only threat to THEM comes from Labour Unrest and Uprisings in response to erosion of real wages. As food prices increase VAT revenues for the Government increase - the Real Transfer of Resources from Ordinary People to Government and Corporation thus accelerates.
There is a policy decision to control the European populace by exarcerbating supply;y chain problems and inflaming the situation with Russia. There is a manic desire to create a State of Crisis in Europe to extend authoritarian powers which were attempted using Covid but failed in scale and scope
Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Apr 22 2022 6:46 utc | 46
`There is a manic desire to create a State of Crisis in ______ to extend authoritarian powers which were attempted using Covid but fail'
Posted by: Laurence | Apr 22 2022 6:58 utc | 47
The choice that the French people are facing is critical – for #France and for #Europe.
It is the choice between a democratic candidate, who believes that France grows in a powerful #EU. And a far-right candidate, who openly sides with those attacking our freedom and #democracy.
https://twitter.com/OlafScholz/status/1517172518712446977
Unprecedented involvement in internal affairs of France by the German Chancellor, and they have the temerity to make claims of Russian interference in European elections. Its unbelievable, not a demcoracy, but controlled. I completely reject that and want to live where you have real and fair elections.
Posted by: Arne Hartmann | Apr 22 2022 7:29 utc | 48
Posted by: Anne Brit | Apr 21 2022 22:31 utc | 28
"Human mobs are a completely different animal, one might say uniquely different, because that's not a natural state for humans."
I think this is a fascinating observation.
As humankind spent the most part of it's history in small hunter-gatherer societies, I think we still, on some fundamental level, get overwhelmed by the raw potency of a mob (or keyboard cancel-culture).
It seems that it is easy to tip our species into raw and reactionary emotion, bypassing higher critical reasoning, and to be swept along by an orgy of pure emotion.
It feels we are at a cusp, and I certainly hope we make it to a new 'evolutionary' awareness before something profoundly irreversible occurs. Caitlin Johnstone has much to say around this subject.
Cheers,
Jonathan
Posted by: Jon_in_AU | Apr 22 2022 7:38 utc | 49
Jon_in_AU #50
Agreed Caitlin is a rational sane voice in our wilderness for sure. Thank you.
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 22 2022 7:50 utc | 50
Ya want proof that the 'rules based order' is only meant to work one way, read New Zealand faces global pressure over move to let resident be extradited to China.
Setting aside one painful truth that the suggestion any other nation such as Canada, UK, Australia and Europe have any business, much less the right to thrust their stickybeaks into Aotearoa's domestic judicial system (I.E how do ya reckon Canada would have responded to the kiwi government telling the world that "Canada's freeze of all financial assets of anyone who threw a coupla bucks at the trucker's Go Fund Me page was tyrannical, arbitrary & unjust") we are still left with the reality that Aotearoa has chosen a rather different path to take when establishing a viable relationship with China.
That relationship is not about hysterically throwing chairs round the room whenever China needs to assert itself, but actually discussing issues free of hysteria & political beatups.
Someone murdered a Chinese citizen in Hongkong, China's police force have investigated and found evidence that the killer is a Korean currently living in Aotearoa, so they sent the file to the kiwi coppers who arrested the bloke and an application was made through the courts to have the accused extradited to China to face trial. During the extradition hearing evidence establishing that there was a prima facie case against the chap would have been submitted and the judge has decided that there are reasonable grounds to try him.
Yet Oz, Canada, Amerika & england (4 of the 5 eyes) whine not because they reckon this bloke is innocent, no, they whine because they have intelligence agents in China who have been caught at it and pulled to face charges. They need to shit all over China's justice system in the hope that uninformed citizens will jack up and their spies will be freed.
So what! I say,does this mean Aotearoa have to let some sleazebag go free in the hope he won't rape & murder any kiwi women else just because Oz & Canada screwed up establishing their espionage network in China?
Still expect neolib shitrags in Oz, Canuckland amerika & engerland to come over all hysteric about Aotearoa kowtowing to 'corrupt China' when it is apparent here in Aotearoa judges haven't been captured by the neolib machine - yet.
Kiwis are told to leave a bloke out there raping and murdering his way round their country just so assorted spooks can keep screwing up without consequence? Nah I don't reckon so, and thankfully, neither do the beaks.
Posted by: Debsisdead | Apr 22 2022 11:10 utc | 51
Caitlin's strength and weakness is she can say the same thing in a hundred different ways.
Posted by: mastameta | Apr 22 2022 11:11 utc | 52
that all of them to a man were criminals, from the fact alone that in giving a new law they thereby violated the old one, held sacred by society and passed down from their fathers..."
Posted by: juliania | Apr 21 2022 21:30 utc | 26
Well, this is not something specifically Russian in it.
It is, for example, one of the founding ideas of this American fiction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Word_for_World_Is_Forest
Posted by: Arioch | Apr 22 2022 11:29 utc | 53
From Dostoievski:
"In my opinion, if, as the result of certain combinations, Kepler's or Newton's discoveries could become known to people in no other way than by sacrificing the lives of one, or ten, or a hundred more people who were hindering the discovery, or standing as an obstacle in its path, then Newton would have the right, and it would even be his duty...to remove those ten or a hundred people, in order to make his discoveries known to all mankind".
Posted by: juliania | Apr 21 2022 21:30 utc | 26
Juliania, that part of your Dostoievski quote is very timely for me. Some weeks ago my 40 year old stepson stopped by for a few minutes. He is of good heart, professing non-violence and pacifism. He walked away abruptly after I said the Nazis in Ukraine needed to be ‘killed’. It was perhaps a poor choice of words but I had just read the transcript of the TV24 talking head calling for all Ukrainians to kill a ‘muscovite’, especially their children, so I was charged a bit.
I myself advocate non-violence and peace - if possible -, but the situation in Ukraine is beyond the innocence of ideal thoughts. I’m sorry,
but some Nazis need to be ‘removed’ and the ideology absolutely needs to be ‘killed’ once and for all.
I have not talked with my step-son since, but armed with Dostoievski’s quote I have an opening now to inform
his – to my mind – naivety regarding the principles of non-violence and pacifism.
Your experience and wisdom are much appreciated, young lady. Never doubt that!
(And while I’m here I’ll just back up what Michael [@April 17, 2022 at 13:04 & Apr 17 2022 13:20 utc] was saying a few days ago about not losing
our humanity when thinking how to deal with things of this nature. He got some needless crap but his point was valid. So thanks, Michael.)
Posted by: waynorinorway | Apr 22 2022 15:30 utc | 54
The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) has been concluded. The BFA of 28 Asian countries and Australia is a non-profit organisation that hosts high-level forums for leaders from government, business and academia in Asia and other continents to share their vision on the most pressing issues in this region and the world at large. BFA is modelled on the World Economic Forum held annually in Davos, Switzerland. Its fixed address is in Bo'ao, Hainan province, China, although the Secretariat is based in Beijing. The forum is sometimes known as the “Asian Davos.” -- wiki
At the forum this year Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a Global Security Initiative which stressed a commitment to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and to reject a Cold War mentality, group politics and bloc confrontation while delivering a keynote speech via video link at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022 in South China's Hainan Province on Thursday.
The China proposal called on countries to take a comprehensive security concept to avoid the Cold War mentality and also injected confidence in the global economic recovery. "We humanity are living in an indivisible security community. It has been proven time and again that the Cold War mentality would only wreck the global peace framework, that hegemonism and power politics would only endanger world peace, and that bloc confrontation would only exacerbate security challenges in the 21st century," Xi said. . .here
Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 22 2022 16:19 utc | 55
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 22 2022 7:50 utc | 51, &,
Posted by: mastameta | Apr 22 2022 11:11 utc | 53
Thanks uncle tungsten. I can see the point raised by mastameta also. However, I believe, that for Caitlin Johnstone, this is in a way a necessity to keep the energy flowing in a particular direction and to avoid diverting too far from her course (and indeed, cause).
Posted by: Jon_in_AU | Apr 22 2022 17:17 utc | 56
I found this interesting clip of Joe Biden speaking to the Atlantic Council in 1997 about NATO expansion. He gets going around five and a half minutes in.
Biden Atlantic Council 1997 youtube
Thanks everyone for the information and discussions! Thank you, b!
Posted by: lex talionis | Apr 22 2022 17:23 utc | 57
As promised on the current thread, here's the coplete machine translated transcript of the "Speech and answers to media questions by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov following talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mikhail Tleuberdi, Moscow, April 22, 2022." Please take special note of the remarks related to the EAEU for they're significant:
Ladies and Gentlemen,We held constructive, trusting and useful negotiations.
For our states, this year is special. In October, we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. During this period, Russia and Kazakhstan have brought bilateral ties to the level of alliance and strategic partnership. Traditional ties of good-neighborliness and mutual assistance are complemented by privileged cooperation in trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian, military and military-technical fields. The plan of joint events that we have just signed is dedicated to our common anniversary, but is aimed at practical work in line with the implementation of the agreements reached between our presidents, agreed on February 10, 2022 during the visit of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the Russian Federation.
We will give priority attention to expanding the legal framework of bilateral relations. Practical projects are implemented quickly and require contractual support, which is what our respective ministries and departments are doing.
We confirmed that we are waiting for President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (in June 2022) and the Forum of Interregional Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan (in autumn 2022, Orenburg). 73 regions out of 85 of the Russian Federation are actively involved in the implementation of joint projects with partners in Kazakhstan.
We noted the continued growth in the volume of mutual trade. In 2021, a record figure of trade turnover was reached, exceeding the mark of $ 25 billion. Mutual supplies have increased significantly. We see this as a confirmation of the mutually beneficial nature of our interaction. We intend to work to maintain positive dynamics. Relevant ministries and departments report that all planned projects will be implemented without changes and on time.
We praised the humanitarian ties. Among the positive examples, we noted the Agreement on the establishment and operation of branches of universities of the two countries on each other's territory, signed on the sidelines of the visit of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin to Nur-Sultan in February this year.
We welcome the efforts of the Kazakh leadership to maintain interethnic harmony and ensure the equality of rights and freedoms of all citizens. Together with our Kazakh friends, we intend to stop any provocative visits aimed at undermining the all-encompassing friendly ties that unite our peoples. We agreed to step up the work of the Joint Working Group of Historians of Russia and Kazakhstan.
We exchanged assessments on the most pressing international problems in detail, confidentially and in a friendly manner. We have a common opinion that the Russian-Kazakh alliance serves as a significant factor in maintaining stability in Central Asia and on the Eurasian continent. Much attention was paid to the prospects for cooperation through such integration associations as the EAEU, CSTO, CIS, SCO and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. This is the initiative of the first president of Kazakhstan, which is being consistently implemented and can now find a new breath. For our part, we expressed Russia's support for the priorities identified by Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the CIS in the economic, humanitarian and security spheres.
We agreed to continue and intensify preparations for the Sixth Caspian Summit. It should be held in Turkmenistan. Together with our Kazakh friends, we will provide the hosts of Turkmenistan with the most active and comprehensive assistance in ensuring that the summit is successful and ends with the adoption of significant agreements that the Caspian littoral states are currently working on.
In the context of regional security, the topic of Afghanistan was touched upon. Today it was discussed in the morning at a video conference in the format of "CA5 + Russia". The difficult situation in this state (I mean Afghanistan) has an impact on the situation in the entire region. The January events in Kazakhstan clearly demonstrated how important it is to jointly combat terrorism, drug trafficking and cross-border, organized crime.
At the meeting of "CA5 + Russia" and today at the talks we considered the situation in Ukraine and around it. He also informed his colleagues in detail about the course of the special military operation aimed at protecting the residents of Donbass, demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. We shared our assessments of the slow progress of the Russian-Ukrainian talks.
There is no doubt that our allies and strategic partners in Central Asia clearly understand the root causes of what is happening in Europe and in the Euro-Atlantic region and Eurasia, as well as the geopolitical dimension of the current situation.
We are satisfied with the results of the talks. We agreed to maintain close contacts. In 2022, there will be many opportunities to communicate and continue the dialogue, bringing meaningful and practical results.
Question: How does Russia see the future of the EAEU in the context of sanctions pressure? How will this affect trade and economic relations?
Sergey Lavrov: The question is not how the Russian side sees the future of the EAEU, but how all the member countries of the association intend to develop and deepen the strategic partnership within this framework. The sanctions were imposed by Western partners illegally, illegitimately, on an unprecedented scale. They saw that their plans to turn Ukraine into a springboard for aggressive, forceful containment of Russia had failed.
The actions of their Western colleagues show their complete disregard for the principles and norms that they themselves laid the foundation for the current model of globalization, including within the framework of the WTO, IMF, World Bank, etc. Any unbiased observer is obvious to the inconsistency and inability of Western partners, who suddenly broke their "values", on the basis of which they persuaded the rest of the world to join the processes of globalization.
I communicate with colleagues within the framework of the EAEU and in other associations of Latin America and Arab countries. In all parts of the world, they are beginning to think about how to make sure that the "whims" of the Western world, united within the framework of the concept of unipolarity under the "umbrella" of the United States, in the future do not affect the objective processes developing in a particular region; so that the West does not try to use the predominant influence created in the context of promoting the concept of globalization on universal principles in order to abuse its position in international affairs.
An example of abuse, for example, of the dollar on everyone's lips, has been observed for several years. Regardless of what is happening now, many countries, including Russia and its partners in the EAEU and other key trade and economic allies, have been diversifying the mechanisms and methods of conducting financial relations, switching to national currencies in mutual settlements, and using national financial messaging systems. This creates a safety net against the "quirks" that characterize the behavior of today's "collective West."
As for the EAEU, in recent months there have been several meetings at the level of deputy prime ministers specifically devoted to the continuation of integration plans in the new conditions. We need to rely much more on ourselves and on reliable partners from other regions, such as China. The EAEU has an agreement on trade and economic cooperation with China. The processes of Eurasian integration are conjugated with the Chinese project "One Belt, One Road". Other colleagues in Asia, including southeast Asia, are joining these trends.
Intensive cooperation with India is developing, including on the creation of transport corridors that will be beneficial for the EAEU members.
Within the framework of the CIS (where a free trade zone operates), processes have also been established to consider ways to continue our productive cooperation in conditions when discriminatory measures are used to slow it down.
The EAEU has a future. All member countries are working to ensure that it is bright.
Question: Kazakhstan has successfully established itself as a venue for negotiations on the Syrian settlement. Is Russia considering this platform for Russian-Ukrainian negotiations?
Sergey Lavrov: The main talks on the Syrian settlement – the Geneva process – are taking place in Geneva, respectively. The Astana "troika" traditionally holds its events with the participation of government and opposition delegations, observer countries on the territory of friendly and hospitable Kazakhstan. We will continue this tradition.
I would not talk about "platforms" for Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, but about how Ukraine feels about these opportunities. It is strange every day to hear statements by Ukrainian representatives of various "sorts", including President Zelensky and his advisers, which suggest that they do not need negotiations at all. They resigned themselves to their fate.
Question: Did the negotiations discuss the activities of biological laboratories in Kazakhstan and the solution of the problems in the banking sector that many Russian companies are currently facing in Kazakhstan?
Sergey Lavrov: We discussed our cooperation in the field of biological safety. Now we are completing the preparation of a bilateral memorandum. Over the past year, relevant statements and documents have been adopted on this topic: on the problem of biological security, on strengthening the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological and Toxin Weapons at the level of the heads of state of the CSTO and at the level of ministers of the CSTO and the CIS.
As for issues related to the activities of Russian banks in Kazakhstan, this issue was also touched upon. M.B. Tleuberdi will comment on it now.
Question: For a long time, the Russian media called ethnic oppression the reason for the outflow of the Russian-speaking population from Kazakhstan. However, since the end of February this year, after the introduction of sanctions, thousands of Russian citizens have left Russia for Kazakhstan. Judging by their reviews, they feel good in Kazakhstan. Don't you think the problem of harassment is far-fetched?
Sergey Lavrov: If we determine our attitude to the development of alliance and strategic partnership on the basis of some media in Russia and Kazakhstan, I think we will slightly distort the real picture. There are always those who want to find a problem where it does not exist. Or make an "elephant out of a molehill."
I have no information on the number of Russian citizens who have recently moved to Kazakhstan. Moreover, I am not familiar with their reviews, nor with the reasons that prompted them to leave. The process goes absolutely naturally. We are fraternal countries. We have no restrictions on the movement of our citizens, who, like the citizens of Kazakhstan, are free to choose their place of residence. In the Russian Constitution, such a right is guaranteed. Our common tasks (our presidents spoke about this on February 10 this year in the Kremlin) are to make sure that there is practically no difference for Russian citizens and Kazakhstanis when they are on the territory of one country or another.
The development of our relations within the framework of the EAEU is designed to make sure that economic and social conditions are conducive to this. That is the task set before us by the presidents.
Question: Russia has agreed with the thesis that Ukraine will need security guarantees from third countries if it itself agrees to enshrine a neutral status in its constitution or international documents. Which countries does Moscow see as potential guarantors of security for Ukraine and with which it is negotiating on this matter?
Sergey Lavrov: We are not negotiating with anyone on this issue.
Negotiated. Now they are stalled. Seven days ago, another proposal transmitted by us to the Ukrainian negotiators, formulated taking into account their comments received at that time, remains unanswered. When President Zelensky was asked how he felt about this latest version of the Russian proposals, he said that they had not received anything. It's not for me to judge how much he owns the situation, but it's a characteristic of where this process called "negotiation" is located.
Until now, we have been negotiating with the Ukrainian side in a bilateral format, and within this framework, Ukraine has agreed to commit itself to being a neutral, non-aligned, nuclear-weapon-free country in providing security guarantees of an international nature. This is exactly what President of Russia Vladimir Putin said at the beginning of this year at one of his meetings and news conferences, with President Emmanuel Macron, if I am not mistaken. He said that NATO enlargement is unacceptable for fundamental reasons, which is well known to everyone, but we are ready to consider security guarantees for Ukraine, for European countries and for Russia in any other format. That was originally our position, which we held.
During the first contacts, the Ukrainians in the negotiation format advocated that these guarantees should be provided by a whole group of foreign countries. On paper, they did not list these countries, but mentioned the permanent members of the UN Security Council, Turkey, Germany. We don't mind. The main thing is that the essence of these guarantees will be and that these guarantees, while acceptable to Ukraine, do not pose a threat to anyone else.
Question: On April 16 of this year, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky said that he would refuse to conduct all negotiations with Russia if the Ukrainian military and nationalists at the Azovstal plant were destroyed. Just yesterday, President of Russia Vladimir Putin cancelled the decision to storm the plant's territory. Does this mean that Russia has agreed to the conditions set by Kiev? How will Moscow continue to respond to such ultimatums?
Sergey Lavrov: We do not tolerate any ultimatums. I cannot qualify President Zelensky's statements in any way. I'm not sure he understands what he's talking about.
Solomon Islands about to get regime changed?
https://twitter.com/AnnaPowles/status/1517411489405349888
US Indo Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell meets with Solomon Islands opposition leader Mathew Wale in Honiara today to discuss democracy strengthening initiatives in Solomons and the region.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 22 2022 18:00 utc | 59
I'd like to make a correction to my post @25. The ban on John Lee Kar Chiu, Hong Kong Chief candidate in the upcoming election on May 8, was by YouTube, not Twitter. My bad!
Posted by: Oriental Voice | Apr 22 2022 18:21 utc | 60
Interesting "coincidence"
"The bodies of two Russian oligarchs were found dead alongside their wives and children just one day apart, according to a handful of media reports.
The first was Vladislav Avayev, formerly vice president of Gazprombank. He was found killed by a gunshot wound in his Moscow apartment on Monday, Russia's state-run Tass news agency reported. Police are looking into a theory that Avayev shot his wife and children, and then himself.
Although the names of the victims were not included in a public statement from the Russian government, Tass said an unnamed source later confirmed their identities.
Investigators said in their statement that they believe Avayev shot his wife and daughter, and then himself.
The second oligarch was found killed in Spain, some 2,000 miles away.
His name was Sergei Protosenya and he was found stabbed to death with his wife and daughter. Local media outlets claimed he had been found with a bloodied knife and axe by his side. Prior to his death, Protosenya had been the vice president and chief accountant of Novatek, a major gas company with close ties to Gazprombank."
Posted by: Tom_12 | Apr 22 2022 20:15 utc | 61
Escobar at his VK page posted this link to a chart showing the number of ships waiting to load or offload at Shanghai compared to past years. It's nuts--almost 500 compared to 150 at this time last year. The message:
US and global supply chains are about to go from “severely strained” to “completely broken.”
So, while Ukraine is taking all the headlines and while Russia is tied up there Israel has been doing all kinds of crazy shit.
Using drones to drop tear gas at Al Aqsa mosque.
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1517477415777361922
Also bombing Gaza.
https://twitter.com/Lowkey0nline/status/1516196802193678338
https://twitter.com/cjwerleman/status/1516208352044351488
Bari Weiss resigned to protest 'wokeness' at the NYT and was mysteriously not unpersoned but given a platform to make her case and not really criticised. This was because Weiss, a Gen X lesbian Jewish woman once married to Kate McKinnon, wasn't protesting what the media implied she was protesting but actually resigning to publicly signal to other Jews that the forces unleashed by social media wokeness might actually prove difficult to stop if the cause of the Palestinians (As Weiss is a conspicuous hard-core Zionist) ever became 'the current thing'. Things like this are a test and it seems that much of the hysteria we see is actually not just organic social media action but a symbiotic feedback loop that requires the media goading and giving permission to activists to go more extreme.
Much like Trump's line about the monopoly the establishment gave him on key issues meant he could "shoot a man in Time's Square and still not lose the election", it seems Israel can do whatever it wants and provided the MSM ignores it, still not trend on Twitter.
The Palestinian cause is not kosher there and so you see remarkably little penetration or trending from this.
Posted by: Altai | Apr 23 2022 0:21 utc | 63
Shocking videos of Zionist tyranny in occupied Palestine:
Meanwhile,
The Aotearoa New Zealand government issues meaningless drivel about Israel’s military occupation of Palestine. Here is their latest waste of words.
Palestinians live under a brutal Israeli military occupation. We would never call on Ukrainians to tone down their opposition to Russia’s occupation of Ukraine so why do we call on Palestinians to go easy on the Israeli racist, apartheid regime which occupies Palestine?
Sonny Bill Williams has more integrity than MFAT – here is his tweet with a serious question as to why countries like Aotearoa New Zealand look the other way while Palestinians are brutalised.
[the SBW tweet is manipulated to be hard to highlight and copy]
"They are my brothers. This has been happening for longer than many people have been alive. Why is it that the voiceless always seem to be people who don't look like they come from a western country?"
Posted by: Paul | Apr 23 2022 0:23 utc | 64
Addendum to Paul @ 65
"The Aotearoa New Zealand government issues meaningless drivel about Israel’s military occupation of Palestine. Here is their latest waste of words......"
The wasted words were the usual drivel but they were digitally manipulated to be hard to copy and paste.
"They are my brothers. This has been happening for longer than many people have been alive. Why is it that the voiceless always seem to be people who don't look like they come from a western country?"
Posted by: Paul | Apr 23 2022 0:32 utc | 65
Strategic Culture is down again.
"403 Forbidden"
This is from Strategic Culture's VK page:Strategic Culture Foundation
💡Dear followers,Due to migration to another server ⚙, our website may be temporarily unavailable. Please, don’t worry, we continue as usual!
I get globalresearch okay, although it doesn't appear to be very active as its last major article was posted on the 17th.
Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 21 2022 15:31 utc | 4
What is a "Strategic Culture's VK page"?
And how about a link to it.
Posted by: librul | Apr 23 2022 16:31 utc | 66
Some barflies will find this exposé very interesting particularly Jeremy Corbyn supporters.
BBC drama whitewashes pro-Israel racists
"...There was an extremist Zionist faction at the heart of the UK anti-racist movement in the 1940s and 1960s. The role of the Zionist movement in penetrating British anti-racist groups throws new light on the post-war period and surely calls for more research on how far the influence of Zionism has gone since then.
David Miller is a broadcaster, journalist and academic. He produces and regularly appears on the weekly show Palestine Declassified."
https://electronicintifada.net/content/bbc-drama-whitewashes-pro-israel-racists/35266/
Posted by: Paul | Apr 23 2022 22:49 utc | 67
As promised, here's the Zakharova interview:
Question: How did the history of the creation of the Russian-Chinese joint declaration on a multipolar world and the formation of a new international order begin? What was the starting point? How long have Russia and China been moving towards the concept of "multipolarity"?Maria Zakharova: By the mid-90s of the twentieth century, there was an understanding among specialists in international relations in Russia and China that the era of democratization of international politics was coming in line with the formation of a multipolar world order.
The chief architect of the domestic concept of a multipolar world is E.M. Primakov, who took the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs in January 1996. Thanks to him, the term "multipolarity" has firmly entered the toolkit of Russian foreign policy. It was also actively used in Russian-Chinese bilateral documents.
By this time, relations between Russia and China had entered a period of intensive development. In 1996, it was announced the formation of relations between the two countries of equal trusting cooperation aimed at strategic interaction in the XXI century. The main territorial issues between Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on the one hand and China on the other have been settled, important agreements have been reached on confidence-building measures and mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area (on their basis the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will later emerge).
The main thing is that Moscow and Beijing came to the conclusion that the approaches of our countries to international relations are close or coincide. As a result, in 1997, an agreement was reached with chinese partners to prepare a joint document on the basic approaches of Russia and China to the modern system of international relations.
The experience of developing Russian-Chinese cooperation has confirmed that the assessments laid down in the "Joint Declaration on a Multipolar World and the Formation of a New International Order" 25 years ago have successfully stood the test of time and remain relevant. Among the principles formulated then were the recognition of the central place and role of the UN in world affairs, the rejection of reliance on power politics, the desire for dialogue and equal cooperation, the need to build a peaceful, stable, fair and rational international political and economic order based on the generally accepted norms of international law.
Question: Why did Russia choose China as its partner?
Maria Zakharova: There is a common mistake in the wording "Russia has chosen China": a reference to the opportunism and situational nature of the decisions made. Meanwhile, in our case, no one "chose" anyone, the rapprochement of the two countries is a process objectively conditioned at least by the fact that our common border stretches for more than 4,000 kilometers.
Russia and China are neighbors with a history of relations dating back several hundred years. In different eras, political, trade and economic, humanitarian, religious, military ties developed between us. There have been difficult times, but conflicts have never been large-scale. As states with a long history, societies with a unique social structure and political culture, despite all the differences, Russia and China learned to live side by side, to understand and respect each other. Modern Russian-Chinese relations – the best in history – are a fusion of the accumulated experience of interstate and human communication.
Today, bilateral cooperation continues to develop dynamically, demonstrating its stability to the whole world. Moscow clearly understands that deepening cooperation with Beijing meets national interests and therefore enjoys broad public support.
Question: What were the difficulties on the way to "multipolarity"?
Maria Zakharova: At present, the process of forming a democratic multipolar world order continues. The main obstacle to realizing its potential is the desire of the United States and the Western community led by it to secure exclusive, exclusive advantages and rights in the world system. In this logic, the West is trying to impose on other countries a model of a unipolar world under the guise of a "rules-based order."
We believe that one of the elements of such a destructive line is the imposition of unilateral economic sanctions and the adoption of other illegal coercive measures against sovereign States. The inherently thuggish seizure of Russian gold and foreign exchange reserves in Western countries has significantly undermined confidence in the global financial system based on the dominance of the US dollar. We believe that serious changes are coming in this area – the formation of alternative banking, trade and logistics mechanisms has recently accelerated. This trend will only strengthen.
We see a negative charge in Washington's campaign to draw new dividing lines in world politics by creating various kinds of "democratic" alliances and coalitions that are formed bypassing the UN to counter the so-called authoritarian regimes. Such relapses of the bloc policy and the mentality of the Cold War make it difficult to unite the international community in developing responses to common challenges – to ensure sustainable development, food and energy security, to fight international terrorism and cross-border crime, pandemics and natural disasters.
Question: What are the basic principles of a "multipolar world" that can be formulated?
Maria Zakharova: The main meaning of multipolarity is to ensure the equality of states, the recognition by all members of the international community of the need to respect each other's interests. It is this simple truth that is embedded in the foundation of the UN Charter. Russia seeks to reaffirm the commitment of all members of the World Organization to these fundamental principles.
Q: Why does the U.S. view multipolarity as a serious strategic challenge?
Maria Zakharova: Multipolarity contradicts the American worldview based on the unconditional hegemony of the United States. Since 2009, Barack Obama has been promoting the thesis of his faith in American exceptionalism, D. Trump has been talking about the need to make America great again. The Biden administration, which has returned the concept of "democracy promotion" to international politics, is not without ideological prejudices.
Washington is essentially trying to preserve those elements of the world order that serve its own interests, often in disregard of its obligations under international law. The emergence of new centers of political influence capable of pursuing an independent course in foreign policy and establishing multidisciplinary cooperation among themselves does not fit into the US-centric picture of the world and is regarded as a threat to Washington's dominance.
Question: Can the BRICS countries become the core of a multipolar world?
A: They've actually become one. It is important that the BRICS countries, as well as many other states, are focused on their own development and constructive international cooperation. The overwhelming majority of world players do not succumb to persuasion to impose sanctions against Russia or at least to expose us to open criticism.
Russia will continue to promote on the world stage the principles of sovereign equality of states, non-interference in internal affairs and international cooperation based on a balance of interests. To this end, we will continue to actively cooperate with like-minded people from BRICS, the CSTO, the SCO, and other friends and partners.
Question: What advantages do countries get if they choose a multipolar system of the world order?
Maria Zakharova: First of all, they get the opportunity to preserve their cultural and civilizational identity, to build their domestic and foreign policy based on the interests of their own people. After all, that is true freedom and independence.
States that do not want to follow the instructions of others may not integrate into the neoliberal agenda, remain committed to the traditional spiritual and moral values developed by mankind for thousands of years.
Question: What place will the United States occupy in a multipolar world?
Maria Zakharova: The future role will be determined, first of all, by the degree of their own readiness to conduct a mutually respectful, equal and constructive dialogue with international partners, taking into account the diversity and legitimacy of the national interests of all states.
The place of the United States in a multipolar world also depends on economic factors. Now Washington is fiercely "clinging" to those international institutions that allow it to maintain its own dominance, and at the same time blocks the activities of those forums where its former, seemingly unshakable positions are weakening against the background of the growing influence of new rapidly developing centers.
One of the key issues is the future role of the US dollar in the global financial system. Its privileged position is largely due to the convenience of the infrastructure built for it, the lack of full-fledged alternatives and the banal inertia of the thinking of market participants. However, the thuggish seizure of a part of Russian foreign exchange reserves placed in US banks has become a powerful signal to all governments of the world about the lack of guarantees for the safety of funds stored in US currency, undermining confidence in it on a long-term basis.
Question: Is it safe to say now that after 25 years, developing countries have become stronger, and now the concept of a multipolar world begins to operate?
Maria Zakharova: In this context, the situation with the recent vote at the UN General Assembly to suspend Russia's membership in the UN Human Rights Council is eloquent. This initiative of the West was not supported by the majority, and many admit that they were forced to vote in the way necessary for Westerners.
This and other examples mentioned earlier point to the progressive emergence of a more democratic and just multipolar world order.
Question: The situation in the world is complicated right now. Does this have to do with the process of moving from one system to another?
Maria Zakharova: Of course, the system of international relations is undergoing a period of profound transformation. The unipolar world became a thing of the past long before the events in Ukraine. New centers of power in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East are playing an increasingly prominent role in shaping the global agenda, showing readiness to defend their interests, and demanding respect for their own development path.
This alignment does not suit the United States and other Western countries. They are not ready to give up their privileged position on the world stage and are trying to stop or slow down the process of democratization of international relations.
Russia's current disagreements with the United States and Europe have arisen as a result of the fact that for a long time the security interests of our country were simply ignored. Step by step, the Westerners destroyed the arms control mechanisms created by the efforts of generations of negotiators. This is a prime example of why international tensions have risen to unacceptable levels.
We believe that it is in the interests of all to return to dialogue on the framework of indivisible European security and to develop rules for peaceful coexistence based on the principle of respect for the legitimate interests of all key States.
While Muslim worshipers at the Al Aqsa Mosque are routinely attacked and brutalised by Zionist occupation forces and fundamentalist illegal colonists, Palestinian Christians are also targeted, molested and bullied, in this case Orthodox Christians attempting to worship at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, video.
Meanwhile, the MSM amplify their 'best wishes and concerns' for Ukrainian Orthodox Christians by repartition, totally ignoring Palestinians again. No prizes for guessing which side the biased zionised press picked in both conflicts.
Posted by: Paul | Apr 24 2022 1:05 utc | 70
the measured words of Russian Diplomats eloquently putting forward a just and multipolar world based on mutual prosperity and respect... then there's our clowns screaming rape as they load drones with bacterial death.
we are truly a revolting bunch of cocks
Posted by: ld | Apr 24 2022 2:18 utc | 71
@ Paul - 71
The Palestinians, muslims and christians, have reached to the conclusion that the Arabic countries who are no more hiding their corporation with Israel are useless and they brought nothing to negotiations. In Fact, the role of Arabic countries at present is the guarantors of Israel security and to make sure palestinians will always calm down before any fight breaks out.
So we might be entering a new era called the Palestinian era where we will see united Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, relying on their own and ready to fight together for their land. At the same time, we could also be witnessing a decline in the western imperialism that will weaken Israel, and all this might pave the way for major fights for freedom in the near future.
Posted by: Man | Apr 24 2022 9:14 utc | 72
Posted by: Man | Apr 24 2022 9:14 utc | 73
Thank you for your thoughts and observations.
We all know that most Arabic countries leaders are weak, corrupt and compromised. The Arab street is outraged and knows the history of betrayal that led to the creation on this monster Bandit State better than most 'westerners'.
Edward Said wrote 'forget appealing to the the leaders, go to the people' or similar words. It is now a world wide problem. We can only hope to see it solved in our lifetimes.
Posted by: Paul | Apr 24 2022 9:33 utc | 73
The comments to this entry are closed.
India: the Modi regime began a demolition drive of "illegal" constructions in Jahangirpur, Delhi, mostly owned by Muslims despite the absence of any court order. The Gandhi dynasty monarchist Congress Party which pretends to be India's natural rulers and inevitable future regime did nothing except Rahul Gandhi putting out a tweet or two. It was the over 70 year old Communist politician Brinda Karat who halted the demolition drive by literally putting herself in front of the bulldozers.
Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Apr 21 2022 14:55 utc | 1