France actually needs a Sixth Republic. The Republic de Gaulle created has lasted rather better than the Third or Fourth but is now outdated and Macron has run it into the ground.

It needs to get rid of Anti-Clericalism and restore the Churches to the Church and remove State ownership of religious (Catholic not Jewish or Muslim) property to create other power centres.

It needs to free up Education and exit State control.

Macron has abolished the Diplomatic Corps which is bonkers. France has one of the very best Diplomatic Corps and Macron is simply a loon. France is a downbeat nation with few prospects of glory up ahead and major problems L'Etat will not solve

Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Apr 24 2022 13:51 utc | 1

I've been sifting through the propaganda that serves as "analysis" on the Russian military performance from Fox News, DW and BBC:

The claim is that one metric of incompetence on the part of the Russians is the high number of generals KIA, which they attribute to the fact that Russian generals are embedded on the front lines with the troops.

They contrast this with the fact that generals in NATO, UK and US armies are not on the front lines (presumably at a safe distance from the fighting).

If this is true, while indeed it might result in a higher casualty rate for Russian generals, I would think this would have the following benefits:

1. Ensures generals are very closely attuned to the situation on the battle-field (no chance for a layer of misinterpretation to blur the information).

2. Key decisions can happen faster as there is no significant layer of "middle management" to mediate between generals and frontline forces.

3. Generals have a vested interest in "getting it right the first time" (as there may not be a second chance to do so).

I'd imagine there are some "soft" benefits as well such as:

4. Troop morale, the sense that the higher ups (to some extent) are sharing the suffering of ground troops
5. Demonstration of courage by the generals motivates ground troops to commit to the direction of generals
6. Senior, more experienced leadership is closer to the troops where it's needed

Perhaps an expert on military science can weigh in ... ?

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Apr 24 2022 13:52 utc | 2

As the war in Ukraine goes on, the Western regimes that created the problem have run into another problem of their own making. They have so dumbed down their own populations, deliberately wrecking their attention spans and thinking abilities, that said populations' anger and hatred against Russia can't be sustained without constant and ever more brazen and bizarre media provocations. Even these are dropping towards diminished returns since the exigencies of survival in imploding economies take precedence over invented anger. We already saw that Bucha didn't rouse anywhere near the amount of artificial rage it was supposed to and the Kramatorsk false flag was of course a dud.

However, this does not mean that the west, of course, will abandon its Ukranazi project until it has squeezed every drop of Russian and Ukrainian blood from the war. This will get more difficult not only as prices rise but as the nazi behaviour of Ukrainian "refugees" gets more difficult to conceal or explain away. This is another reason why the next false flag needs to be a gigantic one, that can't be ignored. And I see "opinion columnists" like Pat Buchanan on antiwar already laying the ground by claiming that Putin will use nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons will be used, but it won't be by Putin.

Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Apr 24 2022 14:05 utc | 3

There is no turning back now for towns that have decided to welcome Russian forces after being taken, particularly those towns that are holding referenda or reconstituting their leadership with Russian assistance.

All those towns, should they ever revert to Ukrainian state rule will be the sites of more Buchas.

I certainly hope the Russian forces understand this and that Putin is committed never to retreat from those towns where the local population have decided to throw in their lot with the Russian Federation ...

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Apr 24 2022 14:05 utc | 4

Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Apr 24 2022 14:05 utc | 4

They have so dumbed down their own populations, deliberately wrecking their attention spans and thinking abilities ... We already saw that Bucha didn't rouse anywhere near the amount of artificial rage it was supposed to and the Kramatorsk false flag was of course a dud.

This is what is won, when the propaganda war is "won" - eventual desensitization.

This is why it's useless to try to win such a contest, as Putin appears to know.

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Apr 24 2022 14:09 utc | 5

@ KillWallStreet 1
Excellent article, thank you.
At last France has several political parties. The US is only allowed two, so we get for example Trump or Hillary, if we're lucky (!).

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 24 2022 14:21 utc | 6

NOT Ukraine

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 24 2022 14:23 utc | 7

@ KillWallStreet 1 Excellent article, thank you. At last France has several political parties. The US is only allowed two, so we get for example Trump or Hillary, if we're lucky (!).

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 24 2022 14:21 utc | 7

Posted by: malenkov | Apr 24 2022 14:27 utc | 8

Here is an article that slipped through the cracks in 2014.
Wouldn't happen today.

It is from Newsweek of all things.
Newsweek is synonymous with Mockingbird Press.

The current editor-in-chief is Nancy Cooper.
Even a moderate bio about her is curiously missing.

Ukrainian Nationalist Volunteers Committing 'ISIS-Style' War Crimes
By Damien Sharkov On 9/10/14 at 12:36 PM EDT

[the author Damien Sharkov seems to be struggling for work these days]

https://www.newsweek.com/evidence-war-crimes-committed-ukrainian-nationalist-volunteers-grows-269604

-----
Also...
An important milestone in history was recorded in the article.

A warrant for Kolomoyskyi's arrest was issued in Russia in July for "organising the killing of civilians," through his sponsorship of volunteer militants.

Kolomoisky is the oligarch that funded the 2019 run for President by Zelensky.

Part of the reason for this Ukrainian war is the hatred Kolomoisky now holds for Putin because of the warrant.
This is confirmed in this Haaretz article:

https://www.haaretz.com/premium-the-most-powerful-jew-in-the-world-1.5315512

Archive found here: https://archive.ph/V8BcL

Posted by: librul | Apr 24 2022 14:28 utc | 9

Trump seems to love money more than he loves mass murder. He doesn't appear to care much about mass murder at all. He's more predisposed toward hits on individual enemies and rivals. Thinking about the helicopter crash that killed a couple guys about to rat him out.

On the other hand, Hillary becomes gleeful at the prospect of mass murder and she really loves money.

Hillary will try to run again. Maybe supplant Biden. Bite him.

Trump and kids could be indicted. But the PTB will not pursue it. The rot runs too deep. It will get all over everyone.

Of course Hunter can be indicted. Probably won't happen. They won't even indict Matt Gaetz.

Trump will run again for President.

Mid terms will bring R majorities in both houses.

Posted by: Chaka Khagan | Apr 24 2022 14:35 utc | 10

Come on, folks, this thread NOT UKraine

Posted by: Ricardo Ramirez | Apr 24 2022 14:38 utc | 11

@malenkov 9
I'm not sure there's a meaningful difference . .
Yes there is, three is more than two. Ralph Nader wrote a book about how a third party is not allowed in the US -- "Crashing the Party."

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 24 2022 14:39 utc | 12

Posted by: librul | Apr 24 2022 14:28 utc | 10

Part of the reason for this Ukrainian war is the hatred Kolomoisky now holds for Putin because of the warrant.

I think we can now put the old conspiracy theory that Putin is some kind of small hat club fifth columnist to bed.

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Apr 24 2022 14:39 utc | 13

NOT Ukraine, Arch Bungle.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 24 2022 14:42 utc | 14

Hello please can someone send me Poland Preparing For War? - Southfront
it's not working in germany ...

Posted by: Alice | Apr 24 2022 14:47 utc | 15

@malenkov 9 I'm not sure there's a meaningful difference . . Yes there is, three is more than two. Ralph Nader wrote a book about how a third party is not allowed in the US -- "Crashing the Party."

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 24 2022 14:39 utc | 13

More true would be to say that in the USA, as in Germany, as in Canada, as in the UK (etc.), third (and even second) parties are "allowed" -- by which I mean admitted to participation in political discourse -- as long as they pose no serious challenge to oligarchical interests. Thus Nader's Greens, which did and even do really exist, are effectively eliminated from political discourse (as are the few real Democrats such as Kucinich or challengers to party nomenklaturas like Gabbard and Ron Paul), whereas Baerbock's Greens are allowed to participate because they have been so thoroughly corrupted and co-opted.

Marine Le Pen might present something of an exception to this, but I doubt we'll ever find out, and in the unlikely event of her election I wouldn't get my hopes up much anyway.

Posted by: malenkov | Apr 24 2022 14:54 utc | 16

thanks b...

kinda tricky linking stories about ukraine and not wanting people to talk about them.... US narrative won’t survive defeat in Donbass as my first example.. but i won't talk about it, lol...

Posted by: james | Apr 24 2022 15:50 utc | 17

I presume this is the thread where the French election will be followed.

I hope for a Le Pen win to REALLY shake up the globalists and kick Macron out. But it may be unrealistic, we shall see.

It is an important day.

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 24 2022 15:52 utc | 18

I hope for a Le Pen win to REALLY shake up the globalists and kick Macron out.

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 24 2022 15:52 utc | 19

Classic stupidity. Elect a fascist, just because you're annoyed with a good administrator because you don't like his personality, and you get an incompetent government who are quite happy to cause confusion in order to put into action unachievable and ill-thought out goals, much like Johnson in UK. Why wreck a country just because you don't like a personality?

Posted by: laguerre | Apr 24 2022 16:11 utc | 19

Last night being the Orthodox Easter celebration, I thought I would revisit after a long time a lecture on Dostoievski's "The Brothers Karamazov", given by an old tutor of mine, way back in the day. The Lecture is titled "In Introducing Dostoievski's 'The Brothers Karamazov' ". It is very long, but this one section may interest some here:

...At the very end of the novel, as Alyosha addresses his twelve little friends, the twelve schoolboys, in a farewell speech, he begins it, "Let me look once more into your radiant faces."

At this point, Alyosha has left the monastery, as his Elder blessed him to do; he is about to leave his native town and go into the world. As he looks once more into his young friends', the schoolboys', radiant faces -- I must point out to you that there are two words in Russian meaning 'world'. Each of them means both world as universe, and world as people, as mankind.

The first word, "sviet," means light to begin with, for example the expression, the English expression, "in the whole wide world" also reads "in all the light." In terms of people, the same word means the upper class, the nobles, the aristocrats, the enlightened people.

The second Russian word for world is "mir," less lofty, more ordinary than "sviet," and it also means peace, concord, accord, agreement. In both senses of universe and people, it suggests a way of being at peace with itself in each case.

In the smallest and simplest of ways: Alyosha looking into their radiant faces "once more" before he goes out into the world -- their being all together, at peace with each other -- opens his horizon into the world at large, the universe and the people as being both radiant and at peace, reflected on the children's open faces..."

I was struck by how timely and of consequence my tutor's 'introductory' remarks in this lecture sound today, in the midst of all that is happening. The lecture was given in Soviet times - perhaps, given the turnabout we are experiencing, that is why it resonates.

Posted by: juliania | Apr 24 2022 16:15 utc | 20

@ laguerre | Apr 24 2022 16:11 utc | 22

has macron done that great of a job? and who exactly is behind macron? maintaining the status quo is not always the best option.. who is one supporting when they vote for macron?

Posted by: james | Apr 24 2022 16:24 utc | 21

While waiting news of Gonzalo Lira's preternatual insight into geo-political martial arts, I was perusing the website, TRT World, elected to read this ahh white paper, "A Decade in the Balance: The Status of Syrian Refugees in Turkey 10 Years On"

While not officially designated as refugees, all “Syrians under Temporary Protection” (SuTP) were given rights of access to health services, education, and the job market. Crucially, Turkey also committed to the UNHCR
right of non-refoulment for all SuTP.

5. The principle of non-refoulement constitutes the cornerstone of international refugee protection. It is enshrined in Article 33 of the 1951 Convention, which is also binding on States Party to the 1967 Protocol. 5 Article 33(1) of the 1951 Convention provides: “No Contracting State shall expel or return (“refouler”) a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories [?] where his [or her] life or freedom would be threatened on account of his [or her] race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”

6. The protection against refoulement under Article 33(1) applies to any person who is a refugee under the terms of the 1951 Convention, that is, anyone who meets the
requirements of the refugee definition contained in Article 1A(2) of the 1951 Convention (the “inclusion” criteria)6 and does not come within the scope of one of its exclusion [?] provisions.7 ...

Always read the footnotes: These often articulate astounding, programmatic contradictions, not least of which omission of test "protocol" (ie. limiting factor analysis of individual claims) or enforcement "mechanism" binding either UN members or "rules-based" scofflaws to any obligation to remediate refugees' "fear of persecution" in a "habitual residence."

Palestinians no longer merit Top 10 UNHCR "observations" of refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons abroad, and internally displace people. Am I to understand now, Palestinians no longer fear persectution in their "country" of origin? And thereby are incapable of excersing any right to return>

Posted by: sln2002 | Apr 24 2022 16:25 utc | 22

was the yellow vest thing, just a flash in the pan?? it sure didn't seem like it at the time..

Posted by: james | Apr 24 2022 16:25 utc | 23

@laguerre | Apr 24 2022 16:11 utc | 22

Why wreck a country just because you don't like a personality?

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 24 2022 16:38 utc | 24

has macron done that great of a job?

Posted by: james | Apr 24 2022 16:24 utc | 24

Sure, Why not? No-one else could have done better faced with the recent crises. The gilets jaunes were not a revolt against Macron but against his predecessors and the whole system of the last 50 years, as he had only just been elected at the time. Le Pen is proposing populist easy solutions, exactly like Johnson in UK. The only difference is that she is not a narcissist.

Posted by: laguerre | Apr 24 2022 16:39 utc | 25

thanks laguerre.... i appreciate your insider view.. i do wonder about the whole system of the last 50 years though and whether it is ultimately serving the best interests of france.. or perhaps france has changed so much, as has the world, and people are unhappy with how it has changed and looking for an alternative..

Posted by: james | Apr 24 2022 16:41 utc | 26

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 24 2022 16:38 utc | 27

So you're an enthusiast for fascism, which you want to see introduced in France. I don't think many on MoA would agree with you.

Posted by: laguerre | Apr 24 2022 16:41 utc | 27

@laguerre | Apr 24 2022 16:39 utc | 28

The gilets jaunes were not a revolt against Macron but against his predecessors and the whole system of the last 50 years, as he had only just been elected at the time.

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 24 2022 16:48 utc | 28

@laguerre | Apr 24 2022 16:41 utc | 30

I am sorry, but projection is not an argument.

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 24 2022 16:49 utc | 29

was the yellow vest thing, just a flash in the pan?? it sure didn't seem like it at the time..
Posted by: james | Apr 24 2022 16:25 utc | 26

That depends on who were your "trusted sources", 2019-2020. For example, Anglophone press instantly designated yellow vest "peaceful protesters" as deviants, "far-right" extremists, whose only "beef" amounted to destruction of private property or disruption of commuters' conveniencea. While domestic press (other than France24) reported on "disproportionate" police violence, particular demands to arrest Macron's economic agenda, and socially-acceptable "blue vest" solidarity in opposition to slo-mo dissolution of the welfare state, launched by Sarkozy, briefly interrupted by Mr Normal.

Posted by: sln2002 | Apr 24 2022 17:02 utc | 30

@Norwegian | Apr 24 2022 16:48 utc | 31

Really? Why then did the Gilets Jaunes write Macron Démission on their vests and sing songs about him for months on end?

Re Gilets Jaunes chant about Macron (video):
"Emmanuel Macron, Oh tête de con, on vient te chercher chez toi"

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 24 2022 17:16 utc | 31

That Der Spiegel interview... whoa, journalists Melanie Amann and Martin Knobbe are liars and vicious chills, and Scholz is a meek truth-evading sycophant. Poor Germany.

Posted by: fx | Apr 24 2022 17:17 utc | 32

Why then did the Gilets Jaunes write Macron Démission on their vests and sing songs about him for months on end?
Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 24 2022 16:48 utc | 31

You've obviously never understood the movement of the gilets jaunes. The movement started a few months after Macron was elected, so evidently not against Macron himself. It's never been revealed who was pushing it. I was faced with the violence myself. The Right said it was the far Left. I don't think so. Black-clad violent activists without signs are not typical of the Left. In any case, the gilets jaunes have always been supported by parties of the Right outside of France, not the Left.

Regarding "projection", if you call for a policy of fascism, it's no good pretending that it's not what you want, just because you didn't say so explicitly. You have to understand what it is that you are saying.

Posted by: laguerre | Apr 24 2022 17:17 utc | 33

I was looking at Russia's flag, the one with the two-headed eagle on it.

(Btw, why is there this flag too, on top of the regular one ?)

In any case, I was noticing that one head looks West, while the other looks East. The Western arm holds a scepter (a whacking stick) while the Eastern one holds a Faberge-looking egg (or holy hand grenade ?).

So, the readiness of violence on the West, and the Future on the East ?

Am I reading too much into it ?

Posted by: Featherless | Apr 24 2022 17:22 utc | 34

Posted by: malenkov | Apr 24 2022 14:54 utc | 17

H.R. 1, For the People Act (introduced 2019-2020 session, again 2021-2022), sponsored by House DNC caucus, in conjunction with the bogus John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act that does not restore Sec.5 pre-clearance, actually eliminates competitive candidacy for federal election. But one would have to read it to believe it.

Posted by: sln2002 | Apr 24 2022 17:23 utc | 35

The Yellow Vests, the late Limonov followed them with a weekly report while he was alive. I'm not sure about total figures up untill now but there have been twelve deaths in a nov18/jan 2019 period, there is talk about close to two thousand injured, plus another thousand police with minor injuries. The question is, could anyone image what would we be talking about if those statistics were applied to the protests in Moscow? Navalny keeps on instagraming, I'm not sure what kind of internet access is available in US jails. And one more thing about the Yellow Vests, celebrity Sobchak complained that Paris was not shopping paradise anymore, with all those Gilets Jaunes... Melenchon almost got there, his family name is of Spanish origin, so he feels familiar, I have the feeling he could have defeated Macron.

Posted by: Paco | Apr 24 2022 17:25 utc | 36

laguerre @28
Is at least consistent, he has been promoting the neo-liberal soft fascist Macron since he first ran.
It is not true though to suggest that Macron did not provoke the gilets jaunes protests. He did.

His policy proposals, include increasing the age of pension eligibility by several years and other 'reforms' to empty the well stuffed pockets of the cossetted workers to help out the starving billionaire class (Macron is reputed to have left the Rothschild Bank with some millions himself so he understand how tough life is for the rich.)
He also encouraged the police to treat the protestors with brutality- there was a march recently of those whose eyes had been put out by 'les flics'-and has strutted around France like the bully he is posing as a competent administrator while going along with EU directives when he wasn't attending functions to honour Petain and stress the 'achievements' of Vichy.
The French have a choice between the descendant of Petain and the revived OAS- in the shape of his valet's daughter Marine and, in the form of Macron, the ghost of Pierre Laval, the former socialist turned Quisling.

Posted by: bevin | Apr 24 2022 17:26 utc | 37

@laguerre | Apr 24 2022 17:17 utc | 36

You've obviously never understood the movement of the gilets jaunes. The movement started a few months after Macron was elected, so evidently not against Macron himself.

Black-clad violent activists without signs are not typical of the Left.

Regarding "projection", if you call for a policy of fascism, it's no good pretending that it's not what you want, just because you didn't say so explicitly. You have to understand what it is that you are saying.

MACRON CIAO

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 24 2022 17:36 utc | 38

I am sorry, but projection is not an argument.
Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 24 2022 16:49 utc | 32

Sure it is. Challenge yourself to a GOOG search of the term "projection," in particular "strength projection." In this way, you might even be able to collect relevant propositions, or questions, of debated agreement

Posted by: sln2002 | Apr 24 2022 17:54 utc | 39

Lagueule: [micron] is an effective administrator.

That’s what they said about mussolini.

Posted by: Platero | Apr 24 2022 17:58 utc | 40

thanks for the additional comments on the yellow jackets and etc.. especially bevin.. that is sort of how i have been seeing it..

Posted by: james | Apr 24 2022 18:03 utc | 41

Anyway, the debate is over. Macron has won by 57% to 42%. It's not even close.

Posted by: laguerre | Apr 24 2022 18:03 utc | 42

Posted by: bevin | Apr 24 2022 17:26 utc | 40

You're wrong about the gilets jaunes. I was present at some of the demos (involuntarily), and it was demonstrator-provoked violence, very nasty. Quite who was provoking it has never really come out. But the column of black-dressed activists advancing at a run down the street was frightening. That's not to say that the French police are not violent - they are. But that has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with Macron. It's been like that at least since the 2WW. 109 Algerians thrown in the Seine during the riot in 1962. French police are even violent in TV police thrillers. Not good, but not the fault of a president only elected a few months previously.
Defending Macron is not an act of soft fascism, as you would have it. Mélenchon would not have been better, as he has no government experience; he's nearly as populist as Le Pen, just a good orator. None of them have a better plan.

Posted by: laguerre | Apr 24 2022 18:17 utc | 43

thanks laguerre... i don't recall macron having any experience prior to his first win, but i am largely in the dark on france politics..

Posted by: james | Apr 24 2022 18:21 utc | 44

since no one--not even British whinging about refugee relocations to Rwanda--asked or projected the COST of NATO "inverventions" in humanitarian crises, let's recrap GAINS to date attributable to R2P "minorities" turfed to AUTHORITARIAN states:

the EU committed six billion Euros in aid over approximately nine
years to support Turkey and the SuTP. The aid was managed through the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey and the first allocation of funds primarily focused on building
temporary refugee centres. According to the EU, the joint plan resulted in a 97% drop in “irregular arrivals” in one year, from a staggering 10,000 people attempting to cross the Aegean each day in 2015, to 43 in 2016. Furthermore, the EU launched two programmes in financial assistance for SuTP. The Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) aimed to give 1.8 million refugees direct cash assistance for basic needs and services. The Conditional Cash Transfers for Education (CCTE) also provided funds for families with children who were attending school, in order to fund education costs and raise enrolment numbers. Both programs worked in close partnership with NGOs, and under the operational leadership of the Turkish Red Crescent.
[...]
As the Syrian war continues and the millions of temporary residents in Turkey face poverty, illness, cultural conflict, and uncertainty, the situation remains dire. Since the first SuTP began to arrive in Turkey — and since the initial EU and UN plans and partnerships — however, much has also changed.

According to the DGMM’s data, there has been a consistent dispersal of the SuTP population away from temporary shelters and into urban, semi-urban, and rural environments across the country. For example, in 2016 roughly 250,000 Syrians lived in 25 housing centres, with 2.4 million residing independently. Today, only 57,000 SuTP are currently housed in shelters, while almost all of the 3.6 million live independently in various provinces. Moreover, the temporary housing centres continue to close, with only 7 shelters currently in operation. Overall, this statistic is considered to be positive; the fact that almost all SuTP are residing in Turkish cities suggests a level of autonomy not possible in the past.

Posted by: sln2002 | Apr 24 2022 18:28 utc | 45

A modern fascist, Macron, runs against an antique fascist, LePen. Electorate dazzled by fancy footwork, they know Macron is a pig but never figure out how severely piggish or which breed of pig. Antique fascism is familiar to all so they vote against that. There was never a good choice. Why would a good choice be allowed?

Posted by: Oldhippie | Apr 24 2022 18:31 utc | 46

It's cute how some people think they still live in a 'democracy.'

Posted by: gottlieb | Apr 24 2022 18:38 utc | 47

@ Oldhippie | Apr 24 2022 18:31 utc | 49

same deal here in canada oldhippie... there are no choices in the so called 'democratic countries' of the west...its all been subverted...

Posted by: james | Apr 24 2022 18:49 utc | 48

Posted by: gottlieb | Apr 24 2022 18:38 utc | 50

"It's cute how some people think they still live in a 'democracy.'"

I dun think it's cute but rather STOOPID and DUMB........

Posted by: JC | Apr 24 2022 18:50 utc | 49

FYI, the Strategic Culture website seems to be back online now.

Posted by: Grieved | Apr 24 2022 18:50 utc | 50

Posted by: james | Apr 24 2022 18:49 utc | 51

"...... there are no choices in the so called 'democratic countries'...

I really can't decide which of the 5eyes I hates most... Canada, Ozzie, Kiwi, or UK... They're all the same fucking bastard WHITE trash... and now they're looking at China crossing the red line.... Solomon Island.... but, but, look how the Ozzie the Quad.... freaking Jap what they did to the Chinese in Manchuria and Nanjing...and not forgetting they too in Bangka Island massacred 22 nurses way back in 1942...

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Bangka_Island_massacre

https://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/Atrocities/Bangka_Island_Massacre/

BTW I was in Bangka island early 197s where the Ozzie had a settlement mining tin with sea dredges...

Posted by: JC | Apr 24 2022 19:11 utc | 51

In France the media ask workers to vote for a Rothschild banker.

Posted by: Passerby | Apr 24 2022 19:15 utc | 52

Edward Abbey, anarchist:
"Democracy--rule by the people--sounds like a fine thing; we should try it sometime in America."

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 24 2022 19:29 utc | 53

Macron vs Le Pen: The terrible outcome of Left's 1968 disastrous compromise
Posted by: KillWallStreet | Apr 24 2022 13:31 utc | 1

I'm using Malwarebytes and it told me this:

Website blocked due to trojan
Website blocked: failedevolution.blogspot.com

Malwarebytes Browser Guard blocked this website because it may contain malware activity.
We strongly recommend you do not continue.

I've been to failedevolution many times. Is this extension an...ahem...extension of the US "security" or "intelligence" state?

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Apr 24 2022 19:42 utc | 54

The US position is that it is a democracy because there is a voting process, whereas China is "autocratic" because (as I understand it) rather than voting it has committees at various levels which decide who governs.
But we know that voting doesn't equate to rule by the people, by a long shot. The US voting process involves gerrymandering, dead people voting, corporate corruption, lifetime representatives, third parties not permitted, just for a few problems.
So we should look at the results, and also the opinions of people. US citizens approval of the US Congress has held steadily at about twenty percent for a long time (at Real Clear Politics). Not good.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 24 2022 19:46 utc | 55

Posted by: Oldhippie | Apr 24 2022 18:31 utc | 49

Lira is live with Galloway. The more I listen to the guy the more I'm convinced that he is a bullshiter. To Galloways questions he answers with lectures of his own that have nothing to do with the question, after Galloway insisting he says that he signed some papers so he he cannot give any details, but goes on with his I'm for all good and against all bad type of BS. I was expecting to see Imran Khan.

Posted by: Paco | Apr 24 2022 20:20 utc | 56

"Very powerful soliloquy", that's why I like Galloway, I love the way he speaks english.

Posted by: Paco | Apr 24 2022 20:24 utc | 57

Well, laguerre, we have been differing on this matter for years. I think that you are wrong about the violence, in that Macron made no effort to rein in the cops, in fact he went out of his way to borrow their mantle of thuggishness.
Many of the weapons that the police used seem to have been illegal and ought to have led to stern admonition rather than reassurances of impunity.
The conspiracy that you suspect, behind the gilets must have been a big one because the movement took off quickly, widely and involved thousands who had not previously been politically active.
As to Macron's neo-fascism, he seems at pains to hint at the continuities between Petainism, Action Francaise and his own demagogic vehicle.
The truth is though, that we have just stepped back into the world of practice: we will see how he deals with the crises that he inherited, and helped to manufacture including the undeclared war with Russia.

Posted by: bevin | Apr 24 2022 20:26 utc | 58

Putin was correct to describe the dissolution of the Soviet Union as the greatest disaster of the 20th century, even as he got some of the details wrong in his historical account of the Ukraine as detailed in the essay "Synthetic Left Joins Corporate Right in Getting Ukraine War Wrong" linked by our host above. It should be noted that the author of that essay got some details wrong as well, though.

Rosa Luxemburg’s and Putin’s critiques of Lenin may be a century apart but they converge in one crucial respect. They both assert that the Russian revolutionary declaration that all nations have the right to self-determination was excessive. By endorsing self-determination, the Bolsheviks ensured the outcome seen now in the numerous ethno-territorial conflicts in post-Soviet states.

Well! That's easy to argue now, but there was never any intention of those states becoming "post-Soviet" when they were formed. As the author noted, "When Ukraine was incorporated into the USSR, the nationality question was kept under control by the fact that Soviet citizenship was not restricted by ethnic identity and all Ukrainians were citizens of the Soviet Union." This supranational identity superseded the national identities across the Soviet Union and rendered the nationalist tendencies irrelevant. That arrangement would have continued for as long as the Soviet Union existed as a socialist entity. Had not the arrogant bureaucrats greedily sold out the USSR for the opportunity to become the Slavic equivalents of J.R. Ewing and Blake Carrington then the Ukraine would today be an advanced and moderately wealthy country with an abundance of good high tech jobs and a comfortable standard of living.

Most importantly, had the Soviet Union not been deliberately wrecked for the chance to experience the dream of living in an American soap opera there would be no Nazis in the Ukraine today.

Blaming Lenin, or even Khrushchev, for the metastasizing of fascist cancer in the Ukraine is misguided. That mass mental disorder would never have been possible within the Soviet Union. The cause for the Ukraine's current tragic condition was the profoundly misguided dismantling of the Soviet Union and the embrace of liberal delusion that motivated that dismantling.

Posted by: William Gruff | Apr 24 2022 20:41 utc | 59

Looks like the Muslim vote and technocratic middle and upper class got their wish and France will keep being lead down the primrose path.

Multiculturalism FTW!

Oh well. Doesn't change what is coming.

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Apr 24 2022 20:51 utc | 60

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Apr 24 2022 19:42 utc | 57

Just visited failedevolution using Firefox on Debian linux. Everything looked as usual; no warnings.

A search for "failedevolution.blogspot.com trojan" on Startpage and Andi produced no results.

That doesn't mean it's safe of course. Good luck.

Posted by: Ranelagh | Apr 24 2022 20:53 utc | 61

i don't think there are any real alternatives in any of the western "democracies".

Posted by: pretzelattack | Apr 24 2022 21:07 utc | 62

Lest we forget.
Thinking of the weary foot soldiers on both sides of another ghastly war.
Best to all Aussie and Kiwi barflies this ANZAC Day.

Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 24 2022 21:44 utc | 63

Posted by: William Gruff | Apr 24 2022 20:41 utc | 62

Thanks for the comment on the breakup of the Soviet Union, William! Lately, I am going back to archived radio programs and lectures on the topic and stumbled on Sean Gervasi's talk in '91. I am a rather youngish person so I don't know how well known Prof. Gervasi was at that time. AFAIK he was economic advisor under JFK but resigned after the Bay of Pigs invasion and later taught political economy (I could be wrong). It's a fascinating talk and a quasi-decal on what's going on now. RAND Corp. (sounds familiar?)under Reagan established a plan in the early 80's called Full Court Press to destabalize the Soviet Union on different fronts (southern underbelly, Iraq, Baltics, etc) and through different means. Gervasi also wrote for Covert Action Bulletin/Magazine. His report can be read online in the COB/M archives. He died in Belgrad in '95 while he was reporting on what was going on in Yugoslavia. Dave Emory has also an 10-hours archived show from the same year which analyzes the aformentioned Reagan-Bush foreign policies to pressure and destabalize Russia. Link is from the great YT channel Our Hidden History.

Posted by: vato | Apr 24 2022 21:55 utc | 64

Posted by: William Gruff | Apr 24 2022 20:41 utc | 62

Excellent comment. Agree with you there. I'm curious though as to how this "NOT" Ukraine thread has veered into Ukraine.

Anyway, one of the countries you may be alluding to is Chechia. They handled the dissolution of the Soviet state much differently than Ukraine. Rather than a few Western-friendly oligarchs stripping the nation state's assets and selling them off for personal gain, the Czech government managed the transition to a market economy much more even handedly.

Even the IMF (ironically?) acknowledges this: https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/books/084/05998-9781557755193-en/ch02.xml

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Apr 24 2022 22:42 utc | 65

Thank you laguerre, for explaining so well to foreigners how in France the French were told what the alternative was.

Either an extraordinarily competent person, a banker, a real manager (he is the French president, & France still exists, so he is a great manager).

Or a fascist who has no competence in banking.

That’s what Le Monde, Libération, Le Figaro told us. It's nice to be able to read that on MoA too.

We miss an official representative of the Wapo & the Guardian on MoA. Need to promote diversity. You seem to be qualified for this role as well.

Posted by: Leuk | Apr 24 2022 23:32 utc | 66

Macron won, eh? Pfft! What was the turnout this time? How many abstained or spoiled their ballots? How many of the some 47 million (or more?) registered voters cast a vote for Emmanuel's mandate?

"Emmanuel Macron, Oh tête de con, on vient te chercher chez toi!"

Posted by: majoab | Apr 24 2022 23:40 utc | 67

Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Apr 24 2022 13:51 utc | 2

"Macron has abolished the Diplomatic Corps which is bonkers. France has one of the very best Diplomatic Corps and Macron is simply a loon. France is a downbeat nation with few prospects of glory up ahead..."

Yeah, but he is somebody or some network's pet loon, no?
Curious: can you think of a single major Western nation that doesn't have a pet loon as titular Head? Seem to me that everything west of Hungary is lalalandia that way.

The fact that such poorly led and increasingly fractured populations in the West are taking on such well-led, cohesive nations in the East seems extraordinarily one-sided.

Or maybe I've been sipping too much dystopian Cool-Aid?

Posted by: Scorpion | Apr 24 2022 23:52 utc | 68

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Apr 24 2022 13:52 utc | 3

"Perhaps an expert on military science can weigh in ... ?"

No expert here at all, but here's a tip for free:

STOP watching those networks!!

Posted by: Scorpion | Apr 24 2022 23:55 utc | 69

First of all, Le Pen should just accuse Macron of electoral fraud and stuffing the ballots. Even if it's BS, it's time to turn the tables and wreck the fake Western democracies and spread accusations against the ruling elite. These fuckers fully deserve it, so let's do a reverse EuroMaidain, first in Paris and next in the rest of the continent. And I don't mean half-assed retarder shit like a few dunces walking across the Congress Halls, I mean tens of thousands of pissed off voters calling out fraud and asking for Macron's head.
Though of course Le Pen is a lazy useless figurehead who wouldn't dare to go on the attack, so this isn't going to happen. Even Melenchon wouldn't dare to do it, were he in her place.

Posted by: Clueless Joe | Apr 25 2022 0:06 utc | 70

Posted by: Clueless Joe | Apr 25 2022 0:06 utc | 73

"so let's do a reverse EuroMaidain"

The word 'let's' implies a 'we' as in 'we the people.'
Unfortunately we are never in the slightest organized, in fact most of us don't and never will know each other and most of those of us we do know we disagree with, dislike, despise or avoid, whilst a far smaller number of 'they's are organized, they can remain so over generations, have good discipline and hierarchical chains of command and access to unlimited funds and connections. It seems the only times the masses come together is when they are herded into collective mass formation psychosis which in the West after about 70 years of non-stop TV is pretty much all the time.

Which brings to mind what Tonto is purported to have said in response to the Lone Ranger's 'What are we going to do, Tonto?' when they were confronted by a band of hostile Injuns: "What do you mean 'we' white man?"

Posted by: Scorpion | Apr 25 2022 0:39 utc | 71

the plot thickens

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-24/scott-morrison-china-naval-base-solomon-islands-red-line/101011710

Scott Morrison says China building a military base on Solomon Islands would be the "red line" for Australia and the United States, but did not say how Australia would respond if it happened.

...."We won't be having Chinese military naval bases in our region on our doorstep."

Mr Morrison would not say how he would respond if re-elected, if the "red line" was crossed and China did move to establish a military base.

He instead said that Solomon Island's Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare assured him it would not happen....

.....Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said....."And we wouldn't have thumbed our nose at Pacific leaders when they told us at a forum that climate change was their number one national security issue...."

Posted by: michaelj72 | Apr 25 2022 1:20 utc | 72

Posted by: michaelj72 | Apr 25 2022 1:20 utc | 75
wow using the same justification (but without evidence backing it up) that Russia uses to attack Ukraine. a red flag, which Putin has been warning the west about for decades. but i guess Australia gets some derivative of the right to dictate to its neighbors what countries it is acceptable to enter into treaties with, kind of like a Monroe Doctrine franchise.

Posted by: pretzelattack | Apr 25 2022 1:36 utc | 73

I have attended ANZAC Day events in Australia and New Zealand in the past. This included one ceremony where Russians in uniform, ostensibly our allies, also attended.

I watched coverage from both countries today. Never has this day been politicised like today. We were told who were our next enemies. This is in the middle of an Australian election.

No surprises for guessing who was on the next enemies list, who we 'supported' and who was a danger or a 'threat'.

It will be a long time coming for me to adopt the long enemies list of crazed Ziocons in Washington. That is not my idea of patriotism.

Posted by: Paul | Apr 25 2022 1:41 utc | 74

Posted by: michaelj72 | Apr 25 2022 1:20 utc | 75

"We won't be having Chinese military naval bases in our region on our doorstep."

It's hard to understand how dangerous dipshits like Dutton and Morriscum can't see the ironic comparison with Ukraine.

The jump from "We won't be having NATO military bases in our region on our doorstep." never occurs to them.

When it comes to the govt in Oz I really really want to use the c word all the time.

Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 25 2022 2:41 utc | 75

Posted by: Paul | Apr 25 2022 1:41 utc | 77

My ex-wife's beloved Uncle John (great-uncle actually) was an Aussie in the British merchant marine during ww2 working on the convoys shipping lend-lease to the Soviets. The route was Liverpool to Murmansk around Iceland, 3 days lay-over, back to England, then repeat. In transit the U-boat wolf packs were an ever present threat and he said that on board they were all nervous wrecks all the time. He smoked 300 cigarettes a day, lighting one of the other till port. Then it was offloading, straight to the vodka and girls, returning with a blistering hangover to do it all over. For 2 years without a break.

He was a lovely man, a gentle spirit and one of nature's gentlemen who didn't talk about the war till 1995 when the Russians invited him to Moscow to take part in the 50th anniversary of the victory. Apart from his wife Mary everyone was in shock: he went, was received with honour and awarded special medals made for the event. The Russians apologized that it had taken so long to acknowledge his part in their victory. For John it broke the silence and closed a wound; his PTSD had buried it deep inside but the warmth and goodwill of the Russians reminded him how much he loved those people. He opened up and told long stories including to me on numerous occasions. I couldn't get enough of the recollections. In the end he said 'I'd do it all again if asked'.

A time of honour and friendship. Lest we forget we fought with them and why we did.

Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 25 2022 2:53 utc | 76

Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 25 2022 2:53 utc 79

Thank You for that posting, a pleasure to read and an honour to great Uncle John and the many others like him forgotten.

Posted by: Fíréan | Apr 25 2022 3:26 utc | 77

The extradition of Julian Assange was formally approved by the UK in this past week:
https://independentaustralia.net/life/life-display/assange-legal-team-announces-fresh-developments-at-court-hearing,16290

Assange has been the subject of a clever, vicious smear campaign including claims that he raped two women! that he leaked details which saw innocent persons killed! that he starved and mistreated his cat! - that last sounds like a joke, but it was certainly out there as part of the US character assassination, which is part and parcel of twisting us all to allow his actual persecution and (may it never be!) assassination.

The smear campaign was hugely successful, and most of the Western world has been content to stand by and let him be locked up for years, fundamentally for revealing US war crimes.

Priti Patel, as set out in the linked article, is expected to make the final decision in May.
I repeat what I've said at comment 91 on the post "How Not To Report On Ukraine": please, wherever you are, take action in defence of freedom of information - demonstrate, educate, lobby, vote - to support and free Assange.

Posted by: Hope | Apr 25 2022 4:52 utc | 78

Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship.Gilbert: There is one difference. In a democracy, the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars. Göring: Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.
Lest we forget.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has marked Anzac Day by invoking the spectre of Nazi Germany and declaring that Australia can only preserve peace by preparing for war.

Mr Dutton also directly compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler and again suggested China was on a similar path to Germany in the 1930s in the lead up to World War II.

Patroklos | Apr 25 2022 2:53 utc | 79
Thanks for that story. WWII is one war Australia fought in I don't have an issue with.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 25 2022 5:08 utc | 79

Macron has won the election. The police shot two people on election night for refusal to stop car.

Posted by: Passerby | Apr 25 2022 5:26 utc | 80

Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 25 2022 2:53 utc | 79

"...A time of honour and friendship. Lest we forget we fought with them and why we did".

My great uncle was an original ANZAC, he fought with the mixed Australian and New Zealand Brigade of the ANZAC Corps and died soon after the landing at Lone Pine. There was so much death and carnage they were buried in mass graves. His death devastated the family.

My late mother was a WRAAF cypher operator at RAAF HQ and a cypher instructor at RAAF, Point Cook. That's where she met my late father who was a combat veteran, first class shot and a Japanese language student.

My late father didn't join the officer reserve after the war, he said, "I volunteered for the duration of the war, the Army wouldn't let me go when the war was over".

Dad instructed me on the details of Geneva Conventions. That's why I am an enthusiastic supporter of Palestine and justice.

I have a copy of the ICRC's 'Commentary to the Fourth Geneva Convention' [civilians under occupation]. I pull it out of the bookcase and ask skeptics to read the 400 provisions and ask them to show me one, just one, provision ever observed by the Bandit State. They are lost for words.

I honour my family and I seek no more futile wars on every ANZAC Day.

Time for a game of 2 UP and a beer.

Posted by: Paul | Apr 25 2022 6:29 utc | 81

The majority of French people do not want Macron to win in the June legislative elections: 63 percent of those questioned said they want Macron not to have a majority in parliament, while 35 percent said they do want him to secure a majority, according to an Opinionway poll conducted for Cnews and Europe 1.

The survey was conducted on Sunday, among 1,300 French voters, after the first results of the presidential election runoff were published.

Asked about who they would favour as prime minister, 46 percent chose Marine Le Pen, 44 percent said they favoured Jean-Luc Melenchon, while 8 percent sided with Valerie Pecresse (the presidential candidate from The Republicans party).

49 percent of the respondents said they were satisfied with the results of the second round of the French presidential election; the same number of participants said they were not satisfied with the outcome of the vote.

Posted by: Laurence | Apr 25 2022 6:58 utc | 82

More war for anzac day. Very few have learned so nothing to forget. The suckers will get marched of to war again in the not too distant future.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-25/anzac-day-commemorating-across-australia/101012362

Darwin's dawn service hosted the country's two main federal political leaders, who had spent yesterday campaigning in the Northern Territory.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and deputy Labor leader Richard Marles — filling in for Anthony Albanese, who is in COVID-19 isolation — both spoke about the war in Ukraine.

"Our world is changing, war does stalk Europe again, coercion troubles our region once more," Mr Morrison said.

"An arc of autocracy is challenging the rules-based order our grandparents had secured."

Mr Marles said this Anzac Day was also a time to reflect on the suffering and sacrifices of people in Ukraine — and to offer support to Ukraine-Australians.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 25 2022 7:57 utc | 83

Posted by: Patroklos | Apr 25 2022 2:53 utc | 79

Patroklos, I responded to your post of yesterday on the Rules Based Order thread but maybe you missed it.
(@ waynorinorway | Apr 24 2022 9:02 utc | 214)

Thanks for your story of your Great Uncle. I can relate. (Long ago in a past life I was an American serving in Vietnam.
It was my then not-so-great Uncle Sam’s idea, not mine.) Everybody who goes to war gets injured.
Everybody! Even those who receive no physical harm.

For me though it’s interesting to know your Unc. was on some of the convoys that rounded Northern Norway where I now live. For the past 15 years I have been researching events of WWII here in the Tromsø region. My main interest is the story of Jan Baalsrud and Operation Martin. Most Norwegians on this blog will be quite familiar with that, btw, it’s a fascinating tale. Operation Martin was originally planned to sabotage the airport Bardufoss which is located close to Tromsø and from which the Germans were able to attack the convoys on their way to Murmansk. I’m also very familiar with the Tirpitz, sister ship of Bismarck, which was an absolute source of terror for the convoys. Its final resting place is just a few K from my home.

Again, I join with all those commemorating ANZAC day.

Posted by: waynorinorway | Apr 25 2022 8:24 utc | 84

laguerre #22

Why wreck a country just because you don't like a personality?

Qaddafi comes to mind and a country called Libya. Are you telling me that France has agreed to pay full reparations. And perhaps prosecute its past French president that received election funding from Qaddafi.

I cannot see Le Pen wrecking France any more that the neo liberal economic order has in mind.

Perhaps the bigger question might be 'why wreck a country because it is a mendacious member of Nato and sends fascist intelligence/military trainers to a fascist country called Ukraine"? That is enough reason to wreck a country.

Then of course you could suggest that any country that maintains a colony half way round the world purely for its pleasure to enslave the exotic in the pacific is more than enough reason to wreck that country.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 25 2022 10:21 utc | 85

This morning :

- Stock down, bearish mood on commodities
- Gold down, that's strange
- Crypto down, bearish mood
- Yuan down, locked down economy in cooldown
- Dollar up ???

So when everything goes wrong people buy Dollars.

Posted by: murgen23 | Apr 25 2022 10:38 utc | 86

laguerre #46

You're wrong about the gilets jaunes. I was present at some of the demos (involuntarily), and it was demonstrator-provoked violence, very nasty. Quite who was provoking it has never really come out. But the column of black-dressed activists advancing at a run down the street was frightening. That's not to say that the French police are not violent - they are. But that has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with Macron. It's been like that at least since the 2WW. 109 Algerians thrown in the Seine during the riot in 1962. French police are even violent in TV police thrillers. Not good, but not the fault of a president only elected a few months previously.

Thank you for this post. Allow me to dissect this and to assess your response.

So Macron is only newly elected when the gilets jaunes phenomenon arises. There is some violence associated with their passive roadside demonstrations against punitive fuel taxes. Who are these black clad violent columns? Was not one arrested at all to determine their presence and motivation and relationships? Macron has allowed this indeterminancy to continue for years in a land where the rule of law applies? Has he not sacked the chief of police for this oversight? appointed a special magistrate to determine why these columns of very scary black clad gangs failed to be wearing yellow vests and what political/official affiliations they might have? Shame on Macron for years of ignorance parading as virtue. How French of him.

The violence of the French police is entirely the business of the President. They are violent against the French citizens that elect the Presidency and the National Assembly - French police violence has perpetuated since well before 1968 and is the very business of the French President because it is the same thug violence used by Louis and his grotesque monarchy before the French Revolution. In fact it seems to be the sole surviving instrument of state to perpetuate its old ways - but it has nothing to do with Macron - not his fault? BS

The French national security apparatus is second to none and they have no idea of the networks and relationships between all these violence based individuals? I do not believe it.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 25 2022 10:47 utc | 87

Meeting tonight of the gilets jaunes.

"faire vivre la Commune de Paris"

Posted by: Platero | Apr 25 2022 11:34 utc | 88

@murgen23

Ag commodities futures not weakening. Especially cooking oil. Let them eat salad. With vinegar.

Posted by: Platero | Apr 25 2022 11:39 utc | 89

Where is Lieutenant General Cloutier, and where is Mariupol deputy mayor Sergey Orlov? What happened to the Skripals and where is Tiffany Dover?

https://johnplatinumgoss.com/2022/04/25/missing-persons/

Posted by: John Goss | Apr 25 2022 11:44 utc | 90

The French national security apparatus is second to none and they have no idea of the networks and relationships between all these violence based individuals [masked persons fomenting violence at Yellow Jacket demos]? I do not believe it.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 25 2022 10:47 utc | 90

That may be indeed the case of the dog that did not bark. Why bark if you recognize the smell of a person entering the house?

From various news about affair Skripal, even bucolic small town in England are saturated with cameras that record what happens. I presume that in metro Paris we can expect the same, allowing to trace black-clad folks. But if this is not the case, ancient techniques of following a person using multiple undercover police is feasible. Then again, my image of French police is from Pink Panther movies, so genuine ineptitude could be an explanation. Sometimes life surpasses the stupidest comedies.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 25 2022 12:08 utc | 91

I see Uncle Tungsten @ 90 coming close to discovering that the violent demonstrators seen by Laguerre at some Gilets Jaunes demonstrations may be infiltrators from French security agencies akin to the provocateurs seen in the Hong Kong riots in 2019.

Posted by: Jen | Apr 25 2022 12:27 utc | 92

Posted by: Paul | Apr 25 2022 1:41 utc | 77

Thank you, Paul and others for remembering Anzac Day. And yes, the Russians were and still are our allies, because they are defenders. That was how my father and uncles went off to that war, as defenders, whatever the politics of it had been. My father left home when I was two weeks old; his army chaplain baptized me and all I saw of him for more than four years was his photo in uniform, kept like an icon on a little table in my grandmother's house where we lived.

He was sent off to Greece, unprepared in every way, and that was a disaster. They were defending in the mountains and they didn't even have warm enough clothes. I have his war-issued diaries -- unfortunately he even rebelled against putting much in them, but there they are, mostly a mute record of an inner rebellion he never spoke about afterwards. Next was North Africa; that was warm at least. And I am glad he at least made the attempt to defend Greece. It has needed defending ever since.

Posted by: juliania | Apr 25 2022 13:26 utc | 93

Sad to see so many miss the point about the wars Australia & Aotearoa have been dragged into. I say this as a citizen of both countries and as a human who has had relatives fight and die for both nations in ww 1 & 2.

As my grandfather worked out after he had his two oldest boys die in WW 1, the eldest was a sunset rider in the Queensland Light Horse, the younger an infantryman in the 1st NZEF, the reason for war was nonsense, pure propaganda based on bullshit about Germans bayoneting Belgian babies. By the end of the war his sheep station's shepherds huts were full of young men, 'shirkers' they called them, who were hiding out to avoid becoming more cannon fodder. He had worked out too late what a nonsense that war was and had decided that just because two of his sons had died there was no good reason for any other man's sons to have the same happen.

That was my mother's family, my father's mob didn't get the message, did not work out until later that so-called WW2 was merely a the inevitable continuation of the first 'let's make the rich war-mongers' richer exercise in thinning out the population.

Those who doubt that should read historian AJP Taylor's "The Origins of the Second World War" (a copy of which you can find right here where the run up to the second half is discussed, with particular reference to the role of arsehole A Hitler, whose actions were not premeditated, but rather a series of reactions to a world determined to punish Germany for not winning the first act in order to divert attention from the faults of 1914 France, england, Russia, Italy & Austria which had contributed to the causes of war as much as Germany.

Yep as I said above A Hitler was an arsehole but that is not why anyone went to war in '39. No one gave a toss about anti-semitism or nazi insistence that slavs were untermensch, may politicians in the allies side shared that belief. The slaughter of jews, gypsies and slavs was used after the war as a reason to show the allies were justified, but had nothing to do with why europe went to war.

As for the war with Japan, that was entirely amerika's doing as they had gotten envious of Japan's success as a Pacific imperialist and had done what was to become their usual trick. From early 1942 onwards amerika placed a naval blockade around Japan refusing any cargo ships entry to Japan. amerika was happy to starve Japan, just as they did half a century later with Iraq.

Anyway my father flew an Avenger on convoy protection for most of the war. Despite entreaties for anzac servicemen to return to the south Pacific once the war with Japan got going, the englanders forbade it and threatened anzacs with desertion if they tried to go back & defend their homes.

The reason was simple, since the Somme debacle in 1916 where the englanders suffered 70,000 casualties in a day, englander pols had colluded with englander military to make sure that kiwis, australians, canadians, south africans and indians were the cannon fodder for the risky jobs. The parents of dead troops from the colonies couldn't vote englander pols out, what!

The upshot of that in WW2 was anzacs in europe were stuck there until the USSR defeated the nazis. Churchill actually said that if Oz or Aotearoa got invaded, well, they would just have to invade them back. Didn't go down well with all those who had been helping the englanders to find out that their families weren't copping the same care.

All wars are an exercise in greedy & powerful types using others to satisfy their lust for money & power. There is no such thing as a 'good war'. The only thing anzac day is good for is getting up a decent two up school, but since casinos have bastardised that game, young people no longer know how to play it correctly, it is no longer even much good for that.

Plus it's legal nowadays, a coupla times in the bad old, good old days, we had the jacks try and close down our anzac day two up school - they never did just hung around hoping for an earner but no one gave 'em shit - we knew as well as them that no judge is ever gonna fine someone for playing two up on anzac day.
The old diggers would stand around talking about their mates, who had spun how many heads where (Italy, North Africa, Greece & Crete for the ww2 blokes) when. That was a great way to remember blokes without giving any props to the arseholes who sent everyone off to fight and get killed.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Apr 25 2022 14:11 utc | 94

Posted by: Debsisdead | Apr 25 2022 14:11 utc | 97

We don't miss the point, Debsisdead; we simply remember who we lost then. My mother's brother died in the huge gathering of armies in North Africa to push the German forces out. He was first buried in the desert, then relocated in a cemetery in Tunisia. (I have a bowl carved from Tunisian olive wood in my chapel). He had barely arrived when that clash took place, and I don't think ever fired a shot. He didn't want to go, had told the family he didn't think he would come back. A last letter to my mother said "Look after the little one." That was me.

So, we remember.

Posted by: juliania | Apr 25 2022 14:43 utc | 95

China Lectures Scott Morrison on Red Lines:

"The relevant standard of the US and Australia has been ironic: They can provoke, but whoever fights back would be called an 'aggressor.' They can condemn any country, yet whoever talks back will be labeled a 'wolf worrier;' They can have all forms of military cooperation with others, but China's legitimate security collaboration with others is a 'threat.'

"When Morrison made the 'red line' rhetoric, he jeopardized the red line of the Solomon Islands, an independent country, by failing to respect the latter's diplomatic sovereignty. The Australian government is so used to making decisions on behalf of Pacific island countries, with the belief that those islands should naturally follow its 'guidance.' Such a mentality can be viewed as Australian neo-colonialism, Yang Honglian, senior researcher at the Liaocheng University, told the Global Times." [My Emphasis]

Very hard to disagree with any part of this editorial. Given Morrison's predatory attitude, it's a very good thing the Solomon Islands and China agreed to a security arrangement.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 25 2022 14:45 utc | 96

Patroklas@79....'he'd do it all over again'...my Gramps did 4 yrs in France, 15 yrs old, waist deep in, water filled trenches; water, human waist, blood and lice. He said about every ten twelve days, they'd come round with new uniforms. They'd get undressed, change into new gear and all there old kit was piled up and burned on the spot.

For King and Country, he went back in '39, France, North Africa, Italy, all the way to Berlin. Came home in '45.

The War propaganda was greater back then, not that many sources for alternate views. Can't imagine what they went through.

Cheers M

Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Apr 25 2022 14:52 utc | 97

Peter AU1--On Your Malcom Fraser research--

Since The Conversation is a major publication in Australia, it stands to reason that university libraries will have years-worth of back copies in either hard copies, microfish or both. Most such libraries will have a research librarian whose job is to help people do research and is where I'd start. Or you can go straight to the library's Periodical Department and request to view those copies of The Conversation you suspect of having the articles you seek. Electronic deletion's easy; purging all libraries of hard copies and microfish would be very difficult, which is why I'm suggesting this method of inquiry. I don't know where you are in proximity to the University of Melbourne where Fraser's papers are archived, but I would start there, although any major university ought to have that publication. Once you find the articles you seek, you can photocopy them for referencing.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 25 2022 14:59 utc | 98

Yesterday was China's Space Day. The article outlines China's very active launch program, some of which is describes below:

China successfully conducted 55 orbital launches in 2021, and China will further advance its pursuit of space dreams, planning more than 60 launches in 2022, Wu Yanhua, deputy head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA,) told the Global Times on the sidelines of the event.

The 2022 launch schedule includes six for the in-orbit building of the country's first space station including launches for the Tianzhou-4, Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft and Wentian and Mengtian laboratory modules. China plans to launch space infrastructure satellites including the Gaofen-01A remote sensing satellite as well as ones tasked for environment monitoring services, per the CNSA deputy head.

Wu revealed that China will officially launch research and studies for its Phase-4 lunar explorations, including the launches of the Chang'e-6, -7, and -8 probes to the moon, during which work on tackling key technology issues and those related to the construction of the China-Russia proposed International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) would be carried out.

One launch per week is ambitious, IMO. China's lunar exploration program and construction of its space station showcase China's technical capabilities. The nice infographic details some of China's goals. One area that will scare the Outlaw US Empire is China's pursuit of an anti-asteroid system:

To practice these principles, Wu told the Global Times that China is eyeing building a system for near-Earth asteroid defense, organizing the drafting of development plans and developing near-Earth small celestial body defense simulation software.

"It is to contribute China's wisdom to the human beings' joint response to the threat of small near-Earth objects, taking on the responsibility of a great country and safeguarding the safety of Earth and peaceful development of humanity together with other countries," Wu underscored.

A ground-based and space-based monitoring and warning system for asteroids will be set up to catalog and analyze asteroids that pose a threat to humanity's space activities, and then relevant technology and engineering will be developed to dispel the threats. [My Emphasis]

Unmentioned is China's proposed solar collection array for harvesting solar energy and transmitting it to Earth. China's space program provides a different sort of measuring device of various nations capabilities and priorities for barflies to ponder.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 25 2022 15:37 utc | 99

RT held another interview with the MFA's "Director of the Fourth Department of the CIS countries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Dmitry Gonchar" mainly about the 30th anniversary in relations with Azerbaijan and Armenia, and about relations between South Ossetia, Abkazia, and Georgia. What follows is the machine translation from the original Russian. IMO, of particular interest is how the EU and the supposedly neutral Switzerland impede peace talks between the latter three nations.

Question: April of this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia. How do you assess Moscow's current dialogue with Baku and Yerevan?

Maria Zakharova: This year marks the 30th anniversary of Russia's establishment of diplomatic relations with a number of CIS countries, including Azerbaijan and Armenia. With these two Transcaucasian republics, we are united by strong traditions of friendship, deep historical ties and common civilizational closeness of our peoples. In its content and spirit, Moscow's relations with both Baku and Yerevan have the character of a strategic partnership and alliance, are built on the basis of equality, respect for each other's interests and good-neighborliness.

A close political dialogue is maintained with Azerbaijan and Armenia. The high level of personal trusting relations of the leaders essentially sets the dynamics for the entire spectrum of our bilateral cooperation with Baku and Yerevan.

On February 22 of this year, during the visit of the President of Azerbaijan I.G. Aliyev in Moscow, the Declaration on Allied Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan was signed, which brings bilateral relations to a new level. We consider this as an important milestone in our multifaceted ties and are committed to the vigorous implementation of all the provisions of this Declaration. On April 19-20, the first official visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia N.V. Pashinyan to Russia was successfully held. The leaders of the two countries adopted a joint statement, which reflects the main directions of further efforts to deepen the bilateral alliance.

Question: How does the crisis in Russia's relations with the West affect Moscow's cooperation with Azerbaijan and Armenia? Does the current state of affairs open up additional opportunities for expanding Russia's trade and economic cooperation with these countries?

Maria Zakharova: We note the balanced position of our Azerbaijani and Armenian partners regarding the situation around Ukraine and the unprecedented anti-Russian campaign by the West. We are well aware of the pressure of external forces faced by the leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and we appreciate the fact that both Baku and Yerevan are guided primarily by their own national interests when building a foreign policy course.

We began to take measures in advance to reduce the risks associated with the actually unscrupulous actions of the West in the global economy. According to available expert estimates, about 30% of all Trade between Russia and Azerbaijan is carried out in rubles. The very architecture of Russian-Azerbaijani economic relations as a whole is little exposed to external negative factors and quickly adapts to non-standard situations. This has been shown by the coronavirus pandemic. Thus, in 2021, the mutual trade turnover between our countries exceeded the pre-Covid indicators and amounted to a record $3.4 billion. UNITED STATES. Russia remains among the leading economic partners of Azerbaijan and ranks first among importers of Azerbaijani non-oil products. We will continue to implement the existing contractual arrangements and promote new investment projects.

A search for new niches of interaction is actively underway with Armenia. These issues were discussed during the talks held by Economy Minister Vladimir Kerobyan on April 11-12 in Moscow with the leadership of the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Statistics of Russia. Consideration of this topic continued at the highest level, in particular at the meetings of N.V. Pashinyan with V.V. Putin and Mikhail Mishustin on April 19 and 20. We agreed to expand the use of national currencies in settlements within the framework of mutual trade. Yerevan has already started paying for gas in rubles. The need for unified measures of non-tariff regulation, reduction of import customs duties was also discussed.

The leaders agreed to instruct the governments to work out a set of "compensatory" measures both in a bilateral format and through the EAEU. Yerevan is considering the opportunities in connection with the desire of some Russian companies to "take root" in Armenia.

Russia's leading economic operators, including Gazprom, Rosatom, Russian Railways, RUSAL, VTB Bank, Geopromining and many others, continue to create new jobs in the country, transfer modern technologies and competencies, and are large taxpayers. We hope to maintain this positive momentum.

Question: Just last week, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan visited Moscow, and what prospects does it offer for the development of cooperation between Moscow and Yerevan?

Maria Zakharova: We note the importance of the first official visit of Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to our country. The Prime Minister of Armenia held detailed talks with President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Chairman of the Federation Council Vladimir Matviyenko and Chairman of the State Duma Vladimir Volodin. In addition, he visited Nizhny Novgorod, where he met with the leadership of the Nizhny Novgorod region and visited the Gorky Automobile Plant. The head of the Armenian government was accompanied by a solid delegation – Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of the Security Council, three ministers, Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly.

In addition to the adoption of the above-mentioned joint statement, a solid package of documents was signed during the visit, including on cooperation in the energy, law enforcement, social, labor and humanitarian spheres. Relevant Russian and Armenian departments have already begun to implement the agreements reached.

Gazprom Armenia covers 80% of the country's needs for "blue fuel". The volume of Gazprom's investments in the economy of the Republic exceeds $800 million. Also, in an allied vein, we are working on issues important for Yerevan in the field of agriculture. I am sure that all this will allow the economies of the two countries to develop more confidently and predictably.

Through Rosatom State Corporation, we provide assistance taking into account the need to extend the life of the Armenian NPP. The modernization of the second power unit of the NPP was successfully completed, permission was received to operate the station until 2026. In January 2022, Rosatom State Corporation and the Armenian NPP signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the construction of new Russian-designed nuclear power units in Armenia, and a joint working group was formed. Among the documents signed during N.V. Pashinyan's visit is a comprehensive program of Russian-Armenian cooperation in the field of energy and non-energy projects.

A set of topics related to building cooperation in the new conditions, including those related to the financial sector, logistics, and the digital economy, was discussed in detail. It was agreed that a number of Russian companies will join the modernization of transport, in particular, the Yerevan metro, the mining region - special attention will be paid to the development of copper-molybdenum deposits.

Prime Minister invited Vladimir Putin to visit Armenia in the second half of the year in conjunction with the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council. It is assumed that the Russian leader will participate in the laying of a monument to Russian-Armenian friendship in the center of Yerevan.

Within the framework of the rich Russian-Armenian dialogue, other contacts at various levels are being prepared. The 34th meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission on Cooperation was held in Yerevan on April 21-23. There are plans to gather parliamentarians once again - within the framework of the meeting of the relevant committees of the State Duma of Russia and the National Assembly of Armenia.

During 2022, we will host the Days of Armenian Culture in Russia and hold the Days of Spiritual Culture of Russia in Armenia. Interregional and youth forums will be held again, as well as the 21st meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

We are intensively cooperating in the humanitarian sphere. Additional steps are being taken to strengthen the position of the Russian language in Armenia, in particular by supporting Russian classes in Armenian schools, retraining school teachers teaching according to Russian standards. This is necessary not only to preserve the common educational, scientific and linguistic space, but also in order to meet the demand observed in Armenia for the study of the Russian language.

Question: How successful is the process of implementing the provisions of the Declaration on Allied Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan signed on February 22?

Maria Zakharova: The very logic and intensity of Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation has led us to a natural increase in the level of bilateral relations. It is very symbolic that the Declaration on Allied Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan was signed in the 30th anniversary year of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The document covers the entire range of bilateral relations between our states and provides for closer foreign policy coordination, increasing trade and economic cooperation (including in the fuel, energy and financial spheres), expanding the transit and transport potential, readiness to develop integration processes in the CIS, participation in the formation of a multipolar world based on international law and the central role of the UN. , ensuring stability and security in the Caucasus and Caspian regions.

Relevant ministries and departments have already begun to implement the provisions of the Declaration. Let me give you some specific examples.

The I Forum of Youth Initiatives held on March 1-3 this year in the Gusar region of Azerbaijan brought together more than 100 participants from youth educational and volunteer organizations of the two countries and became, in fact, the first event in the context of the implementation of our Allied Declaration.

This month, a number of Russian-Azerbaijani events aimed at strengthening economic cooperation will be held. So, on April 20-21 of this year, the Ministry of Energy of Russia organized another Russian business mission to Azerbaijan on fuel and energy issues. It should be noted that this is the third business mission to the Republic - the first two took place in July and November 2021, based on their results, specific contractual agreements are being implemented. We attach great importance to the connection of domestic economic operators to the restoration of the Karabakh territories, we consider this track an important tool in stimulating bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

On April 20 this year, the Baku State University of Economics of Azerbaijan (UNEC) hosted a seminar "Potential for the development of economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EAEU countries", which was attended by representatives of the EEC and the EDB, the government apparatus and Russian experts-economists. Baku's interest in obtaining first-hand information about the Eurasian integration processes is obvious. This is the second thematic event after the conference "Current state and prospects of Russian-Azerbaijani economic relations in the context of integration processes" organized in December 2021 at the ADA University (former Diplomatic Academy of Azerbaijan), at which Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Overchuk spoke.

Finally, preparations are in full swing for the 20th anniversary meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation (IASC), which will be held on April 26 this year in Baku. The whole range of issues of our bilateral economic cooperation will be considered. We have many new interesting and promising projects.

This year we plan to organize another Russian-Azerbaijani Interregional Forum. Cooperation between the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan remains an important component of bilateral cooperation, since more than 70 regions of our country are involved in direct economic contacts with Azerbaijan.

Taking into account the deep historical ties, the cultural and humanitarian sphere remains among our joint priorities. Currently, more than 11,000 Azerbaijani students are studying in Russia, more than a thousand of them at the expense of the federal budget. More than two hundred state scholarships are provided annually to citizens of Azerbaijan. A branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University (since 2009) and a branch of the First Moscow State Medical University named after I.M. Sechenov (since 2015) have been successfully operating in Baku for several years. We have common approaches to the issue of preserving cultural and linguistic diversity (there are 341 Russian-speaking schools in Baku) and the memory of the feat of our peoples in the Great Patriotic War.

Question: Can the Russian special operation in Ukraine affect the prospects for the implementation of the trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia and, in general, the normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan? What do you think about the opinion of a number of experts that against the background of the Ukrainian crisis, attempts by Western countries to squeeze out Moscow's position in the South Caucasus are possible?

Maria Zakharova: Ensuring peace and stability in the South Caucasus is one of the priorities of Russia's foreign policy, the implementation of which does not depend on changes in any external conditions. The key element in this direction remains the promotion of the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations on the basis of the trilateral statements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia of November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021.

As you know, in order to ensure a ceasefire in November 2020, the Russian peacekeeping contingent (RCC) was deployed along the contact line in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. Our peacekeepers also help to establish a peaceful life – to deliver humanitarian aid, restore infrastructure, and demine territories.

As part of the implementation of the trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, a whole range of tasks is being solved. We are talking about the launch of the delimitation process and the subsequent demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the unblocking of economic and transport ties in the region. In particular, we are ready to provide advisory assistance to the bilateral Border Delimitation Commission and to provide the necessary cartographic materials. We are working towards the speedy coordination of specific projects for the restoration and development of transport infrastructure within the framework of the Trilateral Working Group under the joint chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. In addition, under the auspices of Russia, an ethno-confessional dialogue and contacts between the civil society of the two countries have been initiated. We promote the coordination of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Russian side is determined to continue to help Baku and Yerevan in every possible way to find common ground, create an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding. At the same time, we welcome the initiatives of third countries, which can complement our trilateral efforts, and are not based on the logic of geopolitical games.

Unfortunately, we see that against the background of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, a number of Western media and expert circles are calling for an increase in the degree of tension in Transcaucasia. Apparently, in order to create additional problems for Russia on our southern borders, undermine its peacekeeping efforts and thereby strengthen its own positions in this region. We do not think that changing the current balance of power will work to strengthen stability in the South Caucasus.

Question: How did Abkhazia and South Ossetia perceive Russia's recognition of the independence of the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics and the special military operation in Ukraine? What measures is Moscow taking to help its allies in the person of Sukhum and Tskhinval, including taking into account the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and against the background of Western sanctions pressure?

Answer: South Ossetia recognized the DPR and LPR back in 2014, Abkhazia took a similar step on February 25 of this year, although in fact contacts were carried out earlier. Abkhaz President A.G. Bzhania in his statement noted that "the decisions of the Russian side to recognize the republics and conduct a special military operation to protect them were hard-won, deeply thought out, and have no alternative."

The authorities of both republics, all socio-political forces expressed unconditional approval of the special operation in defense of Donbass. In Sukhum and Tskhinval, mass rallies were held in support of Russia and the Russian army. Both countries, despite limited resources, supplied humanitarian aid to the DPR and LPR, hosted a group of refugees. The President of South Ossetia paid a visit to Donetsk.

The above facts testify to the effectiveness of Russia's allied connection with the young Transcaucasian states.

The allied nature of Russia's relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia is also expressed in the large-scale assistance provided by Moscow to partners in various spheres of interaction, especially against the background of the coronavirus pandemic. Relevant investment programmes approved by bilateral intergovernmental commissions are aimed at addressing the problems of socio-economic recovery and development. Currently, investment programs for 2020-2022 are being implemented with a financing volume of 4.5 billion rubles each. It must be remembered that the vast majority of residents of Abkhazia (about 60%) and South Ossetia (about 90%) have Russian citizenship.

In general, the following budget allocations are provided for the current year: the Republic of Abkhazia - in the amount of 5.726 billion rubles, of which 4.376 billion - for current expenditures of socio-economic development, including the implementation of international agreements concluded as part of the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on Alliance and Strategic Partnership of 2014; The Republic of South Ossetia - in the amount of 7.2 billion rubles, of which 5.9 billion rubles - for the provision of financial assistance for the socio-economic development of the Republic of South Ossetia, including the implementation of international agreements concluded as part of the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on Alliance and Integration of 2015.

In order to combat the new coronavirus infection, Russia regularly supplies Abkhazia and South Ossetia with domestically produced vaccines, test systems, and medical equipment. Multidisciplinary mobile hospitals of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, units of radiation, chemical and biological protection of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, teams of medical specialists and epidemiologists have repeatedly worked in the republics. The current volumes of supplies of Russian vaccines fully cover the demand in the countries.

In the context of support for Abkhazia and South Ossetia against the background of Western sanctions pressure, I would like to note that the temporary measures enshrined in the March resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation aimed at ensuring the security of the Russian Federation in the sphere of foreign economic activity and relating to bans or quantitative restrictions on the export of certain categories of goods do not apply to Sukhum and Tskhinval, taking into account their requests.

Question: How is the work going within the framework of the 3+3 regional consultative platform (Armenia-Azerbaijan – Georgia + Russia – Iran – Turkey)? Is there anything new regarding Tbilisi's connection to this format?

A: Preparations are under way for the second meeting of the 3+3 Regional Consultative Platform. The venue and timing will be announced.

We consider it right to actively use the 3+3 to develop cooperation between the countries of the South Caucasus and their neighbors. The logic of such cooperation presupposes a collective consideration of issues that are of common interest, do not exacerbate political contradictions, but, on the contrary, contribute to increasing mutual trust. It is about finding solutions to regional challenges and problems by the regionals themselves.

Among the priority areas is the implementation of mutually beneficial projects in the fields of trade, energy, industry, innovative technologies, and infrastructure modernization. Additional opportunities for cooperation between the countries of the South Caucasus and their neighbors are related to the disclosure of the transit potential of the region, the restoration of transport routes in Transcaucasia, and the organization of multimodal transportation. Another important track is cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere.

I am confident that the designated 3+3 agenda fully meets the interests of Georgia, for which the "doors" – by common agreement of all participating countries – remain open.

Question: How do you assess the situation in the Abkhazia-Georgia-South Ossetia triangle and the prospects for the negotiation process within the framework of the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in transcaucasia?

Maria Zakharova: The situation in the border area of Abkhazia and South Ossetia with Georgia remains generally quite stable. This, in particular, was stated by the participants of the meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) on the Georgian-South Ossetian border, held on April 12 this year in the village of Ergnet. We also note a decrease in the number of incidents and provocative statements. The next step is the resumption of a similar mechanism on the Georgian-Abkhaz border in the village of Gal. We hope that the proposals submitted by the Abkhaz side to the UN representatives at the end of last year will be considered in a constructive manner.

As for the Geneva discussions, the work of this format has been put on pause. This is not our choice, the initiative in this case belongs to the "troika" of co-chairs, who by their decision postponed for an indefinite time the next 56th round planned for the end of March. Thus, these participants in the discussions actually took hostage the most important negotiation format, thanks to which it was possible to maintain an acceptable level of security and stability in the region. So all the responsibility for the breakdown of the negotiations is entirely on them. There are also logistical difficulties that have arisen in connection with the restrictive measures introduced against Russia by the European Union (and this is one of the co-chairs of the Geneva discussions) and Switzerland, which is hosting this format on its territory. All these unfriendly and politicized steps of Western "partners" do not help to strengthen stability and security in the South Caucasus, can lead to uncertainty in this region.

Question: Let's return to the topic of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia, what events have taken place and are still expected within the framework of the anniversary year?

Maria Zakharova: During the current anniversary year, together with our Azerbaijani and Armenian friends, we are holding more than two dozen events in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. Directly on the dates of the establishment of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, an exchange of congratulatory messages from the leaders of our states, parliaments and foreign ministries took place. On the famous "books" of Novy Arbat these days (April 3-4), the flags of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia caught fire. In addition, within the framework of the anniversary year, it is planned to publish collections of Russian-Azerbaijani and Russian-Armenian documents, to conduct a joint issue of postage stamps.

The festival of Azerbaijani culture "Days of Azerbaijan in Moscow" was recently held in Moscow. In the New Tretyakov Gallery, an expanded exposition of the People's Artist Tahir Salakhov was presented. The Helikon-Opera Theater hosted a concert "Musical Stars of Azerbaijan on the Moscow Stage". The exhibition "Azerbaijani Carpet - a New Look" was organized in the pavilion "Azerbaijan" at VDNKh. Screenings of Azerbaijani films were held in the Moscow cinema "Illusion". The main point of the festive program in Baku was a concert of classical music of the State Chamber Orchestra named after K. Garayev in the Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic named after M. Magomayev, during which works by Russian and Azerbaijani composers were performed.

On the fifth of April, a concert of classical music and a thematic photo exhibition were held in the Komitas Chamber Music House of Yerevan on the initiative of the Moscow Cultural and Business Center "House of Moscow". Recently, the founding conference of the Russian-Armenian expert dialogue was held. Earlier, on April 6, a discussion was held at the House of Russian Books in Yerevan on the prospects for the development of the EAEU in the context of restrictive measures of the West. On April 8, the Russian International Affairs Council and the Public Association "Dialogue" organized the forum "Russia and Armenia: 30 Years of Union and Integration". All this contributes to the intensification of contacts between the political science community, as well as between public figures in Russia and Armenia.

A number of political and cultural events in Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia remain on the agenda. In short, there is still a lot of good news ahead.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 25 2022 18:01 utc | 100